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haileygarciasunshine · 3 years

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Jumping the Broom

Pairing: Arvin Russell x Fem!Reader

Written: December 29th, 2020

Posted: December 29th, 2020

Word Count: 1,389

Warning: Mentions of nausea, Lenora is alive.

Summary: Living in a small southern town, everyone talks. What happens when the reader ends up pregnant out of wedlock?

Arvin Russell Masterlist

Shivering, you bolted into your house. “It’s cold as all get out.” You muttered, shaking your head, as you placed your jacket on the coat rack.

“Oh, Y/N!” Your brother called from the living room. “Come in here, there’s someone I want you to meet.”

“Be there in a minute!” You called, as you toed off your shoes, before making it out of the mudroom.

“Y/N, this my friend Arvin.” He spoke as he motioned toward the younger man that was sitting beside him.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Arvin spoke, shaking your hand.

Fireworks erupted in your stomach as you made contact with him.

“You as well.”

“He’s a friend of mine from the shop...”

That night was the first, of many encounters with Arvin.

---

Emptying the contents of your stomach, you groaned as you kneeled before the toilet.

The sound of someone knocking on the bathroom door captured your attention. “Y/N? Are you alright in there?” Arvin questioned. “Can I come in?”

He was greeted by silence.

“Alright, I’m coming in.”

Gazing at the scene before him, he let out a deep sigh. It was rare to see a day when you weren’t sick. Making himself comfortable, he leaned against the tub before he began rubbing your back as he attempted to comfort you.

Sighing, you sat down as you leaned against his chest. Grasping his hand, you placed it on your stomach indicating you wanted him to rub it.

Closing your eyes, you hadn’t muttered a word to him. Grasping his free hand, you began playing tracing along his palm and fingers.

“Are you alright darlin’?”

As nausea died down, you were greeted with a wave of exhaustion.

You hummed. “Just tired.”

Maneuvering about, Arvin carried you bridal style to your shared bedroom. Laying your side, he moved to the other side of the bed before crawling underneath the blankets with you.

Wrapping his arms around your waist, he gently molded himself into you. Shutting your eyes, you allowed sleep to overtake you.

Once you woke up from the impromptu nap, you were pleasantly surprised, to hear Arvin humming the tune to your favorite song.

“Let’s get married.” He suddenly stated.

“What?” You questioned swiveling around, gazing in shock at him. “Are you serious?”

“Serious as a heart attack, darlin’.”

“Arvin...” Your voice trailed off.

“Why not? We already live together, we talk about our future together.” He spoke. “Why can’t we make it a reality?”

“I...I don’t know. We can’t afford a normal wedding, much less a big wedding...”

“Who said anything about a big wedding? We could elope.”

Pondering the thought, you allowed silence enveloped the both of you.

Sighing, you returned to your previous position, before sleep overtook you once again.

---

“Come on, Y/N! Just do it!” Lenora spoke, rolling her eyes.

“I can’t!”

“Yes, you can!” Lenora giggled, shoving the box of pregnancy tests into your hands.

“What if I am?” You spoke, your tone becoming one of seriousness.

“Then, that’s a bridge we’ll cross when we get to it,” Lenora spoke, her expression becoming serious.

Sighing, you nodded. Closing the bathroom door, you leaned against it as you let your head hit the wood with a soft thud.

The feeling of nervousness washed over you. Pushing off the door, you opened the box before reading the instructions.

5 minutes was all it would take to change your life.

---

“I can’t look, Lenora.” You spoke, your heart beating out of your chest.

Gripping the test in her hand, Lenora studied it. The longer she was silent, the longer you were growing more anxious.

“Well, what’s the verdict?” You muttered, furrowing your eyebrows together.

“It’s...It’s positive.”

Lenora, lifted her gaze, locking with yours. Your emotions faltering as you attempted to wrap your mind around it.

Squealing, she threw her arms around you before she pulled you in for a bone-crushing hug. Her excitement transferring to you.

“I’m gonna be an auntie!”

---

“Arvin, honey.” You spoke, as you stood side by side washing and drying dinner dishes.

“What is it, darlin’?”

“I...I have something to tell you.” The feeling of uneasiness overwhelming you.

“Yes?”

Sighing, you rubbed your wet hands on your apron. “I’m just going to come right out and say it.”

Arvin halted his movements, before mirroring your stance. He nodded his head in approval for you to keep going.

“I’m pregnant.” You rushed out, before dropping your gaze to the ground between you. Your heart quickly picking up its pace.

Before you knew it, Arvin's arms were wrapped around you, before he lifted you off of the ground twirling you around.

The sound of his laughter filled the air.

“We’re gonna have a baby!” He exclaimed placing you gently back on your feet.

Later that night, you were laying in bed, talking about your hopeful future with Arvin once again.

“Can...Can I see it?” He questioned moving to lean on his arm, as his eyes filled with hope.

Nodding your head, you leaned on your elbows. “I’m not sure if we can see it yet.”

Lifting your shirt, you both gasped in unison. There was a tiny bump in your stomach, showing the fetus growing inside you.

Arvin gently placed his hand on the bump. “Daddy loves you.” He whispered. Gazing at him, your eyes filled with tears. That was the last thing you had expected him to say.

“Let’s get married.” The words slipped past your lips before you knew it.

---

“I got the rings,” Arvin spoke, as he moved around the room grabbing his clothes.

“I have the paperwork.” You responded from the closet, grasping multiple shirts of yours.

“We have everything else.” Lenora’s voice called from the doorway.

Both you and Arvin gazed at each other with confusion, before following Lenora’s voice.

Much to your surprise, Lenora and Arvin’s grandma stood before you, bags in hand.

“You didn’t think we’d let you both run away and get married without us, did you?”

Grinning, you rushed towards both women, before throwing your arms around their shoulders.

---

“How much longer?” Arvin’s grandma called from the back seat.

“We should be there by now.” You muttered, returning your attention to the map in your hands.

The sound of Lenora and Arvin’s grandma gasping filled the car.

“What-” You were cut off by the sound of your gasp.

The sight of the Welcome to Las illuminated the night.

Gazing at Arvin, you shared a quick intimate moment, before he returned his attention in front of him. Reaching over, he laced his free hand with yours as he kept driving.

---

“I can’t believe it’s happening.” You breathed out, feeling your palms beginning to sweat. Swallowing a lump in your throat, you stood before a full-length mirror. Lenora and Arvin’s grandma helped you pick your wedding gown. It was an eggshell lace, strapless dress, that went down to your knees. You had decided to pair it with white flats, wanting to be as comfortable as possible.

“Are you ready?”

Nodding your head, you felt your entire body shaking. Opening the doors, you walked to the threshold gazing at the small chapel room in the Little White Chapel. At the end of the aisle, stood your future husband. It seemed like getting married was a pipe dream, but now it was finally happening.

Wearing a plain black button-up, his hair was slicked back. Something he would typically wear for church.

Before you knew it, your feet carried you down the aisle. Standing behind you was Arvin’s grandma and sister.

Grasping your hands, you felt Arvin shaking much like you.

“You look beautiful.” His voice quivering as stray tears fell from his cheeks. “Oh, Arvin.” You whispered. “You look handsome.”

Standing before you was an Elvis.

“We are gathered here together....”

“Arvin, please place the ring on her finger.”

Grabbing the ring, Arvin nervously slid the wedding band onto your wedding finger.

Doing the same, you felt the nerves beginning to flutter into a feeling of euphoria.

“I now pronounce you, Husband and Wife,” Elvis spoke, twisting his legs in the process. “You may kiss your bride.”

Glancing at Arvin, you placed your hands on his cheeks before lunging forward and placing your lips upon his.

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blossomdriver · 4 years

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Title: Take the good with the bad Author: Ambercreek Characters/Pairings: Terry/Korvo Warnings: Self Harm, Meltdowns Fandom: Solar Opposites

[AO3]

“What up, I’m Home!” Terry announces as he slams the door open. The echo reverberating across the entire house. The lights were off in the living room, leaving the house feeling eerily quiet.

The replicants were spending the night at a classmate's house. Leaving Terry and Korvo only one home. And with how empty the house was feeling Terry began questioning if Korvo had even moved from working on the ship.

Shutting the door with an equally intense thud. The green Shlorpian heads up the stairs to pry the other away from his work to properly take care of himself.

“Alright, Korvo enough nerd shit it’s time for a break,” Terry yells as he enters the ship. But just like the main entryway, the ship was far too quiet - no ambient sound of something being worked on. Not even a witty remark that the other was annoyed with the sudden loud noise. That made something bad crawl up Terry’s spine.

“Maybe he is just that focused,” Terry mutters to more or less to reassure himself.

“Korvo?” Terry calls for again, and just like the first time, there was no response. Maybe if Terry doesn’t Acknowledge the few Gooblers that pop from his head, there weren’t there. Out of sight out of mind.

“Okay Korvo, real funny, did think of you as a prankster.” A focused chuckle follows the sentence as he ventures more and more of the ship.

Then he steps on something. “Ew,” Terry says in an instinct. Getting a closer look to see what he stepped on, it caught him off guard. It was a Goobler. There were a bunch of them all of them leading up to a closed-door - a broom closet.

Terry knocks on the door. “Korvo?”

“Go away, Terry!”

A few more Gooblers pop out from underneath the door. He noticed a few of them were stained blue.

It was blood.

Something in Terry’s stomach dropped at that. Was Korvo hurt? Why was he even hiding in the closet in the first place? “Come on Korvo, open up!” Terry tried to pull on the handle but it didn’t budge. What use was a broom closet that locked from the inside anyway?

“I want to be alone!” Korvo snaps back and Terry can hear the distress in his partner's voice. Terry might not be the best with controlling his emotions, but he takes a step back away from the door. Taking a deep breath, he knows how easily upset Korvo can get. So he instead goes for a more relaxed route.

The green Shlorpian knelt to the floor, all while avoiding any of the Gooblers that wiggled their way from under the door.

“Are you hurt?” Terry asked, and his response was silence. “Knock once for yes, two for no.”

A pause.

One knock.

Terry ignores the pain in his chest as he continues.

“Are you able to unlock the door?”

A single knock.

And then the click of the door unlocking.

Very carefully, Terry begins to open the door. As to not startle Korvo anymore than he must already be. Even with the knowledge that Korvo is hurt, the sight of him curled into a ball on the floor of the broom closet with a dent in his head and blood staining his hands didn’t make it any easier.

Korvo shoulders bunched up at Terry seeing him in such a state, but he was so burnt out to move away from him in a getaway act.

“Is it okay that I sit with you?” A tiny single tap on the floor was his answer, taking a set into the closet and sitting next to Korvo. Having to twist his leg in such a way so he was able to sit comfortably within the small space.

Once finding a comfortable enough position, Terry brings his full attention to the other Shlorpian sitting next to him. At this angle, he got a better look at the wound on Korvo’s head. It wasn’t deep, only a surface level injury that would heal up in a few days with the popper care. Then his eyes trailed down to Korvo’s hand.

The palms were facing straight up, and they were coxed in dried blue blood.

“I just wanted my brain to stop,” Korvo says, breaking the tension.

“Huh?” Terry’s eyes snap back to Korvo's face. Who kept his gaze focused on the wall in front of him.

“I got so frustrated with trying to get work done on this ship, it feels as if when I fix one thing 10 more problems pop up and-.” Korvo fists bawl up and shut his eyes tightly as another swarm of Gooblers erupt from his head. “I just want something to go right!”

Before Korvo raises the clenched fist to swing another blow at his head, it is intervened by Terry. Who slowly lowers Korvo’s arm.until it was rest once more on the floor.

“Just remember to breathe,” Terry tells him, and Korvo does just that.

A few second pass and Korvo hands go lax, fingers spread out.

“Is it okay if I hold your hand?” And Korvo replies by taking Terry’s hand with his own, closing it gently around it. Terry looks down at their hands and can’t help but to smile.

Terry doesn’t move from his spot until Korvo is ready.

And that might be a little longer because Korvo was fast asleep, his head resting against his shoulder. Not that Terry was going to complain about it.

#solar opposites #terry #korvo #tervo #autistic headcanon #self harm //#meltdowns //#amber writes

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changingthelights · 4 years

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A Familiar

Waylon stared skeptically into the dusty walk-in closet tucked into the back room of Leon's shop. Books, tomes, bottles, and random cleaning supplies dangled haphazardly off of various shelves, and what Waylon thought was a desk and matching chair were buried beneath a piled of... towels? Clothes? Waylon couldn't tell, and it made him a little nervous. There was something to the right of the desk that looked like it might be a broom, but it in front of it were stacked unused shelves for the bookcase beside it, and on top of those- a stack of actual books. Why the shelf hadn't been put together to hold them- Waylon wasn't about to ask.

“Leon hasn't touched this room in years,” Rudi said from behind him, and Waylon turned to glare at the immaculately dressed familiar. Compared to Rudi's playful smirk, Waylon was clearly not amused. Rudi always looked out of place in Leon's homey little shop, dressed in a tailored three-piece suit with his long hair perfectly quaffed and tucked neatly behind his ears. Despite his time here, Waylon still hadn't grown used to the contrast in his appearance compared to his humble, earthy surroundings, and Rudi spending most of his time with Waylon did not help with that.

“It's a room?” Waylon asked, and he glanced back through the doorway, his skepticism increasing.

“Yes,” Rudi huffed, and his brow twitched in a way that signaled to the witch he'd said something to annoy the taller man. Unfortunately for Rudi, Waylon had made it a secret pass-time of his to irritate the fruit bat as often as possible, and he was always extra pleased with himself when he managed to do so without trying.

“Well, it looks like a closet.”

“Alright then,” Rudi let out a long-suffering sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose, “then should I tell Leon you don't want it as a personal workspace? That's why he's having you clean it out.”

That caused the crease in Waylon's brow to disappear, and excitement lit up his honey brown eyes. Having a workplace of his own in the shop meant he'd have full access to all the books and supplies here at his disposal, which Leon had already granted him, but to have a workspace within arms reach of said items would be more convenient. Plus, it meant more complicated spells could be worked on with Leon nearby, and there were certain things he was instructed to wait for assistance with before practicing. Now he had a space in which to practice those specific spells, and the elated swell of excitement in his chest caused him to look at the closet in a completely different way.

“No- no! Sorry, I definitely want the space...”

It was cute, in Rudi's opinion (which he would rather die than admit to), how easily excited Waylon became with even the simplest magick. There was a passion to learn in the witch that he admired.

He knew his suggestion to give this little space to Waylon was the right one. (Also, something he would rather die than admit). In time, Waylon would be able to expand the little room on his own using magick, but this was a perfect place to start. Leon had agreed.

Rudi tilted his head as he watched the young witch enter the room and start to poke around.

“What does he want me to do with what's in here?”

“Toss it, unless you want to keep it yourself. There shouldn't be anything of real importance in there, from what Leon was saying. Just- don't open any unlabeled bottles. If there are any in there, we should have Leon look at them. Also, anything that looks odd- don't touch- and if it looks out of place just- you're smart, Waylon. If you're unsure, just ask.” Rudi shrugged, and with a soft rustle of leather and the blink of an eye, Rudi disappeared. He reappeared in his fruit bat form, hanging upside down from the rafter above the desk leading into the shop.

Taking that as a signal, Waylon set to work.

Waylon wasn't the type to waste anything if he could help it, so first, he tackled the shelves. Once those were cleaned and clear, and the pile of shelves beside the desk returned to the pegs, he could use them. That made room for any of the other miscellaneous items he knew he'd decide to keep, including the pile of cloths that, when cleaned, would have a place to rest. Books were moved to shelves to be read and sorted later, bottles were separated into piles of filled and empty, labeled and not, and the cloth was separated into different bins depending on the type and it's potential use.

It wasn't long after the top of the desk was clear that Waylon noticed the sheen of sweat formed on his brow. He reached up to wipe it away with the back of his wrist, but based on the texture of his wrist across his forehead, that was a mistake. He was pretty sure he just smeared dust across his forehead, and that was when Waylon noticed the dust particles floating through the air.

“Time for a break I guess,” he hummed to himself, to let some of it settle. If he tried to continue now he'd he kick more up, and Waylon was surprised that he hadn't started coughing or sneezing already.

Waylon sank into the seat of the newly cleared chair with a satisfied sigh. As he did, his foot knocked against the inside of the desk, and with a soft 'click' a tiny seam appeared in the wood next to his shoe.

At first Waylon didn't move, as he wasn't sure of what he was seeing, but after a moment his curiosity won him over, and he leaned down to run his fingers along the seam. With a little pull, a small door swung open, revealing a secret compartment. Rudi's words echoed through his mind, warning him about anything weird, and Waylon quietly debated with himself. This wasn't really... “weird”- by itself. Secret compartments were a pretty non-magical thing, and it wasn't an unlabeled bottle, so...

Waylon glanced at the door and listened for any sound from Rudi, or the shop. When there was none, he dropped on all fours so he could peer inside. It was dark inside, but Waylon could make out something small and flat. He reached inside, and after gently tracing one of the edges, he recognized what it was.

“Huh...”

The witch leaned back so he could sit cross-legged on the floor, and out of the compartment he pulled a maroon, pocked-sized, leather-bound book. Waylon turned it over to inspect the spine, and when he saw no title a crease formed between his eyebrows. What kind of a book had no title, or no inscription of any kind on the outside? Journals perhaps, but why would Leon keep a journal tucked away inside an abandoned desk? It must not be that important if he forgot about-

It was then Waylon noticed a shape pressed into the bottom right corner of the cover, and he squinted at the small shape. A weasel? A ferret? An oddly shaped rat? Waylon wasn't positive, but before he could think about his actions, or heed the warning Rudi had given him barely an hour and a half before, Waylon opened the little book.

“Ah!” Waylon shouted and slammed his eyes shut as a blinding white light flashed outwards from the book. The sound of rushing wind filled his ears, and a gust swept up around him, knocking the books, bottles, and shelves- all of his hard work- onto the floor. Waylon covered his head with his arms to shield himself from the falling debris, and in his surprise, the book slipped from his hand. As soon as it hit the floor between his feet the light faded, and the wind stopped, leaving the young witch surrounded by silence that felt almost painful.

Hello Master!

A tiny voice echoed through Waylon's mind, surprising him, and his eyes snapped open. Between his feet, where the book had fallen, perched a tiny white ferret with his little paws spread over the open, blank, pages.

You are the one who freed me from the book, yes?

The voice again, as Waylon stared, mouth agape, at the tiny little creature. It tilted it's head, and it's little white ears twitched towards Waylon.

Hello? Do you talk?

The ferret bumped its head against Waylons ankle, as if trying to get his attention. It was timed weirdly well with the voice...

I've been waiting for so long for someone to free me! That cranky 'ole bat couldn't take a joke- and I-

The ferret started to approach Waylon, head tilting in time with each inflection of the voice in his head-

“YOU.”

Rudi's voice, filled with a furry that made Waylon cringe, interrupted their little interaction.

The ferret let out a terrified squeak, and before Waylon could stop it, the furry creature had scrambled up his thigh and under the hem of his shirt.

“H-hey- hey!” Waylon balked as little claws scratched at his skin, but the animal was surprisingly slippery in Waylon's attempts to catch it. Once it reached Waylon's chest, it's furry little head poked up through the neck of Waylon's shirt, and it glared tiny daggers at the man fuming in the doorway.

Please Master- please don't let him get me! Rudi just can't take a joke and didn't like competition! I didn't do anything wrong-

“You lie, you little beast!” Rudi hissed, apparently he could hear that little voice too, “Leon was kind enough to take you in until you could find your own witch, and then you tried to take him away from me! Not that you had a chance- but then you fucking cursed my hair purple! It took Leon weeks to figure out how to get it out-”

Well I could'a removed it if you hadn't locked me in a book!

The ferret hissed in return, barring it's little teeth up at Rudi. That earned a glare from the fruit bat familiar, and he took an aggressive lunge towards Waylon and the ferret that made the smaller creature squeak and disappear under Waylon's shirt.

“Hey- HEY!” Waylon shouted, drawing attention to himself between the two fighting creatures. “Do ou think you two could set aside whatever beef you had so you explain to me what's going on? Like, who are you- and why do you keep calling me 'Master'?” Waylon pointed to the ferret, whose ears perked up as he was addressed, and he moved to scramble up out of Waylon's shirt through the neck.

Rudi's fury faltered at Waylon's question, and he narrowed his eyes as the little ferret crawled back down Waylons chest so he could perch on the top of Waylon's bent knee.

Waylon seemed a little apprehensive, he was still reeling from the shock of opening the book, but that didn't stop him from helping the ferret when there was a moment he seemed like he might slip. Once he was settled Waylon's hands folded across his lap, and he leveled an expectant stare at the little creature.

I'm sorry!

The ferret's head tilted and dipped in an apologetic nod.

My name is Valens! I'm a familiar- and that mean 'ole Rudi over there-

Valens' tail flicked in Rudi's direction, making the other familiar twitch.

-locked me in a book cause I played a little prank on him. I was staying here with Leon, and before that, I'd been searching for a witch to make a contract with for some time!

Tiny, little red eyes sparkled at Waylon, and the young witch suddenly felt like a bug under a microscope. He was a witch, and he didn't have a familiar, but- he wasn't a witch of any talent! This- Valens- couldn't be serious.

Silence rolled between the three, and the longer it stretched, the more pressured Waylon felt to respond. He looked over at Rudi expectantly, hoping for some sort of add-on to the conversation. Surely, Rudi had more to explain, or a denial of the Valens accusations, but it seemed both familiars had forgotten about their feud. Both had their eyes trained on him, looking expectantly in return.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?” Waylon asked as his cheeks warmed. There was no way a familiar would consider him for their witch. He didn't consider himself a witch of any note, and from what he'd read, both familiar and witch benefit from a contract. Why would any familiar want to lend themselves to his lackluster abilities? He'd only just learned how to make that ball of light with ease- and that was a fairly simple spell from what he could tell. “You can't- you can't be asking to make a contract with me, right?”

Valens' pure white head tilted to the side, and Waylon was sure he could see the familiar smiling. Did ferrets have the type of muscles needed to smile?

I don't see any other witch in here. Do you?

Waylon stared, and Valens stared back as his fluffy tail swished idly over Waylon's shin.

“This is uh... a little much. Don't you like- shouldn't we like, think about it? Get to know each other?” Waylon asked, which earned a curious tilt of Valens head.

Nope! I know you're the witch for me! I just feel it in my bones. Plus, if you're Leon's apprentice, you must have some skill. So, it's a win for me either way, really. As much as I was interested in a man with Leon's abilities, contracting with a younger witch has its own benefits that we both can enjoy! I like fostering the abilities of witches, and in the long run it helps my abilities grow as well.

Waylon stared for a few more seconds before he looked to Rudi.

“Is that normal? To just- want a contract out of no where?”

“For him, yes,” Rudi chuckled, although the look in his eyes indicated that fact annoyed him. “All of us are a little different. Some of us, like him- apparently- forge contracts based on instinct. Sometimes, you simply click with a witch. Leon and I clicked when we first met. It felt natural to contract with him. Valens is an impulsive little rat, but the desire to contract like this with you is not out of the ordinary.”

“If that's true, then why were you searching so long for a witch? It seems unlikely to me that you would just.... pick me.”

Valen eased backwards off of Waylon's knee, using his little claws to scoot himself down Waylon's pant leg and onto the ground. He took a seat between Waylon's feet, and his curious expression returned.

Why wouldn't I want to pick you? Plus, it's not like I follow every impulse I have. I just follow the ones my gut says are the right ones, and you, Waylon, feel like a right one!

“I didn't tell you my name.”

I can hear it silly! In your head. Now come on, it's not every day you can make a contract with a familiar!

Waylon glanced warily up at Rudi, who shrugged.

“It's up to you, little witch. He's not a bad guy, for as much as I wish to wring his neck. He's just a prankster. He's not even that strong, so he's fairly harmless. He could be a benefit to you, and that's all I will say. If you don't want to be bound together, there are rituals that can be performed to remove him.”

Valens' ears flattened against his head as he turned to narrow his eyes at Rudi, and they perked up when he turned back to Waylon. When he turned back, Waylon was /sure/ he was smiling, and he realized Valens' adorableness was... dangerous. Those little red eyes were very hard to resist.

“Alright...” Waylon answered after a pause, and he eyed the little animal thoughtfully. “I wouldn't mind some help in my practice, so I'm down for a trial run as long as you promise to behave yourself when we return to where I spend most of my time.

I live with my boyfriend in his aunt's home. They're both vampires, and I'm fairly sure neither of them have the type of personality that would appreciate any sort of shenanigans or pranks. Anything like that could get me kicked out, both of us killed, or... I don't know. Something horrible. My boyfriend's aunt... she doesn't like me already, so I'm serious when I say you can do nothing that would put you on her bad side. Alright?”

Waylon gave Valens a hard stare.

“I'll have to clear it first with my boyfriend, to make sure you can stay there when I'm there, regardless. But, if not, I have a motor home you can stay in on a separate property. Can you agree to behave appropriately when in spaces that don't belong to me?”

Valens nodded eagerly. The adorable twitch of his round little ears made it hard for Waylon to hold his stare.

Yes! I can behave! I only played pranks because they amused Leon! I can be good, I promise.

Waylon wondered quietly why he was agreeing to this all so quickly. Maybe it was the rush of adrenaline from their encounter, coupled with the excitement of getting his own workspace? The curiosity that came with having a familiar of his own? The excitement that he could further his abilities with a little extra boost? The same desire to know the unknown, the same desire that had driven him to reach into a hidden compartment, immediately after Rudi warned him to be cautious?

Waylon could hear a voice in his head reminding him of his low impulse control, it was part of why he had spent so much time traveling, but in most cases it had rarely steered him wrong. Obviously, practicing magic wasn't nearly the same thing as choosing a random place to travel. Lack of control could be dangerous, but he trusted Rudi to stop him if this was truly unwise. Nothing about Valens said 'malicious' or 'dangerous'- and Waylon usually had a keen sense of a person's character upon a first meeting.

A soft sigh escaped Waylon's lips. At least, if this ended up not working out, the contract was breakable.

“How do we do this, then?” Waylon asked, and he watched with gentle alarm as Valens' body started to vibrate with excitement.

A loud 'pop' ripped through the air, and Waylon winced. In a single blink, Waylon went from watching a ferret shudder, to being face to face with a man with a well defined jaw, eerily beautiful red eyes, and short, tousled hair nearly as white as the fur he'd sported in his much smaller form. It didn't help that their position was rather compromising, with Valens kneeling between his thighs, trapping Waylon against the wall as his taller form towered over the witch.

“What-” but Waylon's question was cut off as Valen's lips pressed against his own. Waylon squeaked and froze, startled once again by... everyhing. Waylon remained perfectly still, frozen in shock as he tried to process what was happening. Only as Valens' lips moved against his own, as if to try and deepen the kiss, did he snap back to the present.

“Hey!” Waylon twisted his head away from Valens and thrust his arms out to put some distance between them. “I said I had a boyfriend, what the hell are you trying to do?!”

Valens pouted as he was pushed, but he relented, and he shimmied back so he could kneel a few feet away from Waylon.

“That's how you seal the contract,” Valens grumbled sheepishly, but he offered no further explanation.

Waylon was struck with the thought that this was, already, a mistake, but by the look in Valens eyes and his downcast gaze, Waylon could see there was some sort of remorse there. The familiar tugged idly at the hem of his tight black t-shirt, and as Waylon followed the motion of his hand, he was surprised to notice rips in the knees of Valens jeans. Compared to Rudi, this outfit was painfully simple. Rudi almost always wore some variation of formal wear, often suits, and Waylon didn't realize he'd come to just expect familiars to dress the same way.

“Well I highly doubt you needed to keep kissing me,” Waylon rose to his feet and swatted at his pants to dust himself off. It gave him a moment to calm the blush burning in his cheeks, and to find his words.

When he did look at Valens, he scowled as if he were trying to scold the other, but the look in his eyes said he wasn't truly upset. “Don't do that again. I don't appreciate it, and I don't think my boyfriend would much appreciate it either. I'd prefer if he liked you, at least a little. Also- no more calling me 'master'- just call me Waylon.” He reached up to give Valens' head a gentle pat, to show he'd been forgiven, and the familiar's expression brightened considerably. It was almost blinding, the smile that followed, and Waylon was again surprised, this time by how quickly Valens' mood transitioned.

A second later, Valens scrambled to his feet, and Waylon was surprised to find himself looking up at the familiar. He was tall!

“Understood, Master!” Valens chimed in a voice fitting for his size, deeper than the voice he had in ferret form. Waylon wondered if he should be shielding his eyes from the brightness of that smile.

“Waylon.”

“Oh- right- Waylon!” A gust of wind followed, and in a blink Valens was gone. Waylon felt something small press over his shoulders, and when he looked, a little white ferret perched there, head cocked and little red eyes sparkling. Valens was smiling again in his ferret form, and Waylon reached up to give Valens chin a scratch. He nuzzled into Waylon's finger, and that worry that this had been a mistake, faded a little.

Are you gonna introduce me to your boyfriend now? Valens voice asked in Waylon's head, and he looked over at Rudi.

“What time is it?” Waylon asked, and Rudi waved his hand towards the door of the shop.

“Go on, I can watch the shop for the rest of the day. Just don't try any magic until we can do some tests to gauge how your abilities have changed.”

“Changed?”

Yes! Now that the contract is made, you'll be stronger, and the type of magic and spells you have an affinity for might become more apparent, Valens chimed in, it's probably best to wait to do any spell work in a controlled setting- with someone else to help out. I could, but its safer with someone not tied to our contract.

Waylon nodded.

“Alright, see you tomorrow, Rudi!”

At the parting sound of the familiar bell above the shop door, Waylon stepped into the cool afternoon air and headed for home.

#a familiar #self para #//sorry i could probably spend hours editing this but i don't want to any more so #//here it is and I hope it's not trash XD #//i liked it so #waylon #valens

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ft-dads-au · 4 years

Text

The Sweetest Birthday

Gratsu Weekend 2020 Prompt: Sweet Pairing(s): Gray x Natsu, Sting x Rogue A Collaboration by @mdelpin and @oryu404

AO3 | FF.Net |Takes place after Taken By Storm

December 27, 2020

It was almost three in the morning when Natsu arrived home from his shift at Fairy Tail. He was exhausted, but also looking forward to being able to get up late for once. He checked all the downstairs doors and windows to make sure they were locked before making his way upstairs to his bedroom as quietly as possible.

He planned on taking a quick shower to get the stench of cigarettes out of his hair before crawling into bed. It was only after he’d peeled his clothes off that he looked to his bed, seeing two small bodies already asleep on it.

He sighed tiredly, all thoughts of a peaceful slumber eradicated by the restless way his children were moving in their sleep. Once in the shower, he thought about how hard Christmas had been for all of them. It was the first one since Lisanna’s death, and they had all taken it hard, her absence once again opening wounds that had only recently begun to heal.

Natsu had tried to keep her alive for the kids, encouraging them to make her a present while he had bought her a bouquet of her favorite flowers. They had placed their gifts at the small shrine they had created for her in their home. Looking back maybe that had been a mistake, but he couldn’t bear the thought of his children forgetting their mother like he had forgotten his.

He dried himself off and put on some pajama pants over his boxers before climbing into bed, both children automatically reaching for him in their sleep. He could hear Hana’s whimpers and gently threaded his fingers through her hair to soothe her even as he wrapped his other arm around her, pulling her closer to him until she settled down.

He soon fell into a dreamless sleep, which was interrupted by the distinct feeling that he was being watched. Natsu blinked his eyes open, already regretting it as he realized it was still dark outside.

“Please not yet guys, Daddy is tired,” he whined, and to their credit, both Hana and Atlas tried to be still, but they were Dragneels, and that just wasn’t working in his favor.

“Alright, alright,” he mumbled ten minutes later, getting up from his bed and moving downstairs. He turned on the television, flipping channels until he found cartoons, then stretching out on the couch in the hopes that he would be allowed to snooze, but Atlas climbed on top of him, giving him a sloppy kiss on the cheek before snuggling into his chest.

He had almost fallen asleep again when Hana called out to him. “Daddy, do you think we can open the oven today?”

Natsu held Atlas against him as he sat up, making room for Hana next to him. “Yeah, are you sure you want to do it with me and not Aunty Erza or Mira?”

She nodded shyly, “You make the best cakes.”

Natsu chuckled, “Alright, give me a few minutes to wake up, and we’ll get it set up.”

Hana got up and ran towards the kitchen excitedly, “I’ll make you some coffee!”

“Well, there goes my sleep,” he muttered under his breath. He wasn’t too concerned though, he knew he’d get through the day somehow. He always did.

He could hear the coffee machine going and wondered what had possessed his sister to teach Hana how to use it, then again, Erza had always marched to the beat of her own drum.

Natsu got up and entered the kitchen, opening up the pantry and grabbing some cereal. He put some in a snack cup and added milk in a sippy cup, taking them both out to his son, who was now completely immersed in his show.

By the time he’d returned to the kitchen, Hana had already prepared his coffee just the way he liked it, and he had to smile. She was such a sweet girl, which was why he’d felt terrible when his Christmas present had backfired.

He’d remembered that Lisanna had promised her an Easy Bake Oven when she was old enough, but he hadn’t factored in that part of the promise had been that she would teach her how to use it. Rather than the excitement he’d anticipated at the present, Hana had broken down into inconsolable tears for the first time in months, and he hadn’t known what to do. So Erza had moved the present out of sight, and they hadn’t discussed it since.

But now she had moved it to the kitchen counter, and Natsu set about helping her open the box. He had gotten her the deluxe one, so it came with an apron and baking tools.

He helped her put on the apron as they looked through all the mixes together, picking a chocolate one to get started. He helped her follow the instructions, both grimacing when they tasted the results.

“That’s nothing like your cakes,” Hana complained, looking outraged.

Natsu laughed, “Mine aren’t all that great kiddo, I think you’re a bit biased.”

Hana’s eyes widened in puzzlement.

“Biased, it means you think good things about me cause you like me.” Natsu explained, “Still, I do think we can do better than that.”

“I want to make a cake for Uncle Sting,” Hana confided, “one that’s as good as yours.”

“What about for Uncle Rogue?” Natsu teased as he went back into the pantry and began taking out the ingredients they would need.

“I guess he could have some too, but only if Uncle Sting says it’s okay. They’re not very big,” Hana pointed out.

“True enough!” Natsu knew it had more to do with his daughter’s childish crush on his friend, but he also knew better than to bring attention to it. “I think I was just about your age when my mom taught me how to make cakes,” Natsu chatted as he opened drawers looking for the bowls, measuring cups and spoons they would need.

Once he had everything assembled, he went into the broom closet and got out a step stool so that Hana could help. “She always made us cakes for our birthdays, said nothing tasted sweeter than a treat made with love in your heart, or something like that.”

Telling Hana about that reminded Natsu of something Gildarts had mentioned in passing the night before. Today was Gray’s birthday. It had surprised him at first that he hadn’t known considering how much time they’d been spending together for the last few months, but then again, Gray was very tight-lipped about himself. Natsu knew his friend was going through a hard time, although he didn’t know many of the details outside of the fact that he was in the middle of getting a divorce.

Even though he had a feeling that Gray would rather let the day go unnoticed, Natsu felt an urge to do something for the man. Gray had humored him on Lisanna’s birthday, dancing with him when anyone else would have laughed off the request or even punched him for daring to ask. Natsu had to imagine the shots he’d drunk before all the well-meaning questions had become overwhelming were to blame for the impulsive request, although he had an inkling it had also had something to do with the pain he had sensed within Gray.

A pain that had become even more evident to him as they’d danced. Lost as he’d been in his thoughts of Lisanna, he’d still managed to recognize how vulnerable Gray had felt and looked in his arms, and he’d decided then to put aside all their petty differences. They each had enough on their plates without having to contend with a stupid rivalry.

And now that Gray had decided to help him get his GED, spending all that time and energy on him, Natsu wanted to do something in return. He just didn’t know what. He didn’t really have much extra money, and what he had he’d spent on Christmas presents for his family.

He thought about his mother’s words, the ones he’d just repeated to Hana, and even though he’d always made it a rule to only do this for his immediate family, and of course Lisanna, Natsu decided just this once he would make an exception. After all, wasn’t family the people who helped take care of you when you needed it and pushed you to be better even when you were scared? And hadn’t Gray been doing precisely that?

Natsu looked down at Hana and gave her a quick hug before announcing, “First, we’re going to need to crack some eggs.”

0-0

Natsu examined the end results of his hard work with a frown before shrugging away his doubt. Decorating had never been his strong suit, but he knew from experience the cake would taste fine, and he was reasonably sure his friend was partial to the color blue. It still threw him a little that he’d decided to go this route. But after all the time and energy Gray had been putting in to help him prepare for the first test, he felt like they had grown closer.

Still, even after spending so much time together these past few months, Natsu didn’t feel like he knew much about the guy. It didn’t really concern him though, he’d always believed that everyone was entitled to their secrets, and it wasn’t like he talked about his own past all that much either.

After finding one of the cake boxes Erza seemed to always have on hand and placing the cake inside, he went on a search for his phone, ultimately finding it in between the sofa cushions. He searched for Gray’s name in his contact list, picking up toys from the floor and putting them in baskets as he waited for him to answer.

“Hello?”

“Hey,” Natsu greeted, “I wanted to call and wish you a Happy Birthday! Are you busy?”

“Me?” Gray scoffed, “Hardly, I’m just hanging out at the Bean for a bit.”

“Want some company? That way, I can drop off your present,” Natsu suggested, still doing a cleaning sweep of the living room.

“Yeah, sure, but you didn’t have to get me anything,” Gray protested even though Natsu could hear a change in his voice, and he grinned. It seemed even Gray got excited about presents.

“Trust me,” Natsu laughed, thinking of the misshapen mess he’d just boxed, “It’s not much.”

“I’ll be here.”

“Alright, I’ll see you in a few,” Natsu said before hanging up.

He called out to his sister, who was in the playroom with the kids. He’d been hoping she’d come out by herself, but instead, both kids followed her.

“What is it?”

“Is it okay if I take the car for a little while? I want to go to Magnolia Bean to meet up with Gray and give him his present.”

“That’s fine, I have no plans to go anywhere,” Erza was giving him that look again, one he recognized from years of experience. There was something she wanted to say to him, but she was afraid it would upset him, which meant whatever it was probably would.

He was about to call her on it when two eager little voices begged to be brought along. They pouted and cried and tried every trick they could think of, but he remained firm.

“Not this time, guys, I won’t even be gone that long,” he promised.

Atlas looked up at him with teary eyes, “Cookie?”

Natsu had to roll his eyes at the blatant manipulation, but he hugged them both to his chest and agreed. “If you behave while I’m gone I’ll get you each a treat from Magnolia Bean, alright? But only if Auntie Erza says you were good.”

Both children nodded eagerly before running off to play with the hoard of Christmas presents they had received.

“Be back in a bit, and I’ll get you something too,” he assured Erza with a grin before grabbing the cake box and the keys and heading outside.

Ten minutes later, he entered the busy coffee shop, looking for his friend, and finding him seated in one of the comfy armchairs.

“You must have been here a while to be able to score one of these,” Natsu plopped in the chair across from him, carefully placing the cakebox on the small table between them.

“Hey,” Gray smiled briefly, grabbing a large coffee cup from another table and handing it to him.

“Thanks!” He went to take a sip to warm up from the freezing weather when he noticed a phone number scribbled on his cup.

“Um, this for you?”

“Huh?” Gray peered at him in confusion.

“There’s a phone number on my cup along with a name and a little heart, I can only imagine it was meant for you,” Natsu teased, “Is that why you come here so often?”

Gray blinked at the cup, “Huh, didn’t even notice.”

“That sort of thing happen to you a lot?”

Gray shrugged, “I used to be a fashion model, so I guess. I actually started coming here because Sting told me you liked it, I figured if I brought you stuff for our study sessions, it might help motivate you.”

Natsu opened his mouth to tease him further but decided against it. That was the first time Gray had opened up to him about anything from his past, and he was afraid if he pointed it out, his friend would just clam up again. He opted for something safer, “So, uhm, how old are you anyway?”

Gray took a sip from his drink before replying, “I turned thirty today.”

“Thirty?! I thought you were younger,” Natsu replied without thinking.

“Why?” Gray leaned forward resting his hands on the table and peering at him curiously. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-six.”

“Really? I thought you were older,” Gray smirked, “Your kids are older than mine.”

“Hana was kind of an accident,” Natsu admitted, although he was quick to add, “A good one, though.”

“So that’s why you didn’t finish high school?”

“Not exactly,” he thought about telling Gray more, but he didn’t want to bring the conversation down. He sipped his drink, deciding to ask the one question he was curious about, “How come you’re sitting here all alone on your birthday? I would’ve thought you had plans.”

“Nah, my birthday’s always been a bit of an afterthought, too soon after Christmas. I did go to lunch with Lyon earlier, though. That was nice.”

“Then how come you look so glum?”

“Just coming to terms with being thirty, I’m not anywhere near where I thought I would be.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m just stuck,” Gray grunted, “I can’t move forward until my divorce finalizes, and despite Lyon’s best efforts it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen anytime soon. It just feels like even though I left him months ago, he’s still controlling my life, and I hate it.”

“You, uhm, never talk about him,” Natsu pointed out, although a bit uncomfortably. Now that he and Gray had been spending more time together, he’d begun to feel oddly protective of him. The thought that someone was making him so unhappy filled him with rage. He might not be the easiest person in the world to get along with, but Gray Fullbuster was a good man.

“There’s not really much to say, he’s a self-centered asshole,” Gray snapped, his face contorting into a glower. He hid his head in his hands for a moment, and Natsu could see that he was trying to do some sort of odd breathing.

“What are you doing?” he asked curiously.

A few moments later, Gray lifted his head, looking remarkably calmer. “It’s just something I learned in martial arts training, it helps me to relax.”

“I didn’t know you did martial arts!” Natsu practically jumped out of his seat, “I always wanted to learn!”

“I can teach you some time if you want. It’d be good practice for me as long as you don’t mind me kicking your ass regularly,” with a teasing grin, Gray added, “and you’d have to call me Master.”

“As if,” Natsu scoffed, “I’m no lightweight.”

“That’s got nothing to do with it, dumbass,” Gray explained, “I’d show you, but we’d probably get kicked out. Tell you what, pass your first test, and we’ll start lessons.”

“Is that what you wanted to do, be a teacher?” Natsu asked with more intuition than he was usually capable of.

“It was one of the things I was considering, I was actually studying Business Administration before I dropped out. I haven’t seen a martial arts school in town, though. I think I’d like to open one.”

“When you open it, I’ll be the first to sign up, the kids too, if they’re old enough.” Natsu promised and then just for fun appended, “Master Gray,” playing with the inflection of his voice as he said it.

Gray’s entire face burned bright, and Natsu began to laugh at the flustered expression on his face even though he didn’t quite understand it.

He grabbed his present from the table and handed it to Gray, wanting him to focus on something else. “Like I said on the phone, it’s not much, but I made it myself. Oh, and don’t shake it!” Natsu advised.

He watched as Gray opened the box, curious to see what he thought of it. Gray shut his eyes instantly, almost as if he didn’t want Natsu to see his reaction.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, it’s just been a long time since anyone baked me a cake for my birthday,” Gray smiled softly.

“Well, don’t get used to it,” Natsu retorted, unsure as to why that smile made him feel so good inside, almost like a hard-earned victory.

“I’m sure it’ll taste like ass,” Gray taunted, but when Natsu moved to take it away, he cradled the box in his arms and pouted. “Mine.”

Natsu could only laugh, “You are such a child. Well, I better get in line, I had to promise a lot of treats to be able to come alone. Speaking of which, where’s Aki?”

“At Rogue’s with the twins, he watched him so I could go out with Lyon. I wasn’t ready to go back yet, so I had him drop me off here. Do you really have to go already?”

Natsu had been about to get up, but his resolve weakened when he heard the plea hidden in the question. It was very unlike Gray’s usual behavior and like a lot of things that had happened since he arrived at the coffee shop, he didn’t quite know what to make of it.

He looked down at his watch, worrying at his bottom lip and wondering how upset Erza would be if he stayed out a little longer. He knew what it was like to dislike your own birthday. Natsu had hated his ever since Igneel had abandoned him and Erza on his ninth birthday, and nothing Erza, or Lisanna had ever tried to do to change that over the years, had made a lick of difference.

“Uhm, no, I suppose not, I can stay for a bit,” he offered, reminding himself to buy two slices of cake for his sister.

“This is kind of nice,” he blurted out as the thought crossed his mind.

“What is?” Gray looked around the coffee shop in puzzled wonder.

“Just hanging out like this. Usually, we’re working on something like a practice test or homework or whatever. We don’t really get to talk a lot.”

Gray snorted, “That’s because it usually leads to bickering.”

“I guess,” Natsu acknowledged as he tried to think of something to talk about, “So if you’re thirty, that means your close to my sister’s age. Did you guys know each other in school?”

“No, I’m pretty sure I would remember her,” Gray remarked with a grin that Natsu didn’t like. He was used to guys thinking his sister was hot, and it usually didn’t bother him all that much, but this time it made his stomach clench uncomfortably, until Gray added, “She’s very intimidating, so is Mira.”

Natsu relaxed at those words and chuckled in agreement, “Try growing up with her.”

Gray shuddered, “Rogue wasn’t so bad, just a little moody sometimes, but Cana was a whole different story.”

At the mention of Gildarts, daughter Natsu couldn’t help but confess, “I have to admit I’m really confused about what’s going on with Gildarts and your dad.”

“You’re not the only one,” Gray declared, “How is it you know Gildarts anyway? I get the feeling it has nothing to do with the Club,” Gray sipped his coffee as he peered at Natsu curiously.

“Umh, well, he was our social worker,” Natsu answered, looking out the window to avoid seeing Gray’s expression.

“Oh, right, I keep forgetting he wasn’t always going around destabilizing countries,” Gray joked, but soon apologized as Natsu remained silent. “I’m sorry you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

Natsu looked back, noticing Gray was looking at him just the same as always, giving him the confidence to add a bit more. “I mean, he’s always been great to us. If it hadn’t been for him, Erza and I would have probably been split up and put into the system.”

“But you don’t like to talk about it,” Gray guessed, and Natsu nodded his head in agreement.

“Then you don’t have to,” Gray assured him, “The thing with Gildarts and my dad is something I’d always suspected but didn’t know for sure until recently. Apparently, they were a thing in college until my mom came into the picture.”

“So they’re both bi?” Natsu eyed Gray, somewhat confusedly.

“My father is, yes. He was always open about it, which was kind of reassuring for me growing up, I have to say I’m not entirely sure what Gildarts identifies as.”

“So, you’re also —,” Natsu asked before realizing it, not even sure why he wanted to know.

Gray’s phone rang before he had a chance to respond, and Natsu watched his expression change to one of resignation as he answered, “Hey Rogue.”

Natsu got up from their little nook, deciding to go buy his treats so that Gray could have some privacy and to remove himself from the conversation he had accidentally started. By the time he returned, he had found Gray doing the strange breathing thing again.

“Everything okay?”

Gray looked up, his blue eyes closed off once again, and Natsu instantly felt the loss.

“I have to get home,” Gray replied in a monotone voice.

Natsu found himself offering him a ride, using the cake as an excuse when, in reality, he just didn’t want to leave his friend just yet.

0-0

They arrived at Sting and Rogue’s house, and Gray could already tell from the cars that were parked on the driveway that more visitors had come. He recognized the car sitting behind Rogue’s as the one Cana drove, so she and most likely her daughter as well had to be there. Chances were that Gildarts was with them too, but Gray wasn’t sure of that, knowing that his parents would be coming over later.

As much as Gray liked the idea of spending his birthday with her and Rogue, just like they had when they were younger but with the addition of new family members, he’d been having a great time with Natsu at the Bean as well. Frankly, he was hoping that Natsu would stay a little longer, but he wasn’t going to say it in those words.

“Thanks for the ride, do you wanna maybe come inside for a drink?” he asked instead, playing it off as simple common decency.

“I wish I could, but I really need to get going,” Natsu apologized, “Sunday is the only day I have to spend with the kids, and Erza needs some time for herself as well.”

“Yeah, of course.” Gray unbuckled his seat belt, carefully lifting the box with the cake in it to get it out of the way. “So...I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

“Definitely!”

Natsu’s big grin distracted Gray for a moment, causing him to almost lose his grip on the cake box despite his efforts to keep it safe before.

“Alright! Have a nice Sunday then!” He rushed out, getting out of the car before he could do or say anything stupid. But before he slammed the door shut, he gave Natsu a half-hearted smile, “Oh and thanks-” he nodded at the cake box, “for this.”

“You’re welcome, let me know if it tastes like ass.”

Gray scoffed, remembering he actually said that, “Sure, will do.”

“Well, I know you didn’t feel like celebrating all that much, but I still hope you’ll have a nice birthday.”

Natsu gave him another smile and waved as Gray closed the car door. Gray watched him drive off until his car was out of sight, savoring his last few seconds of peace and quiet before going inside the house.

The moment he walked through the door, Aki came running towards him, waving around a piece of paper and beaming with pride. “Dada!” he cheered, happy to see him again, “Made you dwawing!”

Whatever it was his two-year-old son drew, Gray couldn’t distinguish. It just looked like a mess of colored crayon, but as most parents would agree, if their kid made it for them, it was perfect.

“That looks great, Aki!” Gray praised, “Why don’t you keep it safe for me so I can put it on my bedroom wall as soon as we get back to uncle Lyon’s place.”

Aki nodded and ran over to the coffee table, where he put down the drawing right next to his beloved teddy bear. There was no sign of Gildarts or Rogue, but Cana was chatting on the couch with Sting as Temperance tried to build block structures with the twins on the floor.

“Happy Birthday, Gray!” Cana greeted him, getting up to give him a loose hug. Gray didn’t hug her back, refusing to put down the cake box. In the few months he’d gotten to know Sting, he’d quickly learned that nothing sweet would last long around him.

“Thanks,” Gray managed a smile at her anyway, following the direction she was pointing at to the dining table, where more gifts were waiting for him.

“Don’t drink it all at once,” Cana winked. Of course, she’d gotten him strong liquor, that was a given, but around the bottle’s neck was a black bead bracelet. “That’s onyx,” Cana explained, “it protects your personal energy, absorbs the negative energy around you, and helps to ease your stress.”

Gray finally put the cake box down on the table so he could put on the bracelet. He could admittedly use some stress relief, even in a comfortable environment like his old house, where he was surrounded by family. And aside from the spiritual meaning behind the bracelet, Gray thought it looked pretty good as well.

“Can I get like a ten-pound version of this stone to bash that... insufferable cretin’s head in with?” he joked, substituting the foul language he’d wanted to use to describe how he felt about Siegrain with something more child-friendly, “that would definitely ease my stress.”

“The bottle should do. Just make sure it’s empty first.”

“Naturally,” Gray promised. “Hey, I could have sworn I had a brother who was nagging at me to get here. Where is he anyway?”

“Cana was sharing stories of all the stuff you three got up to when you were younger,” Sting mentioned with obvious amusement, “I think he had enough of that conversation, he went to the basement.” He came up to Gray’s side and looked at the cake box curiously, “What’s that? Did you get more presents?”

“Look what I found!” Rogue came walking up the basement stairs, struggling to open the safety gate with one hand while carrying some boxes in the other. Gray recognized them as their favorite childhood games, Leap Frogs and Don’t Break The Ice, and on top of the bigger boxes, there was also a deck of regular playing cards.

“I knew we still had these lying around somewhere, thought Aki might like to play them,” Rogue said as he closed the gate behind him. “What’s that?” His gaze had landed on the cake box.

“It’s a cake,” Gray shrugged, opening the box to show them the cake, “Natsu made it for me.”

Sting was looking at him as if pigs had suddenly begun to fly, Cana came walking over to examine the cake. “Wow. That looks horrendous,” she stated blatantly, to which Gray quickly closed the box again and shot her a mildly offended look.

“Natsu baked you a cake?” Rogue asked perplexed. “When did you even see Natsu, I thought you said you were going to have lunch with Lyon?”

“I did. I met Natsu after that, he dropped me off here.”

“Was that why I had to call you to get you to come home?”

Gray quickly grabbed the games out of Rogue’s hands and dropped them on the dining room table, sitting in one of the chairs and keeping his cake box close to him. He really didn’t like the way Sting was looking at it now that he knew what was in it.

“Let’s just play the damn games, alright?” Gray grumbled. As far as he was concerned, the conversation was over.

0-0

Gray had been sitting quietly with Aki on his lap, holding the plastic hammer for the Don’t Break the Ice game they were attempting to play in his hands. They were currently playing against Sting, who was still eyeing the cake box with puppy eyes.

“Will you stop that?” Gray demanded.

“I just want a little piece,” Sting pleaded.

“And I said no,” Gray replied, enjoying torturing his brother-in-law, especially since Rogue had been giving him a look since the moment he’d realized Natsu had given him a ride home.

“But everyone goes on about how good it is, and I never got to try it, Rogue ate the piece he was supposed to save for me from Hana's birthday,” Sting whined giving his husband an accusing look, which he ignored in favor of examining his brother.

“So how did you meet up with Natsu again?” Rogue questioned.

“He called me up while I was at the Bean, wanted to give me a present,” Gray shrugged, making sure to sound completely uninterested. He knew better than to show any weakness in this group.

“Come on, Gray, just a little piece, you have a whole cake,” Sting coaxed, “Don’t be so stingy!”

“Oh my God, Sting!” Gray snapped, finally having enough, “If you want some so badly, why don’t you just ask him to make you one?”

“He did, practically begged actually,” Rogue commented, “Natsu said he only makes them for family members. Which is why we’re rather curious as to why he made one for you. Is there something you’re not telling us?”

“Yeah,” Sting added, “are you Gray Dragneel now?”

Gray couldn’t entirely hide the blush that rose to his cheeks, although he tried. “I’m not entirely sure what you’re implying, but Natsu and I are just friends.”

Cana and Rogue immediately began to tease him, and he wanted to smack both their heads together so badly as they chorused, “Gray and Natsu sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g, first comes—”

“Alright, you’re both hilarious, now knock it off,” Gray wasn’t amused, especially as he could see Aki had raised his head, watching his aunt and uncles with interest, the simple cadence of the children’s rhyme appealing to him.

“You are seriously no fun,” Cana muttered from behind her drink.

He was saved from having to answer by a knock on the door. Thinking it was Gildarts or his parents, he got up to answer, bringing the cake box along with him. He was surprised to find Natsu on the other side.

“Hey, change your mind?” Gray asked, confused as to why he had returned, although no less pleased.

“Uhm not exactly, Hana—,” Natsu stopped his explanation in favor of raising an eyebrow at Gray, “Why are you still holding your cake?”

“Sting keeps threatening to eat it,” Gray explained.

“Oh,” Natsu nodded as if that made perfect sense, followed immediately by his eyes widening as he said, “Oh!” more forcefully.

Natsu chuckled, but Gray thought he sounded a bit nervous and wondered what that was about. “Uhm, well, he’ll be happy to know Hana made him one. She begged me to bring her so she could drop it off. Sorry, hers looks prettier than mine, Erza helped.”

Sting came to the door and nudged Gray out of the way, “Excuse his manners, please come in. Did I hear you say something about cake?”

Hana’s hands were shaking so much as she handed Sting the cake she had made him that Gray was afraid she was going to drop it. It was made up of three Easy Bake Oven cakes covered in white frosting and decorated with rainbow-colored cake glitter.

“F-for you,” Hana stammered, her cheeks coloring prettily. Natsu nudged her gently, and Hana added, although somewhat reluctantly, “Uncle Rogue can have some too.”

“That’s beautiful, Hana, thank you!” Sting admired the cake before giving the girl a hug, He glanced over at Rogue with a smirk, “He wishes. I think I will eat it all by myself if you don’t mind.”

“Stingy Sting,” Rogue teased his husband, though it seemed like he did it more for the sake of teasing than actually being bothered by the fact that he wouldn’t be getting any cake.

Hana shook her head and looked down at the floor shyly. Gray’s heart went out to her, having the impression that they were having some of the same feelings.

“I have something for you too, actually!” Sting disappeared into the kitchen, reappearing with a fork, and a plastic container filled with a type of cookies Gray had never seen before. “My mom made them, but she made so many, and I already had...well...a lot of them. I’d meant to give you and your brother some. Thought you’d like them.”

Hana’s face was the same color of bright pink as her hair, but she nodded anyway and accepted the container with a big smile, clutching it to her chest and waiting for Sting to taste the cake.

Gray looked unimpressed when Sting took his first bite and turned to Rogue, rubbing it in his face that he was eating cake and Rogue wasn’t, by making exaggerated moaning sounds. At least, Gray hoped that that was the idea behind it.

“Oh wow, this is seriously amazing, Hana!” Sting complimented her sincerely, “Did you make this all by yourself?”

Hana shook her head even as her cheeks once again flushed at the compliment, “I helped Daddy when he was baking Uncle Gray’s cake. He let me have some of the batter we made.”

Sting gave Gray a triumphant look before turning around and going at Natsu, “Speaking of which, what the hell Dragneel?”

Natsu played dumb, grabbing Hana by the hand and waving, “It was great to see everyone, but we need to get home, enjoy your party.”

Hana said her goodbyes as well, and they left quickly. They had been there for less than ten minutes, but it had been long enough for Gray to see that the others had been telling the truth.

For some reason, Natsu had decided to make an exception for him, and Gray didn’t know whether it had anything to do with the bracelet Cana had gifted him, but he suddenly felt like he was soaring, and it was something he’d not felt in a long time.

He went into the kitchen to grab a cake knife, wanting to taste his present right away after seeing how much Sting had enjoyed his. Cutting a generous slice and placing it on a plate, he took a bite, reveling in the sweetness of the cake and the man who had gifted it to him.

It was already the best birthday he could remember.

#fairy tail #ftdadsau #gratsuweekend2020 #gratsu #ftlgbtales #stingue #prompt: sweet #fics

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angst-king · 4 years

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Buko no witchy academia

(its short sorry I know it sucks but hope ya like it..I own non of the bnha characters)

"Todoroki and Midoriya" Midoriya reads the seating list, with a light blush to his face. Not that he was grateful to sit with Todoroki but, oh dear god could his flustered self not have a magical malfunction while being around his bi-colored crush for once? Ever since the sports festival, Midoriya had warmed Todoroki up into being friends, and its been great the only problem was Midoriya had a huge crush on him and was scared the other didn't go that way. Or that Todoroki was still in the broom closet?!? Midoriya just went over and took his seat, then when Todoroki came over he pretended like his heart wasn't beating out of his chest. "So I guess we're desk mates now?" Todoroki says with a blank face, though the way Midoriya responded made him add "I hope I didn't sound rude, I mean I don't mind just...making it known." It was awkward for Todoroki who unknown to Midoriya was crushing on the broccoli boy. Though with the encouragement of Momo, Todoroki was trying harder at making small talk and maybe one day he'd confess. The only problem for Todoroki is that, Todoroki was still in the broom closet, the only one who knew was Momo because she caught him staring at Midoriya's butt once and she talked to him in private. During their free time Midoriya started writing in his journal, it was more like a diary, it was a way for him to vent, write small reminders, or make goals. He did write about how he was crushing hard on Todoroki and wished he had the confidence to try and at least confess. When the bell rings Midoriya tried to stuff his books into his yellow bookbag and head for the dorms but, its futile and he's unaware of his journal falling out. Hearing a soft thud, Todoroki sees the slightly warn book and picked it up. He opened it to see that it was Midoriya's, curiosity crept in. 'I wonder maybe if I read it, I'll find out whether I'd have a chance with Midoriya?' but then the angle on his shoulder said 'No you idiot that's an invasion of privacy and dishonesty' 'who cares do you wanna find out or not?' asked the tiny devil 'I do but-' 'but nothing here's your chance and you may never get it again, and with your track record for striking up conversation, You better take it as a blessing.' So with that Todoroki walked out of the classroom with the book, he'd take it too his dorm to read. In the dorms Todoroki sat on his bed, flipping through pages of small rants about Bakugou or the hard work he's done to better his magic until finally. "Boys?" That was the top journal entry on page thirty four. Reading it to himself with each sentence and word, Todoroki's blushed and became flustered. 'Todoroki-kun is my crush gosh darn it why'd it have to be him...well at least its not Kaachan, yuck. I like Todoroki-kun alot and I hope I'm not to obvious. He's so strong, kinda mysterious due to how quiet he is. Hopefully we can be friends though if that's all we can be that'd be fine too. Okay its been a while I know but oh gosh, well Todoroki is warming up to me and is talking more, which I'm happy about. Turns out he's been through some stuff, he didn't elaborate much but I don't expect him to. He's really sweet, I can tell he has a very fun side, I like his small smiles and chuckles. He's smart and cool. I really wish I could confess to him.-' Todoroki sighed "I can't read anymore, I've got the information I need and should return this, I've already breached his privacy by reading it." Getting off the bed, Todoroki holds the book firmly and grabs his phone pushing it into his pocket he heads to Midoriya's dorm. Knocking on the door, Todoroki waited for the green haired male to open it. When the door opened Midoriya smiles "oh hi todoroki-kun what's up?" Todoroki then holds out the journal with a smile "you dropped this so I thought I'd return it." Midoriya happily took the journal back "thank you so much Todoroki-kun" before the older boy could close the door Todoroki couldn't control himself and grew close to him. Looking up with a blush on his face Midoriya stammered out. "u-uh T-todoroki-kun w-what are you doing?" Todoroki reached out using one arm to hold midoriya by his waist while the other cornered him in the doorframe. With out a verbal answer todoroki leaned in and softly pressed his lips to Midoriya's. Wow they were soft, Todoroki's lips held a feverish heat to them which only enticed Midoriya more kissing back. they weren't swapping tongues or sucking face, just kissing softly, it seemed to turn into a loving and caring type of kiss before the two needed air and they pulled away. Looking deep into each other's eyes with lids half covering and gasping lightly. "W-wow, m-my first kiss." Todoroki had realized what he'd done and seemed to be a tad nervous but, Midoriya didn't seem to care, he pulled Todoroki in taking him to the bed and tugged him into a kiss. Midoriya couldn't get enough of the feverishly pink lips that pressed to his. Todoroki crawled into Midoriya's lap while kissing back, wanting to be as close as possible. Fingers comb through the bushy locks of green while Midoriya's gentle scarred hands wrapped around Todoroki's waist. Both the elemental an generalize witch didn't want to part again from their tender affection but they were running out of oxygen Breaking the kiss once more they gave small smiles before Midoriya spoke up. "I love you Todoroki" With his scarred face cupped byt scarred hands Todoroki gave those hands a soft peck before his eyes trailed back to Midoriya "I love you too..you enchant my heart." Midoriya couldn't take that seriously and busted out laughing which confused the half n half witch. Still Todoroki loved the sound of Midoriya's laughter, it was so innocent and playful. "that was so cheesy Todoroki, I love it." Todoroki remained confused but soon ended up chuckling at his new laughing lover. "so we're boyfriends now?" Asked Shoto who smiles when Izuku nods.

#witchy tododeku #tododeku

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pocket-luv101 · 5 years

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Strange Events || Chapter 5

Fandom: Servamp Ships: KuroMahi (main), LawLicht (side), Tetsono (side), Jekuni (side) Characters: Kuro, Mahiru, Hyde, Licht, Tetsu, Misono, Snow Lily, Mikuni, JeJe

Summary: When Mahiru’s friend goes missing, he searches through the woods for him. He comes across a boy with psychic abilities. He hoped Kuro would be able to help him find Misono. (Stranger Things AU) A/N: This was an AU that @viconekochan suggested.

Ch.1 || Ch.2 || Ch.3 || Ch.4 || (Ch.5) ||

A thump woke Mahiru and he opened his eyes with a groan. His mind was still hazy from sleep and he nestled against the warmth next to him. After a moment, he realized that he was sleeping with his head on Kuro’s chest. He felt flustered and he sat up quickly. While he had sleepovers with his friends before, he had never been so close to another person. He touched his burning cheeks and he tried to calm his racing heartbeat.

There was another sound above him and Mahiru wondered who it could be. He glanced at the time and it was a little past midnight. He thought that Licht was already asleep and his uncle would’ve called him if he was going to return home soon. Mahiru stiffened when he realized that it could be a home invader. Kuro told him that people were after him for his abilities.

Footsteps continued to echo around them and Mahiru thought over what they should do. He looked down at Kuro but he was uncertain if he should wake him. With his telekinetic powers, he was strong and he could easily fight the intruder. On the other hand, he had already been through a lot and Mahiru didn’t want to scare him. He felt protective of Kuro and he wanted to make him feel safe.

He pushed aside his fears and crawled out of the small fort. Mahiru draped a blanket over the entrance to hide Kuro before he left. He was careful not to make a sound as he crept up the stairs. He grabbed a broom so he would have a weapon to defend himself. The logical side of him knew that the broom wouldn’t be effective if the person had powers like Kuro.

He followed the sound of footsteps and eased the basement door open. Among the silence, the creak of the door sounded like thunder to him. Mahiru stepped into the dark hall and looked around. He walked to the front door and peered through the small window. He couldn’t see a car outside and the door was still locked. “I must be hearing things.”

He relaxed and reassured himself that the people after Kuro couldn’t possibly know that he was hiding in his house. They had been careful not to be seen and only his friends knew about him. He decided to return to the basement and go back to sleep. He had school tomorrow and they planned to search for Misono after that.

As he passed the kitchen, the door began to open. Mahiru started to scream but a hand covered his mouth and pulled him back. He looked up and found Kuro standing behind him. He lifted his other hand and slammed the door closed with his abilities. The door rattled and Mahiru pressed closer to Kuro. He felt his breath brush against his ear as he whispered. “Hide. If it’s the scientists, I’ll deal with them.”

“They’re after you so you should be the one to hide.” Mahiru turned in his arms and lightly placed his hands on his shoulders to push him towards the closet. “Maybe I can make them leave. Call the cops while you’re hiding in the closet.”

The rattle of the door was followed by a loud bang. Mahiru jumped slightly but he tried to hide how frightened he was. He was certain that Kuro would insist that he protect him if he knew he was scared. Then, he heard a familiar voice on the other side of the door. “What’s with this door? Mahiru, are you asleep? This door is jammed!”

“Licht?” Mahiru assumed his cousin was asleep upstairs so he was shocked to hear his voice. He silently nodded to Kuro and signalled for him to let him in. Slowly, Mahiru opened the door and he was relieved that it was only Licht. Other questions came to him though. “Did you just go outside, Licht? You’re wearing your sweater. I told you that you shouldn’t go out at night because it’s dangerous! I thought someone broke in and you almost gave me a heart attack.”

“I can’t believe I’m getting a lecture from you when I’m the older one.” Licht groaned. The only thing he wanted to do was to go to bed. He felt irritated and tired so he was in no mood to listen to his lecture. He wasn’t able to meet his friend like he planned and he had to bike back to the house in the dark. “Can we talk about this in the morning? I’m sleepy.”

“This is serious, Licht! I warned you that my friend went missing recently but you sneaked out anyways. The woods is dangerous and I don’t want anything to happen to you.” Mahiru argued. While Licht was older than him, he wanted to keep him safe. It was impossible to stress how serious the situation was without telling him everything. “At least tell me when you’re going out.”

“I thought I might interrupt your slumber party with your boyfriend.” Licht shrugged. His words caused Mahiru to blush but Kuro was oblivious to the reason. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell your uncle or anyone else that your boyfriend stayed over.”

With those words, Licht walked up the stairs to his room. Mahiru couldn’t say anything else to him so he decided to go back to the basement with Kuro. He checked the locks on the doors and windows before he went downstairs. He crawled into the small fort and buried his face into the pillow. “That scared ten years off my life.”

“Mahiru?” Kuro whispered his name and lightly poked his shoulder. He rolled onto his side and made space for him to lay down as well. Mahiru stared up at the makeshift ceiling because he was too shy to face Kuro. “Mahiru, why didn’t you wake me up when you heard something. It was dangerous to go alone if it was someone from the lab.”

“I didn’t want to scare you. You might’ve been forced to use your powers too.” He answered. Mahiru took out a napkin and wiped the tiny sliver of blood from his nose. The smile he gave Kuro was full of compassion and trust. “If it was anything dangerous, I trusted that you would run up there to save me. Friends protect each other.”

“Boyfriends especially? That’s what Licht called us.” Kuro said and noticed how his face became flushed again. “Did I say something wrong? I didn’t think that word would be rude. Are we not friends and that’s why you got upset?”

“I’m not upset. We are friends but being called boyfriends is different.” Since he had to describe what a friend was to him, Mahiru doubted he knew what the word meant. He tried to think of the best way to explain it to him. “I understand if you think boyfriends are friends who are guys but it’s a little different. It’s when two people are in a romantic relationship. They kiss, hold hands and go on dates.”

“Like in the movie we watched?” He recalled the ending where the two characters kissed. Kuro blushed as well and he pulled the blanket over his face. He didn’t realize that Mahiru was laying on the blanket and the motion caused him to roll to the side. He accidentally pushed a pillow of place and the fort fell down around them. “Sorry.”

To Kuro’s surprise, Mahiru started to laugh. The tension around them disappeared. He pushed aside the blankets and pillows and laid next to Kuro again. “We’ll have to rebuild the fort in the morning but it’s time for bed now.”

“I can drive myself to school, Mikuni. You don’t need to drop me off me as if I’m five years old.” Hyde complained in the backseat of JeJe’s police truck. His brother insisted that they drive him after he learned that he had skipped school the previous day. He knew that Mikuni wanted to keep him out of trouble and he was worried after what happened to Misono. Yet, he groaned: “JeJe, tell my brother that he’s being overprotective.”

“I’m staying out of this.” He said as he parked the car in front of the school. While there were a lot of rumours around Hyde, JeJe knew that he was a good kid. He would act out at times but he never had to arrest him. “You’re still seventeen, Hyde. Your brother wants what’s best for you too. You won’t be able to graduate if you miss too many classes.”

“You said you’re going to stay out of our family drama but it looks like you took a side.” He rolled his eyes. Hyde stepped out of the car and lightly knocked on the window. After Mikuni rolled down the window, he said: “I’m going to develop my photos after school. It shouldn’t take too long. Can you pick me up at six instead of four?”

“Okay. Stay out of trouble.” Mikuni told him and ruffled his hair. They waved to each other before he walked into the school. He was glad that JeJe waited until Hyde entered the building before he drove away. While he didn’t say a word, he knew that JeJe understood why he was worried about his brother. They could easily picture Hyde running into trouble to find Misono.

JeJe arranged to speak with the scientists at the energy plant with the hopes that they saw Misono the night he disappeared. They didn’t have proof that he crawled through the tunnel and entered the facilities but it was the only lead they had. He was certain that Mikuni would chase every lead they had until they found his brother. For his sake, he prayed Misono was safe.

As the drove down the road, Mikuni turned off the radio and asked: “Do you think I’m being too strict on Hyde? Our old man was worse but…”

“You can hover a little less.” JeJe said and his answer made Mikuni pout. “I know you’re concerned that Hyde will run off and I understand why. We don’t know what happened to Misono. Maybe you can give Hyde some advice instead of chaperoning him everywhere. Tell him to hang out with his friends and go to parties like normal teenagers his age. That might get his mind off everything.”

“He doesn’t have many friends. Hyde had to grow up quicker than kids his age.” After their parents died, life had been difficult. Mikuni worked hard to provide for his family but Hyde got a job to help make ends meets. They both wanted Misono to have an easy life. Despite their best efforts, they couldn’t protect Misono the night he went missing.

“Hyde isn’t the easiest person to get along with. He’s haughty and stubborn.” His comment earned him a light punch from Mikuni. It didn’t hurt and JeJe chuckled instead. “Maybe he needs to find a reasonable and patient person like you have.”

“I’m neither stubborn nor haughty. I can’t describe you as patient either. From the time you picked us up to now, you’ve sighed and groaned at least five times. Didn’t your parents teach you that it’s rude to do that?” Mikuni retorted. “Hyde needs someone who can handle his antics and kick some sense into him.”

“I don’t know if he’ll find someone like that easily.”

They approached the power plant and he stopped next to a toll booth. JeJe lowered the window and showed his badge to the worker. “I am Sheriff Doubt. This morning, I spoke with Dr. Gear about a missing child who might have passed by. I want to check your cameras to see what direction he might’ve went. He should be expecting me.”

“Dr. Gear is waiting for you in the lobby.” He nodded and opened the steel doors for them. He drove through the gate and parked his car. Mikuni stepped out and stared at the laboratory. He never gave the building much thought even though it sat near his home. JeJe stood next to him and placed his hand on his back. With a gentle push, he led him forward to the entrance.

They entered the lobby and walked to the reception’s desk. A man wearing a suit was already speaking with the receptionist. He turned around when they stopped next to him. “Sheriff Doubt? I am Dr. Gear. You requested a tour of our facilities. I’ll be honest though, you’re wasting your time here. It’s nearly impossible for someone to sneak inside.”

“This is just to cover all of our bases, Sir.” JeJe said. He saw how Mikuni bit his tongue and he knew he wanted to snap back at the man. The dismissive tone he had angered him. He held himself back because they needed their cooperation. Mikuni hoped that their cameras would show them what happened to his brother. “I told you that we think he crawled through a tunnel.”

Gear nodded and led them outside to the drain pipe he described. Mikuni knelt next to the grate cover and examined its worn edges. The tunnel appeared large enough for Misono to crawl through. JeJe glanced around them and pointed to a camera nearby. “Do you have the footage from Thursday and Friday like we requested?”

“Yes. Please, follow me.” Gear instructed and walked back towards the building. Mikuni waited until the scientist turned around before he tucked something inside his pocket. As he followed him through the halls, he noticed a hallway blocked by restrictive tape. He couldn’t see much beyond the opaque curtain but he was able to make out people in bulky suits.

“Mikuni?” He turned back when JeJe said his name. He walked into the dark room where the video was already prepared. The date on the screen was the night Misono went missing and they sped through the video. People passed through the screen but not one of them was his brother. The recording stopped and Mikuni didn’t hide his disappointment.

“I’m sorry you didn’t find what you were looking for. There’s a thousand cameras around the building. No one can come in or leave without us knowing. If your brother was here, we would’ve sent him to the station.” Gear said. “Shall I show you two out?”

“We can find our way out.” JeJe said. For a moment, Mikuni didn’t respond and continued to stare at the screen. He only looked away when he felt his hand on his shoulder. Mikuni sighed but stood and walked out of the building. He opened the passenger side’s door for him. He didn’t immediately close the door after he sat down. “Are you okay, Mikuni?”

“I thought I would find something.” He took out a strip of fabric from his pocket. “I found this stuck to the pipe cover. There’s no way to tell that it’s Misono’s but… We didn’t see him on the camera though.”

“Do you remember the night Misono went missing and the search party the next night?” The way he suddenly changed the subject confused Mikuni but he nodded. JeJe leaned closer and whispered into his ear. There were cameras watching him and he worried that they might overhear him as well. “It rained those nights but it was a clear day in the video.”

“They tampered with the video?” He was focused on finding Misono that he hadn’t noticed the detail. Mikuni looked down at the cloth and he pictured his brother scared in the building. He recalled how he heard his brother in the cassette player the previous night. Maybe Misono was inside the lab and he found a way to contact him through a radio.

Mikuni tried to jump to his feet but JeJe stopped him. He placed his hands on his shoulders and eased him back into the car. “You can’t run in there without more evidence, Mikuni. They’re hiding something but we can’t know if it’s related to your brother or not. Once we have more evidence, we can push them for answers. Trust me, Mikuni.”

“Okay,” He relented with a small nod.

Kranz hadn’t returned any of Licht’s calls and he was starting to worry about his friend. The teenager at the party yesterday told him that Kranz returned home alone. Mahiru’s lectures about the dangers of going out alone echoed in his ears. A feeling in his stomach told him that something was wrong as well. He decided to take the bus and visit his friend.

He went to the bus station and bought a ticket. Licht checked the schedule and he was glad that it would arrive soon. He searched for a bench to wait for the bus. A groan escaped him when he saw a familiar demon waiting on the platform. Hyde was reading a book so he hadn’t noticed him yet. He muttered to himself, “Why do I run into him everywhere I go?”

Licht thought it was best to avoid him so he leaned against the wall and waited for the bus. Even though he intended to ignore him, he found himself staring at Hyde’s back. Was the reason he was at the station related to his missing brother? Before he could finish the thought, he noticed a group of teenagers approaching him. He recognized them from the party last night.

“Hey, Hyde, we heard you were creeping around the woods last night. Were you spying on my party?” The teenagers surrounding him but Hyde barely gave them a glance. “Are you skipping town because of what happened to your brother?”

“Why are you here? I was searching the forest for my brother. You don’t need to be scared that I have evidence of you and your friends drinking underage at that party. I don’t take pictures of clowns.” Hyde shot him a glare. He didn’t flinch when the boy grabbed his shirt and roughly pulled him to his feet. “Do you want to fight me? It’ll be bad if you get injured before your basketball game.”

“You act tough for someone who carries around a toy.” He grabbed the camera from around his neck. Hyde immediately jumped forward to take it back but his friends held his arms. He couldn’t afford to replace the camera if they broke it. Another boy took the photos he had stuffed in his book. “Look at all this creepy stuff.”

“Let him go and give back his camera.” The group was surprised by Licht’s voice. There were more of them than him yet his glare was unwavering. Hyde took the opportunity to wrench his arms free from their grip. He assumed Licht was friends with them when they first met but it was clear he was wrong.

“Weirdos stay together, I guess.” The boy scoffed and started to hand back the camera. Then, he tossed the fragile camera behind him and it shattered on the ground. Hyde’s anger flared but he quickly held it back. He couldn’t start a fight or else the authorities would take him in and Mikuni would question why he was at the bus station. He walked past them and picked up his broken camera.

The group walked away but Licht stayed. He knelt next to him and collected the photographs they threw on the ground. “Thanks, Angel Cakes, but you don’t need to worry about these pictures. I already looked through all of these and there’s nothing here that can help the investigation. We should get off the road before the bus comes.”

“Are you going to Oakwood to look for your brother?” Licht asked as they stood. He had a handful of photos in his hand and held them out to Hyde. He didn’t take them and shook his head so Licht placed them in his bag. From his expression, he could tell that the photos made him frustrated. He spent an entire night in the forest but he couldn’t find anything.

“Misono hasn’t stepped foot outside of this town but our mother lives in Oakwood now. Well, she’s my mother but not his. It’s complicated.” He said as they sat on a bench. Hyde stared down the road and wondered where his brother could be. “They haven’t had any luck finding him here. The only person he knows outside of here is her. It’s a long shot but I have to try.”

“Don’t you have a car?” Licht remembered how he saw him driving the previous night. “Wouldn’t it be faster to use your car instead of waiting for the bus?”

“My over protective brother took my keys so here I am. He must be worried that I would do something reckless like drive to the next town to look for Misono.” He joked sarcastically. “Why are you going to Oakwood?”

“My friend lives there. He hasn’t returned any of my calls and I think something happened to him. Maybe I’m just being paranoid.” Hyde understood his feelings and patted his shoulder lightly. He didn’t say anything but Licht understood that he was trying to comfort him. “I’ll find my friend and your brother will come back safe.”

#servamp #kuromahi #sloth pair #lawlicht #greed pair #jekuni #envy pair #mahiru shirota #servamp kuro #licht jekylland todoroki #servamp hyde #mikuni alicein #servamp jeje

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loove-persevering · 5 years

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Sentence Starter Request! (Steve Harrington Blurb)

Description: “Please don’t lie to me again, I can’t take it.”

‘’You seriously saw him with her?’’ You ask to your friend Stephanie through the phone twirling the cord around your finger which seemed to be a nervous habit of yours.

‘‘Yes! They were like behind a brick wall and they looked like they were talking about something pretty serious,’‘ She tells you. ‘‘I thought you said he was over Nancy?’‘ She asks.

‘‘I mean I thought he was,’‘ You tell her truthfully. Steve had told you many times he was over Nancy but yet he still found reasons to be around her and involved in her life. ‘‘I didn’t think anything...’‘ You say trailing off topic.

‘‘Well of course you wouldn’t Y/N, you’re too trusting with him. You need to put that boy on a rope if you want to keep him.’‘ Stephanie tells you. ‘‘He’s Steve Harrington.’‘ She says like it was a dumb thing to assume.

‘‘That doesn’t mean anything-’‘ You begin to say but your cut off when your mom walks in motioning at her non existent watch. You nod your head letting her know that you were aware of the time, ‘‘Listen I gotta go my mom’s making me get off.’‘ You tell her, ‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’‘ You say before hanging up.

The next day at school you couldn’t help but watch as Nancy walked past you with Jonathan, if she had moved on then why hadn’t he? You sigh forcing yourself to look away and you walk up to your locker and begin twisting the lock putting in the numbers, when you get the lock off you swing it open and before you hear it hit the other lockers you see a hand stop it and then lean against it.

‘‘I missed you this morning?’‘ Steve says, usually you met him for breakfast but you decided to skip it this morning due to the news that was brought to your attention last night. You ignore him and keep moving the books into your bag, ‘’Hey?’’ He says waving his hand next to your face.

‘’What?’’ You spit out at him slamming the locker shut, you take the lock out of your hands and put it back on the locker before walking away. Steve follows you trying to keep up with your quick pace. ‘’Just leave me alone Steve,’’ You plead to him. He gently grabs your arm and looks around before pulling you into a broom closet, ‘’What are you doing?’’ You ask him as he pulls down the light switch illuminating the room.

‘‘Why are you upset?’‘ Steve asks you completely oblivious to what was going on. You roll your eyes at him clutching your books closer to your chest. ‘‘Come on Y/N don’t play games alright?’‘ He says.

You let out the breath you had been holding laughing along with it in disbelief, ‘’I’m playing games?’’ You ask him. ‘’Really now?’’ You ask him and he looked completely lost, ‘’I know you’ve been seeing Nancy,’’ You say and you can visually see his face turn from confusion to pure shock. ‘’I don’t play games, but apparently you do.’’ You say to him. You walk to the door putting your hand on the door knob ready to walk out but you decide to turn around and say one last thing, ‘’I will put up with a lot of shit Steve, fighting monsters, watching the kids with you. The one thing I won’t put up with is you not putting me first, I can’t do that not when I’m constantly putting you first.’’ You say and he looked at you with sad eyes as you turned around walking out of the closet leaving him alone.

____

It was later in the night and you had just finished having dinner, you were up in your room just constantly thinking about Steve. Right now you didn’t want to think, you wanted your head clear and you wanted to relax. The best way you knew how was sitting on the roof looking at the stars, you make your way to the other side of the house and slide open the window and carefully crawling out trying not to fall. You had one of Steve’s hoodies on and you cross your arms wanting to be even warmer if it was possible, you shut the window behind you and carefully lay down on your back letting your hands fall against your stomach.

You laid there for a while just embracing the silence and then closed your eyes just wanting to relax for a bit. You hear the window slide open but don’t really think much of it your mom was probably going to tell you to get off the roof, ‘’You could fall off you know?’’ You hear Steve’s familiar voice.

You open your eyes and lean up on your arms looking back seeing him climb through the window and shutting it again carefully. You sigh and lay back again and you see through the corner of your eye he takes a seat next to you, ‘’Who let you in?’’ You ask him still not looking at him.

‘‘Your mom,’‘ He says simply, you nod letting him know you heard what he had said but then you go back to the silence. After a while he speaks up, ‘‘About Nancy,’‘ He begins.

‘‘I don’t think I want to hear this,’‘ You tell him glancing at him feeling the tears threaten to spill out. You wanted Steve more than anything, but if he was still not over Nancy then you wanted him to end it to give you that because on your own you’d probably stay, giving him chance after chance.

‘‘You do,’‘ Steve sighs. ‘‘I’m over Nancy,’‘ Steve says. ‘‘It took me a while but I’m over her and I’m yours and you don’t have to worry.’‘ He explains.

‘‘I wasn’t worried Steve, I was never worried. Not until Stephanie called and told me she saw you two together, I have so much trust for you Steve like so much it scares me.’‘ You say sitting up. ‘‘Please don’t lie to me, I can’t take it.’‘ You plead to him.

‘‘Y/N,’‘ He says moving his body closer to yours reaching out with his hand to caress your face. ‘‘I’m sorry,’‘ He says.

‘‘I mean it’s whatever,’‘ You say to him reaching up and using the sleeves of his hoodie to wipe the tears from your eyes. ‘‘If you’re gonna break up with me just do it already.’‘ You say wanting to get it over with.

‘’Break up with you?’‘ He asks in shock. ‘‘I don’t want to break up!’‘ He says a little panicked.

‘‘You don’t?’‘ You ask him confused. ‘‘Then why are you here?’‘ You ask him.

‘‘I’m here to tell you I love you, and that I’m sorry. That I put you first, and that I may be the dumbest guy out there for making you cry.’‘ He says. ‘‘I am the dumbest guy for making the most beautiful, genuine person I know cry and feel like she’s not enough.’‘ He explains. ‘‘You are enough, your smile, your laugh, your personality, the unbelievable ability for you to make every single person feel important. That’s something I can’t get over, you have this way with people and you choose me?’‘ He asks you in disbelief.

‘‘You are a little dumb,’‘ You say with the hint of a smile. ‘‘I’m kidding,’‘ You say before he takes it offensively.

‘‘I know you’re kidding,’‘ He pauses laughing, ‘‘You never have a bad word to say about anyone, even when they deserve it.’‘ He says and you could tell he was talking about himself. ‘‘I’m a total shit head,’‘ He says running his hands through his hair.

‘‘No you’re not,’‘ You tell him and you reach out grabbing his hand giving it a squeeze, ‘‘I love you Steve Harrington, flaws and all.’‘ You tell him with a hint of a smile and he grins.

‘‘You do?’‘ He asks and you nod your head eagerly, ‘‘I love you too, but you hav no flaws.’‘ He says and you take your hand flipping your hair back and laughing. He takes his hand and puts it on the side of your head and pulling you for a kiss. ‘‘It’s you,’‘ He says, and for you it was him too it was always going to be Steve fucking Harrington.

#steve x reader #steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington angst #stranger things imagine #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things #billy hargrove

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frankchurchillsaysrelax · 5 years

Note

Malex prompt: Alex calls Michael by his first name only on special occasions and only ever during sex. Gimme the one time he chooses to use it in a public setting/not during sex and what Michaels response is

Happy birthday Marlo! I hope this little piece of fluff (angsty fluff? flangst?) brings us luck for tonight’s finale.

i’m on the bench, but coach just put me in the game

Michael never really gave much thought to his name growing up. It was something assigned to him by the system that chewed him up and spit him out. The most generic first name they could have possibly chosen and a last name that holds no meaning to him. Two words that were nothing more than a moniker to help distinguish him from the other troubled boys in the group homes or for foster parents to shout in his face and curse under their breath.

Aside from the, thankfully, short lived Mikey and the occasional hey asshole, he’s only ever had the two names. But over the years he’s noticed the different ways people say them, the tones and inflections that make the words their own.

The clipped way Sanders shouts after him, alternating first and surname, even when they’re in the same room. The enthusiastic screams of Michael from one night stands he was sober enough to remember. Guerin said in the annoyed and occasionally hostile tone Maria has when she’s sick of his bullshit, which is basically always. The exhausted and resigned way everyone in the Sheriff’s office greets him even after he stops being a frequent visitor.

He is only ever Michael to Max and Isobel, a subtle way of ignoring the glaring detail that legally separates them. Isobel did call him by his full name once in anger which led to her freaking out for the next three hours about turning into her mother.

He’s heard them say his name a thousand different ways but at the end of the day he knows what they each are truly trying to convey. Disappointment and condescension from Max, maybe an offer of support if he’s feeling generous. Affection occasionally tinged with disgust from Isobel but always with an underlying level of concern.

Then there is Alex. He’s only ever been Guerin to Alex. Well, that’s not necessarily true. After a week of Alex coming to visit him in his family’s tool shed, Michael had finally asked if Alex just didn’t know his first name. Alex had smiled that beautiful smile that only ever led to confusion in Michael’s head and had given some bullshit excuse about military family habits. Michael didn’t push the issue but a few days later in that same tool shed, a breathy little Michael became his favorite sound in the world.

Over the next decade no matter how hard Michael tried to bliss him out to the point of losing every last one of his military habits, Alex only said it three more times. On a cold night spent in the back of his truck, losing themselves in each other until the sun rose signaling the day Alex would leave for Afghanistan. During the one and only time Michael ever attempted a romantic gesture, making the five hour trip to Dyess to surprise Alex on his birthday only to be fucked in the alley behind a bar and sent on his way back to Roswell.

The last time he heard it was that first night they were together again after Alex came home, when Michael ran his gnarled fingers over the sensitive skin of Alex’s stump with nothing but love and acceptance, and Michael was full of hope for the first time in ten years, ready to throw everything away if only Alex would keep saying his name like it was precious, like Michael was something special.

Now they’re friends, friends who don’t have sex, and he is back to being nothing more than Guerin. So he really can’t be held responsible for what happens.

“Michael, hurry up, I’m not losing to these idiots!”

Max and Liz’s cries of indignation are drowned out by the crashing of the newly purchased round of drinks slipping out of Michael’s fingers. Distantly he hears Maria cursing him out but his entire being is focused on Alex sitting at their table in oblivious confusion.

Isobel is out of her seat like lightning, concerned hands shaking him from his stupor. His eyes don’t leave Alex but his tongue loosens enough to prove he’s not having a stroke. “You called me Michael.”

“He does know that’s his name right?”

“Shut up, Kyle.”

Recognition sparks in Alex’s eyes but before he can make excuses or brush it off, Maria runs the yellow mop bucket into Michael’s leg, hard.

“Clean it up, Guerin.” She stomps away and Isobel follows her probably in search of an angry makeout session in the storeroom. Those two aren’t fooling anybody.

Michael gets to work and does his best to ignore the curious gazes of his friends as well as half the bar. Heat rises in his cheeks despite his best efforts. When he’s done he wheels the mop towards the back just in time to see Isobel exit the storeroom looking entirely too pleased with herself.

“Your lipstick’s smudged.” He grins at the cheeky wink she throws over her shoulder glad that she is finding some happiness for herself these days.

A minute later, Maria exits the closet, hair mussed and eyes a little dazed. They go wide when she sees him standing there. Without comment, he pushes the mop towards her and she yanks it back with a bit too much force.

“You’re paying for those glasses.” He winces under her steely glare but nods in agreement. She tilts her head to the side, face softening into something friendlier. “You want to talk about it?”

He shoves his hands in his pockets and rocks back onto his heels, hoping that the hallway is too dark for her to notice his blush returning. “It was stupid. He just surprised me s’all.”

“Surprised by what? That Alex needed your help in trivia?” She seems truly baffled and Michael is tempted to just say yes.

“He said Michael. I half expected that after ten years he was too ashamed to admit he didn’t know my name.” The chuckle that forced itself from his throat around the lie is pitiful at best and Maria only looks more confused.

“What are you talking about? He calls you Michael all the time.” She moves to return the mop to the broom closet and he follows her.

“No he doesn’t.” Four times in intensely private moments does not constitute ‘all the time’ by any stretch of the imagination.

Maria closes the closet door and leans her shoulder against it, staring up at him with the look she gets when she’s doing a reading. Fortunately, she told him a long time ago that he was impossible to get a read on. She whips her phone out of her back pocket and sends a quick text, shushing Michael when he tries to ask what she’s doing.

Kyle rounds the corner a moment later. He approaches them with raised eyebrows and a smirk. “You rang?”

Maria gets right to it. “Have you ever heard Alex call him Michael?”

“Yes.” He drags the single syllable out obnoxiously as if the answer were obvious. “Seriously, dude, did you forget your name? You haven’t even had that much to drink.”

Michael is completely bewildered by this conversation. Kyle’s right, he’s only had the one beer but he feels like he’s having an out of body experience.

“He’s really never called you by your first name to your face?” Maria sounds almost wounded by this notion.

Not unless he’s inside me. Michael has more sense than to say that out loud so he just shakes his head.

“That’s rough, man.” Michael rolls his eyes and shoves past Kyle, going back out into the noisy bar.

Across the room his friends are laughing, teasing each other over wrong answers and trying to trip each other up. Alex sits stiffly in his chair; an island of tension in their sea of fun. He glances back towards where Michael is standing and their eyes meet, locking onto each other. Michael’s breath catches the tiniest bit and he hates himself. He steels himself and walks back to the table with his head held high.

“I think I’m gonna head out.” He flashes a smile that he hopes is convincing and avoids Alex’s gaze that he can feel crawling over his skin. “Before I owe Deluca for any more glasses.”

There is a chorus of goodbyes as everyone continues their own conversations. Michael grabs his jacket and moves swiftly towards the exit.

“Guerin, wait!” Michael stops in the middle of the Pony’s parking lot, hanging his head and wishing that he was capable of just walking away. He turns slowly, swallowing the bitter taste of harsh reality.

Alex is standing closer than he’d anticipated and suddenly Michael wishes he’d brought his hat so he could conceal his face from the too bright street lamps before it can give too much away.

Alex’s tentative smile is enough to stop him from biting his tongue. “So it’s Guerin again?” He doesn’t know why he is getting so worked up about this. Some mixture of embarrassment and his inability to stop loving the man in front of him no doubt.

Alex exhales a slow breath like he’s preparing for something arduous and takes a step closer. Again, before he can say anything, Michael plunges ahead.

“Because according to Deluca and Valenti you have no problem saying my name. So why is it you only seem to remember it when we’re having sex or I’m not there at all?”

Alex looks like he’s trying hard not to scream and Michael knows he’s being a dick, but Alex is the one who followed him out here so he doesn’t feel too badly about it. He should probably just turn around and go home, forget this ever happened.

“It was the last barrier I had.” At the first sign of retreat Alex is dragging him back to the front line. “Saying your name just seemed, I don’t know, too intimate? I couldn’t say it when I wasn’t ready to go all in, it felt like I was leaving myself unprotected. But I’ve always known your name, Michael.”

Michael is a genius so even when Alex renders him dumb, he’s still fairly smart. His brain works to connect the dots while the echoing of his heartbeat drowns everything else out.

He couldn’t say it when he wasn’t ready to go in, but he’s saying it now.

Michael takes a half step closer until he can reach out and grab his hands. He doesn’t say anything, staring straight into Alex’s eyes waiting for any sign that he’s misread the situation. Alex’s gaze flickers down to his mouth in a move that Michael hasn’t seen in far too long. He has to bite down hard on his bottom lip to keep his grin under control.

“Do you wanna go out to dinner on Friday? With me? On a date?” He’s leaving no room for miscommunication on this.

Alex looks shocked, but pleasantly so. He twines their fingers together and Michael is mesmerized by the way his face lights up, smile growing slowly. “I’d love to.”

Michael lifts his eyebrows expectantly. He’s waited so long, he wants to hear it again and again and again.

Alex rolls his eyes but uses their joined hands to tug Michael until they’re pressed chest to chest, lips inches apart. “I’d love to, Michael.”

#bestillmyslashyheart #my fic #prompts #malex #malex fic #roswell new mexico #i loved this prompt so much #i’m such a ho for michael ‘say my name’ guerin

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happywitch416 · 5 years

Text

I received @melaena for this years @fic-or-treat ! While not explicitly Halloween themed, I did go with a Haunting. Definitely more of a PG-13 haunting as I am giant chicken, so fear not. What if the Chantry had charity hospitals like the Catholic Church?

Read on Ao3.

"Where are we going exactly?" Hawke asked, turning about in circles as they walked. Some parts of Darktown you could almost forget the soul-crushing poverty that reigned. This area was not one of them.

"Andraste's Grace Hospital, the former crown of the Chantry's charity work in Kirkwall." Anders answered, staring resolutely ahead, marking the streets until they needed to turn and head north to the edge of the city.

Hawke stopped walking, lurching to the moonlit center of the road in case someone threw anything out a window. Or if the shutters fell off when they did. "At night?"

Anders turned and gave her a bemused grin. "When else do I have time to duck the templars and my patients?"

She grabbed his shoulder as he went to start forward again, steering him to face her. "Anders, it's haunted. No one goes there."

"Love, I will hold your hand the entire time." He laced his fingers through hers and squeezed before tugging her along. "Besides, we will be in and out before you know it."

"But why?" She whined as they turned down another road.

"Free supplies hopefully. This is it."

They stared up at the building. The roof was caved in one side. The full moon did little to lighten the dark gaping windows or to lessen the feeling that the decrepit building was watching them. And waiting.

Hawke sighed heavily before pushing the iron gate open. "You are lucky I love you."

Anders gave her a grin and brushed a kiss against her cheek. "Yes, I am." He led the way up the crumbling steps before gingerly pushing open the door. It shrieked on its hinges and they both winced.

"They probably heard that at the Circle." Hawke tsked. She let the door fall closed behind them, the hinges barely whispering this time. She shivered as Anders called light to the end of his staff, illuminating what had once been a waiting room. Broken chairs littered the floor, covered in dirt and leaves blown through the broken windows. She turned slowly on the spot. The wood counter was long cracked, the crevice filled with dust and cobwebs. "How long as this place been empty?"

Anders was already looking through the drawers in the counter, but they were long emptied of their contents. "During the Blight, before Kirkwall set so many regulations against the refugees. From what I've heard." His nose curled in disgust when he opened the storage closet, mops and brooms stuck to the walls with grim. "They quarantined anyone who was sick. Most left rather quickly, seasickness doesn't last much past the sea, and a poor diet is easily corrected. But."

"They got someone with the Blight." She finished for him.

He nodded. "They didn't realize until it was too late, and it had spread to most of the other patients and sisters. Then they locked the doors and waited for the screams to end." She stared at him in open horror and he sighed. "It was not the wisest of medical decisions but the fear of it spreading to the rest of Kirkwall was far louder than anyone who spoke of temperance."

"Like keeping them at the docks was better?" She followed him into the hallway and ignored how deep the darkness was past the light. She rubbed her arms trying to rid herself of the crawling feeling.

"Did you ever see anyone who was sick there?" She didn't answer, didn't have to. They had peered at them all too close and her mother had only been sick with grief. The moonlight shone in illuminating a set of cabinets. The glass was broken along the sill, she tried not to think of how it was broken, with no glass on the inside, like something got out. But the heavy leaded stained glass was whole with its depiction of Andraste burning at the pyre. The red flames looked more like blood. She couldn't decide if Andraste was rising from the blood or sinking into it, nor did she want to consider which was worse.

Anders opened several of the small cabinet doors, barely a foot across, peering into their dusty depths. Hawke did her best not grin when he jumped at the sound of her voice at his shoulder. "What do you think these were for? They are too deep to make good storage."

He tugged on the slatted bottom and they both took a step back when it slid out smoothly. They stared at it a moment before Anders took a deep breath and shoved it back into place. "I think. I think we were just looking at the child morgue."

Hawke vehemently shook her head, hard enough her braid whipped around to smack her in the face. "No."

"Well whatever was there, it's gone now." He opened and closed several more.

"Maybe it was for chamber pots that were not in use."

Anders chuckled, kicking the last one back shut. "Or snacks, they kept the trays lined up in there, or the kitchen is in the next room and they just slide them through."

Hawke's grin was still a little pale when he squeezed her hand. "That would be a terrible mistake to make."

"Yes, nothing says snack time like chamber pots and cadavers." She turned green and glared at him when he laughed. "Medicine makes for dark humor, Hawke."

"I am not touching anything in this place." She said primly sticking her nose in the air. "Surely we can just buy what you need? Smuggle it from the estate to your clinic?"

"And how would you explain purchasing all those supplies?"

She thought a moment, their boots disturbing the dust as the floor creaked beneath them. "Bethany and I like to brawl in our spare time. We'll take up challenging the other noble families."

"Promise your hand in marriage to the first man to best you?"

She snorted. "Have you seen them? I'd have to let a 900-year-old man beat me." Her smile warmed at his laugh and she reached out to squeeze his hand.

The next several rooms were more of the same, empty except for dust and cobwebs. "I think this place is so empty the spiders have even left." She batted the floating web until it stuck to the door frame. She stopped in her tracks. "By the Maker."

This room was the largest they had found, a sunken amphitheater with rows upon rows of meticulously clean seats. "This is unusual." Anders gently took the first step down the stairs.

Hawke peered at the dim ceiling; feet firmly planted on the top of the stairs. "Are those Tevene statues?"

Anders followed her gaze upward and cast a second ball of mage light towards the ceiling. The flickering statues leered at them in grotesque laughter. "I don't think the Chantry built this." He cast another ball into the center of the floor. What should have been the floor. "Is that water?"

The circular pool took up more than half of the floor, leaving a ledge just wide enough to navigate around it. Hawke was past him before he could stop her, and she was peering down into the pool. "It smells like the sea?" She turned her gaze to him as he joined her by it, walking around to the other side. He shrugged, focusing more on the hair standing on his neck and arms, the cold grasp on his heart, willing himself to breathe. A deep breath verified her claim. It smelled like seawater and blood. Justice seared across his mind, blinding him as he caught a glimpse of something moving in the depths. "Run." He ordered, taking several leaps up the stairs. But when Anders realized she wasn't behind him, he won out over Justice's will and turned back to her. Inky blackness rose from the water, caressing and crooning as Hawke leaned forward.

He grabbed her, a hard yank pulling her into him and away from the water. The darkness settled back into the pool, waiting.

Hawke shook her head slowly. "Can't you hear it, Anders? Such a beautiful song." Her eyes were unfocused and hazy. "Like a Chantry choir in a single voice."

He felt the prickling along his skin but listened hard. It was all too familiar to him, the taint in his blood firing to its call. So familiar yet he knew it was not right, not quite, just an awful mimicry. He grits his teeth and drags her up the stairs. Something began to howl, and he felt Justice once again take hold but this time in the companionship they had held for years, not the Anders obliterating rage of late.

Hawke finally came to her senses as the door slammed shut before them. She gave herself a hard shake and flicked the lockpicks from her belt, going to one knee as she cursed the lock. Neither of them acknowledges the singing as it grows louder, closer. Neither of them looked back. "Here." Anders gruffly pulled her back and sent magic splintering through the door. A wail took up behind them, drowning out the song with its wretchedness, the wind catching at their heels as they sprinted down the hallway, guided only by Justice's glow. Doors swung open trying to block their way, long-abandoned wheelchairs and gurneys flew into their path. Hawke went sailing over the counter and shoved open the door. Holding it open until Anders joined her and they sprinted through. They didn't wait for it to shut, careening across the broken cobblestones and through the iron gate.

Hawke slammed it shut behind them, breathing heavily and staring at the still open, writhing, screaming door. After what felt like hours it slammed shut on its own, thrown by an unseen force so hard into its frame it shook, roof crumbling further in. The song began again while it waited, a stalemate this time.

She wound her fingers through his and gently pulled him away, both walking backward until it passed from their sight. Hawke could feel the song in her mind, like a sticky ooze as she finally turned towards the rest of Darktown. "Home sweet home?"

"Sounds wonderful." Anders answered tightening his hold on her. His eyes still blazed but the worry in his features reassured her it was only Anders. He gave a short chuckle. "I'll take you up on your offer of buying supplies."

She nodded, her grin not as strong as she wanted, before glancing behind them before slowing to a stop. "We should burn that place to the ground."

"I vote we never return. Send the guard to do it."

She chuckled and let herself be drug along. "Aveline can shame it into burning itself down."

They ended the night in Hawke's bed with a few too many mugs on the nightstand and Dog happily at their feet while a roaring fire warmed them. Hawke had drawn the curtains feeling eyes staring at them but otherwise, they settled comfortably into each other's arms. Yet neither of them could sleep, the mournful haunting song echoing in their minds even as the sun began to shine.

#the witch writes #hw writes #fic or treat 2019

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0headphonepisces0 · 5 years

Text

Day 1

Stuck in a small place

Read on Ao3

Barely managing to keep himself from toppling over, Kaito righted himself before continuing his chase. “Ouma you little brat, give me back my jacket!” He tried to sound angry, but it was obvious to both of them that he was enjoying himself. He tried to keep his laughter in, but the constant giggling bubbling out of Kokichi made it hard.

"Geez Momota-chan, you'd think a meathead like you, would be able to catch me by now!" Kokichi taunted, glancing behind him to stick his tongue out as he waved his jacket up in the air like a cape.

Kaito narrows his eyes and speeds up. Kokichi shrieks in response. He gets close enough to touch the fabric, but just when he’s about to snatch it back, Kokichi turns a corner.

Nearly ramming himself into a wall, he flails around in surprise and just barely catches a glimpse of purple disappearing behind a door.

Running his hand through his hair, Kaito smiles and goes to open the door he saw Kokichi enter. But when he does, He’s swiftly pulled inside by a small pair of hands. He only has time to see a glimpse of a smirk on the other’s face before the door closes behind him and they’re both enveloped in darkness. A broom closet.

He hears a familiar giggle near his ear and a pair of curious hand wandering up and down his chest. "Oh no, I've been caught! I sure hope I don't get punished."

A hand wonders down to Kaito’s pants, but he grabs it before it can go any further. “Maybe I should.” He gives the hand a gentle squeeze and brings it up to his mouth, giving it a chaste kiss before letting go in favor of resting it on his hip. “You’ve caused me a lot of trouble chasing after you.” He says fondly.

Kokichi gasps at the contact. “What are you gonna do about it then?” He whispers, reaching a hand to play with the astronaut's goatee.

Kaito slides a hand down the smaller one’s back and moves to breathe down his neck. “I’ll show you.” Kokichi waits on bated breath as he feels lips press against his skin.

Taking a deep breath, Kaito blows a raspberry against his neck. Kokichi squeals and thrashes around in his hold in confusion, but his grip only gets tighter. “M-Momota-chan!?”

Kaito grins and slides his fingers against the smaller boy’s sides. Kokichi gasps. “N-No! M-Momota-chaaan! Stop!” He bangs his hands against his chest in desperation as he tries to keep his laughter in. But if anything, Kaito is persistent and keeps his hold on him as he slides his fingers across sensitive skin.

Kokichi continues to squirm, but with every touch it feels like he’s falling apart. It only takes a hand to slip against his armpit for him to absolutely lose it. Kokichi screams with laughter, tears streaming down his flushed face. Kaito laughs with him, no doubt having the time of his life for making him lose his cool.

When Kaito figures he’s had enough, he stops his assault, letting kokichi lean against him bonelessly. Kaito adjusts the boy in his grip and slides down to the floor with kokichi sitting snugly in his lap.

Still breathless from earlier, Kokichi hides his face in the taller boy’s chest. The only good thing about being in the dark was that Kaito couldn’t see how red his face was.

Reaching a hand up, he blindly searches for his goatee, and gives it a weak tug. “This wasn’t what I had in mind, you big dummy.”

“Oh yeah? Then why don’t you tell me what you were thinking about?” Kokichi could practically hear the smirk in his voice and it made his cheeks darken even further. How dare he tease him like this. That was his job!

Kokichi wraps his arms around his torso and nuzzles his face angrily into his chest. “No!”

“No?” Laughing, Kaito brings a hand up and plays with the wisps of his hair. A soothing motion that Kokichi can’t help but relax into. After a few minutes of just basking in each other’s warmth, Kaito leans down to whisper into his ear.

“Hey, I need to go soon. Shuichi and Harumaki are waiting for me.”

Kokichi frowns and tightens his hold around his chest. His response was muffled against the fabric. “Those two clowns again? You’re always with them.”

Kaito pokes his side in retaliation. “Don’t say that, they’re my friends.”

“Seems more like your own personal harem with how much they hang around you.” Kokichi whines, but after a beat of silence, he realizes how that sounds.

Kaito asks. “Are you… Jealous?”

He sounds way too happy about that. “I’m not!” Kokichi tries to crawl out of his lap, but Kaito locks him into place.

“Hey don’t get embarrassed. I think it’s cute.”

Leaning down, Kaito begins to press wet kisses all over the little leader's face, much to the embarrassment of the latter. “Noooo, let go! Stop being gross!”

"Babe, just say the word and I'll take you on a date."

Kokichi makes a dying sound and tries to hide his face.

"I'll make it all romantic and shit too. Maybe go stargazing after a candle light dinner? Or maybe go to an amusement park and ride the ferris wheel at sunset?"

With each suggestion, Kokichi's face burns more and more until finally he mumbles his answer.

"What was that?"

"I said, anything is fine!"

"Great, I'll see you later!" Kaito plants one final kiss to his cheek before slamming the door open.

Flustered, Kokichi looks to the side and realizes he didn't even take his jacket back. Bunching the fabric in his hands, he brings it up to his face and promptly screams into it.

#oumotaweek #oumotaweek2019 #my writing #fanfiction #oumota #ouma kokichi #kaito momota #I have mixed feelings about this #but I tried my best #I'm excited to see everyone else's work too

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hotoffthepressfics · 5 years

Text

Broke But Not Broken: Chapter 8

MASTERLIST

Part VIII

Previous | Next

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Word Count: 2,944

Summary: You have an unpleasant encounter with your new boss. Your confidence starts to grow and you begin to reflect on your feelings for Bucky.

Warnings: Angst

Inspiration/Chapter Soundtrack:

“Nightfall” - Sawyer

“Good To You” - Marianas Trench

A/N: YOU GUYS ARE SO INCREDIBLY AMAZING. Thank you so much for your patience! I don’t know why but this one was so hard to write even though I knew what I wanted to happen. The next installation will not take as long, I promise. Now please enjoy!

Y/F/F/N - Your fake first name

A warm sensation wakes you from a deep slumber. You sense the sunlight streaming through the bedroom window heating your back. It’s a rather pleasant sensation. You contentedly snuggle closer to the pillow you wrapped your arms around, attempting to sleep a little longer.

As you move you feel a heavy pressure against your hip. The heaviness shifts slightly up to your waist. You freeze, heart beginning to race rapidly. Your first instinct to lie still and pretend you hadn’t awoken yet. Your brain races a mile a minute trying to piece together what was happening.

The conflict with Rebecca, Bucky hiding out on the fire escape, and you inviting him in replay through your mind’s eye. You breathe a shaky breath into the pillow pressed against your face, willing yourself to relax. You’d invited him to share the bed last night.

It’s okay. Your safe. No one is going to hurt you.

While your brain could reason, our heart rails and the fight or flight response is kicking in. You crack an eye open and sneak a peek at Bucky.

Bucky’s lax face lay inches from yours. His face is calm and serene. You study the curve of his cheekbone and the stubble sprouting along his cheek and jaw. His lips part slightly as he breathes in deeply, fast asleep. You move your eyes quickly back up his face to his eyes. The long, dark lashes rest gently against his skin, his eyes darting underneath his eyelids rapidly. He must be dreaming, you think.

He is indeed very handsome. You can understand why women would want so badly to be with him. His boyish charm in slumber calms the rapid beating of your heart, but you feel your cheeks flare with heat. It’d been a very long time since you’d felt drawn to a man. Since you’d felt the desire to be near one.

You shift carefully onto your back and wiggle your way towards the wall, trying not to wake Bucky. His hand trails along your stomach as you slide all the way out and crouch, leaning into the wall for balance. You watch him again for a moment, but he doesn’t stir. You proceed to crawl to the bottom of the bed and tiptoe out of the room.

Creeping out into the living room you quietly go to the kitchen and pour yourself a bowl of cereal. You lean against the counter and eat in silence for a few minutes before you hear the bedroom door click open. You listen to Bucky’s footsteps as he lazily shuffles into the kitchen.

“Good morning.” He mumbles sleepily, running his hands over his face.

Bucky shakes his head, trying to clear it and wake more. He leans against the counter next to you and peers into your bowl.

“Mmm, that looks good.” He says as his hand darts forward and he plucks a strawberry from among the flakes. Bucky plops it into his mouth with a self-satisfied grin.

“Hey!” You ward him off with your spoon and pretend to be upset, but your smile gives you away.

“Get your own food, you heathen.” You admonish, pointing to the cabinet that housed the cups and bowls.

He chuckles and commences on helping himself. You both eat in the easy silence. It’s peaceful and comfortable. When you’re finished Bucky takes the bowl from your hands and washes the dishes. You watch him in wonder. He was so unlike most men you’d encountered. It was getting harder to deny the warm feelings he stirred in you, but you were still too frightened and raw to open that door.

“Well,” he sighs as he towels off his hands. “Shall we go see what damage has been done to my apartment?”

•••

After you change into some sweatpants and a T-shirt you crawl out onto the fire escape to go up one floor.

Bucky’s apartment is definitely a mess, though nothing looks too damaged. Just battered and dinged from the mishandling. You suppose she tried to reign it in just in case Bucky did decide he wanted to be with her. Which was very unlikely.

He offers you a hand as you wiggle your way in through the window, his fingers trailing against your skin as he lets go. You shiver a little at the contact. Bucky surveys the room around him, tugging his hair a little.

“I’m… gonna go change before I tackle this mess.” Bucky grumbles.

You carefully step around the chaos as he makes his way into the bedroom, you hear a muttered curse as he peers inside and shuts the door. You begin picking up fallen books and carefully stacking them on the coffee table. After clearing a small section of floor, you realize there’s glass from a broken picture frame sprinkled across it. Walking carefully around it you search for a broom and dustpan.

Once you locate them in the coat closet you return and sweep the glass into a little pile. All traces of glass fragments gone you look to the right and find the frame the glass used to belong to. A picture is slightly bent underneath it. You gently lift the frame and pull out the photo.

A group of men in army camouflage smile broadly at the camera. Your eyes quickly find Bucky, his beaming face instantly recognizable. He has his arm thrown around another man, his smile a little more bashful than Bucky’s. Though his hair is cut a little shorter you realize it’s the man who had been pounding on your door looking for Bucky. You couldn’t quite recall his name. Something with an ‘S’… Stan… or Sam maybe?

Just then Bucky’s bedroom door swings open and he ambles out, looking very good in a tight black t-shirt and washed out jeans.

“Whatcha got there?” He asks, leaning over your shoulder.

You hold up the picture.

“The frame is broken. I swept up the glass. Are these your army friends?” You raise up the picture, handing it to him as he reaches for it.

He studies it a moment, seemingly lost in thought. He blinks and takes a deep breath, looking down at you.

“Ah, yeah. Yeah, they were. Good guys.” His answer is short and you sense he doesn’t really want to talk about it. You suppress the other questions about the blonde-haired man.

Bucky stuffs the photo into his back pocket.

“Well, I better get started.” He leans over and picks up the overturned sofa chair.

You resume picking up loose papers and books. You glance at him and he smiles sweetly. You return it, feeling the warmth spreading from your chest again. You soon get lost in the task at hand, working around each other to bring order back to Bucky’s apartment.

•••

At six o’ clock in the evening, just an hour before sunset, you stand anxiously in front of The Grandstand. You were going to meet with Marcus tonight to audition. Luckily Maggie said she would be there too, other wise you didn’t think you’d be able to go through with it. Your nerves already made you shake, feeling very unsteady.

You knock on the glass and wait. Soon, Maggie unbolts the door and greets you.

“Hello Y/F/F/N! It’s good to see you again. Come on in and we’ll introduce you to Marcus.” Maggie sweeps you in and locks the door behind you.

You stand awkwardly to the side as she walks passed you towards the stage. Her gait is strong and confident. You try to mimic it as you follow, hoping to appear like you weren’t about to faint.

As you approach you notice a man lounging in one of the table chairs, his legs stretched out in front of him. His attire suggests that he liked to look important, though right now he looks a little unkempt. Black suit pants, a plain white dress shirt rumpled and unbuttoned at the top. An undone tie hangs around his neck. The man is deeply engrossed with his cell phone when the two of you reach him. Maggie clears her throat.

“Marcus, this is Y/F/F/N. She’s here to audition for a pianist position” Maggie holds her hand out in front of you as though to present you.

Marcus doesn’t say anything, just continues to tap away at his phone. Maggie’s smile falters, a hint of annoyance replacing it.

“Marcus!” She hisses.

“Huh? Oh yeah, yeah. Nice to meet you.” Marcus stands and puts out a hand to shake. You cautiously take it.

“Hey, look. I’m sorry Maggie had you come out, but we aren’t looking for a new pianist right now.” Marcus explains, not once looking up from his phone.

Maggie is now fuming and you feel your face flush. Was this Marcus really not even going to give you a chance? Were you really going to be out looking for a job again?

“Michael is completely unreliable, Marc. I need someone who is good who will be here on time. All the time.” Maggie’s voice is even, though a slight quiver hints to the anger boiling underneath.

“Yeah, I know, and that’s why Michael and I are having a chat tonight about it.” Marcus says with a dismissal

“Look just let her – “ Maggie starts again but Marcus interrupts.

“I don’t need to, it’s my club and I’ll decide who I want performing here.” He finally glances up to give Maggie a warning look.

Maggie clamps her lips tightly together until they’re just a thin line on her face. Satisfied, Marcus grabs his suit coat off the chair he’d been sitting in and turns to go. He pauses mid turn and peers over to you, taking you in. You feel pinned by his stare. All you want to do is run and hide.

“Mm, she is pretty though. You can hire her on as wait staff. We can make room there for her.” Marcus remarks and with that he leaves.

You feel sick, hating very much that you were just objectified and dismissed without much thought. Your eyes dart over to Maggie, who very much looks like she would really love to punch something. She sucks in a breath and holds it. After a moment she releases it and heads to the bar, waving at you to follow.

•••

That night was your first as a waitress/hostess at The Grandstand. While it hadn’t been what you planned you were glad you at least had a job now. It turned out too that Maggie hadn’t just accepted Marcus’s edict that you be relegated to just waiting tables. The first night Michael hadn’t shown for work she had you corralled behind the piano and playing.

“If Marcus isn’t going to listen to reason, then I’ll just have to go off book with it.” Maggie mumbled.

So you waited tables the nights Michael showed and played the nights he didn’t. The arrangement suited you just fine. Marcus hardly ever appeared at the club, much to your relief. Your first encounter had left a bad taste in your mouth and you were happy to give him a wide berth.

Your first paycheck was small, but it was exhilarating to have money that you earned again. CiCi had demanded a tiny shopping spree for a new outfit. You hesitated to spend any of the money, but with very little coaxing she convinced you to go.

Much like your first encounter, CiCi heaps a giant pile into your arms and ushers you into a dressing room. Another long series of trying on item after item, and you put on a velvet, burgundy quarter-sleeved dress. You run your hands over the surface, relishing the soft feel. Stepping out you blush as CiCi whistles and has you twirl for her.

“Mm, honey, that’s the one.” CiCi coos clapping her hands together in success.

“You think?” You ask looking down at yourself. You thought it might be a little too short for the cold season, but a pair of tights might do the job to keep you warm.

“Yes. You’re as pretty as a picture.” She steers you in front to the full length mirror.

Suddenly you felt transformed. Gone was the wild, frightened girl. Your sunken cheeks are full and rosy. The dress hugs curves instead of bone. You look healthy, if not completely healed inside. You face CiCi, wearing a wide smile.

“I’m gonna get it.” You beam.

CiCi returns your smile. As you change back into your street clothes you hear CiCi throw something over the top of the changing curtain.

“Why don’t you indulge in some of these as well?” She says.

You turn and glance up and instantly your face starts to burn. You finish changing and step out.

“Cees, I do not need lingerie.” You mumble as you hold out the bra and panty set.

“Sure you do, every girl needs something cute to go underneath.” CiCi comments as she rifles through more lingerie on the wall.

You shake your head, “No one is ever going to see it, so what’s the point in buying it?” You say a little defensively.

CiCi pauses and gives you a meaningful stare. “Oh no? There isn’t a soul you’d mind seeing you wrapped up in silk and lace?”

It was true that Bucky and you had been spending a lot of time together. After that first night whenever you’d practice He would slowly come down the fire escape until he was back in the recliner, listening to you play. He would often fall asleep there now, lulled to slumber by your melodies.

One evening after you realized he’d fallen asleep you stopped playing. You slid off the bench and stooped in front of him, contemplating whether you should wake him or not. You admired his face again, taking in your fill. The hair framing his face had fallen across his left eye. You reached up and gently smooth the hair back behind his ear. His face unconsciously leans into your touch.

“Bucky,” you spoke softly, attempting to gently wake him. “Bucky, you should go to bed."

He breathed in deeply and blinked drowsily a couple times. You repeat yourself and he got up, stumbling towards the bedroom.

"Bucky - " You start to call to him, but he'd gone around the corner into the room.

You followed him, watching as he flopped down onto the bed on the side he slept on before. When you had told him to go to bed you hadn't meant yours. His breathing deepened again as he fell deeper into sleep. You sighed and wrestled some of the pillows from underneath him, forming your makeshift barrier like before. You got ready for bed and crawled in, listening to his soft snores as you fell asleep.

After that, every now and then, you'd share your bed with Bucky. You were always cautious and made certain there was space between you, but you knew you were finding comfort in his presence. In his closeness. The nightmares lessened and you allowed yourself to sleep deeply, gaining slow confidence that nothing would hurt you as long as he was there. You even allowed yourself to think that he might like being in your company at night. You hadn't even considered that things between you two could deepen and become more intimate as CiCi suggested.

You flush and look away, that idea awakening new, exciting, and terrifying thoughts inside you. You’re just getting used to the idea of feeling something for Bucky. You didn’t want to entertain thoughts that someday you’d be naked in front of him. It was all a little… too much. For now.

You open your mouth to refute but CiCi waves you off.

"Look, that aside I wasn't talking about getting it for anyone to see. This is about how you feel. So what if no one sees it? We're not here to just please someone. When you're wearing this," She holds up a pretty light pink, lace bralette, "It's about feeling sexy and empowered. When you wear things that make you feel good, it reflects outward. It gives you power."

You contemplate her words a moment. She did make a point, but you didn't really think you were ready to wear something like that again. Not yet, even if it was for yourself. You shake your head.

"I'm good for now CiCi, thank you though." You say.

CiCi sighs, putting the bralette back and throwing her hands up in the air. "Suit yourself then. But mark my words, you'd be unstoppable in the right bra and panty!"

•••

Later that night you knocked on Tia Maria's door. This had been something you'd planned since you'd gotten your new job. You wait patiently as you hear Tia shuffle up to the door. After a moment of scuffling the door squeaks open and Tia stands in the doorway.

"Hi Tia," You greet as soon as you see the little old woman. She gives you a toothy smile and holds open her arms to you.

"¡Ay, mija! Buenos noches."

You stoop to hug her and she kisses your cheeks, beaming unseeing up into your face. She pulls you into her apartment, chittering away about making you some food. You pull against her until she stops and turns to you.

"I'm good on food Tia, thank you. But I did want to ask you for your help. Can you teach me how to cook?"

Tia claps her hands together and talks excitedly in Spanish, hauling you the rest of the way into the kitchen. A simple question and cooking class was in session.

EVERYTHING TAGLIST:

@booktvmoviefangirl @lowkeybuckyb @mrsdaamneron @xxashy999xx @c-ly-g @coal000 @rroguebones @ghostlyrose2 @part-time-patronus @emelielwh @peaceinourtime82 @buckysforeverprincess @geeksareunique @amnahs9695 @v-2bucky @scarlet-skywalkers @lokilvrr @thisismysecrethappyplace @sacre-bluhm @tatertot1097 @until-theend-oftheline @amoonagedaydreamer @marvelouspottering @thatfanficstuff @chuuulip @littlemarvelfics @averyrogers83 @ellaprime68 @shield-agent78 @jewels2876

BUCKY BARNES TAGLIST:

@bloodiedskirtts @igotkatiepowers @misplacedorphan @superwholockwannabe @moonstruckhargrove @ladysergeantbarnes

BBNB TAGLIST:

@imaginecrushes @that-bearshark @jademox @theraputicwritings @marvel-fanfiction @aubri1313 @xcriminalmastermindx @regulusirius @jacquelineisawkward @lostinspace33 @directionerfae @rainbowkisses31 @marie-is-in-the-dark @msgrungie @mrsbarneswillseeyounow @getmedeacon @owhatshername1 @drunkinthemiddleoftheday @mizzzpink @aveatquevale- @sweetlydecaf @absolukeyrh

#bucky barnes x reader #james bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #james bucky barnes fanfiction #marvel fanfiction #bucky barnes #james bucky barnes #james buchanan barnes #bucky series #bucky angst #bucky smut #bucky fluff #broke but not broken #james bucky barnes series #marvel series #fanfiction

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petersheart · 5 years

Text

The Order fanfic: Violence on our Shore

Hamish gets hurt again, only this time it's much more serious. (in other words: lots of Hamish-centric hurt/comfort)

Also available on my AO3

Once Randall answers the call, it’s almost like deja-vu. It feels like he’s had this exact conversation before.

"Hey, dude-"

“They’re hunting me,” Hamish rasps. His breath is heavy and his voice is filled with obvious pain. “They got me, again, just straight up stabbed me with that stupid knife. I hope you have some left over of that green stuff you made last time.”

For a gravely injured wolf, Hamish for sure manages to talk a lot.

They don’t have anything left of the so-called green stuff Hamish is talking about. The last few months haven’t been easy exactly, The Order has been more aggressive than ever. All kinds of evil have been crawling around.

He moves to the living room, where he knows both Lilith and Jack both are supposed to studying for their exams.

“Think we used the last of it when Jack got nicked the other night. We can always make some more, though” he answers when the silence lasts too long. He can’t listen to Hamish’s breaths coming in sharp pained bursts anymore.

“Where are you? I’ll come and get you, the others can make the magic goo,” he asks. It grabs Lilith and Jack’s attention, and they both look up from where they are hunched over their books. Worry makes their way to both of their faces. It would be adorable if he didn’t have the sound of Hamish dying filling his ear.

“At the library, in a broom closet, like last time” Hamish gasps. Randall doesn’t remember anything about a broom closet last time, but that’s not what’s important right now anyway. “Don’t think I can make it out alone. Don’t know if they used more stuff or if it hit something more vital-” Hamish continues. Randall wonders if there is a more vital place than the freaking stomach but okay. “It might be a different poison. It's working way faster,” the older wolf sounds out of breath once he finishes talking.

“Ok, I’ll be there, we’ll get whoever did this,” Randall assures him. He listens as Hamish takes some unsteady breaths before answering.

“T-thanks,” he stutters out. The fact that he isn’t fighting about Randall coming to get him his worrying enough, and now a thank you? Jesus, that’s bad with a capital B, and probably an A and D too.

When he puts the phone back into his pocket, Lilith and Jack are already standing, books forgotten on the floor.

“Hamish’ hurt, we used up all the green medical stuff - you guys need to make some more. I gotta go, he’s hiding at the library. It sounded like it was bad," Randall explains. He then grabs his jacket from where he had thrown it over a chair earlier today.

“I’ll come with you,” both of the younger wolves say at the same time. When Randall turns to look at them, they are staring each other down. They know at least one of them needs to stay behind and make it.

“I told Hamish the both of you would be working on the soup thingy,” he tells them. Lilith scowls at him.

“You only need one person to do it, we all know how to-” she starts,

“I don’t! I wasn’t here when you guys did it the first time,” Jack argues, interrupting her.

“You’re the magic expert! You can read a recipe can’t you?” Lilith says, and jeez - they do not have time for this.

“Did y’all miss it when I said Hamish sounded really bad? I think this might be worse than last time!” Ok, he doesn’t think it is, he knows it is, but he doesn’t want to worry the other two too much either. He is the one that has to deal with them after all. He’s already moving towards the door, he can hear shuffling behind him, are the two idiots actually fighting about this?

Someone runs up to his side as he throws the door open. Lilith is standing there, looking him in the eye. “Jack is making the recipe,” she states. Randall can’t be bothered to ask how they decided that.

The run to the library seems longer than ever before, even if it only takes them ten minutes when running.

“He’s going to be okay right? We aren’t going to find him like.. dead, or something?” Lilith asks as they climb the old marble stairs to the library entry. Randall does not wanna think about how shivery her voice sounds.

“No, Hamish’ strong, he’ll be fine,” he assures her as they walk through the wooden double doors.

“So where is he?” she asks and looks around. They’ll have to be on their guard. There might be more hunters out there, he had forgotten to ask Hamish what had actually happened. He had assumed it was the Order since Hamish had said someone was haunting him again.

“Hum, I think he said he was in a broom closet,” Randall answers and fumbles to find his phone, “I’ll try calling him.” Lilith nods, and they start making their way through the library hall. There aren’t too many people there, thank god, but it’s not so surprising considering it's getting late.

He unlocks his phone and finds Hamish number in his newly called list. He quickly hits the dial button and puts the phone to his ear. It rings and rings but no one picks up. “Come on man,” he whispers, more to himself than anyone. Lilith is biting her lip, shooting him glances as they walk down the hall.

“I hear something,” she says and he follows her to a small passageway in the library. He’s not too familiar with it, it’s a rarely used wing - the stools aren’t as good there and neither is the ventilation. The ringtone is still beeping in his ear and he knows he’s gonna be put sat over to voicemail soon and - is that 500 miles playing?

The song that Randall, as a joke, forever ago, put as his special ringtone on Hamish’ phone. The older man had been stupid enough to leave it unlocked the living room, where Randall so happened to be sitting.

It’s coming from a door not too far down the hallway and Randall is grateful there is no one else there besides the two of them.

He gets sent to voicemail, and he hangs up before the beep. Lilith has her hand on the doorknob and she looks scared. Her eyes are wide, and her face filled with uncertainty. Maybe, like him, she fears what they might find. He nods to her and puts a comforting hand on her shoulder. They are still working out what they are, how they work. It’s been.. kind of wild lately.

The door swings open. Hamish is sitting there, his dapper vest open and smeared with blood, and so is his light blue shirt. His jacket is on the floor on his right and his phone is laid beside it. The screen is still lit up and Randall can see bloody fingerprints on it. Oh.

“Hey guys,” Hamish gurgles as he looks up at them, a loopy smile on his face, “you came,” he continues. He sounds relieved.

“Of course we came, hamster,” Randall says as he kneels down beside him to get a look on the wound. It looks worse than the other one had. It's deeper, redder, and slightly higher up. It stinks even more too. He wrinkles his nose.

“Sorry I could’n ans’r the phone, sl’ppy fingers,” Hamish mumbles. The words don't sound quite right coming out of the usually delicate spoken man.

“We need to get him out of here now, and to Jack, that looks - that looks really bad,” Lilith says. Randall is already shrugging off his own jacket. They’ll need to cover up the blood. It’s not like they can walk unnoticed through the library while supporting a bleeding Hamish.

“Help me put this on him,” he pushes Lilith with his elbow to get her attention. Her eyes are locked, staring at the bleeding wound in Hamish’ stomach. One of his hands is laid sloppy and limp over it. It seems to be a try to stop the bleeding, but it looks like the pressure is too weak to do any good.

Together they manage to sit Hamish up, even if both of them have to support him so he doesn't lean over to the side. He has the energy to help them when they drag the jacket over his shoulders. The pained noises he makes feel like needles to Randall’s skin, he doubts it’s any easier for Lilith. Hamish is acting too lethargic for Randall’s liking as he zips the zipper up to cover the wound completely.

“Ok, we each take one side, we get him up on his feet and we take the back door out. We’re on the first floor, it will be okay,” Randall looks at Lilith as he informs her about the plan. He's not sure if he is trying to assure himself or the other two that it will be alright.

Lilith grabs Hamish’ phone and puts in her pocket. She also takes his stupid dress jacket and drapes it over her arm. She catches Randall's eyes as they swing Hamish' arms over their shoulders.

“On the count of three,” Lilith says. Randall nods and Hamish, well, he hangs in there. They can’t ask much more of him.

“One, two,” they all take a preparing breath, “three-”. Hamish isn’t the lightest dude, but they are all superpowered wolves. Lifting Hamish up from the floor goes easy. Getting him to stand on his own two feet? Not that easy. Hamish is taller than both of them and sways dangerously as he tries to stand on his own to feet.

“I’m-” Hamish stutters as he leans forward in their grasp, not finishing his sentence. The only reason he’s staying upright is Lilith’ and Randall’s death grip on his arms. Hamish opens his mouth to speak and-

“I’m gonna be sick,” is all the warning they get before Hamish his throwing up all over Randall’s shoes.

“Ew dude,” Randall says, “as if the room didn’t stink enough already.” He stares up on at the roof, he'd rather not see what Hamish' lunch looks when halfway digested.

Hamish goes if possible even more slack in their grip.

“Randall, look - it, there’s... That's blood,” Lilith whisper-yells. Randall forces himself to look down at his poor shoes and the floor, and oh - yeah, that's very red. That's blood. That's also very very bad. People, even werewolves, are not supposed to be throwing up blood. They aren’t supposed to be stabbed by magical weapons either but, you know, that’s kind of a risk they take.

“We need to get out of here, now,” Randall says, and can't keep the alarm out of his voice. He hoists Hamish a little bit more up so he won’t slip out of his grasp.

“Ready to go, big guy?” Lilith asks, shaking Hamish a little to get his attention. They get a small nod from him, and a grimace they don’t know how to interpret. That's gotta be good enough for now.

They are more dragging Hamish between them than helping him walk. He tries to take steps but they are weak and he stumbles more than he supports himself.

“Last time he managed to walk all the way home by himself, what the hell did they put on that blade this time?” Lilith asks. Randall sees that even with their enhanced strength it’s straining for Lilith to carry Hamish between them like this. He's not surprised, he can feel the sweat trickling down his own back.

"I have no idea, the faster we get him to home and to Jack the better," is all he can say. There's a voice in the back of his head that wants to add that Hamish might not even make it that far. The older is looking worse by the second, as they make their way towards the back door. It's going too slow.

They are lucky and meet only one very confused student on their way. “Had a bit much to drink last night,” Randall jokes as the guy stares at them. He sees how the strangers eyes turn to show both amusement and pity as they drag Hamish past him.

They decide on taking the shortcut from behind the library through the woods. Halfway home Hamish goes completely slack in their arms, and they almost tumble to the ground as he does.

“Oh my-, shit shit shit,” Lilith says as they lower him to the forest floor. Randall cradles Hamish' head with his hand as they do, careful not to hurt him any more than he already is. His hands are shaking as he goes to find the pulse point on Hamish’ neck. The oldest of them are too pale, and the blood has seeped through Randall’s jacket in a grotesque way. That’s gonna be a bitch to clean.

Relief fills him as he feels the faint beating of Hamish’ pulse under his two fingers. One look at Hamish' chest and he can see the rise and fall off his chest.

“I’ll carry him on my back, that’s easier now he’s out than us dragging him between us. We aren’t too far from home,” Randall says and Lilith doesn’t try to protest. Perhaps it’s progress, or it’s only because both of them being too afraid to argue right now.

“You need to help me get him up,” he says, and Lilith nods as an answer. She reaches out and grabs Hamish' arm. Together they manage to get him onto Randall’s back. Why does Hamish have to be so tall? It’s clumsy and slow, and Randall is almost glad Hamish is out cold because if not he would be hurting a lot. Randall can already feel how Hamish' blood is staining his t-shirt. It's combing with his sweat and making the shirt stick uncomfortably to his back.

Hamish labored breaths are almost comforting on his neck, it's nice to know he's alive. Lilith walks two steps behind them to make sure their alpha doesn’t slip off Randall’s back. They must look like an odd trio.

Somehow they make it to the house without any slip-ups. They stumble up the stairs to the front door and then through it. Jack must have heard them coming because he comes running, meeting them in the hallway.

“Hey did you - holy crap, is he-” Jack's mouth hangs open as he freezes at the sight of them. “He’s alive,” Lilith says through gritted teeth. Jack nods, and his brows furrow in worry. It almost looks like he wants to reach out to them, his fingers twitch, but then he doesn't.

“Get him to the couch,” the youngest says instead. Randall carries Hamish into the living room. Together they wrangle Hamish down from Randall's back, and to a somewhat sitting upright position on the couch. The oldest' head is leaned over the backrest. Hamish' face is scrunched up; he’s in pain even when unconscious.

“The remedy is almost done, it needs like six more minutes of cooking,” Jack says as he turns to stir in the pot on the table. It looks like the one they made those few months ago, a small relief. Then again, last time Hamish had been awake and looked so much better than he does now.

“He’s really hot,” Lilith notes as she puts a hand on Hamish’ forehead.

“Hey, if I’m not the wolf you want here-,” Randall tries to joke, but Lilith gives him a stare so harsh he stops mid-sentence. Ok, bad timing.

Without another word, Lilith gets up and walks through the door to the kitchen. Randall has to tighten his grip on Hamish so he won’t fall to the side now that Lilith isn’t there to support him. She emerges not much later with a wet towel in her hand. She puts it over Hamish’ forehead as she sits back down at the same place on the couch. There’s blood on Hamish's lips, and Lilith wipes it away with the sleeve of her sweater. It doesn't seem like she cares that it dirties her clothing.

Randall bites his lip. It worries him that Hamish hasn’t been conscious since they were walking through the forest.

“How long has he been out?” Jack asks as if he’s read Randall's thoughts.

“Too long, since we were halfway through the forest. We were walking, dragging him along really, - he just went limp,” Randall explains. Jack nods, clear blue eyes staring at Hamish’ limp form.

“Isn’t it done yet?” Lilith asks, frustration clear in her voice. She's holding Hamish' limp hand in her own, so hard her own knuckles are white.

“Two more minutes, it needs to be finished for it to work,” Jack says like they haven't made it themselves not too long ago. His voice is calm, but Randall can still pick up the emotion in it.

A minute ticks by, too slow.

Hamish groans. His eyes blink open, but he leaves them halfway there.

“Hurts,” he whispers, before biting his lip. Randall doesn’t think Hamish is really there with them or that he’s even aware of why he’s hurting. Randall puts a hand on his shoulder and tries to give the older a comforting squeeze.

“We’re gonna fix you right up, just breath,” Lilith says, still holding on to Hamish' hand. It’s another deja-vu for Randall, the only difference is that Jack is there with them now.

“It’s done! ” Jack finally exclaims, already grabbing a leaf and spreading the green goo over it. Randall zips down the jacket, his jacket, now filled with Hamish’s blood, and pushes away the bloodied vest. He has to lift up the patterned shirt too, this time Hamish doesn’t have the power to hold it up himself. It's probably the clothing item Hamish is wearing that looks the worst. It's got a mangled hole from the knife and the bright material is filled with blood.

The wound.. it looks really bad. It’s an irritated red, and the green infection in the middle of it looks even more disgusting than before. There are black veins reaching out, under Hamish' feverish skin, from the wound. They weren’t there when they had been sat like this last time. Randall doesn't like the way they seem to be reaching for Hamish' heart.

Jack’s breath hitches at the sight and most likely the smell, but he still continues putting the goo over the wound. They all breath a sigh of relief when it looks to be working. The green folding in on itself, the red not as irritated.

But then it stops. The veins, they are so close to Hamish' heart.

“What, why isn’t it-” Jack begins, and Randall wishes his eyes were betraying him because he is looking, staring, at Hamish’ chest and... It's not- it isn’t moving. Hamish' eyes are unfocused and half open when Randall looks at his face.

“He’s not breathing,” he says. It comes out airy, it doesn't sound real in his own ears. Both Lilith’s and Jack’s eyes, before so focused on the wound, go to Randall.

“We need to get him on the floor! He’s not breathing!” Randal is yelling now. The reality of the situation, what is happening, hitting him. Jack moves the quickest of them. He manages to push the table far enough away to make room. None of them cares when a bottle of whatever falls off said table and breaks on the floor. Lilith seems almost frozen in her spot as Jack scoops Hamish’ still body into his arms and lays him on the carpet.

“Get Alyssa over here,” Randall says, commands, at Jack. He knows that Alyssa and Jack are in a rough spot but this is Hamish. Alyssa will know how to heal him.

“He’s still got a pulse, maybe we need more goo-” Jack says as Randal sits down on his knees by Hamish side. He rests his hands on the floor. He knows this, he’s pre-med. He's taken first aid classes too.

“Get Alyssa the fuck over!” Lilith yells, finally unfrozen from her spot. She has moved from the couch and is shoveling goo onto the green paper to put on Hamish’ wound.

Jack looks at them for a second, then at Hamish and nods. He whips his phone out without any more arguments. Randall can see that Jack's hands are shaking as he tries to find Alyssa's number.

Randall lets his focus slip back to Hamish. He double-checks that what he thinks is happening in fact is. That Hamish for real isn’t breathing. Puts a hand over his nose and mouth and - there’s nothing. No warm air hitting his palm. Shit. Lilith is still spreading the goo over Hamish' bare stomach.

Randall tries to remember how they did it on the practice doll. Pinch the nose, lift the chin, clear airways. He breaths for Hamish and watches as his bloody chest goes up and down and falls still again.

In the back he can hear Jack talking, it has to be with Alyssa. He then disappears out of the room to do god knows what. Lilith is mumbling something, which may be profanities, through angry tears. Randall can only focus on his task. Hamish isn’t breathing, he’s fading, this can’t happen now. Not like this. They had saved him! Gotten him home!

He breaths again, he doesn’t quite remember how long he has wait between each. He isn’t sure if he is supposed to be doing chest compressions either, when just now Hamish had a pulse.

Then Jack is by his side again, there’s stuff, supplies, in his arms. Herbs and little vials and a bowl.

“Alyssa is on her way, I think we have to try and give him this,” Jack says and Randall looks at him. He’s holding a vial with a clear liquid in it, and he’s putting it in a mortar and squishing something else in with it. Randall doesn't care, as long as it works.

“How’s he supposed to swallow, he isn’t even, he’s not-” his words don’t want to work, as he tries to explain his doubts to Jack.

“T-there's no pulse,” Lilith has Hamish’ wrist in her hand, and her wide eyes are staring at them both. Crap. Randall moves, his heart beating faster than ever, and starts doing compressions. He thinks of that stupid song, staying alive, as he pushes on. Counts the amount he is supposed to and watches as Lilith tries to scoop goo onto the wound like that's going to help. Somehow the black veins seem to have worked their way even closer to Hamish’ heart.

“Why isn’t it working?!” Lilith yells, in desperation and frustration.

“They must have used something stronger than last time,” he can hear Jack say in the background as he moves to breathe for Hamish once again.

“Someone lift his head up, we have to make sure he swallows it,” Jack says. He’s holding the mortar in one hand, there is a liquid with a touch of green in it from whatever herb Jack has used in it. Randall nods, and he carefully holds Hamish’ head as Jack pours the liquid into his mouth. Some of it misses the mouth, and runs down Hamish' chin and mixes with the blood already there.

“Are you sure we aren’t choking him?” Randall asks, because - pre-med. He doesn't want to be responsible for making things worse. He's scared of Hamish coming alive again only to choke on some weird herbal mix.

Jack doesn’t answer. It doesn't help with Randall's anxiety.

They wait. Half a minute. Oh god. They’re gonna lose him- how are they supposed to work, how-

Hamish gasps. His eyes fly open. The wound is still there, angry and stinky, but the black lines have stopped moving.

His face is filled with agony, an expression Randall has never seen on his face before. He’s coughing and blood is spraying out of his mouth, it isn’t pretty. Not at all. Randall is supporting Hamish, holding him up, as his back curls with the force of the coughs.

Lilith grabs Hamish hand, “you’re going to be okay, breath, it’s going to be fine,” she says, like a mantra. Randall catches Jack’s eyes over Hamish back. Their alpha isn’t out of the woods yet.

They move Hamish from the floor and onto the couch again, he and Jack take one arm each and lays him down. Hamish's shivering, even if the room is warm and the weather isn’t cold. Lilith manages to find a blanket and puts it over him. Randall sits on his knees on the floor, monitoring Hamish’ breathing. He’s terrified, he realizes, of losing Hamish. Terrified of the possibility of his breathing stopping again.

Alyssa enters like a whirlwind into the living room. There is a spellbook in her hand, and her hair looks wild. Like she ran here. Randall wonders what Jack had told her to make her appear so soon.

“Is he..” she starts. “He’s breathing, for now, we managed to stop the poison for now, but it’s still hurting him,” Jack explains as he leads her over. It’s awkward, because how is it not, as Lilith moves to give Alyssa room. Randall refuses to move from his position though, he has to be there.

“C-can you make it stop?” Hamish asks form the couch, none of them had realized how lucid he was. “It - It hurts so bad, please make it stop,” he sounds close to crying and so so young. It’s easy to forget that Hamish is only a couple of years older than them. Now it is all too clear. He's hurt and feverish and completely out of it. There is no way he knows what actually is going on.

“You’re going to be alright,” Jack says, putting a comforting hand on Hamish's shoulder. There are tears trailing down Hamish's chin. Fuck. Randall tries to catch Hamish' eyes, to somehow ground him, but they are too hazy and flailing around in panic.

“Alyssa, can you just please do your stuff?” he asks because he can’t sit here and look at Hamish in so much pain for much longer. He can’t keep the quiver out of his voice. Hamish is supposed to be the strong one, the one who knows what to do. He isn’t supposed to lay like this, every move hurting him, and poison slowing killing him.

“Okay okay, you guys are lucky we learned about medical healing because a recruit set himself on fire a few days ago,” Alyssa says as she opens her book. She skims through the pages, Randall can see that she’s stressed even if she tries to hide it. Her fingers are tight around the book cover, and her mouth is in a straight line. She is doing them a huge favor right now, he knows that, but she needs to hurry up!

She finally finds what she wants, and moves to stand by Randall’s side. She puts a hand on Hamish’ forehead, no doubt feeling the warmth and the sweat. She frowns.

“This might hurt a lot, I - I'm sorry,” she says, he doesn't know if it's to Hamish or to the rest of them. She looks at them all again as if seeking for reassurance, or perhaps permission. They all nod.

Randall grabs Hamish' hands, Jack and Lilith both put a comforting hand on both of Hamish’ legs.

Alyssa starts chanting. Randall has no idea what the hell she’s saying, and at first, there is nothing. Then there is a really really horrible ringing in their ears and Hamish... Hamish is screaming. Jack and Lilith’s hands are no longer only for comfort, they are holding Hamish’ feet calm as he trashes in their grip. It's like he's desperate to escape. He acts like he's on fire, and Randall has to stand up to help hold him down so Alyssa can finish the god damn spell.

Hamish screaming sounds like.. like he’s dying. His throat already sounds raw, and tears are still running down his face. Randall wants to tell Alyssa to stop. To please stop, and ask if she can’t she see she’s hurting him even more?

But, one look at Hamish’ wound, and he doesn't. It’s not as red anymore, the green not so extreme. It’s helping. The ringing is making his head hurt, and he can’t begin to imagine how it must be for Hamish. It seems like forever, but he knows it’s only minutes before Alyssa finishes.

Hamishes slumps down, eyes closed, breathing heavily - but still alive.

“The black veins are still there,” Randall says when he looks at Hamish’ pale stomach. It’s still full of blood, but the wound is all but gone. The black veins have retracted some, not as close to Hamish’ heart anymore, but he can still see them. Why aren't they gone?

“They’ll go away, give it some time. I can only do so much, he needs to rest, let his body heal and work its own magic. If they aren’t gone in three days time... Well, to be blunt, then I don’t know,” Alyssa says. Randall can see how her hands are shaking. There’s a drop of blood under her nose.

Jack puts a hand on her shoulder, drawing her a little closer, and she lets him.

“He’ll feel pretty poorly until the wound and the black veins are gone. Most likely run a fever too, but I’m sure you guys can take care of him for that,” she continues. They all nod. Randall can feel how tired he is now when the adrenaline is starting to crash. The others look much the same as he is feeling.

“What did you do? You didn’t have time to explain the spell,” Jack asks, ever the one to want to learn. Lilith has settled on the couch, Hamish’ feet on her lap, and her arms are laid over them.

“I, uhm, pretty much burned the poison out of him. It was the only thing I could figure out might work, especially on a werewolf. Most of our healing spells are made for humans,” she explains. She grabs her spell book where she threw it at the table earlier and puts it under her arm.

“You didn’t know it would work?” Randall asks, and he can’t keep the anger out of his voice. That had been a huge risk. They could have made things worse, it could have killed Hamish!

“If I hadn’t taken the risk, he would be pretty dead now,” Alyssa bites back. Her eyes aren't gentle and kind anymore, but narrow and glaring at him. “Had I not been able to get her as soon as I did, it would have been too late,” she continues, fire in her voice.

Randall nods, and he doesn’t answer her either because Hamish groans on the couch. He realizes he doesn't care, and lets the anger go. All he cares about is Hamish being okay.

“I should go,” Alyssa says.

“Alyssa no, you can stay-” Jack tries, but Alyssa knows, “I don’t.. It wouldn’t be right, and I have other things to do,” she excuses.

“I, I can go with you. I mean, you didn’t have to do this, we owe you, I’ll follow you home,” Jack says but even Randall can see that he doesn’t want to leave. Can see how his eyes are flickering back to Hamish, before going back to Alyssa. Lilith looks like she will skin Jack alive if he actually dares to go.

Alyssa shakes her head, “No, Jack, you should stay with your.. pack,” the word sounds weird coming from her.

Jack doesn’t protest this time, and that says enough. They’re his family now. They are all he’s got, and they almost lost a very vital member of their pack today.

They watch her leave, up until she closes the door gently behind her.

“All this drama for me?” Hamish whispers from the couch. His voice is almost gone from all the screaming he did while Alyssa was doing her spell.

“You goddamn idiot,” Lilith says, but there’s no venom in her voice, only tears in her eyes which she dries away before they have the chance to escape.

“You owe me a jacket, dude, you got all your icky blood on it,” Randall says because humor is something he knows and emotions are not. Hamish smiles a little, and Randall’s heart hurts when he sees there’s still blood on his teeth.

“Do you remember what happened?” Jack asks, and Hamish’ eyes move to meet their newest member’s ones.

“Hmm, getting stabbed by some stupid creature, hiding in a broom closet, uhm..” Hamish bites his lips while thinking, “calling Randall?” it’s more a question than a statement, and Randall nods as confirmation.

“It gets more blurry after that. You guys arriving, trying to walk, the forest?” Randall once again nods to confirm that Hamish is correct.

“Then I just remember.. pain, burning,” he says, and he winces as if recalling everything he’s felt today. “Not knowing where I was or what was happening, only that I wanted it to stop,” he voice trails off, becoming small. Randall doesn’t want to think about all the things “wanting it to stop” can mean.

“Well, you scared us a lot man. If you wanted some attention you didn't have to go to such extremes,” Jack jokes. “We almost lost you, Randall had to.. bring you back,” the youngest' voice turns more serious. Hamish locks eyes with Randall, they look wide and scared. It's unfamiliar to see it in Hamish' eyes. It almost reminds him of something, of anger and hurt, but he can't remember when that was.

“I.. I died?” Hamish whispers.

“You stopped breathing, your heart stopped. Pretty sure that means you were a little dead,” Randall says, voice shaking even as he tries to come off careless.

“Oh,” is all Hamish says. He looks pale and shaky himself. “I’m sorry,” he croaks.

“Don’t be, it wasn’t your fault,” Lilith says, sending their oldest a smile.

The living room grows quiet, no one knows what to say but none of them wants to leave either. They are all basking in the utter relief of Hamish being awake, being okay. Speaking of Hamish, he's blinking, his eyelids taking longer and longer each time to open up. It looks like he is trying to force himself to be awake.

“You should get some sleep, you need to rest so your body can heal,” Randall says, trying to force a smile on his face. He pats Hamish' head because he doesn't know what to do with his hands and he has a yearning to be close.

“I’ll call and say you won’t be able to hold your classes in the morning,” Lilith says. Hamish almost looks like he wants to protest, eyes forced open and looking bloodshot. Lilith silences him before he even says anything with a stern look.

“You’re on bedrest until any sign of that” she points at his stomach, “is gone.” It's clear that it is not up for discussion.

Hamish nods, for once letting himself be coddled, maybe even he understands that's something he needs right now.

“I’m stinky,” he whines though, with his eyes closed. Randall hears Jack snort.

“I think showering can wait for a little while, but we can try and clean some up some of that blood,” Lilith says, already getting up from the couch. Once again she goes into the kitchen and comes back with wet wash clothes. She puts one back on Hamish' forehead, after confirming that he still feels hot and is running a fever. The one from earlier had fallen to the floor under it all.

Jack sits down on the spot Lilith had vacated and lets Hamish put his feet in his lap.

“Randall, maybe we can at least find him some clean clothes,” Lilith says. She's rubbing the washcloth with gentle movements over Hamish' stomach. Randall knows that with “we” she means “you”. If he is being honest he's happy to have a reason to leave the room. He feels like he is about to burst over with emotion, all the fear and anger he’s felt today simmering under his skin.

He squeezes Hamish’ hand, no one comments anything on it and leaves to find some clothes in Hamish’ room. He climbs the stairs with a tiredness that feels like it comes from his very bones. He can barely bother to lift his feet as he shuffles over to Hamish' room.

It’s not that often he finds himself in the older werewolf’s room. It is, much like Hamish himself, kept in a pristine condition. There’s nothing thrown and left behind on the floor. A single book is laid on his nightstand. Hamish' bed is even made, his blue bedcover without a wrinkle. It makes Randall laugh. The laugh somehow turns into a very ugly sob, and then another, and another.

He lets himself crumble onto the bed. He grabs Hamish’ pillow and buries his face in it. It actually smells like the stupid cherry blossom shampoo Hamish insists on using. He had thrown quite the fit over it when Lilith had used the last of it one time. Randall doesn't care if he's getting snot and tears on the pillow, and that he is ruining Hamish' perfect bed.

The door creaks and Randall thinks it’s Lilith who’s come to check on him. The bed dips with someone's weight, someone has sat down with him. When Randall finally moves his face from the pillow he sees that it’s Jack. The younger is sitting with his back towards Randall, staring at the bedroom wall. He's letting Randall have his privacy, let him pretend he hasn't been crying, while also not leaving him alone. He knew it right to bring Jack into the knights.

“Thank you, for calling Alyssa,” Randall forces out, trying to keep the tears at bay.

“Of course, I..” Jack turns to face Randall. He looks like he is having trouble trying finding the right words, and Randall lets him take his time. Randall isn’t sure he would be able to say anything right now anyway without bursting into tears.

“I would do anything for you guys,” Jack finally settles on. Gosh, as if Randall didn’t want to cry from before.

“We.. we worked well, today, we saved him,” Jack continues, “for a second... I. thought..” his voice trails off and now it sounds like Jack is about to cry too. Randall doesn't have to guess what Jack was about to say. Randall had been having the same thoughts as Hamish had stopped breathing in front of them. He's not in any state to deal with any of those emotions, not his own and certainly not Jack's.

Thankfully, Jack has better control off his emotions than Randall. He stands up and brushes his pants off like it’s his emotions he is letting fall to the floor instead of dust. Randall sits up too, propping himself up on his elbows.

“I guess we should find him some clothes,” Jack says, “do you think he has anything besides shirts and vests?” Jack moves towards the closet, as Randall pushes himself off the bed. He dries a tear from the corner of his eye and puts his best brave face on as he walks over to Jack.

He throws the door of the closet open and is met with ten different variations of vests and shirts. All too dapper and fancy for a sick-day in bed. He shuts the doors again and leans his shoulder on it.

"Does Hamish always keep his room so clean?" Jack asks as he moves over to the dresser. Randall watches him open the first draw, only to be met by woolen sweaters.

"Think so, something about it representing his mind and body. I don't know, philosophy stuff," Randall tries to keep his voice natural as he answers.

Jack laughs a little as he opens the other drawers. They have no luck until the very bottom one. Randall is actually surprised when he spots a pair of joggers and a red hoodie neatly folded into it. He thinks he can even see a pair of cozy and fuzzy socks. There’s a small smile on Jack’s face as he grabs the clothes, and it’s nice to see after the day they've had.

“Think these will work?” Jack asks, holding the clothes in his hands and turning towards Randall. Then he furrows his brows.

“What?” Randall asks.

“Do you... Do you think that we have to.. get him underwear?” Jack asks, and Randall can't help but let a laugh escape his lips at Jack's concerned face.

“No way man,” he responds, before taking the clothes out of Jack’s hands, “I think we’ll leave that for later.”

They don’t speak as they make their way downstairs again, but it’s not awkward - it’s comfortable. That kind of silence you can only have with someone who you really know. When you can just be. They don’t mention the little moment they had either when Jack first arrived upstairs.

When they walk into the living room, Lilith seems to be finishing up trying to get as much blood as possible off of Hamish. The washcloths all look drenched in blood and are stained a horrifying red color. Hamish himself is already looking better, still sickly but not as deathly pale as before. His eyes are closed, Randall isn’t able to see if he’s awake or not.

“We actually found some comfy clothes, who knew he owned hoodies?” Randall exclaims as they make their way over. Lilith smiles a little at his joke, which he counts as a win, and gently shakes Hamish’ shoulder. He was asleep then. Randall almost feels bad about waking him up. Then again, Hamish will probably feel even better once he’s out of his bloodstained and sweaty clothes.

“Hey bro, we're gonna get you out of these bloody clothes, okay?” Jack says, his voice soft, as he puts a hand on Hamish' shoulder. It's not a voice Randall hears Jack use a lot. The younger wolf likes his tough guy attitude, sometimes a little too much.

Hamish' eyes blink open, they are still looking feverish and hazy, and Jack helps him sit up.

They practically have to do everything for Hamish. It seems the day has left him exhausted, not that he can be blamed - the guy almost died. Still, he had seemed so much better before they went up. But then again, the adrenaline has to crash at some point.

Jack takes the bloody shirt off of him, leaving Hamish naked on top. Randall spots a small bandage that Lilith must have plastered over the wound. There’s still blood that she hasn’t managed to scrub off his skin surrounding it.

Randall tugs the hoodie over Hamish' head, messing his hair up even more, and Jack helps him get the arms in the right place.

None of them really wants to deal with his jeans, but - they have to. They too, are stained in red and aren’t exactly clothes practical for sleeping and healing.

It’s Jack who moves first, who undoes the button. Hamish isn’t saying anything, not protesting as they manhandle him around. His eyes are slightly open though, so they know he's awake. They tug the pants off the ankles, and Randall pulls the joggers up to Hamish’ thighs. Thankfully Hamish then manages to take them up the last bit himself. Lilith busies herself with taking off Hamish shoes and socks. She replaces them with the fuzzy socks they had grabbed upstairs.

It seems the small tasks of getting dressed has left Hamish even more exhausted. What little energy he had left is gone now. He seems to be asleep before his face even hits the throw pillow on the couch. Lilith drapes a blanket over him, as he is still shivering a little. She brushes his bangs out of his face. The strands of hair have dried with blood and sweat in them, and are slightly curlier than usual.

“What a day, huh?” Lilith says as she sits on the armrest of the couch Hamish is laying on. It seems like she doesn't want to leave Hamish' side. Randall understands the feeling. He is tempted to sit down in front of the couch again and make sure Hamish is alright and breathing. He doesn’t know how to fix the feelings tormenting his insides.

“I guess there won’t be any cocktails tonight,” Jack notes. That Randall knows how to fix.

“No don’t say that; Hamish might have learned me a trick or two, or at least tried too,” he says, while forcing a smile onto his face. Both Jack and Lilith smiles back at him, looking slightly relieved that he is taking charge. His hands still shake when he moves over to the bar, to start on their drinks, but he ignores it.

It's going to be alright, he knows it is. It has to be.

please come yell at me about this show and feel free to request things

#its 7k words #the order #hamish duke #randall carpio #the order netflix #the order fanfiction #im desperate for those notes

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thinkyoureholy · 5 years

Text

Killer In The Mirror [1]

[WARNING: This will be very graphic and gory, if you are uncomfortable with that do NOT read this. If you are able and comfortable to read this...then enjoy what was supposed to be a Halloween special but ya girl fell behind]

“Everybody is a book of blood; wherever we're opened, we're red.”

― Clive Barker

Pairing : Kim Namjoon / Reader

Genre : Angst, Dark Themes, Violence, Gore, Character Death, Serial Killer!AU

Words : 2.2k

Pt 1. Pt 2.

A/N: This will be a two part series

He wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand, blood smearing across his skin. A small smile crossed his face for a split second before it vanished, a frown taking over his face as he stared at the mess he had made. The longer he stared the deeper his frown got. With a heavy sigh he crouched down in front of her. She was still breathing, but her breathing was shallow, she'd die within minutes. He reached over to move the hair from her face. Though she tried to move away from him she was too weak, the blood loss being too much.

“Seungah...why'd you have to follow me huh?” He asked, using the tip of the blade of the knife in his hand to caress her cheek, “Y'know your curiosity always annoyed me. You just had to know everything didn't you? If you had just ignored all the signs,” He let out an airy chuckle, watching the life slowly leave her eyes, “Haven't you ever heard that curiosity killed the cat?”

He stood over her lifeless body, his eyes staring at the pool of blood darkly. He closed his eyes in annoyance, setting his jaw as he moved his head from side to side, cracking his neck. He hated doing things like this; so messy, unorganized, unplanned. If only Seungah had stayed out of his way he would've spared her. Now he has to go home and comfort you when you inevitably find out about your best friend dying. He cursed as he pulled out a lighter, before setting the bodies; the drunk man he had killed before hand and Seungah's, on fire. He watched their clothing catch fire, lowering his cap so it covered more of his eyes as he shoved his hands into his coat pockets and left the alley.

“Two new victims were found in the alleyway of Hole In The Wall, a local bar in the neighborhood.”

You stopped what you were doing to listen to the news, turning around to watch the screen. You gasped in horror at the picture they showed of two burnt corpses. The man on the news explained how one was female and the other male but their identities were still unknown. You were so immersed in the news that you didn’t hear Namjoon come in. You jumped a little when you heard his voice as he was making his way over to the kitchen.

“What are you watching?”

You turned your head slightly, keeping your eyes on the screen, answering him over your shoulder, “ The news...y’know they just found two new bodies?” You sighed heavily, grabbing the remote and turning off the TV, “When are they finally gonna catch this guy? It’s been over a year. Are they gonna wait until he’s taken out the whole city or what?”

Namjoon plopped down next to you, draping an arm over your shoulders as he took a sip from the bottle of water he had in his hand, “I’m sure they have the situation under control.”

You scoffed at that, burying yourself further into his side, “Yeah right. They’ve let this psychopath roam the streets for this long...the situation is hardly under control.”

You didn’t notice how Namjoon raised an eyebrow at your use of the word psychopath, his grip on his water bottle tightening the slightest bit, “How do you know he’s a psychopath? How do you even know its a he?”

“They caught him on camera once remember? It was a video of his back but it’s still pretty easy to tell it’s a guy. And there’s no doubt about him being a psychopath...I mean you gotta have at least a few screws loose to do something like this.”

Namjoon tilted his head to the side, his jaw setting at your words. His right leg started bouncing up and down almost immediately, you thought nothing of it since you knew it was a habit of his. What you didn’t know was that it was Namjoon trying to control his emotions. He didn’t want to let his temper get the better of him but your words struck a chord within him. He poked his tongue against his cheek in annoyance, the hand around your shoulder clenching into a fist. You remained oblivious to all this as you got up to get a bottle of water for yourself. Once alone Namjoon couldn’t help but stand up and kick at the coffee table, knocking an empty glass onto the floor. It shattered as soon as it made contact with the floor, the sound making you run over.

“What happened?!”

Namjoon kept his back to you, hiding his balled up fists in his pockets, “I got up too fast and lost my balance, bumping into the table. I’ll go get the broom.”

You sighed heavily, crouching down to pick up the bigger pieces of glass that had scattered across the floor. You were unaware of Namjoon’s presence just past the doorway of the living room, the dark look in his eyes would’ve surely sent a shiver down your spine if you had seen it.

Namjoon trailed behind the unsuspecting man, his hands hidden in his coat pocket. He clutched onto the handle of the knife he concealed, your words from a week ago still very clear in his mind. He clicked his tongue in distaste at the memory, turning the corner to see the man making his way towards what Namjoon could only assume was his home. Namjoon stood by the fence that surrounded the front yard of the house, waiting for the man to pull out his keys. Once he saw the man insert the key into the keyhole he quietly made his way down the walkway, running up the porch steps when the man opened the door. With his shoulder Namjoon pushed the man into his home, slamming the door once the two of them were inside. The man quickly scrambled to his feet at the sight of Namjoon pulling out his knife. He put his hands out in front of him, backing away from Namjoon as he took a step towards him.

“W-What do you want?” The man asked, keeping his eyes on the knife in Namjoon's hand, “I'll give you anything just don't--don't kill me please.”

Namjoon sighed heavily, rotating the knife in his hand slowly, “I hate hearing you assholes beg. At least hold onto your pride before you die.”

Without warning Namjoon swung his knife, slashing at the man's arm. The man stumbled back, the other hand immediately coming up to cover the newly opened wound. He turned on his heel quickly, running up the stairs as fast as his fear stricken legs allowed him. Of course Namjoon made no move to run after him, only a sigh of exasperation leaving his lips. Now instead of having the man in front of him he'd have to go up the stairs and search for him in whatever room he decided to hide himself in. Namjoon always hated having to chase after them on any other day but today was a little bit different. Your words had been haunting him since they left your mouth, his temper hard to control since then so this man was his outlet. Usually he was very clean with his crimes but he planned on being as messy as possible with this one. With a devilish smile Namjoon made his way up the stairs slowly, making sure to scrape the tip of the blade against the wall every once in awhile. Once atop the stairs he looked around, his breathing slowing down as he concentrated all his energy in hearing around for any sound. Within seconds he heard the sound of sheets rustling, the idiot must've left his sheets on the floor from this morning. The grin on his face spread as he made his way over to the door at the end of the hall. He wanted pure and unadulterated fear to course through this man's veins, kicking in the door. He was right about the sheets on the floor.

It looked like someone tripped over the discarded sheets, the little bit at the corner pushed back. Namjoon chuckled at seeing it lead to the closet. With a dry laugh he walked over to the closet door. He didn't hear anything but he was sure the man was hiding in there. Standing in front of the closet door Namjoon slowly brought his arm up, his hand closing around the handle but before he could open it it burst open. Namjoon stumbled back in surprise, tripping over the blankets on the floor. The man had a pair of scissors in his hand and before Namjoon could do anything the man plunged the pair of scissors into his stomach. Namjoon groaned out loudly, swinging his arm at the man. The man stumbled back when the knife sliced at his chest, luckily for him it wasn't deep. The man took the opportunity to run out of the room, Namjoon pulling out the scissors with a grunt of pain. He brought his hand up to his side, cursing angrily at seeing his hand come away with blood. Namjoon couldn't help but let a smirk cross his features, a scoff falling from his lips.

“Ah...we've got a fighter here…” Namjoon said to himself, the smirk turning into a smile as he pushed himself off the floor.

He grimaced at the pain in his side, keeping his hand on the wound to try and stop himself from bleeding out. He heard the man run down the stairs, seeing him trip over his own feet just a few steps from the bottom. Namjoon rolled his eyes at the clumsy man, thinking how pathetic the male was. The man stayed on the floor for a few seconds, having landed on the arm Namjoon sliced open before finally getting on his feet. By this point Namjoon was already halfway down the stairs, watching the man in amusement as he stumbled towards the door. At seeing his hand wrap around the doorknob Namjoon let out a heavy sigh before running over to him. Just as he got the door open Namjoon grabbed the back of his collar, pulling him back and away from the door. He shoved at his chest as he shut the front door before locking it.

“I'm not done with you just yet.” Namjoon said with a crazed look in his eye.

The man fell to the floor when Namjoon swung at him again, this time cutting his other arm open. Before the man could even think about crawling away Namjoon kicked his leg out, the man's head snapping back at the force as blood immediately started seeping out of his nose. Namjoon repeatedly kicked at the man, hearing his ribs crack every time his foot made contact. Namjoon lost count how many times he kicked the man as he took a step back, beads of sweat rolling down the sides of his face. He pressed his hand against his stomach, grimacing as he bit back another groan of pain that threatened to crawl it's way up his throat. Instead he swallowed the groan, tilting his head from side to side as he clenched his teeth together in both pain and irritation. The man was lying on his side, clutching his stomach as moans of pain left his mouth, Namjoon standing over him and giving him a look filled with nothing but disgust. With his foot Namjoon turned the man over onto his back, watching the blood accumulate in his mouth as he began to choke on the red liquid. He could barely keep his eyes open as he tried reaching out to Namjoon, as if begging for him to stop. Namjoon looked down at his with eyes only filled with bloodlust, no remorse, no guilt but he did something that surprised the man on the floor, he walked away from him. All the man could hear were his footsteps and a door opening and closing. The man closed his eyes in relief but he had no idea what Namjoon’s true intentions were.

Namjoon walked over to the door he thought led to the garage. He was right, seeing the open space before him. His eyes scanned the room, spotted a canister hidden in the far corner. With slow steps he walked over to it, picking it up and satisfied to feel that it was full. Turning on his heel he headed back out to the living room, taking the top off the canister and beginning to drench the whole room with gasoline. The man still lay on the floor, looking as if he passed out since he didn’t move. Namjoon paid him no mind as he moved to the dining room, the smell of gasoline beginning to overwhelm him. Turning back to the man he drenched him in the remaining liquid, watching his eyes open in alarm. He tried to crawl away from Namjoon but he was too weak, Namjoon not even bothering with stopping him. Discarding the canister Namjoon dug through his pockets, pulling out the packet of matches. Without hesitation he lit a match, his eyes staring at the man on the floor before letting the match drop to the floor. Namjoon turned his back on the man, his screams falling on deaf ears as Namjoon simply made his way out of the house. The look on Namjoon’s face was absolutely terrifying and if you had been there to witness it you would’ve ran for your life but little did you know you were Namjoon’s next victim.

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