#it was from claudia’s pov but she only saw what she did

[percysheliey]

sigh finished my second watch of iwtv … sick and twisted with the was it raining louis???? daniel !!!! stop it !!!!!

#the odyssey of recollections etc etc .. #claudia pov NOW #lestat pov NOW #i want to especially know if the night lestat dropped him from the sky … is it true #was it truly that bad #it was from claudia’s pov but she only saw what she did #and louis is known to distort the truth #was it raining louis !!!!!! #god this show #truly so well written im so obsessed #rosie rambles

[artists-ally]

{Flatline} Harvey x OFC {Pt. 3)

Uh ohhhh guys it’s Pt. 3 🤭🤭🤭 I am so excited for this. It’s honestly one of my favorite things I’ve written and I hope you all agree. There is a poll at the end so make sure to vote for that <3 enjooyyyyy p.s. I hope this does good justice for this series.

Pt. 1 Pt. 2 Character Playlist

Word Count: 12,795

Warnings: language, angst, anxious thoughts, one singular mention of sexual h*r*ssm*nt in regards to Harvey’s actions with Claudia, smut 18+, the tiniest bit of food play, dom/sub dynamics, praise kink go brrr

***Italic sections indicate flashbacks***

Summary: The aftermath of Harvey breaking his promise to Claudia.

Tagging: @rosedpetal @maxdamax @ashcosmo

~~~~~~

HARVEY'S POV

My legs were numb. That sort of numbness when something happens that you can’t explain. It felt like my life just flashed before my eyes. That image of Claudia’s shaking lip… hearing her broken voice… I don’t think I’ll ever get it out of my fucking head. 

“Harvey, I requested those trades be made an hour ago. Do you wanna tell me why… Harvey?”

I could see Jessica in front of me, but I couldn’t hear a damn thing she said. 

“Harvey, what’s going on?” She closed the door, and I put a hand out to steady myself so I wouldn’t fall on the floor. “What happened?” “I fucked up,” I whispered. 

“Yeah, no shit. You tanked our only opportunity to get a leg up on this Gustoson case. You’re damn right you fucked up-”

“No no,” I sat on the arm of the chair. My hands began to shake so I folded them together. Jessica saw. 

“What the hell did you do?”

“I yelled at Claudia…”

She just blinked at me. “Is that seriously what you’re concerned about? Yelling at an associate? Okay, you yelled at an associate, what’s new? That might as well be in your job description.”

“No no no I didn’t just yell at her I threatened to do the one thing that I promised I would never do and now she’s gone. She left. I can’t- I don’t- I never meant to hurt her but she suggested that we file a motion to dismiss and I got so caught up in my anger about her accusing me of using her that I lost my-”

“Using her? Harvey, what is going on?” “I’ll tell you what’s going on,” Donna barged in. 

“Donna please don’t-”

“Harvey and Claudia have been ‘working together’ for the last month and a half, when in reality he has been a selfish, lying, arrogant brat who has crossed so many lines it’s beginning to look like a Rorschach Test.”

“You know?” I felt my heart suffocate myself. I thought I was gonna throw up.

“In all honesty Harvey, no I didn’t. Not until Claudia just broke down in the elevator and told me everything. I cannot believe that you would use her like that. For your own personal satisfaction are you out of your fucking mind?” “Harvey, what the hell is she talking about?” Jessica’s voice was full of hostility. 

“He thought that it would be a good idea to boost Claudia’s confidence by getting into her pants.”

“Donna it wasn’t-”

Jessica scoffed, covering her face. “What the hell is wrong with you? This has got sexual harassment written all over it, Havrey. Could you really be that delusional?”

“For fucks sake it wasn’t like that!” I screamed. Genuinely screamed and paced around. “I didn’t use her, not intentionally. God dammit I haven't been able to think clearly since the first day that I saw Claudia. She is an incredible lawyer and all I wanted to do was give her something else to focus on because she was afraid to be in a room with me. I just- all I wanted to do was help her find a little bit of confidence and oh my god this sounds so much worse when I say it outloud.”

Donna and Jessica exchanged a look while I slowly felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest and stomped on the floor with cleats. 

“Okay Harvey, sit down and tell us what happened,” Donna steered me away from putting a hole in the wall to my desk.

“I don’t even know, Donna.” “Well while you two enjoy going down memory lane, I’ll be fighting for our firm's life. If you two don’t get your shit together, and by you two I mean Harvey, then… I don’t even know then.”

She all but slammed the door on her way out, patrons on the other side sending worried glances our way. I turned my chair so they wouldn’t see me. 

“How long has this been going on?” Donna asked. 

I dug my nails into my skin. “Almost two months.”

“Two months? Harvey, how could you not tell me?” “Because I didn’t want to,” I admitted. “And partly because I kind of thought you already knew. You know, the whole ‘Donna superpower’ shit you do.”

“I know I can’t believe I missed it,” she took the chair in front of me. I glared at her so hard I thought I’d light that hair of hers on fire. “Okay bad time for a joke. So, bachelor, why don’t you start from the beginning. And please, I don’t need to know the dirty details, despite my curiosity. Claudia is like a little sister to me and I really don’t want to picture you and her and oh my god I already am. Ugh, please start talking so I don’t have to be tortured.”

So dramatic. I was good looking, and so was Claudia. Why wouldn’t anyone want to picture us together? Then my eyes snapped to the chair she was sitting on. Oh god. Donna was in the chair that I was the first time Claudia and I-

“Get up,” I blurted out, reaching for her and placing her in my desk chair. God dammit we used that one too. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.

We sat down on the couch and I rubbed my strained eyes. Here goes nothing. 

“When Sheila first sent over the recruits from Harvard, I interviewed all of them. Except for one. There were thirteen associates but I only had twelve meetings set up. So I asked Louis if he was interviewing any of the newbies and he said just one. Obviously this person was some sort of idiot to be going to Louis instead of me, so I popped in.”

“Well, Claudia I think that you have some unbelievable potential at this firm and I’d just like to- Harvey, what are you doing here I am in the middle of an interview.”

“Oh I know, I just wanted to drop by and see how it was going.”

In front of Louis was this warm, chestnut brown head of sleek, silk like hair. She was wearing a lavender blouse and a black maxi skirt with a slit to the knee. She had on these black flats with pearls on them. Summer had just ended, and there was some remaining sunburn on her nose and cheeks. Her eyes were surrounded by prominent lashes and eyebrows, a fine line of makeup between the two; lavender, to match the top. 

“It’s going great, now will you get the hell out and tend to your own interviews and stop barging in on my only one?”

“Harvey Specter,” I introduced, sticking out my hand. She looked from it over to Louis, who was just shooting me daggers. 

“You just can’t help yourself, can you?”“Louis, I’m not trying to woo your associate, I’m just introducing myself to her. We are kind of name partners, you know. It’s the courteous thing to do.”

Again, all she did was look at my hand before slowly standing up. I didn’t miss the way she tried to subtly wipe her hand on her skirt. 

“I’m Claudia. Claudia Martin.”

God dammit that was a pretty name. It sounded so sophisticated, so mature and would sound really nice next to mine. Or with mine. Harvey Specter and Claudia Martin. I don’t know why I thought of hearing or seeing ‘Claudia Specter’ one day, but I did. And I didn’t hate the way it sounded. 

“Welcome to Pearson Specter Litt,” I gave a nice smile. It was clear she was already intimidated to be here, I didn’t need to add to that fire. She barely looked me in the eye for two seconds, but those two seconds made my head spin. 

She had the most gorgeous eyes I think I’ve ever seen in my life. They were amber in the middle but had this ring of hazel around the outer rim. It was just… not something I’ve ever seen before. I didn’t want her to look away because I just wanted to keep looking at them.

And that blush… that I knew wasn’t her sunburn. Not the way it creeped up the side of her face, or at the base of her neck. 

Jesus Harvey, stop staring at her. You’re probably giving off major stalker vibes.

“Well I’ll be around if you need anything, Claudia. Don’t be shy,” I smiled, the best charming one I could. Her full lips were in a tight line, her fingers picking at each other before she sat back down with Louis.

“Okay so you sabotaged Louis’ meeting with Claudia and thought she was beautiful? Why didn’t you just say that?” Donna interrupted. 

“Didn’t you ask me to start from the beginning?” She snapped her lips closed. “So let me tell the goddamn story. Yes, I thought she was stunning. I mean, no one in their right mind would think otherwise. She is so pretty and so smart and twice the person I wish I could be. There is just something about her that I can’t shake from my memory.”

“Yeah we get it, you’re head over heels for Claudia. Now on with it I don’t have all day.”

I rolled my eyes. 

“That was the first time I met her. It wasn’t long after that she started working here when I talked to her again. She was just sitting at her desk, Griffin and whoever else crowded around the opposite end of the bullpen. She was excluded and it made me feel bad.”

I’ve always thought Griffin would be at the top of my list for top associates. He was like me; only shorter, not as good looking, and had blue eyes instead of brown. Did I mention he wasn’t as good looking? Anyway, I had only one intention: get Claudia alone so I could talk to her.

Every day since she started a few weeks ago, I have watched her get off the elevator, walk through the office, and disappear around the corner. It wasn’t fair that she got to look like that, walk like that, and no one was around to appreciate it. 

She was so fucking eye catching. And I didn’t want the other slobs at this firm to get to her before I could.

“Claudia, do you mind helping me with something for a few minutes?” I asked, voice just loud enough for Griffin to hear. 

She looked up, pen cap between her rosy lips, and blinked. That flush creeped onto her cheeks. I tried not to smile. 

“Sure,” she nodded once and stood up, following me out. 

I was not so subtle with the look that I gave Griffin, and he wasn’t so subtle with the way he spoke.

“Is there something you need, Harvey? Claudia is in the middle of a very important depo documentation. I’d hate for her to fall behind.”

What a dick. “No, Griffin. It seems like you’ve got more important things to do with your book club than working on whatever Louis assigned you, so Claudia will work just fine. I prefer an actually hard working associate to someone who’s discussing whatever mediocre steak dinner you had at Texas Roadhouse last Wednesday.”

“Griffin’s eyes simmered and shot daggers into Claudia. But he didn’t open his mouth. I thought about punching him in the face for looking at her like that, and that’s when I realized I was fucked. That I was willing to do that for Claudia when it was literally the second time I’ve ever talked to her.”

“I’ll say,” Donna huffed. “What happened next?” “I just had her deliver some letters for me to the courthouse. I asked her something about Griffin, if they were ever acquainted with each other.”

“And what did she say?”

“She told me that Griffin was a total douchebag and tried to use his social status to get a leg up on her in class discussions, cutting corners to discredit her. It was so unfair and I just-”

Donna put a hand on my knee. “Relax, Harvey. Griffin isn’t here, stop looking like you want to put him through a wall.” “Well, Donna, I do want to put him through a wall because he has been an asshole to Claudia for no other reason than she was good at her job. It makes me sick.”

“When did you start becoming so protective of her? I’ve never seen you like this with anyone other than Mike, Louis, Jessica and myself. You must… really really care about her.”

“I think it was during the mock trial. She was always off to the side, always attentive, but never spoke up. I couldn’t stop myself from glancing over at her every once and a while to see if she wanted to be included. But she never did.”

“This case may seem simple, but the husband is a grade A asshole. He has done everything to cover his tracks and is gonna come at us with everything he’s got. Find me some evidence and make it good.”

They all branched off, heading this way and that. Claudia went to the only logical place, right to me.

“Hi, Mr. Specter-sir. I just have one question about-about the case if you’ve got a minute. If you have somewhere to be I understand and I can ask later,” she said quickly.

“Of course, what do you want to know?” I couldn’t help but think her stuttering was cute. I knew she was nervous, specifically around me; she always seemed so tense with me, so I made sure to always speak quietly and calmly with her. 

“Was Mr. Saros the one who paid off that investment banker? Did the money come from his account directly or a different one?”

God she was so good. “It came from him and his wife’s joint account.”

Claudia had a slight grin to her lips, and she nodded before striding away. She was going to crack this wide open. I just knew it. 

I went back to my office to wait it out, to see if any one could come up with an idea before Claudia. Before I knew it, it was three o'clock and I had a meeting to go to for another case Mike and I were working on. When we got in the car, Mike was looking at me with a knowing smile. 

“What?” 

He shook his head, “Nothing, just wondering how long you’re going to pretend you’re not in love with Claudia Martin.”

“The first year associate?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know who she is. I see you watch her like a starving animal every time she comes into the office. And every time she leaves. And every time she asks Donna something.”

Uh oh.

“Oh please, I have far better things to do than get involved with a first year.”

“You didn’t deny that you were in love with her.”

“Do you want to get smacked? Or I could kick you out of this car at sixty miles per hour, see how you like the taste of asphalt.” Mike did not know when to stop pushing my buttons. 

“I think you just proved my theory.”

“What theory?”

“That you are in love and you are incredibly protective of Claudia. I heard about what you said to Griffin when he offered his help because Claudia was ‘too busy’. You know he pawned that work off to her, right?”

My eyes narrowed and my jaw clenched, as well as my fists. I fixed my gaze out the window and took some deep breaths. Jesus… he had a point. A huge point. God dammit I’m in trouble.

“Mike knew before I did?” Donna sounded mildly offended. 

“Well, not really. I never told him what we were doing. But I did tell him that I liked her. And when he told me that Griffin was pawning off his work to Caudia it sent me into a spiral. Shit, Donna… I am in so deep with Claudia. I really fucked up. I mean really bad. I made a promise to her that I wouldn’t treat her like the other associates because she wasn’t like the other associates. She was Claudia. And Claudia was- is- so much better than the rest of them.” “Why would you make a promise like that if you knew you wouldn’t be able to keep it?” “I had every intention of keeping it, but then all the shit with started happening when Louis found out about Mike being a fraud and he took that fucking case with Gerard and I couldn’t hold it together.” “Why did you even make it in the first place?” Donna asked, but I really didn’t want to tell this story.

I sighed, the type of sigh that fills your whole body.

“I was going off on Griffin one day, for being an asshole to some of the other associates, about pawning off his work to Claudia and she saw.”

“Griffin, I don’t care whose idea it was. You were the one to destroy his work, so you’re going to face the consequences.”

“It was just a prank, the entire document wasn’t supposed to be deleted.”

“You think tampering with another associate’s work is a prank? I hope when you go home tonight you think long and hard about who you wanna be as a man because as of right now, there isn’t going to be anything for you to come back to tomorrow. And you better pray to whatever you believe in because if there’s one person you don’t want to make an enemy out of, it’s me. Do you understand that?”

He clenched his jax, shoving his hands in his pockets. “yes.”

“You are going to be Louis’ personal associate.”“No, no way you can make me work for that man. He’s a total airhead.”“Yes, he is, now you two have something to talk about. You can bond over your selfish, outrageous egotistical behavior, it’ll be just like looking in a mirror.”

“Harvey I’m-”

“I don’t care what you are Griffin. You have no right to treat the other associates like that, especially Claudia. If I ever catch wind of you throwing your work load on her again so help me God I will make sure it is the last thing you do at this firm.”

If my point wasn’t clear enough by my words, the look I gave him would certainly do. He left my office without another word and I followed his movements all the way. But my eyes met Claudia’s. And they were wide and panicked. She quickly scurried away, head down and steps fast. She looked so afraid. 

She wasn’t afraid of me was she? I mean, all I had done was rip Griffin a new one for being an asshole. And he deserved it, Claudia would never do something to deserve that kind of lashing. 

“And so I promised her. I fucking promised her that I would never flip out on her and then I went and did exactly. God Donna… I am so fucked up.”

Her slim hand rubbed up and down my shoulder, but I only wanted it to be Claudia’s. I wanted her right next to me so I could go through all of this with her and explain that it wasn’t just some fling. Not to me. Never to me. I never wanted it to be temporary, she was… she’s it for me. 

The familiar prick crept into my eyes, my nose, and the tears fell. Donna has only seen me cry a handful of times, but never over a girl.

But Claudia wasn’t just some girl. She wasn’t just some hookup or some prize to be won. She was Claudia Martin. My Claudia. The quiet, shy first year associate I had worked so hard to get out of her shell. It wasn’t just for my pleasure, I truly didn’t want to see her fall behind just because she couldn’t ask me a question.

I saw that look in her eye; hunger and determination. Just like mine. I wanted it to shine brighter than her smile. Which was equally as devastating as her work in the courtroom. But I just wanted her to feel comfortable around me and I didn’t know what else to do. She was like a frightened baby deer around me. A constant nervous wreck at the drop of my name. I didn’t want her to be afraid of me, I wanted nothing more than to be a safe space for her. 

And maybe it’s just because I’m an idiot, but I’m realizing now that maybe I’m the one who needed the safe place. To just have someone to go to all the time. To share all of my proud moments and sneak little kisses and touches here and there. 

I need Claudia. I need her.

Maybe I took it too far. Started at the wrong place. I should’ve offered to take her out to dinner instead of inviting her up for a drink in my office after her first case. I shouldn’t have done it so backwards, and it kills me that I’m only drawing that connection now. Why couldn’t I have thought of that earlier? She would’ve been so much better off without all the backwards, fucked up shit that I did.

But it was so nice. To finally have the one thing I have been craving for so long. She was so soft, and she was so sweet under my touch and I couldn’t help myself. As soon as I first kissed her it was end game. I didn’t want to kiss anyone else. I wouldn’t ever kiss anyone again, not the way I kissed Claudia. More than lust. More than just a desire. 

Her lips on mine made my head go blank. I had an awful habit of having work thoughts creep their way into my head every once in a while. But never with her. Even when we were only talking about work, I couldn’t think about it. I only thought about her. About how brilliant she was, about how soft and warm and perfect her lips were on mine. About how she always made me feel at ease and comforted. I doubt she could ever make anyone afraid. Except maybe an opposing counsel. 

If I ever had to face her in court… I know I’d lose. For one, I’d give her anything she wanted simply because she could put me on my knees with a single look. And normally I’d hate to let a woman have that much control over me, but for Claudia… I’d let her do whatever she wanted. And Second, she knows what to do. All the time. She never misses a beat, and is always listening. Even when you think she isn’t.

I am so in love with Claudia. I felt my heart crack open. My voice more or less does the same. 

“Harvey…” “I am in love with her, Donna. And I think I have been for a long time.”

She was quiet, and a throat cleared. Mike was there in front of me, his hands in his pockets, a look of worry on his face. “Is everything alright?”

I saw Donna shake her head out of the corner of my eye. She didn’t say anything, but I knew she wanted to. 

“I broke my promise to Claudia.” That was all I said. I heard his sharp inhale, and he came and sat in front of us. “God dammit Mike… I really messed up. I hurt the one person I couldn’t afford to and- and I don’t know what to do.”

“Go talk to her,” Mike said. “If you’re serious about how you feel about Claudia, then you need to go tell her that it was never… whatever you were doing before. She has anxiety, Harvey. She is going to let her brain tell her things about you that aren’t true. And you need to be there to soothe the fire before it does irreversible damage.” “Well, what do you and Rachel do when you get into an argument?” 

“Harvey,” Donna said, “You aren’t Mike, and Claudia isn’t Rachel. Whatever they do might not work for you. You need to do what feels right for you and your relationship.” “I don’t know if you know this Donna, but I haven’t done something like this before. I don’t know how to talk to her. How to not make her anxious around me.” “We’ll help you,” Mike nods, as well as Donna. “We can come up with a plan but right now we’ve got a bigger problem on our hands.” What could be more devastating than hurting Claudia? 

Nothing. The answer was nothing.

____

CLAUDIA’S POV

I toed off my shoes, leaving them in the growing pile by my front door. I sighed at it. Why couldn’t they just put themselves away? 

My splitting headache was doing nothing to help either. 

Before I could even get a thought about what I could cook for dinner, the doorbell rang. I swear to god if Greg was here asking me about those flowers on my wreath again I was going to smack him with it, throw it over his head and shove him back inside his apartment and-

“Claudia, it’s Mike. I know you’re here, can we talk?”

Mike? What the hell is he doing here? 

I seriously debated giving my best housekeeper impression and deadbolting the door. But it was Mike, and he hadn’t done anything to deserve a cold shoulder. Oh god, what if Harvey was with him and I was getting set up? Oh shit.

“No, Harvey isn’t with me. I promise.”

I stalked to the door, pulling it open and glaring up at Mike. “The last time someone made me a promise I regretted it.” He just pressed his lips in a flat line. “What are you doing here, Mike?”

“I’m here on behalf of Harvey.” “Why?” “Because he’s worried about you.” Why is he worried about me? He made it very clear he didn’t give a shit about me. “He’s beating himself up over what he did.”

“Good,” that I didn’t restrain. 

“Claudia, he is really shaken up right now. He didn’t mean to do what he did. Now, I’m not going to stand here and pretend I know all the details about what he did but-” “He used me, Mike. Plain and simple.” All I got was a raised eyebrow. “He told me he wanted to ‘build my confidence’ which I was actually naive enough to believe, and it led to my worst fucking nightmare. But he just got what he wanted, to get his dick wet and then was done with me.”

“Claudia, trust me, it wasn’t like that. Harvey would never use you like that. He wouldn’t dream of it, trust me.”

“Are you sure because it seems like that’s exactly what he did. He saw that I was hard working, manipulated me into working with him, and treated me like shit when I was just trying to find a solution to his goddamn problem. I have more self respect than that. To let him continue to get away with that.”

“Can I ask what he did?”

My throat closed, and my palms began to sweat. I knew my annoying blush was there by the way his eyes dipped to my neck. 

“After I won my first case with him, he invited me up to his office for some drinks. Said something along the lines of wanting to get to know each other so I didn’t have to feel so nervous. So I went up, and one thing led to another and… I don’t know why I let it happen. I knew it would end badly. I can’t believe I let myself believe that he would be into me beyond anything other than his pure primal satisfaction. But he seemed so genuine and so caring. Like he genuinely wanted to help me, and some part of me obviously thought it was a good idea because it happened again. And again. And again. God, I sound like the biggest loser right now.” “No you don’t,” Mike gave me a soft smile. “If it means anything, those feelings weren’t one sided. I know it doesn’t mean much of anything coming from me but… Harvey is really really fucking sorry about what he did.”

I was physically shaking. Through my trembles, I managed to speak, despite my thoughts trying to shut me down. “It hurt so bad, Mike. I really like Harvey, and I thought he might feel the same way. I guess I was wrong. So… so wrong.”

“No, Claudia you’re not wrong. Harvey is a grade A asshole but he wouldn’t-”

“If there is any chance of Harvey sorting this out, you need to tell him to grow a set and tell me himself,” I have no idea where this confidence came from. “He needs to stop getting other people to do his job for him. If he can’t recognize that now, of all times, then… then I don’t think he deserves me.”

Mike blinked long, rubbing his fingers over his mouth. “Harvey didn’t ask me to come here.” “What?” What? 

“Yeah,” he sighed. “I knew Harvey wouldn’t come tonight. I’m not sure he’ll come at all but… Claudia, he talks about you like I’ve never seen him talk before. He gushes over you to the point where it’s annoying. And when I went to go and talk to him about what our next move was for this case… Claudia, he was crying. He was sobbing with Donna in his office and-”

Good, I wanted to say. But it kind of crushed my soul. Harvey was crying over what he did to me. 

“I’ve never seen him cry before,” Mike looked hurt, too. “He regrets what he said. I know he does.”

“I believe you.”

“Good,” he nods. “I don’t want to do his job for him and I think-”

“But that doesn’t mean I will forgive him for what he said,” and with that, I closed the door, locking it for the night.

_____

Saturday and Sunday were so agonizing. The last thing I wanted to do was go into an office after a weekend of anything but rest and relaxation. I was tired and hadn’t showered and needed some restful sleep. Not to be woken up three times a night by dreams of Harvey touching me. Those certainly didn’t help. 

My mind kept replaying our first time together. Specifically when he said 'Oh, Claudia, you really are that innocent, aren’t you?’ Innocent and naive… just like he said that night. Who was I to think that Harvey would take any interest in me besides the fact that I was good at being a lawyer? I wasn’t special in any way, I think he just knew that I was easy to manipulate into doing what he needed. 

There was no way in hell I’d ever do another thing for Havrey, the all powerful jackass, Specter again.

As I set my stuff on my desk, Griffin walked up. Great. Just great, what did this prick want?

“Hey umm… Hi Claudia,” he rubbed the back of his head. “I just- I’m sorry. About all the things I’ve done to you. You didn’t deserve it and I want you to know that you have always been six-times the lawyer I wish I could be. I was jealous and took it out on you. And I shouldn’t have so… I’m sorry.”

Did I just hear that right? Did Griffin Harper just apologize to me? What the fuck is going on?

“Oh,” great way to start, idiot. “Thank you, Griffin.”

He just gave me a short nod before scurrying away. Well, that was… unexpected. Certainly I couldn’t ever let us be friends, but it was nice to know he wasn’t my mortal enemy any longer. 

I went about my business, plagued with thoughts and reminders of Harvey ever which way I went. Louis and Jessica sent me an email with some files to print out so I scanned them, proofed them, and sent them to the printing room. 

God it sent a shiver down my spine to be back in here after he… don’t finish the thought don’t finish the thought-

“Hey, Claudia,” Donna snapped me out of my heated thoughts. “How are you?” “You can cut the bullshit now, Donna.”

She sighed, “it was a genuine question.” “And that was a genuine answer. I’m not in the mood.”

“Claudia-” “No, Donna. What Harvey did wasn’t okay, and I’m not going to stand here and pretend like what he did didn't hurt. Because it did and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it ever since. I don’t need you here to remind me.”

“Have you ever considered that Harvey may want to fix it?”

“No, Donna. I haven’t. And I’m not going to,” I stood my ground, squaring off my freshly printed papers before making more copies for Louis. 

“What are you talking about?”

I scoffed. “Do you really think that I wouldn’t figure out what was going on?” “Again, what are you-” “I know Harvey just thinks that I am gullible and naive and easy to push around because he makes me nervous. And it’s true. Whenever I am near him I can’t keep myself composed and I’m sick and tired of being walked all over. I can’t believe I was stupid enough to let myself see otherwise, but I’m even more upset that you didn’t come clean and tell me.” “Claudia, no one is walking over you. And I didn’t know about any of this until you told me on Friday. Harvey came to you because he knew can rely on you and your abilities to get things accomplished. He wanted the chance to work with you and get you to trust him a little. You have to know that by now,” Donna was standing right next to me, blocking my way out. 

“Maybe I do, but that doesn’t mean that I believe it. Donna, I am not some corporate power house that is gonna bring firms to their knees. Not like he does.” “Nobody does what Harvey does.” “And that’s my point,” I grit my teeth. “Harvey was trying to make me into a mini version of him, just like he did with Mike and it’s not what I want to be. Donna, I am not assertive. I am not reckless and willing to go behind peoples backs to get the job done. I like rules and regulations and the law. They are there so people abide by them, and Harvey, more often than not, doesn’t do that. Yes, I look up to him as a role model because I admire his tenacity. But that doesn’t mean I like or agree with the things he does.”

“And you think that I like it when he goes and cuts someone’s legs out from under them?”

“I didn’t say that. But that means you know how I feel. I can’t- I don’t… I don’t want to be around someone like that. It makes me feel like I’m suffocating. And worst of all he gave me his word that he wouldn’t lash out and treat me like the other associates. I cant believe that I was stupid enough to believe that Harvey would-“

Both of us stopped as someone pushed through the door. 

Harvey…

“Donna,” Harvey’s mouth was pressed in a flat line. He jerked his head over his shoulder. Donna gave me a sympathetic look and turned on her heel. Where was she going?

“Wait, Donna don’t-” I whispered.

“You’ll be fine,” she gave me a firm look, patting my shoulder as she walked around Harvey. Oh my god… she set me up.

My heart felt like it was ripping out of my fucking chest. The last thing I needed right now was to be in an enclosed space with Harvey.

He stared at me, fussing with the cufflink on his shirt. “Claudia.” “I’m sorry, Mr. Specter, but I have to get these to Louis.” I tried to go around him, like Donna had, but he just let his body fall against the wall. Blocking the way. I couldn’t bring myself to look up at him and ask him to let me go. 

“I want you to listen to me.” His voice was stern, in a demanding way, but not in a pissed off way. 

“No, I am in a rush. Now if you’ll excuse me-”

“No,” he said with a shake of his head. “Come on, Claudia. Please just talk to me. I tried to call you but you didn’t answer and-.”

“I know, but I don’t want to talk to you. I want you to get out of my way so I can go do my job.” 

“A little feisty today, aren’t we?” He pushed off his shoulder, taking a step towards me, I took one back. And another as he took one. 

“No, I need to-” “Get those copies to Louis, I heard you,” Harvey acknowledged, but didn’t stop walking closer to me. My back eventually hit a copier and I almost fell over, but Harveys arms came to either side of my body, blocking me in. “And I don’t care.”

His face was inches from mine, chest inches from mine. I felt desperate for a breath. I forgot how to think, how to appear unphased. Everything he’s taught me has vanished from my mind. His eyes, much darker in this low over-head light, seemed to pierce my soul. 

“What… What are you doing?” My voice was barely audible. 

“I want you to know that I wouldn’t ever, ever, take advantage of you like that. I can’t even believe that you would think that. You think I enjoy making you a nervous wreck? Well, I don’t. It honestly makes me sick that even after all this time, you can’t trust me.”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you.”

“Then what is it? Because clearly I am not understanding,” his tone deepened, voice scratching in his throat. 

I couldn’t- I didn’t know how to admit to him-

“I- I umm… Mr. Specter I can’t-”

“Stop calling me that, please, Claudia. Stop seeing me as your boss for one second and see me as literally anything else.”

I swallowed. Nothing went down. “Harvey… you are… you scare me more than anyone else I’ve ever met.” “Why?” his brows knit together. “What is it about me that makes you so afraid of me?”

“Everything.” I was shaking, visibly shaking in front of him. I looked anywhere but his eyes because I knew if I did I’d crack open and bleed my heart all over him. 

His exhale was sharp enough to rustle the small hairs framing my face. “Claudia just-”

“I can’t be around you without feeling like I’m gonna drown in your presence.” 

He was stunned silent for a beat too long. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Harvey I told you I didn’t want to-”

“Please, Claudia, tell me why you are so afraid of me.” He was begging. Begging for me to explain.

“Because I know that if I let myself think for one fucking second that you actually like working with me I’ll drop my guard around you. And I cannot afford to do that because there are things I keep locked inside that I would rather take to my grave than ever let someone know.”

“And what, you don’t think I’m equally as terrified to have these feelings for you?” “Not like mine.” Harvey gave me a very concerned glance. “There, you asked me to tell you. Please just let me go.”

“No, not until you tell me what is haunting you so much you’re willing to let it eat you alive rather than just let it out for once in your life. Look, I get that you’re a private person, and it’s hard for you to trust people, but that doesn’t mean you need to keep everything bottled inside and let it rot you from the inside out-”

“For the love of guard Harvey it’s you,” I shouted, far louder than I meant to. “It is you that is driving me insane. I cannot go a single moment of my day without thinking about you. I am terrified that you are going to see right through me and figure out that every thought that goes on inside my head has to do with you because for some reason, known only by some sick and twisted higher power, I want you to see me the way I see you. I want you to want me as much as I want you and-”

I stopped because I ran out of air. And then it hit me so hard I saw stars. What the fuck have I just done? My vision began to black out, my heart beating too fast for my lungs to keep up with. 

Harvey had backed up a step, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. 

I was going to throw up, I was sure of it. I tried to speak, but my mind had melted and oozed out of my ears. 

I ran, I left the copies on the floor; at some point I dropped them. And ran. His hand caught my elbow and I shrieked, whipping around just as Harvey slammed the door closed, pinning me, yet again. 

“You do not get to drop that ball and run away,” his voice had a darkness I’ve never heard. “Claudia, in what way do you want me?”

Frozen. My mind was utterly dysfunctional and useless. I couldn’t think, I’m surprised I remembered how to breathe. God his eyes…

“Claudia, please answer me.” Now his voice was tender, filled with warmth. His fingers tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “You have to tell me in what way now or I’m… you have to tell me.”

“Why does it matter? I've already ruined everything I’ve had going for me.” I was meek with my words. Wimpy. Cowardice. 

“Because it matters to me.”

“I want you, I want Harvey.”

“As in you want me, and not as your boss, Claudia?” He clarified. I had to shut my eyes, to turn my cheek to him so I wouldn’t see his reaction when I nodded in confirmation. “Fucking hell…”

“I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry. Just… just let me go and I can hand Jessica my letter of resignation right now and you never have to see me again-”

“Are you out of your mind?” Harvey’s caramel eyes were wide. “Claudia, I don’t want you to go. Not for one fucking second. Why do you even have a letter drafted?”

“But I just-” 

His fingers gripped my chin, forcing me to look up at him when I spoke. God dammit… Harvey’s thump caressed my lip, pulling it down and watching it spring up. Slowly, ever so slowly, he dipped it inside my mouth. I couldn’t help the soft noise that startled out of me. 

“Claudia… you have no idea how much I have been praying to hear you say those words. I have been driving myself out of my mind with what to say. How to say it and I- I don’t know how to tell you everything I’ve been wanting to. For weeks now.

“I have been thinking of you nonstop. I keep making up excuses and things to come see you during the day. I want nothing more than to get the chance to treat you right, and I want you to want it too. I promised myself I wouldn’t make a move unless you made one first because I knew how petrified you were of me. I can’t- I won’t have you be afraid of me if we do this.

“But I fucked up. I got ahead of myself and I didn’t go in the direction that I should've. I should've just asked you out to dinner, been a true gentleman rather than selfish. You have no idea how long I have been practicing what to say. I just made everything so much worse. And I wish like hell I could take it all back and do it all again because I am so so so fucking sorry for breaking my promise.”

I stared up at him, at the tears spilling over his lashes, and the flush on his cheeks. His lip quivered. He looked so vulnerable. So open and honest. Every part of me wanted to take it to heart, but that voice in the back of my head was telling me not to believe it.

“Harvey I-”

“Please, Claudia,” Harvey knelt to the ground, sitting back on his heels. “I will do whatever you want to gain your trust back. Anything… anything. But I can’t let you walk away from me. I want a real chance to make you happy, to give you every part of me. I will do or say or answer whatever you want but please do not leave me. If you truly don’t want me, tell me, and we never have to talk again. I will make it like I was never here in the first place if you told me to, but I don't think you want that. And I don’t want it either.”

Harvey was on his knees. Begging me to open my heart up to him. 

“Please don’t make me regret this, Harvey…”

He let out a breath, and a smile accompanied the tears that fell down his face. He reached for my hand, and I let him grab it. His fingers were warm and smooth in mine, familiar and comforting as he gently tugged me towards him. 

“I'm so sorry, Claudia. I will regret nothing more than the words I said to you. But I want to fix it, I want to be better. Not just for you, but for myself. But you are what makes me want to be better. I need to learn to control myself and take a page out of my own book to make that happen.”

Harvey rested his head on my stomach, and I let my fingers thread through his spiky hair. 

“But I don’t want you to be afraid of me anymore. I can’t- I won’t let you be afraid to ask me a question. I want to be there for you, work related or not, but I can’t do it if you don’t meet me halfway. I do remember you making me a promise back, to not see me as a monster.”

My hand stopped, and he looked up. I wanted to agree, but I was still upset, and he must’ve seen that. 

“Okay, that was a bad time to bring that up.”

“Yup.” 

Harvey huffed a laugh, standing back up. His smile was sweet, his finger gentle as it swept some hair away from my face. 

“You are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen, Claudia Olivia Martin.”

“How did you find out my middle name?”

“Donna,” he smiled wider. I just rolled my eyes. “I don’t really know how to do any of this, so I asked her for some help. I knew I had to do it myself. I just didn’t really know where to start and she’s… well, she’s Donna.” “Yes, she is Donna,” I smiled up at him. “But it’s gonna take me more than that to convince me.”

“Oh I have like seven other things lined up and ready to go. If you'd like to hear them. First, you are the most stunning, breathtaking, gorgeous woman I have ever met in my life. Second, I admire every part of you. All your good habits, your bad, your anxious thoughts and brave approach to life. Because they all make you you. Three, I am the biggest fucking idiot. For starting all of this off wrong, for yelling at you. For leading you to believe that I just wanted to get in your pants.”

“You’re also an asshole. A bit of a coward and a bitch. Did I say that you were an asshole?”

“Okay okay,” he placed his hands on my hips and I let him, doing nothing to hide the giggle that bubbled out. “Yes, I am all of those things. And, for the record, I did want to get in your pants, just not that way.”

“Of course you did, who could resist all of this?” My heart sped up when he looked at me over, a huge grin spreading his cheeks wide and bright. 

“Looks like you’ve gained a little confidence, huh?”

“Well, I did have a not so awful teacher. That was before he betrayed me.” “Are you gonna stop rubbing salt into the wound?”

I faked a ponder, “Nope.”

“Claudia,” he pressed a tentative kiss to my cheek, then gauged my response before placing one on the other. “Olivia,” another kiss. “Martin.” He kissed my forehead, then the tip of my nose. “I will never be able to take back what I said, but I hope you find it in your heart to give me a second chance. Even good people are great at making bad decisions. I know I can be a better man, and I know you know that too. Just one,” a kiss to my left cheek, “More,” right cheek, “Chance.”

His lips hovered over mine, waiting for permission before he pressed them into mine. My heart was beating so fast. So strong, all because of him. All for him. 

My eyes met his, “Okay, Harvey.”

Those devastating eyes ignited. His smile grew so wide I got lost in it with my own. I was pressed flat to him, my hands on his shoulders, his hands on my lower back. My ears were buzzing with my pulse and I hoped he felt how fast it was. Who knew Harvey had such a way with words? I wondered how long he practiced all of this in the mirror. Who knows, maybe he was secretly a hopeless romantic and-

“Claudia,” Harvey snapped me out of my daydream. 

“Hmm?” “Please tell me I can kiss you.”

Oh. Right. 

“And what if I say no?”

“Then I won’t.”

“And if I say yes?” “I’ll make sure it is the best damn kiss you’ve ever and will ever have.”

Sounds pretty good to me. I pressed up on my toes, arms wrapping around his neck, and finally let our lips say hello. It had been too long, It felt so right, so perfect. And I realized it felt like all the other times we’ve kissed; I didn’t want to kiss anyone else. I wanted to kiss Harvey. Harvey goddamn Specter. 

I should find out what his middle name is from Donna to surprise him. 

“Come over tonight,” he blurted out.

“What?” “Come over, let me cook something for you. We can make it our first date. A real date. Let me start this off on the right foot. Unless tonight is too soon and you need more time to heal and process or-”

“Just stop talking,” I literally put my fingers over his mouth. “I’d love to come over for dinner, Harvey.”

If I hadn’t been in his arms I’m sure he’d jump up and down out of excitement. He kissed me again, and again, and again. The slight stubble on his chin tickled my neck enough for me to tuck down into my shoulders when he kissed below my ear. 

“Hey, Claudia, I just want to make sure- oh. Well, this seems to be going well,” Donna had a proud smile on her face, arms crossed over her chest.

“It is,” Harvey beamed down, never taking his eyes off of me. 

“Good, I’m glad to hear it.”

“How much of this was your idea?” I asked. 

“I suggested he get a horse and carriage to surprise you on your way out but he knew you wouldn’t want a grand gesture,” She said. “So I think that should say it well enough as to who came up with all the ideas.” When I looked back at him, he had a flush to his cheeks, and hid his grin. 

“Wow, Harvey, I’m impressed.” “Well,” he shrugged. “I don’t know… I wanted it to be authentic and special. Something that you would take to heart and genuinely appreciate. So it’s the best I could come up with over the weekend because if I didn’t do it soon I was going to explode.”

“Seriously, Claudia. This idiot wouldn’t leave my house for two days. I had to kick him out so he could get a shower and change. Did you even sleep?” “You haven’t slept?” He shook his head. “Harvey, what- okay. We need to do our dinner another day because if you try to cook you might set your house on fire and that would-” “Nope, too bad. I’m fine, really Claudia. I can handle making dinner. I’ll leave early and take a nap if that would make you feel better.” “Yes, it would,” I sighed out, looking back at Donna who had a look that meant trouble. “What?” “You guys are adorable.”

I blushed. “Oh, wait! Before you go, what’s Harvey’s middle name? I mean, he went to you for mine so it’s only fair…”

“Don’t you dare,” Harvey pointed at Donna who all but melted the Wicked Witch of the West with her smirk.

“Reginald.”

“Reginald?” I repeated. “Seriously?”

“It’s a family name, alright?” He defended. “Now, if you two will excuse me I have a very important dinner to plan for an even more important girl. Donna, can you-” “Already cleared your schedule.”

“Remind me to give you a raise.” “Oh I’ve already written a bonus check, it just needs your signature.” “I’m surprised you didn’t forge it,” I snickered. 

“I would’ve but having Harvey do it makes it that much more satisfying.”

Harvey just shook his head, but smiled at us both. “I’ll see you tonight, is seven good?” “Sounds perfect,” I nodded, relishing in his warmth as he pressed one more kiss to the top of my head before leaving. 

“So,” Donna swayed on her feet. “I take it that things went well?” “Yeah, yeah it did. I was surprised, today has been so weird. Even Griffin apologized to me.” “Griffin? Really?” “Yeah,” I followed in step behind her towards the bullpen. “He genuinely apologized to me. It was so unexpected. Now this… I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t dreading this happening. But it turned out way better than I expected so I can’t complain. I need to stop expecting the worst case scenario all the time and believe that I can handle anything that comes at me.”

“Now that sounds like true growth and confidence,” Donna slung her arm over my shoulder. “And definitely something Harvey couldn’t have taught you.” “No, he didn’t. That was all on my own.”

___

As I packed up to head home for the day, my stomach was on fire with nerves about tonight. Not nerves, excitement. 

“Hey, Claudia,” Griffin caught up to me right before the elevator closed. “Do you want to join us for drinks tonight?”

I just smirked. “Sorry, Griffin. I can’t, I have a date with Harvey Specter.” And I let the door shut before he could get on.

____

This building. For fucks sake his front door cost more than what I make in a year, probably. The door man had given me a bit of a side eye when I asked to be let up to Harvey. Well, here I was. 

The bottle of wine in my hand wasn’t getting any colder as I paced outside of his apartment. Was I making this a bigger deal than it needed it to be? Most definitely. 

I knocked. 

Harvey opened it a few moments later, a smug look on his face. “I was wondering how long you were going to just stand there.”

God dammit. The heat rose up my neck and I looked away. “Just shut up and take the wine.”

He chuckled, plucking it from my grasp before stepping aside to let me in. I gazed up and into his hallway, following it down to the kitchen. Woah… holy windows. The already set sun lit up the sky with blues and purples, making all of this feel very cinematic. 

“You didn’t need to bring this, Claudia,” Harvey smiled nonetheless. 

“I just- I don’t know, isn't that what people do when they’re invited over?”

“Why are you still so nervous?” 

Right to it, I guess. “What makes you say that?” “Well,” he sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets. He was wearing all black. He looked… too good for his own good. Or mine for that matter of fact. “For starters, you’ve clearly been running your fingers through your hair. Second, I’ve watched you fiddle with that string on your sleeve at least four times now.”

My fingers ceased their motion. I had been toying with it. “I like to keep my hands busy.”

“I call it a nervous habit.”

“Did you invite me here for dinner or just to pick on me for being anxious?” 

“You have no reason to be anxious here,” he crept closer, taking my hand in his. Harvey gently kissed the back of my fingers. “There is no one here to watch, no prying eyes to hide from. It’s just me, Claudia.”

“And that is precisely what makes me nervous,” I did let a laugh bubble up. “But, you’re right. I guess there is no reason to be so… terrified.”

“Good,” he smiled, placing his hands on my hips. I let mine fall around his shoulders. “Dinner will be ready in a few minutes.” I turned to look behind me, a few pots and a pan of vegetables on the stove. Harvey’s hands still lingered on my sides as I peered over to look inside.

“I didn’t know the great Harvey Specter could cook,” I jabbed, making him roll his eyes playfully. “It looks lovely, thank you.”

“Told you, there’s more to the name than the title it comes with.”

From the table, I watched him plate the stir fry dish and bring it over. I was starving, and I made sure to eat my lunch a little later so I wouldn’t be ravenous by the time this dinner rolled around. I wasted no time taking a forkful and practically inhaling it. 

“I’ll take that as a good sign?” 

I nodded, “It’s amazing. Where did you learn to cook like this?” “Here and there. My brother owns a bar and restaurant back home, we used to like to cook together all the time.” “I didn’t know you had a brother,” I tilted my head. “That’s amazing, though. Glad you put those skills to good use.”

“Do you have any siblings?”

I hummed, “Yeah I have two brothers. I’m the baby of the family.”

“Am I going to have to win their trust one day?” 

My laugh echoed through the spacious dining room, “No, they’re pretty cool. Vince, my oldest brother, is married, has two kids who are in college. My other brother, Caleb, is the one you’ve gotta watch out for. He’s my twin and very vocal about the men in my life, especially when he doesn’t think they’re good enough for me.”

“I see,” Harvey gave me a look I knew all too well. 

“Yeah, he can be a pain in my ass sometimes. But I love him, he always stood up for me when I was too afraid. Whether someone was picking on me in school or tried to get one up on me at a bar, he was always there. He’s just protective of me, they both are, but Caleb… he’s always had my back.” “It’s good to have those types of people on your side,” Harvey’s smile was so bright. 

For about an hour we ate and had dessert. I don’t know how, he probably asked Donna, but he had my absolute favorite chocolate cake. Coated in a thick butter cream, it practically melted in my mouth. I wasn’t shy about telling him how delicious it was. 

“I could marry this cake,” I knew I was being dramatic, but I didn’t care. “If I could take this cake, and mold it in the shape of a man, I would.”

Harvey grinned, looking from the cake on his plate, back up to me as I spooned another mouthful. He dipped his finger in the frosting and swiped it across his cheek. I blushed, so hard, and he just laughed and laughed. 

“You think you’re funny, huh?” I had to put my face in my hands. 

“I do, actually. Why don’t you come over here and clean it off for me,” Harvey spoke dangerous words. I raised my eyebrow in question, but he merely scooted his chair back in response, palms turned upward. 

Now or never, I thought. 

I stood, my bare feet padding quietly to Harvey. This is where I had confidence. Could use his own game against him. Because up until this point, all Harvey knows about me is that I am a nervous wreck in front of him. 

The cards have no longer been dealt in his favor. 

I swung my leg over his, perching on his thigh. I took my thumb and ran it across his face, collecting the decorative icing off his cheek, licking my thumb clean. His eyes tracked my movements, especially when I stuck out my tongue and showed him the mess.

His throat bobbed, and his eyes darkened. 

“Where did that shy, blushing Claudia go?” Harvey’s voice sent a chill down my spine. 

“Away, for now,” I smirked. “There are plenty of versions of Claudia you haven’t met before.”

“And who exactly is this version?” He asked.

“That depends,” I huffed. “Are you going to let me have what I want or are you going to make me earn it?”

Harvey’s hands crept up my thighs, cupping my ass gently. “You’re gonna let me choose?”

“You better choose carefully.”

“And why is that?”

“Because,” I said. “You can either let me take what I want, or try to take what you want. But I’ll let it be known, that isn’t possible. You won’t be able to resist me long enough to uphold that promise.”

“Oh, you think I’m that easy?” Harvey countered, tightening his hold on my body. I let out a whine, enticing him into my game further. 

“I don’t know, Harvey.” I ran my hand down his chest, grinding back and forth on his thigh. I leaned close to his ear, “I can be your every fantasy or your worst nightmare.”

I pulled away from his body, taking a few steps back and towards another hallway. I assumed that’s where his bedroom was, and judging by the screeching of the chair against the floor, I was heading in the right direction. 

The first door I pushed open was, thankfully, the right room. His clothes were hung up neatly in the closet on the opposite side of the room, the city below shining onto the walls. Harvey shut the door quickly, turning on a lamp beside his bed. 

Harvey grinned like the devil and crushed his mouth to mine. I didn’t waste any time letting his tongue tangle with mine. Harvey kissed like the god he was, like a true emperor. He tasted like pure sin, like the cake we were just sharing.

My hands went to the buttons on his shirt, fitting them through the tiny holes and pushing it off his shoulders. 

“Mmm wait, sweetheart,” Harvey broke our lips apart. “I don’t wanna do it this way tonight. Let me take care of you. Please.”

Well, when he sounded like that, who was I to resist him? I let him lay me down, his body between my legs as he placed the most tender kiss on my lips. He moved down my chest, slowly lifting my shirt and placing his mark on my stomach. Up my chest, and my neck. 

“You are so beautiful, Claudia. And I can’t believe I get to have all of you to myself. I can’t wait to make you feel so good.”

I sighed out, letting my eyes close as he explored my body. He was forward with his choices, but he wasn’t ever harsh. He was so soft. So loving and so caring. No one had ever made me feel equally nervous or excited as Harvey did. But now… I wasn’t afraid of him. I don’t think I could ever again. 

“Is it okay if I take these off?” “I wasn’t sure you knew how to ask for permission,” I giggled. He just scowled, but I nodded. “Of course, Harvey. Do whatever you want.” “Don’t-” he swallowed. “Don’t say things like that when I am trying to be sweet and nice to you.”

“I think you’re forgetting that I like it when you manhandle me,” I smiled up to the ceiling before looking at him between my legs. “Sorry, carry on.”

He laid a not so gentle tap to the inside of my thigh before removing my skirt. The chill of the air spread goosebumps across my skin, even more when he placed kisses from my ankle to my hips bone. 

“God I could spend all day between your legs. They’re so perfect,” he praised, spreading them wide so he could fit his torso between them. “You’re so fucking hot, Claudia.” I flushed, beet red, and turned away from him. But his fingers brought me right back. 

“You don’t get to be shy now, sweetheart. Not tonight, let me see all of you.”

“I’m all yours Harvey.” Our eyes locked, and the sparks flew. His lips were on mine, hurried, but not starving. It was intense and passionate and everything I could’ve asked it to be. He lifted my shirt over my head and slipped off my bra from behind. Thankfully his chest was warm against mine.

From one second to the next, Harvey swooped me on top of him and rolled, tugging the sheet with him. When they were freed, he laid me back down and put them over his body. 

“Oh, guess I should get these off,” he grinned, pushing his jeans down his thighs, his briefs going with them. Man… what a sight to behold. Harvey wasn’t shredded, but it was clear his boxing habits kept him in good shape. 

There was something about him that just made me want to crumble and fold. 

Harvey’s lips were hot as they moved all over me, nipping and biting and leaving tiny marks here and there. Before he could lose all his resolve, he reached over to his bedside table and plucked a foil packet from a little jar. Classy. 

“Doing okay, sweetheart?” He smoothed down my hair. 

“Yes, Harvey. I’d be better if…” I locked my legs around his middle, pulling him to me. “You just got on with it.” “Such an impatient little thing,” his grin gave away his facade. 

“Oh please, don’t act like you’re not craving this as much as I am.” “You’re right,” he smirked, lining up and pushing all the way in. a low groan escaped his flushed lips. “But I know you can’t get enough of this.”

I breathed heavily, clinging to him. His hips stirred, slowly pulling back, and sinking all the way in. Harvey rested his head on my shoulder, tongue making patterns on my ignited skin. I tugged at his hair, lips working on their own to find all his sweet spots. 

I raked my nails up his back, not missing when his hips slowed and he moaned. So I did it again. His thumb found its way between my legs and circled around where I wanted it most. He wasn’t kidding when he said he was going to take care of me. 

Harvey took his time, making sure that I was feeling good and got what I wanted. This was so different from the feverish moments we’ve had in the office. But it was somehow way better. Well, it could use one thing.

As he laced our fingers together, I moved our hands up. He stopped kissing me for a moment to give me a puzzled look. But I slipped his grip from mine and placed his hand on my throat. 

“I don’t need you to go all ‘sir’ on me tonight, but just give me this. Please.” I did the best I could with my eyes to lure him in, and it worked. It tightened, but it was never tight. It was just there, a reminder of the part of him I was going to get to see whenever I wanted. 

He started to let his control slip, and I knew it was hard for him to be so gentle. But I appreciated it so much. I let some of my control slip as well, just because I wanted to rile him up. His breath quickened, and so did his hips. His thumb was relentless between my legs and I could feel my high approaching.

“Come on, sweetheart, let go. Make yourself feel so good for me.” There it was, the Harvey that kept me up at night. That has plagued my dreams for the past few days. 

I met his hips with mine, and my release crashed over me when I wasn’t expecting it. I shook in his arms as he continued to move, chasing his own time. 

“Fuck, Harvey,” I gasped. “Let go for me, you did such a good job making me feel good.”

He cursed, tucking his head down momentarily before crushing his mouth to mine, not shy about how I was making him feel. His body went rigid, and the praise streamed out of his mouth.

“Fuck fuck Claudia… god you feel so good. You are so perfect for me. So soft and warm.”

My lips would surely be bruised tomorrow morning, but I didn’t care. All I cared about was being here with Harvey. About carrying him through the aftershocks of his release. I rubbed at his back, kissed his neck and cheeks. When he lifted his head, he had this dreamy look on his face. 

“You look so hot,” he ran his thumb across my cheek, bringing me in for another kiss. “Thank you for giving me a second chance.”

“I’m glad I decided to do it. I can’t decide which Harvey I like more. This one or the one who calls me sweetheart.”

“Did I not call you sweetheart tonight?” “You did, but not the way you do when I call you ‘sir’.”

“Ahh, I see,” he smirked. “As much as I would like to think that I could flip a switch right now, I don’t want to spoil this moment with you.”

“If you don’t want to spoil it, then you should take us into the shower.”

And then I was in the shower. Hot water streaming between us from the rain shower head. His hands were soft as he kneaded my body; they particularly felt nice on my ass, especially when he added his lips to the mix. 

“You are so amazing, Claudia. I cannot stress that enough.” “You’re doing an amazing job,” I smiled, kissing him. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

“I know,” he grinned, smacking my ass before lathering up his hands and running them through my hair. It was hard to not fall asleep standing up. “Sweetheart, if you keep making those noises it is going to be very very hard to not take you right here.”

My eyes flew open, his very apparent arousal pressing into my backside. Well, alright then. Go Claudia, you sexy son of a bitch!

“And who’s to say that I wouldn’t want that?” “I am trying to hold back, you know. I wanted tonight to be different, to be special. I didn’t want it to be heated and rough and-”

“Harvey,” I turned, pressing a hand to his chest. “I know.” “I wanted to ‘make love’ or whatever they call it in those cheesy romance books you read.”

I laughed out loud, picturing Harvey curled up on the couch with a book in his hand, a fire in the fireplace. “Nobody says ‘making love’ any more, babe.” “Babe?” “Yeah, babe. I figured you wouldn’t like sugar, or honey bun, or baby for that matter.”

“Don’t make me sound older than I am, please. For fucks sake I passed the Bar when you were in highschool.”

“It doesn’t bother me all that much anymore,” I admitted, wrapping my arms around his neck. “I thought it would, but it doesn’t really make a difference to me.”

“Good, I’m glad it doesn’t freak you out,” he smiled. “And, for the record, I hope it doesn’t freak your folks out.”

“It won’t.”

He lifted up a brow, “How could you know?” “Because I already told them about you.” I felt him go tight. “Relax. They knew who you were already and they couldn’t have been more excited that I found a caring, respectful, well respected man.”

He let out a sigh, “and your brothers?” “They don’t know yet, but don’t worry about them, either. It will be okay.”

“When did you become the consoling one? It’s weird.” “I know, right?” I giggled. When I looked into his eyes, there was a fondness to his gaze. He was looking at my body, but not in a way he had before. “Why are you looking at me like that?” Harvey shrugged, “I just love you so much, Claudia. And I am so proud of how far you’ve come in just these first couple of months.”

My heart hitched in my chest, then beat so wildly I wasn’t entirely sure it didn’t burst through my skin and land in his hands. I froze. Mike had been right. Harvey wasn’t just some cock, high strung New York attorney that couldn’t decipher his own feelings. He seemed incredibly in tune with his emotions and that couldn’t be more attractive. 

I just kissed him. I didn’t know what else to do other than kiss him. He had to take a step back to support our combined weight. Harvey’s arms were strong around my waist, his lips reassuring and just as firm as his grip. 

“I love you too, Harvey. So fucking much.”

____

The comforters pulled tight, Harvey's body pressed behind mine… I couldn’t think of a more relaxing way to end the night. Especially after I slipped to my knees in the shower and showed him just how much I loved him. 

“You don’t know how long I’ve been dreaming about having you in my arms one night. All night long.”

I hummed, scooting back so his chest met my back, his legs molding with mine. “I may have fantasized about it once or twice as well.” “Have you now?” “Again, there are several versions of Claudia you haven’t met before.” “And I look forward to coaxing every single one of them out with my mouth… my tongue… my hands… my-”

“Tomorrow,” I whispered, letting my eyes lull shut. “We can do it all again tomorrow. On the table, on the counter, on the couch-” “You’re not helping the situation here, you know,” he tugged at my half-dried hair. “Don’t get me started, sweetheart. I just might not let you get any sleep tonight.”

I clenched my thighs together. This was going to be such a sweet, tortuous game to play. And I got to play it every day. Every night, if I wanted. He wouldn’t be able to resist me. I had a secret weapon.

“Whatever you say, sir.”

His hand was wrapped around my throat, forcing my head to turn back to look at him. He clicked his tongue, eyes more awake than they had been a few minutes ago. “Oh sweet, innocent little Claudia. I guess you haven’t learned your lesson yet. It’s okay, I’d be happy to give you more instruction. I think I recall saying that eventually I would break you down over and over again until all you could remember was my name and how to breathe. Well, sweetheart. What do you think? Because I think you can still form coherent thoughts. I think it’s time we change that, don’t you?” I nodded, “Yes.”

His grip tightened and tightened and tightened. “Yes what?”

I smirked, climbing into his lap and taking him into my hand. “Yes, sir.”

#harvey specter #suits #harvey specter x ofc #harvey specter fanfiction #harvey specter smut #harvey specter suits #suits fanfic #suits smut

[williamaltman]

Ok so, I've been wanting to talk about the whole episode 5 recollection thing ever since we saw it on the previous trailers, and since there were more shots of it in the new one too I'm gonna take the opportunity...

So, in all the little shots we've seen, we have Louis going at Lestat. So I'm guessing the idea is that they're gonna make the """fight""" actually more of a fight and not just Louis getting beaten.

Personally, I am pleased with this, because I think it's basically the best way to deal with this whole mess. I never had an issue with Lestat and Louis "fighting". What I have issue with is how extremely violent it was, how Lestat actually seriously hurt Louis. If it had been just a punch or two (though that would already be domestic abuse) I wouldn't have been fazed, but his whole body was bruised and bleeding. There was a trail of blood when he got dragged across the street. He took months to heal. In their little "fights" (actually not sure if it's more than one) in the book, Louis was completely fine. Lestat never truly hurt him physically.

So, to sort of get into a writers mindset I guess, how could you "fix it"? Well, I don't think they could say it's a fake memory. I'm sorry but the idea that it was implanted by Armand for example is just ridiculous to me. I don't think it even makes much sense in the first place, but besides that, I hate the idea of just blaming Armand to make Lestat seem better. This black and white idea of one of them being the "bad boyfriend" and the other the "good one" that comes from both sides is NOT true to the characters imo, and I also think it's a shitty narrative to go with, storytelling wise.

Besides that, I'm not sure how else you could fully retcon it and say it was fake. I saw people theorizing that only the drop was fake, but again that seems to rely on the Armand fake memory theory, and I honestly don't think they'll retcon it since it was kinda the whole point thematically from what the writers said (that it's a parallel to Paul and that they were "very pleased with themselves" for it). And clearly the initial "fight" is not fake from the new shots we got. Obviously "Louis made it up" is not an option. I remember people talking about how it was from Claudia's POV, which I honestly don't remember whether that part was supposed to be from her diary or not, but even if that's the case the most that could do is establish that the details of the fall are messy because she wasn't there to see it, and that maybe Lestat wasn't so "triumphant" after it.

Lestat attacked Louis, just because he THOUGHT Louis wanted to leave with Claudia. He started it, which does matter imo (I don't think they can change that to it being Louis) and it was completely unequal. I know this fandom is lowkey plagued with gender role discourse, but Lestat, as a stronger vampire, has a huge advantage against Louis, akin to a man hitting his wife, but probably even bigger due to supernatural strength.

And that is to say, technically the main problems will probably still be there. Which is how it should be imo, cause after doing that they have to commit to it, at least to some extent. The idea should not be to fully exonerate Lestat, but to basically soften the blow (literally and figuratively) by adding some more nuance to it. The writers said themselves that they want Louis to be belieavable as a victim.

So, I'm guessing that what we're gonna see is Louis defending himself, getting some hits against Lestat, and that Lestat was hurt too, and maybe something new about the fall. Which honestly is gonna give me some peace of mind. I get why people don't like the idea of discrediting Louis' account of the event, and of how the fandom can turn on him if he's not some perfect victim... But there was (is) just something in me that can't fully ship Loustat as much as I did before with that having happened.

Like, for a while I have basically just chosen to ignore it as much as possible. I don't rewatch the episode, I skip it during reactions, I skip the beginning of episode 6 where we see how Louis is after. I have acknowledged it many times but more as like a meta thing that happened. I probably wouldn't say it's triggering, but it just crossed a line to me and I'm gonna welcome (almost) anything they do to make it less bad than it seemed, not because I want for Louis to come off as a liar or anything but just like... For my own relief, to kinda have a bit of weight off my shoulders when watching the show and shipping them? Obviously I don't know anything for sure and I might be wrong about some things I'm guessing, but not having it be so one-sided at least already helps a bit. (Please don't come here to say I'm a weak bitch who can't handle dark gothic romance or some bullshit like that. I've already talked about that back when the scene aired and if you think it's a simple as that you're probably just dumb and insensitive)

#interview with the vampire #iwtv #amc iwtv #loustat #louis x lestat #lestat x louis #louis de pointe du lac #lestat de lioncourt #discourse #iwtv discourse

[cbrownjc]

I love the way you write about writing, so I have a writing question.

How do you think the inclusion of Armand in the interview itself will affect the narrative? In the book, part of the devastation was that neither Louis nor the reader saw the betrayal coming, since Armand is all mysterious and shit (until you realize he's basically an Unseelie faerie). Having Armand's side of things be relatively open, even if he's still hiding a lot, could take away some of the impact of that reveal that he was behind "the thing." It's not an absolutely necessary reveal, but Louis being the POV character who gives us facts as they come means that if they're open about Armand's plotting from the start, the audience can get frustrated with Louis for not seeing it coming. But there will be at least some clarity provided by Armand, if he's willing to talk about his Children of Darkness days in such a way where he looks positively feral (/pos) in the promo pics.

How do you think they can pull this off?

Hi! Sorry for the short delay in replying but, as I said, I wanted to think about this for a bit before I answered.

Warning -- Spoilers for the books and possibly Season 2 below:

So, of course, the key here will be how they structure when the reveal of not only "the thing" (and I'm assuming you mean the Claudia thing) happens. But also the reveal of Armand's backstory, especially the Children of Darkness stuff.

I can only speak for myself, but the way I think/suspect they will do it is to have the first few episodes play out exactly like the book does, with the majority of it being from Louis' POV; adding in Claudia's POV (via her diaries), and with the added bonus of Armand's POV sprinkled in as well, mostly being when he's interacting with Louis -- and with Claudia when she's with Louis. No indication there is anything amiss with the way he's acting toward either of them. (Claudia's diaries, of course, are missing more pages during this time.)

If done this way, then you'd only see of Armand what mostly Armand wants Daniel (and via Daniel, the audience) to see and perceive of him, mainly through his and Louis' POVs.

And all we, the audience, see of Lestat during this time is via Louis' hallucinations of him for the first few episodes.

Then, when Louis and Armand start telling the tale of Claudia's fate, play it so that THAT is the first time real!Lestat shows up, at the trial. However, there'll be something very off in what Louis and Armand (mostly Armand) are telling Daniel about this moment.

And that is when Daniel pounces and calls them out on trying to BS him again. (Bonus points if it's a memory from during the Devil's Minion Era that helps to give Daniel a clue that they are BS'ing him.)

And it's after this that the show starts showing the flashbacks, not only to Armand's Children of Darkness days but specifically his interactions with Lestat during then.

It's at this point where it is also revealed that Lestat made it to Paris from New Orleans before Louis and Claudia did (which is what happened in the book) and that Armand has kept him locked up in a dungeon the whole time, manipulating him to testify at the trial and all that.

And, of course, then we get the real flashback of the trial and Armand's orchestration of "the thing" (including the major reveal of the head thing he did to her).

If you structure and set things up this way, not only do you keep the reveal that Armand was behind "the thing" the whole time up until it happens, but you reveal the context as to why Armand is the way he is when you do so at the same time.

I could be wrong, but I think the show might very well structure things this way in Season 2. Doing the story this way not only explains Armand's line at the end of Season 1 ("When you hear it you'll be ashamed of yourself, ashamed of what you say to him now!") but also what we know about the show revisiting things from Season 1 again.

Doing things this way has you do all the revisiting/truth/twist revealing during the last 3-4 episodes or so of the season, after what amounts to a misdirect during the first 3-4 episodes of it.

Because I don't think Armand, at the moment Season 2 starts, will have any desire to tell the full truth to Daniel about all of these things at the start. I think he is very much in the mode of protecting Louis (in his eyes) from the truth of what happened in any way he can still think of. So he'll obfuscate as much as he can after Daniel broke through the narrative Rolin Jones said Louis came up with and told himself via what Armand has told him.

I said before I think Armand knows very well what Louis would/will attempt to do -- i.e. what he does toward the end of the book Merrick -- if he remembers everything and how it actually happened, particularly wrt Claudia. Which is why these false narratives exist in Louis' head the first place. And now, with the confirmation after TCA24 that Louis wants to remember the truth, (and wants Daniel to help him do it), I think that is what it's going to take for Armand to finally stop obfuscating things (along with Daniel calling him out as well IMO).

After that is when I think Claudia's missing/cut out diary pages will finally be produced, and we'll get the things that were only glossed over before from them (mainly her feeling for Louis matching up with what they were revealed to be in Merrick). Along with this being when Armand's full Children of Darkness backstory is revealed, as well as the full reveal that he was behind "the thing" concurrent with that.

So yeah, I think a misdirect right up until the trial wrt the narrative, and then a full revisit of the narrative -- with Armand's cult background fully revealed then -- is how you can structure things without giving away Armand being behind "the thing."

That isn't to say that we wouldn't/won't see anything about Armand's Children of Darkness days before that but, if we do, I think it would be presented way more sympathetically at first -- leaving out things like what Armand and the cult did to Nicki, which is what made Lestat come in there and bust Armand's cult up in the first place. If it goes like this, then Nicki actually being there would be revealed later, during a revisiting of that moment during the second half of the season.

I think this would be the way to pull it all off and could be easily done so in the eight episodes we have for Season 2.

#Interview with the Vampire #AMC Interview with the Vampire #Armand #The Vampire Armand #Louis de Pointe du Lac #Lestat de Lioncourt #Claudia #Daniel Molloy #iwtv Season 2 #iwtv Season 2 spoilers #vc book spoilers #Merrick #vampire chronicles #vc spoilers #ask #asked and answered #iwtv #amc iwtv

[ch3ri-ch3ri-lady]

Vampire chronicles ask for u (if you’re still interested ofc!) what do you think about Claudia as a character?

Ofcccc! Tysm for asking and I have a LOT of thoughts on Claudia (how can you not??). Brace yourself for a whole dissertation.

First and foremost, I’m the BIGGEST Claudia defender. I genuinely think she was completely justified in killing Lestat and being a dick to Louis about it. She genuinely has one of the most tragic stories in all of tvc and despite only being a main character for one book, she really stuck with me. Being eternally trapped in the body of a child, never being able to live on your own, take on a lover, basically have any autonomy or respect in society-all because of your drama queen fathers’ shitty baby trapping and toxic married couple bullshit? I would be a VILLAIN.

I hate when people say they dislike Claudia because she “abused” Louis or was “just as bad as Lestat”. Firstly, she was LITERALLY the child lmao. I think we as readers have a very biased portrayal of Claudia and her actions because it’s told from the eyes of Louis and Lestat. If it was from Claudia’s POV, I think absolutely no one would be complaining about her revenge quest against her shitty dads. I know it’s a topical debate on if Louis was a bad father or not, and while I think he definitely tried and was maybe more of the stereotypical nuclear-family-reads-bedtime-stories-to-his-daughter “good dad” in the early years, his hypocritical self loathing and perpetual martyrdom definitely inhibited his ability to provide Claudia with the support system she needed. Weeping dramatically about how bad of a father you’ve been doesn’t make you a better father lmao. To be honest, when it came to Claudia’s personality, I wasn’t a huge fan. I didn’t find her as entertaining to read about as say Lestat or Armand, and she was never emotionally or vibe wise one of my favourite characters. However, I think she is one of the most interestingly written characters and I will always ride or die defend her regardless.

As for AMC’s Claudia, I ADORED Bailey Bass’s portrayal of her and can’t wait to see Delainey Hayles in s2! While I think the aged up Claudia was definitely well executed and interesting (and I get why they did it), I still think it’s a bit of a shame that’s she’s not explicitly a “child” anymore. AMC Claudia can effectively live on her own and with some makeup pass for 18. Even this slight more access to adulthood places show Claudia leagues ahead of book Claudia. One thing I wasn’t a fan of was her sexual assault-I’m glad that they did the bare minimum of not showing it onscreen, but it felt very unnecessary to me. Like they could’ve just made Bruce attack her or something. Also Lestat (sexual assault victim) using Claudia’s against her as a fear tactic?? I get Lestat was very villainized in s1 from a mix of Louis and Claudia’s unreliable narration and Armand’s mind control mumbo jumbo, but I found that rather distasteful. Speaking of Claudia and Lestat, she’s literally his mini me! I really hope AMC shows more of this, and more moments of Lestat doting on Claudia. He was always the father who spoiled her with excessively bloody killing sprees or luxury brand clothes, I feel like we hardly saw that in the show. Like Claudia is his BABY! The parallels between Lestat/the Marquis and Claudia/Lestat…absolutely soul-crushingly diabolical I love it.

I’m curious as to how they’re going to change/approach Claudia and Madeleine’s relationship in the show. One of my favourite changes the show made was getting rid of the Claudia/Louis incest stuff because…DEFINITELY one of my least favourite things about the iwtv book and made me extremely uncomfortable. People always joke about Gabrielle/Lestat but Claudia/Louis is like a fandom taboo lmao (rightfully so). Probably because joking about Lestat’s mommy issues oedipus complex is funnier and more acceptable then acknowledging the fact that book Louis was like a straight pedophile about his 5 year old daughter. Wtf Anne.

This was SO much I’m so sorry lmao

#claudia iwtv #claudia de pointe du lac #claudia de lioncourt #louis de pointe du lac #lestat de lioncourt #interview with the vampire #iwtv 1994 #iwtv 2022 #amc iwtv #tvc #the vampire chronicles #she’s also such a virgo

[nalyra-dreaming]

Some episode 7 musings

I think I now know what @armavnd meant in their spoiler free review… I wonder if the end scene itself has been changed after season renewal news.

Because as big as that reveal was (well, for some, with all the people on here hunting down the hints^^), that comment that „Daniel only knows half the story“… I feel like they would have done that differently if they hadn’t known whether this might be the actual end.

And it’s interesting, because with Claudia’s pages being cut out… the swamp scene can very well still come (they did go to it and picked a location after all?). And if they hadn‘t known yet… I bet that episode would have been longer. And would have contained swamp and crispy. As it is, I bet they’ll open with it… or let it bleed in in Lestat’s POV later. We’ll see.

It also invalidates Claudia’s diaries as reliable narrator, too… quite the power move, story-telling wise.

I love, love LOVE the silver cord hints, and the implications coming with that, and Lestat musing absentmindedly about Those Who Must Be Kept. Armand obviously controlling Louis in a way or at least Louis‘ access to books/diaries etc. If for his own safety or not may be up to debate. The groan that could be heard again there at the end. The adapted version of Come To Me that they danced to. Damn.

I said it before, but Lestat never begrudged Louis and Armand their love… on the contrary, love is a very complicated beast in the Vampire Chronicles and it’s constantly shifting, too. I saw the take that they break up Loustat here and I… doubt it. This relationship between Armand and Louis is canon, too, and I love that they’re going there. There’ll be more relationships to come if we are lucky and get more seasons. I personally would love to see this version of the Devil’s Minion, too. Still, Louis calling Armand „love of his life“ will not go over well, lmao. (And I wonder if that, too, was a try to literally get a rise out of Lestat).

Antoinette is gone in this installment, and I personally, am not overly saddened (though as a character I feel for her, she deserved better). In the first book Antoine is just a side figure, a tool - Anne only pulled him back much later. With the way (s)he was used here it makes sense to drive the difference in emotions home.

Emotionally, they really hit the right tone for the killing scene. Louis coming back to „I wanted to slit his throat“ and „bleed you like a pig“ from episode 1… Claudia interrupting their dance once more. Their kiss.

Btw. I said it before in a reaction, but letting Louis fall back in love with Lestat - deliberately - to try to beguile Lestat was… cruel. Because that pain will now stay with Louis, and she doesn’t particularly care for that.

Still loved how masterfully she exploited his weakness… 5 moves ahead indeed. And then she totally miscalculated (imho) by giving Louis his „goodbye“.

Brutal.

I could be wrong, but I think that is what Armand is doing there, too - trying to give Louis his goodbye. And that will fail, too. (I hesitate to write backfire here because those relationships are extremely complicated - I don’t think a waking-up Lestat will actually take away from Armand’s and Loui‘s relationship - and neither will Louis’ and Lestat’s. I hope the show doesn’t buy into petty jealousy with them.)

All in all a worthy finale… and yes, leaving more questions than answers.

Lovely 😈 Cannot wait for all the BTS stuff and the next season, eventually.

#iwtv #amc's interview with the vampire #amc‘s iwtv #spoilers #iwtv spoilers #interview with the vampire #loustat #louistat #lestat x louis #louis x armand #armand #book spoilers #iwtv meta #meta #just some thoughts #before i forget #lestat de lioncourt #claudia de lioncourt #louis de pointe du lac #episode 7 #1x07

[seveneaglestar]

Why make Antoinette a victim

I have noticed a lot of posts about how people are reacting to Antoinette and seeing some claim that it is a result of misogynist, because people are calling for her death when she has done nothing wrong except be with Lestat and is just a victim, according to some people. Some can’t understand why there are so much sympathy for Louis and Claudia while Antoinette is being shown none of that.

I like to say the big difference with characters like Louis, Lestat and Claudia is that the writers gave them a pov so we can understand them. So that even when we didn't like their decisions /actions, we understood their motivations and reasoning. We understood that Claudia planning the death of Lestat didn't come out just hatred for him but also her feeling trap. That Louis not showing love to Lestat had nothing to do with Louis not loving Lestat or emotionally abusing him but because of his own trauma and depression. That Lestat abusive reactions/actions came from a place of deep trauma and his decades of being remove from humanity.

While with Antoinette, we have no idea why she made the decisions she made. We don't know if Lestat convinced her against her will to cut off fingers or if she was so eager to please him that she offered. We don't  know if Lestat brainwash her into staying with him or if she willingly wanted to be his mistress for decades. We don't know anything about this character. We don't know what motivate her. We don't know if she was a helpless victim to Lesta's abuse or was she an accomplice who saw Lestat as a come up. We don't know if she was the one who convinced Lestat that killing Claudia and keeping her was his best bet to keeping Louis because that statement from Lestat, someone who knew Louis, unlike Antoinette, was stupid. So what info have Antoinette been giving him that made him think something this stupid can actually be a reality? What did Antoinette tell him, what info did she felt would further her goal, and told him and what info did she negate to tell him because it wouldn't further her goal? We don't know. 

We don't know ANYTHING about this woman. The only thing we know about her is that she has willingly (?) been his secret lover for yrs, had her fingers cut off to fake her death, got turn and was able to use that to gain info for Lestat, she doesn’t like Louis/Claudia (understandably so), and somehow had Lestat convinced that killing Claudia and adding her to the mix is the way to go.

I can head-cannon that her relationship with Lestat is an abusive one where Lestat holds all the power and she is just a helpless female victim of a powerful male vampire, therefore we shouldn’t hate her but hate Lestat. But this would be me using my own bias/preconception of who I think she is, in order to turn her into something she might be or she might not be, a victim, because the writers have not really given any clear indication of whether she is victim or not. While with Claudia and Louis we KNOW and seen Lestat be abusive to both of them but some fans are claiming that they are not victims, but are manipulators and mutual abusers. That put into question why is it that she gets the benefits of the doubt when we know don’t much about her or her relationship with Lestat but Claudia and Louis don’t. 

Why not head-cannon that she is a manipulator, strong and intelligent woman who recognized the power she can gain by working with Lestat. We heard her talk about making it big, moving to the big cities and having the power to negotiate a deal with Lestat, which Lestat promised he would keep. And if the deal was to make her a vampire, based on what we saw, she got what she wanted.  Maybe the reason Claudia seem to hate her so much, more than Louis hate her, is because she used to fellow Lestat when he visited her, read her mind, therefore, she knew who Antoinette really was, not a victim but an accomplice. 

 So why are so many seem determine to see her as just a victim, and vilify Claudia/Louis and other fans for not seeing her as such ? Why not see her as a woman who say an opportunity, took it and it didn’t work out for her. Why not make that a head-cannon, why so quick to make her a victim?

#7eaglestars #interview with the vampire #itwtv #lestat de lioncourt #louis de pointe du lac #Antoinette #claudia

[mlm-writer]

Absolving Him (Soren x M!Reader)

Kinktober Day Seven: Praise Kink

Pairing: Soren x Male Crownguard Reader (trans-friendly but see notes tho) Rating: Explicit Words: 1685 POV: Second Summary: The Final Battle is over, but there is still the aftermath to deal with. Confronted with the consequences of his dad’s actions, Soren can’t help but take on more responsibility for it than he should. Fortunately, he has a good boyfriend to remind him of all his good qualities. Notes: This piece is trans-friendly, but it is a sequel to this piece, which is not. If you do not want to read it, just keep in mind these facts: reader left the crownguard when Viren took over and that decision marked the break up with Soren, reader fought in the last battle and afterwards kiss and made up with Soren.  Tags: angst and fluff and smut, the trifecta, praise kink, blowjobs, good bf reader, no beta because I am dying, insecurities, reader is an evil tease and Soren cries again but it is the good kind

After a tearful reunion with your favourite Crownguard, you marched back to Katolis. The way back was filled with fleeting kisses, secret touches against rock walls and quiet frotting in your tent if you had the luxury of having one for the night. After days of travels, you arrived in Lux Aurea. The place was in ruins. You decided to stay with Soren and some other soldiers to help rebuild the capital of the Sunfire elves. 

Days were long and tiring and at the end there was only a sleeping bag on a hard floor waiting for you. It left little room for romance, especially since you could tell Soren felt at least partially responsible for the ruin. On a hot and dry day, you sought out your lover with a filled waterskin hanging around your bare torso. A long-winded chain of questioning and tracking led you to a hill not too far from Lux Aurea. Soren stood there, looking over a former camp. You approached him from behind and made sure to stomp a little to announce your presence. 

Soren turned to you with a doleful look. He cracked the hint of a smile, but you could tell he had many despondent things on his mind. “Wow, your hot boyfriend is shirtless and you aren’t even kissing him. The audacity.” He let out a half-hearted snort at the sarcasm he had grown to recognise and love. It took him a while, but he got the hang of it when it came to you. You closed the distance between and kissed his sweaty cheek, before taking off the waterskin and handing it to him. “Drink something. This weather will dry you out quickly.” 

Soren took the waterskin eagerly and you watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down as he quenched his thirst. Your eyes followed the water drops that escaped his lips and rolled down his body. He was still wearing his under armour, making you wonder how he was not dying of the heat. “Thank you,” he muttered as he closed the waterskin and handed it over to you. You lowered his arm and pulled him close. You tried to kiss him, but his hands on your shoulders signalled that he was not up for it. 

“What’s wrong, hot shot? What are you doing here anyway?” Your boyfriend broke free from your arm around his lower back. His desolate look covered your soul with worry. You followed his gaze with your eyes, their vision falling on the abandoned camp site. 

“This is where I finally saw my dad for who he was,” he commented with a vacant look in his eyes. You took his hand in yours, but he pulled away. “I should have seen it earlier. I should have known the moment he asked me to kill the princes.” 

You could see him reeling towards a bad place and it hurt to see how he was not really letting you in, keeping you physically at an arm’s length. “Soren, it is hard to see the flaws in people we look up to. I understand you’re angry with yourself, but are you angry with Claudia as well?” 

He turned on his heels to face you. “What? No! Claudia is different. She loved dad so much. He taught her magic and all.” His arms flayed through the air as he justified every single thing Claudia did. You let him rant, hoping he was hearing himself. Slow steps brought you to a tree without a pause in the stream of words leaving your lover. You leaned against it, finding relief in its shadow. 

Words kept coming and coming, but you saw your boyfriend deflate with every sentence that left him. You listened intently, until he abruptly ceased his rant to look at you. “You think I shouldn’t blame myself, just like I don’t blame Claudia.” You gave him a soft smile. Soren could be quite insightful when given the chance. “Well… I can’t. I had a duty and I failed.” His shoulders slumped and you signalled him over. 

Upon a wiggle of your fingers, Soren moved towards you like magnetism. You wrapped your strong arms around him and held him tightly against your sweat-glistened body. You caught him licking your neck and chuckled at the ticklish feeling. “You did not fail. You are here, victorious and cleaning up a mess that is not even your own. If you ask me, you even deserve a reward.” 

He pulled away and gave you a cocky look that you wanted to wipe off his face. You loved that face, but wiping that smirk off his lips was always so much fun. “What kind of reward would you give me?” His mischievous eyes revealed that you both were on the same train of thought. You took a hold of his arms and concurrently switched places with him so he had his back against the tree. 

You weaved your lips together, your hands trailing down his chest. He hummed against your lips. When your lips parted, you put your leg between his, hiking him up a little with your thigh. “Well let’s start with kissing your breath away.” You ground against his crotch with your thigh as you kissed him again. Your mouth ravished his. Soren was quite eloquent about his pleasure, both with his voice and with his body language. You got your hands on him, undoing the belt around his shirt and getting your hands under the fabric. Soren was also quite sweaty from the heat, but that didn’t matter. You played with his nipples, turning him vehement about his need for you. Soren unlaced his own breeches, trying to get your hand around his cock, but you did not give in to his exigency. Soren whined in protest, much to your amusement. 

“You are the absolute worst,” he whined against your lips like a child that did not get dessert before dinner. You chuckled darkly, before guiding his hands flat on the tree trunk. A single command of ‘stay’ got him pressed firmly against the wood without your hands on him. 

You pushed his breeches down over the cleft of his ass. They caught on his thick thighs, but with his cock free already, they did not need to be down any further. You rolled up his shirt and pinched his cheeks so he would open his mouth. Soren took the underside of his shirt between his teeth like a good little boy and you got to your knees with a wolfish grin. “Such a good boy,” you purred as you finally put your hand on his cock. You noticed your boyfriend’s hands balling up in fists as he stared down at you with reverence. Even here on your knees before him, he knew you were in charge and he let you be so easily. A single look could make Soren put himself into your hands for you to either make him or break him. Sometimes that power scared you, but not now though. 

“You’ve always been a good boy, Soren, the best.” Your hand lazily stroked his cock, the touch feather light. The man before you keened, but you also saw the tears in his eyes. They were familiar now. He always cried when you praised him or reminded him of his worth. “We both know many don’t see you that way, but I know better than them all.” You licked over the head of his cock and he whimpered. A glance up revealed the wet patch where he was drooling on the shirt between his teeth. A smirk crossed your face as you continued speaking while giving his tip little kitten licks. “I know that you’re way smarter than people care to give you credit for. The hottest strategist in all of the kingdoms… and Xadia.” You smirked as you put the tip in your mouth and gave him a good suck. It was hard to miss the clenching of Soren’s jaw, ephemeral as it was. You grinned lasciviously around the head of his cock as you nudged him towards fruition with your mouth. 

With a wet pop, you let go of him, only to spread your saliva over the rest of his length with your fingers. “I don’t even need to think about all the things you’re good at.” You rubbed the wet head over your lips. “I’ve seen you fight and you move with such grace. I swear it was hard to not just jump your bones the second you turned into an adult.” Soren let transient cries of pleasure slip away from him as you bobbed your head over his hard cock a few times, before taking it out and rubbing the slicked flesh against your cheek. 

“And you fight with such honour, my love.” Another few bobs with your eyes fixing him in place. “Your valour has rubbed off on me, you know. You’re not only a good man, but you make those around you even better.” Soren gasped sharply as he spilled over your face. You were already covered in cum by the time you managed to open your mouth and catch the rest on your tongue. You made a point of licking him clean and sucking on the tip for the last drops. 

Soren’s face was tear-stricken and red, but his expression was blithe. You leaned back so he could see you easier. “And you taste so well too,” you mused as you started wiping the cum off your face with your thumb, sticking it in your mouth between swipes. “Thank you for being so good.” 

Soren collapsed against the tree, his legs giving out like wet jelly tarts. He was panting and staring at you completely infatuated. Once you felt no more cum on your face, you crawled over to where he had slumped against the tree and kissed him. When you broke apart, none of that wry despondency was left on his beautiful face. Your soft smile was met with his and it was not long before the ever-noble Crownguard pushed you down to return the favour.  

#soren #kinktober #kinktober 2021 #the dragon prince #soren x reader #soren x male reader #male reader #ftm reader #trans male reader #soren x yn #soren x you #soren x trans male reader #soren x ftm reader #sequel #lemon #fanfic #fanfiction

[amikoroyaiart]

I just saw an ask about your favourite books! I'm so happy I finally found someone who reads SW novels because I have been meaning to ask where to start although I have already read the Boba Fett series (even though they are children books) and dark disciple. There's so much novels, both legends and canon, to read and my list keeps getting longer and longer. What are the best novels you have read and would recommend for a beginner reader?

Hi there!

So of course it depends if you want to focus only on canon or are you open to legends as well. What I do when I chose what to read is mostly looking up what characters this book is concentrated on.

So for prequels era, if you are fan of Obi-Wan, I do recommend Master and Apprentice from Claudia Gray. It gives an interesting look on Obi's relationship with Qui-Gon.

I enjoyed also Ahsoka novel. It's short and gives you few very touching scenes, especially in the memories chapters.

As for Legends from prequel era Wild Space by Karen Miller is a again a nice book if you like Obi and Bail (but I must admit that other characters may seem a bit out of character). The Clone Wars Gambit - Siege and Stealth by the same author were an easy and nice read too (I enjoyed Ahsoka and Obi interactions in first book). These are not mindblowing books but they are a quite 'light' lecture and I enjoyed the easy writing.

I am currently reading The Labyrinth of Evil and while I did not finish it yet, the dialogues between Obi and Anakin are hilarious! Btw Cody is here for a brief moment too!

For the Imperial era, definitely give Thrawn 2017 trilogy a try, at least the first book, by Timothy Zahn. It's just a really good writing and Star Wars juice. And of course if you liked the whole Thrawn trilogy and you are interestedin Chiss lore, give Ascendancy trilogy a try too!

Another nice book was Lost Stars by Claudia Gray. It's a separate, romantic story about two people on different sides. It gave me a lot of interesting facts about Empire!

If you're a fan of Rogue One movie, the novelization of it is fantastic too! Really good writing!

And if you like sequels, read Phasma! Again it's an interesting story told from an outsider's pov about Phasma and how she ended up in FO.

I hope that somehow helps! I heard the high Republic books are quite good too but I haven't tried them yet! Thanks for asking 😊❤

[mystistyx]

blue paint

dabi x OC female (first POV)

chapter 2  

2.9K+ words

The internal disobedience to paint the horrid villain in front of me showed, making my sketching hand wobbly and unfocused. I peaked over the side of my easel and my eyes fell onto his chest. Dabi wasn't the most muscular being but slender, toned and fit. His eyes were above me watching the TV, which the class later learned was installed by Ms. Claudia to keep him still and comfortable. I still didn't respect or accept it. He would never be a real model to me. How on earth could a murderer be beautiful in any way?

"You look like you're going to explode.." Kayla whispered as she poked me with the eraser side of her pencil. 

I shot her a look before hiding again behind my canvas, "I'm fine.."

"Is it because he's a villain? You're not the only one, just look at the rest of the class.." Her eyes lifted up and scanned the class, still in anxiety, attempting to get a piece of work out as if Dabi would kill them all. Some of them were visibly sweating as others faces were cherries, as if they made one wrong sketch stroke, the world would end

I moved towards Kayla again, fuming for her wanting to continue on the issue, "Villain or not, I don't like any of them.." I hissed.

Almost instantly, both Kayla and I felt a dark pressure on us. As we both turned our heads to the middle of the room, we saw Dabi's crystal eyes lock onto us. It was the true feeling of predator versus prey. One would assume it was because he was trying to focus on the news above my head, but I gulped as I knew he probably heard what I had said. With a fell swoop, our heads went back behind our physical creative walls.

"Oh, please keep still! We don't want to mess up the point of view!" Ms. Claudia cautiously spoke to Dabi. An ever so slight groan came from him and he planted his view back up at the TV. He was probably keeping tabs on the recent attacks, worshipping his own creative medium. The city was in shambles and for all as the class knew, he was applauding himself with every sly smile that would slip from him.

"If he kills us, I'm killing you.." Kayla spoke softly again, dramatically bringing her pencil across her neck to replicate her slicing mine. I rolled my eyes and continued my sketch.

Thinking back to the reflection we did before picking up our pencils, I bite my inner cheek in deciding how to blend myself into him. Thinking of it truly made my blood boil. While I believe heroes and villains are the same, I had to admit to the idea that villains were the worst of the two. Now suddenly I have to compare myself to one, even incorporate him into me? That combination still led to an end that I didn't want to be involved in. The thought of it wanted me to plant a bomb in my head and clap with glee every time a second went down.

  "Beautiful start.." Ms. Claudia cheered, making her rounds to everyone's canvas. She nodded and smiled in approval, made the littlest of suggestions, bringing her hands together in true happiness of all the art. I could see a slight worry on her face with Dabi here. I didn't want to ask her how in this world she let a villain come and model for us at this time, but I planned to as soon as I could. Some threatening deal? Was he holding someone close to her hostage? Was Dabi really a former League member now? I didn't want to know because I already knew I didn't believe any of it.

"Alright.." Kayla reached into her hell hole of bag once more, grabbing some new supply I've never seen, and dove into her oils. I tried my best not to sneak a look at her sketch, I believe in the concept of not demanding to see the work in progress. When the artist is ready to share, they will. The only person I would show a single line to before I'm ready, like I really had a choice to say no to, was Ms. Claudia.

I looked up for a moment and saw her, "Hello.."

"Hello again, my lovely. May I..?"

Before I could answer yes, she was already staring at my sketch. Ms. Claudia was never the speechless type. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind, whether the best or worst news in the world. With a low breath, she raised a curled finger to her mouth and crossed her other arm around her body. 

"There's.. There's no head.." 

"Yes.." I figured if my mind couldn't comprehend this absurd joke of a class today, it would be nice to see him without one either. 

"Well.." Ms. Claudia gazed at me from above, "So be it!" Another warming smile laid on her face before making her way over to Kayla for inspection.

My chest turned tight as I, for once in the presence of Ms. Claudia, actually questioned my art. Dabi's skin was dynamic and popped against the paper. The towel on his lower half was in a dangerous and seductive position, even so, it would only get better with my paints and other mediums. Mind becoming strained in how to really put myself into the piece, I tilted my head past my canvas and stared at him again. He could have been a real statue in the moment, utterly and completely still. In a certain light, it looked like he was lost in thought and not over what he was watching above me. I wondered what was in that chaotic mind of his, if he really even had one. 

I once again became filled with mild annoyance and reached for my prize possession of supplies.

                                                       ❥ ❥ ❥

A few hours went by and the sunset orange dressed Dabi in warmth. I was unfortunately the last one in the studio. It wasn’t uncommon, I had small pride in taking my time. Art was therapy in a way, and as cheesy as that sounds, I’m not as damaged as you would think. I’ve above average and cynical with most things but anything with expression, if it’s dark or light, is something I appreciate regardless of my story. 

Hands covered in all blues and dreading for my mind to hurry up, Ms. Claudia gasped out loud. "Oh, Sapphire.." I peaked and noticed she was looking down at her phone, "Would you mind cl-"

"Go ahead, Ms. Claudia.." I fell back behind my canvas and made minute strokes of indigo. Every once in a while, if the universal timing was just right, I would be the last one in the studio and Ms. Claudia's little boy would try to aim for the world record of the most gummy bears up his nose. Luckily for me, I was the most trustworthy to close up her studio whenever the time came. "I know where to leave the keys when I'm gone.."

"I swear, you are the daughter I never had.." Ms. Claudia rushed over to her purse and keys. She waved the studio keys in the air for me to see before leaving them on the table near the door. "I'm sorry to leave early Dabi. We will be in contact soon about your payment. It's really... nice to have you here. And Sapph, just text me a picture of when you're done!". The quick pitter patter steps of her leaving left the room in a limbo type of silence.

"What kinda name is Sapphire?" The velvet voice uttered, it seemed like an eternity since the last time he spoke. 

I kept quiet and smudged some chalk with my thumb.

"Oh, without your friend here, you must be a real mute, huh?" Dabi snickered.

I huffed and prayed to the heavens that I finally was done with this terrible piece. I wanted it to be sent to Mars and no one to ever lay eyes on it again, "I don't need you anymore. You can leave.." 

I raised myself up and stretched so good that a few popping noises came from my joints. With a sigh of relief, I bent down to my bag to grab a few wet wipes.

"Had a feeling you were the type with a stick up your ass.." Dabi forced himself up, only holding one hand on his towel. His detailed V line was miraculous against the warm light.

I pulled out a wipe and started to wipe my hands, "You don't know what type I am.." 

"Well.." Dabi fully wrapped the towel around his waist. His stature played an illusion on me, with his detailed black hair and true slim body, it appeared that he only grew taller, "I heard your little comment about villains and heroes.."

I threw my wipe in my bag, not caring if the access paint and chalk messed up the inside, and pulled my bag up. Setting it on the stool, I took out my phone to take a picture of my piece.

"You think you're different with your views and morals.." Dabi continued, in a condescending manner.

I snapped a picture of my piece and sent it over to Ms. Claudia. The blues really popped on the canvas, but for once I could say the smidge of red over where Dabi's head was supposed to be did it justice.

"And probably because of some trauma, you thi-"

"Out of all people, why are you analyzing me?" I forced my head up and returned his daggers from before, "You don't know me. Why the hell are you even here in this art studio?" My voice became raised and my arms followed, waving them around as I chuckled annoyingly, "You should be fighting with other psychos to destroy this city.."

A slight growl came from Dabi, "Like I said, former member of The League.."

"Yeah, sure.."

My phone buzzed and it was Ms. Claudia.

Ms. Claudia: I'm glad your turquoise came back.

But she was wrong. I felt like midnight black at that moment.

I shoved my phone into my back pocket, "Go get dressed and get out of here.." I frantically shoved all my materials into my bag, eyeing my painting in the process. Dabi's figure was perfect against the dark and light shades and seeing the streaky void where his head was supposed to be didn't make me feel better. I didn't put my everything into this piece like I felt I did. My mindless thoughts running rampant and just his scarred body don't make a good combination. I didn't know what I was thinking. I don't know if I was thinking at all.

"One day, that snappy mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble.." Dabi made his way to the back of the room and filtered into the curtains to change. I could have easily ripped all my hair out.

"Bite me.." I mumbled softly, zipping up my bag before putting it on my shoulders. I lifted my piece up and brought it to the drying wall. Setting it down gently, I scanned the room once more to make sure everything was relatively clean for the next class in three days. Picking up the keys and jingling them in my hand, I became more and more impatient.

Dabi slipped out from the curtains fully dressed. His black leather jacket had some wear and tear, along with his white shirt. His dark jeans to match had a few holes and had chains around the pant loops. All together, he appeared like a grade A delinquent.

He stared at me as my fingers still ran across the keys in my hand. I nodded to the right for him to hurry up and walk out. He forced his hands in his pockets and began to walk out, but not before putting a devilish smile on his face.

How the hell did Ms. Claudia find you? I pondered.

I shut the door behind us before rushing to lock up. I peered behind my shoulder, "Keep walking.." I didn't want him to see where I would leave the keys for Ms. Claudia. God forbid he would want to raid an art studio, I still didn't want to take the chance.

"Ease up.." He pulled both of his hands out, holding a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He continued to make his way down the hallway as he pulled one of the sticks out.

I heavily sighed as the click of the lock made resistance. Along the doorframe, there was a tiny hatch for the keys. I pried it open with one of my fingernails before placing them in and shutting the hatch. I turned around fully and Dabi was still walking towards the main entrance.

Following suit, he held the door open to me. The humid feel of the air touched my skin and I could smell some rain in the distance. It felt like a huge storm would sweep in.

"So, where to?" Dabi said amongst the flick of his lighter, sparking his cigarette before taking a deep hit.

"I am going home.." I scoffed and shook my head, flying down the concrete steps and down the sidewalk, "You can go crawl back into your villain hole.."

"If I only had a hole to go back and crawl into, sweetheart.." I could hear his footsteps softly behind me.

I turned my neck slightly, eyeing him behind my shoulder. Another quick hit before the smoke was dragged across the air. His relaxed yet devious face still on me.

"Go away.." I picked up the pace.

The streets weren't too bustling as they usually were. I'm sure everyone probably got the warning of the upcoming storm and prepped everything beforehand. There were still some stragglers but definitely no one who could take Dabi on if he was lying to me about his retirement from the League. Except for me.

"So, you paint my body and leave? Almost worse than a one night stand.."

I abruptly stopped in my place, immediately hearing Dabi's tracks stop as well. The flirty bastard hit a spot and I was ready to end it all. I clenched my fists deeply, so bad my hands could have bled on sight. My jaw became rigid as I fully turned around and faced him.

"I said, leave me alone.."

I released the hold on my hands and released my smoke. A silky yet thick, black aura floated off of my hands and into the air, making it's delicate way to Dabi.

A chuckle came from him as he flicked his cigarette, "That's cute.."

In an instance of fury, my smoke wrapped around his ankles. The look on his face showed slight worry as he wasn't able to move his legs at all. Stuck in place, he lifted his cigarette up once more and stared at me down, wondering if I was going to give in and give up or continue.    

My smoke continued up his legs and the more it did, the more pressure I put. My quirk was black abyss. My smoke could be controlled by the muscle tension in my hands. The more pressure I put, the more I could crush someone. While my smoke cannot physically suffocate someone, the pressure against them felt just the same. 

"A-Alright.." Dabi's voice was strained and his hand began to shake as my smoke was on his torso, squeezing him into submission, "I'll back off.." A little part of me wondered why he didn’t attempt to fight back. I was certain the League didn’t discriminate on who they battled.

Dabi's cigarette fell from his hand and through my smoke. One of the few drawbacks of my quirk was that inorganic materials or objects will pass through my smoke if I am not focused on them directly. If I am directly focused on them, they have to be more organic than inorganic, roughly around 60%.

My smoke continued to wander up and up around his body, covering him in darkness. The only part of him left was his head. It felt good giving a villain a piece of my mind, and not in a heroic way. A genuine fuck you type of way. I wondered a little when I could do the same for the pro heroes. I continued to look at him, his heavy breathing became more apparent as he couldn't make any words. His face scrunched as if he was ready to try and attack, but I didn't think I knew what his quirk was. 

I've heard many things about the League of Villains. The leader could turn anything into dust, another one could force people into marbles, another was a fire god, even a little psycho chick. I just.. couldn't remember at the moment. Was I really ready to pull a stunt like this and not be prepared? But at the same time, what was holding Dabi back?

Peering down at my hands, I told myself to not turn into something I would regret, "Don't come near me unless it's in the class.." Sucking my smoke back into my body, Dabi hunched over and took deep breaths and swore. I moved my head back up at him, "I will hurt you if I have to.."

Swiftly turning around, I left him alone, praying he would do the same.

master list // dabi’s ashtray

(( taglist form: here ))

#dabi #bnha #bnha dabi #mha dabi #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #oc #oc tag #lov #enemies to friends to lovers #fluff #smut #mha smut #angst #mha angst #first pov

[marchtomydrums]

Jealousy part 2

Alex Cabot x Casey Novak x Reader

Alex’s POV:

I’m in the middle of a conversation with Daniel as I feel Casey come to my side and asked if she could borrow me for a minute. I excused myself while Casey is dragging off to the side away from listening ears.

“ Have you seen Y/N recently?” Casey asked.

“I think I saw her headed towards the balcony earlier why?” I asked confused.

“Is she smoking again?” I ask while rolling my eyes.

“ No.. well she is but never mind that I can’t find her. I thought I’d see her in the bathroom when I was headed that way but I didn’t see her. I’ve looked everywhere she’s not here.” Casey says trembling as she speaks.

“Okay well did you try her cell? “ I asked.

“Of course I did Alex! ” she says while rolling her eyes. “ The phone went straight to voicemail which is odd.. which is why I came to get you.”

Casey was right it was odd for your phone to be off and it was even more odd for you to leave without talking to them first.

“Alright, well before we get upset. Let’s look around one more time and if we can’t find her we will head home. Okay?” I say trying to remain calm. Casey nods her head yes but I can see the tears forming in her eyes. I tilt my head down to meet her gaze. “Hey. We will find her love. Okay? Go look.” I tell her trying to reassure not only Casey but myself.

The two of us go to searching in opposite directions and asking others if they’ve seen you. No one gave us the answer we wanted to hear. Trying to remain calm I head out to the balcony where I’d last seen you. Walking out the door I come face to face with Claudia. She’s grinning ear to ear as I walk out.

“Alex! How good to see you. How long has it been?” Claudia asked.

“Not long enough. If you’d excuse I’m looking for a someone.” I said turning to walk back inside not wanting to be anywhere near her.

“Your pet? That’s who you’re looking for yes?” She asked.

I slowly turn around with a look of disbelief as I say “excuse me?”

Claudia laughs. “Your pet. Y/N is her name right? You should really work on that one she has no manners. However, her beauty is timeless. Of course you and Casey would be infatuated with her.”

I rush towards her closing the distance between us her face inches away from mine.

“I don’t know what game your playing nor do I do care. However, I’m warning you now to stay away from her.” I say slowly meaning ever word. I can feel the anger running through my vines. My eyes iced over as I challenge her. Claudia throws her head back and laughs. Clearly not seeing me a a threat.

“Oh Alex it’s been fun. Really it has but I’ve got to go.” Claudia says as she walks past me to the door. My gaze never leaving her retreating form.

“Oh, one more thing” she says turning around to face me.

“You should really check on your pet. She seemed awfully upset when she left here. Have a nice night. “ she smiles walking back into the party.

I feel the air rush back into my lugs as I start to relax. My mind starts to race trying to process what just happened. However, my brain didn’t get much of a chance before Casey was standing in front of me.

“Was that Claudia?” She asked.

“Yes. That’s her bitter as ever.” I say.

“What does want? Why is she here?” Casey asked with confusion and worry appearing on her face.

“I’m not sure but I do think she’s the reason for Y/N’s absence. “ I tell her.

Casey just stares at me with her mouth hung open and even more confusion.

“We have to get home now.” I say. Rushing towards the door not even giving goodbyes pulling Casey along with me.

#fiction #law and order x reader #casey novak x reader #stephanie march #diane neal #wlw love #television #lgbtq

[cbrownjc]

Hello, how are you :)? So I was wondering your point of view of the whole Antoinette ordeal? During the series it kind of seemed that lestat wanted louis and him to feed on her then kill her. Then when louis was like no, lestat just kept her and was trying to rile Louis up. But it seemed it blew up om his face when Louis was like ok, then I’m gonna show you. Then Lestat is all ”I HEARD YOU HEART’S DANCING” crying clown face. But he started it? Then just kept Antoinette around cuz Louis was sad/depressed and wasn’t showing him any attention or love. Lestat didn’t seem to treat her that well then made her a vampire to hear their thoughts and replace Claudia. What the f did this man think was gonna happen? Louis was hurt about Antoinette and even asked Lestat if he wasn’t good enough. And Lestat just LOL in his face before freaking out about Louis saying he also could f other people. I mean what was going in in his head? I can’t picture louis killing her and Lestat not being happy about it, or lestat killing her if louis asked him. Cuz ut would prove he was jelous and loved him.

Hello Anon,

You know, I sat and thought about this ask almost all day, because honestly? I don't have a big opinion on Antoinette, and the whole thing with her. Not much at all.

And that is because she was basically just a plot device, a way to make a comment and commentary regarding Louis and Lestat individually and as a couple. And that was by design, btw. In the book, her character - who was originally male - didn't even have a name. We didn't learn his name until the Prince Lestat book.

As a meta-commentary piece, particularly when it comes to race, Antoinette has some interest to me in that regard, which I've talked about here.

However, aside from that? I've honestly given little to no thought about it, or her, until this ask.

And so, thinking about it now, IMO, she was always a means Lestat was trying to use to make Louis either jealous, get Louis to unleash his more vampiric nature, or as a distraction for Lestat when (especially because of Claudia's presence later) he didn't feel he had Louis' 100% devotion, love and/or attention.

Lestat didn't treat Antoinette well because he wasn't in love with her. That, IMO, is just what it all comes down to. I think he liked her well enough, especially because they had the music thing in common. But his feelings for her never equaled, let alone surpassed, his feeling for Louis.

However, I think you are 100% correct that if Louis had killed her, Lestat not only wouldn't have cared about her death, he would have been thrilled about Louis doing it. Because dammit, it would have shown him that Louis cared, that Louis really did love him, even if Louis still never directly said it.

Because that was the main thing eating at Lestat from the moment he turned Louis and couldn't hear Louis' thoughts anymore. That Louis didn't love him in the same intense way Lestat loved Louis. Because Louis would not only not say it but he wouldn't - didn't - do any of the things Lestat would have seen as proof that he did.

Including killing Antoinette.

That is really what informs all of Lestat's actions when it comes to Antoinette on the show IMO. Also, Antoinette was clearly 100% devoted to and loved him, which in a small way, filled that void Lestat was looking for. But, of course, it couldn't be filled completely because he wanted it from Louis. A substitute was never going to fully work.

Trying to replace her with Claudia was a stupid idea, but I see why Lestat would want to try it. In Lestat's POV, Claudia became a threat wrt taking Louis away from him by the end of EP5. He probably thought, and hey with good reason IMO, that if it ever really came down to it, Louis would choose Claudia over him.

And, with what we saw of the murder plan, that assessment of the situation appeared to be correct at first . . . until Daniel punched right through all the holes in Louis' telling of what happened that night. Showing us that, in the end, Louis did choose Lestat over Claudia. (And that, in plain truth, Louis always had.)

Lestat was probably in that trunk at the dump giggling and blushing in delirious love-joy at that fact and proof that Louis loves him - loves him at least enough to choose him over Claudia. And he isn't going to care a wit about what might've happened to Antoinette, even though he was just trying to replace Claudia with her hours before.

Because all Lestat wanted to do with that replacement idea was remove Claudia as a threat to him when it came to Louis. That was his only logic behind that idea IMO.

However, he now knows, in some measurable way, how much Louis does love him. So, if Antoinette at all survived - and hey, her counterpart character did in the books, though in the books Lestat never went looking for him to find out - aside from being a henchwoman, he really has no emotional use for Antoinette anymore to try and get that confession/admission out of Louis. The man is just going to be all about finding Louis again and bringing him back home.

#Loustat #Lestat x Louis #Louis x Lestat #Lestat de Lioncourt #Louis de Pointe du Lac #Antoinette Brown #Claudia #Interview with the Vampire #AMC Interview with the Vampire #amc iwtv #iwtv #ask #ask and answer

[victoria-daydreams]

Of Vices and Virtues

Chapter Fourteen: A Never-Ending Nightmare

AN: Nothing to say other then, thank you to everyone who’s followed this story and this is a long ass chapter.

Word Count: 6.8k

Trigger Warnings: colorism/mentions of colorism

Taglist: @azayamari​

Chapter Fifteen: A Love Supreme

Third POV

Charles' sleep had been fitful that night. His dreams were laced with images that he couldn't name, people he couldn't identify, and an overlapping terror that nearly drove him insane. Waking up with a start, he stared wildly around the room, searching for something that would anchor him to reality. Calming his breathing, he stared up at the ceiling, wondering what had caused such horrid nightmares. He almost felt his body commanding him to go back to bed until he heard it.

A scream erupted through the house, waking everyone from their sleep.

Charles sat upright, immediately projecting his mind to through the home to figure out who had screamed. He mentally checked off each of the members in the house, everyone was awake, most likely because of the ear splitting scream that reverberated throughout the mansion.

Puzzled, Charles reached out once more, only to remember that he hadn't checked on Claudia. However, the second he touched his mind to hers, he was met with such an overwhelming sense of horror and fear that he pulled out immediately, feeling slightly sick at his stomach. Rationalizing that he had probably unwittingly shared her dreams.

Charles slid his feet out from the warmth of his blankets, pulling a pair of loose gray sweatpants over his boxers, he made his way out of the room and hurried to Claudia's room, cursing slightly upon stubbing his toe at the door frame. His body convulsed as he searched Claudia's mind once more. Pain rushed through him before he stepped out of her mind. Charles slowed his jog down where he already found a small crowd of the mutants around Claudia's door.

"Go back to bed. Erik and I will handle it," Charles instructed sternly, but there was a gentle undertone to his command.

Though they looked upset, the young mutants shrunk away back to their rooms, each casting glances back. They had never seen Claudia like this, none of them had ever seen Claudia scared. And the sudden show of emotion being terror shocked the young mutants. A look passed between them all, one of both shock and concern.

Erik turned to Charles. "What is wrong with her?"

Another scream ruptured the air.

"I searched through her mind and it was filled with so much pain I had to leave," Charles explained. "Open the door!" he ordered, and Erik obliged quickly.

Claudia was twisting and turning in the bed, her body jerking and arching. Sweat was pouring from every point and her nails were scratching away at the fabric. Her eyes were moving frantically under her eye lids, vibrating almost.

She ran through the dark, she could not see where she was going but she knew that if she didn't run then she would be consumed by the evil that followed her. Running as fast as she could she continued through the pitch black. She could here the thunderous footfalls behind her as the evil drew closer.

Suddenly she ran straight into a wall of some kind. She could not see it but as she ran her hands over it to find an entrance of some kind, she could feel its rough texture. As she continued to find a way through she heard a bang behind her, turning around she could still see nothing through the dark but she felt its hot breath on her skin. Desperate now she turned round again back to the wall, however she saw two dark brown eyes, that were nearly black gleaming down at her. Screaming she tried to run left between the wall and the man behind her, but she was stopped in her tracks by another solid object. Turning around she tried to her left but again she was stopped.

She was trapped.

"You are mine Claudia!" A voice came from behind her. Turning around, she shot a bolt of energy straight at the sound but it did not collide with anything. Suddenly she felt hands come from behind her and grabbed her head. "Your powers are mine!"

Struggling with all her strength she tried to break free but the grip was to strong, and her strength was being drain from her.

"No, stop it. Leave me alone. Stop it. STOP IT!"

"Stop it. STOP IT!" Claudia screamed as she sprang awake.

Not even aware of the two men that were in front of her, she seemed to look right past them, as if they weren't there at all, Charles and Erik didn't need to wonder what kind of monsters she was facing. Pulling her knees up, she wrapped her arms around them before placing her forehead on top and began to shake. Charles slowly took a seat beside her and began rubbing his hand up and down her back.

"Everything's fine. We're all here with you. Nothing is going to happen," Charles soothed calmly, as he continued to rub her back.

Lifting her head slightly Claudia looked to her left to see Charles watching her with a concerned look on his face. Raising her head more, so that she could look around her room she saw that Erik was standing just behind him, an equally concerned look on his face. Erik could see that her tears had stopped for the moment, but her face still had the wet streaks to prove their existence.

"I-I-I-" Claudia stuttered, her lip trembling.

Turning back to Charles, Claudia launched herself into him arms, taking him by surprise, but he wrapped his arms around her nonetheless as she began crying into his shoulder. Her shaky hands clenched at his shirt and she whimpered into his chest. Charles squeezed tightly as sobs racked her body uncontrollably.

"You're safe Claudia," Charles assured, rubbing her back and planting a kiss on top of her head. "I promise," he added, looking up to share a glance with Erik.

Anger. That was all Erik could feel, anger for all the pain that Claudia has gone through. But there was also an undercurrent of ache in his heart for him not being the one to wrap his arms around her and comfort her.

Charles pressed his lips together, examining Claudia for several moments, wondering if he should tell her what he knew about her dreams, or if she would be frightened by the idea of him having read her thoughts—regardless of whether he had had control over it. It wasn't long before Claudia felt the overwhelming panic die down in her throat as the gentle beat of Charles' heart served as a soothing metronome. Claudia closed her eyes and buried herself deeper into Charles' embrace, hoping that his warmth would push away her nightmares.

After several moments, Charles decided to break the silence.

"I want to try something," he spoke up.

She looked up at him, "Okay..." Claudia responded wearily.

Charles places his finger against his temple once again and let out one word into Claudia's mind.

Sleep.

And Claudia took no time in shutting her eyes and falling into the deep world of dreams. For once, she had been able to forget the pain of her past, and fell into a peaceful sleep.

"What did you do?" Erik asked as he stared at the woman he considered a good friend.

"Though she's too stubborn to admit it. She hasn't been sleeping well, I noticed it when we first took her to the CIA facility. I just simply put her into a deep sleep. One that she would recover feeling refreshed instead of exhausted," Charles explained as he pulled Claudia's blanket up and secured it around her sleeping form.

"Goodnight, Claudia. Pleasant dreams," Charles murmured sweetly.

~~~x~~~

Claudia's POV

The blinding light managed to make it's way through the cracks of the satin blue curtains. It peeked it's way inside my eyes, and I let out a deep breath, as soon I gained back my senses. I closed my fingers into fists, then flexed them, getting use to the feeling. I could feel air flow in and out of my nose, and hear my surroundings. Finally, I felt alive and well. A light rapping came from my bedroom door, then it slowly opened, as Charles poked his head in, surveying me. He gave a small grin, and let himself into the room.

"Good, you're awake," he spoke softly.

"And well rested," I returned hoarsely, pushing myself up.

He gave a breathless chuckle and nodded. I noted his appearance. He looked tired; deep, dark bags underneath his weary, blue eyes, and his hair not as neatly parted as it usually is.

"May I come in?" Charles asked, leaning against the door.

"Of course," I answered smiling, vigorously motioning for him to come in and he stepped in the room, closing the door behind him. "What can I do for you this morning?" I asked, as Charles sat down on my bed.

"I wanted to come check on you. I saw your nightmare last night, Claudia," Charles started, and my smile slowly faded. "I'm sorry, Claudia, I truly am," he took ahold of my hands and I was struck with the sudden pity Charles felt for me.

"Don't be," I glanced back up at him. "I know you would never violate my trust purposefully,"

My voice was a whisper—if the room hadn't been so silent, he probably wouldn't have been able to hear me.

Charles nodded, not taking his eyes away from mine. I looked away, pressing my cheek against the top of my arm; he was silent for several moments, allowing me time to grieve as I clearly wished.

After a few minutes had lapsed, he spoke again, gently. "There's no training today," Charles informed, placing his hand on mine. "Take as much time as you need," he said, brushing his thumb over my hand.

I lifted my head back up, "Please don't stop training on my account Charles," I pressed.

"Nonsense," he disagreed. "We all deserve a day off. You deserve a day off," Charles stressed. "Breakfast is being served, would you like to join on us?" he asked, I nodded my head yes. Charles stood up from my bed before lifting me up from the comforts of my bed, helping me onto my feet.

The two of us left my room silently and descended the steps into the kitchen that was filled chatter of the occupants in the mansion, but once I entered with Charles silence fell over everyone. Hank was standing just behind Raven both of them sharing a concerned look on their faces. Sean sat at the kitchen table, with Alex leaning on it next to him. Moira stopped mid-motion of washing dishes, and finally Erik who stood near the window starring out of it turned his body to face me.

I wrung my hands together, "I'm sorry for disturbing your sleep last night. I..uh..promise to keep my mind at bay," I apologized sheepishly, embarrassed that they all knew how troubled I really was.

That the facade I had been putting was shattered.

~~~x~~~

I looked into the mirror and smiled contently at my reflection. My hair was down and done in a loose ponytail and my makeup was done naturally, I ran my hands over the blue plaid fabric of my jumper dress, smoothing out the wrinkles I saw. The mansion was uncharacteristically quiet, but that was only because everyone had mostly left the mansion. Charles was going on a supermarket run, Moira along with the rest of the younger mutants all volunteered to go as a way to get out of the mansion and an attempt of buying food of their preferred choice.

Charles suggested that I come with them, he said it might do me so good to get out of the house, but I declined. Erik, also declined to go, he said he wanted to keep me company after yesterday. I took one last glance at the mirror and then left my room, making my way down the stairs and to the kitchen.

I walked over to the cabinets and bent down to grab a kettle from the lower cabinet. Standing back up I grabbed a tea bag from the shelf above my head and placed the bag down on the counter while I put the kettle in the sink and turned on the water. The water poured down into the kettle and I rolled up the sleeves of my brown turtleneck to avoid them getting wet. Turning around, I moved over to the stove and turned it on. I began humming to myself as I went back to the sink, turning the faucet off and grabbing the kettle filled with water.

I placed the kettle onto the burner and lowly began to sing aloud, waiting for the water to boil.

"When skies are cloudy and gray. They're only gray for a day. So wrap your troubles in dreams. And dream your troubles away,"

I moved away from the stove and walked to the sink, grabbing a clean mug and plate from the dish tray, before I stepped away and made my way to the the food cabinet and got out a pack of biscuits, and while I was arranging them on a plate, the tea kettle began to whistle.

"Until that sunshine peeps through. There's only one thing to do. Just wrap your troubles in dreams. And dream your troubles away,"

Pausing in my biscuit arrangements I went over to the stove and took the kettle off the stove before turning it off and dropped a lemon tea bag into my mug, pouring the boiling liquid from the kettle into my mug. I went to the refrigerator giving the tea a few minutes to steep as I located the milk in the fridge and the sugar on the countertop.

"Your castles may tumble. That's fate after all. Life's really funny that way..." I paused, taking a long draw from my mug.

"You must be feeling a lot better," Erik stated, from behind me and nearly causing me to spill hot tea on my hand. "I can't recall the last time I heard you sing," he added, with a light chuckle.

I placed my mug down and spun around to face Erik, who was standing in the entrance of the kitchen. Erik's eyes widened slightly at the sight of me and I raised my eyebrow at his reaction.

"What?" I asked, tilting my head.

"Incredible," Erik murmured. "You look absolutely incredible," he continued in shock.

I smiled as I felt my cheeks heat up, "Thank you Erik," I laughed, temporarily looking down at the floor. "But does that mean I was a downright horror to look at this whole time?" I asked teasingly, staring back up at him.

"No. No, no, no. That's not what I meant I-" Erik spluttered.

"I knew what you meant Erik, I'm just pulling your leg," I interrupted, flashing a grin at him.

"Since all the time I've known you, I have never seen you look so...peaceful," he commented, shaking his head.

"Yes, well, it's amazing what a good night's rest can do for one's body," I smiled, before lifting my mug and taking another sip of my tea.

Erik moved closer to me and took my free hand in his, "Come on, I have surprise for you,"

I placed my mug down, "Erik, I just made tea and biscuits," I whined, a pout forming on my face.

"But this will be so much better than tea and biscuits," Erik countered, mimicking my tone.

"Do you promise?" I questioned.

"Promise,"

I allowed myself to be pulled away from my spot on the counter and out of the kitchen. Erik led me back up the stairs and walking us to my room.

"Why are we at my room?" I asked, arching a brow.

"I need to get something," Erik replied simply.

"In my room?"

"Be right back," he said as he ran into my room and came back with one of mine silk scarves.

He tied it around my eyes and grabbed my hand, leading me down the hall and to the stairs before we finally left the mansion.

"Where are you taking me Erik?" I laughed, hearing the crunch of gravel underneath our feet.

"It's a secret," Erik chuckled, still leading me around to wherever we were going.

The sound of birds chirping around us gave me indicator that we were in the woods near Charles' mansion. Erik pace began to slow down before we came to a complete stop. Erik let go of my hand and moved behind me, his chest pressed against my back.

"I'm going to count to three and remove your blindfold," Erik said, and I nodded feeling a smile creep on my face. "One...two...three," he counted, his mouth right next to my ear.

Erik carefully untied my blindfold and once I opened my eyes I was immersed in sunlight, blinking several times to adjust my eyes I finally noticed a picnic setting with the classic checkered blanket and wicker basket underneath a large tree in the blackberry patch that he scared me in a week ago.

"You shouldn't have!" I stated, spinning around and Erik just smiled.

"I wanted to," Erik reflecting my smile. "I figured you could use pick me up of sorts after yesterday," he explained, with a slight shrug of his shoulders.

"Oh Erik, thank you," I said, a genuine smile on my lips. "Thank you so much," I repeated, before walking to the laid out blanket with Erik following behind me.

I kicked my shoes as I lowered myself down on the soft blanket and Erik sat down beside me as the cool air was blew a light breeze,

"So Mr. Lehnsherr, what do you have prepared for us?" I asked, letting my toes rest in the soft grass.

"Well Miss Walker," Erik began with a smile as he started pulling our meal out of the basket. "We have sandwiches, pickles, rolls, chips, and cookies," he listed, individually taking out each item.

I clapped my hands together, "Very good!" I chirped, watching as Erik grabbed a pair of plates from the basket as well. "I feel quite special, that you're doing all this for me," I laughed, my hands falling back down into my lap.

Erik shook some potato chips onto the plate now in front of me before handing me a triangular cut sandwich. Our conversation flowed easily as we ate, just as it always did. We were laughing loudly, my arms waving as I shared a story from when I was in college and at a nightclub with a friend and how I used my powers to get some man to stop bothering us. Erik nearly choked on his Coke as he laughed, his hand slamming down on the blanket as he chuckled.

"Nausea?" Erik asked smiling.

"Yep," I grinned proudly. "Subtle, but effective," I answered.

I reached in the wicker basket looking for a napkin to give Erik, but instead I pulled out a brown paper bag. I drew my lips into a thin line, staring at the paper bag as it wordlessly taunted me.

"What did the poor brown paper bag do to you?" Erik asked, an amused expression on his face.

I looked back down at the bag, "During my freshman year of college I wanted to join this sorority called the AKA's or Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated," I began, lifting my gaze back to Erik. "In order to even be considered for the sorority I had to take this stupid, humiliating test. The Paper Bag Test," I remembered, with a slight scowl on my face.

"The Paper Bag Test?" Erik asked, letting out a snort.

"Yes, The Paper Bag Test," I repeated. "If your skin is darker than the paper bag then the sorority would not let you in," I explained, lifting the bag to my arm. "I failed as you can clearly see," I remarked, laying down on my back. "You know it's one thing to be discriminated against from someone of the opposite race, but it's another when you realize it's coming from your own," I stated sadly, shaking my head. "That same night after I was rejected, I thought about how much prettier I would be if I were of lighter skin," I added, placing the bag down onto the blanket.

I released a deep breath and stared down at my arms and watched as the illusion took ahold of me. I watched as my golden brown skin became lighter and into a pale brown, I looked up at Erik to see palpable fascination in his eyes.

"Now am I beautiful?" I asked, pushing myself up slightly on my arms.

"My dear Claudia you could never been so wrong," Erik began. "You've always been beautiful,"

I attempted and failed to prevent the full blown smile that appeared on my face when I heard what Erik said. Black strands of hair fell in front of my face, the wind blowing a gentle breeze around us. I looked down at my feet as my skin returned to it's original tone. Neither of us spoke for a while. After a few minutes I raised my head and saw that Erik was already looking at me with his piercing eyes.

"You're the first person I told about this," I admitted, not looking away.

"I rather like this side of you," Erik commented.

"Don't get used to it," I quipped. I pushed myself up and curled my legs to the side, propping myself up with my right hand. "Can I tell you a secret Erik?" I asked, the smile on my lips slowly diminishing.

"Of course," Erik answered, his playful demeanor changing once he saw my face.

"Do you remember Robert and David? The lab assistants," I reminded, and his eyes hardened at the mention of them.

"I do," he answered tightly.

"I-uh...I killed them," I confessed, watching Erik's reaction.

"How?"

I let out a humorless laugh, "It took some doing, but I managed to track them down," I explained, nodding my head. "I found David at a medical conference, he was one of the many people to speak that day. The conference was open to the public making it incredibly easy to execute my plan. David was on a panel that was supposed to speak at 3:00 p.m.," I recalled, going off in a daze. "So, I walked myself into that auditorium and plopped myself down in one of the front row seats and just stared at him," I remembered.

I paused momentarily to catch my breath.

"It took him awhile to notice me, but when he did see me, his whole body went rigid. His eyes, oh the look in his eyes as we stared at each other, it was nothing but pure fear. And I seized on that fear, amplified the terror he was feeling times ten. And then, boom..." I trailed off, merely shrugging. "David clutched his chest and fell out of chair onto the stage with a thud," I continued. "Plunged the whole room into chaos," I added, a snort escaping me.

"The many cries for someone to call 911, the other speakers on stage attempting to save David, but then there was me. Rising from my seat and leaving the auditorium with the calmest expression as David's life slowly and painfully slipped away from him. Guess what the nightly news reported his cause of death as?" I asked, raising both of my eyebrows.

"What?"

"Massive heart attack," I answered, pleased with myself.

"And what of Robert?" Erik questioned curiously.

"Two weeks had passed after I killed David, I found Robert in Maryland. I learned the route he took to work every morning by discreetly following him for two days. On the third day I finally confronted him, it was morning rush hour and the sidewalks were packed with people going to work. Robert was walking one way and I was walking the opposite way facing him. All it took was one glance by him to realize who I was as we moved pass each other, and just like David, Robert's eyes widened. But I only smirked at him as I conjured an overwhelming despair to take over Robert, it wasn't long before I knew my plan had worked," I recounted, playing with my ponytail.

"And how did you know your plan worked?" Erik asked again.

"The sound of tires screeching, a loud smack of a body hitting a car, and the screams of horror told me all I needed to know," I answered dryly.

Erik and I sat in silence for awhile, I wasn't sure if my sudden confession had stunned him into silence or if he was just thinking it over.

"I could have made the decision not to kill them," I stated, and Erik turned to look me. "Hell, I could've decided not kill those security guards either. I should have been satisfied with killing Professor Lewis...but it wasn't enough, not for me. I wanted all them to suffer just like how I did because each one of them played a role in it. God Erik, what kind of person does that make me?" I questioned. "A blood thirsty animal?" I wondered.

Erik placed a hand on my cheek, "No," he answered softly, shaking his head. "The kind of person who rightfully got their vengeance, Claudia, and don't you ever forget that,"

"Thank you," I briefly looked down at the blanket before bringing my gaze back up at Erik.

"Your welcome,"

Erik stroked my cheek tenderly, his fingertips grazing softly over my skin. He inched closer, tilting his head toward mine, Erik leaned in so close, our noses gently touched. I took in the crisp scent of his cologne. He smelled of cinnamon, woody, and of something else. As our faces were mere inches away from each other, he stared deeply into my eyes. Erik swallowed, looking down, eyes flicking haphazardly from my lips back to my eyes. I reached out, running my fingers up Erik's face and I tilted my head upward, slowly closing the distance between us.

My eyes fell shut and for a moment the world around us stood still, I couldn't hear the birds chirping nor the faint creaking of trees in the breeze. No, for now it was just the two of us. I pushed my head slightly forward, our lips almost meeting.

Then suddenly the blaring of a car horn quickly broke us apart, my eyes snapping open. Both of us were breathing heavily and I looked away from Erik, staring at the path back to the mansion.

Turning back to Erik I could feel my face heating up, "We uh...should help them with the groceries," I suggested, swallowing deeply. I pushed myself up from the ground and slipped my shoes back on. "Thanks for the picnic Erik...you're a true friend," I stated, my lips forming a smile.

"Anytime," Erik answered, returning my smile.

But as I walked away from Erik I felt a dull ache of pain in my chest and I placed my hand on my chest.

"Hurt?" I thought. "No, that's not mine,"

I wanted to look back, but dared not to. For the hurt that I felt came from none other than Erik.

~~~x~~~

"What was with the face?" I asked, remembering how Raven sat through dinner with a dark expression on her face.

"I don't know, maybe teenage angst," Charles joked.

Sunset had fallen upon Xavier Manor. It had been ten minutes since dinner ended leaving Charles and I the only people left in the kitchen. The two of us sat at the small, circular wooden table that was tucked in the corner of the kitchen, sharing a bowl of ice cream that he just bought from the grocery store. I grabbed the glass bottle of chocolate syrup next to me and poured way too much syrup on my side of the bowl, not caring that I made a goopy mess.

"Is everything alright between you and Raven?" Charles asked, before putting a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth.

"I would think so, I haven't noticed anything that would say otherwise," I answered, shrugging my shoulders before following Charles' action. I relished the sweet chocolate syrup mixed with the ice cream and decided I had never tasted anything so heavenly. "Why?" I asked, looking up at him.

"It just seemed tense at the table, that's all," Charles stated. "Are you and Erik-" he began.

"Jesus Charles, Erik and I getting along fine as well," I interjected, placing my spoon down. "We just had a picnic together a few hours ago," I explained, leaving out certain events. "What is with the interrogation?" I questioned, lifting a brow.

"He's been brooding ever since this afternoon,"

"It's Erik, when isn't he brooding?" I asked simply, rolling my eyes. I placed both my hands down onto the table and pushed myself up from my chair. "Look Charles, I'm sure Erik is fine," I assured, moving over to him and lowering myself down onto Charles' lap. "Okay?" I asked, looping my arm around his neck and he let out a sigh while nodding his head.

"I'm sure you're right," Charles said, wrapping an arm around my waist. "But as his friend, I'll check in on him," he stated.

"You're a good a man Charles," I remarked, playing with the loose tendrils of his hair. "Has anyone told you that?" I asked, before tapping his nose with my finger.

"Once or twice, but I'm always open to hearing it again especially from you," Charles murmured, tilting his head up slightly.

A soft laugh escaped me as I went to respond, but I got the feeling that we were being watched. I turned my head away from Charles and stared at the empty door frame of the kitchen.

"You can stop hiding behind the corner," I called out, feeling a quick flash of embarrassment. "Yes, I know you're there. Don't worry, we won't bite," I quipped.

Coming around the wall was a rather embarrassed looking Hank, pushing his glasses back up onto his nose.

"I-I just wanted to get a glass water," he stated sheepishly.

"Well don't let us stop you," I said, getting up from Charles' lap. "As a matter of fact, I was just leaving. I'm going to take a walk before it gets dark," I announced, sliding my hand off of Charles' shoulder.

"And I need to talk to Erik," Charles commented, standing up as well.

"See Hank," I began, spreading my hands out in front of me. "The kitchen is all yours," I joked, smiling at him.

I moved past the the two men and made my way down the deserted hallways towards the back door. There was a lake that sat behind Charles' mansion, it was the perfect path for me to stretch my legs and for me to get a little peace and quiet. Turning the handle, I opened the back door of the mansion, allowing a cool breeze to filter through the room, as I stepped through to go outside. I walked with my hands behind my back as I traveled to the lake, listening to the rhythmic crunching of my shoes on the gravel.

Arriving close to my destination I stood in the grass and admired the spirals that formed in the water from whatever fish were underneath. Glancing around, I realized I wasn't alone, there was a familiar brunette woman standing closer to the lake edge. Quietly, I walked closer to Moira until I was directly behind her.

"Want some company?" I asked with a smile.

Moira jumped from the sound of my voice and spun around to face me, her hand against her chest.

"Claudia, you scared me," Moira breathed, a smile appearing on her face.

"Sorry," I apologized, smiling and lifting my hands up.

"Yes, I would love some company," Moira said.

I walked over next to her and looked down at the lake. The shimmering water reflecting the sunlight off it in glittering splendor back at me. I unlinked my fingers from each other and lifted my hand up to my necklace, rubbing the smooth stone.

"So, you and Charles, huh?" Moira asked, and I snapped my head in her direction, Moira's eyebrow raised.

"Pardon?" I asked, dropping the stone charm.

"Claudia," Moira called, leaning her head forward and just sent me a knowing look.

Was it really that obvious Charles and I were attracted to each other?

I smiled and let out a sigh, "I guess there is something," I hinted, merely shrugging and biting my lip. "I'm not sure I'm good for him though," I suggested, shaking my head.

Moira looked at me narrowing her eyes as the wind gently blew through her hair, "Claudia," She called again. "I have seen the way Charles looks at you, the way his eyes light up at the mention of your name," Moira pointed out. "He makes you genuinely happy Claudia, it's all in your eyes, they seem to sparkle when you're truly happy," Moira continued, and I let out a chuckle of disbelief that she had been observing me this whole time. "Charles is the happiest when he's around you. So, the way I see it you are the best for each other," Moira finished, a grin on her face.

"Thanks," I replied with a small smile. "Although none of this will matter if we end up dying," I stated grimly, still appreciating Moira's words.

Moira looked at me shaking her head, "You won't die," Moira asserted. "Not if I have any say about it,"

~~~x~~~

"I know for certain, the one I love. I'm through with flirtin', it's just you I'm thinkin' of! Ain't misbehavin', I'm savin' my love for you!"

I swayed to the music, completely dismissing every thought of the future, just moving to the music and listening as Carmen McRae's silky voice melted into the piano notes.

"Like Jack Horner in the corner, don't go nowhere. What do I care?"

I spun around, dancing backwards to the shelf I needed to be at, when my back hit something hard. Not hard enough to be a bookcase though. Freezing, I felt someone grab my waist, beginning to turn me around. When I looked up, I found Charles looked down questioningly at me.

"What was that?"

"Uh," I suddenly became aware of exactly what was happening. The music returned to it's full volume in a matter of seconds, and every bit of the present flew into my head. The present, my own thoughts, and the feeling of Charles' grip on my waist. "Putting a book...a book back. If you don't mind?" I challenged, raising a brow.

"I don't,"

"Then let me go," I ordered. "Please," I added.

Instead of letting me go Charles leaned in, close enough for me to feel his breath on my cheek.

"Of course," He nearly whispered, before pulling away.

"Thank you very much," I said, sarcasm dripping from my voice. I went over to the shelf, placing the book in its proper spot. "There we go," I commented.

"Miss Walker?" I whipped around at the sound of my surname, which is exactly what he wanted. "Any particular reason you were dancing in the library?"

I cocked my eyebrow at him again, "You're about to laugh, Mr. Xavier, but I don't advise it. I was, you know, dancing because I wanted to. Simple as that. Besides, I love that song," I looked at my list, then sighed at the realization that my next book was out of my reach.

"You seem very at home in a library," Charles commented, sliding his hands into his pockets.

"I grew up in a book store for a while. My grandfather owned it," I explained, leaving it at that.

"Oh, so you must have read a lot then?"

"Yes, I did," I answered, a faint smile on my lip reminiscing on the memories. "I don't remember much about him since he passed away, but I do remember that he's the first person to introduce me to jazz music," I said, my lips curving into a smile as I folded my list and slid it into my dress pocket. "Speaking of jazz, you know you surprised me Charles. I would have never took you as a jazz lover," I stated, moving along the shelves that filled an entire wall. They were filled with vinyl records of Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday and more.

Charles followed along behind me, "Oh really? What music did you think I liked?" Charles asked, his fingers gliding along his shelf that were filled with books, like the works of Edgar Allen Poe, H.P. Love Craft and Mary Shelly's 'Frankenstein'.

"Classical music, like Mozart and Beethoven," I suggested, spinning around to face him once more.

"Well, allow me to surprise you even more," Charles smirked, moving over to his records shelf.

Charles pulled a record out of the shelf and walked over to the record player, picking the needle up from the vinyl I was playing before removing it from the turntable. He slid the Carmen McRae record I was listening to back into its holder and placed another record onto the turntable. He lowered the needle onto to the record, then the scratch as the needle looked for the opening groove.

I listened to the chords of the piano begin to play, feeling my body sway a little in time with the calming music.

"I love you..."

I instantly recognized the owner of the voice and the song he sang. It was I Love You For Sentimental Reasons by Nat King Cole. I walked towards Charles, my dress, slightly bounced as I glided forward.

"...for sentimental reasons..."

Charles gave me an appreciative smile, and stood holding his hand out to me and bowed, "Miss Walker, may I have the pleasure of this dance?" he asked, I smiled and nodded my head.

Softly, Charles pulled me towards him and wrapped his arm around my back. I placed my hand in his and we began to dance. I was a little surprised at how good Charles could dance as I allowed him to subduedly steer me around the library, he didn't seem like the type.

"Good choice, but why exactly did you chose this record?" I look up into those warm blue eyes and his brown locks that I had sudden urge to to run my hands through.

"I hope you do believe me..."

"Because it reminds me of us, of you," Charles whispered into my ear. I feel Charles' hand rest on the small of my back and I felt my cheeks up.

I briefly laid my head on his chest, "Stop, you're going to make me blush, even though I can't," I chuckled.

"I'll give you my heart..."

Despite the fact that it didn't seem particularly appropriate considering the pleasantly slow and melodious music Charles spun me away from him. I turned gracefully outward without a problem. Using the momentum produced by the turn I reeled myself back in towards my dance partner. He pulled me in tight and I savored the comforting warmth he sent through me as we continued to dance.

"I love you, and you alone were meant for me..."

My body swayed in time with the music I closed my eyes in the soft, dim lights and savoring the moment. My mind couldn't help but think about the man I was dancing with. Charles was too perfect to be real, it was like God had sculpted him into my vision of the perfect man. Everything he said, everything he did. I'd felt attraction to some men in my past, mainly teenage years and during my undergrad, as was to be expected. Some I'd dated, even kissed, and well...one man had me convinced to give myself to him.

Charles was different though.

"Please, give your loving heart to me..."

My eyes opened to see that Charles was staring down at me shamelessly, both of us lost in each other's eyes. Gradually, I realized that Charles was leaning closer to me in the blink of an eye, our lips were connected.

"And say we'll never part..."

It was a slow, but warm kiss, our lips moved in sync with each other. All of the built-up emotion and tension between us were being let out through this kiss. Charles stopped swaying and wrapped his arms around my body. I deepened the kiss and Charles let out a small pleasurable moan. Although we didn't want this kiss to end, slowly as one minded we slowed the rhythm. When we finally disconnected our lips from each other, the two of us catching our breaths. Our eyes slowly opening together and we shared a shy smile of happiness, no words spoken between us.

Charles' hands rested on my waist. Lifting my hand up and run it through his silky, soft hair before slinging my arms around his neck.

"I love you with all my heart Claudia," he hummed before our lips connected again.

Chapter Sixteen: Tensions Run High

#x-men fanfiction #black fanfiction #charles xavier fanfiction #x-men fanfic #charles xavier x oc #black!oc #magneto x oc #erik lehnsherr fanfiction #erik lehnsherr x oc #charles xavier #erik lehnsherr #black!reader #marvel fanfic #marvel fanfiction #marvel imagine #x-men #x men fanfiction

[penguintransporter]

Winning The Game Called Love (Hector Bellerin) Part VIII

Hello, everyone! It took me a while to post this, but fear not - I have another chapter edited and ready to update next weekend. I contemplated for the longest time if I should post continuation of the chapter VII or maybe write a flashback that is entirely in Héctor’s POV, and decided that some of his thoughts wouldn’t be bad - so consider this as a filler even if it’s an entire update. Enjoy, let me know what you think, and don’t shy away from my inbox. You can read the first seven chapters of the story - here - along with the rest of my stuff. Lots of love, and stay amazing as always!

There was rarely a moment in which the canteen of the Arsenal FC Training Centre didn’t feel like a mini circus of some sort.

Buzzing with noise at any given time of the day, the spacious and with the long tables packed room often hosted a diverse bunch of people of different backgrounds and nationalities, ages and paychecks, contracts and positions in the club – all of them taking a refuge from their daily routines. More than often, administration hermits, trying to escape their paper-stacked offices mingled with millions of pounds worth footballers who needed their fuel before or after their training sessions, and all the high-positioned officials in their suits were known to chat away their coffee breaks with the wonderful Simone behind the canteen till.

Still, on that Friday noon, as the world was waist-deep in the month of December, the entire room felt just a little bit quieter than usual. 

As he sat alone at one of the long tables, waiting for his teammates to join him for lunch, Héctor wondered if the certain quietness was caused by the miserable weather outside or just because the feeling of yet another year slipping away was weighing down on people’s minds – including his own.

With a shake of his head, Héctor scooped some of the food on his fork before setting down his knife on a plate in front of him, looking at the windows that span along the wall to his left – the abundance of greyness greeting him. One would think that after all the years since he’s moved to England and started calling London his home, he would have gotten used on the picture in front of his eyes, but he wasn’t, and he knew that he won’t ever be.

Looking away, Héctor pursed his lips as he lazily chewed on his mouthful before glancing at the time on his phone as he reached for his knife to scoop more food, but he couldn’t help but freeze in his movements – the familiar scent filling his nostrils.

Oranges?

Confused, Héctor swallowed before leaning back in his chair as he felt the air leaving his lungs.

It wasn’t as if the oranges were something he rarely had the chance to smell, but only a handful of times the particular scent could make him feel the way he did as he apprehensively breathed in – memories of his childhood breaking out on the surface of his mind.

Warm, hot late autumns. His hand firmly held by his grandmother’s as they walked along the less-known pueblos where the oranges on the trees, bent by the their own weight, were just a reach of a hand away.

Héctor let his eyes wander as discreetly as possible around the canteen, trying to find the source of the smell that brought back the picture of the little Belle and the sight of the oranges laying along the sides of the pathways – their sweetness and stickiness an invitation for a feast for all the ants and flies.

Skinny, little boy in a sailor-striped t-shirt; thin-soled tennis shoes slippery on the cobbled slope; smell of home-cooked paella in the air.

She.

The irritating girl from the reception sat at the end of one of the long tables in the corner along with some other employees whose faces Héctor vaguely recognised, but despite it, it seemed as if she didn’t belong the rowdy bunch of five men. She seemed to be in her own little headspace, quietly looking at the round fruit she held in her hands – eyebrows slightly narrowed in a thought.

The white collar of a button down played a peek-a-boo from underneath the scruffy navy-coloured jumper she was wearing, hair tucked behind her ears and away from her face, and a pair of beaten-up shoes on her feet – she looked out of the place among the sea of red tracksuits and football kits. Héctor watched her drop the orange to her lap before looking at her phone, grinning at something, and without even realising, his leg started to bounce ever so slightly. 

She’s probably dating someone equally irritating as she was.

Realising that he was staring, Héctor looked away quickly, sucking a deep breath before running both of his hands through his hair, pausing for a moment – his fingers interlacing behind his neck. He wasn’t sure what it was that has possessed him, and God knows, he didn’t want to do it in the first place, but he did it anyway. Glancing back at her again, he observed her as she dug her nails into the skin of the orange – nose scrunching a little when the aromatic juice sprayed against her face.

He could almost feel it too—

¡Joder!

Héctor’s head snapped quickly in front of him, rubbing his face in frustration before looking at the doors of the lunch-room, hoping to see someone who could distract him from looking towards the one person he didn’t want to spend his time on.

A feeling of relief washed over him as he saw Calum walk inside the canteen, giving a quick wave to Simone before picking up a plate to serve himself from the large containers that were neatly arranged along the till. Héctor’s eyes followed his teammate, waiting for the tall guy to look in his direction so he could wave him over. 

He hated how jittery he was beginning to feel, so when his teammate scanned the room for a free seat, Héctor quickly raised his hand, ignoring the feeling in the very pit of his stomach that he couldn’t comprehend.  

Jesus Christ!

“What you’ve got there?” Calum asked with a grin, and Héctor returned the smile, but for some reason, it didn’t quite feel right. His teammate slid in the chair next to him, peering at Héctor’s plate, “Beans? Really? Have you not seen all the food out there, Héc?” he grinned, pulling the sleeves of his tracksuit jacket up to his elbows, ready to dig into his food.

“What’s wrong with my beans?” Héctor asked, smiling a little as he took another forkful of his lunch, just in time to see Rob and Alexandre, walk in, quickly serving themselves with the food before walking over to where Héctor and Calum sat. Héctor looked back at Calum, waving his fork in his mate’s direction as he continued to talk, “It’s healthy, makes me run faster than you, and honestly mate,” Héctor stopped to take a sip of water, “it looks better than your chicken.”

“Chicken again, I see,” Rob commented passively without a greeting as he sat down opposite Héctor – long legs trying to find space under the table. Alexandre followed shortly, balancing more food than the plate could actually hold in one hand, while typing on his phone with other. He nodded, sitting down – his eyes never leaving the shiny screen.

“One day he’ll turn into a chicken,” Héctor joked before glancing at Calum from the corner of his eye while chasing the white bean covered in the tomato sauce around his plate.

His mate let out a small chuckle, carefully taking a bite of the grilled poultry in his mouth, “You say that now, but you’d become a carnivore again for a chicken like me, Heccy.”

“What did you just say?” Alexandre asked, looking up from his phone with a grin, “Héctor, my friend, I beg you, stay vegan. He’s not worth it…” he trailed off before the four men started laughing, earning an amused and curious smile from Simone who passed by their table, and dirty look from one of the elder officials who tried to focus on whatever he was doing on his iPad. “Anyway,” Alexandre started as they calmed down a little, setting his phone away and grabbing the fork only to stab chunks of steamed carrots and broccoli, looking up at his teammates, “do we know who’s going to be David’s date for the charity party? Rumours say he’s single again.”

“Do we care?” Rob asked, grinning to himself as he still tried to find a comfortable position for his legs.

“Why yes,” Alexandre responded, earning a lifted eyebrow from Héctor in return, “my bet is Claudia or even, what’s her name, the tall blonde that’s always running around in the physio room.”

“Eveline?” Rob curiously asked, unscrewing the cap of his water bottle with ease to take a sip, “I think she’s married, but yeah, then definitely Claudia, that’s if the boss let’s him ask her out.”

Calum shook his head swiftly before glancing towards his right for a second, “I think he’ll make a move on our pretty, little sunshine called Aida,” he commented, nudging Héctor under the table.

“Why are you nudging me?” Héctor asked with a laugh, setting his cutlery down as he decided to join in the conversation. “Am I missing the joke? Who’s Aida?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, all three of his teammates looked at him – amusing smirks on their faces, and as Héctor was the one to buy on the paranoia feeling that washed over him, he’d say that the entire room was looking his way as well. Deciding that his best bet was to ignore their questioning stares, Héctor shrugged before breaking the piece of his bread and running it along the lip of his plate – picking up the leftover sauce.

“Are you taking the piss now?” Rob asked, genuinely interested now in the course of their conversation as he smirked, leaning forward, and Héctor shook his head, sticking the piece of the soaked bread into his mouth.

“Why would I?” he asked – feeling as if he was missing on some important joke, “I don’t know if this idiot’s nudge was supposed to tell me something,” he added before grinning at Calum, and just as he was about to add something else, the sound of a chair scraping loudly against the linoleum floor interrupted him. Simultaneously, they all looked up and in the direction of the screeching sound where the receptionist girl was smiling apologetically towards no one in particular.

Héctor felt the knot in his stomach rise up to his throat, but he swallowed it quickly back as he, along with his mates, watched the petite girl with the messy hair scoop the orange peels in her palm, while balancing a dark-green water bottle under one arm and a lilac notebook between her lips.

The Arsenal’s right-back looked down at his plate – piled vegetables and grains staring back at him before clenching his jaw in annoyance. He could vaguely hear a commotion and Simone’s laugh, not caring about what Calum had yelled in her direction, and caring even less about what she had responded before laughing that loud, but nonetheless contagious sound.

“Since you’re wondering,” Alexandre grinned, sticking another carrot into his mouth when Héctor looked up at the Frenchman, “that’s Aida.”

**

“—honestly, I think she’s actually nice to have around. Quite funny,” Rob responded to whatever Calum had said as he wiped the beads of sweat off of his face before leaning forward on his stationary bike.

Next to them, Héctor wanted to groan out loud like a teenager would when being interrogated by his mother about his whereabouts.

He wasn’t sure nor could he pinpoint the exact moment when the name of the receptionist girl was dropped again in their conversation, but there it was – levitating around them as he shared the corner with the treadmills and stationary bikes with Rob, Calum and Leno – the German lad being his usual reserved self.

Héctor knew very well that there was no real need for them to talk about her, but the grins that his teammates were giving him were a proof enough for him to know that they were doing it on purpose. 

Hate was a strong word, but he couldn’t say that he enjoyed it either. Not after he was already—

Focus.

Instead of giving in on his teammate’s banter, Héctor rather focused on the sound of his trainers hitting against the treadmill’s moving belt.

“She’s also babysitting Auba’s son sometimes, no?” Bernd mumbled, smiling his tight-lipped smile.

Calum chuckled at the tall goalie next to him, “I know many lads that would love to be babysat by her.” 

Despite wanting to keep his mouth shut, Héctor couldn’t hold back the snort as he lowered the speed on the treadmill, while monitoring his heart-rate.

“I just don’t understand why—,” Héctor started, but quickly stopped himself, “never-mind.”

“What? You wouldn’t?” Calum asked, looking at him. “I am sure she’d love to babysit you if you only let her,” he added teasingly, and as much as he hated himself for doing it, he actually wanted to laugh at his bad joke.

“WHO WOULDN’T WANT WHAT?” David boomed from where he was jogging towards them – wild hair tied up in a ridiculous palm-resembling-something on top of his head. Joining them, he leaned casually against the side of Héctor’s  treadmill. 

With a curious smile, David glanced between the group of men before his eyes settled on a Calum who was still looking at Héctor with a smirk.

“Heccy doesn’t fancy Aida,” he answered matter-of-factly before wiping some of the sweat off of his face with his jersey. Next to him, Rob rolled with his eyes before reaching out his towel which Calum refused with a shake of his head.

Their Brazilian teammate had an amused yet shocked look on his face as he looked at Héctor with a silly grin. “What? Really? Everyone fancies her!”

“Exactly our point,” Rob interjected and it was Héctor’s turn to roll with his eyes, “but apparently, Héctor here doesn’t.”

“You do know that I am still here?” Héctor asked, forcing a grin which only earned him a handful of playful looks from his teammates. “Besides, I have every right in the world to not fancy someone.”

“But you do like brunettes, no?” Calum asked as he started to run again, and for once Héctor wanted to be outside, in the freezing cold, preferably running next to someone who didn’t ask such stupid questions or was usually consumed by their own thoughts – Sead maybe. “—okay, maybe she’s not all legs or whatnot, but still, sometimes the compact ones are the best…”

Hoping off of the treadmill, Héctor grabbed a towel that rested on one of the chairs in the corner, refusing to hear the rest of Calum’s statement or to give in into the banter. 

“You really need to find a hobby,” he grinned after wiping his face before leaving his teammates and making his way towards the other end of the room that was reserved for heavy-weights and strength training.

Standing there alone and tying his hair in a ponytail, he glanced through the windows to his right, and as if it was a force of something above, the receptionist girl walked past – steps quick as she wrapped her scarf around her neck, shielding the lower part of her face from the harsh wind. 

Héctor shook his head as he looked down at his trainers before glancing back up, only to catch a glimpse of her silhouette disappearing around the corner – the soft scent of oranges returning to haunt him for a split of a second.

What if...

No.

#hector bellerin fic #hector bellerin fan fiction #hector bellerin fanfiction #hector bellerin imagine #hector bellerin oneshot #footballl fanfiction #footballer imagine #footballer fanfiction #football imagine #football oneshot #arsenal fanfiction #arsenal fc fanfiction #arsenal fc fan fiction

[chuckbass-love]

Why Him? | Ransom Drysdale | Part 21

A/N : ONE MORE PARTT LEFT... I hope you enjoy this one, i tried to do my best with this. 

Disclaimer: My work is not to be posted anywhere else other than my Tumblr, Wattpad and Ao3. However, reblogs are welcome.

As someone who has witnessed domestic violence and been a victim of emotional/mental abuse i’d like to just say that this was hard to write. These subjects are not to be taken lightly and if anyone that follows me or reads any of my work has had problems with the issues talked about in this fic then a domestic violence hotline number will be attached. If this triggers you then maybe avoid it. I am ALWAYS here to talk if anyone wants to, i understand what you are going through and i never judge! 

24hr NATIONAL DOMESTIC ABUSE HELPLINE : 0808 2000 247 

Other number : 1-800-799-7233

This is just two numbers i’ve searched up on the internet, i hope this can help somebody... I LOVE ALL OF YOU... I do not judge and yet again, i am always here if you just want to talk!

Warning: talk about emotional/mental abuse and domestic violence. Angst

Ransom’s POV

I arrive at Claudia’s place and i feel my hands start to tremble suddenly. I take a minute to breathe before getting out of the cab to knock her door.

The door opens slowly and there she is, looking so broken. She steps aside, making room for me to enter, not breaking eye contact with me. You could cut the tension and silence with a knife. 

She sits down on the couch and i stand in the doorway. 

“I know you wanted to talk but i have something to say” she rolls her eyes as she gestures for me to speak. 

“What happened Saturday wasn’t at all what it looked like. I was with the guys all night, she came up to me, trying to kiss me and i was continuously pushing her away. When it came to leaving, i got caught up, i had way too much to drink. I remember checking the time once again and leaving the club right away, feeling horrible for leaving you waiting. She got into the same cab and since her place wasn’t that far away i let her and i know that i shouldn’t have. I should have stopped her. She was asking about you, i made it very clear about where me and you were in our relationship. Once we got to my place i told her to go home, i didn’t realise she was going to follow me inside. I must not have locked the door. I went straight to our room to find you but you weren’t there and she snuck in. She was clearly trying to sabotage what i had, she never liked that i was the one that ended it with her and i’m so sorry about my actions. I know i didn’t make the situation any better by allowing her to share the cab with me but i honestly didn’t kiss her, she kissed me and i swear to you, i’d never do anything to jeopardise what we have. Claudia you mean more to me than anything else in this world” by the time i finish talking, i’m on my knees in front of the couch. 

“But why would she want to do any of that? I don’t get it Ransom, it makes no sense” 

Her question takes me right back to the night i broke it off with Natalie.

“The night we broke up was pretty bad, it was our worst fight...”

“I don’t even know why you’re acting like this. It’s not like i fucked the guy” she yells as we walk through the front door and i can’t believe her, is she being serious?

“No but you did make out with him in the club, in front of me and all my friends. I looked like a fucking idiot back there, it hurt” she chuckles as she walks away from me, refusing to reply. I follow her to the kitchen, she starts pouring some wine into a glass but i stop her.

“I don’t fucking think so, do you? You think you can just treat me like i don’t mean anything and embarrass me and then come back here and drink my wine?” she walks closer to me.

“I don’t care Ransom, if i want a drink then i’ll have a drink” she pushes me back to the living room and i fall onto the couch. 

“Or you could just fuck me” she’s nuts.

“I don’t think so” i shake my head at her suggestion. 

“Come on, after all, it’s all you’re good for. The only reason i’ve put up with you all this time is because of the sex” my heart sinks at her revelation, i bite back the anger that threatens to spill out. 

“Get out” i mutter and she raises a brow at me “I said, get the fuck out and take your shit with you too” she laughs at me as she sips her wine. I stand up and calmly pry the glass from her hands. 

I storm off, making my way to the master bedroom and i start packing her clothes into a bag. 

“What are you doing?” she snaps

“I’m packing your shit. We’re done” she walks closer to me, placing her hand over mine.

“Please, let’s discuss this” she begs and i pull my hand away from her

“No, we’re not getting anywhere with talking Nat. I’ve had enough of your bullshit. You constantly belittle me, make me feel like some joke. Use me for my money” i take her stuff from the bathroom and hand it to her. 

“I know it might not seem like it but i can only take so much, i have a reputation to uphold” she continues to beg as i carry her bag down the stairs to the front door, opening it and throwing the bag to the ground outside. 

“Now if you don’t mind, get the fuck out of my house. We’re done” she starts sobbing whilst i wait for her to go. 

“GET OUT” the second she leaves i slam the door shut, making sure to lock every door and window in my house. 

I don’t realise that i’m crying at the memory until i feel Claudia’s finger lift my chin up and wipe the tears away.

“I had no clue. I’m sorry that happened” she kneels down in front of me, taking me into her arms, squeezing me tight.

“It’s okay, i’m fine now it’s just the relationship was very toxic. It was like that 95% of the time, there was a very small percentage that i was happy with her” she places her hands either side of my face, looking deep into my eyes.

“I feel like i should have let you explain what happened with her Saturday but i just saw you kissing and i assumed the wo-”

“Don’t apologise, i’d have assumed the same. I don’t want you to apologise to me, i just want you back. I need you back doll” her eyes soften at the nickname and she presses her lips to mine. It’s not heated it’s just loving.

“Please come back to me” a tear rolls down her cheek as she kisses me again, wrapping her arms around my neck to pull me closer.

“Is that a yes?” i chuckle and she leans her forehead to mine.

“Before i agree, i should probably be open about my ex too” 

Claudia’s POV

I let out a deep breath that i didn’t even know i was holding in. I feel so tense. Here goes nothing.

“He wasn’t just emotionally abusive, it was physical too” i feel the tears fall and he wipes them.

“You don’t have to do thi-” i interrupt him, i do, he needs to know.

“I was with him for two months before it turned violent. At first it was the typical controlling behaviour or he’d start arguments. He’d say something to me that would get to me, causing me to react and then when it would blow up to an argument he’d make me feel as though i had started it” at this point, i can see that look on his face. The look of pity mixed with anger.

“Then two months in we were arguing one night and when i argued back he slapped me across the face. Which you know, he apologised for over and over, saying it’ll never happen again and silly me believed it. The next time he strangled me, i remember begging for him to let go, i couldn’t breathe. He yanked my head back by my hair, pushed me to the floor and dragged me across the carpet. Eventually when he stopped, i was left alone crying on the floor” the painful memories all start coming back, one by one.

“Despite all that he did though, i loved him. I know that sounds fucked up but i wanted nothing more than to please him and make him happy but no matter how hard i tried it wasn’t good enough. I didn’t fully grasp the idea that i needed to leave until i was hospitalised. He punched me one evening, causing me to fall over, he took the opportunity to kick me in the stomach god knows how many times. I had a black eye and multiple bruised ribs. I remember sitting in my hospital bed with Lucy next to me and i blurted out everything he had done. We had a long and emotional chat about it and i knew i had to leave him. I got out. But i guess i’m only telling you this because i love you Ransom. With everything i have and with my whole heart. Despite everything that happened at the weekend, i know that you’re nothing like Jordan and you’re not gonna hurt me like he did. You’re kind, lovely and you make me feel like a princess as cliche as that sounds” he chuckles as he wipes my tears.

“I’m sorry for everything i said Saturday, the horrible things i said to you out of anger. That’s not me. I thought you had cheated and i was so hurt and furious that i wanted to hurt you back” he waves me off, like the insults i hurled at him Saturday weren’t anything major.

“Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?” i look into his eyes “I was scared, everything he did to me. I was scared to relive it all again” he can see the sadness in my eyes.

“I suffered a lot at his hands and i was scared to date for so long. After our first date in New York, i planned to be honest with you the next time i saw you. But i couldn’t. Now though, i feel it was the right time. I’m sorry to burden you with all of thi-” he kisses me.

“You are not burdening me. Don’t ever think that by opening up to me that you’re a burden. Truth be told, i wanna find this dude and hurt him for treating you like that and possibly other women too, it’s disgusting” i can see it in him, the protective side of him.

“No Ransom, forget it. He’s not worth it. You’re better than that”

“Alright but if we ever come across him i can’t promise that i i won’t do or say anything”

“The one time, i remember he said he was going out with his friends and i was in my apartment listening to music, he knocked the door and when i answered he pushed me to the ground, punching at me as i lay there, curled into a ball. When i got up, i walked near to the window and he threw a table at me, it was this small side table. I ducked last minute and it ended up going through the window. He spat in my face a couple times. He made derogatory comments towards me in front of my family and friends. But he always knew how to worm his way out of any situation. He was clever” i start sobbing, he pulls me to his chest and i start fully crying, leaving mascara on his shirt.

“Sh sh, it’s okay baby. I’m here, i got you” i pull away and he wipes the tears again. 

“I guess the reason i told you all of this is because you were just so honest with me and i owed you the same amount of honesty” he sighs,

“I’m sorry about standing you up and putting myself in that position, i promise i’ll never let you down ever again” i raise my brows “Ever? That’s a big commitment Drysdale” we both laugh at my comment and he presses a kiss to my forehead.

“I love you so much. But you need to believe me this time. I see it in your eyes. The way you second guess if i’m ever going to leave or if my feelings will suddenly grow legs and run” his lips curl into a huge grin as i say that.

“I love you, you mean everything to me and that is never going to change” i straddle his lap, placing my hands on his cheeks. 

“Please believe me when i say that you are all that i want, forever. The first guy to make me this happy and well the sex is an added bonus” he throws his head back laughing like a little kid. 

“I believe you. I love you so much” we kiss and as we pull away, i lean my forehead to his. I don’t ever want him to leave.

“Be mine again? Please” he begs

“I never stopped being yours, i know i said it was over but my heart just couldn’t let go of you” 

For the first time in my life and even with Ransom, i feel completely naked, emotionally. Like we’ve just laid everything on the table. We’ve been honest with each other, fully. It feels nice. I feel that we needed this talk, to move forward with this relationship. It needed to happen and i’m glad it did.

#ransomdrysdale #ransom drysdale smut #hugh ransom drysdale #ransom thrombey fluff #ransom drysdale fluff #ransom #ransom drysdale x reader #fanfiction #knives out #chris evans smut #chris evans #chrisevanssmut #chris evans fluff #chrisevans smut #chrisevans #chris evans x reader

[gold-and-rubies]

In It For The Long Haul - Chapter 2

I’m going to be posting these twice a day until I catch up. This is in MacCready’s POV. Warnings for violence and language.

MacCready sighed inwardly. Winlock and Barnes had tracked him down in an attempt to harass him out of the Commonwealth… again. He would not give in to them; he had too much on the line. He was just getting really tired of this.

“Can’t say I’m surprised to find you in a dump like this, MacCready,” Winlock said far too smugly for MacCready’s liking. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a girl slip into the room behind them. Great, he thought, I’m gonna lose another fucking job to these assholes.

“I was wonderin’ how long it would take your bloodhounds to track me down, Winlock. It’s been almost three months… don’t tell me you're getting rusty,” MacCready said nonchalantly, “Should we take this outside?”

“It ain’t like that I’m just here to deliver a message,” Winlock said. MacCready narrowed his eyes at that.

“In case you forgot I left the Gunners for good.”

“Yeah, I heard, but you’re still taking jobs in the Commonwealth. That isn’t going to work for us.”

MacCready was quickly losing his patience. They were getting on his last nerves, so he tried to get on theirs, “In case you forgot, I don’t take orders from you… not anymore. So why don’t you take your girlfriend, and walk out of here while you still can.”

That managed to rile Barnes up, who had otherwise been silent the whole time. “What?! Winlock, tell me we don’t have to listen to this shit,” he said angrily.

Winlock’s attitude changed from smug to pissed. “Listen up, MacCready,” he said threateningly, “the only reason we haven’t filled your body full of bullets is that we don’t want a war with Goodneighbor. See, we respect other people’s boundaries… we know how to play the game. It’s something you never learned.”

“Glad to have disappointed you,” MacCready said sarcastically.

Winlock scoffed, “You can play the tough guy all you want. But if we hear you’re still operating in Gunner territory all bets are off.”

“You finished?”

“Yeah… we’re finished. Come on, Barnes.”

As they left the room the girl, who MacCready had almost forgotten about, watched them warily. MacCready eyed her. Although she was not wearing the trademark jumpsuit, everything about her screamed vault dweller. From the nervous look on her face to the pip-boy strapped to her arm. From what he could see she lacked any real scars, and the damage she had was recent. She was also paler than almost anyone he had ever seen showing a lack of sun exposure. Her chin length red hair was neater than the average wastelander. Although her short height did not help her look older, she had to be somewhere around his own age, making her lack of scars all the more telling. He wondered what could drive her from her vault to look for help in a bar. The only one he heard of in the Commonwealth that still had people in it was 81. The vault that apparently had no experiment.

“Look lady,” he said, bringing her attention to him, “if you’re preachin’ about the Atom, or lookin’ for a friend, you’ve got the wrong guy. If you need a hired gun… then maybe we can talk.”

“It’s a good thing I do then… but who were they?”

Her voice caught him off guard. It was far lower and slightly raspier than he had been expecting, and even more shocking to him, it practically oozed confidence.

“Just some moron Gunners. Idiots couldn’t hit a squirrel with a rocket launcher. Nothin’ you need to worry about. What about you? How do I know takin’ your offer won’t come back to bite me?”

She did not answer his question. Instead she asked, “Do you take long term jobs?”

The longer she stood there the more intrigued he became. What the hell is she planning? He replied, “Depends. How long the job is, compensation, and what the job is all matter.” He tried to not be too picky about jobs, but some were not worth it. Especially the longer ones.

She nodded, “I… I lead a rather dangerous life. I need someone who can watch my back, and is willing to go take down raiders, Gunners, and anything else I’m sent to take care of. I’m also… I guess you could say new to the area, so I don’t really know my way around.”

Although it was nice to know what he was going to have to do, her description of the job just raised more questions. Was she also a mercenary? Who was sending her to do this stuff? Who was she?

She continued, “As for compensation… I’ll pay for all your ammo, food, water, alcohol when clean water isn’t available, and medical supplies. Any loot we find and payment we receive will be split equally. Along with any initial payment you request.”

The more she talked the more confused he became. So far it was a hell of an offer, but he wanted to know why she wanted his help so badly. The way she spoke also confused him. The way she worded things made her sound like some pre-war holotapes he had found once.

“As for time… I don’t know how long the job will last, just that it will be a long time. You can leave whenever you want though,” she finished.

This was probably the best offer he had ever gotten. He normally did not try to care about the boss’s personal life or who they were, as long as they were not a raider boss. He had some standards. This girl though was just so damn enigmatic, too much for his liking.

“That’s a heck of an offer, but I’ve gotta make sure it’s not too good to be true, so I’ve gotta ask. Who are you exactly?”

Her back straightened, shoulders went back, and she held her a head a little higher. A pose of confidence. “Claudia Flynn. General of the Minutemen… and survivor of Vault 111.”

He had assumed she was a vault dweller from the get go, so that did not surprise him. He did not recognize the number, though, which concerned him a little if he was being honest. Dwellers could be down right insane at times. He decided not to ask about it. Instead he focused on the fact that she claimed to be the general of the Minutemen.

“Minutemen? I thought you guys were destroyed in Quincy.”

“We’re rebuilding,” she said simply.

“But what’s the general doin’ hiring a merc?”

“There aren’t very many of us right now, and I want to help as much as possible, but I’m sure you know it isn’t exactly safe to travel alone. I will also have to… deal with more… personal matters. I don’t want to use Minutemen resources where they aren’t needed. Especially now,” she explained.

That was the first time she had said something that actually answered more questions than created them, although the "personal matters" were cause for some. He mulled over all the information or a moment. He'd taken far, far worse jobs. He’d be crazy to not act on the offer, even if it meant being more altruistic than he was used to. If she wanted to spend all her caps on him, who was he to say no? Besides if she really was the general of the Minutemen it would be a great way to get back at the Gunners for harassing him so damn much. And maybe, just maybe he could get her to…. He cleared the thought from his head before it gave him too much hope.

“Alright, hotshot. Sounds like a good deal, so if you pay the hiring price, you’ve got a new gun on your side.”

“How much?”

“Two-hundred fifty caps. No room for bargainin’.”

“Fair enough,” she said before setting her pack down on one of the ratty couches. She produced three leather pouches, two larger and one smaller. As she handed them over she said, “One hundred each in the bigger ones. Fifty in the smaller one.”

He held the bags in his hands for a moment, and looked at her before saying, “You just bought yourself an extra gun. Where to first boss?”

She started fiddling with her pip-boy before she said anything. He had always wondered just how useful those things were. She held out her arm when she was done, so he could see the map depicted on the small screen.

“We need to get to here,” she said, indicating the marker on the coast, “Can you get us there?”

“Shouldn’t be too hard.”

“Alright,” she said. A look of determination and confidence took over her face. “Is there a hotel or something here? We should rest before we head out.”

He was taken aback by her liberal uses of "we" and "us." Usually there was a strict dichotomy of "you" and "me." Maybe it was just the Minuteman in her.

“There’s the Hotel Rexford. Not great, but it beats sleeping on the street by a long shot.”

“Then we’ll stay there for the night, and head out in the morning.”

“Whatever you say boss,” he said. He tried to hide his excitement, but it had been a while since he had slept somewhere other than the back room of the Third Rail for a while. He was eager to see his new boss act on her promise of free boarding.

***

The next morning he met his boss in the lobby of the hotel. She had paid for two separate rooms, allowing him to have more privacy than he had had in a while. He used it to sleep as peacefully as one could in Goodneighbor.

He walked up to her as she messed with her pip-boy. Now that he could see her in proper lighting, instead of the neon red at the bar, it was even more apparent she was not some random wastelander. Her face, neck and hands had minimal grime on them. She had a few blemishes here and there, but they were hardly noticeable. She lacked the gauntness and weariness that everyone seemed to have. She was so focused on what she was doing that she did not seem to notice him until he said something.

“Boss,” he greeted.

“Hm? Oh MacCready!” she said, finally looking up from her arm.

“Don’t tell me you forgot about me,” he joked. Well, he hoped it came across a joke. When it came down to it he did not care whether his bosses liked him or not, but it certainly did not hurt if they did.

Luckily for him, she smiled. He tried not to stare, but he could not help it. They were not perfect by any means, but she had the straightest, whitest teeth he had ever seen.

He knew that vaults could be some of the most terrifying places in the world. Having grown up just outside of Vault 87 solidified that knowledge. But he wondered what could have driven her away from her own. She looked healthier than anyone he had seen, so there must have been some sort of luxury there.

Her voice shook him from his thoughts, “Ready to go?”

“Whenever you are, boss.”

As they made their way through Goodneighbor she asked, “Do you want to stock up on anything before we leave?”

He did not hesitate to take her up on her offer. "Could always use more ammo."

"Anything else?" she asked, friendlier than he was used to and that he liked.

Must be the first time she's ever hired a merc, he thought to himself. Her friendliness was better than the way he has been treated by other people, but he had found that when people you did not know well were this nice to you they were up to no good. Then again who was he to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Nothing else that I can get here," he said.

"What kind of ammo do you use?"

".308."

He watched her as she walked up to trade with KL-E-0. The boss had a funny look on her face when she introduced herself. When she was done with the trade she handed him one of the boxes of ammo. His eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"How many caps do you have?" he half whispered. Bullets were not cheap.

"Doesn't matter. Besides I didn't just pay with caps. Threw some .38s in there too."

He decided not to press the matter further. If she was loaded and knew how to barter, he was not going to complain.

When they finally left Goodneighbor he took point, remembering part of his job was guiding her through the ruins. It felt odd taking point, since he was a sniper. He was used to hanging back, not leading the charge.

It was not long before they encountered a small pack of mongrels. Normally he would just try to skirt around them, not wanting to waste his ammunition on them, but that was not the case this time. His strong suit was long range, but he was still decent in close quarters. The boss on the other hand seemed to have no issue fighting so close. She took them down quickly and easily, despite the frown she wore as she did so. MacCready was not an easy person to impress, but she got pretty damn close.

He led them to the docks. He hated the ocean, but it was safer to travel along the water than to try to navigate the city.

They were quiet as they walked. Realization struck him. He had no idea what they were up to.

“So, why exactly are we heading to South Boston?” he asked. It was common knowledge that there was nothing but trouble there. It did not help that the only settlement that was there had been rumored to be wiped out by institute synths. When it came to threats, he took them very seriously, no matter how far fetched it seemed. He had learned that the hard way.

“I… I didn’t tell you, did I?” She sighed in frustration, seemingly towards herself, “We’re heading to what… my second in command called The Castle. Apparently it used to be the old headquarters. We’re going to take it back.”

He simply nodded. He noticed how her voice kept trailing off, like she was unsure or lost in thought. He tried to not put too much thought into it. It was best to not to get too invested in who the boss was. No matter how interesting a person they seemed to be. All he needed was the basic information to make sure he was not risking too much.

When they got to the end of the dock she stopped, and stared into the distance. She checked her pip-boy, then turned to MacCready, and asked, “Can I borrow your binoculars?”

“Sure, boss,” he said, handing them over.

When she was done she handed them back and pointed towards a squat, grey building, barely visible in the mist. She said, “You see that, in the distance?”

“Yeah,” he said, holding the binoculars up to his own eyes.

“Pretty sure that’s where we need to go,” she said.

They weaved their way through the buildings. Here following the water line would take too much time, and he had heard rumors of ferals infesting the factories in the area. They managed to avoid the raider camps. Their spotlights acted more like beacons, signaling to stay away.

He stopped in his tracks when a horrendous smell hit his nose. It was the smell of decaying flesh that had been sitting in the sun. He signaled to the boss to stop. She gave him a quizzical look as he brought up his rifle. He looked through the scope, and found the source of the smell. Super mutants, and their disgusting bags of meat.

“What’s wrong?” she asked in a low voice.

“Super mutants.”

“What’s a super mutant?”

He turned to look at her like she had just insisted the sky was neon pink. “What the fu- what do you mean, ‘what’s a super mutant?’” he asked. He knew vault dwellers were sheltered, literally, but surely they knew a super mutant was.

“I mean that I don’t know what it is,” she explained.

“How do you not know what they are?”

"No one's told me," she shrugged.

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Her friendliness had been one thing, not knowing basic knowledge was another. He began to wonder just how naive she was. He reminded himself of all the benefits of the job before he said anything else.

“They’re big, green, dumb, and ugly. And very dangerous,” he explained he sounded harsher than he had intended, but he did not care at the moment.

“That’s what they’re called?” she gasped.

Ok, so she isn’t totally fucking clueless, he thought. MacCready could be surprisingly patient, he was a sniper after all. The majority of his time spent sniping was waiting. But he had very little patience when it came to a lack of basic knowledge. For adults anyhow. He could understand a five-year-old not knowing everything about the wastes, children required patience, but an adult? Even if she was a vault dweller he felt like she should know the very basics. Fuck, am I in for a long ride, he thought.

He looked around them for a route that would not bring them too close to the mutants. He spotted a path that strayed away from them, but would wind up bringing them awfully close to a raider camp. He would rather deal with raiders than mutants any day.

“Follow me,” he whispered, “we’re gonna have to deal with some raiders, but it’ll be an easier fight.”

“Don’t need to convince me,” she said.

Together they quietly made their way closer and closer to the raider camp. It was still early in the day, but the raiders were already drunk and high off their asses. Better for them.

Just as he had suspected they noticed them, but before they could do anything the boss reacted like lightning.

“Cover me!” she ordered over her shoulder. She shot down one raider before she slammed the butt of her gun into the next one’s face. She ducked and dodged the one with a switchblade. The two of them took down the camp in no time. The fight against the mongrels had been one thing, the way she handled the raiders was something else.

He watched her as she patted down their bodies looking for loot. She handed him exactly half of the caps, stimpaks, and radiation medications she found.

“You weren’t fu-kidding about splitting everything equally,” he laughed.

“I mean what I say,” she shrugged, “let’s get going if there’s nothing you want.”

“Let’s get goin’ then, boss,” he said, leading the way.

When they got to the road that led right up to The Castle a man standing outside an old diner on the side called to the boss.

“General Flynn! Over here!” he called.

“Hey, Garvey!” she called back as she walked toward the diner.

Inside they were greeted by three more people. The man who had greeted the boss, Garvey, said, “Everyone’s here, General.”

He fought himself to keep his mouth shut. They were only going to attack this place with six people? Were they joking?

”This is Scott McNiall, Serena Martinelli, and Leon Whittle,” Garvey said introducing them, “Everyone this is General Claudia Flynn, and…”

“This is MacCready, he’s a mercenary I hired along the way. I don’t want to spread resources too thin,” she said.

“I see,” he responded, clearly not particularly happy about the decision, but he did not say anything more about it. Instead he turned around towards the stone building.

“Impressive isn’t it? It’s real name is Fort Independence, but the Minutemen always just called it the Castle. Now you can see why I wanted to take it back.”

“Definitely. For a six hundred year old, Revolutionary era fort, it’s in pretty good shape.”

How does she know what this place is? MacCready thought. He tuned back into the conversation just in time for him to hear the boss decide on a plan.

“Let’s split up and flank them.”

“Alright then. Let’s go. Try not to draw their attention until we’re in position.”

As they took their positions the boss turned to him. She asked, “So, what do you think?”

MacCready raised an eyebrow at her. A boss had never asked what his thoughts were on the job. He usually had to interject if he wanted them to know what he thought. The most anyone ever really asked was if he could do the job.

“Why do you care?”

“Uhh… because you’re a person? A person I’m asking to fight with me?” she said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“You aren’t asking me to fight, you’re paying me to fight,” he corrected.

“Still a person. And given that we’re going to be traveling together, I need to make sure you’re doing alright. Can’t do your job if you aren’t focused.”

He sighed, “Fine. Even though this place could use some work, it’s a pretty good lookin’ stronghold. Better in the hands of the Minutemen, than raiders or Gunners. Anything else you wanted?”

He winced internally. He had not meant to sound that harsh.

She rolled her eyes, and shook her head with an incredulous smile. He was surprised that she took it so well.

They settled into their positions. MacCready, the boss, and Garvey took the main gate, while the other three waited for a signal. Once the fighting began, it did not take very long. Mirelurks had tough shells, but with good enough aim and some distance they were ridiculously easy to take care of. When all that was left in the courtyard was their eggs, the group headed in.

“Ya know, it would have been nice to know how big those things are,” the boss said.

“Crabs weren’t that big?” Garvey asked, a little shocked.

She shook her head no.

Before he could ask what that meant, he changed the subject, “Damn. Looks like they’ve been nesting.”

McNiall chimed in, “‘Lurks like to hide in old buildings. Walls are probably full of ‘em.”

The boss nodded thoughtfully. She looked at the group before turning to MacCready, and asking, “You any good with a pistol?”

“Better with my rifle, but yeah. Why?”

“MacCready, Major Garvey, and I will clear out the walls. The rest of you take care of the nests and any remaining Mirelurks,” she said handing him her pistol. Her orders were met with a chorus of ‘yes ma'ams’.

She took her shotgun from it’s handmade holster on her back, and headed towards the building. The two men followed closely behind. Lucky for them it was mostly softshells and hatchlings inside the walls. They were easier to take down than the average mirelurk. When they reached the old general’s quarters they were not only met with what ended up being a face full of mirelurk slime, but also a missile launcher.

MacCready let out a low wolf whistle as she picked it up.

“Now look at this beauty,” he said.

She looked at Garvey with confusion. “How did they lose this place when they had this thing, and all these missiles?”

“Beats me. Like I said. They lost this place before my time.”

Just then the ground shook with a loud rumbling. The Minutemen outside started yelling.

“The hell…” she wondered out loud.

One of the Minutemen yelled for them to come see whatever was causing the chaos, and the boss took off like a rocket, missile launcher in hand. He and Garvey quickly followed suit. MacCready grabbed some extra missiles before leaving, just to be safe.

Outside they were met by what could only be a mirelurk queen rising out of the water and over the rubble. He had never seen one before, but he had heard about them. It was one of the most terrifying things he had ever seen, and that was saying something. It was only slightly shorter than the intact walls of the fort. It made a god awful clicking noise as acid spewed from its mouth. He was almost completely paralyzed with fear, though he would never admit it.

The boss on the other hand had more resolve. She shouted at everyone to get out of the way as she took aim with the launcher. The first missile did decent damage, it only caused the monster of a creature to recoil. The second missile caused it to go careening back into the water where it came from.

He looked at her in amazement as the others whooped and hollered around them. She stood there with a fire in her eyes as she spoke to them. It took a lot to impress him, but this certainly did the trick. After a show like that he was more willing to put up with her lack of knowledge of the world. Not many people could hold their own in a fight like that, and traveling with someone like that was worth most downsides, even if that downside meant there was a long road ahead.

Chapter 1 Read it on ao3

#violence warning #language warning #fallout #fanfiction #fanfic #fallout 4 #maccready #fo4 #sole survivor #minutemen #claudia flynn