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ceph-the-ghost-writer · 1 year

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Apophenia 0.5 Pt. 2

Summary: Isaac comes to understand what he's in for.

Words: 1750

Content Notes: Captivity, physical assault (shoved, thrown, gripped by the throat), interrogation, magical hypnosis/induced trance, disorientation, being pinned/restrained, being blindfolded, threats of severe bodily harm, swearing

Patreon :: Ao3 :: Story Intro/Table of Contents

He woke with a snort, his cheek coated in something warm and wet. Wiping at it with one hand, Isaac discovered the gag had been soaking up drool while he lay comatose. Groaning, he rolled over and pulled the cloth away from his lips. Paused and sat up when he realized his hands were free. That upright position lasted all of two seconds before blood flooded into his head and drowned his sense of balance. He wilted back onto the soft surface beneath him, the world in spin.

Dark. Were his eyes open? No, something pressed against them. A tentative touch to his face found a blindfold. Not just any old rag either. A leather domino mask that buckled around his head and underneath his jaw, like blinders on a trained hawk. No matter how much he scrabbled and scratched, he couldn’t get the metal clasps to loosen. His struggles revealed a second surprise: a collar on a chain. Isaac followed the links with shaking fingers from his neck to where the end had been welded to a bedframe.

“Motherfuck,” he whispered.

Ten years. He’d been a field researcher on the Coven’s payroll since he was nineteen. Since the pale werewolf’s claw and teeth marks had healed into a jagged network of scars crisscrossing his back. He’d thought he knew monsters, the kind with four legs and some with two. Ghosts as well, thanks to Elfy dragging him along to be her ears. Field guides, half-remembered semesters of courses that didn’t relate to his department. No amount of reading had prepared him to deal with being penned up and waiting for slaughter.

Okay, okay. Isaac fought to control his breathing. In to a count of three, out to four, like Dr. Acosta had suggested when waking up from the worst of his nightmares. His heartrate eased down a gear. He was alive. That meant he had a chance. Injured? A host of aches and pains introduced themselves as he did a careful pat down, but nothing more serious. Isaac pushed himself—more slowly this time—upright. Mattress under him, crisp sheet and soft comforter over. Soothing scent of lavender throughout the fabric. At least he hadn’t woken up in a basement chained to a pipe. Every posting about unregistered made it sound like living through a horror stream. Maybe bloodborn had standards and practices for keeping livestock, same as any farmer. Clean conditions made for clean eating. Goosebumps rippled across Isaac’s skin, and he shuddered. He bent his focus toward exploring his surroundings.

To his right, he could only get four steps across the carpet before his leash pulled tight. A bare nightstand with his sneakers and socks set neatly beneath were his only discoveries. No sign of his jacket. At least the room or wherever he’d ended up wasn’t too cold for just jeans and a t-shirt.

One and a half steps on the other side of the bed, he bumped into a door. Mouth a grim line, he gripped the knob. Caught his balance with a little stumble when the whole damn thing swung open. Heart hammering, he patted around the inside wall. Cold tile. Light switch, useless to him now. A rectangular projection of metal and glass—medicine cabinet. He’d found the bathroom.

Isaac had just smashed the thinner mirror of the cabinet with a towel wrapped around his fist when the sensation of being watched crept over him. He paused winding terrycloth around one of the larger shards. No noise. Just a subtle current in the air that told him he wasn’t alone. Not chilling it, like a ghost would’ve. Warm, almost electric, from someone physical. His hand tightened around the makeshift handle of his brittle weapon.

“Who’s there?”

Silence. Then, “I see you’ve kept yourself busy. Good.” A note of genuine amusement in the bloodborn’s voice said he meant it too.

Fight or flight weren’t the only two responses hardwired into the human brain. Isaac had played out dozens of scenarios in his head while toiling away. Now that the moment of truth had arrived his body froze, unable to do more than hold the shard out in the vague direction of his foe. As if some primitive part of him believed that staying perfectly still long enough could convince a predator that he wasn’t there.

A brutal yank on the collar snapped Isaac’s head back, neck bones popping. He stumbled forward, slashing wildly at the air in front of him before falling to his hands and knees. Weight dropped onto his back, and his breath flew out in a painful rush. Expecting fangs to sink into him at any second, he scrambled to lever his arms under himself, to roll and throw the bloodborn off. Fingers slid into the curls at the back of his head, gripping tight and jerking to the side sharp enough to make him gasp. Something narrow and unyielding dug into his temple.

“Stop squirming. You’ve got a cute face, so it’d be a shame to ruin it with an exit wound.”

“You’re not going to get away with this.” But he went still. Maybe he owed horror stream characters an apology. Clichés were apparently just part of the fear response.

A thoughtful hum. “I’m not sure about that. I mean, I’ve gotten away with an awful lot over the years.”

“How many?”

“Well, I’m pretty young by our standards. I was…ten? Ten when California sank. About twenty-three when I—”

“No,” Isaac blurted despite a spike of morbid curiosity. Holy shit, this bloodborn had lived through the break—that’d make for one hell of a report to add to Coven archives. “How many humans have you killed like this?”

Silence except for the muffled thud of his heartbeat in his ears. Then, “Sixteen here. On the property in general, that is, not just this room. Whether the score goes up by one depends on you.”

“What’s…” Isaac struggled to swallow past the dryness of his throat. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

The press of the gun’s muzzle vanished from his temple. “If I let you sit up, you’ll behave yourself, won’t you?”

His hesitation was for display purposes only, not because he had to consider the offer. Carpet tickling his cheek, Isaac nodded. The weight pinning him eased off. Before he could move, hands gripped him under the arms and peeled him off the floor. He flailed a bit. Stiffened to get himself back under control. Joints locked like a mannequin he was set on his feet. The hands nudged him forward until his knees bumped into the mattress.

“Sit.”

He obeyed. Jumped when fingers pressed against the back of his skull again. The bloodborn fiddled with the buckle to the blindfold, there was a soft click, and Isaac blinked as light and movement flooded his vision. Hands set on knees, the bloodborn stooped so their noses were inches from each other.

“There. Not so terrible, was it?” Dimples appeared on either side of a friendly, fangless smile.

Isaac wiped clammy stress sweat from his face with his sleeve and glared. “What do you want from me?” Sure, he already knew—bloodborn, said so right on label—but he wanted to hear the bastard admit it.

“Let’s start with introductions.” He pressed a hand to his own chest. “I’m Renato Faria Dimas, he, him, by the way. And you are…?”

Right. Now they would shake hands and chit-chat over coffee. But Isaac’s mouth opened anyway, and his shoulders relaxed from a defensive hunch. It was just his name. Wouldn’t cost him a thing. No point in fighting over something minor. He was already so tired, his limbs leaden from adrenaline crash. He’d tell this horrible creature anything if it’d get him to quit staring with those lambent eyes and let—

With a hypnogogic jerk, Isaac broke from the trance. Dropped his gaze from the bloodborn’s. Fixed it on the black service pistol holstered to his hip instead. Definitely larger than the .22 Isaac had passed his required six months of self-defense with. He’d handled a .45 a few times, though. No sweat if he accounted for the kick.

Isaac’s lunging grab got him as far as slipping a finger through the trigger guard before a vice-like grip captured his wrist. He squeezed frantically. Nothing. Safety was on, like it should be. The bloodborn’s still smiling lips parted a fraction, finally flashing a hint of fang tips, as he dug his thumb into the delicate bundle of bones and nerves just below the radiocarpal joint. Tiny shocks sizzling up and down his forearm, Isaac let go with a yelp. He couldn’t track the bloodborn’s next movements. For all his human brain could tell, Renato Faria Dimas’s hand teleported. It switched from slowly crushing his wrist to lifting him by the throat and launching him across the room.

All his organs slammed against the front bars of his ribcage upon impact with the opposite wall. Isaac crumpled to the carpet, bits of drywall raining down on his back and hair. His stunned lungs refused to work. He couldn’t even manage a groan as weight pinned him again.

“I see your predicament hasn’t quite sunken in yet.” Metal jingled. “Not to worry, my bold little friend. I can be patient, and I’m more than happy to help you understand.”

His arms were lifted. Placed behind his back. A spurt of adrenaline from his reserves kickstarted Isaac’s respiratory system with a cough. He squirmed and bucked, but his strength had burned out. The bloodborn slapped a pair of handcuffs on him and buckled the blindfold back into place with barely any trouble. Hauled him up by the chain attached to the collar and shoved him onto the bed. While his captor went about clearing the broken glass from the bathroom, judging from the clinking sounds, Isaac exhausted his repertoire of insults in English, then Spanish. He would’ve gone into ASL too if not for the restraints.

“I’ll be back in a few hours,” the bloodborn told him when the noise ceased. “Have a nap in the meantime maybe. It will improve your mood. Ah, and don’t get clever again, okay? The punishments Hawthorne hands out are enough to scare anyone, of course. But consider: Hawthorne isn’t here. I am. Running away would be much trickier with broken legs, don’t you think?”

“Hawth…wait, what?” Isaac asked, voice ragged from shouting and bone-dry from terror.

But a deadbolt in the door had already slammed home.

Taglist (Ask, DM, tag, etc. to be +/-): @thecyrulik @k--havok @cljordan-imperium

#dysthanasia #urban fantasy #paranormal fantasy #vampire story #serial fiction

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endlessthxxghts · 2 months

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Dr. Miller - Pt 1

Orthopedic!Joel Miller x afab!Reader || W/C: 3.5k

Summary: You’ve been dealing with a pain in your hip for a few weeks now, and it’s time you visit a specialist to see what’s going on.

Warnings: Reader is able-bodied. No physical descriptions for reader, all neutral (“your thigh”, etc). She/her pronouns for reader. Your occupation is a writer (LOL😙). Reader has a weird hatred for doctor appointments. Slight clothing description, no sizes mentioned. Pet names (darlin, angel, girl). Canon divergent - no outbreak, medical professional AU. You and Joel are literally strangers… like… ya just met today. 18+ MDNI. Inherent power imbalance (doctor-patient relations)….doctor’s office….Lots of teasing/dirty talk...oral (f receiving)…“author chose not to use archive warnings” - I don’t want to say too much!!! But pls note that there is explicit sexual activity occurring!!... proceed with horny caution… Please let me know if I need to add anything up here!

A/N: I was talking to @javierpena-inatacvest about a doctor’s experience I had (IT WAS NOWHERE NEAR INAPPROPRIATE LIKE THIS LMAOO JUST TO CLARIFY), and then we started joking around about if Joel were the doctor that I saw. So, I wrote this👹. Also I must mention!! I wouldn’t have been completely inspired/motivated to write this if it weren’t for @swiftispunk’s gynecologist!Joel Miller series she put out a little while ago!! It’s fucking amazing and yummy, and if you haven’t read that yet, DO IT NOW! 🫶 Alrighty, I love you all, I hope you enjoy xxx

SERIES MASTERLIST || MASTERLIST || NOTIF BLOG

Your appointment with DR. MILLER is coming up! Please arrive 15 minutes prior to your appointment time: 4:00PM.

You got this text yesterday, grumbling to yourself about the fifteen minute early request. Why not just schedule the appointment for 3:45 then? you thought.

Doctor appointments were your least favorite thing on the planet, no matter the reason. So when your hip started giving you trouble these last few weeks, so much so that you began to walk with a limp, you knew you weren’t going to get away with time as your medicine.

You were pretty knowledgeable when it came to your body — that’s what years of not wanting to see medical professionals have trained you for — so with this particular pain, you knew you had to see a specialist. After doing some research to see which doctors took your insurance, you finally settled on a practice just ten minutes from your house.

You arrived at your appointment at exactly 3:45, filling out the preliminary paperwork in less than five minutes leaving you to wait for ten.

Around 4:01, your name was called by one of the nurses, directing you to a room with two chairs, a medical bed, a light screen on the wall to display x-rays, and a computer screen mounted to the wall with a shelf below for the mouse and keyboard. The computer screen was facing away from where you’d be sitting.

You settle yourself into one of the chairs, waiting for the nurse to start his round of questions only for the doctor to ask you the same thing over again.

“Can you confirm your name and date of birth for me?”

“Mhm,” you reply monotonously, stating your information back to him.

“Great, thanks! And what brings you in today?”

“Well, the last few weeks I’ve had this dull pain in my left hip. It hurts in any kind of position I put it into, and I haven’t really done anything out of routine to trigger this,” you explain, still pretty annoyed.

“And do you have pain right now? Can you rate it, 1 to 10?” The nurse asks as he types up your explanation.

“Mm, I’d say about a 6 right now. Though, the pain has gone up to a 10.”

The nurse hums in acknowledgment, clicking a few things on screen before he sets the computer into sleep mode. “Alright, I’ve put everything you told me in your chart. Dr. Miller will be in here shortly to review it over with you and get to the bottom of your pain. I’m sorry you’ve been dealing with this for a few weeks!”

His sweet and validating demeanor is like a slap to the face. He’s just doing his job, while you’re over here being not as sweet for absolutely no reason. You let out a deep sigh before you give the nurse an apologetic smile. “Thank you,” you say sincerely. “I really appreciate your help.”

“Just doing my job,” he responds with a smile, shutting your door softly to give you some privacy while you wait.

Maybe you’ve been a little harsh towards the people in this field. Yeah, you’ve had some shit experiences, and maybe that’s why you’ve always loathed appointments of any kind, but not all of them are that way. Some are simply just doing their job.

A few minutes pass, and a small knock to your door pulls you out of your thoughts.

“Hey, there, I’m Dr. Miller,” the man says, a deep southern drawl blessing your ears.

The moment your eyes drag up to meet the tall man before you, all words and breath are stolen from your lungs.

Oh, fuck.

Dr. Miller is fucking hot.

His eyebrows begin to furrow, staring at you a little longer before saying your name questioningly, followed by a “Right?”

Finally, you break out from your trance, realizing you’re utterly staring. Your eyes go wide, and you realize he’s been holding his hand out for you to shake. “Oh, shit..” you mutter to yourself. “Hi, yes, that’s me- sorry, Dr. Miller-” you ramble, cheeks on fire as you shakily reach for his hand.

A soft chuckle escapes his mouth, and God, your entire body starts to grow hot. “No worries, darlin’,” he smiles. God, his smile. What kind of water does this man drink?

You laugh nervously as your heart lurches in your chest from his name for you. Bedside manner, you think. He probably calls all his patients some kind of nickname. For comforting purposes. Right? You keep quiet, not wanting to let more words slip from your mouth in the case that you embarrass yourself more.

Dr. Miller logs himself into the computer, his eyes squinting at the screen as he reads the notes the nurse left behind.

“Few weeks… dull pain… left hip…” he whispers to himself. “Uh huh,” he says as he finishes reading. “And you’re sure you don’t recall doin’ anythin’ out of your regular routine?”

“No, Dr. Miller, I really can’t,” you grimace, hating that you really don’t know what’s wrong.

As he sits there contemplating, you can physically see the gears turning in his head, and it’s just about the hottest thing you have ever seen. He is just about the hottest thing you’ve ever seen-

“Wait,” he says, the lightbulb shining bright above his head.

“What?” You reply a little too eager for your liking.

“What do you do for work, darlin’?” He asks, scrolling through your chart once more to see if your occupation is on file.

The second he asks the question, you feel your face flush impossibly more, knowing damn well where this conversation is going.

You hesitate before you answer. “...I’m…I’m a writer…” you whisper, a defeated smile weakly plastered across your face.

His eyebrows raise, a silent smug uh huh already bouncing around in your brain.

“And do you, uh… you sit a lot? Don’t ya?” Dr. Miller asks, knowing your answer already.

“I do,” you admit, your hands going up to cover your face, your guilt.

“And I reckon you forget to take them breaks? Stretch out your body a bit, huh?” Dr. Miller has given up hiding his shit-eating grin at this point.

“You reckon right,” you mirror his sentiment.

“Mhm,” he hums. He waits for you to remove your hands from your face and you meet his eyes. When you do, he cocks his head to the side, gesturing to the bed. “Hop up there real quick, I wanna try somethin’.”

“Oh, okay,” you say softly, sitting at the edge of the bed timidly. His hands reach for your shoulders first, guiding you to lay flat on your back. “I’m gonna slide you closer to the edge here, so your legs dangle off. That okay?”

“Yeah,” you squeak out, your breath struggling to make its way to your lungs at the way his ginormous hands ghost the coast of your thigh.

At your confirmation, his hands secure themselves on the underside of your thighs, pulling you to the very edge of the bed, your hips nearly an inch away from being right against his own. You swear he can hear the rapid beat of your heart right now.

“Still alright there?” he asks. So attentive, you think. You catch yourself smirking, immediately placing your hand over your mouth. You give him a muffled mhm in response.

“Let me know if I’m hurtin’ ya at all, okay, darlin’? I’ll stop,” he tells you as he slowly begins guiding your legs open. He spreads your legs into a near butterfly position — you can feel the tightness in your hips slowly start to release. “Deep breath in and out, it relaxes your body more.”

And to your surprise, it does. You take one deep breath in, then out, and you can feel your legs fall even wider, your hip joint completely relaxed and not as tight as it was when you came in.

“Atta girl,” Dr. Miller beams, feeling the stretch. Your heartbeat floats down to the heart between your legs under his praise, and all you wish you could do right now is shut your legs in case of any wetness that’s bound to say hello any minute now because you are fucking soaked. You knew you should’ve worn underwear today, damn it.

He keeps you in this position for a minute, letting your body enjoy the freedom of pain. If he can feel your body beginning to squirm — and not out of any discomfort — he doesn’t say anything. Although he can’t deny the pretty intimate position he’s put you two into. And, you are quite beautiful. He couldn’t help the butterflies in his gut when he first walked in. And seeing you get all flustered with him? It was so damn cute-

“Why the left?” He blurts out, trying to get his thoughts away from the fact that he’s holding you open and can practically smell the arousal radiating from you — nevermind the tiniest hint of your wetness leaking through your sweatpants.

You track your eyes to his. His gaze was somewhere else before he met yours. “Huh?” You ask, too distracted to register his sudden question.

“You, uh- you say you write. And you sit. A lot. How are you sittin’ that it’s only your left buggin’ ya?”

“Oh,” you sigh. “Yeah… I probably don’t sit in very good positions…” you admit. His eyebrow quirks. You explain more. “…I sit…with my left leg propped up-”

“Jesus,” Joel cuts you off with a headshake. “Well, I mean. You’re pretty flexible,” he says as he, without thinking, squeezes your thigh. “Maybe you oughta incorporate yoga or somethin’ throughout your day,” he suggests.

The tiniest of gasps leave your throat at the sensation. “Yeah, maybe,” you reply breathily.

“Y’know what, let’s try one more thing, alright? How you feelin’, you okay still, darlin’?”

“I’m good, Dr. Miller,” you reply honestly, your head feeling like it’s floating already the longer you stay in his presence and his touch.

He smiles at you, his eyes warm with a hint of something else you can’t — or shouldn’t — pinpoint. He places both hands on your left thigh, one on the outside and one on the inside. “Alright, I’m gonna pull your thigh over your right one. Try ‘n keep your back flat on the bed. I wanna see how this stretch makes you feel. Again, darlin’, let me know if I’m hurtin’ ya.”

The second your thigh crosses over, a shameless moan leaves your throat — your legs crossing did absolutely nothing to ease your aching center, only stimulating the smallest but sweetest amount of friction to get you to break. “Fuck-” you gasp, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry- that was loud-”

You glance at Dr. Miller. He’s already looking at you, a pained look on his face. He’s tense. The grip he has on your thigh is tightening, but you don’t say anything. You don’t want to. “You don’t need to apologize for that, angel,” he coos. “It’s such a relief when you finally get that release, huh?”

“Ye- yeah,” you manage, your voice barely a whisper, your eyes transfixed on the way his hands look on your body. He’s guiding you back into your first position, the one that opens you for him.

“Yeah,” he repeats. “Ya just needed to be opened up a bit. Ain’t that right, angel?” He asks, hands fixed on the inside of both your thighs, dangerously close to where you desperately need him.

Your breathing is heavy, heart running a mile a minute. “Dr. Miller,” you whine. “Please,” your eyebrows furrow, eyelids fluttering shut on the high your body is giving you.

One of his hands scoot closer in, his thumb slowly starts to caress the outer part of your pussy. “What‘s wrong, darlin’? Are ya in pain now?”

“Mhm,” you whimper, hips bucking into his hold.

“Where, baby? Tell me where, let me fix it for you,” he says in a baby, almost mockful tone. You’re too fucking turned on to analyze how he’s speaking to you. All you know is that you need his fingers, his tongue, his cock — something, to fuck you right now.

You buck your hips once more, wordlessly showing him where. That won’t do for Dr. Miller. “Need to hear ya, angel,” he says, a mix of comfort yet stern in his voice.

“F-fuck-” you let out. You are not about to beg your doctor to touch you right now. That is wrong on so many levels. Especially for him. He could lose his license, his entire career, his-

“Touch me, Dr. Miller, please,” you whisper desperately, not wanting to be too loud in case anyone passes by.

A satisfied grin spreads between his cheeks. He taps your hip once, and you lift up, letting his fingers hook themselves in the hem to slide them off you. He whistles lowly at the sight, his head softly shaking in disbelief. “God damn, angel. This messy for me, baby?”

You nod your head rapidly, soft mewls of an affirmative leave your throat.

Dr. Miller pulls the rolling chair underneath himself and he sits, lining his face right up against your sex. His hands are fixed on the outsides of your thighs, keeping you open for him. He leans in and breathes deeply. His lip twitches. His eyes are on yours again, dark, pleading. “Tell me to stop,” he mutters.

“What?” you ask, dizzy at the notion that this man — your doctor — that you just met is mere centimeters away from your sex.

“Tell me to stop,” he nearly demands.

You shift your hips, bringing yourself closer to his mouth.

“No.”

“Fuckin’ christ, girl,” he snarls.

His fingers dig into your thighs, his face diving right into your core. He licks the entirety of you with the flat of his tongue, the slick building between your folds causing his eyes to fly back.

You’re no better as your hand flies to your mouth, biting into your flesh to stop yourself from moaning out. He can feel your body writhe in his grasp, your hips utterly begging to grind against his scruffy face and hooked nose.

Your fast-paced breathy whimpers mixed with the sounds of Dr. Miller’s slurping are all what consumes the room — consuming him, consuming you.

His tongue massages around your entrance before he finally pushes himself in, his nose pushing against your pulsing clit.

“Oh, Dr. Miller, yes-” you gasp out, particularly loud, at the action. You fully slap your hand over your mouth this time, immediately muffling the uncontrollable lewdness spilling from your mouth.

Dr. Miller reluctantly pulls his tongue from you and wraps his mouth around your bud, sucking and swirling his tongue against every sweet spot of yours, nearly yanking you to your mind-blowing high. One hand leaves your thigh and makes its way to you. He rubs his middle and ring finger in your arousal before he pushes his fingers inside of you, pumping at the same pace his tongue works your clit, and that’s what does it.

“Fuckfuckfuck-!” You scream out into your hand, biting into your palm with a sheer force you know your hand will suffer the consequences from later. He groans into your cunt, his vibrations sending further tingles up your spine. Your hips buck into Dr. Miller’s face once more, drawing out the pure ecstasy you never knew existed.

Dr. Miller’s head finally lifts off you, a blissed look written all over his shiny face. His fingers come to a halt and find their way into his mouth; Dr. Miller is very thorough in making sure he doesn’t waste a drop.

The action sends you clenching on nothing, and Dr. Miller’s knees damn near buckle at the sight.

He checks the clock on his watch, and he’s still on track with his timing. His hands mindlessly reach for his pants, but he pauses as he finally realizes what the fuck he’s just done and actually doing right now.

You notice his hesitancy, and you know it’s probably the more rational decision to just stop right here. To stop this from going any further. To let this appointment come to an end, go home, and search for a new doctor. But when your eyes drag down to the tenting fabric of his scrubs, all rational thought fades from your brain.

“Dr. Miller,” you whisper, bringing his attention back to you. You let your legs fall impossibly wider, allowing him the space to slot his broad body between your thighs. And just like that, his hunger is back.

He pulls his pants just enough to free himself, and holy fuck, is he huge. Thick and uncut, a slight lean to the right, and your mouth fucking drools. “Good god, you’re fucking huge,” you laugh nervously, your face hotter than the depths of hell.

He pumps his length once, a smirk forming at your comment as he makes his way to you. He lets it rest against your drenched folds, advancings his hips softly. His tip catches at your clit, your heart skipping a beat at the sensation. “Yeah?” Dr. Miller asks. “You nervous, angel?”

You look away from him, bashful at the question. “A little,” you admit.

His hand reaches for your face, his thumb and pointer finger grabbing on your chin to make you look at him. “It’ll fit, angel,” he reassures.

“You sure?”

“We’ll make it fit,” he tells you.

Withdrawing himself all the way back, he guides his tip to your entrance, settling his fingers to your clit, pulling more wetness from you to make this as easy as possible.

Steadily, Dr. Miller begins to push in, and right away, the stretch stings, a pained groan falls from your lips. He stops, his hands on your cheeks immediately.

“You okay?” he grunts, trying his best to stay composed at how tight you are with him barely inside you.

You open your mouth to answer, but something else — someone else beats you.

“Dr. Miller,” a nurse talks through the door, two knocks preceding their words. “Everything okay in there? Your next appointment just arrived.”

Calm and collected, like the head of his cock is not inside of you right now, he responds. “Just finishin’ up,” he calls out. “Gimme a minute.”

Both of you remain completely still, waiting to hear the footsteps walk away. After a beat, both of you release a heavy breath neither of you realize were holding.

Dr. Miller looks at you apologetically, both of you wincing as he pulls out of you. He pulls his pants back up in an awkwardly charged silence, tucking his shirt back in before he picks up your sweats off the ground and helps you back into them.

Without another word, he starts for the door.

“Dr. Miller…” you trail off, nervous.

He freezes, turning his body to you, but not meeting your face. He knows if he looks into those eyes, no one will be able to pull him from this room. “I’ve gotta get to my next patient, darlin’,” he tells you. “I’m sorry.”

The door clicks, and you’re all alone, the tears threatening to fall at the whiplash of emotional highs. You hear another soft knock, so you wipe your eyes away, your wishful thinking hoping that you don’t look as wrecked as you feel.

The nurse who took the intake questions opens the door. “You’re all set,” he says with a smile.

“Thank you,” you say as you gather your things.

Before you can reach the exit, a woman calls out for you. “Oh, wait up! Did Dr. Miller say when he wants to see you next?”

“Oh, um…” you pretend to recall. You two were a little too occupied with other things to get to that part of the appointment.

“No, he didn’t- I don’t think- I, um, I can’t remember,” you stammer, the flow of your beating heart roaring in your ears.

“That’s no worries at all, honey. You’re good to go, then, I’ll talk with Dr. Miller, and we’ll get scheduling to call you back, okay? Have a wonderful rest of your evening,” she tells you.

As soon as you get home, you plop into your bed, eyes stinging, pussy pulsing and wet, your heart full of every emotion under the sun.

You’re unsure of what to do or how to feel now, but one thing is for sure.

You need to see him again.

“Dr. Miller,” his nurse calls.

“Yeah, Dee, what’s up?”

“Your 4 o’ clock-” Dee repeats your name from the patient chart she’s looking at. “When did you wanna see her again?”

“Oh, uh-”

She speaks once more, her eyes fixed on the paperwork before her. “Her problems sound like a chiro’s issue, don’t they? Why don’t I just send a referral-”

“No,” he cuts off, a little too much power to his voice. He clears his throat. “Sorry- uh, I mean- no as in, I’ll treat her. She mentioned somethin’ else that seems more complex for one of them chiros, no offense to them. I just wanna check one more thing before I can diagnose and create a plan,” he explains.

“Okay,” she says without rebuttal. “When should we schedule her?”

“As soon as possible.”

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kingdomsqueendomkimgme · 1 year

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Long live the king - Louis x reader

Pt.7

Kingdom masterlist

Previous next

Dann POV.

/I really have to get Louis to practice fighting again... We can't let Jaehyun win...//

I went to his room to see that the door was slightly open. I carefully opened the door just to see a almost fully destroyed room.

And him in the middle of everything „Louis" He turned around and i was shocked //He never wanted to be a full vampire...why?// „Did you find out where she is?" I shiver ran Down my spine, his voice was cold and full of anger..."First you should calm down otherwise I wont tell you shit" with that i left the room and teleported away only to here something break as soon as i stood at the stairs //He really threw something after me// I shook my head //He'll need to learn to control his damn anger... But that only proofs that he really has feelings for her and that he wants her back.... But we can't just attack Jaehyun... We all need to learn how to control our power me and the others may be a bit better then Louis even thought we haven't used them in centuries.... But Louis never used his Powers not even as a child...but they are as Powerfull now as Y/Ns... I hope she's ok. Ever since she got taken everyone is down. Everyone worry's about her well being.//

I heard a knock on my door „Come in" Louis of course „Before you say something, I'm sorry i know i need to learn how to control it..." He looked down. I nodded „Good now come we have to practice" His head shot up „Your not mad?" I shook my head and laughed at him in disbelief „No... I know how you feel.. Remember when i almost destroyed the palace in my Kingdom?" He nodded „That was after she died...After i realized that I'll maybe never get her back.. So i understand how you feel." The look in his eyes changed from still slightly angry to sad. „Sorry.." „You dont need to apologize." I went to him and pulled him in a hug „We will get her back don't worry, I wont let the same thing happen again. There wont be another one losing his love" I felt him nod „I can't control..-„ „I know dont worry we'll help you" with that we went to go to the practice room and gathered the others too to practice with us.

Y/N POV.

The medicine had really work and luckily I was sleeping through the whole pain thing so i didn't notice anything.

Jaehyuns mom began to train me and I slowly began to understand how powerful my powers really were and how to control them.

„How will i be able to pay you back" I asked her when we took a small break. She didn't look at me „You don't have to. The biggest and best reward will be that I can see you together with your true love." She smiled. „Just promise me to end Jaeyhun or otherwise he'll never stop hurting people to get what he wants." I nodded //I really hope I'll be able to do that// „I know that you probably think -how will this work?- but believe me it will work out. You just have to trust yourself" I nodded again „Now come we want you to get strong fast don't we?" „Yes" with that we stood up and began to practice again.

Louis POV

The practice went well till now. Again the thoughts about Y/N... I felt anger boil up inside of me. //I need to get out before i hurt on of the others// I walked outside to get some fresh air. „Where are you going?" Ivan of course he'd notice. „I need fresh air. I don't want to hurt any of you guys with a anger outburst." With that I went into the garden.. But I couldn't calm down.. everything reminded me of her.... „FOR FUCK SAKE!!" I punched into one of the rock and it cracked into two pieces. I looked shocked at my hand and then the rock. //Shit// but I saw something inside the rock that got my attention „What is?-„ I stopped myself after seeing a what exactly it was. My eyes went wide „That can't be .... That means mom hide it from...dad..."

Y/N POV

We practiced till dawn and went back to the room to get dinner. Suddenly I felt something really strong.. „What was that?" I mumbled „It seems like your boyfriend found what his mother had hidden from her husband, Jaehyuns dad and Jaehyun. You'll have more control over your power now. But we still need to keep practicing." I nodded „Ok" //What did he find that has such strong power??// I kept thinking about it till I fell asleep..

Dann POV.

I searched for Louis, when i had found him he held something in his hands //What is- Nooooo how is that possible?//

My jaw dropped. „Is that?" „Yes it is...but i still don't get why my mom would have hidden it all the time" I nodded but then remembered „she did that to keep you save.. she told me that you'll find it when you need it the most and i think she was very right with that" He kept silent for awhile „You knew she hid it?" I nodded again „She made me promise not to tell anyone and since then a lot of time has passed..." He nodded „We need to get inside to come up with a plan. Please call the other and make sure no one is with us or finds us till we have a plan." I nodded „We will get her back and safe the Kingdom, now that we have my dear mothers help."

Louis POV.

I watched Dann walk away. //Please mother help us with this. Please help us get her back and safe the kingdom.//

I looked up to the sky and it began to rain //Mother always loved rainy day they calmed her down// My eyes widen in realization „Thank you mother"

#kingdom arthur #kingdom chiwoo #kingdom dann #kingdom ivan #kingdom jahan #kingdom louis #kingdom mujin #kingdom x reader #kingdom reaction #kingdom hwon

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tryingtogetthru · 1 year

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Doctor, we can't learn new things anymore, but thanks for trying

So we made our monthly trek to the pain management clinic to get her refill.

I have noticed that between her awful memory and her willingness to believe anything might be good, she genuinely gets relief from almost any snake oil she's offered, for a week or so. Mom has a pediatrician friend that I discussed it with a couple of years ago and she said to never discount the placebo effect. Instead, we should find a way to use it.

Pain clinic PA has always just said she can't have more meds and that she should be more active. Ma'am, she's in her 80s and was square dancing 5x a week and gardening on off days and doing the housework single handedly. How much more active does she need to be? Do you realize that each of those things comes with serious pain? That's why the meds were given in the first place. Her pain is worse over the years and she can no longer recall if she's just taken a pill or not, so now I'm in charge of them.

Made it a point to start going to appointments to talk to the doctors. Told the PA I'd looked into things and, if she's unwilling to increase the dosage, I'd like to try something different with the current drug. It is available in 25% lower pills. Lets do that and get 25% more pills. (instead of being given 3 10mg pills in 24 hrs, lets get 4 7.5mg pills for the same period) She'll forget that we are using a lower dose in a couple of weeks/months. I'll still be able to give her 30 mg in a day, but if she truly just thinks she needs 3 pills, they'll be weaker and I'll have a bonus pill if needed. Everyone says worth a shot, but 120 pills means back to monthly (instead of every 8 wks) visits.

Last week, her regular PA wasn't working and a new guy was covering her patients as well as his own. OK, we don't care for her anyway, maybe we can switch if we like him.

Nurse gives us the story on this guy. 62 yr old man from Nigeria where he was a freaking neurosurgeon! Emigrated relatively recently and USA says he can practice medicine here too, if he'll redo his residency. Nope. That's for the young ones, he's not doing that. Did research and decided to get qualified as a PA instead. Better hours, less responsibilities, wider variety of patients. Sold.

Since the Doctor (he's a Doctor, and we'll call him that) is covering for the other PA too, we waited about 30 minutes in the lobby and another 45 in the exam room. Unlike the PA he was replacing, there actually was an exam! He looked at her shoes, her gait, her scans in the system, etc. He talked to us about what is causing the pain and had her get on the table to try and see if she could do some basic stretches to help the pain. Said a month of doing that would make a big difference. Still gave us the Rx, but also talked to her about her vertigo (PA never talks about it) and tells us the neurologist's PA can write a rx that will help, but she prob doesn't know it exists.

On the way out I said, "he actually tried to help, can we get him again?" Scheduler laughed and booked next appointment with him instead. I wonder how many patients the PA lost that day?

Sadly, the exercises/stretches all have to be done right as she wakes up. I stay up all night giving her pain meds and can't be up to do PT for/with her. She can't remember that there were 2 stretches and doesn't understand how they work. Why couldn't we have had him 4 years ago?

#LifeWithMom #MemoryLoss #Can'tTakeMuchMore

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tendousthoughts · 3 years

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HQ Boys Thinking Their S/O Left Them Pt. 3

Character(s) included: Oikawa & Kyoutani

Requested by: @chibiiichann

Warning(s): Cursing, Mention of bullying [Oikawa], Mention of flinching [Kyoutani], Hints towards readers tough past [Kyoutani]

Song of the day: Trees II by McCfferty

A/N: First off thanks for 200- I know I said it a lot but I’m just so glad! Next, many of you haven’t seen but I have updated a few things. One of the biggest being my name I go by. At the moment I’m trying out Xic. I also noted my pronouns and stuff. Which you can all find on my announcements post. Now back to some more ‘important’ things [though this is important, this is not why you came here!]. Sorry about the long wait for part three! Please read through the warnings again to make sure everything is okay. Thank you for everything. Bye!

Where to find all the parts!

Where to find all my content!

Tag(s): @chibiiichann & @corporeal-terrestrial

Oikawa

He was at it again. Working late nights and shit. You were happy for him. You were. Of course you were. He was back doing what he loved. He was back playing volleyball. With that happiness also came fear and worry. You knew how he was. Everyone who ever met him, knew how he was. He over worked himself. He always did and scared you. No matter how hard he tried not to. He pushed himself past his limits. Even after the doctor already told him, if he didn’t ease up on the practice, his knee would get even worse. But he was Oikawa Tōru. Determined and intelligent.

It was ten thirty and he already missed your date. Which you expected to happen, but it still kind of hurt. You tried calling for the fifth time that night, but you were met with the same thing. After a few rings it went to voicemail.

“Hey! You’ve reached the voicemail of Oikawa Tōru, thank you for calling! At the moment I’m busy but I promise after I’m done I’ll call you back. If you want, leave me a message and I’ll get back to you. Byeee!”

You waited all night for him to come home around twelve thirty. He looked tired. Extremely tired and to be honest that pissed you off more. Not only did he not respond but he over worked himself again, and when he woke up the next night sore, you were the one who would have to take care of him.

Instead of bringing it up you waited for the morning. Not wanting to have this conversation while he was tired. It would feel like you were talking to yourself, and he wouldn’t understand. So you went to bed with him and by the morning he was already up before you.

You went to the kitchen to find him shuffling through your medication bin. “Are you sore?” You ask, looking at him.

“I’ll be fine, I just need breakfast and some medicine,” he muttered. He couldn’t have cared less. At least that’s what it looked like. He didn’t even spare you a glance.

“Maybe you should listen. You know, lay off volleyball practice for a day or something. Try to lesson the hours and stuff..” You looked back at him for his reaction.

“Can’t. If I ease up I’ll never be able to catch up.” He finally looked to you now, finding the medicine.

“I mean I think you will be fine. It is taking over your whole life and stuff so I just don’t want it to be a bigger issue. Like you know.. with your knees and stuff.” Your eyes are pinned on him.

“I told you not to worry about my knee, and it’s not taking up my life okay? It has and will always be my life. It’s the only thing I’m good at. So no, I'm not going to take a break.” He snapped at you. Which caught you off guard.

“It is… It is taking up your life,” you replied which made his face change.

“You don’t understand how it is like me. You don’t! I understand you don’t have anything you're good at and shit. But you have to understand that I actually have goals in life okay? You have to understand that my fucking life won’t revolve around you and how you feel when I do something. It won’t and never will. You and I are together because I feel like having you around. Because you know what, volleyball is the only thing that distracts me from leaving. Volleyball is the only thing I can do to escape you!” He screamed.

It takes a few seconds for the weight of his words to sink into your skin. But here’s the thing. You knew what you were up against when you started dating him. He just lit a fuse in you. A spark that made an explosion of feelings hit you. When it did you couldn’t control your words. “After all that practice I wondered why you never made it to nationals. I mean seriously. You need a distraction from me, right? Your always doing it, and get you can’t even fucking get to nationals. Not only that but I can see why your last girlfriend left you. You're a dick. You can’t remember a fucking date. A fucking date we have been planning for weeks. Oh wait, let me correct that, a date I’ve been planning for weeks. Not only that but I took my fucking time to work around your schedule. For you not to even send a message.” You spat out. You looked down at him, “I wonder sometimes if everyone was right. You and me. Never belonged. I’m just a distraction from such a ‘handsome’ and ‘kind’ person.”

He looked hurt at first, but then again he started it and intended to finish it. “I can see why your whole family doesn’t talk to you. You always think you're the best or something. Maybe I remembered the date. Have you ever thought of that? Maybe I didn’t wanna hangout with you. Maybe I didn’t want to hear you nagging me every fucking second. You know what? I can see why people fucking hate you. Bully you and shit. Your such a fucking selfish freak.”

“What..?” You looked at him. You told him you were bullied, because you thought of him as your safe space. You thought of him as the only person who understood you. You felt safe when he was around you. You felt understood. To use that against you. To say you deserved it. To say you deserved to get hurt. To get shamed. To get everything that happened to you… it was your fault?

“What are you too dumb to understand?” He laughed at you. Hatred and venom spilling from his lips. “Awe.. look at the baby. You should be grateful I didn't break up with you. You should be thankful because I’m the only reason you're even someone.”

Tears filled your eyes. “God fucking damn it.” You muttered softly. You weren’t going to allow him to take you down. You were stronger then he would ever understand. “You really think anyone wants to hang out with you..? Do you fucking think anyone find you a good person..? Your just a fucking pretty face, okay? Your nothing compared to anyone else on your team. You might not realize it but to be honest sometimes I do want to be set free. Set free from this shitty relationship okay? That’s the truth. Sometimes I get sick of having to take care of you. When your fucking sore before you over works your self again. I am the only one trying to keep you okay. I’m the only one who actually thinks about the long run. No matter how hard you practice in the end you won’t even be able to walk. Let alone play volleyball and shit. You know what sometimes I get sick of being the only fucking one trying to keep us together.”

“Then maybe you should give up okay. Maybe we should finally go our separate ways. I mean after all, you're too easy.” He was hurt. He just blurted out whatever he thought would hurt you the most. Which fucking worked. Before you had said anything more he had left the room, leaving you stunned.

It took a moment but before you knew it you were out of the house, crying and walking the farthest away from your shared house as you could. “Fuck..” you whisper. Did he really not want to be with you..? You should have known. This relationship wasn’t a relationship. You barely talked. You felt alone. So fucking alone.

It took an hour for him to fully cool down. When he walked out of the room he was expecting you to be waiting for him. He was expecting everything to be okay. When he was met with the emptiness. The emptiness of you being actually gone. He was met with the realization that his words were taken just how he thought he wanted them to be.

You on the other hand we’re at the park blasting music in your ears. Forcing the thoughts to be pushed deep down. Forcing you to forget everything. Everything that hurts you. Maybe it would be best if you guys did go your separate ways..? You knew this wasn’t good for your mental health. But fuck that. This was the only thing that made you feel grounded. Made you feel okay. When he wasn’t with you or practicing he was out with friends, drinking and partying. You couldn’t continue to live like this. So maybe it would be best to let go. To give up on everything and everything you loved… your everything was him. You always argued and at this point you felt sick. Thinking about it just broke you. You had no more tears to cry, with your tear stained cheeks you decided to go back. To your home. It was over. Everything you had built up was coming crashing down.

On his side he was freaking out. He knew he was in the wrong. He knew there was no excuse for what he did to you, but what could he say? You were gone already. It took a bit for him to get to the nerve to call you. To his surprise he heard the sound of your ringing phone. So you left it. Maybe you were going to come back. Maybe you will and then everything will be okay again. Maybe everything would be perfect. It was a small chance but that's all he could hold on to.

When you walked in it was quiet, but there were soft whimpers and cries coming from your shared room. Gently you knocked on the door and waited for a response. You were surprised when you immediately heard a stumble and then were met with a hug. Your shoulder almost immediately feels wet to the touch. “Ba.. Oikawa..?” You muttered.

“Please don’t call me that.. please..” He muttered softly. His face buried deep into your clothes.

You kinda ignored his response. “I came back to get my stuff. I took into consideration what you said and I realized that you don’t deserve to be distracted by me all the time..” You whispered softly. “So like you said earlier.. I think it is best if we stop seeing each other.. entirely because I don’t know if I could let you go otherwise..”

His arms tightened around you, “C..can we please talk about it first.. please..” his nightmare was coming true, and maybe it was dumb but he didn’t realize how much he needed you.

“There’s nothing to talk about.. I don’t understand why you want to make it harder on me. I gave you what you wanted okay..? You can practice your heart out and hangout with your friends and stuff okay? You can finally find someone who will fit all your needs. You and I both know that I will never be what you want. So maybe it would be best if we just let go..”

“No… please no.. that’s not what I want.. I want to make it up to you and be there for you and I want to make you happy and I want everything to be perfect. I know I messed up okay? I don’t deserve you and I don’t know what came over me today because you're everything I’ve ever wanted. I know I don’t deserve it and there’s no excuse for what I said or did… I know I should let you find someone better but I love you. I love you so fucking much. I know I’ve been lacking and I want to make up for it. I want to be someone you want to be around again.. I love you so fucking much okay? I should have been there. I shouldn’t have said the things I did. I know I don’t deserve a second chance but please.. just one more.. I promise I’ll make it up to you.” He didn’t want to let go of everything.

“I’m sorry too.. you didn’t deserve it. I’m sorry for everything and that’s why I want to let you go. To find someone who will not hurt you like I hurt you.. You and I both know that I can't resist it. I don’t know why you do this to me.. pull me back.. you have one more chance… Please don’t make me regret it. I really love you but this.. this isn’t going to work if we do what we are doing now okay? We will just tear each other more and more apart..” you whispered gently, kissing his head. Your arms finally meet his back as you hold him. “I’m sorry.. but I’ve got you now baby. I love you so fucking much..”

Kyoutani

Kyoutani was the type of person most people would never understand. Not because they were “difficult” or anything.. they just never took the time too. Well other than you. You were different. You understood his outburst and such. But at the same time you were human. There was only so much you could take. There was only so much you would take.

When he came into the locker room you were already waiting for him. He had been thrown out of the game for fighting with a few people. You knew he was frustrated. You could hear the crowd from a mile away shouting to kick him off. It was harsh. Even for ‘mad dog’ which he hated to be called. He hated to be tied to an animal.. and always being an angry reck. Anybody would. But of course nobody understood other than you. When he sat on the bench you immediately rushed over.

“Baby.. I’m sorry.. You didn’t deserve that.. just ignore them, please. I know it’s hard but their not important okay..?” You we’re just trying to comfort him. But there were times when Kyoutani couldn’t control himself. Like any other person when they get looked down at every fucking moment of their lives. When they are ridiculed and laughed at all the time. When they are nothing more than an angry person.. Sometimes there is nothing more to do than be the person everyone so desperately makes you out to be.

“Not important? Not important! I just got fucking kicked from the game because of them chanting to kick me. They didn’t even fucking have the decency to call me by my name. So don’t tell me it’s okay and that their opinion on me doesn’t matter. Because quite frankly their opinion is the only one that matters it seems.” He lashed out.

“I didn’t mean to upset you. It’s just that.. it wasn’t entirely their fault. You were arguing with the other team members.” You muttered. It wasn’t meant to do any harm, just for him to keep in mind.

“Are you serious right now.? Nobody else got kicked. Nobody. If they can’t handle a little trash talking, maybe they shouldn’t play a sport. I mean seriously there’s no need for them to tell the referees to kick me.” He started raising his voice when he spoke.

“I know it’s just that.. maybe you should try and not trash talk you know?” You whispered softly, retreating a bit.

“What?” He looked annoyed. “God ducking damn it. How can you be so cute but so fucking annoying. I mean seriously how can someone with such a face be so fucking dumb and so annoying?” His hands were balled into fist

“I..I don’t understand, can you tell me why you act so sweet..? Then so cold the next moment..? You don’t mean it right..? Please say you don’t mean it.” You were worried you loved him but god it was hard. It was hard to respond when your friends asked about your relationship. It was hard when they flaunted their perfect relationship and then asked about yours. Its was so fucking hard.

“Do you think I would say it otherwise..?” He looked at you. He laughed at you as he saw your pitiful expression. God it was almost sickening how much he saw that expression. That expression that nobody else had ever shown him. The one of worry but at the same time already knowing it was coming. He loved it. He loved everything about you. But most of the time you pissed him off. This relationship wasn’t healthy. But for god sake you already started counseling. But fuck this was a bad idea.

Silence. Nothing could come out. You wanted to scream. You wanted to forget this. You wanted it to stop. Everything to stop.

“Answer me.” He punched the wall next to you. Fear spreading all over your face. Fuck. Fuck. Not here. Please no. He gripped your warm face making it so cold in seconds. Forcing you to look at him he laughed at your crying face. But when you didn’t stop for a minute he immediately backed away. He fucked up. He knew he fucked up. “Wait I’m sorry baby..” he muttered.

“Please stop. Please. I won’t do it again.” Flashbacks we’re pulling you way too far out. You were drowning. No one was around to save you. He was laughing as you begged to be saved, pushing you deeper into your own pool of your own thoughts. You were so cold. The next second you were able to move back to the surface.

Realization hit as he stepped back. “I..I am sorry..” he muttered softly as he left the room without another word leaving his mouth. Words were banging on his lips but he knew if he spilled them out everything out it would just hurt you ten times more.

You got up five minutes later, finally pulled back to reality and decided to get up. Grabbing your stuff you walked back into the stadium. Waving a small wave to the rest of his team before exiting. Confusion was read all over as they saw your tear stained face. To be honest, all that was running through your mind was that you didn’t want Kyoutani to break up with you. You didn’t want to be alone, again. You didn’t want to be just another one of his ex’s. So for the better of both of you it would be best to leave him be. To let him cool off.. for him to feel better.

He was freaking out. He fucked up. You. You were his everything, not only that but you were more than just that. You were like a fucking rainbow at the end of a rainy day. You were his partner in crime. You made him feel normal, you made him feel safe, and loved. He couldn’t believe he just put that all in danger. He just put everything on the line because of some stupid game. He hit the wall hard, “fuck me. I’m sorry y/n..” he muttered as he sank to the floor and balled up. Tears burning through his eyes. He did the one thing he promised you that he would protect you from. You became the one thing he was always scared of becoming. He loved you so much, he love you so fucking much.

You left and got into your car. Sinking into your seat you locked the doors, and hit the steering wheel. Taking a deep breath salty tears rolled down your already stained face. Placing the key in and turning it the car started. Next thing you knew you had left wherever you could go. You loved him. So fucking much. But it was hard to be okay when he acted so fucking rough with you. It was hard to stay calm and not imagine your past relationship in this one. You tried. You really did but god it was hard to feel okay, feel okay about everything happening around you. It was too much. So fucking much. It made your head hurt.

When the game ended Kyoutani was still freaking out, now moved back into the lockers. He didn’t know what he was expecting but he knew he hoped you would still be there. God damn it. He fucked up. You had left. You were gone. Tears brimming his eyes as he teammates walked in. Now mentioning it to his teammates their faces seemed to change. More salty fucking tears left his eyes, as he heard about what type of pain you looked like you were in.

You headed back to your shared place. Unsure where else to go. You weren’t close with your family anymore. You had no friends. You had no work buddies. You had nobody but Kyoutani and in turn, now you were left alone with the thought of everything being gone. Ripped right out of your hands as you're forced to watch your whole world come crumbling down on you. You placed your stuff down on the side and laid on the bed. It smelled just like safety. Just like Kyoutani. You just wanted to be held. You just wanted everything to be perfect, again. To be okay at least. You needed him more than anything.

After a night out he finally made it back to your shared place. He didn’t want to be back without you, but you weren’t answering and he didn’t know what else to do. When he walked into the apartment he slowly walked into your shared room. There he saw you. Laying in bed cuddled up in the blankets. Slowly and carefully he walked up. Not wanting to cause you any more hurt. He missed you. Even for a few hours he had felt like he hadn’t seen you in years. But maybe that was because he thought that’s what might have happened. Maybe he thought you had left for good. Maybe he thought he would never have the chance to apologize. Never have the chance to hold you again. When he reached the bed he noticed that you were awake. “Hey y/n..” he muttered softly. The silence was killing him. “I’m so sorry. I know I fucked up. I promised to make you feel safe and protected around me. I made a promise to keep you safe and protected. I broke both of those. I fucked up. I know I did. I lashed out again. I did exactly what everyone says I do. I just get so fucking heated for no reason and I know I shouldn’t and I know I should just relax. But I feel like if I do the worlds would burn though my throat and then it would just explode.. and I know it’s stupid and I know I end up hurting you more. I know that there is no good reason to do that. But I just.. I don’t know. You're the only one that makes me feel normal okay..? I know it’s not fair. I know it’s not. You just make me feel like whenever I’m with you that I’m floating. I just want everything to be okay again. I want everything to be back to normal. I know I should give you space but I missed you so much. I don’t want you to leave, please don’t leave..” he was crying again. He barely had any tears left to cry. He wanted to hold you but he knew it was a stupid idea. “I’m sorry for being so selfish.. but please..”

You never really heard him or saw him crack. But fuck. It hurts you so much. To see him beg for you to stay with him. What were you supposed to do..? Leave him now? That was never even the plan. You didn’t have a plan to be honest. You sat up biting your lip before you gently held him. “Hey baby it will be okay.. calm down I’ve got you.. I’m not going anywhere now. I promise you I’m not going anywhere.” You muttered softly. He melted into your touch. He knew he didn’t deserve it but he felt like he couldn’t breathe. “Shush… I’ve got you.. take a deep breath..” you mumbled softly kissing his head as he took deep breaths. Soon enough he was relaxed in your arms again. “You know and I know that I love you so much. But there’s a line between where I can take it and I can’t. I understand you get frustrated but I don’t deserve to be treated like that. I don’t deserve to be scared of being hit.. and I know we both know that. I try to be understanding but you need to try to be too okay..? I love you so much.. more than you might believe but Kyoutani I can’t handle being in a relationship with you if you're constantly annoyed or angry with me. I think we deserve to be happy.. and if that means needing to take a break then we would have to okay? You need to work on communicating. I know it can be hard.. but please..” you whispered. Tears flowing down your soft skin again. It was getting a lot. So it would be best if you told him… you needed him to understand.

He gently shook his head. He understood. He knew he was in the wrong. He knew he was lucky for you to be holding him.. for him to even still be in a relationship with you let alone it be still a romantic one. He loved you and he knew you didn’t deserve anything that he put you through. In the end all that mattered was you in his eyes. He was going to change.. he was. “I promise.. thank you y/n..” he whispered softly. Gently he wrapped his arms around you. “I love you so much..” he muttered. Everything would be okay.. he knew it was going to be now. All that mattered was that you were safe. That you were happy.. that you were in his arms again.

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ren-therose · 3 years

Text

You Are Like Me (Pt. 1 of "Winter's End)

Roommate!Bucky X F!Reader

Summary: You and Bucky begin rooming together after Sam discovers your background and suggests you live with him. . As another failed HYDRA experiment with an enhanced skill set, Sam decides that you, the newest recruit who shares a similar path with the Winter Soldier would benefit from living together.

Warnings: Angst, Fluff, Cursing, semi-spoilers for FATWS (but nothing plot related, just set during that time).

A/N: This started out as a one-shot for our man Bucky Barnes, but now there will be multiple pieces with this as the wonderful starting piece to the story. I don't know how much the parts will be reliant on a plot, but it will all be based on the same love story throughout. The parts don't necessarily need to be read all together and in order. There will be a variety with this couple, varying from angst to smut, fluffy fluffy FLUFFY shit, and some very depressing stuff too. I hope that these different pieces fulfill all your Bucky needs and help you feel like you really have a developed and copasetic relationship with this lovely gentleman.

"Jesus, who the hell are you?"

I had been laying on a neatly made bed in the apartment Sam had signed me up for. I was staring at the ceiling mindlessly as an old record player spun, emitting the scratchy tones of classic 1940s music. In my hand was a small journal, opened to a blank page towards the middle of the book. My eyes shot open, my hand grabbing a knife from the back of my pants as I launched myself off the bed and towards the unfamiliar man in the doorway.

Before the knife could reach his throat, cool metal met my wrist, stopping my arm in its track. I was practically on top of the dark man in front of me, staring up into his bright cerulean orbs. He seemed almost amused by this first introduction. Almost. The glimmer of humor left his eyes as soon as my knee made contact with his groin, causing him to keel over, as I maneuvered around him to be behind, using his arms hold on me to choke himself.

"I could ask you the same question, blue eyes," I said with a snort. I realized quickly he wasn't an enemy, but the continued power struggle was fun enough to let it play out. Before I could plan my next move though, I was flipped over his broad shoulders, and square on my back, the impact knocking the wind out of me. I looked up through my lashes, trying to focus my eyesight as the splitting headache blurred my vision. Standing above me, the man let out a soft chuckle as he stepped over me, making his way over to the bed and sitting on the edge. I slowly lifted my head, still dizzy from the landing, as his eyes followed the outline of my body.

I was still in my training clothes, too tired to have changed out of the tight tank top and cargo pants. I had been perfecting my combat technique so that I could fend for myself, but it seems I was not yet ready to fight whoever the stranger in my room was.

"Here," he started, getting up from his place and reaching his right hand out to me. I stared at it for a moment, not sure if I should give in or not, though I could tell I would have to. I placed my hand in his, surprised by the contrasting warmth I felt compared to the hand he had caught my wrist in. He quickly pulled me up, causing me to launch into his chest, my left arm quickly wrapping around his bicep to steady myself.

"You can feel me up later doll, but can you explain what the hell you are doing in my room?" He taunted.

I realized that his colder hand was on the small of my back and I leaned back into grasp as I sneered "I could say the same for you..." I noticed the outline of dog tags imprinted underneath his shirt, glancing back up into his eyes with a wink, "Sarge".

He let go, allowing me the chance to step back and start searching for my knife. I could feel his eyes on me, questions waiting to be asked.

"You are Seragnet Barnes, correct?" I mused, grabbing my weapon from the corner and twirling it in my hand before replacing it in its holster. The corner of his mouth twitched into a smile at my maneuver, but quickly looked down and cleared his throat before replying.

"Yes ma'am. And I apologize for not knowing your name, as well as for throwing you," he grunted. It was suddenly a very formal manner in which he spoke. My eyebrow quirked up, as I spun on my heels and made my way into the kitchen, hearing heavy footsteps follow in time.

"Y/N".

"And what are you doing in my room, Y/N?" he said inquisitively. I was now the freezer for an ice pack, finding a floppy blue one in the back.

"I guess, I'm your roommate," I shrugged, putting the ice pack to the back of my head as I moved towards the bathroom.

"Wait, Sam told me I was meeting someone named "Y/L/N", they were gonna stay here for a bit," he retorted, once again following behind.

"That is my last name Blue Eyes. Need an ID or something?" I called over my shoulder, turning the corner to enter the bathroom, reaching towards the medicine cabinet.

"That still doesn't explain why you were on my bed," he scoffed, leaning against the door frame as I scavenged through the drawers.

"I didn't think anyone was living here. I was told I'd have a roommate, but I didn't think anyone had moved in yet. You have, like, no shit here. It looks like a hotel room," I critique, standing up with a shake of the bottle in my hand.

"I'm using your Ibuprofen" I say with mock respect. I move past him as I saunter back towards the kitchen. He can't help but laugh at this bizarre encounter and that I am truly not making this easy for him.

"You have a lot of sass for someone who just had their ass beat," he jeers, leaning forward on the counter between us.

All I could do was smile and shake my head, throwing the pills into my mouth and taking a swig of water.

"So, Y/L/N, why do you figure we Sam is rooming us together?"

"Love match?" I joke, placing the now empty cup in the sink and walking over to his side, leaning my back against the countertop.

He snorts, amused by my sarcasm once more. "Maybe, but I have a feeling it goes deeper," he says, turning to rest his side on the counter as he looks me over, clearly searching for something.

"You aren't gonna find any metal attached to me, Barnes," I report, turning to brace myself against the counter. "They messed me up in here." I gesture to forehead, softly tapping to get my point across.

His face falls as he realizes what I mean.

"HYDRA..." was all he could make out.

"They weren't just trying to make soldiers. They were trying to make spies. Hyper intelligent ones that can be manipulated without the risk of losing control or access, like a computer could. I am their failed experiment," I say softly. I chuck the ice pack into the sink, and make my way over to the window, rubbing at the back of my head.

"You have super soldier serum. I have an acute memory and the ability to calculate probable outcomes and human error. I remember..." I turn back to look him in the eye, "everything".

His mouth slightly gapes as he looks me over. "I was a lethal weapon when placed in sensitive situations. If I knew the possible endings of different scenarios, I could pick which one could happen."

He steps towards me, as if he was considering whether to comfort me. Before he could though, I straightened up and tried to scurry past him.

"I am so sorry for invading your space, I'll take my stuff out of your room. I can stay on the couch until-" The Winter Soldier cut me off, grabbing my arm before I could make it into the room.

"No, take the bed, please," he began. "I don't sleep in it anyways. Too comfy."

My eyes go from the grip on my arm up to his eyes, staring down at me, but with concern. I softened my face, providing a half smile as I nodded my head.

"Okay, Sarge. Let's eat though- I'm starving. You order the pizza while I take a shower. Then we can talk."

He let me go, looking down into my eyes, "I think I know your favorite kind."

I raised a brow at this bet, curious to see if he was right. "Alright...we will see..."

I turned and made my way towards the bathroom, looking back to see him still watching.

---

Shit, I don't have my clothes.

I was dripping from the shower still and my hair was very haphazardly put in a bun to keep the water from dripping. I quietly opened the door and peeked my head out, searching for my new roommate. When I had determined the coast was clear, I scurried into the room, shutting the door behind me quietly. When I turned around, I shrieked to see James exiting my closet, a few shirts in hand.

"What the fuck Barnes!!" I choke, desperately clutching my towel, as I had almost lost my grip. He dropped the shirts to the ground, slapping his hand over his eyes in case I did lose my covering.

"Damn, Y/L/N, let me buy you dinner first!" He laughs, trying to make his way to the door.

"Oh you are SO paying for the pizza now Barnes," I fume, adjusting my towel and making my way to the other side of the bed where my bag was.

"So you're saying I can look?"

"You just scared me, I'm decent you prick". I kneeled down beside the bed, opening my bag to see that all of my clothes were missing.

"Are you. fucking. SHITTING ME?" I curse, banging my already sore head onto the side of the bed.

"What did I do this time," the soldier groans.

"No, it's not you, it's just that...well shit. My clothes are missing."

"Oh yeah. I threw them in the wash for you. You weren't carrying a lot, and it's a force of habit from the old days, I thought they would be done by now but-"

"Sergeant?" I interrupt, seething with rage and a tinge of embarrassment.

"Y/L/N?"

"I don't have any clothes," I hiss.

"oh." he says shortly. I press my face into the bed, trying not to scream bloody murder. Suddenly, I feel two soft things land on me, causing me to turn my face to the side.

"Sweats and a shirt. Don't do anything weird," he quipped, leaving me in the room alone.

I look down at the black sweats and navy blue shirt. It was soft, and smelled of fabric softener and pine. I looked up at the empty hallway as I heard the front door open and shut behind him as he went to get the pizza.

I slipped on the clothes and looked myself over in the mirror. I decided to let my hair down to air dry, and the rest of me looked swallowed in his clothes. His sweats were pulled tightly around my hips, exposing my stomach when I stood. The shirt would probably be form fitting on him, but it just barely gave me a shape, though my chest clung to the fabric. I didn't know what this meant, but whatever it was felt nice.

---

"I got the pizza, and Sam already confirmed I was right about it being your favorite so..." James trailed off as he saw me standing in the kitchen, leaning over a brochure of sorts. I looked up to see him holding pizza in one hand and soda in the other as his eyes widened at my get up.

"No snappy remark, blue eyes? Wow, they just keep getting wide-" he cut me off by throwing the box down in front of me.

"Movie?" he muttered, quickly making his way past towards the living room.

"uh...okay. Can we watch 'Casablanca'?"

He turned around, looking at me with confusion.

"You know that movie? That was made almost 80 years ago."

"I'm a sucker for the classics, James," I say, grabbing the pizza and soda of the counter and bringing it to the coffee table.

"Bucky, please. We're gonna be living together and already saw you half-naked," he chides, sitting down on the couch and flipping it on with the remote.

"Okay, Bucky, do you remember the plot?" I probe, sitting myself next to him as I placed two glasses in front of us. I pulled my legs up to cross and adjusted the waist of my pants to sit above my stomach more comfortably. He was leaning back into the sofa, as I was turned to face him, waiting patiently for a response.

"I mean, I remember looking back on it and how terribly it depicted the war. It was not easy to find love abroad," he stated, reaching to grab a slice of pizza.

"Were you looking for love?"

"I was looking for fun. I was pretty sure I was gonna die, or at least not make it back. I was kind of right," he finished, biting into the slice.

"Yeah, not a lot of love in present day HYDRA safe-houses either. Not that I had time for it between missions, I say, leaning over to pour the drinks.

"Well what were you before...them?"

"A history student, if you can believe it. Wanted to study abroad and learn about wars, apply it to algorithms to prevent them. Seems like the common denominator was always men," I reply with a wink.

"I can't say you are wrong. But I am impressed. And now..."

"Now, I'm protected by the Avengers, er- what's left of them, and am able to use my skills for good. All of that history knowledge, everything I have ever learned and forgotten about, I can remember it all". I looked him up and down. "I didn't recognize you without the long hair and this stubble thing kinda threw me off, it's not the same as the pictures in the museum".

He adjusted his angle to better face me, curiosity etched across his features. "You really are something," he contended. The comment caused me to pull back, shocked by his honesty.

"I...uh..." I stammer, unsure of how to proceed.

"If you're going to say thank you, don't bother. It's just a fact," he noted, once more causing me to fall to silence.

He started looking up the movie, struggling with the technology of the remote.

As I studied him, the tension in his jaw, the stress he carries in his eyes, I realized I shared similar features.

"ты как я," I whisper under my breath, unsure if he even heard me.

You are like me.

I knew when he straightened up, and slowly looked in my direction.

"я знаю," he replied.

I know.

I reached my hand out to his arm, resting it on gently.

"What does this mean?" I asked softly.

"I'm not quite sure."

------

The next morning, I awoke to the smell of deep roast coffee.

Bucky and I had spent almost the entire night talking. We skimmed around the dark parts of our past, knowing that there would be time for that, but instead got to know the things that really shaped who we are today.

He really enjoyed his time in Wakanda. It was incredibly healing for him, and allowed him a chance to find piece, something we ex-soldiers and spies rarely could get. He told me about his life in the 40s, or what he could remember. A lot of his memories has been formed with the help of Steve, which I knew caused him pain. But he also found happiness in retelling those stories, knowing that someone else will see him as more than the Winter Soldier.

I shared my experience abroad. I had been all across the USA, in Canada, both Iceland and Greenland, Poland, France, Italy, Turkey, London, and of course Sokovia. It was were I had been taken during my travels. I had never told anyone about this before, but I had felt so comforted knowing that he had been through something so similar.

I don't know when, but at some point in the night, I had ended up falling asleep propped up on the couch. When I woke up in my bed the next morning, I realized it must have been him. I looked down to see I was still wearing his shirt, and smiled to myself. When I got up, I found his sweats on the floor, knowing I probably kicked them off when I got into bed. I stepped back into them, pulling them up around my legs and tying them once more on my hips. I looked in the mirror, my hair limp and flat from sleep. Checking my phone, I walked out, scratching my head and rubbing my face, yawning as the coffee smell grew stronger.

"доброе утро," he greets me, smirking at the confused face I made.

"No Russian. Too early. Try again later," I mumbled, jumping up to sit on the counter. He held up the sugar, shaking it in my face.

"Two to three teaspoons please," I groan, pushing the container out of my face.

"Someone likes it sweet," he laughs, dumping in my unhealthy request.

"And creamer, if you have some," I added, smiling as he turned towards the fridge.

"Did you know you speak Russian in your sleep?"

"I bet you do the same. All HYDRA escapees probably," I mutter, taking the mug from his hands.

"Well, you will have to let me know sometime," he chides, taking a sip of his own black coffee.

"Last night was...."

"Traumatizing?"

"Yeah, but maybe healing too?"

"Good," he exclaims, walking over to the couch. He sits down, swiping his phone off the charger next to him.

"Before you have to go, do you want some breakfast?" I offer, scanning his response to my inquiry.

"Is that your power thing? You knew they would ask me to work today?" He questions, looking down at the phone and then back at me.

"It's a skill, not a power. I'm not a superhero," I laugh, getting out the contents for a breakfast sandwich.

"Yes, I would like one. But you already knew that didn't you?"

"No skills required. Tony texted me this morning too. We are training together."

He smiled. He almost looked excited.

"I'm gonna beat your ass again Y/L/N".

"You wish".

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

Every day, we played out the same routine.

I would wake up to the smell of freshly brewed coffee. I'd come out, thank him and proceed to make us breakfast. We would then go to combat training for a few hours. When he wasn't helping me, he was working on his own workout routine; often, he would put aside time to just focus on improving my knife skills. He would always joked that I showed promise after out first encounter, and then would promptly beat my ass in a knife fight.

After training, it would be time to meet Sam for lunch, chat about our personal lives (which were rarely separated from our work), as well as current issues in the Avengers, and the world.

Bucky always stayed close by when we were out and about, glancing over to make sure I was okay. I would signal back that it was okay, smiling as a way of thanks when I noticed him checking. The only time we went our separate ways for our "rehab plans" we called jokingly. He would go see his therapist while I went and saw mine. Then, he would meet Sam for a bit by himself, while I went back to our place and did paperwork. When he came home, we would decide on dinner and a movie, but would probably stay up the whole night talking and leaving the movie with at least 20 minutes to go (on a good night).

One night, after I had "magically" ended up in bed, I woke up to Bucky shaking me, yelling my name.

"Y/N! Y/N, it's me, it's Bucky! Come on Y/N, wake up!"

I was drenched in sweat and my voice felt coarse and raw. My heart was beating at an impossible rate, as I shot up to hold on to him.

"Y/N, it's okay, you're okay," he said, trying to calm me down as he pushed my wet hair off of my face. I was gripping his arms, trying my best to ground myself. My eyes were bloodshot and wet, as tears and sweat mixed down my face. His blue eyes were frantically searching me, making sure that I was okay.

"It was them Bucky, they were here, they were gonna hurt you, I couldn't move, they said the, they said the words Bucky, jesus I was gonna lose you Buck, I couldn't, I can't..." I trailed off, starting to hyperventilate as I buried my face in his chest, allowing him to pull me closer.

He held me against him, shushing me as he ran his hand through the back of my hair. His chin rested atop my head as I regained control of my breathing. As my heart rate lowered and the sound of blood rushing through my ears subsided, I heard him say softly:

"I could never leave you Y/N, I can't...you mean to much to me..."

I didn't know if he realized I heard him, but it made me relax into him a little more. We didn't move for I don't know how long, just holding each other, breathing in sync. I could feel myself start to get sleepy, and began to slump more and more into him. He could feel the wait of me on his chest, and softly laid me back into the bed. When I was settled in, he started to scoot backwards towards the edge of the bed, before I grabbed his arm.

"Stay. Please. Stay," I barely whispered.

He looked down at me, tucked under the covers in an oversized t-shirt with my hair a crazy mess around my face. My eyes were glassy and red from crying, but my grip on his arm was sure.

"Please Buck."

I pulled back the covers next to me, signaling the invitation that I meant it.

He was only in a T-Shirt and boxers in himself, but nevertheless, he climbed in anyways. As he slid down, I pulled myself into him, hugging his torso as the scent of his fabric softener filled my nose.

He wrapped his arm under my head and around me, the other to my back, sheltering me from my nightmares as I drifted back to sleep. When I woke up, my head was resting on top of his chest, his hand still in my hair. I could count his steady heartbeats over time, our breathing once more in time together. I glanced up to see his stubbly face, in a serene sleep. I had heard him up late at night, wandering in the living room. I am sure he had nightmares like me, but I was the unlucky one to have the first terror while we were roommates.

I couldn't help but realize that he put a shirt on.

He never wore a shirt to sleep.

I knew this because I had woken up a time or two to go to the bathroom, and he would be there, on the floor, practically shining as the moonlight radiated off of his skin. It was almost impressive.

So he put a shirt on when he came in to help me last night. I guess it is respectful of him. I mean, everything about last night, or at least what I could remember, made me feel safer than I had in a very long time. Bucky always made me feel safe, but now, lying on his chest, it was deeper than two former soldiers-it was intimate.

I couldn't stop myself, I inched slightly up, lifting my head to his face, practically nose to nose. I could feel him exhale as the air left his nose and tickled my face. I leaned down, just off to the right side of his mouth and softly kissed him. I couldn't kiss him on the lips, but I needed to put it out there, even if he was asleep. I laid back down next to him, facing the ceiling as I felt him softly stir next to me. I tried to discreetly roll away, my body turned away from him, screwing my eyes closed.

I could feel the bed shift underneath me as he awoke. I could feel him leaning over me, checking to see that I was "asleep". Then, I felt his lips on my forehead, pressing a gentle kiss to my temple.

"You can't get away with it that easily Y/N"

My eyes slowly opened, as if afraid I would see it was all a dream, and he wouldn't be there. Instead, he was looking down at me, his head cocked to the side with a crooked smile dancing on his lips. Concern was etched on my brow, though my mouth betrayed me in a half smile as I stared back at the blue eyed soldier.

"I uh-I didn't, uh, mean to wake you Bucky, I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me," I stuttered out, worried that I might have made him feel pressured to return the favor.

I was surprised when his arm reached for my waist, pulling me from my side to my back as he rested his hands on either side of me. Trapped underneath him, my train of thought was so far off the rails, my ability to even speak was completely hijacked.

"Y/N, you have no idea how long I had been waiting for you to do something like that," he confessed. I quivered underneath him, my only response to his words. He was now hovering above my torso, propped up on his forearms as he continued to ramble.

"I never wanted to pressure or impose anything against you. I thought that you felt it too, and I wanted to be a gentleman, but with last night and you wanting me to stay, and now this morning..., I just wanted to make sure that I am reading the signals right an-"

He was cut off by my hand on the back of his neck, pulling him up to my face where our noses connected once more. His eyes were piercing, searching mine frantically before I closed them and pulled him down. Our lips attached to one another, fitting together softly, one on top of the other. His arm slid underneath my back and pressed me into him as my arm wrapped around his neck, my other hand holding his face. I could feel the metal against my waist, but it was warmer than usual, probably due to being under the covers all night. After years of torture and pain for the both of us, this kiss made terrors of that night worth it. It brought him and I together.

As we pulled away, our lips still stuck to the others until there was enough distance to truly focus our eyesight on the other. Pupils dilated, chests rising and falling against each other, our status shifted from roommates to something more in seconds. Maybe we were always something more and we hadn't realized it until now. But none of the what ifs mattered now. Now, there was a certainty that Bucky and I had a future together.

-------

A/N: This made me cry. A lot. The angst, the coping skills, the little sparks of chemistry. I just love writing about this man. He is everything a girl could ask for. I will start writing a part two tomorrow and I can promise you, it is about to be a lot cuter, a lot smuttier, and a lot more BUCKKKYYYY.

Taglist: @n3ssm0nique @arctic-duchess @bluemoon-icecream

#bucky barnes #bucky x reader #bucky imagine #bucky fluff #bucky flirting #bucky x y/n #bucky angst #mcu #marvel #winter solider x y/n #winter soldier x reader #sebastian stan #sebastian stan fanfiction #bucky barnes series

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robininthelabyrinth · 3 years

Note

Nie Huaisang's reaction to the events in quiet room-verse

Chapter 3 of The Quiet Room (ao3 or tumblr pt 1, pt 2)

Nie Huaisang’s day began, as always, with noise.

The Unclean Realm was like that – there wasn’t a single shichen of the day when there wasn’t at least some racket going on in the background, whether the sound of sabers whistling through the air and the grunting of men at the thrice-daily trainings on the fields, the din of hammering rising up from the forges alongside the smoke, the squeals and squawks of the various types of animals being harried to and fro, the shouting and haggling and people sounds that filled the bustling markets (both day and night) that had sprung up within the Unclean Realm’s fortress as a wartime tradition some generations back and which had never gone out of fashion.

Guests sometimes complained about it, saying that people walked through the halls at night (what did they think halls were for) or that there were too many birds outside (that didn’t sound like a problem) or the cats were yowling again (okay, the feral cat thing was a bit of a problem but at least they didn’t have a rat problem) or about all the loud noises of living people. Those who were born and raised there scarcely noticed it, and those that stayed acclimated eventually.

Those who really couldn’t handle it built themselves thicker walls.

Nie Huaisang was woken up that day with an especially loud bang that he suspected was something important tipping over somewhere, never a fortuitous start, but the day itself went pleasantly enough after that. He lazed around in the morning, snuck in a belated breakfast from an indulgent kitchen, begged out of saber training in the middle of the day with an excuse so transparent that Nie Zonghui looked like he was considering constructing a window with it, and finally settled quite happily on the balcony with a few of his favorite birds to paint.

It was not, strictly speaking, his balcony – it connected to the sect leader’s suite of rooms, not his own, and his brother used it fairly often when he was flying in and out of the Unclean Realm on business.

Nie Mingjue was currently away at the Cloud Recesses, not on business. Visiting his handsome lover again, and Nie Huaisang found it amusing all over again that his misanthrope of a brother, of all people, had somehow managed to snag the most eligible young master of their generation – that he had what everyone else wanted and couldn’t get.

His brother. Good for him!

Still, his brother being gone meant that the balcony was free, and it was one of Nie Huaisang’s favorite places to lurk: he had an excellent view of so many parts of the Unclean Realm, wonderful light, and no one would dare to intrude on his brother’s domain just to bother him.

It was a good day, bright and noisy in the best of ways, right up until it wasn’t.

Nie Huaisang felt more than saw Baxia approaching, the thrum of his own saber – casually propping up his easel – immediately recognizable, and he couldn’t help but smile in delight at the thought of seeing his brother even if it meant he was probably not getting out of saber practice today.

It was only odd, he thought, that the smear on the horizon that would be his brother approaching seemed larger than usual –

And then, all of a sudden, it was very much not a good day.

His brother was covered in blood, clearly his own, and his eyes were vacant and dull – shock, perhaps? – and he was leaning on Lan Wangji, who looked equally awful. There was fresh blood staining the back of his neck and creeping up his shoulders, ugly shadows on white robes, and his face was stricken, savaged by pain that was not merely external.

Nie Huaisang was frozen for a moment, watching them come, unable to believe it, and yet –

“Doctor!” he screamed, his voice dropping into a register he’d never used before, loud and bellowing and straight from the belly. A battlefield voice, like his brother’s, and he could see out of the corner of his eye all the disciples in the training field jumping, startled, as if they’d been shocked by lightning. “Someone get a doctor!”

The next bit was chaos, of course: the thunder of dozens of feet on stone, servants running to get anyone with medical skill, running to get water and bandages and acupuncture needles, anything that would help, and everyone talking all at the same time even as a dozen hands reached out to pluck the two tired cultivators down from the sky.

Not two, Nie Huaisang corrected himself as he took the small child out of his brother’s arms – said child was yawning and frowning, clearly displeased at being taken away from Nie Mingjue’s arms, and Nie Huaisang couldn’t blame him one bit; it was undoubtedly the best place in the world to be. There was another child in Lan Wangji’s trembling hands as well.

“Any more you’ve got hidden away?” he asked Lan Wangji, drawing him away from the disciples who had eyes only for their sect leader. “Under your clothing, maybe?”

Nie Huaisang would rather be there, with them, with his brother, but he’d studied medicine with about as much fervor as he’d studied any other serious subject – which was to say, none at all – and he knew he wouldn’t be able to do anything to help. For the first time he bitterly regretted his laziness.

Not even during the war had his brother ended up – like this.

“No,” Lan Wangji said. His voice was small and sad, and he was shaking. “Just…just them.”

“Good to know,” Nie Huaisang said. “How badly are you injured? You’re still standing, but I don’t like your color…”

“I want to report,” Lan Wangji said. His lips were pressed tightly together, and he was looking at something in the distance; it was as if he’d lost his soul.

“You’re hurt,” Nie Huaisang said patiently. “Is it anything that can’t wait…?”

“I want to report,” Lan Wangji said again, more insistently, and – well, he was Lan sect. They thrived on rules; it was their baseline, the foundation of their mental world, and whatever had happened to the two of them, Lan Wangji was clearly fragile right now.

“You can report to me,” Nie Huaisang said, a snap decision. “I’m the heir; in my brother’s absence, I have authority to take whatever actions are necessary once I understand the situation.”

And his brother was absent, or as good as: he’d collapsed the second they’d landed, eyes rolling up into his skull – he’d clearly been clinging to consciousness by the barest thread of willpower by the end of it.

“Before anything else, though, is there anything we need to know about my brother’s condition?” he asked. “Anything that will help, or hurt –”

Is it a qi deviation, he wanted to ask but didn’t, couldn’t. It couldn’t be that, it couldn’t, not his brother – not his father, not again –

(His brother’s fingers were bloody, nails broken, as if he’d been tearing at something with them, and Nie Huaisang didn’t like the way they matched up in size to some of the marks on his brother’s face.)

“He needs sound,” Lan Wangji said. “He can’t be left alone…he was in the jingshi.”

“The – wait, the quiet room?” Nie Huaisang gaped at Lan Wangji. “That horrible, awful pit of hell that you crazy people threw into your décor – that jingshi?”

He paused, grimaced. “Uh, no offense –”

“You’re right,” Lan Wangji said, and buried his face into his hands. “You’re right.”

Nie Huaisang did a quick calculation, handed the children off to some servants, and then dragged the other man out of the room and towards his brother’s study.

“Sit,” he commanded, and seated himself in the sect leader’s place unconsciously. “Don’t worry about quiet; after he showed up like that, there’s no way anyone will leave him alone – he’ll be begging for some peace soon enough. Now report.”

Lan Wangji straightened his back – with a wince, Nie Huaisang noted, and that meant whatever injury he had was on his back – and reported.

Nie Huaisang took notes at the beginning, but then stopped after he broke the brush between his fingers, something that had never happened to him before.

“Keep going,” he said when Lan Wangji paused. “Don’t stop.”

Lan Wangji continued his recitation, his voice dull and monotone, but the words…

“Thank you for telling me,” Nie Huaisang squeezed out, feeling strangely light-headed. He stood up and went to the door, catching the first servant he saw. “I want the defensive arrays closed to all visiting cultivators, and all visitor tokens revoked until I say otherwise – especially any from the Jin or Lan sects. Go tell whoever needs to be told to accomplish that.”

The servant stared at him. “Second Young Master –”

“That was not,” Nie Huaisang said, “a request.”

The servant saluted.

“You’re bleeding,” Lan Wangji said.

Nie Huaisang turned his head and frowned at him. “I think you’ll find that you’re the one that’s bleeding.”

“No, you –” He touched his nose.

Nie Huaisang didn’t understand until he echoed the action on his own face and realized his nose was bleeding. A bit strange; he hadn’t suffered from nosebleeds since the time his father died.

He pressed a handkerchief to his face and went back to his brother’s desk. “All right,” he said. “That will get us a bit more time, I think, though they’ll probably waste forever going to get Zonghui’s sign-off on the orders –”

But no, he was wrong – wrong again – because he could see the distant shimmer that was the Unclean Realm’s shielding array flickering into existence in the distance, could hear the sound of drums alerting the common people that they should withdraw back to their homes to avoid the possibility of interfering with a battle.

Perhaps alone of the Great Sects, Qinghe still held regular drills on what to do in the event of an invasion, and even through the thick walls of the study he could hear the casual grumbles of all the people forced to cut their day short – not too much grumbling, of course, since they knew that the Nie sect would send money to each household to compensate them for their trouble as long as they cleared the way fast enough. Doing something like that meant that they would always move, and quickly, too; it was ridiculously expensive, of course, but it meant that the streets would be clear and that no spy or troublemaker would be able to make their way into the Unclean Realm by blending in with the crowd.

It meant that they would be able to see their enemies coming.

“Was that necessary?” Lan Wangji asked. “They will not invade.”

“No?” Nie Huaisang said, and laughed. It hurt his throat. “You’re surer of that than I am. After all, you just told me that my er-ge and san-ge just conspired to murder my da-ge.”

Lan Wangji flinched. “I do not think it was…”

“It might not have been intentional on your brother’s part,” Nie Huaisang conceded. “Meng Yao, though? He was my brother’s deputy; there is no way he didn’t know what my brother thinks about that place. Piece of shit.”

They’d grown distant, Nie Huaisang remembered; his brother, who never abandoned anyone and guarded his people closer than gold, had turned his back on Meng Yao, and had needed to be coaxed back into accepting him. He’d assumed his brother was being petty over something or another, but that was petty of him, short-sighted, thinking only of himself and how much he’d missed his friend.

He resolved to find out exactly what had happened between them as soon as his brother was capable of telling him. He thought that it might be important.

“Your brother, though,” he added. “I always thought he was sincere towards my brother. That he really loved him.”

“He does. I’m sure of it.”

“Well, sincerity doesn’t mean shit,” Nie Huaisang said. “If he didn’t intend on murder, he did something that would have ended up that way. Even accidental killings call for justice, and this is – this isn’t okay, Lan-xiong.”

“I agree.” Lan Wangji closed his eyes. “I have asked Chifeng-zun for permission to stay.”

At first Nie Huaisang was confused – why would Lan Wangji need permission to hang out in the Unclean Realm? – and then he realized Lan Wangji meant for good.

The first thing he thought was oh, wow, that’s going to have some serious political implications and the next thing, somewhat more reasonably, was, I’m really angry about this and so is he.

“You are correct. Even if my brother’s feelings are sincere, it is no excuse,” Lan Wangji said. “In his desire to help your brother, in his refusal to listen to him and trust him, he nearly killed him. He is sect leader; no matter the reason, in the end, all things that happen within the Cloud Recesses are his decision.”

Just like what happend to me.

“We’ll deal with it,” Nie Huaisang promised. Even if his brother might be inclined to forgive after a while, overly generous as he always was with those he loved, he himself would not; Lan Wangji nodded, looking relieved. “Now can we please get you some medical assistance? Thirty-three hits with the discipline whip – I’d be dead. If I were you, I’d be dead. I can’t believe your brother agreed to it.”

Mine never would.

Nie Huaisang had never gotten along with Lan Wangji before, their personalities too distant, but their eyes met and there was a moment of perfect understanding.

He helped Lan Wangji up and let him lean on him as they went towards to the medical room.

When they were most of the way there, Lan Wangji spoke again. “Nie-gongzi…”

“Huaisang, please. Nie Huaisang if you must. If you’re going to be staying here, we can’t be formal with each other. Unclean Realm rule!”

“…Nie Huaisang.”

“Yes?”

“Your brother…”

Nie Huaisang stopped and looked at Lan Wangji, who was struggling for words more than he struggled to step forward. “What about him?”

“He was…once lovers with Lianfeng-zun?”

“What?” Nie Huaisang asked, surprised into a laugh. “No, of course not. He’d never betray er-ge like that; he’s been mad for him ever since they were children. Even if he was the sort of person who would do something like that, which he’s most assuredly not, he’s also not the sort of person who would ever enter into a relationship with a subordinate, and Meng Yao was his subordinate for most of the time they knew each other. They were friends at best.”

He paused, then, the laughter fading quickly. “Why do you ask?”

“Lianfeng-zun told my brother they were.” Lan Wangji was staring dully ahead again, and swallowed hard. “That they’d been lovers before.”

“And what, that their fight was some lover’s tiff?” Lan Wangji’s silence was eloquent. “That’s ridiculous. Why in the world would he concoct such an absurd and pointless lie, so easily disproven? What does it even get him?”

Lan Wangji averted his eyes.

A moment of thought later, and Nie Huaisang had his answer, his spine growing cold.

“Your brother wanted to have them both,” he said, and felt his nails drive into the center of his palms. “He wanted it so much that he didn’t bother questioning it when Meng Yao told him that he was also lovers with my brother, because if my brother was with him, then it wouldn’t be a betrayal for him to be with him, too. He thought…what? That they were some happy triad?”

Lan Wangji nodded.

“My brother doesn’t know.”

Lan Wangji hesitated, but shook his head. “I do not think so.”

“Fuck.”

Nie Huaisang did not want to have to break his brother’s heart all over again.

“Okay,” he said, and closed his eyes tightly for a moment before opening them again. “Okay. Fine. This is – terrible, yes, absolutely but at least it tells us that whatever your brother’s motives, Meng Yao, at minimum, must be malicious.”

Lan Wangji frowned, then followed his thought and nodded. “He deliberately utilized a falsehood to convince my brother to enter into a relationship with him. He may have used others to convince him to trap your brother in the jingshi.”

“Assuming your brother isn’t in on the plan to kill da-ge, and I’m sorry, we really do have to keep that option open. Even Meng Yao…it’s a surprise, you know? He was my brother’s deputy, they got on really well – even though they had their differences, that big fight, it seemed like they were getting over it. They swore brotherhood, and you know how seriously my brother takes that sort of thing.”

Lan Wangji nodded again.

“Also, it’s just – mystifying,” Nie Huaisang continued, slipping easily into the tone of complaint as he shouldered Lan Wangji’s weight again and continued on their way to the doctors’ wing. “Meng Yao’s so smart! Even if he wanted to kill my brother to get your brother all to himself, which he very well might, he’s also been breaking his back to come here on a weekly basis to help my brother, playing him that Clarity song that your brother found –”

“I thought he had stopped that?”

“Well, yes, temporarily, but that’s just because da-ge was getting worried about how bad things were getting and wanted to get things in order…” Nie Huaisang came to a sudden halt once again. “Lan-xiong, I’ve been assuming – we’ve all been assuming – all the while that my brother’s deteriorating health is because of the war, and that the songs er-ge and san-ge were playing for him were helping slow it down. But what if…”

He didn’t want to say it.

“If there was one murder attempt, there may be another,” Lan Wangji said, his voice heavy. “Musical cultivation can harm as well as heal – it is possible.”

Nie Huaisang scrubbed his face with his sleeve. “But…doesn’t that mean your brother has to be part of it? He’s the one who came up with the idea in the first place.”

“He may have originated it, and Lianfeng-zun alterted it without his knowing. Your brother…might not have noticed such a substitution.”

“He’s very nearly tone-deaf,” Nie Huaisang agreed, not without fondness. “It’s amazing he understands human speech, really. It’s possible, I guess.”

“Brother’s involvement is…also possible,” Lan Wangji said, and closed his eyes. “I do not wish to believe it, but – if there truly have been two attempts, and he has not only failed to notice, but is in each one a key part…”

“We’ll work it out,” Nie Huaisang said. “Now come along. We need to get you back into something resembling mobility and health and fast.”

Lan Wangji hesitated, and Nie Huaisang knew why: do you need me better in order to fight against my brother?

“We have disciples for that,” he reminded him. “No, it’s just, you see, I’m terrible with children, and someone is going to need to chase after the two you brought with you – they’ll be laughing and screaming and crying and snotting all over the place before you know it, mark my words, and there goes any chance of getting a decent night’s sleep for the next few years. I’m telling you, Lan-xiong, you have no idea about how children are – they’re going to make so much noise!”

Lan Wangji smiled.

It was such an unusual sight that Nie Huaisang almost forgot to take his next step.

“Yes,” he said, and his words had the feeling of a vow. “They will.”

#mdzs #nie huaisang #nie mingjue #lan wangji #my fic #my fics #the quiet room #okay technically this is me jumping ahead into the next round of prompts in advance #but I wanted to write more of this #breadlovinggay

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crowdedimagines · 4 years

Text

Leaked Pt. 2 - Harry Styles

PART ONE

Harry and I follow Gemma back into the house. I cross my arms over my chest, fighting the chill from outside that seems to linger in my bones now. We take a seat back at the table, everyone seems to be stressed and tired of talking, I don’t blame them. I’m thankful Harry and I got a break from it.

“Alright, so we were able to detect what they had access to and what was downloaded from the online server.” Andrew, whose name I learned, says looking at both Harry and I to explain.

“So what else did they get?” Harry questions, he sits up a little straighter in his chair.

“It looks like they also had access to some audio files.”

“Audio files?”

“What? The studio version of medicine?” I tease, assuming that whatever it was can’t be too bad. Harry’s had songs leak before, even if it’s something that ended up being scrapped it can’t be the end of the world. It can’t be as bad as a leaked image of us across twitter.

“No, it looks like they only took several files dated July 15th of 2019.”

“July 15th?” I raise my brows.

“What happened-” Harry starts to question the significance, but it instantly clicks for me. All of the humor and lightheartedness I had is knocked right out of me.

“Fuck-” I pull my hair back over my shoulder. The chill that clung to my bones is gone now, now I can feel myself break out into a sweat. Harry turns to look at me and as soon as our eyes meet I can tell that it’s clicked for him as well.

“It’s our song” Harry states, his voice so quiet that I’m sure not everyone in the room caught it. His voice is soft and low, barely registering.

“Your song?” Anne prompts, her face full of concern as she notice’s the color that’s completely drained from our faces.

“Can we clear out the room for a few minutes?” Harry asks, he takes his hand in mine and nods for Anne and Gemma to fill the seats that have now been vacated.

“Can I?” Harry looks at me for permission before continuing. I give him a soft smile and nod, at this point I’m glad they’ll know. I’d rather they know than the whole world.

“July 15th was the day Y/n and I got back from the hospital.” Harry swallows, “The day before Y/n had suffered a miscarrige.”

The silence in the room is louder than I could’ve expected. Gemma and Anne look at each other, obviously shocked before turning their attention back to us. Their expressions seem just as solemn now.

“So the audio file is?” Gemma looks between us confused.

“So together we wrote a song for our daughter.” I nod, tears slipping without being able to stop them.

“It was really therapeutic, I think we both sobbed through practically the whole thing.” He looks to me and I just nod and agree. Harry’s hand still hasn’t left mine.

“I’m sorry that you guys had to find out this way.” I pull my head up to finally make eye contact. Tears are still slowly streaming, but I’m able to blink past them, “We had been so excited to tell you guys that we were expecting and it was only a few weeks after that we had already lost her.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.” Anne says, her eyes filling up with tears of her own at this point.

“So this was right before you guys broke up.” Gemma realizes, “Is that-?”

She doesn’t seem to be able to finish her own thought. The air in the room is a little too heavy. If I wasn’t drained before, I am now.

“Partly.” Harry nods.

“It wasn’t a lie that the stress of always being apart tore us apart, but going through something like that and then having to fly across the world. We didn’t get to heal from that together, and it ruined our relationship.”

Third Person POV

Slowly the group makes their way back in. Harry makes it very clear to all of them that they need to do everything in their power to stop that audio file from seeing the light of day. It crushed him to see the defeated look on Y/n’s face. She looks exhausted. Harry can’t pull his eyes from her saddened face every couple of seconds. The last thing he wants is for her to feel emotionally exposed as well as physically.

“Y/n, why don’t we go off to bed.” Anne gets up from her spot and places a gentle hand on the younger girl's shoulder. She only nods and lets Anne lead her up stairs. No one else at the table comments, no one dares. Harry’s eyes follow her as Anne wraps an arm around her shoulder and they walk up the stairs.

Anne leads her to Harry’s room, knowing that she was bound to stay there after everything that’s happened today. No one can blame her for being so tired, it was only a few hours ago that she landed. She’s had her body exposed to the world and now there’s the potential for one of the most intimate parts of her to be exposed as well. Today has been the day from hell for Y/n.

Y/n changes into one of Harry’s shirts and tucks herself in under the covers. It’s been over a year since she’s been in this bed. Anne comes back in to check on her, noticing her eyelids are falling heavy as they talk.

Anne curls up in the sitting chair on the other side of the master bedroom. It doesn’t feel right to leave her alone right now in this state and she doesn’t exactly feel like participating in the conversations downstairs anymore. It leaves a bitter taste in her mouth hearing people speak so casually over something so personal.

It’s a few hours later when Harry makes his way upstairs and he’s surprised to see either of them in his room. He looks like the definition of exhausted. His mom looks up from her book and glances over to see that Y/n is still asleep.

“Is she alright?” Harry asks, looking at the girl curled up in his bed.

“She will be.” Anne sets down the book. She pulls the blanket off of her shoulders and folds it up neatly.

“Did you guys get anything decided?” Anne questions, making her way over to her son by the door.

“Yeah, Jordan and Jeff both agree that it might be in our best interest to release a statement. If it gets out we’ll obviously need to address it. They want to talk it over again tomorrow morning once Y/n is feeling a bit better.”

“Sounds great, love.” Anne presses a soft kiss to his cheek before letting herself out.

Harry breaks his stare on the love of his life so he can get ready for bed himself. He brushes his teeth and does his night routine as quietly as he can. From what he remembers, it always used to wake Y/n up anyway, but she’s exhausted.

He finally finishes up and hovers over his side of the bed, unsure if he should cross that line. Sure she’s laying in his bed, but that doesn’t mean it’s an open invitation for them to share the bed.

“Just get in already.” Her voice surprises Harry. Her eyes didn’t even flinch to open. Harry doesn’t need to be told twice, he slides in on his side.

“What are we going to tell the fans?” Her voice a soft echo in the silence.

Harry lets out a long sigh, moving to lay on his back.

“I don’t know. How much do we want them to know? Neither of us have ever let the fans in like this before.”

“But aren’t they going to figure it out anyway? We know that they’re smart, and our lyrics were hardly veiled.”

“I think I would rather tell them. If we can’t stop it from getting out there, I would want to avoid as many conspiracy theories as possible. How do you feel about it?”

Y/n reaches out her hand to connect it with Harry’s. His head snaps over to look at her and she’s staring down at where her fingers fiddle with his rings.

“I feel comfortable with that. The whole world is going to know now.”

His words fill the silence, Y/n only letting out a sigh in response.

“I should call my parents and let them know. Y/S/N too. They deserve to know before the story breaks.”

Y/n shifts back onto her side facing away from him, letting Harry’s hand drop in the process. He turns to his side, facing the same direction as her. She turns back, looking over her shoulder towards him.

“Thank you.” Her voice a soft whisper, her eyes meeting his after glancing over his bare chest.

“What for?” He clears his throat, his voice catching from speaking so softly.

“For being you Harry. For being understanding and loving in spite of everything.” She turns back to rest her head back on the pillow, “I don’t think there’s anyone else I would want to have to go through this with.”

Harry scoots closer, he hovers his arm over her waist before settling it when there weren’t any protests. Y/n places her hand on top of his, holding it securely against her.

“I will always love you, Y/n. I wish we didn’t have to go through this, but I’m glad to have you too.”

Those are the last words they exchange that night.

Y/n’s POV

The sun is rising, alerting me that I need to get up and get ready. I manage to snake my way out of Harry’s grasp before he can wake up as well. I make my way to the bathroom and take a long shower.

“Jordan brought in your suitcase last night.” Harry informs.

“Oh, great. Thank you!”

He simply nods before going into the bathroom himself to get ready for the morning. I wrap the towel a little tighter around my body and quickly make my way downstairs to grab my bag. By the time I get back to Harry’s room I can hear the water running in the shower. It gives me enough time to get dressed and escape down to the kitchen before he exits.

“Good morning!” Anne smiles from her spot at the stove.

“Morning.” I smile, I take a seat next to a sleepy Gemma.

“This coffee isn’t even helping.” Gemma groans, throwing her head on my shoulder and closing her eyes.

“That’s because Mum made it.” Harry says as he walks in with a wet head, “Have Y/n make the next batch. That’ll surely get you wide awake.”

“Sounds like an excuse to get my world famous coffee if you ask me.” I eye him with a smile.

“You caught me, love.” He grabs plates for everyone and starts setting the table, noticing his mother is getting close to being done with all the food. I tap Gemma softly on the shoulder so I can get up and make a new pot of coffee. Harry always used to tell me my coffee was his favorite, it always packed a punch.

We all settle at the table, Harry with a large mug of the hot coffee.

“Anne, everything looks wonderful.” I smile looking over everything she’s prepared.

“Thank you.” She grins.

We all dig in, too hungry to prolong it anymore.

“What time is everyone getting here?” I ask, mainly waiting for Harry to answer.

“Within the hour.”

“Have you guys decided what you’re going to do?” Gemma sets down her fork to look at the both of us, prompting me to turn and look at Harry.

“We’re going to tell the fans. We want them to hear it from us, take away the power from the person who hacked my phone.” Harry explains.

“Yeah, that reminds me. I need to call my parents.” I dab the corners of the mouth with a napkin before excusing myself.

Harry’s POV

I watch as Y/n leaves the room to make the call privately.

“So, how is she?” Anne asks, focusing on me.

“With all things considered, I think she’s doing alright.” I take a sip of the coffee that’s still warm, “We both agreed that we’re going to tell the fans today. Clarify a few things.”

“I think that’s a good idea.” Gemma nods.

“Me too. It’s nice having her here again.” My mum smiles looking at me.

“Mum, don’t go there.” I warn.

“I didn’t mean anything by it!” She defends, “I just said it’s nice.”

“She’s right.” Gemma chimes in, “Y/n has always been our favorite. We all know that your story with her is far from over.”

I simply shake my head, knowing better than to argue with these two. It’s a short while later Y/n makes a reappearance, her eye’s red and puffy.

“Alright, everyone’s in the know.” She sighs.

Right on que there’s a knock on the door. I’m sure it’s just starting that our teams are showing up. Ready to start a new day.

“Alright, so Harry said that you guys agreed on putting out a statement. We can get started on that today. We need to decide how we want to do it, we have a few options.” Jordan explains, “We can type up a statement from both of you and release it on social media or if you guys wanted to say something.”

“Like a video?” Y/n asks.

“Exactly. It’s totally up to you guys, it’s a matter of preference.” Jeff cuts in, “Sometimes it's a little more comfortable to do it that way so you can say exactly what you want and people can hear your tone, but at the same time it’s a lot more personal this way.”

“What do you want to do?” Y/n suddenly turns to get my opinion.

“I’m fine with either-”

“C’mon, what’s your head saying.” She has a soft knowing smile on her face. I smile back at her because how could I not.

“I think that if we’re coming clean and trying to be honest about things, it could be good to have it actually coming from our mouths.”

“I agree.” She turns back to look at Jordan and Jeff, “So how exactly do we go about that?”

“So we’ll start by-”

Jeff stops speaking as his phone buzzes, he glances down quickly and his eyes widen for a second. Whatever it is it’s enough to have completely captured his attention.

“What is it?” I ask, I start spinning one of my rings subconsciously. It takes what feels like minutes of pure silence, but in actuality it’s only a few seconds for him to answer.

“The audio file is out.”

Fuck.

i’m sorry for all the switching of POVs but that’s the best way i felt I could communicate how i wanted things to go.

PART 3?!?! how are we feeling? mini series?

#harry styles imagine #harry styles x reader #Harry Styles

714 notes · View notes

lovemeleo · 3 years

Text

Piercing Surprise

I had piercing prompts for the Cubs as well as Remus, so I thought I would combine them. We’ve got Finn getting his piercing with Remus, hope you don’t mind anon. These lovely characters and their story belong to Hazel (@lumosinlove)! The amazing fanart at the end of the fic also belongs to Haz with piercing modifications made by yours truly. I hope you all enjoy!

_____________________________________

Finn had never done anything super wild in his college days. Even now he was pretty straight-laced.

Well.

As straight-laced as a bisexual polyamorous hockey player could be.

Anyways. There was always something he had wanted to do but with college, and then the NHL, he could never find the time to do it. But now the season had just ended and he had a few months of free time. It was perfect.

He had been chatting with Loops at practice when it came up, just an offhand conversation.

“When I was a PT, they were really picky about tattoos and piercings, which sucked cause I wanted both.” Remus had said as they tossed the medicine ball back and forth between them.

That had surprised Finn. A tattoo he could see, but Loops with a piercing was unexpected. “You want a piercing?” He asked.

Remus nodded, “Yeah, there’s one I really like called a vertical labret. Goes through the lower lip and comes out the bottom. I really like how it looked. Might go get after the season is over.”

And that was how it started. Finn did a lot of research, looked into different piercings and healing time. After a while, he decided he wanted the same piercing. Remus had found them a very well recommended piercer and they had made appointments for the same day.

Now the day was here. They hadn’t told their boys where they were going, but honestly they were so into whatever game Nado and Kuny had just brought over, they could’ve walked out only wearing a jockstrap and the three boys wouldn’t have noticed. So they left the Cubhouse and made their way to the piercing place.

“Nervous?” Remus asked as they got out of the car, heading towards the shop.

Finn shrugged, fiddling with the bottom of the hoodie he was wearing. Probably Leo’s. “Little bit. But also excited.”

The shop felt welcoming from the moment they walked in. Felt more like a home than a piercing place. It helped put Finn at ease a bit. The lady at the front desk smiled as they walked in. She had a warm smile as she stood, leaning on the counter in front of her.

“Hi there, boys, welcome to A Jab Well Done. I’m Fae. Do you have appointments?” She asked, as they walked up.

Remus nodded, “Yeah, Remus Lupin and Finn O’Hara. For the vertical labrets?”

Eyes catching on the different piercings shown on the shelf, Finn went to go look. He was excited to pick out new jewelry to wear after it healed up. A pretty one with blue stone stuck out to him, but he’d get all that later on.

“Alright, just need the both of you to fill out the paperwork and sign a waiver, then we’ll get started.” Fae explained, handing them both a couple of papers.

They all moved to the waiting area, where a very comfy couch and a couple chairs were set up. Remus and Finn took the couch, while Fae sat in the chair across from them as they filled out the forms.

Fae sat back in the chair, fixing her hair into a bun, “So are these your first piercings?” She asked. Both boys nodded as they wrote, Finn looking up, “Yeah, I’m excited for it.”

She nodded with a smile, “Piercings are a lot of fun, as long as you take care of them properly. You both have nice lips for the vertical labret. I can tell that it’ll suit you.” “Thanks, I’ve been wanting it for a while so I can’t wait to see it.” Remus said as he finished up the forms. When both of them were finished, they handed over the papers to Fae who led them back to the piercing room.

Setting the papers down on the counter, Fae looked back at the pair, “Alright, so you guys are my only piercings for the next couple hours so I’ve got it mostly set up. Who wants to go first?” She asked as she washed her hands before pulling on some gloves.

“I’m gonna go first, if that’s alright.” Remus said, rubbing his hands together nervously. They trembled slightly but it was a nervous kind of excitement that vibrated through him.

Gesturing towards the chair, Fae had him sit down, setting a marker, an odd pair of tweezers and the needle. “We use a basic steel piercing for the first couple months of healing. You’re welcome to switch it out after it’s healed of course.” She explained before going on to let them know the process. Finn sat next to Remus, recording him so they could show Sirius later.

Gently holding Remus’s lip, she used the marker to place a small dot on the lower lip and then directly below it. “Alright, Remus. I’m going to use these tweezers to squeeze your lower lip, and then I’ll be pushing the needle up from the bottom mark, okay? I’m gonna ask you to take a deep breath, and then push the needle through when you let the breath out.”

Remus nodded, letting out a shaky breath, “Yeah, I’ve got it. Harzy, hold my hand.” He said, wiggling his fingers toward the redhead. Finn chuckled, holding onto Remus’s hand, “Alright, but if Cap comes after me, I’m telling him it was your idea.”

Fae smiled at the boy’s easy friendship, grabbing the tweezers and positioning them on Remus’s lip, “Alright, time for that deep breath we talked about, Remus.” She said as she positioned the needle on the bottom mark.

Closing his eyes, Remus took a deep breath before letting it out, feeling the sharp pain as the needle went through. Finn couldn’t help the gasp as he watched the needle go through.

Fae slid the jewelry in as she pulled the needle out, screwing the little ball in on the top, “We use one that’s a little bigger to account for swelling.” She explained as she pulled away, smiling. “All done. Want to take a look?”

Remus took the mirror she held out, looking at his lip with a careful smile, “I love it. Oh my god, I really love it.” He said, looking between the mirror and Fae. “Thank you so much.”

Nodding, Fae began to clean and sanitize all of her equipment, “Of course. I’ll explain all the aftercare when I’m done with Mr. O’Hara here, that way I don’t have to repeat it.”

Remus moved out of the chair and took the recording phone, letting Finn take his spot, “You ready, Harz?” He asked as Finn let out a breath.

“As I’ll ever be. You gotta hold my hand though, Loops. I held yours.” Finn pointed out, reaching for the other boy’s hand.

Fae repeated the process, marking two dots on Finn’s lip before grabbing the lip with her tweezers, “You ready? Take that deep breath for me, Finn.”

Finn closed his eyes, squeezing Remus’s hand as he inhaled deeply before letting out. It took a lot for him to not burst out with every curse word he knew, because fuck that hurt.

“And you’re done.” Fae said as she fixed the piercing.

Finn leaned forward to look in the mirror, unable to help the grin that spread on his face, “Fuck, that looks good.”

Letting out a laugh, Fae began cleaning everything up and explaining the aftercare. She gave them a packet that went over it as well as the cleaning solution for it.

She led the way back into the front area after they were done, smiling, “Well, boys, I’m so glad you like your piercings. If you have any problems or questions, feel free to call or email. And come back soon!”

After paying and profusely thanking Fae, they headed back out the door towards the car. “Think they noticed we’re gone yet?” Finn asked as they got back in the car.

Remus smirked as he buckled up, “Well, I sent Sirius a snapchat of the piercing shop sign with a smiley face. So I think they’ve got a good idea.”

Letting out a loud laugh, Finn started driving, “Oh, Loops, you fucking mastermind. Is that why they were blowing up our group chat?”

“Yeah, that’s probably why.” Remus murmured with a smirk as they pulled into the driveaway.

As they closed the car doors, three heads appeared in the front window, faces practically plastered to the glass.

Finn couldn’t help the small smirk that appeared on his face as they walked into the house, “Boys, we’re home.” The piercing caused a slight lisp to his words which made him snort to himself.

When they got to the living room, they were met with a hilarious sight. Kuny and Nado were walking out as they walked in. Their boys on the other hand were all standing behind the couch, as if they had been waiting by the window for them to get home.

Nado smiled, “They look good, boys.”

“You send snap, now they stand watch. We go now.” Kuny muttered with a smile before they said their goodbyes, heading out the door.

Remus raised an eyebrow, smiling, “You guys alright?”

A sound that could only be equated to a whine came from Sirius whose eyes hadn’t left Remus’s lips.

Logan made the first move, his hands coming up to hold Finn’s face, “You got your lip pierced? A-And you didn’t even tell us?” He muttered, his thumb coming to trace below the other boy’s lip.

Shrugging as he leaned into his boyfriend’s touch, Finn smiled gently, “Wanted it to be a surprise.”

“Do they hurt?” Leo asked, face curious as he looked the new jewelry attached to Finn’s face.

Remus pulled Sirius to him, smiling, “It’s a bit sore. But it’s fine otherwise.”

Leaning down, Sirius pressed a soft kiss to the shorter boy’s cheek, “It suits you, mon loup.” He murmured.

“Looks so good, Harzy.” Leo said with a grin, intertwining his fingers with Finn’s. He never thought either of his boyfriends would have any piercings, but now that Finn had one. Well he was definitely a fan.

Finn smiled, trying not to bite his lip as was a habit for him, “Well, we recorded the whole thing if you want to see.”

“Oh yeah, Pads, Harzy held my hand and everything.” Remus said with a teasing smirk.

Gray eyes were quickly on the redhead who threw his hands up in defense, “No! No, don’t look at me like that! He asked me to, Cap! I was being a good friend!”

“Three...Two…” As Sirius counted down, Finn was off running away as the captain hit one. Sirius took off after him, running throughout the house.

Remus laughed, watching as he heard the teasing fight between the two, a thud as Sirius caught up to Finn.

“It was a nice surprise, Loops. Even if you did make our boyfriend hold your hand.” Logan said with a grin, leaning into Leo’s chest.

Remus nodded, “Well, it’ll suck for at least six to eight weeks where we can’t kiss anyone.” He mentioned offhandedly.

There was a pause before three voices chorused, “SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS?”

Yes, a long six to eight weeks indeed.

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tothemeadow · 4 years

Note

these Mario kart AUs are killing me 😭 Ok so, after that little um..’display’ lol, It’s come down to this...Girls vs boys..The reader with the girls competing in the hardest mode: ☀️S h i n e T h e i f☀️ Empress-Sama can pick the punishment 👀

‘to claim victory pt. 3′ / Pillars x Reader

warnings: slight NSFW

words: 1,556

(a/n): Muichiro is 18+ in this!

also, one word: femdom

This is it.

This is your chance.

You’ve come so far, and you are not going to give up. Failure is a well-known friend by now, lingering on your shoulders and whispering words of doubt into your ears. There is nothing left to lose, now, and you’re going to give it your all.

The same can be said for Shinobu and Mitsuri. Like you, they’re tired of facing a loss and crave after the sweet taste of victory. The other team – the guys – have had far too good for far too long. It’s their turn for them to plead for forgiveness, to kneel at your feet and cry for mercy.

You’re so damn hungry for power. It’s well within your grasp, inches away. You are not going to lose this time. Boys be damned.

Stripped down to your undies, your flesh bears fresh goosebumps. The heat radiating off of Tengen and Kyojuro is downright pleasant, and you desire to have them cling onto you. But no, you cannot allow yourself to be distracted.

Your character frantically chases after Shy Guy, gradually closing in on his little buggy. The Shine Sprite hanging above him sticks out like a sore thumb, and you’re practically salivating to get a hold of it. You wait until you’re directly behind and take your aim.

“It’s nothing personal, Gyomei,” you speak.

At that, your character whips a green shell at Shy Guy. The Shine Sprite flies off, allowing you to quickly grab onto it before zooming away.

“Dammit,” Tengen curses by your side.

“Oh my gosh!” Mitsuri cries out. “We got it! We got it!”

“Don’t lose focus, Mitsuri,” Shinobu is quick to respond. “(y/n),” she says to you, “we’ll cover you.”

“Like hell you will,” Giyuu grunts.

Yoshi comes barreling towards your character. Boo King slams straight into him, effectively keeping him from reaching you.

“Thanks, Shinobu!”

“Oi, jackass,” Sanemi barks at his teammate, “don’t fuck this up!”

Your heart thuds with every beeping second. Twenty seconds left. You have to hold onto it for thirty. You must.

Again and again, the guys either launch themselves or an attack at you, but either one of the girls comes to your aid just in time or you somehow dodge it. Isabelle is hot on your heels. Waluigi is charging straight towards you. There are only moments to make a decision.

Screw it, you think as you rear your character to the side. You can hear both Muichiro and Obanai muttering curses.

Ten seconds left.

Your skin is absolutely crawling.

“Give it up!” Kyojuro taunts in his usual happy-go-lucky way. He tries to be intimidating while playing games, but he’s really not.

“Kiss my ass,” you toss back. You flash him a smile right when the clock reaches zero.

“No!” all of the boys shout.

“Yes!” the girls cheer.

Giyuu merely sighs and sets his device to the side.

Mitsuri wildly claps her hands. “(y/n), you did it! You really did it!” You quickly hop up from your seat to meet her hug.

Shinobu comes to stand next to the two of you, a dark glint in her eyes. Her lips curl into a sadistic smile. “Girls,” she begins, using a low voice, “you know what this means.”

A similar smile appears on your own face. It’s time for revenge.

The three of you simultaneously turn to the guys.

“Alright,” Shinobu continues, crossing her arms. “Now it’s our turn to pick the punishment.”

A round of grumbles comes as a reply. The guys are in no place to be angry, especially since all of them agreed to the conditions.

Shinobu claps her hands together. “Alright, gentlemen, please do us a favor and strip.”

You bite your lip and share a sneaky smile with Mitsuri.

Their reactions are amusing, to say the least. Of course, Tengen has no issue with whipping off his clothes and showing off all his glory. Kyojuro doesn’t mind, but is face turns red while he does so. Sanemi and Obanai only seem annoyed by the ordeal. The rest reluctantly do as told, an anxious expression written across theirs features. Soon enough, the room is filled with half naked men.

Mitsuri’s face blows with a bright pink. “Oh, wow.”

You agree. You know all of the guys spend a lot of time working on their physiques, but to see them up close and personal? It’s incredible.

Tengen flexes as your gaze flicks over his torso. “Like what you see, sweetheart? I know, this is quite some prize,” he purrs.

Shinobu rolls her eyes. “Pick two,” she says to you and Mitsuri. “I think we should give them a taste of their own medicine, don’t you agree?”

Your dominant side perks at the suggestion. It’s revenge, alright. And if you can get the guys as embarrassed and flustered as they made you, then sobeit. Humming, you tap your chin, eyes scanning over the different guys. “I want him,” you say, pointing at Sanemi, “and him.” Your finger lands at Muichiro.

“Alright,” Sanemi growls, “let’s get this shit going, then.”

You meet his challenge with a shark-toothed smile.

It’s funny that Sanemi is trying to pass as unbothered about the whole thing. For one, he hates to lose. Second, you can see the subtle shifts in his character. The light trembling. The way he swallows harder than usual. You’re already affecting him and you haven’t done anything yet. Taking a seat next to him, you bat your eyelashes at him.

“I promise I won’t bite.”

Sanemi scoffs at your obvious bluff. He knows it’s a personal jab; he’s into biting himself, and the mark on Mitsuri’s shoulder says it all.

Kyojuro’s sudden giggling catches your attention. Turning to him, you see Mitsuri peppering kisses up and down the column of his neck. Oh, so he’s sensitive? You’ll have to keep that in mind. On the other hand, Shinobu is sitting on Gyomei’s lap. Compared to his massive size and her tiny one, she’s more of a doll sitting in his lap rather than a human.

Fingers dig into your fleshy hip. “Stop watching them,” Sanemi growls, just low enough for you to hear. Jealousy laces his words, and it’s clear as day. Heat spikes up your back.

You cast your attention back to him and click your tongue. “Brat,” you hiss. His fingers dig into you harder. “Don’t be so upset,” you breathe into his ear. “I’ll mark you, okay?”

A heavy breath passes through Sanemi’s nose as you nibble at his earlobe. Lips skimming his sharp jawline, your lids fall into a sultry squint. Sanemi gulps.

It starts with a few light kisses situated under his jaw. You soon grow bolder; it turns into open mouthed kisses, sensuous licks. You take delight in how much he’s trembling. His hand forces your thigh over his legs so that you’re half-straddling him. Although he’s acting extremely bratty, he knocks his head to the side when you suckle on his flesh.

Other sounds fill the room. They’re mostly grunts and little pleasured sighs, but there’s also impatient ones mingling with them. Seems like the others are impatient for their punishment.

Sanemi’s openly groping and kneading your thigh now. You swat his hand away as a warning, but it goes unheeded. You sink your teeth into him in return.

“Fuck!” Sanemi barks.

“Shit,” Tengen mutters off to the side.

Your fingers grip onto his hair and jaw, keeping him in place. After a few moments, your tongue licks over the fresh bitemark and you pull away. You flash Sanemi a devilish grin as he scowls back at you, his chest heaving. Gingerly, you grab him by the wrist and take his hand off of your thigh.

“What did I tell you?” you whisper. “Now you’re bearing my mark - just like you wanted, right?”

Sanemi inhales sharply through his teeth.

Picking yourself into a stand, you look to Muichiro. From his spot on the floor, he looks impossibly tiny. His brilliant eyes widen as you cross over and stand directly in front of him.

“Sit back,” you order him.

And just like that, Muichiro snaps from his hunched position and leans back, his palms pressed to the floor. You quickly drop to the floor, a leg swinging over him; as you straddle him, you press your hands flush to his exposed abdomen.

“I wonder where I should mark you,” you murmur, mimicking the words he said to you earlier. “You think you’re always so sly, Mui. Maybe I should put you in your place.”

Your words take him by surprise. Leaning down, you pick your spot on his collarbone. Muichiro’s high-pitched gasp fills your ears, fuels that growing fire inside of you. You suckle on his skin languidly, dragging your tongue and your teeth whenever you feel like it. Muichiro’s muscles flex underneath your hands.

“Such a good, pretty boy,” you mumble offhandedly. “You’re not a brat like Sanemi.”

To your surprise (and delight), a soft moan breaks through his lips. Color immediately colors his face and Muichiro promptly clamps his mouth shut. Pulling away, you lick your lips and cock your head at him. His eyes shine with that fierce emotion you saw in them earlier.

“Hmm,” you say aloud, grabbing everyone’s attention, “I decided that I like winning a lot more than losing.”

#kny #kimetsu no yaiba #demon slayer #kny x reader #kimetsu no yaiba x reader #demon slayer x reader #kny pillars #kny pillars x reader #kny hashira #kny hashira x reader #request

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soyeahitsmiddleearth · 3 years

Text

(Gen Start-Up) Not Worth It pt. 1

{Reader gets sent from our world to middle earth and falls in love with either Fili/Kili/Thoron or heck maybe all three, I'll leave that up to you, and upon coming to middle earth they get the healing powers. All they gotta do is put their hands on the person and concentrate. BUT these healing abilities have a cost if the injury is severe. Maybe they either transfer the injury to themselves until it evens out between the two? Or it takes a lot of energy from them and if they use it too much they will die. Then Reader tries to heal Thorin/Kili/Fili at the end." --- Britishfajita}

Fluff and Slight Angst

Authors Note: This is the beginning of a wonderful three (or maybe more) part connected series! Same reader for all three of the Durin's who I plan to make this for. There may be multiple parts for them, idk yet. We'll just see what happens :D!

The Durins/Reader

----

You could have been so extraordinary in your past life.

Special, wanted, powerful.

And, to some extent, you were wanted and desired, but you could never deliver on those expectations and hopes.

Your special ability to heal, ease pain, and help others was never anything special where you lived. Many people had healing abilities similar to and better than yours, and most, if none, had the drawbacks that yours did.

Where normal healers can use their powerful auras to mend and strengthen others to accelerate the healing process, yours is much more of a give and take, parasitic relationship between 'doctor' and patient. Instead of your aura enhancing the healing ability of others, it instead participates in a transfer that can leave you wounded yourself.

You retain your ability to heal and, essentially, switch auras in a wound transferral. You do not always inherit the wounds of those you heal, however.

Depending on the severity of an injury, you may be left winded, tired, or extremely hungry, but in more serious instances, the damages completely transfer to you instead.

The best way to exemplify this would be to explain how you found out about this horrible symbiotic relationship in the first place.

Your parents knew you were a healer from a young age, for there are individuals who test all children in schools to determine what classes they will need to hone their abilities, and they figured out your ameliorative nature rather easily.

The fatigue and pain you sometimes felt during training and classes was just chalked up to your control and aura being weaker, for your parasitic power was something very uncommon at the time.

It happened during your first ever shift at the local hospital.

Up to this point you've only ever dealt with smaller wounds because of your easy fatigue and exhaustion, but this day was different.

A disaster struck a nearby bank that left 40 people, and counting, injured, and it was all hands on deck. Every person on staff had somethings to do, and when a young woman with debris sticking out of her abdomen came rolling in, you were the only one free to help at the time.

You took up the assignment without hesitation, but as soon as you began to heal her, something felt different.

There was no weakness at first, something very alien to you, and you were able to heal her in record time for even one of the most skilled (and normal) healers, only, you eventually realized that something wasn't right.

The pain you felt that day was horrible and unimaginable, and you went down in a matter of moments.

It wasn't until 5 minutes later that someone found you unconscious on the ground, pale and barely breathing. If it weren't for your current location, you certainly would've died that day.

That young woman had been saved and, somehow, her power had been enhanced as well after your treatment, but it left your aura damaged and practically sucking the life out of you following her miraculous recovery.

The whole premise of your power is the nature of give and take. You give a piece of your aura to someone else to heal and enhance them (be it their power, strength, wakefulness, or anything else), and in return you take a part of theirs and become weakened depending on how much you give, needing to rest and regenerate what you gave away in that moment. You can also heal yourself of your own, personally received wounds without incident, which is rather strange.

For most, there is a finite amount of their aura that they can ever have throughout the duration of their lives, but your supply is nearly endless. However, the more you spend healing or helping, the more you lose. You can regenerate your aura forever, but if you keep going without ceasing, then your life will eventually begin to drain too, to compensate for your loss.

It isn't an instant process, though, for it takes time for your body to catch up to how much of your power you spend, so you had to train really hard from that moment on to ensure that you never spend more than you've earned.

If it weren't for this fateful vice of yours, you'd probably be one of the most powerful healers in your world; the only limit to the wounds you may heal is your own aura and life force, and the amount of time it takes all depends on your concentration and intent.

Because of this, you became unwanted.

Unwanted in a sense that, people did want you to help them become stronger, but no organization or job wanted to hire such a liability, and those with such horrible vices are always subject to horrible criticism and scrutiny, so you eventually just stopped using your ability altogether.

It isn't until you fall into Middle Earth that you start to habitually use your powers again, and it's because of the life-threatening journey you're forced to join.

Here in Middle Earth, however, you're one of a kind.

There is healing magic and those gifted with the knowledge of higher level healing, but your ability to heal simply using your hands and mind is something totally unheard of.

The Company of Thorin Oakenshield were the poor unfortunate souls that you scared half to death on the day you arrived in Middle Earth.

You came, quite literally, out of nowhere.

One second you were washing the dishes in your house and the next you were unconscious in another world.

From their perspective you came falling out of a tall tree, nothing to break your fall other than the cold, unforgiving dirt below, and it successfully gave everyone a huge scare.

Your right arm seemed to have broken and you were horribly battered and bruised, and the dwarfs, hobbit, and lone wizard couldn't just leave you there.

They made camp for the night and made you as comfortable as possible, hoping above all else that you'll wake up at some point, and you eventually do. Though, it isn't a nice or very calm occurrence.

When you finally woke up to a new hat and 4 thick wool blankets smothering you, you freaked out.

At first, you thought someone had kidnapped you or something, but the calm, old wizard named 'Gandalf' managed to calm you and explain that you're not healthy enough to be thrashing and panicking so frantically.

That's when you shocked them all.

You managed to kick off those pesky blankets and shake off that too-warm, but also soft hat, and get a look at yourself, and you were dismayed to see so much of your skin marred with bruises, cuts, scrapes, welts, etc, and your broken arm was unsightly enough to make you nearly sick.

"I-I'll fix it then, I guess." You grumbled nervously, laying back down in the heaping pile of blankets to focus on mending your broken and shattered bones, re-weaving your muscles together, and accelerating the healing of the more superficial wounds.

By the time you were nearly completely healed you were too tired to finish fixing the cuts, scrapes, and other lacerations, so they were left as week-old injuries that had been scabbed over and mostly fixed.

When your eyes fluttered open again you were, once again, shocked to see multiple people leaning over you with awestruck expressions, and you realized in that moment that things were even less right than you initially feared.

Rather quickly did you realize and accept that you were no longer in the same place or time as you were before, but the news was actually fairly easy to accept because of the nature of your past life.

You were probably accidentally sent here by someone with power over the space-time continuum, and it's impossible to come back from one of those accidents. You didn't trouble yourself with coming up with a way to go back home, because you knew for a fact that it was over. You'll be here until the day you die.

You made fast friends with the two younger Durin brothers, for they were always full of questions and curiosity for you and your abilities. Many times have you had to heal them as well, for they're quite prone to trouble.

Small things were always easy to heal, so your powers proved to make you not only a very desired part of the group, but the subject of heavy praise and kind words; it's wonderful and new, for you were neither wanted nor praised in your old home once your crippling vice made itself present.

Night after night you helped them to sleep, gave them the strength to carry on, rid them of discomforts and small, painful wounds, and, essentially, made the original healer of the group, Oin, obsolete (in a good way for him, of course). Oin taught you some things about natural medicine and was, ultimately, allowed to focus on rest and fighting (which you assume is good for a dwarf of his age).

Being needed and relied on feels like heaven, and for the first time in 5 years, you have a purpose.

The true nature of your healing powers didn't become apparent to them until the fight following the Goblin Tunnels, for Thorin Oakenshield is nearly fatally wounded in his fight against Azog the Defiler, and he's left weak and dying.

The group runs as fast as their feet can carry them as those wargs and nasty orcs draw near, chasing all of you to a cliffside with plentiful trees and nowhere to go.

It's a dead end, and those foul creatures know as much.

You aren't much of a fighter so Bofur and Fili keep you ahead of them, urging you to climb the far tree with Gandalf and some of the others, and you do so without hesitation.

Fear drives your frantic climbing and trembling muscles, and, with great effort, you manage to climb far enough that those horrible dog beasts cannot reach you.

Everyone manages to climb a tree and avoid a violent death that would leave them in pieces, and you're relieved to see that there isn't much the enemy can do in this moment; that is, until they begin to uproot the trees and push everyone further back into the barely hanging on tree you already reside in.

There is absolutely no way this flimsy tree will hold all of you for long if the wargs loosen the soil around the roots, and it seems that you're not the only one to notice this.

Gandalf prepares the perfect pinecone ammo that serves as an excellent enemy deterrent, for the flames burning within the heart of the pinecones spread easily and set the cliffside alight.

The wargs retreat to escape a fiery death, but the triumph doesn't last long, for the tree begins to creak and groan as it dips beneath the weight of all 15 of you.

"T-The tree's going to fall!" You cry hopelessly, unsure what to do.

A fall from this height would kill everyone before you even had a chance to try and heal them, and this knowledge leaves an empty, useless hole in your heart.

"Everything will work out the way it's supposed to, Master Healer." The grey wizard tells you, though you can hear the unease and slight panic in his voice as well.

You open your mouth to say more, but movement catches in your peripherals and you turn your head to see what it is.

There stands Thorin Oakenshield on the thick trunk of the tree, facing the white orc with murder and hate shining in his blue-gray eyes, and your heart drops all the way down to the violent deaths below you when you realize what it is he plans to do.

The to-be King Under the Mountain abandons the tree and meets the orc in a battle, albeit short, and he loses.

Just by looking at the way that albino dog uses him like a chew toy is enough to fill you with dread, and when another orc goes in for the dying blow, you're fully prepared to experience this horrible tragedy, only it never happens.

That brave little hobbit, Bilbo, challenges the rest of the goblins one on one, and his bravery encourages everyone able to get back up and fight.

Only, this secondary fight doesn't last for terribly long, for these huge, magnificent birds come soaring out of seemingly nowhere, and they scoop up each and every one of you.

Cue a short, but also liberating, journey to the nearest, safe area (which just so happened to be a secluded and inaccessible mountain top).

As soon as your feet touch the ground you're being scooped up into a strong pair of arms, and the perpetrator breathes your name with relief on their lips.

"Are you alright?" It's Kili, the taller of the two Durin brothers.

You nod your head once and hug him in response, winding your toned healer arms tightly around his shoulders for a few beats before you pull away.

A quick glance around shows you that some of the others still have yet to touchdown on the peak with all of you, so you instead move to Fili, who had rode to his brother, and hug him next.

The blond heir firmly locks his thick arms around your middle and holds you to him for a moment, but his arms disappear as soon as Thorin is gently dropped to the ground, bloodied and broken.

Gandalf rushes over to the heavily wounded dwarf and kneels down next to his unmoving form, and Bilbo runs up behind him with wide, stunned eyes.

You pull away from Fili and rush to Thorin's side without hesitation, falling to your knees beside him as you immediately hover your palms over his body to find the biggest issues ailing him.

The internal bleeding catches your attention right away, caused by the bone crushing bite from the white warg, and you start working on healing that without hesitation.

You know that a wound such as this will hurt you, but it doesn't halt your frantic healing for even a second.

The mountain peak is dead silent while you work your magic on the unconscious Thorin, the knowledge that they would be lost without him spurring you on, and in a matter of 5 minutes he's groaning and his eyes are opening.

You feel nothing at first which tells you that soon his damaged aura will begin affecting you, so you slowly rise to your feet and move away from the still grounded Thorin to avoid falling on him if you do go down.

Pats on the back and praises are thrown your way as you separate yourself from the king, but they cease the moment Fili worriedly asks, "Wait- What... what's wrong?" He seemed to have noticed your shaky movements right away as your health begins to deplete.

You step up to Gandalf and place your hand gently onto his shoulder, mumbling with slurred words, "Gandalf, I should've told you before..."

The old man looks up at you with worried eyes, and he rises to his feet so he can grasp your trembling arms with gentle hands, "You should have 'told me before'? Told me what?"

"I..." You begin to speak, but you're unable to form another coherent thought as your legs suddenly give out from beneath you, and you slump forward into the cloaked wizard.

Gandalf releases your arm at light speed and catches you around the waist, slowly lowering you down to the ground before your eyes slide shut and your consciousness fades in place of Thorin's.

---

Gandalf the Gray was not too happy with you when you woke up sometime later, having had to save you after you saved Thorin with no prior knowledge regarding the truth about your ability.

He scolded you first, calling your actions foolish and scaring you with information on how you could have died had it been any worse and had he been any worse at his job, and then he thanked you.

"But even so, still must I say with the utmost gratitude; thank you. The service you provided was well beyond what we asked for, and much more than we deserved. After all you've been through and done for us, you would have been right to keep to yourself and not heal him. You are a very good person, Y/N, and I should like to see you survive this journey."

Is he telling you not to heal people anymore, or is he telling you to be more careful, you wonder.

Apparently this situation scared everyone shitless, because as soon as Gandalf was done getting on your case, you received countless apologies for having you heal small, meaningless wounds and for the other things you've done for them.

Of course, you tried to explain that the smaller boosts and injuries are nothing for you, but you were still apologized to a whole bunch anyways.

Fili and Kili's apologies stuck out to you the most, however.

When everyone felt better knowing that they'd informed you that you no longer need to waste your power healing them and the excitement died down, the two brothers approached with sad expressions darkening their handsome faces.

"You should have told us that we were hurting you." The dark-haired dwarf informed you sadly, taking up one of your hands in his carefully.

"We wouldn't have bothered you so much if we knew." The blond-haired brother agrees, swiping up your other hand in one of his.

Their words make you grimace, and you try to console them. "No, the smaller things don't hurt at all! I don't 'get hurt' because I heal you, I only suffer when it's a major wound that needs to heal more than just the body."

Their expressions don't change and they don't seem to fully believe you, so you try to explain in simpler terms.

You squeeze both their hands weakly, still needing rest to regenerate your own aura, then reiterate, "Think of it this way. You've got a huge jug of water about this big," you make a big circle with your arms, " and it's completely full. Now, if you take a sip of the water when you get a little thirsty and look inside again, it will look the exact same, and you can refill it super quickly... now, if you and a few others are super thirsty, dehydrated, and you need to take big drinks then it drains even more, and very soon it's almost a quarter empty. It takes longer to fill it up then, because there's way less because of how thirsty you were."

They both look at you and nod their heads slowly in understanding, but you simplify it a little more after that.

"So, what I'm trying to say is that if I do something small like help you sleep or heal a cut, maybe mend a headache, I'll only feel a little tired if that, but if it's something horrible like Thorin's wound, then it affects me more severely. It almost transfers to me, but not the physical injury, just the effect of it while my 'power' heals yours."

Everyone is listening at this point, and it seems that they all gain a better understanding of what you can do.

It seems Gandalf figured it out, though, judging by his unsurprised expression and slightly proud smile (pride because of your easy to understand explanation, most likely).

"So... what about now, then?" Kili asks, still holding your hand by your side, "What do you need?"

"To rest. Only for a little while until my water replenishes."

---

It's going to take around a day for your aura to heal and your strength to return, but, unfortunately, you don't have the luxury to just lay back and relax like you want.

You all had to stay on the move, so the dwarfs took turns carrying you on their backs.

At first you denied any and all requests for piggy back rides, embarrassed by the mere thought of being hauled around all day while you wait for your aura to heal, but it goes that way regardless.

First it's Fili and Kili, then Dori (the strongest *according to the book*), Dwalin, and, finally, Thorin.

Thorin carried you for around an hour or so, and each step he took was careful. He wanted to make your ride as comfortable as possible, and he was succeeding for the most part (you're as comfortable as someone on a piggyback ride can be).

"How are you feeling?" You ask at some point, adjusting your gentle grip around his shoulders as you do.

"I should be the one asking you that question." He replies without missing a beat, turning his head to the left slightly to catch a glimpse of you.

You don't say anything right away, looking at him with a small frown before countering, "Okay, but I asked your first."

"Truthfully, it shames me to say that I feel very good at the moment. My strength has returned tenfold, and I feel as if I've just recovered from a long rest."

"It shames you?" You ask softly, leaning your head against his carefully, "Don't let it. I chose to do that knowing fully well what I was getting myself into."

Thorin sighs heavily and shifts his grip on your legs, "I do not wish to treat you as a child. I respect your choice, but I must implore that you do not waste your life on me. It simply isn't worth it. You're too precious."

You feel your face heat up and you find that you become slightly embarrassed. "Thank you Thorin, but I think that a king is slightly more important then a commoner from another world."

"No... a king is only as strong as his people, friends, and allies. And I happen to value you as all three."

You don't argue or disagree this time and instead just nod your head once, "Then I'll say thank you again."

The rest of your conversations with Thorin are much more light hearted and wholesome, and you find that this piggyback riding isn't as bad as you initially though it would be.

#the hobbit fanfiction #the hobbit bilbo #reader #fili x reader #kili x reader #thorin oakenshield x reader #fili #kili #Thorin Oakenshield #healer reader #Not Worth It pt.1

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rocksandrobots · 3 years

Text

Of Rocks and Robots Ch. 42 - Finale (Pt. 4)

Hiro jumped as high as he could but he missed the roof of the crate by several feet. The shipping container they were held in was at least eight feet high.

Failing at this, Hiro pressed himself against the side of the wooden box and tried to peer out through a small knothole. He saw Stu hoist a now tied up Callaghan over his shoulder and then the thieving skaters sped away at top speed, leaving them alone.

Hiro jumped again. "Hey, give me a hand. I might be able to reach the top if you'll let me stand on your shoulders."

No help came.

"Varian? Did you hear me?" Hiro asked and turned around to look at the other boy.

The only light in their current prison came through the tiny knothole in the wall, but with it Hiro could just about make out Varian's silhouette. He was hunched over while sitting down; his signature goggles glinting back the small beam of light occasionally as he held his head in his arms.

Oh no . Hiro knew what was coming next. Varian only ever shut down like that whenever he was experiencing a panic attack. Oh how Hiro wished Baymax was here, but…

Hiro shoved the image of Sue smashing the robot's personality chip out his mind. He could only focus on one problem at a time.

"Varian? You ok?" Hiro asked gently as he tried to keep the panic out of his own voice.

Still no answer.

Hiro knelt down and placed a hand on Varian's shoulder. "Are you hurt?"

"No." Came the timid response.

"Okay, good. That's good. Uh, th-then what's wrong?"

Varian only hugged his knees tighter.

"Varian. I … I can't help you unless I know what's wrong."

Varian stifled a sob and Hiro took a deep breath to calm his own nerves.

"Varian?.... Varian we're trapped in a giant wooden shipping crate, without our weapons, Baymax is... he's… he's deactivated at the moment, and no one else knows that we're here. We have to work together to get out of this."

Varian finally looked up at him, his eyes blinking as they readjusted to the dim light. "Okay." He said quietly.

"Okay? Then, let's stand up and…" Hiro grabbed Varian's arm to help him up but the other teen wouldn't move.

Hiro bit his tongue to stop himself from yelling at the other guy.

"Sorry." Was all Varian could say numbly, but he still wouldn't stand up.

Hiro tried a new tactic. "Are you upset that we lost the fight?"

"No."

"Are you mad that they kidnapped Callaghan and stole the notebook?"

Varian shook his head.

"Are you worried about... about B-baymax?"

"Well, yeah, of course I am… but that's not it either."

"Are you scared about being trapped in a giant box forever, cause I sure am!" Hiro gave a strained laugh that turned almost into a sob of his own.

"Look, it--it's embarrassing alright. J-just drop it! Okay? … I'll help."

Varian started to stand up but stopped when Hiro asked "You had a panic attack because you were embarrassed?"

Varian squatted back down on his knees and looked up at Hiro as if he was crazy.

"No! Of course not!"

"Well then what is it? You're the most confident, self assured person I know. I've seen you walk into the girl's bathroom by accident and come back out with some random girl's phone number!"

"Oh yeah, Liz, she needed help with calculus." Varian said, as he recalled the minor incident on his second day at school.

"Varian." Hiro groaned as he began to lose what little patience he had. "Look fine, whatever, if you're okay then just give me a lift and we'll get out of here."

Varian did so, and while standing on the other boy's shoulders Hiro was finally able to reach the lid of the box. He pushed upwards…and nothing happened. Push as he might, the lid wouldn't budge. It was too heavy and the lock was in place.

"Try to step closer to the edge." Hiro suggested.

Varian followed his orders, but it made no difference.

"Hey, what if we switched places and I tried?" Varian asked.

"I don't know if I can lift you, but okay?"

With much difficulty Varian finally got on top of Hiro's shoulders, but the other boy lacked Varian's strength and they soon both went tumbling to the ground.

"It-it's no use." Hiro heaved. "Neither of us are strong enough."

Varian's lip quivered as that and he desperately casted his eyes about the small enclosure. Then he went back to hugging his legs as he shut down once more.

Hiro couldn't blame him. He too felt like curling up into a ball and never unrolling again. He sighed as he leaned his head back against the wall in defeat.

How ever were they going to get out of this?

Several minutes passed as no one said anything.

Hiro spotted the candy bar on the ground. "Hungry?" He asked sardonically as he held one up.

"No." Came Varian's emotionless answer.

Hiro went back to staring blankly at nothing.

"I don't know which is worse, the fact that we're trapped with no water or the fact that it's as boring as dirt in here?" Hiro joked, if for no other reason than to break the silence.

Varian didn't respond.

Hiro sighed and decided to stare at the ceiling for a while. He tried and failed to come up with ideas for escape, but none were practical and his mind kept tumbling back to Callaghan. He and Varian wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him trying to help the murdering Professor, and not for the first time Hiro wrestled with himself over whether or not he was doing the right thing, or if doing the right thing was what he really wanted to do.

"The worst thing is the darkness." Varian said suddenly, snapping Hiro out of his thoughts.

Hiro looked at him, waiting for more of an explanation, but none came.

"What do you mean?"

"You asked what was worse about being trapped. It-it's the darkness. I mean the mind numbingly boring silence, the bad food, the awful company, and the horrific smell isn't great either…. But… but you just grow numb to all that eventually…." Varian finally lifted his head and looked at Hiro dead in the eyes. " You never forget what it's like when they shut you up in the dark for the first time, and… and just leave you there to rot."

Hiro's mouth opened in horror, but no words came out.

"I.. I don't like.. I didn't want to tell you cause.. well it's embarrassing to be sixteen years old and be afraid of the dark. And it's not even all the time… just… just seeing that lid slam close… and suddenly it.. It was like.. It was like…"

He trailed off and then tucked his head again in his arms.

"There… there was no light?" Hiro asked as he put two and two together.

"Well, it's not like we have lightbulbs in Corona." Varian sniffled. "Also it's a dungeon. It's the basement. It's not like a whole lot of sunlight can get down there."

"But that's… that's torture!" Hiro suddenly shouted and Varian gave him a confused look. "Listen to me. You need sunlight. Everybody does. You need, like certain vitamins and stuff that you can only get from the sun. You also need it for, like, psychological reasons. Denying people sunlight is literally considered cruel and unusual punishment by, like the Geneva convention and the UN and such. I.. I can't… how dare they!"

Hiro stopped in his rant to find Varian staring at him blankly.

"They didn't do it on purpose." Varian excused. "I mean, everyone down there..."

"Were what?! Also tortured?! No, they knew what they were doing. Why do you think you were all kept down there instead of like, I don't know, a tower or something. They could have built a prison anywhere and they chose a hole in the ground!"

Varian frowned, but had no answer to that.

Hiro continued as he tried to process what he'd just learned. "And.. And you felt embarrassed about being tortured and sacred… why? Why on earth would you be embarrassed by that?"

Varian visibly flinched at that question as if slapped and ducked his head once more.

"No. No, don't. I'm sorry." Hiro begged as he scooted over to the other boy. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry they did that to you. I'm sorry I brought it up. I'm sorry I dragged us into this. I'm just sorry! Okay?"

"It's not your fault." Varian said with his head still casted downwards. "You weren't the one… I mean… I messed up and-"

"I don't care! No one deserves that! Hey, look at me…" Varian did so and their eyes locked. "No one."

Varian searched his eyes and then horsely asked. "Not even Callaghan?"

Hiro felt like a rug had been ripped out from underneath him. Everything was spinning, as if he was falling. "No.. No, not even Callaghan." He said with labored breath and his voice shook.

Varian gave soft an empty laugh under his breath and shook his head. "You know not everyone would agree with you on that. Why do you think prisons exist in the first place?"

Now it was Hiro's turn to be confused. "What? What are you getting at?"

"Not everyone in those cells back in Corona were innocent lost souls. In fact most of them weren't. Most of them were murderers, thieves, and traitors. Why do you think they were down there?"

"Why are we placing thieves and murderers in the same category? Also you were deemed a traitor just cause you stole medicine that you needed. That's barely even a crime…"

"In Corona it is."

"Yeah, well, they're wrong."

And with that the conversation came to an abrupt end. Varian went back to staring at his toes while Hiro slouched against the wall next to him.

"I didn't just steal medicine." Varian finally said.

"Yeah, well, I still don't care." Hiro said. "They were wrong."

"You don't even know what I did yet."

"It doesn't matter."

Hiro looked Varian dead in the eyes as he said this and the other boy wrestled with himself as he contemplated his words.

"Are- are you sure?" Came his hesitant answer.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Hiro nodded.

They shared a smile, and with that, Hiro stood and placed his hands in pockets as he began to pace around; turning his mind to the problem at hand once again.

How to escape.

Then his fingertips brushed up against something round and cold inside his left pocket. He pulled it out and found a spray can full of purple goop.

Hiro gasped as he remembered what it was. "Hey, that's it! We can use this to get out! See? It's the magnetic spray paint you got me for my birthday. I forgot I even had this on me."

Varian's mood instantly changed as well when he saw what Hiro held in his hand.

"The Hironite! Yes, that's perfect!"

"Please stop calling it that."

Varian ignored him. "All you gotta do is spray it on the lid and use your-- oh wait no, that won't work. Sue took your gloves."

"But she didn't take my shoes." Hiro said with a sly smile as he lifted one foot. The bottom of the boot softly glowed where the electromagnet was placed. Hiro used it to help ride atop Baymax better, but it would also serve their needed purpose here.

Hiro slipped off his boots as Varian sprayed the top of the crate, covering it in the sparkling liquid metal. Once done Hiro stood upon Varian's shoulders once more and used the boots to blast a negative charge at the lid, sending it flying upwards as it repelled the current.

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

Hiro walked over and picked up the broken pieces of what was once Baymax's computer chip as Varian finished climbing out of the shipping crate. The other boy said nothing as Hiro stared at what remained of Tadashi's work.

He then walked over to where Baymax's deactivated body stood. Hiro looked up at the robot's now blank face, desperately trying to blink back his tears.

"Will….will he be okay?" Varian asked, breaking the silence.

"I...I hope so." Hiro gulped. "I have backup files stored on my computer at home. I should be able to download his source code and memory files to another chip and he'll….He won't remember this adventure but he'll be functional."

Hiro turned to look at a clearly worried Varian and tried his best to brush off the older teen's concern.

"Fortunately, the last system restore I did was right after finals, so we won't have to catch him up on much; just fill him in on what's been happening this weekend."

Varian wasn't buying it. "Then what's the problem?"

"N-nothing… it's nothing… it's just the source code will all be what's left of the original Baymax. I already had to rebuild the body from scratch, because he… he got lost in the void… I rescued the chip though…"

Hiro held up one broken piece in his hand for Varian to see, but he himself seemed to look beyond it as he stared transfixed at the sliver of plastic and Nano circuits.

"Tadashi made this chip. It was his final project for the year. It's… it's like whenever I cross paths with Callaghan I just lose him all over again; little by little… he just keeps slipping away."

Varian frowned at that.

"You don't have to keep doing this, you know."

Varian's voice snapped Hiro out of his brooding.

"Yeah, I do." Hiro said.

"Why?"

"Cause … The police can't handle Sue and her grandson."

"Neither could we."

"It was a setback. Next time we'll have backup and be more prepared."

Varian crossed his arms and gave Hiro a reproachful look.

"Look," Hiro went on, "the cops also don't have the tracking capabilities that Baymax does. We're the best chance Abigail has of being rescued."

"And Callaghan?"

"H-him too…"

"Do you even want to save him?"

Hiro was visibly taken aback by that question and had no answer to give. He turned his head away as he wrestled with himself.

"I- I have to." He eventually stuttered. "No. You don't." Varian shook his head and turned to walk to the door. "Let's just get out of here."

"You don't understand!" Hiro shouted after him.

"You're right! I don't understand! The man murdered your brother. Anyone else would be out for revenge, not killing themselves trying to save such a person. I mean turning the other cheek is one thing, but this…?" Varian swept his arm wide to showcase the busted up warehouse.

Hiro pouted but didn't argue back.

"Hiro, please… I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but… this just… Why should you have to suffer just to help out some guy that you hate?"

"Someone has to help." Hiro whispered.

"Oookay… and why does that 'someone' have to be you?"

"Tadashi would've helped. He… he said that to me, right...right before he ran back into the burning building." Hiro let out a shaky breath. "Tadashi would've forgiven Challagan for… for everything and he'd would've helped..."

Varian grabbed Hiro by the shoulders forcing the other boy to look at him.

"No. No. Now hold up. Who said anything about 'forgiving' Callaghan? What does 'forgiveness' have to do with any of this? You're already doing more than any normal person would; more than anyone even should do. You don't owe that man anything ."

"But Tadashi…"

"Tadashi's not here! I don't know any Tadashi! All I know is Hiro Hamada and he's the best person I've ever met! So why isn't he good enough, Hiro? Why?"

Hiro was stunned by those words. He couldn't process them. How could anyone not think highly of his brother? Who wouldn't say forgiveness was the right thing to do? And why would anyone think he, of all people, was a saint?

"Look, I'm sorry I yelled," Varian went on, "but you don't understand. If you're not good enough… then what hope is there for people like me?"

"What?" Now Hiro was completely lost.

"You're a literal superhero! Alright?! A knight who spends all his free time helping others. Me? I-I'm a screw up, a thief, a dangerous traitor, a menace to society-"

"Whoa, whoa, who said that?!" Hiro interrupted.

"I told you… I did more than just steal a flower."

For the first time Hiro really did start to question Varian's past. There was something ominous sounding in the other boy's confession that both piqued Hiro's curiosity and filled him with dread. Instead of pressing further though, Hiro opted to pivot the conversation back to himself.

"And you don't think I ever screw up or make mistakes?"

"Oh sure, sometimes, but not like I do. I mean, there's a difference between overfilling the washing machine and building bombs out of bread flour."

Hiro once again starred at the time displaced teen in shock. For some reason Hiro doubted Varian's 'flour bombs' were just sacks of flour that you threw at people for a prank.

He had heard whispers from Aunt Cass and Grandville about some sort of 'civil war' and Varian being part of a group of rebels, but he had always assumed it was just a cover up; an explanation that the professor gave to explain away where Varian had come from. Now Hiro was beginning to question otherwise.

Hiro shook his head. He wasn't ready yet to face anymore horrific confessions nor was he ready to admit his own past.

"Let's….Let's just get out of here. Like you said."

Varian nodded in agreement, but said no more.

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

Instead of hiking back to the city, Hiro hit upon the idea of raiding the offices up stairs.

After all, if Sue was working with this Bosu then they would need a way to stay in contact, and there was a chance that the recently escaped convicts didn't have cellphones on them just yet.

Sure enough, they found an old landline phone inside the office where Sue had been earlier. It still worked so long as you dialed zero before the number.

They called Wasabi and told the rest of the gang where they were at and what had happened.

And so both boys found themselves sitting in the lower storeroom waiting for their friends to arrive to pick them up. They waited next to Baymax, keeping an eye on the robot and sitting with their backs to one another. This not only allowed them to keep a lookout, but also gave them some space to think.

Neither boy wanted to face the other yet, nor did they feel like being completely alone with their thoughts. Sitting down while pressed back to back was an unspoken compromise. You didn't have to look the other teen in the eye, but you still felt the other's presence.

Hiro broke the silence first. "I'm not a saint."

"I never said you were." Varian replied.

"But you, called me a hero, said I never make mistakes. That's not true."

"I told you, being lazy with chores isn't--"

"I'm not talking about housework." Hiro rolled his eyes. "I… I tried to get revenge on Callaghan okay!"

"When?" Varian asked, confused.

"Back when we first faced off with him. When I found out who he was and what he'd done, I… I tried to kill him." Hiro gulped and waited for Varian's disappointed rebuttal but it never came.

"What stopped you?" Was all he said instead.

"My friends….. I had programmed a martial arts chip to teach Baymax how to fight. Then I ordered him to attack Callaghan. When he refused to follow orders, I… I pulled out his personality chip, the one Tadashi had made."

Hiro squeezed his eyes shut as if he could hide his shame with such an action before continuing on.

"Fortunately the guys found the chip and put it back in before Baymax could do any harm. After that, he and the others talked me down."

"So you see, I'm not who you think I am. Tadashi was the real hero. I'm just trying to follow in his footsteps, and I don't always know if I'm succeeding or not."

"Maybe that's true," Varian carefully said, "but most people would have gone through with it anyway. At least you did stop. At least you're trying right now, and you don't even have to. Not everyone is like that… not everyone is so… so… noble."

"I mean if the princess was standing before me right now…. I honestly don't know what I do… but whatever it was, I doubt anyone could talk me out of it."

After Varian had finished his rant with this ominous promise, Hiro realized this the first time he had heard Varian mention anything about a princess.

"The princess? You mean one of the royals that persecuted you?"

Varian didn't answer, and silence fell between them once more.

However Hiro couldn't just leave things there. He switched to another question.

"So... when did you make 'flour bombs'?" He tried to act nonchalant but he just couldn't ignore the matter any longer.

"Do you remember when we watched that old Robin Hood movie with Fred and Karmi?" Varian asked, deflecting from the previous question.

Hiro did remember. Fred had brought his laptop and DVD to school and the four of them had watched it during lunch.

"Remember the big climax when they stormed the castle?" Varian continued. "There were a bunch of epic sword fights, scaling the castle walls, arrows flying everywhere, and if anybody got hurt they just fell down unconvincingly; no blood or anything"

"Yeah." Hiro nodded though he didn't understand what Varian was getting at all.

"Well, it's nothing like that."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, laying siege to a castle in real life is a lot different."

Hiro gulped but he held his tongue as he waited for Varian to continue, but he wasn't altogether sure if he wanted to actually hear it.

"There's no choreography," he explained, "oh, you might start out with a plan, but it's all chaos. First you're with the group as you raid the dungeons, and then suddenly you're not; and as you find yourself all alone you run into a group of guards, and then you're running for your life. So you dive into the kitchens hoping to find things to defend yourself with as they keep shooting arrows at you. Fortunately flour is very flammable."

Hiro shuddered as Varian recounted his story. It was more terrifying than any horror movie could hope to be, and it wasn't even over with.

"Then when you finally manage to fend them off, and you get a few precious minutes of peace, you hear from the rest of the people shouting outside that there's more fighting going on elsewhere in the castle, and so you have to decide. Stay where it's safe, for the moment, or go back to help the others. Cause if they lose you'll find yourself in prison or dead, but if you get an arrow to the chest while fighting, then, well you're still dead."

"So let's say, you decide to risk it and go back out to fight. You grab up more of the bombs and other weapons you've just made and head out to help, and the whole thing starts all over again. Regroup, fight, secure the area, earn a few minutes of safety, debate with yourself why you're doing this, split up to help elsewhere, distract the guards, or push through the ranks down this corridor, regroup, fight, ask yourself how you got here, and so and so…. until suddenly someone just tells you it's over, and you don't even know how. You barely even knew what happened, you may not even know who won yet, but it's done, no more fighting, but you hold tighter onto that grenade in your hand … just in case; ready to throw it at any moment."

Silence fell once more and Hiro couldn't stop the tears that stung his eyes. He couldn't see Varian's face, to see if the other boy was crying or not; nor did he hear any sobbing coming from behind him, but the silence was somehow even more disturbing.

"Is.. Is that why you were in jail? Cause you fought back against the royals?"

"You... could say that." He slowly replied.

"That's not the same." Hiro said. "I mean, what choice did you have? It's not like you can arrest the king, and you weren't the only one fighting."

"But you don't understand." Varian said, "I never stopped."

That answer made Hiro's blood run cold. He wasn't entirely sure what Varian's cryptic words meant but he had the nagging suspicion that any clarification would lead only to more horrific stories of war, devastation, and oppression. Hiro had had his fill of those.

He finally turned around to look at Varian, and the other boy followed suit.

"You know, maybe, you're right… all this fighting isn't good." Hiro said.

"But you said it yourself, who else can stand up to the bad guys? Who else can track Abigail down and rescue her?"

"I don't know."

"Look, I'm sorry I said anything. I just… I'm tired of seeing everyone so upset over… over what happened, and not be able to do anything about it; to fix it. I thought maybe coming along would help… and when that didn't work, I thought I could get you to give it up… I should've known better."

Hiro searched Varian's remorseful eyes and for the first time felt like he finally understood the time displaced teen. Varian was a lot of things; pompous, impulsive, evasive, and at times, oh so very annoying, but he was there . He never judged, he never flaked out on you, and most importantly of all he always cared about your wellbeing; even if his way of showing it was to angrily shout at you in desperation.

Hiro slowly nodded his head. "Thank you, and after today, and what you told me, I'll understand if you don't want to come along any more, but you did help. More than you know."

"I did? How?"

Hiro smiled. "You kept me sane this whole time."

Both boys snickered at the lame joke.

"Well it looks like you'll still need my help then, cause you'll be balmy by the end of all this if I'm not there." Varian replied. "But don't expect this to be a regular thing, now. I'm not actually a hero after all."

"I won't." Hiro smirked and both boys' smiles grew wider till they were laughing over nothing in particular.

"Well, glad to see you two are laughing it up!" Wasabi suddenly called from the other side of the smashed door, ending the conversation.

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

It took a little maneuvering to haul Baymax up the stairs of the Lucky Cat and into Hiro's bedroom. They managed to remove the robot's armor at the warehouse which made things slightly easier but it took four of them to carry him inside with Honey Lemon running ahead to open the doors for them.

Hiro didn't help with carrying though. Instead he ran straight to his computer and started hunting for the android's memory files.

"Okay, he's in the charging station. Do you need us for anything else?" Gogo asked.

"No, Cruz and Megan are coming over tonight so Varian and I have to stay here, but you guys can continue the search."

"Alright," Wasabi agreed, "if you're sure you're okay, then the rest of us will split up the night into shifts."

And with that everyone left; save for Varian, who went downstairs to prepare dinner.

It didn't take Hiro long to find the backup files, though it did take a minute to find a memory chip. He tore through his room looking for one, undoing any previous work he had done on it yesterday. He'd have to clean again tomorrow before Aunt Cass got home, though it wasn't a concern for Hiro at this moment.

He finally found a blank chip stored up under Tadashi's bed, in a little plastic container filled with other associated electronics.

With a sigh of relief Hiro plugged the chip into the computer and started the transfer.

DOWNLOAD WILL COMPLETE IN TWO HOURS, the computer pop up told him.

Hiro sat back and watched the little bar on the popup slowly fill with blue. He impatiently pursed his lips and drummed his fingers on the arm rest as he swung the chair back in forth.

He was still agitated from his earlier conversation with Varian. He may have had a better understanding of the other teen now, but Hiro still didn't know what to think of himself. Where did he stand? What did he want? And who was in the right here?

Rather than being alone with his confusing thoughts, Hiro decided to make a phone call.

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

"So you see if you keep the cost of production down to twenty percent, you could theoretically make twice the money." The dreary gentleman with glasses said.

"Uh-huh." Aunt Cass nodded her head with a strained smile plastered on her face.

Her blind date thought he was being helpful by giving her unsolicited advice on how to run her company. What he was being was annoying. How did she ever let Tracey talk her into this?

Her friend had hooked them up with a couple of fellow vacationers for a double date. They were two incredibly boring and stuffy stockbrokers from New York who were here on business. Cass's date had told her what that business was, but she'd already forgotten.

She was beginning to miss Krei, of all people. Alastair was a great many things, but at least he wasn't as dull a dish water. Or heck even Diego, for all his faults, was still more attentive than the man before her now who was launching into some asinine story about trading stocks.

But most of all she just missed her boys. Varian would be in the kitchen with her preparing dinner right about now; cracking jokes and telling her stories about his day. She loved that time spent with him. It was so nice for one of her kids to share her love of cooking and even nicer that he wanted to hang with her.

Hiro was a little harder to pin down. They didn't have any shared interests. Poor Cass tried to be supportive and keep up whenever one of her boys launched into a scientific explanation about what they were currently into, but all involved quickly knew that she really didn't understand any of it. Also Hiro was at that age where he was far more interested in spending time with his friends than his parents. Which was good. She was glad he had friends now and wasn't cooped up in the garage all the time building robots all by his lonesome.

Yet she did wish he'd tell her just a little more about his day, or take just a few minutes to talk to her about life in general and what was going on. He was hardly ever at home nowadays, and his explanations for where he'd been would be a short sentence or two before running off again. Aunt Cass would have suspected he was up to something if it wasn't for the fact that he was always with his friends, and they were all good kids who never got into trouble.

Still that didn't mean they never spent time together. They ate dinner together most evenings, family movie nights were still a thing, and he would volunteer to help out at the cafe sometimes. But best of all was whenever it rained and he would drag out the board games. It was practically tradition at this point to play gomoku whenever it stormed; when it was too wet to play outside and traffic at the café would slow to a crawl.

And game days had only gotten better these past few months as their little family grew. Varian loved it and it was always entertaining to watch Baymax try to grasp human frivolities. Even the pets would join in at times.

Varian had trained Ruddiger to move chess pieces around the board. If Aunt Cass didn't know any better, she could swear that the raccoon looked like he actually knew how to play the game. He would even scratch his head as if thinking of where to move the next piece and then more often than not he'd move the various pieces around as they were supposed to go; rooks straight, bishops diagonal, knights in an L shape ect. Varian had tried to teach Mochi the same, but the cat would just knock the pieces over. Which was equally entertaining.

Yes, only two days away and she was already homesick. How she wished she was home playing board games instead sipping cocktails at a snobby country club while evading the advances of a tedious hedge fund shark. Therefore it was a huge relief to hear her phone ring.

She was even happier to see the caller ID popup Hiro's name, though Tracey frowned at her as Cass excused herself from the dinner party. Hey, her nephew called her this time so she wasn't breaking her promise technically.

She stepped out onto the balcony to take the call. The setting sun bathing the vineyards in fiery hues would've been a breathtaking sight if it wasn't for Hiro's timid hello snapping her out of her momentary bliss. Something was wrong. She knew it. Her nephew sounded like he was on the verge of crying.

"Is everything okay sweetie?" She asked.

"Yeah… yeah everything's fine. Varian is cooking dinner and we're just waiting on Chief Cruz and Megan to get here."

It wasn't an outright lie, but Aunt Cass could tell he was evading the question. She decided to let it go. Cornering him wouldn't help. He'd have to open up to her on his own terms.

"I'm sorry if I'm interrupting your vacation, it- it's just I wanted to talk to you for a little bit." Hiro went on.

Aunt Cass stole a glance behind her and caught her date waving to her through the glass. She gave a pained smile and waggled her fingers before turning her back to him.

"Oh no, this is perfect timing." She said, "What did you want to talk about?"

There was a pause on the other end before Hiro answered, "Oh, nothing."

It clearly wasn't nothing.

"Oookay, well did you have fun on your drive?"

"Drive?"

"Yeah, Varian said you two practiced your driving with Wasabi today."

"Oh! Oh yeah, we did….it was fun."

Aunt Cass's brow furrowed; now that was a lie.

She steeled herself for a tearful confession; maybe Hiro scratched the car? Ran into a mailbox? Or maybe…

"Do you know if.. If Tadashi ever had doubts about… about anything?"

She hadn't been expecting that. Hiro rarely talked to her about Tadashi, the pain still too fresh for both of them. If anything she was usually the one to bring the conversation up if it had to be brought up at all, and even then it was just a small affirmation that she missed him as well and that Hiro wasn't alone. For his part, her youngest nephew would just nod along; if he even acknowledged the exchange at all.

Before she could even think of a response though Hiro was already stumbling over himself trying to clarify. Clearly this was something that had been weighing on his mind for sometime now.

"I like… did he ever feel like he wasn't good enough?"

"Oh Hiro, of course. Everyone feels that way sometimes. Why I remember when Tadashi was first trying to get into college he was so worried about not getting in-"

"No. No you don't understand… I mean good enough ; as in do you ever feel like you're not a good enough person?"

Aunt Cass was taken aback once more. This conversation had taken so many turns that she just wasn't prepared for.

"Hiro what happened?"

"I…. Uh….Callaghan…………..

There was a long pause on the other end and Cass feared that Hiro had hung up, but finally her nephew answered.

"Am I a bad person if I want something really bad to happen to someone else?"

She could hear the tears in his voice and never had she felt more helpless. Oh why did she ever leave to go on this stupid vacation?

"I'm coming home. Tonight."

"No!" Came Hiro's desperate shout. "I… I mean you can't. You'd have to ask Tracey to leave early as well an-"

"Hiro, I don't care if I have to hitchhike back. You're upset and you need me; and that's more important than anything else."

"No, I'm fine. Really. I just-"

"Hiro, honey, please, just stop…. Now breathe…. You don't have to pretend that everything is okay just for everyone else's sake, and certainly not for mine."

"But you do… That's what you do all the time. "

Aunt Cass stopped and blinked several times; "Hiro I'm the adult here. I-"

"So?"

She opened her mouth to argue back but found she had no words.

"Aunt Cass, who do you not pretend around? When's the last time to talk to anybody about your own problems? When's the last time you talked about… about Tadashi?"

"Do you want to talk about Tadashi?"

"Yeah… yeah I do."

"Okay, what do you want to talk about? The accident?"

"It wasn't an accident. You know that."

Never had she heard his voice so harsh and cold.

"Yes… I know that." Came her shaky reply.

"And his murderer is just out there, running around right now."

"I know." She whispered.

There was another pause as both of them took the time to grieve.

When the conversation picked back up Hiro said in a shaky voice, "Do...do you hate him? Callaghan, I mean……..cause I do. I hate him so much!"

To hear that much pain and anger in his voice hurt Cass more than anything. He was too young; too young to feel that way, too young to experience such atrocities, and yet he had and she just couldn't ignore it. She decided to tell him the truth.

"Yeah, I don't like him very much either, and yes I do get mad sometimes, even now, I just… I try not to worry you with it. I… I didn't mean to make you feel like you couldn't talk to me about things."

"I… I understand that, b-but do you… do you ever wish for something bad to happen to him?"

"Well I hope the police find him and lock him up. I hope spends the rest of his life in jail."

Aunt Cass was surprised by the harshness of her own voice but this confession didn't seem to satisfy Hiro.

"Do you.. Do you ever wish for something worse than that to happen? …. Cause I do, and I'm not talking about revenge or being one to do it.. I just… I don't know if I would be sorry if.. If it turns out something did happen to him."

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

"You-you do?"

"I've thought that before, about a lot of people over the years…. Do you think I'm a bad person for it?"

"No, of course not."

"Then why would you ever think that of yourself?"

Hiro didn't have an answer for that. "I… but I thought… Aren't you supposed to forgive someone if they're sorry about what they did?"

"Hiro," She sighed as she leaned against the balcony's railing, "Life's not that simple. You don't have to forgive anybody who's hurt you, and you shouldn't be ashamed for feeling the way you do. Thoughts aren't actions. The important thing is not letting them consume you. What's happening with Callaghan right now is out of our hands, and we can wish for things to turn out right but-- in the end we just have to move on with our lives."

"Like staying on vacation and not dropping everything to take a two hour cab ride just to give me a hug?"

Aunt Cass sighed again. Her nephew had her there.

"But…" Hiro gulped, "What if you could do something about it? What if... he was in trouble? What would you do?"

"I honestly don't know." Was the only answer she could give. "I guess… whatever I could live with….I'm sorry if that's not helpful to you."

"No, no. It's more helpful than you know. Thanks, Aunt Cass."

"Do you want to talk more? I'm all ears. You know you can tell me anything."

"No. I think I just heard Cruz pull up outside."

"Okay, well if you're sure, but you do know you can call me at any time; you and Varian both, alright?"

"Yeah, we know. Love you, Aunt Cass."

"I love you too, and I'll be home first thing tomorrow. As soon as check out is done we're driving straight back to San Fansokyo."

"We'll take your time, cause Varian and I might be out with the rest of the guys tomorrow."

"Okay then, I'll call you when we leave here. Goodnight."

"Night."

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

Hiro hung up the phone and looked at the computer again. The little popup said 75% COMPLETED. He sighed and curled up on his bed.

He was turning over the conversation he'd just had with Aunt Cass in his mind when Megan tapped on the door.

"Hey, can I come in?" She asked.

"Yeah, sure." Hiro sniffled.

"How's Baymax?"

"Don't know yet. The memory files are still downloading."

"Varian told me what happened today. Are you okay?"

Hiro didn't answer.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Hiro sighed. "Talking is what I've been doing all day it seems like. I'm kind of, just over it. Uh, no offense."

"Hey, none taken." She shrugged. Then with a sly smile she asked, "Would you rather have a pillow fight?"

Before Hiro could react he got a face full of pillow.

"Oh that's it!" He warned and soon the two of them were running about the room laughing; each trying to dodge the other's throws.

Varian walked in on them. Megan was in the middle of slamming a pillow repeatedly on top of Hiro's head who was trying to yell out 'Uncle' in between his fits of laughter.

"My money's on her." He said, interrupting the fight. "Also, dinner's ready. Cruz is taking the casserole out of the oven now."

Megan and Hiro shared a wicked grin between them and before Varian knew it he was being assaulted by pillows as well.

"Ack, no! I'm unarmed!" He protested as they pinned him in.

"Then get you something!" Megan shot back.

Varian dove and napped the beanbag sitting on the floor. "You mean like this?" He shouted.

Megan gave out a little shriek. "No fair! That's not a pillow!"

"Too bad!" He yelled back as he took a swing.

Megan dodged it easily. "Oh you're going down!" She gleefully countered and soon she was chasing Varian out of the room raining blows on his back as he retreated down the stairs.

Hiro doubled over with laughter as he watched them go. He was just about to follow them when he heard the ding on the computer indicating that the download was complete.

He dropped everything to go retrieve the finished personality chip. With baited breath and a silent prayer to the universe, Hiro placed the chip into the robot's core and turned on the power switch. Then he pinched his arm.

"Ow!"

Baymax's 'eyes' opened up.

"Hello, Hiro. I heard an 'ow'. On a scale of one to ten how would you rate your pain."

Hiro shook his head as tears of relief and joy spilled from his eyes. He pressed his forehead against Baymax's soft 'stomach' just to reassure himself that his friend was back.

"There. There." Baymax said as he wrapped Hiro in a hug and the boy returned.

After a minute or two, Hiro pulled away and wiped his nose. "Come on. Dinner is ready. Everyone's waiting on us."

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

Dinner went well and for the rest of the night the kids played video games. They split into teams of two, Megan and Varian vs Hiro and Baymax. Though sometimes they would switch partners and on a rare occasion or two even Chief Cruz would join in.

That was, when he wasn't on the phone with his deputy, or Krei, or Aunt Cass.

Hiro tried not to listen in. He knew they were talking about Callaghan and Abigail's disappearance, but he had decided to take his aunt's advice. There was nothing he could do about it tonight so he might as well focus on something else. Fortunately his friends were distraction enough.

"Do either of you boys want to talk to your aunt before I hang up?" Cruz asked.

"I will." Varian offered and handed his controller to the police officer as he took the phone.

"So how do you play this game?" The older man said as he studied the controller. He knew nothing about video games.

"You have to use your character to beat up our characters and you tag team with Megan by pressing Y." Hiro explained.

"Okay, how do I do that?"

"Just press random buttons dad." Megan helpfully offered.

So he did, and it went about as well as expected.

After a brutal and crushing defeat Cruz dropped the controller and said, "Hey, does anybody here remember Pong? Pong was a great game."

Megan and Hiro exchanged skeptic looks as they tried to suppress their snickers.

Fortunately Varian returned before Cruz could catch on.

"Uh-huh, love you too, Aunt Cass….Bye." He said before hanging up and handing the phone back to Cruz.

Cruz read the clock on the phone. "Wow. Look at the time. It's already 10:30. I guess you all better start brushing your teeth and getting ready for bed. Megan, Miss Cass said you can sleep in her bed tonight. We're spending the night here."

"Bed time?" Varian echoed in confusion.

"We don't usually have a set 'bedtime', Officer Cruz." Hiro explained carefully.

"Well you do now." Cruz said as he stood up.

"Daaaad." Megan groaned.

"Don't 'dad' me. Sleep is needed for young minds. Besides, the early bird catches the worm, you know. Also, I have to go in early for work tomorrow and you need to be up by then so I can drop you off back home."

Megan sighed. "But it's summer and it's the weekend to boot. I don't have to be anywhere tomorrow. Why can't I just stay here and you go to work?"

Cruz wasn't giving in. "You kids don't know how easy you got it. Do you think farmers get to sleep in?"

"I grew up on a farm." Varian interjected.

"There, ya see. Tell them Varian."

"Usually I would just stay up all night long, do the work that morning and then crash after lunch and sleep through the day. It was easier that way; especially during summer when it got too hot to work during the afternoon." Varian casually explained.

Cruz slowly closed his eyes and tiled his head back in exasperation. This time Hiro and Megan couldn't hold back their giggles.

"To bed." Cruz ordered; ending the debate.

As the teens sulked back to their respective rooms, Hiro stopped on the stairwell and called down to Cruz. "You do know we're just going to be on our phones all night instead?"

"Bed." Came Cruz's response as he took up the couch and laid down himself.

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

As Hiro made his bed for the night he filled Baymax in on all that had been going on this weekend and what went down in the warehouse.

As always the dutiful robot listened intently only interrupting to ask a clarifying question now and then.

"You once said that catching Callaghan would help improve your mental health. I do not know if this is still true. From what you told me, it sounds like you are distressed over dealing with Callaghan again."

"Yeah, I am." Hiro admitted.

"Then why do it. It's important for your mental health to avoid things that trigger you."

"Yeah, but it's not my health I'm worried about."

Baymax tilted his head. "Why not?"

"Cause Abigail and her father are in more danger right now than I am, and if I don't do anything they could get hurt, badly. Along with a whole bunch of other people, if Callaghan caves and builds a portal for the other bad guys. It's unstable tech. Only Varian has gotten it to work right."

"You are my patient, and according to my programing nothing is more important than your health. But if others are indeed in danger we should help them too."

"Yes, exactly." Hiro said before flopping onto the bed. "I just… I don't know. Sometimes I wonder if, if maybe, it would be better if someone else could just save the day instead. You know? And just be a normal kid... well, as normal as you can be going to a nerd school where most of the other students are four years older than you."

"Am afraid I do not have any answers. I can understand your desire to be 'normal' and I can also understand why helping others as a superhero is important to you. However, it would seem that you will have to choose only one of them."

"Yeah, I know." Hiro sighed.

"Hiro."

"Hmm?"

"Please know that I am here for you whatever you decide, and so are the rest of your friends and family."

Hiro couldn't help but smile at that. It was so cheese, but it was also very much true.

"I know Baymax, thank you. Get some rest. Tomorrow we gotta go out and search again."

"Goodnight." The robot said before powering down.

"Night." Hiro replied before falling asleep himself.

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

On the outskirts of the city, in an abandoned power plant along the river bank, Callaghan faced down his captors.

"Okay, Teach, let's try this one last time." Sue said as the professor struggled against his bonds.

"Are you going to build us a portal or not?"

"Not!" He shouted back.

Sue sighed and rolled her eyes. "Bring her in boys!" She called.

Stu opened the door next to him and in stomped two ninjas carrying Abigail between them.

She struggled to break free from their grasps but they held onto her arms tightly and half dragged her across the ground; stopping in front of Callaghan.

"Abigail!"

"Dad!" She called back and tried to run him but the ninja stopped her.

Callaghan strained against his bonds but he couldn't get any closer to her.

"You monster!" He spat.

"Pot, meet kettle." Sue shot back. "I didn't want to do it, Callaghan. I tried to warn you, but you just wouldn't listen."

"Don't feed me any of those lies. You don't care."

"Oh and you do?" Sue got right up in his face. They were almost nose to nose. "Tell me, that boy you killed last summer. Did his mama cry?"

Callaghan had no words. He hung his head in shame.

"You'll get your daughter back safe and sound once you've built the portal. Scouts honor. Ain't that right Stu?"

"Uh-hun, cross our hearts." Her grandson said as he ran his finger over his chest and gave a scout salute. "I was a cub scout once. We always keep our promises."

Callaghan rolled his eyes. Stu was too dim witted and starry eyed to be a threat really, but he'd do anything for his nana, without question, and Sue was not to be trusted. But what else could he do?

"Alright." He agreed.

"Good. Finally you're seeing sense." Sue smiled. "Stu untie the man so he can get to work. As for the girl, you two make sure she's well taken care of."

"She stays with me." Callaghan insisted.

"Oh so you're giving orders now?" Sue asked. "I told you. She goes free once you're done. Take her away."

And with that the ninjas dragged Abigail back out of the room. Callaghan squeezed his eyes shut and tried to block out her cries for help. He couldn't fight back against all four of them, but soon he would make them all pay. He swore it.

#Hiro Hamada #big hero 6 #varian #tangled #BH6 the series #tangled the series

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