#JUDITH is taller than him??

[troofless]

how is raven shorter than yuri/flynn

#vesperia mumblings #troofless stuff #troofless plays games #170 vs 180... old man... #JUDITH is taller than him??

[tricoufamily]

actually yeah one of my favorite hawthorneisms is how connor and jeremiah both look like judith but they don't look like each other

#the one character connor is taller than #i don't remember how to do cas photos with alpha hair i don't care #but yes anyway connor and jeremiah are half brothers jeremiah's about 4/5 years older connor hates him jeremiah doesn't hate connor #there's a lot of problems in this family there's too much to list in the tags judith shouldn't have had children #ts4 #connor #judith #jeremiah

[hamsterclaw]

Fugitive

You're kidnapped by a desperate man and you can't see a way that this is going to end well, for either of you.

Pairing: Yoongi x f! reader

Word count: 10k

Genre: Escaped criminal, convict Yoongi

Rating: 18+

Warnings: Sex, swearing, mentions of a gun, threat of gun violence

Author note: This story is based on the romance novel Perfect by Judith McNaught. I've taken a few liberties with the plot and characters.

The coffee at this mountainside diner is good, warming your belly as you frown at the snow outside. 

All the weather reports say there’s a storm coming from the east, but it doesn’t take a trooper to know that. 

Even a city girl like you can see how the sky’s darkening, how the wind’s relentless, how the temperature is rapidly dropping.

You’ve got snow tires on, four wheel drive, emergency supplies in your trunk, but you think you won’t need them, you’re heading west and you’ve made good time on your way to visit your sister and her newborn.

Like your dad used to say, your family’s full of grit. 

You swallow your smile when you see the man standing just outside the diner looking straight at you.

Did he think you were smiling at him?

You look down hastily.

The waitress comes round with the check you signalled for, you put money on the little acrylic tray and get ready to go.

By the time you step outside, the wind’s picked up even more, snow swirling, making your eyes want to screw shut under your beanie.

You don’t hear him until he’s almost on top of you.

He’s not a lot taller than you, and he’s not particularly dressed for the weather, in denim on denim, a parka. No hat or gloves.

His hair is dark, as are his eyes, and his skin is pale, like he doesn’t get a lot of sun.

He looks vaguely familiar but you can’t really place him.

‘You have a flat,’ he says, pointing to one of your front tyres.

You look down in dismay only to see that he’s right.

Shit!

‘I can help you change it, if you’ve got a spare,’ he offers.

‘Would you?’ you ask, grateful.

‘Yeah, not a problem.’

You show him where the spare and tools are, and as he crouches by the tyre, you’re very aware of how, unlike you, he doesn’t have gloves on. 

You feel a surge of guilt.

‘Hey,’ you offer, ‘whilst you’re doing that, can I get you a hot drink or something?’

He looks up at you, hands braced on the flat.

‘I wouldn’t mind a coffee, if it’s not too much trouble.’

‘Of course,’ you say, relieved that he’s not too polite to take you up on your offer. ‘I’ll be right back.’

You hurry back into the diner to get him a coffee. As you wait you wonder if he might want a sandwich too, and impulsively, you order him a hot sandwich.

He can always say no if he doesn’t want it, you reason.

By the time you come out, he’s putting the flat in your trunk, tidying up the tools he used.

‘Thank you,’ you tell him, passing him the drink.

‘No problem,’ he says.

A little awkwardly, you hold out the wrapped sandwich. ‘I got you a sandwich too, if you want it. It’s turkey.’

He accepts with another murmured ‘thank you.’

You’re wondering if you should offer him money for his kindness when he says, hesitant, ‘I could use a lift, if you’re heading west. I’ve got a job interview I’m hoping to make it to.’

Now you’re the hesitant one. He’s shown you nothing but kindness, but he is still a total stranger.

He waits without looking at you, sipping his coffee, keeping his distance.

You think about his lack of warm clothes, and as you’re looking at him, you notice the crispness of the creases in his clothing, remnants of how they must have been folded when he bought them.

You think about his calloused palms and how he accepted the sandwich without hesitation.

‘Hey, it’s ok,’ he starts to say, and it’s that, more than anything else, that spurs you on to reply.

‘It’s fine,’ you say. ‘I’ll take you as far as I’m heading.’

***

He gets into the passenger seat, and from the sigh that passes his lips you realise that he really was as cold as you thought he might be.

You start the engine, and warm air starts to blow through your A/C vents.

You check that the GPS is still set and glance over at him. 

‘You ready?’

You’re a mile or so out of the diner, listening to the radio, when it occurs to you to ask him his name.

‘I’m Y/N,’ you say. 

‘Yoongi,’ comes the reply.

In here, away from the whistling wind, you can hear the gravel in his voice.

‘What job are you going for?’ you ask.

‘Just some construction job my friend’s lined up for me near Maisan,’ Yoongi says.

He glances in the rearview mirror. 

‘I hope you get it,’ you tell him. ‘Do you live around there?’

He seems to hesitate.

‘I don’t mean to pry,’ you say, quickly. 

To bridge the sudden silence, you say, ‘I’m going to see my sister and her new baby. She chose a good time to have him, right before a storm.’

You notice movement up ahead, a police roadblock.

Beside you, your new acquaintance sits up. 

‘Nice and easy,’ he says, and you look at him, confused, until you notice that he has a gun in his hand.

Pointed right at you.

You straighten up so quickly your neck cracks.

‘What —-‘

‘Nice and easy,’ Yoongi says again, a hardness to his voice you haven’t heard up until now. 

‘There are six shots in this gun, but I’ll only need one to hurt you,’ he continues.

Your hands tighten on the wheel, and your lips clamp together, trying to stifle the squeak of terror that threatens to slip out.

‘I just want you to know that I will hurt you if you try anything,’ Yoongi says. There’s a seriousness in his voice that makes your blood chill. ‘So nice and easy, get us past this roadblock.’

You’ve slowed automatically as you approach the uniformed policemen, your years of driving making your body do the expected things despite the way your head is reeling.

Yoongi has a gun, and he seems perfectly capable of using it on you.

The fear crystallises into a single sob before your throat closes completely. Your breathing quickens but you know you’ll need to look normal, unsuspicious, to get you and Yoongi past the police.

‘Are they looking for you?’ you ask. Your voice is shuddery, you’re trembling so hard.

In response, Yoongi jams the barrel of the gun against you, high up, against your ribs, so hard it’s like he’s impaled you.

‘Shut up and get us through this,’ he snarls.

Your lips snap together again, and you make a conscious effort to pull yourself together.

Just before you stop, Yoongi says, ‘If you try anything, I won’t just be trying to hurt you. I’ll kill you.’

His tone is low, and another shiver runs through you.

You roll down the window.

The police trooper leans in. ‘Where are you headed?’

‘We’re going to see my sister in Maisan,’ you say, grateful at least, that your voice is steady.

Beside you, Yoongi’s sitting perfectly still.

‘You’ve not picked a good time to go,’ says the trooper.

This time, it’s Yoongi who answers. ‘I did say we should wait, but my girlfriend’s been looking forward to seeing her new nephew.’

He shrugs, a picture of indulgent exasperation.

The trooper laughs along with Yoongi even as you try to make desperate eye contact with him.

‘Better carry on then, hopefully you’ll make it before the storm hits.’

Then he’s waving you off, and you have a split second of panic, a moment where you consider screaming, before Yoongi’s gun jabs into your ribs again.

Again, your body responds before you do, driving you away from your last chance to seek help.

***

Twenty miles out from the diner, Yoongi tosses your phone out of the window.

Forty miles out, he programs a different address into your GPS.

It’s another ten miles before you find your voice again.

‘You can take the car, you know, and leave me here. I can’t call anyone.’

Yoongi almost looks like he’s considering it. 

‘I can’t leave you here out in the mountains in the middle of nowhere,’ he tells you. ‘You’ll die of exposure, especially if you can’t call for help.’

‘Also,’ he adds, almost as if it’s an afterthought, ‘you know the address of where we’re going.’

‘I didn’t see it,’ you say, too quickly.

Yoongi’s silent.

Finally, he says, ‘Just keep driving.’

‘Please,’ you plead. ‘Just let me go. I won’t tell the police where you’re heading.’

Yoongi’s grasp on the gun, still in his lap, tightens.

‘You’re a fucking idiot. Why the hell would you give a ride to a strange man you’ve just met?’

You don’t have a good answer to that.

‘You changed my tyre,’ you say. ‘I thought —‘

‘I slashed your tyre,’ he says, low, cold. ‘I was hanging around outside the diner, I saw you pull up, saw you were alone.’

His admission chills you.

Tears start to spill down your cheeks when you realise what a fool you were to trust him.

‘I just wanted to help you out,’ you tell him. ‘You seemed hungry and down on your luck, and you didn’t even have any warm c-c-clothes!’

You swipe at your cheeks furiously.

‘Didn’t have any warm clothes,’ Yoongi repeats, incredulous, scornful. ‘You’re some fucking good Samaritan.’

You’re crying quietly now, despairing over your naivety.

Yoongi doesn’t say anything for a good long while, and neither do you.

***

By the time you reach your destination, it’s snowing so hard you can barely see six feet in front of your car. 

Snowy walls close in either side of you, buffeting you from the wind but heightening your sense of claustrophobia. 

The clearing’s upon you before you quite realise it, and you end up stopping in front of a huge structure in the woods. 

It’s more than a cabin, it looks like a proper house, from what you can make out, with a shed and a carport. 

Yoongi reaches out and takes your car keys. 

‘Wait until I come round to your side.’ 

He doesn’t point the gun at you, but you don’t need reminding. 

He gets out, walks around to your side, pulls open the door, pushes you in front of him.

You try to take note of your surroundings, landmarks, but all you can see is snow.

Your boots clomp on the concrete as you approach the front door.

Behind you, you can hear Yoongi rustling, glancing at his phone before he punches numbers into the keypad discreetly placed by the door. 

He cups a hand over the keypad, you don’t see a thing.

He pulls you in as he enters, and you’re initially just grateful to be out of the snow. 

Yoongi says, ‘Take your coat off.’ 

He makes a move as if to do it for you when you don’t react quickly enough, and you snap into action, pulling the snaps apart, unzipping hastily. 

He takes your coat, tosses it carelessly to one side, grasps your wrist, tight. 

You flinch as he tightens a cable tie around your wrist and attaches you to the steel flap of a radiator by the entrance hall of the house. 

‘I can’t trust you not to try to run,’ he tells you. ‘I won’t hurt you, but I can’t afford for you to interfere with my plans, not now.’ 

You’re barely listening at this point. 

The terror of the last few hours has drained most of your energy. 

Yoongi stands over you for a few moments, as if to make sure you aren’t going to bolt, and then he heads further into the house. 

***

Time passes, you’re disorientated by the darkness brought on by the storm outside and your own sense of disjointedness. 

It doesn’t seem like that long ago since you loaded your things into your trunk and set off from home, and yet, it seems like forever. 

Gradually, you become aware of the hardwood floor under your salopes. The entry hall you’re being held captive in gives you the impression that this is a nice house. 

Whoever had this built has money. 

The ceilings are high, the wood panelling rich and beautifully rendered.

The radiator beside you has started heating up, the steel flaps burning you whenever you let your hand move too close. 

Your snow boots have made puddles on the hardwood. 

Where the hell are you? Who owns this place? Why did Yoongi have the code for the door? 

If he has friends this rich willing to let him use their house why the hell did he need you to drive him? 

Your mind swirling with thoughts you can’t reconcile, you pull your knees into your chest and tuck your chin in, wrapping your arms around yourself. 

You fall into an exhausted, dreamless sleep. 

***

You wake to complete darkness and a searing pain in your hand where you’ve let it fall against the radiator. 

It all comes back to you in a flash. 

The diner. The state trooper. The house. Yoongi. 

Your hand hurts, badly, but it’s too dark to see. 

As you straighten your legs, your foot hits something that falls with a soft thud, then rolls. 

A water bottle. 

You’re suddenly aware of how dry your throat is. 

You reach for the bottle, but maddeningly, it rolls out of your reach. 

There are tears on your face but you’re not crying, not really. 

Maybe you are. 

***

When you next wake, the cold thin grey light filtering in through the windows tells you it’s morning, or early. 

You look up to see your captor standing over you. 

You look at each other wordlessly. 

Yoongi crouches next to you. 

‘Do you need the bathroom?’ he asks. 

You nod. 

He reaches down to detach you from the radiator. 

Your hand. 

You can see it clearly now, the blistered, reddened side of your palm, the thin line of blood where the cable tie’s cut into your wrist. 

You say nothing. You don’t know if you can form any words. 

You get up carefully, follow Yoongi down the hall to a small bathroom. 

‘I’ll give you five minutes,’ Yoongi says. 

You take care of business, trying not to sob at the pain in your burnt hand and wrist. 

The window to the bathroom doesn’t open, and there’s nothing that you can use to break it. 

There’s a knock at the door, you feel a surge of hysterical laughter threatening to come out. 

He’s kidnapped you, locked you to a radiator, and he’s knocking because he cares about your privacy? 

The door opens, and Yoongi comes in. 

You stare at the scissors in his hand. 

‘Your wrist,’ he says. 

You watch, detached, as he cuts the cable tie. It falls to the floor, and you instinctively raise your hand to your chest to rub at your wrist. 

Yoongi says. ‘I have food for you.’ 

He takes you down another hallway, to a huge kitchen full of windows. The early morning sun filters in, bright and blinding, adding more of a sense of unreality to the situation you now find yourself in. 

Yoongi gestures to a seat at the kitchen island, sets a plate in front of you, like he’s made you breakfast. 

You stare in disbelief at the food. 

‘The car’s coming for me in two days, I’ll let you go then,’ Yoongi tells you, like you’re making plans together. 

Like you’re just two people who know each other, discussing plans over breakfast, instead of captor and captive. 

Now you’re staring at him. 

‘You’ll let me go?’ you ask. Your voice comes out in a rasp, you have a vague recollection of trying to drink water but being unable to reach. 

Yoongi winces a little, pours out a glass of water that you gulp down. 

‘You should have told me you wanted water,’ he says. 

‘You took my phone so I couldn’t text you,’ you say, the snark coming out of your mouth surprising you. 

His brow lifts. ‘You don’t have my number anyway.’ 

‘Don’t need it,’ you snap, gulping down your refill. ‘We’re not going on a second date.’ 

Now it’s his turn to stare at you. 

‘You’re not my type anyway,’ he snaps back. ‘Eat your food.’ 

For a moment you contemplate going on a hunger strike but you suspect he wouldn’t give a shit anyway so you examine your plate. 

You fork up some eggs and chew cautiously. 

They’re good. Better than you expected. Your stomach growls as you eat. 

The food’s doing wonders for your energy levels. 

‘Why are you running from the police?’ you ask. ‘What did you do?’ 

‘I was convicted of murder,’ he tells you, cold. 

‘Did you do it?’ you ask, unimpressed. 

‘I didn’t, as a matter of fact,’ he replies, flat. 

‘Wait. Were you in prison?’ 

‘I escaped,’ he tells you. ‘With a little help from my friends.’ 

You mull this over as you finish the last of your eggs. 

‘You have friends?’ 

Yoongi gives you a look that makes your chest tighten a little. 

‘Hard to believe, isn’t it?’ he agrees. 

He takes your plate, gathers up your cutlery, turns his back to put them in the sink. 

‘Don’t even think about throwing your glass at me,’ he says, back still to you. 

Your hand stills on the counter. 

You change the subject. 

‘This is a nice house. Do your friends know they’re harbouring a fugitive from the law?’ 

‘My friends have nothing to do with anything,’ Yoongi tells you, giving you a hard look. 

He sets out a bandage and some ointment on the kitchen island in front of you. 

‘Your hand,’ he prompts impatiently, when you don’t make a move to take them. 

You’re about to reach for them when he sighs, unscrews the top of the tube, drops a dollop on your burnt palm. 

You stifle a hiss of pain as he rubs the ointment in. 

‘I’m sorry,’ Yoongi says quietly. 

He’s close to you now, so close you catch a whiff of the freshness of his shampoo. 

‘You should be sorry,’ you say. ‘I thought you were just some guy who was down on his luck who needed a break, and next thing you’re waving a gun in my face and threatening to kill me.’ 

You can feel the tears threatening to rise again, but you blink them back. 

Yoongi’s touch is gentle on your sore hand. 

‘I am sorry. Believe me, if there were any other way I would have taken it. I promise, I’ll let you go. I have no intention of hurting you.’ 

He says the words with conviction but you know you can’t believe anything he says. 

Trusting him is what got you into this in the first place. 

You let him bandage your hand. 

‘Which radiator next?’ you ask, resigned. 

‘I won’t tie you up again, but I’ll have to keep an eye on you,’ Yoongi says, surprising you. ‘There’s a den we can sit in, if you want.’ 

You don’t see that you have any better options. 

***

You start off in the furthest corner of the den from him, back to the wall, wary. 

Yoongi ignores you completely as he turns on the TV, scrolls to the news.

You glance over the books on the bookshelf along one wall, but the TV catches your attention.

‘The search continues for Min Yoongi, the disgraced former rapper who was convicted of the murder of Han Jisung three years ago.’

Your gaze snaps to Yoongi, but he’s not looking at you, attention fully on the screen as an old media clip of him rapping plays.

‘The federal police are looking into several leads, and members of the public can contact the number onscreen if they have any information as to his whereabouts.’

The next story flashes up, and Yoongi sits back. You can see the tension leaving his body.

He catches the way you’re still gaping at him.

You blink, clear your throat. 

‘So, you used to rap?’

Yoongi’s expression morphs into one of incredulity. ‘That’s your take-home from all that?’ 

You try again. ‘Too bad I don’t have my phone to call the number. Do you think there’s a reward?’

Yoongi stares at you.

‘I didn’t kill Han Jisung,’ he says. 

He refuses to be drawn into any further discussion about it, and finally, you give up and pick up one of the books from the shelf.

***

Lunch is a sombre affair, sandwiches that you eat mechanically while looking at the grey outside.

The storm’s upon you, you doubt your snow tires would be up to the challenge even if you could get your car keys off Yoongi.

There’s no visibility at all, and if the wall of ice that’s forming around the glass of the floor to ceiling windows of the house wasn’t enough to deter you, the fact that you have no idea where your parka is certainly helps put you off.

You grew up in a mountainous area like this, and you’ve got a healthy respect for the weather conditions when it's like this.

You wonder how your sister’s doing, and your new nephew, if they’ve noticed you’re missing yet.

Maybe they think you’ve stopped to seek shelter and are waiting for the storm to pass before you continue on your journey.

You wonder if they’ve put your lack of communication down to a signal failure.

You wonder if anyone will notice you’re missing.

Your thoughts drift to Seokjin, the man you’ve recently had a few dates with. 

He’s a good looking guy, outmatching you in looks if you’re being honest about what you think, but he seems to like the way you look, and to enjoy spending time with you.

You realise that Yoongi’s talking to you.

‘Are you all right?’ he asks, nodding to your half eaten sandwich.

‘I’m fine,’ you answer. You pull a face. ‘Well apart from being held captive against my will.’

Yoongi looks like he’s resisting the urge to roll his eyes. 

‘Were you really going to see your sister?’ he asks. ‘Will she notice you’re missing?’

You eye him narrowly. ‘I don’t think anyone’s sending out a search party for me just yet, if that’s what you’re asking.’

Yoongi says, unexpectedly, ‘Why not? You’re pretty, you’d catch attention on the front page of the newspapers.’

You say, incredulously, ‘I bet dozens of women go missing every single day.’

‘They probably do,’ Yoongi agrees. 

‘How did you get put in prison if you didn’t kill that guy?’ you ask, changing the subject. ‘I’m sure you could afford a good legal team.’

Yoongi takes a while to answer. 

‘I was fucking Han Jisung’s fiancee.’

You raise a sceptical brow at him. ‘And?’

‘I think his half-brother set me up.’

You mull this over.

‘So what’s the plan? You escape from prison and leave the country?’

Yoongi shrugs, but his gaze is hard. 

‘I stay on the run until I get enough evidence for a re-trial. Prove my innocence.’

‘Seems a long shot,’ you say, but you have no desire to piss him off, at least not while he’s got a gun in his possession.

‘I have influential friends who are willing to help,’ Yoongi says, simply.

You say nothing.

‘Do you know what it’s like to be put away for life for something you didn’t do?’ Yoongi asks, suddenly. ‘I’ve lost three years of my life to this, there’s no chance of parole for another 7 years.’

His voice rings with anger and frustration.

‘I’m sorry,’ you say. 

You have no idea if he’s telling you the truth, but you’re convinced of one thing. He believes it. 

If he’s telling the truth, you can’t think of anything more awful.

‘Some say I brought this on myself,’ Yoongi says. 

He shakes his head. ‘I don’t blame them. I was an asshole and a womaniser.’

‘That doesn’t surprise me,’ you retort.

Yoongi looks at you, momentarily speechless with surprise.

Then he laughs. 

‘Has no one ever taught you not to make fun of a man with a gun?’

You look at him seriously. ‘You promised you’d let me go in two days. Was that a lie?’

‘No,’ he answers. His eyes meet yours, gaze steady and unwavering. ‘I’ll keep my word.’

With him looking at you like this, you almost believe him.

***

Night’s falling, or so you think, it’s been dark all day but you get the sense that daylight’s fading fast.

Yoongi gets up, says, ‘Come on, I’m going to bed.’

‘You want a bedtime story?’ you ask, tetchy.

He just waits patiently by the entrance of the den for you to join him.

‘Any chance I could take a shower?’ you ask.

You’ve been in the same clothes for a day and a half, and you feel pretty grimy.

‘Sure,’ Yoongi says, surprising you. ‘Need clothes?’

Yoongi takes you to what looks like a pretty impressive master bedroom, with an equally luxurious looking bathroom.

He rummages in a drawer, hands you a set of grey sweats.

He says, the faintest note of embarrassment in his voice, ‘There’s no women’s clothes here.’

You accept the clothes with a murmured ‘thanks.’

Yoongi says, ‘the door doesn’t lock, but I won’t walk in on you. The window’s too high to jump from.’

You eye him.

‘I have no interest in walking through this snowstorm without a coat.’ 

You raise an eyebrow. ‘Unless you want to give me the car keys?’

Yoongi chooses not to answer, steps back so you can close the bathroom door.

You get undressed quickly, step under a shower of water so hot it feels like heaven after you’ve been cold most of the day.

There’s toiletries that you avail yourself of, and by the time you get redressed, you feel practically human again, burnt hand and sore wrist notwithstanding.

You wrap a towel around your hair, step out to see Yoongi sitting on an armchair by the bed.

His gaze flicks over you once, his expression unreadable.

‘I don’t want to tie you to another radiator,’ he says.

You wait to hear where he’s going with this.

‘I’m going to lock the bedroom door. You can share the bed with me, or there’s that couch.’

‘I’ll take the couch,’ you say. 

You get onto the couch, pull a blanket over your head, and you must be more tired that you thought, because you’re thinking of everything Yoongi’s told you, and then you’re not thinking of anything at all.

***

You wake in complete darkness, quiet save for your own breathing.

As your eyes adjust, you realise that the lump near the window is Yoongi. 

He’s looking out, facing away from you.

‘What time is it?’ you ask.

Yoongi inhales, keeps looking out.

‘Sometime after midnight,’ he says. ‘Does it matter?’

You sit up, curl your legs under you.

His profile is strangely lovely, the slope of his brow, the high bridge of his nose, his jaw.

‘What are you going to do if you manage to prove your innocence?’ you ask.

It’s a clumsy question, but Yoongi doesn’t seem to mind.

‘I’d like to live near a beach,’ he says. ‘Make music. Be away from people for a bit.’

You guess there’s not a whole lot of privacy in prison.

‘I have a beach hut,’ you say. ‘We used to spend summers at the seaside. When my parents died, my sister and I inherited it.’

‘Yeah?’ Yoongi asks, turning towards you.

‘Yeah. We swam a lot. Explored caves. Did some rockpooling.’

‘Sounds fun,’ Yoongi says. ‘When I was a kid I spent summers trying to earn money.’

‘Yeah?’

‘I did a lot of gigs, trying to get exposure. I had my own crew though.’ He sounds wistful. ‘We busted our asses.’

He laughs. ‘When I signed my first record deal I got a house so my crew would always have a roof over their heads.’

‘No diamond encrusted chains?’ you tease.

‘Baby, that was after I got my first platinum record,’ he shoots back.

You laugh, and after a moment, he does too.

‘You got a job?’ 

You look up at the ceiling.

‘I teach,’ you tell him. ‘Grade school. I’ve got a class of seven year olds.’

‘You do have that whole teacher vibe,’ Yoongi remarks.

You’re amused.

‘What whole teacher vibe?’

‘You know. Responsible, prepared for everything. I mean, I saw the supplies in your trunk.’

You can’t argue.

‘You’re too soft,’ Yoongi continues. He’s still turned towards you. ‘You shouldn’t have offered me a ride.’

‘Like I said,’ you reply. ‘You looked like you needed help.’

He scoffs. ‘If I were your man I’d teach you to make any man regret even thinking about messing with you.’

‘I don’t need a man to teach me that,’ you say. 

Yoongi shrugs, a rustle of his sweatshirt. 

‘All I’m saying is you should work on looking less sweet and harmless.’

You toss a couch cushion in his direction.

‘I’ll show you how to crush a trachea tomorrow if you want,’ Yoongi volunteers.

‘Can I practise on you?’ you mutter, disgruntled. 

Yoongi just laughs. 

He turns back to the window. 

It’s too dark to tell if the snow’s still falling but it doesn’t make a difference to you, because soon enough, you’re asleep again.

***

Yoongi’s quiet today, prepping breakfast with a distracted concentration that makes you wonder what’s on his mind. 

You’re fixing coffee, looking for filters. 

You pull open a drawer and freeze. 

Out of the corner of your eye you can see the way Yoongi’s back stiffens. 

There’s a revolver in the drawer. The same gun Yoongi used on you that first day. 

Yoongi turns around slowly, and your eyes lock. 

He’s too far away to have any chance of getting to it before you. 

Yoongi tilts his head. 

‘It’s fully loaded,’ he says. ‘You cock the trigger to arm it. Point and shoot. It’s reliable. It doesn’t jam.’ 

You blink at him. 

‘The car keys are in my pocket. The snow’s still a little crazy but if you wait a few hours it might settle. It’s safer to go tomorrow.’ 

Thoughts swirl in your head, too much for you to process. 

Finally, you reach out, and close the drawer wordlessly. 

‘You’ll let me go tomorrow?’ you ask, wondering if you’ve just made the most stupid decision of your life. 

‘I’ll let you go tomorrow, I promise you. Even if my friend doesn’t come through.’ 

You can’t look at him. 

You can hear him approaching, but instead of heading for the drawer, he heads for you. 

‘Thank you,’ he says. 

You look over. 

His eyes are serious. ‘It’s been a while since anyone who didn’t know me before trusted me.’ 

‘Like you said, I’m dumb and soft,’ you reply. There’s a wobble in your voice that belies the snarky tone you were going for. 

His hand lands on your shoulder. It’s gentle. 

‘You’d be eaten alive where I come from,’ he agrees, when you look his way again. ‘But that’s never going to happen, if I have anything to do with it.’ 

He squeezes your shoulder, reassuring. ‘Forget the coffee. I’ll make it. Go and eat.’ 

***

The unfamiliar sound from overhead is making the wineglasses rattle. 

You glance at Yoongi. 

He’s quicker than you, mouth set in a straight line, heading for the window in the lounge. 

‘What is it?’ you ask, but a moment later, you know. 

It’s a chopper, flying directly overhead. 

Yoongi turns to you. 

‘If that’s the police, stay inside, hands up, away from the windows whilst I turn myself in.’ 

You’re staring at him, again feeling like you’re three steps behind. 

‘It’s the way that it’s safest for you,’ he says, patient. ‘They’ll want you to come in for questioning once they take me in. Just tell the truth, don’t try to hide anything.’ 

Your throat feels like it’s filled with cotton, your heart’s pounding in your ears. 

‘They won’t hurt you, will they?’ 

‘There are other ways to hurt a man than shooting him on sight,’ Yoongi replies. The bitterness is back in his voice again. 

There’s a truth to his words you can’t deny. 

Overhead, the noise intensifies, until finally, it starts fading away. 

You don’t know if it’s just wishful thinking at first, but eventually it becomes clear that the chopper’s becoming more distant. 

Yoongi hasn’t moved from his spot by the window. 

‘They’re not here for you,’ you say, unnecessary, but the silence is so loaded you have to fill it with something, anything. 

‘Not this time,’ Yoongi agrees. 

***

Around mid-day, Yoongi switches on the news in the den. 

You don’t have to wait long for an update. 

‘The search for convicted murderer Min Yoongi intensifies. CCTV footage from a mountainside diner near east of Maisan suggests that he was aided in his journey by an unidentified female driving a 2004 Grand Cherokee Jeep.’ 

You watch, your heart in your stomach as grainy footage of Yoongi getting into your car is played. 

The clip is less than 10 seconds, and your face is barely visible, but it’s definitely you. 

The same information about how to get in touch with the police flashes up, but you’re beyond listening. 

You get up shakily, rush to the bathroom, and throw up the partially digested remains of your breakfast. 

By the time you emerge from the bathroom, Yoongi’s waiting outside. 

‘Are you ok?’ he asks. He’s holding out a glass of water that you accept automatically. 

‘Yeah,’ you say. You take a big gulp, swipe at your face. ‘Am I in trouble, Yoongi?’ 

‘You’ll have to make a statement when you get to your sister’s,’ Yoongi tells you. ‘Tell them I forced you at gunpoint.’ 

You think of the gun you had the opportunity to take this morning. 

‘I offered you a ride voluntarily,’ you say. 

‘I don’t give a fuck,’ Yoongi says, harshly. He steps forward. ‘And they won’t give a fuck, either. This won’t affect me, I’m already a convicted murderer. But it’ll affect you if they think you helped me.’ 

He slams his open hand against the wall next to him, startling you. 

‘You need to wise up. I don’t care if you throw me under the bus, and it won’t make a difference to the charges against me. But this could affect your future, so you need to do whatever it takes to make sure you come away clean from this.’ 

What he’s saying makes sense, but he doesn’t know you. 

‘I promised them,’ you burst out. 

Yoongi stops dead. ‘What?’ 

‘I was adopted, when I was eight,’ you say. The words are coming out in a rush now, garbled, and you’re not sure if you can make him understand but you need to say it all. 

‘I promised my adoptive parents I’d never lie again. I was some dumb kid when they adopted me, I’d been in and out of foster homes. I’d developed a thing for taking things I wanted.’ 

Stealing, your inner voice says, accurately. 

‘And when my parents adopted me, I promised them I’d never lie again.’ 

Yoongi’s staring at you now, incredulous. 

‘I’ll tell the police the truth,’ you tell him. ‘But I’m not going to ‘throw you under the bus’.’ 

Yoongi lets out a long breath. ‘Fucking hell.’ 

He shakes his head. ‘I wish I’d never got in your car.’ 

You kind of wish the same thing. 

***

Yoongi’s cracked open a couple of beers with your dinner. 

‘Be careful when you’re crossing the stream tomorrow – the bridge is hard to see at the best of times, and I don’t think the snow’s made it any easier.’ 

‘Yes, dad,’ you say, rolling your eyes. 

You’d listened the first time he said it, but he’s repeated himself a few times now. 

He’s acting like he’s more worried about you getting to your sister safely than himself evading the entire manhunt that’s looking for him. 

‘I did survive an entire adulthood without you, you know,’ you say, teasing. 

He ignores you. 

‘There’s an SOS box two miles west when you get to the main road —’ 

‘Yes, I know how that works,’ you say, cutting him off. 

‘And if any man sends you dick pics you should block him right off the bat,’ Yoongi finishes. 

You stop, processing his words, then realise he’s joking. 

Your laughter makes the frown line between his brows disappear. 

‘And you don’t owe any man anything even if he makes you come,’ Yoongi continues. 

You raise an eyebrow at him. ‘Should I be writing this wisdom down?’ 

Yoongi frowns. ‘I just don’t want anyone to take advantage of you.’ 

‘Show me how to crush a trachea,’ you suggest. 

Yoongi swigs his beer. 

‘Yeah, good idea.’ 

He gets up, pushes his sleeves back. 

You catch a glimpse of a tattoo on his upper arm. 

‘If any asshole tries anything with you, you should go for all his weak spots.’ 

He points to his own neck, the hollow between his collarbones. ‘Jab them right here, elbow up into his nose, knee into his balls. Then, fucking run.’ 

He holds out his hands. ‘Come on, try me.’ 

You look at him uncertainly. ‘You want me to hit you?’ 

Yoongi says, patient, ‘Hit me now so when you hit the next asshole you’ll know how to do it right.’ 

‘Who are all these assholes that I’m meeting?’ you ask, but you comply anyway. 

Yoongi rolls his eyes as you jab your fingers into his neck. 

‘Harder,’ he says, grabbing your hand. 

‘I don’t want to hurt you —’ 

‘Hit me as hard as I shoved that gun into your ribs,’ Yoongi says. 

The memory makes you wince, and you redouble your efforts with the next jab. 

When he coughs and splutters, you jerk your elbow up, straight into his nose. 

He’s doubled over now, but there’s one last move he’s asked you to do. 

You knee him in the balls, and he grabs your thigh at the last second so hold off the blow. 

You wrench his hand off and take two steps back. 

‘Fuck,’ Yoongi swears. 

He folds over onto the kitchen floor, still coughing, eyes watering. 

‘You’re supposed to run now,’ he wheezes out. 

‘Do you — do you want some water or something?’ you offer. 

He shakes his head. ‘I think you’re good. You’re pretty damn quick.’ 

‘Sorr—’ 

Yoongi fixes you with a glare. ‘Don’t even think about apologising,’ he scolds. ‘You fuck the asshole up, and then you run. You did it perfectly.’ 

‘Can I practice it again?’ you ask, sweetly. 

Yoongi says, ‘Yeah —’ 

It takes him a moment to realise you’re joking. 

***

Yoongi steps out of the shower, fully dressed, his hair still wet, making little trails of wet course down the neck of his sweatshirt. 

You’re already on the couch, covered in a fluffy duvet. 

‘You can take the bed if you want,’ he offers. ‘I’ll take the couch.’ 

‘I’m fine,’ you tell him. 

He sits on the edge of the bed, towel drying his hair. 

You don’t realise you’re staring at him until he asks, voice dry, ‘Something on my face?’ 

‘Nothing,’ you answer, startled. ‘You look good clean.’ 

His laughter is deep, gravelly. ‘I’d have taken a shower earlier if I’d known you preferred me clean.’ 

‘You should get clean for yourself,’ you answer, primly, but your lips are curving in a smile anyway. 

‘Your hair looks pretty like this,’ he says. 

You tug at a lock of hair, self-conscious. 

‘I’m surprised you’re not better at handling compliments,’ Yoongi continues. He’s looking at you now, teasing in his voice. ‘Given how pretty you are.’ 

You bury your face in your duvet. 

‘Stop teasing me,’ you say, muffled. 

He seems to hear you just fine. 

‘I’m not teasing,’ he says. ‘I’m just telling you what I think.’ 

‘Just turn the lights off,’ you grumble. 

Yoongi laughs again. ‘You’re not the first woman to tell me to shut up, to be fair.’ 

He gets up, turns the lights out. 

***

You wake in the middle of the night to Yoongi groaning, tossing and turning in bed. 

‘Yoongi?’ you call, sitting up to look at him. 

He doesn’t answer, but his groaning intensifies. 

You get up and pad across the room to him. 

He’s drenched in sweat, thrashing in the sheets, holding out his hands. 

He’s having a nightmare. 

‘Hey,’ you say, grasping his hand. 

He sits up abruptly, looking around in the dark, bewildered, disoriented. 

You don’t have to think about it. 

You pull him in a hug, wrapping your arms tight around him. ‘You’re fine. It was a nightmare.’ 

You don’t think he’s really listening, but he holds you back. 

His heart’s thumping so hard you can feel it under your arm. 

‘You’re fine,’ you tell him again. 

Eventually his grip loosens, and he pulls back a little. 

‘That was some bad dream,’ you say, breathless from how tightly he’s been holding you. 

He doesn’t answer, and you realise he’s staring at your lips. 

His kiss takes you by surprise, but you don’t pull away. 

His lips are soft and warm. When he licks into your mouth you can’t help the whine that falls from your lips. 

Your hand fists in the material of his sweatshirt as he kisses you again and again, pulling you into a haze of pleasure so deep it takes you a moment to realise he’s stopped, his hand on your side, on your bare skin, under your top. 

He says your name. 

‘Do you want this?’ he asks. ‘We don’t have to do this if it’s not what you want.’ 

‘This?’ you ask. ‘You mean us kissing like this?’ 

You run your hand along his chest, stopping when you get to the waistband of his sweats. 

‘You mean touching each other like this?’ 

Your hand delves lower, and he lets out a low groan as you wrap your fingers around his hardness. 

‘Like this?’ 

‘I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to do,’ Yoongi says, his hand closing over yours. 

‘I want to do this with you,’ you tell him. 

He groans again, pulls you fully onto the bed, helps you tug your sweatshirt over your head. 

His warm hands slide up from your waist, making slow passes over your sides, and by the time he cups your breasts, your nipples are fully hard. 

‘Don’t tease, Yoongi,’ you say, trying not to moan as he rolls a nipple under his thumb. 

‘Not teasing,’ he says, voice low, thick. ‘I just — fuck, you’re so pretty–’ 

He dips his head, and at the first flick of his tongue against the tip of your breast, you moan. 

‘Yoongi,’ you plead. 

‘I’ve got it,’ he tells you, lifting off your breast. ‘I’ve got you.’ 

Yoongi mouths at your breasts until your hips are writhing under him. 

‘Please, please,’ you plead. 

He tugs at your sweatpants, and when you raise your hips to help him get them off, he leans down and presses a warm kiss to the bare skin over your hipbone. 

‘Wanna taste you,’ he tells you. 

He pushes your thighs apart, stops with his face over your core for a split second, breathing you in. 

Then he kisses you, open-mouthed, tongue delving into your cunt like he’s starving for you. 

Your moan changes into a cry of pleasure as he licks at you, nose nudging your clit. 

You reach out for something to grab, fisting the sheets, and Yoongi’s hand grips the flesh of your thigh, firm. 

‘Shit,’ he says, ‘ you’re so wet you’re gonna make me come.’ 

The idea of him coming before he gets inside you could make you cry. 

‘Get inside, Yoongi,’ you moan. 

‘Not gonna last, not with you like this,’ Yoongi tells you. He strokes between your legs, presses his thumb in firm strokes over your clit, licks into your cunt again, and you cry his name as you come. 

‘Fuck, that’s my good girl,’ Yoongi grunts. ‘Can you take me now?’ 

He slides his cock into you, hard, thick, whilst you’re still pulsing from your orgasm, and you keen with the pleasure of it. 

He’s breathless, head thrown back, eyes shut as he moves, fucking you deep. 

You kiss along his bared throat, and he swears. ‘Fuck, baby, stop – I can’t —’ 

He pulls out suddenly, and a moment later you feel the warmth of his cum spurting on your belly. 

‘C’mere,’ he says, pulling you close, kissing you deep. ‘Stay.’ 

***

You wait on the porch whilst Yoongi drives your car out of the carport. He pulls up in front of the porch, gets out. 

‘Remember what you have to do?’ Yoongi asks. 

‘Yeah,’ you say. 

You’ve talked about it so much you don’t think you can bear to go over it again. 

‘Drive safe, ok?’ Yoongi says. He’s looking at you, intently. ‘And thank you, for everything.’ 

‘Good luck with being exonerated,’ you say. 

It sounds stupid, you sound stupid, but you don’t know what else to say. 

Yoongi walks you over to your car, waits until your seatbelt’s buckled. 

‘I’ll see you, Yoongi,’ you say. 

‘Take this,’ he says. 

You look at the phone number he’s got scribbled down on a scrap of paper. 

‘It’s a burner phone. I can’t check it all the time but do you think you could —’ 

He breaks off mid-sentence, then pushes on. ‘Do you think you could text me when you get to your sister’s? I just want to know you’re safe.’ 

‘Sure,’ you say. You slide the scrap of paper into the pocket of your salopes, zip it up. 

‘Good,’ Yoongi says. 

You reach out, tug the collar of his parka. 

His kiss is as good a way to say goodbye as any, you think. 

Yoongi closes the door, waits on the porch as you drive away. 

He gets smaller and smaller in the distance, and eventually, you can’t see him at all. 

***

It’s been nearly a month since you left Yoongi at the house. 

You’d pulled up at your sister’s house to find out she’d just filed a missing persons report on you. 

You’d had an emotional reunion with your sister, an equally emotional introduction to your new baby nephew, and one meal and one hot shower later, you’d found yourself at the police station, being questioned by a couple of detectives who’d regarded you with suspicion so strong it was a short step from open accusation. 

You’d been questioned for hours but had eventually been allowed home. You’d been truthful, as you’d told Yoongi you would be, apart from one thing. 

It was only later, when you were on your bed in your sister’s spare room, that you’d picked up your phone and scrolled to the name you’d saved Yoongi’s number under. 

You’d typed out a text, two words, unincriminating, you’d thought. 

I’m safe. 

The next morning, there was a text back, similar to yours in brevity.

I’m glad. 

You’d refrained from texting again, or calling, not wishing to put Yoongi at risk in case anyone looked into your phone records. 

You’d been called in again for questioning on two separate occasions after the initial interview, once by people who’d introduced themselves as federal agents. 

You’d thought that was the end of it until the media got hold of your identity. 

There was a week or so of reporters stopping you outside your house, waiting for you in the school car park, until eventually something more newsworthy came along. 

You’d been photographed more times in that week than you’d even been in your life. 

You’ve taken to watching the evening news every night, but as time stretches on and Min Yoongi hasn’t been found, he’s been dropping down the list of top stories, barely scraping a mention. 

You’re glad. 

You hope he’s closer to getting what he wished for. 

***

‘Y/N,’ says Bora, your head of department. ‘Mr Lee wants to see you.’ 

You look up from your grading, a little surprised. ‘Did he say what it was about?’ 

‘Nope, just that he’s free now.’ 

You pocket your phone, straighten your ID badge and get up. 

Mr Lee is the school principal, and you’d organised a meeting with him when the media frenzy over your involvement with Min Yoongi was at its peak, but you’ve not seen him since. 

Mrs Choi, his PA, waves you in. 

‘Mr Lee,’ you say in greeting. ‘Did you want to see me?’ 

‘Yes, please come in and have a seat,’ Mr Lee says. 

He’s a serious man in his mid forties, and as far as principals go, you know he’s got a good reputation. 

‘There’s been a complaint put in about you,’ Mr Lee says, sparing you any preamble. 

Your stomach drops. 

‘What about?’ you ask. 

‘I know the media furore has died off over Min Yoongi, but the PTA has fielded a number of concerns raised by worried parents over your involvement in the case.’ 

You’re taken aback. ‘A number of concerns? It’s not just one —’

‘I’m sorry,’ says Mr Lee, and to his credit, he does seem genuinely upset. ‘I’m going to have to ask if you can take a few weeks off.’ 

‘Off?’ you ask, worried. 

‘It’s not a suspension,’ Mr Lee says, somehow giving the impression that a suspension is exactly what it is. ‘You’ll be paid, and at the end of four weeks we’ll meet again to discuss what your future is at this school.’ 

You’re trying to make sense of this. ‘My future at this school?’ 

Mr Lee gets up, moves to take the seat next to you. ‘I’m hoping that having you off teaching for a month will give enough time for these parents to realise that you’re not a bad influence on their kids.’ 

‘And if they don’t?’ you ask. 

‘I’m hoping they will.’ 

You swallow, and to your horror, tears prick the back of your eyelids. 

You blink them back. 

‘Should I look for another job, Mr Lee?’ 

‘It doesn’t hurt to keep your options open,’ Mr Lee says gently. 

You suppose that’s that. 

***

You wake to a dozen missed calls and texts from your sister. 

You blink blearily at your phone and swipe to answer. 

‘Yeah?’ you grunt. ‘Is everything ok?’ 

‘It’s Min Yoongi,’ your sister says. ‘He’s all over the news.’ 

You sit up abruptly. ‘Is he ok?’ 

Your sister, who’s heard all about your time with Yoongi, barring the details of your one-night stand, laughs. 

‘He’s more than ok. Get online, sis. There’s a press statement you might want to watch.’ 

You’re still a little drowsy, but by the time you’ve got your laptop open and made yourself coffee, you’re wide awake. 

Your phone rings again whilst you’re reading about how new evidence and a new witness was brought forward, resulting in a swift retrial. 

Distractedly, you swipe to answer. 

His voice makes you stop in your tracks. 

It’s gravelly, low, with the distinct mix of sardonic and soft that brings you back to the house in the woods, over a month ago now. 

‘Hey,’ he says. ‘How’re you keeping?’ 

You close your eyes, suck in a breath. 

‘Jeez, you telemarketers are getting a little personal, aren’t you?’ you ask. 

His laughter makes you feel warm inside. 

‘I just wondered if you wanted to go get dinner with me sometime.’ 

‘Depends,’ you answer. ‘Are we going to have to avoid the police?’ 

‘Always,’ he says, making you smile. ‘But I’m a free man now, I guess you haven’t heard.’ 

‘Your friends came through, huh?’ 

‘All of them,’ he says, the warmth in his voice palpable even through the line. ‘Including you.’ 

***

You’re a little nervous as you wait for Yoongi at the restaurant he picked. It’s a little out of the way for you, but at least it’s not snowing. 

He’s dressed in black, a cashmere sweater that sets off the glow in his skin, his hair styled back. 

The rings in his fingers, the earrings in his ears gleam in the golden light. 

He’s so beautiful you can’t quite believe he’s real.

Yet it’s him who stops in front of you, gaze flickering over you with a flattering intensity. 

‘How can you be even prettier than I remember?’ he asks, tilting his head. 

‘Guess you have a bad memory,’ you say. You’re smiling so hard your cheeks are hurting, but Yoongi doesn’t seem to mind. 

‘I’ve thought about you a lot,’ he says. 

‘Yeah?’ 

Yoongi pulls out your chair for you. 

‘Yeah. I saw the footage of those reporters hounding you.’ 

‘They got bored after a while,’ you tell him. 

‘I’m glad you’re all right,’ Yoongi says. 

Over dinner he tells you about how the retrial resulted in all charges against him being overturned, how he’s been back home resting. 

‘Been to the beach yet?’ you ask. 

Yoongi looks at you over his wine glass. ‘You inviting me? You’re the one with a beach hut.’ 

‘We can go,’ you say. ‘I’ve been informally suspended from my job.’ 

This is news to him. 

‘Is it to do with me?’ he asks quietly. 

You shrug. ‘I’m hoping it’ll die down, especially since everyone knows you’re an innocent man now.’ 

‘I’m sorry,’ he says. 

‘Don’t worry about it,’ you tell him. 

He frowns a little, but lets the subject slide.

After dinner he walks you to your car. 

‘Can I take you out again?’ he asks. 

‘I’d like that,’ you tell him. 

He leans close, brushes a kiss against your cheek that sends a thrill all the way to your toes. 

‘I live about a half hour drive from here,’ you tell him, when he pulls away. 

‘Maybe I can drive us this time,’ he says. 

***

Yoongi slips his hand into yours as he walks up the front driveway to your house with you. You look over at him in surprise. 

‘What?’ he teases. ‘Don’t you want to hold my hand?’ 

You stick your key in the lock, push open your front door. 

‘Baby, I want to hold more than that,’ you tell him. 

Yoongi’s eyes darken, and he lets you push him against the door. 

He’s already leaning down, lips seeking yours. He kisses you hungrily, his large hand slipping behind your neck to deepen the kiss, tongue slipping into your mouth. 

‘I’ve fucking missed you,’ he murmurs. ‘Shit, I’m so hard it’s embarrassing.’ 

‘Been deprived, huh?’ you tease, breathlessly. 

‘Nah. Just you.’ 

He kisses a fiery path down your neck, into the hollow between your collarbones. 

His hands slide down into the small of your back, cup your ass to pull you against him. 

You can feel the ridge of his cock against your belly, and you roll your hips, trying to get closer. 

‘Pull these down,’ Yoongi says, thumb looped in the band of your lacy panties. 

They’re stuck to you, the wetness between your legs trails a path down your bare thighs that Yoongi’s only too happy to lick off. 

‘I wanted to wait,’ he tells you, lifting the skirt of your dress, unzipping his trousers. 

‘Wait next time,’ you tell him. ‘Want you now.’ 

‘You’ve got me,’ he tells you. 

There’s the rustle of foil, the snick of elastic, then Yoongi’s parting your legs, sliding inside you with a groan deep in his chest. 

Just like before, he fills you perfectly.

Yoongi kisses you again, slow though you can feel his heart thudding wildly in his chest. 

‘Feels so good, every time,’ he tells you. 

He starts to move then, doesn’t stop when you part your thighs to take him deeper, doesn’t stop when you cross your ankles behind his back and cry his name, doesn’t stop until you’re panting, sticky with your release, clutching him tight. 

It’s only then that his thrusts start to become erratic, speeding up then slowing as he reaches his peak. He comes with a shout of your name, buried deep inside you, hips still moving like he, too, can’t get enough. 

***

When you wake in the morning, it’s with Yoongi’s finger tracing a lazy path down your spine, his fingertip warm on your bare skin.

‘More, Yoongi?’ you ask, sleepy.

He presses a kiss to your forehead, you can hear the rumble in his chest as he suppresses a laugh.

‘Tapping out on me so soon, my love?’ he asks.

After the first time when you hadn’t made it to your bed, you’d fucked three more times before you’d finally collapsed in a tangled heap.

You’d woken once, to see him flat on his back, looking out the window, fingers intertwined with yours. 

‘Can’t sleep?’ you’d asked. 

He’d turned to you, pressed a kiss to your forehead. ‘Just thinking how lucky I am. I’d thought being wrongly imprisoned was the worst thing that had happened to me. And here I am.’ 

‘Here you are, you lucky sonofabitch,’ you’d laughed, squealing as he’d pinned your hands to the bed and half-heartedly climbed on top of you again. 

‘I am lucky,’ he’d said, his free hand sliding under your ass, squeezing. You’d have fucked him again if he’d wanted, despite the soreness between your legs, but he’d wrapped you in his arms instead. ‘Sleep, baby.’ 

So you had. 

Now your phone rings, distracting you from Yoongi’s wandering hands, just about. 

‘Shit, it’s Mr Lee,’ you say, sitting up straight. 

Yoongi cocks a brow at you as you take the call. 

‘Y/N, I wanted to let you know that the school board have voted to have you back taking your regular classes,  at your earliest convenience. If you’ll have us.’ 

You frown. ‘I hadn’t realised there was a vote?’ 

‘An emergency meeting was convened last night,’ Mr Lee says. ‘You don’t have to let me know now, but we’d love to have you back.’ 

You hang up, thoroughly confused. 

‘I guess I’m not informally suspended any more,’ you tell Yoongi. 

‘For a new gym with a fully functional basketball court, and a grant for gym equipment, they’d better be giving you a raise too,’ drawls Yoongi. 

‘You did this?’ 

‘What? You thought I was some deadbeat who held you at gunpoint and wasn’t going to repay everything you did for me?’ 

‘I never thought you were a deadbeat,’ you say. 

‘I know,’ Yoongi agrees. ‘You’re an idiot.’ 

You swat at him, outraged. 

‘You’re my idiot,’ Yoongi says, deflecting your blows easily. ‘And I’m going to make sure no one takes advantage of you ever again.’ 

He hesitates. ‘If — if you’ll have me.’ 

You pretend to think about it. ‘Well, you’re not perfect,’ you say, ‘but I guess you’ll do.’ 

©hamsterclaw 2023

#bts smut #yoongi fic #yoongi smut #suga smut #yoongi x reader #bts fic #yoongi fanfic

[lunajay33]

Just Us🩶

Summary: In a world full of walkers y/n was able to escape with her best friend, but maybe that friendship turns into something more

Pairing: Carl Grimes x f!reader

A/n: This story starts when the group is on the road after Terminus but I’m gonna make y/n and Carl 18 just to speed along the story!! This is also my first Carl Grimes series! This story includes 18+ scenes, pregnancy and more

•Masterlist•

The prison felt like home, a place where we could make permanent and we did…..for a short while but then the governor came along ruining everything splitting my family up in every direction but who ever above was on our side and we found each other. We worked together and escaped and survived Terminus and now here we all were….well who survived, we lost Beth and the next day we lost Tyrese, it was hard on us all but especially Daryl, Maggie and Sasha but we still had our group that had to be worth something right?

We were walking down a road that felt like it went on forever, all the cars empty of gas, no food, barely any water, just us scattered on the road and the hot Georgia sun beating down on us

“Hey you doing okay?” Carl asked nudging my shoulder

“Oh ya I’ll be fine, just……hungry, how this beautiful little bean?” I asked rubbing Judith’s cheek as she was in Carls arms

“She doing pretty good, she’s small enough she doesn’t need much food plus she’s not burning it off cause she’s being carried all day” he said as he adjusted her

“I can take her for a while” I said holding my arms out for her to give Carl a break

“You sure?”

“Of course you know I love babies” I said smiling as I held her to my chest as she babbled nuzzling against me

“I think she likes you more than me” Carl laughed

“I must just have that motherly vibe she wants” I said teasing him knowing how protective he was of her

Carls Pov

Seeing y/n hold Judith made my heart beat fast, she’s been my best friend since grade 2 and having her be with me during all this chaos was a blessing, she was my light and peace through all the gore and despair

But along the way, I don’t know when but she changed from being my fun loving best friend to this woman who was beautiful and caring and would do anything for the ones she loved, but I couldn’t ruin what we had not in this world

But the image before me, my little sister in her arms, and how quickly Judith took to her as if she was her mother, y/n always had that caring motherly aura about her even at the prison she’d try to help the kids but now we were 18 and maybe I wanted more with her maybe with this little time we had I should tell her

Y/n Pov

Carl had been glancing at me all day, I had caught him a few times and his cheeks would become beet red and I thought it was adorable, I’ve always found Carl charming in his own way, he was kind and always made me feel included when we were younger, and when people came back from the dead he became very protective and it just made me even more fond of him plus he’s insanely cute so that’s a plus

The group found a barn to sleep in for the night it was nice compared to sleeping in the wide open, atleast this was a bit of shelter and a layer of protection even if it was old

Everyone was scattered around, I was sitting by the little fire with Carl, Rick, Daryl and Michonne while Judith was still in my arms sleeping soundly against my chest

“You tired?” Carl asked from beside me

“A little but I don’t wanna move and disturb Jude” I said as I gently played with her wispy hair

“Here lean on me” he said moving closer so I could lay my head in his shoulder

He laid his head on top of mine, he was taller so his shoulder was at a comfortable height so I wasn’t breaking my neck

“Thank you” I whispered feeling the tiredness fully from the days journey

He wrapped his arm around my back holding my waist and pulling me closer, then I felt him brushing my hair back keeping his hand on my cheek for a bit before he pulled it back

I looked up at him seeing the red was back on his cheeks that warmed my heart, our lips were so close I could feel him breathing

“I’ll protect you y/n, always” he whispered running his hand back through my hair gripping it gently, I could feel my heart beat in my chest, my wrist, everywhere

“Carl promise me……..promise you’ll never leave me”

“I promise as long as you do the same, don’t know what I’d do with out my ray of sunshine” he said smiling as he laid his forehead against mine

This moment was so tender, loving and gentle I’d do anything to just stay in this little bubble of us forever but noooooo other people had to pop it

“Okay love birds calm down” Michonne said making some laugh as we both pulled back a bit blushing like crazy, I laid my head back on his shoulder a little embarrassed hearing Carl clear his throat obviously embarrassed as well

“Says you Michonne” Carl said and that shut her up as I saw Rick smile as he looked at her with such unspoken love, they were bound to be together

Even in when we were all in despair love was the only thing that kept us going, that kept us walking and searching for something, love is all we had and for me it was everything, my love for the group and my personal relationship I have with each one of them, and my deep love for Carl it made me feel safe knowing he was there

“Good night Carl”

“Good night sunshine”

I woke up the next morning finding myself in Carls arms with Judith still in mine cozy between our chests, everyone else still seemed to be asleep so I gently traced my finger over his cheek, his little freckles and tracing down to his pink lips feeling his little huff of air when he’d snore, everything he did made my heart swell more

“Having fun?” My heart jumped not expecting him to wake up

“Sorry I couldn’t help myself” I said hiding my face against his chest as he ran his hand up and down my back

“It’s fine, thought it was cute” he said laughing quietly under his breath

“Really?”

“Don’t make me repeat it” he said poking my side

“Fine…..”

“How’s Jude?” He asked looking down between us both seeing her curled up sucking her thumb

“Good, still as cute as a button” I said booping her nose lightly

It was silent as we both admired her, she was so naive to everything in the world and still has that wonder about her, she was lucky she had so many people love her

“I miss my baby sister, I remember when my parents brought her home she was so little I wouldn’t leave her side, I helped my mom take care of her, always couldn’t wait to have a baby of my own and now I don’t think I’ll get that and I don’t even know where my family is”

“I’m sorry, maybe they’re out there safe and if we find somewhere safe you can always have a baby don’t give up on that, i remember how you were with her is that why you spend so much time with Judith because it reminds you of Lily?” He asked as he rubbed my cheek

“Maybe…….i just miss her so much she was my best friend before you swooped in” I said trying to lighten the mood

“You know I’m glad you spilled your lunch on me that day, if not I’d never have met such a beautiful best friend”

“We don’t really act like best friends” I said feeling those butterflies in my stomach only he gave me

“Ya I suppose not, I just can’t help it…….do you not like it?”

“If I didn’t like it I would’ve told you Carl” I said smiling softly

Later that day a guy named Aaron found us, told us about this place called Alexandria and with some convincing Rick agreed and the next day we were rolling up to the gates of this supposedly safe protected community, I looked at Carl as he was sat next to me in the back of the car Rick was driving

“You ready?” He asked squeezing my hand

I nodded as I picked up Judith and we all got out gathering by the gate as it opened, showing a little town, unscathed this whole time, nice houses kids running around, the people looked clean but we were still a little wary

“Dianna will see you each and get to know the group but while you’re all waiting you can look around!” Aaron said as he and his husband left

Everyone had their interviews and after all that we found ourselves in a nice big house setting up bed in the living room

I laid down a big comforter and some pillows to make it more comfortable, Rick had taken Judith making me feel lonely, I was so use to holding her

“Mind if I sleep next to you” Carl said smiling as he started to make himself comfortable anyways

I laid down next to him facing each other as I lifted a throw blanket to cover us both up, everyone else was getting settled for bed as well around us still hearing the murmuring of little conversations

“Do you think we will be okay here?” I asked biting my lip nervously

“I don’t know……but I know that if we are all together then we will figure this out”

More parts to come! If you like this and wanna be notified of the next part lmk and I’ll add you to a taglist!!:)

Part.2<-

#twd fanfiction #carl grimes x y/n #carl grimes fluff #carl grimes x reader #carl grimes fanfiction #twd carl #carl grimes #carl grimes smut #carl grimes fic #carl grimes imagine #carl grimes x you #twd fic #the walking dead series #Carl grimes series

[fields-of-grimes]

Oh Hell No Pt.2 | Carl Grimes

Carl grimes x fem!reader

CW: pregnancy, strong language, giving birth

Part 1

——————————————————————————-

Michonne ran into your room after hearing all the commotion. “Y/N? What’s going on?” She asked before her eyes fell on the tests that were scattered along the floor thanks to Carl. She picked one up and looked at it before sighing. “He didn’t take it very well did he?” She asked even though she already knew the answer. “No, he said he wasn’t raising another kid and then he left.” You said crying harder. Michonne quickly ran to your side hugging you tightly. “It’ll be okay sweetie, we’ll figure it out.” She said kissing your head softly. You wanted to believe that everything would be okay but you couldn’t. Carl’s words playing on repeat inside your head like a broken record. “Not without him it won’t..”

A few months have passed since you told Carl about you being pregnant, you moved in with Glenn and Maggie so they could keep a close eye on you.

You were walking around the streets of Alexandria resting your arm on your small bump. “Hey Y/N!” You turned around slowly smiling as you saw Ron approaching you. “Hey Ron.” You said looking up at him since he was slightly taller than you. “Did you wanna go sit at the lake and watch the clouds?” He asked you smiling softly. You laughed slightly. “Yeah but you’re gonna have to help me back up.” You said as you both started walking to the lake. You looked over at Carl’s house smiling at the memories. You quickly looked away as you saw the door open. Once you and Ron made it to the lake he helped you sit down. You sighed softly rubbing your bump looking down.

“You alright?” You jumped slightly hearing Ron’s voice. You looked over and saw him starring at you concerned. “Yeah I’m fine it’s just I’m practically carrying a mini Carl and he doesn’t want it and I’m just freaking out about what I’m gonna do when the baby is born.” You sniffled and wiped your face getting rid of the tears that you didn’t even notice fell. “Hey it’s all gonna be..” Ron trailed off looking behind you with an angry look. You turned your head to see Carl walking away quickly.

Carl barged into his house slamming the door shut behind him. He paced around the living room knocking stuff off the coffee table out of anger. Michonne ran down the stairs clutching Judith to her side. “Carl? What’s wrong?” Michonne asked walking up to him slowly. “She’s with him again! She’s with Ron again! She’s carrying my kid, MY KID and she’s with him.” Carl yelled angrily at his mother figure.

“Well what the hell do you expect Carl? After how you reacted, after how you told her you weren’t gonna raise another kid and walked out on her? Did it ever cross your mind that maybe, just maybe you don’t deserve her? That poor girl has been a wreck she has been stressing herself out, which by the way is not good for the baby, just by thinking about her being a single mom when that baby is born! So if you hate seeing her with Ron then get your head out of your ass and go talk to her!” Michonne screamed back at the younger Grimes. Carl’s eye widened as he realized she was right. He quickly walked out of the house and back to the lake.

Carl walked up to you and Ron. “Hey um Y/N can we, can we talk for a minute?” He asked holding his hand out for you to grab. You sighed and thought for a moment before grabbing his hand, groaning softly as he helped you stand up. He kept a tight grip on your hand as he led you to the gazebo. You both sat down on one of the benches. You looked over at him, “Okay so speak.” You said bitterly. “Y/N i..I’m so so sorry for the way i reacted. I shouldn’t of reacted that way. I just got flashbacks of my mom, and i got scared. You and this baby are the best thing that has ever happened to me.” He said grabbing your hands. “Please forgive me..please.” He whispered looking into your eyes. You had tears running down your face from hearing his words,the words you longed to hear since you told him you were pregnant. You nodded smiling. “Yes Carl I’ll forgive you.” You said as Carl hugged you. “Thank you..thank you.” He whispered in your ear.

Another few months passed and you looked like you were ready to pop. You knew you were around nine months and knew the baby would be coming any day now. You were sitting on the couch with Judith while Maggie was in the kitchen making lunch. Carl was on watch with his dad. You gasped as you felt water running down your legs and a sharp pain in your abdomen. “Maggie, i think my water just broke.” You said looking at her with wide eyes. Maggie dropped the spoon she was holding and quickly ran to your side. “Okay, okay stay calm and relax i’m gonna go get help.” She said turning towards the door. Before she could take a step, the door opened and Glenn walked through. “Glenn! I need you to carry Y/N to the infirmary, I’m gonna go get Carl.” Maggie said, Glenn nodded before picking you up and running to the infirmary. Maggie ran to the watch tower. “Carl! Rick!” Maggie yelled looking up at the tower as Rick and Carl peaked their heads over. “What’s up?” Rick asked. “It’s Y/N, her water broke.” Maggie said. Carl’s eyes widened as he quickly climbed down. “Where is she!?” Carl screamed. “The infirmary.” Maggie said and Carl took off.

“I’m here! Where is she?” Carl said as he ran in the infirmary. Tara looked at him smiling. “She’s in there.” Tara said pointing to a room. Carl ran inside the room and ran to your side grabbing your hand. “I’m here, I’m here. How are you feeling?” He asked you. You chuckled looking at him. “Ask me again after this child is here.” You said laughing. “Okay, Y/N on your next contraction i want you to push.” Denise said looking at you and Carl.

After what felt like an eternity you heard the sounds of a baby crying. You smiled at the sound of the cries. “You did it baby you did it.” Carl said as he kissed your head. “Y/N, Carl here is your baby boy.” Denise said handing you your son. You looked down at him smiling wide before looking over at Carl.

“He’s so precious.” Carl said smiling. “What should we name him?” He asked you. “Carl Grimes jr.” You said smiling wide. Carl laughed slightly.

“Carl Grimes Jr it is.”

——————————————————————-

I had way to much fun writing this

Taglist: @a-rat-1 @minaxcarter @spookychaossuit

#carl grimes #carl grimes x reader #carl grimes x y/n #twd #twd imagine #carl grimes fluff #twd imagines

[livingdeadblondequeen]

You, Me, & Him Part 3

Apologies for taking so long to post another part. Between lots of story ideas and lots of traveling, things have been crazy for me. However thanks to continued interest in this, I was able to write more. I hope it is worth the wait.

Previous parts can be found here

With the gate and fences between them and the undead, Y/N could focus away from the threat and on the people now in front of her and Daryl. One was a tall, large dark man wearing a beanie and the other a short-haired brunette woman a little taller and a few years younger than herself, both wearing welcoming smiles.

“I see your hunting trip was a success, you brought home not only dinner but a new friend.” The brunette said as she nodded to first the turkey that Daryl was holding then Y/N, holding out her hand. “I’m Maggie, this is Tyrese. You look like you’ve been out there awhile.”

Though cautious, Y/N reached out to take the offered hand when her son made his presence known to the new people. He shoved the wrap away from his face and squealed happily at what he saw. She watched as Maggie’s eyes doubled in size at the sight before her smile grew bigger as it focused on the baby. “Hello to you too, cutie.”

“This is Y/N, and her boy Christopher,” Daryl stated in introduction.

“Daryl was nice enough to offer a safe place for the two of us,” Y/N added as she finally took Maggie’s extended hand.

“I’m glad he did. It’s not safe out there alone, let alone with a baby.” Maggie replied, before looking up further up the fence line in the direction Y/N guessed others were. “We have quite a few kids here, but Judith is the only little one we have close to Christopher’s size. I think Beth just put her down for a nap.”

“Daryl mentioned that there was another baby,” Y/N stated as she relaxed a little, hearing that the baby had been put down for a nap sounded so mundane, but also showed how secure the group felt where they were.

“Found a clinic up north a bit that ain’t been hit yet, Y/N had the same idea to get supplies. Brought them here and to get a car, some others, and make a run to clear it out.” Daryl explained as he led them away from the gate and up towards a second gate deeper into the yard. “Got a few things for little Ass Kicker though.”

“Rick will be relieved to hear it, Daddy too I’m sure so to stock the infirmary.” Maggie declared. “I’m sure Glen will want to organize a run to go back tomorrow at first light, I’ll let him know you’re back if I see him first.”

Y/N listened to the three of them talk about where the clinic was located and went back as she looked at their surroundings. The group had just started clearing an area to make several gardens in the grass between the front gate and the next one.

When they reached the yard, Maggie and Tyrese left them to return to their post and Y/N saw more people. Children were playing at the far end, while adults were sitting around some tables set up for eating that surrounded an outdoor kitchen. They had quite the setup, and a lot safer than the previous one Y/N had been in.

Daryl handed over the turkey to an older woman with gray hair, who took it happily. He then leaned over, talking to her quietly, and Y/N watched as the woman’s eyes focused on her, then Christopher before her lips curled up in a welcoming smile. “Daryl said your name is Y/N?”

“Yes.”

“I’m Carol.” The woman replied, though she didn’t move to offer her hand like Maggie had. It didn’t make her feel any less welcomed, but it made Y/N curious as Carol continued. “Knowing Daryl, you all didn’t stop or anything on your trip here. Would you like something to eat?”

Fighting the impulse to reject the offer, Y/N nodded her head. “If it isn’t too much trouble, I can wait.”

“Nonsense, dinner is mostly done, just fix you up a plate before the others get to it. What about the baby?” Carol asked, her eyes dropping to where Christopher was wrapped up. 

“No, thank you. I have some food for him in my bag.” Y/N answered. She had given him a small bottle on the trek to the prison but knew he would want something more soon. He had quite the appetite.

“Daryl, last time I saw him, Herschel was just inside. Why don’t you take Y/N and Christopher in and let him look them over? He’s our doctor. I’ll bring her in some food and then we can figure out a place for them to get some rest.”

Daryl mumbled what sounded like a yes before bumping his shoulder against hers. She turned her attention to him and motioned with his head to follow him. She continued to study the area as he led her into the building marked, ‘Cell Block C’. Once inside, Y/N could see that they entered a large room with a few tables scattered around, all of them empty save one where an older bearded gentleman sat, a black book in his hands. The man looked up at their entrance and nodded in greeting at them, a kind smile on his face. “Hello there.”

“Found them aways from here, they’ve been on their own for a bit,” Daryl explained. “Carol said to have you look them over.”

“Of course.” Hershel agreed, “If the young lady is okay with that of course.”

Y/N only hesitated for a minute before nodding her head in agreement. A doctor hadn’t looked Christopher over since the weeks following his birth and while Y/N thought he was healthy, having him checked over wasn’t a bad idea. Of course, that examination would happen with her holding him, she wasn’t about to leave her son with strangers. No matter if she had trusted Daryl enough to come with him.

While Hershel went to grab his bag, Y/N settled at the table he vacated, unwrapping Christopher. Daryl helped her shoulder off her pack, which she was grateful for as her son got a big case of the wiggles. “Thank you.” 

“Hmm, I’ll just leave you two with the doc,” Daryl replied as he up the strap of his crossbow further up his shoulder and started backing away though he felt himself hesitating just a bit as he did. However, before he could slip away her head snapped in his direction. 

“Can you stay?” Y/N asked, “Please?”

Her gaze locked on Daryl’s, and he could see that she did want him to stay. He got that she might not be comfortable being left with someone she didn’t know but wasn’t he also a stranger? Yet despite this, he knew he wasn’t about to refuse her request. He nodded his answer as he gripped the strap of his crossbow across his chest nervously. When the baby caught sight of Daryl, he moved to crawl across the table towards him but was quickly distracted by the sound of Hershel returning.

“Well young man, what is your name?” Hershel asked warmly as the little boy stared at him wide-eyed from his spot on her lap.

“Christopher,” Y/N replied. “And I’m Y/N.”

“Nice to meet you both,” Hershel replied. “How old is he?” “Around a year? He was born a few weeks before the outbreak began.”

“That was lucky for the two of you. Was it a natural birth?”

“Yes, there were no issues, and they discharged us with a clean bill of health,” Y/N answered. Hershel asked a few other questions as he continued to look over Christopher, who found the whole thing very entertaining.

“Well, he seems to be perfectly healthy. His weight seems to be good even, I assume you have been nursing him?”

“I was until a couple of weeks ago,” Y/N answered before lowering her eyes. “I don’t know why but it seemed like he wasn’t getting enough when I fed him. After a few days, I was completely dried up.”

“It happens even in the healthiest of times, but considering the lack of resources available now, it’s a wonder you were able to keep it up,” Hershel explained, as he looked her over and recognized the signs of malnourishment in her.

“I’ve been feeding him formula or powdered milk and some baby food when I can find it, that’s how we ended up where we met Daryl,” Y/N stated as she looked over at the archer.

“Well, unless you have any injuries I haven’t noticed, the two of you are healthy though I would like you to get some rest and regular meals. Both you can get here.” Hershel added.

“Carol’s makin’ her some food,” Daryl mentioned. “And then we’ll find them a bunk.”

The words were no sooner out of his mouth than the three of them heard the door open to the outside and the person he had just mentioned appeared with a heaping plate and a bottle of water in her hands.”Here we go.”

Carol quickly set the food down in front of Y/N, and Y/N swore her mouth started to water at the smell. It was a mixture of some kind of meat, vegetables, and rice. “Thank you.”

While spying the plate of food, Christopher reached for the shiny spoon, and Y/N let him play with it for a moment. She watched as Carol smiled before saying, “I can take him while you eat.”

“No, it’s okay. You don’t have to do that, what with making and getting the food.” Y/N stated before placing Christopher down on the floor by her feet so that he was close while she began to devour the food. It tasted even better than it smelled. 

Carol watched the younger woman practically inhale the food while keeping an eye on both her child and the others in the room. It wasn’t hard to see how protective she was of Christopher. Noticing the bow that rested next to them, Carol nodded towards it. “That weapon yours?”

Y/N nodded as she swallowed the bite in her mouth. “Yeah, it’s mine.”

“You must be pretty good,” Hershel commented.

Y/N nodded. “I learned when I was young at summer camp, and did well enough with it over the years that they brought me back when I was older to teach kids. Hadn’t touched it in years, but it didn’t take long to shake off the rust when the dead started walking around. Which is good since it’s quieter than a gun, and doesn’t disturb Christopher or draw the dead. Finding arrows isn’t easy but the ones I have work. I learned how to shoot and take care of my bow but not how to make arrows, unfortunately.” 

“I can show ya,” Daryl spoke up from his spot. When both women’s and Hershel’s eyes turned to him, he went on. “We have some arrows that we’ve found on runs, but I can show you how to make more. Use the feathers of that turkey we brought in even.”

Y/N smiled up at him at the offer. “Thank you. I would like that.”

‘Interesting.’ Carol thought as she couldn’t help but notice the look her best friend and the newcomer shared. Though she didn’t want to interrupt, she spoke up. “I’m sure Daryl would appreciate having another hunter out with them, but there is no rush.”

“You and Christopher need to get some rest and settle in. Get your strength up and get used to being around people again.” Hershel added. 

“Thank you,” Y/N said again. “And I want to do what I can to help out around here. But I’d prefer not to go outside of the fences if I can, keep Christopher safe behind them.”

Carol didn’t mention that they had people there who could watch Christopher for her, she knew it wouldn’t be met with agreement. Y/N needed to settle in and trust them before she would consider that. “Now that you’ve got some food in you, how about we show you where you’ll be sleeping?”

Y/N nodded, relieved at the thought of getting some rest. They said goodbye to Hershel before Y/N followed Carol and Daryl out of the common area and into the connected cell block. Y/N took in her surroundings as she listened to Carol. “We have people in two cell blocks C and D. We brought in a large group from a fallen community several weeks back and they filled up D but we still have a room here in C.” 

The cell block was clean and relatively quiet. Y/N heard quiet singing coming from a cell, it sounded like a lullaby but they were led up the stairs. Y/N passed a couple of doors before Carol stopped and motioned to an open one. “Here you go. It’s empty now but we have a few things that will make it more comfortable, blankets and stuff.”

Y/N walked inside and looked around. It was empty, just two bunks and a small table but it was clean. And safe. That was the most important part. “We can make it work.”

“I’ll grab you a few things for the bed,” Carol stated. “My cell is a few doors down.” 

After Carol left to gather the bedding, Y/N saw Daryl hovering around the door, his fingers fiddling with the strap across his chest. When he noticed she was looking at him, he lowered his eyes. “I’ma goin’ go.”

As he turned to leave Y/N’s voice stopped him. “Daryl? Thank you. For bringing us here, I just…thank you.”

Daryl nodded in acknowledgment, “Ma cell’s the other side of Carol’s. If ya need anything.”

Y/N watched him disappear from the doorway before looking down at her son. “Well sweetheart, what do you think?”

Christopher looked at his mother and smiled a big toothy grin, causing her to laugh. “Glad you seem to like it. Let’s hope it works out.”

Please reblog or tag a friend to share this with.

Tagging list: @littlegodzilla, @bringinsexybackk69, @green-eyedladywrites, @minervadashwood, @multitargaryen @strnqer @be-the-spark-bitch @phoenixblack89 @azanoni-blog @zarahbronstein @xojdmasf @starfirette

#daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixon #twd #daryl dixon imagine #daryl dixon x female reader #daryl x reader #daryl dixon fanfic #daryl dixon x you

[battleswanofciya]

more TWD incorrect quotes

Daryl: my policy is, if you see somethin say somethin 

Judith: I saw a squirrel in a tree today!

Daryl: this is what I’m talking about people!

Carl: my biggest talent is being stress

Oscar: don’t you mean being stressed?

Carl: no

Rick, tired: no

Rick: *wakes up and sees Glenn lying on the ground next to him* what happened?

Glenn: you got knocked out but I laid down next to you so people think we’re just chilling 

Rick: we’re in the middle of a Walker battle

Daryl, laying on his other side: nah we’re fine

Carol: what are you, five?

Daryl: yeah five feet taller than you

Carol: 

Daryl: 

Carol: 

Daryl: please don’t hurt me

Lori: hey have you seen Carl

Glenn: *quick you gotta cover for him!*

Glenn: he-he died, I’m so sorry 

Glenn: if T-Dog and I were drowning who would you save?

Daryl: you two can’t swim?

Glenn: it’s a hypothetical question, who would you save?

Daryl: my time and effort 

Rick: Daryl isn’t answering his phone

Carol: I’ll call

Rick: Glenn and I have already tried twice, what makes you thin—

Daryl: hey mom

Carol: you want some leftovers?

Daryl: what are those?

Carol: you’ve never had leftovers before?

Daryl: no ‘cause I’m no quitter 

Beth: don’t go into the kitchen!

Maggie: why?

Beth: I saw a spider 

Maggie: did you kill it?

Beth: it has 8 arms and I only have 2, it’s not a fair fight……..

#twd #twd incorrect quotes #the walking dead #rick grimes #maggie rhee #glenn rhee #beth greene #daryl dixon #carl grimes #carol peletier #lori grimes #t dog #oscar

[pico-digital-studios]

Into, Across and Beyond! Scripting: Clashing Beliefs

Like with "X for Danger", this scene is a mini-crossover with Funkinverse by @robovoidfrog, another Spider-Verse themed crossover with beep-boop rappers.

(Agent Blueballs is owned by Malicious Bunny; this interpretation is owned by LemonDew)

During one quiet evening, Benjamin was on his way back home, quietly singing to himself.

Benjamin: 🎵 Then you're left in the dust... Unless I stuck by ya~! I'm a sunflower... I think your love would be too much! 🎵

On his way, however, he heard someone land behind him.

Benjamin: Huh?

He turned around, seeing someone with purple eyes in the shadows.

Benjamin: Who's there? You're not one of those creeps, are you?

<It's funny. I've been getting that quite a lot.>

Another iteration of Boyfriend stepped out of the shadows, albeit slightly taller, with long, dark hair, and much duller skin.

Benjamin: Huh? Another me?

???: <And you thought you'd already seen plenty of alternate "Boyfriends" in life, Miku?>

Benjamin: Who are you, exactly? And... what happened to you for your skin to wither like that?

???: <It's classified.> *sigh* <Never mind. I'll explain it for you; I'm from another dimension.>

Benjamin: You are? Guess that explains your differences compared to me, huh?

???: <My name... is Agent Cam "Blueballs" Malicious. I run an elite strike force dedicated to protecting the multiverse from harm.>

Benjamin: Then why did you come here then, Cam? Nothing's threatening me here right now from alternate realities.

Cam: <It once did, though.>

Benjamin: W-What do you mean?

Cam: <I bore witness to the creeps that wound up in that dimension out of our usual bounds, and I've been stuck trying to get guys like them back to their dimensions before all of time and space collapses. I'm also fully aware of your little friend from a neighbouring dimension trying to mess with the space-time continuum just to disrupt HIS canon event.>

Benjamin: Canon-? Oh, great... Another Miguel-type guy.

Cam: <Urgh... And please don't get me started on the Spirit and that little time-tinkerer back on Earth-103122.>

Benjamin: I already know about circumstances from other dimensions, sheesh!

Cam: <Ugh. Got quite the attitude, I see. Well, I've not as much reason to have to be here, considering your dimension does confine to the canon points and has remained stable. Surprisingly more so than I'd expect, considering some things had changed.>

Benjamin: And? What's the point you're trying to ask?

Cam: <I was going to ask if you wanted to join my strike force. Help protect other dimensions from harm, and work alongside others like you. You can make so many new companions there, Benjamin, and I'll be there to keep you on the straight and narrow.>

Benjamin thought about it for a moment, before stepping back.

Benjamin: I'm alright with what I've got, Cam.

Cam: <You're skipping out on an opportunity like this?>

Benjamin: If I wish to interact with more "-friends" like Softie, Evan and Lexi, I can do it outside the confines of some fake utopia.

Cam: <You could be one of THE best recruits available for the job-.>

Benjamin: I'm not joining your little cult, Malicious! I've already seen the Spider-Society's failures, and you're going to make those same mistakes. I'd rather hang out with other counterparts of myself not bound to your ideals of fate.

Cam: <Benjamin, we've all wanted to live the life we wish we had, myself included. Believe me, I've tried. And the more I tried, the more damage I did. You cannot have it all, kid. Being "Boyfriend" is a sacrifice. That's the job. The job you signed up for when you dropped out of high-school. I need you to come with me, Ben.>

Benjamin (glaring): I'm. not. coming.

Cam (suddenly speaking): I wasn't asking, Miku!

Judith (DJX GF) (through comm): Hey, Cam, cool it a bit, will ya? We shouldn't be capturing every -friend we come across!

Benjamin: Y-You were intending on CAPTURING me?! You're WORSE than Miguel!

Cam: <Urgh... You could've kept quiet about that, Judith. We'll talk later.>

He advanced towards Benjamin, his TP infection showing on his arms as he went to grab the kid.

Benjamin: Get off of me!

Cam: <At least you won't have to worry about being alone. I'm sorry in advance, kid.>

Benjamin just spat at his face in response.

Benjamin: What part of "I'm not coming" slipped out of your infected mind?!

Cam: <Ben, this is what happens when you attempt to break the canon. I broke it myself, and paid horribly for it.>

Benjamin: I'm sorry about what happened to your alternate Girlfriend, but how do you know that it's attributed to "canon"? It could've been something else entirely!

Cam: <Your friend violated canon by causing this universe to come into existence.>

Benjamin: Leave Pico out of this!

Cam: <Listen, kid. You have a choice between saving one person and saving an entire world. Every world.>

Benjamin: Like the alternate Salty, I'm willing to do both! I'm not afraid to say it to your face and revel in it, Blueballs; canon events SUCK!

He activated his ECHO ability to replicate the TP infection harmlessly on his arms before pushing Cam back. His eyes glowed yellow to symbolise his angelic self.

Benjamin: You're one to talk about "canon" when you clearly don't abide by it yourself! In fact, I'm willing to bring an entire TEAM into the equation to screw your philosophy over! If Gwen Stacy's universe could survive a canon aversion, MANY more universes can! I'll give you one chance, Malicious. Either you leave my world, or you're in for an extreme butt-kicking.

Cam shook a bit before HIS eyes became pitch-black with purple sclera, and glared angrily at his younger counterpart.

Cam: (telepathic) <The youth of today, huh...?> (speaking) Seems like you and that white-haired mistake aren't so different, after all, huh? And considering you're so adamant on averting canon when your friend averted YOUR demise... (maniacal laugh) Alright, then, kid! If that's how you want to make your move, then let's dance... anomaly!

(Cue their clash between each other)

After whatever cover represents this battle, Benjamin managed to trip Cam up.

Benjamin: Last warning, Malicious. Book it, or you're dead!

Cam: <You could've listened. This would've been so much easier otherwise.>

Benjamin: *sigh* Look. You don't have to keep going down this route. Your own Society's faith in you is going to be in shambles if you keep up this behaviour. Please... turn back from this dark route. We can get that TP infection out of you, and you can live a genuinely happy life if you're not dead-set on letting others perish to an algorithm.

Cam: ... <I don't always like what I have to do, Miku... but I still know that I have to be the one to do it. I've given up too much to stop now.>

He got back up.

Cam: <If that's how you wish to be, then there's no reason for me to associate with you anymore unless you decide to intervene further. And if you try that, I will send the Funkin' Society's whole wrath upon you. Guess that's one more -friend I have to add to the anomaly list, then. Farewell... Miku.>

Cam walked off into a portal.

Benjamin: If that's how he wants to play it, then it's a chance I'll take when the time comes. The other Salty's got his band in his side of the action, so I'll try to make my own to face down Cam with.

As he continued on his way, he found a special lavender watch on the ground, clearly placed there by someone before.

Benjamin: D-XML's work, huh? I'll take it.

He activated its communicator feature.

Gracie (SNS GF): Who's this?

Benjamin: Benjamin Miku, the Boyfriend of Earth-111723. You must be the one leading the Gang against the Funkin' Society, right?

Gracie: I am, yes. I see you got XML's watch safe and sound.

Benjamin: Mhm. I encountered Blueballs and gave him a butt-whooping of my own, and now I'm amongst those he's classed as anomalies. But I'm ready to do whatever it takes to defy his twisted canon and contribute in saving Salty and putting an end to The X!

Gracie: So you want in to our own band?

Benjamin saw Brooke (VS OURPLE GUY BF with his son), Toon BF, Mobian BF, Aloe Mano, D-XML, Golden BF and Boom (Electro Funkin' GF), each still on the search for Salty.

Benjamin: Once I've acquired my own crew to help out? Yeah. I'm in!

So Benjamin got to gathering his own team to assist Gracie's team, and with the fate of the Friday Night Funkin' multiverse on the line, he was ready to give it his all to help others around him.

To be continued...

Below is the unedited sprite for Cam/Agent Blueballs that I made, along with the original Benjamin sprite for comparison and an armless alt for different poses. I'm still not sure how to get the pics back in top quality in a small size for you guys, but I'll work on it.

(And yes, Cam's in the same art style as a nod to that gag of Miguel not maintaining the same animation style between universes.)

So, I can drop the team members that Benjamin was able to gain below:

IAB!Softie (younger than the base Softie, but with the right amount of courage)

Barbara (Arrow Funk GF)

Soft Pico (the original; there to get Softie back from the Society's clutches)

MIX Boyfriend (specifically an alternate counterpart, since the original's working in the Funkin' Society and replaces Web-Slinger)

B-Bot (BF from Mega Man: Funkin' Heroes)

Return Funkin' Girlfriend

Mii Boyfriend

Evan (Childhood Memories BF; mainly as emotional support)

Neo Girlfriend (also there to get Neo BF out of the Funkin' Society's cult-like hold)

Bently Forceloyed

#sonic exe #sonic the hedgehog #spider verse #sth #sonic #sth au #sonic fandom #sonic au #spider man #friday night funkin

[mydarllinglover]

Alone || Forever Goodbyes

Previous

Natalia was steaming with rage, but she had caved, going with the others.

Daryl lifted a manhole, leading to the sewers, he threw a rock in it, listening for it to drop as Alexandria continued to be blown up, walkers were following the fire as though it were a beacon.

Tara was the first to go down the ladder after Daryl, then Rosita.

"I'm sorry." Dwight told Michonne and Natalia. "I am."

"Shut up." Natalia said through her teeth. "Nothing you have to say is worth a damn."

He then went down the ladder, Natalia went after.

"Michonne." Rosita called, when she continued to stand there, staring.

"Michonne, come on." Natalia told her. "Michonne!"

Then they were submerged in darkness, she had pulled the cover over.

"Michonne!" She went to climb up the ladder.

"No, baby, come on." Daryl pulled her down, off the ladder, muttering to her as he led her and the others to where the rest were. "she's gonna be alright, she's got this. She's gonna be alright."

They had reached them. Everyone was there, everyone was safe, Carls plan had worked.

When she had seen Carl, she had ran to him, hugging the boy, he was a lot taller than the first time they had met, towering over her now.

"Carl, oh god! You're okay." She brushed his hair down.

He winced in pain, but hugged her back.

"Carl, you okay?" Daryl asked, looking at him.

There was no colour in his face, a sheen of sweat over him, he looked ghostly pale and ill.

Natalia pulled away, looking at him, placing the inside of her wrist against his forehead.

"You're burning up." She said. "What happened?"

He looked down, shaking his head.

"Carl." Her voice shook.

Daryl grabbed Judith, picking her up, holding her close, whilst he hugged Evie to him.

"When I told you I was helping somebody, it's him." He nudged his head at a man who was sat on a cabin bed, supplies around him, he looked sad. "Siddiq, this is Natalia, one of my best friends."

The man nodded at her, but she didn't take her eyes off the boy.

"I was helping him, that's when it happened."

Natalia helped him sit down as he caught his breath.

Carl lifted his shirt, a plaster was on his side, he pulled it down, displaying a bite, a walker bite.

Natalia felt her chest hurt at the sight, as her lip trembled.

"It's gonna be okay." He was trying to console her as he was dying, it made her heart hurt even more.

Natalia kissed his hair.

"I'm so sorry." She told him. "I'm so, so sorry."

"Where's Michonne?" He asked.

"I- I think she went to go look for your dad, their gonna come back, they'll be here, soon." She told him, she wiped at her cheeks, her hands shook.

"I'll wait for them, you should be with Evie and Daryl." He told her. "It's gonna be alright." He told her, again, she didn't believe it.

"I love you." She told him. "You're the bravest person I know. You're so good. The best, best friend."

"I love you, too." He told her. "I'm glad you didn't shoot Daryl in that house, and you joined us. I'm glad I get to say goodbye." He smiled.

"He's lucky you were there, you and Judith." She laughed, but nothing was funny. "Otherwise I would've." She hugged him again, kissing his cheek.

Eventually she had picked herself up, kissing his hair, taking the boy in, before heading back with the others.

Daryl was sat on the floor, Judith in his lap as Evie cuddled into his side.

He looked up at her, nodding his head for her to sit with them.

Natalia poked Evie, signalling for her to get up, so that she could sit down, pulling the girl into her lap as Daryl wrapped an arm around his wife, kissing her hair.

Evie looked at her, wiping her tears away and kissing her head, just like she had always done to her.

"Thank you, baby." She whispered.

Eventually, Rick and Michonne had come down, the sewers had remained in silence since the realisation of what happened to Carl, all had found the opportunity to say their goodbyes to the boy.

Her heart broke as he had revealed to his father and Michonne, his fate, she knew the ache of losing a child, it was a pain that would never go away, no matter how much time passed.

Explosions continued to go off as they sat with him.

"I- I don't..." Rick started.

"Dad."

"How..."

"...Dad... It's alright. It's gotta be. I wasn't sure if you'd make it back before... But just in case, you know... I wanted to make sure I was able to say goodbye." He handed Michonne a pile of letters.

"No. It's them. It's them." Rick said. "They... They don't... It wasn't..."

"Carl." Michonne muttered.

"No. No." Rick refused.

"I got bit." Carl told him.

Natalia screwed her eyes shut as she sniffled, Daryl's arm around her tightened, he was in pain, but there wasn't much anyone could do, he had to be there for his family.

"I was bringing someone back. His names Siddiq." Carl told Rick. "We saw him at that gas station before... It wasn't the Saviours. It just happened. I got bit."

Siddiq had given up his bed for the dying boy, the fever was setting in, he didn't have long left.

"Is that better?" Michonne asked him.

"Yeah. Thanks."

"I, um, I got these." Siddiq offered a bottle of pills to them. "They're over-the-counter, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories. They'll, um... They'll help a little with the fever. They did for my mom and dad. Please take them." Siddiq's voice broke as he spoke to the parent's of the boy who had risked his life for him. "Your son... he should have them."

"You're a doctor?" Rick asked.

"I was a resident before. Yeah." He answered.

Evie sat up at this, looking at the man, taking in what he had said.

"Your name is Siddiq?" Rick continued.

"Yes."

"Did you know he was a doctor?" Rick asked Carl. "Is that why you brought him back?"

"He wasn't gonna make it alone. He needed us. That's why."

"He was the one at the gas station" Rick whispered.

Another explosion went off, causing rubble to fall down, Rick covered Carl as he started choking.

Natalia put her hands above the two girls heads, making sure nothing fell on them, whilst Daryl did the same to her.

"Water. Give him water." Michonne said, as Carl continued to cough.

"Easy. You got it." Rick said as he drank. "Slowly, slowly."

Michonne got up, spinning around and marching towards Dwight.

"Make it stop." She told him. forcing him to the wall. "Make them stop."

"I can't" He told her.

"You can" She said. "You're one of them. They'll listen to you. Please. Please."

Rosita got up, walking to Michonne, gently placing a hand on her shoulder.

"You said that Hilltop's safe." She said, looking at the man.

"Right. Yeah." He nodded.

"We need to get everybody there. We can get Carl there."

"And they think all of you got away in the woods. They're out there, looking."

"They saw us go West, so we won't go West." Tara told him.

"Your best chance is to stay here until they're gone." Dwight pushed.

"No. They find us here, we're dead." Daryl said, cradling Judith to him.

They're almost done. They gotta be. It wasn't about destroying the place. They don't have the ammo for that. After they let up, after they're gone, that's when we go."

"Okay." Rosita said. "We wait."

More explosions went off.

"You sure going to Hilltop's the best plan?"

"You got a better one?"

"All of you in one place, together..."

"All of us together." Daryl cut him off. "We'll be their worst damn nightmare."

Natalia looked up at him.

She reached up kissing his cheek, then Judith's.

Her arms were around Evie, as she hugged her tightly, as they all stood, waiting.

"Sounds like they're letting up." Scott said.

"Looks like you were right." Rosita looked at Dwight. "They're leaving."

"Maybe." Daryl turned to them.

He passed Judith to Natalia, who took her in her arms, she was quick to cling to the woman, as he walked towards Rick and Michonne.

"Want me to go take a look?" He asked.

Natalia followed after him, giving Rick his daughter as she sat with Carl, Michonne had gone to see what was happening as Daryl walked through the sewers.

"Hey." She whispered, brushing his hair out of his face.

"Hi" He smiled up at her. "I wrote you a letter, Michonne has it."

"Thank you." She nodded.

"You're a great mom, Nat." He told her. "I know you were one before Evie, I found stuff you hid, around your house, and I could just tell."

She closed her eyes.

"She's in good hands with you, I know she's gonna be one of our best doctors, you should have her be Siddiq's apprentice, like she was with Denise. When this is all over, and you build Alexandria back."

"Yeah, I will. Thank you for bringing him back." She whispered.

Michonne had reached them again.

"The Saviours are gone." She said. "We can get everyone to Hilltop. We can get Carl there."

"Carl? No." Rick protested.

"Daryl can get one of the cars."

"Carl won't make it... He can't leave here. I have to stay with him."

"Rick."

"He can't. I have to stay."

"We'll both stay."

"Natalia... Will you... will you take Judith?" Rick turned to her, she couldn't stay, she'd have to be there with Daryl and Evie, even though she wished she could. "She needs to be there. If she..." He began sobbing. "If happens..."

"Yeah. Of course." Natalia got up. "Me and Daryl will make sure she's looked after, I promise."

"Let me say goodbye." Carl said.

Michonne helped him sit up.

Daryl had joined Natalia's side, so had Tara.

"We're gonna take her with us." Natalia whispered to him, he nodded.

"You be good, okay?" Carl told his little sister. "For Michonne. For Dad. You gotta honour him. Listen when he tells you stuff. Uh, you don't have to always. Sometimes, kids got to show their parents the way." He grabbed his beloved hat, the hat that once belonged to his father, Carl had told Natalia about the first time he was shot, when they were looking for Sophia, how Rick had given it to him.

"This was Dad's before it was mine." He said. "Now it's yours. I don't know... just... just having it and... It always kept Dad with me. It made me feel as strong as him. It helped me. Maybe it'll help you, too. Before Mom died... she told me that I was gonna beat this world. I didn't. But you will."

Judith began pouting, letting out little whines, sensing this was a forever goodbye.

"I know you will."

She began crying.

"Come here, Judy." Natalia reached down, picking up the tiny girl as she cried louder into the woman's shoulder.

Daryl grabbed the hat as he rubbed her back.

"These people. You saved them all." Daryl told the boy. "That's all you, man."

"We're all so proud of you." Natalia told him, wiping at her eyes with her free hand.

Daryl led her away as she carried the youngest Grimes, out of the sewers.

It was up to Daryl to get everyone to the Hilltop, which was proving as a bigger challenge than expected, what with the Saviours out looking for them.

They were currently hiding under a bridge, a group of Saviours were on top, Natalia was holding Judith in her arms, soothing the toddler as much as she could, as well as tight hold on Evie, this was the first time she had left Alexandria since Aaron had brought her there.

When it looked okay, Daryl left the greenery they were hiding in, letting them know it was clear.

"Best to stay off the roads, head into the woods right there." He told the people as he waved for where they should go. "Come on. Go, go."

A walker had jumped out as they walked for the tree's.

"Walker!" Evie squealed, hiding behind Natalia. "Mommy!"

"It's alright." Natalia soothed, her hand on the girls head.

"I got it." Tara said, grabbing a hold of it, all it's flesh was burnt.

"I'll cover you." Dwight offered.

Tara threw the walker at the man, causing him to struggle against it.

"Tara!" Rosita shouted.

"What? It got away" She answered. "He can handle it."

Dwight pushed it to the ground, stomping on it's head.

"See?"

"Hey, just keep 'em moving." Daryl told her, pointing at the people who watched.

"Are you serious, Tara?" Natalia sighed.

"Sorry kid." She told Evie, running to gather the people.

"Did you hear them talking on the walkie about Carson and Gabriel?" Rosita asked.

"Yeah. Probably heading to Hilltop, same as us."

"Hopefully better than us." Rosita said, shooting a walker before the little girl noticed.

"Hey, we said about teaching her." Daryl muttered to Natalia, patting Judith's head, as they watched their daughter bombard Siddiq about doctoring, after bombarding them to let her walk two feet ahead of them. "Maybe now's the time."

"No." Natalia said, "After this, she ain't leaving the walls for a long time, she has no reason to."

"Nat."

"He was brave, Daryl. A damn good fighter, taking out walkers since he was shorter than me, and he still got bit. I'm not letting that happen." She sniffed. "I never thought it would, not to him, and I was wrong."

A fog was falling over them as they continued to walk.

The people of Alexandria was growing tired and slow.

Daryl kept marching forward, Natalia beside him.

Rosita had caught up to the pair, stopping them.

"Hey." She called. "Daryl."

He looked behind, Natalia had stopped too.

"Where are they?" He asked, looking for the missing people neither of them had noticed disappear.

"They needed rest." She told him. "They're exhausted. They haven't slept."

"Alright" He scoffed. "1o minutes. Then we keep goin'. I'm gonna go back, cover our tracks."

"I'll go with you." Rosita offered.

"I have a question." Tara said, looking over at Dwight. "Is there a reason why he's still breathing?"

"Tara. Don't." Natalia told her, bouncing Judith on her hip.

"Fight ain't over." Daryl answered.

"It is for him. I'm done waiting."

"Not now. Not yet." He shook his head. "You keep an eye on them, I'll be back." Daryl told Natalia, petting Judith's head again.

She grabbed his jaw, bringing his face to hers to kiss him softly. "I know." She replied, letting him leave.

"He's right." Rosita told Tara, when she looked at the two women, hoping they'd back her up. "Dwight could have an angle we don't know about. He could help. He wants to. Can't give that up yet."

Tara didn't let up.

"We just lost the kid." Rosita whispered, "Let's just stop. At least until we get to the Hilltop."

"I wanted to go chase after the bitch last night, and y'all stopped me." Natalia told her. "And I'm glad you did. So just let us stop you."

When he got back, they made a plan, Daryl, Rosita, Natalia and Tara.

"If they're smart, they'll cover all these passes between here and Hilltop." Daryl explained, pointing at a map.

"We have to keep moving. We'll just have to risk it." Rosita said.

"I'm not betting on the risking option with the kids." Natalia told her.

"Maybe you don't have to." Dwight walked over to them. "Negan won't send his people down into this stretch of swamp... not if he doesn't have to."

"Yeah. How do you know that?" Tara asked.

"Negan wanted to map the best routes with cover from the Sanctuary to the Hilltop. He... He decided the swamp was too dangerous. Didn't think it was worth the risk."

They thought about it.

Tara got up, staring at them in confusion.

"You aren't seriously gonna listen to him. It's too dangerous for the Saviours, so you're gonna send us? Are you kidding me?" She scoffed.

"They have us boxed in." Rosita told her.

"Tara has a point." Tobin spoke up. "Why should we trust him?"

"He could turn on us like he turned on his own people." Scott said.

"I didn't just turn on them." Dwight spoke up. "I killed 'em. Daryl saw it. Rosita saw it. Natalia saw it. You saw it." He looked at Tara. "But one of them got away..."

Natalia scoffed, biting her lip as she looked away, running a hand through her long hair.

"So if they find me, Negan puts my head on a pike. I'm not working for them, and I'm not going back to them. I chose my side. This is it. I'm here to help you beat Negan. After that...." He sighed, letting out a chuckle "Well, I know how it ends."

Daryl thought for a moment, fiddling with the map.

"All right." He said. "We try the swamps."

The people followed their lead.

Dwight walked behind Daryl and Natalia, she was still holding Judith, Evie walked in front, as they kept their eyes on her every move and surrounding area.

"Natalia..." Dwight called.

Natalia looked up at Daryl, before looking over her shoulder at the man.

"What?" She asked, her tone harsh.

"About Laura." He started. "I know she was in charge of you. Look, I know why they both want to kill me, I get it. But her, she was just doing her job. We talked about it after our shifts, she only did what she had to, and she's... It could have been a lot worse for you, just-"

"Don't make me kill you in front of my kid." Natalia told him. "Or take that opportunity away from my husband, and my friend. She had a choice, so did you, you're all just a bunch of cowards. What, because Negan slept with your wife, you think we're on the same side? Maybe she just didn't love you, who would?" She shrugged. "And by the way, I burnt the clothes I borrowed, hope you don't mind."

She walked forward, taking Evie's hand in her free one as she created some distance from the man.

She could hear him pleading his case to Daryl, blocking him out.

"Mommy?"

"Yeah, sweet girl?"

"Are we ever going to go back home?"

"I - I hope so." Natalia answered, placing a hand on the girl's head.

Daryl had checked the area around the swamp, taking out a walker coming out of it, deciding it would have to do.

"We have to be careful." Rosita said. "But we can do this."

"Push through. Clear a path for the others." Daryl said.

"Count me in." Scott volunteered.

"I'll go." Siddiq said.

"If I can have the crossbow..." Dwight started.

"Shut up." Natalia snapped.

"You can't. You'll stay right there." Daryl ordered.

"You coming?" Rosita asked Tara.

"I'm gonna hang back, watch over the group. Evie and Judith." Tara said.

"Tara, are you sure?" Natalia asked. "I need you to watch them with full dedication, can you do that?"

"Nat, trust me, okay? I got it."

Natalia was reluctant to hand Judith over, as well as putting Evie's care into the hands of Tara, but she did, to help with the swamp.

"Come on. Let's get this done." Daryl said.

Natalia took out a knife, following the others into the water as they combed it for walkers.

They poked long stick into the water, that came up to their legs, waking or unlodging any walkers that might be stuck in the mud, so that they could put them down.

Rosita had found one, putting it down.

"Where's Tara?" Natalia asked, hugging Evie when they had got out the swamp, Siddiq and Daryl had cleared the shallow end.

"Her and Dwight went off to put down walkers." Tobin said.

"And you just let her?" Rosita asked. "I'll go find her." She told Natalia.

When she brought her back, without Dwight. Daryl had about enough.

"I told you to wait!" He shouted, pointing in her face, after she told them that a group of Saviours had found him. "For all we know, he could be tellin' 'em everything! Negan could be on his way here right now!"

"He isn't. He won't" Tara defended. "He led them away. They were coming right for us, and he saved us."

"She's right. He did. I saw it." Rosita added.

"I don't give a damn what he did." Daryl began pacing. "He can stick with them... he can come back... hell, he can run. When I find that son of a bitch, I'm gonna..." He looked at Judith and Evie, catching himself as Judith hugged into Natalia, and Evie covered her ears, with Natalia's instruction.

"C'mon." he decided, walking to the swamp.

Daryl carried Evie through the swamp, so she wouldn't be swimming in it.

Natalia could hear him apologising to the girl for shouting, as she held Judith tightly.

When they had finally got to the Hilltop.

The gates were opened for them, the people of Hilltop and the Kingdom were waiting for them.

Carol had a wide smile on her face as she ran for them, Enid followed, but she was scanning the group of people.

The smile had dropped when she realised who was missing.

Daryl was the one to break the news as Maggie had wandered over as well.

Natalia passed Judith to Daryl as she consoled Enid, who had burst into sobs.

Hugging the teenager.

Carl had shared with her and Michonne about his budding romance with the girl, asking for their advice, embarrassed to tell them, as they showered him in aw's and giggles at his first girlfriend.

Maggie had joined them on the floor, as they both tried to help her with her pain.

Maggie had kept at least a half dozen Saviours captive, under Jesus's wishes, they were shut in what Natalia would call a pen.

Daryl and Natalia sat with the two girls, leaning against a car as Evie was teaching Judith an imaginary game.

"Glad Gregory was thrown in there." Natalia mused, looking over at it.

"Yeah, he's getting whatever is coming to him." Daryl replied. "Slimy son of a bitch deserves it."

"Dad, you can't swear, Judith!" Evie snapped at him, pointing at the baby.

Daryl swallowed, staring at the girl who went back to her game.

Natalia watched him, her brows raised.

"You okay?" Natalia whispered to him. "Gonna have a freak out?"

"Dunno." He mumbled.

She rolled her eyes with a smile, patting his leg as she leaned into him, his arm was around her, it had tensed when Evie called him that, officially, for the first time.

"Open the gate! It's Rick!" Kal had shouted, when Maggie was sorting out her prisoners, she was allowing two at a time to leave the pen, to work, exercise and for medical attention if necessary.

Daryl and Natalia jumped up as Rick and Michonne entered the gates, both looking solum.

Natalia picked up Judith, so that she could hand her to her father.

"Come here, sweetheart." He groaned, taking her, as Natalia walked towards Michonne, hugging her tight.

"Everyone get back okay?" Michonne asked.

"Yeah, fine. Daryl got everyone here, Tara.... she, she lost Dwight, bent up on killing him, we were busy, she said she had it." Natalia explained.

"I get it. Alright." Michonne nodded, looking at the woman, where she was stood with Rosita. "Are you okay?"

"Mhm." She nodded, embracing the woman again. "I miss him, It hurts, real bad."

"I know. I do, too."

Natalia leaned back, wiping her tears, before wiping Michonne's.

"Evie... she uh... she called Daryl "dad" earlier."

"Really?" She asked, her eyes searching for him.

"Yeah, for swearing in front of Jude." She giggled, Michonne did too. "Told him off."

"Come on, I have his letters." Michonne said, taking her hand and they walked to the steps of the manor, Enid was also there.

Michonne handed the two letters to them, each with their names wrote on it.

Natalia thumbed her name, his writing.

She took a few deep breathes before flipping the page open, reading what he had to say to her.

Natalia, or as us friends call you, Nat,

When I first met you, I thought you were one of the coolest people I had ever met, and you had a real cute dog (R.I.P Sully).

I saw how angry you looked, when you were talking to my dad, Daryl, Glenn and T-Dog, but how you smirked when my dad looked at me, annoyed that once again I was being a nosey kid who couldn't stay out of grown ups business. It took me a while to warm up to you, though. I told you that we were good people, it's still true, because we do see the good in our actions, for a future, to make the world a better place.

You were mean, scary, and wanted nothing to do with us, I admired you for that, because above it all, you still helped us, like giving my mom prenatals, or teaching Carol how to shoot, helping with the prison.

I remember how Daryl hated you at the start, wanted you gone, thought you were a massive threat to us all, in general he seemed to just not like your way of being, I could tell when things changed between you guys, it was a lot earlier than you think, that you both think, I asked him about it once, he hesitated, seeming to think it over before shrugging his shoulders, scratching his head as he told me to forget it, that you were some crazy chick, who had stuck by us so far. Then again, the pause was a lot longer, he confided me about how you were strictly just friends, I laughed at him as he went on, saying you were special, a force to be reckoned with, but that you were beautiful and funny and soft, that girls like that don't go for guys like him, even if it was the end of the world, "Stuck up bitches don't got no business with asshole rednecks." not that he liked you, anyway, I'm glad you guys were able to find each other, you suit each other, like the missing piece in each others puzzle, like my dad and Michonne, after word got out about the two of you, they had both come to me, explaining how things just happened, that they didn't mean to get with my best friends with out checking with me first, almost asking for my approval, my permission if they were good enough for you guys.

Just for future reference, if you guys ever end up having a boy, Carl Junior, or CJ, has a nice ring to it ;)

I love you, Nat

I know you're a good person, that bad things happened to you, I'm happy that we were able to take some of your pain away, help bring you back to yourself, the kind loving person that you were all along. You were always first to run into danger for anyone, for your friends, loved ones, even strangers, you inspired me, I wanted that in myself, hence what happened, but I don't care, something good came out of it, and that's worth more than anything for me, never stop saving people, its what you're best at, and your movie references that barely anyone gets.

thank you for being my best friend.

Sincerely, the better friend than Michonne,

Carl

Next

#daryl dixon #daryl dixon smut #the walking dead daryl #twd daryl #carl grimes #carol peletier #daryl fanfiction #glenn rhee #michonne #rick grimes #daryl dixon x reader #daryldixonalonetwd #darylxnatalia #twd daryl x y/n

[fairybumpkin]

JUDITH THE DOG PRIEST

"Priest to a god who no longer exists, Judith has lived on into the age of men. Consistently just a hair taller than anyone in the room, he cuts an imposing figure, especially among his roommates in the apartment he found on Craigslist.

"He has kept up well with the times, and is concerningly outgoing; many wish he would stop tormenting local children at parks, and pizza delivery people. Judith abides no worship of any other gods on principle, but can't help himself from offering advice and hearty (if mean-spirited) debate when the subject arises. If he weren't so wildly uncomfortable to be around, and generally awful, he would be an excellent resource on the history of religions, mysticism, spirituality, magical practices, and worship.

"His three roommates hate him, but he pays the rent more or less on time and knows how to fix most plumbing issues, so they can't justify getting rid of him."

#OFFICIAL dog_priest.jpg #judith the dog priest #art fight :)) #my art #happy to be doing digital stuff again this month! #it's always really nice to get to warm back up into it

[empty-pizza]

the necromancer and cavalier pecking order, as of Gideon the Ninth chapter twenty-one

after writing my last post, i've realized i should establish a full pecking order of the relevant characters so far. this will probably be inaccurate as i do not know many of them well enough yet, so it's subject to change.

ianthe. doesn't take shit from anyone. knows exactly what she's doing and betrayed whoever she wants. harrow had to learn to work together with her cavalier, ianthe said nah fuck this shit i'm doing it solo. i know so little about her but my expectations are high.

harrow. she knows what she wants, has plans, and is willing to be self-destructive to achieve them. doesn't take shit from anyone. could realistically be a few places lower though, i just don't know what the others are planning.

silas. don't know much. rather than not taking shit from anyone, he's here to give other people shit. he's gotta be planning something. i don't see him living long, but his death will be grand.

palamedes. another of the best planners. cares a little too much about talking to others instead of not giving a fuck. just a little too nice. does his teamwork with camilla make him stronger? maybe, but he's also a nerd, which puts him below silas. as much as he is a nerd, he's one of the only people really succeeding.

camilla. seems tough, knows what she's doing, all business.

dulcinea. very much overcomes her weaknesses with clever planning. she's the kind of person you know you'll regret trusting, but you want to trust anyway. also actually achieved anything.

coronabeth. it's a shame for someone this smart to still be the dumb pretty one in the arrangement, but ianthe just clearly has her beat. lower than dulcinea because she hasn't accomplished shit.

gideon. tough, bold, but has awful matchups against most of the people above her because they're hot girls. easily manipulated by a pretty face.

isaac and jeannemary. wildcards, could definitely impress me. like all of their age, they have great potential. but also like all of their age, they are idiots.

protesilaus. kind of a wildcard. how tough is he? he could turn out to be so tough that he jumps up several places here. but otherwise there's not much to him.

colum. exists to supply silas with power. anybody lower than this should be ashamed of themselves.

abigail and magnus. nice. too nice. died. sucks for them, but you gotta do better than that.

judith and marta. they talk big and backed up none of it. they were so passive and useless that they felt completely irrelevant to the plot, and they're mad about it. that said, they still have the opportunity to redeem themselves. unlike our final pick:

naberius. unbelievable how pathetic this man is. in chapter 22 he started flexing until he realized nobody was watching. he would probably believe that not masturbating for a year would give him magic powers. he would DM pics of his abs to random girls and not understand why they blocked him. he probably talks down to manlets and has a panic attack when he meets a woman taller than him. coronabeth and ianthe didn't decide out of nowhere to bully their cavalier. he put himself in that position.

#pizza reads locked tomb #the locked tomb #tlt

[picapicamagpie]

Part 2 is here, covering all the Sing 1 characters (except the gorilla gang, I’ll do those in the Sing 2 part because there’s SO many characters here I ran out of space.)

Buster, Ash, Gunter, Johnny, and Miss Crawly are here.

This part was trickier as with each character, I had to find them in a full body scene alongside one of the original five in order to scale them properly. For this reason I just couldn’t do Norman. He’s like sitting down or laying down in EVERY scene he’s in, and the rare shots he’s standing, you don’t see his full body. He seems to be pretty much Rosita’s height though.

Mike is barely above 6 inches. So I put him at 7 inches.

Nancy is very slightly taller than Mike, so I put her at 8 inches.

Hobbs is barely above 3′5″. I’ll put him at 3 feet 6 inches, which is funny because irl emperor penguins are like 4-5 feet. More proof of my theory that it doesn’t really matter what irl height an animal has in the Sing universe.

Nana Noodleman is also barely over 4 feet 11 inches, not counting her wool. So I put her at 5 feet exactly. Man, what the heck were Illumination doing with the sheep characters. I just realised how weirdly tall they are. Fun fact: a domestic pig is around 3 feet high, a Sussex sheep (Eddie/Nana’s breed) is barely 2 feet. Eddie and Nana should be Rostia/Gunter/Norman’s size or even smaller. Why the hell are they nearly the size of a gorilla. Illumination made a weird choice here but that’s ok because it means my little bird can be tall too.

Becky is just under halfway between 2′5″ and 2′11″. So using the reasoning from before I put her at 2 feet 7 inches. Same as Ash.

Lance is just under 2′11″, so I say he’s 2 feet 10 inches. He also slouches a lot so sometimes he looks shorter.

Pete (anyone remember him?) is just under halfway between 5′10″ and 6′4″. So I put him at 6 feet exactly. He’s certainly taller than Johnny as we see in the photo at the end of Sing 1.

Rosita is just a little bit below 3′11″. So I put her at 3 feet 9 inches. As a bonus I did her piglets too, who may as well all be clones, and they come out to 1 foot 4 inches.

Eddie is exactly 4 feet 5 inches without his wool.

Meena is halfway between 7′10″ and 8′4″, not counting her hair. So I put her at 8 feet exactly. Tall but still shorter than an irl elephant. Probably because making her too big would mess up shots.

Judith is another one who’s head:hair wool ratio is unclear. The sheep have a prominent forehead so it’s easy to see, but I can’t tell with Judith. Her brow is 6′11″ and her wool ends at 7′4″ exactly. So, not including her ears, she is between 6 feet 11 inches and 7 feet 4 inches. @lemonisntreal YOU GOT IT RIGHT AGAIN FOR YOUR AU JUDITH AAAA

The red pandas and other random animals weren’t done due to space and no one cares about them anyway ;) The next part will be the Sing 2 characters, and a chart of everyone together in a clearer way!

#THE TIME THIS TAKES I'M GOING INSANE #but I'm very excited to do part 3 #for obvious reasons #god it's not worth tagging half these characters #where the pete fanbase at?? #sing mike #sing meena #sing judith #sing eddie #sing rosita #nana noodleman #sing nana #sing #sing 2 #sing 2016 #sing movie #sing headcanons #buster moon #sing johnny #sing ash

[sublimecatgalaxy]

Hello! I really like your oneshot, especially this most recent one! 📚📚

I was wondering if you could do a Daryl X fem!reader who's as tall or taller than him? Doesn't have to be romantic, just reader is feeling a little insecure about how she's a lot bigger than other girls. Maybe they're out on a run or hunting with Dog and it kinda comes up?

This is actually a really cute concept. My mom's always taller than the guy she dates, including her current boyfriend, cuz she's like 6'1". She's a badass.

This could be taken as platonic or romantic. I just took it flirty haha.

My hands push through the shelves as I listen to Daryl take care of the walkers outside, pulling canned goods off of the metal shelves and quickly into my bag. The prison was getting short on food and with the new arrival of Judith, we wanted to make sure we were stocked on everything and prepared for anything.

"What'ya find?" Daryl asks, appearing to my right as I jump, startled by his sudden presence. He holds his hands up with a small laugh under his breath, his fingers pulling back the sides of my bag to peak into it. "This is the most stocked store we've seen in a while, huh?" He asks, watching me as my arm extends, reaching up to grab onto the baby formula that sits on the top shelf.

"Yeah, considering we've gone to like three of these quicky-marts in five days and this is the only one with formula." I laugh, handing the bag to him as he huffs, slinging it over his shoulder. My eyes scan around the rest of the store, looking at the signs at the top of the aisles to try to come up with anything else we'd possibly need.

"Can I ask somethin'?" Daryl quizzes behind me and I snort.

"You just did." Winking, I catching him rolling his eyes and he nudges me playfully with his shoulder.

"Shut up." He mutters, reaching up to readjust the bag on his shoulder as he shuffles his feet beneath him. Is he nervous? "You always been so, uh, tall?" My stomach drops at the simple question, knowing in my heart that he didn't mean it in a bad way and the last thing he wanted to do was upset or offend me. Taking a deep breath, I sigh, bobbing my head in a nod.

"Yeah, always the tallest in my classes and the tallest in my family." I chuckle bitterly, eyes dipping low to the ground in shame. "I've never really been a fan of my height." I confess, Daryl's brows pulling together in confusion as his weight shifts between his feet.

"Guess there a silver-lining now." He shrugs simply. "Taller than all the guys and shit. You're the one people go to, uh, feel safe. Cuz you're strong." A smile fans out over my lips at his shaky compliment, his cheeks a pale pink as he clears his throat. "And you look strong too."

"Thanks, D." I reach over to shove him playfully as he chuckles under his breath, nodding in the direction of the exit as I follow him, but he stops halfway, turning around to face me.

"Plus you look like one'a those girls my brother would go see at the clubs." He adds, my jaw dropping in a laugh as my brows lift. He obviously meant it as a compliment, comparing me to the beautiful, graceful girls but knowing him, it's hilarious that it even came out of his mouth in the first place.

"A stripper?!"

"It's a compliment!"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o- Taglist: @bubblebuttwade @rafelover2405 @leslienjazzy @sorceresss @grxnde-dwt @alex–awesome–22 @bunnietoof @niyamar1e @serialghost @plantlungs @geniusohn @akaliltimmytim @lilaalouuxx @xshariex @elliotsbeigeguitar @elle4404 @lelieja @srhxpci @joselyn001 @taysirene @spinkspanther @thedivineuphoria @peter-maximoffs @tsukishimawhore @poohkie90 @szlaco @distantsighs @nstyles4299 @wolflover384 @givemefoodandlovesstuff @vane28282 @yeswhatever33 @amirrahfranson @vvaalleennttiinna @f-mu @yaspillz @jeyramarie @skylievin@abbybarnes17 @jointherebellion215 @visiondaddy @steezysimfinds @its-ya-gay-boi-luigi @crunchytoenailsyum@glizzymcguirex @beth123lg @melovesmut @rafecameronswhore @ariianelle @write-from-the-heart @vampviolets@haylee-e@popehaywardssecretgf @honee-chai-tea @lokiandbuckywife @smoke-and-fire @officiallyunofficialperson@heyaitsklaudia@rosepetalsparks @bluetreecloud20 @scenesofobx @double-shot-of-tequila @1dluver13xx @colbysbrocks @iamasimpingh0e @smoke-and-fire386 @loveshineslikethesky @id-3-kbro @diorsitgirl @errorfound101-allideasburnedout @neverwillknowme18 @ellyskey @taylors-folk @loversjoy @myaloveee @thyris-is

#daryl dixon #daryl dixon x reader #daryl x reader #daryl #the walking dead #the walking dead fic

[nghtmarish]

@leagueofdccm ; negan / CONT.

    𝐬𝐡𝐞  𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧'𝐭  𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧  𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰  𝐰𝐡𝐲  𝐬𝐡𝐞  𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝  𝐢𝐭,   she  wasn't  even  really  sure  what  she  meant  by  it  and  she  wasn't  exactly  surprised  that  negan  would  automatically  think  that  she  was  talking  about  him.   to  a  certain  extent,  she  wanted  to  believe  what  she  said  did  also  apply  to  him.   but  it  didn't,  as  much  as  it    𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝   her  to  admit,  she  was  more  than  aware  of  how  much  heart  he  actually  had.   she  had  seen  his  pain  firsthand  when  he  had  begged  her  to  kill  him.   she  had  seen  the  way  he  was  with  his  daughter,  tilly.   she  had  heard  what  he  had  done  for  judith  and  lydia  back  in  alexandria.   as  much  as  she  wanted  to  believe  he  was  some  heartless  monster,  she  knew  that  it  was  further  from  the  truth.   what  she  possibly  didn't  expect  was  for  him  to  take  it  so    𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲   and  confront  her  about  it.

    𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧  𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬  𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲  𝐨𝐧  𝐡𝐢𝐦  𝐚𝐬  𝐢𝐟  𝐬𝐡𝐞  𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧'𝐭  𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭  𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞  𝐚𝐬  𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭  𝐡𝐞  𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭  𝐝𝐨,   jaw  sent  in  a  hardline  as  she  stops  herself  from  snapping  back  at  him.   she  knew  that  she  was  consistently  throwing  jabs  his  way.   she  had  only  insisted  he  come  along  on  missions  to  attempt  to  get  him  killed.   she  made  his  life  even  more  difficult  all  because  she  would  never  forgive  him  for  what  he  did.   but  maggie  knew  that  she  couldn't  let  her    𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐝   for  him  control  everything  she  did,  it  was  too  much  work  and  she  was  letting  it  take  over  everything  again.   it  was  why  she  left,  to  get  away  from  the  hate  and  her  grief.   except  it  was  more  than  that,  she  knew  that  and  she  didn't  want  to  really    𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐭   anything  that  might  be  happening  between  him.   she  didn't  even  want  to  admit  that  they  were  a  good  team,  even  though  it  was  more  clear  to  her  now  than  ever  before  and  to  hear  him  say  it,  they  were  more    𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞   than  she  would  ever  admit  to  herself.   but  it  was  clearly  something  they  both  knew  and  it  was  driving  her  insane,  she  had  no  idea  how  to  handle  it.   she  was  so  blinded  by  anger  and  grief,  she  only  saw  red  whenever  he  was  around  and  she  couldn't  keep  doing  this  to  him.

    𝐲𝐞𝐭  𝐭𝐡𝐞  𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞  𝐡𝐞  𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐤𝐞,   her  taking  in  every  word  he's  saying  and  as  much  as  there  was  a  part  of  her  that  wanted  him  to  stop  talking,  she  made  no  move  to  shut  him  up  or  stop  him  from  getting  closer  to  her.   all  she  does  is  stand  up  a  little  taller,  but  her  eyes  never  had  left  him  as  he  approached  her.   but  when  he  spoke  about  her  and  her  hardened  heart,  she  finally  looked  away  and  she  suddenly  felt    𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝   for  a moment.   shaking  her  head,  dark  strands  of  hair  falling  in  front  of  her  face,   "   you  really  are  the  most  self  absorbed  person  i  have  ever  met.   you  always  think  that  i  am  talking  about  you,  but  in  this  case   .   .   .    "   maggie  stopped  herself,  as  if  she  was  catching  herself  from  exposing  too  much  about  herself.   negan  was  the    𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭  𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧   she  wanted  to  see  her  be  vulnerable,  because  he  had  already  seen  her  at  her  absolutely  worst  and  the  last  thing  she  needed  was  for  him  to  feel  sorry  for  her.   when  she  said  that  no  one  wants  you  when  you  have  no  heart,  she  wasn't  talking  about  him,  she  was  talking  about    𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟   because  it  was  honestly  how  she  felt.   she  had  lost  her  heart.   she  still  had  all  this  fire  and  fight,  she  would  do  anything  for  her  son  and  others  she  cares  about.   but  she  felt  numb  nearly  all  of  the  time,  like  she  had  very  little  to  give  to  anyone  and  she  was  just  hated  that  the  only  time  she  felt  anything  was  when  she  was  around  him.

    𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐞  𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧'𝐭  𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤  𝐚𝐭  𝐡𝐢𝐦  𝐟𝐨𝐫  𝐚  𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭,   trying  to  keep  herself  in  control  of  her  emotions  in  a  way  that  she  felt  like  it  was  boiling  over.   she  never  should've  said  anything.   she  didn't  think  it  would  bring  this  up  and  she  was  even  more  aware  of  how    𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫   she  had  been.   she  didn't  kill  negan  all  those  years  ago  because  he  was  so  broken  and  so  far  from  the  man  who  had  murdered  glenn.   she  couldn't  kill  him  now  without  knowing  how  the  guilt  would  eat  her  alive  because  she  did  believe  that  he  wasn't  the  same  man  anymore.   but  it  was  somehow    𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫   to  separate  the  two  of  them,  she  just  knew  this  had  to  stop  and  she  didn't  want  to  keep  going  through  life  like  this.   hands  come  up  to  rub  her  face,  shaking  her  head  again  as  if  she  was  trying  to  clear  her  head  of  any  thoughts.   looking  back  up  at  him,  green  eyes  meeting  hazel  ones,   "   you're  right.   i  can't  forgive  you  and  i  doubt  i  ever  will  for  what  you  did  to  glenn   .   .   .   but  i  can't  and  don't  hate  you  anymore,    "   maggie  admits,  her  voice  softer  than  ever  before,  almost  losing  that  edge  and  fire  for  a  moment.   she  felt  exhausted  and  vulnerable,  two  things  that  almost  felt    𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐲   when  she  was  around  him.   arms  wrap  around  herself  for  a  moment  and  she  wasn't  sure  what  to  say  anymore,  he  had  said  plenty  for  the  both  of  them,   "   i  can't  do  this  forever  because  it  will  end  up  destroying  everything  that  i  have  worked  so  hard  to  build,    "

#leagueofdccm #xxvi. maggie rhee : 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐰. #ii. leagueofdccm ; negan & maggie : 𝟎𝟎𝟐. #( i am wreck for these two ) #( actually obsessed with them )

[prairiesongserial]

20.1

Cody was sick. His stomach rolled with the steady motion of the ship; no matter how big and fancy the thing was, apparently there was nothing the captain could do to mitigate the effects of the waves rocking it about. The glittering lounge felt too hot, with twenty-some people clustered inside. Beads of sweat rolled down from the nape of Cody’s neck to below the stiff, pressed collar of his shirt. 

There were a couple of different card games going at the tables, but a number of passengers had arranged their chairs into a circle in the center of the room for drinks and conversation. Friday was perched on an armchair in the middle of the party, telling a raunchy joke, but Cody couldn’t follow it. Not just because of the seasickness–there was an inner circle and an outer circle on the Demeter, and he was on the outside, standing ready with the other valets to pour more tea or refill a plate with cucumber sandwiches and cake. Cody had never heard of a cucumber sandwich before. He assumed by the face John had pulled after biting into one that he wouldn’t have liked it much.

“-and he says, ‘Oh, you mean my wife?’” Friday capped off her joke to full-throated laughter and scattered applause. The sunlight pouring through the windows caught on pearly-white teeth and jewelry heavy with gemstones, bracelets and earrings probably worth more than the ransom on Cody’s head. 

Val and John were the only ones not laughing. Val smiled thinly, politely, playing the part of a husband suffering a joke his wife had told a hundred times. John didn’t even bother to smile. He caught Cody looking at him, frowned slightly, and looked away. Cody looked away too, embarrassed, fighting down the bile rising in his throat.

“Seasick?” someone asked. It took Cody a moment to register that he was being spoken to directly; no one on the ship had done that yet.

“I’m alright,” he said. The social hierarchy here dictated that he reply, but he didn’t feel like discussing his current struggle to keep down his lunch with a stranger.

“You’re practically green.” 

The speaker was a man seated on the outskirts of the inner circle. He sat at an otherwise unpopular table, close enough to hear the conversation, far enough away that he didn’t invite small talk. He was a little taller than Friday, dressed in an elaborately patterned shirt and white, wide-legged pants, coiffed black hair curling down over one eye. His feet were propped up on the table he sat at, and he was drinking a cup of tea with the saucer resting on his knees. That, and the boyish lopsidedness to his smile, made Cody more inclined to like him.

“I’ve never been on a boat this big,” Cody admitted. One of the other party-goers had started telling a joke to follow Friday’s, so he barely had to lower his voice to keep from being overheard. “I didn’t know how sick it’d make me.”

“Happens to everyone. Well, mostly everyone,” the man said. He had an accent Cody couldn’t place. A lot of the guests on the ship did. It reminded him of Marc Waters’s accent, but it wasn’t quite the same. “You want a sip of my tea? It’s ginger. Settles the stomach.”

Cody was sure that a valet being seen drinking from a passenger’s teacup would be scandalous. He was so nauseous he almost didn’t care.

“I’ll ask around the kitchen for some later,” he forced himself to say.

“Ask for green apples, too,” the man suggested. “Good for seasickness. Most ships keep them onboard. You’re here with the surly one, non?”

Cody almost smiled. “Which surly one?”

“The blonde.”

“John Graves,” he said. The fact that they were using their real names on the ship, relying on expensive costumes and a prayer to sneak their way aboard, was absurd. But Judith’s associate at the docks had promised them that no one aboard the Demeter would recognize them–this was a class of people Cody had never encountered before. Even if they’d ever seen a ransom poster, none of them would care enough to hand anyone over to Hemisphere. Why turn the ship all the way around and go back to America for such a pittance of a reward?

“I’m his valet,” Cody added, as if the man hadn’t already assumed. The cuffs of his sleeves suddenly felt too tight around his wrists. 

He’d offered to take this role to spare John from having to play-act the part of a manservant. They’d been limited by the outfits and room assignments Judith’s associate had been able to arrange for them at the last minute: a man and his valet, a husband and wife. Val and Friday had taken husband and wife, which had seemed obvious at the time, though Cody had since gotten the sense that Val had changed his mind about volunteering himself and Friday for the double cabin. Or had changed his mind about everything they were doing, more broadly. Val had been silent and haunted since they’d left Maine; there was a part of him still back at that barricade, looking for Johannes.

“What’s your name, valet of John Graves?” the man asked Cody, drawing him back to the present. The others in the inner circle were laughing again. Cody hadn’t even caught the punchline to the joke.

“Cody.”

“Enchanté, Cody,” the man said. He stuck out the hand not holding his teacup. His nails were finely manicured and filed down to the quick, polished black. “Je suis Sacha Fortune.”

He looked almost expectant, like his name was one Cody should have recognized. It wasn’t.

“Okay,” Cody said. “Nice to meet you, Sacha.”

“Believe me, the pleasure’s all mine,” Sacha said. He hadn’t yet taken a sip of his tea, though the cup was still dangling from his fingers. Maybe it had gotten cold.

“Sacha!” one of the women in the crowd around Friday and Val called. She was dressed much more practically, almost like one of the valets, without the bright makeup or jewelry of the people who surrounded her. “C’mere and hear this one. You’ll laugh yourself sick.”

Sacha smiled again, the expression a little more wan than before, and hopped to his feet. He was made shorter by a slouch when he stood, hands jammed into the pockets of his pants once he had dispatched his teacup and saucer to the table.

“I think that’s my cue,” he told Cody. “Ask the kitchen about the apples.”

Cody nodded as another wave of nausea rolled through him, the ship still steadily rocking underfoot. His face felt hot. He wondered if Sacha had a valet who would clean up the cup and saucer after him, but none of the valets in the outer circle had stepped forward. Sacha hadn’t even mentioned having a valet of his own.

“Cody,” John said, from behind him.

Cody turned, doing everything he could to stop from swaying unsteadily on his feet. He didn’t like feeling this off-balance, but he also refused to lean on John for stability, so he was stuck standing still and alone. His face probably betrayed how bad he felt. John’s face betrayed a lot, too–he was frowning bemusedly, his eyes rapidly filling with concern the longer he and Cody stared at each other.

“I’m fine,” Cody muttered, because he could see the question in John’s face. “Just need to ask around for some apples.”

John frowned deeper. “Apples?”

“For my stomach. Are we leaving?”

“Yes,” John said, and didn’t elaborate. Cody got the idea that John had simply had his fill of taking tea in a bright room full of loud people. Fair enough.

He glanced over his shoulder. “Val and Friday coming?”

“No,” John said, and shook his head. He started walking out of the lounge without any of the social pleasantries that were probably expected of him; Cody followed without being told or gestured for. “Friday’s making friends.”

“Flirting, you mean.”

“A little.” John jerked his chin slightly towards the woman who had called Sacha over. She was leaning familiarly on Friday’s shoulder, still laughing. “The first mate likes her.”

“Great. Just what we need,” Cody sighed, exhaling enough air to blow a stray piece of hair from his face. He felt better as soon as they’d passed through the lounge’s side doors and onto the deck of the ship. “Isn’t she supposed to be married?”

John was quiet for a long moment as they walked down the deck, breathing in the sharp stink of salt that came off the ocean. Then, he said, “Not happily.”

It was the first joke Cody had laughed at all day.

Previously on Book 2 || 20.2

#story

[r0botarmsapts]

Title: Fathers Night Characters/Pairings: Raven x Judith Words: 500+ Disclaimer: I own this fanfiction but not the characters or game they’re from. Notes: This is for Juven Week 2022! I was unintentionally reminded it was Fathers Day and had to write new dad Raven. Still getting a feel for them so it will likely be not fully in-character. Tags: slice of life, fluff, baby character, post-game, gen.

Summary: Raven slept for a little while only to wake in the middle of the night, unable to return to sleep, his mind in a disbelief when he saw his beautiful wife in a peaceful rest beside him, and his own mind going to the newest addition to their family(part of what was unintentionally keeping him awake)- a baby in a crib in the room next door. A room lovingly decorated by himself and fellow Brave Vesperia members and friends sometime after celebrating the wonderful news.

It was late into the evening and all in their home should have been sleeping soundly.

Should have been.

Raven slept for a little while only to wake in the middle of the night, unable to return to sleep, his mind in a disbelief when he saw his beautiful wife in a peaceful rest beside him, and his own mind going to the newest addition to their family(part of what was unintentionally keeping him awake)- a baby in a crib in the room next door. A room lovingly decorated by himself and fellow Brave Vesperia members and friends sometime after celebrating the wonderful news.

Now, in the room lit only by night-light, he stared down at their baby.

It was clear even now she was a mixed child, a half-Human - half-Krityan baby with abilities unknown. While she only had a few strands of hair on her head, it was made up for with her small antennae, the soft tufts at her neck already fluffy. They were a deep blue that faded into purple, very close to her mothers own appearance. The girls ears went out more than a Humans would but were rounder than a full blooded Krityan. She was naturally tanned like her father and had long arms and legs that made Raven think she would be tall as Judith was. A day coming where his little girl would be taller than him and rub it in his face.

He was looking forward to that day.

Earlier, on waking and being struck with his current spot in life, Raven was sent into a feeling of reality not feeling quiet as real. The kind of feeling that can only happen in the middle of the night when everything was quiet and only his thoughts were able to keep him company.

A few years had passed since they saved the world and things were not perfect, but improvements to peace had been made. Their daughter would be able to grow up in peaceful times, not to experience the pains her parents endured. One day, they would share their respective stories when she was old enough, and later on be taken to Myorzo to learn of her Krityan history from the elders. Some parts would be left out for her sake. She did not need to know the gory details and how it had traumatized Judith and himself...

A gentle hand rested itself on his back in familiar assurance, causing him to startle and look at the woman he knew would be right there. Judith stood beside him, hair left undone, wearing her light blue robe and her sleepy eyes said everything.

Their little girl slept on unaware of her parents staring down at her in the silence with love on their faces. The pair of them each having a mix of feelings at the late hour, sharing one that topped most of all.

Judith voiced it quietly, not wanting to wake their baby, having intention on going back to bed soon, with her husband in tow.

“She’s beautiful.”

“Yeah, she is.”

#juvenweek #juven week 2022 #juven #ravith #tov raven #tov judith #tales of vesperia #tales of fanfiction