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scribble-dribble-writes · 8 months

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Like old times

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Pairing: Buggy x female mermaid reader

Word count: 4000 🙈

Warnings: none

Content: The heart wants what it wants

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Buggy felt stupid as he stirred in his bed, his ship docked on the very island he vowed himself he would never set foot on and yet somehow he was here.

He sat up letting his hands push back his hair to hold his face. He didn’t sleep much, not that he knew a good sleep ever since you were gone. But the events of last night came rushing in. He was here, under the pretext he was a entertainer. That was all.

His priorities were set on something else, he took up the offer because he had no choice. With the hunt for the one piece leading him no where, jumping between allies and chasing Luffy around had left him quite unsatisfied, all his efforts had led to nothing. He had squandered everything, and no town he knew was fit enough to be raided because he had raided them out of every last penny.

That was what he did in his down time. Do everything you would look down on him for. Burn towns, ravage the seas, push people away because if he could succeed at becoming the opposite of what you saw in him. If he denied he was any good at all, then maybe his mind would forget you.

But instead, the guilt grew, bigger than the sea that it cradled him. The more he did these things, the more he saw your disappointed expression. He groaned, he had come to believe your words. Your belief in his goodness and so he had a tough time committing to this new persona of his.

He picked up his shirt and threw it on.

Did your island ever pin up his wanted poster?

Did you ever catch sight of his face in them?

Did you ever wonder how he was?

He pulled up his hair and tied it into a short bun. He had begun to fray. He didn’t care for his makeup to be perfect. He looked disheveled and ragged that even past the devil fruit's control over his body, he didn’t need a cut to slice him up anymore. Any thoughts of you did it’s job.

Stupid, stupid, stupid, he mumbled.

He was in need of money. His shows weren’t selling tickets because he hadn’t crossed that point yet, to convert his pain into art, to process everything he felt. He looked around his room in its messy state with scatted pieces of papers everywhere. Some held songs, some had scripts or stories but most of it were unfinished letters he had tried to write.

He pulled himself together. His new act was to test himself, to be around you and not feel anything. To see for himself that your life here was the best than anything he could have afforded you. That it was good, you had a stable home and a place to belong. Unlike the life he lived. It was dangerous, on the edge and he lived it, with every second thinking of you.

That if a moment came were it would be his last, he could finally admit to himself that you were the only good thing he was afforded in his life.

So Buggy embraced his bare face more, in the hopes that if he saw it more he might finally understand what it was you saw in him. These were signs he was falling apart, might as well let his crew mates know. He turned the knob of his door.

They all knew. His crew never questioned him but he could see it on their faces. The worry, the concern and it hurt him more. That he was dragging them along through his disasters. He had to squander or pillage or find some way to provide for them because whether he recognized it or not, they were his family. They feared him, sure, but they were his people. People to whom he had given his word he would care for them. Now to see them go to sleep hungry, he hated himself.

He had to pull himself together. To be an actual leader for once. To step away from the incessant need to put on a show. Because now things were real, he had to work his way out of this. The only slight hitch to all this was you.

He held onto all the postage or news he received. In the hopeless thought that one of it might be from you. Writing him to tell him anything. That you were alright. That you didn’t want to come back. He would have taken any response as apposed to receiving nothing. He was irrelevant to your life now. He knew that well, more than anyone. But instead, one day there was an offer sealed in blue wax.

The need for jesters for the Princess of Makara.

He had put it away for awhile, he was never going to accept it. It was infuriating how fate seemed to always draw him to where you were. This time though he was never going to listen to it’s call.

But when things got tough, to scrounge the seas for food and supplies. He was reaping what he had sowed, he never did any good work and now when he needed a saving grace, he got none. None but that silver letter lying in his desk drawer that he fidgeted in his fingers every night as he laid by the helm.

It was his only way out. But was he strong enough, to see you again and not break?

He had to be better. For his crew, for the sake of their future.

So he accepted, he set foot on the very shores that he had barred himself from and the moment did, it was like he could feel you all over again. It was instinct, a crystal ball in his heart always somehow knowing where you were.

His most valuable treasure.

So now in order to take a hold of his emotions, to be focused, he put away the revelry for a while. He trained instead, to work up a sweat that his mind stayed in the moment with him and didn’t wander off trying to know, if you looked out from the castle would you be able to see his ship.

He held onto the bar as he lifted himself up, the muscles in his arms beginning to burn but he pushed it away. However hard he tried to reform himself, some habits were hard to let go of. To not got after map, to not got after you. Because you were his first love. His only love and everyday the regret sunk deeper. Because he hadn’t told you sooner, when you there smiling at him. Instead of admitting the truth, he sent you away on missions. A coward, no amount of fear his name caused to ripple couldn't change the truth.

You were headed to the archives, to tell Hassan about everything but you hadn’t slept well last night. Tossing and turning at Buggy’s lack of an answer. After everything you had done, after every storm you had weathered together.

How could he drown you out with a cold shoulder?

You turned with your book in hand and heard the sound of your guards follow you. You couldn’t go down to the docks with them, it would raise suspicion amongst the people. You had to get past the walls to do so.

You knew the layout well but to attempt an escape in broad daylight, you didn’t know what had taken over you to give you blind courage. The goal was set. You had to speak with him, away from all the pretense of this guilded cage.

So you walked back to your room where the guards assumed their position outside your door. The time was now, to try out the plan you had been working on for days. You slipped into an outfit that was akin to the days you were a spy. Taking a black shawl, you wrapped up you head to secure your hair in place and to cover up your face. No one would know you were gone, till Helge would come by to call for you in the afternoon to dine with him.

So you stood near the balcony to chart your way down the tower. Below you were the suspended sky gardens that gave you a staggered passage towards the merchant access, which was always busy with goods being transported in and out the castle walls.

Tossing your cares to the wind that caressed your cheek as you stood up the railing, you took your first step. Your foot placement so precise it would not disrupt a loose brick. Your hands already on the wire that held the gardens up. You slid down it with your gloved fingers, jumping off at the right time to land onto soft grass amidst the large garden ornaments.

You felt a smile form, nobles and their need for grandeur, it served it purpose by giving you a lot of hiding spots to flit through as you descended from one garden platform to the other. Soon your eyes glimpsed the busy street with vendors and traders bargaining with the patrol guards as they conducted their quality checks. You had to find a cart that was leaving the court yard and to your luck, a herd of horses were being transported out to the city, possibly the ones that hadn't been selected at the auction.

You dropped below into the shadows as you slowly edged your way towards the wagon. The driver distracted in a discussion with the guard as you snuck inside the covered carriage. Horses were easier than people, you had been accustomed to being around a lot of various and more exotic animals. So you held your hands up to their snouts as they sniffed your fingers. Slowly moving to the side you petted their necks and it was done. You had won over their silence.

The guard knocked the back of the wagon as a sign that the contents had passed the check. The driver clicked the reigns of the horses in front and you eased as the vehicle began to move.

As you separated yourself from your ride, your turned towards the docks, you finally caught sight of the sea. The glistening blue sending its breeze to pull you towards it. Everyone passed by you and it felt like you had found your anonymity again. Life thrummed all around you, with finally having won your way out, this was your reward. To stroll down the scene slowly. Taking in the simplicity of it all. The streets were damp, the low tide let the people enjoy some sun.

When the high tide engulfed the place, the merpeople shifted to use their tails. So the land soaked up the salt and smelled like it. The building built out of more natural stone that had plants grown over it. The streets had sellers who sold local food or hand made artefacts while musicians used their harps and lyres to play songs. It was alive and rich as compared to the controlled activities and silence at the palace.

But as you continued to reach the docks, the gulls squawked above you, you saw the ship. Even without the Jolly Roger, you could recognize it anywhere, it sat harmlessly near the boardwalk as children ran past it only when you knew what it was capable off.

You held onto the rope ladder that was dropped down to climb onboard and the moment you felt hit the deck. The chatter quietened down.

The crew were seated around, each engrossed in some activity but now their eyes were on you like you were a stranger. With how you stood now, your face covered, you were a stranger. You held your hands up in defense when you heard the sound of blades being unsheathed.

You slowly pulled away the lower half of the cloth to reveal your face and a brief moment of surprise flashed across their faces before it was replaced with contempt. They weren’t comfortable that you were here. It was understandable, from their perspective you had run off to claim your inheritance.

You spotted Kabaji and ventured towards him as the crew continued with their activity, no one paying heed to your presence which served your purpose, it didn't draw much unwanted attention.

“I need to speak with him.”, you told him as he sat by the edge of the deck sharpening his knives. He cast you a glance before looking away.

“He’s in the acrobat’s wing.”, he spoke to you as though it was an irksome task.

“Training.”, he added and you took a double take as his gaze found yours.

“Training?”, you asked in disbelief and he shrugged his shoulders.

“He’s been doing it more since your disappearance.”, Kabaji let the truth sink in as you pursed your lips.

Your disappearance. So you were right. The crew had come to believe that you had abandoned them.

Did Buggy believe that too?

You opened the shaft door and got in as it took you below deck, with the crew up and about on top, there was no one else here. Warm light shone through the doors to the acrobat wing and all you could hear was the sound of shuffling feet.

Pushing open the door, you froze when the tip of a katana’s blade stopped right in front of your face, just an inch away from your nose. As your eyes trailed up the hand that held it, you found Buggy’s eyes staring you down as he panted.

His bare chest rising and falling quickly, his face devoid of his paint, with his hair up in a tight knot. Everything you had to say, died in your mouth and now you were left gasping for air too. He lowered the weapon as he furrowed his brows, his eyes softening but instead of interrogating your presence he turned away quickly.

There was no place he could hide peacefully. He pulled away his gloves as he put away his swords, trying to piece together why you were here.

He knew why, but didn’t want to accept the reason. His cold shoulder yesterday would have troubled you.

“The lost princess outside the castle walls.”, he stated.

“How scandalous.”, he chuckled but he felt the little animosity that was buried in his voice.

“I need you to answer this one question truthfully and I promise to never pester you again.”, he heard you say and he contemplated with his back turned to you.

He had to choose his answer carefully.

“What would you like to know, your Highness?”, he asked you, his tone well balanced and yet you knew he was taunting you.

“Why are you here?”, you let the question that had been pestering you since the dance slip from your lips. Your mind racing with an answer you wanted him to say.

That he was here for you, that right this second he would hoist his anchors and take you away. But he stopped whatever it was that he was doing, to brace himself against the table he stood by almost like he was putting together his thoughts. He had changed since the last time you had seen him. His innocence and quick witted nature was replaced with this heavy blanket of emotions he was not letting the world see.

“I was hired for my services.”, he titled his head, you caught sight of half his face. The stubble on his jaw making your fingers itch to touch him again.

“Besides, it’s every pirate’s dream. To sneak into a royal engagement. All the things we could loot.”, he finally turned towards you, widening his eyes as he folded his arms across his chest.

His eyes were monitoring your reaction as he let the words slip.

“Couldn’t risk the chance knowing that you wouldn’t invite me to the wedding.”, he said next and he bit his lip.

That was pushing it, he watched the hurt flash across your face and he pinched his fingers together. It was only natural, he wasn’t a saint. He was jealous of that silver eyed slug. The King to be got to have everything he wanted.

“There isn’t going to be a wedding.”, you said distraught and all this felt like thin ice. One wrong move and there would be nothing to salvage from this wreckage.

He wanted to break it. Push it a little further, push you away because he couldn’t feel the hurt again. Of having you back in his arms for another stolen moment, all these illusions weren’t enough.

He couldn’t let his heart be broken again.

“How could you even think I might go through with it.”, you felt your ribcage cave in and stab your heart, the tears threatening to fall.

He was a fool whether he painted his face or not. Because his hand reached towards you even after everything. Why couldn’t losing you be easy?

Why did it have to destroy him slowly like poison?

He wanted a canon blast to shatter his heart once and for all, to never have hope again because even with the smallest ounce of goodness, he thought of you and a life he could have.

Here you were risking everything and here he stood being a prick to the only one he never wanted to hurt.

You composed yourself, as you turned to him again.

“Give me an honest answer. I deserve at least that much.”, you told him, anger blazing in your eyes and he grew annoyed too.

“That’s what I don’t understand. You deserve so much more. So why are you here?”, he pushed away from where he stood to approach you and you stood your ground.

“Because.”, you began confidently and then that courage vanished as he got closer. The hair on his chest and his folded arms spread out in such a way that his body remembered the trail of your fingers when you had touched him.

“Because?”, he proded softly as he drew in a sharp breath, he had to hold his hands back cause if he didn’t, his fingers were going to pull you close and kiss you blind. Till his heart didn’t ache anymore.

You couldn’t risk it, to pour out your heart when he stood like a skittish seal ready to jump from the cliff.

One wrong move.

One wrong move and he will shut you out again.

“Because my life doesn’t make sense without you in it.”, you said quietly and for once the land you stood on felt like sturdy rock. That if you could just lean forward to rest your head on his chest, you could catch your breath for a while. But before you could stop yourself, your hand had reached out to let your fingers trace his collarbone and his eyes widened.

His heart stopped. He could whisk you away again. Like he had done when he was a boy. He could runaway right this instant. But his body, mind and soul where tearing each other apart.

One telling him to step away.

One caving under your touch.

One making him unwind his arms to place his hand over yours. To press your hand into his skin over his heart in the hope that it will burn your impression forever.

“Mine doesn’t either.”, he gave you a smile and it felt like a small victory. So you stayed in that moment, he didn’t move away, his heart beating fast under your palm as his eyes held you in that tender gaze he had only for you.

“We’ve known each other since we were kids. You're irreplaceable.”, he said. He was trying, trying to say all this properly but at the same time.

He feared it, he was afraid of the love he so badly wanted to hold on to.

“Take me away with you.”, he heard you whisper and everything he was trying to piece together dissipated.

He panicked, he lost control as all the burdens he carried pressed down on him. The lives of his crew, this ship, the resources he needed to cast off from this island. He was marooned here and he couldn’t leave without a huge bounty.

But the truth was, every night as he held up that letter he received up to the moon, it gave him another shot. Another attempt at seeing you and he craved it, never listening to any voice of reason. He needed to see you again and with Makara’s seas banning pirates, this was a perfect entry way to stand in the distance to catch a glimpse of you.

He needed a respite and as he worked back his bounty, he could also just get to exist around you again.

But instead, “I, I can’t.”, he stuttered.

“I’m here to find the Crystal pearl.”, he said next, a half truth that found it’s way out of his mouth sooner than he had expected and the silence raged on as he felt your hand slip away, it was torturous.

“Oh.”, you drew your breath. You had been right. He had his eyes set of something else.

The Crystal pearl was one of legends, as Makara’s hidden sacred clam only produced one shimmering pearl every hundred years.

“What did you think I was here for?”, he held onto your hands as though he would beg to know your thoughts, this was the first time you and him had been so out of sync. He wanted to admit his feelings, but you were promised to another. To a man who had the power, wealth and beauty.

How could he compete with that?

You stepped away from him, to wrap your hands around yourself as you took in the room around you as you sobered having heard his true answer.

Only that it didn’t satisfy you.

The acrobat wing was where he trained you, to be nimble and quick. To teach you the same tricks with which you used to escape the castle, tricks that helped you survive. You saw the huge ring dangle in front of you and you pulled yourself up. His eyes followed you as you balanced on it. To wrap your limbs around the edges as to know if you still remembered the choreo you had learnt. But when you twisted to pull yourself up to sit on it, your hand slipped.

“Be careful.”, Buggy rushed to you. His arms steadying you as you hung upside down. Your shawl falling away fully, his bare hands trailing your shoulders as he let himself hold your face. You wanted to pull him close and kiss him till you couldn't breathe. He was the man that held up the moon.

“Why did your ship linger on the horizon once night fell all those months ago?”, you asked softly. He inhaled sharply as his hand found your hips, to help you down.

He would put down the anchor for the night when his crew never understood why he drank as he watched the island far away, but he knew. You were there in a life that was meant for you, how could he snatch you away from it?

“Why did you spend your days on the roof looking out to the sea?”, he asked, his fingers tilting your chin up to hold his gaze.

He was close enough, to whip out his telescope and observe the glistening palace in the hopes he might catch your silhouette in a window, when he caught sight of a small figure, climb out her balcony to sit on top of her roof.

“Why did you never call for me?��, he asked leaning in, it poured out from him these questions he had harboured.

“Would you have come?”, you whispered to which he pursed his lips instead of answering you.

It was too late to answer that now. Life had somehow gotten more complicated than he had ever known. None of his schemes had a chance of being successful, so what good was going to come from stating what ifs.

But you deserved the truth.

“I would have.”, he smiled again and it set you free.

You gave him a curt nod, his eyes falling to your lips, all you could hear were warning signs. One wrong step and this could turn into another net.

“I’ll help you steal the pearl.”, you said as he placed your shawl in your hand.

“Like old times?”, he chuckled shifting his weight. His husky laugh bringing you bake to life.

“I am going to be Queen after all. I can bestow it to whoever I wish.”, you smiled as you began to conceal your face again.

“What do you want in return?”, he asked.

You took a second to ponder it. You could never make someone love you, but it felt less lonely, to be here, to have him close. Maybe if he could tell you that he did love you, it could be the closure you needed. To help him get his treasure and send him off happily, if that is all you could do, to repay him for everything he had done.

“Be my eyes and ears.”, you told him.

“I don’t know who to trust in the mercourt. But I trust you. It would be nice to know someone has my back.”, you told him.

He could settle with this exchange. You and him had always been a great team, this working relationship meant he could still protect his heart and orbit around you. He could balance that, he did run a circus after all.

He had worked along with you for years, he could still do the same now, just for a little longer. Couldn’t he?

“My allegiance is forever yours, fishtail.”, he said instantly.

“You know that.”, he said it like it was a question. He needed to know that if there was one thing you never doubted about him was for where his heart was. His loyalty to you was beyond the pirates code of honour. It was sacred.

"Yeah I know, just wanted to be sure.", you smiled as you tapped your feet with his. You had missed this. The friendship, the company, the understanding, all of it.

"Anything else?", Buggy asked as he read your expression. There was one more request.

"Tell me you atleast thought of me once when I was gone.", you grew serious. It was bittersweet.

To which he hummed as he bit the inside of his cheek, this was now or never. If it was to never go anywhere else from here, he didn't want to have any regrets.

"When you disappear, I feel like I lose my senses. I can’t see colour or hear the music because you’ve left traces of you in everything. You take the sun with you and shroud me in darkness. If I acknowledge the smallest fragment of the void you've left in me, then I break to pieces and no amount of drinking my woes could bury that feeling. The feeling with which I roamed the seas aimlessly when my heart only wanted you back. I can’t say I missed you because that doesn’t capture the agony I went through. I thought of you incessantly that the crew was sure I was mad. I thought of you then. I keep thinking of you now. And I fear that is my curse, sweet. To love you since the first time I saw you and then fight fate till the end of time to always be by your side.", he said it, without thinking too much of it, without holding himself back. He waved his hands not sure if that was a good enough answer.

"I don’t know if that made sense.", he laughed, his eyes looking away but the blush that made his cheeks turn red was evident. You were stunned, he always gave you more than you had asked for and now he poured out his heart all at once.

"What does a clown know about finesse?", he shrugged his shoulders, when his eyes found yours again, it burned bright with his passion.

You didn't need to know what he wanted. His eyes only ever held you in that light. It never wavered. There was no one else to compete with, his affection was always only yours. So you couldn't leave him hanging now. He had to know.

"You know you’re the only I’ve ever loved. The only one I will ever love.", you stated. He had to know that the engagement rumors where never going to turn true.

Buggy still, the silence now heavy, the distance between you and him crackling with tension. You pulled the shawl to cover your face to hide your flushed cheeks, suddenly wanting to hide as your heart began to beat faster at the thrill of having put your heart in his hands.

But he held your wrist such that you couldnt cover your face. He tugged you closer to him and after all those mundane days, you felt wide awake.

“That love of yours is going to ruin me, but I'm not scared of it anymore.”, he said with conviction. He was brave for once. To set aside his fears, the voice that told him to hate himself. All that had to go, to make space for you and your belief in him.

If you could see the possibility of a change in him, then he was going to strive to attain it. To be the version he would be proud of without all the extra gimmicks added on.

His eyes glimmered as it dipped to your lips, here he was, reckless and wild as the sea. Your fingers wrapped around his neck as you pulled him in as he leaned forward to kiss you.

#one piece buggy #buggy #buggy thoughts #op buggy #captain buggy #buggy the clown #buggy one piece #opla buggy #one piece fan fiction #one piece #op fluff #one piece fluff #one piece fanfiction #opla fanfiction

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frozenjokes · 8 months

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Signing Back In, Apparently - 17

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Impulse didn’t like the Kestrels, and honestly, if (probably) Mumbo wasn’t in horrible danger right now, he’d be happy to watch him destroy the entire island, along with the rest of the place. Granted, Impulse didn’t know many of the other pirate factions very well, but if they were anything like the snobs playing pirate for sport, he wouldn’t feel differently. It wouldn’t be exactly untrue to say Impulse didn’t like pirates at all, however hypocritical. But he never really wanted to be a pirate. He never wanted to be a criminal making counterfeit coins before becoming one either, but he had bills to pay and sick friends that needed caring for. Friends that didn’t end up making it regardless.

He remembered Scar, ever charming, sidling up to his booth in the town square and admiring his weaponry for sale. It was a craft Impulse loved, but one that he couldn’t keep up with, not enough to put food on the table at least. Scar was a piece of work, so obviously a conman looking for a cheap deal Impulse had nearly turned him away, but the day was slow and he just so happened to be quite bored. Impulse had let him chatter away, complimenting his work and buttering him up with practiced charisma. Scar was good. He drew Impulse in, inviting more nuanced conversation than only small talk, and really listened to the answers Impulse gave to the questions he posed. It was a moment of human connection that was so rare , so special. The only shock was when Scar said goodbye, leaving without another word. He hadn’t even asked to buy anything. Just bizarre.

Skizz hadn’t been impressed. “People like that, they always want something, he’ll be back.” Well, he was right. Scar did come back a couple days later, supposedly to chat, and he was gone again as quick as he came. On his third visit, he had bet Impulse he could sell his most expensive item for a higher price, and Impulse had rolled his eyes saying if he managed he could keep the extra change. Well, Scar had done it within the hour, returning smugly with a small bag of coin.

“Now I won’t take a thing, seems like your guy back home needs it more,” Scar had said.

Impulse hadn’t even remembered telling him about Skizz. Maybe in passing mention, maybe that a friend was sick. Well, Impulse didn’t forget. He didn’t forget the medicine for fever dropped off at his booth the next day either, although Scar had denied it was him. Scar became a friend. He was dodgy about his past, but that wasn’t abnormal for a traveler as Scar often bragged about being. Scar liked to stop through at different towns, meet new people, have a good laugh; at least that’s what he said, but Impulse had no reason to doubt him besides that mischievous glint in his eyes. Eventually, Scar was his shoulder to cry on when Skizz passed. A support he desperately needed when his life came crumbling apart. It was then when Impulse found out what Scar wanted. He wanted him on his crew, his pirate crew, which currently had no members. He didn’t just want Impulse either, he wanted to find other people who needed a second chance at a new life, a life with no ties to a society that couldn’t support them.

Maybe that was just a long winded way of expressing that he hated it here. He hated that this was something fun , like some sort of adrenaline seeking venture. Well, if Impulse was being honest with himself, that’s what it had always been to Scar. At least before, Impulse thought there had been a kindness behind his intentions, a determination to bring other people together. Maybe at some point, that was the case. But he needed to refocus on the present now. Scar was leaving, leaving to find Mumbo and threatening the wholeness of the family they had built once again. Impulse couldn’t stop him the first time. This would be different. It had to be. Impulse only hoped Mumbo found catharsis in turning this place to dust in the meantime. If the monster on the Kestrel Island was Mumbo. He couldn’t shake the feeling that wasn’t quite right.

“Alright, Grian, we need a plan here.”

“Impulse, Scar and Mumbo are going to be dead by the time we-”

“If you get too riled up or act too recklessly, both of those things you are prone to doing, we’ll be in just as bad shape. That’s why I need you to get the ouija board. I will deal with Scar.”

“Wh- what? Impulse, I can’t just carry stuff around! Not even Pearl can do that! When we find her we can see if-”

“Grian, if Pearl knew Mumbo was in bad shape and was trying to help before this happened, she could be in trouble too. The fact that we haven’t seen her yet is… Pearl isn’t the most level headed ghost. The thing is, we don’t know what’s going on and I’ve never been able to interact with the real world like you can. Just, try your best. I’ll try to get Scar to his room, and if he sees that it’s disturbed, he might understand. Sooner or later he’s going to realize where his injuries are coming from, and he will need us.”

Grian’s expression was strangled at the mention of Pearl. “Do you think..? Could Mumbo have hurt her? Do you even think Scar will listen, even if he understands?” There was no challenge in his tone now, only deep worry. Impulse knew that look, the helpless feeling inside him that needed a positive affirmation. It was a comfort Impulse couldn’t give him.

“I don’t know, Grian. But we have to try. Let’s not waste time, we can both teleport to Scar, and then you can go ahead.”

Grian only nodded, concern for Pearl seeming to level out his panic for Mumbo. At least for now, he was stable. Impulse squeezed his hand, letting go before focusing on Scar’s location before leaving the restaurant. He was already on his boat, making the short trip back to the Kestrel Island. Gunshots, yelling, and loud crashing sounded across the water, and a cloud of dust was beginning to rise above the island. Scar was leaning over the wheel, a pained expression crossing his face as he sustained another injury. Cleo had bandages, working quietly to curb some of the bleeding. At least it wasn’t much, the blood on Scar’s shirt looking far more frightening, but Impulse couldn’t help but wonder how much longer Scar could take this. He looked away, deciding worrying too much wouldn’t be productive. Grian appeared beside him, hesitating before flying off to the tavern. Impulse took a deep breath. Time to get to work.

Impulse stood in front of the wheel, beginning his frantic pointing and miming ‘ No’ at the destruction. In this more sensitive state, Scar seemed more willing to pay attention, but he was no less standoffish.

“Yeah, I know it’s a bad idea, but I don’t plan on letting whatever’s over there see me, I’m not an idiot. You guys took care of Grian, are you just drawing this out to spite me? Hoping it kills me? Looks like it might be your lucky day,” Scar replied flatly, looking bored.

Impulse waved his hands defensively. He pointed at the silhouette of the creature as it came into view, drawing a line across his neck. Pointing back to Scar, he made the same gesture. “If it dies, you die,” he tried to enunciate clearly, but Scar had never bothered to practice reading lips.

“Uh huh, I know it wants to kill me,” Scar rolled his eyes. Impulse yelled into both of his hands.

“What are they saying?” Cleo perked up, looking in the entirely wrong direction.

“Just Impulse. Hell if I know. Anticipating me getting snapped up and killed, probably. That’s the usual.”

‘NO,’ Impulse attempted to make his miming very clear, but Scar only yawned.

“You don’t seem all too concerned, given your possibly imminent death.”

Scar shrugged. “It’s never bothered me. It’s not that I don’t care, just that.. I’m not really scared. Never have been. Consequences don’t mean anything to me until they happen, y’know? Get ready to dock, Cleo.” And just like that, with someone else to talk to, Scar was ignoring him again.

“Interesting. I can’t say I ‘do know,’ though, I think that’s just a you thing, bud.” Cleo grabbed the docking rope and Scar slowed the boat, ready to jump ship. Impulse tried multiple times to block his path, but Scar just walked straight through, mumbling about ghosts being pests. Honestly, Impulse wasn’t sure if he was talking about him, or the monster destroying his home. Either way, he didn’t seem too concerned, not even when Sausage came running in his direction.

“ Scar, do you know anything about this? Did you do this?” Sausage panted, his long hair in complete disarray. Both men flinched at the sound of another loud crash, followed by yelling. Sausage shook his head. “Some Kites jumped on the opportunity for battle, but we’ve barely slowed it down! You need to take care of this.”

“Okay, okay, I know this looks bad. I’ve been treating them well, Sausage, promise! They’ve had a grand ol’ time without me this week, and I was under the impression they were doing well!”

“So it is a ghost.”

“Well, to be determined. Given the two others are losing their minds, I would say it’s likely. I still need to take a look.”

“Draw your sword then. Let’s go.” There was something deeper in Sausage’s eye, in his tone, that Impulse couldn’t quite parse. Had Scar caught it too? One way or another, Impulse was starting to think Scar’s time at the Faction Isles was coming to an end, one way or another. He couldn’t help but feel relief, almost immediately flattened by the looming idea that one of those ways ended with the loss of (possibly) Mumbo or Pearl, and that outcome was looking more and more likely. Impulse was glad Grian wasn’t here. He was spurred back to reality as Cleo walked through him, taking her time while Scar and Sausage ran.

Scar stopped dead when he saw the monster, his mask dropping in a moment of realness Impulse rarely ever saw. Sausage yelled once he realized Scar had quit running, but Scar wasn’t listening, and Impulse took the opportunity to get in front of him again.

“That’s not Mumbo,” Scar spoke with such certainty, Impulse couldn’t help but trust his judgment. “That’s- wait, ” Scar squinted, stepping forward, “No, there's.. He’s there but.. Impulse. Where is Pearl?”

Impulse was so surprised at being directly addressed he hardly reacted, just staring dumbly with wide eyes.

“Have you seen Pearl? Yes or no? Is she here?”

Impulse shook his head, but then realizing the gesture was a bit vague, gave Scar a thumbs down.

“Ohhoh!” Scar laughed, his smile sliding back across his face, “Well then, that is not just Mumbo my friend. At this point, I see new ghost tricks every week, so I suppose ghost fusion wasn’t completely out of the question for me.” Scar kept walking now, keeping a brisk pace. Impulse didn’t know what to say. Sausage’s irritation was palpable, but Scar either didn’t notice or didn’t care, continuing to speak to Impulse. “No wonder! Come on, we both know Mumbo doesn’t have the heart for destruction like this. And she’s so big- she? He? Them? I don’t suppose it can talk and tell us its pronouns huh? Well, they need a name! I’m not just going to call it Mumbo and Pearl, we need something succinct! Ah, well they look all smashed together, how about Mearl? You know, that kind of sounds like it’s short for Merlin! I like that! Do you think they’d agree? Do you like it? Thumbs up or thumbs down?”

Impulse’s expression was twisted in a look of helplessness, reflected completely in Sausage’s face. Scar laughed it off, continuing on his way. This was the most energetic Impulse had seen him in months, even as more phantom injuries appeared across his legs. Sausage seemed to notice, but didn’t say a word, presumably afraid that Scar might go off on another tangent and lose track of the task at hand. Suddenly, Impulse realized this might be his best chance at keeping Scar away, but by the time he got back in front of Scar to give a thumbs up, his attention was already elsewhere. All Impulse could do was follow as Scar got closer to impending doom.

Scar’s line of thinking, however erratic, made sense. Well, it didn’t actually make much sense at all, but it would at least explain Pearl’s absence, and maybe even the violence. If their bodies were unstable, maybe they got stuck together. When Grian had become.. something else.. he had at least recognized the rest of them, but maybe things got more confused with multiple minds. Maybe they weren’t even themselves, but a new entity entirely. Whatever the case, Impulse was a little relieved that Scar gave them a name; it felt wrong to think about them as ‘monster’. Merlin was better.

It was only a couple more streets before they properly reached the fighting, Merlin hooked upside down to the now crumbling dining hall, wings flared. It roared as another shot was fired, disappearing into its mane. Given the lack of injuries on Scar’s face and neck, Impulse guessed it was quite thick. Pirates Impulse didn’t recognize were scattered in the street, but he assumed most were Kites or other faction members, since many if not most of the Kestrels held back with firearms. Martyn stood with his daggers among the Kites, but turned as Scar approached, almost like he sensed his presence.

“Well hello there!” Scar waved without standing in direct view of Merlin. Impulse tried to block him from standing much further in the open, frantically waving his hands, but he was beginning to lose hope. Scar looked sheepish as the other Kestrels turned to see, but the distraction only lasted seconds when Merlin jumped from the dining hall, crashing into the road and hammering the ground with his forearms. The shaking earth made many stumble, while others reared forward, swords raised. Scar drew his own, clearly looking for an opening, but didn’t get the chance before multiple lacerations crossed through his legs, the surprise causing him to cry out. Scar stumbled, looking from Impulse to Merlin. He paled. His blood dripped to the pavement.

“Do you finally understand?” Impulse stressed, nearly yelling as if Scar might hear him.

“This.. This makes things a little more complicated, doesn’t it,” Scar said, taking a step back. Impulse saw his brain working, his eyes flicking back and forth. Looking for a way out. Impulse pointed in the direction of the tavern, trying desperately to tell Scar they needed to talk. At another step back, he ran into Cleo. From the look she was giving him, Impulse was pretty sure she’d also figured it out.

“They’re going to kill you, Scar.”

“No one saw.”

“I saw. Scott and Sausage have seen, they just haven’t put it together. Or maybe they have.”

“I have a plan,” Scar pushed past her before she could question him, walking in stride to Sausage. Impulse couldn’t suppress his anxiety at the small trail of blood he left. He looked up to see Martyn staring, lowering his daggers before stepping out of the fight behind a pile of rubble. Impulse looked frantically to Cleo, then to Scar, but they were completely focused on Sausage. Damn it.

“The ouija board,” Scar’s hushed voice caught his attention, “It’s how I stopped the ghost last time this happened, but it left a toll on me, as you could see with the seizures. That’s how this starts. That’s how it ends. I’ll be back before you even miss me, and honestly, my presence here is only going to piss that thing off.” Relief washed over Impulse in waves. Scar had understood, or at the very least he had realized himself they were going to have to work together.

“I don’t like this. Even besides the use of the ouija board, you aren’t known to be the reliable sort, Scar,” Sausage crossed his arms, eyes narrowed.

“Then come with me,” Scar gave a little start, as if realizing at the last minute that wouldn’t work. Scar had always been an actor, but years of knowing him made these tricks easy to see through. “No, you need to stay here, you’re one of the only gunmen. Have someone else come. Cleo, maybe.”

Sausage huffed, but was stopped in his tracks by another loud crash. Merlin had jumped back to the dining hall, and the ceiling was now caving. In a moment of panic, Sausage shook his head. “ Fine. Go. You have ten minutes.”

Scar didn’t waste any time before hopping off, breaking into a run with Cleo hot on his tail. Impulse lingered for an extra moment, looking for Martyn. Nowhere to be found. Shit, he really should have kept a closer eye on him, but it was too late now. He’d just have to tell Scar over the ouija board.

As they approached the tavern, Scar studied Cleo with cold intensity. He put a hand on the hilt of his sword, and Impulse was certain for a moment Scar was going to kill them while their back was turned. But instead of fully drawing his sword, he spoke, “Why didn’t you tell Sausage or anyone else, Cleo? You care about this island, don’t you? If killing me would stop Pearl and Mumbo, why wait?” Scar stopped in his tracks. Impulse pulled at his hair. They were so close. Why did Scar always have to make things harder?

Cleo stopped, confusion in her gaze until she saw Scar’s hand on his sword. Confusion turned to irritation. “No need to be touchy now, keep your sword away. I wouldn’t care if it was just you, but the ghosts attached to your hip didn’t do anything wrong. Listen, I’d be willing to cut my losses if the three of you kicked it, but I don’t believe this is hopeless. Your other ghosts might have some ideas, and if not, I know an island full of freaks that are starting to get bored. They’d jump on a project like this.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Well, Scar, if it’s death or another visit with Cub, what are you going to pick?”

“That’s a toughie. I’ll cross that bridge when I get there,” Scar made a show of taking his hand off his sword, throwing both arms in the air. Cleo rolled her eyes, walking beside him. Impulse let out a deep breath, running ahead to enter the tavern first. He was relieved to see Grian at the bottom of the stairs. Emotion overtook him seeing Grian stand over the ouija board looking all tired and proud, and he ran forward to wrap him in a quick hug. The relief of even getting to this point made his knees weak.

“It’s not over Grian, but Scar is here. He’s going to talk to us. We also- we think the, uh, the moth creature, we think it’s Pearl and Mumbo. Together. Scar recognized parts of Mumbo, but not all of it if that makes sense? Something could have gone wrong when Pearl found Mumbo, or.. I mean, I won’t pretend to know what happened.”

Grian took the information in quietly, brows furrowed. “That’s.. I don’t know. Concerning? Worrying? All of the things,” Grian sighed, putting on a small smile, “Hey, are you saying you made me move this stupid thing all the way down here when Scar could have just gotten it himself? Do you know how tiring it is to try and move stuff on purpose?” But his tone was light, eyes playful.

“Well you did a great job!”

Grian snorted, but stopped as the front door opened, Scar dramatically gesturing for Cleo to go inside. She flicked his hats off his head as she went, giggling as he squawked and reached down to gather them.

“Oh look at that, they’ve already pushed the ouija board to the bottom of the stairs!” Cleo said, bending over to examine the board. “I’ve never used one of these, can you believe that?”

“ Wow, Cleo, that was very nice and polite of my ghosts to do,” Scar still clambered around in the doorway, restacking his hats. “So very unlike you. You, who is very rude. Very very rude. Don’t you know to respect a man’s hats? These are important! They’re-” Scar stopped short, Cleo laughing.

“I’ve always wanted to do that. I was not disappointed,” Cleo lingered in her smile for a moment, frowning before looking back to the door when there was no response, “Scar?”

Impulse blinked, looking up from where he was chuckling with Grian over the ouija board. Scar stood halfway off the ground, Sausage’s gun pressed to the back of his head. Martyn stood next to Sausage, eyes narrowed and sword drawn.

“Sorry Scar,” Martyn finally spoke, expression unreadable, “This really isn’t personal.”

#hermitcraft #pirates smp #gtws #goodtimeswithscar #grian #impulsesv #mumbo jumbo #pearlecentmoon #zombiecleo #mythicalsausage #inthelittlewood #boatem #boatemghostsau

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harringtonstilinski · 2 years

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You’ll Always Be My Hero - Chapter 96 ; Triggers

Author: @harringtonstilinski Characters: Stiles Stilinski x Emma Thomas (OC) Word Count: 4,855 Warnings: angst, squint for fluff, comical at some points???, A/N: Hi, friends! 96 Chapters down, 4 to go!! If you like this chapter, please do not hesitate to reblog and give some feedback, whether it be in the reblogs, comments, or my inbox. As always, read at your own risk and enjoy 😊

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The next day, part of our plan was set in motion. Mason would lead Nolan to the zoo where Theo would lead a few things to make Monroe’s crew think that we were sleeping there instead of… not at the zoo.

Hopefully, if we play our cards right, Nolan would let Monroe know where we were and send some of her goons to the zoo to kill us. Did I mention that it’s an abandoned zoo… that Liam and Theo will be staying at… to make it more believable?

As Mason did his, Scott, Malia, Lydia and I were sitting with Argent in his black SVU, him and I sitting up front, the other three in the back. My phone vibrated with a text from Mason. Turning around in my seat to face those in the back, I informed them, “It worked.”

“It’s about time,” Malia said, moving to get out of the car.

“Wait,” Scott said. They both were silent for a moment before Malia said, “I hear them, too.”

“Care to inform those of us who don’t have werewolf hearing?” I sassed out.

Scott looked at me, saying, “Heartbeats.”

“How many?” Argent asked.

Scott concentrated for a moment before answering, “Ten?”

“More,” Malia corrected.

“Look,” I said, holding my hand out, palm up. “Are we breaking in or not?” I sat back in the seat and crossed my arms, mumbling, “I have a very important phone call to make.”

“Not,” Argent said. “The Armory should be empty by now.”

“Yeah, and plus, Stiles can wait,” Malia said.

I turned my head back to glare at her. “Thanks for that vote of confidence. It’s just that I don’t know if Sheriff told him anything.”

How I knew Scott sighed, I’ll never know, so I explained further. “I forgot my necklace, okay? I had to get it. Claudia gave it to me.”

“Alright, whatever,” Malia said. “We can take down a few hunters if we have to.”

“We’re dealing with a dozen well-armed hunters--” Argent said.

“Who have orders to kill us on sight,” I interrupted.

Scott, Malia, Lydia and I looked at each other before Malia leaned over Scott, asking Argent, “Then how are we supposed to get inside?”

~~~

I guess Argent was anxious or something, maybe tired of waiting because he leaned forward and turned the engine over. I saw someone’s hand shoot in the front with me and him, turning the engine back off before they pulled back.

“Gerard thinks we’re gone,” Malia said. “It’s a good plan.”

“It’s our only plan,” Lydia and I deadpanned.

“And it’s not working,” Argent said.

“Wow. Way to be optimistic,” I sassed, narrowing my eyes at him.

“We can still do this,” Malia said, voice cheery.

Looking back forward with an eye roll, I looked at the windshield, all voices in the car either echoing or vanishing out completely as the glass cracked. I leaned forward, putting the tip of my finger on the crack, causing it to spider web out. Pulling back not even a centimeter, it continued to crack. I swear there was another noise involved, but couldn’t make out what it was as Scott’s hand landed on my shoulder.

“You okay?” he asked.

Coming back into reality, I put my hand on top of his, nodding my head. “Yeah.” I closed my eyes for a moment, taking in a much needed deep breath. Once I opened my eyes again, I looked back at the windshield, noticing how normal the glass looked. “I think so.”

He squeezed my shoulder as Argent said, “We should call off this mission.”

“Brett and Lori are gone,” Scott said. “And Jiang and Tierney are still missing. Gerard’s always one step ahead of us.”

“Yeah, Argent,” I said, voice softer than Scott’s. “I totally agree with Scott. We have to do this now.”

“We’re too exposed, guys,” Argent said.

“You said we had ten minutes,” Malia said.

I watched Argent look at his watch, stating, “Nine.”

Feeling the car jerking, I looked back at Scott, seeing that he was leaned over as if he were going to be getting out of the vehicle. “Scotty, what are you doing?”

“I’m gonna lure them away so that we can get inside,” he explained.

Malia reached over, taking his hand away from the door before she locked it.

“We need a new plan.”

“Not a dumb one,” Malia said.

“I’ll bring the thermite charges,” Scott suggested.

I sighed. “Scott, we need them for the Armory. Plus, Malia, why'd you lock the door?” “So he won’t leave,” she said.

“Sweet baby Jesus,” I whispered.

“Look, explosion will buy you time,” Argent said. “But not enough to get in and out safely.”

I looked over to my right out of the window, face an expression I give Stiles when I’ve had about enough of him for the moment. “Guys.”

“How about using the tunnels?” Malia asked.

“We could get underneath the building, but we’d still need to sneak in undetected,” Argent said.

“Guys,” I said, in a singsong tone.

“The ventilation system?” Scott asked.

“Same problem,” Argent said.

“Y’all, they’re leaving!” I yelled, watching two other black SUVs drive away from the building. As soon as they were clear, the five of us hopped out of the vehicle, Argent getting his weapon of choice from the trunk.

As we were walking up to the building, I looked at the gun in Argent’s hands, softly chuckling.

“What?” he asked.

“I just can’t believe you’re using a paintball gun,” I whispered.

“You can tease me about it later,” he said, slightly opening the door and shooting a pellet at the camera before letting the rest of us walk in, Malia dragging a body in the room with us and dropping him to the floor.

“The thermite charges will take care of the weapons,” Argent said. “Just make sure you’re clear before they detonate, okay?”

“Yeah, we will,” I said.

“Emma--” Scott said.

“Nope. We’re not having an argument about my damn safety. All of you can yell at me later.”

Scott sighed as Argent and Lydia walked to the control room as Scott, Malia and myself walked down another hallway. Coming around a corner, I spotted a guy standing in front of the door we needed, quickly backing up and crashing my back into Scott’s chest. Motioning to the corner, Scott got what I was laying down, giving Malia a look that said for her to wait… which she didn’t.

Scott and I peered around the corner, watching as Malia grabbed the guy’s gun, pushing him against the wall so hard that he was knocked out before she pushed him against the opposite wall, letting him fall to the floor.

I looked back at Scott, seeing him have that that was hot look on his face. I smacked his chest, grabbing his shirt and pulling him down the hall. “You can have steamy sex with her later.”

As Scott and I got closer to Malia, I heard a gunshot, stopping my steps and turning around to face the source… which there was none.

“Did you guys hear a gunshot?” I asked.

“I didn’t hear anything, Em,” Scott said.

“Yeah, same here,” Malia said, confusion laced in her voice.

I sighed, and closed my eyes for a second before opening them at the sound of shell casing hitting the ground. “Shell casings,” I whispered.

“What?” Scott asked.

“I heard shell casings,” I said, turning back around to face them. “I saw Argent’s windshield crack before I heard it shatter.” I sighed, coming to a stop between the two. “I think he was right. We should’ve called this off.”

“Em, our lives are on the line because of Gerard,” Scott said. “In order for us to succeed at this, we gotta stay. We won’t get another chance otherwise.”

I tilted my head back, letting out a deep breath. “Yeah. You’re right. Let’s do this.”

The door to our right opened, Argent letting us in. Malia was the first to go in, then me and then Scott.

Looking around at the empty room, my mouth hung open. “What in the actual fuck?” I said, shock lacing my voice.

“Where are all the guns?” Malia asked.

“They knew we were coming,” Scott said.

“Well, I could’ve told you that,” I sassed.

~~~

Looking in every wooden crate that was in this room, I sighed in frustration as another box was empty.

The speaker in the room crackled, my head turning over my shoulder to look at it as Argent’s voice came through, “Guys, get out of there now.”

“Let’s go before they all get back,” Malia said.

The three of us started walking towards the door before Scott turned around, almost crashing into me.

“Sweet baby Jesus, Scott!” I said.

“What?” Malia asked.

“That scent,” Scott said.

“What scent?” I asked.

“Behind that door,” Scott said, putting his hands on my shoulders, turning me around to face a metal door.

“It’s Jiang and Tierney,” Malia said.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Guys, you need to leave now,” Argent said.

Making a very unwise decision, Scott looked over at Malia, saying, “Help me with this,” before they both moved towards the door. Putting both their hands on the handle, they pulled while letting out strained grunts.

“No, no, no,” Argent said. “Don’t open that door!”

Did that stop them? No. No, it didn’t. Because the next thing that I knew… the door was opened… and not a second later, the door that we came in through… shut on its own.

“Either this place is haunted or we just set off an alarm,” I said, the other door behind me shutting not two seconds later. “I’m banking on the alarm.”

Malia went to one of the doors, trying to push it open while I walked up beside Scott, pushing the door the rest of the way open.

Inside of the room on the wall was a map, seven large red dots in certain spots. On the table underneath it was what looked like two skulls with a couple of claws sitting in between them.

On the table to our right, what looked like an alligator foot stood on display along with a patch of skin in a glass case looking thing. I covered my mouth as I recognized the tattoo on it, looking up to see two werewolf ears above it.

“Where’s Jiang and Tierney?” Malia asked.

I pointed in front of me with a shaky hand, taking in a deep breath.

“They’re here,” Scott said, putting a hand on my shoulder, voice sad.

“That’s all that’s left of them,” I whispered, my own voice shaky.

Scott started to walk me out of the room, but stopped once we both heard the sensors activate.

“Well, that can’t be good,” I sassed, a red laser scanning across the floor. I grabbed onto Malia’s arm, pulling her back. “Watch it.”

“What is that?” Malia asked.

“Motion sensor,” I explained. “If they already know we’re here--”

“What do they need a sensor for?”

“I don’t think we wanna know,” Scott said.

“Look,” I said. “I’ve seen enough movies with Stiles to know that if you trip a sensor, bad things can happen. Very bad things.”

Not two seconds later, a clanging noise sounded, almost sounding like the noise I heard the same night Stiles had his MRI when Void was in his mind before Argent’s voice came through, telling us, “Don’t trip the sensors.” Pretty much confirming what I said.

Another sensor went off, another red laser scanning almost at head level.

“Come on,” Scott said. He ran forward, jumping over the bottom laser beam before ducking under the second one. I followed him, and Malia followed me. Scott jumped on top of one of the shelves, reaching his arm out for me to take. Taking his hand, he pulled me up, our chests meeting. Uhm, yeah, this wasn’t awkward. At all. Malia, I guess, landed on the one behind us.

Scott sighed, resting a hand on the back of my head, sighing, “Okay.”

Sighing, I leaned up, telling him, “Sorry,” before he grabbed my shoulders, saying, “Wait!” and pulling me back down.

“Your heart is beating super fast,” I said, my ear resting on his chest.

“Yeah, well… adrenaline and all that,” he said.

I chuckled, moving my chin to rest on his chest. “You know Stiles might actually kill you for this, right?”

“We’ll just say that I was protecting you. Which I am.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “Fair enough. But. This is slightly…”

“Uncomfortable?” he finished.

“Little bit,” I sassed. “I mean, when we were kids, we’d sleep in the same bed as, like, a comfort thing because of your dad, but… I mean, it is comforting, but it’s also a little uncomfortable. Considering, ya’know… Little Scotty’s kind of poking me a little.”

Malia snorted at my comment, unable to hold back her laughter.

“I should probably do something,” Scott said, looking around at our surroundings.

“I’ve got an idea,” Malia said.

“Whatever it is, please do it fast,” I said, Scott chuckling underneath me. “Sweet baby Jesus,” I whispered, resting my forehead on his chest.

“It’s actually kind of a plan.”

“Sounds great,” Scott and I said.

“You two don’t even know what it is yet.”

“Don’t need to,” I said, sitting up a little bit.

“What we mean is that it’s great that you have a plan,” Scott said, putting his arms on my shoulders and pulling me back down onto his chest, the both of us sighing.

“Guys, look up at the ceiling,” Malia said. “See the padlock? I’m thinking that’s our way out.”

Scott and I turned our heads to look at the padlock hanging from the ceiling. I sat up a little, confused look on my face as Scott turned his head back to look at me.

“We-- we can’t reach that,” I said.

Scott pulled me back down… for the third time. “If you don’t stay still--”

“Have you ever known me to stay still, Scott McCall?” I sassed. “Malia, you could trip a sensor.”

“Em, trust me,” she said. “I’ve got this.”

“Okay,” I said. I was fully sure she wouldn’t trip a sensor, but there’s no harm in trying not to… right?

We watched the sensors carefully before Malia jumped from her shelf, landing on a pole not far from Scott and I. “You got it,” we said.

With a grunt and a kick off the pole, Malia grabbed a support beam above her, legs dangling below her.

“Mal, babe. Beam,” I said. She pulled her legs up onto the support beam, successfully not tripping the wire.

Scott and I looked at each other, relieved sighs leaving both of our mouths. We watched as Malia swiped at the lock twice with her claws out before swiping once more, breaking the lock and sending it to the ground.

“Shit,” I whispered, as she and Scott celebrated.

“Yes!” Scott said.

“No,” I corrected. The lock landed on the ground, the broken pieces bouncing off the floor, hitting the motion sensor. An alarm went off, sending a smoke-like substance into the room. Scott gripped me tightly, turning us over and sending us flying to the ground, him letting out a pained grunt as his back met the floor breaking my own fall, Malia landing next to us.

We started gasping for air, and I was brought back to when we were quarantined in the Vault.

~~~

I wasn’t sure how long had passed --could’ve been an hour or just one minute-- before I was laying my head in Scott’s lap with Malia sitting next to him, her head on his shoulder. I was sweating and running out of air. At least if I was gonna die… again, it’d be in my best friend's arms… again. I started to close my eyes before I heard Scott’s voice ringing in my ears.

“Emma?” Scott said.

“Yeah, Scotty?” I replied.

“Keep your eyes open,” he said. The three of us jumped not long after hearing something explode outside the door.

“Right back at ‘cha,” I said, breathless. I looked up at him, raising my arm to place my hand on his cheek as he closed his eyes. “Scotty,” I whispered.

He jumped, and looked down at me. “Hey, try not to talk.”

“I don’t wanna die like this,” I said, voice still a whisper.

Placing a hand on my cheek, Scott leaned into my touch, saying, “Oh, Emma.”

“She’s right,” Malia said. I felt her hand on the top of my head as she said, “I don’t want to, either. Not like this.”

“Em, the more you talk--” Scott said.

“The more oxygen that’ll run out of my body, I know,” I said. “I don’t care. I’m not dying here.”

We looked at each other with sad eyes as I swallowed the little bit of saliva I had in my mouth, taking in a deep breath. “I was supposed to have my internship. I’m supposed to marry Stiles one day with you by his side. I’m only 18. I haven’t worn a white dress yet, I haven’t had babies that look like Stiles… there’s still too many things I want to do. All with my True Alpha werewolf best friend by my side.” I took deep breaths, not because I was trying to calm myself down, but because I was running out of oxygen as I looked at him. “I don’t wanna die here. Not here. Not like this. But if I do, I want you to do something for me.”

“Emma--”

“No. Just do something for me,” I said, earning a nod from him in return. Speaking between breaths, I said, “Tell Stiles… that I love him… and that I wished… more than anything… to marry him… like we said. He’ll understand… what you’re saying. Tell him… that I would want him… to move on… even if he feels… like he can’t. You stand… by his side… through everything… understand?”

Scott nodded, tears in his eyes at hearing me talk this way, but I had to cover my tracks in case something did happen. He put his hand on top of mine that was resting on my stomach. Spreading my fingers apart a little, I laced our fingers, holding onto his hand tightly.

Just as I could feel my resolve slipping, I heard the door creaking, Lydia’s scream on the other side. I closed my eyes, head rolling further down Scott’s legs as the door rattled.

“Emma, hold on,” Scott said, hands on my face. “Okay? Just hold on.”

His words fell on deaf ears as everything started to fade out; sounds, lights, my breathing, my heartbeat, everything. Feeling him taking in a deep breath, everything still started to fade.

“Get her out of here,” Argent said.

I felt myself being picked up, head hanging back as Scott’s voice told me to hold on. Taking a deep breath of fresh air, I picked my head up, coughing as I wrapped my arm around Scott’s neck, feeling his shoulders sag in relief.

“Thank God,” he whispered, kissing my hairline. “I thought we lost you again.”

I looked up at him through my lashes. “You can’t get rid of me that easily,” I teased.

~~~

Malia had hopped into the backseat of the Jeep, helping Scott to put me in safely and gently. For some reason, the gas that was released into the air to suck all the oxygen out had more of an effect on me than it did them. I’m guessing it was because of me being a hybrid. Once Scott got in and started driving towards Stiles’ house, I decided to spark up a conversation, wishing that Lydia was here to hear it as well.

“Scotty?” I said.

“Hmm?” he hummed.

“You remember what I told you back there when the air was running out?”

“You mean about your internship?”

I knew he was being vague, not saying what I needed him to say. “No. About marrying Stiles one day.”

“Yeah,” he answered.

I turned my head over my shoulder, seeing Malia smiling a little as I tried to get Scott to ask me the one question I wanted him to ask. “About marrying Stiles one day?” I said, looking back at his side profile. Watching as his brows scrunched in confusion, I sighed. “Scotty--” I held my left hand up, letting him see what I was talking about.

He glanced at me for a moment before putting his eyes back on the road. “Yeah, it’s your promise ring.”

“Yeah, but--?” I said, hoping he was picking up what I was laying down. He wasn’t, face still full of confusion. “Sweet baby Jesus, Scott. Why would this ring be on this finger?”

“Because Stiles would ask you to marry him and you say yes,” Scott said. After a few seconds, it hit him. “Oh. Oh! OH!”

“There it is, ladies and germs,” I sassed.

“Wait, when did he ask?” Malia asked.

“Well, I don’t think it’s official since it’s only a promise ring, but he said that with this on my finger that I could start referring to him as my fiance until he, like, officially gets down on one knee. So, we’re kind of engaged?”

Scott chuckled. “Yeah, I already knew. He called me the other night and told me.”

“I’m gonna kill him,” I mumbled, earning chuckles from all three of us.

~~~

After Scott and Malia brought me home, I told them to get back to Scott’s and take showers, whether together or not, wasn’t my choice. Though, I did text Scott and told him to just… well, ya’know… make her feel good. To which he replied with a middle finger emoji (🖕🏻) that I sent back with a cheesy smile emoji(😁) and a crying laughing emoji(😂).

I took a much needed shower before I decided to FaceTime Stiles. I hadn’t talked to him since the night we were trapped at the station because of Monroe. Unlocking my phone, I went to my contacts and pressed on his, my face showing on the screen. A few moments later, I smiled as my video went up into the corner.

“Well, hello, my sleepy handsome,” I said, a smile on my face as I walked into his room.

He smiled sleepily, running a hand through his hair. “Hi, beautiful. How was your day?”

“Oh, ya’know,” I said, pulling the covers back to get in the bed, taking a deep breath to launch into my explanation. “Just your typical afternoon of sneaking into a warehouse to blow up some guns only to not find said guns, and set off an alarm system that activates motion sensors for you to dodge ONLY THEN-- I’ll tell this part of the story that involves Scott later--, and then a padlock falls to the floor in pieces setting off another alarm that causes a gas like smoke to rain down on you that sucks all the oxygen out of the room and you almost die again. So yeah. Typical afternoon. How was yours?”

He chuckled. “It was alright. Worked on the case a little bit more. Nothing I can really talk about.”

I nodded my head in understanding, totally getting where he was coming from until I saw his face scrunch up in confusion.

“Wait. What do you mean you almost died again?”

I sighed, closing my eyes for a moment. “At the warehouse, or Armory that Gerard is using as a base for Monroe and her fucking goons. Scott, Malia and I accidentally set off an alarm that activated some motion sensors; one at our feet, one at our head and another at the top of some shelves that we had to lay on top of. Well, Malia jumped from the unit she was laying on and onto a pole beside me and Scott. She ended up dangling like a spider monkey, swiping at a lock on the ceiling for us to get out. Well, the lock ended up falling to the ground in a few pieces and tripped one of the sensors, causing another alarm to go off. Smoke came from some vents above us, all the oxygen in the air being drawn out. They have those in case of fires. Anyway, I’m not sure if it’s because I’m like a fucking hybrid or something, but I ended up almost dying… again.”

“No, I get all that,” he said. “I mean the again part. When did you die before?”

“In the Vault,” I said, glancing away from my phone for a moment. I sat up more when it dawned on me. “You forgot, didn’t you?”

Like a lightbulb went off in his head, he started chuckling. “Yeah. I guess I kind of did.”

I chuckled along with him, almost scared to tell him about mine and Scott’s uncomfortable position in the Armory. “Uhm, there’s something I gotta tell you, and I’m not sure how you’ll react or if you’ll like it.”

“What is it?” he asked.

I sighed. “Alright, I’ll make it short. In order for both of us to fit on top of the shelf that we were on, I had to lay on top of Scott.”

Stiles chuckled, putting his hand over his eyes. “Just tell me one thing.”

“What?” I asked.

“Did he get a boner?” he asked.

I pulled my lips between my teeth before putting my fingers up to my face, my index finger and thumb spaced apart a little. “Just a little bit.”

It was silent for a moment before we both just broke out into laughs. Once mine had died down, I let out a soft breath. “I miss that laugh. So much. In person.”

“Same for yours, baby,” he whispered.

I smiled a little, missing him a lot. “I’m gonna let you go. You look exhausted.”

“I am. Had a long day.”

I nodded in understanding. “I totally get it.”

“Alright, baby. Good night.”

“Good night,” I said, sleep hitting me like a bus.

“I love you, beautiful.”

“I love you, handsome.”

~~~

I didn’t even get to think about sleep as Mason came to pick me up and take me over to Scott’s. Apparently, Argent wanted to talk to all of us about the map we’d taken from the Armory. I didn’t change out of my pajamas and I didn’t want to think about it.

Argent, Mason, Melissa, Lydia and I were standing around the table with the map in the center.

“What are the red dots?” Mason asked.

I looked at the map again, putting my finger on the one over California and closed my eyes. I saw the drawing of my tree that Stiles had on his dresser. “It’s a Nemeton, they’re all Nemetons.” I looked around as I heard crackling, all of our names ringing in my head.

“What does Gerard want with them?” Melissa asked, bringing me back.

I looked at Lydia, her nodding that she heard it, too.

“If they’re like the one here…” I said, trailing off at the end.

“Then they’re beacons for supernaturals,” Mason finished for me.

“Exactly,” I whispered.

“If you wanted to kill every supernatural creature in the world,” Argent said. “These are where you would start.”

“Well, then Gerard isn’t gonna stop with Beacon Hills, is he?” Melissa asked.

Argent shook his head a little, looking over at Melissa. “He wants the whole world.”

The door opening and closing caused all of us to look at the source; Rafael McCall. “Where’s Scott?”

“Upstairs. Probably getting it--” I said.

“Why?” Melissa interrupted me.

“I’m gonna ignore your comment, Emma,” Rafael said, flustered. “He can’t leave. No one can.”

“But, just yesterday you wanted us out,” I said, confused.

“Emma,” Melissa warned. “Nice to see that you changed your mind, but I’m afraid to ask why.”

“It’s Gerard’s weapons,” Raf said.

I looked behind me at the sound of shell casing hitting the ground.

“Dad?” Scott said.

“The guns, they’ve all been distributed legally to the citizens of Beacon Hills,” Raf addressed. “All of them, and at no charge.”

Moving to stand next to me, Scott said, “What, he just gave them away?”

“No,” Argent said. “He’s arming his army.”

Turning my head with a jump to face the window, I heard glass shattering after a gunshot sound.

“Get down!” Lydia said, pulling Mason down to the ground.

Scott pulled me to the side right as an arrow shot through the window… only there were two of them. Flash arrows.

I crawled my way under Scott as Malia put her arms around him, gun fire sounding. I watched as Raf pulled his gun from its holster, red lasers shining through the window. I was laying in a weird position, everyone facing the window while my back was the only thing facing the window.

What struck me as odd was I didn’t feel the searing pain of a bullet entering my left thigh until I felt pressure where the wound was. There were two names and two names only ringing in my head.

Emma. Melissa.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N 2: hi, friends let me know what you thought! again, please do not hesitate to reblog and give some feedback, whether it be in the reblogs, comments, or my inbox.

Additional Note: i probably won’t do anymore timezone reblogs from here on out since the feedback on this series has stopped, and reblogging isn’t doing shit.

~~~

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~~~

*Please don’t post my writing anywhere else without my consent. The author of this work will always and forever be @harringtonstilinski.

All characters, story lines, and plot aside from Emma and her storyline & plot, are all of the work of Jeff Davis. Our home slice Emma was made up all by me. As well we her parents and their storyline throughout the series.

*These works contain material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited.

No part of these works may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.

Posted on August 16, 2022

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lunarliza · 4 years

Text

Dirty Little Secret | Chapter 4: Ferry Tickets

fuckbuddy!JJ x kook!reader

series masterlist | prev. chapter | chapter one

You and JJ are fuck buddies- strictly physical. But what happens when you find yourself falling more and more for everyone’s favorite golden boy even though all he can see you as is a spoiled rich girl?

note: smut ... like right under here

“Fuuuck me,” you whimpered, face pressed down to your floral pillowcase.

“You like that don’t you?” JJ’s hand twisted your hair as the other smacked the side of your ass while he slid himself in and out of you from behind.

Ted and your mom went into the city for a few days while Macy was off at her tennis lesson which left you with an big empty house for the morning. You had contemplated doing a sunrise yoga on the beach or riding your bike along the pier, but a surprise text from JJ had you cancelling all your self-care plans.

Which is how you ended up in your current position- under him, back arched, and feeling his thick cock stretch you out.

“Mm,” you whined, lifting your eyes to his hungry ones as you watched him take you. You felt the cold metal from his rings cling onto your sweaty skin when his hands moved to grip both sides of your hips.

“Mm, play with me.”

JJ’s hands snaked around to your wet clit where he gently rubbed you back and forth. It sent you over the edge as you moaned louder into the pillow you were clenching.

He came into the condom and pulled out of you, collapsing onto your side in a fit of pants. His gold locks were disheveled on his face as his broad chest heaved up and down. You laid in your current position for a few moments, collecting yourself, before springing to the bathroom to get cleaned up.

You expected him to be gone once you got out, but, much to your surprise, JJ was still submerged in your fluffy white comforter, underwear on, scrolling through his phone. Slightly taken aback, you flopped down next to him.

You and JJ had this unspoken no cuddling or pillow talk rule, but you decided that, after three months of fooling around, you could at least engage in small talk.

“Why’d you call me up so early?” you asked, hugging your knees.

“I was at the store and saw your parents getting gas to leave town. Didn’t see you in the car so I thought you’d be home alone,” he smirked, still glued to his phone, “and I was right.”

JJ paid a lot of attention to little things- more so than you thought. Here and there he’d bring up a small fact he remembered about you like how you’d braid your hair before swimming or how he saw you talking to someone he thought you didn’t like. It was odd, but you pushed it aside.

Another thing that always fazed you about him was why he was so open to sleeping with you. You assumed it was him getting off on the satisfaction of fucking a Kook, but the hateful remarks he made the other day on the boat with Rafe confused you.

“Since when did you start hanging out with Topper and Rafe?” he asked, tossing his phone to the side.

You didn’t expect that question from him. “I don’t. Jade just dragged me with her because she’s trying to get with Rafe.”

JJ snorted. “Oh Jade... she has a nice rack. And she can do way better than him, he looks like a celery.”

You giggled at his uncanny comparison. “Hey JJ.”

He lifted his eyebrows, leaning over on his side. “It was you that day wasn’t it? The day you caught me smoking, you’re the one who fucked up Topper’s bike.”

You had always wondered what on earth JJ was running from the day you two met. You almost forgot about it until Topper brought up his messed up bike on the boat. You remembered hearing him whine about it months ago during class, the Monday after, and mentally put the pieces together.

“What’s it to ya?” JJ responded, growing peeved.

You shrugged. “Just wondering. I just don’t get this war between you guys. It’s honestly ridiculous, like what good is throwing shit at each other or punching each other gonna do?”

The light-haired boy groaned and sat up in annoyance. “Of course you wouldn’t get it. You’re a fucking Kook. You can do whatever the hell you want- buy whatever you want, hurt whoever you want- and get away with it. Nothing ever affects you because at the end of the day, you just come straight home to your gated neighborhood with not a spec on your back. You’ll never know what it’s like to not have everything you want!”

You scoffed and crossed your arms, standing from the bed to get away from him. “Well guess what, prick? I actually do know what it’s like. I didn’t always have this stupid life!”

You ran your hands through your hair and avoided his gaze. That was probably the first time you confessed that out loud to someone since you moved. You heard JJ shift a little on your bed as pure silence soon enveloped you both.

Since he was already there, why not just let the entire cat out the bag?

“I use to live in a small town outside of Charlotte. My parents didn’t have a lot but they tried to give me and my sister everything they could. My dad would come home late sometimes- there were days when we wouldn’t even see him. My mom sold clothes, shoes, hats, anything she could make at home so we could eat.” You turned to face him. “And as much as it fucking sucked, I liked it better that way than now.”

“So what happened?” JJ peered up at you with sheer orbs and, for a moment, you forgot about his tactless, cold-blooded self.

You sighed and pursed your lips. “My parents divorced because my dad kept having to leave and I moved homes for a few years. Then my mom met Ted and I was, unwillingly, initiated to this Kook life.”

JJ lifted his eyebrows in shock. “You know most people see that as a like a Cinderella story.”

“Well I see it like hell.”

He let out a soft chuckle.

“I know I should be more grateful of everything, but it’s just hard. And weird.” You’re back sitting beside him on the bed at this point. “Like, I’m just not use to this. I’ve never had a phone with internet until now and my mom keeps wanting me to pretend I’m some preppy fairy. And the kids here all suck. They have no personality other than their clothes and cars, and they don’t like me cause I don’t give a shit about that stuff. I really do hate it here. And I miss my dad. I haven’t seen him in years.”

You plopped your head on the pillow and stared at your ceiling. It was nice to get all that off your chest, especially to JJ who’s been shoving his preconceived notions down your throat.

“Well I almost feel sorry for you,” JJ said jokingly as you playfully shoved him.

“But I get it, kinda. I don’t know. My mom passed away, so it’s just me and my dad. He’s,” he paused for a moment, “he has his quirks, you can say. We don’t get along too well, and he’s too busy working to really give me any real attention. It sucks.”

“I’m sorry,” you comforted as he maneuvered so he was laying down next to you. You both rested side by side, fixated on your plain white ceiling. It was nice to finally talk to JJ without making a snide comment every two seconds.

“Do you think it’ll get any better?” you asked, out of the blue.

“You wanna know the truth?” You turned to your side, tucking your arm under your head, ready for his spiel.

“I think we’re where we are for a reason. Do I wanna get the fuck outta here sometimes? Yeah. But I just know I’m meant to have this life and there’s not much I can do to get out. Just gotta take it day by day.”

“C’mon, you never dreamed of going anywhere else in the world? Traveling?” you raised, a bit more enthusiastic than you intended to let on.

JJ exhaled. “I wouldn’t even know where to start.”

The two of you laid in a comfortable silence for a while longer. There was, finally, an air of understanding between you.

“Why don’t you come to our side then?” JJ asked after a few minutes. “If you hate it here in Kookville so much, why don’t you try the other end for a change?”

“I don’t know. My stepdad thinks The Cut is literally a death wish. He wouldn’t even let my mom go grocery shopping near there. It’s honestly kinda weird to me why he hates it so much.”

“And he never told you why?”

You shook your head and JJ retreated in thought. “I think he’s hiding something. Probably has a mistress over there to be honest.”

You laughed and hit his stomach. “No! Him and my mom are literally attached by the hip! I don’t know... One day Macy went over to see a friend she met and he just flipped. Went over, took her away and everything. Maybe he’s just classist. I mean, he’s old money so I wouldn’t be surprised. But if he is then he wouldn’t have married my mom.”

“Maybe...” JJ muttered. “I still think he’s hiding something. Could be drugs. You know I see Kook guys come over for coke sometimes. Then, on their lunch breaks, their dads come for the same thing. Father and son bonding if you ask me.”

“Well, whatever it is, we can add this case to our mystery book,” you laughed. A real, heartfelt laugh.

You and JJ spent the remainder of the morning talking about your lives, learning how wrong you each were about the other. He told you about the Pogues and how his friend Kiara, who you recognized from school, hangs out with them despite being wealthy herself. On the other hand, you continued to complain to him about all the stuck up nonsense your mother would make you do- to which he actively listened and pitched in his own amusing opinions.

“What do you need etiquette lessons for? How hard is it to stick your pinky out when you drink?”

The topic then switched to Topper and his crew. You settled on calling them the Veggie Tales which made you both erupt in laughter. “What was your first time like?” you asked bluntly.

He threw you an odd look, but continued. “Tourist at a party. I was 15 and I think she was 17? I dunno, but she sure showed me the ropes that night.” He beamed up at the ceiling, thinking back to the time.

“Aren’t all first times supposed to be really awkward and bad?”

“Maybe. I don’t really remember it. Just her. She was fine as hell,” he had on his dreamy eyes. “What was your’s like?”

You let out a sharp breath. You’d never told anyone about it until now. “Before I left the city I was dating this guy for a little while. He came from farmers, so we did it in his uncles barn.”

“Aw, how romantic,” JJ commented before you smacked him with a decorative pillow.

“Ow! What? I thought every girl’s dream was to do it with the chickens watching.”

Your face knotted. “It was horses. And I still have nightmares to this day about the hay sticking at my ass.”

The boy next to you snickered and went on to tease you about your story, cracking all the farm jokes his little blonde head could come up with.

“I should get going soon,” JJ informed when you both settled down, “Thursdays I meet Kie at The Wreck to help out.”

Your eyes jolted. “Thursday?!”

You soared up from your bed and checked the time on your phone. “Fuck fuck fuck!” Your hands tangled up in your hair in stress. “My debutante lessons!”

“What the fuck is that?”

“I have to go to Chapel Hill, my ferry leaves in 20 minutes,” you explained while hastily shoving heels into your canvas bag. Then it occurred to you that your parents took your car because theirs was in the shop.

“Fuck! JJ did you drive here?”

“Yeah, I parked my friend’s van by the gate,” he answered, still confused at the gibberish you spoke moments ago.

“JJ I need you to take me to the dock right now! Please! I can’t miss this ferry.”

“Alright, alright, hurry up then woman! The van only goes up to 110 on a good day.” JJ struggled to get his clothes back on and didn’t even notice his t-shirt on backwards.

You both sprinted out your house and to the front of the neighborhood, past the gate, and towards a clunky old Volkswagen that was parked on the side of the road. You hurried in as JJ fumbled with the keys before thrusting it in the ignition and speeding off towards the dock.

“Fuck we’re not gonna make it!” you stressed, balling your sweaty palms, as your legs bounced on the torn up seat.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry! She’s old but just give her a minute,” JJ assured before he revved the engine and flew down the street. You were concerned at how he expertly steered the old clunker at 105 miles per hour but were too anxious about missing your trip to bring it up.

He finally pulled up to the side of the dock. You sighed in relief, seeing people still boarding.

“Aaand here we are! With 3 minutes to spare,” JJ announced, flipping his blonde locks, proud of his Speed Racer work.

“Thank you for the ride JJ,” you said as you exited the van, “and the heart attack.”

“Hey, you got here in once peace didn’t you? So I don’t wanna hear it!”

You giggled and shut the door, heading towards the herd of people while you dug in your bag for your ferry ticket.

“Have fun at your degenerate lessons!” JJ called out the window at you before speeding away.

You shook your head with a goofy grin before getting on.

-----------------------------

chapter five

tags: @starkeybaby @obxlife @everydayimfangirling @iamaunicorn4704 @tangledinsparkles @poguesrforlife @thx-quxxn @obxmxybxnk @rororo06 @poguesforlife @ilymarkchan @outrbanks @hazelgirl355 @hsunflower @cinnamon-roll-seth @alotbnouf @tembo-ndoto

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allmygyus · 3 years

Text

＊*✩Unrequited Love✩*˚＊

can we talk? (34/?)

[ prev : masterlist : next ]

wordcount: 1,953 !! warnings: mentions of anxiety, a lil angsty

You opened the door to and see Soonyoung standing with one hand in the pocket of his hoodie and the other holding a white plastic bag. He looked at you sullenly. You ignore the aching in your chest and reply with a blank stare and took a few steps to allow him to come inside. Although your feelings were still a mess, one thing was sure. You were upset with him. He took off his shoes and you walked away as he shut the door behind him. He placed the plastic bag on your kitchen counter and sat on the edge of your couch.

Soonyoung was a bit flustered and nervous because he knew he was at fault. He watched you sit behind your desk and continue to paint. Thoughts spiraled in his head. Should he approach you? Would you get angry at him if he disturbed you while painting? Should he just apologize and leave? How could he fix the gap between the two of you?

He cautiously stood up from the couch and made his way behind you. As he lifts his hand to tap your shoulder you speak.

“I said I didn’t want to talk to you,” you say with your back still facing him. You saw his reflection from the glass that held your paint brushes.

“Y/n I-,” he utters but was interrupted by you slamming your paintbrush on your desk, causing him to jump at the loud thud. He didn’t expect it to be this tough to make amends with you. Soonyoung so badly wanted to apologize and fix things with a hug. He also wanted to tell you why he reacted that way and how by the past few weeks he had developed feelings for you, but he couldn’t.

You took your earphones and shoved them in your ears playing loud music so that you couldn’t hear what he would say.You were being childish and you were aware of that but, it truly hurt you how one minute he would be the cause of butterflies in your stomach and migraines the next. It just made you more frustrated and confused.

Soonyoung stood behind you, debating in his mind about what his next move should be. He was growing frustrated as well, by your childish actions, but this time he was in the wrong so he had to subside the frustration that grew.

Soonyoung looked out the window and wondered if he should go home instead but saw the heavy snowfall and realized he had no choice but to stay here and wait for the snow to stop. He just couldn’t bare to be in the same room with someone who he really cared for but was on bad terms with. He just wanted to fix the mess he’s made.

You on the other hand just wanted to ignore him. Not just him but Mingyu as well, even though he wasn’t at fault. You figured that the less you interacted with them, maybe the clearer your thoughts and feelings would be, but it was hard to ignore the person who stood behind you. It was hard to ignore them both, actually. They were your best friends.

Soonyoung took a deep breath and sighed. He waited for you to put your paintbrush down and pick up your phone. Once you did, he pulled the earphones out of your ears and spun your chair around.

“What the hell?!” you yell as your phone was snatched from your hand.

“Listen, I can’t stand being in the same room right now and not talk to my bestfriend,” he bent over and put his hands on your knees.

“Okay, I’ll be in my room then,” you shoved his hands off and made your way to your bedroom.

Soonyoung grabbed your hand and pulled you away from your bedroom door and quickly pushed you to sit on the couch.

“Soonyoung, I swear to-“ you say as you stand up but was blocked by him sitting on your lap like a child. He was getting desperate and this was the only way he could keep you from moving. He sat on you as if you were Santa and he was a child about to tell you what he wanted for Christmas.

“I won’t get off until you listen and let me talk,” he said while clinging on your shoulders. As much as you pushed and shoved him, the man-child would not budge. His annoyingly proud smirk just made you more irritated yet you give in.

“Okay fine,” you cross your arms.

“Do you promise to stay here and listen?” you huff and nod in reply. It’s not like you had a choice anyways. He nodded, sat next to you and crossed his legs to face you. You do the same but kept your arms folded and head down.

“I’m sorry,” he placed a hand on your knee. You look up at him and tilt your head.

“I’m sorry for being an asshole and picking a fight with you,” he said genuinely. You unfolded your arms and listened to him.

“I was being that way because I was just stressed about the whole dance crew auditions and Seungcheol auditioning with the others. I spent the whole weekend thinking about what I should do and I just kinda wished you were at practice earlier today because only you can ease my mind. Not seeing you there just-,” he sighed and paused. “I was being an idiot that let out my anger on my best friend. I was wrong for that and I’m sorry.”

An uneasy silence filled the room as he waited for your reply.

“Yeah, you were an asshole,” you scoffed. “You know Soonyoung, you’re not the only one who’s going through things. I have a lot going on too but you don’t see me being an asshole to my friends.”

“I know, Kiddo-,” he says.

“I was having a rough day too! Heck, I’ve been having a hard time lately. Balancing my academic requirements with my other responsibilities! But I never lashed out on any of you!” you raise your voice.

“Y/n,” he placed his hands on yours, trying to calm you down but you shoved him aways again and stood up.

“God, Soonyoung! You have no idea what I’ve been going through,” you run your fingers through your hair and pace back and forth the living room. It was hard and it was the first time you had felt this much anxiety and anger altogether. From your undecided feelings to your never ending list of academic responsibilities. You chose this but couldn’t help but feel pressured. He stood up and faced you to listen to what you had to say.

“The last thing I needed was for you, my best friend, to get angry with me over a little misunderstanding,” you sigh.

To others it may seem like small bickering through chat, but for you it was a big deal; you were a sensitive person. You were never one to fight and argue with others, especially your best friends, and he knew. You weren’t the type of person to be mad too. Much like Soonyoung, you tried to stay cheerful despite everything else that happened in your life.

Being angry or upset was something you were not used to. It was out of your character and, most of the time, being angry would lead you into tears. When Soonyoung fought with you, you were at your breaking point. All the stress from your responsibilities and the frustration of developing feelings for two of your best friends just caused you to bottle it all up and deflect. Deflecting on your problems only made it worse. Your thoughts spiraled, the weight on your chest got heavier, and you were just out of it. You were thankful because when you were at Jihoon’s studio, you were able to relieve some of the bottled up emotions but a part of you still felt trapped. You weren’t able to release all the emotions and feelings that you had bottled up in front of them and you didn’t know why. Maybe because you cried first before you could tell them everything, you weren’t sure.

And now, you weren’t sure of what to say or do to the person in front of you.

“I know and I’m truly sorry,” he walks towards you. You stay still as he holds your hands. You chewed on your bottom lip and felt the lump in your throat form. No, not infront of Soonyoung. You knew that if you dared open your mouth, you wouldn’t be able to stop yourself from crying.

So instead you nod your head, telling him that you forgive him. He then quickly assesses the situation but hesitated.

“Y/n I- Are we- We’re okay now, right?”

You nod again in reply and he engulfs you in a warm hug. He figured that it wasn’t the right time to tell you how he felt. He just had to be there for you right now because he now knew about your other problems in life. His feelings for you was the least of his worries right now.

You on the other hand, while being embraced by Soonyoung’s arms, felt at peace. His arms provided a sense of comfort and serenity. Sinking deeper in his arms, you breathe out and the bottled up emotions were set free. Once the first tear fell, the rest followed in an unbroken stream. You sobbed in his arms and tightened your grasp on his jacket. The more you deflected on your problems, the more you felt trapped and the heaviness in your chest increased. As he stroked your hair while you cried, the heaviness was gone and you felt more like yourself again.

As he held you in his arms, he realized how he deeply cared for you. He wished that it was always him who would be the one to hold you while you cried and never again the reason for your tears. In that moment his arms squeezed you a bit tighter and despite the heaviness in his stomach, it fluttered at the feeling of your bodies so close together. Your touch made him feel warmer and more alive.

As your tears came to a stop he released you from his grip to have a look at your face. Puffy and red with swollen lips and eyes.

“Y/n,” he whispered and you look up at him. He sweeps the strands of hair that stuck to your face.“You look terrible.”

You let go and smack him in the arm as he bursts into small giggles.

“We just made up and you’re bullying me already?”

“I’m kidding,” he quickly pulls you back into his arms. The sudden action causing your heart to skip a little.

“Are you hungry?”

“A little.”

“I brought chicken,” he let you go and walked to your dining area. “We can watch movies and eat if you want.”

You nod and he brings the plastic bag to your coffee table. The two of you spend the night talking, eating, and laughing with the movie was playing in the background. He told you his problems about the dance crew and how he decided to have Seungcheol and the others back. He wanted to move forward and maybe even make amends with them again. You tell him how Seungcheol would talk fondly about him and how the others felt bad about how their friendship ended. The two of you listened to each other tentatively the whole night as you shared your troubles, except for having feelings for each other of course, and eventually fell asleep on the couch together.

Summary: ⤑ Soonyoung, Mingyu, Seokmin and y/n. It’s always been the four of them and y/n wouldn’t have it any other way. Y/n loved the three of them but she loved one differently. It’s their third year of college and y/n’s been debating whether she would tell the one she loved how she truly felt but would it be worth risking their friendship over? Along the way she struggles to realize what it is she truly wants.

Pairing: ⤑college student y/n x ??

taglist: @sunshineshouchan @dy-mglzz @suhfluffy @muhanuibean @itsdnguyenxoxo @unmanageable-day @ash-moon8 @444wjh @fluffyhyeju @skylions-den @cheolright @monstathedisco @samemagicpoint

#seventeen #seventeen social media au #seventeen smau #seventeen au #seventeen texts

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outlawandlychgate · 3 years

Text

Chapter 1-Gate of the Dead; Scene 1

Outlaw & Lychgate, pages 10-16

Burnt-smelling hotdogs and weak coffee.

That was the flavor of “Chloe Café”, having changed little from ten years before.

Even so, as far as Lich knew it had been fairly thriving in the past.

Perhaps it was because the place was scrupulously cleaned, because the ambient music playing in the shop was so sensible, or maybe it was just that there weren’t any other places around where you could get breakfast…Well, he didn’t know the true reason, but nonetheless Lich still had memories left in his mind of the “Chloe Café” of ten years before being filled with a lively atmosphere.

But nowadays…

The café was deserted.

It wasn’t all that surprising, and it wasn’t because there was any real issue with this shop (the taste of the food notwithstanding).

It was just that there were remarkably few people who would risk the danger of going out to eat anymore.

One of the causes for that was the low temperature due to their abnormal weather.

On top of that were the many violent crimes being carried out by the increasing number of lunatics lately—the people scientifically

dubbed as “HER”s.

Thanks to all this people had started holding back on going out whenever possible.

Despite these circumstances, the “Chloe Café” was still open for business.

He didn’t know why, and Lich wasn’t on good enough terms with the owner to ask.

Only, there was little doubt that they spent every day in the red.

“…”

Sitting in the seat across from him, his younger brother Michael wordlessly sipped his coffee.

He had hardly touched his hotdog.

When Michael set his cup down on the table, it was already empty.

“Would you like me to order another cup?” Lich asked.

But Michael shook his head. “No…that’s alright.” And then, Michael returned with a question of his own, “So, what’ll you do? Are you going? Are you not going?”

“…Going where?”

“Don’t play dumb. The ‘Climb One’—The roster of names for the crew of that big spaceship is almost all filled up. There’s just…one empty spot left.”

“…”

“So you’ve gotta decide soon.”

Without thinking, Lich averted his eyes from his brother, looking upon him with such an earnest gaze, and replied, “If that’s the case…You should be saving that spot for your fiancée.”

“Gumillia? She’s already gotten her name on the roster. As Dr. Levia’s assistant, same as me.”

“The thing is, Michael. You’re trying to fill a precious space on a crew roster for seventy-two people with someone who’s related to you,” Lich said, keeping up his usual smile, trying to sound as sardonic as he could.

It seemed to work, as Michael started to look a touch embarrassed. “…I know what you’re trying to say, brother. But—”

“A spaceship fleeing our crumbling Earth, seeking out a wide genetic diversity among the people riding in it…Sounds a bit like ‘Noah’s Ark’.”

Michael heaved a sigh at his brother not allowing him his rebuttal.

“That story in the Old Testament? I’ve never known you to be all that devout, brother.”

“I’m speaking from a scientific point of view, Michael.”

“…Then that’s all the more reason you should board the ‘Climb One’. When humanity tries to live on a new world—I’m positive that they’ll need the artificial human know-how of Lich Arklow.”

Lich and Michael were both researchers, but their areas of expertise differed.

As the elder brother came to be called the foremost expert in America on cloning and the “mask race” and “vampires” created from that—the so-called “superhuman races”—the younger brother went to Russia and went into psychological research under the tutelage of the “Millennium Prodigy”, Levia Barisol.

Had the world remained at peace, the two of them likely would have followed up their respective fields until they reached a ripe old age.

“Artificial human know-how, huh…” Lich murmured, taking a sip of his weak coffee and then setting the cup back down again. “They have Behemo for that.”

When Lich spoke the name of his own disciple, Michael’s face flushed.

And then, with a tone suffused with anger, he blurted out, “He’s Dr. Levia’s relative himself, isn’t he?”

“…It doesn’t speak well of you to badmouth your own mentor.”

Michael appeared to quickly regain his composure at Lich’s remonstration.

“You say that, but…No one knew that Dr. Levia even had a twin brother. He just appeared out of nowhere, and was selected for the crew of the ‘Climb One’ solely because he studied under you for several years…”

It was true that Behemo’s debut had been fairly abrupt, and furthermore Lich had been somewhat annoyed when he had suddenly applied to be his apprentice.

Still--

“There’s no arguing that he’s a prodigy. I can guarantee that, as his mentor. …Though, well, I wish he would do something about his dressing habits.”

There likely weren’t any researchers outside of Behemo who would go around wearing a maid uniform.

“Even if he has talent…There are a lot of people who have expressed their unease about him. Even Professor Held says that you’re more qualified than he is. So—”

“So you, someone who’s little more than one of Levia’s assistants, returned back to America for the first time in ages to try and talk me into boarding the ‘Climb One’.”

“…Yeah. This didn’t just come up out of my own personal wants. Professor Held decided on it in consideration of humanity as a whole.”

“…”

Held intensely disliked him.

It was due to knowing this fact that Lich wasn’t inclined to completely believe everything Michael was saying.

“…”

Silence reigned between them for a little while.

Seemingly unable to bear it, Michael suddenly bit into his hotdog.

“Mm…Tasty.”

“You’ve always loved the hotdogs here, ever since you were a kid.”

“I liked them a lot better than Mom’s meat pies.”

Their mother had lost her life four years back, along with their father.

They had gotten caught up in a terrorist attack committed by “HER”s, and their house had been blown up with a bomb.

“You’ve…never really liked hotdogs, have you brother?”

“Nope. Actually, I don’t care for anything on the menu here.”

“Then how come you made this our meeting spot?”

The house they had spent their childhood in was gone.

Having said that, Lich also wouldn’t have been overly fond of their earlier conversation being overheard by the people they worked with.

“—Because you liked it,” was all Lich replied.

“We might be brothers but our tastes sure are different, huh. …Come to think of it, I actually don’t know what it is you do like.”

“Is that so?”

“You’re not the sort of person that emotes much when you eat.”

“Sigh…I guess so.”

“Next time we should go to a place that you like, brother. …I’ll ask you again about your answer for my earlier question then.”

“There are hardly any other places open anymore.”

“We’ll find one. So…What is it? What’s your favorite food?”

Lich thought about that for a moment.

“That’s right…I—”

Right when he was about to answer—

He suddenly was assailed with a severe dizziness.

And—

Lich then lost consciousness.

<<prev------directory------next>>

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psycho-slytherin · 4 years

Text

Strangers ch. 43

You go back to work, and come to terms with what’s happened.

Pairing: Idol!Yoongi x Actress!Reader

Word count: 3k

Genre: fluff, angst, idfk

Warnings: Tiiiny bit of cursing, a hint of depression

|mlist|

<–– Prev Next ––>

“Girl, he broke up with you? What happened?”

“I don’t know,” you moan, clapping your hands to your ears. Her voice persists, echoing inside your head.

“He liked her more. You were never even together, and he still couldn’t wait to get rid of you.”

“Stop it. Shut up.”

“Poor, traumatized Y/n, who’s been nothing but trouble. Y/n, who’s an anxious little nobody. Y/n, trying to drag a star like him down to your level.”

“That’s not true!” “He hates you. Why else would he do that? He knows what she did to you, and he’s with her anyways. He hates you.”

“You don’t know that.”

“But you do, Y/n.”

“Fame, flashlight– gi-give it to me!”

Unlike most of your nightmares, for once you don’t bolt upwards in a panic. Your eyes simply open at the sound of your alarm and blink several times.

After a moment of stillness, you reach for your phone. It’s time for a change. Waking up to his voice every day used to be a delight, but now… you switch the sound back to the default alarm noise. It’s been all of one day since you awoke to his betrayal– twenty-four hours since the second of the two people you trusted most in the world was lost to you.

And I had to go from hearing one in my sleep to getting woken up by the other, you think humorlessly as you shove your blanket off and stretch.

Kang Seoyeon. You’ve spent so long thinking only of her attack, that flash of hair, that shove into the river, that learning her name feels like a punch in the stomach. She’s not just a nightmare. You don’t know whether you’re relieved or horrified.

Doesn’t matter. You have work today. The dark cloud that formed after Lisa’s disappearance, the same one that grew in weight when you saw Seoyeon’s picture on Lisa’s laptop and again when your mom cut you off– it overwhelmed you yesterday after you saw the news about him and Seoyeon. The feeling, the horrible, gnawing darkness got so intense that something inside of you seemed to break, and the pressure simply… lifted.

You survived an attempt on your life. You didn’t need him then, and you don’t need him now, especially since he’s made it clear that he doesn’t need you either.

And so you get dressed in more layers than you need, put on makeup, and walk to the subway station. You’d take an Uber but now, more than ever, you need to save money. Thanks, Mom. Maybe you can find a flat with lower rent further from the city? Or check with student housing? Right, you’re still a student.

As you approach, you notice a commotion around the studio. There’s a crowd outside, a mix of what look like fans and paparazzi. You tug your collar up in the hopes that you’re not spotted, but–

“Y/n! Any comment on Suga’s new girlfriend?”

“Just a quick photo, please!”

“Do you think Suga cheated on you?”

“Y/n! What do you have to say to Kang Seoyeon?”

“Are the rumors that you’ve been missing work true?”

“How did your relationship end?”

“No comment,” you say, the tidal wave of noise crashing down onto you as you fight for breath amidst the crowd. Despite the heat of all the bodies, you begin to shiver. “Please let me through.”

“Y/n!” A familiar voice rings out above the confusion. Avery, your director, stands tall in the doorway. “Let her pass. We will not be commenting or taking questions at this time.”

With Avery’s help, you manage to push through the mob, half collapsing once the large studio doors have closed behind you. Inside the studio, the cast and crew bustle about, almost busier than usual.

“Are you okay?” Avery asks, concerned.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay. Avery, look, I’m sorry I haven’t been at filming–”

“It’s in the past,” the director says kindly. “I know you’ve been through a lot. But… well, Y/n, you need a manager. A real manager. I’ve been talking with some of my agency friends, and I think-”

“I have a manager,” you interrupt. Unless… you Googled the statistics of surviving a kidnapping for as long as Lisa’s been gone. The research alone made you feel nauseous. But Lisa’s alive. She has to be. Right?

Avery folds her arms, as though she can tell something’s off. “Really? Then where’s your driver? Who’s organizing your gigs, negotiating your wages? Who’s hiring you a bodyguard? ‘Cause the people outside are showing me that you need one.”

“She just-”

“Where’s the publicist managing your online presence? You shouldn’t have to do this all on your own, Y/n. And for god’s sake, where is the person who’s supposed to keep celebrities like you from going off the deep end?”

“I’m not a celebrity, Avery! I’m not him, okay?”

“I know. But you have to understand, no one has ever been in a position like yours. BTS have a powerful fanbase, and none of them have dated before, least of all dated a virtual nobody. I know your relationship wasn’t real,” she continues, seeing you about to protest. “But it’s what needed to happen to protect both of your reputations. You skipped a lot of steps on the way to fame, Y/n. You need an experienced manager to keep you on track.” Avery shrugs. “I can email you a list of people you should talk to. Now, have you talked to your professors about missing classes? Will you be ready to go?”

“What? Go where?”

Avery raises a brow. “We’re filming on location next week, remember? There’s been an on-set announcement every day this week, and the email was sent out a month ago.”

Oh. What? You’ve barely been onset this week, so overwhelmed were you with the terror that Seoyeon had managed to instill within you. But you’ve been checking your email and your phone messages almost obsessively after you’d learned that the university had messaged you about Lisa’s disappearance first. You won’t let anything like that happen again. And yet… “I haven’t, uh… I haven’t gotten any emails about that.”

“Check your spam folder, I’m certain you received them.” Avery says cooly. “Anyways, you’ve missed a lot of work. Can I assume you’re back for good?”

“Yes.” You reply immediately. “Absolutely, ma’am. I’m very, very sorry for not being present lately. I’ll work hard to make up for it.” Is the existence of Seoyeon, and the unknown connection between her and Lisa, still terrifying? Of course. Does his sudden relationship with Seoyeon, after seeing him only two days ago, make your heart feel like it’s being shredded into pieces? Maybe. But you’ve broken yourself back together; no one can hurt you anymore.

“That’s what I like to hear,” Avery says, satisfied. “Now, go on to wardrobe, it’s gonna be a long day. We’re filming three episodes’ worth of your and Yoongi’s scenes.”

You gulp. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Speaking of Yoongi…” Avery checks her watch. “He’s late. Whatever– go get dressed.”

With nothing more to say, you make for the dressing rooms. And of course, who has to exit in full costume but…

“Y/n.”

You nod, your usual irrepressible anger nowhere to be seen. No one can hurt you anymore. “Jeongyeon.”

“I heard about you and Yoongi.” Jeongyeon seems to attempt to muster her usual obnoxious sneer, but it falls flat. You suppose your expression is just pitiful enough to put off her bullying.

“Ah, yeah.” You don’t know what else to say. It was just a fake relationship, so you should be glad it’s over. After all, Bang PD had said the arrangement could end whenever you wanted it to… and clearly, he wanted it to.

“Well, whatever. How does he go from bad to worse, am I right? Did you see his new girl?”

There she is, you think, watching Jeongyeon slip back into the character you know so well.

“Anyways,” she continues. “I heard we’re sharing a trailer for when we film on location. Don’t even think about stealing my bobby pins.”

You salute your costar ironically before brushing past her into the dressing rooms.

Forty minutes later, you’re finally clothed in all your beautiful layers, your face perfectly made up. You’re an actress, a professional. Whatever is happening in your personal life, you have to put it aside for the sake of your work.

“So pretty~” the stylist coos as she expertly fixes your hair. You hear the door open, but you can’t move to see who entered as the stylist continues: “Doesn’t she look lovely?”

“Ah, yeah.”

Your eyes widen at his voice. The stylist still has a hold of your hair, and you can’t turn to look at him.

After an eternal silence, he clears his throat. “Anyways, Avery sent me here for hair and makeup?”

“Yes, Mr. Min, just one more second while I finish up with Y/n here…” after what seems like a lungful of hairspray, you’re set free. At last, you turn and look at Min Yoongi.

The shadows under his eyes are darker than you’ve ever seen them, and his normally good posture has disappeared for slumped shoulders. Must be the stress of a new relationship.

“Y/n,” Yoongi starts. “Look, I–”

“It’s okay,” you interrupt, pasting a smile onto your face. “It’s whatever, Yoongi, alright?”

“Uh, right.” Yoongi fidgets with one of his rings, seemingly at a loss.

“I just…” you can feel your facade begin to slip, and shake your head. “Never mind. I’ll see you onset.”

~~~

Yoongi watches you go, clenching his fist. He wasn’t expecting to see you at work today, and he definitely wasn’t expecting… well, whatever that was.

He doesn’t know why he feels a little disappointed to realize how okay you are with this situation. Certainly far more okay than he is. Maybe you really were eager to get out of your relationship.

Shit. He wishes he could fix this, wishes he could tell you everything. A shiver runs down his spine, though, when he remembers exactly why he can’t talk to you.

“You go to the police,” Seoyeon said, holding out her phone so Yoongi can see, “you talk to the paparazzi, or your precious little girlfriend, and this one will be gone before anyone can find her.”

Yoongi gulped. “How do I know that’s not doctored?”

He received a shrug. “That’s a chance you’ll have to take. Now, we’re going to do this my way. Want to keep Y/n safe? And the other one too?” She nods at the photo on her phone. “Follow my rules, and they won’t get hurt. But I’ll be keeping this one… for insurance.”

“You’re insane.”

Seoyeon winked. “Nope, just a fan!”

Faking a relationship with your attacker, seeing the insurance she’s kept, and knowing that he can’t tell you any of it, is almost too much for Yoongi. But he’s got D working to track Lisa’s phone, and Avery to suggest you hire bodyguards. Sure, he may be stretched thin enough to snap, but he’ll keep everyone safe. He has to.

~~~

You’re hanging around on the indoor set of what’s supposed to be a busy town market filled with extras. You’re always amazed at the movie magic that allows the simple set such versatility.

You can hear him before you see him: the cast and crew can never help but murmur at the biggest star in the show. And yet, you don’t turn to look. It’s not like you’re avoiding him, but… well, he has to have realized that he hurt you, right? And of course, now you have to play the brokenhearted ex, since all your coworkers think the relationship was real. Which means more lies.

But it’s okay. You’re strong. Stronger than him, stronger than his new girlfriend.

“Okay!” Avery barks, and the present company jumps to attention. “I know there’s a lot of excitement on set today, so I hope everyone remembers to keep things professional. Now, let’s get started. Episode 13, scene 6. The scene: Kim Ji-Woo has just returned from her trip to the countryside as she recovers from Mr. Moon’s sudden engagement to Mi-Gyeong, the wealthy Mr. Gang’s younger sister. They bump into each other at the market and Mr. Moon invites Ji-Woo to the ball held in honor of the engagement. Ready, and… action!”

You move quickly into the view of the camera, waving at the imaginary coachman behind you. “No, really, it’s alright! I can walk home, Father should have the carriage in any case– yes, goodbye now, good- oh!”

Not looking where you were going, you walk right into Yoongi. Your basket clatters onto the dirt road and for a second you feel the urge to stay there in his arms as you have so many times before. “I’m terribly sorry, Mr- Mr. Moon?” you allow your voice to tremble for a second. Here he is, the man who had promised himself to you, and then turned around and chose to love another. Here he is, and every feeling you tried to bury comes rushing back. But… no. There’s still your dignity to think about.

“My apologies,” you murmur, reaching down to grab your basket as you curtsy. Basket secured, you’re quick to turn away from the newly-engaged man who, only weeks before, had secretly asked you to marry him.

“Oh, wait, wait! Miss Kim!” Mr. Moon extends his arm, his hand barely brushing yours. Your skin prickles with equal parts excitement and pain.

You can’t ignore so blatant a summons. You look back at him slowly. “Is there something I may help you with, sir?” Sir. How long has it been since you were able to call him by his given name?

“Please, I…” Mr. Kim pauses, his jaw tense. “My father is hosting a ball tonight. In honor of my engagement.”

“Congratulations,” you reply, as drily as your good manners will allow. For what reason is he reminding you of his betrayal?

“Would you attend, as my guest? Your sisters are most certainly welcome as well,” Mr. Moon says, his voice just shy of pleading.

Is he out of his mind? No, he’s just pulling rank and expecting you to say yes. No sane country girl such as yourself could ever turn down an invitation from a man of such good breeding.

And yet, he led you to believe he loved you, and you him, before turning tail and running towards a much better match. All the good you saw in him then… where is it now?

“I’m sorry,” you whisper, staring at him. “But my family will be unable to attend. I wish you the best in your life, and in a very… happy marriage. Good day, Mr. Moon.”

“Good– ah.” You can’t see Mr. Moon rub his eyes tiredly, for you’ve already walked away, full of determination. I don’t need him.

“Cut! Holy shit, guys!” Avery claps loudly, a wide grin on her face. “I think that was the best I’ve ever seen you two together. Keep it up! Let’s use that take. Okay, next, episode 14, scenes 30-33.”

The workday is long and brutal, but you’d never complain– at least you still have a job, after the absentee stunt you pulled.

Speaking of absentee… Lisa. It’s been a month now since she’s disappeared, and maybe you could have chalked it up to some quarter-life crisis at first. After all, she bought that plane ticket to America.

But a month? And the police are still looking for her. They must have a reason to believe it’s more than university angst, right?

You need to face the facts, Y/n. And the facts are that Lisa must have been kidnapped. And to stay alive a month after being kidnapped…

You can’t think about it. But you can’t not think about it. And if you’re moving past Yoongi, you have to move past your best friend, too.

“Avery?” You approach the director , who’s giving instructions to an assistant, after the cast has been dismissed for the day. At your voice, she glances up.

“Y/n, what can I do for you?”

“I’m…” You take a deep breath, knowing your nightmares will take revenge on you. “I’m ready to look for a manager. Can you email me your contacts?” Hopefully you receive them– the fact that you haven’t noticed any emails about filming on location is really concerning.

Avery smiles. “Of course, Y/n. I really do wish you the best.”

“Thank you.”

Out of the corner of your eye, you see Yoongi wander your way. Avery seems to notice him as well, and manages to disappear before you can blink. The set has cleared out for the most part, with only some cosmetologists and stylists packing up.

“Hey, stranger,” you greet him. Yoongi’s eyes dart back and forth nervously.

“I’m sorry.” He finally blurts out.

“What?” Your voice remains neutral. Is he apologizing for knowing Seoyeon without telling you? For dating her?

Yoongi reaches for your hand before freezing. “I don’t know how this is going to end, Y/n, but in case something goes wrong, I need to tell you that I’m so, so sorry.”

Yoongi… “You can’t do that,” you say eventually. He can’t hurt you anymore, but that doesn’t mean you won’t tell him the truth. “You can’t play with me like this, Yoongs. You can’t tell me that I’m safe and then turn around and hold her hand. You can’t come back and apologize for your actions after what she did to me. What she might have done to Lisa! Do you even hear yourself?” You’re half-shouting before you realize it, but you can’t stop. “Christ, I knew celebrities were selfish, but this is god-tier bullshit. She could have killed me, Yoongi! Would you still have loved her then?”

“I don’t–” Yoongi stops short before shaking his head. “You don’t understand.”

“So teach me.”

“I… can’t.”

You breathe in sharply, gripping your bag. “Okay, then. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you. And, Y/n?”

“Yeah?”

“Be careful.”

81 notes · View notes

saladejin · 4 years

Text

Call An Uber? | 09

BTS x Reader | idolverse au, uber driver!Reader, translator!Reader | Fluff, flirting, super slow burn, angst and hurt/comfort, mature themes and eventual smut

Summary: Your normal life with a normal, yet inconsistent job gets drastically changed when your dreams come true. Sounds boring right?

What happens when all of this occurs, but you’re still doing something you love AND getting a large sum for it? Now there’s something to think about, and it’s definitely not what you’re thinking.

Warnings: None

Word Count: 2.4k

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“Uh, no you don’t.”

I gasped when the phone was suddenly plucked from my hands. It had been a struggle to find a close-by Uber service, but one had honestly just popped up!

“Bang PD-nim?”

The older man chuckled and returned the phone to my trembling hands. When had he even appeared next to me? He was dressed so casually that I had to look twice to make sure it was even him.

“I can drop you home for a lot less, trust me (Y/n).” He laughed again, and it was obvious I had no choice but to follow him speechlessly. A week or so ago, this would have appeared as quite strange and inappropriate to many people, but I knew the stout CEO well enough now to place my trust in him.

“T-thank you so much, you really don’t have to…” I spluttered and gawked when his expensive car came into view. The reason why he’d even come along to the concert was still unknown. Up until this point, I’d been under the impression he usually didn't get involved with the showy stage side of things, but even so, he had obviously come of his own accord.

“It’s fine. After everything you’ve done for us tonight, it’s the least I can do.” Bang PD sighed, and I knew he was thinking about Soojin’s brashness from earlier in the day.

“That’s completely okay, I really enjoyed myself tonight,” I said calmly, thinking hard about what I was about to suggest. “Actually, I wouldn’t mind helping out like this more often. If they ever need anyone, that is.”

Bang PD smirked at me, and I knew he was teasing at the underlying feelings I had for the members in particular. The fact that I was already missing them and it hadn’t even been an hour said quite enough. There was no denying that it did play a big role in my offer, but it wasn’t everything of course.

“I can think of a few reasons why, but unfortunately it’s not in your job description.”

I laughed and exhaled in slight disappointment, my shoulders sagging in defeat. “I know, it’s only if they need someone though.”

The car ride was silent for a few minutes, and we would be reaching my house soon after seeing how fast his flashy car zipped around the streets and backroads of Seoul.

“I have something serious to say to you, (Y/n).”

I immediately grew apprehensive at his tone. I mean who wouldn’t after hearing something like that? I picked at the leather seat underneath me and willed my eyes to not drift towards the scenery rocketing past the window. I needed to show him my full attention here.

“I came tonight for one reason only, and that was to monitor you.”

Back at it again with the bluntness it seemed. Classic Bang PD.

“Monitoring me? That sounds kind of sinister.” I pursed my lips and trained my gaze onto the man’s bespectacled face. He wasn’t looking back, but it wasn’t as if I expected him to while he was driving anyway. I was, on the contrary, glad to not be confronted with his piercing eyes, because the anxiety about the direction this conversation had taken would have surely consumed me whole.

“It’s not that bad,” he said while chuckling, “I just wanted to check up and see how you were doing, but you never saw me backstage. Heaven forbid Soojin-ssi actually informed you of anything properly. I had an opening in my schedule, and I hadn’t visited the concerts for a while.”

I shook my head and laughed along with him. He knew exactly of his assistant’s behaviour, and it seemed he definitely wasn’t the only one. This wasn’t the outcome I was expecting, but I felt appreciative of his caring nature, nonetheless.

“What I noticed…” he then drew out, and a sense of uneasiness fell onto us both.

“Was your relationship with Bangtan themselves.”

Now the hammer dropped. Horror lit up like a wildfire inside me, and I suddenly thought about all my interactions with the boys so far. Dazed eyes scanned the disappearing road in front of me as the cogs within my mind started breaking to pieces. A simple touch could be considered crossing the line with them. I was only a mere staff member, therefore I couldn’t expect anything more or less than simply that, but thinking about it now reminded me that I definitely had not been acting like it.

I must have gone too far. Hell, I literally hugged two of them tonight! That’s a recipe for scandal disaster right there, what the fuck (Y/n).

“I can see your brain working, please don’t overthink about what I just said,” Bang PD’s tone became louder as if trying to speak over the flurry of thoughts. I couldn’t help but swallow thickly and sat back into the plush car seat behind me. I rubbed the clamminess off my palms and steeled myself to hear whatever he had to say next.

“Sorry PD-nim, I know I’ve been…closer than I need to be, I guess.”

He suddenly let out a wheeze of a laugh, and I wished to open some kind of window into his mind just to understand what was happening. He took one glance at my furrowed brows and stifled another laugh.

“No way (Y/n), I wasn’t going to say it was a bad thing at all! Well, hear me out please. I want to be serious for a minute.”

I let out a bellowing sigh of relief and managed to let any amusement die down. If he wanted to be this serious, it meant that something extremely important needed to be understood.

“The boys are solely focused on their idol careers, so when it comes to hiring new staff we try to avoid potential ‘risks’, so to speak. It’s a precautionary thing, but – you don’t have to concern yourself with that notion, because you’ve managed to prove yourself again and again. (Y/n), you’ve been working with us for only a few weeks now, but you’ve only solidified my opinions.”

I was smiling now, because the man’s words were so heartfelt and honest. I wondered straight away if he was about to open up to me somehow. This didn’t usually happen, right? Or maybe it did, because he just liked being a boss that staff members could be comfortable and adaptable with.

“You have the best of intentions, I know this for sure, but that isn’t the problem,” he continued while gaining a more solemn tone, “The issue itself, is attachment.”

Another hammer, ah yes. I should have seen this one coming from a mile away.

“Now, I don’t have a problem with you and the boys getting along well. Many of the staff are close with them, and it’s not something out of the ordinary because there are so many faculty members that have been with us from the beginning. It’s only natural.”

When he turned to gauge my response from over the rim of his glasses, I found myself nodding in earnest understanding. I completely agreed with what he was saying, because there was no way you wouldn’t form a substantial bond with the very people who had helped you rise to the top. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what the man was trying to get at exactly, though.

“You-”

He stopped and cleared his throat loudly, obviously racking his brain for the right words to use. It left me dumbfounded, because Bang PD had always come right out with whatever was on his mind. Sometimes it was a little too harsh, but most people valued his opinions and appreciated his level of honesty whether it hurt them or not. This industry did teach their employees to deal with no-nonsense attitudes.

“Not including the backstage crew at the venue, you have been one of the youngest staff members we’ve hired in a while.” He finally sighed, and my mind created the imaginary train tracks steering straight to the point.

“I’m not fearing the attachment you may develop if you continue to spend time with them, but I do fear things going awry or their focuses being taken away from their careers. Usually, I would remove you from the situation without question right away, but I saw you with them tonight-”

I flooded with sudden embarrassment when he looked upwards to think again, as that meant he had most likely seen the hugging too. There was a cold dread settling into my stomach at the thought of getting ‘removed’. That would mean the cost of my job and everything I had worked for so far. I would feel empty, because now that the boys were in my life, I didn’t want them to just vanish.

Oh God, why had I let myself get attached already??

“I understand, actually,” I murmured, “and it would probably be for the best if I didn’t see them as much.” I managed to force it out through half gritted teeth. It really did hurt me to say, but I could see that it was the best option. Who knew what hardships would come later if I continued the way I was going?

“That’s not what I’m saying, I said I saw you with them tonight, but I didn’t mean it in a bad way.” Bang PD started to slow down the car, and I knew we had finally reached the entrance to the carpark of my apartment building.

At his statement, I couldn’t help but feel confusion tickling the edges of my mind. The founder of Bighit shifted sideways in his seat to give me his full attention. Now, he could finally focus without having to divert his thoughts to not crashing and killing us both.

“They were nervous wrecks before the concert started. And I know this because I went in there just before you arrived to have a chat with them all. I could tell that Namjoon-ah would be just fine, and they all would’ve been in the end, but seeing the members like that is never comforting.”

I was fully enraptured by the man’s words, because I had never heard him speak with such a deep and sympathetic tone before. I speculated on when he had last talked to somebody like this.

“There wasn’t much I could do. I’ve supported them through the years, and they know they can always confide in me if they ever need to,” he continued while nodding forlornly. “But when it comes down to live events like these, there’s only so much I can say to help them out. And I'm rarely around as it is.”

The sudden silence urged me to convey my thoughts on the matter. “It’s nearly impossible to get rid of the nerves and doubts once they’re there anyway,” I spoke softly, eyes distant as I fiddled with my own hands uneasily. The atmosphere was more disconcerting than ever now that we had managed to find the time to stop and think.

“That’s what I thought too, but then you came in.” Bang PD chuckled and started tapping his fingers on his leather lined steering wheel to an imaginative rhythm.

“I literally watched as you made their tension disappear like it was nothing. Many people envy you when it comes to your ability to read a situation like that, because it was like you knew exactly what to do, and I’m sure they appreciated it more than you know.”

I almost choked at his sincerity. I hadn’t seriously done all that much, just held a small conversation before the show had commenced. It was only because one of the stylists had asked me to help out, otherwise I may not have even made contact at that time.

“Really? Thank you so much for saying that,” I dipped my head lightly, because I also wanted to hide the sudden spell of emotions from showing too much.

“Afterwards as well.” He sighed, and I watched him begin to smile with approval. “They were so happy, but you made them even happier in an instant. Jimin-ah too. Anyone who cared to watch could see it.”

At this point, I couldn’t help but laugh in a bizarre mixture of disbelief and amazement. Maybe I had just felt so ecstatic in their presence that I hadn’t even known their behaviour was changing too.

“This isn’t something they’ll likely admit, but I think I have an idea about how they’re feeling.” Bang PD cleared his throat. “You might just be the consolation they need, (Y/n). They have always had each other and their many supportive staff to help them find their footing, but I think you might be the key to keeping them there. To reassure them, using your viewpoint as a fan of sorts.”

He finally stopped to breathe, and my mind was churning once again at the revelation. He wasn’t even finished, and it seemed he had much left to say.

“You’re basically like a spokesperson. I know they wouldn’t have reason to doubt or disregard anything you have to say about them from their music choices to even their stage images. Min Yoongi came to talk with me the other day, telling me all about how he’d found a way to get over a certain stump in lyric writing.”

“Ah, that boy.” I muffled another chuckle and the softest of smirks made its way onto my features. I was honestly so happy to even think about being a positive influence in their lives, it made me glow from the inside out.

“It’s why I’ve made a decision,” Bang PD spoke again, and I recognised the familiar firmness to his tone that usually meant he was about to drop something big.

“Taking into account what I mentioned before about the attachment, I think it could actually help us out instead. As their presence worldwide grows, so will the pressure, and I want someone they’re comfortable with to be there for them as a support.”

“So, that’s me? What will happen? What am I going to have to do exactly?” I stammered, feeling considerably warmed and buzzed with excitement at the producer’s words. Everything he was declaring sounded like a wistful dream to me right now, but to say I also wasn’t feeling the pressure would be a lie.

“Nothing extravagant just yet.” He held up a hand while stifling a chuckle. “But it’s why I’ve decided to involve you in more activities.”

Okay, now the excitement was ready to detonate.

“And that’s why I’m asking you to go along with them on their next tour.”

tagged: @l4life, @joyful-jimin, @gee-nee, @m0chilattae, @rossemayme, @doilooklikeinoe

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thetailorofenbizaka · 4 years

Text

Chapter 1–The Tale of the Scissors, Act 3: Reunion; Scene 2

The Tailor of Enbizaka, pages 74-82

I don’t know why Kayo would say things like that. I had thought perhaps that you might have pulled some trick on her mind, but I still haven’t reached a conclusion at that.

The only thing I’m certain of is the event that spurred her on to start talking like her husband was alive.

--That was hardly any time at all after the two of you had swapped bodies.

That day, Kayo was going for an aimless walk outside for the first time in a while, without any work to do.

She had likely wanted to go around and see the sights of Enbizaka after it had recovered from the fire.

Enbizaka was erected along a long hill in the center of Onigashima, and a lot of the people who worked as merchants in Onigashima had shops set up along this hill neighborhood.

Almost all of the people who lived here were foreigners, or else mixed-race people who had foreign and Jakokuan genes.

What was more, there were not a lot of people among those who were walking along the road who had the Jakokuan feature of black hair. People with hair of various colors and shades like red, brown, green, and even white, passed through as though it was normal.

And so, Kayo’s newly pink hair was not something that turned a lot of heads.

The most conspicuous sign of Enbizaka’s foreigner culture were the foreign trading houses that stood at the top of the hill.

Starting with those of Freezis and Yarera, there were many representatives for firms doing business with Jakoku who had taken up residence in Enbizaka.

A little way away from the trading houses there was the Enbizaka execution site.

It’s said that this place was created as a sort of warning, as the crimes being committed by foreigners in Onigashima were rapidly increasing around the time the island was first established. Even now criminals would sometimes be taken there from the mainland to be executed, but for Kayo this place had very little to do with her.

As she walked down the hill, Kayo gazed at the neighborhood that had regained the same liveliness that it had held four years before, and wore a peaceful expression on her face.

When she reached the bottom of the hill, there was Soukyou bridge.

Once you passed over this curved bridge made of stone and headed down the middle road from there, there was the Miroku shop that sat just along the street. This was the only bridge that connected Enbizaka to the middle road, and as such there were always a lot of people passing through.

It was right after she’d set foot on Soukyou bridge.

Kayo suddenly came to a stop.

Her eyes were opened wide, and she was fixedly staring at a blue haired man on the far end of the bridge.

At that moment, he was leaning on the handrail and looking at the river dreamily, not appearing to notice that Kayo was staring.

“Ah…Aaah…”

Kayo stood there for a time, open-mouthed.

And as she did so the man started to quickly walk in the opposite direction from where she was.

Kayo flusteredly moved to chase after him, but his form was soon buried in the throng of people, and eventually she could no longer see him,

Mournfully coming to a halt, Kayo then murmured, “He’s—alive.”

Kayo must have seen a trace of her dead husband in this man that she’d never met before—that was what I thought at the time.

Because it was after this event had happened that Kayo started to speak to everyone as though her husband had survived.

However…from what I could see, that blue haired man looked hardly anything like Kayo’s husband.

If I had to come up with any similarities, I suppose I could say that his left hand had burn scars on it that were similar to those on Kayo’s husband.

I became curious about that man, and started to search for his whereabouts.

While being inside the scissors I am able to see all of Enbizaka, and as such it wasn’t that difficult for me to locate him.

--When I first found him, he was inside that Freezis Trading House.

He was in the middle of having some conversation with the house’s owner, Perrier, sitting opposite her at the table.

“It’s rare to SEE YOU come here YOURSELF,” Perrier laughed, offering him some tea.

“Oh no, it’s really quite embarrassing...I usually leave all outside matters to my wife, staying cooped up at home with work, you see. Today she’s been a little under the weather, so I’ve come to deliver our goods in her stead,” the man replied, smiling.

From the way he carried himself, I could tell that he was a merchant of some kind.

“She SICK? You must WORRY.”

“Oh no, it’s nothing terribly major. My wife’s father works as a doctor, so he examined her and told us it was just a cold. She should be better by tomorrow.”

“Thank GOODNESS for THAT!” As she spoke, Perrier set out a bundle of koban coins before him. “…RIGHT, well, HERE’S PAY.”

“Thank you kindly. I’ve already placed the textiles and kimono you ordered in your cellar. –I hope for your continued patronage.”

“Jakoku kiminos are having BOOM in Maistia RIGHT NOW! And you REALLY HELP OUT by bringing us such GOOD PRODUCT all the time, MIROKU SHOP-SAN! …Though wish you could increase amount you DEAL with us...” Perrier groused, resting her chin on her hands.

“…Even this amount has been a bit much for us. Understand that with our national isolation policies, the amount of resources we’re allowed to send to foreign countries like this is harshly regulated.”

“The shogunate should stop being so STUBBORN and OPEN COUNTRY already! I SAYING THAT for YEARS but they NOT LISTEN!”

In contrast to Perrier’s excitement, the man replied with a warm smile, “I know your feelings, Perrier-sama…But foreigner though you are, calling for this country to ‘open its borders’…I wonder if that’s wise.”

“…? WHY?”

“There is an extremist group in Jakoku called the ‘Crimson Robed Masses’.” The man launched into an explanation of this group with a quiet countenance. “They engage in all kinds of harassment for those that call for open borders and the foreigners that live in Jakoku, and I’ve heard that from time to time they’ve even gathered together and committed raids. If you were to attract the attention of such a crew—”

“Oh, I KNOW about THEM. Been sent LOTS of threats. …BUT! I IGNORE them! A Freezis does not YIELD to mere THREATS!”

“I see—well, I’m not too far removed from the issue myself, as my wife and I have foreign ancestry…But in any case, I hope to be able to maintain good business dealings with the Freezis Foundation Firm in the future. If you have any requests, don’t hesitate to let me know.”

Perrier appeared to think for a moment at the man’s offer, and then returned, “If there nothing to do about not raising textile and kimino export number...As for request, we NEED craftsman who can tailor clothes to kimono locally, and repair tattered and torn kimono. We have tailors in Maistia, but they don’t know ANYTHING about Jakoku kimono, and all FUMBLING at everything.”

“Regarding tailors…ours is just a family-run shop, so it would be a bit beyond us to send someone of those talents to Maistia--

“…I hear THERE other GOOD TAILORS in ENBIZAKA. I met one MYSELF a bit ago—I THINK my MAID called her SUDOU.”

The man appeared to think for a moment, and then finally replied, “Ah, yes, the Sudou wi—”

“You know HER?”

“Oh no, apparently my parent and her parent were once good friends long ago, but the two of them got into some sort of feud…The connection between our families has been severed since then, publicly. My wife doesn’t know about all this, and will sometimes ask her to do work, but I’ve never actually met her myself.”

“I SEE.”

“Well, a dispute between our parents has little to do with me, of course. I myself am a homebody by nature, so it’s more that I just haven’t had the opportunity to meet her.”

“I thought MAYBE if you GOOD FRIENDS you could introduce us, but from SOUND OF THINGS that be hard.”

“I believe she gets along fairly well with my wife, so you ought to ask her about it next time she comes up here—oop, look at the time,” the man said, taking a glance at an ostentatious clock of foreign make that had been hung up on the wall. “I should head back before long.”

“RIGHT. I SHOULD head to PORT soon too.”

“Are you sailing off again? It’s awfully late…”

“It’s MERMAID! I go CATCH MERMAID!”

“…Oh, a mermaid, hm? I suppose I have heard legends that there is a mermaid living in the seas around Onigashima, but—”

“I HEAR that you EAT MERMAID and become IMMORTAL! If we CATCH AND RAISE IT, it’ll make killing on mainland! I not let such DRAMATIC business chance SLIP AWAY!” Perrier shouted, having at some point gotten an enormous harpoon around and in her hand.

“…Well then, good luck with that. I’ll see myself out.”

The man left the trading house, a faintly amazed expression on his face.

From there the man headed down the hill. At that point I had already pretty much figured out who he was, but I continued to observe him.

After he had descended the hill and crossed Soukyou Bridge, he advanced through the middle road—and then walked inside the Miroku shop.

“Welcome home, Daddy.”

Rin was the one to greet him.

“Good to see you, Rin. How is Mommy?”

“She’s still resting, but I think she’s got a lot better.”

“I see…Where has Miku gone?”

“Mnn…She’s still at Kiji-san’s, I think.”

The moment he heard that, the man’s face rapidly grew stern. “That disgusting foreigner…I expressly forbid you from ever interacting with that brute!”

“Yelling at me’s not gonna help…And I don’t think Kiji-san is that bad a guy?”

“No means no!”

As he yelled in anger, the man retreated further into the shop.

The man’s name was Miroku Kai.

He was the head of the Miroku household.

That meant that Kayo had become convinced that a man with a wife and children was her husband—

But I had no way of telling Kayo that she was mistaken.

The only thing I could do was continue to watch over her.

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frozenjokes · 5 months

Text

To Keep // 2

Prev/Next - Ao3 Link

cw: brief mention of suicide attempt in Encounter 2 - Addition

Encounter One

A note from future Cub: Despite Scar and the vex sharing his body being separate entities, for simplicity, both will be referred to as Scar in these entries.

It took a week of searching before I caught a trace of his magic. It wasn’t a surprise no one else had found him in the couple of days before the beginning of the tenth season; when it came to vex, no one has the experience I do. Scar was careful. I suspect he either has limited access to his power, or that he uses it sparingly; only to cover his tracks. Even after a whole month, he seems to be extremely diligent in leaving little to no trace of his presence on the island. I did not know him well enough before to know if this behavior is typical of Scar or if he is being influenced by the vex. However, it should be noted that his former crew talk about him as if he was reckless, unlike now.

I spent quite a while following whatever trace of Scar I could find. It seemed like he spent a lot of his early days traveling, though he never wanders too close to the island’s edges. Maybe he’s afraid of being spotted by passing ships? Seems a bit irrational, but to each their own. Regardless, he seemed to settle eventually, as evidenced by the magic traces becoming more and more common. Though, I didn’t get the chance to actually see where he had camped out before being attacked and killed.

Now, maybe it was stupid of me to not be more careful. Scar clearly did not want to be found, but I suppose I didn’t realize how defensive he would be. I will be more careful in the future. To be honest, I’m very disappointed I didn’t even get to see him. However, I didn’t learn nothing.

Given that our contact was so short, it was difficult to know for sure, but I believe Scar could touch me. I expected him to use a weapon if he did attack, but after a lot of thought, I believe I was bitten. Scar should not have been able to bite me. I also thought I felt his hands- or maybe just his nails- on my back, another thing that should not be possible. But it was quick. Too quick. I will be returning as soon as possible to see if I can find some answers. This time I’ll bring a bat or something. I’ve found success against vex with those in the past.

Encounter Two

To preface, I believe my head was still foggy after my previous regeneration, and as a result, my judgment was.. lacking. A note for future Cub, for when he inevitably thinks going out to do something dangerous immediately after a regeneration is a good idea:

You dumb fuck, Scar is much bigger than a vex, regardless of his behavior. The bat was a horrible idea. Stop sabotaging your future research.

With that being said, I did not learn much. I hurried back to the last place I saw Scar, but given my use of firework rockets (another reckless decision), I’m sure he heard me. I did try to keep my distance, seeing if I could spot him from the sky, but these forests were untouched, so I couldn’t even see through the treeline.

Needless to say, it was not long after I landed that Scar attacked, again from behind. At the very least, I was ready enough to turn around. I swung the bat, but I was slow, and it was very quickly ripped out of my hands. At this point, I attempted to turn around and fly out of his reach so I could see him better, but was pulled down. At that point, it was over. A complete waste. Maybe the first time, he had thought he’d scared me off, but now, he’ll know I plan on coming back. I was lucky in the first place he hadn’t moved, but he’s sure to be gone by the time I make it back out there. I didn’t even get a good look at his face. Stupid.

However, there were a couple things I noticed.

It was clear this time that only parts of Scar could make contact with me. When he pulled me to the ground, I felt very clearly his fingers, but not his hands. I felt his teeth, but not his face. There’s a presence, like a phantom feeling, but nothing concrete. Very odd.

I also find it weird that Scar has not used any weapons. Even vex use swords, and I remember Scar having one the first time we met. Did he lose it? Does he just prefer to kill with his hands? Maybe he just wasn’t ready for me to come back. Maybe I’ll ask Cleo the next time they visit the island. I can probably find out without raising any suspicions. I’m going to take some time before I look for Scar again anyway. I'd like to have an actual plan.

Encounter 2 - Addition

Cleo ended up visiting this weekend to work on her starter base, so I did end up asking if she knew about any of Scar’s weapons in the name of a future museum. Unsurprisingly, I got told that was a horrible idea, but after a little pushing, they told me they had taken his weapons before arriving at the island to keep him from hurting himself. When their boat was destroyed, his sword and other weapons were lost.

I may have pushed my luck by asking more about Scar’s ‘possession,’ but I think Cleo was more uncomfortable talking about the event than she was concerned about the reason I was asking. She told me Scar’s threat of suicide was intended to destroy Mumbo and Pearl because of their heightened connection at the time, and she only noticed odd behavior after she had knocked him out. The feeling of being watched, little movements, and quiet talking. I didn’t push for anything else. Given those were the events leading up to her death, they couldn’t be pleasant to recount. (A note for any future, human readers: Cleo is undead, but not a ghost like the rest of us, as she failed to return after her death off the coast of the island. Her form is more akin to that of a zombie.)

It is interesting however, that Scar was unconscious when this took place. Maybe he’s unconscious now, and has been for weeks. He might even be dead. It is also interesting to note Scar is most likely weaponless now. The use of his teeth is probably out of necessity, rather than an attempt at intimidation.

Encounter 3

There was no trace of Scar at his old settlement, which was no surprise. While I had thought it would be a good place to start in tracking him, he had done quite the thorough job of confusing his trail as much as possible. Not only that, but the place was full of traps, which I am a bit embarrassed to admit caused quite a few severe injuries and more than one death. See, to track magic traces, it’s easiest to sense by blocking out other distractions; visual, auditory, or otherwise. I do a lot of walking around with my eyes closed, perhaps against my better judgment. Unfortunately, it slowed me down quite a bit. If that was Scar’s goal, he did a damn good job. Maybe if I can get a word in before he kills me next time, I can appeal to his ego. I'm not above flattery.

However, after my thorough search of his old place, it took quite a bit of time to find where he had run off to. Part of the time sink was Scar being very good at hiding, but I took a lot more care to stay undetected as well. I wanted to see him this time, really see him. I ended up getting my wish, though I was not counting on Scar being covered in blood. Thinking back, there was probably a reason he didn’t notice me for so long. His focus was on the pig.

I knew I was getting close, but hearing the distress of the animal caught my attention. I hadn’t actually considered what/if Scar ate, and while I doubted I’d actually see him hunting , that thought was exciting. Turns out it was my lucky day. When I finally found him, he was crouched over the hog, breathing heavily. Breathing. He was alive. Though, physically, he didn’t look like it. His clothes were in tatters, his hair matted, and he was awfully skinny, almost emaciated. The scars that rippled across his body had turned the same blue color as his vex wings; ghost-like. His fingers, which now curled into claws, were colored similarly. While I am sure he is alive, I can’t say it wasn’t a debate for me during my regeneration. Maybe the vex doesn’t know how to care for a human body?

Scar stared at the pig for a long time. It had been pretty thoroughly maimed, but I don’t think he was particularly bothered. He looked.. confused, maybe. Honestly, I’m still not sure what he was thinking. I got too comfortable in his stillness, but in my defense, I think anyone would jump if the person you were watching started yelling out of nowhere. Scar, however, didn’t seem to notice the leaves I rustled backing into the treetops. He was focused on this pig, his eyes wide and terrified.

“What am I supposed to do with this?” he shrieked, which I remember so clearly because I gasped. I don’t know exactly why, but I just hadn’t expected him to speak. His head snapped up at the sound, and we stared at each other for a long moment. Now, I should have run. I should have flown above the treeline where Scar couldn’t reach. And while I could make excuses about his speed and ferocity, I must emphasize the abject terror of a man covered in blood, vaulting himself up a tree with inhuman speed for the sole purpose of catching and ending you. I froze. I admit, I think this is the first time in years I was truly afraid of something.

It was exhilarating.

Scar threw me from the tree; we must have fallen at least eight feet, him on top of me, before crashing into the ground. That alone was probably enough to send me back to Spawn, but Scar wasted no time tearing through me. I must have looked as frightened as I felt; I remember hearing laughing, but I was pretty dazed at the time. I wonder if he enjoyed it. Part of me hopes so. I think before I died, I wished him luck with the pig.

I’ve gotten distracted, no doubt in part to the mind fog after regeneration. Note: Continue this tomorrow. Summarize what you’ve learned.

Encounter 3 - Addition

I am not the type of person to linger. I would like this to be clear. I am not the type to feel lonely, and if I do, it is not usually the lack of human connection. There’s an annoying little thing about vex; they prefer to be together in small groups, an evolutionary thing no doubt for security’s sake. They get anxious, alone too long. I am not immune to the feeling, but usually, I can dispel it with a couple captured vex to keep in my room.

It’s not working.

I am passionate about my work. I’ve been known to get lost in it, to neglect my needs, few as there are. I don’t believe this feeling is anything relevant to my research. Anyone would be distracted. Best it be documented anyway. This is stupid.

Encounter 3 - Addition 2

I do not linger. I wonder if Scar does?

#cw: animal death #cw: violence #cw: blood #tw: suicide mention #hermitcraft #gtws #goodtimeswithscar #cubfan135 #cubfan #zombiecleo #boatemghostsau

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gloves94 · 4 years

Text

White Holes [Cassian Andor] [10/10]

Warnings: None Tags: Death Pairings: Cassian Andor/OC

Summary: Captain Cassian Andor was an Officer of Rebel Intelligence for the Alliance. An emotionless tool. There was nothing more to his life than following orders and working for the Resistance. Hell! His only friend was an Imperial droid named K-2SO. So what happens when he is struck by love at first sight and meets Dr. Lya Stryker? Will their story has a happy ending? (CassianxOC)

My fanfiction: M A S T E R L I S T

*** 3 Years Later ***

Adair sprinted to Dr. Stryker's home. He wasted no time in banging on the door. It only took a moment for the woman to answer the door. Her hair swayed as she did it rapidly.

She would never say but she had been patiently waiting for her significant other's return. She had a bad feeling about this mission. She could feel her stomach twisting in anxiety with every second of Cassian's absence.

"They're back," the male doctor nodded. His face was pale and his tone was one of seriousness. Her heart stopped. Dr. Lya Stryker looked back at the Imperial droid that had been reprogrammed recently. "NA-2, it's time." She quickly rushed back to a room which had been built in the back. There was a toddler sleeping on a small bed.

"I'll be back Jorel, mom is going to go get dad," she kissed the child's curly topped head carefully not to awaken him and rushed out of the house whipping her lab coat over her shoulders.

She had begged him not to go.

"Cass," She pleaded leaning over her kitchen counter.

"You always have bad feelings," Cassian sighed. "You have to admit you just don't want me to go."

"Well- of course not," She exhaled in frustration. It was like this every time. Except this time it was somehow worse.

Vital information about a weapon of mass destruction called the Death Star with the power to obliterate planets was just intercepted by rebels. However, it was potentially just a rumors. If it wasn't true- it was a trap and if it was true- what choice did the Rebel Alliance have? Would the galaxy be condemned if they didn't fight? What were the chances? What were the choices that they had?

She would plead for him not to go and he would return would a few souvenirs in the form of scars and bruises. Lya snaked around the counter and wrapped her arms around his arm. She leaned her head on his shoulder and kissed his arm. "If it were up to me I'd be selfish and keep you here all to myself." "If it were up to me I'd let you," he smiled at her. That ages smiled that made the edges of his eyes crinkle with affection.

"We have to go, get our hands on those plans. We've all done terrible things on behalf of the rebellion. Everything I did, I did for the Rebellion, for a better future and every time I walked away from something that I wanted to forget I told myself that it was for a cause that was worth it, for something that I believed in. But now, if everything is lost, everything would've been for nothing. I couldn't face myself if I did nothing." She looked down her eyes stung as they filled with hot tears, the grip became tighter around his arm.

"I'm doing this for us," he said taking her face in one of his hands. "For Jerol," he nodded his head over to the bedroom at the end of the hallway. "For me?" "For you," he leaned in and kissed her forehead. "For Esli?"

"Esli?" His eyes narrowed in confusing. "Who's Esli?"

She looked at him before cracking a weak smile. Her eyes lowered to her not yet swollen stomach.

It was a complicated time during the Galaxy War for children to be born, but alas life had to go on.

"A-Are you sure?" His eyes went wide. "Another one?" he beamed. He wrapped his arms around the doctor and hid his smile on her hair. He hid his smile, his tears, Cassian knew he wouldn't come back. He took everything in, her smell, her touch, the way her body felt against his.

He remembered the first time he ever laid eyes on the doctor. His heart had stopped, he had been so persistent in loving her since.

"Oh, Lya, my love, my all," he closed his eyes and pressed a kiss on her forehead. Like a broken damn the tears streamed down her eyes silently as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him as if it were the last time.

They made love one last time and her parting words to him were.

"May the force be with you my love,"

That had been yesterday.

Lya had not slept all night, she had been praying with every action and every step she took. Preparing the medical ward for the return of the brave volunteers who had decided to partake on this dangerous mission.

Beds were prepared, medicine was restocked and everything was ready the return of any fallen heroes.

Fighter ships and U-Wings were coming in ignited in flames. Survivors were rushed in to the ward. Medics began running left and right, there was pain, fire, blood, screaming and death quickly filling each and every one of the beds in the ward.

Lya kept her eyes sharp her senses on edge. She remained attentive to every individual that was checked in. Surprisingly there weren't that many survivors, there were beds to spare. She did a round around the ward desperately looking for Cassian. She kept her eyes open looking for Jyn Erso, K-2SO, anybody that could have whereabouts about Cassian.

Time flew by in the ward, and with every aching minute she knew.

It was around midnight when the Rebel Alliance had gathered at the main headquarters for a final update on the results of the mission.

By this time Lya already knew. She could feel it in her gut. She walked as tall as she could as she entered the crowded room. At the center stood the leaders of the Rebellion. They honored and praised the fighters that sacrificed their lives for the purpose of the Rebellion. They announced that thanks to these brave souls the mission had been a success and because of that the Rebellion actually stood a fighting chance against the Empire.

Holographic figures began glimmering in the projector with their names spelled above. Names and faces of valiant soldiers killed in action began flashing before the crew. Lya's face was stoic. Adair stood at her side analyzing her composed expression. Some of the faces flashing were familiar, some weren't.

Her heart was at her throat.

Beating.

Hammering.

Her breathing, however was not.

She looked over her shoulder briefly. Wishing, hoping that Cassian would be casually leaning against the wall. His dark, bottomless eyes lingering on her as they usually would. K-2SO would come in and make a blunt sarcastic remark. But that wasn't the case today.

Her eyes returned back to the screen when they landed on her beloved for the last time.

Everything she feared had just been confirmed.

Just like that she felt something shatter inside of her. She stumbled backwards on her feet, the breath she had been holding choked out in scattered fits.

Her blood ran cold as she lost her footing and collapsed. She couldn't hear Adair calling her name, hoisting her up and dragging her limp body to the back of the crowd.

He knew what this felt like. He had felt it when Lux, the light of his life, had perished.

Her eyes remained fixed on the blue hologram of the man she had come to love, the father of her children, the martyr. She had known that choosing Cassian as her significant other would lead to this, however, she had not planned for it. It was never something she had wanted to witness. And just like that it flickered away, on to the next fallen soldier and the next, and the next.

Her hands began trembling as she allowed ragged breaths to escape her cloudy eyes. Dr. Stryker could feel an icy numbness consuming her soul, the tears came without a warning burning down her face.

He was gone.

Cassian had passed in Scarif.

Lya didn't know how it had happened. Nobody knew how or who he had been with. All that she knew was that it had been unstoppable. The planet had literally been obliterated. The only thing that brought her peace was knowing that it was fast and that if anything he hadn't been alone.

His death had not been in vain.

She liked to think that his spirit was with her. Comforting her throughout her mourning, keeping a watchful eye over Jorel, their child. She held the toddler's hand in hers. Everyday he was beginning to look more and more like his father with those dark eyes and his wavy brown hair.

They stood next to a memorial in front of her house. It was simple, just like he would've wanted it.

'In Honor of Captain Cassian Jorel Andor, who sacrificed his life for the Rebel Alliance and died in Scarif. Loving friend, father and husband.'

There was no use in hiding their relationship now. The two had been wed in secrecy. People around the base would gossip and whisper about the doctor and the mysterious parentage of her children.

However, that was now over, there was no more hiding, no more secrets. The only thing left to do was to move forward, and Cassian wasn't completely gone. He lived on, through his children, through his legacy, through the words and actions of those still fighting against the Empire with tooth and nail.

Lya would make sure that legacy stayed alive. She would keep fighting with her whole heart, even if she had just had half of it. For her, for their family, and specially for Cassian.

Author's Note:

I'll admit it.

This story was supposed to be 12 chapters long and I had already written them out, but then my OneNote crashed and everything went down the drain.

*Shoots a hole through my laptop*

So it is time to bring the story for a close. However, I have been wanting to start a Kylo Ren fic with Cassian and Lya's child Esli, so maybe that will happen one day. If it happens keep an eye out for Black Holes.

Thank you so much for the support and patience everyone.

All my love,

Prev: Chapter 9

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sideofwritingsandramblings · 5 years

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Day 3: Cannibalism: the (almost) bsd au

For @sheithmonth prev / on ao3 / next July 3rd - 24 Hours

Allura stood before them with a clipboard held tightly to her chest and Keith felt his stomach drop as he took in her grim expression, eyes downcast and mouth set in a thin line. Coran stood to her left and slightly behind her, and he was uncharacteristically quiet. Shiro stood close beside Keith, his human hand reaching for Keith’s own.

“It’s some kind of… virus,” Allura started, holding her clipboard out to them which Shiro took quickly, “A virus that in 24 hours will kill the both of you, unless we can find an antidote.”

“And what if we can’t find an antidote?” Shiro asked, “Is there anything else we can do?”

Allura and Coran shared a look, obviously keeping something from them. Keith could only assume it was even worse news.

“There is another way,” Coran started but seemed to struggle to find the words, “But-you see... it is a last resort. Under no circumstances will either of you consider this until the very last moment, do you understand?”

Keith could feel Shiro’s eyes on him but he stared ahead to Coran, dreading the words that would come next. They nodded and Keith felt Shiro squeeze his hand tightly.

“The virus has connected the two of you together. Your life forces anyway,” Coran continued, “If we can’t find a way to reverse it in time you both will die, unless… one of you dies first. If the connection is broken between the hosts, the virus will be destroyed with it.”

Keith closed his eyes, suddenly feeling the weight of both his own life and Shiro’s on his shoulders. It had only taken a split second and he already knew what he had to do. Shiro had already died once, and Keith was not going to let that happen again.

“Keith, look at me,” Shiro grabbed his shoulders to turn him and Keith slowly met his eyes, “We’ll figure this out.”

“I know Shiro,” Keith replied softly.

22 Hours Remain

When the paladins had first arrived on this small, seemingly harmless planet, they were simply answer a ship’s distress call that had crashed on its surface. They could have never expected the sinister virus that had spread itself across the planet. The Black Paladins had been the only two to go down to the planet’s surface, and they had unfortunately not taken the proper precautions. The moment they stepped off the ship they had been alerted by their suits that there was oxygen. Yet the suits didn’t account for what else was in the air.

The moment Shiro and Keith took a breath of the crisp air a strange sigil had appeared between them before disappearing just as quickly. But the damage had already been done and they were overcome with symptoms. Coughing, intense pain, and dizziness that had them both falling to their knees. They hardly got themselves back into the Black Lion and Keith struggled to pilot them back to the Atlas. Now they knew the crew of the crashed vessel had been killed by the virus long before Shiro and Keith had arrived on the scene.

And unfortunately, Allura’s diagnosis was incomplete. She knew what the virus would do to them but had no data on its origin or how to stop it. For now she could only give them pain meds to fight the symptoms.

Keith knocked his head back against the headrest of the Black Lion’s pilot chair. Shiro stood, an ever constant presence, behind him with his hand resting on Keith’s shoulder.

They had spent the past two hours in the lion scouring the surface of the small unnamed planet for any sign of intelligent life. Life that perhaps knew how to combat the virus. But no such luck. Sickeningly, they could only find empty ruins and sometimes alien remains, including those of the crew that had the unfortunate luck to crash on this hellish planet.

The other paladins were currently doing their part to rescue their infected comrades. Pidge was contacting every single ally they had to see if any information was known about the virus. Lance and Hunk had gone down to the surface in reinforced suits to collect samples of the fauna that might have produced the virus. And Allura and Coran took those samples to study.

Allura was convinced that the virus had started as a natural illness but dark magic had been used to enhance its effects, thus explaining the magic sigil Shiro and Keith had seen. However, that would imply there was a caster and perhaps if they could find them, they could reverse the spell.

“But why would someone make a virus like that worse?” Lance had asked, annoyed.

“I can only assume that it was used as some kind of biological warfare,” Allura replied, “If you can affect multiple enemies they would either die or be forced to kill one another to survive.”

“That’s so fucked up!” Pidge cried, "But we can stop it, right?"

"I… I don't know," Allura replied sadly, "But we have to try everything we can."

Keith heard a groan of pain from behind him, pulling him out of his thoughts. He reached his hand back to cover Shiro’s but kept his eyes on the planet below. Keith also felt a stab of pain in his stomach, one of the many symptoms of the virus, and could only imagine how much worse it might get as they get closer to the end.

They searched for hours but came up empty.

There was no avoiding the heavy exhaustion that overcame the Black Paladins as time wore on. They only had just over half a day remaining, but they were forced to retreat back to the Atlas, both almost asleep on their feet.

The symptoms were taking a lot out of them and the pain was just getting worse.

Shiro pulled Keith by the hand into their room and down onto the bed. Keith snuggled as close as he could, hugging Shiro tightly to his chest. They would only sleep for an hour, it was decided, and despite their dire situation Keith drifted off quickly.

12 Hours Remain

Keith awoke, feeling a little bit better, and reached out to pull Shiro closer.

But the space beside him was empty.

He shot upright from the bed, already in panic, but was immediately calmed when he saw Shiro sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. Keith edged quietly towards him, wrapping his arms around Shiro’s shaking frame.

“I was going to leave,” Shiro admitted quietly.

“I know. I’ve thought about it too.”

Shiro turned to look at him and Keith could see the pain and grief in Shiro’s gaze, “Keith, I can’t let you die. You have to let me go.”

Keith shook his head, arms tightening, “I’ve already mourned you twice. You can’t do this to me again Shiro. I can’t do it again. We… we’ll just have to go together.”

Shiro let out a shuddering breath, twisting on the bed to hug Keith back. Keith moved his hands to instead cradle Shiro’s face and then leaned forward to press a kiss to Shiro’s forehead. And then to the scar across his nose and his cheeks, until he finally gave in and kissed him properly.

There was a desperation in this kiss that Keith had never experienced. Sure they’ve had adrenaline fueled kisses before and after missions, but this? This was Shiro pushing Keith down into the mattress and practically devouring him. It was like they couldn’t get close enough.

How could they possibly get close enough when they had so little time left? Keith felt dizzy and he no longer knew if it was a symptom of the virus or their breathless kisses.

They moved against one another, and Keith took his time exploring Shiro’s body, committing every moan and breathless sigh Shiro made to memory. And as they lay panting after they found release, Keith knew he had no regrets. If this was where his life would end, he had been so lucky to meet and have Shiro. That was enough.

6 Hours Remain

Pidge slammed their hands down on the table, “There has to be something else we can do!”

The rest of the table remained silent, and it started to sink in just how hopeless their situation had become. Shiro and Keith were both bedridden, the full effects of the virus taking hold.

Allura and Coran had successfully replicated the antidote to the natural virus but, due to the nature of the dark magic, the antidote alone couldn’t reverse the damage. Pidge had also had no luck discovering any information from their allies either. No one had seen or heard of this planet or its virus before. Their only chance was to find the original caster. However, between Keith and Shiro’s visual search and the Atlas’ own scans for life, they all came up completely empty. It was possible the caster wasn't even on the planet anymore.

“Wh-What if we could find another one of those clone bodies of Shiro?” Hunk started, “I mean maybe if his soul was transferred to a new body… wouldn’t that be enough to break the spell?”

“Perhaps,” Allura replied, “But we’re not even sure if any of the clone bodies survived Keith and Kuron’s fight. And, even if we could find one in time, I’m honestly not sure that Shiro will survive yet another body transfer.”

Pidge sat for a few more minutes listening to the conversation but could tell it was going nowhere. They couldn’t just waste all their time here talking. They had to do something now.

Pidge stood from the table and walked away without looking back.

2 Hours Remain

Shiro had been passed out for a while now and it was easy enough for Keith to sneak out of bed and slip out of the room without anyone noticing. The pain had spread from his stomach to his lungs and throat and, honestly, everywhere just ached. He knew there wasn’t much time left. And he’d already made up his mind. He’d wait, like Coran said, for the very last moment. But when that moment came, he’d be ready to make the sacrifice.

He was not going to let Shiro die.

Keith stumbled his way into the hanger, bypassing the Black Lion to instead jump into a small fighter jet that had been assembled and brought from Earth. He entered the various launch codes and prepared himself. For a moment he hesitated. He wanted so badly to go back to their room, press himself close to his lover, and spend his last moments alive in Shiro’s arms. But then they would both die.

Taking a deep breath Keith started up the engine and resolved himself. However, just as he began to lift off, the sigil from before reappeared in front of him, burned brightly for a moment, and then burst in front of his eyes.

2 Hours Remain (but somewhere else)

Pidge coughed into their hand, ignoring the blood that collected on their glove. It had been four hours since Pidge first touched down on the virus’ planet and 2 hours since they’d taken off their helmet. Just as suspected, however, since they were the only living creature on the planet, only the natural virus was taking effect and the sigil hadn’t yet appeared.

Pidge stopped in front of another large scattering of ruins and placed their hand on the side of one of the broken walls that was covered in vines. They closed their eyes. The Olkari had taught them everything they needed to know about connecting with nature, and yet another scene appeared before them.

Pidge saw a memory of a group of druids running into what once had been a large cathedral-looking building and disappearing underneath the ground. Pidge opened their eyes and ran to the spot on the ground where they’d vanished, finding it covered with rotten wooden boards. It took a little while to cut through and move them aside, but below them was a stairwell leading underground.

Pidge followed, finding an old, dusty hallway that eventually led out into a large open room. In the center was a dark orb of quintessence and behind that, with its hands pressed against the orb, was a single druid.

Immediately drawing their bayard, Pidge readied to go on the attack, but the druid didn’t appear to notice them.

“Hey!” Pidge yelled at it, but still the druid did not move, “If you’re the one controlling the virus, I’m going to need you to stop!”

Pidge threw out their bayard and it connected with the druid’s mask, ripping it off, and Pidge froze in shock when they realized the druid was dead. The figure was still hunched over the orb, somehow generating energy, but all that was left of the druid itself were bones covered in its tattered robe.

“Okay, that’s horrifying,” Pidge said, pulling back their bayard and taking aim for a second shot.

Lining it up, they threw it again but this time connected directly with the orb, knocking it out of the druid’s hands and onto the floor. The glass container cracked and dark energy began to spill out.

“That can’t be good.”

The druid’s skeletal face snapped up to look at Pidge with glowing red eye sockets.

“Oh shit!”

Pidge didn’t wait to watch what would happen next, running out of the room before the druid could figure out how to move its skeletal legs. P idge ran down the hallway, up the stairs, and tore out of the ruins. They called out to their Lion the whole time and luckily the Green Lion was ready and waiting when they burst outside. Without even hesitating the Green Lion shot from her tail behind Pidge, where the druid had been catching up. Pidge turned back in time to see the druid get knocked back and a large sigil appear in front of it before exploding in a burst of light.

The druid collapsed and Pidge decided to get the fuck out of there.

When Pidge returned to the hanger, Keith was waiting for them.

“You actually did it,” he said with a tired smile.

“Sure. Yeah. No problem, but why are you not in bed!” Pidge scolded, helping Keith stand up and pulling him back towards their rooms by his hand, “Allura still needs to treat the virus with the antidote now that the spell is broken. You could still die if you’re not careful!”

“It looks like you need the antidote too,” Keith shot back, elbowing Pidge in the side.

“Yeah yeah, I’ll be fine,” Pidge replied, and Keith could swear he saw tears in their eyes.

“You okay? You didn’t get hurt down there?”

“I’m fine, it’s just… We almost didn’t make it. If it wasn’t for what I learned from the Olkari, I never would have found the source of the magic in time. You and Shiro would have both died and we would have just had to sit there and watch.”

Keith didn’t speak for a moment, letting himself get pulled down the hallways of the Atlas. He didn’t tell Pidge that Shiro would have been fine in the end. But if he could guess from the looks they were giving him, Pidge already knew why Keith had been in the hanger.

“You’re not allowed to die either, okay?”

Keith smiled, still unused to having so many people who cared about him, “Okay.”

2 Hours Later

With the antidote distributed to the three paladins, Shiro, Keith, and Pidge were already on their way to a full recovery.

The moment Pidge and Keith had walked through the bedroom door Shiro had pulled them both into a tight hug. Keith knew that Shiro was going to chew him out later for leaving in the first place, but for now they simply took the time to appreciate being alive.

Pidge had gone back to their own room to rest and Allura went about preparing the Atlas for launch so that Shiro didn’t have to. The rest of the team was working on alerting all of their allies about the planet and its virus.

Now that a couple of hours have passed the symptoms have mostly abated, and Shiro and Keith were finishing off some delicious food goo prepared by Hunk.

“I’m sorry for leaving,” Keith said softly, avoiding Shiro’s eyes as they cuddled close on their couch.

“I know how stubborn you can be. Honestly I should have handcuffed us together,” Shiro teased, pressing a kiss to the side of Keith’s head, “You really scared me when I woke up and you weren’t there. When the sigil was destroyed I was sure you were-”

Shiro cut off, unable to say it out loud.

“I’m just... glad you’re back,” Shiro said instead.

Keith finally met Shiro’s eyes again, “It’s good to be back.”

#sheithmonth #sheithmonth2019 #sheith #fanfic #voltron #my fics #if you were wondering about the title i explain it better on ao3

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artisticvicu · 5 years

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Weekly Short Story | Part 4 - Metal Bindings that Tie

[first]

[prev]

He did his best not to let his trepidation show. It must have worked enough because one of the closest employees approached him. She was much smaller than him but he felt the metal she carried and knew she would manipulate if she needed to.

He was also certain he could overpower any manipulation she tried.

"Welcome, sir," she offered cordially. "Is this your first time visiting?"

He felt her try and control the collars of his and he placed himself in her space. Her metal sang under his control and she stared wide-eyed at him as he pulled it from her. "Do not touch what is mine without expressed permission," he warned, coiling her metal behind him in an impressive display of control. "You will not be able to overpower me and I do not want to have to put you in your place if you tried."

Her face turned bright red with her shame and embarrassment as he returned her metal to the shape and place it had been before he had taken over. She opened her mouth but he was already turning away, silencing her before she had the chance to speak again. His heart was pounding in his chest. Why had they put their lives in his hands again?

"We are leaving," he spoke to the other but there was no real desire to leave the shop. They needed the underground market. Either the employee that approached him either knew his lack of desire or was desperate.

"Sir, a moment."

He turned looking to the older man that had spoken to him. If he had to guess, the man was probably old enough to be his father. "I am Perix, manager of this establishment. I wish to offer an apology on behalf of my employee. We do not often gain patrons of your caliber and this was her first interaction with one such as yourself."

He scoffed. "Do you not train them?"

His skin crawled at the thought of the role he had shoved himself into.

The man gave a shallow bow. "Absolutely, but due to the rarity customers such as yourself are, she has yet had any experience beyond yourself to make sure the information is retained."

"She best retain it after this," he ground out. "I'm not so certain I will return after such an interaction." There was a flicker of annoyance in the man's eyes but the man's expression remained calm. He almost let the smirk cross his face. Or maybe it did slip forth as the man's expression turned a bit confused. He ran with it, grateful for an excuse to shake off the persona that made his skin crawl. "How am I not surprised this isn't the first time you've had to deal with this kind of situation?" The confusion took over the man's expression completely. He waved it off. "I am not pleased she tried to take control the second time but I understand the reasons for the first. Unfortunately I'm very....particular about those that are mine. I have lost one due to someone's idiocy before. I am not keen on letting that happen again."

The man nodded with a neutral expression once more. "Of course, sir." Had they truly been his, he probably would have been offended when the man's gaze flickered to his companions. "I offer my sympathy. Do you have intentions of replacing it?"

"Replacing it? No," he spoke. "They were unique. There is no replacing when it comes to something like that."

The bell over the door rang out. It took all he had not to look over. He trusted at least one of the others to take in whoever entered. The man before him, though, looked over before offering him an encouraging smile. "I know they are not of much condolence but I can show you some of our more finer pieces freshly made in the back for yours."

He arched an eyebrow. "Lead the way."

The man led them through the shop to the back. The man opened the door to a back hallway and he stepped through the door without hesitation. There was a pause as everyone filed in and the man pulled the door shut. He fell into step next to the man as they were led down the hall.

"How unique was the one you lost?" the man inquired.

He gave the man a flat look. "Unless you are taking me to a viewing of some 'replacements', I have no reason to show you."

The man sent him a smug look. "I can make that happen."

"At a price, I'm sure."

The man chuckled. "You are quite perceptive for your young age."

He snorted. "And you're not, old man. So the shop manager persona's just an act?"

"Hmm, no," the man offered. "I can be quite cordial if I wish to be. I simply have less patience behind closed doors."

"Fair enough," he stated, getting straight to the point. "I want access to the Underground."

"That unique?"

He stopped and turned, the group stopping in turn. He reached out, hand towards the snake around the human girl's neck. "I had two of these. I want another or nothing at all."

Despite not having said anything, the creature understood and turned to smoke that drifted towards him. It reformed into some sort of bird he had never seen that was massive. If he had to guess, its wingspan was now longer than the tallest twins were tall. It was an imposing sight and he appreciated the decision without guidance. The man beside him was stiff as the creature stared him down with brilliant eyes that looked like molten gold still churning.

"If there is one to be set for auction, I'm sure the Magistrate will know."

He focused a hard gaze on the man. "Not a word of this to anyone else, Perix. You're death won't be pleasant if you slip."

The man bowed, not even phased by the threat. As uneasy as it made him, it was a good sign. "Of course, sir. Let me take you to the Magistrate."

The rest of the walk was in silence. He sent the creature back to the human girl where it returned to the shape it had been when he had first seen it. If any of the others were phased by what had happened, they didn't show it.

The man came to a stop at some seemingly random door and produced a key. It looked too small for the lock but he still inserted it and gave a full rotation before removing it and opening the door. Beyond the door was a massive showing space and he knew immediately where they were stepping into. Without even looking back, he thinned their collars to chain them to each other. There were no complaints and the way the collars shifted under his awareness told him that the twins were book-ending the group. The male twin was at his shoulder, the female twin at the back; the entire group was close and pressed in together. It was less likely they would get picked off like that and he was glad for the silent communication that seemed to happen.

The man noticed. "You have very obedient claimed, sir. Even the Quillian?"

"They are in my care as a favor to someone I owed," he offered nonchalant. "Those collared are simply well trained and intelligent. They know how to behave."

Silence lapsed over them again as the man continued on, weaving this way and that through the expansive showroom. It was near the point he was about to ask how much farther they had to go when the man turned and started down a secluded hallway. The space quickly became less showy and he realized they were being led into the back areas of the market. A cacophony of sounds started reaching them. It wasn't till they were almost upon the source that he realized it was a variety of creature screams and people shouting. They stepped into a space that wasn't very wide but it was long. It looked like the main thoroughfare for goods drop-off and pick-up. There were a number of creatures being wrestled into new cages, crates of goods moved with careful crews, and yet the man did not stop.

They took the thoroughfare for quite a distance before the man slipped down a new hallways. This time there was only one creature sound coming from ahead of them but plenty of voices shouting.

The room they stepped into was small compared to the other two spaces they had crossed through but it was still huge. In the center of the room was some sort of creature struggling against the metal restraints. Out of the swarm of people. there was one standing to the side watching all of it.

"Wait here," the man said, rushing off to speak to that person.

He turned his attention back on the creature. He felt the restraints break in one section and that seemed to be all it needed. In a sudden burst of smoke, the creature's shape reformed into a massive dragon.

He now knew why they were in such a large room, though he thought it was still a stupid idea.

Something shot past him as the human girl behind him screamed, "NO!"

Another surge of smoke and suddenly there was a second dragon screaming too. Rage surged through him speckled with panic as he took a step forward. The workers were already moving to corral the creature but he did it first. Liquid metal seemed to quickly form out of mid air in floating globs before strands shot out and wrapped around the creature that was under his protection. He made the bindings hurt both because he was furious and because it was to be expected. He shoved the creature to the ground and pinned it without moving a muscle. He sneered down at it as it whined, its muzzle bound shut. "Return to form," he barked in the echoing silence. "Now!"

The creature's large form seemed to puff into smoke that quickly condensed and solidified against the human girl's chest as a mouse. The human girl's hands came up to cradle it.

He let his gaze drift over the room, taking in all the people watching him. Before his gaze settled, he took in the other creature that was now pinned to the ground staring at him. He looked to the person the man had gone to. They had an intrigued look on their face and he wasn't sure he could get them all through this alive anymore.

#All the Creation #Creative and Prompt Writing #RPApril Extravaganza 2019 #Weekly Short Story #4 of 4

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mrnibblesleviathan · 6 years

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Entry 4.2 - Dead Zone

AO3 START PREV NEXT

Present, Mushroom Forest

Dead, they’re all dead. They punched a sandstone deposit a little harder than necessary. They weren't sure what they expected. They were the only one to show up when the sunbeam had a landing site. But it was still whirling in their mind, my fault, if I had just been a little more cautious. They punch another deposit. Lead. Useless.

They couldn't think about anything but the 11 pods that they had managed to fill before the Aurora crashed. Their entire team was gone. Completely evacuated, with time to spare. No wonder they hadn’t found any of them.

So many pods were jettisoned but they had found so few, so few had sent out signals. They were destroyed before they could ask for help. With their team being the first out of the ship, they probably landed miles away from the safe biomes of the crater. Right into Leviathan territory.

They tried to control the thoughts in their head as they chased the shimmering peepers through the forest. They tried to tell themselves that there was no way they could have known, but it was hard to listen to reason when the opposing team has their team of bright young engineers and programmers getting attacked by leviathans.

What had been the last thing they ever said again? "I'll be fine."

Ryley wasn't fine.

Something had happened and Bart knew it. The way Ryley just ran off made him worry, but it's not like he could have chased them to ask what was wrong. So, in the bed he stayed, alternating between watching the fish outside the window and reading the information Ryley had gathered. They’d actually gathered a fair amount, which earned him a good quiet time of compenetrated study. It had been so long since he had new material to analyze, to actually learn from. The last years had been mostly a fight for survival, in which he'd been too busy barely scrapping the "being alive" class to actually study the wildlife again. Sometimes he just missed being a scientist.

Almost two hours passed without him even noticing, lost in the new information his friend had discovered with the aid of more technological tools. Bart was somewhat alarmed that Ryley had managed to scan a boneshark, though he figured if anyone could do it, it would be Ryley. There was an entry that stopped him in his tracks, however.

“Assfish McGee?” He yelled into the empty room. He was no stranger to talking alone. “What in the actual hell is an Assfish McGee?” He pulled the PDA up closer to his face, reading through the entry. “That’s… That’s a fucking crashfish, how did they scan a crashfish?” He backed out of the entry, still confused, and started going through the other ones. “Fartmaster?” He laughed. “There’s no way that’s not a gasopod.” Bart grinned as he read the entry, suspicions confirmed by the identical information to his own entry. “I knew it, that’s a majestic bastard right there.” He kept scrolling, hoping for more of the incorrect entries. “And what on Earth is a Cursed Wiggler?” The entry wasn’t one he recognized, but from what he was reading, he realized... “No. They didn’t… a damn Crabsnake? Scanned up close? How?" He whispered. "There's so much to study here... Bless that stupid, reckless idiot."

Bart's yelling seemed to have attracted company. A bright blue ghostly figure swam by the window, stopping to look at him. He left the PDA at the table, getting up slowly. Now, why was there a Jellyray in the kelp forest?

He walked to the window, a little too fast, and the creature backed away.

"Oh no... I don't mean to scare you!" He whispered, in a calming voice. He wondered if it would make any difference, and if it could even hear him beyond that glass. "What are you doing here? Aren't you a little far away from home?"

The ray swirled, going up and disappearing behind the ceiling. Instinctively, Bart hopped out of the bed and followed its tail to the glass tube connected to the kitchen. The ray was now swimming around the second floor, which Bart knew contained an aquarium for edible fish. He had seen Ryley go up and come back with some bladders for dinner.

"Maybe this is your home." He realized. "Were you hatched here?"

"WELCOME ABOARD CAPTAIN." Said the habitat voice, as the hatch opened. Ryley entered, dripping water on the floor, which immediately started drying itself. They wrenched off the helmet of their suit, dropping it in a locker by the hatch, lovingly labeled “DON’T DIE”. Dropped the tools in there too, along with the oxygen tank.

“Who is this… friend?” Bart pointed at the ray, who was swimming around the window nearest Ryley excitedly. Bart watched as his friend walked over and put a hand on the glass. With a tap of their fingers, two other creatures showed up. Two rabbit rays of different sizes and colours. The lighter, smaller of the two nuzzled it’s face where their hand was resting, and Ryley smiled.

They pulled out the PDA and typed “They’re mine, I hatched them here. They seem to have imprinted on me. Named them after some old online friends.” They pointed at the darker rabbit ray and typed “That’s Frill.” Then they moved on to the jelly ray, “…Heather,” And the lighter rabbit ray, “…and Miz”.

“So they’re like your own little fish crew,” Bart smiled as the rays swirled around in front of Ryley. “They seem fond of you. Is there anyone else I should know about?”

Their face lit up as they signed “Wait,” and climbed the ladder to the aquarium right above. After a few moments, they came back with something cradled gently in their arms. They opened their hands up, showing a small egg with a transparent grey membrane, containing a ridiculously adorable creature inside. Bart recognized it immediately.

“Found, your base”. Ryley said, briefly, typing with just one hand.

“My… my cuddlefish egg! You rescued it!” Bart took the small egg in his hands. “I thought the carnivores ate it… I’m so glad you found him, Ryley. I felt really bad when I fled. I thought I had abandoned it, that the cuddlefish would never have the chance to live. I’m glad I was wrong.”

Ryley nodded, happy, as Bart returned him the egg. Before climbing back to the aquarium, he showed the inventory screen to Bart. He smiled as he saw the seeds he was looking for.

“Ryley, you’re the best” he said, when his friend got back. “Thank you so much for everything you’re doing for me. You don’t know how much I appreciate it. But, please… talk to me. Stop dodging.” He stared at them. Ryley stopped in the middle of the room, suddenly aware of the concerned look directed at him. Bart crossed his arms.

“You left awfully quick this morning. Spent the whole day out, almost as if you were trying to avoid something.” He said. “Let me help you too, Rye. Did something happen?”

Ryley shook their head, trying to find an excuse. At the very least, they couldn’t do that there, where Bart could fall. He was already leaning against the wall. They steeled their face and picked up their friend, who made a very amusing noise of protest, and walked him over to the bed.

They stayed there for a moment. Bart hesitantly edged closer and placed his hand on their back.

“Take your time” He said. He felt the air push Ryley’s shoulders up and down. They pulled out the PDA.

“My team.” They typed slowly. “My crew. There were 22 other people. Engineers and programmers mostly. I was the head of the division.” They said as the memories came flooding back. “I got them out fast. I was the only one to get their entire division out from what I could see. But apparently it was all for nothing.”

“They ended up falling in the...” Bart whispered. “When I told you about the dead zone… that’s why you… Ryley, I’m so sorry--”

“Is it my fault? I have saved them, at least given them a fighting chance if I had just spent a little more time trying to find more people. If I had delayed a little longer, they could be alive right n…” Ryley gave up on writing and placed the PDA on the bed with shaking hands. They felt Bart’s arms wrap around them, and this time they leaned back into it.

“Don’t let me hear you even thinking that it was your fault. You knew nothing of the planet’s ecosystem, okay?” Bart put a hand on the back of their head. “You did what you thought was best with the information you had. The ship could have exploded and then all of you would have been dead. Then I’d be dead too.”

Ryley was quiet, but they weren’t shaking as much. They didn’t seem inclined to move, however. Which was fine, in Bart’s book. Even if they were rather heavy, they made up for it by being incredibly warm. He could stay there as long as they needed him.

Still, they moved. Had to. That peepkit fabricator wouldn’t build itself.

#subnautica #atwr #atwr fic #fanfic #ryley robinson #bart torgal #and they were roommates #fanfiction #say hi to the discord fam

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sideofwritingsandramblings · 5 years

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Day 17: Hypothetical

For @sheithmonth prev / on ao3 / next July 17th - Eighteen

Keith stood back, admiring his handiwork, chuckling at the ridiculousness of it all. The fact that he had taken a fighter jet all the way back to Earth to get real roses had been a bit overkill, but it was worth it for the aesthetic. Candles, rose petals, new silky sheets, and even some peaceful music playing from a tablet in the background. It was practically the stereotypical romantic honeymoon suite he’d seen in movies.

But, he supposes for their eighteenth wedding anniversary, his husband deserved all the sappy romantic treatment he could get for the night. Keith sighed, stretching his arms above his head and smiling. Their anniversary was technically tomorrow, but Keith supposed starting a little early and staying up till midnight would be a great way to start it.

Shiro should be getting back soon enough. Keith had asked him to grab some supplies from a nearby planet to bring back to their main ship.

Keith put a hand on the wall, reminiscing a bit. The ship they had bought from a junker eight years ago had needed a lot of work. But with some time, salvaged parts, and elbow grease, they had turned the ship into a real home. And they’d been traveling the universe together ever since.

Keith walked out of the room and moved to wait in their kitchen. He paused as he passed by the empty guest room. They had a few different ones on the ship but this one was closest to their room.

They had often talked about how they would turn it into a nursery, if or when kids came into the picture. Keith’s heart twisted a bit in his chest. As time had gone by he’d slowly warmed up to the idea of having kids, because he knew Shiro would be a great father. And Keith was starting to think he could be a good father too. But as more and more time went by, the idea of setting down roots somewhere to raise a kid wasn’t that appealing to them.

Not to mention, they weren’t getting any younger. Although… they weren’t getting that much older either. Keith had learned early on from Krolia that his Galran heritage would increase his lifespan by a fair amount. That had scared Keith at first. Of Shiro getting older faster than him. That is until they realized Haggar had inadvertently done two surprisingly good things for Shiro: cured him of his illness and increased his lifespan as well. Shiro and Keith were both well into their 40s but they both looked no older than 30.

So, in all honesty, kids still weren’t out of the question but…

Keith shook his head. Now was certainly not the time. This was about his and Shiro’s marriage. Kid talk could come later.

Keith continued on his way to the kitchen, opening their fridge and pulling out the champagne bottle he’d been chilling. He also pulled open the cupboard and grabbed two wine glasses and set them out on the counter.

As if on cue, he heard Shiro’s ship dock in the hanger and Keith sat down on one of the kitchen stools to wait.

The door slid open and Keith smiled as Shiro tried to bring in all the supplies he’d bought in one trip. He had one large bag in his human hand and another five hung precariously on his Altean arm.

“Need some help?” Keith asked, watching Shiro try to close the door behind him.

“No no, I got it,” Shiro replied, obviously struggling.

Keith rolled his eyes, standing from the stool and crossing over to grab a few bags off of his Altean arm, “Stubborn.”

“Yeah,” Shiro smiled, stooping down a little to press a quick kiss to Keith’s lips, “Hey babe.”

“Hey yourself.”

A burst of light and a single bark was all the warning they got before Cosmo appeared beside Keith. Luckily, Cosmo knew better than to jump when they were holding supplies, but it didn’t stop all 200 pounds of him from trying to nuzzle up to Shiro anyways.

“Hi buddy,” Shiro laughed, finally placing the supplies down on the floor next to the counter, and answering the space wolf’s demands.

Keith watched his husband get down on his knees as Cosmo rolled over onto his back, so that Shiro could pet his soft stomach. He really was hard to deny when he used his puppy eyes.

Eventually, Cosmo was done hogging all of the attention and went to lie down in the living room and Shiro and Keith set about putting away everything Shiro had bought. Once that was done Keith stood next to the counter and Shiro came up from behind him to wrap his arms around his waist.

“And what’s this?” Shiro asked, and Keith could hear the smile in his voice.

Keith picked up the champagne bottle and the opener, “I just thought we could start the celebration a little early.”

“Sounds good to me,” Shiro replied, moving Keith’s braid so that he could press a kiss to the back of his neck.

Keith turned to look back at him, “Good, then help me carry this back to our room?”

“Of course.”

Shiro grabbed the two empty glasses and together they walked down the hall and back toward the bedroom. Keith made sure to let Shiro walk just a little bit ahead of him so that he could see Shiro’s reaction. Shiro pressed the button for the door and as it slid open he watched his husband’s face light up in delight.

“Keith,” He turned to him with a goofy smile, and Keith couldn’t stop himself from laughing.

“Like it?”

“I love it,” Shiro stressed, entering the room, setting the glasses down on their nightstand, and immediately jumping into bed.

“Ohh, are these new sheets? They’re so soft!”

Keith couldn’t stop smiling as he set the champagne and bottle opener down on the table as well and plopped down on the bed beside him.

“Are these rose petals real? ”

Keith nodded and the next thing he knew Shiro was pulling him into his arms. Keith went easily and settled against him.

“I love you,” Shiro said, hugging him tightly.

“I love you too,” Keith immediately replied, leaning forward to kiss Shiro properly.

They took a few moments simply to enjoy the closeness, but eventually Keith pulled back and sat up so that they could have their drinks. Keith popped it open and poured out the glasses, leaning over to pass Shiro his. They settled back against the headboard, sitting close.

“To eighteen years,” Shiro said, offering his glass.

Keith clinked his glass to Shiro’s, “To eighteen years.”

For a while they sat enjoying their drinks and just talked. At one point Shiro collected some of the rose petals on the bed only to then let them go over Keith’s head. Keith shook his head as petals rained down, and he shot Shiro a glare but with no real malice. Shiro only laughed, setting aside his glass so that he could kiss Keith again.

“Oh yeah I almost forgot,” Shiro said, “While I was getting supplies on that planet, a couple of kids recognized me. One of them even had a figurine of me that he had me sign. It must have been pretty old because it was designed with my Galran prosthetic.”

“Yeah? Are you getting nostalgic old-timer?” Keith teased.

Shiro hummed, “Yeah, a little. I don’t miss the fighting or the hours long meetings or almost dying. But I do sometimes miss all of the paladins together. I even miss the crew on the Atlas.”

“Do you want to go back?” Keith asked, “To Earth I mean? We could take a break from traveling for a while?”

“No, no,” Shiro immediately replied, “I want to stay out here. I love exploring the universe with you Keith. It’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of. But I guess I miss all that activity? I don’t know, it’s a bit hard to put into words. Maybe short visits to Earth and New Altea would be nice, but I certainly wouldn’t want to stay too long.”

“What, you don’t want to listen to Lance talk about the Lancey Lance Jr.(s) all the time?” Keith asked, only half joking.

Allura and Lance had welcomed their fourth child two years ago, and little Lily and her older siblings were all Lance ever talked about. He was a doting and very proud father which, while Shiro and Keith could appreciate, still got old after a while.

“Ugh,” Shiro groaned in mock annoyance, “He just never shuts up about them. Maybe we’d understand better if we had children of our own.”

The moment the words left his mouth Keith could see he regretted it, glancing over guiltily to see Keith’s reaction. However, Keith made sure to keep his face completely neutral.

They had never actually fought over kids. Shiro had told him again and again that kids were not a deal breaker. That he loved Keith much more than a hypothetical.

But it didn’t change the fact that Shiro would like to have a kid. Ever since he was cured and guaranteed a future, he was suddenly given the chance to consider his future. And Shiro had surprised even himself with the desire for having kids. But Shiro also knew that the topic was difficult for Keith. Growing up thinking his Mom had left because of him and losing his father early on, Keith had had a hard time working through all that. However, his relationship with Krolia had so greatly improved over time and slowly Keith had come to realize he liked and even wanted kids.

Because he knew he wouldn’t have to do it alone.

“Yeah, I suppose we would understand better if we had a kid,” Keith slowly replied, taking a deep breath, “Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to start looking into it?”

Shiro’s eyes widened and Keith could see his brain processing this new information. Keith felt his heart squeeze as he saw Shiro’s lips twinge into a tentative smile and something like hope in his eyes.

“Keith, are you sure? Because I don’t want you to feel like you have to do this for my sake. I love you, and I am more than happy to spend the rest of my life like this, no children required-”

“Shiro,” Keith cut him off, and Shiro immediately shut up, “I’m sure. I’ve thought about it a lot lately and I think I can finally be ready. I really do like kids. And, I want to have a kid. With you. I want to give a home to a kid who needs one and I want that home to be with us.”

Keith smiled as he saw Shiro get a bit misty eyed before pulling Keith into another tight hug.

“As long as you’re sure,” Shiro murmured against his neck, “This isn’t set in stone, and we can back out at any point.”

“I know babe,” Keith replied, rubbing his hands soothingly up and down Shiro’s back, “But I do want this. Because I know you’ll be a fantastic father and I want to be one too.”

“You will be,” Shiro pulled back to kiss him quick, “I know it.”

Keith smiled and dragged Shiro back down onto the sheets. He glanced at the clock, realizing it was shortly after midnight.

“Happy anniversary Shiro.”

“Happy anniversary Keith,” Shiro replied, moving over top of Keith to kiss him senseless.

By their twentieth anniversary, Keith and Shiro were already happily enjoying life with their adopted daughter Mila. At four years old and already a bundle of energy, they had their work cut out for them. Krolia, in her new role as grandmother, was already absolutely doting on the half-Galran girl. And Cosmo absolutely refused to leave Mila’s side.

There were, of course, challenges and changes to be dealt with. But as they lay curled up in bed with Mila between them, her arms wrapped around Keith and her tail wrapped around Shiro, they knew they’d made the right decision.

“I love you daddy,” she whispered.

“I love you too Mila,” Shiro replied.

Mila paused and tightened her arms around Keith.

“I love you papa.”

“Love you too baby,” Keith replied, kissing the top of her head.

#sheith #sheithmonth #sheithmonth2019 #voltron #fanfic #my fics

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