#and the series doesn't pat itself on the back for it

[yawnderu]

Immortal She — Simon ''Ghost'' Riley x Reader

For a broken man with nothing to cling to other than his job, obsession can start fast. All it takes is one glimpse at the divine passing figure in the dark forest, his mind taken away from the mission to simply admire how perfect she looks, ignoring all the red flags going off in his head. Red is the color of love anyway, isn't it?

No civilians were ever found in that area, and yet. He keeps getting glimpses of her in the most unlikely places, seeing her passing figure and cherishing the memories every single time he does. It's not often she shows herself to him— sometimes he doesn't see her for weeks or months, sometimes years, yet he keeps her memory alive, not terrified when he sees the dark shadow standing behind him in the mirror.

He's too scared to look away, too scared to blink in fears he won't see the object of his obsession, yet all he can see is her figure. Oh, how he wishes he could see more. How he wishes he could turn around and ravish her in the way he imagines in his restless dreams, praising and worshipping her like the goddess he knows she is.

Water is getting in his eyes from washing his face after waking up from a nightmare, yet he doesn't blink no matter how much it stings. He's been through so much worse, what's a little pain compared to the reward of seeing her figure whole for the first time ever? He's so in love he doesn't even flinch when the figure is suddenly behind him, long nails that resemble claws more than anything are gently patting his bare chest. She's so close, right under the light, yet she's still just a shadow. Just a shadow, until he can see the white of an eye staring back at him through the mirror.

He's so fucked. He's so fucked, not because she will hurt him, but because he can't help falling harder and harder. Is he hallucinating again like when he saw everyone with skulls instead of human faces? Is the brainwashing and torture from Roba still affecting his brain? There's no way— he hasn't hallucinated in years.

Slowly the shadows burn away from her body, revealing the bare figure of his obsession. His muse, which he has been drawing nonstop after shamefully asking Johnny to teach him how to use the pen and paper, perfecting it in no time just to be able to portray her as accurately as he sees her. It's still not good enough— someone like her deserves to be painted for years before it's half as accurate, ignoring all the blisters and blood in his hands, ignoring the fading scars and the new ones. He'd paint her in his own blood even if it takes all of it.

Her head tilts to the side and her lips part as if she's going to say something, yet not a single word comes out of her lips. He realizes she's cold to the touch. Cold to the touch and wet, as if he's being tenderly held by the genesis serpent itself. His hand hesitantly reaches up to hold hers, ignoring the way her claws cut deep into his hand, ignoring the way blood is running down his arm and falling to the floor with an almost delicious drip. He holds her hand for what feels like forever, unblinking as he stares at how perfect their figures look together, like a puzzle piece that has been missing for years.

He doesn't know when exactly he passed out, alone in bed and with no visible wounds. The only proof of her presence that night was leftover dirt in the entrance of his quarters, forming a tiny path towards his bathroom, stopping where they embraced each other.

Making a series of one-shots about this soon.<3

#cod mwii #cod mw2 #simon ghost riley #ghost mw2 #simon riley #ghost cod #simon ghost x reader #simon riley x reader #simon riley x you #call of duty #ghost x f!reader #ghost x y/n #ghost x you #ghost x reader #ghost x female reader #simon ghost riley x reader #simon riley imagine #simon x reader #mw2 ghost #mw2 #cod modern warfare #cod #cod mw2 x reader #mw2 x reader #mw2 x you #paranormal au #horror au #horror #creative writing #cod mw3

[libraryofgage]

Steddie PJO AU Part One

One (1) person asked for this, and it was only after I told them I'd had an idea, so, like, fuck it we ball.

The parents of the various kids will be revealed as the series goes on, but I'll look forward to your guesses along the way!

Also, I haven't read the books in a hot fucking minute, but the trailer has had me in a chokehold. This is written more for fun than anything else, so just shut off your brain and enjoy the ride without thinking about accuracy. You'll love it, I promise!

As always, if you see any typos no you didn't ;)

---

With a low, frustrated growl, Eddie tears a page out of his notebook, crumples it into a ball, and throws it on the floor of his tent. All he gets for his troubles is another page of lyrics underneath the first that fail to actually do what he wants. "Fucking shit prophecy," he mutters, tearing that page out, too.

It hits the ground right as Chrissy pokes her head into the tent. She watches it bounce once before settling on the ground. "How's the songwriting?" she jokes, letting the tent's flap fall shut behind her.

"Bad," Eddie says, dropping the notebook and standing. He glares at the paper balls and kicks one away. "Just as bad as the prophecy itself."

"Aww, it's not that bad," Chrissy says, walking a little closer and playfully punching Eddie's arm. Her smile is bright enough to make Eddie feel like he needs sunglasses, and that isn't even because Chrissy's father is Apollo. That's just all her. "At least your prophecy doesn't promise, you know, horrible death."

Eddie scoffs, turning to look at Chrissy as he gestures at his Def Leppard shirt and torn jeans and chunky rings and general metalhead vibe. "Do I look like someone who should be getting that prophecy?" he asks.

He doesn't wait for her to answer before scrunching his face and reciting in a high, mocking voice, "You shall witness an unfair fight between land and sky where feathers with great reluctance fly. And as the sun is shining bright, you shall be swaying in the moon's sweet light."

By the time he's done, he's clasped his hands and held them up to his face with an exaggerated doe-eyed expression. Eddie drops it the moment he finishes, his nose scrunching in disgust as he rolls his eyes. "I have a reputation to uphold, Chrissy."

She doesn't take his complaints seriously. Instead, Chrissy rolls her eyes and sits on the edge of Eddie's cot. "Sure, sure, you're too cool for anything good to happen to you. Still, you might be better off if you didn't try turning that prophecy into something angry."

Eddie huffs, kicks another paper ball, and drops to a crouch next to the cot. After a few seconds, he begrudgingly admits, "Yeah, maybe."

Chrissy sympathetically pats his head, her touch warm and light, and smiles at him. "In other news, we've got another retrieval request for you," she says.

"Oh, boy, work."

"C'mon, you enjoy them," Chrissy says, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a folded piece of paper. "A cyclops sighted some demigod kids running around with, well, she wasn't sure if he was also a demigod or not. But they won't be safe long when they're clustered together like that, so, go bring 'em back."

She passes Eddie the piece of paper and watches as he unfolds it and frowns at the two words written there: "Athens, Tennessee."

"Are you kidding me? That's so cliche," Eddie says.

"Yeah, but at least it's not California or something."

"Thank fuck for small miracles," Eddie mutters, folding up the paper again and shoving it into his pocket.

Looks like he's got packing to do.

The sun is shining, birds are tweeting, and a cool wind is blowing across the park. Steve lets out a slow breath, his shoulders starting to relax as he leans against a tree and watches Will and Lucas lay out a few blankets, Mike and Dustin get into an argument about the scale proportions of the Parthenon, and Max, Erica, and El throw a frisbee between them.

It's been a long month, one that seemed to be filled with more running and near-death experiences than they're used to. And they're used to a lot of running and near-death experiences.

So, taking a day to just relax in the park sounded great when El suggested it, but Steve had still hesitated. Who knows what could find them if they linger in a park too long. When he voiced these concerns, the kids just banded together to convince Steve, and he relented when they compromised on him bringing the nail bat along.

"Steve, do you wanna lay down?" Lucas asks, gesturing to the blankets. Will is already there, stretched out and smiling up at a rainbow stretching across the sky.

Steve joins them, pulls a Bluetooth speaker out of one of the backpacks holding the blankets down, and connects his phone. Music starts playing, and he sprawls across a blanket, pillowing his head on his arms and taking in the sunshine. "You know, this is nice," he says.

"Yeah. We should do this more often," Will whispers, nearly drowned out by the grass rustling in the breeze.

Between the breeze and the music, Steve starts to drift off, his breathing evening out as his mind wanders. He's half asleep when he hears Dustin shout, "It's a fucking one-to-one asshole!"

His words are quickly followed by Mike shouting back, "Who gives a shit?!"

Steve sighs and adds his own voice to the mix. "Stop fighting!"

"Yeah, guys, stop fighting," Max says, and Steve can imagine her tongue sticking out at them as he hears Erica snort.

"Oh, fuck you," Dustin shoots back.

"That's it!" Steve announces, sitting up and glaring at the kids. "Get over here."

His voice leaves no room for argument, and he'd feel bad at how the kids deflate if he didn't already know they're all menaces. Once he's got all seven kids on the blankets, he sighs and says, "Look, guys, let's not fight. How about we all just sit here for a bit, enjoy the breeze, and then we'll go get lunch."

The kids glance at each other, a silent conversation that Steve barely follows passing between them before Mike nods. "Yeah, sure, I guess."

"Great, now, just re--"

"Oh, how cute!"

The sudden, saccharine voice sets Steve's entire body on edge. He slowly looks over his shoulder, staring at the middle-aged woman smiling down at them. Something about her is familiarly off, but he tries to give her the benefit of the doubt. So, Steve flashes a charming smile and asks, "Hi, can I help you with something?"

The woman's smile turns a little sharp, and she shakes her head. "Oh, no, I just had to commend you on your ability to round up these kids like that," she explains.

Steve hums and pushes himself up, keeping a hold on his bat so he can rest the end on the ground and lean on it. He feels more than sees the kids start to shift until they're behind him. "Well, thanks. Did you want advice or something on caring for your own kids?" he asks.

She laughs, short and grating on Steve's ears, and then tilts her head not unlike a bird. "No, no. It's just impressive that you've managed to keep them alive for so long," she says, her voice distorting and becoming shriller as she speaks.

Yep. There it is.

"Wow, that's even faster than usual," Lucas says.

He's right, which just makes Steve even more upset. Can he not get more than fifteen minutes of peace? Can he not just lay back and enjoy the sunshine without worrying about some monster coming after his kids? Can he not fucking relax for once?

Steve feels the frustration build and build in his chest, crackling through him until he's ready to burst, and he stands up straighter. "I'll give you one warning," he says, his voice low as he watches feathers sprout from the woman's skin. "You walk away right now, and I won't beat the shit out of you."

The woman, who seems to be mostly bird by now and is probably a harpy, just laughs again, like Steve's told her the funniest joke she's ever heard. "You? Defeat me?" she asks, her eyes roaming over Steve before she laughs again. "I am worse than your nightmares. I have eaten more demigods than you can count. I have feasted on their screams and crunched their bones between my teeth, and I look forward to doing the same with these children. What could a lone son of some lesser god possibly do to stop me?"

From behind him, Steve hears a few of the kids inhale sharply, an almost sympathetic sound. "Well, she's done it now," Erica says.

"Yes. Steve is going to kill her," El agrees, her voice soft and brushing against Steve's ears like a tiny snake.

And yeah, they're right. Maybe Steve would have just beaten her unconscious and then gotten the hell out of dodge, but now she's threatened his kids. She's lost any chance at mercy from him.

With a twirl of his bat and a vicious grin, Steve rolls his shoulders back and says, "Wanna find out, overgrown chicken?" he asks.

He doesn't even bother waiting for an answer before swinging his bat, the nails dragging across the harpy's chest and ripping a shriek from her. Now that Steve is thinking about it, violence is also a great way to relieve stress, and he's certainly not going to look a gift harpy in the mouth.

----

If you'd like to be tagged in future parts, just let me know!

#steddie #percy jackson au #semi-divine steddie #that's the tag for this series btw #steddie fic #steve harrington #eddie munson #the party #stranger things #stranger things fic #my writing

[spectres-n-soap]

In The Rain I Cannot Find You - Soap x Reader x Ghost

Content Warnings - Near death experience, Soap is mentioned to be drunk, grief, MW3 is canon

Series Masterlist

Blog Masterlist

"Lass?" Soap slurred as he hung off your shoulder. "Ye got a lad back home?"

You rolled your eyes and shrugged him off of you. "I don't and you're drunk."

"Away n' bile yer heid." Soap grumbled and nudged you a little. "How is a lass as bonnie as ye alone?"

You gave him your best signature 'STFU' look while he just grinned back at you. His blue eyes still bright despite being in a dingy, dark pub. The kind of pub you would have avoided going into if not dragged here by the squad. "I'm not alone." you said and dragged out the last word. "I got you, Ghost, Gaz and Price."

Soap laughed, "Thought friendship wasn't in the field manual lass."

"Fuck off MacTavish."

It's raining. Feels like its always raining these days as you get closer to the due date. "Maybe we should turn back." You suggest for a third time.

"No." Simon says, his hands clench the steering wheel harder. Simon knew that the closer you got to Scotland the more anxious you became. He doesn't judge, his stomach had its own pit opening up within it. "A little bit of rain isn't gonna stop us."

You nod and slouch, or at least try, into the seat. You pick at your nails and then tap against the center console. Simon doesn't comment. It hadn't occurred to you until this morning that bringing Simon might make you look bad. You glance over at him, his brown eyes solely on the road. It should be Johnny, you think, taking me to his mum. Not Simon.

Soap pulled you back under cover, "Are ye insane?" he asked with a growl. "Chargin' in there, what was ye thinkin'?" Soap patted you down and searched for any injuries.

" 'M fine Soap." you huffed and pushed him away, "Dunno why you care so much." You muttered as you refill your ammo.

"Ye don't know- Bleedin' Christ lass." Soap laughed as he shook his head.

"What?"

"Nothin'." Soap muttered, "Yer not broken?"

"Right as rain Soap."

"Lets head to the safe house then."

The house is the same as you remember. That fact makes your stomach folds in on itself. Its just so normal. You take a deep breath in before getting out of the truck. You can't help but think about the two reason you've had to come here. Death and life, two sides of the same coin. You hobble up the porch steps and only knock once before its swinging open. Its not Johnny's mother who opens it or stands there.

"Johnny?" you mutter, meeting the gaze of the same blue eyes who once looked at you with love. The confusion clears away as you realize this is his Da. 

"No lass." his Da mutters, his eyes filling with despair. He looks at your pregnant stomach, "That my sons bairn?" You nod, mouth going dry as he steps aside and opens the door wider. You look back to Simon who nods and gestures for you to go.

"Soap?" you whispered, your breath fogged in the air. It was fucking freezing. Swamps? Sure. The desert, the rain forest, urban sprawl? You could handle all those things but the constant freezing cold of Siberia was something you loathed. There's cold and then there this. "Soap?" 

"Lass ye won't fall asleep if you keep talkin'." Soap replied as he rolled over to face you.

"I'm fucking freezing." you chattered out. You didn't give a choice as you ditched your sleeping bag and wiggled into his. "Say something and I'll bury you in the snow."

"Aye, I'll be quiet." Soap muttered as he pulled you closer somehow. He was remarkably warm. Like some kind of heater. You wrapped your arms around him and then shoved your hands down his shirt. You laughed as he yelped and cursed at you.

You sit at their table as his Mum and Da whisper to each other in the kitchen. You can hear a TV playing upstairs, a video game you deduce. They still have little ones growing up. Your heart clenches, they lost their big brother. Maybe even an uncle.

Finally his Mum comes out with a plate of snacks and some lovely smelling tea. "I'm glad you texted me." his Mum says as she sits down. "Do you know the bairns gender?"

"No ma'am."

"Oh don't call me that." she says, a fain smile on her lips, "Not quiet that old yet." a silence falls between the two of you.

"You- You must have more questions besides that." you say.

"I'll be honest lass, he wrote home a lot. So many letters talk about you and his Lieutenant." she places a hand on yours, "I suspected there was something going on. Ye showing up o my porch just confirmed what I thought."

"Your not upset?" you carefully ask.

"Yer the lass he loved. Ye carry his bairn and contacted us despite having the choice not to." she smiles despite the pools of grief in her eyes, "Far as I'm concerned, yer part of this family."

it hits you hard, her words batter down every wall you had quickly built in the last nine months. The tears come quick and without warning. You sniffle as a way to fight off the sobbing.

"Lass?" his Da comes from the kitchen, "Are ye okay?"

You shake your head and arms immediately envelope you. His mum smells like rain and cookie dough you realize. "You don't have to be alone in this." she whispers.

"I'm not alone." You mutter, mind jumping to Simon. Simon who love Johnny as much as you do, who helped you paint and set up the nursey, hold your hair and rushes over from just one call.

You dragged Soap from the fire and winced as the flames licked at your hands. "C'mon you asshole." you snarled before you finally recused him from the burning warehouse. A trap, a god damn trap that might've done its job if it hadn't been horribly rigged.

You put two fingers to his throat then ripped off his vest. "Damn it Johnny." you growled as you begin to do cpr. "You aren't allowed to leave me in this cold wasteland." you counted the chest compressions. 26, 27, 28, 29, 30. You pressed your lips to his while you pinched his nose close. You pushed two breaths into him before resuming the rhythmic chest compressions. "Fucking black ops." you muttered as you repeated the process.

Your heart pounded against your chest, tears filled your eyes. 28, 29, 30, then two breaths. Repeat, repeat, repeat. A sob got caught in your throat, your arms ached and your hands had gone numb from the freezing cold. "Johnny please."

You put your lips to his, plugged his nose and breathed. Finally, he coughed and rolled over to vomit as you sat back on your feet and cried.

#john soap mactavish #john soap mctavish x reader #soap #call of duty #cod #john soap mctavish x you #ghost x reader #mw3 spoilers #simon ghost riley #simon riley #simon riley x you #simon riley x reader #simon ghost x reader #ghost x soap x reader #ghost x you

[raspberryslushie]

When You're Scared

Ft. Xiao, Wanderer, and Kazuha x gn! reader (Separate)

Warnings: crying 😔, cringe, freaking tf out. I didn't pre-plan this on a doc either, so it's kinda weird and messy to read idk. I kinda also messed up on pacing but it came out in a whim so WTV HAHA

Wanderer is referred to by his old alias, Scaramouche, since wanderer is more comfortably said as "the wanderer," but thats kinda wacky so i just got lazy and used scaramouche instead LMAO

Prompt: How would they comfort you in your times of need?

Xiao

He probably came in out of nowhere and scared you more than whatever else u were worried about before

Teleports in the second he hears ur sniffling tho 

questions u in all caps, bold, and italics irl

The second he realizes that interrogating you probably wasn't gonna help, he sits the both of you down and stares. for like half an hour.

Xiao doesn't know how to react when you suddenly cling onto his shirt and cry into his shoulder.

But it doesn't matter how long it takes for him to calm you down, because even if he's inexperienced, he'd do anything to make u happy again

Hands shaking and clenching into fists so tight to the point where your nails were digging deeply into your skin to the point of numbing, you felt a scream begging to tear itself out of your throat. But when those sobs of terror found themselves out, they sounded of something desperate, and you weren't the only one who heard.

"What's wrong?" A rough hand pulled against your arm and made you face the person in question, who was unsurprisingly stoic, weapon already out to fight off whatever might've been troubling you. Yet when you look into his eyes, they're frantic and scouring your form for even the tiniest of cuts. After all, Xiao promised the world that under his watch, none would do you harm. And as an adeptus, it was his duty to protect mortals who couldn't defend themselves.

But Xiao didn’t realize what was bothering you at first, because in his eyes, there was little to be afraid of when nothing else was in the room, yet the gods had sent down demons that even he couldn't conquer: your own mind. Even so, with you by his side he learned how to comfort someone without a spear in the moment that your body leaned against his, warm arms hugging around his torso tightly. What comes first from him is an awkward gasp that sounded like something between a yelp and a hiccup, but then you feel a series of gentle pats on your back, and soon the yaksha finds himself softening into your hug. It's comforting because maybe Xiao doesn't exactly mind the prospect of loving you like this after all.

Wanderer

probably isn't as sensitive to these types of things as Xiao or Kazuha might be

wonders who might be bothering you once he finally notices the tears rolling down your cheeks.

threatens u to tell him

pretends like he doesnt care

secret hugs at night or in private, because he's really just shy 

"Who hurt you?" Scaramouche stared you dead in the eyes, refusing to back down.

"No one! Archons, would you just leave me alone!" You hardly ever talked back to him so aggressively, and it’s at that moment when he finally realizes that you were scared, because once you brought up the idea of leaving him, he knew he felt the same as you did right then.

But Scaramouche knew no other way of hushing you up than to bring you close and smother you in his embrace because with how tightly his arms were wrapped around you, it might've been lethal. Once he finally does let go, it takes you a few moments to catch your breath. The second you look at him though, his expression has you in a chokehold. The boy wept for you.

He wasn't someone who felt too strongly about anything, no, and would rather end his own existence than openly admit his feelings, but how could he bear your tears? Abandonment left its marks on him enough times to dread the day you would too, leave him, and even if you hated Scaramouche for how he seemed to not care for any human decency, there was nothing he wouldn't do to keep your smile.

That night it took everything in you to try and act as if you were deep in slumber once Scaramouche made his way to your room. You felt him sit atop the bed before dragging the sheets across his form and pressing your back flush against his chest. Slender arms were covering your body protectively, and the entire night was spent by him mumbling quiet “I love you”’s until he fell asleep, face red hot and snuggled in your shoulder.

Kazuha

He knows fear as an emotion well, and knows you as a person just as well, too.

100% sure of what’s wrong and what you need bc he pays more attention to you than anything else.

If you’re in public and don’t want to be seen, he’d take his arm with the long sleeve and cover you with that and his body while you walk home.

Picks up take-out or makes you his own dishes once you get him.

Hugs and kisses irl please make out with me /hj

“Are you alright, love?” Kazuha puts an arm around your shoulder before looking down at you.

“Y-yeah, fine Kazuha.” Lies. And Kazuha knew that well enough to end your excursion early to head home. The city streets were crowded by festival times, and he was willing to leave early for your sake.

“No, you’re not,” He covered your face with his sleeve and guided the two of you away from prying eyes. “Let’s get back, the evening air is beginning to mellow out.” The rest of the walk home is wordless, aside from a few muffled sniffs and cries, but Kazuha made the panic drown out in the soothing winds that whipped around your hair.

By the time you got home, your heart had already found itself back at normal pace, and Kazuha laid you down on a blanketed mat. But you got up anyway to follow him while he cooked, for the sake of “company”. (He knew that you really just wanted to stay near him). 

The rest of the night you ate together in private, and as much as you tried to apologize for breaking down in the middle of your outing, he didn't listen into any of it, relentlessly pecking your cheek with kisses in his own way of telling you that it was all alright.

That night Kazuha actually had more trouble sleeping than you, for he was out past midnight scribbling down all the words he found himself fond of in the wilderness. One by one, the lines and rhymes flowed together, until you wake up the next morning to the smell of fried fish and a piece of paper on the nightstand that told you all the words he couldn’t last night.

#genshin impact headcanon #genshin impact #kazuha #xiao #genshin imagines #genshin x you #xiao x reader #albedo x reader #kazuha x reader #xiao imagines #kazuha imagines #xiao x you #kazuha x you #genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #scaramouche imagines #scaramouche x reader #scaramouche #scaramouche x you #wanderer #wanderer x you #wanderer x reader #wanderer genshin impact #xiao genshin impact #kazuha genshin impact #kaedehara kazuha #🍓-Completed #xiao headcanons #kazuha headcanons #wanderer headcanons

[whinlatter]

In your opinion when did Ginny start drifting away from Dean? What was it that made her decide she didn’t want to be with him anymore? I know it can’t just be him helping her through the door because it’s such a small reason to break up with someone. Did she start to notice Harry noticing her? Or did the relationship run it’s course?

are you ready for an unhinged galaxy brain take from me

I actually think Ginny started to suspect something had changed in Harry's feelings for her not long after he himself realised, after the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff match, early November. The scraps of evidence for this headcanon are few and far between but you can nonetheless prise them from my cold dead hands. Even before Harry himself realised he had feelings for Ginny, he was asking to hang out with her (on the train, in Hogsmeade) in ways that definitely would have seemed new. Then after the match itself:

'Laughing, Harry broke free of the rest of the team and hugged Ginny, but let go very quickly. Avoiding her gaze, he clapped a cheering Ron on the back instead as, all enmity forgotten, the Gryffindor team left the pitch arm in arm, punching the air and waving to their supporters.'

Ginny is a very good reader of Harry's emotions and responses at this point in the series. She seems to clock that Harry has just given her this very weird, out of character hug - weird both in that it's clearly very physically awkward and brief, but also weird in that Harry has given her a hug at all, when he's never initiated a hug with any other character before, let alone her. Then, this chat at the after party, immediately after Harry has just ditched a group of admiring (and extremely willing) girls flirting with him:

'“It looks like he’s eating her face, doesn’t it?” said Ginny dispassionately. “But I suppose he’s got to refine his technique somehow. Good game, Harry.” She patted him on the arm; Harry felt a swooping sensation in his stomach, but then she walked off to help herself to more butterbeer. Crookshanks trotted after her, his yellow eyes fixed upon Arnold.'

This is the first time Ginny touches Harry in the series. It's innocuous enough to anyone watching - Chaser pats Captain on the arm after a game - but given how unusual it is for Ginny to touch Harry, so soon after their previous strange interaction where Harry initiated touch with Ginny for the first time, I think we can see this interaction as Ginny testing her theory. (Tbh I think Harry's response to her here, including the fact that he literally doesn't even speak in front her lol, would give her even more reason for suspicion.)

I basically think Dean and Ginny are doomed after this. Not because I think Ginny would be like great Harry likes me time to break up with Dean - I think she's got months of pranging out about it ahead of her. But I think the stage is set for Ginny starting to actively compare Dean to Harry, and finding him wanting. Between the more morsels of evidence she gets in the following weeks (taking Luna to the ball, the maggot incident), and how miserable Ginny seems at the prospect of going back to Dean in the New Year, I think there's good reason to suspect she had clocked that Harry might, at long last, be returning feelings for her. (I tried to talk a bit about Ginny's view of Dean here).

I know a lot of fics and general fanon has Hermione working Harry's crush out first and pointing it out to Ginny, but I actually really don't buy this! There's no real proof of Hermione noticing Harry's changing feelings for Ginny until really late on. On the topic of Slughorn's party, she tells him to "just invite someone", and doesn't seem to suspect anything after he lies that there's no-one he wants to invite. I genuinely don't think Hermione knew until mid-March:

“Yeah, well, there was no need for Ginny and Dean to split up over it,” said Harry, still trying to sound casual. “Or are they still together?” “Yes, they are — but why are you so interested?” asked Hermione, giving Harry a sharp look. “I just don’t want my Quidditch team messed up again!” he said hastily, but Hermione continued to look suspicious, and he was most relieved when a voice behind them called, “Harry!” giving him an excuse to turn his back on her.

Of course, after this point, Hermione is in full super sleuth mode. To Hermione, Ginny's argument with Dean suddenly makes a lot more sense now she's realised that a) Harry likes Ginny and b) Ginny has already worked out Harry likes her and so is sabotaging her relationship with Dean. After Ginny and Dean break up while Harry is on Felix Felicis (subtle from HJP), Hermione knows for sure what's going on, and is deliciously smug and unsubtle about it in ways that makes me think if she had known before this, she would have let on. It's true that Harry is oblivious, but it's also true that Hermione has never passed up a chance to say I told you so (she's just like me fr)

#hinny #meta #TL;DR ginny weasley knew as soon as that man came in for a cuddle #'harry potter wants to HUG ME? oh shit i'm in trouble' - ginny weasley #probably #thank you anon! #trying to work through my inbox i'm so sorry this week has been a fresh fiery hellscape of deadlines #doin my best forgive me forgive me

[nerdlingmerchling]

CROWS AND LOVE LANGUAGES

Physical touch. 

Am I surprised this one came on top for Jesper? Not at all.  

In the show, Kit plays Jesper as someone who's VERY TACTILE and sensual at his core;  experiencing the world primarily through bodily sensations. 

His signature move?  The pat on the shoulder. He does that to people he doesn't know that well (Arken). He also has no misgivings hugging strangers (Markus the circus guy). 

He pats Wylan on the shoulder several times as they get to know each other, even holds his hand for the whole “Jesper Fahey, are you worried about me” conversation. 

And when he and Wylan are figuring out their relationship, whenever Wylan's within touching distance, Jesper has an arm around his shoulders. When they first arrive in Shu Han, and Wylan is upset about Jesper finding out he can't read, you can tell how much the physical distance between them pains Jesper. Physical touch is a big part of how he seeks and gives reassurance and comfort, and not being able to do that makes him anxious. At the same time, he’s able to respect boundaries, and as much as I’m sure it must be difficult for him, he's able to refrain from touching Kaz. 

His friendship with Inej also involves a lot of physical affection : hugging, face touching, forehead kissing. It’s also true in the books. I remember a scene, much like the one in the series, where Kaz wishes he could be like Jesper and spin Inej around in his arms. Jesper is about as tactile as Kaz isn't. 

I’d argue that physical touch is also a big part of who BookJesper is. Let’s remember that in trying to figure out romantic chemistry between him and Wylan, a lot of it was riding on how it would feel to kiss Wylan (“it’s the kiss he’s been waiting for. It was prairie fire…”) 

Words of affirmation

I marked that this one would come in third ; the poll put it in second place. 

A love language is how you show love, and also how you want others to show you love. And I think Jesper craves words of affirmation. What makes me say that? His bragging and his cockiness.

He says : “I'm so handsome” because he wants to hear “you're handsome, Jesper.” 

He says: “I’m fantastic” cause he wants to be told he's indeed fantastic and a good friend. 

He says: “you're going to tell me you can't do this without me” because he wants Kaz to tell him “I can't do this without you because I value your skills and I love you like a brother”. 

I'm not saying Jesper has low self-esteem, or confidence issues as such. He just wants to feel loved and appreciated through words. He's known to be a flirt, and seemingly good at it, so that means he has some talent when it comes to complimenting people. I persist to think, however, that in Jesper's case, his actions tend to speak louder than his words.

Acts of service

I thought acts of service would come in second place. As it turns out, it comes in third.

I think acts of service are a big part of Jesper's personality. He's very loyal, and he'd do anything for the people he cares about. 

In the show, it transpires in his friendship with Inej. He offers to follow her to the Menagerie to watch her back. He agrees to kill someone for her, because she asks him to. Sure, he whines about it, but you know he's gonna show up when you need him to. 

In the hallucination sequence, his mother tells Jesper “you risk your life for your friends all the time” and he replies “but they never ask me to”. And that's the definition of an act of service : giving something without the other having to ask, and not expecting anything in return. 

I also think that giving Wylan a key to his room was much more about an act of service (providing a space where he'd feel at home) than about the key as a physical gift in itself. 

Vote for Inej's love language HERE

#crows love languages #six of crows #shadow and bone #jesper fahey #wesper #wylan van eck #inej ghafa #kaz brekker #matthias helvar #nina zenik

[kristinamae093]

Ghosted

Ghosted - Altering Visions (Chapter Eleven)

Series Summary - Prince Liam fell for Riley Brooks hard and fast. A marriage filled with love and devotion was within his reach. But everything changed when she vanished just before the end of the social season. As everyone voices their concerns regarding her scandalous departure, a confession from an unlikely source turns Liam's world upside down and makes him question everything around him.

Book/Pairing - TRR - Liam x f!MC (Riley Brooks)

A/N 1 - This AU starts right before the beginning of the engagement tour. There is a two-month lapse between the coronation and where we pick up, but we will stray from canon. Please excuse any errors found.

A/N 2 - It's been a while 🥲. Here's hoping it doesn't take me another six months to post the next chapter 😬🫡.

PSA it's a long one. Whoops, lol.

Characters belong to Pixelberry.

Liam fluttered his eyes open a short time later and squinted them against the harsh, blinding light blocking his view. When he took a deep breath, a distinct, stale aroma invaded his senses; it sparked some kind of recognition even before he could fully view his surroundings. He slowly sat up with a groan and blinked until his vision centered. He glanced around and noticed the outdated wood panels, along with the oval shape of the sconces. There was only one estate in all of Cordonia with those outdated features, and he noted that fact immediately. 

Panic flourished through his body as Liam realized he awoke in Applewood. 

He frantically stood with labored breaths and patted his abdomen, almost to ensure he was real. He pinched his thigh and winced, afterward placing a trembling hand on the wall to steady himself. His mind raced as he tried to comprehend what transpired and how he’d gotten there to begin with.

The events of the night suddenly invaded his thoughts. The image of a lifeless Penelope in Landon’s arms engraved and forever etched itself into his memory; he felt guilty, enraged, defeated, and a slew of other emotions.

Penelope was the big break they’d hunted high and low for. She held vital information Liam desperately needed, but seemingly would take her secrets to the grave with her. He couldn’t understand any of it — nothing made sense. The list of unanswered questions swirling around was enough to make him nauseous. A carousel of sorrow and confusion he couldn’t seem to slow down — no matter how hard he tried. 

Amid his tilt-a-whirl moment, an angelic voice rang out not far away, drawing him back to the present. “Who are you? What are you doing here?” 

Liam’s thundering heart suddenly stopped as recognition swept over him. He’d been so entrapped in his thoughts, he hadn't even noticed what portion of the estate he was in. 

Only a few inches away was a door he remembered all too well — Riley’s. His eyes welled with tears as his vision centered on the structure, but as much as Liam wanted to rush to her, he physically couldn’t. The receptors in his brain went crazy — a jolt of electricity shot to his legs, demanding he move, but his feet weighed hundreds of pounds. Dazed and confused, he could only gawk at the blockade separating them. 

“Lady Riley, we have much to discuss — have a seat,” another individual answered. Liam knew it was a male but couldn’t place his identity; although it sounded familiar, as if he could remember it from a vague, distant memory. 

“Tell me who you are and what the hell you’re doing here!” Liam’s blood ran cold at Riley’s tone; the fear and adrenaline were prominent in her shaky voice. His breaths quickened and his instincts screamed to rush to her, but again, his feet refused to cooperate. 

“That wasn’t a request — I told you to have a seat.” Again, Liam swore he could recall that voice, but couldn’t fully register it. He thought about it for a split second until the sounds of a loud screech and a shatter echoed behind the door. 

“Don’t touch me!” Riley hollered, instantly breaking Liam’s trance. He lunged for the doorknob, but when he twisted his wrist, it snapped and turned to dust in his palm. The disintegrated fragments floated to the floor in slow motion, his heart following suit. 

“You’re so beautiful when you squirm.” Liam gasped as he fully recognized that person — it was Tariq. “But if you don’t fucking stand still–”

“Riley! RILEY!” Liam forcefully pounded on the structure. “Open this door! Open it, goddamnit!” He bellowed, but the commotion inside continued, escalating by the second. The next instant, he sprinted down the hall, frantically hunting for somebody — anybody — to get him inside that room. “I need some help!” He hauled over to the other side and yelled once more, but faced only cold, deserted silence. 

His vision darted all around the area before he spotted a window at the end of the seemingly never-ending hallway. Liam sprinted to it and gazed at the scene below. Outside, he could see the country jamboree still in full swing. He scoured the crowd and spotted everyone except Riley; Drake, Hana, Madeleine, and upon further inspection, he saw himself at the head table beside his father. He stumbled backward with a strangled breath, truly dumbfounded by what was going on. 

As Liam recovered, he re-approached the window and banged on it. “Hey! Hey!” He wailed, but nobody below batted an eye. His hits came harder and harder, but the glass never even cracked; his hand took the damage, although he felt no pain. 

The only thing he heard was Riley’s pleas for help, the sounds making his desperation grow by the second. He rushed back to the door and ran full force at it, using his shoulder as a battering ram; it wouldn’t budge. He repeated the process — again and again — but never even split the wood. Liam let out a primal wail and fisted his hair, taking deep breaths to preserve any semblance of sanity. His pulse thundered in his ears and tears stung the corners of his eyes, while he frantically determined what to do.   

He took a step back and realized there was a shadow cast over the doorway. It appeared to be a man, standing with his arms crossed. He wasn’t sure if it was there before, but Liam waved his hand and nothing changed the stony silhouette. The fixture remained cemented in place, not flinching or moving a muscle, regardless of the commotion developing beyond.

“LIAM!” Riley suddenly screamed, ripping him from his trance. He was up against the structure in an instant, using every ounce of strength he had to force his way through, but his attempts were futile. Riley repeatedly called for him and every time, a dagger went straight through Liam’s already hollowed-out chest.

He couldn’t control his overflowing tears at hearing her cry out for him. No matter what he did, he couldn’t get inside; they wouldn’t acknowledge him, nobody came to help, and there was nothing he could do except sit and listen. With a loud sob, he slid down the door and sat in front of it, hoping at some point it would open and he could get to her. 

Riley’s whimpers continued throughout the vicinity, but Liam’s skin turned ice cold as he heard laughter inside; not Riley’s, and certainly not cheerful. The vile sound caused all the color to drain from his face. He leaned his head against the door and completely broke down, letting the devastation and defeat wash over him. 

“I — I’m sorry Riley…” He swallowed thickly, but soon let out an anguished cry. “I’m so sorry…”

The room went eerily quiet for a long while; Liam couldn’t hear much except the sound of his heart shattering, but eventually, the voices began once more. With a shuddered breath, he held his ear up to listen. 

“When will I receive payment?” Tariq questioned. 

“You don’t need to worry about that. Where you’re going, you won’t need it.” 

“W–what do you mean?! I did what I was called to do!” Tariq’s panic was clear to Liam, even without seeing his face. His pulse somehow thundered faster, carefully processing every word.

“There is too much at stake — more than your simple mind could ever understand. For this to work, you need to disappear. You’re a weak, pathetic excuse of a man — we can not risk this entire operation being ousted because of a lousy nuisance.” 

“I swear to it — you have my allegiance and my silence.” Tariq pleaded. “I will disappear, and—” 

“You’re going to, alright — the both of you.” 

What little color remaining in Liam’s complexion drained, and the shakiness in his hands amplified. After a split-second of complete and utter stillness, the phrase resonated and ignited a deadly determination within.

Liam sprung up and kicked the door with all his might. “LET ME IN!” He repeated the process, but again, the barrier showed no signs of weakening. He threw his fists at the structure in a mad frenzy — anything to get inside and get to Riley, then deal with this — man. 

“Liam! Liam! LIAM!” Leo yelled. He repetitively jabbed the button next to Liam's head to summon the nurse, as his brother flailed in his hospital bed. 

Liam was being monitored for dehydration, severe exhaustion, and a touch of malnutrition. Doctors said he had a panic attack, which combined with everything else, made him lose consciousness. All his labs came back normal, thankfully; Leo was worried someone could have slipped Liam something, but the hospital was quick to put that suspicion to rest. 

Since Liam arrived, he had been resting comfortably, but that changed about twenty minutes ago; it started with small groans and subtle movements, but soon turned into blood-curdling cries and forceful thrashes. Leo hoped he would wake himself, but Liam was getting drastically worse with every passing second. 

Liam suddenly flew forward with a loud gasp. His tearful eyes darted all around the room while he grabbed at his gown-covered body. As the world centered, a tidal wave of frustration and confusion washed over him. 

When Liam stopped and stared down at his clasped hands, Leo cautiously re-approached the bed. “Liam?” When he didn’t answer, Leo spoke a little louder. “... Li?”

“I was there.” Liam weakly croaked, his vision locked on his lap.

Leo’s brows furrowed. “Where?” 

“I heard it.”

“Heard what?”

“Riley…” Liam whispered, followed by a shuddered breath.  

“What about her?” 

“I was there… th–that night… just n–now—” Liam stammered, struggling to make sense of the situation. “I couldn’t get in…”

Leo’s heart instantly shattered at seeing the devastation in Liam’s features. “They gave you some medication, Li.” He reasoned. “It’s possible that—”

“I KNOW WHAT I HEARD!” Liam bellowed. The nurse appeared next to him and attempted to speak, but he shouted, “GET OUT!” 

Leo lifted his hands in surrender. “I believe you, Liam… Tell me what happened.” 

“She yelled for me…” Liam faintly answered, refusing to make eye contact. “She yelled and screamed and — I couldn’t get inside, Leo... I tried, but — I — I… I couldn’t save her…” 

Leo took a deep breath to gather his thoughts and responded in a calm, reassuring voice. “Liam, it’s been a long couple of days and I know this has been incredibly rough on you–” 

“STOP PATRONIZING ME! I KNOW WHAT I HEARD!” 

Leo remained reluctant to entertain this idea. He knew Liam was dreaming, but at that moment, he was completely irrational. Leo had never seen him in such a way, even when his mother died. Given the past couple of weeks, the events of that night, and the medication, there was no rationalizing with him — Liam was spiraling, and bad. But perhaps if he entertained the notion — for now — Liam would eventually calm down.  

Leo carefully spoke. “What did you hear?” 

Liam stayed silent for a long moment before he turned his head to meet eyes with Leo. The look on Liam’s face slightly took him aback; the determination in his features was deadly — his sunken, puffy eyes were nearly black. 

Liam let out a long, sharp huff of air and sternly explained, “There were two male voices. I can say with confidence one was Tariq, but as far as the other, I — I don’t know…” He shook his head with furrowed brows as he racked every recollection in his brain. He could almost visualize the man in question, but his face appeared blurred and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t clear the fog. 

“Alright, well, let’s just take a minute to—”

“They were fucking laughing, Leo. They assaulted her and laughed about it.” Liam growled, his chest rising and falling with every sullen breath. “I want Tariq found, now. He’s going to pay for ever laying a fucking finger on her. I swear to God, Leo — I will put an end to his sorry existence with my bare hands.” He clenched his palms, squeezing hard enough to turn his knuckles white. 

Leo once again held his hands up in surrender and replied in a soft voice. “I believe you. Just — take a couple of deep breaths and try to relax—” 

“What if she didn’t leave Cordonia?” Liam suddenly blurted out. “What if she’s…” He trailed off, swallowing thickly. No part of him wanted to finish that statement in any fashion; the unending possibilities gave him instant nausea. “That man… he said, ‘where you’re going you won’t need it’, and then h–he said both of you... BOTH OF YOU, Leo!” He ran his palms over his head from front to back, repeating the process with a crazed look in his eye. 

Leo opened his mouth to speak, but Liam swiftly continued. “It would make sense… Tariq has been untraceable… But–but Riley…. She — Bastien told me she went back to New York. But that person… I know I heard him say it… Where you’re going you won’t need it, where you’re going you won’t need it—” He repeated to himself, his voice diminishing with every anguished syllable. He clutched his hands into fists and forcefully yanked at his hair, rocking himself back and forth. 

“Li,” Leo cautiously started. When Liam whipped his head to look at him, Leo was once more temporarily shocked by the fury and turmoil staring back at him; he realized Liam was hastily elevating himself to a dangerous level. “We can’t jump to conclusions… Okay? Let’s just take a deep breath and try to calm down—” 

“Don’t tell me to calm down, Leo! I KNOW WHAT I HEARD!” Liam shouted as he ripped the IV from his arm, the pain not even phasing him. He ditched the rest of his connections shortly after and dashed out of bed. “Where are my CLOTHES?”

“I’m not saying you didn’t,” Leo reasoned as he followed his brother’s movements. “All I’m suggesting is that we take a step back and really think about this—” 

“I’m tired of taking a step back! Look where that’s gotten us!” Liam seethed. “There is so much goddamn blood on my hands! I let her get hurt! I am responsible for all of this madness—” 

“Stop that — right now,” Leo sternly returned. “You know that is not true even in the slightest.” 

“Say it to MY FACE then, Leo!” Liam barked as he invaded his brother’s personal space. “LIE to my fucking face!” 

“It’s not a lie, Liam,” Leo stood a little taller. “You are not responsible–” He stopped as Liam rolled his eyes and looked away. This time, it was Leo who stepped up to Liam. “No — look at me,” He bore his eyes into his brother, forcing him to see the truth in his gaze. “You are not responsible for any of this, Liam. We’re going to figure this out, I promise.” 

Liam studied the conviction staring back at him and his frustration soared. He spun away and grabbed the bedside table, sending it flying with a primal roar. 

Leo flinched as the wood shattered against the wall, but knew he had to calm Liam down. However, the person he was trying to reason with was not the version of Liam he was used to; this was a side Leo didn’t know lay dormant in his normally calm and stoic baby brother.

“Liam,” Leo softly started. “This is an incredibly shitty situation, and I’m so sorry that you’re being put through this. I love you, and I’m always here for you no matter what.” He confidently stated, but after a moment of silence, hesitantly added, “But I just don’t think a dream is—” 

“I don’t give a damn what you say, Leo! Someone is going to pay for this!” Liam growled, his face reddening with every deep, labored breath. He directed his attention back to his earlier quest for his clothes; he didn’t know where he was going or who he was looking for, but someone was going to feel the wrath of the King of Cordonia — tonight.  

Olivia didn’t even bother to knock before she and Ray joined the room. The pair opted to stay behind and investigate in Portavira a little further — that is until a random guard threw them out. Without Liam or Leo there to ensure their access, they were told to vacate the premises shortly after Liam left for the hospital. Regardless, they had enough time to prove at least one pivotal thing about that ordeal, and possibly solve quite a few others — if Liam believed them. 

They walked in and stopped short at Liam’s crazed expression. “What’s going on?” Olivia sought. 

“I’m leaving,” Liam bit out through clenched teeth. 

“Hold on, we need to talk about something—” 

“Move out of my way!” 

Olivia arched her brow. “We need transparency, Liam. Tell me what is going on — calmly.” 

“I was there, Olivia! I heard it! They fucking attacked her!” Liam bellowed as he found his garments and rifled through the bag. 

Olivia placed a gentle hand on his shoulder to stop his mad dash. “Liam, please — I need a full explanation. I’m not stopping you or downplaying anything, but we need to know what the hell you’re talking about.” 

Liam met her eyesight and saw the genuine interest in her gaze. He could tell Leo thought he was baffling, but he wasn’t. He couldn’t fathom the experience, but knew that was no dream; with every fiber of his being, Liam believed what he heard was reality. The universe mercilessly gifted him a blocked front-row seat — it was a curse, yet oddly a blessing. They spent all this time wondering what happened that night, but now he had a soundtrack to re-play. He wasn’t willing to rest until he deciphered this code, to ensure justice would be swift to all who deserved it. 

He explained in great detail his occurrence and exactly what happened. When he finished, he stared blankly at the floor, cradling his head in his trembling hands; he knew how wild it sounded but didn’t particularly care. It felt so real — so raw. Just thinking about the vile chortles raised goosebumps on his arms, and Riley’s screams now played on an insistent loop in his mind — torment that would never stop. Even if good trumped evil and Riley was located safely in the end, those sounds would be a continuous source of torture until he took his final breath. 

Olivia listened intently to everything he recalled. At the surface, she knew how preposterous it sounded — it was a dream, regardless of how strongly Liam felt otherwise. Her heart ached for her friend at that moment; clearly, everything that happened was taking a major toll on her childhood friend. 

But — given the bombshell she and Ray sat upon, Olivia couldn’t help but wonder if there could be some truth to Liam’s encounter. 

Olivia sat forward and patted Liam’s leg with the gentlest of touches. When she spoke, it was calm and reassuring. “I’m not sure what to say, Liam. I realize you want to believe it to be true, but you and I both know it’s nothing concrete…” Liam opened his mouth to respond, but Olivia held her hand up to stop him, as she saw the fire burning behind his narrowed eyes. “Let me finish… I know tonight has been hard on you for a lot of reasons, but I believe Ray and I have found a very promising lead…”

Liam’s ears visibly rose as his interest grew. “What do you mean?” 

“Sir, I know it’s not what you initially hired me for, but there are a lot of things that do not add up in this current situation...” Ray started. “Between some of Lady Penelope’s behaviors, her father’s statements, and this—” He produced his phone from his pocket and handed it to Liam. “I find it very hard to believe she took her own life.” 

Liam glanced at the device in his hands and realized he was looking at a photo of Penelope’s last statements. He read through it and found nothing of relevance; no mention of Riley, her involvement in the scandal, the maid, nothing. It was incredibly vague, considering it was her concluding words to the world. 

“Why are you showing me this?” Liam demanded as confusion and annoyance rushed through him. 

Olivia produced a document from her pocket. After questioning the legitimacy of the note left in Riley’s room, she wanted to have it near in case the situation arose. “You remember my blackmail letter — the one I got the night of your coronation?” She handed him the paper.

Liam held both items and scanned back and forth; he gasped when he realized they were nearly identical. “But, this — this means—” 

“Someone took her out, Liam.” Olivia finished. 

“I’m not positive if someone would have done it for her, or if she felt pressured into doing it. Either way, since she was saying goodbyes to her family, that leads me to believe Penelope knew she was in danger and foresaw her demise.” Ray added. 

“This is impossible!” Liam shook his head, his rage returning full force. “How does this keep happening?!” 

Olivia and Ray shared a look; the two calculated a theory, and it seemed the more that unfolded, the greater that assumption solidified itself. There wasn’t a lot of evidence to point fingers, but Olivia realized they couldn’t wait any longer; if they were correct, this situation just escalated tenfold. Liam already teetered an incredibly dangerous ledge, but perhaps that’s what the circumstances called for. Plus, after his — experience, she knew he would believe them. 

Olivia softly started. “I need you to stay as calm as possible — at least until I’m finished and we know for certain who we’re directing this hostility at.” Liam nodded with furrowed brows, but Leo shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “I don’t know what to say about your — encounter, but — there is reason for us to believe Riley could be in Cordonia.” 

“WHAT?!” Liam practically choked as all the color drained from his face. Even though he was there and truly believed what he heard, someone else saying it out loud momentarily knocked the wind out of him. 

“I checked all outgoing flights from the night of the jamboree and she wasn’t on any of them,” Ray explained. “Every log received a thorough examination, even those with different destinations — she has yet to board a plane to exit the country, to this day. I’ve looked at other modes of transportation and she is the same as Tariq — there is nothing.” 

“But…” Leo hesitantly started after a moment of tense silence. “If that’s the case, then where is she?” 

Olivia sighed and her eyes softened. “We’re — not entirely sure at this point… Somewhere in Cordonia, but…”

“Believe me when I say I am checking everywhere.” Ray confidently inserted. “Every crack, every crevice — any place I can think of. If she truly is in the country, I will locate her.” 

“Okay, but — why haven’t we found her?” Leo returned. The uneasiness in his stomach suddenly bolted to the back of his throat, securing itself and taking root. As he took in Ray’s uncertainty, the lump multiplied in size. 

“I — I don’t have an answer for that right now,” Ray calmly returned. “But I’m working around the clock and using every resource I have to uncover her location. I know those sound like empty promises, but I assure you — I will not rest until Lady Riley is located safely.” He emphasized.

Liam’s heart pounded so fast, he was sure it would give out at any moment. “I — She — B–but —” He stammered, trying his hardest to comprehend the conversation. “Bastien told me—”

“I think Bastien is involved.” Olivia abruptly cut him off. “When we found Riley’s stuff, I swear to you, Liam, I saw the fucking guilt in his eyes. Plus, he’s got his hands in everything at court. I’m not saying he’s as powerful as you, but he can twist and manipulate things like no other because of his position.” 

Olivia continued. “To be honest with you, I don’t think any of us really believe Penelope killed that maid. During the social season, I saw her cry over a fucking crab bite — you can’t tell me she murdered someone in cold blood. Also, I’m thinking, based on his actions tonight, Bastien knew Penelope was already dead — I’m nearly certain of it.”

“Not to mention, he kept this information to himself until we were ready to question her,” Ray added. “I know for certain those reports take only a few days — most likely less if it’s a priority case. I haven’t seen the photos from your first crime scene, but I can tell it was a setup from Olivia’s descriptions. As the head guard, it would’ve been easy for him to manipulate the situation.” 

“Are you sure, though?” Leo interjected. “I mean, I’ve dealt with Bastien a lot over the years, and I can say he is not a genius. Maybe the opposite — butter knives are sharper than he is.”

“He’s capable, though — that’s what troubles me. I think most of the time he gives off the impression he’s useless, but he’s highly trained in a sum of areas.” Olivia explained. “I sincerely doubt he’s the mastermind behind everything, but I’m confident he’s the reason we keep being set back. Who’s always around? Who’s the one directing these ‘investigations’? It’s him.“

“I — damn…” Leo ran a hand through his hair with wide eyes. “You’re not wrong, and it does kind of make sense…” 

Everyone suddenly recognized Liam remained mute as they spoke. His face showed no emotions; he only stared at Olivia as if she wasn’t even there with an unreadable expression. Liam was a world away as various open ends snapped themselves into place. The murky waters of uncertainty clarified, and the bottom of the cesspool became sharper with every jumbled thought dashing through his mind.

All security decisions went through Bastien, including unauthorized entry into an estate. Bastien was the one investigating the maid’s death, and he was accountable for the search for Riley and Tariq — until Ray came along. Bastien didn’t want to let Ray into Penelope’s room because he knew what was in there, and realized Ray would see right through it; past the stuff even Olivia would have missed. He could outsmart her, but knew he couldn’t Ray, which ultimately meant Bastien knew of Ray’s true purpose. He continuously told Liam he was working to provide answers, but suddenly, he believed Bastien’s intentions to be the exact opposite. 

This whole time, a mole sat right under his nose, continuously feeding them the vaguest of answers. Every time they took a step forward, it was never because of Bastien, but someone always ensured they took two back. He didn’t understand how whoever held the cards seemed to be a move ahead, but now — it made sense. 

Liam thought back to all these instances and realized he didn’t remember seeing Bastien. The night of the country jamboree, a different person escorted him to his room at the end of the night. He never questioned it because it wasn’t unheard of for guards to switch out positions, but now he wondered where Bastien truly was. 

The night of the Apple Banquet, he recalled seeing him at the start of it, but not again until Bastien barged in to inform him of the discovery. Now, he couldn’t help but speculate Bastien took the maid’s life himself, or at least staged the scene to frame Penelope. 

Tonight, before Bastien came to Liam and gave him the news of their suspect, he was nowhere to be found; until Olivia, Ray, and Leo left to interrogate Penelope. 

When Bastien told Liam their person of interest was Penelope, he was in a state of disbelief. Liam questioned him, but Bastien stood his ground. However, now he believed with everything in him, Bastien knew she was already dead and intended to manipulate the circumstances further.

Since he opened his eyes to the truth, he often felt as if he mindlessly ran in a circle, desperately trying to piece small portions of a scattered puzzle together. Now he realized he was — and Bastien directed the never-ending laps, all while dangling tiny slivers of hope in front of Liam’s face — taunting him.

Ultimately, Liam concluded without a shadow of uncertainty — Bastien knew what happened to Riley, and likely held knowledge regarding her location.

Liam suddenly shot up from the edge of his hospital bed. “BASTIEN!” He bellowed at an ear-piercing volume, loud enough to rattle the windows. 

Leo winced. “H–he’s not here, Li.”

“What the fuck do you mean, he’s not here?!” 

“There’s some other guy outside!” 

“He was still lingering around Penelope’s room when Ray and I left.” Olivia chimed in. 

“That’s it — I’m going to find him,” Liam growled through clenched jaws. 

“Liam, wait—” 

“NO MORE WAITING, OLIVIA! Do you see what is happening?! All the blood that’s being shed?! This has to stop!”

“I know and I agree. But we need some kind of strategy–”

“No — this ends now.” Liam bit out. He hastily made his way to the bathroom with his bag of clothes, slamming the door shut behind him. 

Olivia had half a mind to stop Liam until they had some kind of plan, but also felt time was of the essence. If they couldn’t prove Riley left the country, their urgency had to intensify. Her location remained unknown, but they believed she was at least in New York. When Ray first mentioned the possibility that she never left the country, Olivia didn’t want to believe it; after Penelope’s untimely demise, she realized this was a vicious, bloody pattern, and the suspicion needed to be taken seriously.

As the body count rose, Olivia’s concerns steadily increased. If history repeated itself, everyone involved would meet a deadly fate, but they didn’t have a detailed log of all entangled in this web. They had no clue where Riley’s name lay on the list of potential victims, and now they held very little information regarding her whereabouts. An involuntary shudder traveled down Olivia’s spine as the air in the room shifted, filling with an amplified haze of grim uncertainty felt heavily by everyone.

Olivia wholeheartedly believed Riley was alive, but for how much longer she couldn’t determine. The lingering feelings of uneasiness in her gut told her they were correct — she never left Cordonia — and if that was the case, her safety was more in question now than ever before.  

Within the hour, Liam left the hospital and was on his way back to the main estate in Portavira. Although doctors wished to keep him longer, he left AMA — he didn’t need fluids; he didn’t need rest; he needed Riley. If Bastien knew something, he was going to tell them, even if he had to use brute force.

A part of him didn’t want to believe it, but the more he pondered, the more sense it made. A small portion of his heart wanted to give Bastien the benefit of the doubt, but that was no longer an option. The betrayal Liam felt was like no other and quickly created a raging storm inside of him, simply waiting to be unleashed.

Hearing Riley could still be in Cordonia, combined with his out-of-body experience, the need to locate her was higher than ever. Of course, he wondered where she ended up when he believed she went back to the States, but now even that was up in the air. The one thing holding Liam above water was knowing she was far away from the carnage, but that was no longer a valid crutch. The waves of despair rose dangerously high, threatening to overtake and drag him under in one fell swoop. 

Liam tried his hardest to push the instantaneous bad thoughts away, but could feel it in his bones — Riley was in danger. From the beginning, he’d always thought something felt off, but he let his pride stand in the way of seeing the truth. Now it was impossible to ignore, as it tore away at his conscience. Guilty wasn’t even a suitable word to describe how he felt, knowing his negligence let this monstrosity escalate as it had. He turned his back on Riley when she needed him most; she screamed for him, yet he tried his damnedest to leave her in the past for so long. 

However, he used all his willpower to remain in the moment and stay afloat; the only thing he cared about was Riley. Even if they found her and she wanted nothing to do with him, he simply needed to see with his own two eyes that she was safe. He didn’t want to think about why she could still be in Cordonia, but the growing ache in his chest told him it wasn’t a good reason. 

The SUV pulled up to the front entrance of the estate, and Liam didn’t even wait for it to come to a complete stop. He rushed out and barged in through the front doors with fire under his feet. The halls remained eerily quiet as the nobility slept, but he was sure word traveled about not only his hospital stay but Penelope’s tragic passing. Leo, Olivia, and Ray all trailed behind as he ran at top speed. 

Liam dashed up the stairs and rounded the corner, but abruptly stopped once Penelope’s room came into view. The door had yellow caution tape covering the opening, and Liam heard Bastien’s voice inside; the sound reigniting the rage burning deep within. He went to make a bee-line for the door, but a timid hand on his forearm ceased his movements. 

“Y–Your Majesty,” Emmaline got out through hiccups. She retracted her hand with wide eyes and shakily bowed as he faced her. Liam’s features momentarily softened as he took in her running mascara and puffy eyes. “P–Please, Sir… I beg you to reconsider… Please — s–she wouldn’t d–do this…” 

Liam’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“We were told they’ve ruled Penelope’s d–death… They w–were picking everything up but n–nobody would listen to us! That wasn’t her handwriting. She–she wouldn’t do this… None of it… She was happy — she wouldn’t—” Emmaline shook her head as more tears fell. 

Liam placed a gentle hand on Emmaline’s shoulder and firmly responded, “I apologize for what you were told, but that is not the case — it will become a homicide investigation as soon as I can get someone else assigned. I promise you — I am going to figure out what happened and ensure she receives the justice she deserves.” 

Emmaline swallowed a sob. “W–where did they take her body? They wouldn’t tell us. T–they came in and ripped my baby out of my arms and I don’t know where she is and—”

“Wait, who took her?” 

“Your head guard said h–he had the authority to — remove her.” Emmaline squeezed her eyes closed as her tears fell harder, trying her hardest to wake herself from this nightmare.

Liam used every ounce of resolve he had not to march straight up to Bastien and securely wrap a hand around his throat. “Emmaline, I assure you — I will find her and bring her home. You have my word — I am going to figure this out.” He reiterated, but the fury coursing through his veins was at an all-time high. The amount Bastien thought he could get away with made Liam sick to his stomach, but he was determined to put a stop to it. 

His answers were suffusive for Emmaline, so she bowed and made her leave. After taking a microscopic moment to gain some clarity, Liam addressed Ray. “Since I am removing Bastien, I need you to take over. And I want you to backtrack and look into Rhonda’s homicide as well. I’m not sure if you’ll be able to find anything, but I want you to double-check. I’ll ensure you have access to everything you need, and I’ll inform everyone you are now in charge here. The crown will compensate you generously for your additional time and effort.” 

“Yes, sir,” Ray returned with a confident smile.

“Leo, I need you to figure out where he’s sending Penelope. I’m going to ask him, but in case he won’t tell me, I need her found before anyone messes with or blatantly destroys her body — there is no doubt in my mind that’s where she’s headed. Grab Maxwell and have him help you — I want her returned at once.” 

“You got it.” Leo nodded before he swiftly vacated the area. 

“I’m going to need some guards with me to do this,” Liam spoke, more so to himself than anyone else. 

“Guards?” Olivia repeated. 

“Yes. I won’t risk something happening to him — we will immediately detain Bastien. If he did nothing wrong, I’ll release and reinstate him, but until then, I am officially removing him from his position as head guard.” Liam answered, but regardless of what he said out loud, both of them knew Bastien was guilty; they just weren’t sure of the extent. 

Olivia smirked. “Welcome to the game, King Liam. Would you like for me to assist with questioning?” 

“I have a different job for you first. I need you to sneak into the security office and search through everything. If he’s working to cover up crimes or anything of that nature, he’s got to have something on him — I’m sure of it.” 

“Knowing that cockeyed baboon, I’d say that’s a safe assumption.” Olivia snickered. “But I don’t know if I like the idea of you interrogating him by yourself...” She cast him an unsure glance. 

“I don’t plan on it, Liv. I just need to find Drake.” 

Almost as if on cue, Drake emerged from Penelope’s doorway, carefully dodging the caution tape. He glanced around and as his eyesight landed on Liam, he furrowed his brows and approached. “What’re you doing here, Li? Are you alright?” 

“We have something to take care of.” Liam quickly and quietly laid out the current plan, as well as a vague description of their accusations. 

“Fuck, man… I gotta admit — I had no clue why Liv and that guy had to leave, but I got to stick around.” Drake shook his head, trying to comprehend this blindsiding revelation. 

“If I had to take a guess, I’d say he wanted someone Liam trusted around but needed to ensure the person was completely and utterly clueless,” Olivia inserted with a crooked grin.

Drake scoffed. “First of all, fuck you. Second, you might actually be right, but — you’re still a flaming bitch.” 

“Stop trying to flatter me, Walker,” Olivia retorted, afterward focusing on Liam. “Are we doing this?” 

Liam let out a deep huff of air. “Yeah, we are. Let’s do this.” He responded with the utmost resolution. He squared his shoulders, craned his neck from side to side, and strode into the room with Drake close behind. Olivia took off in the other direction to do her part in Liam’s plan, moving with brisk precision to reach her destination. 

As he entered, Liam got the attention of a few guards and motioned for them to follow. Bastien examined underneath Penelope’s bed, completely oblivious to the added presence in the room. He cleared his throat to gather Bastien’s attention, and Liam noticed his shoulders tense as he identified who stood before him. 

Bastien slowly rose with uncertainty painted on his features. “Your Majesty? What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be receiving treatment?” 

Liam chortled as he stalked toward Bastien. He kept a smile plastered in place and shook his head, muttering to himself. When he made it directly in front of him, Liam lowered his voice to a low, gravely rumble; the fake grin he wore instantly replaced by a menacing scowl. “... I bet you’d like that — wouldn’t you?”

Bastien visibly and audibly swallowed. “I don’t know what you’re insinuating, sir, but I—”

“Of course not.” Liam dismissively agreed. He took a couple of steps back and shrugged. “Regardless, you’re coming with us.”

Panic flashed in Bastien’s eyes; it was brief, but Liam caught it. “With all due respect, I’m not quite finished investigating Lady Penelope’s suic—”

“That is not what this is, and you damn well know it!” Liam abruptly shouted. A tense silence hung for only a moment until he cleared his throat and flatly added, “This is a homicide, and you are no longer a part of it.” He met eyes with one guard who got the silent order loud and clear, the other following suit. They rushed Bastien and captured his arms behind his back, securely holding him in place.

“What is the meaning of this?!” Bastien hollered as he attempted to evade their grip. 

“You’re being taken into custody.” 

“Whatever for?!” Bastien demanded. 

Drake stood in Bastien’s line of sight, mirroring Liam’s irate features. He held his gaze for a long, heated moment before snapping, “You’d better hope and pray we’re wrong, Bastien.”

“What the hell are you talking about, Drake?!” Bastien yelled, squirming against the grasp of those holding him.  

Neither answered the question but merely glared at him; the sheer betrayal and outrage they felt radiated off of them, eliciting a shiver to run down Bastien’s spine. He calmly reasoned, “Sir, I don’t know what this is about, but we can have a rational conversation without all of this nonsense.” He motioned to the guards holding him. 

“No, I don’t think we can, because you see —” Liam stalked toward Bastien, staring into his eyes so intently that he could almost see the wall behind him. As he made it into his comfort zone, Liam lowered his voice and rasped, “They’re only here to get rid of your body if I have to.” He smirked at Bastien’s wide eyes, as well as his complexion paling instantaneously. 

Liam held Bastien’s gaze but addressed the guards. “Take him down to the cells. I’ll be right behind you.”

As they dragged Bastien away, he hollered and stirred up a fuss. Liam ignored his pleas, instead trying to prepare himself for what lay ahead. He wanted clarity, but a part of him dreaded Bastien’s confession; it would be another stark reminder of what his negligence caused. The guilt tearing away at his insides was at an unfathomable level, but he had to push that aside to focus on the task at hand.

He tried to keep his composure, but the gloves were off; there was no more control. Bastien knew something and regardless of what he had to do, Liam was hell bent on making him talk. Innocent lives taken and families destroyed, along with Riley’s heinous attack — all of which rested heavily on his conscience. He was determined to serve a steaming hot platter of justice to all he deemed deserving, regardless of what it took.

The next step in making that happen was getting a pig to squeal. 

As he stood next to Drake, the facade of a composed monarch slipped onto the floor. He didn’t have enough strength left to keep it together. He embraced his emotions and vowed to follow their direction, but the only thing remaining was pure, unfiltered rage. 

Gone was the timid, people-pleasing prince with his mother’s baby-blue eyes. Instead, a carnal lion with dark, dilated pupils awakened, centered on the dangling piece of meat in his face — Bastien. 

#the royal romance #choices the royal romance #king liam #trr au #liam rys #trr #choices trr #choices #ghosted #cfwc fics of the week #choices fanfiction #choices fanfic #choices fic writers creations #prince liam #drake walker #olivia nevrakis #leo rys #mature

[silent-stories]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐇𝐔𝐈𝐙𝐎𝐓𝐋 - 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝟓

Summary: When Y/N needs help on a hunt, she doesn't expect Bobby to send Dean Winchester to her. Now the two must work together to solve the case and Dean has to deal with Y/N's sarcastic and biting personality, that maybe he likes a little too much.

Pairing: Dean × F!Reader

Warnings: blood, spn level violence

Word count: 2625

Series

They got into the Impala with the intention of thinking up a plan for the hunt and following it as meticulously as possible: they had to speed things up.

“We should arrive early in the morning. Unless we're stopping to—” but when she saw Dean shaking his head, she dismissed that option. “Okay, no extra stops. Not even for breakfast?” She tried again, she couldn't stay awake and active without her black coffee every time she got out of bed.

"How can you live this life?" Asked the man sitting in the backseat of the car with a shattered face.

Good question.

"Everyone makes their own choices, right?" Y/N said, partly because she didn't know how to answer in any other way and partly to silence him once and for all with an allusion to his private life. Which worked perfectly as hoped.

"So" The girl started again speaking to Dean "We get to Toledo, prepare the weapons, wait for the sun to go down, leave the "fish food" near the lake, we wait for the creature to show up, we blind it with a light that we place exactly on Michael and we slow it down and then we slice it.”

It sounded very simple from how she described it but they both knew it wasn't going to be easy at all, especially to Michael, the one who played the more dangerous role.

Dean nodded, it was their last chance to kill the monster.

"Are you ready?" He asked with a smirk at Michael "Do you need to take a chamomile tea before starting?"

Y/N laughed glancing at the man in the back seat who pretended not to hear the question and turned to the window as if the scenery suddenly became incredibly interesting.

They arrived in Toledo twelve hours later, in the late afternoon. Y/N got the chance to drink hrr daily dose of coffee, while Dean to gobble down a double bacon burger.

"If's vefy goof" he commented with his mouth full, after inserting the last piece in his mouth.

Dean, Y/N and Michael were still aboard the Impala. The two hunters were rather calm in spite of everything, while their bait seemed more and more out of his mind.

“No, no, no. I... I-I can't do that. I just can't!"

"Hey! Calf down!' muttered Dean as he chewed. "Eferything's goffa be just fine."

«HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT, MH?!»

"Because we've faced situations like this before, and we know how to handle it," Y/N replied.

"Of course, you are not the ones who risk being eaten by that fucking thing!" Michael defended his theory, looking around as if feeling a sudden sense of claustrophobia.

“We can't do this without you, Michael. You're the only partner left, and everyone who works on this project—or who will work on it—is in danger,” he observed, tossing the burger wrap across the backseat as if Michael wasn't even there. “Even if you get out of this situation, someone else will work on that project and history will repeat itself.”

Dean was righ and the two hunters would have to deal with that later, anyway.

“Okay. Okay, I'll do it." Michael said even though he seemed about to cry.

"This is the right spirit!" exclaimed Dean enthusiastically, giving Y/N a small smile, which she returned with some satisfaction.

They waited for the sky to darken before reaching the lake: they needed the penumbra for the creature to come out into the open. Dean repeated several times to Michael that they would be there, close to him, ready to help him. Y/N just patted him on the shoulder.

When he got off the Impala, Dean and Y/N looked at each other, hoping the plan would proceed as planned. Then they took their weapons: guns with silver bullets for both, for Dean an ax and for Y/N a sharp blade.

"And with this we'll blind that son of a bitch," said Dean, taking the flashlight from the trunk before closing it and walking towards the trees in the grove nearby.

The location they chose wasn't the best but it was the most adequate: they had to hide in some way.

Not very far from the lake, camouflaged with the environment thanks to that slight darkness, Y/N and Dean were waiting with their eyes half closed in two slits to be able to see through the trees of that place.

"Do you think that flashlight will be enough to stop it?" She asked dubiously, looking down at the object in Dean's hands.

“It lives in the depths, right? There is hardly any light there, so I guess so.”

"You guess so?"

“It will work.” And this was strangely enough to give her the confidence she was looking for.

"Okay, so as soon as we see something moving in the water we go into action," she said, distracting herself only for a moment to be able get her binoculars from her jacket pocket. It was useful for sightings.

«And we have to make sure that it doesn't go back into the water, it has an advantage there. If it's that fast on land, we don't have any chance in an underwater fight, it would take us under and drown us in less than two seconds."

"Please don't be so optimistic!" She said sarcastically as she raised the binoculars to her eyes, scanning the surface of the lake. The more she zoomed in, the more she blessed the inventor of that instrument. The clarity of the images was reassuring. “So what do we do? Do we wait for it to move away from the water? We risk losing Michael too. You said it yourself that on dry land it's fast-"

"I'm working on it." At those words she was speachless for a moment. She lowered the binoculars and peered at him, motionless. What the hell did "working on it" mean? Michael was there waiting to be attacked and he hadn't even had the bright idea of ​​planning anything specific?

“I'm so sorry Flash, but we have a really anxious man at the scene of the attack and little time left."

At that nickname they both came up with the same idea and their eyes widened synchronously. They looked at each other with the typical "do you think what I think?" look and when they both turned to Michael, they knew they had the same idea in mind.

They mimed the gesture of the phone, as if to invite him to use it in an emergency. At least now they were sure that, if only for some reason the monster would escape them, Michael had the flash of his phone.

Michael pulled out his phone and sighed deeply, his eyes closed. For a moment Dean thought he was going to have another anxiety attack, but luckily he seemed to calm down - as far as the situation allowed - soon after.

"Okay," Dean muttered under his breath, never taking his eyes off Michael. "Now we have to w-"

A rustle behind them. Dean and Y/N whirled around, in a snap. It's just the wind, he thought. But when there was another movement in the bushes, as they turned around, he changed his mind.

"I'll go check," said Y/N, daring to take a few steps forward. Dean grabbed her arm almost immediately, not squeezing as hard as he had that night when he had a nightmare.

“You're not going anywhere,” He indicated Michael with a significant nod of his head. "It's a trap. The thing knows we're here and it's trying to get us away from its dinner.”

They both looked around furtively. Michael stood motionless, hands clenched into fists, in front of the lake.

"Keep an eye on him."

"No, wait!", Y/N grabbed Dean's arm, just like he had done with her seconds before. "You can't go, you said it yourself, it's a trap."

"If we don't play its game, it will never come out," Dean said. “One of us has to go check and it won't be you.”

Y/N remained silent, she seemed almost surprised by his words, she stared at him for a moment then let go of his arm nodding slowly with a serious expression painted on her face.

Dean cast one last look at the girl and then advanced towards the darkness, disappearing between the trees. The handle of the gun tightly in one hand and the flashlight inside the jacket. It all seemed apparently peaceful, but he knew perfectly well that the Ahuizotl was there, hidden somewhere.

Dean cleared his throat, drew an arrogant smile on his lips and he began to whistle as to get the attention of a dog.

"Hey, I'm here!" he said aloud, looking from bush to bush. "C'mon! Come out, you son of a bitch!"

A movement to his right. Dean stiffened and swallowed a lot of saliva.

"I know you're there," he continued quietly, spinning carefully, trying to locate the creature in the dark.

He caught two small white lights just off the trunk of an oak tree. Dean frowned and froze, jaw set. The Ahuizotl's eyes were shining in the night. The creature growled and walked slowly forward. Dean backed away and as soon as he realized the thing was about to attack him, he turned on his flashlight and the thing backed away abruptly.

"Ah! You're not having fun anymore, are you?!"

Within seconds the Ahuzotl was gone again.

She wasn't really glad about Dean's decision when she saw him disappear into the woods taking her place.

"Dean?" She whispered in a low voice after some minutes spent in silence alternating her gaze from the thick vegetation to Michael still standing in the place they recommended to stay.

She knew she wasn't supposed to leave but the feeling that Dean might be attacked by that creature while she stood there made her stomach feel weird. She stared at Michael with hope.

The man turned back towards the woods but, when he saw only Y/N watching over him, he began again to breathe fast and to move his pupils from right to left

Honestly, he had all the right to be terrified: he only saw an arrogant girl who had revealed to him how easy she was to kill ordinary people. How could he have remained calm?

"I can't do it," the man said, words that Y/N was able to catch even from that distance through lip-reading.

"Don't panic right now, c'mon!" She couldn't even reach Michael to give him that little courage that would once again convince him to fight for the right cause.

Then that she was not good at that was another matter.

When she saw the man move away from the shore and then start running towards the opposite side, without a precise destination, she was forced to definitively unmask their cover and reach him, inevitably running after him.

“I'm running after a man who doesn't even like girls. I didn't think I'd ever say something like that" She thought aloud as she ran after him. "Michael! Michael come back!" Y/N's voice thundered louder than it should have. "I swear I won't throw you in the lake, but stop!"

And he stopped but not to do Y/N a favor, rather to catch his breath. She would have gladly killed him herself.

"I can't do it, I'm not like you!" The man vented himself, gathering his strength word after word.

"I know." She said looking back out of the corner of her eye but not letting Michael slip under her radar.

"We're all going to die, aren't we?"

"Certainly your improvisation did not play in our favor, since we are in the middle of nowhere now" she asserted sincerely deciding to use her machete as a defense weapon in case of attack.

Y/N heard noises of dry leaves crumbling and twigs breaking.

"And that's not a good sign, stay behind me."

Silence. Surrounding him there was only an eerie silence, broken from time to time by the rustle of leaves in contact with the night breeze. Dean looked around furtively, expecting to see that thing suddenly emerge, ready to feed on the most disgusting parts of a human body. But nothing happened. He frowned, suspicious.

The Ahuizotl probably went to finish what he had started, killing Michael and possibly Y/N too if he tried to stop it. Yet Dean felt something, a presence.

A movement. Dean turned away, his heart pounding loudly in his chest. But he saw nothing.

"I don't like that," he muttered to himself.

Then he heard growling, right there, behind him. He swallowed and froze for a few seconds before turning carefully. The Ahuizotl watched him, slime running down the sides of his sharp teeth. It wasn't the same one he'd been dealing with a few minutes earlier, it was smaller, but probably as bloodthirsty as its mother.

He sighed and gripped the ax handle even tighter. When the creature lunged at him, Dean decapitated it in one snap. The head rolled off like a bowling ball and the body fell on the ground. Its thick dark blood splattered everywhere. The tail kept moving and the hand at the end of it tried to reach Dean in vain. He grimaced, disgusted by the scene. Then with another sharp flick, just as Sam had told him to, he separated the tail from the body. He doused the creature with some gasoline taken earlier from the Impala's trunk and set the creature on fire without thinking about it twice.

A shot.

Dean looked up, beyond the trees.

Y/N... 

He abandoned the fire and ran away, his heart racing at an almost alarming rate. He just hoped Y/N was okay and that Michael hadn't screwed up everything.

He arrived just in time to see the Ahuizotl stand up as if the bullet hadn't even grazed him.

"Hey!" he yelled for attention, but the monster didn't seem too interested, as he had a scared Michael right in front of him.

Y/N was lying on the ground nearby.

Dean wasn't one to pray, but in that moment he found himself mentally begging any god that she wasn't dead.

He picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at the creature, hitting it right on the head.

"I just killed your little, lovely son!" he added in a louder voice, so that the monster could hear those words well. When he turned in Dean's direction, he knew it had worked.

"I just cut off his head while his little hand went bye-bye," he teased him with a smirk.

The Ahuizotl leapt upon the hunter in no time, thirsting for vengeance. It had been so fast that Dean didn't even notice, the ax slipped from his hand.

He found himself pressed against the ground, the creature's paw pressed to his chest, its claws starting to tear through his shirt and a long trail of drool running down on him.

He hadn't noticed how sharp the monster's teeth were before. The creature's heavy breath, so reminiscent of the iron smell of blood, burned his skin. Dean narrowed his eyes and fumbled for his axe. He tried to retrieve the gun from his jeans or the flashlight from inside his jacket, but in the position he was in and with the weight of the Ahuizotl resting on him, it was practically impossible.

Suddenly the creature groaned and moved away quickly. A hand with long claws lay next to Dean. His tail had been docked. Soon its large head rolled on the ground too, its blood splattered on Dean and created a puddle.

"You've always had good timing," the hunter said when he saw Y/N holding a long, sharp, bloodstained blade.

Tags: @eevvvaa @spn730015 @supernatural111222 @youcancallmelily @clairenovakanddeanwinchester @dads-on-a-hunting-trip @3amstillawake @supernaturalmess @marvelandsupernatural @agirlwatchingalotoftvshows @candy-coated-misery0731 @impalaslytherin @rudy-the-winged-wolf @dean-winchester-6767 @samanddeansannoyingsis @roseblue373 @waynes-multiverse @random-spn-fan @xoxokiaraaxoxo

Series: @stitchintimefan @foxxymunson @sagexcandles @deans-spinster-witch @raisinggray

#dean x reader #dean x y/n #dean winchester x reader #dean winchester x y/n #dean fic #dean winchester fic #spn fic #supernatural fic #spn fanfic #supernatural fanfic #dean fanfic #dean winchester fanfic #dean winchester fanfiction #dean fanfiction #spn fanfiction #supernatural fanfiction

[ranchthoughts]

thinking of pat and pran and genre awareness

I've been thinking a lot about this as the Bad Buddy x A Tale of a Thousand Stars Our Skyy 2 episodes air. Like @lurkingshan notes here, Pran is self-aware enough to notice the parallels between his situation and Tian's, and I've seen a lot of people wondering how Pran's self-recognition through Tian (and perhaps Phupha's self-recognition through Pat) will contribute to the emotional and narrative conclusions of these episodes. Furthermore, Pran and Pat keep talking about trope moments - either their own from their series (e.g., Oishi green tea) or Tian and Phupha's which they know about from Tian's posts online. Pat and Pran take it upon themselves to replicate trope moments from ATOTS (like the looming mosquito net hanging) for themselves, and to discuss how to leverage classic romance tropes to get Phupha and Tian back together (e.g., getting them drunk and singing karaoke together). Self-awareness, and the related genre-awareness, are the Bad Buddy brand - we've seen how well Pat and Pran know how to weaponize BL tropes to get what they want.

Bad Buddy itself is a show that was created by genre-aware people to be genre-aware. @miscellar writes here about how Bad Buddy's directors and actors set out to make a BL while being fully aware of the pitfalls of BL. Bad Buddy includes soooo many tropes and other genre conventions (being set at university, the sound editing, etc.) which place it firmly within the genre of BL. However, the show deliberately subverts BL conventions in order to make broader points about the genre itself - I go into (a lot) more detail here. As miscellar says in this post: Bad Buddy labels itself a romcom to subvert romcoms.

Bad Buddy also demonstrates its genre- and self-awareness through its repetition of tropes and callbacks. We see that especially now as the Bad Buddy Our Skyy 2 episodes are airing (@grapejuicegay outlines many of the parallels between the original series and the Our Skyy episodes here). The show remembers what it did and repeats them, intentionally, to draw new connections and make new arguments.

So the directors, show runners, and actors of Bad Buddy are genre (and self) aware... what about the characters?

In this post miscellar makes an interesting point - to the BL viewer, the first three episodes of Bad Buddy seemed like a pretty typical university BL, and it seemed clear that Pat, the deliverer of most of the tropes, would be revealed to be in love with Pran. But that's not what happens.

I talked about this here, but to recap: in the lead-up to his episode 5 revelation, Pat often fulfills the active or seme role in tropes (grabbing Pran, looming over him, saying flirty things, etc.). However, Pat is not genre-aware in the first few episodes of Bad Buddy: he does not know he is in a BL, so he isn't analyzing these interactions through the "code" of a BL, therefore he doesn't recognize these moments as significant. To a BL-literate audience, Pat seems the perfect "seme", but he doesn't even know he's in a story with a "seme" yet.

On the other hand, Pran has been in love with Pat for ages, and he is fully aware of how their story reads. He does not take the active/seme role in tropes very often in the first few episodes (and when he does, it's an accident, like their wrestling match) because he is trying not to be in the romantic narrative, he's trying not to pursue Pat. Pran is genre-aware, he recognizes all of their looming and suggestive commentary as BL tropes, but he knows that BL stories typically end happily. He knows they are in a queer love story (he's in love, after all), but he doesn't see any way this can be a happy queer love story, not with their families.

This is why Pran's "You can't keep doing this to me Pat" line on the roof at the end of episode 5 hits so hard - Pat has been acting like the lead in a BL series to genre-aware folks like Pran and us, the audience, but he doesn't even realize what he's doing. And to Pran, who is painfully aware of what type of story they seem to be in, but he doesn't think they can ever truly fulfill, this is devastating. Pran is trapped, with narrative awareness, in a story that can never come true, with someone who doesn't realize how they are playing along, hurtling the story towards its inevitable crash.

In episode 5, Pat comes to the realization that he is in love with Pran, and that Pran is/has been in love with him. In this post, @functionalasfuck writes how back in high school when Pat first heard Pran's song, he recognized it as their story but didn't see where Pran was taking it (even when Pran mentions secret crushes). Only on second thought does Pat realize what Pran meant by that and what the song was conveying. Pat and Pran's story slams into context (and genre) for Pat: this is a classic enemies-to-lovers, childhood-friends-to-lovers, long-term pining story; this is a BL.

And after Pat's episode 5 realization, things change. Pat acts again like a typical seme trope-wise through episode 6, as he follows Pran on the architecture retreat. He's trying to get Pran to talk to him, to join him in the BL he now realizes they are in. But Pran doesn't want to go down a road that he believes will end in heartache - he's known, from the beginning, that their story can be read as a perfect BL, but he's also known it can never end happily, not with their families - and so he avoids it, and Pat, at every turn.

It's finally at the end of episode 6, with the bet, that things change again. Both Pat and Pran realize they are in a romantic narrative. Pran has learned Pat isn't interested in Ink, so there is one barrier towards their genre-typical happy ending eliminated. Their families are still a concern, but Pran's in love and who can resist a bet, so they go forward.

The trope usage becomes deliberate - and it's always been deliberate on the part of the directors and show runners, they've always known what they have set out to do (make a BL that hits all the BL conventions yet subverts them) and have deployed tropes intentionally to uphold the messages and themes they want to explore (more here) - but now it is deliberate on the part of the characters too. Through the first part of the series, genre-aware Pran was trying to avoid acting the seme, trying to halt the progression of the romantic narrative he believed could only end in tragedy, and genre-unaware Pat was throwing himself into trope instances headfirst without realizing. Now, they have made a pact to both be the active pursuers, the seme: whoever falls in love first loses. They both deploy BL tropes with razor sharp precision (Pran looms, Pat takes off his shirt and douses himself with water, etc.) showing that they do understand what these actions mean, how they fit into and read in a BL-coded context. The most obvious example of this in episode 7 is when Pat and Ink and Pran and Wai eat at the noodle stand together. Pat and Pran leverage their respective "faen fatales" (more on that here) to make the other jealous by deploying a litany of BL tropes (feeding the other, wiping their mouth, etc.). Pat and Pran show they know what these actions mean in the context of a BL story, like their own.

Pat and Pran are in on it now - they are self-aware enough to recognize their genre, they know the beats of that genre, and they know how to manipulate them to get the outcomes they want.*

And it soon becomes apparent to us that Pat and Pran are in on more than just the genre of their show - they are onto the fact that there is an audience. @miscellar writes here about how Pat and Pran break the fourth wall several times throughout the course of Bad Buddy (e.g., Pran's comment about not needing to be called wife, or the voiceover in episode 12, which @chickenstrangers also talks about here, where Pat and Pran reveal they hid their continued relationship from their friends, their family, and us, the audience).

I'm very curious to see where these final two Our Skyy 2 eps take us, as Pat and Pran have shown they know Tian and Phupha are in a gay love story; and have shown they can identify the trope moments we, the BL-literate audience, notice too; and Pran at least has shown he recognizes the parallels between his own BL narrative and Tian and Phupha's. How will Pat and Pran's genre awareness, and their self-recognition through the other, affect the resolution of both pairs' story lines?

*(side note: this reminds me of @chickenstrangers' post on Bad Buddy and queer futurities - Pat and Pran have to work for their happiness, to make joy in the face of hardship, to claw their story back into a happy ending that Pran didn't even think was possible at the beginning of the show. They know they are in a BL, and they are going to get that genre-typical happy ending on way or another.)

#bb #bb meta #os2 #os2 meta #bad buddy #bad buddy meta #our skyy 2 #i'm just going to write a quick little meta on this as we head into the second week <- famous last words

[nerdieforpedro]

Weddings 101 with Dieter

Chapter Four: You're worth the hassle and the dresses

Dieter Bravo x Maya (plus size OFC)

Fanfiction 18+ MDNI

Masterlist / Dieter Bravo Masterlist / Weddings 101 with Dieter Series

Word Count: approx. 4.8k

Summary: Oscar plots. Dieter continues a conversation with Maya's Mom. The bridal party comes to an agreement. Maya and Dieter finally spend some more time together and FEELINGS. Dinner is going well until it doesn't.

Warnings: brief mention of an injury, weird family dynamics, fluff, Dieter being a horrible wedding guest in the past, more fluff

Notes: This series is quite tame compared to what I normally write. I'm enjoying it! Dieter and Maya are so cute. Her family is indeed crazy and Mom is...well she's mom. I did put in the top poll answer of why Dieter isn't invited to weddings. I'm not sure how many chapters we're going to have, do I want to end their wacky adventures? I mean the wedding has to happen at some point right? I experimented with a moodboard. Let me know if ya'll like it. 😘 Special thanks to @angelofsmalldeath-codeine for being so supportive and helping me to make sure the phrases I was using in Spanish made sense.

Oscar was in the Medical tent laying on his stomach with an ice pack on his ass cheek. He needed a way to get back at Dieter Bravo for this and his stupid goat because on top of being painful, it was humiliating. He asked his assistant to see if they could find where Bravo was staying and what he was up to while he was in Hawaii. He was gonna make sure at least to show up somewhere to freak him the fuck out and maybe find some sort of animal to bite him too. He knew it wouldn’t be a hippo or maybe he could just hit him with his guitar. Oscar wasn’t quite sure at this point, he just knew he was angry as hell and his ass hurt. 

“Fucking Dieter Bravo messing up my money maker like that. This is bullshit. I’m going after that mop on his head.”

Meanwhile, Dieter and Miss Yvette, were on the way up to where the bridesmaid fittings were taking place. The elevator ride to the eighth floor was peppered with small talk, exchanges of compliments on clothing and the venue itself mainly from Dieter. Miss Yvette when they reached the target floor exited the elevator decided to ask,

“Are you the one who gave my daughter the mark on her chest that I used some concealer on?” 

To which Dieter stopped walking and just blinked. Miss Yvette never lost her smile and even started laughing, “Dear you should see the look on your face. I’m not mad, just curious. It’s unlike her, she’s usually more reserved so it’s good to see her loosen up a bit. Just aim for a less public spot next time, have her wear a different dress that covers it or make sure she uses concealer before she leaves your…villa was it?”

Her hand patted his shoulder and he relaxed a little. Bravo was not embarrassed easily, so this was quite a feat. Normally he didn’t meet the mothers of people he was seeing, except a few times years ago and they were all in a club so it wasn’t weird. I mean maybe to people who weren’t there. You had to be there.  He nodded wordlessly and took a deep breath, exhaling. “Yes, ma’am. We’ll be a bit more careful about that.” He got the impression that like her daughter, Miss Yvette was not one to be trifled with. She kept the smile on her face and kept walking down the hallway toward the dressing room.

It started with the maid of honor, throwing off her orange sherbet bridesmaid dress standing in the middle of the room in her underwear yelling at the bride to which she responded, “well, that’s why I’m changing the color cause I know no one likes it.” 

The Maid of honor countered with, “well had you taken any of our suggestions, we wouldn’t be having this issue and we wouldn’t have to keep doing these stupid ass fittings, and we wouldn’t have had to buy these ugly ass dresses!” The two longtime friends were arguing in front of the bridesmaids. 

 Maya and the other ladies hung back in their nearly neon bright, sherbet dresses, watching things unfold as the two women inched closer with increasing volume. The maid of honor and the bride continued to get louder with each other until they suddenly stopped and looked at the bridesmaids. 

“What do you all think? The orange brings out the flowers I wanted to put around the venue but if it’s really that big of a deal you don’t have to wear the dresses I guess.” The bride led with which as the maid of home crossed her arms, still in her underwear. Maya wondered if she was cold or not. A fellow bridesmaid tapped her on the shoulder and asked her to come and discuss if they should really tell her that they don’t want to wear these dresses. One of the other ladies asked if everyone had brought a back up dress in case they couldn’t stand the orange. Maya was relieved to hear that all of them had the same idea. The bride interjected that any dress worn should be a warm color that’s light or pastel to still go with her light and airy color scheme. The collective groan was loud and a few women stomped but they all agreed to the pastels.

After some of this commotion was settling down, though there were still some words exchanged from across the room between the maid of honor, and the bridesmaid or the bride a knock came to the door. 

Miss Yvette knocked because she was aware they would likely be in a state of undress. The bridesmaid nearest to the door asked who it was. She announced herself and everybody said they needed a couple minutes to get dressed. Everybody put back on whatever they wore up here initially and just tossed the sherbet dresses in the corner of the room. They’re trash at this point. The bridal party was surprised that Miss Yvette even came up here because she was not interested at all in the dresses. The extra surprise was that she brought a gentleman with her that is not her husband and it’s not one of her three sons. Everyone’s face questioned who this man was, he wasn’t anyone’s husband that had already been identified. All the single ladies had made sure to do that at the meet and greet and zone in on available men. 

Maya had put back on her dress from earlier, it had a deep V in front, the base was white and it had lines of gold, green, brown ovals and various splashes of orange. She was adjusting it to pull it frome where it bunched under her breasts as her mother and Dieter walked in. His eyes fixed on Maya, slowing his pace. Miss Yvette tapped him on his arm to take him out of his momentary daze. Most of the bridesmaids could tell that Maya was pleasantly surprised to see the mystery man because she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him, he did the same to her. 

The bridesmaids collectively asked “Who is this man? How do you know him? How long have you known him? Why don’t we know anything about him? He looks familiar?” Maya introduced Dieter to the bridesmaids, all of them recognized the name, some couldn’t place it while the others wondered how Maya could have met an A-list star outside of one of the conventions she goes to.

“How does Maya know him?” 

“How did that happen?”

“We feel like there’s a story here.”

Maya turned to face the bridesmaids and bride beaming, “I don’t have to tell ya’ll anything. Have a good rest of your evening,” she looked up at him while she still had an arm around him standing side by side, “Dieter, let’s blow this popsicle stand!” And started toward the door, guiding him along. On their way out, Miss Yvette gave her daughter a kiss and whispered to her,

“Stay safe and use protection. Don’t be out here like your two older brothers in their heyday.” Maya stopped and turned to her mother in surprise as did Dieter. Turns out Miss Yvette didn’t whisper all that much. “He seems nice so it’s fine. It’s always better with someone nice depending on the mood and what you’re going for,” She waved them off, “Anyway, have fun and see you next time.” Dieter and Maya swiftly made their exit into the hallway and toward the elevator.

“Is that something mothers normally say to their children? Even when they’re grown or maybe especially where they’re grown?” Dieter asked, again Maya’s mother had surprised him and left him in awe. Kit Kat shook her head and placed a hand on his chest.

“Don’t think about it. Mom’s…just kick it out of your mind. I will, there’s been enough trouble today.” Maya sighed.

“I can see that. Why was there one woman in her bra and underwear? There were also dresses on the floor, what happened? I thought it was a rehearsal or something.” He questioned, Maya shook her head.

“The simple answer is that my family is crazy and I don’t have to wear the orange monstrosity. I can wear one of my other dresses I brought with me.” The elevator came to the first floor and the pair made their way to the hotel lobby.

“About that Maya, I think since you’re free to pick your dress, you should get a few of them just for fun and do some outfit changes.” Dieter suggested, opening the door for her as they walked down the stairs to their ride. He also opened the car door for her too and scooped up her dress before getting in himself.

“That sounds great, but then I have to figure out where I would even shop. Sounds like too much of a hassle.” Daisy hopped up in Maya's lap and snuggled against her. Dieter resisted the urge to side eye Daisy as that’s where he planned to lay his head. Laying his head on her shoulder, he exhaled and reached for her hand holding it gently. A smile graced both of their faces as the car pulled away from the hotel.

“You’re worth the hassle Maya, you know that right?” He rubbed his cheek on her shoulder and lifted her hand, kissing it. She giggled and squeezed, raising her shoulder to nudge his head. Dieter raised his head, kissing her cheek. “We’re going to work up an appetite before dinner and a new nickname for you, Almond Joy.”

Maya chuckled, pressing her forehead to Dieter’s temple, “you’re such a tease you fluffy boy.” The smile on her face is something that Dieter wanted to bottle and keep with him. “Why Almond Joy? I thought I was Kit Kat?”

“Says the woman who said she was going to move up the timetable and hasn’t yet. You’re the tease. We’re making a stop before dinner. Just to look and if you really don’t want to get anything, then you don’t have to.” Letting go of Maya’s hand, Dieter picked up Daisy and put her on his stomach as he laid his head in Kit Kat’s lap. “Before you tell me to move, you promised I could.” He grinned as he looked up at her.

“What do you mean we’re going to make a stop? To where? Dieter you’re dead set on buying dresses. I swear you just want to dress me up.” Her hands immediately went to his soft curls. Despite her words, she wasn’t fussing at him. “Were you really able to find a place where I can be fitted? That seems like a tall ask.” One of her hands ran down and covered Dieter’s eyes, Maya was tearing up a little bit. Stupidly sweet man. Daisy hopped off of his stomach to try and lick her tears on her face.

That was when Dieter saw something he knew he wouldn’t want to see again. 

Her tears,

“Shit, Maya what’s wrong? I mean if you don’t want the dresses I’m not going to force you I just-” Bravo shot up and pulled her onto his lap which surprised her so much she stopped crying for a moment. Her eyes fell on Dieter’s and she saw that he looked worried, concerned even. It was a bit much for a few days to be feeling things like this, overwhelming. She couldn’t lie to herself though and cupped his face.

“Just shut up Dieter.” Maya commanded as her lips softly touched his. It started gently, but when she felt his hands squeeze her hips, she released a groan, parting his lips and letting him in. He didn’t hesitate to use his tongue to explore her mouth as his hands kneaded her flesh. For a few minutes, they forgot they were in the back of a car where there was a driver present and pressed their bodies together until they stopped moving and took a breath. 

The driver announced that they had arrived at their destination and got out but Dieter shot him a look. “Don’t move yet. Are you alright?” His thumb ran across her bottom lip, stealing what was left of her lipstick, he was wearing the rest. “We don’t have to go in if you’re not comfortable.”

“No, I want to. I…Dieter, thank you. I’m not sure if I ever said that to you. I’m more than okay. The tears were happy ones Dee. I’m actually excited about buying a dress which is rare.” Maya laughed as she ruffled his hair.”Let’s go.” She went to move off his lap, but he didn’t let go of her hips yet.

“Almond Joy, you worried me there. I like you in this position though.”

“Dieter, we need to get-”

“Just give me a few minutes, you got little Dee excited.” 

Maya rolled her eyes hard and wiggled her hips on purpose, making Dieter grunt. “Is that right? I’m not sorry about that.” She placed her hands on his chest, “you sure you should be calling him ‘little Dee’? Doesn’t feel small to me.”

“Dammit Kit Kat, I’m tempted to skip the dresses and dinner.” Dieter laid his head back against the seat, loosening his grip on her hips. She was able to climb off and get out of the car. Daisy followed. 

“Nope. You promised and you already had your head in my lap earlier.” Picking up Daisy, she turned to look at a gold and white boutique that had purple flowers around the frame of their window. It looked like there were a few people inside but they had nametags, employees? Maybe it was the end of the day. “Are they closing? People are kinda just standing there. It’s odd.”

After readjusting himself a few times, Dieter finally got out of the car and tipped the driver, telling him he'd text when they were ready for pick up. He placed his arm around Maya’s waist and guided her to the double doors as the staff opened it for them. 

“Welcome Ms. Maya and Mr. Bravo! We’re excited to have you with us today.” The employees had formed a line and were all smiles. The woman speaking was tall, statuesque with a beaming face. Dieter walked Maya into the middle of the room where there was a small stage in the shape of a circle. 

“I’m not going up there. What is it even for?” She questions as she stood in front of it and Dieter chuckled, hopped up on the stage and did a twirl. 

“It’s for this when you find your perfect dresses!” He shimmied his shoulders making her laugh as she set Daisy on the couch. 

“Sure, sure. If I happen to find one I like. But Dieter how-” Before she could finish, he stepped down and kissed her softly, placing a hand on her hip. The employees scattered to start selecting dresses as one woman in a hot pink blazer stepped forward and waited until Dieter took a step back. He turned to the woman in the blazer and looked at her name tag quickly.

“Susan. This is Maya. She’s looking for some dresses to wear to her younger brother’s wedding. At least two bridesmaid dresses and one evening gown. She’ll argue and tell you she doesn’t need them. But pick ugly ones so she’ll be forced to actually pick because I know she’ll feel bad for making me buy her any ugly dresses.” Kit Kat didn’t think that his smile could get any more smug with the way he ended his request. She sighed and cut her eyes at Dieter before following Susan and a few other staff to look at dresses and then the fitting room. 

It felt like she had tried on twenty dresses. Thankfully, most of them were actually her size. Susan had said that they specialize in different body types in this boutique and that’s why she enjoyed working here. One of the assistants commented that she had broad shoulders and that she had been surprised to find shirts that didn’t feel so tight on her shoulders but were baggy everywhere else. It was nice, more than that, it was an actual positive shopping experience. Another moment Dieter had given her, well he’s given her quite a few of them in the few days they’d been together. 

“It’s like I’m in a weird, really pleasant dream. Am I sure I’m not still asleep from that orange juice I drank?” Pinching her arm, she surmised that not, she is very much in the present. Her final dress was the evening gown. Well, a dress and not a gown. It was a bright champagne dress that had different layered pleats. It had small thin straps so the staff fit her for a few strapless bras and threw in some matching panties ‘for the occasion’ as they put it. They also fit her with gold strappy kitten heels. She was a bit nervous to walk out onto the same stage that Dieter had been prancing on, but Susan walked with her and held her hand as she climbed the few stairs that lead up to the stage. 

Dieter was sitting on the couch with Daisy and a staff member came out before the pair and told them that he needed to keep his eyes closed for the surprise. So far, Maya had picked out a satin light pink dress (matching with the bride’s theme) and a red sweetheart dress that had blue flowers on it. She had looked beautiful on both of those so he was curious what the evening gown would be. The staff member told him he could look at the stage now. Dieter stood with wide eyes and an open mouth.

“Well, how is it? I’m not really into gowns so I went with a dress. I like my legs out. Yes I heard how that sounds.” Maya rattled off holding her hands in front of her. Dieter just kept staring and didn’t say anything. “Does it look weird? Maybe it was a bit much, it seemed fun though.”

“You’re not taking it off.”

“What? What are you talking about Dee?”

“If you love it, then you’re not taking it off. ¡Cariño, mirate! Mi reina está preciosa.…” (Dear look at you! My queen looks gorgeous.) Dieter hopped up on the stage, but his foot caught and he nearly fell, but Maya pulled him up. He held her hands, then ran them up her bare arms as he brought her to his chest. “You’re not taking this dress off until I take it off of you. You’re walking out of here with it on with those luscious legs of yours on display. Maya you’re a damn dream.” His hands ran along her back as hers cuddled his soft middle. 

“You’re way too much Dieter…” She closed her eyes again and held in a sniffle as he stepped back to give her a kiss on her forehead. 

“I am, but you enjoy that about me. Don’t pretend you don’t. You want to hear something funny on the way over to dinner?” He went to talk her off the stage but stopped. “Ah! You didn’t twirl.”

“Bravo…fine. I know you’re not going to let it go.” At this point, she knew better than to argue and took hold of two of the lower pleats and twirled, making herself laugh as Dieter watched. In this moment he wondered what he was going to do when this wedding was over, this is the most fun he had in a long time. It had been even longer since he’d connected with another person, actually wanted to do things for them and cared what they thought about what he did. Her smile is something he wanted to see, her touch is something he wanted to feel, her voice and its various forms is what he wanted to hear and he could stay curled up in bed with her on her soft body. 

“Well, damn…” Dieter Bravo muttered to himself, she appeared to spin in slow motion.

“Are you sure you’re ready to go? Don’t you have to change too?” Maya asked when she stopped twirling and placed a hand on Dieter’s chest to steady herself, she’d gotten a little dizzy.

“Yeah I do, but it’s just a black suit. I’ve already been the center of attention today. It’s your turn.” He took her hand once again and led her back down the stairs to the couch. The staff brought over an eggshell shawl to go over her shoulders as Dieter changed into his all black suit. He wore a plain white button down shirt with a bow tie. It was a classic look which fit Dieter perfectly, his messy curls accented it that much further. The dresses (including the one she wrote in) were packed up by the staff and put in the back of the car as they drove off to dinner. 

On the way, Dieter explained to Almond Joy why he isn’t invited to weddings anymore. It started with his cousin’s wedding where he wore a white suit, not horrible, but not welcome either. It wasn’t really that bad of a thing. His former best friend’s wedding, was delayed because they couldn’t find the groom.

“What do you mean they couldn’t find the groom Dieter?” 

“See I took him for his bachelor party, the poor sucker hadn’t been past the Mississippi River as far as travel in the States in his life so I took him to Thailand.”

“Did you tell his fiance or family? I don’t see this going well.” Her hands found their way to his head again. Dieter let out a soft purr.

“Nah, what had happened was, it was supposed to be a long weekend, but ended up being a week and a half.” He dropped his head back into her lap. 

“Dieter, you had that man miss his own wedding?!” Maya pinched his cheeks as he laughed. “And get up, you’re going to mess up your suit you goof.”

“Not moving. Best spot in the car.” 

“How did it end up taking a week and a half?”

“We explored what the country had to offer. Local cuisine, got to know some of the people, maybe dabbled in some local practices.”

“Ya’ll got high as balls didn’t you? Was he ever the same when he got back to the states?” Her eyes rolled as she shook her head.

“I mean yeah, but not as high as I’ve ever been. It was fair. My friend did get a neck tattoo that said, ‘Me love you long time baby.’ I tried to tell him you shouldn’t play dominos with an old man with one eye because what does he have to lose?”

“I….you know. I would have banned you too. Good Lord.”

“There’s one more incident with another friend.”

“What could be worse than that?”

“Not worse. In fact, they’re the ones that don’t have taste. They said they couldn’t go to Eurovision 2021. So I brought it to them.”

“…I shudder to think what that means Dee.”

“It meant, I had a tear-away suit on as well as the four other guys I was dancing with. We wore maroon thongs that went with the bride’s color scheme and tasteful white nipple pasties.” The car pulled up in front of the restaurant and Maya couldn’t get out of the car, she was holding on to the seat in front of her laughing so hard that her eyes were tearing. 

“Dieter no! Please tell me you’re joking.” She mumbled in between roars. Dieter got out and walked around to her door to open it. 

“I would never joke about that, it also may have been around the same time I was very into drug cocktails. So that’s the part I remember. I was on a table at some point and grinded on someone’s aunt. After that, things got murky and then I woke up in my hotel room naked with Daisy, my previous assistant and a guy in a corner with a blindfold. Don’t know who that guy was. He played the harmonica though.”

Maya turned to Dieter and slid out of the car, grabbing his shoulders as he forehead hit his chest. “S-Sorry, Dieter…I’m sorry you can’t go to your friend’s weddings anymore. From their perspective I get why, but they should also know you mean well. I think. That tattoo incident though was way too much.” She was still giggling as her arm wrapped around his waist and his around her shoulders. “You should do birthday parties though.” He closed the door and they walked up the stairs into the restaurant. It was crowded but they walked through the restaurant to an area upstairs to a terrace where there were white and red roses around a table. Maya gave Dieter a kiss on the cheek from the beautiful set up before they sat down and ordered water and drinks. "Everything is perfect Dee. This evening's been wonderful. I'm not going to Thailand with you though."

“So if I were to ask you, would you get a tattoo with me?” Dieter asked, waving his right arm with his black triangle on it. Maya sipped her water and smirked. "And don't rule out Thailand yet."

“Maybe not the triangle since you’ve already got one, but maybe another one. I don’t have any tattoos currently. I’ve thought about getting one, but I’m undecided on a few designs.”

“Is that right? Well, I promise it won't be a neck tattoo if that will help.” He chuckled as they chatted and ordered appetizers. “ I will say my Toblerone, we’re finally at dinner and now we’re talking about tattoos. Did you think we’d be here from the airport? You gave me such a hard time Maya.” Dieter tucked his chin and gave a fake sullen look. 

Leaving back in her chair and smiling wide at his teasing, “No. I thought I was insane for agreeing to go with you. I’m glad you offered and I agreed. It’s been nothing like I expected, but everything I didn’t know I needed. I didn’t think I was so tightly wound. Thanks Dieter and…” She paused and finished her drink, trying to find the right words. His hand reached across to hers and took it from her glass, his thumb caressed the back of her hand. Bravo’s eyes softened from their playful glare.

“I know. To be honest, my intentions weren’t exactly above board at first, but then we laughed, drank and played uno and I didn’t want you to go. Still don’t want you to go, I told you you're worth the hassle.”

“A frustratingly sweet fluffy man…” Maya’s voice trailed off as they exchanged soft glances. The appetizers were set at the table and something was amiss. There were two long island iced teas that came with them. Dieter pointed out to the waiter that they hadn’t ordered them. 

Three chords were strummed and the steadily grew closer. Dieter didn’t turn around as he took deep breaths. ‘No. That rat bastard should be crying in his room somewhere. Not here. Not at my damn dinner interrupting my Maya. I only have but so long.’

“Buenas noches a la feliz pareja (Good evening to the happy couple). I hope you enjoy the drinks and the small sample of music.” A man with splashes of gray in his dark curls and beard appeared from behind Dieter and stood at the side of the table. He patted his guitar and took Maya’s free hand, bringing it to his lips as Bravo shot up from the table after letting go of her hand. 

“Your lips touch her hand and I will end you. Shouldn’t you still be having your ass tended to?” Dieter spat, Oscar set her hand down and smirked. 

“My ass was a quick fix thanks for asking. Unlike you, I don’t hold a grudge. I was extending an olive branch.” He looked down at Maya who was perplexed about the situation. “You may want to rethink getting involved with him. He has quite the temper and reputation. A nasty little goat too.” 

“Leave. Now. I’m not going to say it again, Oscar.” Dieter came to stand toe to toe with Isaac, only the guitar between them. Maya stood up and called for the staff to come over, she asked for Oscar to be removed. He held his hands up and left with two other waiters. 

“If you manage to piss off a goat, it just shows how shitty of a person you are half-ass.” Maya yelled out and Dieter snickered, kissing her cheek, then gave her neck a swift peck.

“That’s my Almond Joy for you.” Maya stood with a hand on her hip and felt her face grow warm. This damn lovable man, now she’s involved in whatever beef he has with Poe Dameron of all people. Who knew he was a douche?

Previous: Chapter Three

Next: Chapter Five

The Trash Panda Possse 🦝: @fhatbhabie @morallyinept @pedritapascal @pascalsanctuary @nissaimmortal @grogusmum @katw474 @readingiskeepingmegoing @theywhowriteandknowthings @beefrobeefcal @goodwithcheese @iamasaddie @megamindsecretlair @pamasaur @pedrodascal @marcus-is-my-muse @clawdee @trulybetty @perotovar @joelslegalwhre @josephquinnswhore @secretelephanttattoo @for-a-longlongtime @legendary-pink-dot @sin-djarin @maggiemayhemnj @rhoorl @sp00kymulderr @linzels-blog @joelmillers-whore @guelyury @laurfilijames @missladym1981 @magpiepills @alltheglitterandtheroar @din-djarins-riduur @daddy-dins-girl @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin @yorksgirl @saturn-rings-writes @gwendibleywrites @pedroshotwifey @musings-of-a-rose @soft-persephone @javierpena-inatacvest @mysterious-moonstruck-musings @handspunyarns @i-own-loki @tinytinymenace

#pedro pascal characters #fanfiction #pedro pascal #pedro pascal fanfiction #dieter bravo #dieter bravo fanfic #dieter bravo fanfiction #dieter bravo x plus size reader #dieter bravo x ofc #dieter bravo x plus size ofc #Weddings 101 with Dieter #A Nerdie fic

[kairbun]

2 Breathing Danger

vanessa shelly x fem reader

Description: Y/N, is a young coffee-loving woman who likes to work at a local coffee shop in the evenings. Y/N has struggled with asthma since she was a child, and breathing problems can be caused by stress, which certainly doesn't help when a mysterious man starts stalking her. She soon discovers that her best friend, Vanessa, is working with the police to investigate a series of murders at Freddy Fazbear's local pizzeria and believes that Y/N's stalker may be connected.

Warning: This chapter covers themes of anxiety, stress, and paranoia, adorable cats.

Chapter Two: Whispers in the Shadows

As the night draped the streets in a cloak of darkness, Y/N sauntered homeward, her steps accompanied by the rhythmic tap of her shoes against the pavement. The chill in the air nipped at her skin, but the warmth of the evening's interactions lingered within her.

Yet, a subtle unease pricked at her senses. It was an inexplicable feeling, a whisper of apprehension that nestled itself at the nape of her neck. She quickened her pace, the familiarity of her route offering a false sense of security against the inexplicable sensation of being watched.

In the silence of the night, every rustle seemed amplified, each shadow elongated and menacing. Y/N couldn't shake off the sensation that someone's eyes trailed her every move. She glanced around, her gaze flitting from one shadow to another, but the streets remained deserted. 

"It's just your mind playing tricks," she muttered to herself, clutching the strap of her bag a tad tighter, seeking solace in the rational explanation.

Arriving home, she greeted Maylo, her fluffy feline companion who welcomed her with an affectionate purr. The cozy apartment offered a haven of comfort, and Y/N indulged in her nightly routine. She prepared a light meal, the rhythmic chopping of vegetables a soothing cadence amidst the quiet.

Settling into the living room, she nestled into the embrace of her favorite armchair, a cup of chamomile tea cradled in her hands. Maylo curled up beside her, a furry guardian offering silent companionship.

Despite the calming ambiance, Y/N's thoughts wandered, lingering on the elusive figure she couldn't shake off from her mind's eye. Was it merely her anxiety playing tricks, or was there a genuine cause for concern?

With a sigh, she tried to distract herself, diving into a novel she'd been meaning to finish. Words painted vivid scenes in her mind, momentarily diverting her attention from the lingering unease.

But as the night wore on and the city outside quietened, a soft creak from the hallway drew her attention. Y/N's breath hitched, her heart drumming an erratic beat against her ribs. She peered into the dimly lit corridor, the shadows dancing in the faint glow filtering from the living room.

"Hello?" Her voice quivered, swallowed by the silence that seemed to echo back at her. She dismissed it as an old building settling, her attempt to rationalize the inexplicable.

Shaking off the disquiet, Y/N rose from her seat, tucking the book under her arm. With a gentle pat on Maylo's head, she retreated to her bedroom, the soft click of the door closing a feeble barrier against the intangible fear that lingered.

Under the canopy of her bedcovers, sleep remained elusive, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts. The events of the day intertwined with the unsettling sensation of being watched. She tossed and turned, the night slipping away in fitful bouts of restlessness.

Morning dawned with its golden hues peeking through the curtains, yet Y/N greeted it with bleary eyes and a sense of exhaustion weighing upon her. As she prepared for another day at the coffee shop, a nagging thought lingered—an unshakable feeling that the previous night's unease was more than a mere figment of her imagination.

Little did she know that this unsettling presence would weave itself into her life, leaving her grappling with a creeping sense of dread that would soon unfold into a chilling reality.

Y/N’s morning routine unfolded in its familiar rhythm, the bustling preparation for another day at the coffee shop a comforting distraction. The lingering unease from the previous night lingered at the periphery of her thoughts, but the bustle of her morning rituals managed to dampen its intensity.

Amidst the whirlwind of preparing breakfast and getting dressed, Maylo, with his characteristic curiosity, decided to explore the vicinity. Startled, Y/N glanced over her shoulder just in time to see her mischievous feline friend vaulting into her open bag.

"Maylo, no, not today!" she exclaimed with a mix of exasperation and amusement. But before she could intervene, the determined furball settled cozily amidst her belongings, his bright eyes seemingly declaring his intentions to join her on this day's adventure.

With a resigned chuckle, Y/N scooped up her bag, inadvertently taking her stealthy stowaway along. It wasn't until she reached the coffee shop and set her bag down by the counter that she realized her unwitting accomplice's presence.

The familiar sights and sounds of the cafe enveloped her as she prepared for the day's tasks. The aroma of freshly ground coffee beans mingled with the soft hum of conversations and the gentle clinking of cups. It was in this comforting chaos that Y/N finally noticed a furry head peeking out from her bag.

Her eyes widened in realization as she spotted Maylo leisurely perched amidst her belongings, his fluffy form unmistakable against the backdrop of her essentials.

Before she could react, her boss, a seasoned man with a welcoming smile, approached the counter. His gaze fell upon the unexpected visitor, a chuckle escaping his lips. "Looks like you've brought a little friend today, Y/N."

Y/N's cheeks flushed with a mix of embarrassment and worry. "I'm so sorry! He must've snuck into my bag without me noticing. I'll take him back home right away."

To her surprise, her boss shook his head with an understanding grin. "Not to worry. He seems quite content. Besides, I'm a cat person myself. What's his name?"

"Maylo," she replied, relief flooding her as her boss's easy acceptance diffused her anxiety.

The day at the coffee shop continued as usual, Maylo finding an unlikely spot by the window where he basked in the sun, occasionally capturing the attention of customers with his playful antics.

Y/N couldn't help but steal glances at her furry companion throughout the day, relieved that her boss didn't mind the unexpected guest. As she tended to the customers, Maylo's presence added a touch of whimsy to the otherwise routine day, eliciting smiles and chuckles from the patrons.

Her boss's reassurance lingered in her mind, a weight lifted off her shoulders. She appreciated his understanding and found herself warmed by the camaraderie they shared over their mutual affection for feline company.

As the day drew to a close and the last customer bid farewell, Y/N approached her boss, gratitude evident in her expression. "Thank you for being so understanding about Maylo today. I'll make sure he doesn't pull off any stowaway acts again."

Her boss chuckled warmly. "No harm done. Besides, a cafe with a cat is never a bad thing. He brightened everyone's day."

With a grateful smile, Y/N bid her boss goodnight, the events of the day, from the morning's unexpected guest to the reassurance she received, leaving her with a sense of gratitude and contentment. And as she made her way home, she couldn't help but feel a touch lighter, the worries of the previous night momentarily eclipsed by the camaraderie and warmth of her workplace.

#five nights at freddy's #fnaf #fnaf movie #vanessa shelly #writing #vanessa shelly x fem reader

[smurphyse]

Bloodied Up In A Barfight | Spencer Reid

Smurph's Masterlist | Series Masterlist

Part 3 of Routine Maintenance

Warnings: barfights, fistfights, mentions of death, tension, arguments, BAU talk

Summary: You head to Tooky's bar to tend bar for Holly, and a fight breaks out. Later, Spencer finds something out about you and things get worse.

After a long irritating day of trying to fix a toilet in Room 2, I went up to my apartment for a nice hot shower, stared out the window for a bit like always, then made my way to Tooky's. 

It was one of my favorite spots in town. Nestled in the middle of the bay on the beach, the ramshackle bar held a special place in my heart. It was where I first kissed Ernie right before an eighteen year old me went home with him that night we met. If only I'd known what happiness would come after that night, I would have cherished it more. 

A whirlwind engagement, three years of bliss and love and the sea, all culminating in one violent night that took him from me. I should have known I wouldn't get to keep him or my happiness. 

I tried to shake away the crushing weight of my own memory as I did every day driving through these streets, but some days it was harder than others. Instead, I focused on driving my shitty old VW bus around the pothole that Spencer hit on his first day. With a smirk I noticed it was bigger than the day he got here. 

A majority of the seating was laid on the sand, hand placed stones that Tooky herself had put down when she first came here. She’d turned this beach into a paradise of hammocks, tables, and a small theater with a sheet hung with the ocean behind it. The woman was ancient, but she was more than happy to show off her much younger forty year old wife Vera who looked at her like she was made of gold. 

The bar was open, little cut tiles shaped in the design of fish and the waves outside under a wood top. Glasses hung from mounts just in reach for servers and the mirrored back held all the tequila and alcohol a girl could ask for. Tooky had small swings on the outside of the bar walls, and the patrons used the windowsill as a table. People already milled about though the sun was just beginning to set, the ocean blue shimmering with the bright pink-purple of the fading light. 

“Hey Tooky!” I called as I stepped in, that old familiar smell of cigarettes and palm fronds washing over me like the sand in the wind. 

Tooky, aged like the mountains and canyon ranges around us, rested on a stool behind the bar. Blue and pink neon flashed over her silver braids, the ends of which laid in her lap they were so long. Turquoise and sandstone jewelry hung from her long earlobes and wrinkled wrists, and she gave me a big smile and a wave when she saw me.

“Honey Bee, c’mover here!” The silver backed bracelets clacked with her movements, her sundress swishing along. Tooky Builds-the-Fire was as old as the sea itself, but she didn’t let it slow her down. She was as full of light now as she likely had been as a kid.

I made my way over and gave her a big hug. Her spindly arms held me in a death grip, nearly cracking my back. She let me go and placed a kiss on my cheek and gave a sneaky pat on my backside. "Where's that lovely wife of yours?"

Tooky pointed a shaky finger toward the beach, "She's helping the band get set up. You know how much she likes the music."

"Hey Honey!" Micah called, carrying a box of bottles from the kitchen, his long braids hanging over his shoulders. He set them on the counter and pulled me in for a quick hug. He pointed at Tooky, "Thanks for helping mom out tonight. Holly doesn't do so well here during this time of year."

"Oh, I don't mind," I told him with a smile. I set a hand on his shoulder and gave him a squeeze. "Besides, gives me something to do other than fix toilets all night."

Micah gestured to his uniform, "And you couldn't say no to the town sheriff, right? Cuz I'm so intimidating and all."

"Oh, Sheriff Builds-the-Fire, you are the only man in this town I both fear and admire."

"As it should be," Micah grinned, crossing his arms over his chest. He wasn't much taller than me, and the fact that he looked almost exactly like his mother made him insecure at times. People didn't tend to take him seriously. 

Micah pointed over to the corner of the bar and leaned in close enough to whisper, "Your boy's been here all day drinking his feelings. You might wanna check on him."

Sure enough, there was Rico in the corner hunched over a glass of whiskey. I could see the liquor in his eyes all the way from the bar, and I sighed before putting my stuff away in a locker in the kitchen, then made my way over to him. 

He was drawing on a cocktail napkin, and even before I came up to the table I knew he was drawing a picture of Ernie. Rico had painted the mural of him outside Collie’s, and Ernie was the one who bought him his first sketch set. The two of them had the same crooked smirks, always together no matter what. Even when Ernie and I took over the inn for Mattie May, Rico would stop by every day for lunch just to hang out with his best friend.

I slid into the chair opposite him. He didn't bother to look up. "Do you need me to take you home, Rico?"

He shook his head slowly, "I'm doing just fine here, Honey."

I couldn't stand it, his standoffish pose. He was on the defensive, but I could never resist poking the bear. It was something Ernie loved about me, but it was something Rico became easily frustrated by. 

"You should go home, get some sleep."

He finally looked up at me. His eyes were wet, red rimmed and exhausted. My shoulders sank with the weight of his gaze, and he knew it. 

Rico swallowed thickly, "You gonna marry me?"

"Ric-."

"I didn't think so," he said softly, waving a hand. "I knew the first time I asked that you'd say no."

"I do love you, Rico. Okay? I'm just…." The words spilled out like a geyser, but it needed to be said. I was never going to marry him, no matter how much I wanted to just to make him happy. "I can't stand the thought of you hating me because of this."

“I don’t hate you,” he said earnestly, but I couldn’t help myself.

“Rico, I can’t have you mad at me because I don’t want to get married. I’m not ready to do it with anyone-.”

"I'm allowed to be mad,” he cut me off firmly. “I'm allowed to be upset, okay? I know it makes you feel guilty but… it can't be my problem if you're not going to marry me. I need to feel what I feel, too. You’re not the only one who’s sad and fucked up around here."

I looked down at my lap and nodded as the tears welled. My voice strained as I tried to keep myself together. "Yeah… I know."

Rico pushed his empty glass toward me, “Will you get me another?”

I got up on shaky legs and took it with a trembling hand, “I’ll have Vera bring it over.”

I didn't even know why I was so upset. I didn't want to marry Rico, and the only real reason we'd started up in the first place was because of a drunken night last year. We were both lost without Ernie, and the thought of having to go on without Rico as at least my friend killed me inside. 

Turning on my heel, I made my way back to the bar, the glass hung loosely in my fingers. I pushed it across the bar where Vera had made her way to, cleaning a glass with a cloth. “Hey, Vera. Can you get Rico another one?”

She leaned on one leopard-printed hip and shook the washcloth at me, “You don’t wanna serve your boyfriend?”

I felt tears threaten to spill as I shook my head, “Can you just take care of him for me tonight?”

“Sure, Honey,” she said quietly. Vera filled the glass with Rico’s favorite, pressed a hand to my cheek as she passed and gave me a smile. Her bouncing blonde curls made me feel better, as did looking over just to see Tooky watching her backside with a lopsided grin. 

I let out a breath and decided to take over for her, picking up a glass to clean. When I turned toward the door I nearly jumped out of my skin at Spencer Reid sitting on the other side of the counter with a cheeky smile and a wave. 

“You, uh, you made it out Mr. Buzzkill,” I said shakily, trying to covertly sniffle. It didn’t work, and he squinted my way.

“Are you crying?” I waved a hand in front of my face and shook my head, but I couldn’t help glancing over to where Rico sat in the corner talking to Vera. Spencer twisted on his barstool enough to look at him with a furrowed brow and a frown. 

“I’m fine,” I told him, and he turned back to look at me. His face told me he obviously didn’t believe me, but there was no way in hell I was going to talk to him about this stuff. “What can I get you?” 

Spencer watched me for a moment, a pair of not-quite hazels searching me in an almost analytical way. He seemed to scan me and know in that moment that if he pushed me I was going to freak out, so he pulled out his wallet and a ten, then slid it toward me. 

“Bourbon, neat,” he decided. 

I pushed the bill back to him, “First one’s on me.”

“You know, nobody around here will let me pay for anything."

"You should take it and put it toward something fun like seeing the sights," I told him with a watery grin. I leaned over the bar and put my chin in my hands. "There's a lot of great places around here."

Spencer made a face and nodded, his gaze flicking down to my boobs. He made no effort whatsoever to disguise it and smirked like a cat, "I've got sights aplenty right here."

With that I snatched the ten and held it up for him to see, then stuffed it down my bra, "Just for that, I'm keeping this."

Spencer leaned back and laughed, "You earned it."

I poured Spencer his bourbon and made my rounds, waving hello to the people who came in. Nell ambled in after a bit, waving goodbye to Bernie before coming inside. Rose and Mattie May came up to the bar, trapping Spencer between them and Lonnie and Lloyd on the other. He conversed with them lightly, clinging to his bourbon like it was a lifeline, but I saw him eye the twins with caution. 

Lonnie and Lloyd Evarts were fraternal twins who just…sucked. They were assholes, and I avoided them and their leering every chance I got. They drank as much as they wandered around town picking fights and bothering people.  

Lonnie was the oldest by a few minutes, with a beer belly, rough gray speckled beard and greasy hair. Lloyd was tall and lanky, over a head taller than his brother, and liked to speak with a low creepy voice. They just liked to be a bother, so I got them their drinks and went on my way. 

I sang along to the music as I worked, the band playing soft acoustic rock as the street lights came on and the hot sun turned into an only slightly cooler night. Sweat made its way under my arms under the heat of the lights and errant conversations, but I tried to keep myself busy and not focus on Rico. 

Eventually, I couldn't really help myself. He just looked so damned lonely in the corner by himself. I poured some water into a big cup, ignoring Spencer's watchful gaze and pleading eyes to save him from Mattie May's questions and went over to Rico. 

Setting the water in front of him, I slid into the chair next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. He sighed heavily and met my gaze with a watery smile. 

"Hey," I murmured, giving him a squeeze. 

Rico licked his lips and chuckled, "Hey."

He covered my hand with his and returned my squeeze, "I think I need help getting home."

I leaned my chin on his shoulder and nodded, "I already called Micah. He's on his way."

Rico let out a long sigh and glanced up to where Spencer was sitting stiffly next to Lonnie and Lloyd. He waved a drunken hand that way, "My mom says he's really nice. He knew she was Basque just by her accent."

"She even brought him karouga," I told him playfully. "She might ditch your dad for him if you're not careful. Augustin is gonna be traded in for a new model."

Rico laughed quietly, slurring a bit, "She said the same thing about me and you. Said he may have eyes for you."

"Oh, well if Augustin is on the table I'll take him."

"You're sick."

I reached out to palm his chin and smile brightly. "You kinda look like him. Maybe that's why I think you're cute."

He groaned and pushed at me, "You're disgusting. I'm gonna throw up all over you if you don't shut up."

We laughed together for a moment, and it faded into us watching one another sadly. Twelve years of grief and friendship tied us together, Ernie the knot that kept it all from falling apart. I pressed my lips to his shoulder, breathing in the scent of smoke and sweat on his skin. 

"Collie and Augustin would have been great grandparents," I whispered, and he nodded, his hand absentmindedly reaching out to palm my empty stomach. I placed my hand over his, "They still will be. You have time, Rico."

His fingers tensed, then released, his thumb rubbing circles for a few seconds before he pulled away. Rico ran a heavy hand over his face and let out a grunt that told me he was trying to contain his emotions. "We shouldn't have a serious conversation right now. I don't know if you know this, but I'm pretty drunk."

"Drink your water and we'll settle the tab."

It took a few minutes, and some spillage, but he finished it. Rico held out his hands like a child, and I took him by them both and hoisted him to his feet. A handful of wobbly strides later and I got him up to the bar between Lonnie and Spencer. 

"Vera, can you settle his tab? Stick it on my card."

Rico set a heavy hand on Spencer's shoulder, who stiffened up tightly from it. He leaned in close to drunkenly whisper to him, "How you likin' the town, hipster?"

"It's Spencer," he said slowly back, flinching away from Rico’s breath. "It's…fine. How's my car?"

Rose leaned back enough to tug on the back of my shirt for my attention, "Did you call Micah?"

"He's on his way." I swatted at Rico, who was leaning far too heavily on a stranger he didn't know or even like very much. "Rico, leave the man alone."

"'M being polite to your guest, Honey," he told me flippantly. I shook my head and gave Spencer an apologetic frown. "Your Jeep's got a lot of miles on it for the year. How long you been on the road, man?"

I spotted Lonnie smirking at me out of the corner of my eye, trying to catch my attention. I did my best to focus on the receipt for Rico’s frankly astonishing amount of drinks he'd had today. 

"Two years. I've been just about everywhere," Spencer told him sheepishly, and he put a steadying hand on Rico’s chest to keep him from falling on him and out of my arms. 

I signed the receipt and slid it back to Vera, but as I turned back to Rico and Spencer I felt an unfamiliar hand on my backside. Glancing over my shoulder, I spotted Lonnie grinning at me with tobacco stained teeth. 

"Back off, Lonnie," I snapped. When I pushed at his wrist, his grip only tightened. "Ow! Goddamnit, Lon-."

Rico twisted off my shoulder before I could stop him, ripping Lonnie's hand from my ass. Spencer got up sharply from his stool and stepped up next to him, his hand going for his belt. 

Lonnie wasn't phased, and he ignored them completely. He loomed over me and cocked his head, his equally nasty brother standing behind him. "I hear Rico didn't knock you up. Lloyd and I are more than happy to step in, do what he can't."

"Back off, Lonnie," I urged, trying to keep Rico behind me. "Tonight's not the night."

"I think it's a perfect night," Lloyd sneered, grinning at me like the creep he was. "We'll show you a good time, Honey. Let you feel a real man for once."

"You boys better head home if you know what's good for you," Rose spoke up, and when I looked back he was up on his feet too. 

“Mind your business, old man,” Lonnie snapped. I was closer to him than I ever wanted to be, stale beer and cigarettes washing over me as I struggled to keep Rico in place and standing. Lonnie knew that Rose and Rico had served, and both were certified badasses, but Lonnie and Lloyd both served too, and for some reason they thought that gave them the right to fuck around and not find out.

“I’m talkin’ to the lady here,” he continued, reaching a dirt stained hand out to push back my hair. I swatted him away but he wasn’t phased, nor by the sudden silence that overcame the bar. I could feel everyone’s eyes on me, and it was my least favorite feeling in the world.

“I don’t want to talk to you or your brother,” I told him in a low voice, hating to be the center of attention. “I’m taking Rico home. You two just enjoy your night.”

I pulled on Rico’s arm until he moved with me, staggering and glaring at the twins over his shoulder. We barely made it two steps before Lonnie called out again.

“Maybe I’ll find you one of those nights you’re walkin’ home alone, then, bitch!”

Fuck.

Rico turned on a dime, the droopy effect of alcohol reverting to fierce stupidity. I was caught between them, his chest against my back as he swung a heavy fist toward Lonnie. It connected with his cheek with a loud smack of Rico’s knuckles. 

Everything seemed to explode in a millisecond. 

Lonnie barely flinched through his own alcoholic haze, his fist barreling toward me before I could react. A blast of pain cracked across my vision, a bright haze of red and white bursting over my sight as my body twisted from the force, a sharp yelp bursting from my chest. 

I hit the ground hard, my wrists and knees taking the impact. Yelling echoed in the back of my mind, the sounds of fists hitting flesh and broken glass. Hot blood dripped down my nose and chin as I struggled to blink back into focus. Somebody had their hands on my shoulders, which I feebly tried to push away. 

The napkin Rico had drawn Ernie on lay on the floor beneath me, trickling droplets of iron red beading the surface before bleeding into the paper. Memories swirled in my mind as I gazed bleary eyed at a drawing of my dead husband. Blood and the whipping wind jerking my hair from my scalp… sharp lightning cracking and thunder booming around us… the sight of the love of my young life bleeding out in the ocean. 

Then just as suddenly as it all began, it stopped. 

I looked up cautiously to find Rico on his ass next to me, clutching his nose, but that wasn't what made my heart stop in my chest. It was Spencer.

Lloyd laid flat on his belly with Spencer's boot between his shoulder blades, struggling to get up. Lonnie's arm was twisted behind him and out, Spencer pinching between his thumb and his pointer finger with one hand, the other tangled into his hair. 

"Get the fuck off me, man!" Lonnie snarled, but Spencer just twisted his arm further, earning a strangled yelp from the drunken asshole. 

Mattie May and Rose both had their arms under my armpits, hoisting me to my feet. Hastily, I snatched the napkin from the floor and enclosed it in my fist. I could hear her speaking softly to me over the ringing in my ears, asking me if I'm alright. All I could focus on was him, and the shift in his body. It was like staring at a whole other person.

"Apologize," Spencer snapped, his dark eyes sharp and more focused than I'd ever seen. Even with a handful of drinks in him he was steady and strong, his grip unyielding. "Now."

“Fuck y- argggh!” Lonnie tried, but another sharp turn on his shoulder had him howling. “Okay, okay! I’m fuckin’ sorry, man!”

“Not to me, dumbass,” Spencer growled lowly. Keeping one foot on Lloyd’s back, he turned Lonnie to face me and my spurting nose and lip. “Apologize to her.”

“I’m… sorry,” Lonnie gritted out, but the burning hatred in his eyes told me he wasn’t, and that this wasn’t over. 

“Alright!” Micah’s voice sounded out as he sauntered into the bar, and all turned to him. His weathered hands planted on his hips as he glowered down at the Evarts brothers. “That’s enough, boys. Head home.”

Rose pushed me gently behind him as Spencer released the twins. They both got to their feet rubbing their shoulders and scowling at me. Micah knew me well enough that I wasn’t going to press charges, so he waved them out of the bar and went for Rico.

“I’m guessing I have him to thank for this escalation?” Micah grunted as he bent down. He and Rose looped their arms under his and pulled him to his feet as he tried in vain to quell some of the blood flow.

“Yeah. I’ll help you get him to the car,” Rose replied gruffly. He kissed Mattie May on her cheek and I avoided the sight painfully as they drug Rico out of the bar.

“Honey, lemme look at ya,” Mattie May urged, tugging on my jaw. When I wouldn’t turn she instead twisted in front of me, slightly obscuring my view of Spencer.

I watched him and his reddened cheeks, the way his hands started to shake now that the fight was over. I watched him watching me back even as he snagged his bourbon off the bar and downed it in one go. 

“I’m fine,” I muttered. She ignored me, as did Vera and Tooky, poking and prodding around. I didn’t know why, but I couldn’t seem to look away from Spencer. He couldn’t look away either, it seemed, just gazed at me with a deep bone aching sadness and shame I’m sure reflected in my own eyes.

Another squeeze down my arm, a sharp rocketing pain that burst through my wrist. It was enough to drag me away from Spencer Reid, my angry gaze flicking to Mattie May, “Ow! Goddamnit!”

“Let’s get you some ice, Honey,” she replied quickly, her former nurses’ training kicking in. Before I knew it I was being dragged around the bar and into the kitchen, but when I looked over my shoulder Spencer hadn’t moved his gaze from me, but something had changed.

The sadness had switched to grief, and a little bit of fear.

The world spun as the girls pulled Honey into the kitchen. Spencer watched helplessly as the door swung shut, his body shaking and too stiff all at the same time. 

Is this who I am now?

He could see her through the window, see that she was okay and talking. One of the women blotted her nose with a dish rag as Mattie May pulled out a first aid kit. Spencer leaned against the bar for support, but he was certain if he looked away from Honey he would crumple into a ball of tears. 

Spencer was an idiot, reacting like that. The first sign of trouble and his training kicked in, that old familiar chivalry he’d thought he left behind on a cool DC morning as he skipped town like a ghost. He saw Lonnie and Lloyd, looking too much like the men he’d met in his work, and worst of all…

He saw Honey, frightened and too hard-headed for her own good to not back down from a fight she couldn’t win. You can’t win against men like that, people with their minds made up… and all he saw for a moment was Maeve with Lonnie’s fist heading right at her. His agent training burst out of him without permission, and the next thing he knew it was like after prison again, stopping some asshole from messing with Tara… when he was out of control and pissed off at the world.

Is this who I am now?

A heavy hand on his shoulder made him flinch and duck, turning sharply to find Rose looking at him with his dark eyes. Spencer’s heartbeat pounded in his ears, his breath struggling to return to normal. Rose motioned to the barstools in front of them, pretending as though he didn’t notice.

“Sit down, son.”

With a shaking hand, Spencer took a deep breath and pulled out a stool. He slid onto the cool leather and gripped the bar while Rose went around the other side. He pulled a bottle from the bar wall and poured him another drink, then pushed it toward him. Spencer snatched it like a man dying of thirst and poured it down his throat. 

"It's a good thing you did, taking over like that."

Another deep breath, count to five, let it out. 

"Bar fights are a dime a dozen. Don't worry too much about it. Lonnie and Lloyd aren't stupid enough to press charges."

The glass barely had the chance to hit the bar again before Rose poured him another. Spencer lifted it to his lips, just moments away from temporary salvation in the arms of liquor when he spoke again.

“Ex-con or cop?”

His only reprieve from the world hung mid air, just out of reach of his mouth as Spencer stared shell-shocked at him. “What?”

“Mattie May says you didn’t serve, but you don’t like fireworks.” A quirk of his heavy brow told Spencer he wasn’t getting out of this one. “Your hand went straight for your belt, like you were reaching for a gun. You got that haunted look in your eyes like a man who's seen some things. You didn’t serve so… ex-con or cop?”

Spencer swallowed thickly. The cool beads of condensation from his bourbon trickled down his hand and wrist. Rose sighed, “Nobody’s judging here, son. We welcome all kinds in this town, as you’ve surely noticed.”

Is this who I am now? What would ever be the right answer to that question? Both. Neither. 

Spencer’s heart weighed a thousand pounds as he stared painfully back at Rose. Licking his lips to prepare himself, his jaw quivered. His voice shook as he admitted for the first time in years, “FBI. Almost twenty years.”

Rose didn’t say anything about that, but the slight twitch that etched across his weathered features told Spencer everything he needed to know about his thoughts. Really? You? How could someone like you be capable of such a thing?

“Thank you for your service,” he said instead.

“Don’t,” Spencer replied. 

He downed his drink, pushed it forward for another. Rose obliged, tipping the spout over the rim. Spencer found himself looking once more to the kitchen window, his eyes sliding over without much thought. Honey seemed pissed off as ever, glaring at something in her hand as Mattie May wrapped her wrist with an Ace bandage. The distinct swell of a coming bruise tattooed across her cheek and lip, her nose red from cleaning blood away.

“She’s fine,” Rose’s voice came through, tearing his gaze away. “Honey’s taken harder hits than that.”

"Her husband?" Spencer asked, a bit unsure of such a bold question. "That why she wears that ring?"

Rose scratched his chin as he thought. His eyes wandered around the bar, seeing who was close. When he was satisfied nobody would hear, he leaned on his elbows on the bar. "You know, Honey don't look like it, but she grew up catching lobster on a boat off the East Coast."

"How'd she end up so far from home?"

"I don't know specifics," Rose muttered with a shrug. "Her daddy was a real religious type. Made it clear one day she could live there with his rules as gospel, or leave. She left, hitchhiked until she met Mattie May at a truck stop on her way home from visiting her sister."

A sweet genuine smile stretched across his cheeks, "She brought her to town. Honey met Ernesto. It was…instant. They just fell in love like that."

Sigue viviendo, Ernesto, Spencer remembered, thinking back to the mural outside Collie’s. 

"Yeah, those two were something else. Before she came along, Rico, Holly Henson, and Ernie were just three boys who came back from Iraq with hell to raise. They were wild. Honey walked in one day and those boys all turned into men. She showed them they could be more than haunted."

Spencer couldn't help but squint at his words, glaring at Rose as he downed his fourth shot in as many minutes. Rose dutifully poured him another, continuing on, "They all loved the water, fishing. Honey trained in water rescue back in the day, and she still went out when they needed her. Ernie and Honey would go on these week long trips up and down the coast. Ernie used to wear his ring on a chain around his neck so it wouldn't get lost.

"One day they didn't come back on time," Rose said, and this time it was his eyes that became haunted. They traveled back to a time Spencer couldn't see, remembering something he didn't know. 

"They got caught in a storm, a big one that came outta nowhere. They tried to get control of the boat, but a lightning bolt hit the deck, blew the damned thing into pieces."

The breath caught in his chest, Spencer's body subconsciously leaning forward as he found himself wrapped up in the story. He could hear Honey griping about being left alone, but it all seemed so far away. 

Rose sighed, his dark heavy gaze landing on Spencer's once more. "Some tourists found her a few days later holding onto a piece of driftwood. She was holding his body to her by that chain with his wedding ring on it. Hers had slipped off in the waves."

Spencer looked over to the kitchen window once more. Sure enough that ring hung around her neck. She fiddled with it as she stared dead eyed at what looked like a napkin, rolling it between her fingers. 

"She brought my Ernie home to me," Rose spoke quietly, earning Spencer's undivided attention once more. 

"He was your son." It wasn't a question. 

"Yeah, he was a good egg." An unspoken declaration of devotion from a man going through unimaginable pain. 

"Goddamnit, I'm fine!" Honey snarled, stomping her way out of the kitchen. It seemed to be her favorite word. "Leave me the fuck alone!"

The door swung behind her like a dog's wagging tail. She squinted at Spencer and Rose as she came out, but Rose reached out a hand for her bicep, pulling her back to him. 

He tapped her chin, "That's a good shiner, kid."

Honey's scowl morphed into a slow chuckle. She shook her head and pulled away from him with a big grin, "You're a dick."

Mattie May made her way out of the kitchen next, inching her way back into the main room as if she was a bit fearful of Honey’s wrath. Her arms made their way around Rose's waist as she watched her flit back around the tables.

"Will you stay with her? Help her close up and drive her home?" Mattie May asked Rose softly. "I don't like the idea of her alone after what Lonnie said."

"Yeah, but you know Honey. She's gonna growl at me all night about it."

Spencer's mouth opened before he could think to stop it, "I could drive her home so Mattie May doesn't have to go by herself."

Both of them turned surprised to an equally surprised Spencer, but they were far more amused. 

"Boy, I know you've had more drinks than the five I poured you," Rose told him sternly. "I wouldn't trust you to drive a stationary bike right now."

"Well, that is true," Spencer replied, realizing in embarrassment the slur of his voice. "She can drive me home. There's no way I'm finding my way back to the inn by myself anyway."

They looked at one another, seemingly having one of those silent conversations couples do when they've been together long enough. Not so funnily, he used to have similar ones with the BAU. 

"Okay. You two be careful, though," Mattie May smiled. "Gets pretty dark around here at night on the beach. There ain't many streetlights."

"Will do," Spencer replied. He saluted her with his drink and polished it off, welcoming the amber gold and the edge it took off with it. 

He vaguely registered Rose asking Honey to drive him home, focused on drowning his feelings in his bourbon. After a few more hours, the patrons shuffled out. The old woman behind the bar and the pretty blonde left before closing time, and eventually it was just him and Honey alone. 

She ignored him mostly, avoiding his gaze as Spencer tried to avoid hers. She made her way behind the bar, pulling out trash bags and tying them off. 

"You didn't have to do that, y’know," she muttered, and when he looked up she was watching him through her lashes. Her cheeks flushed a dark pink, only making her bruise look darker. 

It was already blotching purple, and by the morning it would turn black and blue. Part of her lip had split, and god help him, it pissed Spencer off more than anything. 

"I can take a punch, Mr. Dreary," she said when he didn't reply. She pointed at his glass. "You didn't need to do that. You obviously didn't want to."

"Oh, I wanted to." 

Her hand reached out, fingers loosely grabbing the tumbler. She twisted it for a moment and bit her bottom lip as she thought. "He was trying to hit Rico and missed. He's a drunk asshole."

"No, he wasn't." Spencer told her. Honey's brows twitched, but she didn't say anything. "He may be a drunk asshole, but he aimed right for you in a place that would bleed the most and bruise the worst. I'm sure he's had plenty of practice accidentally punching women."

"And you know so much about that?" she challenged, stubborn as ever. "He's all bark and no bite."

"I know more about it than I'd like." Spencer's own hand found its way across the bar, clasping around her good wrist. "I've seen hundreds of Lonnie's. They seem all bark and no bite, but they're impulsive. Especially when they're angry. When he said he'd wait for you to walk home alone one night, he meant it. He'd have no problem finding you and raping you in the street before leaving you there."

Her jaw clenched tightly, but she nodded with tears in her eyes. Honey cleared her throat and held up one of the trash bags, "You might as well make yourself useful. Dumpster’s through the kitchen."

Spencer slid his hand from her and got to his feet. He rounded the bar and took it from her hands, his legs more than a bit unsteady. 

"You okay?" she asked quietly, watching him nervously. 

"I might be on my knees painting the inside of the toilet later," he told her with a watery lopsided grin, "but I'll be fine."

Her laugh was all he needed to walk away from her, smiling to himself. She chucked quietly behind him as he made his way into the kitchen. It was dark, illuminated only by the red light of the EXIT sign. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he passed through the hot room, still emanating heat from the hours of serving up burgers and fish fry to the patrons.

The night was only a few degrees cooler as Spencer pushed open the heavy back door and stepped into the alley. It reeked of stale beer, piss, and sand, making his nose curl up. He tossed the bag into the dumpster, the bottles inside hitting the inside with a loud clang. 

He gripped the slatted wall for support as he turned inside. His legs didn’t want to cooperate along the shifting sands, his veins mostly alcohol by now. Tugging the door back open, he stepped back inside into the glowing red blanketing the kitchen. 

"Get away from me!" Honey's voice came from the bar area. 

Spencer's body kicked into gear, his hand going to his belt for a gun that wasn't there. His badge wasn't either, and he was drunk. Old familiar instincts blazed to life, his ears picking up on a shuffling to his right. Spencer turned just in time to see the business end of a baseball bat coming toward his face. 

It connected with his nose, the fragile cartilage cracking under the force. Spencer was swept off his feet with the impact, landing hard on his ass on the concrete. The bat came down again as Honey screamed in the other room. 

Blinking blearily through the pain, Spencer's foot shot out, his boot catching the side of his assailant's knee. The man screeched in pain and collapsed, clutching his kneecap and howling

"Oh fuck, Lonnie!" he cried out, and Spencer recognized him in the dark. It was Lloyd Evarts. 

The swinging door flung open and in came the bastard Lonnie himself, dragging Honey in by her hair. Fresh blood dripped down her nose under the red lights, and he tossed her to the ground before swinging a heavy foot out. It caught Spencer in the ribs, his movements slow with the alcohol and stun of the hit to the face. 

“Take that, you piece of shit!”

Lonnie kicked him again, and again. Spencer tried to swing out his fist, but caught nothing but air. Lloyd was on his feet in Spencer's drowsy haze, stomping down on his shoulder and side as he tried in vain to get up from the floor. 

If he didn't get up, he'd probably die. 

The unmistakable rack of a shotgun ran ice water through his veins. He couldn’t see Honey, couldn’t find a way to pick himself up to get her the hell out of here. What an embarrassing way to die for who he used to be… shot on a cold floor in a town he didn’t know or like, trying stupidly to protect a girl he didn’t want to be attracted to.

The gun blasted out with a loud boom! that rattled the kitchen. Spencer braced for the all-too familiar feel of bullets in his flesh, but they didn’t come. Instead a loud howling ripped through the room through the ringing in his ears.

Another pump of the gun, the clattering of a spent shell casing petering across the concrete. The gun went off again, followed by the screech of a wounded animal. The blows stopped battering his drunken body, shuffling feet and screams echoing around him.

“Let’s go! Go, go, go!” Lonnie’s voice cried out, followed by them scrambling out the door. 

Spencer rolled onto his back, vaguely registering the gun hitting the ground. All the fight was gone, and he was just a pair of black eyes. The EXIT sign glowed ominously above him, the acrid smell and copper taste of blood in his mouth. He couldn’t breathe through his nose, sure that it must be broken. 

“Spencer,” a soft voice came, full of tears and worry. 

A shadow moved in front of the sign, dark and surrounded by the red light. Soft dark hair glimmered even in the darkness, and Spencer reached a bruised hand up to run his fingers through it. He palmed her cheek, his breath catching in his chest as his brain struggled to remember where he was.

“Spencer, stay awake,” the voice said again. “I’m going to get some help.”

It was so quiet, shrouded in darkness and mystery. Familiar, but where was he again? He didn’t know. He didn’t really care, either. His thumb ran across her cheekbone, a slight hiss of pain escaping lips he couldn’t see. Her skin was warm, the fresh scent of saltwater and sweat washing over him. All he wanted was a hug, someone to hold him until he felt better. 

“Spencer, can you hear me?”

“Maeve?”

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[aannonn]

Headcanons.RainbowGang!

The day has finally come! This was initially supposed to be a ColorGang headcanon post (part 3), buuuuut I wanted Purple to be included in it, too, so let's go! (And because there is already two posts of my HCS of the ColorGang lol)

So.. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed sharing it! &lt;3

Lil' note; My headcanons might change over time. Simply because I'm indecisive and I'm still kinda new to the AvA/AvM fandom/series.

Even though I have watched Animation vs Minecraft(original) and Animation vs Animator III and IV when I was really young, I'm still new to the story itself, so my opinions and own interpretations of the characters may change the more I become more used to the characters and the lore. Going depth with the characters and the lore, basically. So take all of this with a grain of salt!

Some may change in the future, other may stay. It's all just a matter of time and the more I go more in depth with the lore and the characters!

Lil' note 2: There are some triggering topics here that you may want to skip. (Such as; Phobias, disorders, possessions, etc.)

You can skip the whole trigger part thing, though! Once you see a gif about the colorgang having a group hug, that's when the trigger part ended.

﹌﹌﹌Triggering Topics.﹌﹌﹌

. . . . . ╰──╮Second is claustrophobic.

・❥・Like- There is no way he isn't atleast a lil' bit claustrophobic after all he went through, right? Villain and/or Antagonists are almost always restraining him in small places, Second must be at least a little claustrophobic.

. . . . . ╰──╮The ColorGang is a little bit paranoid about Purple.

-‘๑’- Like- Don't get them wrong! They love and accept Purple into their lil' group just as they accepted Orange(Second) into their lil' group when they first met, but they can't help but feel a lil' bit paranoid about him.

-‘๑’- They were betrayed twice by him. They know Purple changed but they just- can't help it. They are just afraid of losing each other again.

-‘๑’- Traumatized, paranoid, and having a little bit of PTSD about what happened back then in the Nether. And also alot of trust issues.

-‘๑’- They are willing to forgive and forget, though forgetting what happened back there is proving to be a lot harder than it should be...

. . . . . ╰──╮Red still have some PTSD from all of those possessions.

-‘๑’- He's a little cautious about his surroundings now... Especially towards HeroBrine.

-‘๑’- It's his body, but he can't move nor control whatever action he takes.. Doing things that he would never even dream of doing..

-‘๑’- Yeah- Being possessed wasn't a fun experience. He was able to see what HeroBrine was doing while in control of his body; He had no way of controlling the actions he took, which terrified him and still do just thinking about it. He would never want to relieve it ever again.

﹌﹌﹌Wholesome Topics﹌﹌﹌

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ RainbowGang loves to playfully play around with Second's head.

・❥・Second's head is canonically squishy, so the rest of the gang loves to play around with his squishable head. Like- Squishing his head to become a heart, a square, and etc-!

・❥・Of course, they make sure to not hurt him at all and to see if Second is okay with this; Which- He is! It doesn't hurt him at all; Much to the contrary, it's actually really comfortable (it's like receiving little pats on the head) and it just tickles a little.

・❥・There are times when Blue and Red throw things so that it can go through his head... It doesn't hurt or anything like that, he just feels weird about it.

・❥・Even though he's fine with it and it doesn't hurt him at all, Orange absolutely hates when Sticks use his head for some kind of game. (Example; Basketball). It's just so umconfortable and it makes him feel like he's being used somehow.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Purple (and Reuben) is a honorary member of the ColorGang.

・❥・The ColorGang accepted Purple with open arms and, without him knowing, made him part of their lil' group.

・❥・Now, everytime Purple is included in their shenanigans, they will always call themselves the RainbowGang!

・❥・The moment Purple became their friend, it was also the moment he was officially accepted into the group and now they are the RainbowGang!

・❥・When Purple found out about it... He felt so many emotions at a time- Embarrasment, anger(at himself), guilty(for betraying them twice), insecure(of being worth for their love and forgiving), happiness(he's finally feeling loved. he finally have people who accepts him for who he is!), then guilty again, then anger once again...

・❥・Though, the main ones are definitely anger and guilty. And, because of that, he felt really overwhelmed and just- wasn't ready for it yet. He hasn't forgiven himself yet. He just- Can't. Yet.

・❥・The gang always made sure to let him know that they forgave him, but they understand that he just feels really overwhelmed by it, and made sure to let him know that he's always welcomed with open arms into their lil' group once he's ready.

・❥・That doesn't mean that they stopped inviting Purple to their shenanigans, though- Definitely not! He's always free to join them into their shenanigans whenever he feels like joining!

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ From all of them, Purple feels more comfortable around Green.

・❥・Don't get him wrong! He feels very grateful for how the others have accepted him so well into their little group, but Green is just- The first one to try to understand him, the first one to break down the walls he's built over the years, and the first one to be his actual true friend.

・❥・Purple feels comfortable around the others too, but he feels the closest to Green.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ The ColorGang didn't really know that a rainbow existed.

・❥・Can't really blame them. They lived their whole lives being fighting sticks from a site (RYGB), while one of them actually came from drawings (The Second Coming/Orange), and never really left the DeskTop before.

・❥・They always have been curious about Real Life, though. So, on their first days living on Alan's desktop, they almost always watched whatever Alan was doing on his computer, just out of curiosity.

・❥・They found out that a Rainbow existed when Alan was just doing some researches about a rainbow (For color inspiration), and Red quickly compared them to the rainbow, almost looking like a rainbow gang.

・❥・Needless to say, they spent a lot of time just watching Alan doing his things on his computer, while also trying to recreate a Purple StickMan so they could be the RainbowGang!

・❥・...Didn't really work well. So you can imagine how happy they felt when they finally found a Purple StickMan! Like them! :D

・❥・And how sad they felt when they got betrayed.. Twice. By him.

・❥・And how happy they felt once again when Purple officially become their friend once again! ;D

・❥・They are finally a RainbowGang!

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ They all have cuddle piles in every chance they get.

・❥・There are times where Purple doesn't feel like he deserves all the affection and love that the ColorGang shows to each other, but they always make sure to shut those thoughts and just pulls him along with their cuddle piles. lol

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ There are also times where Second feels like he doesn't belong to the group.

・❥・I mean.. He's the only hollowhead out of them all. And RYGB knew each other ever since they were first created. He kinda feels.. Out of place. Non-belonging.

・❥・So he can kinda understand how Purple feels. Which is why he makes sure to comfort Purple saying that their friends would never judge them for who they are and will accept them with open arms. And even so, they are in this together.

・❥・And he's right! Obviously lol The gang will always make sure to include them into their shenanigans. They were always a big happy family from the very start and will happily accept Orange and Purple into their lil' family. ❤

﹌﹌﹌Extras!﹌﹌﹌For long; New/changed headcanons!

* ˚ ✦ From Oldest to Youngest; Purple & Yellow & Blue & Green & Red & The Second Coming!

: ̗̀➛ The ColorGang are all 9-10 years old. (Orange being one year younger than them), while Purple is 16 years old.

: ̗̀➛ You can imagine Purple's surprise when he found out that the sticks who saved a whole dimension from being deleted were kids.

: ̗̀➛ Many thoughts came into their head, as well as many emotions overwhelmed him when he found out that they were kids all along.

: ̗̀➛ Surprinsingly, the first thing that he focused on was; "....Am I really that short or they are just that tall?"

: ̗̀➛ Jokes apart, Orange is one of those people who may acts like the 'mother' of the group but is actually one of the youngest.

* ˚ ✦ Out of all of them, Blue and Red are the most emotional ones.

: ̗̀➛ Blue is more of a PeaceMaker, getting easily attached to who he loves, and will be absolutely one of the most distraught whenever he lost one of his friends. He won't hesitate to get violent whenever he feels like his friends are in danger, though he can sometimes act like a pacifist and may hesitate when the situation is not in their favor. inspired by this analysis of Blue's character!

: ̗̀➛ While Red is more younger, vulnerable and impulsive. He got a childlike mind, pretty aggressive, and one of the strongest in the group. But he can also get pretty impulsive out of good-intentions and can end up getting them to pretty dangerous situations. He's always good-intentioned, but there are many times where he won't think twice before doing.

* ˚ ✦ They all loves to prank each other.

: ̗̀➛ They can sometimes get carried away with their pranks, though... They always make up in the end!

: ̗̀➛ Purple was a lil' confused at first, but he eventually got the hang of it and, all of sudden, he become the prankster of the group. lol xD

* ˚ ✦ Green didn't taught only Orange how to sing - even though it didn't really work well.. xD - , he taught the others how to sing, too! With a lil' help from Purple, of course.

: ̗̀➛ Purple and Green tried many times to teach Orange how to sing, but then they finally concluded that Orange is a lost case. ;')

: ̗̀➛ But! They managed to teach the others how to sing, though!

: ̗̀➛ Red is a quick learner, so it wasn't too difficult to teach him how to sing. They all had a lot of fun while singing together.

: ̗̀➛ While with Yellow, surprisingly it was harder to teach him, but he got the hang of it eventually. After many failed attempts on trying to teach him how to sing, that is... But atleast it wasn't as bad as it was with Orange. ;'D

: ̗̀➛ Blue was a lil' more difficult, but it wasn't that hard, either. - Green suspects Blue used potions to learn how to sing quicker, though... And he was definitely right.

: ̗̀➛ So now they all kinda have a band together with Green and Purple as the main singers.

: ̗̀➛ Second isn't excluded in this, though! He can't sing like the others, but he can play a electric guitar pretty good. So, basically; He's the main Guitarist.

: ̗̀➛ Alan is the audience. xD

Welp! I think that's it..? Pretty sure there is alot more, but it's already midnight in my place (almost 1 am), so... (why do I always write these at midnight?? lmao)

Cya u all in my next blog! &lt;3

#animation vs minecraft #animation vs animator #ava #avm #alan becker #color gang #ava color gang #have a good day! #have a good afternoon! #have a good night! #♪(´▽｀) #(´▽`ʃ♡ƪ) #♥*♡

[lurkinglurkerwholurks]

Trapped

First posted: July 30, 2018

Focuses on: Jason Todd (and Bruce Wayne)

My favorite bookmark: "i think this is my favorite jason fic now?? shit" thank u but I've written better, please come back

Tier: Top 20 in terms of hits, kudos, and bookmarks, surprisingly

This is my "behind the scenes" series where I indulge myself horribly by annotating my fics. Link to the fic itself above. Thoughts below the cut.

Another BatFam Week entry, but this time the prompt is the title.

This one started with a very specific kinetic image of being able to feel Bruce's hand covering Jason's eyes and knowing why. Very horse blinders, but soft and dadly. From there it was just a matter of writing it.

A panicked whine whistled through the dark.

In my own fics, the use of "whine" is very "Oh hi, I've been binging fic indiscriminately for weeks and now have plunged headfirst into writing without knowing a thing about how to do it my own way." No shade on people who do use that verb. I just don't anymore, because it's not my style.

He was buried. Buried in the dark with the bugs and the worms and the dirt.

Treble parallel structures are just the best and I rely on them way too much but also I AM NOT SORRY.

He swung his arm in a panic, forearm slamming against the wall of rubble. Nothing moved, but his arm screamed, so he joined it.

☺️

That was him. Good, good, that was good, dead people didn’t know their own name, because they were dead, but he was going to be dead because he couldn’t see and couldn’t get out and oh god he was buried again—

I really hecking love stream-of-consciousness panic, though I would edit some of the commas here. They were technically, grammatically correct, but a few implied breaths Jason was definitely not taking.

Also I don't remember if it was this fic or another early one but some commenter tried to be like "capitalize that g." No. When the characters reference the deity or deliberately the name, that's God. This is god.

No matter where Jason had cried out for him—in a warehouse in Ethiopia, in a muddy grave, on the banks of the Pit—Bruce had never been here.

Listen, you might think you hate your dad, but when you're living out your worst nightmare, it's good to have him around! Like oh thank goodness AN ADULT, and not just any adult, the ADULT WHO FIXES THINGS.

Bruce’s hand tightened on his ankle.

Some things are just fun to write because it's less about imagining and more about, no, I can just tell you Bruce has his gloves on and his fingers are around Jason's ankle and the pad of his thumb is pressed to that little hollow between the ankle bone and the Achilles heel, I'm not conjuring it, that's just how it is.

It was a ludicrously heavy beam, and his muscles were already weak from panic and fading adrenaline.

I have no idea how heavy concrete with a rebar center actually is. If I were Audrey, I would have googled it and researched down to the ounce. As it is, my brain went "It's like the Little Billy scene in Rocketman, it's fine."

“I have died here,” Jason reminded him, voice teetering like a small figure on a bridge.

I pat past me on the back for that wording.

Bruce placed his hand over Jason’s eyes, sandpapery callouses rubbing across soft eyelashes and bloody skin.

Bruce has my dad's hands. Which doesn't actually make sense because Bruce is a manual labor guy and my dad's only callouses are writing callouses, but it's true.

“You’re not alone. I’m here, and I’m not leaving you.” Bruce kissed Jason’s forehead tenderly, then prompted, “Say it.”

Yay forehead kiss.

“You are not alone.” “I am not alone.”

I am not fond of dialogue-only endings (when I do them.)

Also, to pull out one of my own replies from the comments:

The hill I choose to die on is that the majority of both the strife and bliss between Bruce and Jason at any point in their lives centers on the fact that Bruce is the closest anyone has come to earning total trust from Jason. Period. So that makes every betrayal ten times worse but also means that when the chips are down, Jason will turn to Bruce. 

Another gem from the comments: my elation that @cerusee (whose work I had devoured) read AND liked this fic AND liked it well enough to text it to @audreycritter (who had not yet appeared like a Jack-in-the-Box to drag me bodily into friendship.) I tried to play it cool in the reply. I was not chill in real life.

#fanfic bts brain dump

[chuuyrr]

Now I need to see Mom! Scarlet Witch! Reader with a partner!! ( I know that she will always will love vision but “what if” she finds someone you know ). And I need to see Suguru ( because we all know that he loves reader like if she was his mother ), Gojo and little Megs and Tsumiki!!!

what if mama! scarlet witch! reader is seeing someone (how jjk characters will react)

jujutsu kaisen x reader

masterlist of the series

╰➤ CW(s): possible manga spoilers for jujutsu kaisen (gojo's past arc), themes of fluff

╰➤ PAIRING(s): mama! reader x adopted son! gojo satoru, mama! reader x child! fushiguro megumi, mama! reader x child! fushiguro tsumiki, mama! reader x platonic! suguru geto, mama! reader x platonic! ieiri shoko

helloooo thank you so much for requesting and for being so so patient!! enjoy reading :) ♡

if you ever find love again in the jujutsu kaisen world, you can best bet that your adoptive son, gojo satoru, will be the one who's incredibly against it. he has said it before: he doesn't want a dad, he only wants a mama, and that's you.

apart from that, he's already got other gremlins as rivals for your love and attention, namely megumi, tsumiki, and suguru. yes, you heard that right. even his best friend loves you that much! ever since you met your son's best friend and helped him regarding his beliefs and ideals, especially after the star plasma vessel incident, he had gotten quite close to you. suguru is closer to you than his own parents. he is so grateful to you. he even sees you as his own mom. you were so patient and loving, and he highly appreciates the fact that you didn't give up on him either.

anyway, going back, the moment you spill to satoru, megumi and tsumiki that you've been seeing someone lately, satoru throws a fit. like, he's hysterically dramatic about it. he feels absolutely betrayed by you and is incredibly shocked that he had to take off his black sunglasses.

"BUT MOM?!"

megumi, on the other hand, will be very pouty and probably scowl at the thought, but he is not going to be vocal about it, unlike this creepy white-haired guy you deemed as your adoptive son. but, just like tsumiki, he's going to be a bit sad and mostly scared. the poor kids think that history is going to repeat itself again, which is you falling in love with someone only for you to abandon them, just like how their parents have.

expect instant interrogation from your children, "where did you meet them?" "what is their name?" "what are they like?" "what is their address?" "what is their job?" "who is this person?!"

you can already tell they aren't too pleased with the thought of you seeing someone else, so you pull the children to you, megumi and tsumiki on your lap, and satoru beside you. you ruffle their hair and smile sweetly before giving each of them an embrace. "i love you three very much. you guys mean everything to me. i would never ever leave you three." 

"promise?" cue the teary eyes of your children.

you give them each a kiss on the forehead before gently patting their face. "i promise my sweeties."

they will accept it for now, mostly because they want their mama to be happy. tsumiki won't say anything else about it since she trusts you, but megumi and satoru, on the other hand, are going to be absolute menaces, especially as soon as they meet the person you've been seeing. they are actively playing passive-aggressive towards them, because how dare they steal you away from them? megumi and satoru will also be glaring, doing everything they can to divert your attention to them instead.

"mama, i want hugs." megumi would tug on your leg, making grabby hands before discreetly glaring at your lover and sticking his tongue out.

"mooom, my six eyes is hurting." satoru would drape an arm over his eyes, faking it just so you would pay attention to him instead.

satoru will spill the tea on suguru and shoko, ranting and possibly crying. suguru's face scrunches into pure shock as soon as he hears from his best friend. the three were probably on a mission together, and suguru and shoko couldn't help but notice how satoru is easily irritated and sulky.

"[NAME]-SAN IS WHAT?!"

"MY MOM IS SEEING SOMEONE!!"

so now you have megumi, satoru, and suguru after your lover. the boys are going to be hella protective of you. as soon as you turn your back on them and your lover is there, they're going to be glaring daggers at your lover; their eyes promising death and threats. they won't be able to bear the thought of seeing you cry if this person dares to leave you and break your heart.

"don't even think about breaking my mom's heart unless you want me to start mixing colors, this one over here has a goddamn dragon and megumi-chan over here fucking bites ankles."

shoko would be the most laid back of the three man team. don't get me wrong, this young lady loves you too, but she's more after your happiness and tries her best to tell suguru and satoru to calm down, because they really do need to calm down 😭

if looks could kill, your lover would have already been dead seconds ago. she convinces them to let you be happy because you deserve to be happy, especially after what you've been through. 

"[name]-san mentioned of having a husband and kids once didn't she? you guys should let her be. it's not like they're doing anything wrong, is there?"

shoko proceeds to point you, who was smiling and laughing while your lover hands you a bouquet of your favorite flowers before kissing your forehead. (shoko, suguru and satoru were spying on you)

"sure, they aren't vision, but i just think that [name]-san deserves to be happy. she has always done so much for us, it's only fair for her to be happy too."

so, yeah. satoru and suguru, together with little megumi, tried to be nicer around your lover because they do want their mom to be happy :(

i feel like they would try to like your lover too, just to see what made you fall for and love them, and they're in for a surprise to see how kind they are just like you. well, if they aren't and they turn out to be an absolute bastard, they aren't coming out alive. they've got a whole group of sorcerers that you have adopted after their sorry ass. 

#gojo satoru x reader #fushiguro megumi x reader #fushiguro tsumiki x reader #suguru geto x reader #shoko x reader #gojo x reader #megumi x reader #geto x reader #geto suguru x you #geto suguru x reader #getou suguru x reader #getou suguru x you #gojo x you #gojo satoru x y/n #gojo satoru x you #megumi x you #megumi x y/n #fushiguro x y/n #fushiguro x you #gojou satoru x you #gojou satoru x reader #satoru gojō x reader #jujutsu kaisen x y/n #jujutsu kaisen x you #jjk x y/n #jjk x reader #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jujutsu kaisen drabbles #jujutsu kaisen imagines #jujutsu kaisen scenarios

[myteacheris]

Chapter 3: My Teacher's Other Side

Read Previous Chapter

🌸 

Nighttime on the same day. Trisha was on her bed busy with her phone. She was playing Strife Play and chatting with Jin.

🌸 🌸 

Morning, next day. At the lavatory area near the school cafeteria. While Trisha was washing her hands, she felt something on her feet. When she look down, she saw a white cat with orange spots cat. A big fat one. It was rubbing itself to her feet and her lower leg.

“Ah so cute!”

She quickly wiped her wet hands with her handkerchief and tries to pat the cat. Before she could do it, the cat ran away.

“Wait. I won’t hurt you.”

It ran towards the back of the building and so she ran and tried to follow it. When she reached the corner and about to turn to the left side, she didn’t notice the guy leaning on the wall while reading a book with an anime illustration on its cover. She bumped into him. Due to the collision, both of them fell down and the book was thrown away.

“Ouch!” Trisha hit her knee on the ground.

“What are you doing?” said the guy. The guy is someone Trisha knows.

“Sir Jake! I’m so sorry. Are you okay?” 

Jake got up and took Trisha’s hand, helping her to stand up.

“I’m fine. Why are you running anyway? Are you being chased?”

“No. I was looking for a cat. Did you see it?”

After helping her stand up, Jake walked towards the book and picked it up.

“Nah, I haven’t noticed.”

“That book…”

“...You know this?”

“I think I’ve seen that book cover before…”

And so Trisha remembered the time when Jin told her about his hobby aside from playing games. He likes to read manga too and he recommended that series to her. But Trisha doesn’t really read manga so she haven’t tried it yet but she still remembers the book cover at least.

“Wow I didn’t know you read manga sir Jake. Do you watch anime too?”

Jake leans towards her, putting his index finger on his lips.

“Shhhh…”

Could it be that he doesn't want anyone to know that so he reads it alone? Trisha doesn't understand why he still needs to hide that. 

Then the bell for the first period rang.

“Ah, I need to go to the office now. Are you on the way to your class too? What’s your first period?”

“H.E.-”

“Oh no.” She suddenly remembered what Mary told her last time. 

- "By the way, our next subject is H.E., and our teacher is a bit strict so please be sure no to be late on his class.

“Ahhhh!! I’m gonna be late I have to go!” Trisha runs.

Jake noticed something and tried to stop her, but Trish runs so fast that it amazed him.

🌸 🌸 🌸 

Trisha was running in the hallway while repeating her prayers.

“I hope he’s not there yet. I hope he’s not there yet. I hope he’s not there yet. Oh God please.”

She passed by the faculty office where a man was about to leave.

“No running in the hallway, Ms. Bautista…”

Trisha recognized the voice and knew that things will get worse so she stopped.

“Sorry sir.”

“You’re already late so there’s no need to run.”

“Actually sir, I--" Trisha is trying to think of an excuse why she’s late.

“Wait, are you okay?”

“Huh?”

“It’s bleeding. What happened?!” William pointing at Trisha’s knee.

“Ah this must from when I bumped into sir Jake… Now that I’ve seen it, it does hurt.”

Then Trisha finally thought of an idea.

“On my way here, I accidentally bumped into someone and hit my knee on the ground. It hurts so I was walking slowly and I didn’t notice the time.”

“... But you were running just now.”

“Ah y-yeah. Ha ha... I was thinking I might still make it on time. Hehe” 

William grabbed her hand. “Come with me.”

“Huh?!”

🌸 🌸 🌸 🌸 

They stopped by the clinic’s door. William entered and talked to the lady inside. 

“Excuse me Ms. Garcia.”

“Oh sir William… and Trisha?”

Trisha saw that it was her aunt Dianne so she smiled and waved.

“Trisha?” William got confused after hearing that name for the first time, but realizing where it come from.

“Is she the niece you were talking about Ms. Dianne" said by the other man sitting on the chair. The man has a black hair with a long bangs covering his left eye.

“Oh I see.” William murmured .

“Wait. Sir Andrew, what are you doing here?”

“Well I got a paper cut when I was reading in the library so I came her to ask for some band aids. Guess I need to head back to the office now.”

“...Is that so?” William doesn’t know whether Andrew is telling the truth. He knew his cousin always like to joke or tell lies.

As he was about to leave, he turned to Trisha,

“By the way, I’m Andrew Go. The History teacher of Grade 12. Your aunt and I are good friends so tell me if this guy is bullying you, okay?”

“Huh?! Why would I even  do that?!” William reacted.

“Trisha your knee!” Dianne saw that Trisha’s knee is bleeding.

“Woah, sir William is a meanie…” said Andrew

“I didn’t do anything!”

“No this is-” Trisha was trying to explain but William spoke before she could even finish.

“She hit her knee on the ground. Dianne can you treat it so it won’t get infected.” 

“Of course. Trisha come here" Dianne went to one of the cabinets to take the first aid kit.

Andrew was about to leave and called William.

“Will… Don’t you have a class today?”

William looks at the wall clock and realized he was late. He, of all people hates tardiness. 

“Ahh!!”

Trisha looking at him, felt a bit guilty and said.

“Sorry sir because of me.”

William pats her head.

“Don’t worry about it. Come after you’re done”

William smiled at her and left with Andrew. Trisha couldn’t believe what she saw. Her terror teacher just smiled and he looked like a different person.

#original #original character #ocs #oc art #oc story #myteacheris #kai original story #kaisl