(Bookworm 📚 Sebastian x F!MC) PART 2
Summary: After Sebastian realises he’s been assigned to a case involving MC, he must try to keep a level head in order to not be kicked off of it. (Angst, small mentions of blood)
There wasn’t a word in the entire English dictionary that Sebastian could use to describe how he currently felt.
If he had to pick one, on account of his brain actually being able to function enough to decipher which words meant what, then he’d say that he felt sick. Violently sick to his stomach. He hadn’t been the least bit prepared for the sight before him.
She looked just as indescribably beautiful in person as she had in his head for the last six years. A little more roughed up than he appreciated, fresh little cuts and scrapes splayed across her left cheek and a crimson red spilt in her bottom lip. It was clear she had done their jobs for them, there was no doubt she could have handled whoever dared cross her. However, if it wasn’t for the fact that he was frozen like a statue just as Leander had been a moment ago, then he wouldn’t have been able to suppress his bubbling rage at the mere thought of somebody marking her like that. It was actually a good thing he was so awestruck, because he didn’t even know who he was supposed to be angry at yet.
Was he angry at whoever had the gall to attack the striking woman who owned his heart? Yes, of course. Was he angry at himself for ever letting her go six years ago? Absolutely. Should he also be angry at her for causing him such heart wrenching turmoil these past six years? That one he did not know the answer to. In fact, he did not know much of anything right now. Not how to speak, how to breath or how to remove his arm from the grip of Leanders hand, which seemed to be stopping him from harshly hitting the floor.
The way his name fell so softly from her bloodied lips was almost enough to knock him out completely. He’d heard her in his head plenty of times over the years, usually calming him when he was particularly worked up over her absence. The soothing calmness that emanated through the gorgeous melody of her real voice was almost too much for him to handle. He was practically choking on his emotions.
He snapped out of it a little when she heaved in a deep breath to hold, her beautiful eyes leaving his blank stare as she looked down a moment before glancing back up to the soft faced giant just to the right of her, letting the breath back out.
“You contacted the Aurors?”
She had said it in an exasperated tone, seemingly a little peeved at the man in the crisp white apron, but nowhere near angry. If anything she looked exhausted, her blinks toward the giant who was almost double her height were slow and a little vacant. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder, causing Sebastian’s heart to squeeze tightly in his chest. He had just realised how desperate he had become to know what the relationship was here.
“You need help MC,” the man said softly. “These people seem to find you wherever you go.”
“So you know who targeted your shop?”
Sebastian felt Leander jump a little at the deep voice of their superior, seemingly forgetting completely that he was even there. That was when Sebastian had finally come to the embarrassing realisation that whilst Leanders hand had been gripping his arm, his own hand had been gripping Leanders wrist. They were essentially fucking holding each other, and if that wasn’t enough to snap him straight out of his daze completely, then he didn’t know what was. He released his grip on the red head, lightly batting the hand on his arm away and taking a step to his left. Leander awkwardly cleared his throat whilst Sebastian began smoothing down the fabric of his blazer in an attempt to compose himself. He glanced across to the elder auror, watching as he shook his head at the cosy duo in distaste.
“It’s not the shop that’s being targeted,” the large man before them said calmly, drawing the attention back to himself. “There was no attempted robbery, it was an attempt at assassination.”
Leander tilted his head to the side in confusion, frowning deeply at the morbid word. “So why did you call it in as attempted robbery?”
“I didn’t want too many of you showing up and frightening her off,” he responded, frowning slightly as he cocked his head toward MC, who let out an irritated sigh whilst rolling her eyes. “To be quite honest, I wasn’t really expecting three of you to turn up on the account of an attempted crime.”
Fletcher took a few steps in MC’s direction, looking down at her with a stare that Sebastian couldn’t quite read. “Well your description of the victim fit the profile of a certain witch I’ve been trying to locate, Mr Walford,” he began, focusing intently on MC as he spoke. “I did not believe that it would actually be her, but those two love birds seem to have confirmed it.” The Auror nodded his head back in the direction of where Sebastian and Leander stood awkwardly, still reeling at their strange embrace.
MC’s face contoured into a particularly pissed off glare at the man now stood directly before her. “And what is it you want with me sir?”
“Simply what I just stated moments ago,” he retorted flatly. “To locate you.”
Sebastian hadn’t even realised his mouth had opened until his own voice rang in his ears. “So you knew she might have been here and you said nothing?!”
He hadn’t meant to sound so angry, but he certainly felt the vicious rage burning in his chest. His boss had brought them both along to identify her without giving them a heads up beforehand. He knew he should have been grateful to hear that the joyless man had in fact been trying to locate her. A completely different squad could have taken this call out, and Sebastian likely wouldn’t have known about her being the victim of the crime until Merlín knows when. He should have been thanking his superior, but he was highly irritated. How could he have not told him?
Fletcher turned where he stood, gesturing with his swollen fingers to summon him. Sebastian knew that little gesture, it was his signature come here so I can slap you upside the head gesture. Usually it was reserved for Leander, but he himself had received it once or twice for straying from the elder man’s orders. Sebastian took a couple of steps forward, trying his hardest not to glance at MC with such a furious look on his face. The closer he got to her, the more constricted his chest felt.
He had felt himself fall into a slight daze again until the strong hand came up to smack harshly against the back of his head, willing him to recognise that he was now stood directly in front of the gorgeous woman. The scowl on his face faded drastically at her look of concern. He didn’t want her to think he was mad at her. He didn’t even know if he was mad at her. Someone was out to kill her, and they had clearly tried this morning. There were more important things for him to be angry about.
Fletcher took a small step forward, the three of them now practically shoulder to shoulder. The bald man’s stare was firmly set on Sebastian as his quietened but deep voice filled only the space around them. “Don’t you forget what I said to you. If you can’t do your job, then say goodbye and get back to your desk.”
If he was being wholeheartedly honest, he was barely listening to the monotonous voice of the man who had without a doubt left a stinging red handprint on the back of his head. The love he had lost all those years ago was standing merely a foot or two away from him, staring up at him with a soft gaze. How could he possibly be bothered by Fletchers threatening tone when the absolute epitome of pure perfection was breathing in his direction? He couldn’t have given less of a shit if he tried.
“Something’s going on here,” the tall man who Sebastian now knew as Mr Walford interjected. He took a large step toward MC, untrusting eyes flickering between Sebastian and his superior. “Do you know these men MC?”
She didn’t respond straight away, still staring almost vacantly into Sebastian’s eyes. He could have stood here for the rest of the week to swim in her luscious iris’s. There was no denying that even after six years apart, she still managed to keep that deliciously suffocating hold over him. He just hoped she wasn’t sharing that with whoever this Mr Walford was.
Her gaze eventually shifted from his to momentarily glance at Leander, before she turned back to the concerned man next to her. “Old friends,” she said quietly, a small but forced smile on her butchered lips. “It’s okay Danny.”
Danny Walford. Finally he had a name. Now all Sebastian wanted to know was who the hell Danny Walford was and why he’s so incredibly protective over her. As far as Sebastian was concerned, that was supposed to be his job.
“Uh, pardon my intrusion,” the neglected red head piped up from behind him. “Could I ask about your assassin MC?”
Sebastian hadn’t taken his eyes off of her as Leander spoke, watching as she let out a breathy laugh. “Which one? You’ll have to be more specific Prewett.”
“I guess some things don’t change then,” Leander responded, chuckling lightly. Sebastian did not see the humour. Six years ago she had vanished, telling him she needed to clear her head and travel peacefully, and yet she seems to be dealing with the same old turmoil she had back then. People were still trying to kill her. Why hadn’t she contacted him for help?
The shorter woman in front of him cleared her throat as her eyes briefly met his again. He could only imagine the expression that was looking back at her as the gut wrenching concern began to eat away at him. She moved toward him, slipping past so closely that he had to stop his hands from making a grab for her. His eyes couldn’t stop themselves from following, afraid that she would disappear again if he didn’t continue to watch her every move.
There was a slight pause as she approached a small cupboard under the incredibly narrow staircase running along the wall. Her fingers came up slowly to open it, springing backwards to get out of the way as something large came crashing down to the floor.
Sebastian had to blink a few times to be sure that he had in fact just seen that. Groaning on the floor in a crumpled mess, arms tied tightly into the sides of his torso, was a man who looked to be just a little older than himself. There was a rather large and gruesome looking lump on his forehead oozing with blood. It was dripping all over the shop floor, but MC didn’t seem to care. She was looking down at him like she wanted to kick him in his mouth.
“This particular asshole is Jeremy Harding,” she explained, her fierce eyes not leaving the heap of limbs in front of her. “He and many others believe that if they kill me they somehow get access to my ancient magic. Absolute morons.”
The blonde man below her turned his head harshly at her insult before spitting across the ankles of her pyjama trousers. Sebastian watched as she brought her foot back, clearly intending to actually kick him in his mouth. He himself was not going to stop her, but his red headed team mate leapt forward to pull her back from the criminal.
“Woah! Let’s just relax now shall we?”
Fletcher let out an unexpected chuckle next to Sebastian, a sound that was rather rare. “You do know how to spoil the fun don’t you Prewett. Haul his ass up off the floor Sallow,” he instructed, elbowing Sebastian. “He’s under arrest.”
He did as he was told, approaching the man whose throat he now wanted to firmly wrap his hands around. It was taking every ounce of self control within him not to snap the man in half. The warning of being taken off of the case rang in his ears, he absolutely could not let that happen. With a deep breath to conceal his temper, he yanked the man up from the floor harshly, practically holding him above to ground as he was semi-conscious. MC had really done a number on him, the blood from the lump on his head now running down his face and staining the white of Sebastian’s shirt. An overwhelming sense of pride erupted in his chest at the woman who drew the blood. At least he knew she could still handle herself.
“You,” the eldest Auror started, making his way over to where MC and Leander stood. “You’ll need to come with us.”
“That won’t be possible,” she retorted quickly. “I can’t leave my shop like this.”
“I’ll handle it,” Danny offered, still standing toward the back of the shop. “I’ll tidy and lock up. You can pick the keys up from the cafe when you’re back.”
Sebastian watched as she hesitated to accept his help, seemingly not wanting to leave him in the shop. “What if someone else comes looking?” She walked back toward the man, a look of concern on her face. “I don’t want you to get yourself hurt because of me.”
He let out a loud chuckle, shaking his head as he pulled her into a hug. “Don’t be daft kiddo. I’ll break their scrawny necks if they dare.”
MC let out a soft chuckle, pulling out of their embrace to rummage in the little pocket of her button up pyjama shirt. The man took the small set of gold keys from her and placed a large hand on her shoulder, looking up toward the three Aurors across the room. More specifically, he was intently looking right into Sebastian’s eyes.
“Watch her back, will you? She’s stubborn, but she’s not as invincible as she thinks.”
MC scoffed, rolling her eyes as she slipped out from under the giant hand to join the three Aurors once more. She stood herself beside Leander, seemingly avoiding going anywhere near the criminal in Sebastian’s arms. Still looking each other in the eyes, Sebastian nodded slightly at the request, watching as a small smile of gratification spread across the larger man’s lips. Fletcher clapped his hands together sharply.
Their quick journey back to the Ministry via the floo network was almost silent, the only noise being the groans coming from the paper white man Sebastian was dragging. He hadn’t been quite as gentle with the attempted murderer as he should have been, knowing he could be suspended for manhandling him the way that he was. Criminals should be brought in for questioning in one piece to ensure Aurors had every fragment of the information they need. Bollocks to that. This Jeremy guy was lucky he still had the ability to breath.
Sebastians mind was still reeling at the sight before him. He had moodily walked this exact route to the lifts this morning, his mind racing with thoughts of the missing woman. Now, he was walking behind her, his eyes unable to stop roaming up and down the back of her as she moved. Even in her pyjamas, she looked incredible. Her hair, although a tad messy, was still the same captivating colour he could pick out in a crowd. Her arms were wrapped tightly across her waist, likely mortified about walking through the Ministry in her striped pyjamas. Most of all, her ass looked fucking sensational as she walked.
He knew he shouldn’t have been thinking about her the way he was, there were far more important things that should have been on his mind, like the countless wizards trying to kill her. At the end of the day though, he was simply a man. One with needs and desires. One who hadn’t had the absolute pleasure of staring at her captivating curves in six very long years. One who was now frantically thinking about Leander to contain the blood in his brain before it drifted south.
To say that he was a little flushed by the time they had reached the Auror office was a bit of an understatement. He desperately needed to compose himself before his boss caught wind of his fluster. Apparently, the scrawny and yet rather heavy man who was slumped in his arms had read his mind. He started to yell frantically, snapping Sebastian out of his head completely.
“Get off of me! Get…fucking off!”
The man flailed in Sebastian’s grip, throwing his elbows and kicking his feet at the Auror, desperate to get out of his hold as he began to realise where he was. Sebastian had taken a few sharp blows to the ribs, and being well known for his lack of patience, was not in the mood to be roughhoused by the man he was trying not to murder. Without thinking about it, his arm came up to enclose around the criminals throat whilst his other hand twisted one of the man’s gangly arms around his back at a terribly painful angle. Headlocks weren’t exactly on the Ministry’s list of appropriate restraints when it came to a person of interest, but he wasn’t sure he gave a shit.
“Sallow,” his boss warned, raising an eyebrow at him from where he was hanging his coat. His red headed accomplice was now stood at his desk, wide eyed and shaking his head in warning at him.
Sebastian knew in his head that he should have kept his mouth shut and dropped the arm that was tightly wrapped around its prey, but clearly his mouth had other ideas. “Oh I’m sorry, one of you two must fancy a cracked rib as well,” he retorted sarcastically, eyes flitting between the two of them. He let go of Jeremy completely, letting him crumple painfully to the floor. “Be my fucking guest.”
Fletcher let out a rather pissed off sounding sigh, turning harshly toward Leander who was visibly cringing for his fellow squad member. “Prewett, drag him off for interrogation,” he started, tilting his head in the direction of the heap on the floor.
Leander did as he was told, quickly vacating the safety of his desk to grip the man on the ground and haul him upright. The elder Auror waited for him to be out of sight before turning his sharp gaze back to Sebastian.
“You,” he started, looking a tad bit fuming. “Sort her out, then come and see me.”
Fletcher didn’t even wait for Sebastian to blink let alone respond, turning sharply on his heel to head off into the small break room next door. He was under the impression that he was in rather big trouble for his outburst, he was just relieved that the short tempered man hadn’t handed him his arse in the middle of the squad room.
It was only then that he had realised that he was yet to say a word to MC. In fact, he had just about forgotten she was standing there for a brief moment. Her bright eyes were boring into him, a slight hint of concern in her stare. As desperate as he was to keep looking at her like this, he noticed that the cut in her lip was starting to bleed. A crimson red streak ran slowly down to her chin, dripping into the hand she was holding below it.
He quickly made his way to his desk, pulling out his chair and gesturing for her to take a seat. As she did what was instructed, he pulled the top drawer of his desk open, pulling out a clean rag and a Wiggenweld potion. He made quick work of cleaning the blood up from her chin, stopping the little river of red from flowing before handing her the healing potion. As she took the swig of green liquid, he took the underside of her hand in his palm to mop up the droplets of blood she had caught.
Once he was satisfied, he dropped both of their hands to her lap, his palm still caressing her chilly knuckles. He was just about to ask her if she was cold, stopping dead in his tracks once his eyes had met hers at the realisation of just how close they now were. They still hadn’t exchanged a single word to each other, and he was going to change that before Fletcher decided to give him the sack and have him escorted from the Ministry.
“Hi,” he whispered simply, having no room in his head to muster up any other type of greeting.
He watched as her now healed lips curved upwards into a coy little smile, her eyes lighting up at the sound of his voice. “Hi,” she replied quietly.
Sebastian couldn’t help but allow himself his own little smirk. No matter how many feelings and emotions were dancing around in his chest, he couldn’t deny that he was overwhelmingly elated at the fact that she was sitting where he had been early this morning, thinking about their doleful anniversary. He was sure he’d wake up from his dream soon enough.
Those gorgeous eyes were so captivating that he wanted nothing more than to stay exactly where he was crouched for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, he had an appointment with the epitome of rage just next door. His small smile dropped instantly, face contouring into an apologetic frown.
“Are you alright?” He asked, watching as she nodded back at him, her own smile dropping slightly. He stood up abruptly, removing his thick blazer to hand to her. “Put that on. I’ll be back in a moment.”
MC took the blazer hesitantly, looking as though she were too tired to refuse. He didn’t wait for her to slip into it as he quickly made his way toward the door his boss had disappeared into. It was about time he learnt how to grovel.
When he entered, his eyes landed immediately on his superior sitting at the little round table in the centre of the room. He was nursing a steaming mug of black coffee in his pale large hands, not looking up at the man who had just joined him. Sebastian was just about to open his mouth to begin his explanation of why he should not be thrown off of this case when he was cut off.
It’s not as though he hadn’t been expecting this, but he was hoping to at least get the chance to frantically explain himself first. He had ruined his chances to help catch the sick bastards that were trying to kill the woman he’d marry in a heartbeat. This couldn’t happen.
“Go home,” the man repeated in the same tone, cutting him off. “Take her with you.”
His beg died on his tongue as his mouth remained open. It seemed as though he was unable to close it, the shock of what he had just heard completely overtaking his ability to do anything but gawk at the emotionless man. Fletcher eventually looked up at him, his state firm but in no way angry.
“I’ve lost people in my time kid. I get it,” he reminisced. “I’d walk to the ends of the earth to see those people again.”
Sebastian did not recognise the man staring back at him. The typically peeved man before him almost looked upset. A mixed feeling of guilt and curiosity swirled about in his chest at the sight of the man he looked up to being so vulnerable in front of him. If he wasn’t feeling so perplexed, he would have been grateful to not have a stinging red handprint on his cheek to match the one on the back of his head. His boss continued, seemingly unaware of Sebastian’s shock.
“I know she means a lot to you kid, and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was looking for her. The last thing I wanted was to get your hopes up,” he admitted, his features softening even further. “She’s a tough one, and one hell of a good disappearance act. Skill of a brilliant Auror. Maybe I should send her off with carrot top instead, she could teach him a thing or two.”
The sheer disgust at the thought of MC going anywhere near Leanders house made him shiver, his face scrunching up almost automatically. The large man shook a little with an amused chuckle at the visible reaction.
“Bring her back tomorrow morning, she still needs to be assessed,” the elder Auror instructed. “Go on, get.”
There was a slight pause for a moment as Sebastian tried to decipher whether that whole one sided conversation had actually happened or if he was dreaming. He just couldn’t believe that the man had such a soft side.
“Thank you,” he whispered almost silently. “Thank you, Fletch.”
“Don’t thank me,” the gruff man responded flatly. “You’re still in my bad books. Another choke hold like that and that’s your ass, you hear me?”
Sebastian nodded his head violently. His boss raised a hand to shoo him away before going back to sipping his coffee. He turned around and slipped out of the tiny room, his eyes falling on the woman now wrapped snuggly in his blazer. The smile he had offered her earlier returned as her attention shifted from the floor to look at him.