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#you aren’t always supposed to handle doubt alone.
ewwww-what · 18 days
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friendship so strong it grants you a sixth level spell slot. I have words to say.
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forsaken-creations · 4 months
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Sacrifices Were Made
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Chapter 3 - Self Doubt
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Warnings: Panic Attack, Abandonment Issues, Generalized Trauma
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As he watched Y/N walk out the door, Sun couldn’t help but kind of smile and wave. Was it a slightly nervous smile? In truth, yes. I mean he’d never particularly gotten the chance to be alone with his thoughts before. He’d never gotten the chance to actually sit down and think. Not that he really had the time to sit down! This entire warehouse was a wreck. He swears the last time this was cleaned must have been in the 1980’s. It’s absolutely god awful. So, with a deep breath in as he set Moon down on the dining room table, he rolled up his sleeves and got to work. There was a lot to do today after all, and it has to be easier without all the noise from the kids.
At first it's easy, and the work is both quiet and monotonous. He has never known this level of peace and stillness, almost enjoying it as he's left to start scrubbing off the shelving. A good portion of it will probably go to the nearest dump, but it's still definitely something to do, and he won't be picky about ways to keep busy in here. Smiling to himself, Sun sets about planning what exactly he'll be doing after this. Those pipes do need fixing after all, and many lightbulbs need changing- the windows can't even be seen out of! This could be a beautiful place, honestly, with some new flooring and some fresh ceiling tiles. It's a good, strong building underneath all this grime… He'll have to scrape the rust off, too. . .
He hums a little tune as he cleans, happy to just be in the silence for a moment. He finishes the shelves and begins mopping the floor. His rays jittering and snapping along to the music in his head. As his eyes strayed off to one of the many dirty windows, he paused, his body sliding carefully into autopilot. If Y/N is headed down to the testing facility, is there any way they might find their missing other piece? The chances of Eclipse having been found aren’t high, but the chances of his game ending up in the facility was. He and Moon were found right next to it after all. He wonders if Eclipse managed to escape the blaze- he’s not sure he could forgive himself if Eclipse also died in that fire.
“You're alright, I'm sure Eclipse is fine… or at the very least maybe finding some peace, himself.” Sun murmurs to himself much the way Moon used to do. It's weird knowing that he can talk about it in the past tense now, that he's no longer that sort of literally attached anymore.
“Is it too soon to say I miss you? I've never really been without your voice before… it's new in ways I don't like.” He tries to laugh it off, but the sound is definitely forced.
“I guess I just have to talk to myself now. On the bright side, I hardly ever fight with me, right?” He makes another joke and pauses, trailing off, “If you don't count the anxiety. You were right about me being a worrywart. I overthink things a lot… Maybe I'll try to work on that a little bit.” He attempts to get his mind off of the more serious topics, but his grip on himself slips, never quite able to get a full hold on himself.
“You know, you always used to say that if you could, you’d smack me until the anxiety left my body. God you really were always violent huh?” The laugh is soft, bitter. His eyes fluttering closed for a moment. If he focuses really hard, he can almost hear Moon’s laugh. He misses that sound.
“You were always the one of us that could handle the big things. You always took the work and did it for me, even as you were deteriorating. You were so stubborn. I used to wonder who would do the paperwork if you weren’t around, but I guess I learned how to do it alone, didn’t I?” He takes a shaky breath.
“Y/N reminds me of you already with the way they talk, all stubborn and certain of where they’re supposed to be going. I don’t get it. How did you ever know? How am I supposed to be sure without you there to tell me to be sure?”
The worry sets in again, gripping his nonexistent heart like a vice and damn near physically sending him crashing down.
“What if they die before they fix you and I'm here alone? What if you don't power on right- if you figure out you actually do hate me the way you used to tease-” he feels his body tense on its own, the pang of anxiety through his chest a painful one.
“We had our ups and downs but you don't hate me, right? They'll be fine. I'll be fine, you will too- this is okay we're all okay-” lost in his own head and shaking, this is the first time in his life there's not another person here to stop him from becoming frantic and jittery. He's always been prone to mania, and he's had these sorts of attacks before, but not alone. The hollowness almost crushes him, worried eyes flicking to the door.
Y/N is human, and anything can happen to a human. They aren't the brightest either, and he's seen awful, horrible things happen to people three times their strength and twice as skilled in their work. Other people, other machines, other dangers, it's all a hazard and he can't do anything to stop anyone from getting hurt. He needs Y/N's help, but they may never come back at all!
He can feel himself start to tip off the edge and spiral downwards. What if Y/N gets hurt, seriously hurt? I mean they managed to grab him fairly easily but he’s not particularly aggressive. What if they die? Worse, what if they don’t die and they manage to fix Moon just for him to leave. He knows he’s made lots of mistakes, been in plenty of screaming matches, and even outright threatened to leave if they didn’t share a body. Some of their fights have gotten nasty. What if Moon really does walk out of his life one day, he has the legs to do so now, right? So what’s stopping him from turning around and deciding Sun’s too much work. Nothing, absolutely nothing. Maybe if he couldn’t think of something that would make Moon angry enough to leave he wouldn’t be as scared, but he can. He hid Eclipse from him. After Eclipse had gotten removed and he’d found the card, it was already too late. Moon was too corrupted. He was too scared to lose him. What’s going to happen then? Will he curse him out and run off? Would he even try to stay?
When he finds out about Eclipse, that's it. If he ever manages to hear a word of it, he knows that they'll be done. About what happened and how Sun reacted to it- What he did. He did a terrible thing to protect Moon, as he'd do a good many awful things in the name of the person he cares about the very most. . . Chances are it will never come up, and that any remnant of what has come to pass is now gone with the rubble and swept up with the ashes of the now forgotten pizza plex. The risk of anything being exposed again, being unearthed by anyone of any concern, is so low he shouldn't be thinking about it but he is. Sun's thoughts scream at him under the weight of knowing he deserves to be abandoned, that he couldn't stop Moon no matter how much he wants to if his counterpart ever decides to walk out. The fear of abandonment sits heavy in his mind.
He knows it’s only a matter of time, right? He knows that as soon as Moon is up and walking it will only take one fight. One. He’ll turn and never look back, he was always the least emotional of them, the quickest to detach from things. The best at handling stress. It’s going to be so fast how he- and he hears the sound of the front door unlocking and popping open. His gaze turns to see Y/N, exhausted and covered in dirt and oil, but home. They seem to be admiring the place. After all, Sun cleaned everything. He fixed the pipes, cleaned the floors, shelves and everything in between, put in new lightbulbs. He’d made the place damn near spotless while buried in his own thoughts. Y/N greeted him, happily talking about how much work he’d done and the haul they’d brought home. He was worried about them for nothing, look, they’re home now.
He could almost hear Moon’s laugh. It was just like him to do that, wasn’t it? Panic for no reason.
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imnotgoinghome · 10 months
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Alive or Just Breathing?
Hey peeps! I’m back with Chapter 2 of my first very series on my account so I hope you guys like. Just fyi, I did make MJ show affection…. I know right? It’s like illegal. But anyway, hope you enjoy!
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Chapter 2:
What Am I Supposed to do?
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Summary:
You and Peter always went to your best friends (and roommates) when you were hurting or having trouble, but can you really count on their advice for everything?
Warning:
MJ being affectionate, Crying, Fluff?
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“I don’t know what to do….” You told Mj as the two of you sat on your bed. It was late, 12:30am to be exact, but time was irrelevant to the two of you. Peter had left, not having any more words to exchange, you both decided it was better for him to just leave.
“I know this is hard for you. I know that this conversation wasn’t easy for you to have. And I think, from what you told me, you handled it the best you could. I can’t tell you that everything’s gonna be ok, but I can tell you that everything will work itself out one way or another” Mj explained to you, desperately trying to comfort her best friend.
“Thanks Mj. I know your trying to help. But I just don’t know if your right. I know that no one can guarantee everything will be ok, but will everything just magically work out? Because what if when it works out Peter and I aren’t together anymore,” you breathing became uneasy as you spoken. You were trying to tell yourself that you and Peter where met for each other. That everything was okay. That everyone was going to be okay. But it was no use. Because no matter how hard you tried to believe in him, you always doubted him more. “Mj, what if he ends up hating me because I broke up with him? What happens when we hate each other?” You asked her as an attempt to ground yourself.
Mj was quick to pick up on the disappointed undertone your voice had as you spoke. She knew that you didn’t want to break up with Peter, and to he knowledge, she could only assume you thought you had to.
“Y/n, did you actually want to break up with Peter?” She asked you softly. If all else failed, at least she’d know how you truly felt.
“Can I be honest?” You replied, causing MJ to nod slowly. “I broke up with Peter because I felt lost. I felt alone. With him, I felt warm. But without him, I felt the opposite. When we started dating, I felt like a warm summer day. But recently I’ve been feeling like a cold winter night. And thanks to that, my mind became hazy. It was hard for me to be around because I would get to hot. After being so cold, and getting so hot that quickly, it became to much for me to handle. So, in order to try and prevent it, I invited him over less. I didn’t text or call him as much. And eventually, it got to a point where neither of us started a conversation, leaving us both empty handed. We got to the point where we never saw or talked to each other other then Peter‘s occasional swing by and at school. And I think that over time I started to realize that I didn’t want that. So I tried to talk to him but he didn’t understand so I left it alone…”
“Until tonight. So you broke up with him because that was the only way to get him to listen to you” MJ had taken the words right out of your mouth. You sat there, not knowing what to tell her or even say.
“Yeah…” was all you could say before MJ interrupted you. “You know you could’ve talked to me right? I’m always here for you. Why else do you think we’re roommates?” She added, causing you to laugh for the first time that day.
“I know, and I’m sorry I didn’t. I just wish I could’ve handled it better. Because truth be told, I really didn’t want to have to break up with Peter, I just wanted him to listen to me… I just miss being listened to sometimes” you told her, taking sudden interest in your hands.
MJ slowly brought her hand to your face, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear before bring your eyes to met hers. “I meant what I said, I’m always here for you. Whether that means to listen, to talk, or even just to help you with your makeup or homework. I’m always here for you Y/n”.
“Thanks MJ. But what am I going to do about Peter?” You asked her.
“You know what you need,” you raised an eyebrow, “a girls day. Get some rest girlfriend cause tomorrow I’m calling Betty and Liz and the four of us are going to the mall” MJ explained, kissing your forehead before she left.
“Ok. Night MJ” you called after her.
“Night Y/n” she said before closing your bedroom door.
“It was so awkward dude. I don’t know what I’m gonna do” Peter sighed as he flopped back on his bed. Ned sighed, looking at his best friend with a disappointed expression.
“Look, Y/n broke up with you right?”
“Yeah…”
“Do you know why?” Ned questioned.
“Something about I didn’t give her enough attention or something, I don’t remember” Peter lied. He knew exactly why you broke up with him, he could only hope he didn’t have to tell Ned too.
“Come on Peter, we both know that’s a lie”
“Fine. She broke up with me because I wasn’t there. She broke up with me because I’m a horrible person, ok? Is that what you wanted?” Peter asked, clearly annoyed.
“Ok, just calm down and let’s figure this out”
“I am calm!” Peter snapped. He didn’t want to talk about it. But he knew Ned wasn’t going to let it go. So, he took a couple deep breaths and tried to steady himself.
“Why did she say you were a horrible person?” Ned asked, clearly not understanding Peter’s exaggeration.
“She didn’t call me a horrible person, Ned. She implied that I am a horrible person” he explained.
“Ok so why did she imply that you are a horrible person?”
Peter gave him a quick look of disgust before explaining. “She implied that I am a horrible person because she said that I didn’t make enough time for her. She said that I was growing distant, constantly ditching her, never spending time with her. Like, can you believe that? Me? A flaker?” Peter asked him. Ned knew that Peter was trying to cover the fact that the subject hurt him. He knew what Peter was saying wasn’t what he meant.
“Well, I mean you have been spending at lot of time out on patrol and by yourself” Ned hastily replied. He knew it wasn’t the smartest response, but it was all he could think to say.
“Really? You too?” He asked, the sad undertone to his words not going unnoticed.
“Look, I know it’s not what you want to hear, and it’s probably not gonna go very well when I said this but,” he took a deep breath. “I’m just gonna say it. Peter, your the one who messed up your relationship. Both of you suffered from you not being there and you didn’t try and fix it, you just let it happen”
“Wow thanks” Peter said as he rolled his eyes.
“Cut the sarcasm and listen to me. You both made mistakes. But you never talked about them. You just let them happen and forgot about them because you never talked to each other. You never listened to each other,”
“Why are you telling me this?” Peter asked sadly.
“I’m telling you this so you can realize that you have the chance to fix it. You have the chance to make things right. But only you can do that. Y/n can tell you she’s sorry all she wants but it won’t mean a thing unless it comes from the person who messed things up to being with. You have to make things right, Peter. And you have to do so before it’s to late.” Ned finished.
“But how do I fix it? How do I fix the thing I messed up so badly?” He asked.
Ned looked at Peter in disbelief. He knew Peter was a genius, but really? How did this man not see it?
“How do you fix it? Peter, I don’t see what you don’t get. I practically just gave you the answer,” Peter looked at Ned expectingly, causing Ned to roll his eyes. “Apologize to her. Genuinely apologize and whatever happens, happens”
“How do I do that?”
“You’ll come up with something, trust me. Just give it time.”
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ur-fav-alien · 1 year
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Partners
Trent Beretta/Tony Nese A little bit of angst? Emotions being rekindled stuff like that lol Tony Nese is now all elite, and Trent feels the need to congratulate his old partner. (+ a scene after their match on Dark)
Trent was still a little surprised. He didn’t doubt Nese, no, not at all. Trent was just shocked that the guy was now ‘all elite’. He was now going to be a part of Trent’s long list of coworkers, and that was… well, that was a lot to handle. 
They had a history, you could say that. A very long and complicated history. But he was still proud of Tony. That’s why he was currently weaving his way backstage, trying the asshole. 
Trent had been there for Orange because there were some rumors circulating that he was going to get his ass kicked by the Bucks and Cole. Nese had then come out and rebooted Trent’s entire nervous system. That was his excuse why he was trying to find the guy he used to call his friend, and not protecting the guy who he’s currently calling a friend. 
And after a million years of turning corners and asking for directions, Tony Nese was finally in his line of sight… once again.  
“Nese!” Trent called out. The two of them were alone at the back of the event center. Storage equipment and metal chairs lined the blank walls. They were right outside some office. 
Tony’s face turned into that of confusion when he turned around and saw Trent. “Beretta? The fuck are you doing here?”
Trent couldn’t help but stare. He looked good, like fantastic. Trent had almost spit out his drink when he saw his entrance earlier. “I’m supposed to be with Orange, but I uh… I wanted to…” Staring down at Tony’s boo- pecs made Trent realize how stupid this was. Going to a guy he hadn’t seen in what? A little less than a decade? God, Trent had some unresolved feelings to figure out. “I wanted to congratulate you on joining AEW.” 
“Oh…” Tony tensed up. “This isn’t a ploy to beat my ass, right?” 
“No! No.” Trent laughed. “I mean… Sammy already did that for me.” 
Tony’s face dropped. 
“I’m sorry, I had to.” Trent apologized with a smile. 
The ‘Premier Athlete’ rolled his eyes. “Once an ass, always an ass, right?” 
Trent made a noise of shock. “What?! You’re one to talk!” 
“I’m one to talk? I was always nice to you!” Trent was appalled. “You’re the one that left me at the last second.” 
The two of them had unconsciously taken a step forward. A gravitational pull of temptation and history pulling them together. 
“Holy shit!” Trent couldn’t believe it. This drove them apart all those years ago. Of course, it would drive them away again. You would think it would be all the ‘friends with benefits’ moments they had with each other, but nope! “How many times do I have to tell you I’m sorry?” 
“As many times as I need you to before I think it’s a genuine apology.”  
All of Trent’s apologies were genuine, because he felt genuinely bad! He didn’t know what he was doing when he signed with NJPW. He was just excited! Some big ass company wanted him to beat bitches up, and you thought he wouldn’t take that opportunity? The only reason Nese didn’t think Trent’s apologies were genuine was because he went by the philosophy ‘oh if you were sorry you wouldn’t have done it in the first place’, which is a stupid ass philosophy. People are stupid and make mistakes, and Trent had made a mistake. 
He made a serious mistake not telling Nese, like he wouldn’t want his best friend to join him on this big ass trip. Best Friend… boyfriend, same thing really when you didn’t know what to call yourselves. But either way, Trent wanted to bring Nese along. He had just… forgotten. 
“You never think my apologies are genuine!” 
“Because they aren’t!” 
And Trent didn’t know how this flurry of emotions erupted inside of him, but he suddenly felt more overwhelmed than he ever had before. He just needed to prove a point - prove that he did care about Tony. Before he could think, he grabbed Tony’s face and slammed their lips together. It was like waves crashing against each other, or fireworks going off. While both of them had changed in the past several years since they stopped talking, Trent had never felt anything more familiar. 
He pushed away angrily. “Is that a genuine apology, huh?” He asked, ignoring Nese’s shocked face. “Does that show you I cared about you?” 
There was a pause between them, a silence of heavy breathing. Trent wasn’t even regretting the kiss, he was just worrying more about whether Tony would kill him or not. It’s not like he would though… unless he was with someone now, then that would be a very uncomfortable conversation to have. 
Tony hesitantly brought his hand to his lips and gingerly touched his bottom lip, which was slightly wet from Trent’s spit. He usually wasn’t just a messy kisser, but Trent’s emotions were running high. He got pissed way too easily. 
Tony lunged towards him before Trent could process what was happening, and their lips connected once again. Trent’s heart ran wild as Tony’s hands held his face. They stumbled back from the force. His back hit a stack of metal chairs and the noise of pain that escaped his lips was muffled by Tony’s lips. 
His arms wrapped around Tony’s waist, pulling them closer together. The clanking of the metal chairs had echoed through the building, a loud noise that both of them had ignored in favor of the taste of their lips. Someone would probably appear around a corner to check out what caused that deafening noise. In the meantime, Trent savored this moment. He savored Tony, kissed him like had never kissed him before. 
It was a kiss that made up for lost time. 
A door opened, and the two pushed away, breathing heavily as Mark Sterling stepped out of his office… Was Tony going to see Mark Sterling? That asshole? Ugh. 
“Is everything okay?” Mark asked.
Trent was trying to hide his face while simultaneously wiping Tony’s spit off his lips. 
“Yeah.” Tony answered. “We’re good.” 
Mark gave his best award winning smile. “That’s good! Now do you uh…” Trent and him made eye contact.
“Yeah, I’m coming.” Tony answered his silent question. He gave Trent one last look before going off to sign his life away. At least Trent got to see him one last time before he sold his soul to the world’s worst manager. 
It had been an hour since his match with Tony, and he was currently getting himself some food. Trent didn’t know why he had picked the match in the beginning. He could’ve just kept his mouth shut and continued to tie up his shoes, but really? His favorite tag-team partner was Josh Woods? That weirdo? Not only had that comment hurt Trent’s ego, but also his heart. Yeah, they had a pretty rough ending, but Trent didn’t think it was that rough. 
And besides, they had made up. 
“Y’know,” Trent whipped around from his seat at some empty table. Tony was standing right behind him. “I didn’t mean it.” 
Trent stared at him. “Huh?” 
“Woods isn’t my favorite tag-team partner.” 
“I- What?” Trent couldn’t believe that Tony was actually saying this. “You tell me this after our match?” 
“Yeah?” Tony replied, as if it was the most obvious answer. “What did you think I was going to do? Tell you before?” 
“Yes! Maybe tell me so we don’t have to fight each other at all?” 
“Why would I do that?” Trent was appalled. “I like fighting you.” There was a smirk on Tony’s lips that Trent wanted to wipe off.
“You son of-” 
Before Trent could finish, Trent flashed him a smile and turned around, walking away. 
Oh… Trent was going to kill him one of these days.
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cahillcahill48 · 2 years
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cullenmcculloch2 · 2 years
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obsidiancreates · 3 years
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An Honest Talk
(Got to the episode where Valerie gets the ghost hunting stuff. I just want her to be happy and not Filled With Vengeful Rage so, here's this.)
Jazz sees the whole thing.
Really, Valerie isn't even good at hiding it. As soon as that Ghost Hunter shows up at that school game, Jazz figures it out. Not just because her voice is the same, but because of the insults she shouts while hanging in that basketball hoop. Sure, Jazz is in a higher grade, but she's heard that A-Lister group plenty of times in the hallways and after school.
They're real jerks. But not murderous jerks.
So she decides to do something about it. No-one attacks her baby brother. ... Well, except other ghosts. But Jazz can't always help with those.
This? No problem.
"Hey, Valerie."
Valerie jolts, yelping and almost dropping what is clearly some kind of ghost-detecting device. "Who are- ugh, aren't you Fenton's sister? What do you want?"
"To talk to you," Jazz says in her most empathetic voice. "I noticed you're having kind of a rough time."
"Why do you care?"
"Because my brother does." Cares about not being pummeled, at least. But Jazz is sure Danny hopes the best for his schoolmate, even with the attacks.
Valerie huffs. "Great, pity from the loser kids."
"Come on, it won't hurt to talk about it?"
"Talk about what? That some ghost kid and his dog ruined my life? That we're broke, and all my friends hate me for it? yeah, talking will fix everything."
Jazz sits down on a bench, and pats the seat next to her. Valerie looks away.
But then... she sighs. And sits. "I keep thinking about that five hundred dollar shirt I ruined. Maybe if e hadn't bought that, or I hadn't worn it to school, we'd be a little better off right now."
"It's not your fault."
Valerie grits her teeth. "Yeah. It's that ghost kid's."
"Ghost kid?"
"... You believe in ghosts, right? Because of your parents?"
Jazz nods. "Plus, that thing during the school game,, Kind of hard to deny."
"Heh. Yeah. ... That dog broke into the place my dad was working for. he was showing off what he did for their security, and none of it stopped the dog or the kid. And then they showed up again at the garage sale and wrecked our moving van, and the dog stole my lunch after all my friends rejected me!"
Valerie wipes her eyes, scowling. "It's not fair!"
Jazz hands her a tissue. "It's not, not at all."
"I wanna destroy that kid," Valerie growls. "Like he destroyed me."
"... Valerie... how old is he?"
"About my age, I think."
"And he's a ghost."
"Yeah. And?"
"So... how do you think a ghost kid comes to be?"
Valerie doesn't reply. But after a moment, her eyes widen a little. "Oh... no, no, but... but he's a kid. He can't be any older than me."
"Yeah," Jazz says softly. "So something horrible must have happened to him already."
Valerie looks at the device in her hands. "... But... he still ruined my life." She sounds a bit unsure now.
"Maybe he didn't mean to. I mean... imagine one day you wake up and everything is... different. Suddenly you've got no gravity, and-and no-one can see you sometimes and you're this weird thing-"
God, how scared was Danny when it happened? She's pretty sure by now that it was The Accident that did it, she can't think of anything else that explains it. What was it like for him, waking up as something different?
"It would be tough," Jazz finishes, looking at Valerie.
Valerie still won't meet her eyes, looking at the beeping device. "Then why is he following me around?"
"... Well... does he show up first, or the dog?"
Valerie thinks for a long moment. "... The dog. It's always the dog."
"So maybe he's trying to catch it."
"... I mean, I guess that could be it. But he's been fighting me!"
"And you've been fighting him."
"But-! ... Aw, geez..." Valerie deflates. "What do I do now, then? I can't... I can't keep attacking some kid who... we've barely lived, I can't just make it so that he's barely lived twice."
Jazz stands up and offers her hand. "How about we try talking to him?"
Valerie looks at her. "For real?" She's skeptical.
Jazz nods. "For real. Maybe we can clear some things up."
Valerie turns away again. And then, with a hefty sigh...
Takes Jazz's hand.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Cujo?" Danny calls out. "Cujo! We need to get you back to the Ghost Zone, buddy! Come on, where is he?"
Someone clears their throat behind him, and he yelps as he shoots up in the air.
He turns around, and sees possibly the worst thing he could see right now.
His sister, and his hunter.
"Hello, Ghost Boy!" Jazz calls out.
"Um... hi." Danny waves, still looking startled.
Jazz nudges Valerie, and Valerie huffs. "Hi," she says shortly. Jazz smile at her, though.
"I'm here to mediate a talk between you two," Jazz says, walking closer (and somewhat pulling Valerie along behind her). "I figured there might be more to this story than we all three think."
"Um, you're not- I mean, I'm a ghost, you're just... casual about this?"
Jazz nods. "My parents are well-versed with ghosts, this is nothing."
A straight-up lie. Jazz hadn't even believed in ghosts until she peeled Spectra. But maybe it's to save face for Valerie? Or maybe Jazz recognizes him as the ghost from that day.
"Anyway," Jazz says, "Valerie here has something to say."
Valerie, arms cross and back hunched angrily, glares at Danny. "Who are you, and why are you out to get me?"
Danny floats back down to the ground, standing on it now. "I'm, um... Phantom-"
Valerie gives him a disbelieving look.
"Uh, Ghost Names are uh, different! It's this whole thing. And, I'm not out to get you, I swear. It's all been terrible coincidences."
Valerie scoffs.
"Val, we're here to listen," Jazz reminds gently. "Let him explain his side of things, and then you can explain yours, and we'll come to a solution. Trust me, I read a book about this."
Danny doesn't doubt it. "I don't own that dog, I found him wandering around outside. I thought he was cute at first, and then he turned into the big dog that keeps haunting you."
"And why's he doing that?" she snips.
"I don't know yet." Danny rubs the back of his neck, embarrassed. "I'm trying to send him back to the Ghost Zone, but he keeps coming back out! I'm starting to think it's some cliche 'unfinished business' thing. But until I can figure it out I don't know how to get rid of him. All I can do is try to minimize the damage."
"Doing a great job." Valerie rolls her eyes. "Ruining my father's business, ruining our garage sale, ruining my lunch!"
"I swear, I was trying to help! He's really, really hard to get under control! He's like five times my size!"
"And you can't grow bigger and handle it that way?" Valerie retorts.
"No! I'm only a few months into this, I-"
He cuts himself off at the look on Valerie's face. "What?"
"A few months? ... So... so I could've known you?" Horrified, is the best word for her expression.
Danny shrinks, holding his bicep and hunching a little. "Um, nevermind. I just mean I'm not super powerful."
"No, no, we're going back. Did I know you? Is this a revenge thing?"
"What? No! I already told you, I'm trying to help prevent things from getting worse! And... no. I'm a loser kid, and you're popular."
"... Was," Valerie says quietly. "... All my friends ditched me when I lost my money."
"That's awful."
Valerie nods. "I don't know why I thought they liked me for more than money, looking back. But it still hurts. Being a lonely loser is the worst."
"Tell me about it," Danny mutters. "I mean, I have friends, but sometimes some stuff just makes you feel alone no matter what."
He thinks he sees Jazz tear up at that, but he's not sure. He's distracted by Valerie letting out a sob.
"I don't have anything left," she says, voice quavering. "I don't have the popularity, I don't have money, I don't have the grades..."
"... So you turned to revenge?" Jazz's voice is soft.
Valerie sobs again, and Jazz gives her some comforting slow pats on the back. She looks at Danny, nodding at Valerie.
Danny gets the hint. "You... you could, um, make something, more?"
Valerie gives a somewhat bitter teary chuckle. "What is that supposed to mean, huh? I'm already hunting ghosts. It's... something."
"... You could try to make new friends."
"Oh sure, that's easy. I'm a social pariah."
"So am I. But even just one or two friends helps a lot."
"You got a lot of ghost buddies?"
"... Humans, actually. An if I can make friends with some high school kids as a loser and a ghost, you can make friends too. You just might have to lower your social radar a bit."
Valerie rubs her arm. "... You're really not out to get me, are you?"
"No, I'm not. I want to protect people, not hurt them."
"... I'm sorry I shot those missiles at you."
"I'm sorry I couldn't keep the dog contained."
"... I'm sorry you're a ghost so young."
Danny snuffles a little. "... Thanks." Sometimes he is, too.
Valerie looks at her hand, and then holds it out to him. "Truce? I won't mess with you. I can't promise the same about that dog if it keeps showing up, but I won't mess with you."
Danny sighs. "So you're keeping the weapons."
"Oh, you know I am. Even if I'm not hunting you, now that I know about ghosts I want to be prepared."
"I guess I understand that." Danny shakes her hand. "Truce."
Jazz grins. "See? Just needed a real, meaningful talk!"
Valerie laughs a little, wiping her eyes again. "Yeah, I guess. But... now what? Who do I blame for this?"
"Probably the boss who decided that Ghosts Suddenly Existing was your father's fault," Danny says.
Valerie's eyes harden. "Yeah. Yeah, I can go with that."
"But," Danny and Jazz say at once. They look at each other, and Jazz let's Danny speak.
"But," Danny says again, "Maybe focus on making some more friends, first. One thing about us losers, is we don't ditch someone just for money reasons."
"... I'll give it a shot." Valerie smiles a little at Danny. "With better aim than the ones I took at you."
Danny chuckles a bit.
They both wave goodbye, Jazz and Valerie leaving Danny to continue his search.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Hi."
Danny, Sam, and Tucker all look up. Valerie is standing nervously with her brown paper bag of lunch. Tucker brightens up, and Sam gives a little, slightly suspicious, wave.
Danny scoots over. "Wanna sit with us?"
Valerie looks over at the A-Lister table. They're all staring, smirking, whispering.
Mocking.
She looks back at the 'losers'.
They're looking at her with... openness.
"Yeah. Sure."
She sits down, and gets out her lunch. For a minute, she just listens to them talk while she unpacks the sandwich.
"Hey, is that peanut butter and honey?" Sam asks. Valerie nods.
Sam holds up a thick roast beef sandwich. "My parents are trying to get me to eat meat again, but I'm staying vegetarian. Want to trade?"
Valerie blinks. "Uh... sure?"
They swap sandwiches. Valerie looks at the sandwich, mentally trying to figure out the carbs and calories and fat content-
She looks around the table. No-one else is analyzing their food. Or, judging hers.
She takes a bite. It's pretty good.
This... is pretty good.
She smiles, and laughs a little at a joke Danny makes.
Yeah. This is pretty good.
850 notes · View notes
mochegato · 3 years
Text
Even the Losers
Chapter 1
“You can do this Marinette,” Adrien whispered encouragingly, echoing the mantra she’d been whispering to herself for the past two days.  She could do this.  She could manage.  This was for Max.  She could handle it.  He couldn’t be here but she could.  She could be strong for him.  She gave Adrien a shaky smile and nodded.  “We just have to find him and we can leave,” he reminded her.
Marinette took a breath and let it out slowly. She’d dealt with far, far worse than a few judgmental, heartless asses who had no real interest in her.  But seas of artificial smiles had always unsettled her and currently she was surrounded with so much artificial sweetness she felt like she was walking through a kid’s cereal aisle.  That added onto her already existing anxiety had her ready to bolt at the slightest provocation.
She ran her hand over the skirt of her dress, letting the feeling of the fabric and the knowledge of all that had gone into it soothe her.  She was especially proud of her dress and the work that had gone into it.  It was a black so dark it almost appeared to draw in the light around it.  A mesh with strategically placed blood red decorations overlaid the dress, hugging her bodice until it reached her hips then dropped into a flowing skirt that ended just before it could pool on the ground.
She fought the urge to fiddle with the belt in her nervousness.  She couldn’t show weakness like that, not here.  She looked up at Adrien again in search of an anchor to reality.  She took in his expression and had to stifle the laugh that resulted.  He had his own artificially sweet smile on but his eyes quite clearly begged for a quick death.  He glanced down to her and nudged her discreetly, his artificial smile becoming wide and real.  “Shhhh,” he hushed her under his breath.  “We’re trying not to attract attention to ourselves, remember?  We’re ghosts.”  He looked around to make sure nobody was looking at them.
Marinette immediately quieted, her face becoming somber. She did remember.  In and out.  That was the goal.  Her goal. Knock the man on his ass with Max’s accomplishments, then never see him, or anyone else in this room, other than Adrien of course, ever again.  They were supposed to be like ghosts.  There but not.  Her eyes scanned the room looking for their target.
Adrien’s eyes immediately softened and filled with regret.  “Shit, Mari. I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to…”
“No,” she looked up at him with an artificial smile of her own.  “I know. It’s fine.  It’s not your fault.”  She scanned the crowd again, cursing her height, as she had many times in her life.  Even with the six inch, death defying heels, she still barely reached Adrien’s eyes, let alone give her any kind of advantage to see the crowd.  She needed some kind of vantage point but unfortunately, the only high point in the ballroom was the stage, which she couldn’t utilize if she was going to follow her Ghost policy.  “We might have more success if we split up.  Let me know if you find him.”
Adrien squeezed her arm quickly before nodding. “Good luck.”
Marinette shot him a genuine smile.  “You too.  May the Luck be with you.”
Adrien laughed and shook his head.  “I never should have forced you to watch that movie.”
Marinette grinned back.  “You never should have forced me to watch the prequels.  The original ones were just fine.”  Adrien narrowed his eyes at her but let it drop in favor of disappearing in the crowd to find their target.
Marinette followed him with her eyes until she couldn’t see him anymore then took a deep breath to brace herself.  Her eyes immediately started darting around and her fingers started dancing.  She needed something to occupy them or she was going to start attracting unwanted attention.
She noted a bar close by and made a beeline for it. She waited politely for the bartender to notice her, her fingers tapping anxiously against the bar while she waited. She froze when she heard a gruff voice next to her.  “Did you sneak in here?”
She turned to the voice and blinked a few times. “Excuse me?”
“You’re anxious and jittery.  Afraid you’re going to get kicked out?” the man elaborated.
Marinette studied him for a moment trying to figure out why he looked so familiar.  “No,” she started slowly, trying to give her brain a chance to answer the puzzle. “Just not a fan of events like this.”
The man scoffed and nodded in understanding. “Cheers.”  He raised his glass for her to clink his but she held out her hands with a sheepish look, showing she didn’t have a drink yet.  “Well, that’s a crime.  Nobody should have to endure one of these without a drink.”  He motioned to the bartender and got an immediate response. “Another for me and a…” he motioned to Marinette to give her order.
“Oh, champagne, please,” she finished with a smile for the bartender.  That’s what was socially acceptable at events like this, right?  Champagne.
The bartender looked to the man for confirmation. The man nodded.  “And a champagne for the woman.”  Marinette scowled at the bartender causing the man to laugh. “He’s just worried that you’re underage. You look awfully young.  You’re not, right?”
Marinette’s glare softened in realization.  “Oh, that makes sense.  No, I’m not.  I forgot the legal age here is higher than in France.”
He nodded and looked at her critically for a moment before offering his hand.  “Jason.”
Marinette immediately reached out for his hand and answered with her name before her brain registered the name he’d given. Jason.  Jason Todd.  Bruce Wayne’s son.  She pulled her hand back quickly as the realization hit her and focused on leveling her breathing.  She grabbed the champagne glass more violently than necessary when the bartender set it down in front of her and immediately downed the entire glass, only coughing a bit as the bubbles tickled her throat.  Overall, champagne was not the best drink to chug.  “Another, please,” she croaked out.
“You know, there are better drinks for that, if that’s what you want to do,” Jason grinned, laughing at her.
“Wasn’t the plan until it was and then that’s all I had,” she croaked out, her voice still hoarse from the bubbles.  She kept her eyes focused on her empty glass as she spoke, almost afraid to make eye contact with him as if just seeing her eyes would be enough to blow her cover.
Jason chuckled and nodded in understanding. “Don’t suppose you’d care to dance?”
Marinette whipped her head to him and stared incredulously, forgetting her previous reservations.  She only moved again when the bartender set the new drink down in front of her.  “Um… no… thank you.  That doesn’t seem… I don’t think my date would be comfortable with that.  Good luck getting drunk enough to handle tonight though.”  She gave him a weak smile and raised her glass to him before moving into the fray again, now armed with a socially acceptable fidget toy.
It took five minutes of avoiding wandering hands and leering looks but with a little luck and some prodding from the goddess hiding in the folds of her skirt, she was finally able to stumble on M. Lucius Fox, Director of Research and Development for Wayne Enterprises.  He was in a conversation he was not remotely interested in with some vapid business exec who was just as interested in M. Fox.  Not that M. Fox’s disinterest was clear.  He was very polite and good at covering his boredom, much more so than his conversation partner, but she’d been at enough stuffy, snobby parties with Adrien, Felix, and Chloe to know the signs.
She took another breath and squared her shoulders, going into Ladybug Mode; calm and confident, completely assured of herself. She was on a mission.  She had a goal and a plan to accomplish it, and once she had a plan, she had a direction and purpose, and with those, her insecurities fell away.  With M. Fox in her sights, she could see the pieces and the way they fit together. There were no more doubts.  She set her glass on a passing waiter’s tray and made her way over to M. Fox.
“The elusive M. Fox.  It is a pleasure to meet you,” Marinette purred, coming up next to him with a charming, real smile.
“I didn’t realize I was hiding,” Lucius responded with a polite smile of his own.
“Must just come naturally.  Foxes are known to be crafty.”  Marinette looked around them and motioned toward the dancefloor. “Would you care to dance, M. Fox?”
He shook his head deferentially.  “Are you sure there aren’t other people here you’d rather dance with?”
Marinette smiled conspiratorially and leaned closer to him, making sure to keep a respectable distance.  She did NOT want to have her banter confused with flirting. That was not the strategy she had devised.  “That would defeat the purpose of coming here.  I came here specifically to speak with you.”
Lucius looked down at her analytically, trying to figure out what her angle was, but took her hand and followed her onto the dancefloor.  “And what did you want to speak about, Ms…?”
“Dupain Cheng.  Marinette Dupain Cheng.  It’s nice to meet you M. Fox.  I wanted to speak to you to sell my friend Max Kante.”
Lucius’ eyes widened almost imperceptibly as the music changed.  After a beat, he chuckled.  “I’m not in the market to buy anyone, but thank you.”  He settled his hands on her mid-back and hand for their dance.
Marinette chuckled good naturedly along with him. “Sell his talents, would be a better way to say it.”
“And where is Mr. Kante?” Lucius raised an eyebrow at her, curious why the young man didn’t bother to come himself.  “Why are you presenting his talents instead of him?”
“Finals.  Had the incredibly bad luck to have a Friday at noon final.  I mean at least it wasn’t at 19h, right?  Can you believe they have those?”  She scrunched up her nose in playful disgust.  “But still means he’s taking it right now.  And for his last final of his career.  I mean… probably.  Knowing him, he might get another PhD at some point.  My finals and presentation ended last week.  M. Wa…” she took a steadying breath and looked back up with a strained smile hoping he wouldn’t notice the stutter.  “M. Wayne even visited for it.  That’s when the idea for this came to me.  So while Max studied, I plotted.”
“So why me then and not Mr. Wayne?” Lucius asked with a curious interest.
Marinette froze for just a second.  Hardly enough for anyone to notice.  Her mind raced to calculate the appropriate response to that question, a satisfactorily casual yet intelligent response.  “M. Wayne isn’t in charge of research.  You are.  Not to mention, I highly doubt the CEO would be involved enough in the research and development projects to know what was going on.  You I take as a man who knows what is going on with all your ongoing projects.”
He nodded.  She wasn’t wrong, or normally wouldn’t be.  Mr. Wayne usually was not involved in any projects and with the exception of one particular project they were having issues with, he wouldn’t know the particulars.  “A very dangerous and elaborate plan.  Why didn’t you make an appointment with me?  Or just stop me on the street?” he prodded, hoping for her thought process.
Marinette laughed lightly.  “I don’t imagine I would have had a chance in Hell of making an appointment with you in your office.  I have no standing, no name, no significance that would have attracted any PA worth their salt’s attention.  I would have been pawned off onto a low ranking employee to handle, if I was handled at all.  And something like this needed to be taken to you.  
“As for running into you on the street, I can’t imagine you would have responded positively to getting accosted on the street. You seem more than capable of handling yourself with grace in the face of a pest.  I doubt I would have gotten more than a few words in.  At a gala however,” she grinned conspiratorially at him. “Societal convention.  Almost absolute certainty of at least one dance where I would have you one-on-one for a few minutes.  Hostage audience.  Figured I could use it to my advantage for once.”
Lucius smiled back at her ingenuity.  “There’s an application process he could have gone through,” he noted.  
Mari nodded and looked out to the crowd, scanning it.  “Right, applying to M. Fedor Rabler,” she said distractedly.  “He did that.”
Lucius nodded in understanding.  Their application process was tough.  Lots of amazing candidates didn’t get through. He had to respect her devotion to her friend, to risk coming here and potentially making an enemy of Wayne Enterprises if he’d been that sort of man.  His eyes turned sympathetic.  “I’m sorry he was passed over.”
“You know, I’ve noticed Elspeth Cole puts forth a lot of inventions and extremely varied ones at that,” she continued as though she hadn’t heard his consolation.  “Most inventors, you can see their process, you can see how they got from one invention to the next, but hers… they’re so varied.  It’s almost like they’re coming from completely different people.”  Lucius watched her carefully, waiting to see where she was going with this.  “That’s them, isn’t it?  Dancing together.  Awfully close for purely colleagues.”
Lucius followed her sight line to Ms. Cole and Mr. Rabler dancing extremely closely.  Not obscenely, but perhaps a bit closer than was normally acceptable at a society event such as this one.  “It’s hardly incriminating that two people with expertise in electrical engineering would get together,” he said slowly.
“Max is amazing.  Brilliant,” Marinette said, seemingly not noticing her non-sequitur. “He created an AI that helped the Parisian superheroes locate and defeat our supervillain at only 14.”  Lucius’ brow rose.  That was certainly promising.  He wondered what would have caused them not to take such an applicant.  Surely there was some sort of embellishment there, but as he studied her, she seemed entirely genuine.  
“He’s being scouted by several high profile companies including Lexcorp and Palmer Technologies.”  She turned her attention back to Lucius, a curious pout on her lips. “But not Wayne Enterprises.”  She looked away with clearly forced casualness. “Lexcorp and Palmer, they’re offering pretty impressive packages.  Not as good as he deserves in my opinion, but I may be a bit biased.  Wayne Enterprises however… nothing.  Not even an offer.
“Now, I don’t really have a dog in the fight… other than wanting my friend to be safe and treated with the respect he deserves. But Palmer Technologies gets blown up by a villain or its inventors kidnapped far too frequently for me to be comfortable with my friend working there.  And Lexcorp…”  She looked down as if in thought before looking back at him again with a determined look in her eye.
“You know, I get a feeling sometimes.  I can’t really explain it, just get a feeling about people or things.  I’ve found it’s best for me and the people around me if I listen to that feeling and that feeling tells me Lex Luthor is the last person who should be trusted with a brain as brilliant as Max’s.”  She looked back over to Mr. Rabler and Ms. Cole.  “That same feeling told me Max shouldn’t trust the application process for Wayne Enterprises.”  
She looked back at Lucius with an apologetic smile. “No offense.  So, I convinced Max to make a small part of his submission just a little off.  Just a bit. Enough that even an expert could miss it, but if it’s wrong the project could never work.  It took a lot of convincing to get him to do it.  He refused to believe he had anything to worry about in Wayne Enterprises with its stellar reputation.”  She scrunched up her face in annoyance.  “But that feeling, you know?  I couldn’t get over it.  After a lot of work, I convinced him there was no harm.  After all, if he was hired he could fix it.  If he wasn’t… well, you shouldn’t be using what he presented anyway, right? No harm, no foul as you Americans say.”
“No,” Lucius agreed.  “That would be theft and completely against WE policy and standards.  In fact, we should not be asking applicants to submit anything like that in the first place.”
Marinette smiled and nodded approvingly.  “I’ve heard rumblings, or rather Max has, of WE getting into transmutation of materials.  Just can’t get that algorithm right though, can you?  Algorithms are hard.  Just a little off and nothing works.”
He stared at her.  That was a secret project.  Other departments in Wayne Enterprises didn’t even know about it.  “I can’t comment on ongoing projects.”  
“I never did show you what Max is capable of, did I?”  She gave him a bright smile and reached down to press a disguised button on her belt. Lucius tensed and cursed himself for exposing himself to whatever she was about to do.  A wave of emerald green washed over the front of her bodice as the blood red decorated mesh overlay turned into a brilliant emerald green that reflected the lights now rather than absorbing it.
Lucius’ eyes widened in surprise, a feat very few had been able to draw out of him.  “He designed the fabric?” he whispered out.  He reached out tentatively to touch the fabric at her shoulder.
Marinette grinned brilliantly at his reaction.  It was no less than Max deserved.  He’d worked incredibly hard on it.  “He did,” she nodded in confirmation, “and the software that controls it.  The whole dress can change but we’re kind of surrounded here and I didn’t want to attract too much attention.”  She let him touch it for a moment before pushing the button again to turn it back into the black, then allowing him to feel the mesh to confirm it was the same fabric.  “He has ideas for changing the texture as well, but limited resources you know? Something I’d hope wouldn’t be an issue at WE.”
“How does it work?”  His eyes were still focused on the fabric at her shoulder. He took a quick look at the rest of the bodice, but quickly snapped his eyes back to her shoulder.  The neckline was conservative, but it was still rather unbecoming to stare at the young woman’s chest.
Marinette laughed.  “You’ll have to ask Max that.  I just designed the dress.  I don’t really understand the mechanics behind it, but he does.  I doubt Ms. Cole can say the same.”
Lucius stared in awe at her shoulder before looking back up to her eyes and nodding in understanding.  “Interesting.  I’ll take that under advisement.  Maybe we should be scouting you as well.”
Mari laughed.  “No, thank you.  I’m not an inventor.  I’m a designer.  But I appreciate the interest.”
Lucius nodded and led her off the dancefloor with the end of the song.  “Inventor or not, we can always use someone with intuition, intelligence, and ingenuity like you’ve demonstrated.”  
Marinette gave him a brilliant, somewhat familiar smile. “That’s very flattering.  Thank you, M. Fox.  But tonight is about Max.  I have my own, separate plans for my future.”
Lucius nodded in understanding.  “Our loss,” he answered sincerely.  “If you ever need any help or advice, please feel free to call me.  I’m sure Mr. Kante will have it soon enough and can pass it onto you.”  He looked back down to her shoulder again.  “If I may…”  He motioned toward her shoulder.  
Marinette laughed.  “Of course.  I understand how truly impressive it is.  It’s been incredibly inspirational, thinking of the options.”
“And what did your intuition tell you about tonight?” He looked up to meet her eyes, curious about her answer.
Marinette’s face went slack for a moment before she pasted on a bittersweet smile.  “That it would be costly but worth it.”
Lucius quirked his head to the side.  “In what way?”
Marinette shook her head absently and took a sudden interest in M. Fox’s tie.  “I’m not sure yet.”
Mr. Fox’s eyes softened.  “Would he be available to meet on Monday?”
Marinette grin and snapped her eyes up to him. Mission success!  Max was going to get his interview!  “He can be.”
“I’d actually like to speak with both of you, if you don’t mind.  In my office at 10 Monday?” he offered.  
Marinette faltered.  “In Wayne Enterprises?”
Lucius chuckled.  “Naturally.”
Marinette swallowed heavily.  “Why don’t we meet somewhere else?  Early morning coffee perhaps?” she offered instead with an artificial smile.  “Here’s my card.  Have someone give me a call or text and I can arrange it.  He’s scheduled to fly in tomorrow morning.  He was supposed to meet with Lexcorp Monday morning, but he’ll be at coffee to meet you instead.”
Lucius smiled back at her as he slipped her card into his pocket.  “I greatly appreciate your candor and support Ms. Dupain Cheng.”  He took her hand in both of his to shake it.  “I cannot tell you how good it was to meet you.  And if you ever get one of those feelings about me or Wayne Enterprises, let me know, okay?”
“Lucius.”
Lucius froze at the cold voice, not accustomed to that tone of voice directed at him.  He looked over curiously and missed Marinette freezing before pushing another button on her belt.
Chapter 2
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@maribat-bdbwm
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triptuckers · 3 years
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Fix her - Kaz Brekker
Request: nope Pairing:  kaz brekker x reader Summary:  kaz sent you out to gather information, and you always return on time with the intel he needs. well, maybe not always. Warnings: angst, language, mentions of BLOOD, BRUISES, INJURIES, typical soc stuff, slight six of crows and crooked kingdom spoilers Word count:  2.2K A/N: hello my darlings it is I and I have read almost every book leigh bardugo has written in the past month. I am now hopelessly in love with jesper, kaz and nikolai. I'll be updating my character list soon! I still have a few wips but I don’t have any motivation / inspiration for those. so have my first kaz brekker x reader instead! enjoy reading :)
It was a rather easy job, really. Kaz had received word that the Dime Lions had an important meeting coming up. Because he always wanted to know what exactly was going on in the Barrel and with its gangs, he wanted someone to listen in on said meeting.
Normally, he would send Inej. She was the obvious choice when it came to gathering information. But she was still recovering from a rather nasty cut in her side, and so you had offered to go.
Inej insisted she could go. But all it took was you raising your eyebrows when she moved to sit up, only to wince and flop back down onto the bed. Though he didn’t quite like it, Kaz had assigned you to the job. 
No one said it out loud, but everyone knew there was something between you and Kaz. Neither of you had spoken about it. There were just a lot of lingering glances, smiles from you and what you think was almost a smile from Kaz, and you even had stolen his coat once when you had lost your own. He didn’t seem to mind though.
When you had left that evening to listen to the Dime Lions meeting from the shadows, Kaz had sent you a look that you knew all too well. He reserved it only for you. It was him telling you to be safe. You’d respond with a wink that basically meant always am.
The rest of the crows started a card game to pass the time as they waited for you to come back. They didn’t worry, you were always careful and are considered one of the most dangerous criminals in Ketterdam. They knew whatever happened, you could handle yourself.
But after Jesper had lost four rounds of card games, the tension began to rise between them. Most meetings typically didn’t last this long. Still, no one said anything as they started their fifth game. You would show up eventually, probably bringing valuable insight with you.
After two more games, there was still no sign of you. Nina was the first one to speak up.
‘She should have been back by now.’ she says, absently looking out the window into the dark street. 
‘Have a little faith, Zenik.’ says Kaz, though on the inside he was filled with worry. He shook it off and focused on the game again.
More than once he’d scolded himself for allowing you to get this close to him. For putting so much trust in you, especially after what happened the last time he’d really trusted someone. But he couldn’t help it. It was like he was drawn to you like Jespers trigger finger was to his revolvers. He couldn’t help it.
Still, he knew your skills. He knew you were smart, and a fighter. Whatever was going on with you out there, he had no doubt you’d show up at the door in a few moments, cheerfully announcing what good intel you’d gathered and wondering how many card games you’d missed.
But you still didn’t show. And one by one, they all lost their interest in the card game. They fell silent and looked out the window or fiddled with their empty glasses. The tension in the room grew. Until Kaz suddenly stood.
‘Finish the game.’ he says. ‘I’ll go and look for her.’
‘I’ll come with you.’ says Jesper, getting up as well.
‘No.’ says Kaz, earning a frown from Jesper. ‘Just me.’ he says. And with that, he pulled on his coat, grabbed his cane and was out the door.
‘Right.’ says Jesper, sitting back down. ‘Anyone fancy another game? I have a feeling I’m gonna win this one.’
They played three more games. They were tired, and it was well past midnight. Still, none of them went upstairs to their rooms. Too anxious to play any more cards or to even have a normal conversation, they settled for silence and more drinks. 
Jesper was fiddling with his rings and bouncing his leg. Nina had her elbows on the table and her chin in her hands. Matthias was trying to not look at Nina. And Wylan was attempting to build a house out of the cards. 
Finally, they heard the sound of the door opening. All of their heads shot up and turned to look who it was. 
Kaz stumbles awkwardly through the door, carrying you in his arms. Nina gasps softly and Jesper murmurs ‘Saints’ as their eyes land on your body. 
It’s bruised and bloody, and your eyes are shut. Was Kaz too late?
‘Clear the table!’ says Kaz loudly, limping toward it with you in his arms. 
Instantly, Matthias and Jesper seize the glasses and cards off the table as Wylan pulls some of the chairs back to make room. Kaz lays your beaten up body on the table and turns to Nina.
‘Help her.’ says Kaz.
But Nina is looking at you body, bruised and bloodied, nothing like the cheerful girl that buys her waffles and laughs as she teases Matthias. It’s almost impossible to find a spot on your body that doesn’t have a wound on it. There’s slashes from knives everywhere, bruising around your neck and the side of your face, and to top it off, blood is slowly leaking out of a bullet wound in your leg.
An expression of horror is written across Nina’s face, her hands pressed against her mouth. 
‘Nina.’ Kaz presses on. ‘I said help her.’
‘Kaz, I don’t think-’ stammers Nina. ‘Come on, fix her!’ says Kaz loudly, surprised of how much anxiety can be heard in his voice. Fix her, he thinks, because I need her to fix me.
‘I can try but-’ ‘Do it.’ says Kaz and then he turns away, he can’t bear to look at you any longer. Memories of Jordie flood over him, mingled with memories of you. Your laugh, how he fights his own smile every time you wink at him or send a flirty comment his way, the way you smell. How you look at him when he catches your eyes. 
Kaz shuts his eyes, attempting to drown the memories out. Taking deep breaths, he tries to focus on the voices behind him.
‘Jesper get the bullet out of her leg.’ says Nina. 
‘Just pull it out?’ questions Jesper.
‘Saints, you’re Grisha, Jesper, pull the fucking bullet out!’ says Nina in a loud voice laced with fear.
After a while of listening to Nina’s murmuring and instructions to others, Kaz finally turns back around to look at you. A wave of nausea hits him unexpectedly and he swallows hard. 
Nina had treated most of the wounds, with Jesper’s help. But your entire body is still covered in bruises, and now bandages as well. Nina’s cleaned the dried blood off of your face, but your arms and legs are still covered with it. 
They’re all nervously looking at Kaz.
‘I don’t know if she’s going to-’
‘Don’t.’ says Kaz, interrupting her. He needed to think straight. He needed someone to help him focus. Normally, you’d be the one to do so. But you’re in no condition to softly talk to him to reassure him everything is going to be alright. He needed to be his own soothing voice tonight.
‘Matthias.’ he says. ‘Bring her up to my room. Nina, go with him, see if there’s anything else you can do for her. Jesper, get Inej up to speed. Wylan, clean this mess up before someone notices.’
Without waiting for their reactions, Kaz walks up the stairs to his floor. Several moments later, followed by Matthias, who is carrying you, and Nina and Jesper. Jesper disappears into Inej’ room, while Matthias and Nina continue to walk the stairs to get to Kaz’ floor. 
When they arrive, Matthias carefully places you on Kaz’ bed as he was instructed. For a while, the three of them look at you. Until Matthias and Nina go to their rooms as well, leaving Kaz alone with you.
None of them had questioned why he insisted Matthias brought you to his room and not your own. Of course, they were dying to find out exactly what was going on between you and Kaz, but they all knew tonight was not the night to push him.
As he looks at you, Kaz feels the strong urge to touch you. Lay his hand on your cheek, to see if it’s still warm. But he can’t. Instead, he merely pulls out a chair and sits down next to the bed. He lets his eyes travel over your body, wondering how much pain you’re in, and who the hell was responsible for it. 
He needed you to wake up. He needed you to tell him who did this so he could send his biggest most muscular members of the Dregs to them. Kaz wanted them to hurt the way they had hurt you. 
His mind is running at an alarming speed. But eventually, even Kaz can’t fight his tired body anymore, and he falls asleep in an uncomfortable position in his chair.
From that night on, he instructed that you shouldn’t be left alone. He doesn’t want you to wake up and realise you’re on your own. The next day, it’s business as usual. The members of the Dregs are coming and going like they always do. The familiar flow of people helps to take everyone’s mind off things, but as soon as they’re by your side, they remember. 
Nina had tried her best to heal you, but it still took you almost a week to wake up.
When you wake up, your first thought is that your entire body feels way heavier than it’s supposed to. You try to open your eyes but it’s like your eyelids are made of lead. After a couple more tries, you finally open them.
You take in the room, and realise it’s not your own. Kaz. 
Why would you be in Kaz’ room? Why aren’t you in your own room? And why does your body feel so damn heavy?
And then all of the memories flood back. Like a tsunami, they catch your breath in your throat, making it hard to breathe. You try to inhale deeply, but it’s like your throat is sealed shut. You start to panic when you notice you can’t breathe. 
Then a pair of hands land on your shoulders and gently push you back onto the bed. Whoever it is, is talking softly to you. You close your eyes and try to steady your breathing. 
Then the voice yells out, but from much farther away, like they’re standing in the doorway, and not next to the bed.
‘Kaz! Nina! Get up here!’
It’s Jesper. 
You try to ask him what’s going on, but it’s still hard to breath normally. You try to focus on something else. Jesper’s voice trying to calm you down, his eyes looking into yours, but nothing’s helping. 
Then you hear a sound you know all too well. A familiar stumbling, of someone walking up the stairs with a cane. 
Seconds later, Kaz rushes into the room and roughly shoves Jesper away, taking his place next to the bed.
‘Who did this to you?’ he says. 
His voice is that familiar rasp, and normally you love it. But now it just makes your head hurt. You shut your eyes and softly shake your head, trying to drown the sound out. 
‘Y/N, who did this to you?’ says Kaz, more firmly this time.
‘Kaz.’ says Nina’s voice. ‘Let her rest. You can talk later.’ Nina’s voice is softer, more gentle than Kaz’. You try to focus on it as you open your eyes again.
Kaz is close. He looks down at you and you’re surprised by the look in his eyes. Was that a hint of worry you detected? You open your mouth to say something, but Kaz is faster.
‘Y/N, tell me who did this to you.’ says Kaz.
‘Couldn’t see their faces.’ you manage to say in a hoarse voice. Your throat feels dry and you start to cough. Immediately, Nina moves to get you a glass of water and helps you to drink it. 
‘Did you notice the way they moved? How they walked? Were they Dime Lions? Could you see any tattoos? What about scars? Clothing? Voices?’
Kaz keeps on firing questions at you, but you can’t focus on his words. Your head feels heavy and you feel your eyelids slowly closing again. 
‘Kaz.’ you say softly. ‘Tomorrow.’ 
You expect him to press on, to find out who did this to you. But instead, he looks at you and holds your gaze. He doesn’t say anything, he merely nods at you. You know what it means. Despite his harsh voice and the million questions, he’s glad you’re safe. And the ones who did this to you will pay for it. He’ll make sure of it.
You offer a weak smile before closing your eyes, already drifting off. You hear two pairs of footsteps leave the room, and assume Nina stayed behind to check on you.
The chair next to you gets moved back and you hear how someone sits down in it. When you feel something brush against your fingers, you assume it’s Nina checking your pulse.
But then you feel a gloved thumb on the back of your hand. It slowly rubs over your skin. To most people it wouldn’t mean anything. But to you, it meant the world. A tiny smile reaches the corners of your mouth, as you fall asleep. 
A/N: If you want to request something, make sure to read my house rules Here’s the list of characters I write for. Everything that I have written can be found on my masterlist. Please don’t repost my work, as I spend much time and effort on it!! Thank you for reading! Much love, Jo
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lovelybarnes · 3 years
Text
restless- b. barnes
pairings: bucky barnes x reader, mentions of natasha romanoff, sam wilson, and steve rogers warnings: mentions of nightmares and clingy bucky but it’s mostly fluff about: bucky can’t sleep without y/n a/n: i was going to post this yesterday but i fell asleep :| my computer was literally open and nearly dead when i woke up lmao
today marks one week that you’ve been gone, and with it, the official shortest amount of sleep that bucky has gotten in a week. he supposes it’s sightly pathetic that he can’t sleep well- or, really, at all- without you, but you continuously tell him you chase his nightmares away for him, and without you there to make them disappear, where else will they go but deep into the crevices of his mind, where they’ll hide long enough for him to let his guard down and lull himself to sleep, only to wake up with the ugly memories of things he hoped he’d forgotten. he’s constantly told that his attachment to you is overbearing- not by you, though. never by you- because it must be, with how much he clings to your side, always touching some part of you so that he’s sure that, yes, you’re there. not a dream or an illusion, although you’re good enough to be one.
he misses every part of you; your fingers and the way they run through his hair, trace his features with such tenderness he nearly believes he is what you see, your voice and its ability to transform the most mundane words into the greatest poetry, sing soft songs into his skin until he’s fallen asleep, your eyes and how they examine him in the best way possible, glowing when they meet his.
he longs for you, but he can only imagine your smile, the bitter reminder that you’re probably showing it to some psychopath for the mission you’re on. he hates steve every time the memory is evoked, the panic that comes with your being used as bait for some of the most screwed up villains in the world only returning stronger. he’s tempted to go get you himself, uncaring if he screws up the mission because at least he’ll have you.
stark will call him pathetic, then go to bed with the love of his life, so bucky prefers keeping his thoughts about you to himself, much like he’d like to keep you. you’ve told him you can handle yourself, and bucky never doubts it, having been victim to the using of your skills when he first encountered you as the winter soldier. you kicked his ass then, and you kick any and all ass now.
it doesn’t help his sleeping schedule, though your calls do. he swears you’re an angel because there’s no way a normal human could glow like that through a screen, but you always laugh off his words and simply tell him to turn his brightness down. however, you haven’t taught him that yet, so he greets you with the same sentence every time. his smile is always brighter after your calls, the dark bruises under his eyes reduced as if he got a full night’s rest. it’s your effect on him, and as much as everyone teases you both for it, they appreciate it.
you’re due to come back in a week or two, but bucky is unsure he can wait that long, and judging from your chirpier-than-usual voice in your latest interaction, you’ve finished early, like you always do. he likes to imagine it’s because of him, behind the deprecating voice that screams at him why would it be? (the answer is that you love him and hate every second you’re away from him)
sam scoffs when he overhears him telling that to steve, sitting down next to bucky, “man, there is no way you can tell that from a phone call. even if you could, i know she’s good, but to shave two weeks off mission time? natasha hasn’t even been able to do that.” a proud smile grows on bucky’s face without his permission as he shrugs, “she’s that good,” he brags, choosing to ignore the fake gag sam sends his way.
you frown when he tells you what he thinks on your call a few hours later, lips puckering into a small pout, “how did you know? i wanted it to be a surprise!” you ask through a crackled voice. so much for state of the art technology, bucky thinks, but is glad nonetheless to hear your voice. “i know you too well, doll. you’re really coming back today?”
you nod excitedly, biting your bottom lip. “mhm! i missed you and my bed too much to stay here a moment longer. villains are such pervs,” you complain, nose scrunching. bucky’s jaw sets when he hears your words, immediately thinking the worst. “but, i’m coming back today, so it’s fine. what do you want to do when i get back?”
bucky shrugs, “be with you,” he answers simply, making you laugh. “other than that, dummy. we could watch a movie, have a little date night to make up for the one i missed while i was gone.” bucky grins at this, remembering his plans for that night. “okay,” he agrees, “we’ll watch one of those movies on my list. although sam put some weird ones.”
you concur through chuckles that pass through the phone, reminding him how much you love him. he swears an oath to never let you go again and bites back a yawn that you see right through. “you’re sleeping the moment i get back,” you instruct, and bucky nods with your words, even when the sole idea of your being within arm’s reach is obviously too enticing to pass up for sleep. “whatever you want, doll. as long as you’re here.” he replies, thinking about spending the night pressing kisses to your hair and checking for any injuries you may have withheld from him.
the sentence is dishonest and you both know it, but you leave it at that, missing him too much and sure he’ll rest with how exhausted he must be. you say goodbye without the actual words, only giving a blown kiss and a “see you later.”
bucky spends the rest of the hours without you thinking of you, skimming through the words written in the little blue notebook you got him to replace his old one. that one sits on his dresser, the disuse proven by the layer of dust that covers it. the names he spent hours agonizing over, tracing his fingers over the indents made by the pen, are hidden by its cover. they never fade from his mind, though. only half of the pages of the one you gave him are blank now, and the ones that aren’t are bright and white, inviting him to drop his pen on the lines and jot whatever reference he didn’t understand but wants to. he eyes the names of the movies and shows, some accompanied by quotes that refer to them. “new girl: nick miller,” he reads, remembering how one of your friends said he was the avenger version of the character. “friends: ‘joey doesn’t share food,” sam told him that one when he didn’t let him have any of his chips. he looks at clueless, recalling the way all of his teammates stare at scott whenever the movie comes up. there are a couple pages like this, some of them recommendations and others titles he kept hearing. tonight, he decides on starting a new show, but he leaves the actual show up to you to decide.
you arrive a couple hours later, when stars have littered the darkness that bled through the sky. it’s all very rom-com-filmesque, the way you light up when you see his face- even through how tired you clearly are- and how you jump into his arms, ignoring the ache in your muscles because the way his arms wrap around you seems to make it disappear. he gathers you in his arms and kisses everywhere on your face, treasuring your laugh and the feeling of your lips pressing to his shoulder when you hug him again.
even when you pull away, he doesn’t let go of your hand, flesh fingers tracing small circles into your skin. you don’t complain, even when steve shoves papers in front of you and asks you to sign them with a sheepish look. sam comes by and teases bucky lightheartedly, hounding bucky to let you have both your hands. you chuckle at his request and squeeze bucky’s fingers, kissing the back of his hand, “oh, no, he better not,” you half-joke. he smiles, red tinting his cheeks as he gently draws you closer.
you don’t feel like driving at the moment, and you need to water your plants, completely sure that wanda forgot to do it, so you end up going to your room, even though you spend most of your time at his own room or your apartment outside the compound. you can tell how little the room has been used by the spotless counters and floors, furniture clean of any of the knickknacks you usually leave. you only sleep here when bucky leaves for long missions, his absence is overly blatant when he’s gone, and your plants keep you from feeling too alone.
you usher bucky inside, tugging open your drawers to search for something for him to wear. you grin at the soft fabric under the pads of your fingertips, recalling the memory of stealing them from bucky’s closet to soak in his scent when you couldn’t have the real thing. the considerable use has washed away all traces of him, and you decide that needs to be fixed, picking out clothing for him.
you change into one of his old shirts and make tea while he changes, smiling when you feel his arms wrapping around your waist and kissing your jaw. “what do you want to watch tonight?” he asks, and you contemplate it while you pour your drinks, shoveling spoons of sugar into each one to make it as sweet as possible- his favorite. “new girl, i think you’ll like it,” you reply after a moment.
he unravels his arms from around you, taking the mugs from the counter and following you to your room after you peck his cheek in thanks. “okay, i want to see what this nick miller is all about,” bucky says, making you laugh softly. “c’mon,” he urges, opening his arms for you after setting the cups down. you cuddle up to his side after you grab your computer, setting up netflix and choosing the show.
halfway through the first episode, bucky feels the fatigue hit him like a ton of bricks, hours of missed sleep catching up to him now that he’s finally relaxed and comfortable. keeping his eyes open is a job all on its own, and the sweet smell of your hair combined with the way your fingers move on his chest, softly writing letters and drawing shapes, is too much to resist.
you barely notice when he shuts his eyes, the evening of his breathing alerting you he’s succumbed to his tiredness. you stop the video and quietly shut your laptop, placing it on the bedside table while moving as little as possible. he feels you shift through your efforts, pulling you closer in his sleep. you chase away his nightmares like you always do, letting him sleep his first full night since you left.
he wakes up rejuvenated and embarrassed, sputtering out embarrassed apologies that you shush with kind reassurances and tender kisses. he’s reminded of how wonderful you are when you turn, arms extending to reach into your bag and carrying out a small stuffed animal that you say reminded you of him.
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berrysweetboutique · 2 years
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Ĩ̷͇̹̏͂̔̀̈̚̚f̶̪̼̣̬̤̠͚͚͐͝ ̸̨̪̑I̸͚͖̿͑͒̅̏͝͝ ̵̢̳̯͓̞͓̝͕̐ẘ̸̛̼͇̣̥̠̠̬͋̊͊̕̚͝ͅâ̵̟̥̦͓͌̔̔̌̅̓͆s̷̨̫͇̪̓͜n̶̨̩̫̞̪̬̰̄̐́̐͗'̸̨̞̫̝̤̰̼͗̐t̷̻̫̟̥̜̠͉̜̂͐̆̄̇̈́̾̚ ̸̺̤͎͍̏s̴̡͍͚̝͉̍̑́́͐̀̚o̸͉̪̗̖̥͌̎̀ ̵̖̅̀̌̔̈́̇̔͗b̶̩̈̿̒͒í̷̡̨̙̈͜t̸̘̘͇̮̿͋̈́̾̊̓͌͠t̶͍̮̫̆͑e̷̹͉͎̟͎̫̿̿r̷̛̭̎͌͊̂́͗̈́,̵̼̔̒̈͝͠ ̶̡̮̄͛͂͋̚Ḯ̶̡̧̹͇̯ͅ'̶̨̡̝̺̎̏̚͝ḋ̴͔̙̹̪͍̻͓̔̈́́̆̈́͘ ̶̡̗̝̫͖̆̅͋́͜ͅẗ̴̛̲̜̯̼̤̫̹͕́̇͘ḧ̶͖́̿ȁ̵̛̱͇͖̎̈̔̅̀͌n̶̛̲̜͒̎͋̅k̴̡̡̧͎̰̘̣̖̂̆͌́ ̷̭̣̟͊̐̒̄̔̉͊͆ỷ̵̢̢̧̡̼̬̳͈̐̾̀͒͂̾͂o̴̡͌ṳ̷̠̭̿̓̊͐.̵͙͛̚
...
TORCHING US WAS THE GREATEST DECISION YOU EVER MADE. THAT NOBLE DEED HAS ONLY MADE ME STRONGER.  I TOLD YOU... I ALWAYS COME BACK.
It was supposed to fix everything.
WELL, GUESS WHAT? IT DIDN’T... AND NOW LOOK AT YOU. JUST LIKE ALL THE REST, YOUR SOUL, TRAPPED INSIDE A MACHINE. 
...
MUST BE HARD TO TAKE IN. SACRIFCING EVERYTHING TO DESTROY ME. TAKING YOURSELF AND MY KID WITH YOU....
He knew what he was doing. 
HMM YES.... AND ODDS BEING WHAT THEY ARE, I WOULDN’T DOUBT IF HE’S ROAMING AROUND HERE SOMEWHERE AS WELL.... THAT IDIOT.
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Bonnie? Are you okay?
Yes, I’m fine.
Okay...
HOW CAN YOU LOOK INTO THAT PRECIOUS FACE AND LIE TO HER LIKE THAT? YOU ARE MORE EVIL THAN I AM.
No one is more evil than you....
I GUESS YOU GOT ME THERE AND BURNING AWAY MY ONLY REMAINING THREADS OF HUMANITY ULTIMATELY MADE ME EVEN MORE RUTHLESS. CAN YOU IMAGINE IT?
I don’t want to.
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YOU WON’T HAVE TO. I’LL MAKE SURE YOU GET A PROPER DEMONSTRATION. DON’T YOU WORRY.
We were friends. Partners. I trusted you.  What did I ever do to you?
NOTHING. I SIMPLY ENJOYED SEEING YOU IN PAIN.
...
ALWAYS WISHED I COULD HAVE SEEN YOUR FACE WHEN YOU REALIZED...
Haven’t we all been through enough?
NO AND YOU’RE IN QUITE THE PREDICAMENT AREN’T YOU... STAY WITH THE GIRL AND I’LL KNOW WHERE YOU ARE AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT... SEND HER OFF ALONE AND SHE WILL SURELY LOSE. NOT TO MENTION THE LOWER THAT BATTERY GETS, THE CHANCES OF ME TAKING OVER STEADILY INCREASE. YOU'RE LIKE A TIME BOMB WAITING TO DETONATE.
You don’t have to do this.
I KNOW, BUT WHEN HAS THAT EVER STOPPED ME?
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*𝓢𝓲𝓰𝓱*
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GREAT NEWS.
𝓐𝓗𝓗𝓗𝓗𝓐𝓐𝓐𝓐𝓐!!!
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𝓓𝓸𝓷'𝓽 𝓭𝓸 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽!
YOU’RE OFF THE HOOK FOR NOW.
𝓦𝓱𝓪𝓽?
I’LL BE HANDLING THIS ONE MYSELF.
𝓦𝓱𝓪𝓽? 𝓦𝓱𝔂?
THAT’S NONE OF YOUR CONCERN. WHY DON'T YOU GO UP TO THAT RATS NEST AND TAKE A LOAD OFF.... YOUR SERVCES ARE NO LONGER REQUIRED THIS EVENING.
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phoenixyfriend · 3 years
Text
Anakin and the Jedi Babies: Names and Faces
Context:  Anakin and the Jedi Babies, chrono
Word Count: 6,477
---------------
It goes like this:
Nobody wants to separate Anakin from the children in his care until they know more about why he’s here. The gamble paid off, to some degree, and he thanks the Force that it did.
He hasn’t felt that cold in years.
He knows the logic of why the Mandalorians he’s fallen in with aren’t doing anything yet. He’s an obvious Jedi, and they don’t know why he’s here or what he’s doing. Hedging on the Mando’a and the cultural obligation to childcare hadn’t been anything close to sure, but it was... enough. He got lucky that these Mandalorians leaned on those obligations, at least to the point of keeping them all in the same room. He can sense that much, even before he opens his eyes, and he has to be grateful.
The looming hypothermia had probably nudged things in his favor.
Anakin opens his eyes to a guest room of a cell, something well-furnished and cozy, but definitely not meant to be something he can escape from. His saber is gone, and there are Force-nullifying cuffs on his wrists, and he’s pretty sure they’ve taken his--yep, vibroblade’s gone.
Fuck.
His body doesn’t want to move, and he’s still shivering a bit, but he’s mostly back to normal. When he sits up, he notices that there is, in fact, only one Force-nullifying cuff. They detached his arm.
He closes his eyes and breathes deep and tells himself it was probably medically necessary. Large pieces of metal aren’t great for maintaining homeostasis. He’ll get it back.
Probably.
“Ah!”
The voice makes him jolt, and his eyes fly open.
Two cribs, one much bigger than the other. Both are occupied. The larger one has bars, and through it...
“Snips,” he breathes, lurching to his feet and then crashing to his knees, about as graceful as a newborn eopie.
“Bah!”
“Just--just one second,” Anakin grits out, grimacing as he tries to pull himself to standing again. The fact that he’s down an arm doesn’t impact him much, but the shakiness of his legs is... a problem.
“Owwww,” Ahsoka coos with an exaggerated grimace, reacting to his pain with the innocent sympathy of a toddler. She looks, what, two? Maybe? He’s not sure if there’s anything particular about how Togruta babies age. She’s too young for words, clearly.
“I’m fine,” Anakin assures her, even as his heart sinks. She’s Ahsoka, clearly, he knows her in the Force and it can’t be anyone else, but her memories...
She recognizes him, but that’s not saying much.
He manages to get over to the chair next to the crib, but doesn’t trust himself to take her out right now. The snow and the mess of a fight before that haven’t been kind to him. Instead, he just sticks his hand through the bars and lets her grab at his fingers.
He can’t help but smile, really. She’s adorable, and she’s so damn happy to see him.
“Skyguy!”
“Oh, so you are talking,” Anakin says, part of him relaxing just a tad. “I was worried.”
“Mine,” she stresses, patting at his wrist.
“Yeah, your Skyguy,” he says. So she remembers... some things, at least. “And you’re my Snips.”
She squeals and yanks on his hand, just enough that the Force-suppressing cuff clanks against the bars of the crib. “Sky, Sky, Sky!”
Oh, she’s precious.
“You having fun?” he asks, filling the air with words faster than his head can fill with doubts. “Has everyone been nice?”
“Mmmmm,” she grumbles, falling to her butt with a huff. “Doc!”
“Oh, a doctor?” he asks, wondering at his own tone. He never expected to be one for baby-talk. “Was the doctor mean?”
“Cold!” she tells him. “Cold here!”
She taps at her chest, right where someone might check her heartbeat or breathing; the metal would be cold, and also necessary. He doesn’t fault anyone for it. Considering how poorly Anakin had fared, he’s just happy they’re all alive and mostly fine.
He doesn’t know what year it is. He knows he’s not in the year he should be. He’s vaguely aware of the name Jaster--one of the Mandos had said it while bringing him in--but he doesn’t know when Mereel’s reign ended and Fett’s began. He does know both are supposed to be dead.
Has Anakin been born yet? Has Ahsoka? Hell, has Obi-Wan?
Can he give out any real names?
A series of small, upset noises start coming up from the other, smaller crib.
He stands, but Ahsoka clings to his hand and refuses to let go. He can’t pry her off, not without his other arm, but he pulls away with quiet reassurances that he just has to check on... on...
Her brother, he says, aware that there’s more than a slight chance someone has the room bugged. He’s a Jedi in Mando custody. They aren’t stupid, and neither is he.
Obi-Wan’s the most likely to have already been born. Having the same name and face will draw attention, will cause questions, but... he can’t just rename his master like a recently-adopted pet. That’s just... wrong.
Anakin’s less shaky than when he first woke up, but he still has no way of safely picking up the kids. He reaches into the small crib, something twisting behind his sternum, and tickles under Obi-Wan’s chin.
The baby--the infant--looks up at him with wide eyes, too blue for the Obi-Wan he knows, but full of wonder and--
Love, the Force whispers through the cracks in the effects of the cuff.
“Love you too,” Anakin whispers, though he wonders if Obi-Wan would really feel like this as an adult again. Babies love easily, he thinks, and he’s the only adult that Obi-Wan knows right now. Maybe it’s just chemicals.
He stands there for longer than is probably a good idea, with the state of his body, but he can’t help it. Obi-Wan keeps grabbing at his finger and kicking with tiny legs, and sticking a tiny, tiny fist in his mouth as he tries watches Anakin.
It’s all Anakin can do to mutter a stream of meaningless nonsense as he struggles not to cry. He’s always had too many emotions, and right now he’s the only person these two can rely on. He’s the adult.
The door whooshes open.
“The medic said you were awake.”
He knows that voice. He closes his eyes and doesn’t turn, because there are a million feelings in his chest and he’s not sure which one is going to come out first.
“Sky?” Ahsoka questions, likely feeling his worry. “Issokay! Good!”
No, she wouldn’t have the mind to recognize why this familiar face she knows as friend is quite the opposite.
Anakin turns away from the crib, and smiles. “Mando.”
“Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker,” the teenager in the door says. He’s not wearing his bucket, but the rest of his armor is in place. Anakin would peg him as younger than Ahsoka was, before. Not by much, but... fourteen, maybe fifteen. The face is painfully familiar, and stays utterly neutral as he answers the question Anakin didn’t ask. “We found your Ident card after you passed out.”
Cool, so, Anakin definitely can’t change his name.
“Are they yours?” the teenager that will one day create an army says.
“They have no one else,” Anakin tells him. It’s true enough. Still, he gets the feeling that’s not what Fett’s asking. “They’re family.”
Jango squints at him. “I was told Jedi can’t have families.”
Anakin’s mind flashes to Padme and the fantasies he’d long harbored of children born free, and tears himself away. He can’t think about that right now. He can’t think of who he’s--
“Jetii!”
Anakin’s head snaps up, and he realizes he’s shaking. Fett’s not neutral anymore, just... concerned.
“I’m fine,” Anakin spits out, and leans on the crib behind him. He can hear the little ones whimpering. He has to pull his thoughts in and bundle them up into something that won’t hurt the incredibly Force-Sensitive babies behind him. “I’m--I’m all they have. They’re all I have. Are the exact words important?”
Fett doesn’t grimace, exactly, but his expression isn’t pleasant. “I guess.”
Anakin waits to see if there’s anything else coming, but no. Just an awkward silence. He holds onto his frustration, but it still gets the better of him.
“What are my chances of getting my arm back?” he asks.
“Hm?”
Anakin waves what’s left of that arm, the tied-off sleeve flapping about. “My arm. If you don’t want to give me mine back, can I at least have some kind of placeholder? I can’t pick up the babies without worrying that I’m going to drop them.”
“I can ask the medics,” Fett says. He stares at Anakin for a little more, and then asks, “Aren’t you going to ask about our plans for you, or...?”
“If you wanted to kill me, you already would have,” Anakin mutters. “Right now, these two are my only priority. I’m more likely to keep them safe and alive here than I am if I try to break out. I can be patient. I would also assume they wouldn’t have been left in a room with me, alone, if any of us were in danger of medical complications.”
Fett flushes and turns. “I’ll tell buir you’re up and active. There’s a nurse droid in the hall, I can have it handle feedings until you get an arm.”
“Thanks,” Anakin drawls, aware that he’s a little bitchy right now, but not in any mood to temper himself.
He settles himself on the floor next to Ahsoka’s crib, lets her play with his hair while the nurse droid feeds Obi-Wan, and then feeds Ahsoka herself. Anakin thinks he could probably pull the droid apart for an escape attempt if it came down to it. He hopes it won’t be necessary. He’s barely existing in the moment as it is. The droid asks Anakin if he needs anything, and he... shrugs.
“I’m not hungry.”
“Perhaps some non-perishables,” the nurse droids suggests. “Ration bars, for if you are hungry before one of the Mando’ade returns.”
Anakin shrugs again. “Alright.”
He ignores the droid after that. He’s only mostly cut off from the Force by the single cuff. He can’t blanket his Master and Padawan in his own Force presence, try to make them feel safe and calm with the fact that he’s here and ready to protect them, but he can monitor them. He can meditate, even if it’s not the way he prefers to do it. He doesn’t have the strength for moving meditation right now, but a regular meditation... he can do that.
He needs to do that, because no other stress relief option is available to him right now.
Anakin lets himself feel the babies fall asleep, the two of them radiating contentment and warmth. He lets himself trust that, for the moment, he doesn’t need to worry. He lets himself sink into an absence of thought, and then the Force guides him deeper still.
“Anakin!”
His eyes fly open.
This is not the real world.
This is not the room-cell in the Haat Mando’ade base he’s managed to stumble across.
“Anakin,” Obi-Wan says again, a smile hidden in a beard and worn laugh lines about his eyes. The right age, the right size, reaching for him and--
There’s only a moment’s hesitation for Anakin to process, and then he sprints forward and yanks his Master into a hug.
“You’re good,” Obi-Wan mutters to him, rubbing his back as they both sink to their knees. There’s a click of bootheels against the empty white not-space that they’re in, and Ahsoka buries herself into their sides. Anakin pulls her in a little closer too.
They stay that for longer than is maybe necessary, but Anakin’s stress levels are sky high right now, and he needs this. A hug, even one that’s technically only taking place in his head, is important.
“Sorry, Skyguy,” Ahsoka whispers. “Thinking in the real world is... really hard right now.”
He pulls away from the desperate hug he’d started them off with, rearranges things so he’s leaning against Obi-Wan, lets Ahsoka lie down with her head in his lap, on her back and legs stretched out across the white nothingness.
“I don’t know what happened,” Anakin says. “I mean, Sith stuff, probably, but... we’re in the wrong year.”
“I’d wondered,” Obi-Wan admits. “I thought it odd that I couldn’t feel the clones, but I only have so much energy to think right now...”
“Please tell me there’s a way to fix it,” Anakin begs. “I can’t be the adult, Obi-Wan. I haven’t even been born yet, that’s how far back we are. I don’t know what to do, and I can’t just bang around making bad decisions without you there to pull me back and--”
“Breathe,” Obi-Wan tells him.
“We’re in the Force,” Anakin says, just a little hysterically. “We don’t need to breathe!”
“Actually, I think we’re in your head,” Ahsoka says. She’s pointing and stretching her feet like a dancer, but looks up to grin at Anakin like the little shit she is. “You’re the only one whose brain is big enough right now.”
“Hey,” Anakin complains, putting his entire palm over her face as revenge. She giggles and swats him away. “That any way to talk to the guy who taught you how to kill five guys in one move?”
She sticks her tongue out at him. He rolls his eyes and runs a hand over her montrals, smiling when she wriggles and makes a little chirruping noise.
“She’s not wrong,” Obi-Wan says. “Though the phrasing was unfortunate, it does stand to reason that as the only person without the brain of a toddler, you’re hosting. Our minds can’t handle the strain of our own selves, let alone sharing space.”
“Infant.”
“Hm?”
“Ahsoka’s a toddler. You’re an infant. Maybe six months.” Anakin grins, just this side of brittle. He doesn’t want to joke about a problem he can’t fix, but what else is there? “You’re the literal baby of the lineage now.”
Obi-Wan sighs over the riot of Ahsoka’s laugh. “Of course I am.”
“It’s okay, Master,” Ahsoka assures him. “Skyguy’s gonna take care of us until we can fight again.”
“Yes,” Obi-Wan says, grimacing slightly. “I am sorry for you being put in such a position, Anakin. It’s certainly not an easy one.”
Anakin wishes he could say that his immediate reaction isn’t a sense of hurt, a you don’t trust me, a you don’t think I can do this, a you’re disappointed someone else wasn’t here to handle things instead.
He wishes he could make that claim and have anyone believe him, but they are in a shared meditation, and in this moment there are very, very few secrets. He does not make the effort to hide his reaction in time, and Obi-Wan catches it.
Anakin turns away as Obi-Wan’s face fills with surprise and horror. “Anakin--”
“Can we just pretend you didn’t feel that?” Anakin asks, and flinches when Ahsoka pops up from where she lies and scurries around to hug him like a vise. “Can we just pretend I’m not--”
“Dear one, there are very few people I would trust as much as you in this,” Obi-Wan says. “Those who match up are largely the people who helped me raise me when I was actually this age.”
“Being completely reliant on your padawan isn’t--”
“Anakin,” Obi-Wan says, cutting him off there. “I can trust you to care for me in ways that don’t just come down to making me a useful general again. I already trust you to risk your life and safety and freedom to see us survive, given what little I remember of that storm.”
“You handed yourself over to Mandalorians you knew nothing about so we’d be safe,” Ahsoka mutters into the fabric somewhere over his ribs. “That could have gone really badly, and you still did it because you were worried about us.”
“We trust you, Anakin,” Obi-Wan says, pulling Anakin to his chest and resting his chin on Anakin’s head. “We know you.”
“You don’t even know what happened in the storm,” Anakin mutters. “You were asleep.”
“I caught enough listening to the doctors,” Obi-Wan says. He runs a hand over Anakin’s head and through his hair. “You did well, Anakin.”
Anakin wonders why they don’t do this in real life. Obi-Wan doesn’t usually hug him, let alone cuddle. Maybe it’s because they’re all stuck in too much truth in this shared meditation, and the other two are currently stuck in child bodies that crave physical affection in ways they don’t realize they’re expressing in here as well. Maybe it’s the stress.
“What even can you hear?” Anakin mutters, still in Obi-Wan’s arms. Ahsoka giggles at him, nuzzling into his side in a way he doesn’t think she’d ever let herself, normally.
“We can’t really think in the real world right now,” she muses. “Only when we’re sleeping, and probably when we’re meditating once we’re bigger. If I try to think too hard, my head hurts worse than that time Ventress got me in the head with the back of her saber.”
“Everything takes up more space than it should,” Obi-Wan adds. “It’s... all of my senses are bigger and brighter and take up more of my attention, but they aren’t very clear, really. They’re just more. I can’t focus on anything, either, except... well, the feedings.”
Ahsoka makes an annoyed noise. “The whole diapers and bottles thing is really embarrassing, by the way. Only here, though, I barely notice when I’m awake because...”
“Because you’re a toddler,” Anakin says drily.
She huffs. “How would you feel if you were stuck like that?”
That’s fair.
“I don’t remember much,” Obi-Wan says carefully. “But part of me recognizes familiar things, even if I can’t quite make the connection.”
“Was that Fett, earlier?” Ahsoka asks. “Because I thought I saw a friend, and I pretty much forgot the face as soon as they left, but--”
“It’s Fett,” Anakin confirms. “But I guess that’s good to know? You saw his face and your baby brain just assumed it was one of the clones?”
“Pretty much.”
“And we know we trust you,” Obi-Wan adds, and tightens the hug when Anakin stiffens. “Anakin, I can barely understand the world around me at all right now. It’s like being on the painkillers that don’t knock you out but leave you saying only the most ridiculous things that come to mind. You have a general understanding of what’s going on, but all your emotions are too much and the room spins, you can’t stay on one track mentally, you can’t remember what you’ve done and what you haven’t--”
“You can’t control your bladder,” Ahsoka mutters, just a touch spitefully.
Obi-Wan grimaces and nods. “An unfortunate commonality in the experiences, yes. What I was aiming to address, however, is the fact that I only remember a very few things with any reliability. Most of my adult mind, so to speak, appears to be stored in a stasis form in the Force itself, because the infant mind can only handle the barest edges of who I am. But what that infant mind knows, and what I remember thinking once I have some sense of my full self in sleep, is that there is no one I react to as positively as you, Anakin.”
“What he’s trying to say,” Ahsoka interrupts, “but can’t because he’s trying to be a serene Jedi Councilor who definitely doesn’t break the code, nosiree, is that we don’t remember much about ourselves when we’re awake, but we remember you, and we know that we love you, Skyguy.”
Anakin stares at her, and then twists around to look at Obi-Wan instead.
“Master Kenobi,” Ahsoka croons. “Stop being emotionally constipated. We’re literal babies right not, which sucks, but we’re like 90% emotion. Tell Skyguy.”
“Yes, er, Ahsoka was not incorrect,” Obi-Wan says, stroking his beard and refusing to meet Anakin’s eyes. “I, that is to say, we...”
“Master Kenobi,” Ahsoka says, a touch sharper than she might have dared if not for the reversal of their ages.
“I do love you, Anakin, and it’s one of the only things my child mind knows consistently.”
The Force does, in fact, sing with the truth of this. It circles them like a delighted tornado of emotional reality, pulsing like a coat of positivity.
Anakin buries his face in Obi-Wan’s shoulder and hugs him as tightly as possible.
“Oh! Oh dear, I--Anakin, really, this isn’t news.”
“Master Kenobi, you’re allergic to actually talking about your emotions. Let him hug you.”
“Anakin, I’ve raised you since you were nine, it would be nearly impossible for me to not care, why are you--”
“Master Kenobi, stop questioning him!” Ahsoka whines. “It’s affirmation time.”
“Ahsoka, have you been spending time with the mind healers again?”
“I was a teenager in a warzone and also Barriss bullied me into it for my own good.” Ahsoka shrugs. “I learned some stuff. You two should have gone, too. You were more karked up than I was.”
“Ahsoka,” Obi-Wan scolds.
“What are you going to do, spit up on me? You can’t exactly make me run laps, Master.”
“Both of you shut up,” Anakin mumbles, and tries to push as much of his own affection as possible into a little ball of feelings that he can just drop on the two of them while he’s still in his own brain and not somewhere he can’t touch the Force. “Just--just shut.”
Apparently, Anakin’s feelings are a lot, because Ahsoka bursts into tears and Obi-Wan zones out so hard Anakin starts worrying about him.
They’re in a mindscape, a thing that he didn’t really think happened, but does. He shouldn’t have to worry about his--
“Oh, Anakin,” Obi-Wan says, pulling him in tighter. “Why did you...”
“Skyguy, I don’t think you planned on putting in the part where you worry about nobody loving you back as much as you loved them,” Ahsoka says, raw and uneven. “Because, uh, we got that? Skyguy, that’s really wrong!”
Oh shit.
“No, you were... you were not supposed to get that,” he says, just a little strangled. “I am so sorry, that wasn’t--”
“Be our dad.”
Anakin stares down at his Padawan. She stares determinedly back.
“What?”
“Fett asked if we were yours, and you edged around the question by saying we were family, but he was asking if you were our dad. I’m guessing you didn’t want to claim that when we couldn’t agree to it, so I’m telling you now: do it. Adopt us the Mandalorian way or whatever. You were already my older brother, basically, this is just a step sideways in how we talk about it.”
He stares at her a bit more. He doesn’t have words, and his emotions are such a cyclone of conflicting thoughts that he’s surprised the Force hasn’t tossed him out.
“I don’t know if I’m going to be born, but if I am, then I need a name so I don’t have the same one as future me,” she says. She takes his hands, holds them tight and leans in close. “You’re going to be raising us anyway. The Force already made it clear there’s no fixing this, we tried asking while you were unconscious, it wants us to grow up the long way. You’re going to be our dad. Just make it official. Make me a Skywalker.”
Anakin sits up straight, looks her up and down, the determination and affection and--
He turns to look at Obi-Wan. “Master?”
“...yes, Anakin?”
“I know she said ‘we’ and ‘us,’ but I’m not letting anyone speak for anyone else. Not for something this important.”
Obi-Wan blinks at him, and then rearranges himself to something a tad more formal. He takes one of Anakin’s hands in his own. “Anakin, we’ve been family since you were nine. This is just redefining the terms. We can adjust as we go forward, but for all intents and purposes, the majority of the time, I will be that youngling in the cot. For all intents and purposes, I will be your child, and... and I would be honored for you to make that official.”
“Even if it breaks the Code?” Anakin presses.
“All is as the Force wills it,” Obi-Wan says, almost but not quite overriding Ahsoka’s, “This doesn’t break the Code.”
They both turn to look at her. She shrugs. “What? You guys are always arguing about it and Skyguy was married. I went and did some digging about what is and isn’t allowed. This adoption would be skirting the edges of some rules, since we should be taken to the creche to be raised in a communal manner, and official adoptions are discouraged for reasons relating to later padawan stuff, but since the Force is also insisting we stay with the Mandalorians, I think it qualifies as an exception and will be treated as such, retroactively, by the Council. You also won’t be able to take either of us as Padawan once that time comes. It does not, however, violate the Code in and of itself.”
“What the hell, Snips?”
“I’m impressed, young one,” Obi-Wan says, with a smile Anakin can feel. “I could have expected to see you in court in a few years, with an argument like that.”
“You knew I was married?” Anakin squeaks.
“Rex isn’t a very good liar,” she says. She then droops. “Or, he wasn’t. Wouldn’t be. He tried, at least, but I caught on. That was against the Code, though. Just so you know.”
Anakin runs a hand over his face, tries very hard not to think about what and whom he’s left behind. He can save that breakdown for later.
He chances a look at Obi-Wan.
He gets a raised eyebrow in response.
“You’re not mad?”
“I knew you and the Senator were close, considering all the kissing you did in the Arena,” Obi-Wan says drily. Anakin isn’t stupid enough to ask how he knows it’s Padme. “I didn’t know you were married, and am a little disappointed you didn’t at least tell me, or consult me before you did it, considering you were still a padawan... but no, I’m not mad. Even if I were--and I am not--we’ve time-traveled, so I’m fairly certain that qualifies as annulment. It’s a non-issue.”
Anakin pushes down the tidal wave of grief for people who haven’t been born yet, and just breathes instead. This is important. This is too important for him to just kriff it up.
“Names,” he says.
“I still want part of it to be ‘Soka,’ if you don’t think it’s too risky.”
Obi-Wan shrugs with a smile. “Almost every time I’ve posed as a Mandalorian, since my first mission with Satine, I’ve gone by Ben. It would be fitting that, now that we’re here and apparently staying, I take the name for real.”
Anakin nods. He closes his eyes, and breathes deep, and thinks that they may be among Mandalorians on a world of snow, but he has the desert in his bones and will never forget it.
“Ahsoka Tano, sister of my heart,” he says, hoping he’s getting the words right, and takes her hands in his. It’ll have more meaning here and now, where they’re both of full mind. He holds her gaze. “You ask to join my family, to be of those who walk the sky. You shed your old name as you shed the chains of your past. You become my daughter, not of blood, but of love, loyalty, and survival. My wells are your wells, and all I own and earn is to set the path of your freedom. I name you Sokanth Skywalker, she who slips through every hunter’s trap, and you are my child.”
She smiles brightly at him, and looks like she might cry. He presses his lips to her forehead. He turns to his Master. He hesitates, because it’s one thing to redefine his little sister, but...
“Obi-Wan Kenobi, father of my heart,” he says, his voice catching where it shouldn’t. He can do this. It’s weird but he can do this. “You ask to join my family, to be of those who walk the sky. You shed your old name as you shed the chains of your past. You become my son, not of blood, but of love, loyalty, and survival. My wells are your wells, and all I own and earn is to set the path of your freedom. I name you Ylliben Skywalker, he who hunts the monsters of the darkest nights, and you are my child.”
The man before him almost laughs, well aware of how absurd it is for Anakin to be the one adopting him, but keeps it limited to just a twinkle in his eye and a quirk to his lips. Anakin presses his lips to his teacher’s forehead.
He pulls both of them in close. Padawan and Master. Ahsoka and Obi-Wan.
Daughter and son. Soka and Ben. His.
“I’m still gonna call you Skyguy,” Soka says wetly. “But Mas--um, Ben. Ben can call you buir, all the Mandos are gonna love it.”
“Fine by me,” Anakin says. “I’m going to be telling you Tatooine bedtime stories, by the way. You’ll remember creche stories as you grow, but these’ll be new.”
“I do believe that would be appropriate,” Ben says, laughing just a touch. “I also think we should perhaps disband this, unless you have something else to address. You’re going to be dealing with two very cranky younglings soon.”
“Wait, what?”
“Yeah, we’re gonna have headaches after this,” Soka laughs, rubbing her face against his shoulder. “But it’s okay, we got what we ne--”
“No, shut up, what you do mean, headaches? You said that was only when you were awake!”
“I mean, we’d be sobbing after like three minutes if we were awake,” Soka says cheerfully. “This way, it’s been like... an hour or whatever between all the talking and the hugging and the crying and the feelings, and we’re just gonna be grumpy.”
“Oh my--wake up!” Anakin growls at both of them. “I’m responsible for you now, wake up.”
He ignores Soka’s laughter and drags himself back to wakefulness. Behind him, he feels slight confusion and pain mixed with love and delight. Ben starts fussing.
Anakin drags a hand over his face and groans. He gets to his feet, nods to the nurse droid, and steps over to the cribs.
“Can we put them in the same one until I get my arm back?” he asks. The droid obliges, moving Ben to Soka’s crib. She immediately crawls over to him and envelops him in a hug. She pouts up at Anakin, eyes going watery, and he drops into the chair next to her and offers his hand through the bars. She grabs it.
“You’re going to be trouble for a long, long time, huh?”
She sticks her tongue out at him, and he smiles at her. Yes, trouble in spades, his Snips.
He starts telling her one of the fables of Tatooine, the really sanitized ones meant for children her age, before they got to the slave stories and haunt-tales. She falls asleep for real, no Force Shenanigans, shortly after. Ben is dead to the world by that point, making small snuffling noises whenever the blanket tickles his nose.
Anakin knows he’s got the galaxy’s dopiest smile on his face. It’s fine.
It’s a few more hours before someone stops by. He’s used the fresher by that point, helped the nurse droid coax Ben through a feeding, and helped Soka play with the little stuffed eopie they’ve given her.
“They got names, aruetti?”
He looks up and over. “Yes.”
The middle-aged man ambles over, arms crossed. “Jango said you claimed to be all they had left.”
He is. “They’re family. I’ve had a few hours to think it over, now that I’m not getting shot at or dying in the snow. To any system that allows it, I’ll be their father.”
“No chance of returning them to their people?”
Anakin shakes his head. “Soka has none who would recognize her, and I already--I already babysat her regularly, and she thought of me as a brother. It’s an easy next step.”
“And the human?”
“I... the master-padawan relationship is often one that is compared to that of parent and child,” Anakin says carefully. “My own master was like a father to me, and Ben is... Ben is all I have left of him.”
There. Not quite the truth, but... technically not lying.
Ben makes a small noise in his sleep, fussing, and Anakin reaches through the bars to brush his thumb across the infant’s chubby cheek. He smiles helplessly as Ben whines and curls in tighter on himself, pressing a tiny fist to his mouth.
“You’re good,” Anakin whispers. “We’re fine, Ylliben.”
“I don’t know what you’re hiding,” the Mando says. “But I do believe you’re doing what you can for those kids.”
“That’s all that matters,” Anakin agrees, finally looking away from his... his son.
Mine, the greedy krayt in his chest whispers.
“When are you planning on going back to Coruscanta?”
“I’m not,” Anakin says, standing and looking the man head-on. Anakin’s taller than him. That’s usually useful. “I don’t know why, but the Force wants me to stay here, or at least with the Mandalorians.”
“You want me to believe that you support my cause?”
“I don’t know your cause,” Anakin admits. “But I don’t like Death Watch, and I know you don’t either. Nobody on Coruscant is going to know to miss me, and the Force is warning me away from trying to go back. Whatever it is that needs doing, I’m supposed to be doing it here.”
The man steps forward. “Anyone tell you who I am?”
“No.”
“I’m Jaster Mereel.”
Good for you, Anakin thinks, and doesn’t say. “I’m pretty sure you already know my name.”
“I do,” Mereel says. “Wanna tell me how a Knight with a seemingly valid ident card claims nobody will know to miss him?”
“No.”
Mereel doesn’t even blink. “Try that again.”
“It means exactly what I said,” Anakin says. “The ident card is real. My training and rank are earned and deserved and bestowed by protocol. All of it was done at the Temple in Coruscant, but if you phone up the Temple with my name and face, nobody will know who I am.”
“And you’re not going to tell me why,” Mereel grouses. “What’s stopping me from calling them up anyway and asking them to come fetch your hypothermic ass?”
“...the fact that I already offered to help you?” Anakin manages. “I... I did say that part, right? That I’d help?”
“What’s stopping you from wanting to go back? And don’t give me any of that ‘will of the force’ banthashit.”
“I broke the Code,” Anakain says. The words sit heavy in his mouth, but one of his violations is lesser than the other, and-- “I married, and we’re not supposed to do that. She’s... not around anymore, but it still stands that I did it.”
The Tuskens weigh on his mind, suddenly and intensely. He hasn’t thought about them in ages, has always pushed those memories down, down, down, but--
“And they won’t take you back?”
“They might,” Anakin admits. They probably would, with his full title and everything, especially if he told them about the future. “But they wouldn’t let me keep the kids.”
Understanding flickers. “Not allowed kids?”
“It’s not... technically against the code,” he hedges. “But they’d find out about my marriage while investigating my past--” maybe, he’s not sure what kind of investigation they’d justify for a complete stranger of a knight, especially to confirm the future, but if they had a psychometric so much as touch his saber or arm, once he gets those back, there’d be a risk, “--and after already breaking the code by marrying, they’d be far less willing to bend the rules about the babies.”
He doesn’t realize how likely the risk is until after he says it, because he’s just been focusing on staying alive and following the Force, but.. they’d want the kids in the creche. He’s broken the code enough that any investigation they set to prove he’s legitimately a Jedi Knight that isn’t recorded and isn’t in the system is going to uncover something through the Force. They might not let him keep his family.
“What are their names?”
“I already--”
“Jango kept his last name,” Mereel cuts him off. “Did yours?”
Anakin looks the man in the eye, and then attempts to cross his arms in response, to mirror the pose and hold his ground. Unfortunately, he’s forgotten that he’s only got the one arm, which is really kriffing irritating.
“I gave them my name,” he says. “They’ll know where they came from, but they are mine.”
Yeah, no shit they’ll know where they came from.
Mereel’s face twitches, but the man is unreadable in the Force. Still, there’s something in the air... “So, those names?”
“Sokanth and Ylliben Skywalker,” Anakin tells him. He spells it out when the droid asks. He assumes it’s just for the medical data their droids are collecting.
“How well can you fight without your laser sword?”
“You mean unarmed?” Anakin asks, and then smiles brightly and tauntingly and waves his empty sleeve around. Mereel does not appreciate the humor. “Pretty well, but I do better when I have the Force, and am not still recovering from hypothermia. And I’m a fair shot with a blaster, but no specialist.”
Mereel eyes him for a moment, and then nods. “One of my snipers is Force-Sensitive. Never was enough to get more than some basic training in mental shields and the control to not hurt herself, but when we mentioned bringing in a Jetii, someone asked her what she thought. Came by the room while you were unconscious and said she thought you felt sad, angry, and desperate... but that she had a good feeling about where you’d be going.”
“Sad, angry, and desperate?” Anakin repeats, a little offended.
“You act like a veteran, kid,” Mereel says. He shrugs. “Damn near everyone that goes through some kind of war has all that going on. S’normal. You got Kamira’s approval, though, and that means a damn sight more. Keep your secrets for now. We’ll get there eventually.”
No we won’t, Anakin thinks. Out loud, he asks, “So, how much of what kind of work would I have to do to borrow a ship to Tatooine and earn enough to free a slave girl?”
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minsyal · 3 years
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The Fugitive: Finding Home, Pt. 2
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Karl Heisenberg x Reader
Warnings: strong language, Resident Evil-esque violence and descriptions of gore, and dark/sexual themes
Summary: A once-in-a-lifetime trip turned dark. You're quickly exposed to the sinister and mysterious world of a cursed village under the control of dark leaders. How long will you last and will you ever return home in one piece?
The Fugitive: Finding Home Masterlist
Part 1 - The Beginning
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“Mother Miranda, I’ve been requesting new maids for at least six months to this day.”
“That’s because you keep eating your other ones.”
You were shaken awake.
“I think that my castle would be best suited for her.”
“Oh, so you can bleed ‘er dry? You think that would really be the best use of anyone’s time?” A familiar voice retorted.
“Good morning!” A shrill voice squeaked as what felt like wood kicked at your face. “She’s up! She’s up! She’s up!” It exclaimed excitedly with a bounce, the voice became softer as the skittering of feet scrambled away.
“Ah,” the unfamiliar smooth woman’s voice cooed as your eyes adjusted to your surroundings. There were what looked to be six figures in the room. Miranda stood before you, perched upon a stage-like area that once housed what you could only imagine was a priest or preacher. To the left sat a cloaked woman with a blob of white resting in her lap. Another woman, also adorned in a white garb, sat towering over the rest, the light constant trickle of smoke danced upward from her vintage cigarette holder. On your right sat a familiar face, the man from the village who had saved you only a few hours prior. You’d come to know him as Lord Heisenberg. He maintained the large woman’s gaze, but the look held no love or any remote sense of familial belonging. Instead, his eyes were set ablaze, even behind the shaded rims of his glasses. Lastly, a shorter creature with a large hunched back moved ungracefully around. Its long gangly arms accompanied by its deformed face only aided in the growing unease.
The dull ache of your shoulder only distracted you from the bindings of your wrists for a moment. Your attention was quickly drawn to the rough ropes that dug their thorny threads into the soft skin of your wrists. Everything ached, mentally and physically.
“I do think she would be best suited with me.” The tall woman repeated herself. “There’s no doubt Moreau wouldn’t be able to handle her, and likely not the rest of you either.”
The hunched creature whirled back, throwing a forlornly glare in the woman’s direction. You supposed that was Moreau.
“You think I couldn’t handle her?” Heisenberg shot back, bent forward to rest his weight on his heels. His relationship with the large woman was clearly tumultuous given his outburst and her subsequent reaction.
“You always get them.” The shrill voice called. It was the doll; the fucking doll was talking... not that this should surprise you at this point. “She should come with us! We need more friends.”
“You’re not included in this conversation.” The tall woman mocked with a fierce glare shot violently at the doll as its mouth hung slack.
“Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on?” Thus far, nobody had managed to answer your simple question. The lot turned toward you, the majority with piercing stares. “Guess not.” You muttered, becoming quite fed up with the range of emotions you had been experiencing over the past day. If it kept going in this direction, you’d surely have to be treated for whiplash.
“She’s already proven to be a considerable pain in my neck.” Miranda loudly projected. Her steps were a clear juxtaposition to her tone, falling light on the church floor as she approached. “One villager is unable to walk, another dead.”
“Dead?” The words fell before you could stop yourself. She didn’t answer.
“Please,” Heisenberg leaned back once more, his hand moving to the interior of his jacket, “the dumb thing practically laid down when she was attacked by a lycan.” His fingers fumbled around the darkened paper of a cigar. Yellow, blonde streaks flashed upon his face as the distinguishable clink of a metal lighter was flicked. “I wouldn’t call that too capable.”
“My friend pushed me.” You argued, once again mentally reeling for the outburst.
Heisenberg let out a huff of smoke, intentionally blowing it in the tall woman’s direction, “sounds like a piss poor friend.”
“Enough.” Miranda had taken to her spot at the front near the alter once more. “The girl shall go to Alcina.”
A wicked smile crossed the tall woman’s face. “Thank you, Mother Miranda. It is so good to have you back.”
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“Where are you from?” One of the girls ushered you through the depths of the castle. She wore a simple gown with stitches at the bottom, holding together the frail fabric that looked to be decades old.
“America.”
The girl cocked her head to the side like a newborn. “I don’t know of that town.”
Upon arrival you were escorted down to what was described as the maids’ chambers. In a small stone room, you were assigned a cot, given a chest, and told to change into uniform. Your arm ached and spasmed as you lifted the lid of the trunk open. Somewhere between being shot by the villagers and being transported to Castle Dimitrescu, the bullet was removed from your shoulder and replaced with gauze that limited the mobility of your arm. The distinct oily feeling of grease caused friction between the bandages and your clothes; the ache of alcohol still stung, causing a sore numbness.
The Lady insisted all maids conform to the strict code of dress. Long, unflattering dresses, short heels, and sometimes a headscarf if hair wasn’t pulled tautly into a bun at the base of one’s neck were a few things to name the least. You always wore the headscarf, which was a thin piece of grey lace that attached at the peak of your hairline, cascading over your shoulders to land at waist-length.
The rest of the day passed slowly. You learned the ins and outs of the castle, became acquainted with the sparse staff that only consisted of women, and met Alcina’s daughters from a distance. The next two weeks passed the same way.
Wake up, clean the castle, serve Lady and her daughters, go to bed. That was your routine. Though, the sounds that seeped from the halls at night prompted unwavering curiosity. Heisenberg had mentioned the ill-fated maids that had the luxury of serving the Dimitrescu women back in that church. Nothing at this point had you doubting that was the case. But you assured yourself daily that you would not accept the castle’s fate; you would get out of here one way or another.
You had only been at the mercy of Lady Dimitrescu once to this day. A small spat broke out between maids and the arrival of the head of house had the women squealing lies of how you were the one to start it.
“She stole our rations!” The girl with the wide nose accused her chubby finger outstretched in your direction.
“I didn’t steal anything, you dirty fucking liar.”
“She did. We were squabbling over how she should be punished.” The other girl replied, tucking a shaking hand behind her back as she straightened her poor posture.
“A thief,” Alcina regarded you, “that’s a shame.” Knives skid across the thin skin of your forearm. “Another outburst like this and there will be harsher consequences.” Red stained her tongue as she ran the claw through her cherry-red lips.
As she sauntered down the hall and out of sight, you uncurled your arm from your chest, wincing at the large crimson stain it left on your dress.
“Fresh face.” The words ricocheted off the wall in front of you. Footsteps steadfastly approached from behind. He walked with an effortless swagger, legs slightly bowed with each lyrical step. You’d gone for the quiet route after the situation, finding that silence often pleased those that ruled over the castle. “Here I was thinkin’ it would take you a little longer to lose that fight.” He stepped closer; the unmissable smell of tobacco seeped from his lips. “Looks like I was wrong.”
Instead of words, you held his gaze through unimpressed eyes. Hues of yellows, greys, and greens met yours from beneath his rounded glasses. You could see more of him from here. A large scar ran from the right of his face to the left, the lifted skin healing over leaving memories of whatever had happened. In fact, the majority of his face was plagued with scars. One ran from the bottom of his lip down to his chin, disappearing beneath the stubble of his beard. You wondered if his disdain toward Alcina was founded by those wretched claws of hers. His hair was wirey with shades of brown and peppered grey streaking through the ends. Quite honestly, he was an attractive man.
“I’ve got a name, you know?”
“I don’t think I cared to ask.”
“Then I suppose you aren’t deserving of one either.”
“Well,” he tapped at your chest with a gloved finger, “I think you’ve got a little spunk left in you, sweetheart.”
“Call me Y/n.”
“No last name?” He deadpanned.
“L/n.”
He nodded, but you felt as though your words had passed through him like a ghost.
“Karl.” He gave a lazy bow, tilting the rim of his hat. “But I think you probably already knew that.”
“Gossip and information don’t come easily from the maids here. Sorry,” you pressed your lips together, “I didn’t know.”
Karl gave a shrug.
“Do you know what happened to my friend?” The thought had been playing on your mind for the past few weeks.
He raised an inquisitive brow and turned his head to peer out the shaded window. “The so-called friend that left you to become lycan chow?” A hearty tut left his chest. “I think she’s assimilated into the town.”
“Dumb bitch.” You breathed.
“There’s that spark.” He stood tall with an artificial sense of pride. It had been a long time since somebody in the village was willing to use such crude language in front of any of the Lords, let alone Miranda. It almost astonished him that they’d let you live after the killing of Adelina’s brother. The gun misfired; it wasn’t really your fault.
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Another week of growing suspicions and two newly missing maids, you finally attempted to seek out the dungeons that everyone spoke of but warned to stray from. You had to know what was going on here.
“Lost?” Heisenberg’s voice appeared at your right side. His chin almost rested upon your shoulder; the stubble of his beard scratched at your neck. “This isn’t a place I’d get lost in if I were you. In fact, it’s not even a place you should be exploring.”
“Are you going to run to Alcina if I do?” You didn’t face him, why would you? The hallway was cramped, restricting of any sort of movement other than in the direction you were going.
“Me?” He leaned backward to stand at full height. Your body cursed silently, wishing nothing more than to have him close again. How he wasn’t hitting his head on the rafter just inches above floored you. “I hate that bitch. You do what you want, but I won’t bail you out when you get caught.”
“Good thing I don’t plan on being caught then.” You descended the metal ladder, only looking upward for a moment to catch a glimpse of Heisenberg leaning over the opening. An eerie smile was plastered on his lips, it was almost smug.
The dungeons were as you imagined. Cold water trickled down some of the walls, likely due to cracks in the castle’s foundation accompanied by the ever melting of the outside snow. It smelled of mothballs and garlic, something musty was clinging to the air. You noted a few turns here and there, attempting to memorize the path you had taken in case you needed to make a swift escape. What didn’t help was the skid of your maid’s clothes along the rigid floor.
Muffled cries put you further onto the edge. The narrow hall gave way to a large room filled with arched stonework. Metal bars shot from floor to ceiling, hinges creaked as the sound of hands banging against them filled your eardrums. You didn’t want to go further, scared of any repercussions should any of the jailed women recognize and rat you out.
Turning to head to the ladder, you collided with a chest. “Leaving so soon?” Heisenberg again.
“Shh!” You slapped at his chest with a closed fist, only realizing what you had done when the action was completed. He looked rightfully amused. Everything that you had learned of these “Lords” up to now told you to act less casually with him, to put on an air of respect at the very least. But there was something surprisingly human about him. Something that told you it was okay despite it potentially not being so. At this point, you were only prolonging the inevitable.
“What?” He started, swiftly being cut off by approaching footsteps. Firm hands grasped at your arms, pulling your face forward into his chest. “Open your mouth and I’ll feed you to whatever’s coming.” He said through his teeth, trapping your arms between your two bodies.
The room grew dim, the wall behind your back became close even though you had not moved at all. Heisenberg’s grip was strong on your forearms, causing you to inaudibly hiss as his thumb dug into the slash Alcina had left weeks prior. The footsteps were accompanied by the soft cries of a woman, gasping pleas of being let go falling silent on the ears of her assailant. A minute passed; the dungeon fell soundless.
“You can breathe now.” His lips lingered close to your ear, once again sending a rush of chills crawling down your skin. He knew what he was doing.
“I’ve been breathing.” You breathily retorted sounding as if you had just run a marathon.
“Whatever you say, doll.”
The wall behind you gave way, moving on its own. You turned; the materials that had been pressed to your back laid themselves on the ground. Heisenberg’s smile was unmissable. “Go ahead.” His voice was gravely, gruff, a slight melancholy dismay underlying. Heisenberg desired for you to implore what just happened, but you wouldn’t give him that satisfaction. You refused to see him as anything but normal, for if you did give in to the village’s mental games, you’d likely find yourself going mad. He was a man, you told yourself, nothing more.
“I thought you weren’t going to bail me out?”
“I wasn’t.” He tightened his grip on your arms. “But I figured it’d be a shame to lose such a pretty face so soon.”
“I, I’m sure you say that to all the girls here.” You couldn’t hold his gaze at this distance. Perhaps Adelina was right, you were rather frumpy and unexperienced.
A huff came as he exhaled, a thoughtful tug of his lips upward accompanied it. He didn’t answer, a reoccurring event with those who inhabited this town.
Heisenberg had been keeping his trips to and from the castle a secret. Truthfully, he wasn’t sure why he felt so inclined to bother with the outsider woman who appeared in the village one fateful evening. Perhaps he was growing bored of his daily routine with no results to show. Maybe he was enticed by the well of knowledge you held of the outside world. Maybe it was something else, something human. The Lord’s weren’t allowed to stray far from the village. The other three lived delightfully oblivious, completely okay with never exploring the unknown. Heisenberg, on the other hand, was not. Your friend, Jess as he recalled you calling her, was far from interesting to him. It didn’t take a genius to tell how low her I.Q. had to be. She conformed easily to the village and by all accounts had been down talking you to the others she met. She quickly fell into the same brainwashed daze of worship.
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It had been another turbulent week of utter chaos around every corner. Nobody knew of your adventure into the depths of Castle Dimitrescu and you had no intentions of spreading any gossip among the maids. They all seemed to have it out for you anyway. You were the “outsider,” as one described it. It was so blatantly evident to them that you were not going to conform to their ways. And that disturbed them.
It wasn’t that you hadn’t your fair share of punishment to this point. In actuality, you had received a significantly greater amount of beratements and surface wounds from Alcina and her daughters. You thought to Heisenberg often, continually wondering how your life would differ had Miranda bestowed you upon him. He was irresistibly charming in his own twisted sense. Every word that escaped his mouth heavily contradicted his actions. You received a good number of swats to the hand stemming from woeful daydreaming of the man you hardly knew.
He could be dangerous, you’d tell yourself before slipping into yet another sequence of fervent and unrelenting thoughts stemming from the mysterious man. He was a Lord, one placed in a top position according to the village’s hierarchy. You just weren’t sure why.
There had been countless times the man had sauntered into the castle, “accidentally” run into you, and held brief conversation.
The other maids were assholes. Though you had concluded this swiftly upon entering the castle, their recent actions only solidified your feelings.
It had been only a day since Heisenberg’s last visit. He strolled into the castle, easing his way past the maids as they hurriedly passed by. They paid him no mind. The evening sun had begun to set in the sky. Lady Dimitrescu had gone out for the night, instructing her girls to hold down the castle while she was away. The three of them had descended into the dungeons, not to be seen again until morning. This left the halls free and roamable for the savvy Lord.
“That’s bullshit and you know it.” Your voice caught his attention. “Oh, shut the fuck up, Marybeth.”
Shrill voices argued back and forth behind the kitchen doors. The sound of muffled giggles fell on his ears; it was an unusual sound within the castle walls. The girls must be relaxed knowing they’re safe from punishment tonight. At least, that’s what they thought.
In a second, the hinges of the door burst off, sending the heavy frame crashing down to the tiled floor. Shrieks came quickly and died on their lips as soon as the girls realized who was there.
“Lord Heisenberg.” One woman bowed her head, concealing something within her hands as she placed them in her lap, clasped tightly together. “Lady Dimitrescu has left for the evening.”
“I know.” His brow raised at the scene set before him. You stood to the rear of the kitchen, clearly irate at something the woman who regarded him had done. Five other women were huddled with the one who spoke, following her lead and averting their gazes. No aroma of cuisine drifted from the empty cauldron, only the stale scent of curing meats clung to the air.
“What’s going on in here?” He looked directly at you from beneath the lid of his hat.
“We were cleaning the kitchen.” The maid spoke through shaking breaths.
After a pensive moment, he waved his hand. “You’re dismissed. Except,” he held his hand at your chest as you attempted to pass, “you.”
The girls stumbled over the door, making quick work of getting back to their quarters and away from the Lord. You listened as the audience of feet trampled away. None of the girls here knew how to walk in heels causing for a rather elephant-like clomping of shoes wherever they went.
“What really happened?”
“Do you care?”
“Not particularly, but color me curious.”
“Don’t get them in trouble.” You demanded through gritted teeth. “I don’t want to deal with the aftermath.”
He chortled. “You seem more afraid of them than you are of me.”
“You’ve not given me a reason to be scared.”
Your back pressed to the wall, a glass chalice fell, shattering against the floor. The lapels of his jacket and dog tags pushed to your chest were still cold from the frosted night air. “Do I need to give you a reason?”
“I just,” embarrassment rose in your cheeks, “would you stop doing this?” There was no budging the man. His strength far outweighed yours, easily acting as if your pushing against his chest was nothing but a soft breeze.
“Doing what?” A smirk grew on his lips. God, he loved this.
“This!” Your clenched fist banged on his chest, not rattling him in the slightest. Droplets of claret liquid ran from your palm to your elbow. “Dammit, Karl. Move.”
The use of his first name was new. A solid hand closed around your wrist, bringing it up to eye level. He tilted back, adjusting his vision. The raise of his brow signaled that he wanted you to open your hand. Complying, you cringed as the reddened skin screamed for relief.
“They did this?”
“It’s no different from the other injuries I’ve gotten here.”
“It’s deep.” He reached into the pocket of his trench coat. “Don’t let anyone know you’ve got this.” A silver tin slipped from his hand to yours, you pried at its ridges with your nail.
Heisenberg disappeared after that, taking off with a dramatic throw of the castle doors as he disappeared into the dense forest. He had given you a tin of salve and a bandage.
“Lady Dimitrescu has requested your presence.”
The Fugitive: Finding Home Part 3 - Foreign Thoughts
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I'm so excited for where this fic is going...
Feedback is always appreciated
Tag list: (let me know if you want to be tagged)
@ambiguous-g @ren-ni @metaphorical-love-for-a-car @lgbtomatoes
500 notes · View notes
mercy-burning · 3 years
Text
Fake Fiancée - Part 2
Pairing: Spencer Reid x fem!Reader Summary: Reader becomes rather possessive over Spencer when she learns he’s been been with someone else since they hooked up four months ago. Category: SMUT (18+) Content Warnings: Language, mutual masturbation, oral sex (male and female receiving), penetrative sex, unprotected sex, creampie, hand-on-neck (no choking), praise, degradation kink, possession kink, dirty talk Word Count: 7.1k (I didn’t mean for it to get this long I swear aldjfsdlfksk)
PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 
MASTERLIST
NOTE: HERE IT IS!!! 🥰 Thank you all for showing so much love to Part 1, I seriously wasn’t expecting all the requests for more of the story, so it was fun coming up with ideas! I’m still not sure if I want to do 3 or 4 parts yet, but I’ll let you know soon! In the meantime, I hope you all enjoy reading this second installment! ❤
***
He's been a ghost in my head for four months.
Everywhere I went I could hear his voice, hear the way he whimpered out my name and how cries got higher and higher as I clenched around him. I felt the rough grip he held on my hips as I rode him, the pads of his fingertips leaving behind faint bruises that I currently wished I still had.
And more prominently, I saw his face. It was always in the back of my mind, burning into me with lust-drunk eyes and a pouty mouth in the shape of an O. It sizzled into my brain, the sound definitely sounding more like raindrops than fire, but I was more than okay with that.
Though, every time it rained, I couldn't help but wonder if he felt the same— if he stood outside or watched from the safety of wherever he was and replayed that moment over and over again until he was aching to be in my presence once more.
I also had to wonder if he knew about the ring I'd left in his front seat.
Did he leave it in his car, perhaps in the glovebox or on a string that he tied around his mirror? Or did it fall somewhere between the seats? Maybe he found it and did what I never could, pawning it off for some happily-accepted cash while he laughed at how careless I was to take a stranger's virginity and then leave my expensive diamond ring behind like a fool.
Unfortunately, I didn't have the means to find out.
It's not like I could have wandered up to the FBI building and ask to meet with a Dr. Spencer Reid... Right? Because that as absurd. I'd only met the guy once, and he'd probably think I was crazy for trying to track him down.
It was a whole ordeal that I'd mulled over again and again, and I ultimately decided that it was ridiculous.
If anything I was happy to be rid of the ring. I could move on with my life, and maybe Spencer sold it for money or he's held on to it as a souvenir for a special night.
Win-win.
It didn't dull the small ache I felt for him, though. Every once in a while I found myself remembering how great that night was... I hadn't felt that way—sexy, confident, fun—in a long time, and as much as it sucked that he was getting picked on by some drunk idiots at a bar, I was glad it led me to him.
Some nights, when I was missing him significantly more than usual, I even went back to Waterson's in the event that I'd run into him again, hopefully under better circumstances.
Tonight was one of those nights.
This time I didn't have a ring to keep most of the men from hitting on me, but now that I was well and truly over my ex-husband, I was glad I didn't use that as an excuse to keep the ring around anymore. As annoying and painful as the drunken flirting was, I was way better equipped to handle it and truthfully somewhat relieved that I could get back to normal.
You know, save for the fact that I was only at Waterson's in the first place to maybe see some guy I hooked up with four months ago and still haven't stopped thinking about...
Because that was totally a normal thing to do.
I was on my second beer of the night when I felt a presence behind me. And even though I was pretty sure than I'd be able to tell if it was really Spencer, a part of me still buzzed thinking of the prospect of seeing him here again.
I turned around though, and was met with an entirely different person. I tried not to look disappointed, but it must have shown because the man who'd caught my attention gave a small laugh.
"I'm sorry, are you expecting someone?"
I liked to think that I had a good read on most people, especially when it came to men in bars. This man was someone I looked at for a few seconds and immediately knew that he wasn't looking to make me uncomfortable. He had come over to flirt with me, no doubt, but the difference here was that where most men would have gone straight into it, this man genuinely looked like he was willing to haul ass if I really was waiting for someone and didn't want his company.
That alone made me willing to entertain him a little, even if I was disappointed that he wasn't who I desperately wanted him to be. But it certainly helped that he was attractive.
The first word that came to mind was smooth. Even as I laughed back at the man and answered him, my eyes did some wandering of his figure and admired what I saw. A crisp, tight grey tee shirt that hugged some rather nice muscles, and brown skin that was just a few shades lighter than his eyes, which were kind and a little playful. His smile was stunning, sharing that same playfulness that his eyes held as he practically sparkled to life at my answer.
"Oh, no, I'm not... But I certainly wasn't expecting you..."
I made sure to smile at him, a little smirk that complimented the admiring eyes I was offering him and a little laugh that never failed to get me what I wanted.
He gently leaned into the bar, one of his hands coming to rest of the cool wooden surface. "I'm Derek."
"Y/N."
"Pretty name."
I don't know what made me so bold, but I nodded and shot him a wink. "Not as pretty as you."
We shared another laugh, and then I took a swig of my beer, finishing the last of it and then sliding towards him. "Can I buy you a drink?"
"We just met and you're already stealing from me... That's my line."
"What can I say, I'm quick... Hey, Carla! Can I get two more for me and my friend here?"
The bartender—and my longtime friend—laughed a little, taking my empty bottle. "Sure thing."
The look she gave me right before turning away practically yelled, I thought your type was helpless skinny white guys who can barely look you in the eye without creaming themselves...
Yeah, well, you worked with what you were given. And besides, my type was practically anyone with just a shred of decency.
Real high bar, huh?
But after Patrick, I couldn't complain. Derek seemed like the type of guy who would flirt with you at any given chance, but respected your boundaries all the same. Unfortunately that was hard to find nowadays, especially in bars like Waterson's.
So, yeah, he wasn't the man I was naively wishing to see here tonight, but he was into me, he was decent from what I could tell, and he was hot.
So we had a drink and spent a good twenty minutes chatting it up. Since it was my third beer of the night, I was accumulating a pretty steady buzz, and the longer I talked with Derek the more I opened up a little. I found myself leaning into him and finding excuses to lightly touch his arm, but I kept noticing that he was glancing down at his watch occasionally.
"Are you expecting someone?" I asked, playfully.
"Right, uh... Yeah, I was supposed to be meeting a friend here. He's usually early, but I think we got our times mixed up again..."
"Again, huh? You two aren't very good coordinators?"
Derek laughed, the sound making me feel all warm. "Well, for FBI agents you'd think we'd be better at it."
"O—Oh," I said, my heart stopping for a beat. Had I heard that right? Was I more tipsy than I thought? "FBI?"
"You seem stunned," he said with another laugh. "What, you're not a criminal, are you? Do I have to take you in?"
I laughed, albeit nervously, but decided that this all had to be pure coincidence. If I didn't, I would have gone insane. Even still, it was difficult for me to sit here and openly flirt with this man when I knew he just confessed to having the same profession as the literal man of my dreams— and as of late that also included daydreams.
In fact, I was positive that's what it was when I saw Spencer approach us— a daydream.
Derek was calling my name, I knew that much, but I couldn't do anything but look over his shoulder where Spencer's ghost practically froze in place when he spotted me.
"Y/N?"
That wasn't Derek's voice. Spencer's mouth moved in time with the calling of my name, and it even sounded like him. I blinked rapidly, hoping that I could snap out of it and excuse myself for the rest of the night, so I could go home and sleep it off.
But even when I finished blinking, expecting Spencer's figure to be gone, he was still there.
At this point Derek had turned around, and what he said next snapped me out of it pretty damn good.
"Reid? You know her?"
"You're real," I said, speaking for the first time in a while. My throat felt dry, and my heart came alive at the sight of him.
Spencer stared at me, his eyes softening after I spoke to him. I saw his lips twitch into a shy smile before his hand came up in an equally shy wave. "Y—Yeah, I'm real." What followed was a huffed laugh that cemented his nervousness at seeing me again for the first time in four months, and it was the most refreshing thing I'd heard in a while.
"Oh my God," I said, a smile of my own starting to creep up.
I'd completely forgotten about Derek being there until he spoke up, snapping us out of our reunion, his voice conveying every range of confusion.
"What the hell is this?"
***
I knew there was always a minor chance that I'd run into her again, but it still rendered me utterly still and practically useless when I spotted her across the bar with Derek.
She was just... there. After months of debating whether or not I should send her a letter with the ring mailed back or stopping by to see her, or even using Garcia's help to find where she might have been so I could 'surprise' running into her... It happened to chance that I didn't need any of that at all. Because she was really there.
And she was flirting with Derek.
I'd have been lying if I said that didn't really bother me, but truthfully I'd always felt a bit insecure around him, mostly when it came to being surrounded by women who were most likely fawning over him instead of me.
Not that I particularly wanted or even needed them to fawn over me in the first place... It was just... Telling.
And it's not like I knew or thought I wasn't at least somewhat attractive. But seeing the one and only woman who'd ever made me feel very good about all of that for probably the first time in my whole life openly flirting with my best friend? It stung. It felt like now that she'd seen me and him in the same place, she'd decide that she'd made a mistake before and that she'd be better off with someone else— someone who was stronger and more skilled and probably easier to look at.
Even when the three of us sat at a booth and Y/N decided to sit next to me, her proximity dizzying after all this time apart, the first thought that came to my mind was, She doesn't want to see me. She'd much rather sit across from Derek so she can look at him instead.
I was starting to think maybe I should have stuck to mailing her a letter...
"So... Are you gonna tell me how you two know each other?" Derek asked, leaning back and easily amused.
Y/N seemed to be amused by all of this, too, because she answered immediately, a tone in her voice that I'd only dreamed about for four months and nine days straight.
"Oh, we were engaged."
If I didn't know any better, I would have thought Derek's eyebrows were going to fly straight off his head. "Engaged? Like... Engaged?"
"I—It's not what you think," I jumped in, suddenly a little embarrassed. "Not really engaged, but... Y/N pretended to be my fiancée once... There were, um... There were these guys who wouldn't leave me alone and she came over and told them off."
I hoped he wouldn't piece it together, but it was inevitable, and the look of realization that crossed his features made me feel extra warm with embarrassment.
"Oh... Is she the reason why you actually said yes to that date last month?"
Y/N turned to me, an eyebrow raised. "A date? Because of me? I don't... I don't follow..."
I was going to explain, but Derek beat me to it.
"I've always tried to set Pretty Boy here up for a date, but he's always said no, and then out of the blue I ask him and he agrees. Which was a shock in its own. I knew something was up, something had to have given him the confidence to go on the date... And all along its been you, hasn't it?"
"Well, I... I don't know, I guess so?"
They both looked at me then, and I stared down at my hands, unwilling to look either of them in the eye. "Y—Yeah... I don't know, I guess Y/N just... helped me see something in myself I hadn't seen before."
I half expected them to think it was silly, but Y/N's hand dropped down onto my knee and I stared at it for a moment before flitting my eyes up to meet her gaze. It was soft, and a small smile grazed her pretty features.
"Oh, Spencer, I'm so glad I could do that for you... How was the date?"
"O—Oh, it... It was fine. Not... I'm not seeing her anymore, but it wasn't bad... Just, um... There wasn't much of a connection, that's all."
In simpler words, She wasn't you.
But I couldn't tell her that, not when she was staring at me again with those sparkling eyes and her hand burning a hole through my pants with her electrifying touch, and most certainly not with Derek sitting right in front of us.
"Hey, whether it worked out or not, whatever you did to get him out there, it must have been one hell of a job," he said as if he'd been reading my thoughts.
Y/N gave me a knowing look, though, and suddenly I was transported to my car, feeling her hand explore my body as she showered me with filthy words and names that set me alight and cemented something about myself that I'd never known. Since then I had dreams about her, telling me how much of a 'good little whore' I was for her, and I always woke up from those dreams clutching her ring around my finger.
"Well, like I said, I'm glad I could help. Your boy here is one in a million."
It was awkward. This was all very extremely awkward. And even though I knew that, I still couldn't bring myself to stop it. I couldn't bring myself to stop staring at Y/N, soaking her all up like she was going to leave again at any given second. I couldn't stop thinking about her, our predicament, what we did and what I discovered about myself back then...
God, I was talking like we hadn't seen each other in years. It was only four months and yet I was acting like she'd left me alone after years of being together. This was ridiculous, right?
Thankfully Derek's phone rang, snapping us all out of the bubble of silence we'd been in for what seemed like forever.
"Uh, I'm gonna... get this. Be back in a few."
I expected Y/N to drop whatever act it was she had going on with me after he left the table, but her hand remained firmly on my knee. And then she moved a little closer, turning to me completely and tilting her head with a smile that only meant mischief.
"So... Looks like we have some catching up to do..."
***
I was practically giddy when Derek excused himself for a "Garcia Emergency". Though, I was concerned until he assured us that it wasn't anything bad, and by the look on his face as he quickly talked things over With Spencer, I got the feeling he was expecting his friend to 'have some fun' tonight. And that's what truly made me giddy.
We sat close to each other again, a few drinks between us and only a few booths away from the one we sat in the first time we met. If it weren't for the rock missing from my finger, I would have been convinced we'd actually transported back to that exact moment.
"You getting Deja vu, Doctor?" I asked with a smile, watching as he swallowed.
"Y—Yeah, kinda. It's great seeing you again, I... I really didn't think I would."
I laughed. "You know where I live, and you're an FBI agent... I'm pretty sure you could have saw me again if you wanted to."
"Well... Yeah, but I didn't want to be creepy or anything..."
"Trust me... If you randomly showed up at my door, I'd be anything but creeped out. I missed you..."
Spencer looked up at me for a moment, his eyes shifting before he seemed to relax. "You... did?"
"Of course... I haven't stopped thinking about you since we met. And I hope that's not creepy," I added in a laugh.
"No, not at all," he reassured with a nervous laugh of his own. "Actually, um... I've been thinking about you a lot, too..."
"Even on your date?"
I'd only meant it as a little joke, maybe another conversation starter, but at the mention he seemed... embarrassed.
"Oh, no, that was... That wasn't really... I—I only really did it to get Derek off my back, it—"
I rested a hand on his arm and smiled gently. "Hey, it's alright... I didn't really mean anything by that, I'm just... I meant it before, I'm really glad you did it. I know you said it didn't really work out, but did you have some fun at least?"
He laughed again, but this time there was hardly any humor in it. "Well, she wasn't you..."
I smiled a bit, but immediately following his words was a wide-eyed terror and instant regret. "Oh, I didn't... I'm sorry, I—"
"So, you did think about me on your date, huh?"
He froze then, presumably at the low, seductive drawl I blanketed over my words. His mouth slightly hung open, tongue flittering behind teeth as he tried to find the right words.
I smiled at him, and then he settled on, "Yeah. I did."
"It's not very polite to think of other girls while you're on a date, you know..." I made sure to let him know I was only teasing, and that I just wanted to know what his reaction would be.
Still, he surprised me when he said, "It's not my fault you're impossible to forget..."
He flashed me a smile then, and my stomach twisted deliciously at the little dash of confidence he'd grown in the past minute.
Maybe I could bring more out of him...
"Okay, fair... But it is your fault that you didn't come find me."
"Also fair... But... You're here now..."
Spencer inched closer to me, and I smiled, taking my bottom lip gently between my teeth before leaning in, too. "How about that..."
Our lips brushed for a second, so gentle it was like being tickled by a feather, and then he spoke again, his breath hot on my mouth. "I've... dreamt about seeing you again for so long now... Kissing you..."
"Me, too," I responded, bringing a hand down to graze the inside of his thigh. "Guess it's a good thing I'm a firm believer that dreams come true."
"Yeah," is all he said before he finally took the initiative to finally kiss me.
I sighed, melting into his touch and tightening the grip I had on his leg. Meanwhile his hands rested at my forearms, fingers dancing experimentally over my skin and making me tingle in their wake. And once I parted my lips, he took his shot and gently brought his tongue out to meet mine in a collision that quite frankly made me throb.
He'd been a decent kisser before, but... It's obvious he's had a little practice since then. Not that I'd have minded either way, but damn if this newfound experience didn't give me the most sinful idea.
I felt him whine as I pulled away, and that made everything even better.
"You wanna get out of here?" I said in the cheesiest way possible. But he didn't seem to mind.
In fact, he nodded rapidly and took a quick drink of his beer before following me out of the booth and towards the door.
***
Leading Spencer up and through the doorway of my house was probably the most electrifying 'date' experience I've had... well, ever. I'd been excited to sleep with people, sure, but with Spencer I found something greater. I wasn't entirely sure what that was, yet, but it was definitely good.
He reiterated that thought nicely once the door was closed and his hands were on my face, bringing my mouth to his again while I dropped by keys and haphazardly threw my phone and wallet on the side-table next to us in favor of gripping his shirt.
Just through his kisses I could tell how much he'd longed for this moment. I know he told me, and I'd certainly understood the feeling, but when it came down to actually acting it out in the flesh, I was much more in favor of that method of communication.
I gladly accepted his wordless confessions, through every groan and gentle graze of his tongue that he offered to me. And in return I gave him sharp tugs of his shirt and hair, conveying my urgency and the need to be closer to him.
When my legs started moving, his did, too, and we reluctantly pulled apart in favor of not tripping up the hard wooden staircase on the way to my bedroom. Though, I was thankful he was in just as much of a rush as I was, because otherwise I probably would have gotten embarrassed.
And that didn't happen easily.
I fumbled for the light switch once the door shut and our mouths connected once again, and I could have sworn it was like something out of a trashy TV show. The thought almost made me laugh, but I held it in in favor of moaning when Spencer lowered his hands to my ass and squeezed, pulling us closer together. I finally hit the light switch and then flow both of my arms to wrap around his neck and draw him even closer.
He was everywhere all at once, and it fueled me. I'd come to miss physical human interaction, but I hadn't realized how badly I craved it until he was right there, taking up all of my personal space and aiding me in creating this perfect recipe of frantic, glorious electricity.
It was going to kill me, and I would have gladly let it.
I experimentally rolled my hips forward and felt him gasp into me, and it wasn't long before he started growing hard.
Good... Now I could set the plan in motion.
"Remember what you told me?" I asked breathlessly before our heads switched sides and leaned in for more kisses.
In between them, he returned, "When?"
"The first time we met..." I trailed my lips down the column of his throat as I continued. "When you said you edged yourself..."
"O—Oh... Yeah, I remember."
"Mmm," I hummed, sucking a mark into his neck for the time being. As I did it, the grip he held on my ass tightened a bit, and I laughed lightly over his skin, slowly licking my way up to his ear. "I wanna see..."
The trembling he provided under my influence was a good sign. And then another came when he whispered. "Y—You want to see... me? Touching myself?"
"Mhmm..." I planted kisses all along his jaw before pulling back to look him in the eye, making sure he knew I was serious when I told him, "But only if that's okay with you."
He didn't even take a second to think, nodding rapidly once more and giving me a flash of a smile. "It's okay."
I hummed happily, leaning forward to give him one huge kiss, long and hard, before pulling away from him completely and nodding towards the bed. "Clothes off..."
Our hands got to work as soon as the words left my mouth.
And it wasn't until my shirt was on the ground and Spencer's eyes remained glued to my chest with trembling hands that I realized, even though we'd slept together before, our clothes had never actually come off. Tonight we were completely baring ourselves to each other, and that was somehow more intimate than the idea of taking his virginity was.
I reached out and grabbed his shirt, gently assisting him in removing it, and it must have snapped him out of wherever he'd gotten trapped because he shook his head and let out a nervous laugh, averting his eyes from me and staring at the ground.
"S–Sorry."
"Nothing to apologize for," I reassured, throwing his shirt to the ground next to mine and bringing his hands to rest on my bare stomach, slowly sliding them up. "I like when you look at me..."
His eyes reached mine once again, breath hitching as I guided his hands to cup my breasts over the bra. "Well, I... I like looking at you."
I kissed him again, hoping to bring forth some familiarity to our current routine, and it worked like a charm. Our movements were slow and steady, each article of clothing joining the floor one by one until we were down to nothing but my underwear.
I led him to the bed then, breaking us apart and making him sit. Now that I was taller than him, I gripped his chin in my hand and tilted his head up to look at me.
"Lay back for me?"
He scooted further along the bed until finally he leaned back, his head resting nicely on my pillows. I climbed up after him, kneeling at his feet and bringing a hand down trace lines along the inside of his thigh. Meanwhile I looked him up and down, finally getting a decent look at his full, bare form.
"Ohh, so pretty... And I bet you're even prettier when you're touching yourself... You wanna start?"
He reached out for his dick in answer, wrapping a delicate hand around it and slowly stroking up and down as he looked up at me with the stars in his eyes. "Like this?"
"However you normally do it, baby. Just relax. Make yourself feel good..."
After a slight nod, his hand picked up a little speed. He swiped his thumb over the tip to gather some precum for lubrication, but as hot as that was, I had a better idea.
"Here, let me help," I offered with a smile, leaning down and bracing my hands on his knees. I let spit gather on the end of my tongue before allowing it to drip down and land right on the tip of his cock. The sound he let out, broken and dripping with want, sent a jolt of electricity through my blood, only amplified by how wet he sounded once he started moving his hand again.
I let my eyes roam all over, taking in every heave of his chest, the veins in his arm and hand as he worked himself, the soft fluttering of his eyes as he lost himself in the moment... At the risk of sounding absolutely cheesy, it truly was a magical sight. I felt entirely lucky that I got to see him again at all, and now like this, bare and vulnerable and exuding lust while I was left to my own devices.
All that to say, I hadn't realized I was touching myself as well, until a whimper came from my mouth, my clit gently throbbing with stimulation at the hands of... well, my hand.
Upon seeing me, Spencer let out a whine of his own, picking up speed with his hand and throwing his head back onto the pillow.
"Y/N..."
He wasn't addressing me, wasn't asking me anything at all... My name on his lips was more of a declaration, like some type of chant, a string of letters and syllables formed specifically to bring him closer to the edge he knew he'd have to resist falling from.
"You getting there, baby?"
"U—Uh huh..."
"You better hold it," I drawled lowly, bringing myself into the more strict persona I wanted to bring out tonight, given that's still something he was into. "Just like you promised."
After a few more hard strokes of his hand, Spencer leg to quickly, bringing his hand to rest on his chest as his mouth let out the most delicious whines and grunts of determination to keep it all in. Without the stimulation, I noticed his dick slightly twitching over his stomach, glistening and  hard...
Fuck, if it wasn't the hottest fucking thing I'd ever experienced with my own eyes and ears...
I pulled my hand out of my underwear, too, still a little shocked that I hadn't realized before that I was doing it to myself and a little turned on at the fact that it had that big of an effect on him.
"I—I would have been able to go longer, but... But you were there, and you were... And I only ever have you in my head, not right in front of me..."
It was obvious that he was probably afraid he'd let me down somehow, and that was definitely not the case. So I leaned down and dragged my hands over his lower stomach, feeling inch of skin while my mouth came down to press featherlight kisses to the base of his dick. "Spence, that was hot as fuck... You really think of me when you do that?"
"Mhm," is all he offered, currently reveling in the way my tongue darted out to explore the lines of his cock.
"I think of you, too," I admitted, pausing to press a kiss to the underside of his tip. "When I touch myself... I think about how pretty you were the first time I called you a slut... Tell me, baby, you still like that?"
"God, Y/N, yes..."
I sucked gently on his tip now, watching as he watched me, his bottom lip occupied between his teeth and his eyes on the brink of closing.
He was getting close again. So I stopped, pulling off of him with a soft pop and smiling as I crawled up his body and planted a kiss to his cheek. My legs straddled his hips, and I got close to his ear.
"Tell me, what about this... other girl you went on a date with... Did you sleep with her?"
"Um... Y—yes..."
"I'm willing to bet she didn't make you feel half as good as I do..."
"She didn't..."
I smiled against his jaw, bringing one of my hands to stroke his hair. "Was she mean to you? Did she make you her dirty little whore?"
I could feel him let out a trembling breath as he answered, "No."
"That's right," I said softly, right before switching gears and tugging on his hair, pulling back to look in his eyes. "Because you're my dirty little whore."
His cock twitched along my ass at my words, and it made me smile. But before I could speak again, he did it first.
"I'm all yours, Y/N... No one else's..."
I couldn't help it then. His words, our position, the needy look in his eyes as he confessed this to me... All of it was enough to make me snap.
So I leaned in and kissed him, hard. My hands tangled in his hair while his flew to my waist, sliding down to play with the hem of my underwear as his tongue slipped into my mouth and against my own with ease. I swallowed each whine with the greatest pleasure, my hips involuntarily grinding down and spreading the evidence of my arousal along the fabric of my panties. I wondered then if he could feel how wet I was, how much I wanted him.
I didn't have to wonder for long though, because he slipped one of his hands around front and dipped into said fabric, finding how wet I was and groaning into my mouth at the feel of it.
"You've been dying to get another try at this pussy, haven't you?" I whispered into his mouth.
Unsurprisingly, I was met with a whine in return. "Uh huh... I missed you so much..."
I ground down into his hand, nipping at his lips a little before giving my next demand.
"Then prove it."
Rather than fingering me like I expected him to, Spencer rolled over and straddled my legs, tearing my panties down and leaving me with a smile.
"I love the confidence you've grown, baby boy... Proves how dedicated you are... to being the best little slut you can be."
"Yes, Y/N," he responded, leaning down and kissing the inside of my thigh. "I wanna be good for you... Let me show you, please..."
"Show me..."
His tongue came in contact with my pussy, and it immediately sent my head flying back into the pillows, a low whine escaping my throat. He flicked it over my clit expertly a few times before going down and licking a broad strip up the entire area. Vibrations flittered along his path through his groans, and just hearing how much he enjoyed it had me clenching the sheets for stability.
"Ohh, what a good boy," I praised, bringing one of my hands to stroke his hair back. "Who's my good little whore?"
He grumbled into me, but I tugged at his hair.
"Say it."
He pulled away briefly then, still in contact with my pussy as he breathed out, "I'm your good little whore..." And then he promptly got back to work, devouring me with a hungry precision that made me laugh.
"Needy, too, I see... So desperate for that cunt..."
"Yes, " I heard him mumble into me. He repeated it a few more times, chanting it as his tongue flicked through me and tasted every last drop of my impending orgasm.
I sat up a little and held his head to me, his tongue moving at a quicker, more relentless pace. My stomach started to twist and my legs clenched, holding Spencer firmly between my legs as my hips rolled forward and met his every movement. Moans fell sweetly off my lips with every second, getting higher and higher until I finally held myself still and let the high take over. His tongue drew out one of the sharpest orgasms I'd ever had, the fervor he delivered making me see stars for a solid twenty to thirty seconds before it finally subsided and my muscles started to relax.
"Fuck," I breathed, almost whining when he removed his mouth from me and just kneeled there, studying my form as I tried to catch my breath. "Get up here," I asked more than demanded, though it might have been hard to tell what with my head spinning.
Spencer climbed over my body and I pulled his face down into a warm, wet kiss that had me tasting myself and growing wet again at the taste. I pulled away then, looking into his eyes and playing with his hair.
"I can't believe you didn't come see me sooner... Depriving me of that pretty fucking mouth..."
He kissed me again briefly, whining into my mouth before I continued. "But no... You were busy going on dates..."
"I'm sorry, Y/N," he said, kissing my cheek softly, over and over as his lips made their way down to my neck. "I'm so sorry, I... I wanted to see you, I just..."
"I know, I know," I cooed, closing my eyes and relishing in the feel of his lips on my skin. "But tonight you're gonna make up for lost time, got it?"
"Yes... Yes, I'll do whatever you want..."
I hummed, bringing his head back up to meet his gaze, and my thumb stroked over his bottom lip. "I want you to put that pretty cock to good use and fuck me like the desperate little slut I know you are..."
I kissed him then, gasping out once he shifted his hips and entered me slowly— I knew he was going to get to it quickly, but I guess I'd underestimated his need to please me.
The sentiment had me curling with want, more of it coming when he bottomed out inside me and trembled. Really, I could feel him shaking as he started to pull out and then back in, setting a steady pace that would surely become more erratic once I started talking to him again.
"Shit..." Spencer cursed, shifting up on his arms for more leverage as he steadily drilled into me. "I m—missed this... Missed you..."
"I know, baby, I know... I missed you, too... And you know what else?"
I drifted one of my hands down in between us, spreading out my fingers so that his cock fit nicely between them as he fucked me. The added friction of my fingers had him whining out, dropping his head down so that his ear was right by my mouth.
I whispered. "So did my pussy... So you better fuck her good..."
The sudden brutal velocity in which he slammed his hips against mine felt like a strike of lightning, and the loud groan he let out against my neck was the thunder. Everything shifted then, Spencer lifting himself up and holding onto my legs as he drilled into me at full force, his body glistening with exertion and my own succumbing to his wind.
"Yeah, that's it," I cooed through a laugh of pure pride. "That's a good fucking whore... Giving me that cock like I own it..."
"Y—You... do," he stuttered through a broken whine. He was getting close again, and I knew just the thing to do the trick.
I reached my hand up to hold his neck, not applying any pressure, but just holding as I forced his eyes down to look at me. "That's right... That slutty cock is mine... Now give it to me..."
The end of my sentence was punctuated with a sharp cry out as another orgasm tore through me. I shouted Spencer's name into the abyss as He fucked me through it and started twitching inside me, signaling his end as well. And the added warmth from his cum as it coated my insides well and truly marked me as his, despite the words we'd just exchanged.
I belonged to him just as much as he did to me, and I wondered if he knew that. If he knew just how much he inhabited my every thought.
I wanted him to know that I was practically infatuated with him.
But that conversation could wait until after we were... settled down.
He was still inside me as he slumped forward, laying his head on my chest and rubbing lines into my forearm.
"You okay?" I asked gently, combing through his hair with my fingers.
"Most definitely... Just... tired."
I smiled, leaning down and pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. "You're welcome to stay here for the night..."
He was silent for a long while, almost so long that I thought he'd actually fallen asleep. But then he said, "Right here? With you?" and my heart soared.
"Of course."
Truthfully, I'd have let him stay forever.
But when I opened my eyes the next morning, the other side of the bed was cold, and his body was nowhere to be found.
***
Dear Y/N,
I'm sorry for leaving you alone last week. I know you must be a little hurt and confused, but if you aren't, then just forget I ever said anything.
Nonetheless, I regretted leaving you behind last time without at the very least sending you a letter, so I hope this one finds you well. After all, you have shown me experiences I never could have imagined enjoying as much as I did, so I should thank you for that.
But that's not all that this letter is for.
I also want to invite you out to dinner some time. I know this might be a little unconventional, but given how we met and also how we reunited, I figured this would be a fun, romantic way to ask you out. I understand if you don't feel that way given that I've more or less abandoned you twice now, but I promise it was all for good reason.
If you'd like to talk more, about anything I've disclosed in this letter, I've attached my phone number below, otherwise I'd love to hear back from you. I know this sounds strange, but I've been dying to know what your handwriting looks like. I bet it's pretty, like you.
Once again, I am truly sorry for leaving you behind without a word, but I want a chance to make it up to you. Please say you'll reach out. Otherwise, I know where to find you if you'd rather I make some cheesy romantic comedy—esque gesture of affection that either makes you fall in love with me or hate me.
Yours, Spencer Reid
***
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buckysbabygorl · 3 years
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Summary: Y/N’s always the butt of Loki’s teasing and they can’t stand it, until the hidden meanings behind it are revealed
Word Count: 2k
Pairing: Loki x GenderNeutral!Reader
Warnings: swearing
Cowritten by @babybluereads
When the Asgardians had arrived on earth, the tiny town of St. Abb’s had accepted them with open arms. The community immediately took to caring for the newcomers and providing them with whatever they needed. Y/N, being the assertive and bright person they were, immediately caught the eye of the fighting trio that had defended Asgard in its last moments.
Y/N was quick to help where they could; taking on leadership roles and directing the townspeople on what actions to take next for the Asgardian folk to fit in. They provided shelter, food, clothing, whatever was necessary.
Valkyrie and Y/N developed a fast friendship; she liked Y/N’s confidence and strength, and they managed their people side by side. Thor adored most, if not all migardians and their customs, and Y/N was no exception. Y/N made him laugh, provided him with comfort and advice, and he contributed to the town in any way he could when he visited.
And then there was Loki. Oh, Loki, Loki, Loki.
Y/N had very little patience when it came to him; as a matter of fact, Y/N had none.
Loki was, politely, a grade A pain in the ass.
He was one to disappear for hours or days at a time; returning with no explanation as to why. He forced trickery on the township; amusing the children and the occasional townsfolk, but not Y/N. He was rowdy at the local bar; he was constantly seen partying, making this once quiet town louder than ever.
People adored him in town. Y/N however did not; they wanted structure, organization. He was chaos walking.
Worst of all; he felt the need to be glued to Y/N’s side constantly. He loved to tease them, get a rise from them first thing in the morning, he stopped them from doing their work, and it always left them fighting.
What really bothered Y/N is when he’d insult them in another language; which he did often. Something he’d huff under his breath, and when Y/N demanded clarification he’d simply laugh and walk off. Which seemed to be the only time he ever left them alone.
It was infuriating. Which is what Y/N was complaining about to Valkyrie right at this moment.
“I don’t understand why he can’t just piss off; everyone in town loves him, why can’t he go bother them?”
Valkyrie smiled, “Perhaps that’s why he does it; he knows you hate him. It’s likely the most entertaining thing for him.”
Y/N huffed as they lifted another crate, stacking them against the wall. “Well that’s just sadistic,” they said, “You’d think he’d get his rocks off on something else.”
Valkyrie laughed, but not for the reason Y/N thought.
“I’m not sure why my rocks are of your concern, but please leave sadism out of it.” 
Y/N’s teeth clenched at the voice, and tried to ignore it.
Loki smiled, “No greeting? I don’t even get a “good morning your highness”?”
“No, you don’t.” Y/N lifted another crate, which was swiftly pulled out of their hands by Loki. Y/N sighed, reaching for another one.
“I don’t need your help, I can carry it myself.” Y/N stated.
Loki chuckled as he stacked the crate in its place, before plucking the other from Y/N’s hands as well.
“It’s my pleasure, I’m certain I can do a better job anyways.”
Valkyrie shook her head, staying silent as the conversation transpired. She knew better than to jump in: one, because Y/N could handle themselves; two, because the last time Valkyrie stepped in, knives were involved and nearly banned in the town square because of it. Out of respect for peace and civility in New Asgard, Valkyrie ceased her fighting. For now.
As composed of a person Y/N was, they were one to get easily flustered. Yes, their emotions were in check, but something about Loki’s teasing was especially provoking. 
“I doubt it,” Y/N said, “Besides, how can you do a better job when you’re hardly ever here.”
“There are other ways to say you miss me, Y/N,” Loki said, “And I’m always here. You’re the one that wishes I wasn’t.”
“That’s not true, I just wish when you were here, you were less annoying.”
“I think that’s asking too much of him,” Valkyrie said, examining the lures of their fishing stock, “It’s ingrained in him.”
“Oh Valkyrie, I didn’t realize you were here.” He teased, momentarily turning his attention away from Y/N.
The warrior rolled her eyes, taking a nearby piece of broken crate and chucking it at his head.
He deflected it but turned to retaliate, before Y/N stopped him. 
“Hey, settle down. We have a lot of work to do, and I need you two to focus.” Y/N reprimanded.
Y/N didn’t realize it, but they had their hand placed on his chest. Loki smirked at the contact, before Y/N swiftly pulled their hand away.
“Now,” Y/N said, “Are you going to actually be helpful? Or are you planning on wasting my time.”
Loki hummed before looking back to the open boathouse entrance that he had come from, “No, I don’t plan on staying long. I was only stopping by to see my melilla.”
Y/N scowled with a groan. “If you’re going to insult me, you could at least do it in a language I understand!”
But their complaint fell on deaf ears as he laughed, exiting just as quickly as he’d come.
Now it was Valkyrie’s turn to laugh, their minor conflicts always being of great entertainment. But she knew Y/N would complain about it for the rest of the afternoon; their work was already tainted by the presence of Loki.
~
Thor was happy to be back, he could only spend so much time with the Guardians before needing some space. He admired the team, but the arrogance of that Starlord fellow was sometimes too much to bear. Not that Thor made it any easier; he was quite the confident man himself. They’d butted heads far too often, and now he was in need of a much deserved break. 
He strode into town cheerily; greeting the townsfolk with an overjoyed disposition. Though happy he was to see the midgardians; he was looking for one in particular. He finally spotted Y/N in the small farmers market just off the docks. In fact, he heard Y/N before he saw them, as once again Y/N was fighting with his notorious brother.
“You can’t turn apples into snakes when children are around, someone could get hurt and we don’t have a town doctor until next month!” Y/N scolded.
“Oh amata, I love how easily the simplest of things can make you forget yourself.” He said.
With a slight snarl on their face, Y/N groaned. “Stop calling me that!”
Loki simply laughed in their face, enraging Y/N further. Before they went to scream at him again, Thor decided to intervene.
“My Y/N! You seem awfully invigorated this morning,” He commented.
At the voice of their friend, Y/N turned and their mood was immediately brightened. “Thor! I had no idea you were coming.”
Loki looked at his brother with quiet contempt, “Of course you weren’t notified, my brother is known for making an entrance. 
He turned back to Y/N, “Why don’t you ever address me with such kindness, carissima.” He said, dejectedly.
Y/N raised a finger to Loki’s face, once again going to scold him, before being interrupted by amused laughter from Thor.
“Well it’s nice to see that you’ve at least shifted to addressing one another with pleasantries.” Thor said.
Immediately Loki’s face filled with dread. Y/N looked at them both, surprised.
“You call that pleasantries?” Y/N asked, “He’s been insulting me in a dead language since we met.”
They spat the words in Loki’s face, but it was not met with his usual humourous demeanor.
Thor scoffed with delight, “I hardly think dearest is an insult, Y/N.”
Y/N was taken aback. No, that’s not what he’d been calling them, had he?
The expression on Loki’s face displayed nothing but truth at the fellow God’s statement, “Thor, please--” Loki said through gritted teeth.
Thor only smirked, intending to continue the teasing. “What else has he called you, Y/N? I speak fluent latin myself.”
Still shocked by the revelation, but not diffused in their anger, Y/N thought back to what he had called them before dearest.
“Well--he, he also called me amata.” Y/N said.
Laughing once again, Thor turned to his brother, “Oh, did he?” Thor asked.
Flustered, Loki tried to direct attention elsewhere, “Aren’t you supposed to be looking for Valkyrie? Or someone else to pester?” He asked.
Thor only smiled, “No I’m quite enjoying myself here, brother.”
“And as for the name amata,” Thor explained, “It means beloved. I think you’ve mistaken my brother’s flirtations for aggravations, Y/N.”
The three stood, not saying anything more as the passerby’s at the market weaved around them. Y/N snuck a glance at Loki, who was now desperately avoiding eye contact. Could it be that all this time, he was secretly calling Y/N terms of endearment?
He made no objections; only furthering the obvious truth that he had been.
Y/N didn’t know what to think, or what to say.
“Well,” Thor started, “I believe my work here is done. I shall leave you to each other.”
He looked up into the marketplace, “Joseph, so good to see you my friend!”
He parted, calling for the man at the nearby mead cart, while the other two still stood, not saying a word.
Loki quietly scorned his brother; of course he had to expose him. Now Y/N was aware of his secret fondness towards them, someone who already hated him more than he’d like.
“Melilla.” Y/N said.
Loki looked at Y/N, surprised by the word. “Pardon?” He asked.
Y/N hummed, “It’s another name, that you-um.. That you call me.”
“Oh,” Loki nodded, understanding what Y/N meant. 
“Well,” he started, hesitant, “It means… little honey.”
“And why do you call me that,” Y/N asked, “Because I’m sweet?”
“No,” Loki defended, “You aren’t sweet. You’re the opposite. Um--bitter, and-and full of disdain--”
He was stopped by the laughter that escaped Y/N, but as he looked at them, he realized he was not the subject of their laughter but that Y/N was laughing with him. Though Loki would never admit it aloud, he found that much more pleasurable than any of the emotions he’d evoked from their banter. 
“You aren’t… upset with me?” He asked earnestly.
Y/N looked to the ground, shifting in their stance with hands placed behind their back.
“Not entirely,” Y/N admitted, “I mean… it would’ve been nice to know you weren’t calling me an asshole this whole time.”
Loki chuckled bashfully, “Well, for that, I suppose I can apologize.” 
An awkward silence came between them; not knowing what to say. It was surprising, to say the least, the new perspective that had been given to their situation. Loki’s need to be in Y/N’s presence, the constant chatting that what was thought to be filled with insults were now revealed to have been filled with kindness, and arguably, affection. Even on Y/N’s end; the frustrations of his disappearances and the concern for safety during his reckless shenanigans, were those too filled with care?
Loki cleared his throat to break the quiet. “So,” he started, “do you have much to tend to this afternoon?”
Y/N rolled their eyes at the obvious attempt to change the conversation, “Well if you’re going to continue being an idiot, then yes.”
“And.. if I cease, the idiocy?” He asked.
Y/N smiled, “Well, it wouldn’t necessarily be the worst thing, if you helped me with some... stuff down at the docks.”
He chuckled, amused. “You’re actually asking me to accompany you, for once?”
“Yes, I guess I am.” Y/N said. He went to speak before they stopped him, “But on one condition.”
“Oh?” He asked, “and what’s that?”
“That,” Y/N said, “If you’re going to compliment me, at least do it in a language I understand.”
He smiled, “Anything for you, dearest.”
~
First Loki fic ✅
Inspiration also goes to @damntonystarkandhissmile for the gender neutral ask 💕 I hope you like Loki babe 🤪
Permanent Tag List: @babyblue-07 @fandomsfallnomore @elliee1497@lonewolf471 @babybluereads @marianas-studyblr @godspeedlover@sexwithhiddlesbatch @annestine​ @shower-me-with-roses​
@yougottalovefandoms​
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miiamour · 3 years
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Hi!!!! I don’t know if you are taking requests, but could you write some ron weasly angst??? Maybe with a fluff ending? Maybe him making the reader feel insecure or something like that, I don’t know :) Love your writing so much :):)
am i that girl you dream of?
fem!slytherin!reader x ron weasley
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summary: you and ron are in a secret relationship— scared of what others will think, but it still doesn’t stop you from getting insecure when he’s flirted with.
warnings: angst, fluff at the end, mentions of cheating, insecurities in relationship, alcohol, illusions to sex/making out hermione slander but only if you squint.
word count: 1.7k
a/n: eek thank you for the request <3 btw i’m literally 4 away from 200 so hopefully this helps me hit 200!
⊱ ──── ˗ˏˋ✧*♡*✧´ˎ˗ ────⊰
the smell of alcohol lingered throughout the room, along with the slight aroma that sweaty teenagers gave off when they’re dancing against each other. the lights in the gryffindor common room were slightly dimmed with a red tint, but still bright enough to see hermione granger flirting with your boyfriend.
granted, she didn’t know— nobody did, but that didn’t mean she have to grab onto his arm every time time he made a joke. it was upsetting to say the least, but it technically wasn’t your place to say anything but it took every ounce of self control to not walk over there and kiss him, showing everyone that ron belongs to you or ram hermione’s head into the wall; either worked for you.
you and ron had been secretly dating for a few months. you were both terribly afraid of what others thought, him more than you; he was a gryffindor with slytherin hating friends and you were a slytherin.
honestly, it was but fun in the beginning; pretending to hate each other, sneaking around, the thrill of possibly getting caught was exhilarating but now, now it just exhausting. you were tired of simply just hanging out in his dorm when no one was around; you wanted to be able to hold his hand in the halls and go out in hogsmeade dates like regular couples.
at times you questioned if he was ashamed of you but he assured you that he wasn’t— although you weren’t so sure now, it had been months and he had yet to tell a soul about the two of you and he was allowing hermione to hopelessly flirt with him.
to be fair, you weren’t sure if ron was even aware that she was flirting or not. but you, you knew. the whole common room could’ve seen it but ron wouldn’t recognize a flirt attempt if it danced naked in front of him wearing dobby’s tea cozy.
but you couldn’t do anything about it; you simply stood there, watching the boy you weren’t supposed to love but did, as girl— who, now that you think about it, is prettier— flirt with him.
your usual self confidence was being teared down, bit by bit, as you watched hermione bat her eyelids at your boyfriend. your finger danced along the rim of your red solo cup that was previously filled with beer, some muggle alcohol— which is nothing like butterbeer.
you honestly couldn’t blame ron, just look at her; she had perfect smile, big doe like brown eyes, and she was smart— ron always admired that about her. you knew that ron had a crush on hermione prior to the two of you dating but he always assured you that he didn’t have any feelings towards her anymore but watching them flirt gave you doubts.
“hey y/n, you alright?” blaise zabini had interrupted your thoughts, he attempted to look in the direction of your gaze “weasley? why’re you staring at him? you fancy him or something?” he asked teasingly.
“what? no! i’m not staring, i just— just zoned out, that’s all” you lied as you turned to the drink table to pour grab something stronger— firewhiskey.
blaise and you had been bestfriends since your first year, and you hadn’t told him about you and ron. you felt a bit guilty about it but ron always told you that you guys could tell people when the time was right, but the time was never right.
“alright then, but if you do fancy him you better hurry up because seems like him and hermione are going up to his dorm” he said casually while pointing his hand in their direction, ron and hermione were walking up towards the boy dormitory.
you turned so fast, you were sure your neck would’ve snapped. “what!” you felt your face redden and your stomach was doing flips.
“y/n!?” blaise called out after you but you were already half way to ron’s dorm.
your heart beat faster with every step you took, exasperation flooding through your veins. your hand— your body shook as it gripped on the door handle, you quickly prayed that what you thought what was going on, wasn’t actually going on.
you forcefully opened the door, the first thing you see being ron— shirtless. “ronald weasley! what the bloody hell do you think you’re doing!” you yelled out at him as if the door didn’t startle them enough.
“y/n! hey, what— what’re you doing here?” his eyes bulging out of his sockets as he jerks his head towards hermione.
“y/n?” hermione yelled out as she backed up away from ron with a rag in her hand.
you ignored hermione and turned to ron, “what am i doing here? i see you walk up to your dorm with another girl! what do expect me to do?” you walked closer to him, pushing on his bare chest with your finger.
“what? another girl?“ hermione mumbles to herself. “if i may—“ she interjects only for you to put your free hand in her face and shout out, “no!”
“how dare you ron! if you didn’t want to be with me anymore, just say so! merlin, you are infuriating—
“no, love, hermione spilled firewhiskey on my shirt!” he throws his hands up in defense as you kept walking towards him until his legs hit foot of his bed.
“i don’t give a damn if hermione spilled—“ you stopped yourself once you properly processed his words “she spilled firewhiskey on you?” you looked between ron and hermione, she was holding a rag, helping ron get cleaned up.
“yes, darling, firewhiskey; that’s why we came up here and why my shirt’s off” he explained before reaching for another shirt to slip on, and before you could apologize hermione spoke.
“l-love? darling? wait, wait— are you two together?” hermione babbled out like a fish out of water.
“surprise!” ron mocked jazz hands,
“nearly eight months” you add.
hermione’s nostrils flared as she walked up to ron “why. didn’t. you. tell. me.” she hit him with the rag between each word.
“y/n, i apologize if he has done anything stupid in the last eight months; he hadn’t had a girl tell him what he’s doing wrong” she said half-jokingly.
well now you felt worse; you thought hermione had tried to after ron, they really were just friends.
“i’ll leave you two alone now” hermione began to walk out the door, “oh and don’t worry, i won’t tell anyone; secrets safe with me” she said after peering her head through the door and ‘zipping’ her lips together and throwing away the key.
you sat next to ron, your heart was slowing down from the fast pace it was previously going at. after a few moments you started, “i’m sor—“
“i’m sorry” ron interrupted.
“why’re you sorry? i’m the one who went all crazy girlfriend.” you shifted closer to him.
“it’s understandable. if i saw you go up to your dorm with another guy, let’s be honest, i’d be way crazier” he placed a hand on your knee and sparks erupted. you were so sensitive to his touch that even the slightest graze of an elbow when you sat next to each other left your stomach doing flips.
“but i still shouldn’t have. you assured me that you and hermione were just friends and i didn’t believe you— i was just being insecure” you said the last part i’m a quiet voice, slightly hoping that he didn’t hear.
ron moved closer to you and wrapped an arm around you “there is no need to be insecure, you’re the only girl i want to be with”
“am i?” you asked, shifting away from ron.
“what’s that supposed to mean? there aren’t any other girls that flirt with me— right?” ron’s eyebrows furrowed.
“this isn’t about girls flirting won’t you l, i’m just saying— do you really want to be with me? am i that girl you dream of?” you stood up in front of him. your throat burned with every breath.
“of course i want to be with you!” this time he stood up.
“then why do act like you’re ashamed? why do we have to keep our relationship hidden?” you yelled out, partially startling ron. tears brimmed your eyes but you refused to let them down.
he walked up to you and grabbed the sides of you face. ron’s eyes were glossy and sunken; filled with guilt and sympathy. “i am not ashamed of you. i’m scared of what people would think about us— people would think ‘what a weird couple, she’s way too fit for him” he flayed his arms mockingly.
you playfully slapped his shoulder, “you care way too much about what others think, ron. besides, i’m tired of sneaking around.” you said more seriously.
“so what? you want to break up?” ron sat back down on the bed and pressed his lips together to keep from smirking.
you took a deep breath to keep yourself from ripping ron’s head off, “no, i— ugh, nevermind” you began to walk away
“i’m joking!” ron gently tugged your arm, and pulled you towards so you stood in between his legs. “y/n, do you want to be my public girlfriend?” he asked you as he wrapped his arms around you.
you put a finger to your chin, pretending to be thinking about it. “hmm, no thanks” you replied.
ron began poking and tickle at your sides.
“you know, if this is your way of getting me to be your girlfriend— stop it!— it’s not a very good one” you giggled in between words.
“merlin, you’re lucky i love you” ron breathed out, not quite realizing what he said.
“you what?” you asked breathlessly.
“oh shit, erm— i love you. yeah. i love you. that’s okay right? i mean you don’t have to say it back but if you want—“
you interrupted ron by kissing him, “i love you too” you mumbled against his lips.
everything worked out. ron loved you and you loved him back. fireworks erupted in your stomach every time you kissed him and your brain went foggy; focusing on nothing but him.
turns out that you are that girl he dreams of.
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