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auspicioustidings · 1 day

Text

Flinch

Summary: You thought you would die trying the day you tried to escape your abusive husband, but destiny has other plans. Words: 5.2k TWs: domestic abuse, rape

(I read this book months ago, forgot all about it and today it burrowed into my head again and I assume caused this so if you wanna read a good version of this concept I'd recommend it!)

You would die trying today. You had to.

The 20 week scan had been yesterday and while your husband was away on a work trip he would return this evening. You knew your bodyguard had already told him that the baby inside you was a girl. He did not want a girl. You shook at the memory of when he left 3 days ago.

He had taken you on your hands and knees, no less cruel in how he did it than before you were pregnant, and told you about how his son would be his legacy. His hot, wet breath had been in your ear as he spilled inside of you. You’d better give me a son, wife. If you misbehave and grow a female I’ll need to fuck myself into your womb to get rid of the little slut and try again.

The baby had saved you the most severe beatings the last 4 months, but your husband found other ways to torture you. You could barely even look at your guard anymore knowing that he had been witness to the week your husband had made you spend in an open room penned in by glass. It had been a luxurious prison cell where everybody could see your every move, the bathroom facilities not hidden from view at all and your body on full display. He said it was so they could make sure you were healthy and happy during your pregnancy and then he had fucked your arse in front of his men and smacked you hard across the cheek when he was finished for being such a cry baby.

He would certainly beat you black and blue for failing to bear him a son. But you didn’t really care about that, you had agreed to be his wife 6 years ago when you were 17 and thought he had hung the stars. But this baby who at first you had hated you had come to love. He would kill her. He would kill any of her sisters after her. You could take any punishment he gave you, maybe you’d get lucky and he’d finally kill you, but your daughter deserved a chance to live.

So you would do something you had not done since your 3rd attempt 5 years ago had ended with broken ribs, a broken nose and a concussion that had made you dizzy and sick for months after. You were going to try and leave.

It would be difficult. Your guard was loyal to your husband and never flinched at his treatment of you, so you did not expect help from him. Your left leg hadn’t quite healed right after it had been hurt a few weeks ago during a particularly rough fulfilment of your marital duties so you couldn’t put weight on it very well.

Plus you knew you were ugly now. Your eyes had sunken in and were smudged underneath with purple from too many sleepless nights. One side of your face was mottled with bruises. The rest of your body was too thin but for your protruding stomach and covered in marks. You remembered your father yelling at you about beauty being the only thing women were worth when you were a child. Your parents had been happy when you got engaged to such a wealthy man and you had not heard from them since the day they handed you over. You had been pretty then. You wondered how disgusted your father would be with how you looked now. He certainly wouldn’t help you in such a state.

There wasn’t much time. Your guard was stuck to your side but for one hour in the afternoon where you were expected to thoroughly clean yourself and prepare yourself for your husband's return. The rules of that never changed regardless of your condition. You would spend the hour making yourself perfect, your holes clean and ready, your skin soft and fragrant, your hair braided how he liked it and a thin nightgown perfectly draping on your body. If he found fault with you then you could expect a great deal of pain before he brought in his men to redo the whole process. It was not pleasant when they did it.

The fear made your mouth dry. Not only would you be punished for trying to escape, but you would be found lacking in your appearance and preparation and that would carry its own punishment. You could not do this.

A kick from your daughter argued that you could and it spurred you into action. This was it, your last chance to save her.

–

“I’m gaggin’ for a pint.”

Ghost snorted a laugh.

“You’re always gagging for something Johnny” he quipped, Gaz elbowing Soap teasingly while Price just rolled his eyes from behind the wheel.

“You’ll behave back there. This truck has a no gagging on anything rule in place. Bunch of bloody moppets” he barked.

The Captain was mostly just glad to be heading back home. Some therapist would have a field day with him considering home to be a small off-the-record safe house on the edges of a tiny fishing village, but then he was sure they would quit long before he had gotten to that part with the amount of shite he had been through.

His team had their own flats dotted around the UK, but they seemed to prefer to spend most of their down time together in the safe house. Maybe one day they would all admit that the safe house was just their actual house now, but it was unlikely to be anytime soon. It was still spartan after all, looking drab from the outside and as regimented and dull as any other military base on the inside. Not really homey. Garrick had sincerely attempted to start a little vegetable garden last year but it had been a resounding failure, meaning the little cottage was surrounded by weeds that choked the path. At this point the locals probably thought it was haunted.

It was still a long way off. Two more hours to base where they could switch out the army issued truck for his own modern and well kept pick up and MacTavish’s frankly ridiculous little hatchback that should really not be able to handle the country roads leading to the safe house but was somehow still kicking. He swore he was some sort of car witch.

“Don’t worry Captain, I’m too classy to have a gag reflex!” Gaz shouted over to him with Soap snickering in the background.

“That right? Lieutenant.”

Price laughed at the carnage happening in the back of the truck as Ghost pounced on Gaz and tried to shove fingers down his throat to get him to gag while Soap took Gaz’s side as he almost always did when it came to a fight with Ghost and tried to fight him off. The rough housing in the back at least kept them occupied for a little bit while Price lit up a cigar.

He wasn’t paying as much attention to the road as he ought to, but then this stretch of road was almost always empty. They were more or less in the middle of nowhere, the nearest civilisation being some fancy gated community out past the right side of the forest this road cut through.

Only 5 hours to go now and at least 3 of those would be done in his much more comfortable truck with climate control and not this tin can.

Ghost chuckled as Johnny grabbed at Gaz’s top, trying to pull him back into the truck as Ghost was shoving him out. Poor Gaz’s top half was dangling precariously out the back and he could barely breathe through the wheezing laughter. Ghost was someone with fast instincts, so he felt Gaz tense and was immediately on guard even before the man yelled out and started scrambling to launch himself out of the back of the truck and onto the road before Price had a chance to properly stop the thing.

“Stop the truck!”

“Bloody hell, Garrick get your arse back in here!” Price yelled and cursed as he brought the truck to a stop a little ahead of where Gaz had jumped out.

Ghost had a hand locked around Soap’s nape, the Lieutenant knowing if he didn’t keep the man grounded he would be out of this truck and by Gaz’s side without even stopping to check for danger. Price trusted him enough that he stayed put, watching the two of them who were watching out the back to see what Garrick did.

–

There was a man on the road. You were so sore and so tired, your adrenaline nearly exhausted. You had gotten so close, the road was right there. But he was one of your husband's you thought. Not one you recognised, but the casual clothes with military gear was just like your guards.

The choice now was how hard to fight. It hardly felt like you could fight anymore, but somewhere in the woods you had made the decision that you were not going back. Better you die with your daughter than allow her to die alone. You hoped this man was ruthless and efficient about it, that he made this quick. You had to make sure he killed you. You were not going back.

“Hey, it’s ok, I’m not going to hurt you. My name’s Kyle and I can help. Are you hurt?”

He sounded painfully kind and that felt unfair. It had been so long since you had been afforded kindness, why now? Maybe this was your last meal.

“I- I won’t go back” you said, screwing up your courage and trying to stand as straight and strong as you could with the exhaustion and pain blanketing your body.

The man slowly moved one hand to take off his cap while the other was stretched open in front of him. He was showing you he wasn’t armed you thought as his cap was put on the ground and he raised his other hand to show it was also empty and crouched a little lower than his full height.

“Ok, I’m not going to make you go back anywhere. I just want to help” he said, gentle.

Throughout the years you had learned not to trust. When you were 10 and your mother had promised you a birthday party but then spent the money on a night out to the pub for her and your father instead. When you got your first period and you asked your father what you should do but he just smacked you for telling him something so disgusting. When your husband promised he would be gentle on your wedding night and it wouldn’t hurt, but he broke both promises. When a maid promised to help you escape but instead told your guard your plan. Your husband had fucked her in front of you while you were laying unable to move from the beating. You had never seen him be so gentle.

You so wanted to trust someone and not have it backfire. Just once. Just enough to give you some hope that your daughter could have a good life with people who would look out for her. But when he shuffled a little closer you flinched and stepped back. It was too hard to try and trust him.

The movement put you more in the dappled early evening sunlight. It would be dark soon.

–

Kyle fought to keep himself relaxed even when the light revealed what he had missed before. The scared woman in front of him was pregnant. Couldn’t have been very far along with how small she was. Her face was a mess of bruises. He wanted to hunt down whatever useless piece of shit had done this to her.

But he had to stay calm for her sake. He couldn’t start demanding information when he hadn't even managed to get close enough to examine her. He needed to get her far away from the danger first, get her medical attention and then get justice once she was happy and healthy and safe.

It also needed to be quick. This was a woman who was running, so it stood to reason there was somebody chasing. But how did he convince her to get into a truck with a bunch of armed strangers?

She startled, looking like she had seen… ah fuck, Ghost had hopped out of the truck and walked over.

“You know how to use a gun?” he asked her, almost casual despite the grit behind it.

She shook her head and her eyes widened as Ghost lifted his sidearm into his hands. Kyle thought perhaps his Lieutenant had lost his damn mind when he started calmly explaining the basics of the gun before stepping forward, putting it on the ground and stepping back again.

“Sergeant, back up” he ordered and Kyle reluctantly took a few steps back. “You need help and we can give it. You pick up that gun, get in the truck and if any of us touches you without your permission you point and shoot. We’re about two hours out from a military base, there’s a doctor there who can check you over, make sure the baby is ok.”

Maybe Ghost was a genius or maybe he was a maniac, but then it wasn’t the first time he had flirted with that line. Kyle watched the woman hesitantly move forward. She reminded him of a little mouse approaching a piece of cheese. When she got close enough she darted suddenly and grabbed the gun, holding it up to them. Her arms were shaking.

He was used to the sounds of a bullet firing by now, but he still felt himself jump when she fired out into the woods on the other side of them.

“Y-you actually gave me a loaded gun?” she said breathlessly, seeming almost outraged that Ghost would truly do such a thing. Kyle sympathised.

“You feel better?” Ghost answered, nodding his head to the truck where Soap was watching with rapt attention.

“...yes” the woman said before walking (although he noted it was more limping) over to the truck and letting Ghost help her in only after trying herself and realising she wouldn’t be able to hop up and keep ahold of the gun at the same time.

–

The man in the skull mask didn’t ask any questions and he seemed entirely nonplussed about the gun pointed at him as the eerily silent truck took off. The other two in the back seemed nervous and the man driving hadn’t interacted with you at all, instead keeping his attention on the road.

Skull mask made a call and his voice sounded like a shout with how quiet it was.

“I need you at Stirling Lines in 2 hours… yeah, needs to be you for this… send me the standard form and I’ll get the answers over to you… she doesn’t need delicate from me, she needs help… thanks for this, see you then.”

The one that shared a bench on your side with the mohawk looked increasingly alarmed at the conversation.

“LT…” he started, some worried warning in his tone.

The LT ignored him, looked at his phone and then looked up to you after seemingly finding what he was looking for.

“Name, gender and birth date?”

“I… what?”

“Jesus Christ LT!”

“I need to get information for the nurse I have meeting us at base” the LT said, ignoring the mohawk man’s outrage and staring at you with those unsettling eyes sunken behind the mask. “The questions are going to be invasive. The exam is going to be worse and it’s going to take hours.”

“That’s enough Lieutenant” the man driving hissed, only to be equally as ignored as the Lieutenant's eyes stayed on you.

“Get through it. Get through it to spite the bastard.”

You felt a flutter of panic try to take hold. Your adrenaline was gone so it was hard to even feel that, but he thought… they all thought you had been raped.

“It’s not… I’m married” you said by way of explanation.

The atmosphere was tense, but after you said that there was a distinct feeling of sadness coming from mohawk and Kyle, a feeling of pity. The skull mask had no such pity emanating from him.

“He told you that because you’re married you couldn’t say no. Reinforced that. It’s brainwashing and you can break that. It wasn’t marriage they used as a reason for me, but they tried to brainwash me to think I consented to it just the same. I didn’t and neither did you. Spite the bastard.”

Nobody else spoke for the next 2 hours but you and the man in the skullmask. He asked questions and you answered them. At the start you took time to answer, hesitant from the humiliation coursing through you and making you feel sick. An hour in and you had no emotions left to give, only cold answers that floated through the truck and hung in the air like the twisted body of the saviour had hung on your bedroom wall, watching and judging.

By the time the truck was pulling through to a base you felt rinsed of everything, numb. The only shred of warmth came from the hand holding yours and you could not remember exactly when the man with the mohawk had put it there.

–

“Simon…”

“It’s not like you hadn’t read my file sir.”

Price had read his file. He knew what Roba had done to this man. It didn’t make it any less jarring to hear his Lieutenant say it out loud in the back of a damn truck with a strange beaten woman and his two Sergeants who until now had no real idea of his past.

“You solid?” he asked, not wanting to push him to talk about anything he didn’t want to.

“I’m angry.”

He knew that from Simon’s record too. It had taken a while for him to be cleared after Roba because he was so angry all the time, his aggression too volatile for even the military. This whole situation was bringing up old wounds in his Lieutenant and he was lost with what to do about it.

“Lieutenant Riley” came a call from the nurse finally leaving the exam room. She had an American accent, Southern. He suspected she was probably the one who saw Simon after Roba considering that had been in Texas.

“Appreciate you coming on short notice” Simon replied with a nod of thanks.

“Consider it payback for getting me my visa. No point in mincing words, it’s bad.”

“Consider it a matter of national security” Price said.

Technically he shouldn’t be told anything about the state of the woman in that exam room without her consent, but then it would not be the first time he got around GDPR citing national security. The nurse was clearly versed in how the military worked and handed over the clipboard she was holding. Simon read along with him over his shoulder.

“Bleeding Christ. She’s 21 weeks?” he asked, shocked.

“Long term malnutrition. She wasn’t given any control over her food. They gave her enough to keep her alive, but nowhere near healthy.”

“This…” Simon started, looking at the results from the x-rays.

“Consistent with prolonged torture. Some of the breaks never healed right. She’s still healing from a fracture and some ligament tearing in the left leg, a few broken ribs and a crack in her orbital bone. She said he had been more careful with her since finding out she was pregnant.”

Price swore loudly. He saw plenty of civilian casualties. He had caused the deaths of innocent people in the pursuit of saving other innocents. He was no stranger to evil. But this wasn’t a terrorist attack. It wasn’t a hostage in a facility. The woman was just an ordinary person who was being tortured for no large cause, not for the advancement of some twisted doctrine. She was being tortured for the crime of being a wife.

“Can you keep it off record?”

He was a bit taken aback that Simon was asking that. Surely they wanted this on record? But then he followed that action to its conclusion. They found her near a community that very rich people lived in, it followed that this husband had money to spare. They would know she was missing by now and they would know the radius of where she could have reached by car or train.

The second she was admitted to a hospital as a malnourished and beaten pregnant woman she would go missing. He wouldn’t trust the police as far as he could throw them to protect a domestic abuse victim when the perpetrator was rich and powerful enough to track her down and pay them off. The military wasn’t any better. Hell he knew of monsters in his own department who would insist on taking her for a spin before handing her over.

“I’ll talk with her” he said, Simon giving him a grateful nod.

Somehow he needed to convince that woman that she was coming to the safehouse with them until they could deal with her husband along with every single one of his accomplices. They wouldn’t make it to prison.

–

You wanted so badly to sleep but the alarm in your head wouldn’t let you. You couldn’t possibly be safe. You were never safe.

The nurse had been kind in her examination. She said this was specifically what she was trained for, that you were not alone. Others had been through this and survived. Others had went on to have brilliant and bright lives while their attackers had turned into insignificant, small creatures in their memories. You still found it hard to think of your husband as your attacker. All you had known growing up was that the man of the household owned the women in it and it was his prerogative how he handled them.

You hadn’t been allowed to shower first even though you wanted to. It was strange to think that it was deemed lucky that you weren’t permitted to shower outside of your hour preparation time and that you hadn’t been given that hour since your husband had last used you for his pleasure. He knew you desperately hated having to lay with his spend inside of you. You had begged your guard to let you clean up properly before getting your ultrasound, but he had only smiled as he said no. Of course he had. He was well versed in experiencing your humiliation and your husband was well versed in creating situations for him to do so.

It was painful when she had examined you internally. She told you that it shouldn’t be, that you associated penetration with pain now so your body was seizing up making the speculum feel much worse than it normally would. She apologised, said that was something that wouldn’t happen forever once you got healthier and knew you were safe. You could hardly believe it when she told you sex wasn’t supposed to hurt for women.

You hadn’t thought you were capable of it after today, but you still cried when she did the ultrasound. There she was, still alive and well. You wanted to tell her it would be ok now, that you had done it, you had gotten away and she would be safe. But it didn’t seem real.

The exam had taken such a long time. Your clothes had been taken from you and the thin gown did nothing to make you feel less exposed. She wanted to take the bank notes stuffed into your pocket as well, promising that they would be replaced, but you had begged to keep them and she had let you. The MRI wasn’t mentioned when the nurse had first explained everything, but part way through she had asked if it would be ok for one to be taken. She made sure that you didn’t have to interact with anyone else but her which calmed you a little.

Now you were alone. She told you that she would let you gather your thoughts and then a shower and clothes could be organised.

You needed to figure out your next move. £410 wasn’t a lot of money, but it would have to be enough to get your daughter somewhere safe. You could work. Your last job had been as a waitress when you were a teenager, but you were good at cooking and cleaning and willing to learn just about anything so you were determined you would find something. You didn’t have much choice.

There was a knock at the door and you told them to come in. Your voice sounded awful, scratchy and hoarse.

It was not the nurse.

The man from the front of the car didn’t look at you unkindly, but it did not stop you from flinching as he stepped towards you. You wished you hadn’t let Kyle take the gun from you when you arrived.

He immediately stopped and showed his hands just like Kyle had on the road.

“My name is Captain John Price, the men in the truck are my team. You’ve been brave today and I know it’s been hard. I can get you a shower and some hot food, how does that sound?”

You felt yourself shrivel and shrink. A shower with him. You hated being in a shower with your husband, he always forced you to your knees. Whenever he gave you a chance to breathe it was only under the high pressure spray of the water and it made you feel like you were suffocating. He liked that.

Could you get on your knees for this man? If it was for your daughter, if it kept her safe, then yes. It wasn’t so bad was it? You had survived worse. It was just your mouth.

You stood shakily and nodded, eyes fixed on the ground as you picked up the bank notes on the side table and held them tightly in your hand.

“Where did that come from?”

“I…” you started, taking a moment to try and think of a lie before giving in to the mental exhaustion and just telling the truth. “I stole it from my guard’s wallet.”

“Atta girl.”

The praise made your ears feel hot. You had half expected to be arrested on the spot, but the man, Captain John Price, just started leading you out of the room and down the hall to the showers.

“Soap, that’s the moppet with the mohawk from the truck, volunteered some of his things. He’s a bit of a peacock, so there should be everything you need. It’s a communal shower but I’ll stand guard at the door for you so nobody will come in. You can lock the door, but if I knock I need you to answer so I can confirm you’re ok. Towels are here, clothes here. We don’t have anything for maternity so we’ve guessed on what size will fit.”

You were taken aback. He wasn’t going to be in here with you. You didn’t need to service him. Your grip tightened around the cash in your hand before loosening as you looked at it.

“Don’t even think about it. You don’t owe anyone here a damn thing. Go shower.”

With that he left. You locked the door and waited for 10 minutes to see if he would unlock it from the other side and come in. He only knocked once and when you responded that you were fine he was silent again.

Satisfied that at least you didn’t think he would come in you stripped off and finally had a shower. The hair products and shower gel left by Soap (you thought that was a funny coincidence) smelled nice, like pine and maybe a hint of something sweet. Your husband only ever let you use things with a heavy smell of roses.

The nurse had asked what you meant by preparing yourself when you mentioned that you hadn’t done so and escaped instead. She told you that you didn’t need to do that here, but then there wasn’t any of the equipment you were used to anyway. It felt luxurious in a way, to clean yourself just for yourself.

The next time Captain Price knocked and you confirmed that you were ok, he kept speaking with you.

“I would like you to come with me and my team. We are heading to a safehouse a few hours from here and it’ll be the safest place for you to recover. You would have your own room with a lock on the door.”

You were glad nobody could see the way your face screwed up in some grotesque mixture of fear, confusion and, worst of all, hope.

“I… have money. I can pay rent.”

“...ok.”

He sounded somewhat reluctant to accept that but you couldn’t not pay for this. You would constantly be waiting for one of them to collect in some other way if you didn’t give them cash.

You touched your stomach, silently asking your daughter if it was ok to trust this man. She gave a kick.

–

Johnny didn’t think he had ever seen anyone so fragile. She had fought it Price had said, but eventually their new housemate had fallen into an exhausted sleep in the passenger seat of his truck.

When they arrived it had been him who bundled her in his arms and carried her to bed. God she was so small for someone who was supposed to be halfway through a pregnancy.

He had watched her since Gaz had jumped out of that truck. She had flinched then, she had flinched when Si got out of the truck, she had flinched when Price had went into the room (he probably shouldn’t have been hiding out in the hallway watching through the open door, but he just couldn’t stop himself).

She hadn’t flinched at all when he threaded his fingers through hers in the truck. Her hand was so tiny. Too tiny, much like the rest of her.

He put her to bed in his room since the spare was a bit of a wreck and he bunked with Gaz. They could sort it all out tomorrow after he had gotten her a massive breakfast. He was shite at cooking anything but a greasy fry up but he wanted only the best for her, so he’d already fired off a message to the girl who owned the best cafe in town and asked for a priority breakfast delivery that he was going to be paying a fortune for since it was last minute and out of the ordinary.

He didn’t know this woman, but he knew intrinsically that he would.

–

You dreamt sweet dreams. A cottage made cosy. Cooking whatever meals you wanted with ingredients you grew yourself in the garden outside. The gentle pleasure of careful hands and tongues, opening you up to a new world you never thought existed, one where your pleasure was first and foremost and the press of a body into yours didn’t hurt. The give beneath your fingers when you touched your own body, fat and soft rolls that reminded you of how safe you felt, how happy and healthy you were.

And a little girl running towards a returning hero, being swept up and laughing delightedly about it.

Best of all in that wonderful dream, you didn’t flinch once.

#mhairiwrites #tf 141 x reader #well well well #look who has dissociated and written something jumbled and nonsensical in one go #I am once again asking my brain to do this with the series I am trying to finish instead of with a random completely different concept

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xoxochb · 1 day

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okay lemme use my big brain and my smartie pants for this one:

imagine imagine uhh lifeguard percy jackson having to constantly save reader from drowning :O but its like fluffy and not angst drowing

and maybe he ends up teaching reader to swim :OoOoO

˗ˋ a moment of warm sun ˊ˗

warnings: mentions of drowning. there’s also a percabeth reference at the end because I love them with all my heart <3

pairing: percy jackson x fem reader

summary: read the request!

“you’ve really got to stop drowning” Percy scolds

“well I’m trying to learn how to swim so I won’t drown anymore, but I’m unfortunately unable to do so”

this is the fourth time percy has saved you from drowning

you always go to the beach hoping that you’ll magically be able to swim, but you always end up failing, falling into the water

currently, you’re sitting on the shore, coughing up the water you inhaled, percy sitting next to you making sure you’re alright

“then how about you only swim in the shallow waters then? simple solution to a not-so-simple problem” he suggests

“how am I supposed to learn anything if the water is shallow? It doesn’t work that way” you sigh

he thinks for a second, “maybe I could teach you”

“teach me? how to swim? you’re really confident if you think I’m capable of being taught how to swim” you laugh, but cut off short when you start chocking on water again

“suit yourself” he stands up, and then you do the same

“fine. you can help me, and if you can’t you owe me ten dollars” you smirk

“that’s not a fair deal” he crosses his arms

“fair to me” you shrug

- 🌊 -

“alright first things first: you need to know is how to float? do you know how to do that?” he inquired

“clearly not” you throw your arms up, gesturing to the water you’ve drowned in

he mutters something under his breath and then says, “alright then that’s what we’re starting with”

after an hour and a half of of swimming practice you had successfully learned how to float, and half-swim, but percy said it was good enough for now because you hadn’t drowned, and he did ask you to learn how to fully swim for the next time you visited the beach

and he would also never tell you that he actually enjoyed saving you all those times, and he felt a little sad that you weren’t going to drown anymore, but he kept this to himself because it didn’t sound very nice

you now were sitting on the beach with him, a ‘well deserved break after the hard work’ he said

“do you always teach people how to swim?” you ask

“only pretty girls” he looks at you

“oh yeah? and how many pretty girls have you taught how to swim?” you smirk, playing around, but in reality you want to scream, and the butterflies in your stomach are highly suggesting it

“only one”

you smile and stand up, you don’t want him to see the blush on your cheeks

“we are you going?” he asks

“to swim” you say walking to the water, and percy follows close behind

“never thought I’d hear you say that” he teases

you walk out to deeper water, using your new floating abilities

“you’re a show off” he laughs

“I’m just using the skills this pretty boy taught me” you mock his earlier words

“do you always let pretty boys teach you things?” he swims closer to you

“only one” you go underwater, and he mirrors your action

you smile when you see him in front of you, and without wasting another second, you cup his face and pull him in for a kiss

and it was pretty much the best underwater kiss of all time

#percy jackon and the olympians #pjo series #pjo fandom #percy jackson #pjo #pjo spoilers #percy series #pjo hoo toa #pjo show #pjo fanfic #pjo x reader #percy pjo #percy jackson x y/n #percy jackson x you #percy jackson x reader #xoxochb

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pick-me-up-im-scared · 1 day

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Can't Sleep (Ellie Williams x Reader) (Smut)

Short Summary: Ellie has been struggling to fall asleep due to her past trauma. But you might have just found something that could work! Without even being contious.

⚠️Warning!⚠️: This story contains smut that includes somnophilia. Also includes a small mention of past trauma/ptsd

Words: 1379

(Credit to however the pictures belongs to, they’re not mine! I just found them on Pinterest like everyone on this fucking app does)

Ellie sighed as she looked up at the ceiling. Another night ruined. She truly didn’t understand why she kept trying when 99,9% of the nights would end up with her waking up at around 3 am and not be able to go back to sleep. Being used to this she would usually look around the dark room for about 15 minutes before getting up and spend the rest of the night watching some useless tv show while scolding herself for not being able to sleep this night either. Either you would wake up, glancing to your side and notice the bed being empty and thereafter walk down the squeaky stairs to see your girlfriend hunched down on the sofa. Or sometimes you didn’t even notice until your alarm went off, signaling you to wake up and get ready for work. Yeah, those days definitely left you feeling guilty……. You really felt bad for her, you do! If you could somehow give her your sleepiness, if just for a day every once in a while, you would 100% do it. Without a doubt! But unfortunately you can’t, which leaves you with only one option, supporting her as best as you can. You’ve went to the doctor, therapist, anyone who could potentially help her with her trauma, but to no use. The sleeping pills she got prescribed only left her feeling more sleepy, yet her mind wouldn’t let her sleep. At least not for more than an hour or so.

Ellie sifted her glance from the wooden ceiling to the sleeping figure beside her. You were currently facing her, allowing her to take in your beauty. Fuck, she had no idea how she got so lucky. If you asked Ellie she would DEFINITELY say you’re out of her league, but you assure her she’s everything you’ve ever dreamed of (and more). Her eyes trace over your peaceful face, your eyebrows slightly frowning, most likely due to a dream, your lashes lightly touching your under eyes, and your cute lips slightly pouting. Holy fuck she wanted to kiss you so badly. Her eyes continued down your neck, onto your décolletage that’s being highlighted by the moonlight before they stop at your…..chest. Being the summer time you always wore a spaghetti strapped crop top to bed, along with whatever underwear you used the day before. But the nights sure could be a little chilly.

One of your straps had fallen off your shoulder, allowing more of your boob to show then intentionally. Ellie tried not to look, but failed miserably. Knowing just how soft they feel in her hands she had to physically restrain herself from reaching out and touch them. Ellie continued to eye your exposed breast while letting her imagination wander free, not being aware of just how excited it got her until she, by reflex, pressed her thighs together and notice a wet patch. “Fuck” Ellie mumbled as the embarrassment came over her. She can’t get this fucking wet just from staring at your clothed boob! That’s the keyword “clothed”. Ellie bit her lip as she hesitated on “helping” the fallen strap to “accidentally” fall even lower down. Resulting in your boob hanging out free. Ellie let out a shaky breath when your harden nipple was bare for her eyes to see. Yep, definitely chilly.....

Even though this was far from the first time she's seen your naked breasts (living together for over four years leads to a lot of topless moments, sexual or not) she couldn't help but feel giggly like a school boy when she did. Her eyes took a quick glance at your face to make sure if she disturbed your sleep by her "action". But you continued to let out the peaceful breath that sometimes helped her succeed in falling asleep (if only for an hour). Taking in your unbothered expression Ellie got the courage to make her next move. She reached out her tatted arm and carefully placed her veiny hand on your exposed breast. She had to bite her lip to not moan at the contact with your smooth skin. But she soon drew it back, quickly, when you started to move. Her cold fingers had shocked you, and even though you're still in sleep, you let out a groan and rolled onto your back. But in your change of position your top had slid down even lower, resulting in both your boobs being free from the fabric.

Ellie´s eyes widened as she eyed not one, but both of your tits. She couldn't help herself. Shortly after she lowered herself and gave your right nipple a feather-light kiss. She groaned before going in harder. Her mind wouldn't let her think straight, too high on the taste of your skin. She continued to suck on your right nippled as she fundled with the other. The feeling was unreal. Without noticing it Ellie started to grind herself against your mattress, her body trying to find a way to release the pleasure she’s feeling. But it wouldn’t work. Ellie let out a frustrated whine at the lack of friction she got, nothing for her poor throbbing clit to attach to. She let go off your nipple, involuntarily, to solve her own “problem”. She lifted up your shared cover to see your bare legs. Ellie carefully lifted her own leg to strangled your nearest thigh. Just the pressure on her sensitive when she lowered herself onto you was enough to draw a moan. But she pulled her sleeping shorts to the side, exposing her wet pussy, before making sure to properly situate herself. Without losing a second she began to grind herself against your soft leg. The firmness she was looking for was found, and she had a hard time shutting up.

Even though she knew she couldn’t be so loud or she’ll wake you up her brain also didn’t want to focus on that. Just the pleasure. A few shaky breaths were leaking out as Ellie rested her head against your shoulder. Her juices soon covered more of your thigh than she thought. For a few seconds she felt embarrassed, paranoid you’d wake up to find her like this. Desperately humping your thigh like a dog. But that thought seem to have vanished from her head when she grabbed both your hips with her long slander fingers, holding on hard as she continued to grind her cunt hard and faster. “Fuuuuuck” Ellie pathetically whined “please, (y/n)………please fuck me”. Ellie grabbed one of your hands and brought it up to her mouth. She stuck out your index and middle finger before putting them in her mouth. Sucking and licking them like her life depended on it.

At one point Ellie couldn’t care enough to even try and keep quiet. She didn’t care if you woke up. In fact, she wanted you to wake up. Cause if you did maybe you’d help her. Letting out a deep groan your fingers fell out of her mouth, covered by her saliva. But Ellie quickly took a firm grip around said hand’s wrist and traced it down her body. When met with the hem of her long sleeved sleeping shirt she made sure to lead your hand underneath it and continued up until your fingertips are met with her hard nipple. Just the feeling of your skin on hers was incredible. Ellie let out another satisfied moan before she puts her hand on top of yours, helping you to palm her perky little tit beneath her shirt. Ellie buried her slightly sweaty forehead into the side of your neck. She tried to keep her eyes open, wanting to watch every single bounce your tits would do due to her intense pace, but the pleasure makes it hard not to let her eyelids drop completely.

Ellie’s eyes soon filled up with tears at the delicious feeling, but also the frustration of not getting enough. You knew her like the back of your hand. Every weakness, everything she liked and didn’t like, you knew it. She needs to wake you up. Ellie made sure to swallow all the spit that was threatening to spill out onto your neck before whining into your ear

“Please help me, baby? I can’t sleep”.

____________________________________________

Author’s Note: I thought this would be A LOT shorter when I started to write it. I do really like making more blur-ish stories, but I clearly can’t do them. Cause I start off writing just the main act, but then I’m like “but wouldn’t it be cool if I added what the reader’s grandmother was like? And what her favorite subject in school was!😃😃”. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this anyways. Even though it’s longer than anticipated (that’s what she said).

#ellie williams x reader #ellie x fem reader #ellie williams #the last of us #tlou ellie #tlou2 #ellie x reader #the last of us part two #tlou #ellie williams tlou #sub ellie williams #sub!ellie #ellie x reader smut #ellie the last of us

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agirlwithglam · 1 day

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Do you ever feel sick and don't feel like doing anything when the day before you told yourself you were going to do a glow up, live always the best ecc..?

yes definitely! unless i'm actually sick and incapable of doing anything, i will at least try. you didn't ask for advice, but here we go anyways. when i feel like that, heres a few things i do:

how to do things when you don't feel like doing them: (from personal experience)

believe that you can do anything. dont roll your eyes at me! dont skip this part either. this is the main point that gets me going every single time. i truly believe that i can do anything, that i am capable of literally anything that i want to achieve. if i want it, i will have it. that is the first mindset you must have when it comes to this.

start small/ make it fun. yes, ofc i said this. if you can't do a full 1 hour workout, do some pushups/squats/lunges and go for a bike ride or a walk with a friend. what i do when im going bike riding with a friend is we go to a mall and buy drinks there! so make it fun! adding friends to whatever you need to do certainly makes it fun. another thing you can do is if you need to read, you can create a cosy spot in your room with scented candles and a little snack and everything and sit and read there. just the idea of it gets me excited!

treat yourself like a project/ robot. now THIS is something that has certainly gotten my some discipline. we as humans have emotions and feelings and moods. sometimes we don't wanna do stuff, and we actually cave into that. if you promised yourself that you would change your life, switch off your emotions and moods. treat yourself like a robot or an "apprentice" that you're training to become the best.

reward yourself! so you can either reward the action (like reading or studying) or the outcome (like finishing a book or getting a high mark on a test). decide what works the best for you. example: you don't wanna study? you can either a) reward yourself for studying with some free time with friends or watching your fav show or b) you can reward your self by the score you get on the test (ex if you got higher than 80%= a certain thing on your wish list, above 90%= a better thing on your wish list, 100%= the thing you've wanted for ages) you don't wanna read? you can either.. a) reward yourself for reading for x amount of minutes or b) you can reward yourself for finishing a book in a certain amount of time.

alter egosss. i know, i mention this quite often, but trust me this actually gives such a burst of emotion! embody someone else/ a different version of you that can best handle the situation. im gonna make a whole post on alter egos soon cus i mention it in a lot of my posts.

thats it for now! i hope this helped <3

btw heres a big master-post to how to get things done when you dont want to (not by me)

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scrollonso · 20 hours

Text

First Kiss (Race 17)

A strollonso AU where 18 year old rookie Lance Stroll falls helplessly in love with the notoriously mean world champion. (1.5k words, no warnings) [@v3lnys @biancathecool] {fluff chapter! they go on a little date :3}

last part - masterlist - next part (coming soon)

As soon as Lance got off the plane, he checked his phone and smiled at the name on his screen. Nando.

"You are free tonight?"

"Yep," Lance quickly typed, coming to a standstill in the middle of the airport.

"Dress pretty, I'll come at 5." The Canadian nodded to himself and wheeled his suitcase out to the car his dad had sent for him.

Over the past week, Lance had finally come out to his father. He was scared of how his dad would react, but Lawrence had simply hugged him and apologized for the hurtful things he said. Lance had cried, feeling both embarrassed and relieved. This time, his dad didn't call him a queer for his long hair, (but he did ask if that's why he was growing it out, like a mating call.)

Back at the hotel, Lance anxiously checked the time as he lay on his stomach on the bed. He'd been dressed for two hours already, and there were still 20 minutes until 5. Sharing the room with Nico meant Nico had to endure Lance's constant whining and complaining as he waited.

"Bubu," Nico started, Lance looking over at him before he continued "Shut up."

"You're so rude." Lance groaned again, slamming his face into the pillow in his arms "If you were waiting for Lewis you'd be impatient too." He mumbled into the pillow

As soon as Fernando picked Lance up, his face was lit with a broad smile. "You clean up well," he teased, leaning in to give Lance a quick kiss on the cheek.

Lance blushed, his heart racing. "Thanks. You look great."

In the car, they talked easily, their hands occasionally brushing against each other.

Fernando's thumb gently stroked the back of Lance's hand, sending shivers down his spine. Even though they'd been together for months at this point Lance still felt like he had an embarrassing highschool crush.

They arrived at a cozy Italian restaurant, a favorite of Fernando's, with dim lighting and an intimate atmosphere.

The host led them to a quiet corner table, where they settled in. Fernando reached across the table and took Lance's hand. "I've been looking forward to this all day," he admitted, his eyes softening as he gazed at Lance.

"Me too," Lance replied, squeezing his hand. "It feels good to be here with you. I missed you"

When the waiter arrived, Fernando confidently ordered for both of them. "We'll start with the bruschetta and caprese salad, and for the main course, the seafood risotto and the truffle gnocchi."

Lance smiled, appreciating his decisiveness, knowing that he would've stared at the menu helplessly if he had to order for himself. "You really know your way around a menu," he laughed, remembering how Fernando had talked about this place before.

Fernando hummed. "Is not too hard, I know what you like."

As they waited for their food, the conversation naturally shifted to the upcoming Grand Prix.

"Are you ready for the race?" Fernando asked, his eyes meeting Lance's in the warmly lit resteraunt, it wasn't too busy so there was no reason for them to pretend this wasn't a date.

"Definitely," Lance replied. "The team's been working hard on the car, and Nico's been great. What about you and Giancarlo?"

Fernando nodded, a playful grin on his lips at the thought of his close friend and teammate. "We've been pushing Renault to the limits, am convinced the engineers are tired of both of us. The circuit is hard, but always a fun one."

Lance leaned in, eyes lidded slightly as he smiled at his boyfriend, laughing at his own anxiousness. "I'm worried."

Fernando laughed too, the sound warm and reassuring. "You’ll get it. Just trust yourself."

Their appetizers arrived, and they shared bites of bruschetta and caprese salad, playfully feeding each other small bites and laughing at the mess they made. The conversation flowed from racing to personal stories, with Lance sharing funny anecdotes about his childhood and Fernando recounting his early days in racing, really whatever they could think of that the other didn't know.

When the main courses arrived, they dug into the rich flavours, occasionally stealing bites from each other's plates.

Fernando brushed a strand of hair away from Lance's face, his touch lingering. "You have no idea how happy I am right now, Mi sol." he said softly.

Lance smiled, his heart swelling with affection. "Me too. I missed you."

As the evening went on, their hands found each other across the table, fingers intertwined. They talked about their hopes for the future they wanted together, their fears, anything and everything that came to mind. Fernando's support and understanding made Lance feel more confident and secure, ready for the weekend ahead.

When they finally left the restaurant, the night air was cool, and Fernando wrapped his arm around Lance's shoulders, pulling him close. "You'll do great, Lance. Just remember why you love it."

Lance smiled, feeling a warmth in his chest. "Thanks, Nando. I needed that."

Back in the car, they drove back to the hotel, the city lights reflecting in their eyes. Fernando parked and turned to Lance, his expression serious but tender. "I believe in you, Lance. Both on and off the track."

Lance leaned in and kissed him, a slow, lingering kiss that conveyed all the feelings words couldn't express. "I love you," he whispered.

Fernando smiled, his eyes sparkling with emotion. "I love you too, Mi vida."

The Suzuka Circuit was buzzing with anticipation as the weekend kicked off. Qualifying had been a mixed affair for the drivers. Fernando was barely leading the championship and only managed to secure 5th on the grid. Lance had managed to place 11th, earlier in the season he would've celebrated but 11th was embarrassing in a race-winning car.

The lights went out, and away they went. Fernando had a great start, quickly moving up to 3rd by the end of the first lap. His driving was precise and aggressive, every move perfect.

Lance, starting from the middle, was determined to score points for Racing Point again. By lap 10, he had already made his way up to 8th, maneuvering through the field with newfound confidence and determination to not let down his team. Nico was battling just behind him, holding his own and supporting the team's efforts.

Renault'a strategy came into play as the race progressed. He timed his pit stops perfectly, managing to leapfrog his rivals and move into 2nd place. With ten laps to go, he managed an overtake for the lead, cementing his position at the front. From there, he maintained a relentless pace, never giving his competitors a chance to catch up.

Lance, meanwhile, continued to impress. By the final laps, he had climbed to 6th place, a remarkable feat given his starting position and the teams results earlier in the season.

As the chequered flag waved, Fernando crossed the finish line first, securing a vital win and extending his lead in the championship. The crowd erupted in applause, celebrating his drive as they alwaya did. Lance finished in 6th, an excellent result that underscored his growing potential.

The podium ceremony was a blur of cheers and champagne. Fernando stood tall on the top step, the Spanish anthem playing as he raised the trophy high. Lance watched from the sidelines, his heart swelling with pride and admiration for his boyfriend. He couldn't wait to see his lover on the top step a hundred more times.

After the ceremony, Fernando made his way through the throngs of well-wishers to find Lance. Their eyes met, and a smile spread across Fernando’s face. Lance stepped forward, not hesitating before embracing him tightly.

"You were incredible out there," Lance murmured, his voice distorted in the fabric of the Spaniards fireproofs.

Fernando pulled back slightly, looking into Lance’s eyes. "You too, Lancito. Sixth place is amazing. Getting better every weekend."

Nico eventually joined them, a satisfied grin on his face. He had finished 9th, a solid result, but his thoughts seemed to be elsewhere. Lance caught him glancing towards the paddock entrance where Lewis Hamilton, still in GP2, was standing. There had been whispers about Nico and Lewis, and it seemed those rumors were grounded in truth.

As the evening wore on, the celebrations moved to the Renault hospitality area. Fernando and Lance found a quieter corner, away from the people still in blue and yellow.

"Every race, I see more of your potential," Fernando said softly, his hand brushing Lance's as he continued to praise him.

Lance smiled, leaning into Fernando's touch. "I only drive fast because the sooner I'm done the sooner I can see you," He laughed, embarrassed at his own confession

Their connection was undeniable, even those convinced it was purely platonic couldn't deny the connection between the two polar opposite drivers. In that moment, surrounded by the hum of celebration, they found a moment of peace and intimacy.

"To many more victories," Lance whispered, his voice full of promise.

Fernando smiled, pulling Lance closer. "Together"

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2frosty4you · 3 days

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Hi! I wasn't sure if your doing requests right now so I'm so sorry if you aren't, feel free to ignore. I was wondering if you could write a fluffy headcanon list/mini story about how the mercs would react to a teen reader who's super shy and skittish gifting them trinkets they have made out of clay?

Hope this made sense! English is not my native language. Thank you so much.

-🎾

Mercs reacting to skittish teen!reader giving them clay trinkets [PLATONIC]

AW saw this in my inbox and had to do it cause i also love making things out of clay <3

Ty for the request 🎾anon!!

╔═════════════════╗

Scout:

He's never been close with you, since you're always hanging around engineer and heavy more.

He kinda notices how its like you avoid him, he just wants a friend

But if you were to walk up to him and shakily place a small clay trophy with a baseball bat peaking from inside of it he'd be elated.

I'd say he's jumping for joy, and is probably crying when you hand it to him because he had just lost the team the match few hours before.

Would shove it into the other mercs faces, pointing at it laughing that they're not cool enough to have gotten a trophy.

Keeps it on his window sill next to a photo of him and his ma.

Soldier:

(Skittish kid vs Loud USA citizen who would win)

Jokes, but soldier wouldn't get along too well with you if you're always hiding away from him and keeping lengths away.

But when you and pyro were hanging out, you had found clay heavy had brought you and were just laying on the floor of pyro's room making little clay figures.

And you had made this poor looking eagle, with a misshapen American flag on it.

And when you offered it to soldier he was ecstatic, and by ecstatic I mean holding it up to the sky laughing in pride.

Even if the eagle looks like a fat dove he loves it, (USA! USA! USA!)

Keeps it in one of his pockets

Pyro:

Pyro gets along with you, they're a tad strange but easy to hang around

Since pyro loves to do crafts I expect them to already have made many things for you.

But when you gift them a clay Balloonicorn they cry

cradling it in their hands and sobbing.

They'd place it down carefully and then hug you, like bone crushing type hug.

Would try and make something for you as well

Engineer:

He's like your dad, and through your shyness you've stuck to him.

He's an engineer (duh) so he's probably made some things to just make your life easier

He lets you stay in his workshop if the rest of the team overwhelm you.

One day he came back from a losing battle he looked down at his work desk to see a small shotty looking sentry figure, clearly made out of clay and handpainted. A little poorly, as it looked like it was constantly painted over and fixed up.

But he loves it, keeps it on a newly built shelf so it doesn't get damaged.

He's a proud father

Heavy:

You hand him a small Sasha made out of clay and he doesn't know what to do.

He'll chuckle and pat you on the back, thanking you saying you did a great job.

You already were about to nervously dart away when he didn't respond for a while.

He keeps it safe, making sure no one touches it. Like it was the real Sasha.

Second proud father

Demoman:

Stopped drinking too much when you came to the base, to make you feel a bit more comfortable.

He doesn't let you in his workspace because he doesn't want you to get hurt by any explosives or harsh chemicals. (heavy would kill him if that happened)

You make him this small eyelander out of clay, it wasn't the right colour and its a little misshapen but its the thought that counts.

If the eyelander mentions anything wrong with it, he's locking it away again

Sniper:

He doesn't like kids, doesn't matter if you're a teen, scout is enough to make him feel like he's 30+ (even if sniper is the youngest merc)

You are shy, and like to hang around outside under some trees to get away from scout

And near there is where he likes to practice his aiming, and where his perch is

Few weeks later, he comes up to his perch to go on lookout, and at the bottom of the ladder is an owl figure.

He'd be confused, but could see you peaking from around a tree.

Keeps it in his van, on the dashboard stuck down with superglue.

Medic:

He's a little too unhinged for you

But you like his birds so you hang around just to watch them/hang out with them.

He'd show you each bird, joyful when he can show off his pets and second in command.

Medic would be holding like 3+ small dove clay trinkets which you placed into his hands and skidded off, cooing at them as he would show them all to the actual birds.

Archimedes would try to eat one

Shows them to heavy with pride

Keeps them in his office, constantly batting Archimedes away while he tries to eat them.

Spy:

He doesn't like you

And you never see him so its hard if you're going to make anything for him

He doesn't like teenagers, and with your skittish nature you're always already across the room when someone other than Heavy, Engineer or Demoman is trying to talk with you.

When he notices the other mercs with these clay trinkets he snobbishly dismisses it, saying the maker clearly was a child.

And when he gets into his smoker room there is a little clay trinket on his mantel place, a spy crab.

Wouldn't admit it to anyone but it's stayed there since it was put there and he cannot fathom to remove it.

╚═════════════════╝

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ If you see any typos pls tell me! If you wanna be tagged when i post next do tell me!

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Tag List: @therobloxmafia Posted 31.05.2024

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dianawinchester03 · 3 days

Text

Season 2, Episode 3 - Blood Lust

Series Masterlist

Y/N's POV

The boys and I were driving down an empty road, the middle of the day in Deans newly refurbished car. Back in Black by AC/DC was blasting through her deck. Baby was fixed up to a mint, Quinn took some work but she's locked and loaded, ready to be ridden. But I decided to just tag along with the boys until I'm ready to ride my girl again, she needed a rest after what happened to her so I left her at Bobby's.

"Woo! Listen to her purr. You ever heard anything so sweet?" Dean exclaims excitedly, a large smile across his face. Me and Sam share an amused look in the rearview mirror. Chuckling, I lean forward between the boys from the backseat, "You know, if you two wanna get a room, just let me and Sam know" I quip jokingly. "Seriously, Dean. It's weird" Sam chuckles.

"Awww, don't listen to her, baby. She's just jealous" Dean caresses his steering wheel, flashing me a sly wink. I scoff along with Sam, as we all share a laugh. My heart warms to see Dean so happy for once. "You're in a good mood" Sam points out a bit surprised. "Why shouldn't I be?" Dean asks curiously. Me and Sam shrug, "No reason" We say in unison.

"I got my car. We got a case. Things are looking up" Dean smirks widely, his tone filled with excitement. "Wow. Give you a couple severed heads and a pile of dead cows and you're Mr. Sunshine" I shoot jokingly. Dean laughs along with Sam at my statement, "How far to Red Lodge?" Dean asks. "Uh, about another 300 miles" Sam answers.

"Good" Dean smirks, his foot went heavier on the gas. Speeding up down the empty stretch. Me and Sam held on for dear life as he flies down the road.

________________________________

Red Lodge, Montana

Sam, Dean and I were now in Montana, posing as reporters to the police sheriff in order to collect data on the case. They were dressed in suits and ties while I was dressed in a baby blue floral blouse and a black above-the-knee pencil skirt. We sat in his office, across from him as we questioned. "The murder investigation is ongoing. That's all I can share with the press." The sheriff says to us.

"Sure, sure. We understand that. But just for the record. You found the first, uh, head last week correct?" Sam asks professionally, pretending to take notes on a pad. "Uh-huh" the sheriff responds. "Okay, and the other, a Christina Flanagan" Sam goes to ask but the sheriff cuts him off. "That was two days ago, is there any-" The sheriff is interrupted by a knocking at the door.

"Excuse me, sheriff" A young blonde woman knocks at his door, tapping the watch in her wrist. Indicating times up, "Alright." He nods at her. "Sorry, gentleman and lady. Times up. We're done here" The sheriff dismisses, ready to get up. "Wait, one last question" I try to stop him. "What about the cattle?" Dean quickly asks.

"Excuse me?" The sheriff cocks his eyebrow. "You know, the cows found dead...split open, drained, over a dozen cases" Dean further says, giving the sheriff and knowing look. "What about them?" The sheriff scoffs. "So you don't think there's a connection?" I add. He turns to me confused, "Connection with...?" He trails off. "First, cattle mutilations...now uh. Now two murders. Kind of sounds like ritual stuff" I say superstitiously.

"You know, like satanic cult ritual stuff" Dean adds, shrugging a bit. The sheriff looks between all of us before bursting out laughing and pointing at us. We all roll our eyes at this, "You..." The sheriff laughs, it descends when he sees the serious looks on our faces. "You're not kidding" He says dryly. "No" Sam responds, shaking his head.

"Those cows aren't being mutilated. You wanna know how I know?" The sheriff asks firmly, clasping his hands infront of him. "How?" Dean asks. "Because there's no such thing as cattle mutilations. Cow drops, leave it in the sun...within 48 hours the bloat will split it open so clean it's just about surgical" The sheriff explains with a sarcastic smile.

"The bodily fluids fall down into the ground, gets soaked up because that's what gravity does" He talks to us as if we were 5 year olds. "But, hey, it could be Satan" He says sarcastically. "What newspaper did you say you work for?" He asks us suspiciously. Dean clears his throat awkwardly, "World Weekly News" Dean answers unsure. "Weekly World News" I correct.

"World-" Dean stutters. "Weekly World" Sam corrects. "World- I'm new" Dean chuckles nervously. The sheriff narrows his eyes at us, "Get out of my office" He says firmly.

________________________________

Later that day, the boys and I headed over to the Candler County Hospital Morgue. We threw over some lab coats we found in a supply closet to blend in. I swung the door open to the morgue, a young man sat at a desk looked up at me. I flashed him a coy smile before looking down at his ID badge to see 'J.Manner' with his picture.

"John" I guessed his name. "Jeff" He corrected with a wide smile, getting up from his desk. "Jeff. I knew that" I chuckle flirtatiously. From the corner of my eye I see Dean cocked his eyebrow before rolling his eyes. "Dr. Dworkin needs to see you in his office right away" I say urgently, to Jeff to get him out. "But Dr. Dworkin's on vacation" Jeff says. I come up with the first lie I could think of and say,

"Well he's back and he's pissed. And he's screaming for you, man. So if I were you I would.." I say quickly, letting out a low whistle so he could skedaddle. Jeff did exactly that, a look of horror on his face. "Nice job, Princess" Dean snorts, giving me a wink. I scoff chuckling, "Thanks, charming" I chuckle as Sam closes the door behind him.

"Hey, those Satanists in Florida, they marked their victims, didn't they?" Dean asks us, getting straight into work mode. "Yeah. Reverse pentacle on the forehead" Sam answers. "Huh, gross" I mutter cringing as Dean hands me a pair of latex gloves, along with Sam. "So much fucked up crap happens in Florida" Dean agrees as we snap on our gloves.

Sam opens the door to one of the body deal storage refrigerators, pulling out the tray with one of the victims body. The corpse was headless as expected and there was a large plastic container was at its feet, presumably it's head. "Alright, open it" Dean says to Sam. "No. You open it" Sam quips back defensively. I roll my eyes at this, "Jesus, you wussies. I'll open it" I groan, taking the container off the tray and resting it over on the table.

I could feel their glares at the back of my head, but I ignore it. "We're not wussies" Dean scoffs offended. "Whatever" I mutter. They come up besides me as I I take the lid off the reveal the mutilated head of a young girl, Dean flinches back in disgust as Sam grimaces. My heart gave out for her. "Well, no pentagram" Dean mutters. "Wow. Poor girl" Sam sighs heavily, I nod in agreement.

"Maybe we should, you know, uh, look in her mouth. See if those wackos stuffed anything down her throat." Dean suggests. "You know, kind of like the moth in Silence of the Lambs?" Dean pats me on the small of my back. I chuckle at his movie reference as Sam nods, "Yeah, yeah, go ahead" Sam agrees, pushing the container closer to Dean. He turns the container back to Sam, "No you go ahead".

Sam looks at him confused, "What?" Sam scoffs. "Put the lotion in the basket" Dean smiles smugly. I roll my eyes at them, "Oh for Christ's sake. And you have the gall to say you're not wussies" I huff, earning a snicker from Sam as Deans smile drops. I turn the container to me, taking a deep breath before clearing my throat.

Using my gloved fingers, I pry her cold mouth open. A chill running up my hands as I do so, my stomach began to churn as I stuck my fingers in her mouth searching. "Fellas, get me a bucket" I ask them quickly. Dean immediately gets the bucket near the mops and broom. "Find something?" Sam asks hopefully. "No, I'm gonna puke" I groan, gagging in disgust.

Sam gives me an unimpressed look, "Right, and we're the wussies" Dean snorts, resting the bucket next to me, a triumphant smirk on his face. "Would you like to stick your fingers in the dead girls mouth? No, I didn't think so!" I snap at him, his smirk dropped as I dug around in her mouth. I shook my head, taking my fingers out as they peered beside to me to take a look.

"Wait, lift her lip up again" Dean tells me. "What?" I scoff. "You want me to throw up" I groan, "No, no, no. I think I saw something" Dean defends, lifting her top lip up. "Yeah, I think I saw it too" Sam leans closer. My eyebrows shoot up to reveal what seemed like a hole in her gums. "What is that, a hole?" Dean questions, Sam then puts his finger behind it, pressing it slightly.

That's when a tooth came retracting and my stomach dropped. Vampire. "It's a tooth" Sam says. "Fellas, that's a fang" I point out, my mouth agape as Sam gasps. "A retractable set of vampire fangs. You gotta be kidding me" Dean groans, letting go of her mouth. "Well, this changes things" Sam mutters. "Ya think?" I quip sarcastically. The boys gave me a sympathetic look at my tone.

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The boys and I pulled up to a nearby bar later that night, we assumed it to be the vampires hang out spot in the area since it's near where the girl was killed. We all have each other a look before exiting Baby and heading towards the bar. Dean opened the door, gesturing for me to go in first all gentlemanly like. I flash him a sly wink before walking in, I'm pretty sure I felt his eyes on my ass so I added an extra sway to my hips.

Sam walked behind me into the crowed dark bar as Dean closed the door. We scoped our surroundings carefully, "How's it going?" Dean greets the bartender as we approach the bar, "Living the dream. What can I get for ya?" The bartender dryly responds. "Three beers please" Dean says, the three of us taking seats at the bar. Sam and Dean besides me, "So we're looking for some people."

Sam says to then bartender. "Sure. It's hard to be lonely" The bartender deadpans. Sam chuckles lightly along with me and Dean. "Yeah, that's not what he meant" I say in a coy tone, taking out a $50 bill I had stuffed in my bra. His eyebrows shoot up, along with Sam and Dean at my move as I slide it across to the bartender, he glances down at it intrigued before taking it up.

Sam clears his throat, "Great, so these people, they would've moved here about six months ago. Probably pretty rowdy, like to drink" Sam explains. "Yeah, real night owls, you know? Sleep all day, party all night" Dean adds, sipping his beer. I felt a weird sensation on my back, almost creepy. Almost as if someone was staring at me. I turnt my head to see an African-American man who was smoking a cigarette, his eyes trained straight at me and the boys.

"Barker Farm got leased out a couple months ago. Real winners. They've been in here a lot. Drinkers. Noisy. I've had to eighty-six them once or twice" The bartender says. The man breaks his gaze with me when he realized I noticed him, I got a strange vibe from him but I ignored it. Probably just some creep. The boys and I share a look before turning back to him, "Thanks" I say kindly before we all finish our beers.

We rest out empty beer bottles down at the bar and begin to head out. I made sure to look back in the seat where the man who I caught staring at us was, now empty. Gone. His mug still half full, the half finished cigarette crushed in the ashtray. "Wait, fellas" I stop Sam from opening the door. "What's wrong, y/n/n?" Sam asks me concerned.

"There was a guy in the corner, over there. He was staring right at us when we questioned the bartender" I whisper to them in a low tone, nodding my head towards the table. Their eyes flicker to it and then back to me, "You think he's still outside?" Dean whispers back. "I don't know, let's walk down the alley and see if he follows us" I suggest. They both share a look before nodding.

Sam opened the door as me and Dean walked besides him. I still felt as though someone was watching so I scanned my surroundings to make sure but no one was there. They both gave me a look that said, 'Ready?'. I nodded in response as we made our way down the alley, my father's machete tucked up my sleeve of my leather jacket.

The boys walked besides me as usual, me in the middle as we strolled down, we heard footsteps padding towards us as we bent the corner around the bar. We all quickly hide away in a dark corner, where he was sure not to see us. The footsteps stopped, so the boys and I took that as a go. Jumping the man in a sneak attack.

Sam and Dean both grabbed him by his shirt and slammed him against the wall, "Smile" I grit my teeth at him, pressing my fathers machete to his neck. "Show us those pearly whites" Dean growls at him, slamming him harder against the wall Sam's help. "Oh, for the love of-" The man groans. "You wanna stick that thing someplace else? I'm not a vampire" The man tries to defend himself. We all still glare at him, not convinced.

"Yeah, that's right. I heard you guys in there" The man says smugly. "What do you know about vampires?" Sam growls. "How to kill them. Now seriously, sweetheart. That knifes making me itch" The man widens his eyes at me, I cock my eyebrows at him and tilt my head a bit. I give Sam a look and he slams the man harder into the wall, "Hey! Woah, easy there, Chachi" The man snarks at Sam before raising his hand up.

He lifts his upper lip to show us his gums. It didn't have a hole like the girls one in the morgue. "See? Fangless. Happy?" He grumbles. The boys and I share a look before slowly retracting. They let him go as I slowly draw my blade always from him. "Now, who the hell are you?" The man asks us.

We were now by Gordon's, the man who we almost decapitated, car. "Sam and Dean Winchester. And Y/N L/N." Gordon says excitedly, pulling out a side cabinet from his backseat with a load of blades. Sickles, machetes. You name it. "I can't believe it. I know I met your fathers once? Great guys, even greater hunters" Gordon says with a wide smile. "I heard they passed....I'm sorry" Gordon says apologetically.

"Not to pry. But is it true that a vampire killed F/N?" Gordon asks me. My eyes snap up to him, I just nod in response. "I'm sorry" He says genuinely. I just shrug at it. "That's big shoes. But from what I hear, you guys fill them. Great trackers. Good in a tight spot" Gordon says. I roll my eyes at his fake flattery.

We all give him a suspicious look. "You seem to know a lot about our families" I say in a dry tone. "Well word travels fast. You know how hunters talk" Gordon says causally. The boys and I share a look at this. "No, we don't actually" Dean says. "I guess there's a lot you dads never told you kids, huh?" Gordon says. "So, um. So those two vampires, they were yours, huh?" Sam asks.

"Yep. Been here two weeks" Gordon responds nodding. "You check out that Barker farm?" Dean asks. "Just a bunch of hippie freaks. Though they could kill you with that patchouli smell on them" Gordon chuckles. "Where's the nest, then?" I ask. Gordon chuckles again, scoffing a bit before retracting the cabinet back into his car.

"I've got this one covered." He says, I roll my eyes at this. "Look, don't get me wrong, it's a real pleasure meeting you guys. But I've been on this thing for over a year" He tells us. "I killed a gang back in Austin, tracked the nest all the way over here. I'll finish it" He assures us firmly. "We could help" Dean offers. "Thanks. But I'm kind of a go-it-alone type of guy" Gordon narrows his eyes at us.

"Come on, man. I've been itching for a hunt" Dean tries to reason. "And I would love to hand it to those bloodsucking killers" I add pervasively. I notice Sam give us a side look at this. Gordon shakes his head, "Sorry. But, hey. I hear there's a chupacabra two states over. Go ahead and knock yourselves out" Gordon offers before getting into his car.

He locks the door before telling us, "It was real good meeting you, though." He smiles at us. "I'll buy you a drink on the flip side" He smirks, flashing me a wink. I cringe in disgust at this, not interested whatsoever. He then starts his ignition before driving off. The boys and I share a look at this.

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We decided to trail Gordon's car, eventually ending up at an old mill. We watched as he got out and entered. We waited a couple minutes before the roaring sound of an electric saw filled our ears. We all bolt into action and jumped out of Baby, running towards the sound in a hurry. We're met with the sight of Gordon being held under the saw by his neck on a ledge by a man wearing a mechanic outfit.

Sam hurried up the ledge and pulled Gordon out of the way, the man turns and flashes his fangs at me and Dean. Dean grabs an old spear and swings at the man, headfirst. I drew my feet back in a swift motion and kneed the vampire in his stomach, sending him stumbling back into Gordon's previous position under the saw.

Dean raised the spear over his head before driving it through the vampires gut, earning an animalistic painful roar from him. My eyes flickered to the saw and a nasty idea came across my mind. Vengeance, hatred, grief swirled around my noggin. Without thinking, I grabbed the saw and pulled it down onto the vampires neck.

Decapitating him in a slow painful manner. His blood splattered across my grim face, while glaring at him, I clenched my jaw as the vampire roared again in anguish. His head was finally off clean and went tumbling back. I got this sick feeling in my stomach after killing him, it wasn't nausea, that's for sure. I thought I would've enjoyed it more.

I turnt to the men to see Sam with a look of disbelief on his face, a proud almost lustful smirk plastered on Dean's lips and a impress look on Gordon's, his mouth agape. "So I guess I gotta buy you that drink now" Gordon says impressed. I don't answer, my bloodied face stoic.

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We're all now back at the barber we're at earlier. Dean and Gordon were hankering down a pitcher of beer, celebrating. My cigarette tucked between my lips as me and Sam sat upright in our seats, our eyes narrowed in Gordon's direction. My stomach was still churning from killing that vampire. It didn't feel as good killing that vamp as much as I expected. I relished in killing Kate, the bitch who took my father too soon from me.

But this time didn't feel as good. Gordon didn't rub me the right way at all. Now I know what you're saying. 'You barely know the guy, Y/N. Give him a break.' But something about this guy is already getting on my nerves. Blame it on my ESP thing or whatever you want, something isn't right with him.

A waitress approaches our table and rests down four shots. "Here you go" She says kindly, Dean goes to dig in his pocket to pay for them but Gordon stops him. "No, no. I got it" He says, handing the waitress the money. "Come on" Dean cuts in. "I insist" Gordon says firmly, shaking his head. "Thank you, sweetie" He smiles at the waitress. "You're welcome" The waitress responds sweetly before walking off.

Gordon picks up his shot along with Dean, "Another one bites the dust" He smirks. "That's right" Dean smirks back before toasting, both downing the shots. "Y/N" Gordon says before chuckling. "You have that big-ass fang one hell of a haircut, sweetie" Gordon smiles at me. I narrow my eyes further at him, simply nodding, crushing my burnt out bud in the ashtray in-front of us.

"Yeah, atta girl princess. You did good" Dean congratulates me, flashing me a wink. Normally I'd swoon at this but I wasn't in the mood at this time, it still made my heart flutter, his praising rising a heat in me. "Thanks" I responded softly. "That was beautiful, absolutely beautiful" Gordon continues to compliment. Both me and Sam scoff, rolling our eyes.

"You two alright? What's the matter, Sammy?" Dean asks us concerned, realizing we're on edge as he takes a sip of his beer. I make eye contact with Dean, trying to tell him with my eyes, 'I don't trust this guy'. But he doesn't pick up on it. "Yeah, we're fine" Sam answers for the both of us in a deadpan tone. "Well, lighten up a little, Sammy" Gordon tries to cheer him up.

My eyes widened slightly when Gordon called him Sammy. "They're the only ones that get to call me that" Sam retorts in a dry tone. Gordon's face drops, I notice Dean smirked proudly, "Okay. No offense meant. Just celebrating a little." Gordon says awkwardly. I'm not gonna lie, I had to hold back a laugh at this. I felt special because normally whenever we call him Sammy, he always groans 'It's Sam' or rolls his eyes unimpressed.

"A job well done by Princess Y/N over here" Gordon smirks at me, flashing me a sly wink. My nostrils flare, my eyes twitching at this. I couldn't help but notice Deans grip tightened around his beer mug. "Don't you dare call me that" I growl at him. "Woah, woah" Gordon puts his hands up in surrender chuckling, Deans eyes snap over to him in fury.

His eyes flickered between me and Dean before his mouth formed the shape of an 'O'. "Sorry, man" Gordon chuckles, patting Dean on his knee. "Didn't mean to disrespect you or your girl" He grins widely. Deans anger seemed to diminish, his eyebrow cocked. Normally, I'd feel pleasant or have butterflies in my stomach when someone mistakes me for Deans girlfriend.

But coming from this jackass, my eye twitched. My fists clenched in my lap, the table began to shake slightly. Causing Gordon to look confused and stunned. "What the fuck?" Gordon muttered, trying to not make all the beers fall over. Sam and Deans eyes snapped over to me in fear when this began to happen. "Hey, hey" Dean whispers to me, resting a hand on my thigh.

"Relax" He says calmly, caressing my thigh gently, a pleading look in his eyes. My stomach fluttered, my eyes snapping back over to Deans. My heart rate quickened, my anger slightly diminishing. The table then settled, the shaking stopping in an instant. "How the hell did you do that?" Gordon gasps, his eyes wide. Dean chuckles nervously. "I don't know what you're talking about" I shrug innocently, narrowing my eyes at him.

Gordon cocked his eyebrow at me, unconvinced. The whole time this was happening, Sam looked like he was holding back the biggest laugh. A wide smirk on his face. "Look, I'm not gonna bring you guys down. I'm just gonna go back to the motel, you coming Sammy?" I turn to Sam. "Yeah, let's go" Sam says, getting up from the chair along with me.

Dean sighs disappointed, "You guys sure?" He asks, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Yeah" I respond simply, following behind Sam. "Sammy, y/n/n." Dean calls out to us. We turn to see him shaking the keys to the Impala at us. "Remind me to beat the buzzkill out of you two later, alright?" Dean quipped, tossing me the keys. I quickly catch it, scoffing at the fact that he'd rather stay here and get shit faced with Gordon.

Sam gives Dean his classic bitchface as we walk out towards the exit. Sam then opens the door, gesturing for me to go first. A mischievous thought crossed my mind. "Wait" I stop Sam. "What?" He asks me confused, his hand still holding the door open. A smirk rises on my face, his eyebrows raised at my expression and then I focused my gaze on Gordon's beer mug in his hands.

In mere seconds, it suddenly slipped from Gordon's grip and spontaneously combusted mid air. The glass scattered across the floor along with the beer. "Shit! Ahhh!" Gordon yelps, getting up quickly. "How the hell did I drop it?! Waitress!" He exclaims, calling the waitress over to clean the mess up. Sam bursted out in hysterics, causing Deans eyes snap over to us.

His face dropped, shooting me an unimpressed look, shaking his head in disappointment. I smirk back at him, shrugging nonchalantly, "Now, we can go" I say to Sam smugly, who's biting his fist from laughing. I strut out the door, adding a sway to my hips. Sam followed behind me, still laughing as we exit. Closing the door behind us. Sam hunched over, his hands on his knees. "Dude, you gotta teach me that" Sam exclaims in hysterics.

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We entered the motel room, bad mouthing Gordon. "He's a snake I tell ya, something isn't right about that guy" Sam rambles as we strip our jackets off. "That's exactly how I felt! I mean; who the fuck does he think he is? Calling you 'Sammy' and me 'princess' " I agree, huffing as rest Deans keys gently on the table next to my machete. I grew a bit silent, my mind flickering back to the vamp as I sink on my bed.

Sam notices this, so he asks, "You okay?" He asks concerned, sitting next to me on my bed. "I don't know" I sigh, leaning back on the headboard. I cross my arms over my chest, relaxing a bit as I throw my feet up on his lap. "When we found out that that dead girl was a vampire. My dad came rushing back to my mind. And I was partially excited to kill some bloodsuckers." I admit.

Sam gives me a sympathetic look, "But then when I killed that guy. It didn't feel right, you know? I expected it to feel more satisfaction that I took away one more monster like I usually do whenever we gank em. But it felt....off" I sigh, shaking my head. A lump growing in my throat, "Hey" Sam says gently, resting his hands on my shins. My eyes meet his, tears ready to fall as my bite my lip.

"You did what you had to do. I might not like the guy, but he was gonna kill Gordon. And he might have killed us." Sam assures me, offering me a small smile. "F/N would've been proud" Sam says softly. I scoff back a chuckle, wiping the tear away from my eye before wiping my nose. "Have you met the man?" I ask sarcastically, chuckling. Sam chuckles, shaking his head in amusement.

"He would've found someway to complain about what I did wrong, probably would've told me I should've burnt the corpse too, just in case" I chuckle, shaking my head. "You got me there" Sam admits, chuckling along with me. He pats my shin, indicating for me to take my feet off his lap. I do exactly that, he then gets up and goes over to his bag. "What're you doing?" I ask curiously.

"Calling Ellen to find out about this Gordon guy" He responds, taking out his phone. He searches for Ellen's contact, sinking back next to me in the bed. He puts it on speaker and it rings a couple times, "Harvelle's Roadhouse" Ellen answers. "Hey, Ellen. It's Sam Winchester and Y/N L/N" Sam responds. "Sam, Y/N. It's good to hear from you" Ellen says happily. "You kids okay, right?" She asks us concerned.

"Yeah. Yeah, everything's fine" I assure her. "We got a question though" I add. "Yeah, shoot" She says. "You ever run across a guy named Gordon Walker?" Sam asks. "Yeah, I know Gordon" She confirms. "And?" I ask for her to further continue. "Well, he's a real good hunter. Why you asking, sweetie?" She asks. "Well, we ran into him on a job and we're kind of working with him, I guess" Sam informs her.

"Don't do that guys" Ellen quickly warns us. Sam and I share a panicked look at this. "I- I thought you said he was a good hunter" I stutter. "Yeah, and Hannibal Lecter's a good psychiatrist." Ellen mutters. "Look, he is dangerous to everyone and everything around him. If he's working on a job, you kids just let him handle it and move on" She instructs us firmly. "Ellen-" Sam goes to say but she interrupts him.

"No, Sam, Y/N. You two just listen to what I'm telling you, okay?" She says firmly. Sam and I can't believe what we're hearing, we were right. "Yes ma'am" We both respond in unison, "Good, you kids stay safe okay?" She says in a mother tone. "We will. Thanks Ellen" I finish before Sam hangs us, scoffing as he tossed his phone aside. "I can't believe it. We were right" Sam shakes his head.

"We gotta call Dean" He goes to pick his phone back up to call him. "He won't answer, he never does when he's drinking. Unless it's him drunk dialing" I say, taking the phone away from him. He sighs, nodding in agreement at the fact. "When he gets back then, he needs to know" Sam says, getting up from the bed. "I'm gonna get a soda, want anything?" He asks me, walking over to the door.

"Yeah, a coke and if there's a vending machine. Get me some chips" I nod, reaching into my pocket to give him the money. Sam chuckles, waving it off, "I got it, coke and chips" He repeats my order, before opening the door to head out. "Thank you!" I call out as he locks the door. I sigh heavily, plopping back onto the bed.

A few minutes have passed and I was getting bored with my thoughts, so I decided to take a shower. I pick up my towel and toss it over my shoulder, headed to the bathroom. My ears perked up when the door opened, footsteps echoed through the room. Sam might be a giant, but I know damn well he doesn't have four feet. Luckily, I had my gun still in my jeans.

Thank you dad for always pestering me to be prepared even when in the bathroom. I pulled my gun from the back of my jeans swiftly before pressing my back against the wall. I heard a sniff come from the room, "I can smell her, she's in here" A familiar voice said, but I couldn't pinpoint who. Vampires. Fuck, I left my machete on the table. Great. I clenched my jaw before revealing myself, "Hey blood breaths!" I bellowed, shooting at them.

It barely grazed them, they grunted. Now bearing their fangs at me. I recognized one of the guys, he was the bartender we questioned earlier. I tossed my gun aside as my eyes nervously flickered to the machete on the table, with a wave of my hand. I summoned into my grip, I swiftly swung at the first guy but missed, he raised his foot and kneed me in my stomach.

I groaned painfully, gasping for air when the vampire shoved me into the wall. I went flying back and the machete slipped from my grip. He then picked up a phone to knock me out but I ducked, he ended up going headfirst into the wall. I swiftly dived to the ground for my machete, the bartender from earlier grabbed me by my feet, but I pulled back and kicked him off, causing him to stumble into the table.

With another wave of my hand, I sent the other man crashing into the nightstand. I swiftly did a kipup, charging at the bartender. He dodged my swing quickly. I didn't notice I had my gun in his hands, the last thing I saw was the butt of my gun going straight at my head before everything went dark.

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I groaned from pain in my head when my eyes flickered open. Everything was dark, I could feel my hands were bounded behind my back and something was over my head. Definitely a bag. "I swear, if anything happened to my little sister. I'm gonna kill you!" I hear a familiar voice growl angrily. His tone pained. It was Sam. "You're barely a couple months older than me dude" I mutter, my head still pounding from the gun butt.

Then suddenly. Someone pulled the bag off, my vision was still a bit blurry but when it readjusted, I opened my eyes to see the bartender who attacked me earlier in the motel room. "Oh thank god, I thought you were gone" Sam breathes out in relief. "I'm fine, just a little tied up" I respond dryly, moving my bounded hands behind my back slightly.

"Shut up. Both of you!" The bartender growls at us, bearing his fangs in our direction. Our eyes widen in horror at this as he snarls, inching closer to my neck. My heartbeat quickens in fear, but I keep my game face on because these suckers could smell fear. "No!" Sam screams. "Wait. Step back, Eli." A woman's voice orders the bartender to not sink his fangs into me.

He glares at her where she's stood in the doorway before backing away from me, retracting his fangs. His angry deathly gaze trained on me, "My names Lenore. I'm not gonna hurt you guys. We just need to talk" The woman steps in, introducing herself. Me and Sam scoff, "Talk? Yeah, okay. But I might have a tough time paying attention to much besides Eli's teeth" I snarked at her, my eyes flickering over to him and back to Lenore.

"He won't hurt you. You have my word" She assures me calmly. "Your word? Oh, yeah, great. Thanks" Sam huffs, his tone laced with sarcasm. "Listen lady. No offense, but you're not the first vampire we've met" Sam retorts with sass. "We're not like the others. We don't kill humans. And we don't drink their blood. We haven't for a long time" She explains calmly. "What is this? Some kind of joke?" I scoff, rolling my eyes.

"Notice you're both still alive." She points out. Me and Sam share a look at this, our eyes flickering over to Eli and back to Lenore. Sam chuckles ironically, "Okay, correct me if I'm wrong here, but shouldn't you be starving to death?" Sam counters. "We found other ways: cattle blood" Lenore tells us. This surprises us, "You're telling me, you're responsible for all the-" I say but she interrupts me,

"It's not ideal. In fact, it's disgusting. But allows us to get by." Lenore says. "Okay, why?" Sam asks. "Survival." She simply puts it before crossing her arms over her chest. "No deaths, no missing locals, no reason for people like you guys to come looking for people like us...we blend in" She continues to explain. That's not what I expected from a bloodsucker whatsoever.

"Our kind is practically extinct. Turns out we weren't quite high up the food chain as we imagined" She says calmly. This triggers a switch in me, my mind flashing back to my father. "Great, no need for any of you parasitic leeches running around killing innocent people, now would we?!" I growl at her, tugging at my bindings. I notice Sams face drop at my outburst, while Lenore's is taken back by my anger, a look on recognition on her face.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you lost someone dear to you by one of our kind, havent you?" She calls me out, I just narrow my eyes at her. My jaw clenching, "Not all of us are like that, we just want to survive" She assured me, a sympathetic look on her face. "Why are we explaining ourselves to this killer?" Eli spits angrily at me, cutting into the conversation. "Eli" Lenore says in a warning tone.

"We choke on cows blood so that none of them suffer. Tonight, they murdered Conrad and they celebrated" Eli growls in disgust, sounding grief stricken. "Eli, that's enough" Lenore snaps. "Yeah, Eli. That's enough" Sam sasses, "What's done is done" Lenore says to Eli calmly, before turning to us.

"We're leaving this town, tonight" She reveals to us. "Then why did you bring us here? Why are you even talking to us?" I quipped. "Believe me, I'd rather not" She scoffs honestly. "But I know your kind. Once you have the scent, you'll keep tracking us. It doesn't matter where we go. Hunters will find us" She says calmly, realization dawns on me. "So you're asking us not to follow you" Sam voices my thought.

"We have a right to live. We're not hurting anyone" She responds. "Right, so you keep saying. But give us one good reason why we should believe you" I scoff. Lenore then leans down, both hands on the sides of the chair I'm tied to. Her face inches away from mines, i hull fearfully, not daring to look her in her eyes. "Fine. You know what I'm going to do?" She says menacingly.

I don't answer, my jaw clenched, "I'm going to let you two go" This surprises both me and Sam. We share a stunned look, "Take them back. Not a mark on them" Lenore orders Eli. He smirks, inching towards us. Before placing a bag on Sam's head and then mines. I feel him grab me by the shoulder and begin to walk us out. I count the steps in my head as we walk,

I hear a door open before another set of hands grab me. A couple more steps and then a car door opens, the person tosses me in along with Sam. The bag stayed on as the ignition started. I began to count the second of the ride, making sure to take in mind every turn, left and right. Not too long after the ride, they untie us.

Tossing us out the car. We both hit the cold gravely ground in a thud. We pull the bags off of our heads to see we're back at our motel. I try to get the make and model of the car but I didn't get to see it in time. "What the fuck just happened" I mutter to myself, Sam then helps me up. "I have no fucking idea. Let's go" He responds as we dust ourselves off and make our way to our room.

We open the door to see Dean with Gordon at the desk. Deans eyes widen when he sees us, "Where have you two been?" He asks. "Can we talk to you alone?" Sam asks him in a monotone voice as I glare daggers at Gordon. Dean then turns to Gordon, "You mind chilling out for a couple minutes?" He asks Gordon. Gordon shakes his head and we all make our way out our motel room.

I lock the door behind me as Sam starts. "Dean, maybe we gotta rethink this hunt" Sam says to him. "What're you talking about? Where were you two?" Dean asks us confused. I sigh, "In the nest" I tell him. His eyes widen, "You guys found it?" He says in shock. "They found us, man" Sam tells him. "Wha- How'd you guys get out? How many did you kill?" Dean asks us.

"None" I tell him. Dean is in disbelief. "Well, guys. They didn't just let you go" Dean says. "That's exactly what they did, Dean" I stress. "Alright, well, where is it?" Dean asks a little too eager. "We were blindfolded. We don't know" Sam says calmly, giving him a weird look. "Well, you gotta know something" Dean presses. "We went over that bridge outside of town. But, Dean, listen. Maybe we shouldn't go after them" I tell him.

"Why not?" Dean cocks his eyebrow confused. "We don't think they're like other vampires. I don't think they're killing people" Sam tries to explain to him. "You're joking" Dean scoffs, not convinced. He looks between me and Sam, now realizing we aren't joking. "Then how do they stay alive or undead, whatever the hell they are?" Dean queries. "The cattle mutilations. They said they live off of animal blood" I tell him.

"And you guys believed them?" Dean asks a bit amused, probably thinking we're being naive. "Look at us, Dean" Sam gestures between me and him, letting out a nervous chuckle. "They let us go without a scratch" Sam points out. "Wait, so you guys are saying...? No man. No way. I don't know why they let you guys go. I don't really care. We find them and waste them" Dean shakes his head. Determined to kill them before walking away.

"Why?" I call out to him. He then turns to me, "What part of 'vampires' don't you understand, y/n? If it's supernatural, we kill it. End of story. That's our job" Dean says firmly. "No, Dean. That is not our job! Our job is hunting evil. And if these things aren't killing people, they're not evil!" Sam defends. "Of course they're killing people. That's what they do, they're all the same thing guys. They're not human, okay? We have to exterminate every last one of them." Dean argues.

I rub my head in frustration, "No, Dean. I don't think so, alright? Not this time" I try to remain calm. "Gordon's been on those vamps for a year. He knows" Dean says. "Gordon?" Sam scoffs. "Yes" Dean answers. "You're taking his word for it?" I scoff. "Yes" He answers again. "Ellen says he's bad news" Sam tells him. Dean raises his eyebrow at this, "You guys called Ellen?" He asks.

"Yeah" Me and Sam respond in unison. "And I'm supposed to listen to her? We barely know her. No, thanks. I'll go with Gordon" Dean rolls his eyes. "Right! Because Gordon's such an old friend" I snap back sarcastically, chuckling humorlessly. Dean looks offended by my words, "You know, y/n. I expected more from you" He scoffs disappointed before walking away again. I'm confused by this, "What's that supposed to mean?!" I call out to him.

He turns to me, "Nothing. Okay." He shrugs it off but I press. "No, talk your shit Winchester. Since you're so trusting of Gordon." I snap back, sarcasm seeping through my tone, crossing my arms over my chest as I wait for his response. He shakes his head, "You killed that vampire, no hesitation. What's wrong now?!" Dean argues. "I was saving our asses from getting killed! Just because I killed that vampire doesn't mean I trust Gordon!" I argue back.

Third Person POV

The argument between Dean and Y/N was getting heated, Sam looked on. His eyes flickered between the both of them nervously as their voice escalated, echoing through the empty motel parking lot. Feeling like a child of divorce, looking at his parents fighting for custody.

"For someone who went through what you went through, I'd expect you to hate vampires more!" Dean shouts.

"I do hate them. Trust me, I do but they're not killing anyone, Dean! I'm not gonna kill innocent people!" Y/N retorts back defensively.

"They're not innocent, Y/N!" Dean yells.

"So you trust you old friend Gordon but not us?! Your brother and your longest friend?! Why can't you just take our word for it?!" Y/N shouts back, frustrated at the fact that Dean was trusting Gordon more than her and Sam.

"Because you're being stupid!?" Dean retorts.

"Excuse me?!" She scoffs in offense, shouting enraged.

"A vampire killed your father and you're willing to leave a pack of bloodsucking monsters to run free because they claim to live in peace! He'd be disappointed in you, it's an insult to his memory!!!" Dean bellows.

The second he said that, he regretted it instantly. Y/N is taken back by this, her mouth snapped shut at Deans words. While Sam is agape in disbelief at the harsh words that left his brothers mouth. That was the last thing Y/N expected to leave his mouth. Her heart panged painfully, already feeling like she disappointed her father and now Dean had to go and confirm it.

Had it been anyone else, it wouldn't have bothered her as much. But coming from the man she loved, it stung like a son of a bitch.nA bubble of humorless laughter left her throat, the anger rising in her body. "Okay" She says calmly, before turning away. Y/N drew back her fist before right hooking Dean across his jaw. Deans head snaps to the side, grunting in pain, surprised from the punch.

Not expecting there to be such a kick from that. Dean might be Sam's brother but he was internally cheering on Y/N for punching his brother, he damn well deserved it from what he just said. And honestly, if y/n didn't do it. He would've done it for her. "Fuck you, you don't get to say that!" She growls at him enraged. Her nostrils flared with hot steam practically rushing out of it.

Dean nurses his jaw, his eyes wide when he notices Y/N's eyes glassed over to a ball of white. The only time he's seen this was when f/n died, and in the hospital when she saw him but he had no memory of it. Then with a wave of her hand., She sends him barreling back into the Impala next to them. "Woah! Easy!" Sam tries to hold her down, he clutched onto her but Dean was still pinned to the car.

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY THAT!" She screams at him, she loosens her mind grip on him as Sam holds her, trying to calm her down. Her eyes went back to her normal (e/c) ones. Dean peels himself from the car, "You can hit me all you want, princess. Toss me in the air or flatten me like a pancake. It won't change anything. I'm going to that nest." Dean says in a deadpan tone.

He knew what he said was crossing a line because Y/N would not only, never say something about like that John to him, despite not liking the man. Instead, she'd console him and comfort him. But being grief stricken himself, he allowed his anger to get the best of him. Hurting the woman he loved,

"We won't tell you where it is" Sam takes Y/N's defense. "I'll find it myself" Dean snaps back. He then gives y/n one last look, she didn't dare to look at him. Not allowing her eyes to meet his, his heart dropped. Scared that she'd never look at him the same, y/n's eyes were glued to the floor. Trying to take deeps breathes instead of letting her anger getting the best of her. She didn't want to hurt anyone, especially the boys.

Her newfound powers were getting the best of her, she barely knew how to control it and it only came in times of desperate need and anger. She was scared, scared of herself, scared she'd hurt someone else. Someone she cared about. Dean turns to walk back to the motel room.

"Dean, wait" Sam calls out to his brother. Following behind him. Y/N then follows behind Sam. Dean opens the door to see it empty, "Gordon?" He calls out for it but no answer. "You think he went after them?" Sam asks. "Probably" Dean answers. "Dean, we have to stop him" Y/N says panicked. "Really, Y/N? Because I say we lend a hand" Dean scoffs.

"Just give us the benefit of the doubt, would you? You owe me that" Y/N pleads. Deans heart pangs, guilt rising again. She didn't take long to use that one against him but he deserved it. He nods firmly, "I'll drive, give me the keys" He says to her calmly. Y/N goes to pick up the keys where she left them on the desk, when they came back from the bar. Only to see it now gone. "He snaked the keys" Sam gasps.

________________________________

"I can't believe this. I just fixed her up too" Dean grumbles in annoyance as he hotwires the Impala. The engine spluttered for a couple seconds before starting. Dean sighs, looking over to Y/N next to him in the passenger seat, her eyes were trained on a map along with Sam in the back with his own map.

Dean clears his throat awkwardly, "So, the bridge. Is that all you got?" He asks her gently. "The bridge was for and a half minutes from their farm." Y/N responds dryly, tracing her finger on the map. "How do you know?" Sam asks surprised. "I counted" She says, turning to Sam and then back to the map.

"Damn, should've thought of that" Sam grumbles to himself for not thinking in the moment. While Dean gives her a proud smile which she didn't acknowledge, his smile dropped as she continued. "They took a left out of the farm, then turned right onto a dirt road. Follow that for two minutes, slightly uphill. Then took another quick right and we hit the bridge" She explains, her finger tracing the trail on the map.

"Impressive" Sam chuckles, impressed by her tracking skills. "You're good." Dean commends her. "A monster pain in the ass....but you're good...with a mean right hook" He adds, smirking at her before putting the Impala in drive. Y/N scoffs, rolling her eyes as she held back a chuckle. Sam shakes his head at their version of saying 'I'm sorry'. At least they made up and aren't gonna fight, Sam did not want to get caught in the middle of that.

________________________________

The car was filled with awkward silences as they made out way down the stretch, headed towards the bridge. Dean would look at y/n with a pained expression when she wasn't looking, and she'd do the same when his eyes were on the road. Sam speculating the entire time, his lips tucked into his mouth as he looks between the two, praying for the awkwardness to subside.

After following Y/N's directions, they stumbled onto a house. Parked outside was the same car that Sam and Y/N was transported in back to the motel. Y/N didn't recognize it but Sam made sure to get a good look at it. "Look, that's the car they tossed us out of. This has to be the house" Sam points out. Dean then puts the car in park and they all jump out.

They made their way up the porch to see the door was wide open, they all shared a look at this before walking in. They entered the living room, stumbling upon Gordon and Lenore. Lenore was tied to a chair, blood dripping from open wounds as Gordon wielded his knife dripping with Dead Man's Blood, torturing Lenore. Gordon turned his head to the trio.

Sam and Y/N's eyes widen in terror at the sight. "Sam, Dean, Y/N. Come on in" Gordon greets them. "Hey, Gordon, what's going on?" Dean asks warily. "Just poisoning Lenore here with some dead man's blood. She's gonna tell us where all her friends are" Gordon responds as if what he's doing is casual. "Aren't you sweetie?" Gordon smirks at Lenore menacingly, who's choking on her own blood. Heaving from the poison.

Sam and Y/N clench their jaws, "Wanna help?" Gordon turns to Dean. "Look, man-" Dean begins a bit nervous. "Grab a knife. I was just about to start in on the fingers" Gordon days before slicing Lenore's wrist with the bloodied knife. Her arm seared from the poison, making her grow weaker. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, let's all chill out, huh?" Dean tries to ease the situation. "I'm completely chill" Gordon says calmly.

"Gordon, put the knife down" Sam says warily, taking a step forward but Dean and Y/N out their hands out to stop him. "It sounds like it's Sammy that needs to chill" Gordon smirks. "Just step away from her, alright?" Y/N tries to reason. Gordon turns back to Lenore who's choking weakly, and back to them. "You're right" He says to Y/N before dropping his knife on the table.

"I'm wasting my time here. This bitch will never talk" He says grimly, before taking up his machete, pulling the cover off of it. "Might as well put her out of her misery. I just sharpened it, so it's completely humane" He snarks at Sam and Y/N. "Gordon, I'm letting her go" Y/N says before taking a step forwards to help Lenore.

Gordon holts her in her actions by pressing the knife to her chest, "You're not doing a damn thing" He growls. Deans heart drops, Sam tries to reach out for Y/N but, "You take one step closer, I'll slice the bitch" Gordon threatens. Y/N puts her hands up in surrender, "Hey, hey, hey. Gordon, let's talk about this" Dean tries to get Gordon to take the knife off of her. "What's there to talk about? It's like I said, Dean. No shades of grey" Gordon retorts.

"Yeah, I hear you. And I know how you feel" Dean responds. "Do you?" Gordon cocks his eyebrow, his machete still pointed at Y/N's chest. "The vampire that killed your sister deserved to die. But this-" Dean tries to resin but Gordon chuckles darkly, cutting him off. "Killed my sister?" Gordon smiles darkly. "That filthy fang didn't kill my sister. It turned her. Made her one of them. So I hunted her down and killed her myself" Gordon reveals, his knife still against Y/N's chest.

They're all taken back by this, "You did what?" Dean mutters. "It wasn't my sister anymore. It wasn't human. I didn't blink. And neither would you" Gordon points the blade to himself, then to Dean and back to Y/N. "So you knew all along then? You knew about the vampires. You knew they werent killing anyone" Sam says in realization. "You knew about the cattle, and you just didn't care" Y/N scoffs.

"Care about what? A nest of vampires suddenly acting nice? Taking a little time out from sucking into innocent people and we're supposed to buy that?" Gordon chuckles. "Trust me. It doesn't change what they are" Gordon points at himself with the machete before turning to Lenore with a hate-filled gaze. "And I can prove it" He turns back to Y/N. He grabs her wrist in a flash, slicing it. Before gripping her in a chokehold.

Sam and Dean don't think. They just act, pulling their guns out and cocking it at Gordon. "Let her go!" Dean growls at him, enraged. "Now!" Sam yells. Y/N tries to break from it but he's too strong. "Relax. If I wanted to kill your bitch, she'd be on the floor already. Just making a little point." Gordon says calmly, his machete pressed to Y/N's throat as he held her arm dripping with blood out.

He then moved her closer to Lenore, holding her arm over the convulsing vampire's face. The blood then dripped from her arm and onto her face. Lenore bared her fangs, snarling for more, "You think she's so different now?" Gordon snarks at the Winchesters. "Hey!" Dean yells, "Still wanna save her? Look at her. They're all the same. Evil, blood thirsty." Gordon says menacingly.

Lenore retracted her face, "No, no." She says pleadingly. "You hear her Gordon?" Sam motions towards Lenore. "No, no" Lenore groans, trying to control herself. Gordon's grip loosens on Y/N, allowing her free. "We're done here" Y/N growls at him, "Sam, Y/N. Get her out of her" Dean orders the two younger hunters. "Yeah" They respond in unison.

They both help Lenore to her feet, wrapping each of her arm around both their shoulders. "Come on, hun. We've got you" Y/N says gently as they help her limp out of the room. Gordon goes to move but Dean still at his gun cocked at him. "Uh-uh. Uh-uh" He warns him to stay put. Gordon holts in action, putting his hands up in surrender.

"Gordon...I think you and I got some things to talk about" Dean says to him dryly. "Get out of my way" Gordon says. "Sorry" Dean smirks. "You're not serious" Gordon scoffs. "I'm having a hard time believing it too, but I know what I saw. If you want those vampires, you gotta go through me" Dean warns. Gordon takes a look at his knife before sticking it into the table besides him.

"Fine" He shrugs nonchalantly. Deans smirk widens, he then uncocks his hun before disarming the click into his hand. Stuffing it into his pocket. Gordon takes the opportunity to right hook Dean, who stumbled back but quickly recovered. Retaliating with his own right hook. Gordon then pulled his knife out from the table making Dean groan.

He tried stabbing Dean twice but he dodges before grabbing Gordon by his arm and throwing him into the wall. The knife was still in his hand so he head butted him twice, knocking his hand against the wall to disarm him off his knife. "What're you doing man? You're doing this for a fang?" Gordon groans as Dean held him by his throat.

"No. I'm doing this for my girl who's throat you held a knife to!" Dean growls back, right hooking him again. Gordon turned to Deans back was faced to the doorway. "Come on, Dean. We're in the same side here" Gordon pleads. "I don't think so you, sadistic bastard" Dean snaps back. Gordon quickly blindsided him, elbowing him before kicking Dean into a wooden table.

It crashed in impact, Dean shakes his head. Dazzled from the fall as he groans in pain. Gordon inches closer to Dean, "You're not like your brother. You're a killer like me and y/n." Gordon says. Dean quickly trips him but knocking him at the back of his knee. He then straddles Gordon, throwing punch after punch at his facts.

"Keep...Her..God...Damn...Name...Out...Off...Your...Fucking...Mouth!!!" Dean screams, punching Gordon with every word that left his mouth. He then grabs him by his shirt and throws him into a glass cabinet. Turning him around and then tossing him against the wall. Gordon tries to hit but he's too weak, Dean quickly grabs his arm. Putting it down.

Right hooking him again twice before holding Gordon under his arm as if he's gonna hit him a reverse DDT wrestling move, he drags him into the other room before 'accidentally' walking into the wall. Sending Gordon's headfirst into it, earning a groan from him. "Oh, sorry" Dean feigns a sarcastic apology.

He then places him on a chair and begins tying him to it. "You know. I might be like you...and I might not. Y/N is certainly nothing like your as" Dean tells him before leaning to whisper in his ear. "But you're the one tied up right now" He smirks, as Gordon glares at him.

________________________________

The sun has risen and Gordon is still tied to the chair as Dean paces the room Gordons knife. The front door opens and shuts, Y/N and Sam walk into the room to see Gordon tied up. Their eyebrows raised, "Did we miss anything?" Sam asks. "Eh, not much" Dean shrugs. "Lenore get out okay?" Dean asks them. "Yeah. All of them did" Y/N answers, glaring at Gordon.

"Then I guess our work here is done" Dean smirks at Gordon. "How you doing Gordy? You gotta tinkle yet?" Y/N taunts Gordon, earning chuckles from the boys. Gordon rolls his eyes not answering. "Alright" She snorts. "Well, get comfy. We'll call someone in two or three days, have them come out, untie you" Dean further taunts, walking over to the table. Sticking the knife into the wooden table.

"Ready to go, Dean?" Sam asks. "Not yet" Dean says, walking over to them. "I guess this is goodbye" Dean chuckles, fixing his hair. "Well, it's been real" He smirks, drawing his fist back before punching Gordon so hard. He chair went toppling back along with him to the ground. Sam grimaces holding back a laugh along with Y/N. "Okay, I'm good now" Dean clears his throat.

"We can go" He says simply before walking out. Sam and Y/N share an amused look before leaving the house. As they walk down the porch, Y/N turns to Dean. "Hey, Dean?" She says. "Yeah?" He answers. She preps herself, taking a deep breath. "Clock me one" She clears her throat. The boys look at her in disbelief.

"What?" Dean scoffs, "Come on, come on. I won't even hit you back. Let's go" She screws her eyes shut. Dean scoffs a chuckle as Sam shakes his head, snickering. Deciding to leave them be as he walks back to the Impala. "No. Im not gonna hit you, Princess. I'll never hit you" Dean shakes his head. She peeps one eye open, "Come on, you wuss. Put the your morals aside for a sec. And that's coming from a raging feminist. You get a freebie. Hit me. Come on" Y/N tempts him.

"No, y/n." Dean says firmly. "If I'm being honest, I deserved it" Dean admits, rubbing his jaw. Y/N sighs, "So did I" She admits. "What?" He's taken back. "You were right, dad would've been disappointed in me. Hell, I'm sure he's probably rolling in his grave right now" She bites her lips. "Are you kidding me?" Dean scoffs. "Y/N, you and Sam just saved innocent people. Sure, they were vampires. But you did the right thing. He would've been proud" Dean assured her, resting a hand on her shoulder.

Her eyes flicker up to to his, "You don't know that" She holds back her tears. "I'm so sorry, princess. I should've never said that." Dean apologizes sincerely. She nods, accepting his apology. "I wish we never took this job. It's jacked everything up" She scoffs. "What do you mean?" Dean asks her, taking his hand off her shoulder. She takes a deep breath, "Think about all the hunts we went on, charming. Our whole lives" She begins. "Okay?" Dean says.

"What if we killed things that didn't deserve killing, you know? I mean, the way our dads raised us-" She sighs. "Y/N, after what happened to mom and then your mom....they did their best" Dean tried to reassure her. "I know they did. But they weren't prefect" Y/N says. Dean shrugs in agreement, "But the way they raised us to hate those things. And man I HATE them. I do, I miss daddy every single fucking day" She grits her teeth.

"When I killed that vampire at the mill. I didn't even think about it. I expected to enjoy it. I did for a moment but not the way I wanted to." She admits. "I just- I don't know how we do it" Y/N sighs. "Because it's in our blood. Every instinct told me to kill, Lenore. I was gonna kill her. I was gonna kill them all" Dean admits. "Yeah, but you didn't" Y/N points out. "That matters." She adds.

Dean gives her a soft smile, "Truce?" Y/N puts her hand out for a shake, "Truce" Dean smirks, taking her hand into his. Their eyes meet and in a flash Dean pulls her by her arm into a hug. Wrapping his arms around her waist, Y/N chuckles into the hug, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "You really are a pain in the ass, you know?" Dean jokes, his face buried in her neck.

"Guess I might have to stick around and be a pain in the ass, then" She quipped back, pulling away from the hug. His arms still around her waist while her arms are still around his shoulders. Her eyes flicker down to his lips, along with his eyes flickering down to her.

Meanwhile, Sam was sitting in the passenger seat of the Impala, watching the two as if they were a chick flick he was indulged it. "Just lean in, man. It's not that hard. Come on" Sam mutters to himself as the twos eyes pierced into each others. He rolled his eyes when he saw Y/N took her hands off of Deans shoulder and awkwardly cleared her throat along with Dean, who's face was flushed. "Wussies" Sam scoffs.

They then begin to walk back to the Impala, "Thanks" Dean genuinely thanks her as she opens the back door. "Don't mention it" She smiles softly, before jumping in. Dean takes a moment to recollect himself before jumping into the Impala. Putting it in drive and hitting the road for whatever awaits them.

________________________________

Authors Note: Ohhhh the angstttt ahahah. Hope everyone enjoyed!! And trust me when I say, this slow burn is killing me too LOL *cue villainous laugh* This chapter is unedited and I plan on coming back to edit.

@hjgdhghoe @rach5ive @tiggytaylor @star-yawnznn @quarterhorse19 @deangirl96 @bitchykittenconnoisseur

Xoxo

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the-kingshound · 2 days

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Warning inane ramble incoming, it’ll probably be annoying I apologize. (*_ _)人 I spent the last several days reading every post here. I managed to convince myself to start liking some (sorry about that I’m sure it was annoying to get all those notifications) I have this weird thing where I get nervous about liking older posts cuz I mean it’s been a long time and it’s unprompted so that’s weird right? It feels weird like I’m doing something wrong or I’m being annoying, I considered reblogging too but somehow that felt worse? Sorry I am not good with social rules they confuse me both on and offline Idk my brain is wrong and I’m just a nervous socially anxious snail. (＞﹏＜)

Anyways just wanted to gush about how much I love it here and I’m never leaving (´꒳`) ♡ First and foremost Yniol has a special place in my heart they will forever be my favorite bestie (*＾��＾)人(＾ω＾*), yes I am biased as my partner is grey and though they don’t play IFs they were thrilled to learn about your character! Also your writing is just phenomenal, your fans are fun and creative, your characters give such warm and positive energy I love them so much they’re perfect, the inclusivity is such chefs kiss ( ´ з `) 🤌🏻✨, the angst is delicious, the fluff is so sweet and comforting, the spice is ... very blush-worthy (⁄ ⁄>⁄ ▽ ⁄<⁄ ⁄). This has been a journey I laughed, I cried, I giggled, and I blushed and I have enjoyed every bit of it from pasta discourse to Moldien cult wars to Arthur bunnies, I’ve had the most wonderful time. Now my mind is gonna be filled with Arthurian stuff for months my maladaptive daydreaming is having the time of its life I have a road trip next week and I’m so looking forward to just staring out a window for 6+hours while my Hound's just alternating daydream adventures with the cast o(≧▽≦)o. Also speaking of your amazingly wonderful, sweet, and supportive cast I have decided my (though I love them all) favorite poly pairings are Arthur/Morien and whole crew polycule I’d sell my soul for those but I 100% understand why you can’t really do that. I don’t think I have the endurance in me to code a single poly no matter how much I wish it so the fact you’re doing any let alone several is just god tier you are awe inspiring.

Alas I have rambled far far to much I wish I could be more eloquent in expressing just how much I enjoyed experiencing all of this but for now this is the best I can do (╥ω╥). Thank you for sharing your wonderful work it’s truly a gift to experience. ଘ(੭ˊ꒳ˋ)੭✧ I wish you wealth, health, and all the best in all your creative endeavors. -🐌

No, please please do not apologize. You made my entire week <3 This ask is straight up going into the folder where i keep my motivation to write and to be just a little proud of my work, thank you so so much for sending it.

For anyone having the same thoughts about liking or reblogging old posts: please do it. When I see the notifications, get very giddy and pleased, and I hope you are enjoying the food. Liking, and especially reblogging things, even more so if you add tags and reactons, not only fills me with glee but it also reminds me of old asks that I want to reblog again for new followers. So yeah, I love it, please feel free to go on a liking/reblogging spree!

You are so relatable for the maladaptive daydreaming (this game was absolutely born out of my own mental movies), I wish I could speed up the writing and editing for the next update so you can read it while you travel but I'm afraid it's a lost cause (I have been working on things, even now, but I am currently rewriting like half of it and while it is way better it takes sooo much time and energy). Knowing my characters and story are in someone's thoughts it the best kind of reward I need. I will never likely monetise this game, so this is the thing I wish to leave people with, and I hope the characters can be comforting and keep you company <3

You have no idea how much I would love to write the full polycule... maybe one day :,) But don't lose hope for the Arthur/Morien poly yet, as I decided to cancel the Gwyar/Morien poly and now I have a potentially free slot. In any case, awww, please know that this ask made me so happy today and will be in my thoughts as tkh is in yours.

Please have a lovely day and a lovely week and also a very lovely trip! Thank you again so so much!!

#lovely adorable anons #also never apologize for sening asks in anon i understand #i do the same #(anxiety)#love you!!#anon love

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fatkish · 2 days

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well hello there i just what to say i love the righting and 2 as u can see i suck at spelling so im sorry. and 3 i wish to know if u could do some mha angst like maybe like kiribaku x adhd reader where like bakugo dosen't mean tell reader to stop talking so fast or to like sit properly and stop moving there leg (i kinda want both cuz i get told that alot but u pick) but then kiri comes home and bakugos is sleeping on the couch and next day, kiri makes bakugo apologises and see how he was wrong. but its up to u. like reader could be overstimulated and cant stop moving. or sumth its up to u but thx for replying if u do don't feel like u need to tho byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Kirishima x Bakugou x Reader Drabble

It was that time of year again. Exams were getting closer and you and Kirishima needed help studying for them. So you both asked your shared boyfriend Bakugou, to help you guys study. Due to your ADHD, you typically take you tests in a different room alone with one of the teachers, that’s because it’s easier for you to focus when there’s less possible distractions. Due to your constant fidgeting, the school has allowed for you to keep a small exercise cycle underneath your desk. This device is similar to an exercise bike with its pedals, but it’s smaller and made to be used when sitting. The cycle is considered a learning tool for you since it allows you to fidget while disturbing as little people as possible.

Sadly, you can’t bring it everywhere with you, if you could then that incident wouldn’t have happened. You and Kirishima had begged Bakugou to help you guys study, so you three went to a cafe. Of course, your Boyfriends knew of your ADHD and how it affected you. They knew that it could only be managed so much, it wasn’t something that could be completely controlled and that it’s something you struggle with. While Bakugou was trying to help you both study, you kept getting distracted by everything and you wouldn’t stop shaking your leg, causing the booth to vibrate.

As you would point out things that you saw that you noticed like someone’s hairstyle or a band t-shirt someone was wearing, Bakugou was starting to get fed up with your inability to focus. You were sitting next to him in the same booth and your constant leg shaking was vibrating the seat and it was driving him crazy. After 1 hour and 30 minutes of your constant interruptions and leg bouncing, Bakugou was at his wit’s end.

“Goddamnit you spacey fuck, can’t you concentrate for more than a couple fucking seconds?!?! And will you fucking quit bouncing your goddamn leg. It’s so fucking damn annoying!” The moment Bakugou registered what he just shouted at you, he realized how much he messed up. You looked at him with watery eyes before your face changed to one of anger.

“I’m leaving” you got up and left the cafe, leaving behind a sorrowful Kirishima and a sorry Bakugou. Bakugou knew he had messed up the moment the words left his mouth. Before Kirishima could say anything Bakugou spoke.

“I know, I know, I messed up and I need to apologize. Don’t worry, I will.”

Kirishima could only look at Bakugou in slight disappointment before he went back to studying.

The next day at school, Kirishima pulled Bakugou aside in the hall outside the classroom and demanded that he apologize to you. Bakugou knew he messed up and was already planning out how he was going to apologize. As they walked into the classroom, they saw you scribbling away in one of your doodle journals. Since most students weren’t in the classroom yet, Bakugou decided to apologize then and there. He walked over and grabbed the back of your shirt, dragging you into the hallway.

“Look, I’m sorry ‘bout what I said yesterday. I was just pissed and I took it out on you.” He mumbled just quite enough for you to hear.

“It’s okay, I know I forgot to bring a fidget and I’ve been trying to manage my symptoms better. I just have to work harder but I appreciate the apology”

“Yeah yeah just shut up” Bakugou muttered as he looked away with a slight blush on his cheeks.

#mha x reader #bnha x reader #bakugou katuski x reader #katsuki bakugo x reader #katsuki x reader #bakugou x reader

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ennabear · 7 hours

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kind of a self indulgent request but can u pls write about reader being tense after a long day and ellie helping her unwind 🙏 (smut is okay!!)

Also ur writing is amazing - 🦋

hi baby :3 tysm for the request and sorry it took me a while to respond i hope u still like ittttt!! anyways, i couldn’t decide if i wanted to make this fluffy or smutty so i went with both!!! ily 🫶

daily click // free palestine // boycott tlou

it had been almost ten hours since you’d been home. it was silly to get your errands out of the way on top of your long shift, but you and ellie needed the extra money. at the time you left, you didn’t think it would be that tiring.

but you were wrong. after a long day of being berated by angry customers and arguing with your boss (who might just me the stupidest person you’ve ever met), exhaustion was an understatement.

the only thing you were looking forward to was seeing your girlfriend, ellie. you knew she would instantly shower you in love. no matter what mood you were in, she would always be there for you.

as you trudged through the front door, ellie was instantly there to greet you. she helped you take your coat off before pulling you in for a sweet kiss.

“hi baby,” she murmured into your cheek. “how was your day?”

“it was terrible.” you sigh. all you want right now is to cuddle with her and forget about your splitting headache.

“what do you need? are you hungry? thirsty? sleepy?” she asked.

“mmmh. i just wanna lay down, els.”

your body seemed to relax as soon as you buried your head in the pillow. ellie left you alone for a second while she fetched you a glass of water and some tylenol for your headache.

your sweet girl came back with a smile on her face and helped you sit up. she was clad only in a pair of boxers, no pants, shirt, or bra. her welcoming lips place a peck on both of your temples before handing you the pills.

“turn over, baby.” she told you.

you rolled over to lay on your stomach, burying your head back in ellie’s pillow. ellie pries your clothes off and replaces them with your softest pajamas.

her soft yet firm hands started to work on your back. the tension in your muscles almost instantly releases as she continues to massage you. you groan into the pillow, so thankful for your girlfriend.

“that feel good?” she asks.

“yeah… els. thank you.” your words get muffled into the pillow.

“d’you want me to make you feel even better?” she grins.

you turn your head and grin back at her before she tugs your pants off.

her tongue works wonders on your clit, relentlessly sucking at your swollen bud.

“you like that, baby?” she asked, already knowing you were gonna respond with pleads for more.

but you didn’t respond this time. ellie paused for a moment, peeking up at you from behind your folds. “baby?” she chuckled, now fully sitting up next to you.

you were fast asleep. head tucked snugly into the pillow with your mouth slightly drooping open.

ellie stroked your hair and whispered, “hey sweet girl, wake up.” after you didn’t respond, she nudged and shook you until you stirred awake.

“els… what….?” your sleepy head nuzzled into her side.

“you fell asleep, honey. let’s get you to bed.” she helped you stand up and put your pants back on before coaxing you to drink the rest of your water.

“thanks for taking care of me, ellie.” you whisper with your head on her chest.

“of course. i love you so much.” and she held you in her arms until you fell asleep for the second time, placing a final kiss on the top of your head before drifting off herself.

#i need her to take care of me so bad #ellie williams #ellie williams tlou #ellie williams tlou2 #ellie williams x reader #ellie x fem reader #ellie x reader #ellie the last of us #ellie tlou #the last of us

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choicesficwriterscreations · 2 days

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June Creator of the Month: Thosehallowedhalls

Please welcome this month’s Creator of the Month is @thosehallowedhalls.

Each month, CFWC highlights one of our talented fanfic writers or artists. The writer or artist is selected at random. More info can be found on the navigation page. Past COTM's can be found here.

Quick Links:

Tumblr Blog Masterlist

1- When did you start playing Choices? What was the first book you played?

I can't remember exactly. 2021, I think? Laws of Attraction was on its tenth chapter.

2- When and why did you join Choices fandom?

I joined in January of this year. I was upset with Crimes of Passion 2, so I wrote a couple of stories about it. I had deactivated my old Tumblr long ago, so I had to open a new one.

3- How did you pick your blog name?

I love old buildings - the history, the ambiance. I tried hallowedhalls, but it was taken, so I added the article.

4- Pull up the first post in your archive, and tell us about it!

I… have zero recollection of this post. But I'm big on nostalgia and mourning past times, so the fact that this was my first post tracks.

5- Do you write fanfiction, create fan art, or are you one of those really gifted people who do both?

I write fanfiction. I've been teaching myself to draw, but I'm not anywhere near close to sharing what I do.

6- How long have you been creating for Choices and for any other fandoms?

I started writing fanfiction way back in… 2010? For about four or five years. Then I stopped until December 2023.

7- What is your favorite Choices book, and what is your favorite Choices book to create for?

Crimes of Passion on both counts.

8- Share your first Choices fanfic or fan art that you posted with us. Do you still like it, or would you change it if you were creating it today?

That would be The 2 AM Christmas Tree Farm, inspired by The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. I do still like it, but I would tighten up the writing a bit. I had barely written any fiction for several years at that point, and the lack of practice shows.

9- What is your favorite piece of fiction or art that you created?

I keep going back and forth between The 2 AM Christmas Tree Farm and Home Without. Both are angsty short series.

10- Do you have a fic/art that you didn’t expect to be well received, but it was? What about one you expected to do well but found it could use a little more love?

I was taken aback by the comments on The 2 AM Christmas Tree Farm. I'd posted it on AO3 a few weeks before, and had gotten a handful of kudos and one comment, but within 24 hours of posting it here, I had several lovely reblogs. It was a welcome surprise. Stories with fewer comments… I guess Home Without. The first chapter got quite a bit of love, but by the time the final chapter rolled around, fewer people were interacting.

11- If you could write only angst, fluff, or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why?

I love a balance, but I'd say angst with a happy ending. I enjoy the breadth of emotions angst lets you explore.

12 - Do you ever recognize yourself in any of your MCs or in your writing?

There are bits and pieces of me in all of them. Emma has my sarcasm, and Raine has my need to look for the best in people. There may be more, but if so, it wasn't done intentionally.

13 - What element of writing/art do you struggle with most?

Perfectionism. Like I said before, the lack of writing practice shows. I know that the only way to get better is to keep writing, but I hate seeing the gap between what I do and what I want to do. Catch-22.

14 - Do you have any neglected work you really want to finish?

My Sebastyan x Emma fic, Of Cloudless Climes and Starry Skies. There are only a couple of chapters left, but I've been struggling with it for a couple of months now.

15 - If someone you know in real life (who isn’t involved in fandoms) asked to see your work, would you let them? If yes, what would you show them first?

Oh, hell no.

16 - Are there any writers (published authors and/or fanfic writers) who influenced your writing or art? Are there any artists that influence you?

So many writers have influenced my writing throughout the years, including authors I do not currently read. The Brontë sisters, Charles Dickens, Nora Roberts, Jane Austen, Courtney Milan, Alyssa Cole… I could go on and on. Fanfic writers… There are a lot, but off the top of my head, @inlocusmads, @coffeewithcutcaffeine, @gaiuskamilah, @aria-ashryver, @jerzwriter, @dutifullynuttywitch, @aces-and-angels, @petalouda85, and @storyofmychoices. I know there are more.

17- Which one of your stories would you most like to see as a movie/series?

Home Without. I'm a sucker for good pining, and I'd love to see all that mutual longing play out onscreen - not to mention that reunion.

18- Do you write original fiction or create non-fandom art?

I do. I'm currently working on a horror short story, a MG novel, and a dual timeline mystery that's still in the research stages.

19- What other hobbies do you have?

Reading, non-fandom writing, drawing, learning new things (especially languages!), going on walks, and drinking enough coffee to alarm medical professionals anywhere.

#cfwc creator of the month #creator of the month #playchoices #choices stories you play #choices fic writers creations #thosehallowedhalls

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rhapsodynew · 2 days

Text

The Beatles in India

Part 2📌

The Maharishi had some quirks

In his book With the Beatles, Lewis Lapham talked about how the Guru organized a group photo shoot of his students, including the Beatles.

"He acted like a director on the set of a movie," Lapham wrote of the Maharishi.

In preparation for the photography, the Guru supervised the construction of a small podium and seating areas. He told the photographer:

"Before you press the button, you have to shout '1, 2, 3'... You have to shout it before every flash." Then the Maharishi said to his disciples, "Now, come on, a universal smile... and we're all looking at the camera."

Lapham also wrote that the Maharishi seemed to like helicopters, and recalled how the Guru stared at the helicopter "like a child looking at a huge complicated toy." McCartney recalled how the Maharishi once took him with him to New Delhi. There was still room for one passenger, and Lennon accepted the invitation.

Later I asked [John], 'Why did you want to fly with the Maharishi so much?' – said Paul in the Beatles Anthology. 'To tell you the truth,' he said, 'I thought he could slip me an answer unnoticed.' That's what John is all about!"

McCartney also recalled a conversation with the Guru when he asked which car to buy.

"We said, 'Well, Merce, Maharishi. Mercedes is a very good car.' – 'Practical? How long has he been serving? Is it working well?'– 'Yes.' "'Well, then we should get a Mercedes.'"

George and John got really into meditation...

Of all the Beatles in the ashram, Harrison and Lennon devoted themselves the most to the science of meditation.

"I was in the room meditating for five days," Lennon said in the Beatles Anthology. – I've written hundreds of songs. I couldn't sleep, I had hallucinations like a madman, dreams in which there were smells. I've been meditating for a few hours, and then it knocks you out for three or four hours. It was just a way to achieve those amazing journeys [trip also means "(narcotic) arrival, high" - Approx.perev.]".

Cynthia Lennon told in the book Bob Spoke to The Beatles that nothing else mattered to John when it came to meditation, adding that

"John and George were [finally] in their element [at the ashram]. They threw themselves headlong into the teachings of the Maharishi, were happy, relaxed and, above all, found the part of their consciousness that had been denied to them for so long."

Harrison felt that both meditation and the Maharishi had an impact on his life.

"The thrill of meditation is incredible," he told Paul Saltzman. – I'm more addicted to drugs than I used to be. It's simple... and this is my way of connecting with God."

And Harrison took the group's goal at the ashram very seriously.

"He was pretty strict," McCartney later said of Harrison in the Beatles Anthology. "I remember talking about the next album, and he said, 'We're not here to talk about music, we're here to meditate.' Oh, yes, it's all right, Georgie, boy. Calm down. You need a sense of humor here, you know. Actually, I liked it there."

...while Ringo was having a hard time

Ringo Starr later recalled his stay in India as fun and cool, but at that moment he had difficulty getting used to food and the environment. Since he was prone to allergies, he brought cans of Heinz canned beans with him. The drummer The Beatles also recalled how the cooks at the ashram offered him eggs, which were forbidden to everyone.

"Then I saw them burying the shell," Starr said in the Beatles Anthology. "It was the first of several cases that made me think that this was not what I had hoped for."

Other problems for him and his wife Maureen was turned on by pesky insects:

"I had to fight off scorpions and tarantulas in the bathtub,– he said. "After taking it and wiping yourself dry, you had to leave the bathroom because all the insects were coming back."

Also homesick for home and children, the Starrs decided to leave after 10 days, followed by McCartney and his girlfriend Jane Asher a few weeks later.

"Paul just didn't get the gist of it," Peter Brown wrote in The Love You Make. "The Maharishi's false seriousness and tedious meditations reminded him a lot of school."

The Liverpool Four liked their Indian attire

In his message from the ashram, Lewis Lapham wrote:

"Like the other Beatles, Harrison was delighted with the costumes - embroidered overshirts, fancy brass pendants, cotton pajama trousers with wide bright stripes, clothes for all occasions. They looked like gypsies with their angular faces framed by long dark hair."

In the Beatles Anthology, Harrison said:

"If you go to India, you can't wear Western clothes. This is the most relish of what concerns India - all these cool clothes: big baggy shirts and pajama trousers. They also wear tight trousers that look like drainpipes."

Starr added:

"We bought a lot. They sewed Indian clothes for all of us, because it could be done right there: huge funny trousers with very tight legs and a big top that had to be tied up, collars a la Jawaharlal Nehru. That's what we put on."

To be continued...

Part1📌

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silver-hwaberry · 2 days

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TWENTY: time to fly

Warnings: brief mentions of scars, anxiety including medication, swearing

Word count: 13.5K

Summary: The group prepares for their first work trip and flight with Luna but she is finding things hard. The others are there to support her through it. Meanwhile new feelings are revealed by more than one person.

Luna looks around her room, sighing in frustration at the mess laying before her eyes. She was sitting on the floor of her bedroom, in the middle of a jumble of clothes, no organisation at all. She sighs once more and throws herself backwards. She had always hated packing, even as a child constantly uprooting to new towns. But this trip was different. It was not a vacation; it was a work obligation necessitating more than fun clothes and toiletries. She lets out another annoyed grumble.

“What is all this growling I keep hearing from in here?” Seonghwas calm voice comes from the doorway

A wide grin spreads across his face as he gazes down at her, lying on the floor in her comfortable pyjama shorts and a cropped t-shirt. He couldn't help but notice that she had been wearing more t-shirts lately around the safety of the apartment instead of her usual long sleeved tops. Still wearing bracelets but not as many as before too. It seemed to Seonghwa that she was feeling more comfortable at home.

"I hate this!" she grumbles, flinging her arms up dramatically before slapping them back down over her eyes.

“You look like you’re floating in a sea of clothes!” he laughs

“I hate packing.” she says, Seonghwa laying down beside her too

“I don’t want to pressure you but I can see lots of things everywhere, only 3 pairs of socks in your very large suitcase and we leave in 4 hours.” he says softly, rolling onto his side and placing a hand on her exposed stomach

Luna emits another elongated groan. "I hate it!"

He laughs again. "Okay darling, let me help you pack then!"

Seonghwa moves her arms off her face, his smile widening at her pouty expression. Unable to resist, he leans down pressing his lips to hers. Luna smiles against his kiss, comforted by his patience and willingness to help despite her surliness.

In the days since the others returned home, a hectic schedule prevented Luna from sitting down with Seonghwa and Yunho. But an easy happiness had settled over the apartment. The guys relentlessly rehearsed for their upcoming tour and performance at KCON LA, their impending destination.

While the others had packed expertly, Luna struggled to prepare for her first work trip with the band. She had no idea what to bring.

"Thanks, Hwa," she mumbles after they part, feeling some of the tension lift off her shoulders.

He chuckles softly. "We’re a team, right?"

She nods, feeling a warmth spread through her as he gently starts organising the clothes around them. "I just wish I was better at this stuff. I’ve always hated packing." she picks up a pair of jeans and begins to fold them. “Probably because we moved so much as a kid. And on short notice too.”

Luna haphazardly folds clothes into her open suitcase. Beside her, Seonghwa meticulously folds her clothes, his movements fluid and precise even as he steals glances at her.

“Excited about heading back to the States?” Seonghwa inquires, his tone thoughtful.

“I can't wait! It's been too long since my last visit,” Luna replies with a smile

“When was the last time you were there?” he asks

“3 years ago for my Grandma Parks funeral.” she replies

Seonghwa pauses folding the sweatshirt in his hands and gazes at Luna.

Though she hides it well, he can see the glint of sadness in her eyes behind her glasses.

"I'm sorry," he says sympathetically. "I didn't know. I wouldn't have asked if I did."

"It's okay," Luna reassures him, meeting his gaze.

"Come here," he beckons, opening his arms for her to come sit on his lap. She obliges, wrapping her legs around his waist as he embraces her.

She melts against him, comforted by the steady thrum of his heartbeat. His fingers trace slow circles on her back as she breathes deeply, composing herself.

“I miss her, but she was an incredible woman.” Luna's voice is wistful as she reminisces. “She used to call me her 'little bunny' because I was so short as a kid, and when I was happy, I couldn't stop hopping around.”

“You still do that sometimes!” Seonghwa chuckles.

“I know!” she laughs along with him as she pulls back to look at him, “I got the little bunny tattoo on my ankle for her. She laughed so much when I showed her it. I thought she was going to be mad at getting a tattoo but she loved it. She always encouraged me to be creative and express my true self.”

"I did wonder about that cute bunny one," Seonghwa grins. "All your tattoos are so unique and interesting. Each one seems to have a little story attached to it. Would you get more?”

“Oh 100%!” she nods, “I am going to get something to cover up my scars soon. I need to wait a little longer before I can get it done. Most days I am fine with them, like they are just a part of me but some days it hurts seeing them and a reminder of a dark period that I want to move on from.”

Seonghwa nods thoughtfully, his fingers gently tracing over her scars. She had been allowing him to touch them briefly and place kisses on them but he could sense her unease if he looked at them for too long. "I’ve heard covering up scars with tattoos can be empowering. It's like turning something painful into something beautiful."

Luna smiles appreciatively at his understanding of her feelings. “That is exactly what I want to do. My therapist says it can be a mentally healing process too. I thought she was going to tell me that covering them would be like an avoidance thing but she was all for it when I told her my plans a couple of months ago.”

“I am glad you have such a good therapist. Someone who understands you and your needs.” he says kissing her

Luna feels a warm rush inside her as he kisses her, his lips soft against hers. The scent of Luna's floral perfume lingers in Seonghwa's senses as he gently breaks the kiss. He smiles at her, his eyes soft and understanding.

“We should get back to packing.” she says sliding off his lap, sitting beside him so she can still be close

“Where is your favourite place in America?” he asks as they return to packing the case

Luna pauses, reminiscing. “Hmm, Chicago, for sure. My dad's parents were based there, and my Grandma Lee still lives there. I’m hoping to see her when we're on tour.” A wistful smile graces her lips.

"That's great, Luna. We'll ensure you get lots of time with her," Seonghwa promises. "Any other family there?"

"Not really." She shakes her head. "Dad has a sister, but they don't speak. I only met her once, at Grandpa Lee's funeral. She ignored us completely. As for my mom, her only sibling is Uncle Jihoon and he moved here at the same age I did."

Seonghwa considers probing deeper into her estranged aunt but hesitates, not wanting to reopen old wounds. "How was life in New York?" he asks instead, steering the conversation to safer waters.

"I wouldn't know! I only lived there for 3 days!" Luna replies before laughing heartily at seeing his puzzled expression, "I was born two weeks early while my parents were preparing to move to Nashville. But three days before our move, I decided to jazz things up a bit!"

She goes on to recount her dramatic entrance into the world, born into her father's arm in the back of his pickup truck at the side of the road just days before their move to Nashville. Seonghwa listened with rapt attention, laughing as she described her mother managing a cross-country move and newborn simultaneously.

“I’m amazed at how Mom managed – relocating with a newborn while recuperating,” Luna comments. “Wish she'd passed down her packing skills!” she remarks as she fits the last clothing piece into her suitcase. “Thank you for helping me with this Seonghwa. I got myself into a mess and couldn’t claw myself out of it.”

“No problem, darling. We're always here to help. We've become experts at packing due to our constant travels, so you can always rely on one of us to help you with it." he assures her, “Are you all packed now?”

“Just need to finish my carry-on,” she replies, closing her suitcase.

"I didn't come across any swimsuit or bikini," he says, eyes dancing playfully.

Luna scoffs, smacking his arm lightly. "As if I'll have time for that!"

Seonghwa tugs her onto his lap, his breath warm against her neck. "You will. We always visit the hotel pool at the end of the day. The company gets it closed off, complete privacy."

Luna shakes her head, "I can't swim anyway, so no point." a shy smile forms on her face, feeling a bit embarrassed about her lack of swimming skills.

"Then you'll just have to hold on tightly to one of us," Seonghwa murmurs, trailing kisses along her jawline.

As Seonghwa's playful suggestion lingers in the air, Luna blushes lightly at the thought of holding onto him in the pool. She liked the idea of them all having fun together, being able to play around and relax even if she just watched on from the poolside.

"What if I drag you down with me?" she asks softly, fingers playing with his hair.

Seonghwa chuckles softly, his gaze warm and reassuring. “Don't worry, Luna. I'll keep us afloat. Besides, we can teach you some basic swimming techniques. It'll be fun.”

Luna's smile widens at the idea of learning to swim with Seonghwa by her side. “Okay, that sounds like a plan. I trust you all to keep me safe in the water.” she kisses him softly, “I better get myself dressed for the airport, put a bit of make up on so I look less scary!” she adds looking at the clock on her desk

“You look beautiful as you are!” Seonghwa smiles holding her hips as she stands up “I will take your case out then so it is ready to be collected.”

“Oh , could you look out my epi-pens from the kitchen?” she asks, “I’ll need to put them in my carry on bag.”

“Of course I can darling. Need anything else?” he asks

She shakes her head, “I’ll be out in about 10 minutes or so.”

Seonghwa nods and leaves her bedroom pulling her suitcase beside him. In the lounge, he adds it to the others piled behind the sofa. Jongho and San are seated at the kitchen island when Seonghwa enters.

"Luna all packed up?" San asks.

“Yeah, she's sorted,” Seonghwa replies, relief seeping into his voice. “Thanks for tipping me off about her needing help.”

San had picked up on the growls and grumbles coming from her bedroom door earlier. Knowing Seonghwa was the most adept packer among them, he'd made the call to enlist his help. Seonghwa moves towards the coffee and tea containers, his hand reaching out to pick up the two epi-pens that have been sitting untouched since Luna moved in.

Jongho's brows furrow with concern. "Why are you taking those? Is she okay?"

"She's fine. Just needs them in her carry-on," Seonghwa reassures.

San shudders. "Those things freak me out. The thought of ever needing to use them on her... I don’t like it!"

Seonghwa nods grimly. "Let's hope not. But if so, she taught us how to use them so we know what to do."

The conversation falls silent as each of them contemplates this reality. The tension in the room is palpable but necessary - a reminder of their shared responsibility towards Luna and their unwavering commitment to her safety.

Just then, Luna breezes into the kitchen, bright-eyed and smiling. She has put some basic make up on, wearing light blue baggy ripped jeans, a white cropped t-shirt with a white hoodie loosely open on top. Her hair is loose around her face with her glasses on. “Hey guys, what are you all talking about?”

“We were just discussing how well-prepared you are for the trip,” Seonghwa says warmly.

“Now I know that is a lie!” she laughs as San pulls her into his body for a hug, “I am the least prepared person to ever walk this earth! If it wasn’t for Seonghwa then I would still be floating in the sea of jumbled clothes on my bedroom floor, telling you all to go on without me!”

San's eyes crinkles with amusement, his pearly white teeth flashing in a grin. "We'd never leave you behind!" he assures her, punctuating his words with a tender kiss.

“And don't worry about a thing,” Jongho adds. “We'll make sure you have everything you need on this trip.”

“Well we haven’t even left the apartment yet and I am already a damsel in distress as I cannot find my mac book charger!” she says, her face blushing slightly as she pulls away from San to sit beside Jongho at the kitchen island

“Ah that we can help with! We have a supply of spare chargers because our dear captain has a habit of losing his so we bought extras!” Seonghwa replies handing Luna the epi-pens. “I will go get you one.” he adds placing a kiss on her lips

“Thank you.” she whispers to him

As Seonghwa leaves to get her a spare charger, Luna gives the epi-pens checks to make sure they are in working order as Jongho and San eye her closely. Satisfied the devices are in good working condition, she puts them into her black backpack, unaware of the anxious eyes of the 2 men on either side of her.

“How was your dinner with your family last night?” San asks as she looks back at them with a smile

“Dad and Uncle Jihoon were manning the grills and trying to outdo one another with their cooking skills.” she laughs, “My cousins Seojun and Dongjae were just eating everything! It was nice chilling out with them all before this trip. When we come back my parents and the twins will be in Jeju then they go to Kyoto so I won’t see them again for another 2 weeks. You should've heard Hyejin trying to persuade me to smuggle her in my suitcase so she can tag along to LA.”

“That’s cute!” Jongho smiles

“She is excited to meet you all when they get back, they both are.” Luna replies

Since the guys found out that the twins were Atiny and had saw them in Wembley Arena earlier that year they were excited to meet the two little fans. They had given Luna their blessing to disclose who she works with to them as well and the second the girls found out they were asking to visit Luna at work.

"Who are their biases?" San asks, unable to contain his curiosity.

Jongho laughs and shakes his head. “You cannot just ask that!”

Just then, Seonghwa walks back into the kitchen, charger in hand. He plants a tender kiss on Luna's forehead before passing her the cord. "Can't ask what?"

“Who Lunas little sisters biases are!” Jongho answers

Luna's eyes glimmers with amusement. "If I tell you, do you promise not to get jealous?"

“We promise!” San exclaims, his face lit up with joy.

“Hyejin's bias is Wooyoung and her bias wrecker is Jongho.” Luna reveals as San pouts slightly, earning an evil chuckle from Jongho.

Luna turns to Jongho, surprise flashing across her face at the unexpected sound. Unable to resist, she joins in his laughter, her giggles spilling freely into the air. Without thinking, she lean against him, her head resting on his shoulder as her hand touches his bicep. Jongho's heart skips a beat at her touch.

“Soojin has 2 bias wreckers - Mingi and Hongjoong. She likes rappers.” Luna states

“And her main bias?” San asks eagerly, his expression hopeful as Luna sits up straight again

Luna allows the anticipation to build up as all three men wait in bated breath before announcing, “You, San!” The kitchen erupts into chaos as a jubilant San bounces around the kitchen island while the others burst into laughter.

“Now you just have to figure out which twin is Soojin when you meet them!” Jongho jokes

San's eyes widen. "I never thought of that! Maybe I'll just call out her name and she’ll come over."

“Oh my god, San! They aren't dogs!” Seonghwa scolds gently.

“No, that actually is how most people tell them apart! Just say their name and whoever answers it is 9 times out of 10 the right one.” Luna says

“And the other 1 time?” San asks

“They're probably pretending to be each other to confuse people who don’t know them well enough!” Luna laughs. “They love tricks like that.”

“Sounds like fun!” Seonghwa chuckles warmly.

“If they try it when you meet them, I'll give you a heads up,” Luna promises.

“Unless they play with Wooyoung! That would be fun to watch.” Jongho grins

“Oh you are evil….” Luna says turning to face him, “I like it!” she adds with an evil grin of her own

"Well, I should double check I have everything before we get picked up," San announces, leaning over to plant an affectionate kiss on Luna’s lips, his hand cupping her cheek softly

“I should probably do the same.” Seonghwa pitches in.

“Thanks again for your help.” she says to him

“It was my pleasure,” he smiles, giving her a peck on the cheek before leaving the kitchen.

A quietness falls in the kitchen as Jongho and Luna are left alone. A stark contrast to the laughter that rang out of it minutes before. As Luna rifles through her backpack, Jongho wracks his brain, trying to find something to talk to her about.

Luna's voice cuts through the stillness, making Jongho jump in surprise. “Jongho,” she says, her eyes locking onto his. “Bear witness as I place my passport…” She dramatically reveals the navy-covered document, “…into my bag's inner pocket.”

Jongho laughs lightly at her actions and nods. “I am your witness!” He observes as she carefully stows away her passport before sealing the main compartment of her bag. He notices the ‘United States of America’ emblazoned on the front cover, reminding him that despite being Korean, she is classed as an American citizen.

“I always need a witness that sees me put my passport in my bag! After the Japan incident I require it!” she giggles

“The Japan incident?” he asked curiously

Luna explains how she had left her passport in her dorm room before a trip to Japan with friends, only realising it at the check in desk. While they went on without her, she caught a flight the next day. "It's become an inside joke that my friends confirm I've packed my passport and cheer when I take it out at check-in. So I always get a witness now, more for my own peace of mind."

“I can be your passport witness from now on,” Jongho offers with a warm smile.

“You are now my official passport supervisor!” Luna giggles in response, playfully nudging him with her shoulder. “I hope you take this responsibility serious!”

"I swear to fulfil my duties as Official Passport Supervisor with utmost diligence!" Jongho proclaims, saluting jokingly.

“You are so silly!” she says, her nose scrunching cutely as she smiles at him, her hand cupping his cheek briefly

Their laughter fades into a comfortable silence. Jongho wants to spend more time with her one on one, to share more laughs like that and hear more of her stories. Gathering his courage, he clears his throat, drawing her attention back to him.

"Hey, uh, Luna?" he starts, rubbing the back of his neck. "Would you maybe want to get coffee or something when we're in LA?"

Luna's eyes widen slightly in surprise, but a soft smile forms on her lips. “Of course, I'd love that, Jongho!”

Jongho feels a rush of relief as Luna's response registers in his mind. He clears his throat once again, trying to sound casual. “C-cool, I know this fantastic little cafe not too far from where we'll be staying. We’ve been there a few times and it has really nice food.”

"Perfect," she says, excitement lacing her voice. "I was hoping we could spend more time together, just us." She adds softly.

Jongho blinks in surprise at her confession. “Really?”

“Absolutely,” Luna confirms with a light giggle. "I wanted to give you space, but honestly? I worried you thought I didn't care and I was scared that I'd chosen the wrong approach."

“I had no idea,” Jongho murmurs as he feels a slight flutter in his stomach at her words.

“I know being affectionate isn’t your thing and that is okay. We go at your pace. But…” Luna locks eyes with him as one of her hands reaches over to hold his. “…I do want you to know that I like you a lot and I care about you a great deal.”

Luna's words hang in the air, a sweet confession that leaves Jongho feeling lighter than he has in a while. His past experiences with women were fleeting and unfulfilling, as most of them only wanted to be with an idol for a night or two before moving on, leaving him feeling like he wasn’t good enough for anyone. With Luna he wants to openly express his feelings for her, maybe not as boldly as Wooyoung does, but without holding back from affectionate gestures like hugs, holding hands and kisses in private.

“I care about you too.” he confesses squeezing her hand.

As their eyes meet, Jongho feels a surge of confidence coursing through him. He leans forward, the warmth of her body drawing him in, and he can almost taste the sweetness of her lips. But a sudden sound of footsteps echoing down the hallway causes him to pull back, his heart sinking with disappointment. This is the second time he has mustered up the courage to kiss her in the kitchen, only to have it interrupted by someone else's presence. Jongho can’t help but feel disappointed and a little embarrassed too but Luna gives his hand a squeeze and whispers, “It is okay.” but leaning back in her seat.

“Hongjoong says Myeonjin and Ilsung are picking us up in 30 minutes but he wants to talk to all of us in the lounge before we leave for the company.” Yunho says walking into the kitchen

“Is something wrong?” Jongho asks

“No, he just wants to go through the airport process for Luna so everything goes smoothly.” he answers as Jongho stands up from his seat.

A flurry of butterflies erupt in her stomach as he places his hand onto the small of her back, guiding her up from her seat pulling the chair back as she stands up too and tucks it neatly under the table with precision.

“Thank you.” she smiles at him, he gives her a shy smile in return and a small nod before following Yunho into the lounge.

In the lounge, Yunho sits beside Luna, enveloping her in his arms. He kisses her tenderly, the back of his fingers grazing her cheek then nuzzles into her neck. Jongho watches, waiting for the usual pang of jealousy to hit him. But it doesn’t come, all he feels is a calm acceptance, knowing Luna shares the same feelings as him now and that whenever they get to have their first kiss, he knows it will be perfect.

Slowly the others start coming into the lounge and sit down on the sofa with Hongjoong being the last one to come in.

“Thanks for coming down before we left, I wanted to go over the airport procedure so Luna knows what will happen.” his voice in captain mode

Wooyoung nods in agreement. “That is actually a good idea.”

Hongjoong explains that they will be going to the company first so the stylists can get them ready for the airport walk. 2 of the other managers Sunghoon and Hajoon will be picking up all their suitcases from the apartment too. When it is time to leave for the airport Luna will be travelling in a separate car with Ilsung.

“You’ll be checking in ahead of us with Ilsung, he already has your flight paperwork so all you’ll need is your passport and bag.” he says

“I’ve already got it in my bag and Jongho saw me put it in!” she says as Jongho nods with a small laugh as he remembers the official passport supervisor conversation. “Also you should know, it sometimes takes me longer at check-in and security when we land. My passport causes issues when I travel. But I don't want to delay you guys or Ilsung, so maybe I am best checking in after you.”

“Absolutely not.” Hongjoong shakes his head firmly, “We won’t go in until we know you’re through safely.”

"Why does your passport cause problems?" Mingi's eyebrows draw together in confusion.

“It is a US passport.” she answers

“Ooh, right.” Mingi says, “Sorry, I keep forgetting you are an American citizen.” he adds rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, which makes Jongho feel better at forgetting too. From the looks on all their faces at this moment Luna guessed they all did.

"Don’t you qualify for a dual citizenship though?" San asks. "Since your parents are Korean?"

Luna shakes her head. "No. The only way I could get it is if my dad was a Korean citizen when I was born. Both my parents were born in America, so not even they can get it." She shrugs, nonchalance masking her frustration. "I've never been denied travel but they do inspect my documents more, like they're forged."

“Ilsung will stay with you the whole time.” Yunho reassures her, “We are arriving early so there is plenty of time if you get held up.”

“And we will be together again in the private lounge.” Yeosang smiles at her

“The lounge we go to is just for idols. Total privacy until boarding.” Wooyoung adds

"People follow us to the plane though. Filming and trying to get close." Jongho says. "Some are even on our flight."

"So you'll board ahead of us, to avoid the chaos." Hongjoong gives her a meaningful look.

“In business class, we won't have complete privacy with the managers present. However, they usually fall asleep within an hour of the flight so we can relax a bit while they rest.” Wooyoung explains

As far as Luna was aware only Myeonjin knew of their relationship. She had a feeling Ilsung was starting to figure it out, or at the very least thinks her and Wooyoung are involved as he had walked in on them play fighting in the practice room the other day. Wooyoung had Luna pinned to the sofa, playfully biting her cheeks as she laughed and tried to break free. They quickly separated when Ilsung walked in but everyone knew he had seen them.

“We don’t need to worry about anyone else in that section, it will be just us and the managers,” Mingi adds.

Luna nods, “Got it, no PDA on the flight!”

Yunho loops an arm around her waist. "Disembarking is coach first, then us. But you can stay with us through customs to the VIP area. Once you are cleared, Ilsung will take you to the cars ahead of us."

Luna focuses intently, absorbing every detail to avoid causing them any worry about her.

“What about the hotel situation?” she asks nervously, her teeth gently bites her lower lip.

“How do you mean?” Yeosang tilts his head

“Will I be separated from you all?” There is a soft uncertainty in her voice that Yunho notices immediately.

“Never,” he reassures her, kissing the side of her head. “Our rooms are always close, as will yours. You won’t be separated from us at all.”

"I don't like being alone anymore..." She says quietly, but they hear the slight quiver in her voice.

“You won’t have to, sunshine,” San promises from beside her, holding her hand. “You can stay with any of us, or we'll come to you. Whatever you want.”

Jongho briefly looks down, wondering if she'd want to come to him in LA. Admittedly he liked the thought of it, having her to himself for a few hours.

“It will be so strange being away from the safety and privacy of the apartment." she says looking around at them all, “I know we are all going to be so busy while in LA but I’ll miss our morning and evening routines.”

Mingi nods in agreement. “We will make sure that our precious time together isn’t lost.”

“I don’t want to disrupt your routines,” she protests gently.

Wooyoung quirks a smile at her. “You really think we won’t want to see you every morning or evening? We want you a part of everything.”

“We will make new routines for when we are away for work.” Seonghwa says

“Any other questions Luna?” Hongjoong asks

“No, you’ve covered everything I was wanting to know.” she replies

“Are you okay with the plans?” Yunho asks, his arm around her waist holding her a little closer to his side for reassurance. He can feel there is something she is holding back, the little telltale sign he has learned is her fingers twitch.

“Of course, I'm just worried of how to act around the managers. I don’t want to look overly familiar or unprofessional,” she says as she places her arms around Yunhos shoulders.

“They know we’re all friends now. Just be yourself.” San answers

“Just treat it like a long day at the company building.” Yeosang suggests, “Just be how you normally are with us at work, don’t try to overthink or worry about it.”

“And once we get to the hotel in LA, we can drop all pretences and be ourselves again – just like home,” Yunho adds, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek.

Luna smiles at them all, “Okay, I feel better now.”

"Good." Hongjoong checks his phone. "Cars will be here any minute. Final checks, everyone."

Within fifteen minutes, the group are en route to the company building, navigating the city's vibrant streets. The chaos that greets them upon arrival was characteristic of their industry—stylists and hairdressers darting everywhere with focused expressions. In the midst of this chaos, Luna keeps herself out the way by sitting on the sofa in the corner of the room, engrossed in texting her mom.

The sound of Chaeyoung's annoying laugh cuts through the air, drawing Luna's attention away from the screen. With an annoying grin, Chaeyoung playfully styles Hongjoongs hair, her touch lingering on his shoulder as they share a laugh together. Luna feels a surge of jealousy and frustration, the burning sensation intensifying as she bites her tongue to hold back her emotions.

"Chaeyoung is unbearable," Hyunsik mutters, dropping onto the sofa beside Luna. His blunt statement echoes her unspoken thoughts. "That inane cackling actually gives me a headache."

Luna simply hums, eyes narrowing on Chaeyoung. Her hands continue toying with Hongjoongs newly dyed brown hair, now drifting down to graze his nape then rest on his shoulders again.

"She thinks he's actually interested in her too," Hyunsik scoffs with an eye roll.

“She does?” Lunas head snaps towards him

"Yeah, no chance though. Hongjoong's just being nice." Hyunsik leans in, lowering his voice. "I heard Chaeyoung tried seducing Yunho once."

The news sparks fresh envy within Luna. Possessiveness over boyfriends was unfamiliar territory. "Is that true?" She asks, trying to keep her voice steady and unbothered

Hyunsik nods knowingly. “Yeah, Chaeyoung used to be his main hairstylist until Jiyeon took over. Rumour has it that she tried to kiss him, and he requested Jiyeon afterwards. Hajoon told me and he has been with the guys the second longest after Myeonjin so I trust his word on this.”

Resentment simmers as Luna pictures Chaeyoung's lips on Yunho’s. She glances his way, watching Jiyeon style his hair professionally. A stark contrast to Chaeyoungs giggling and touching.

Hyunsik's phone buzzes, jolting Luna from her thoughts. "Gotta go check on the cars," he says, rising from the sofa. "See you when we get to LA!"

As Hyunsik leaves, Myeonjin approaches her. “Hongjoong briefed you on the airport procedure, right?” Luna nods, “Any questions?”

Luna shakes her head. "I just want the guys to get through smoothly too."

He smiles reassuringly. “They will. We'll look after them.” Glancing around the room, he adds, “I better finalise passports and departure details.”

Luna smiles as he walks away. At least it wasn’t just her who had passports on the brain. Anxiety hits, prompting her to double-check for her own. She relaxes once more when she sees it still inside the inner pocket of her backpack. Glancing back up she catches Mingis gaze from across the room. He gives her a playful wink, the tip of his tongue sticking out the corner his smirk—the same look he had given her the night before in his room on his desk chair. One hand on her hips guiding her movements on top of him, the other wrapped around her hair. Heat rushes to her cheeks at the memory and she quickly looks away from him.

Myeonjin announces that the cars are ready and it was a 10 minute warning. The room erupts into a flurry of further activity than before as they prepared to leave. Luna feels her heart beat a little faster as she stands up and grabs her backpack. The stylists swarm around the guys, putting the finishing touches on their outfits and coiffures. Hongjoongs eyes are fixated on her as she looks around the room.

“Ready?" Ilsung appears at her side.

She nods, throat tight.

“We’re leaving first, so let’s head to the garage now.” He glanced around. “Best to avoid the stylists—they take their work seriously! I’ve had one too many elbows to the ribs.” His humour elicits a timid laugh from her

Luna puts her backpack over her shoulders, she gives the guys a final look as people surround them, each of them too busy with what is going around them to see her. She wishes she could speak to one of them or get a reassuring hug but there is too many people around and a moment alone is impossible right now.

Reluctantly she leaves the room but Hongjoongs eyes are still fixed on her. Noticing the worry etched on her face and the nervous rubbing of her arm through her hoodie sleeve, a heaviness settles in his chest.

"One minute," he tells the stylist fixing his shirt, ignoring her exasperated sigh as he hastily exits.

At the end of the hall, he spots Luna and Ilsung about to disappear through a door.

“Luna, hold on!” he calls out, jogging down the hallway.

“Everything okay?” Ilsung asks

“Yes, just need to have a quick chat with Luna,” Hongjoong replies, stopping in front of her. “It will only be a few moments, I promise!” he looks at Ilsung

“I’ll meet you downstairs, Luna” Ilsung says before walking away

Hongjoong quickly scans both ends of the hallway before wrapping his fingers around Luna's hand. He guides her into an empty vocal practice room, the door clicking shut behind them.

“Joongie…” Luna begins, but her words are silenced with a deep kiss. After the initial shock wanes, she melts into him, her arms finding their way around his shoulders. They lean into each other, cherishing this rare moment of intimacy and escape from the chaos happening in the other room.

"What was that for?" Luna asks, slightly breathless when they finally part.

“I needed to steal a moment with you before you left,” he admits with a gentle smile, hands on either side of her neck, his thumbs brush against her flushed cheeks. “How are you doing?” his voice is soft

"Nervous about the airport," she admits, eyes downcast.

“It’ll just be for a short while then we will all be together again.” he replies

“I just want you guys to get through it safely,” she murmurs. Her fingers fiddle with the front of his denim shirt, smoothing the material down in an attempt to distract herself too. Hongjoong can see the nerves in her face causing him to lean down and kiss her softly.

“We've done this countless times. We know the drill and how chaotic it can get. So don’t worry about us, just focus on yourself until we regroup in the lounge area.” he says, “Did you pack your bipolar medication for the flight?” he adds

“I did and I have my legal paperwork for it all too.” she confirms with a nod

“Good. I have set a reminder on my phone for your dosage during the flight.” He watches her closely, gauging her reaction. “I hope that's not overstepping.”

“Oh Joongie..” she breaks into a smile. She leans in close to him, planting a tender kiss on his lips before pulling away with a content sigh. "You are so incredibly thoughtful," she murmurs, her eyes shining with affection,

“I wasn’t sure if you need to take it at the same time every day so I wanted to be safe.” he says

“I can adjust the times I take them but it is really thoughtful of you to think of that. If I am asleep just wake me up and when we get to LA I’ll adjust the timing for the next dose.” she smiles up at him “We should go now – Ilsung's waiting for me and your stylist is probably seething.”

“Honestly? I couldn't care less if they're angry,” he grins at her. “A stolen kiss with you is always worth it.”

“Not if I mess up your make up for the airport photos!” she replies raising an eyebrow

“I am wearing a face mask anyway so who cares!” he replies making her laugh “I’ll see you at the lounge.” he adds running his fingers through her long black hair

Luna nods and lets go of him. She quickly removes traces of her tinted lip balm from his lips as he grins down at her. He opens the door and checks the hallway before opening it further to let her out.

"See you soon," she whispers. He squeezes her hand, brushing his lips against her cheek while the hallway was still empty

“You will.” he smiles at her before watching as she disappears from view. He takes a deep breath before walking back to the room to see everyone was ready. The stylist quickly pulls him to the side and goes to readjust his shirt.

“It is fine.” he says not wanting her to move it from how Luna fixed it

“Right, time to go now!” Myeonjin shouts over the noise.

“Was Luna okay?” Yunho asks Hongjoong quietly

“I think so, bit of anxiety but I think if we keep an eye on her she’ll be okay.” he replies as they make their way downstairs to the cars

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Luna's pulse quickens as the car nears the airport. As it slows to a stop she sees the swarm of cameras and fans gathered at the entrance, their sheer number knotting her stomach with anxiety. Glancing back, she spots the other cars trailing behind. How she wishes to be with them now, their presence is always like a soothing balm for her nerves.

"Ready?" Ilsung's calm voice draws her attention back.

She meets his steady gaze and nods, swallowing her nerves.

"It's intimidating, I know," he acknowledges, eyeing the crowd. "But they won’t bother us. Look, other people are walking right by."

Indeed, travellers stride past the spectacle unaffected, sparing barely a glance.

"I'll stay with you. Once we're checked in, it's security, then the lounge. The guys will join after." His gentle tone puts her at ease. "Don't worry." A smile creases his eyes.

The warmth of his words begins to loosen the nervous knot in her chest. "Let's go."

Ilsung opens the door and quickly runs around to open Lunas but she is already out of the car by the time he makes it. He closes the door for her and they make their way towards the crosswalk. As they stop for a bus passing Luna glances over at the 2 cars parked at the side of the road, hoping that they are okay but also that they aren’t worrying about her. She wants them to focus on their own safety through the crowds waiting for them.

Hongjoong watches Luna exit the car, tracking her every movement. His pulse jumps when she glances back. Though her expressions are obscured behind glasses and a face mask, tension radiates from her taut frame and wide eyes.

"She looks anxious," Seonghwa observes quietly.

"I know," Yunho agrees, his gaze also locked on Luna.

"We'll be with her soon enough," San says lightly, oblivious to their heightened concern.

“Shit.” Hongjoong grits his teeth as Luna rubs at her arm. It was taking everything inside of him to stay inside the car, and not jump out and go to her.

The bus rumbles past and they cross to the terminal. Weaving through the crowd with ease, they reach the check-in desk unnoticed. After handing over documents and receiving boarding passes, pleasantries are exchanged and they head onward.

"Next stop, security," Ilsung says, guiding Luna toward the queues. "You'll like the food in the lounge. I swear they have the biggest, tastiest burgers."

His casual banter lifts her mood and also the prospect of a hearty meal after only consuming some strawberries, a banana and a protein shake this morning. "I could definitely go for a massive burger right now!" she replies, tension melting away

Once they have both gone through the gate into the security area Luna hears screams in the distance and she knows that the guys are coming.

“This way.” Ilsung guides her through a separate business class security queue.

It only takes 5 minutes for them to go through and have their carry on bags checked. Luna keeps looking behind her waiting to see the guys but all she can hear is people shouting their names in the distance. Ilsung takes her to the private lounge. It is a medium sized room filled with plush sofas and armchairs, a large TV hanging on the wall that was playing some kdrama Luna didn’t recognise. There was a large window that faced onto the runway and she could see a plane thundering down it before launching into the air. There was a table against a wall that was filled with drinks and snacks.

"Make yourself comfortable. I'll grab the burgers," Ilsung says before slipping out.

Alone, Luna's excitement wars with anxiety. A lifelong nervous flyer and worry for the guys lingers too. She hopes they pass through security safely.

Ilsung returns with two towering burgers. At Luna's wide-eyed reaction, he chuckles.

“Wow!” Luna laughs as she sees them, “You really weren’t exaggerating about the size of them!”

“I know!” he replies chuckling and hands one plate to Luna, “The food lounge is next door so help yourself. The guys will be here really soon.”

“You aren’t staying in here?” she asks looking at him

“The managers and I like to give the guys complete privacy here, it is one of the rare places they can get it. If you need anything then we are just next door though but just relax and enjoy your food.” he smiles at her before leaving the room

Luna takes a bite of the burger and lets out a satisfying hum at how good it tastes. Another thing Ilsung did not exaggerate was how tasty it was. She savours each bite as she watches the planes outside take off and land while also looking over at the entrance to the lounge for the guys to arrive.

The lounge door finally swings open and a cacophony of familiar voices flood the room. Luna's heart leaps as she abandons her half-eaten burger on the coffee table and springs to her feet.

"There she is!" San's cheerful voice rings out above the chatter.

“Already eating food, that is what I like to see!” Yunho grins as Luna's mouth curves into a smile around the remnants of her latest bite. She chews hastily as she covers her mouth and swallows.

She doesn’t know who to go to first as she has the overwhelming urge to hug each of them but Hongjoong is the first one in front of her. Cradling her face, he searches her eyes. "Are you okay?"

Luna nods, holding his unsettled gaze. "I am."

“Are you sure?” he asks, his eyes filled with concern

"Joongie, I am fine!" she assures him, offering a small smile.

“Thank god.” he breathes, pulling her close.

His lips find hers in a kiss both tender and urgent, conveying all the things he cannot put into words. The others look on, surprised by this rare display of vulnerability from their composed leader. Apart from the hug Seonghwa witnessed the other night, none of them have seen him show any physical affection to Luna, or to any woman in the entire time they’ve known him.

In this unguarded moment, his usual stoic demeanour melts away, revealing a glimpse of the vulnerable person beneath. The guys exchange glances, unsure of how to react to this unexpected show of emotion from their typically reserved friend. But in that moment, they see him as he truly is – someone who cares deeply and fiercely but keeps it hidden behind a facade of strength and composure. As he pulls away from the kiss, he buries his head into her neck, his arms wrapping tightly around her body as she reciprocates.

“I’ll come get you guys when it is time to board.” Myeonjins voice quietly says from behind them

“Thanks.” Yeosang says before Myeonjin leaves.

Hongjoong holds Luna for a few more moments before releasing her, allowing the others to greet her as well. Their eagerness to reunite with Luna is palpable.

As Luna makes her way towards the group, each member takes turns embracing her in warm, heartfelt hugs. San engulfs her in a bear hug, his laughter resonating through the air. Wooyoung spins her around playfully, a mischievous grin on his face as she lets out the now signature laughing scream she does when he hugs her like this which is multiple times a day! Mingi ruffles her hair affectionately before kissing her forehead, his tall frame towering over her.

Seonghwa cradles her face in both hands, his thumbs tracing her cheeks. "I'm happy we're all back together," he murmurs, before claiming her lips in a lingering kiss.

“So am I.” she replies before Yunho steps forward and finally Yeosang. After she’s hugged them all, she shares a silent exchange at Jongho. Happy to see him as well but holding back from hugging him. Despite their little confessions and the near kiss in the kitchen earlier, she still wanted to make sure things were on his terms. His own arms were itching to hug her too and if they were alone he absolutely would be doing exactly that.

“Since we have a couple of hours before our flight, lets grab some food and relax.” Yunho suggests

San leans closer to Luna, sporting a kind smile. "Do you want another one?" He gestures towards her nearly finished burger, seeking her approval before getting more food.

Luna chuckles softly at San's offer and nods appreciatively. "I could definitely go for one more," she replies.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

After they have all ate, they look at their seat numbers on their assigned boarding passes, Luna has a window seat with Yeosang sitting beside her. Hongjoong, Mingi and Wooyoung in the middle seats with San and Yunho on the other side of row. Seonghwa and Jongho were in the seats directly behind Luna and Yeosang.

“I can’t wait to sit beside you on the plane. Have some time with just you.” Yeosang smiles at her as they cuddle on one of the sofas, lost in a little bubble. The tip of his nose touching hers, as he gazes into her eyes affectionately. “I feel like I haven’t see you in so long.”

“Are you prepared for putting up with me for 11 hours though?” she giggles back, her fingers playing with the ends of his hair

“You say that like its a hardship.” he replies

“Wait until my snoring starts!” she grins back at him

“Hey, I’ve shared a room with the sleep talker since we were 17! Your snoring doesn’t bother me one bit!” he says, his lips brushing against hers, teasing her

Luna leans in to plant a firm kiss on his lips causing him to laugh and kiss her back. Yeosang brushes a strand of hair behind her ear, his fingers tracing her jawline before resting gently on her cheek as he continues to kiss her softly.

At that moment Myeonjin comes in to say they will be boarding in a few minutes. They all get their things together and Luna leaves the private lounge first with Ilsung. Like they said, there were people waiting around the lounge areas, phones at the ready waiting for the guys to leave.

"If only they'd give them space," Luna grumbles, frowning at the spectacle.

"Unfortunately it's part of being an idol. We protect them as much as we can, but in public places like this, we can't control where people go," Ilsung explains as they reach the gate.

He hands over their boarding passes and passports. The attendant scrutinises Luna's documents, holding up her passport to compare the photo to her face. Eventually she passes them back over and lets them board.

As they walk onto the plane and into the business class lounge Luna cannot help but look around it with her mouth open. She had only ever travelled in economy and had been looking forward to this when they told her she was travelling with them. The space was more expansive than expected, with two rows of enormous, plush seats. It felt remarkably private.

She takes her seat and looking around it, pressing the multiple buttons as she waits for the others. They soon arrive, get settled down and it isn’t long before the plane door clunks heavily as it seals shut.

Luna's chest suddenly tightens, her breath coming in gasps as regret floods through her for not taking her anxiety meds earlier. Fumbling in her backpack, she searches frantically, pulse racing.

"You okay?" Yeosang's deep voice cuts through the noise.

Meeting his steady gaze, her heart racing and a cold sweat forming on her forehead. Luna shakes her head, words failing her.

Yeosang's eyes widen. "Wait, are you having a reaction?"

"What?" Hongjoong's concerned voice drifts over from the aisle seat across from Yeosang.

“Shit, we need her pen thing!” Wooyoung says sitting forward in his seat

"No… reaction...just anxiety!" Luna manages between shuddering breaths pulling out the medication bottle from her bag. “J-just.. need my… pills.”

“Oh thank god!” Hongjoong sighs in relief as Yeosangs body relaxes too

"Is it flying?" Yeosang asks gently.

Luna's trembling hands close around the pill bottle. "The actual flying is fine." She gulps. "Not… too good at the takeoff and landing part." She struggles to open the childproof cap, hating how weak she feels. “Fuck!” she mutters in English

"Let me." Yeosang takes the bottle from Luna's shaking hands and opens it effortlessly. "How many do you need?"

“T-two pills.” she says to him

In the row behind them, Seonghwa leans forward, alerted by the tremor in Luna's voice. Wordlessly, he passes a bottle of water to Yeosang over the seat. Luna gulps the pills down, the cool water soothing her parched throat. Closing her eyes, she leans back, trying to slow her frenzied thoughts as her feet taps rapidly on the floor.

Grasping her hand, Yeosang asks, "What can we do?"

Luna shakes her head helplessly, reaching for the amethyst crystal in her jean pocket, grasping it painfully in her palm.

“It is okay,” Hongjoong says trying to ease her distress.

Around them, the others are noticing something is wrong. From beside Seonghwa, Jongho's brows knit together in concern. "Luna, what do you need?"

“Yu-yun-ho,” Luna chokes, tears beginning to well up behind her eyes.

“Yunho, Luna needs….” Before Hongjoong can finish, Yunho has already unbuckled his seat belt and is clambering over the middle seats to get to her side.

“I’m here, little one.” Yunho says softly, crouching down in front of her seat and resting his hands on her knees. “What can I do?”

Luna shakes her head helplessly. She doesn’t even know what can help her. All she knows is she needs him.

“It's okay. You’re safe.” Yunho soothes, his voice low and reassuring.

Hongjoong speaks up from his seat nearby as he notices the flight attendants preparing for the safety briefing, “Yeosang, you take Yunho's seat and let him sit beside Luna during takeoff. We can rearrange seats once we're in the air.”

Yeosang reluctantly nods, casting a final worried glance at Luna before moving to take Yunho's seat.

“What’s going on? Is Luna okay?” San asks, concern etched on his face as Yeosang settles into his newly assigned seat.

“Panic attack, I think. She said she gets anxious during takeoff and landing,” Yeosang answers softly, his gaze flickering back to Luna with worry.

Amidst the chaos in Luna's mind, Yunho's soothing voice cuts through like a ray of light. "You're safe," Her watery eyes slowly open to meet his reassuring gaze. "You're not alone in this. We're all here for you."

Tears spill down Luna's cheeks, her emotions overwhelming her fragile body. "I know," she whispers, bowing her head to hide her tears from the others as they all exchange worried looks, feeling powerless to help her in her distress.

Gently, Yunho brushes away her tears. "Breathe with me, okay? In and out, slowly," he coaches.

As Luna's breathing begins to steady out, her death grip on the amethyst crystal loosens slightly. "Thank you," she whispers.

Yunho just smiles. "No thanks needed, little one."

A low rumble fills the cabin as the plane begins slowly backing up. Luna's head jerks up, eyes wide with renewed panic. Yunho squeezes her hand reassuringly. "Just the plane backing out."

“Sorry!” Luna sniffles, embarrassed by her sudden display of fear. "I'll be fine once we're in the air."

“You do not need to apologise for anything. I still get anxious sometimes too.” he smiles at her

The rumbling grows louder as the plane taxis into position. Luna grips Yunho’s hand tightly, the amethyst crystal cutting into her palm once again. She closes her eyes, focusing on his steady presence.

"In and out," Yunho reminds her softly. "You're doing great."

Luna nods as she follows Yunho's lead, copying his breathing. As the plane begins to accelerate down the runway the roar of the engines fills the cabin, making her tense up even more. She feels Yunhos hand tighten around hers, grounding her. She turns to face him. “You are doing so well.”

Luna nods, her fingers interlocking tightly with Yunho's. She repeats his earlier words in her mind, focusing on each syllable as the wheels leave the runway.

In and out. In and out.

The rush of adrenaline fills her veins as the plane ascends into the air. But Yunho's warm hand on hers steadies her nerves. She takes a deep breath, trying to relax into her seat.

Yunho leans closer to Luna, his voice barely above a whisper. "Look out the window, little one." he urges gently.

"Outside?" she questions, her gaze shifting to him. Her eyes wide.

He smiles reassuringly. "Trust me."

Luna follows his gaze and gasps at the breathtaking sight before her eyes. The sun is descending on the horizon, its departure marking the canvas of the sky with shades of orange and pink.

"Wow," Luna gasps, awestruck. “It’s beautiful!”

"So are you, Luna," Yunho responds.

Luna blushes at Yunho's compliment, feeling her cheeks warm. She turns her attention back to the sunset, captivated by its beauty. The colours blend across the sky, casting a warm glow over everything below creating a sense of calm within her. Yunho watches Luna with a tender smile, his eyes reflecting the awe mirrored in hers.

As the plane smoothly ascends to cruising height, Luna feels the heavy weight on her chest lift. The seatbelt sign turns off, and she takes a deep breath, finally feeling some relief.

"Feeling better?" Yunho inquires gently.

Luna nods, turning to look at him. She notices Hongjoong, Mingi, Wooyoung, San, and Yeosang all trying to appear busy, but she can tell they had been watching her closely during the flight. A wave of guilt washes over her for causing them worry. Yunho senses this and gives her hand a comforting squeeze but Luna withdraws abruptly, suddenly realising she had been clutching his hand the entire time.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to…" she stammers.

Yunho smiles, cutting her off. "It's fine." He tucks a stray strand of Luna's hair behind her ear before cupping her cheek.

"Yunho," she whispers, casting a wary glance towards their senior managers, Myeonjin, Ilsung, Hajoon and Sunghoon seated at the other side of the plane.

"Do you think they're my concern now?" His tone is resolute. "You are my priority."

“I just don’t want to get you into trouble.” she says quietly

“You won’t.” he replies gently

Luna sighs, knowing there is no point in trying to argue with him. “Thank you.” She reaches back into her pocket and pulls out the amethyst crystal. “You helped in more ways than one!”

Yunho chuckles lightly at the sight of the crystal. "So that's why you had your hand in your pocket."

“I don’t go anywhere without this in my pocket now.” she replies looking at it fondly

"I'm glad it helps." Yunho says quietly. He leans in closer and whispers, "If I could kiss you right now, I would."

"Yun!" She giggles and playfully shoves his shoulder as he settles back into his seat.

"There's the laugh I love!" Mingi chimes from his seat, causing them both to turn around. "Feeling better?"

"Yes, and I apologise for causing such a commotion," Luna replies looking behind her, ensuring Seonghwa and Jongho are included in the conversation.

"No need to apologise," Wooyoung interjects.

“How are you feeling now?” Hongjoong asks

“I am okay now. I have a bit of anxiety during take off and landing. I usually take some medication to help settle my nerves but I thought I would be okay this time so I didn’t take it.” she says, “And before anyone says it, I know that was stupid!”

“Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself, sunsh… Luna!” San catches himself before using her nickname. “Anxiety like that is pretty common but we will always be there to help you through it.”

"I'll take my medication before we land so this doesn't happen again, I promise." Luna assures them with a small smile forming on her pale face. "I'm sorry though."

Seonghwa standing up from his seat, offering a comforting smile. "Don't worry about it, Luna. We're just glad you're feeling better now."

Jongho's voice is gentle as he suggests, "They'll be serving dinner soon. You should eat and get some rest."

Luna nods, exhausted from the emotional outburst she just had. "That sounds like a good idea," she agrees, mustering a faint smile. “I am just going to head to the bathroom to sort my face!” she adds knowing that she must look awful right now

Yunho stands up to let Luna out of their row and watches her make her way to the bathroom. As she disappears from view, he sinks back into his seat with a heavy sigh.

"That was rough," Wooyoung comments, concern etched in his features.

Hongjoong reaches over the aisle and places a comforting hand on Yunho's shoulder. "You did a great job keeping her calm."

Yunho runs a hand through his hair, feeling drained. "I hope so."

San can't help but feel guilty. "I didn't even think to ask her how she was with flying."

“To be honest, I just assumed because of all the travelling she did as a child she was an expert at flying.” Mingi speaks up, sounding remorseful

"Well, we know now and we can support her better in the future," Hongjoong states with a heavy sigh.

“Lets not make a big deal of it when she comes back though.” Seonghwa says as they all nod in agreement

Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Luna splashes cool water on her puffy face and takes deep breaths. The panic has passed, but exhaustion weighs heavily on her shoulders now. She looks at her reflection in the mirror and whispers to herself, "You fucking idiot, Luna."

When she returns to her seat, she finds Yeosang is back beside her once more, with Yunho in his original seat at the other side of the row.

"We can switch if you'd prefer Yunho," Yeosang offers.

“Absolutely not!” she smiles as she sits back at her seat beside the window, “This is your assigned seat and remember what you said in the lounge, you have a whole flight of my snoring to look forward to.”

“I will let Yunho sit here for landing.” he replies

Luna shakes her head, "You don't have to do that. I only asked for Yunho's help because he knows about my anxiety and has helped me in the past. I didn't want it to turn into a full-blown panic attack in front of everyone." she explains, “However, you all saw it anyway. My therapist prescribed me anxiety medication for when things get too much.”

“I didn’t know you saw a therapist.” he says softly

“I get stressed a bit easily and have anxiety about things.” she replies, deciding to let him know about the basics for now.

He nods, his eyes filled with understanding. Luna notices how his gaze lingers on her for a moment longer, as if he wants to say something more but hesitates.

"I'm glad you're taking steps to take care of yourself," he finally says, his voice soft and sincere. "Anxiety can be tough to deal with, but it's great that you have support."

As the flight attendants begin serving dinner, Luna feels the full extent of her panic attack wash over her and the exhaustion hits her hard. She picks at her food, her appetite gone.

"You need to eat, angel." Yeosang says from beside her.

"I know. I'm just not hungry though." She pushes her tray away. "Eating two burgers plus a hot dog and ice cream at the airport wasn't wise." she adds poking her stomach

“How about I tell you a bad joke and if you laugh then you need to eat a couple of bites?” Yeosang says

Luna looks up at him and can't help but smile through her exhaustion. "Deal. Hit me with that bad joke."

Grinning mischievously, Yeosang asks, "Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field!"

“Oh my god!” Luna winces, “That is something my dad would say! However…. I will give you that one though!” she adds smiling widely. She picks up her chop sticks and eats a few bites of her grilled beef tenderloin.

"I've got plenty more if you need incentive," Yeosang replies with a wink.

"I'm sure you do. And I'm sure they'll work." She takes another bite. “I am a sucker for a bad joke!”

She eats a bit more of her food before admitting she really cannot fit anymore into her stomach. Yeosang takes her plates and neatly stacks them with his own as the flight attendants collect them. Luna lets out a long yawn and stretches her arms above her head.

“Your seat can flatten down a bit so its more like a bed.” he says, “If you want to go wash up and brush your teeth, I will set it up for you.”

“Thank you Sang-ie.” she smiles standing up, longing to give him a hug but keeps her hands to herself as she passes him by

As Luna heads towards the bathroom to freshen up, Yeosang gets to work on adjusting her seat into a more comfortable position.

“Did Luna eat enough?” Mingi asks him

As Yeosang finishes adjusting Luna's seat, he looks up and nods at Mingi's question. "She ate a decent amount, not as much as I’d have liked her to but I think she is tired and needs to sleep.”

“Anxiety is exhausting.” Mingi quietly nods, knowing himself how it can feel

“It's been a rough day for her," he replies softly placing the pillows and cover onto her seat

Just then, Luna returns from the bathroom looking refreshed. "Thank you so much, Yeosang. You didn't have to go through all this trouble for me," she says sincerely.

Yeosang shrugs off her thanks with a warm smile. "It's no trouble at all. I just want to make sure you're comfortable."

She settles down as Yeosang fixes his own seat, telling her if he is asleep and she needs to get past him, just wake him up or climb over him, which makes her laugh. Everyone around them has settled into their own makeshift beds, some watching movies through headphone, or reading books, or already asleep!

As the hum of the planes engines lulls them into a comfortable silence, Luna finds herself drifting off to sleep. Yeosang quietly covers her with another blanket and whispers, "Rest well, Luna. We're here if you need anything." In the dimly-lit cabin and with most people busy or sleeping, Yeosang take the opportunity to lean down and kiss her pouty lips.

The sudden touch of his lips on hers makes Luna's eyes flutter open slightly, surprised by the unexpected gesture. She gazes at Yeosang with a mix of confusion and affection.

Yeosang chuckles softly, "Sorry, couldn't resist. You just looked so peaceful and cute."

Blushing slightly, Luna smiles sleepily, reaching out to touch his face. "It's okay."

Yeosang leans back into his own seat as she closes her eyes again but he can’t take his eyes off her. Just as she starts to drift off again, Mingi's voice cuts through the quiet cabin, "Luna, if you need anything during the flight, don't hesitate to wake us up."

“I will.” she mumbles drowsily, as she succumbs to the sleep.

Yeosang continues to look at her, feeling a surge of protectiveness for her.

“You should sleep too Yeosang.” Hongjoong says quietly

“Do you think she’ll really be okay when its time to land?” he ask, turning to look at his leader

“I hope so.” he replies, “If she isn’t we will be there to support her though. It is all we can do.”

Just then, Luna stirs in her sleep, mumbling something unintelligible. Yeosang reaches out to adjust her blanket, tucking it more securely around her shoulders. Luna lets out a small whine, her brow furrowing as if troubled by a bad dream.

As the cabin lights dim further, Luna's troubled expressions fades away as she slips into a deep sleep, her breathing evens out replaced by her soft snores. Yeosang, reassured by her peaceful state, finally allows himself to close his eyes and rest.

The remainder of the flight went by without any issues. After everyone slept for a few hours, they had breakfast, Luna got a bit of work done on her laptop and then watched a movie with Yeosang. An hour before landing she took her medication and the process was easier than taking off. She closed her eyes and held onto the pillow from her seat.

Just as they said to her back in Korea there were some fans who were waiting for them at the leaving gate. Luna kept herself behind Yunho with Ilsung and one of the bodyguards on either side of her.

Like security at Incheon Airport, they got through customs very quickly and Luna was the first to leave. Ilsung escorted her to one of the cars waiting outside the airport. She didn’t know who would be getting inside it with her as it was dependant on who came out first and which car the managers sorted them in to.

10 minutes later she sees them coming. The car door opens with Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Mingi and Yeosang getting in and Yunho, San, Wooyoung and Jongho entering the car behind them.

“Everything go okay?” Seonghwa asks her

“Yeah, straight through with no issues.” she replies as the car begins to move

“Are you going for a nap when you get to your hotel room?” Yeosang asks

“No, I need to do some work.” she answers

Hongjoong frowns, worry creasing his forehead. "Seriously? You plan on diving into work right away?"

"I've got a conference meeting in like 2 hours," Luna says, pulling her phone from her pocket. "I got some work done on the flight but I need to finish it before the meeting."

"A meeting so soon after the flight?" Hongjoong's expression turns grave, his voice tinged with concern. "Who is it with?"

"Eden," Luna answers distractedly, focused on replying to a work email she had just received

Hongjoong's eyes widen in alarm. "No way, you're not working. Rest should be your priority after such a long flight!" He places a gentle but firm hand on her phone screen, lowering it from her face.

Luna's brows draw together in frustration and she pulls the phone back up. "But the album discussion for Japan can't be postponed!"

“No, I will call him.” Hongjoong fixes her with a serious look, “I'll make sure Eden understands that today is off-limits for work.” His voice leaves no room for argument.

“It is essential that it happens today.” Luna's determination remains unscathed. Her sharp tone echoes in the enclosed space.

A silence falls in the car as Hongjoong and Luna look at one another, neither one of them showing any signs of backing down. Mingi, Yeosang and Seonghwa look between themselves.

“Hongjoong has a point.” Seonghwa speaks softly, “You have just got off a very long flight. You need time to rest and adjust to the timezone.”

“I appreciate your concern, but this meeting can't be postponed,” Luna holds her ground.

Mingi chimes in softly, empathy dripping from his words, "We understand your dedication and work ethic, but princess, your health comes first. Let Hongjoong handle this."

Feeling the weight of their worries bearing down on her, Luna takes a deep breath before assertively saying, "I understand your concerns, but this meeting with Eden cannot wait any longer."

Hongjoong's frustration bubbles over at Luna's insistence on working despite everyone's advice, his voice rises slightly. "Luna, please listen to us. We only want what's best for you. Trust me to take care of this today. Your well-being surpasses any work obligation."

As Luna gazes at each of them, she senses their genuine care reflected in their expressions. Despite knowing the importance of the meeting, she was already feeling the fatigue from the past 18 hours catching up to her. "Fine, go ahead and reschedule it," she concedes, turning her head away from them to look out of the car window.

"Luna, I apologise if I seem forceful; my intention was only your well-being," Hongjoong says, feeling a little guilty at going into leader mode with Luna, something he never wanted to do with her.

"I know," Luna replies, meeting his apologetic gaze. "It's just, when it comes to work I take it very seriously."

"We know you work hard, sometimes too hard," Yeosang says.

“I don’t want to be a slacker or let anyone down.” Luna's words reflect her dedication and concern, “And I don’t want to piss off Eden either when I’ve been given such an important job.”

"No one could ever accuse you of being a slacker," Hongjoong reassures. "As for Eden, leave him to me. This was my decision, not yours. So if he wants to be angry at anyone, he can be angry at me."

Luna rubs her temples, feeling a headache begin. "I don't want him angry at anyone."

The car slows down and comes to a stop outside their hotel. The guys had told Luna earlier that another manager always goes ahead and checks in everyone so their room key cards were ready for them. No delays or waiting around, just straight to their rooms. It sounded like heaven to her, not having to deal with it all herself.

Exiting the car, Luna takes a deep breath, trying to shake off her exhaustion. She follows the guys into the hotel, her mind still on the postponed meeting. As they step into the brightly lit lobby, she sees the others are already here.

“How was the drive?” Wooyoung asks as she joins them

Luna sighs a little, “It was alright.”

“What’s wrong?” Yunho asks her

“We just had a little difference of opinion.” she says, running a hand through her hair. “I am sure it will be fine though.”

San furrows his brows, concern etching his face. “What happened?”

“I was supposed to be having a meeting with Eden in a couple of hours,” she replies, glancing over at Hongjoong who is talking on his phone, “Hongjoong made the decision that I wasn’t to do it so I could rest and I am worried Eden is going to be pissed off.”

Sans expression softens as he looks between Luna and Hongjoong. “You know how Eden gets about work but he’ll understand you’ve just had a 12 hour flight and need to adjust to the time zone. Hongjoong will handle it so don’t worry.”

As Hajoon distributes their keycards, relief washes over Luna. At least she didn't have to handle check-in after the long journey. The group shuffles toward the elevators, Luna trailing behind, muscles beginning to ache.

"We should all meet up for dinner later in my room," Hongjoong suggests as the doors slide shut. "It'll be more private."

“That sounds like a good idea.” San agrees

“What do you think Luna?” Mingi asks her

“Only if you guys don’t have any other plans.” she replies

"You are our plans," Wooyoung smiles, eliciting one from her too.

“What is your room number?” Yeosang asks her

"638," she answers, checking her card.

“Ooh, I am 636. Maybe you and I will have the adjoining door!” Mingi grins

“Unless I do, I am 640!” Yunho says

“That is not fair!” Wooyoung pouts. “I am 682!!”

Everyone begins to laugh as the lift doors slide open and they walk out.

“Luggage should be here in 2/3 hours.” Seonghwa says to Luna as they all walk down the corridor towards their assigned rooms, “If we are sleeping when they arrive the managers just put them in our rooms but we asked them not to do that for you, instead they will put it in one of our rooms for you. So you don’t need to worry about someone coming into your room.”

“Thanks, that sounds good. I’d probably freak out if that happened.” Luna laughs, “Here is my room!”

“Aww I am on the far away side.” Mingi says as he stands in front of his door

“At least you are nearby!” Wooyoung mumbles passing him, “I shall see you all from the other side!”

“My room in 4 hours!” Hongjoong says, “Everyone get a proper rest too!” he adds, more towards Luna than anyone else

After bidding everyone goodbye, Luna enters her room and collapses onto the plush, white bedspread. The room is quiet, a stark contrast to the jovial banter from moments ago. She closes her eyes, relishing in the silence and feeling the weariness settle into her bones. Suddenly, she hears a soft knock coming from the adjoining door, breaking the silence.

“Hey neighbour!” Yunho grins as Luna opens the door between their hotel rooms.

“Yun!” Luna giggles at his antics as he moves aside to let her into his room

“Is your room okay?” he inquires, closing the door behind her.

“Yeah, it's great!” she replies with a faint smile.

“Are you okay?” Yunho's concern is evident in his voice. His arms automatically envelop her into a hug

Luna sinks into his embrace with a sigh, her body melting against his. "Just a bit tired. I wish I had my suitcase so I could change into something comfy." Her words are muffled against his chest.

“I can give you something to change into until our luggage arrives.” Yunho's hand strokes her hair soothingly.

“What about you?” she asks

“I’ll be okay.” he replies kissing the top of her head, "We could take a nap together if you want."

Luna peers up at him, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Just trying to get me in your bed, huh Mr. Jeong?"

Yunho's laugh rumbles through his chest. "You know I'd have you in my bed 24/7 if I could." He runs his hands down her back. "But we both need sleep, and it'll be a couple hours before our bags arrive." he adds placing a soft kiss to her forehead

As Luna leans back into Yunho, her body feels heavy and sleep calls to her. Jet lag seeps into her bones, urging her to rest as she nuzzles into the soft cotton of Yunho's sweatshirt, inhaling his scent. "Mm a nap does sound good right now," she murmurs through a yawn.

“Let me grab you something to change into.” he says gently, releasing her from his hold. “Next time, pack a spare set of clothes in your carry-on. It’s always handy after long flights, especially when we're stuck waiting for our bags.”

“I'll remember that for next time,” Luna promises as Yunho hands her an oversized t-shirt.

“I would offer you some sweats, but they’d swallow you whole,” Yunho chuckles.

“This is perfect, thanks,” Luna reassures him.

She lays the t-shirt on the bed and begins to slip off her hoodie and t-shirt. Noticing Yunho turning away, Luna questions, “Why are you looking away?” She unbuttons her jeans and pulls them off before putting Yunhos t-shirt over her head. The long length of it resembles a dress on her short frame compared to him.

"To give you privacy," he replies, the edges of his ears blushing into a shade of red.

“Yunho…” she says wrapping her arms around him from behind, “You’ve seen me naked and even pulled my underwear off with your teeth… do you think I care about you seeing me in my underwear right now?”

“It’s just… I want to respect you and your boundaries.” he says

Luna moves her arms to his waist and turns him around to face her. “With you I don’t have any.” she goes on her tiptoes to kiss his lips. “I am yours.” she whispers

Yunho nods, a small smile playing on his lips as he takes in her words. “I’m yours too.”

Luna, hearing a sudden vibration from her phone, lifts it from the desk she placed it on and winces at the battery notification.

“Shit! Can I charge up my phone in here?” Luna's voice is urgent, filled with a hint of panic. "I am on like 10%!"

“Of course. You can use my charger.” he replies pulling it out his bag and handing it to her.

As Luna plugs her phone in Yunho gets changed into a pair of sweats and takes his sweatshirt off, revealing a black tank top underneath.

Luna quickly texts her mom to let her know she’s arrived in LA and sees a new message from Hongjoong, apologising for going into leader mode over the Eden situation. She quickly replies, it is okay and thanking him for looking after her. As she sits on the edge of the bed and places the phone on the bedside table, Yunho pulls her towards him, causing her to giggle and fall onto the plush mattress with a soft thud. Her laughter echoes through the room, filling it with joy and warmth.

"Fuck, I love that laugh," Yunho grins, hovering over her as she lays back against the soft bedding. His hands move to her arms, pinning them down to the mattress and kisses her deeply. His fingers trace the scars on her wrists that he had only recently noticed. Intertwining their fingers, he feels her moan softly against his lips.

“Time to sleep, little one.” Yunho smiles as their lips part. “When you wake, our luggage will be here. We can shower, get changed and meet the others for dinner in Hongjoong’s room.”

“Can we shower together?” Luna asks sleepily, stifling a yawn.

“Whatever you want.” he whispers, tucking some of her hair behind her ear as he lays down beside her.

Yunho feels a flutter inside him as she cuddles into him and closes her eyes. He knew in this moment that his feelings towards her had shifted, he was beginning to fall for her and that it could complicate everything if he allows himself to fall completely.

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