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nikki-writes-stuff · 4 years

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At the Edge of the Woods (Werewolf!Steve x Reader)

Summary: When you move into a cottage on the edge of the forest, you’re ready to start a new life in a new, quiet town. But when you attract the attention of Steve Rogers, a man who everyone in town seems to dislike and fear, your world is turned upside down after he decides that you belong to him.

Pairing: Werewolf/Alpha!Steve x Omega!Reader

Read part two here!

A/N: Hey, guys! So a couple warnings about this one: it contains stalking, a/b/o dynamics, non-con, dub-con, breeding kink, and a whole lotta sin. Also, this is my first time writing anything with alpha/omega stuff in it, so be kind! And let me know if you liked it or if there’s anything I need to work on when writing about this sorta thing. Thank you so much, and enjoy!

It was love at first sight. From the moment you laid eyes on the cottage, you knew it would become your home. The thing was tiny, barely any bigger than a shack, and it was a good fifteen minutes’ drive from the nearest sign of civilization. But you didn’t care; you were enamored with the thick layer of ivy that had overtaken the western wall of the structure, and there were huge bushes of honeysuckle growing along the edge of the forest just a few feet from the backdoor.

And when your real estate agent told you the price of the property, the deal was immediately sealed.

“You’re kidding,” you’d deadpanned. “That’s all?”

“Yep,” she’d grinned, clutching her binder of properties tight against her chest. “Quite the bargain, huh?”

“I mean… Yeah,” you’d laughed. “It must be too good to be true. What’s wrong with it?”

“Nothing, structurally,” she began, “The plumbing is on the older side of things, but it passed inspection. Same goes for the heating and air conditioning. There’s been a bit of a rodent problem in the past, but the appraiser said that a few mouse traps should do the trick to take care of that.”

Her smile had fallen at that point, though, and she shifted on her feet as she considered her next words.

“What is it?” you’d prompted.

“Well… The thing is,” she said sheepishly, “The locals have this superstition about the woods in this area. People say that they’re, uh…haunted.”

“…Haunted?”

You were barely able to contain an amused grin from overtaking your face, and with a shrug you turned back toward the kitchen, admiring the view of the trees through the little window above the stove.

“I know, it’s pretty weird,” the agent chuckled. “But people around here really do believe it. Something about an urban legend. I will say, though, that coyotes and wolves are known to roam around at night, so that’s probably where the paranoia comes from. Just try not to go out after dark. And if you get any chickens or outdoor animals, I’d keep them inside a kennel.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” you assured her. “I’m not exactly a farmer. I’m just looking for a place to settle down.

“And I think this cottage is the perfect spot.”

A month later, after the papers were signed and your possessions were moved in, you found yourself happier than you’d ever been in your new abode. You’d purchased house plants and artwork, designing the small space until it was exactly to your liking. You’d even decided to take up gardening, and your tiny back porch had become dotted with pots filled with flourishing herbs.

You fell into an easy routine. On Mondays, you would venture into town, picking up groceries from the local mart and picking up any other supplies you needed. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays were dedicated to your work; you were the owner and manager of a blog that had become an overnight success several months ago, and so you spent those days curled up in the cottage, typing away at your laptop and creating content.

The only strange thing thus far had been the town residents’ reaction to you. Everyone was friendly, of course, and they’d made it clear that small town hospitality was a value the entire population seemed to share, but you weren’t oblivious to the way they side-eyed you. No one ever looked suspicious, per se, more like…expectant. Like they were waiting for you to say or do something, though you had no idea what it could be.

Earl, the bookstore owner, was by far one of the friendliest people you’d ever met, and after four weeks of the bizarre treatment, you finally asked him about it.

“Oh, don’t mind us,” he waved you off, sliding your new books into a paper bag. “It’s just that no one’s ever lasted long in that cottage o’ yours.”

“…Well, that’s a bit…unsettling. What happened to them?”

“Nothing,” he was quick to assure you. “Nothing bad happens to ‘em. It’s not like they’ve gotten hurt or anything. It’s just that, uh… Well. Strange things seem to happen in that part o’ the woods at night, and it’s scared the last couple o’ tenants off.”

“Huh… My real estate agent did mention something like that,” you admitted, starting to feel an irrational spark of apprehension. “What kind of things did they see?”

“Well… I don’t wanna scare you away,” he grumbled, scratching at his salt-and-pepper beard.

“I promise you won’t. I really like where I’m at right now. I’m just…curious, I guess.”

Earl seemed to consider it for a moment before giving in.

“Alright,” he sighed. “But for the record, I don’t believe any of the silly nonsense some folks ‘round here like to gossip about. This is a quiet town – a safe town. The only dangerous thing about this place is Mary Jo’s strawberry rhubarb pie down at the soda shop – I swear those things are the reason I got diabetes.”

You chuckled at Earl, and he gave you a warm smile before leaning towards you over the counter, propping himself up on his elbow.

“So, anyways, back to your house,” he started. “The last people there were this younger couple. They were nice kids – had just gotten hitched. But after a few weeks, they said they started noticin’ howls at night. Now, that’s normal for this area; we’ve got some wolves. But these howls were close, so loud that it woke em’ up most nights.

“Then, they started seeing people walking around the property around midnight. It coulda’ been that they were smokin’ some stuff they shouldn’a been smokin’, but they swore up and down that they saw naked men traipsin’ around. One time, there was one on their back porch, and the husband ran out to chase him off, but as quick as they saw him, he vanished.

“Again, I don’t know if I believe all of that junk,” Earl huffed. “But… the old lady who lived there before the couple said the same thing before she passed away, god rest her soul. And ol’ Lizzy didn’t lie about this sorta thing.”

You made a quiet hum of contemplation, nodding.

“Well,” you eventually spoke, “if I see any naked men hanging around, I have my handy dandy taser.”

A wide grin broke out over the older man’s face, and he reached over the counter to cuff your shoulder.

“Thata girl,” he chuckled. “I like it. And if you do see people hangin’ around on your property, give me a call, ok?” He fumbled around for a business card, eventually opening the cash register and pulling one out. “Call the bottom number if anyone gives you trouble, ok? I know I’m not the most intimidating guy around, but I keep a shotgun at the house just in case. And if the wolves become a problem, call the police. They’ll send some guys over from animal control to chase ‘em off.”

“Thanks, Earl,” you smiled, tucking the card into your wallet. “Oh, and before I forget, do you have any stationary? Letter writing paper, colored pens, that sort of thing?”

“I’m afraid we don’t. Oh, but Greg and Lou would probably have some. Try their art supply store; it’s right around the corner on the left side o’ the road.”

With that, you thanked Earl and walked out, clutching your paper bag of novels to your chest. You had to admit that the idea of wolves on your property was starting to scare you, but the thought of a naked guy just hanging out in the woods was enough to make you laugh to yourself. Even if it was true, you’d dealt with weirdos before. If that was the worst of your problems, then you’d be a happy camper.

You followed Earl’s instructions and immediately spotted a quaint store with a sign over the door reading “The Brushstroke”. Upon walking inside, you were greeted by the smell of paper and ink, and papier mache mobiles were hanging from the ceiling every few feet, dancing in the breeze that had flown in after you opened the door. Two men were standing behind the counter, sipping from steaming mugs of tea, and their heads popped up as you walked in.

“Hey, there!” one of them called, giving you a wave. “Welcome; come on in.”

“Hello,” you replied with a smile.

“We haven’t seen you around before,” the other man remarked, a kind smile on his face. “You wouldn’t happen to be the new girl in town, would you?”

“Word spreads quickly, I guess.”

“It does when you live in a town like this,” he nodded. “I’m Lou, by the way. And this is my husband Greg.”

Greg nodded in greeting, and you gave them a wide smile.

“It’s nice to meet you guys.”

“Likewise, hon. Can we help you find anything?”

You told them what you were looking for, and they instructed you towards the back of the store, where you found a wall filled with rows of neat packets of paper right next to a cubby of pens of all types and colors. You took your time in making your selections, not even noticing the door of the shop opening and closing; it was only when you heard Greg and Lou’s quiet conversation come to an abrupt halt that you glanced around the corner to see what was going on.

Your eyes widened when you saw the man standing in front of the counter; he was tall, maybe a few inches over six foot, and built like a tank. A thick, well-groomed beard adorned his face, and his hair was on the longer side, curling just past his ears in thick, easy waves. Despite the chilly weather outside, he was only dressed in a blue long-sleeved t-shirt and jeans, and you watched his biceps bulge under the fabric as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“…Steve,” Greg finally said. “Long time no see.”

The man – Steve, evidently – nodded his head as he approached the counter.

“Wh-what can we do for you?” Lou asked, seeming to shrink back as he walked towards them.

“I need a new sketchbook,” Steve mumbled, almost too quietly for you to hear. His voice was deep, resonating, and something about its gravelly edge made goosebumps rise up over your arms.

“You know where to find ‘em,” Greg stated after clearing his throat. “Just get whatever you need and go.”

It looked as if Steve was about to say something, but after a pause, he just nodded, ducking his head and turning directly towards you. You stiffened as he grew nearer, feeling an unexplainable urge to turn and run away from him, but then his eyes met yours, and you were frozen in place.

Blue irises stared directly into you, and you watched as surprise washed over his features. His nostrils flared as he took a deep breath in through his nose, and you swore that you saw his pupils dilate as he looked you up and down. When his gaze finally met yours again, and you stumbled back a step, stunned at the look on his face. It was as if he knew you.

But that couldn’t be; you’d never seen this man before. If you had, you definitely would’ve remembered him.

“I-I…” you stuttered. “I’m sorry.”

You weren’t sure what you were apologizing for, but all of a sudden you were broken out of your strange stupor. Fixing your eyes firmly on the floor, you turned and blindly grabbed the first stack of papers that your extended hand came in contact with. You did the same with the pens, grabbing a random pack before turning on your heel and heading towards the front.

Or, rather, heading directly into a broad, firm chest. You hadn’t heard any footsteps, but while your back was turned Steve had apparently stalked up behind you, and now you were so close that you could smell the distinct scent of pine wafting off of him. Pine and…something else, something musky. It made your mouth water and your eyes flutter shut, and you could have sworn that you heard a deep growl sound from his chest.

The noise startled you so badly that you dropped everything, even your paper bag from Earl’s, and you felt as if your entire body was trembling as you turned away. On unsteady feet, you walked back to the front, glancing at Greg and Lou out of the corner of your eye as you headed towards the door. Lou was watching you with a concerned expression painted across his face, but Greg was still staring Steve down, as if he were sizing him up.

The cold, early-spring wind hit you square in the face once you exited the store, and it sobered you up enough to cease your nervous trembling. There was still a sense of blind panic, though, a deep-seated fear that drove you to march over to your car without turning back.

As you peeled out of your parking space and sped towards your home, you slowly began to calm down, taking slow, even breaths to slow the frantic beating of your heart. As you put more and more distance between you and the mysterious man from the art store, you found that, even later on when you were safe in your home, you still couldn’t rationalize why you’d felt the way you had. And that evening, when you were getting ready to go to bed, you couldn’t help but feel like you were being watched.

Typically, you kept the curtains in your bedroom open, enjoying the sight of the forest laying just beyond the panes of glass. But tonight, before going to bed, you drew them shut before burrowing under the covers, hiding away from the lingering, unexplainable dread that had followed you home that day.

____________

You weren’t sure what had woken you. When you jolted out of your slumber, you were laying sprawled out over your mattress, your sheets tangled around your ankles. Everything was quiet, unsettlingly so. It was as if your cottage was holding its breath, waiting for something horrible to happen. The world was black beyond your windows, and the clock on your bedside table read 3:42 in the morni-

Wait.

The lingering tendrils of sleep within your brain melted away as you bolted upright, your wide eyes focused on your windows and the curtains that were neatly pulled away from them. Your heart was pounding in your ears as you slowly, deliberately, stood up from your bed, reaching for your phone blindly as you kept your eyes on the windows.

You drew the curtains closed as your thumb hovered over the emergency call button, and you gulped before turning towards your open bedroom door.

“H-hello?” you called out, voice still thick with sleep.

There was no answer, and you took a deep breath before stepping out into the living room. You were relieved to find nothing out of place; the kitchen, as well, was in perfect order, as was your tiny bathroom. You grew bolder as you searched your house, checking underneath your bed and inside of your wardrobe, but still you found nothing.

Eventually, you sauntered over to your back door, and that’s when you smelled it. Smelled him. The same scent that had flooded your senses back at the bookstore was thick in the air right next to the backdoor. You blinked rapidly, feeling a stirring in your gut as you inhaled it, and you gulped as you faced the door.

“…Steve?” you murmured, suddenly unable to make a sound any louder than a whisper.

Without realizing what you were doing, your hand came up to the doorknob, tracing the curve of it with your thumb. A tiny, experimental twist revealed that it wasn’t locked, and a small voice in the back of your head supplied that it was sure you’d locked it before going to sleep.

One more twist, and the door popped open, goosebumps rising up over your skin as the night air rushed over you. You turned on the porch light with a flick of your fingers and stepped out, wincing when the floorboards creaked under your feet. You half expected to see a naked man standing there just as Earl had said, but there was nobody.

You let out a shaky laugh, leaning against the doorway as your eyes flitted over the forest. You felt silly, getting all paranoid for no reason. With a small, sheepish smile, you straightened up and turned to head back inside, eager to climb back under your warm sheets and forget about the whole thing.

But that was when you saw it.

You stopped in your tracks and sucked in a deep breath as the wolf sauntered out from the tree line, its eyes focused directly on you just as yours were focused on it. Its fur was sandy and mottled with streaks of light brown and creamy white, and in the dim light you thought that you caught a flash of blue in its eyes. You took a step backwards as that same smell washed over you, and for a short, fleeting moment, you thought that there was something familiar about the beast.

It took another step towards you, and that was when you realized how massive it was. You’d seen pictures of wolves on the internet; you knew how big they were supposed to be compared to people. But this was another thing completely; this wolf looked to be the size of a grizzly bear, and you knew that if it were to stand up on its two hind legs, it would tower over you.

Abruptly, you broke out of your paralysis, blinking rapidly as you turned back towards your door. You heard a growl from behind you, but you ignored it as you fled back into your house, slamming the door shut and turning the lock back into place. A thud sounded on its other side, followed by the scratching of claws against wood.

You waited several moments, silently begging the animal to stop, but the thumping only carried on, accompanied by muted, distressed whining. Taking a deep breath, you turned to your phone, punching in ‘911’ and holding the device up to your ear.

“911, where is your emergency?”

“U-um… I-I’m at 432 Nottington Lane. Please, there’s this, this wolf outside and it’s trying to get it, and…”

As you spoke, the noises suddenly stopped. You paused, frowning at the door and straining your ears. But everything had once more gone silent.

“Hello, ma’am? Ma’am, are you still there?”

“Yeah… Yeah, I’m still here. Um… I think it’s gone now. It’s… Yeah, it’s gone. I’m really sorry to bother you guys. Just, uh… Just ignore this call, please. I’m sorry.”

You hung up and set your phone down on the kitchen counter, staring hard at your back door.

“…Shit.”

_______________

You didn’t close your curtains again after that night. You told yourself it was because there was no reason to, that you had nothing to hide yourself from. But, in the back of your mind, you knew that it was because you were too afraid of waking up with them open of someone else’s accord.

Two days went by with no further incident. You kept up with your little routine, throwing yourself into your work and acting as if you weren’t still shaken up from the ordeal. You called Earl and let him know you’d seen a wolf, just like he’d said, and the two of you had laughed over the scare it had given you. But the laughter didn’t reach your eyes or your heart, and it was still hard for you to fall asleep whenever night came around.

On the third day, though, you decided that you needed to get out. Every time your eyes strayed to the forest, you felt a pinprick of anxiety, and you were desperate to forget about what had happened. And so, dressing in your most comfortable leggings and oversized sweater, you ventured out into town, stopping for breakfast at the soda shop.

Mary Jo’s Soda Shop had been open and owned by Mary Jo herself since before you were born. It was located right in the center of town, and it was the closest thing to ‘busy’ that the small township’s population could be capable of. The front porch was lined with old, worn rocking chairs, and empty planter boxes sat beneath every single window; you were sure that they’d be overflowing with petunias as the weather turned warmer.

The atmosphere was warm and cozy as you stepped inside. People of all different races and walks of life found solace under Mary’s roof, and it was clear by the easy smiles, easy laughter, and easy conversation that pervaded the dining room. A teenaged girl, who you’d later find out to be Mary Jo’s granddaughter, showed you to your table and took your order, and as you settled down into the cracked-leather seat of your booth, you found yourself finally relaxing.

It was easy to get lost in your own thoughts, especially with the dull roar of voices and the soft sounds of country music playing over the radio as background noise. You stared off into space as you sipped your orange juice, content to just zone out for a few moments and let your brain go on autopilot.

Maybe that was why it startled you so much when a man abruptly slid into the seat across from you. You were pulled out of your revelry by a dark shadow suddenly appearing in your peripheral vision, and your initial fright only deepened when you looked up to see who it was.

“Steve…”

The man from yesterday was staring you down, dressed this time in a red and black flannel. His hair, too, looked like it had been combed out, and his beard was shiny and soft-looking, as if he’d rubbed oil into it that morning.

You didn’t know what to say as he sat across from you, his fingers laced together on top of the table, and for an uncomfortably long moment, the two of you were completely silent.

“What’s your name?” he finally asked, and you arched your eyebrow at him.

“Why do you want to know?”

A muscle in his jaw ticked, and he let out a long sigh through his nose. He didn’t answer your question, and you started to shift in your seat as he continued to stare.

Finally, you told him, murmuring your name under your breath. Upon hearing it, he nodded, finally glancing up when your waitress came back to take your order. When her eyes fell onto the man seated across from you, she visibly paled, her mascara-lined eyes widening as her smile turned to a grimace.

“Mr. Rogers,” she said timidly, “my grandmother told you not to come in anymore-“

“It’ll be fine, Rosie,” he grunted. “I won’t cause any trouble; I’m just talking with (Y/N), here.”

Rosie looked over to you, and you blinked up at her, hoping your incredulity was showing through in your eyes.

“I… I’m not sure…”

Steve huffed and looked over at you, a predatory edge appearing in his visage.

“Go on,” he encouraged you. “Tell her.”

“I really don’t-“

Suddenly, his scent was flooding your senses once more, and you almost gagged on your words as you breathed it in. You wondered why Rosie didn’t seem to notice it as it washed over you, nearly suffocating in its intensity.

“I, uh…” Your voice trailed off distractedly, and Steve’s knee nudged yours under the table.

“I-it’s fine,” you finally managed to stutter, and a pleased smirk appeared over his features.

“See? Everything is fine,” he insisted. “Now, weren’t you coming to take our orders?”

Rosie hesitated, but finally she slipped a notepad out of her pocket and nodded.

“Perfect. I’ll have the sampler with crispy bacon. Eggs over easy. And, uh… a biscuit on the side,” Steve listed off.

After a moment of silence, he cleared his throat, prompting you to jump a little before telling Rosie what you would like.

“Oh! Uh… I’ll have the same,” you muttered, though you hadn’t really been planning on eating anything of the sort.

But Rosie jotted it down in her notepad, all but fleeing to the kitchen after you were done speaking.

“And I’ll take some coffee!” Steve called after her.

When it was finally just the two of you, he once again gave you his full attention, and you fought to keep your mind straight.

“I don’t…know you,” you mumbled, squeezing your eyes shut. “I don’t know you, and you’re making me uncomfortable. Please, just-“

“I really liked the nightgown you had on last night.”

Your eyes bugged open, and your head shot up to look at him. You felt your blood run cold as he watched you with that same smirk he’d worn while ordering Rosie around, and you clutched your purse tighter to yourself.

“Wh…What did you just say?”

“You heard me,” he insisted. “How are you liking living in that cottage? The last few people there-“

“What the fuck,” you interrupted. “You…you were watching me?”

He sighed at your interruption but nodded, leaning forward on his elbows.

“And you were watching me.”

“No,” you shook your head. “I never saw you, or I would’ve called the cops-“

“But you did see me,” he insisted. “While I was in my other form.”

You furrowed your eyebrows, but then understanding came over you, and you shook your head.

“Jesus Christ,” you muttered. “You mean…the wolf?”

Steve nodded, looking up when Rosie came back with his coffee. She all but slammed the cup on the table, spilling a few drops of the beverage as she poured it. After shooting him a sour glare, she turned on her heel to attend to the other tables around you, the occupants thereof starting to notice who you were sitting with. The din of voices had gone just a bit quieter as they watched him, and you were starting to realize that the entire town knew who Steve was, and judging on the locals’ reaction to him, his reputation wasn’t on the favorable side of things.

“So… Let me get this straight,” you deadpanned, watching as Steve took a sip from his steaming mug. “You’re saying that you were the wolf I saw?”

He nodded, swallowing his coffee.

“I’m among the last of my kind,” he sighed, tapping his fingers against his cup. “At least in this area of the country. But, yeah, that was me, scratching at your door. I was honestly a little hurt by your reaction-“

“You’re fucking insane.”

A scowl overtook his features, and his hands tensed as his fingers went still.

“I would really prefer it,” he growled, “if you didn’t use that sort of language with me, Omega.”

“Ome- What?” You shook your head, unable to process how insane this man really was. “Ok, I’m done here.”

You grabbed your purse and stood up from the booth, but a hand clamped down on your upper arm as you made for the front door.

“You’re not going anywhere,” Steve insisted, and you felt fear course through you at how possessive he’d just sounded. “We have a lot we need to talk about.”

“Let go of me!” You tried to pull away from him, but you might as well have been struggling against an iron chain. Steve didn’t budge as he held you in place, and a whimper escaped your throat as he began pulling you to sit next to him in the booth.

“Steve.”

Both of you froze when you heard the voice, and you looked up to see three men standing over your table, frowning at the man who still had a firm hold on you.

“Steve, let the girl go,” one of them said, and you saw Steve’s lip curl out of the corner of your eye.

“Rhodey,” he grunted. “Haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Not long enough,” the man fired back.

For a second, you were afraid that Steve was going to ignore them, but then his grip on you disappeared. You hurriedly stood up again, backing away until you were out of arm’s reach from him. The entire restaurant was silent as everybody within held their breath, watching Rhodey and Steve stare one another down.

“This isn’t any of your business,” Steve said, and it was then that you realized you couldn’t wait there any longer. You didn’t care how it played out; you just wanted to get out of there.

And so, while everyone was distracted, you turned on your heel and slipped out, pushing past the front door, running past the rocking chairs and planter boxes, crossing the street without first looking both ways. Your heart was pounding a mile a minute, and you didn’t fully know where you were running to until you were standing in the entry way of Earl’s bookstore.

“Hey, there,” he called out to you, but his typical cheerful greeting died on his tongue when he saw your face. “What happened?”

Twenty minutes later, you and Earl were seated in his office. You’d told him everything, save for the way Steve’s scent affected you. You knew it was crazy, and you didn’t want one of your only friends in your new town to think you were as insane as your stalker.

“…Shit.”

It was the first word he’d uttered since you began telling him your tale, and he rubbed his forehead as he took in your story.

“Shit. I mean… I always knew there was something off about that Rogers boy,” he admitted. “But he’s never pulled anything like this.”

You quirked an eyebrow, glancing up at him.

“Why does everyone dislike him?” you asked. “It seems like the whole town has something against him.”

Your friend sighed and sat back in his chair, stroking his beard in thought.

“It didn’t used to be that way,” he started. “Steve, he grew up here. He was always the golden boy – never cursed, never acted disrespectful. Hell, he was a boy scout for years, and all throughout high school he was the team quarterback. He won so many games that he became a local celebrity.

“But, uh… Well. Shit hit the fan the day he turned 18.”

You frowned; you couldn’t picture the crazy, creepy man you’d just been borderline-assaulted by as a popular, polite teenager.

“What happened when he turned 18?” you asked.

Earl hesitated, wringing his hands. For a pregnant pause, he didn’t say anything, but finally he took a deep breath.

“Look, I don’t personally have anything against the guy,” he finally huffed. “But even I get the creeps when I’m around him. That boy, he was never the same after that fourth of July. Hell, the town hasn’t been the same since.”

You raised your eyebrows expectantly, and finally Earl began the story.

“Steve’s folks were a nice couple. He was their only kid, so each year, Sarah and Joseph would throw Steve this big birthday party. I’m talkin’ fireworks, barbeque, the whole nine yards. But his 18th birthday outdid them all; the whole town practically showed up for it.

“But Steve was off the entire day; I think he was sick or something. He was real sweaty, and his eyes were all…red. Like he’d been scratchin’ at ‘em. And when the fireworks started goin’ off… The boy lost it.

“It was like a flip switched in him; next thing we knew, he was takin’ off into the woods, holdin’ his head like his skull was gonna split in two. His mama went runnin’ after him, and then his pops went to get ‘em after about five minutes or so when there was no sign of them comin’ back.

“After half an hour, we went searchin’ for ‘em, and it wasn’t till dawn that we found the three of them.”

Earl took a deep breath, rubbing his eyes with a trembling hand as he recalled the memory.

“I was in the team that found his parents, and… Hon, they were butchered. The bodies, they were hardly recognizable. Big bites had been taken outta them; blood was everywhere. Another team found Steve about half a mile away, completely naked and shivering by the river.”

“Oh, my god,” you murmured. “That’s… That’s horrible.”

Your friend nodded gravely, but he wasn’t done yet.

“We all figured that it was a coyote that got ‘em,” he continued. “Or a wolf. But Steve… He was in shock, you see, so take what I’m about to say with a grain o’ salt. But all the way to the police station, he kept sayin’… He kept sayin’, ‘I didn’t mean to kill them… I didn’t mean to kill them.’

“O’ course, no one really believed him; it was clear that an animal had gotten to them, and this was Steve Rogers we were talking about. The kid had never said an unkind word to anyone. And his family got along great.

“A few years passed, and Steve was never the same, but we expected as much. Everyone was still nice to him, and he tried for a while, you know? But then Peggy moved into town.”

“Who’s Peggy?”

“She was this real nice girl – British. She moved with her family to the area. Shoot, she was a firecracker. Didn’t take any shit from nobody; the whole town fell in love with her. Including poor ol’ Stevie.

“When the two started dating, we were thrilled for ‘em. Steve was finally starting to act more like himself; you shoulda seen him. The kid was head over heels, and she was the same. About six months went by, and we really thought that they were gonna make it.

“But then…”

Earl swallowed thickly, eyes darting back up to your face before resting once again on his hands.

“Peggy was found one day in the woods, just like Steve’s parents – mauled, butchered…dead.”

“Jesus Christ…”

“No one saw or heard from Steve for years after that. The kid just vanished into thin air without warning. And so soon after Peggy’s death, well… You can imagine the rumors that started flying around about him. Five years went by, and that was when people started hearing and seeing strange things in the woods. And your cottage, it’s right by where the bodies were found; you can’t be more than a quarter of a mile from where they found Peg.

“Eventually, Steve moved back into town, though no one recognized him. He’d always been a skinny, lean kinda guy, but when he moved back, he looked like he does now. And even if he hadn’t changed so much on the outside, no one would’ve recognized the polite young man we’d all watched grow up in this new Steve. He was mean; I can’t tell you how many fights he got in at the bar, or how many times he lashed out at someone just to have an excuse to throw some punches.

“Whatever happened to his family and his girl, he’s never been the same since. And if he really believes what he told you earlier at the soda shop, then he’s finally lost his mind.”

___________

You spent the night at Earl’s house. He and his wife set up their guest bedroom for you, and as you and Sherry ate dinner, Earl called the sheriff. You listened in as he told him everything that Steve had done, including watching you the night before, and after ending the call, Earl gave you the sheriff’s number.

“He said to call him at the first sign of trouble,” Earl instructed. “And he said that he’s gonna head over to Steve’s cabin to have a nice, long talk with him. Don’t you worry; Sheriff Wilson is a tough son of a bitch, and he’s a great man. You’re in good hands with him.”

You thanked the couple profusely, and you were finally able to sleep restfully through the night, knowing that you weren’t alone. You didn’t even mind that you could hear Earl and Sherry’s snoring from all the way down the hall; you hadn’t had such a good night’s sleep in days.

The next morning, Sheriff Wilson stopped by after Sherry had served up breakfast, and you had to admit that you did feel better after talking to him.

“So I set everything straight with Steve,” Sam explained. “He said that he’d been drunk that morning at breakfast, and he admitted to saying some things that he regretted. He asked me to apologize to you on his behalf, and he said that he would stay away from you from here on out, if it would make you more comfortable.”

“I’d be more comfortable if he moved to a different country altogether, but I’ll take it,” you’d joked weakly, coaxing a laugh out of the sheriff.

“Well, I’ll run it by him the next time we see each other,” he’d chuckled. “But for now, I think you’ll be just fine.”

After helping Sherry clean up from breakfast, you reluctantly got into your car and started back to your cottage, feeling your short-lived relief start to dwindle away as you approached your home. Who’s to say that Steve would stay true to his word? And there was something about the memory of him calling you ‘omega’ that didn’t sit well with you. You had no idea what that meant, but the conviction, the possessive, commanding tone in his voice still made shivers crawl up and down your spine.

Once you stepped into your cottage, you gave each room a cursory once-over, making sure nothing was out of place before plopping down onto your couch with your laptop. You were severely behind on work, and you needed the distraction to calm your nerves.

Before you knew it, the sun was starting to slip over the horizon, and as the evening turned to night, your eyelids started drooping. You’d finally managed to catch up on work, and although it took you until 9 o’clock at night, you were back on schedule with your blog.

Finally giving in to your sleepiness, you stood up and stretched before methodically going around to each door and window, making sure that they were all closed and locked. After once more checking that Steve wasn’t hiding in your wardrobe, shower, or backyard, you relaxed and went into your bedroom, changing into a flannel pajama set before crawling into bed.

Sleep came easily to you that night, but it didn’t stay for long.

_________

It was, once again, just after 3 in the morning when you woke up, although there was something different about this time around. There was an almost electric charge to the air, and it immediately made the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. You sat up in bed and looked around your room, and even though the curtains were still closed, just as you’d left them, you immediately noticed the smell.

Your hand fell onto your nightstand, blindly fumbling for your phone, but it wasn’t where you’d left it. Panic pierced through you, and you frantically reached for your charging chord, but it was no longer plugged into your cell. There was, however, something new sitting on your bedside table, and you flicked your lamp on to see clearly what it was.

Your blood went cold when you saw the paper bag from Earl’s, still filled with your new books, just as you’d left it in the art shop.

“I’d been meaning to give that back to you.”

A scream tore itself out of your lips, and your hand flew up to clap over your mouth as you turned to the man now leaning in your doorway.

Steve was watching you with an amused smile, though it didn’t reach his eyes. His hair was wild, and you noticed the way his chest rose and fell with quick, uneven breaths. He looked…unhinged, and Earl’s voice started ringing in your ears, telling you all the gory details about the deaths that had followed this man through his life.

“Steve, please,” you begged, pressing your back against your headboard. “I don’t know what you want-“

“Oh, c’mon,” he scoffed, rolling his eyes. “You’re a smart girl; I’m sure you can put two and two together.”

With that, he pushed off of the wall and sauntered towards you, ignoring the way you trembled as he took a seat on the edge of your bed.

“I read your blog, by the way,” he remarked. “I actually liked it; you’ve got a talent with writing.”

You gulped, not sure what to say as he turned to face you. For a moment, something flashed through his eyes, something other than the smug cynicism that usually dwelled there, but he looked away before you could get a good look at it.

“I’m sure Earl told you a lot of things about me,” he murmured. “And I’m sorry that’s how you had to hear them. But I’m not… I don’t want to hurt you. Honestly.”

“Wow, that really puts me at ease,” you grumbled. “It definitely makes the fact that you’ve broken into my house twice now totally ok.”

Steve huffed, and annoyance crossed his handsome features.

“Careful, omega,” he grunted. “I’m trying to be nice, here.”

You wanted to snap at him that he should really try harder, then, but you kept your mouth shut, knowing that you didn’t want to anger him if you didn’t have to.

“…Why do you keep calling me that?” you instead asked, and the fire in his gaze cooled just a bit.

“…I’ve given this a lot of thought,” he finally sighed. “And I can understand why this all sounds so crazy; if I were in your situation, I would probably think the same thing. But just… hear me out, ok? I’m going to tell you everything I know.”

You nodded, hugging your knees to your chest, and after another deep breath he began.

“I used to be normal, or so I thought,” he began. “I used to be like you; I didn’t know what was out there. I didn’t know that certain legends that we’ve all learned to accept as fiction were actually based on fact. But that all changed on my 18th birthday.

“That was the day that I first turned into a wolf.” Steve paused, looking pained for a moment, but after swallowing thickly he continued. “I had no clue what was happening to me. I just felt…wrong, like I was being torn apart from the inside. I fought to keep control of myself, but… I couldn’t keep it in anymore.

“People got hurt; I’m sure you’ve been told all the gritty details. But that wasn’t… It wasn’t me. I tried so hard, so goddamn hard, to keep it inside, bottled up, but eventually I couldn’t hold back anymore. And that was when I left.

“I went looking for people like me. It took me a while, but eventually I found a small group of them in New York. They called themselves the Howling Commandos.”

Steve laughed, shaking his head.

“Not the name I would’ve chosen, but they were good people. They helped me control it, taught me how to remain myself even when I’m in my other form. And I learned more about what it means to be a, uh…

“Werewolf.”

You bit your lip, staring at him as you grew even more fearful; he believed this. You could tell by the way his eyes were glistening with barely-contained tears, and if you weren’t so terrified of him, you would feel sorry for how sad he looked.

“Steve, you… you must realize that this is hard for me to believe, right? I mean… This isn’t Twilight; this is the real world.”

He rolled his eyes at the mention of that book.

“There’s about a thousand things wrong with that fucking story, and I’ll die mad about it,” he muttered under his breath, and you hugged yourself tighter as he stood up.

“You want me to prove it to you? Fine.”

Steve stood still for a long moment, closing his eyes, and you found your gaze straying to the door behind his back. He was distracted, evidently focused on transforming into a fucking wolf, oblivious to you as you slowly moved to set your feet on the floor.

Now is your moment, your brain whispered, and after taking a deep breath, you leapt to your feet. You didn’t notice the way his skin was slowly starting to grow patches of blonde fur, nor did you register that his voice had become more of an animalistic growl as he realized that you were trying to run. You were solely focused on making it out alive.

The back door was closer to you than the front, and you could practically feel Steve’s breath on the back of your neck as he gave chase, and so you nearly yanked the door off of its rusty, old hinges as you went flying out onto the back porch. You just barely managed to close the door behind you, and right before it slammed shut, you were able to make out an open maw filled with sharp teeth. The same thumping you’d heard several nights ago sounded from within your home, but with the way the wood was creaking and splintering, you knew it wouldn’t keep Steve trapped inside for long.

You began to run towards your car, but with a curse you realized that your keys were still resting on your coffee table inside the cottage, and you wouldn’t go back inside there if someone offered you a million dollars to. So, fully aware of what a terrible idea it was, you started running down the length of your gravel driveway, the small stones and twigs digging into your feet until you felt them starting to grow slick with blood.

You didn’t get far at all before you heard the sound of a low, deep howl split the silence of the night, and you pumped your legs even faster when you heard heavy footfalls starting to give chase behind you. Frantically, you turned and made a beeline for the forest, hoping to lose him in the woods. Low branches and brambles clawed at your face, and the cuts on your feet burned so bad that tears started rolling down your cheeks.

It was simultaneously an eternity and a millisecond before you felt a massive weight crash into you from behind, and with a cry you fell onto your belly. Your arms and legs scrambled about as you tried to crawl away, but you stopped with another scream when a set of impossibly sharp teeth nipped at your shoulder. Even though they didn’t cut deep, it was still enough to scare you into submission, and you immediately went still as your captor panted above you.

Your chest rose and fell as you fought to catch your breath, but it felt as if your heart had stopped beating entirely when you chanced a look to your right and saw…a paw. A huge, sandy-blonde paw about the size of your head was planted in the mud right next to your neck. You turned, and on your left side was the same thing.

Slowly, you rolled over onto your back, and you found yourself face to face with the wolf from before, only this time, you were close enough to see its blue eyes clearly – Steve’s eyes.

“…Steve?” you breathed.

Before your disbelieving eyes, the animal hovering over you started to shift and change, morphing gradually back into the man who’d terrorized you so much up to this point. Except now, as he straddled your hips, completely nude, you knew that he’d been right all along.

“Still think I’m crazy?” he panted, still out of breath from the chase.

“I… How…”

“I tried to tell you,” he grumbled, leaning down. You squirmed when you felt him press his nose to your neck, nuzzling it as he inhaled deeply, and you whimpered when his cock twitched against your thigh. “God, you have no idea what your scent does to me.”

You made a small noise of protest when his tongue darted out, laving over a spot right under your jaw.

“I thought it was too good to be true, you know,” he groaned, and you let out a noise that was dangerously close to a moan as you realized you could smell him once again. “I thought that people had to be a werewolf to be an alpha or an omega, but as soon as I smelled you in the art shop… Fuck, I knew you were mine.”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you tried to protest, but you were silenced when Steve nipped at your neck.

“We both know that’s not true,” he chided. “We both know what my scent does to you.”

Steve dragged his teeth down the side of your neck, and you shivered at the sensation. You wanted to fight this; you didn’t want to give in to him. But something inside of you refused to do anything but lay there beneath him, panting as he tasted your skin.

“I’ve never been with an omega before,” he confessed. “The Commandos told me they were incredibly rare, a dying breed just like me. But fate must have brought us together for a reason.”

“I’m… I’m not an omega,” you insisted, but a soft mewl fell out of your lips when he ground his hips forward, the line of his cock sliding up the length of your clothed pussy.

“Then why do you have a mating gland?” he rasped, his tongue darting out to lick at a spot on your neck.

“A what?” you squeaked, but suddenly his hands were on your hips, flipping you over onto your hands and knees. His palms groped your ass, and suddenly you felt your pajamas being pulled down until they pooled around your knees.

“I can’t wait any longer,” Steve growled.

No, no, no. Your thoughts were swirling rapidly as Steve’s fingers slid down your spine. You didn’t want this; you weren’t an omega; Steve was crazy.

Why does your body want this so bad?

You couldn’t find the strength to try and crawl away when Steve’s hands left you, but your eyes widened when he suddenly spread your legs wider apart. The cold night air was icy against your cunt and your thighs, and when the warmth of his hands finally returned to your body, you couldn’t hold in your moan.

“That’s right, omega,” he panted, his hand reaching down to cup your pussy. “Fuck, you’re so wet; it’s already dripping down your thighs…”

Your pussy made an embarrassingly loud squelching noise as he pushed his finger inside, and your body’s reaction started drowning out your brain. As he thrust his finger in and out, your hips started pushing back against him as white noise echoed in your ears.

“Mmm,” you whined, clenching your teeth. “M-more, fuck-“

“More?” Steve cooed. “You want more?”

You nodded your head, and a gasp parted your lips as he added another finger, curling it in a way that had you seeing stars. Your legs spread wider, and you dropped to your elbows, pushing back in time with his hand.

“This is what you need,” he growled. “You need your alpha to take care of you, don’t you? To use your pretty little cunt and fill you up with my seed. Ain’t that right, doll?”

“Y-yes,” you moaned, feeling your walls start to flutter around him.

All too soon, though, he pulled his hand away, leaving you hanging on the precipice of your orgasm. You burrowed your face into your arms and whined at the loss, but a few seconds later, Steve was gripping your hips. You could feel his fully hard length against your ass, and your breath caught in your throat upon feeling how big it was.

“W-wait-“

Steve shushed you, tangling one of his hands in your hair as the tip of his cock glided through your folds, brushing against your clit.

“It’s ok, omega,” he whispered. “Just lay back and take it.”

With that, his head pressed against your entrance, and your lips parted in a silent scream as he impaled you. Your cervix ached as his dick pressed against it, and you were vaguely aware of the broken moans falling out of your lips.

“Fuck, doll,” your alpha breathed, and you felt him rest his forehead against your shoulder. “Feels so good, so fucking good. My good girl…”

You groaned when he drew his hips back and thrust forward again, jarring your whole body with the movement. Your teeth clenched together as he found his rhythm, the initial stretch still burning. You’d never felt anything like this before, and the pain was mixing with your pleasure until you couldn’t tell one from the other.

Slowly, as the minutes went by, your abused cunt started to adjust, and your moans became less and less strained as you once more felt pleasure start to crest within you.

“That’s it,” Steve praised, pushing your hair away so he could press a kiss to the side of your neck. “Just relax; let your alpha make you feel good.”

You whimpered as he started thrusting faster, his hips snapping as deep, gravelly growls spilled out of his throat. Your own moans filled the air as you once again felt your orgasm build up inside of you. Your pussy walls contracted and fluttered as you got closer and closer, and Steve’s hand came down hard on your ass.

“Go ahead, omega,” he commanded. “Cum for me; don’t hold back. Give it to me; let me feel it. Cum for me-“

With a wail, your body did as it was commanded, and you trembled as you reached your climax. Your cunt squeezed his cock as he slowed his thrusts, and your hips moved of their own accord as you rode it out. Quiet, hoarse moans were still trailing out of your mouth as you came down from your high, and Steve’s beard tickled your skin as he pressed kisses along the curve of your shoulder.

“Good girl,” he praised, and you were sickened to realize that you enjoyed his words of encouragement.

You were surprised when he pulled his cock out of you, and you allowed him to flip you over onto your back. His cheeks were flushed, and he was panting, and your eyes trailed down to see his cock still painfully hard.

Without warning, he shoved it back inside of you, and your hands flew up, digging your nails into his back as he once again started thrusting at a brutal pace.

“’M gonna fill your fucking pussy up,” he was moaning, his hair falling into his eyes while his mouth hung open. “Gonna breed you like the little bitch you are-“

Despite having just cum, shocks of pleasure spread through you as he filled you, and in this position, you could watch his muscles bulge and flex as he chased his release. His eyes were squeezed shut, and one of his hands was pawing and kneading at your breast as he used the other to support his weight. The veins in his neck throbbed as he grew closer and closer, and you were taken off guard to find that you were approaching your second climax with him.

“You already gonna cum again, baby?” he whispered. “Do it. Give it to me; I want it.”

You closed your eyes and arched up, frenzied moans of yes, please, God, more, I need more, spilling past your lips almost unintelligibly. You were so close – just a little more and you would be pushed over the edge.

Just before you could reach it, though, Steve’s eyes snapped open, focusing on your neck hungrily. You should have felt fear, knowing what he was, what had happened to his parent and his last lover. But instinct took over, and you found yourself tilting your head back, baring your neck to him in a sign of submission.

With a feral growl, he lunged forward, and you shrieked as his teeth pierced your skin, right where he’d claimed earlier your ‘mating gland’ was. You closed your eyes, expecting to feel your life fade away, ready to see blood spurting up from the wound. But that never happened; no, instead you felt as if you’d just been electrified. Every sensation you were feeling was suddenly amplified tenfold, and your vision went black as you came for the second time.

Your ears were ringing, but you were still able to hear the primal roar that Steve let out as he came, painting your inner walls with his seed as hips finally slowed to a stop. For several long seconds, the two of you were perfectly still save for your chests as they rose and fell with your heavy breathing. Steve’s cock began to soften inside of you, but he made no move to pull away. No, instead he collapsed over you, his head resting against your chest as his heated skin shielded you from the cold air.

“You were perfect,” you heard him whisper, and one of his fingers came up to trace the bite mark he’d left behind on your neck. “Your bond scar is gonna be so gorgeous, little omega.”

Sleep threatened to overtake you as you lay there, not truly processing Steve’s words as his weight atop you lulled you towards sleep.

“Go ahead and rest, doll,” he murmured. “I’ll carry you back home, and then we can go again. Don’t worry, doll; I won’t stop until you’re nice and round with my babies.”

You should have felt scared – you should have pulled away and ran into the woods. But instead, you let out a content noise of acknowledgement before doing just as he said. The last thing you registered before slipping into a deep, dreamless slumber was his arms as they wrapped around you and picked you up, carrying you away from the road and into the forest.

#steve rogers #steve rogers x reader #dark!steve rogers #steve rogers imagine #dark!steve rogers x reader #werewolf #werewolf!steve #alpha!steve #omega!reader #a/b/o dynamics #a/b/o au #werewolf au

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ao719 · 4 years

Text

Split

Split - Deep End (Chapter 2)

Characters belong to Pixelberry

Title inspiration: Deep End - Ruelle

Summary: A change in the King’s behavior becomes the catalyst to revealing secrets buried beneath the surface.

Warning: This series will contain sensitive and NSFW material. If you read, you acknowledge you are 18+.

Catch Up Here

A/N: Huge thanks to @dcbbw for beta reading and your help/suggestions, and to @burnsoslow for reading snippets and helping with Drake!

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“Why....why can’t I remember?” Liam’s expression and voice were laced with worry as he stared at Alexandria, his eyes searching hers.

“Hey,” she leaned forward and cupped his face in her hands, “take a breath.” Liam closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath as she said, wrapping his large hand around her small wrist as he slowly let it out. He opened his eyes and looked at her again. “It...it’s ok. It’ll come to you, you just...have been under some stress and seem to have had a rough night.” She wasn’t sure whether she was trying to convince Liam or herself of the words she had just said. If it was the same as last time, it wouldn’t come to him.

“I...I’m sorry,” he shook his head, “Alex, I’m so sorry.” He rested his forehead against hers. “I’ll figure out a way to keep the council off our backs about the alliance. I promise...I’ll think of something.”

She was hesitant about how he was going to pull that off, especially with Madeleine around and constantly bringing it up, but she nodded, not wanting to put too much pressure on him. “Ok.” She scanned over his face, her thumbs brushing against the stubble on his cheeks. “Are you ok?”

“Yes,” he nodded.

“Are you sure?” Liam nodded again and Alexandria leaned in, pressing her lips to his in a soft kiss. “I love you, Liam,” she whispered.

“I love you too,” he replied, resting his forehead against hers for a moment before drawing back.

“I have to head down to my study and go over some final arrangements for the Children’s Hospital opening ceremony tomorrow. I shouldn’t be too long.”

“I should get some work done too. Will you meet me for lunch?”

“Of course,” she softly smiled.

“Ok, we’ll meet on the terrace around noon?”

“I’ll be there,” she nodded. Liam placed a soft kiss to Alexandria’s lips before she went to go shower.

As soon as he heard their bedroom door close, Liam stood and moved towards the door to their quarters, the panic he was feeling and holding in beginning to fill him as he walked out and headed to his study. Why can’t I remember? As he made his way down the corridors he struggled as he tried to put the pieces together, trying to think of what would make him suddenly decide to bring up the alliance talks in front of the council, especially without discussing it with his wife first. Alexandria was right, they had both agreed that not only were they not interested in the type of alliance that Auvernal and Montiserro were offering them, but they weren’t ready for one at all at the moment, even if their terms were to change to suit Cordonia.

Once inside his study, Liam leaned back against the door after closing it, his palms pressed against the wood. Now that he was alone he could feel everything he’d been trying to hold in seeping out. He pushed himself off the door, his heart racing, and his palms were beginning to sweat. His eyes darted around the room as he tried like hell to remember. He moved to his desk, lowering himself in his chair as he attempted to retrace his steps.

“She...she brought up the council meeting,” he whispered to himself as he drummed his fingers across the mahogany surface, referring to Madeleine being in his study and their brief conversation. It was the last moments he remembered from the day before everything started to become fuzzy. “She mentioned...she mentioned the alliance...I told her no...” He abruptly stood from his chair, pushing it back into the wall as he walked around his desk and began to pace the floor, lacing his fingers behind his head. “I told her no...I said no to the alliance talks.” His hands slid from the back of his head to his temples as he squinted his eyes tightly shut. “I said no!” He shouted. He continued to repeat the words in a mantra, each one getting quieter than the one before it until it was just a whisper on repeat. He was unsure at that point if he was trying to convince himself that he had told Madeleine no to the alliance discussions or if he had specifically said those words to her. “I said no,” he said with more certainty, his jaw slightly clenching, “I.said.no!” His breathing started to become heavy as he continued to repeat the words. He stopped his pacing and ran his fingers through his hair as he looked around the room, his eyes falling on the bar cart. “She asked about having a drink...”

Everything was blank after that first drink. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how much he attempted to force himself to concentrate, he couldn’t get anything to come to him. He stared at the almost empty bottle of scotch that sat there, feeling the urge to pour himself a finger just to calm his rising nerves. He stared at the bottle long and hard, weighing his options. It was morning, but it might take the edge off. He and Alexandria had just spoken about him drinking the day before, but this would just be one small glass, a few swallows at most. Just one. He swiftly moved to the bar cart, his slightly trembling hand grabbing the neck of the bottle and pouring himself a small finger. He set the bottle down, but before he could lift the glass in his hand, his head snapped over to the door when he heard a knock.

****

Alexandria had busied herself for the past few hours, making last minute arrangements for the opening of the new Christen’s Hospital wing and going over her speech once again. She had been trying to keep her mind occupied and off of her and Liam’s conversation earlier, off of the fact that he couldn’t remember. It worried her, but she was trying to force herself to believe the words she had said to Liam: It’s ok. It’ll come to you.

Once she had finished what work she needed to, with a little time to spare, she decided to head to the terrace and wait for Liam to meet her for lunch. When Alexandria stepped out of her study, she ran smack into Drake’s broad chest as he walked the corridor. “Hey, Brooks,” he chuckled, “my bad. You ok?”

“Yeah, sorry. I didn’t see you. What are you up to?”

“Just came in from the stables to grab something to eat. Want to come with me?”

“I’m actually meeting Liam for lunch in a little bit.”

“No worries. What’s he up to today?”

“Oh, uh...just...getting some work done in his study.”

Drake sensed the change in Alexandria’s tone of voice and took notice of the way her eyes flickered down to her feet when she answered him. “Everything ok?” He asked, his brows slightly furrowing.

Alexandria looked up meeting Drake’s gaze. She had never told anyone about Liam’s behavior after his father’s death, but seeing as it seemed to be happening again, she began to wonder if it happened even before that first time she witnessed it, if anyone else had ever noticed. She glanced around to make sure there were no staff or anyone else around before turning back to him. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“You’ve known Liam since you were kids...I’m sure you’ve seen him stressed before...”

“Oh yeah, plenty of times,” he chuckled.

“Did...did he ever...” she paused for a moment, picking her words carefully, “did he ever act differently? Like...shut people out? Or maybe...drink a little more than normal to try and deal with his stress?” She was afraid to divulge too much personal information. Granted, Drake was Liam’s best friend, but it wasn’t her place to tell Drake everything, not unless it became absolutely necessary.

Drake let out a breath as he thought back, staying silent for a moment before answering. “Not that I can think of, at least not anything that would come off as alarming. And I’ve seen him at his worst...when I came back from college after the assassination attempt. That was the most stressed and on edge I’ve ever seen him...and during the engagement tour when we were trying to clear your name, but during those times he was still Liam.” He looked at her for a moment, “Why? Is everything ok?”

“Of course,” Alexandria tried to brush it off, “he’s just been a little off lately, probably working too hard,” she offered a small smile.

“It’s probably just the stress of running a country,” he responded, but the words didn’t help ease Alexandria. A part of her knew that was what he was going to say. “Sounds like he needs a vacation,” Drake chuckled.

“That would be ideal,” she nodded as she glanced down at her watch. “Alright, I have to do a few more things before my lunch, but I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Sure thing, Brooks.”

****

Alexandria let out a heavy sigh as she sat at the table on the terrace. Her arm was propped up by her elbow with her hand pressed against her cheek, her legs crossed and her foot bouncing in sync with the ticks of the secondhand on the outdoor clock she was staring at. Liam was late for their lunch. He wasn’t just a little late, he wasn’t fashionably late, he was over an hour late. And he hadn’t called or messaged to tell her that he was going to be running behind either.

After waiting another twenty minutes, she decided to go see what he was up to. Perhaps he got stuck on a phone call, or someone stopped in needing to speak with him and he was stuck in an impromptu meeting he didn’t plan on and had simply lost track of time.

Alexandria knocked when she came to Liam’s study and leaned into the door in an attempt to see if he was speaking with someone. She heard him call for her to enter and opened the door, stopping short when she saw him. Liam was leaned back in his chair, his feet propped up on his desk, and crossed at his ankles with a glass of scotch in his hand.

He looked over and raised his brow with a subtle smirk. “My Queen...”

“Liam...what are you doing?” She threw her hands up, “You were supposed to meet me for lunch over an hour ago, but you’re sitting in here having a drink instead? After our conversation this morning?”

“Something came up,” he said calmly with a soft shrug of his shoulders before taking a sip of his drink.

Alexandria stared at him, her brows creasing. Liam was a far cry from the remorseful man he was just a few hours ago when they spoke. She could feel the sting behind her eyes and the tightening in her chest, but she wasn’t sure if it was from sadness, frustration, or both. She let out an exasperated breath as she moved towards him. She leaned across the desk in an attempt to grab the glass of liquor from his hand but he pulled away from her.

Liam let out a wry chuckle as he moved his feet off the desk and planted them on the floor, giving her a contemptuous look. “You overstep, my Queen,” he spoke in a taut voice before draining the rest of the amber liquid. He rose from his chair and Alexandria’s gaze locked with his as he slowly made his way around the desk and up to her, his tall frame towering over her. The way he was looking at her made her feel slightly nervous. There was something lingering behind his piercing blue eyes, something arrogant and intimidating, perhaps even devious. His hand came up to brush across her cheek, a sly smirk tugging at his lips as his eyes scanned over the details of her face. “You are gorgeous,” he whispered, contemplatively and so softly that it was as if he was speaking to himself. His hand gripped her arm just a little bit too tightly before snaking around to the small of her back, pulling her to flush to him; he locked eyes with her once again. “But you will learn to respect your King.”

Alexandria’s eyes slightly widened at both the implied threat and the tone of his voice. Her lips parted to speak, but the words were stuck in her throat. She swallowed thickly in an attempt to regain her voice. “Liam...what is going on with you? Why...why are you acting this way?”

“And what way is that, love?” He asked, so close to her that she could feel his hot breath on her lips. “I’m just simply reminding you to respect your King.” She looked away from him, but Liam’s hand gently grabbed her jaw, forcing her gaze back to him. He leaned down and kissed her hard, his hand pressing even more firmly into her back, keeping a stronghold on her as their bodies pressed together. When they parted, he stepped back with a smirk before turning and moving back to his desk, “I’ll meet you shortly.”

Alexandria stood rooted in place with her heart racing, feeling that tightness in her chest as she tried blinking away the tears. She watched him lower himself into his chair. His brow quirked when he looked at her with a questioning expression, dismissing her even more effectively than his words did. She remained silent as she turned and exited his study.

Alexandria let out a shuddered breath as she hastily walked down the corridors towards the quarters she shared with Liam. She kept looking back over her shoulder, almost as if she were afraid that Liam was following her. She couldn’t get that look in his eyes out of her head, wondering what had happened between that morning and now that caused the sudden shift in him to take place. She didn’t stop until she reached their rooms. The door slammed shut as she pressed her back up against it, bowing her head as her tears began to fall. She closed her eyes, the tightening in her chest getting worse as she thought back on what Liam had just said: you will learn to respect your King. She wasn’t sure why it was said or what exactly he meant by it, but if she were being honest, that moment in his study just now was the first time she ever felt frightened by Liam.

****

Later that evening, Liam walked the corridors leading from his study to the royal quarters, stopping every few moments to lean against the wall, willing his throbbing headache away. He had blacked out again; he awoke, his head slowly lifting from his desk as confusion filled him. Once his vision cleared and the room stopped spinning, he checked his watch and saw it was well past the time he and Alexandria were supposed to meet for lunch. He couldn’t remember if they had indeed met, once again missing blocks of time. He remembered coming to his study after his and Alexandria’s conversation that morning. He remembered trying to retrace his steps from the day before. Everything was blank after that.

Liam was worried. He didn’t understand what was happening to him; why he kept blacking out. Why chunks of his time...his very life...were disappearing. And he was worried about what Alexandria was going to say, especially given their conversation that morning. He was trying to force himself to believe that the earlier conversation with her, mixed with him pushing himself to try and remember, triggered his stress that morning. For now, he planned to keep this...episode to himself for the time being. He wasn’t going to tell her he had blacked out again; he wasn’t going to tell her why he felt stressed because then he would have to admit that he was worried. Also, he didn’t want to worry Alexandria more than she already was. The only problem with his plan was that because he couldn’t remember, coupled with what had transpired the day before, Liam wasn’t sure if he had seen her during this lapse of time and if he had done something again.

Liam made it to the door of his quarters, briefly squeezing his eyes shut and letting out a breath before opening it and stepping inside. When he rounded the corner to the living area, Alexandria was in her pajamas, seated on the sofa with her knees tucked to her chest. She looked over upon hearing him, her troubled eyes locking with his. “Hello.”

“Hi...” Alexandria continued to stare at him, trying to determine which Liam was standing before her now. The softness in his eyes and tentative expression he was wearing told her it was her Liam, not the one she met in his study a few hours ago.

Liam lightly cleared his throat. “You...you didn’t meet me for lunch...”

Alexandria’s expression hardened at his words. “Are you serious right now?” She demanded. He knew at that moment that something had happened, that he had done something; her facial expression and tone of her voice told him it had not been a good thing.

“I…” he trailed off, knowing that anything he said would more than likely make no sense because he couldn’t remember.

Alexandria shifted on the sofa, turning her body to face him. “You blacked out again...didn’t you?”

“No, I-” he paused squeezing his eyes shut as his head began to throb.

“So, on top of everything else going on, you’re going to stand there and lie to me as well?” Her voice cracked slightly, and Liam opened his eyes looking at her with regret.

“Alex, I...I’m sorry. I...I didn’t want to worry you.”

“What happened, Liam?” She ground the words out tightly.

“I don’t know...” he breathed. She could hear the slight panic in his tone as his eyes began to dart back and forth trying to force himself to remember.

“Do you have a headache?” Concern mixed with the anger and frustration in her voice. Liam nodded as he closed his eyes again. “And you don’t remember anything about this afternoon?” Liam shook his head as he looked back at her. When she mentioned the afternoon, he could see a brief flicker of nervousness in her eyes, causing him to worry even more about what he may have done or said. “Okay,” she said slowly, “what do you remember?”

“This morning...”

Alexandria knew she needed to tell Liam about what happened but thought it would be better to ease into it instead of just blurting out his earlier behavior. Instead, her frustration caused her to volley question after question at her husband. “So start where it goes blank. What happened before that? Were you drinking again? Did something happen that maybe could have triggered-”

“I don’t know!” Liam’s voice raised as he interrupted her. The questions she continuously threw out were causing him to get agitated as they filled him with more panic. Immediate regret filled him for the way he spoke to her, not knowing where the sudden irritation was coming from. “I’m sorry...” he swallowed nervously as he moved to sit next to her on the sofa. He took her hand in his, Alexandria able to feel his hand tremble slightly as his clammy palm pressed against hers. “I just...want to give myself some time to see if it comes to me...” He looked away from her, feeling this shame wash over him. He felt as though he was failing her. “I think...I just need to lay down...perhaps a decent night’s sleep will help...” He leaned over and softly kissed her forehead before rising from the sofa and heading to their bedroom.

Alexandria stared at the hallway as he disappeared from view, feeling the tears prick her eyes once again. She let out a sharp breath as she turned on the sofa and dropped her head forward. What is happening to him?

*******

Liam finished knotting his tie as he stared at his reflection in the mirror, getting ready for his day. He felt somewhat refreshed when his alarm went off early that morning after what seemed to be a night of restful sleep, but he was still worried about what may or may not have happened the day before because Alexandria wasn’t next to him when he woke. In fact, her side of the bed was seemingly untouched.

Liam exited the bedroom and headed out to the kitchen to get some coffee. When he entered the room, Alexandria was standing at the counter, dressed and ready for her day with a cup of coffee gripped between her hands. “Good morning,” he softly spoke as he approached her.

“Morning...”

“You were up early.”

“I was...” I couldn’t sleep...again.

Liam nodded as he poured himself a cup of coffee. “What time did you come to bed last night?”

“I didn’t.” Her tone had a...weariness to it. Liam turned, knitting his brows in question. “I slept in one of the spare rooms.”

After Liam left her the night before, Alexandria began to feel nervous; with what was happening with Liam, with how he had been acting. She decided she was more comfortable sleeping alone. Liam was already sound asleep when she passed by their bedroom; she lingered a moment in the doorway, watching him sleep. She then kept walking, sticking with her decision to sleep in one of the spare rooms. When she slipped beneath the cold comforter, her heart felt heavy, suddenly feeling the weight of what was going on as she laid there alone. It hurt knowing she felt more at ease away from him when he was supposed to be her safe space.

Liam’s brows raised in surprise hearing that Alexandria didn’t sleep in their bed, that his wife chose to sleep somewhere else. He suddenly became acutely aware at that moment that not once since he stepped into the kitchen had Alexandria even looked at him. “Alex...” Her name came out just above a whisper as he stepped towards her. “What did I do?” She finally looked up at him for the first time. “Yesterday...what did I do? I know I must have done something to upset you enough where you didn’t want to come to bed with me.” She could hear the worry in his voice and see it in his eyes as he looked at her pleadingly.

She let out a soft breath. “We need to talk about what’s going on with you, Liam. But I can’t do it right now. I have to give my speech at the Children’s Hospital ceremony this morning and I need to be composed and focused to do so.”

“Will you come to me when you get back?” She looked away from him, hesitant to answer. “Please, Alex...I’ll clear my afternoon. I know we need to, and I want to talk...”

“I’ll stop by your study when I get back,” she answered quietly. “But I‘m not going to attempt a conversation with you if you have a single drink beforehand, Liam. So I’m asking you to refrain from doing so.”

“Of course.” Liam gently cupped her face in his hands and tilted her head up, his blue eyes soft and warm and filled with regret. “I love you, so much. And I’m...I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry for what?” Liam stared at her unable to answer because he wasn’t even sure what he was apologizing for other than his behavior in general. Behavior that he couldn’t remember. Alexandria could see the confusion in his expression, knowing he had no recollection of what he was saying sorry for. Tears began to dance in her eyes as they continued to stare at one another. “I’m worried about you, Liam,” her voice broke and her lip trembled as she spoke. “And I know whether you want to admit it or not, that you’re worried too.”

Liam wrapped his arms around her, holding her head to his chest. She was right: he was worried; he was scared. But he was supposed to be the strong one. He needed to be strong. He promised to always carry her, to carry them, and he couldn’t fail in that promise. But wasn’t he? He was telling himself that this was all happening due to stress, that he just needed to keep himself relaxed. “I don’t want you to worry about me,” he whispered before kissing the top of her head. He drew back to look at her. “Go to the ceremony, I will clear my schedule and will be waiting for you when you return.” The sincerity in his tone made Alexandria feel slightly better and she nodded her head. Liam leaned down softly pressing his lips to hers. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

****

After giving her speech and doing some press ops for the opening ceremony of the new wing at the Children’s Hospital, Alexandria arrived back at the palace just after lunch. Liam had messaged her before she had given her speech, wishing her luck. She had tried to prepare herself for her talk with him on the drive back, trying to decide which direction this discussion was going to take, but really, with his behavior as of late, there was no telling.

Alexandria approached Liam’s study where he told her to meet him and knocked on the door. After a moment of not hearing anything, she opened it and stepped inside, finding the room empty. She could already feel the wave of disappointment washing over her. When she stepped out and back into the hallway, she saw Bastien walking towards her. “Bastien, do you know where Liam is?”

“He just left for a meeting, ma’am.”

Alexandria’s jaw tensed. “Did...did he mention anything to you this morning about clearing his schedule this afternoon?”

“He did, ma’am. But then he said he needed to take this meeting with Countess Madeleine and he left.”

Alexandria closed her eyes, letting out a breath. “Oh...thank you.”

“Is everything alright, Your Majesty?” Bastien asked.

“I...I don’t really know how to answer that, Bastien.” She could feel that lump forming in her throat. “If...if you see him, tell him I stopped by when I returned.”

“Of course, ma’am.”

****

Drake walked through the palace halls after coming inside from the stables to grab a quick lunch. Since his conversation with Alexandria the day before, he had been unable to stop thinking about why she would ask him about Liam in the manner that she did. He felt as if there was more to her reason than what she told him, more to the story that she wasn’t saying. It wasn’t as though Alexandria and Liam’s marriage was any of his business, but they were two of his closest friends and he wanted to make sure they were ok. So he headed towards Alexandria’s study once he had finished eating, just to check on her.

When Drake peered into Alexandria’s opened study door, he saw her standing in front of the window with her back to him. “Hey, Brooks.” Alex turned around to see Drake; he could tell from the expression on her face something was wrong.

“Oh, hey...” She tried to make her voice light-hearted but failed miserably.

As she and Drake stared at each other, he noticed her eyes were slightly puffy, evidence that she had been crying not too long ago. The worry in his expression deepened to concern. He took a tentative step inside. “Alex...what’s wrong?” She shook her head and turned, feeling the tears prick her eyes. Drake came up behind her, moving to her side. “Hey, talk to me...”

She glanced up at him, her expression a mixture of anxiousness and sadness. “It’s Liam...” she said in a broken voice.

Drake motioned to the bench seat in front of the large window, and they both sat. “What about Liam?”

Alexandria looked over at him, waging an internal battle of what to tell Drake, if she should say anything. After a few moments, she decided to talk to Drake, needing to confide in someone about what was happening with Liam. Again. And that it seemed to be worse than before. “What I am about to say is in strictest confidence, Drake. It has to stay between us.” Alexandria held one of Drake’s hands in hers, her eyes and voice both pleading and serious. Drake nodded slowly. He had never seen Alexandria this grave before. He swallowed as he braced himself for the revelation. Alexandria bit her lip as she removed her hand from Drake’s and began twisting hers together in her lap. “This actually began on the Unity Tour; it was almost as if Liam switched personalities. He would go from being serious and stoic to not behaving like himself at all...as if he didn’t have a care in the world. He seemed to drink more...a lot more. He was headachy often and had trouble remembering things. He would get agitated fairly easily and seemed really on edge. I thought it was due to the stress from the attacks and Constantine’s death. It only lasted a couple of weeks and then he was back to normal, so I never said anything. And things have been fine, he’s been fine...until just recently. He seems to be drinking more again and the personality splits are back.”

“What do you mean personality splits? Give me an example.”

“He just...is the opposite of himself. He does and says things he wouldn’t ever normally do or say. You know that we’ve received alliance offers...” Drake nodded his head at her statement. Liam had talked to him about the offers they had received from Auvernal and Montiserro and how he felt about them. “At the council meeting the other day, he announced he was open to an alliance and asked Madeleine to facilitate initial talks...”

Drake’s expressions went between concern and disbelief at hearing Alexandria’s words. He hadn’t noticed that vast of a difference in Liam; had he been overlooking something? He thought back to the Unity Tour, but he didn’t recall anything untoward with Liam or his behavior. Of course, Drake hadn’t spent much time alone with Liam during the tour because he and Alexandria were busy rallying the support of the court.

Since hearing that both Auvernal and Montiserro were breathing down Cordonia’s neck about a marital alliance with a child his friend had not yet conceived, Drake had seen the worry lines in Liam’s forehead and noticed how his smiles never quite reached his tired eyes. He knew Liam was sometimes up late into the night if the light peeking from beneath his study door was any indication. However, nothing he saw had given him any reason to worry. He clearly hadn’t seen what Alexandria had behind closed doors.

“Is there anything else?” He questioned Alexandria.

Alexandria’s eyes met Drake’s briefly before looking at something to the left of him. She wondered if she should tell Drake about how Liam’s displays of affection had gone from soft, tender, and sweet to public, coarse, and just a tad...repulsive. Or about his behavior in his study the day before and what he said to her. She shook her head slightly, “No. That’s it. But, Drake...this time,” her voice cracked as she paused for a moment, “this time...it seems worse than before...”

“Have you tried talking to him about it?”

She nodded as she wiped under her eyes before the tears could slip out. “Yesterday morning...once I told him what he had done in the council meeting because he couldn’t remember...he seemed remorseful, even worried...he apologized, and I know he meant it. I told you we were supposed to meet for lunch...but he never showed up. I went to his study to find him after waiting over an hour, and he was sitting in there...and it was as if he was a completely different person from that morning. He told me this morning that he was going to clear his schedule so we could talk this afternoon...but he wasn’t here when I returned.” She closed her eyes trying to hold in her emotions, but a soft cry escaped her and she covered her eyes with her hand.

She felt Drake’s arms wrap around her as he pulled her into a hug. “Hey...we’ll figure it out. I can try to talk to him...”

“He’s scaring me, Drake...I’m really worried about him,” she cried.

Drake rubbed her back as his mind worked to absorb what she had just told him. Then he became curious and slightly worried. “Alex,” he drew back and looked her right in the eyes, “when he’s gotten like this...he hasn’t hurt you, right?”

“No,” she shook her head, seeing the relief fill Drake’s expression. “He just...acts different. But yesterday...was the first time I’ve ever felt afraid of him, Drake. He had this...this look in his eyes…”

Drake pulled her back to him, trying to wrap his mind around what was going on with Liam. Alexandria calmed herself some, feeling a little better that she had someone else who cared for Liam to talk to about it instead of keeping it hidden and to herself. After a few long moments of silence, Drake and Alexandria heard the sound of someone’s throat clear and both drew apart and looked over to the doorway to see Liam standing there.

They watched as Liam’s head slowly tilted to the left as a devious smirk spread on his lips. “What do we have here?”

Alexandria knew just by the tone of his voice and the smug smile he was wearing that he wasn’t himself. “Liam...”

“My Queen...is everything alright?” The words rolled off his tongue in an unctuous tone.

“It...it’s fine. I was just speaking to Drake about something...”

“I’m sure you were...”

An air of thick silence fell between the three of them before Alexandria spoke again. “You were supposed to clear your afternoon so we could talk. What happened?”

“I’m a busy man. I am a King, after all.”

“Yes, you reminded me of that yesterday,” she replied coolly.

“Most of the time, my time isn’t my own. I had other important matters to attend to.” There was a bite in his tone and Alexandria felt her heart sink knowing that speaking to her, which seemed important to him that morning, clearly wasn’t important to him anymore. “Regina asked me to send you to her quarters if I saw you so she could speak with you about details regarding the tea ceremony.”

“Ok.”

“Do not keep her waiting,” he urged.

Alexandria stared at him. He hadn’t even asked her why she seemed to be upset nor did he attempt to comfort her himself. And as he spoke to her, his hard eyes had been locked on Drake the entire time, not once looking at her. She quickly wiped her cheeks and stood from the bench, thankful for a reason to remove herself from that room...away from him. She looked down at Drake who was staring back at Liam with a look of confusion and irritation. “I’ll...talk to you later.”

“Sure thing, Brooks,” he nodded as he looked at her.

Alexandria brushed past Liam and stepped out of her study. Liam leaned back and craned his neck out the door, watching her walk away, his eyes scanning over her curves with a subtle smirk before he turned his attention back to Drake. Liam quirked his brow at his long time friend as he leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms over his chest. Drake’s brows were furrowed as he took in Liam’s demeanor, already able to see what Alexandria had been referring to. Liam pushed himself off the doorframe and stepped further inside Alexandria’s study, moving to her small bar cart and pouring himself a finger of scotch. He turned to face Drake, lifting the glass to his lips while locking eyes with him over the rim, a silent standoff being had.

After a moment, Drake stood and arched his brow. “Are you feeling ok, Li?”

“I feel great,” he replied without hesitation. “How about you, Drake? How are you feeling?”

“Uh...I’m ok.” His expression was curious and questioning.

“Still not over her are you?”

Drake’s brows knitted, unsure of whether he heard Liam correctly or not. “Excuse me?”

“Alex...you’re not over her, are you?” Drake raised his brows in surprise. “Are you really that surprised that I know how you shamelessly pined after her during the social season and engagement tour? Even after we were engaged? I saw the longing looks you gave her when you thought no one, especially me, was looking.”

Drake’s jaw clenched, not knowing where this was coming from or why he was even bringing it up. He and Liam had never discussed that topic; he was unaware until that very moment that Liam even knew about the feelings he once had for Alexandria. Drake had never acted on those feelings, however, knowing that she was there for Liam and only had eyes for him, and knowing that Liam himself was head over heels for her. Those feelings he had once held for her had long subsided. She was his friend, nothing more. “Liam-”

“She's a married woman, Drake. The Queen...your Queen. And yet you still can't hide your feelings. Here you are, acting as though you consoling her is just you being a good friend when you and I both know that it’s just an excuse for you to try and get closer to her.” Liam hid a smile behind his glass as he took another long sip of his drink, clicking his tongue after he swallowed the amber liquid. “The commoner best friend loses the girl to the King. Just as he has his whole life,” he smirked.

Drake looked at his friend with shocked, wide eyes before his face dropped into a scowl. “What the fuck are you talking about, Li? I don’t know how much you’ve had to drink, but maybe you should give it a damn rest for the day!”

“Oh, where are my manners?” Liam scoffed as he turned and grabbed a full bottle of whiskey from Alexandria’s bar cart, turning back a moment later and outstretching his arm to hand it to Drake. “Go ahead,” he waved the bottle, urging him to take it, “drink yourself into an early grave. It’s the only thing you're good at,” he sneered.

Drake stared at him for a long hard moment before yanking the bottle from Liam’s hand. “Oh, okay, your majesty! Well, when I finish this bottle, feel free to fuck yourself with it! What the fuck has gotten into you?” Drake shook his head as he turned and stormed out of Alexandria’s study.

Liam stood there emotionless, unfazed by any of what had just transpired. He poured himself another finger of scotch before ambling out of the room with his glass gripped in his hand, wearing a satisfied smirk.

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littlemarvelfics · 5 years

Text

Summer Camp: Age 17

Pairing: Steve x Reader

Word Count: about 2,000

Warnings: none

Square filled: ice cream date

A/N: Hi hello! Here’s part two! Before you send me angry letters, there’s another part coming. This is for @marvelfluffbingo! I’m in the midst of reworking my blog and organizing my masterlist so bear with me!

You pulled into the parking lot of your beloved Camp Takota. You had been coming here every year since you were 10, the year you met Steve Rogers. Just thinking of him brought a smile to your face. Even though you didn’t stay in contact much throughout the school year, the summers always belonged to the two of you. What started as a friendship grew into something you depended on. Every year you looked forward to the drive that brought you back to the lake where you met your best friend, your first boyfriend and your first kiss. You fiddled with the charm that was originally on the bracelet Steve had given you that first summer. It was now on a necklace that you wore 24/7.

You hopped out of your car and took in your surroundings. The “Welcome to Camp Takota” banner you and a few other counselors had worked on the last few weeks of the previous summer was already hung. Picnic tables were out and you saw a few of your fellow counselors setting various first-day necessities up. You took a deep breath and let the quiet settle around you. Tomorrow this place would be swarming with kids, eager to roast marshmallows and reconnect with the friends they had made in summers past.

“Lieutenant Trouble!” you heard someone yell from nearby.

You whipped around to see Bucky and Sam walking towards you. You ran towards them and smashed them into a group hug.

“Sargent, Falcon,” you said in way of greeting the two boys.

“How is the most feared camp counselor of Takota doing?” Bucky teased.

“I am not feared!” you defended. “I’m beloved and respected.”

“Nah, you’re feared,” said a voice from behind you.

A grin quickly spread across your face, you knew that voice anywhere. You turned to run and jump into Steve’s arms, knowing he would catch you. You jumped into his arms, wrapping your legs around his waist and kissing him hard.

“You two are disgusting,” Sam mumbled from behind you.

You pulled away from Steve and smiled at him.

“Hi.”

“Missed you,” you said simply.

“Missed you too,” he replied, setting you down onto your feet.

You turned to face the boys and clapped your hands together.

“Alright, boys! Let’s get to work, campers are gonna be here soon!”

“That’s the spirit Y/N!” Maxine said as she walked up.

You smiled at her, over the years you and Maxine had gotten close. She was older than you but since your first year, she had started acting like an older sister. Eventually, she ended up owning the camp and was thrilled when you and your friends had decided you wanted to be counselors. Every year, you, Steve, Bucky, Sam, Nat, and Clint made your ways back to Camp Takota, having the best summer of your lives until the next one came around. This year was different though and even though none of you talked about it in depth, you knew things were changing. Come August, all of you would be going your separate ways to follow your dreams or head to school. You were heading clear across the country for art school in California, everyone had plans that were scattering them. You shook your head to rid yourself of the thoughts, it wasn’t happening yet. There was no need to worry.

You listened carefully as Maxine told you what you should be doing to get ready for the campers arrival the next day. You gave her a salute when she finished explaining and headed off to complete your tasks, the boys following your lead. You worked all day, joking around with each other and reminiscing about years past until Maxine told you it was time for dinner. You all gathered in the dining all, quickly spotting Clint and Natasha and making your way over to them, hugging them quickly before sitting down and turning to Maxine who was banging a spoon on a pan to get everyone’s attention.

“Welcome back counselors! I know that most of y’all have been through this before so just bear with me. Your assignments are posted by the door. One counselor per cabin. If you read the orientation packets, you know the deal with leaving. The short version is, you can’t usually. Other main rule- KEEP IT IN YOUR PANTS. Any questions, see me or someone else in charge. Veteran counselors, look out for the baby consumers- we want them to come back next year. Alright, let’s eat everyone!”

“You know that no sex rule is because of you and Steve right?” Natasha whispered in your ear.

You jammed your elbow into her side and turned to Steve who was just as embarrassed as you if the redness on his cheeks was any indication.

“Me and Steve cannot be the only ones who hooked up at camp,” you whispered back to Natasha. “You and Clint for example…”

Her eyes widened and she glanced quickly at Clint.

“How did you…?” she asked, tailing off.

“Lieutenant Trouble knows all,” you said with a laugh.

The next few weeks went by quickly and with very few problems. You mostly ran art classes while Steve did more outdoor activities. You were cleaning up some supplies left behind by your last class when you felt two hands on your waist. You turned around and slipped your arms around Steve’s neck.

“Could I interest my best girl in some ice cream?” he asked.

“Of course you could. You snag the ice cream, I’ll grab a blanket and meet you at our spot?”

“You got it, Lieutenant,” he said with a laugh.

“See ya soon Captain,” you whispered as you kissed him gently.

Ten minutes later you were unfolding a blanket on the spot you and Steve declared belonged to you a few summers back. It was a little ways from the camp, giving you privacy and quiet. It was right by the lake and most nights it would cool down, making it the perfect temperature for sitting and talking. This was where you first kissed Steve, and years later it was the spot where you lost your virginity to him.

Caught up in memories, you didn’t hear Steve approaching and he took the opportunity to admire you. You were so different from the girl that he had met at camp seven years ago. You had more confidence now than you did back then. You didn’t have a problem speaking your mind or calling someone out on their bullshit- it was something Steve loved about you. Your eyes were the one thing that never changed though. Still bright with wonder and joy most days, Steve often found it hard to tear his gaze away from you.

“Hey stalker,” you said with a laugh that snapped Steve out of his daydream.

“Hey, this still your favorite?” he asked, holding up your cup of ice cream.

“It certainly is,” you replied as you settled down on the ground.

“You know we’ve done this every year since we were 11?” he questioned as he sat down next to you.

“Done what?”

“Ice cream date. You, me, this lake, and two cups of ice cream.”

“Huh…” you said, thinking back over the years. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

You and Steve ate your ice cream and talked back and forth until you found yourself in your favorite position. Both of you laying down, your head on his chest, looking up at the stars. You were silently gazing until Steve broke the silence.

“Hey Y/N?”

“Hey Steve?” you answered.

“What are we gonna do after this summer?”

“What do you mean?” you asked as you propped your self up on your elbow so you could look him in the eye.

“I mean… we’re not coming back to camp next year. You’re moving across the country and I’m staying here. What are we doing?”

“We’re enjoying our summer together Steve,” you said defensively.

“But after that? What’s the plan here Y/N?”

“Do we need a plan?”

“Yeah, we do. What are we gonna do?”

“Why are you pushing this so hard?!” you demanded.

“Because you’re avoiding the subject Y/N! I’ve tried to bring this up before and you just blow me off! We have to talk about this!”

“Why?! Why can’t we just enjoy this summer and see what happens when it ends?” you said as you pushed yourself off the ground.

“It’s ending Y/N! We go home next week. And we leave this place behind! Maybe we should…” he trailed off.

“Say it,” you said, tears forming in your eyes. “Say what you wanna say, Steve.”

“Maybe we should let this be what it is. A teenage summer romance. Maybe we move on and keep this a beautiful memory.”

You looked at Steve, disbelief written all over your face.

“Fine. If that’s what you want, that’s fine,” you said as you walked away from him, ignoring his calls from behind you.

After a night of sleep, you realized you agreed with Steve. You loved him. But you knew you had to find yourselves in the adult world and figure out your next steps. You could be friends, but holding onto a summer romance wouldn’t do either of you any good. The next morning you and Steve talked it out. You would have a beautiful last week and then let each other go.

The night before you were all supposed to leave camp, you and your ‘camp friends’ were huddled around a bonfire. Earlier in the day, all of the campers had gone home and you were all celebrating a successful summer together with one last bonfire. The night was filled with reminiscing over this past summer and the ones before it. You were almost ready to call it a night when Clint spoke up.

“Wait, I truly can’t remember why we started calling Y/N Lueitent Trouble. Someone help me,” he pleaded.

“Well well well, it was the summer we were all 13. Little Y/N had already started coming into her feisty personality,” Bucky started. “And these girls, monsters really, were picking on little Stevie. So one day, I’m heading back to my cabin and she grabs me and tells me she’s putting a stop to it but she needs my help.”

“Oh my god this is the worst,” you said covering your face.

“No no, it’s brilliant! My girl defending my honor.” Steve chuckled.

“Let me finish! Anyway. She has a bunch of shaving cream cans that she swiped from counselors. We waited until dark and then snuck to the outside of the girls’ cabin. We poked holes in the bottom of the cans, which makes the shaving cream spew everywhere and threw them into the cabin. They wake up screaming and try to run out of the cabin but they can’t open the door. That’s when she tells me that she greased up the handle earlier in the night so they couldn’t get out. From that moment on, she was Luietnet Trouble.”

Everyone erupted in laughter and the stories began flying around again until you finally all settled enough to go to bed for the night.

The next morning, you woke up with a sinking feeling in your gut. Today was the day, the day you had to say goodbye to your friends and Steve. You went through your morning routine until it was finally time. You had said your goodbyes to everyone at their cars until it was just you and Steve left. He pulled you into a bone-crushing hug.

“I’m always gonna love you Y/N, you know that right?”

“Yeah, yeah I know that. I’m always gonna love you too.”

With that, you pulled back and kissed him one last time before you got into your jeep and drove away from Camp Takota for the last time.

#marvelfluffbingo2019 #summer camp #summer camp au #Steve Rogers #steve rogers x reader #steve rodgers x reader #steve rogers imagine #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers one shot #steve rogers x you #steve rogers x y/n #marvel #marvel fic #marvel fanfiction #marvel oneshot #marvel imagine

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riseandshinelittleblossom · 5 years

Text

Kismet : Chapter one ~Falling for You

Okay some of you may or may not remember this fic as it was the very first one I ever posted on my old blog, but I’ve decided (with gentle nudging) to repost it. As always if you’d like to be added or removed from the tag let me know.

Pairing: Maxwell x OC (Charlotte Scott)

Song from the Title: “Falling for You” by Colbie Caillat

Disclaimer: Maxwell belongs to PB...Unfortunately. As does Riley

Tags: @fullbeaumonty @ritachacha @cocomaxley @leelee10898 @speedyoperarascalparty @ao719 @choiceswreckedme

Charlotte stepped out onto the beach the sun bright and high in the sky above.

“I’ve never seen water so clear,” she said as her sister finally caught up to her.

“Well I’ve never seen so many sexy guys in one place,” Riley retorted.

“Of course, that’s all you care about.”

“C’mon Charlie, we’re on vacation. Hot guys are what we’re supposed to be thinking about. Besides, we only have this one week in Crete, I’m not gonna waste it reading in the sand.”

Charlotte gripped the book in her hand a little tighter while her sister continued.“I plan to find me one of these hotties and get swept up in a steamy summer romance!”

“Yeah, yeah Riley. Go on ahead and chase your Greek prince charming. I’m gonna find a place to set up.”

Riley smiled and raced off toward the water. Charlotte surveyed the beach, one hand shielding her eyes from the sun. She selected a spot not far from the water and laid out her blanket. In no time she was completely engrossed in her novel.

“Watcha readin’?” a voice rang out. She snapped her head up to find the source. A man with chocolate brown hair approached her as he emerged from the water. Charlotte marveled at the sight of the ocean water dripping down his perfectly tanned, chiseled abs. She could feel her jaw drop reflexively and her cheeks got hot.

“Watcha readin’?” he repeated coming to a stop in front of her, his body blocking the sun.

“Oh, uh, ‘1984,’” she stammered, unable to think for a moment.

“Is it any good?” he asked.

“I would recommend it.”

“Same. It’s one of my favorites,” he almost sighed the response.

He smiled and took a seat in the sand beside her, his body still dripping and glistening. “Still, I can’t help but feel like you’re wasting this beach.” H smiled and shot her a sideways glance.

“Oh, I guess so. Sun’s out fun’s out, right?”

“Exactly.”

She extended her hand to him, closing the book without bothering to mark her page.

“I’m Charlie,” she said.

“Max.”

“Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

“Believe me, Charlie, the pleasure’s all mine.” Again, she blushed, and he continued, “So wuddaya say? Care to take a dip? Or maybe we can take a walk in the surf.” Over Max’s shoulder Charlotte saw Riley approaching with a smug grin and she motioned for Charlotte to “shoo.”

“Sounds good,” she replied. A smile flashed across Max’s face as he rose eagerly from the sand. He extended a hand to Charlotte and she accepted it smiling.

They started down the beach in contented silence for a few moments before Max asked, “Are you just visiting Crete?”

Charlotte nodded. “My older sister and me.”

“Older sister, huh? Should I be worried?”

“About?”

“I dunno. I’d hate to get my ass kicked for, ya know, trying to seduce you or something.”

“Are you trying to seduce me?” she smirked.

“That depends. You feeling seduce-able?”

“Perhaps.”

Max laughed. “I will admit, for the record, I think you’re smokin’ hot.”

“You’re not so bad yourself. So, what about you? Are you just visiting?”

He nodded bending to pick up a seashell. He turned it over in his hands.

“Business or pleasure?”

“S’all about the beaches, Baby. I come to Crete as often as I can.”

“So, can I say something? Just for the record?” Max raised an eyebrow expectantly.

“That,” Charlotte began pointing at the tattoo on his right pectoral muscle,“is the most adorable hippo tat I’ve ever seen.”

“Why thank you.”

“I want to get a tattoo. It’s part of my 10-year plan.” Again, Max raised an eyebrow.

“It’s not what you think. It’s more like a bucket list I suppose, just fun stuff I wanna do before I turn thirty.”

“That’s pretty cool, actually. What else is on it?” Charlotte bit her lip thoughtfully.

“I mean there’s the tattoo….travel to Greece, which I’m currently doing…go skydiving.”

“Ya know, if you’re interested, I can take you to the shop where I got this bad boy done.” He pointed to his chest. “The shop’s not far from here. Maybe we can get some dinner after?” Charlotte’s eyes lit up and she beamed.

“I’d love that! Although I should probably head back to the hotel and change first.”

“Me too. Wanna meet back here in an hour?”

“That’s perfect. I’ll see ya then.”

“I can’t wait.”

Catching her off guard, Max leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the cheek before he turned to leave.

***************

Max stood on the beach enjoying the sea breeze as it ruffled his white button down.

“It got windy.” Charlotte mused. He turned around to find her walking toward him in a yellow, off the shoulder sundress, her crimson hair flying wildly in the breeze. For a moment he was stunned into silence.

“You ready?” she asked.

“Uh, you know it! Let’s get you off of this beach before you fly away.” He extended her an arm and she took it.

“Such a gentleman.” she teased, grinning..

“Only the best for my beautiful date.”

“So, this is a date. Just how many girls do you take to this tattoo parlor, mister?”

“So far? Hmmm...Just the one, but she sure is somethin’.” Charlotte grinned and this time, Max was pretty sure it touched her ears.

They strolled up to a tiny shop and Max held the door open for her. “Milady.” He bowed slightly.

“Why thank you, fine sir.” Charlotte giggled.

As they stepped into the entryway Max asked, “Have you decided what you’re gonna get?”

She shook her head. “Nah, I’ll know when I get in the chair.”

“Ooooo impulsive. I love it.” He flashed her a giddy grin.

“Something about you makes me feel that way.” She replied with a wink.

A short time later they emerged onto the streets of Crete. Charlotte was sporting a small piece of clear wrap over her fresh ink.

“Alright, I have to ask. Why ‘serendipity?’”

“It’s one of my favorite words. It basically means a series of events leading up to a happy accident. I dunno,it just felt right.”

Max grabbed her shoulders and examined the small script just below her left collarbone. He angled his head this way and that. “I like it. It suits you.” he declared with a decisive nod.

“Well thank you,” Charlotte replied, “Now, I believe I was promised food. I kinda like you, so I would hate for you to see me when I’m hangry. You wouldn’t like me when I’m hangry.” She gritted her teeth in mock ferocity.

“Okay, Lady Hulk. To dinner!”

Max started down the street and Charlotte stealthily slid her hand into his. She rested her head on his shoulder and he glanced down at her. The warmth of her body made Max giddy.

They reached a bistro style restaurant with an outdoor deck and slowly made their way past the sign that read “Please have a seat” in both Greek and English. Max selected a table in the corner and pulled out a chair for Charlotte. After placing their order Charlotte said, “Tell me more about you, Max. I feel like I’ve been talking about myself all day.”

“Well I’m an open book. What would you like to know?”

“What about your family? You must have one.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and Max watched her, entranced. His gaze followed her finger as it trailed down the length of her hair and rested on her shoulder as she propped her elbow on the table.

“Hello? Earth to Max! You okay?” Charlotte snapped him back to life.

“Right! Sorry…My family. Um, I have an older brother. Mom died when I was fifteen. And, uh, and then Dad died last year. So, yeah my brother is all I have left.”

“I am such a jerk and I immediately regret asking that. I’m sorry.” The waiter returned with their food and then promptly dismissed himself.

Max sighed. “S’okay. It is what it is. I mean, I miss them; but dwelling on it won’t bring them back. Like I always say no other way but forward. So--”

Charlotte interrupted. “My dad used to say that before he…. No other way but forward.”

“He sounds like a wise man.” He smiled. “You know, you look beautiful in the sunset.”

He laughed as he watched her cheeks flash red. “Do you always blush so much? As much as I’ve seen you do it today I’m beginning to think it must be a sunburn.”

“Who’s blushing?!”

“You, Miss Blushy-pants!” They both laughed.

“No. I usually don’t. Guess it must be the company.” Charlotte replied as her lips curled seductively.

After dinner the pair headed towards the hotel.

“Of all the hotels on this island, I can’t believe we’re staying at the exact same one.” Max mused.

“I know, right? It must be a stroke of…well, serendipity.”

He squeezed her hand a little and she returned the gesture. They walked a few paces in silence, Max unable to stop staring at her. The moonlight on her soft features made her look almost angelic. “So, I have a confession to make.” He said.

“Spill that tea, Mister.”

“I was supposed to head home today; but when I went back to the hotel to change I extended my stay. I hope I’m not being presumptuous, but I wanted to stick around and see what kind of shenanigans we could get up to.”

“Max! Are you asking me on a second date before the first one’s even over?” She elbowed him playfully, a laugh on her lips. “How do you know I’ve even enjoyed this one? Hmmm?”

“Just a hunch. Am I jumpin’ the gun?”

“No,” she giggled,“I’d love to be your partner in shenanigans.”

She turned to face him as they reached the hotel. Standing on her tiptoes she leaned close to him, her hands on his shoulders. He wrapped his arm around her waist and jolted forward covering her lips in a heated kiss. It was brief, but his whole body tingled as he pulled away.

“Those are the best kinds of shenanigans,” she purred.

“Seconded.” Max smirked.

#trr maxwell beaumont #maxwell x oc #trr au #trr fanfic #choices fanfiction #the royal romance #choices the royal romance #the royal romance au

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animeaesthtic · 5 years

Text

Fate

Rivetra Weekend 2019 ||

I originally posted the first part of this fic to my main blog but figured I would merge both to keep things simple. Sorry for any confusion!

This story takes place before the Battle of Trost arc

Words: 2450

_______________________

“Petra, are you even listening to me?”

“Hmm?” Her gaze flickered back to the agitated man standing in front of her. “Oh give it a rest Oluo. I don’t need to listen to you because you’ve already told me this a hundred times.”

“You’re too obvious Petra. You can’t just say and do whatever pops into your little head. Not when it comes to him.”

“Isn’t it our job to protect people?”

“Civilians, yes. Your captain? No.”

“Shove it. Besides, all I did was help him out with a titan. That is what I’m good at after all. ”

“You almost never help me when we’re in the field…”

“Yeah well, maybe I would if you learned to behave Oluo.” Pushing past him she made her way down the hill to the stables. It was her turn to tend to the horses and give their stalls a deep cleaning. A job she actually tended to enjoy, considering the horses weren’t insolent jerks who felt compelled to voice their opinions every five seconds. They couldn’t talk at all.

“I’m on stable duty tonight. Save me some dinner and maybe I’ll forgive you.” she tossed over her shoulder.

_______________________

“Hello everyone.” She spoke softly as she entered the stables. There were only six horses currently, so she figured the job would take a couple of hours tops. “Shall we get some fresh air?”

A chorus of neighs came in response and she laughed, leading each one out to the small pasture for them to graze. The rest of the squad always gave her shit for allowing herself to grow attached to the horses. As far as she knew, she was the only one who used her spare time to feed them apples or give them a quick scratch behind the ear. To the men, they were tools; but even if that were true, those ‘tools’ kept them from becoming titan food. So for now she would continue to care for them and the rest of her squad could suck it.

Suck it? A loud groan escaped her lips. When did she get such a vulgar mouth? Being the only woman was clearly beginning to take its toll. It was a constant hassel to keep her cursing to a minimum these days. Her vocabulary was starting to mainly consist of a lengthy list of many impolite responses. Some of which, caused her cheeks to glow red just thinking about it. Lucky for her, she had been successful at keeping her tasteless new habit hidden from her captain. Even though Eld and Gunther had threatened to tell a couple of times… but so far, so good.

After returning the horses to their clean stalls, she made her way back up the hill towards the main quarters they had recently moved to. It was nice, much nicer than the previous set of apartments they had been forced to share with a few other military branches, but as Levi had warned her “It’s only temporary.”

Temporary.

A word that once terrified her, now seemed to pull her soul from its constant state of panic. There was comfort in knowing that almost everything in her life was temporary. The pain and fear- the loss- it was all temporary.

And in a world as temporary as theirs, the scariest thing was to think that something would last forever.

Like death.

Yeah, like that. Nothing is more permanent than that.

She shook her head violently as if the thoughts could be thrown from her mind. What was she thinking about before? Oh right, their new living quarters. They weren’t located too far from the survey corps current headquarters. Only about a twenty minute ride really, but the distance was more than enough for her. Over the last year, the survey corps had begun to up it’s recruitment; making their already small space even smaller. Meaning there was never any peace or privacy. And after walking in on her fourth hookup, she had made sure to confine herself to her room after dark. As interesting as it was to know who was sleeping around with who, she did not want to actually see it. So when the announcement was made that the special team would be moving house, she was more than happy about it. She could do things here that she would never have dreamed of doing before. Like now, after sweating over hay and dirt for more than an hour she could utilize the outdoor shower and wash the traces of her work from her body.

Well, it’s not exactly a shower. More like a shower head conveniently placed on the side of the house most likely meant for spraying off tools or whatever. But, no one on the team seemed to have noticed it within the last month and so it was now unofficially hers. Perfect for washing away the dirt, sweat, and horse hair she had managed to collect. Sure, it was bold to strip out in the open but it was dark and she was safe. That was the real reason she chose to skip dinner on her cleaning days. By the time she was done with her chores, it was late and everyone was tucked away in their rooms. She was alone, and she made sure to make use of that precious time. Besides, there was no way in hell she would track hay and manure through the clean house. She could already see the disapproving scowl of her captain now.

Dropping her sweat soaked clothes to the ground, she turned the rusted spout allowing for a steady stream of cool water to flow out. The roughness of it helped massage her aching muscles and she took her time rinsing off.

She couldn’t help the satisfied grin that spread across her face as she wrapped herself in a towel and made her way to the door. It was a wonderful feeling to be able to leave the scents of the outdoors where they belonged.

“Out for a midnight stroll, Ral?”

The deadpanned voiced called out to her as she slipped through the open door, causing her to nearly jump out of her skin. “Captain! I was just-”

Levi sat back further in his chair, causing the front legs to lift from the ground. A smug look plastered across his face. “No need for excuses. I suppose we all have our secrets.”

Petra dropped her gaze in an attempt to hide her face. She was sure her cheeks were ablaze. “I was just finishing with the stables, Sir.”

He lifted an eyebrow, his expression seeming only slightly interested. “I didn’t realize you preferred to clean like that.” He motioned towards her small towel, causing her entire body to grow red in embarrassment.

“You hate dirt.” She blurted out.

“I do.”

“I’m clean.”

“You are.”

She tried to regain her external composure as best she could. Internally- she was kicking herself. “I’m clean” Is that the best you could come up with. Nice job, you’re officially an ass Ral.

“I’m sorry, Captain. I didn’t expect anyone to be up.”

“Drop the formalities, Petra. There’s no one here and you’re in a towel. ‘Captain’ just doesn’t seem to fit the current situation. Why don’t you go change into something that covers a little more.”

“Yeah sure.” she squeaked while carefully maneuvering around him and out of the room. She returned a few moments later and sat down across the table from him.

“Tea?”

She nodded silently still keeping her gaze turned down.

“Not talkative tonight, are we?”

“You’re not exactly the talking type, Sir.” Her eyes grew wide before apologizing quickly at her boldness.

He simply ignored her. “And I didn’t see you as being the type to sneak around at odd hours of the night. I guess we were both wrong.”

Taking a gulp of her tea she attempted to steer the conversation away from her. “What are you doing up so late anyway?”

“I don’t sleep much.”

She knew that. Everyone knew that.

“And you just happened to be in the mood for tea?”

“Pretty much. It seems I have good timing, too.” He shot back at her.

“I was with the horses.” She mumbled into her cup.

“Hn. I’m sure you were.”

Was he…. “Are you teasing me, Sir?” she asked carefully.

“It’s Levi, Petra. And yes I am.”

She watched as he swirled the spoon in his cup idily. “You’re full of surprises tonight… Levi” She tested out using his name casually. It was strange to say the least. She caught his gaze and the blush returned to her face.

“And you’re awfully…red tonight, Ral.”

She laughed then, moving her hands to rub her burning cheeks. “You know you’re not supposed to point it out.”

“Sorry. I’m not as good at teasing as Oluo is.”

Oluo isn’t good at anything.

“What was that face for?”

“It was nothing. Oluo isn’t good at teasing is all.”

“So he’s not your type then.”

She could feel her face drop and she began to stammer once again. “M-My what?”

An amused look spread over his usually stern features. Was he enjoying her visible fall from grace? She had worked so hard on the cool and collected persona she used around him, only to have it completely unraveled in a matter of minutes.

“Your type, Ral. You do have one don’t you?”

“I don’t know.” of course she knew. “Maybe I do.” she definitely did.

“Well, what is it then? Not a horse I hope.”

“What! No- I mean I do have one but I’m not telling you what it is! Unless… you tell me yours first.” She moved to grab her cup again, needing something in her hands to keep them steady.

“You want to know my type?”

“Yes. I’m…curious is all.”

He leaned forward, sitting the chairs front legs back on the ground. “Alright. I’d say… Tall.”

Not me.

“What was that look for?”

She cursed herself for wearing her emotions so visibly and cleared her throat before sitting the now empty cup down. “I’m not tall.”

“And I’m not a horse.” He stood then and grabbed the cup gently from her hands, moving to put them in the sink. “Looks like we’ll both have to settle.”

_______________________

Levi watched as a range of various emotions flashed across her face.

Confusion, shock, embarrassment.

And one more he couldn’t quite figure out. Either way her reaction to his words pleased him for some reason. It was easy to say the things he regularly thought in his mind out loud to her when they were alone; but it was unnerving to him as well. Control was something he never struggled with, especially not in a romantic way. He never fought with himself over feelings of intimacy or lust towards other women. When he was younger he had eventually given in and slept with one just to have the burden of his virginity dealt with; but once the deed was done he was content with it not happening again. Physical attraction alone was not enough to make him throw caution to the wind, it would take more. Even though he admittedly didn’t know what that was. All he knew was that she had it; and he had known since the day he met her. It wasn’t love at first sight, because that doesn’t exist anyway. It was more like a sort of familiarity between them. When he met her it was as if he had already known her for years, but he would never admit that.

He finished drying the cups and sat them by the edge of the sink to be put away later. Petra was still staring at him with the mix of emotions lining her soft features. Her large doe eyes silently begging him for an explanation and he wondered if he could even give her one.

“If there’s something you want to ask me, ask it.”

Her lashes fluttered and her usually pouty lips tightened into a thin line. “Are you teasing me again Levi?”

“I wouldn’t tease about this Petra. You know that.” Crossing his arms, he pressed his back into the counter behind him. ”You seem confused.”

“That’s because I am.” she hesitated for a moment, biting her lip. “I don’t know what to think. Why are you saying this now?”

He shrugged. “Did you have a better time in mind?”

“No-”

“I’m only saying that the feelings are mutual, Ral. Don’t overthink it.” He moved over to wear she was still sitting and offered her a hand, which she took after a moment of contemplation. “None of us have enough time to worry about things that don’t really matter.”

“Are you saying that this doesn’t matter?”

“What happens between us does. But all of those other things you’re worrying about don’t.”

He knew what she was focusing on even without her having tell him. Petra was one to give an immense amount of thought to the most minuscule of things. She was dissecting problems of the future before they even existed.

What would happen next? What would their squad think? What would the commander do if he found out?

It was written all over her lovely face.

Almost as if she could read his thoughts she ran her tongue over her lips and lifted her chin so that she was level with his eyes. “So what happens now?”

What was going to happen now?

He didn’t know. He had just confessed his feelings of attraction towards her and he knew she returned them. But there was something keeping him from moving closer to her. Fear? There was nothing that scared him more than having her. Having someone meant there would be something to miss when they left; and you can’t miss what you never had. But he knew it was only a matter of time before they found themselves alone together- tangled in a messy embrace. What you love is your fate. His mother had told him that once and he had never believed it until now.

So he decided to be honest with her since there was no point in dancing around what was bound to happen eventually. “I don’t know what happens next, Petra. I’m not sure if that’s something I even want to think about right now.”

She hummed softly as she nodded her head in understanding. “Then we’ll worry about it later. Goodnight, Captain.” Her eyes sparkled and she spun to leave, a small gust of air blowing her scent back towards him. Lavender and honey. He had often wondered if it was the shampoo she used that made her smell that way or perhaps it was just her.

What you love is your fate.

And Petra Ral was his.

#rivetra #rivetraweekend #rwjanuary2019 #petra ral #levi ackerman #my stuff

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roastedlizlow · 6 years

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Series: Bad Apple Wars Pairing: Shikishima/Rinka Prompt: Colors WC: 4266 Author’s Note: This is based upon the alternate universe my friend and I have on our dead rp blogs for Shikishima and Rinka! In essence, it’s outside of the events of the game, where Rinka meets Shikishima, two years her senior, a curious young man who goes to a different school (the same one as Watase, actually). This is not the Shikishima from his epilogue, as you know, he’s not from the era he was in... anyway, I really, really love Shikishima; I cried a lot over him after his route. Follow the sun into your perfection...