#hi x reader

[animelover100]

Is it just me that I want like a non-yandere rerir x reader content??

More like a tragic (I don't know if I should say a broken) person who is devoted to his lover to bring back

Also I haven't started the 6.1 quest yet soo... But I kinda know his bg and I don't really follow the lore as much 😃

[cafedanslanuit]

“Hi’s strength is that he trusts his close friends one hundred percent, and his weakness is that he trusts them one hundred percent.” --Leo.

pairing: jung hi x reader

warnings: toxic relationship, cheating

words: 508

“Oh, Sol, didn’t take you for a prankster,” Hi chuckles as he crouches down to pet Cat. Leo and Sol look at each other, a worried expression on their faces.

“When have I ever--” Sol starts but Leo puts a hand on his shoulder, interrupting him.

“What Sol is trying to say is… we’re all shocked too, Hi. But we can come up with a solution together. I just want you to listen to us and maybe--”

“Dad is just being mean,” Hi pouts. Leo sighs and crouches down next to Hi.

“Okay, forget about Sol. Hi, I’ve known you my whole life. I would never lie to you, especially not about this. Not about her.”

“Maybe not lie, but it’s definitely a lame joke,” Hi shrugs, his eye set on the feline under his hand. Feeling the tension in his fingers, Cat runs off, leaving the boy looking lost at the ground.

“It’s not. Hi, I saw her. I saw her kissing a strange man outside of Ripeato. I had just parked my car when I saw her,” Leo explains with a pained voice.

“It wasn’t her,” Hi immediately replies.

“Hi, the cameras caught the kiss,” Sol intervenes, taking out his cellphone. “If you could just look…” he says, offering his phone to his friend. Hi pushes his arm away.

“I know you’re trusting and I love that about you, but… you have to face it. She’s not who you think it is,” Leo insists. Hi smiles brightly at him, but his friend can notice the added strain on his face as he does so.

“She would never do that. But thanks for worrying about me, really! I’m good, though,” he assures Leo and Sol. Hi’s eyes are glassy and his pupils a little blurred as he tries to keep the smile.

Leo looks at Sol helplessly, desperation in his eyes as he doesn’t know what else to do. The gears inside Sol’s mind are turning, changing directions every few seconds. There had to be a way to get to him. If he just focused enough, he could--

The bell above Ripeato’s door rings and you appear, the sweetest smile they had ever seen on your face. Leo’s stomach churns when Hi’s eyes light up and run to your embrace. You don’t make a move under your lover’s hug, but rather look at the other two men standing afar from you.

“Hello boys,” you greet.

“You’re not welcome here anymore,” Sol warns you, his eyes icy and cold. You just chuckle and Hi turns his head back to glare at his friend.

“Sol, don’t be like that!” he whines. “He’s just joking,” he assures you as he kisses your cheek repeatedly. “Should we go now?

You nod, your eyes still fixated on the other two men as the corner of your lips crooks into a smirk. You walk out the store, with Hi following quickly after you, the memories of his friend’s warnings long gone the moment he mistook the pity in your eyes for love.

[thecupcakeconsumer]

Playing Ball pt. 5 - Defection and Resurrection

A/N: Soooo, I said this would be out last night – that was before I knew debates would run an hour late and the ignorant cishet on the team would irritate me to all ends. But here it is!

Part One |  Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five (You are here!)

Navigation: Masterlist is here.

Taglist: @writers-block0o0, @imaginesbyemma.

Summary: After the short stop's gone, the team seems to thrive – all but one member, that is.

Warnings: Them feels, gay, mild language, gay, butt smacking, gay, and did I mention there's a bit of gay in here?

Word Count: 2,688.

Other Notes: Female reader. Post-Terminal, pre-Spike.

Team captain Y/N Claybourne had a nice ring to it, that you'd admit.

But the way in which it was getting you unwanted attention that you hadn't experienced since Chance checked himself into a mental hospital? Not as nice a ring.

Apparently, it came with the same social status as the previous captain's had, considering you were the reason for her being kicked off the team – something she had taken by whipping off her jersey and throwing it at the coach before storming off the pitch in a sports bra.

Despite it all, you felt a little bit bad – no matter how many people she had been responsible for having kicked off the team, nobody deserved to be a social outcast among the students with more money than sense of Bolton Prep.

Not to mention how you'd found Sarah the other day.

“I'm… fine, Claybourne.”

You narrowed your eyes down at her. “You're the ground outside the pitch holding – is that the jersey that Lee-?”

“What? No, of course not!” she responded, awkwardly shoving it behind her back and making it almost too obvious.

“Are… are you crying?” you asked awkwardly.

“If I was crying, I'd be crying tears of pain at seeing your face.”

In spite of her attitude, you crouched by her, putting a hand on her leg. “Mind sharing?”

“I don't want to talk about this, especially not with you-” Sarah tried to get up but your grip only tightened.

“Why did you like her?”

“Oh, don't pretend I was in love with the bitch for any rational reason,” she retorted, before sobering. “I guess I'm even more pathetic than that.”

“It doesn't make you pathetic.”

She glared. “What makes someone pathetic? Because news flash, Claybourne – if I found anyone crying over their unrequited love who hurt so many people, I'd tell them to get up and stop being pathetic.”

Sarah looked up at the sky, falling back and lying now on the grass, taking long brown hair out of the hair tie that had held it up in a fluid motion and letting it splay around her head.

“You wouldn't know what it's like. You've crushed on, what, one actually decent guy ever, and now you've been dating him for years.”

“Sarah, I-”

“Fuck off, Claybourne.”

Shaking your head to clear it of your thoughts, you grabbed your bag, glancing around to see if Chance was nearby before throwing it down the stairs and sliding down the banister after it.

(There were, most definitely, perks to living in such a large mansion).

When you got to the bottom, he was holding your bag with a disapproving look.

“You're going to break your neck.”

“In my defense, I didn't think you would catch me.”

“Not the right answer.”

“Um… I didn't break my neck?”

“Get in the car, Y/N.”

“Yes, sir.”

He followed you out the door, locking it behind him, before putting the keys in the ignition and asking conversationally, “You still suspended?”

“No, not anymore,” you answered, shaking your head with a slight smile as you realized that Chance didn't know about your recent promotion yet.

“Oh, really?” he asked, turning out of the driveway. “Did he lift it early, then? Or was there another game I didn't know about?”

“Well, the new team captain got her suspension lifted after the old one was kicked off the team,” you answered, smirking as he slammed the brakes at a stop sign he'd almost missed.

Breathing heavily, Chance asked, “You're team captain? Since when?”

“Oh, I don't know, two, three days ago? When I made a case against Delilah and the coach finally saw reason?”

“And you didn't tell me?”

“Must've slipped my mind.”

Your brother nodded slowly, before reaching into his bag and pulling out an envelope. “This came for you yesterday, by the way.”

You took the offered letter as he parked the car in front of the school, staring at the handwriting that, though you'd so rarely seen it, you'd recognize anywhere.

Opening the door and getting out with your bag, you ripped it open and took out one of the sheets, folded in three, feeling a tidal wave seem to rise in you as your emotions struggled to get the better of you.

Y/N,

Captain of the softball team even though I never saw you with a glove in your hand. If it's not from the Claybourne side, perhaps it's from your mothers – both the athleticism and your determination to succeed. She always was a driven one.

I've never been so glad that you have the Claybourne name.

He hadn't signed it, perhaps because signing it off with his name made him seem so distant and yet the two of you were never close enough that he would have felt comfortable referring to himself as your father… and yet, even if he'd never been your father, not really, you'd always wanted him to notice you.

It was always Chance this, Chance that, the eldest son capturing your father's attention.

Now, you were receiving the same affection and you didn't know how to deal with it.

The words blurred together as tears came to your eyes.

You'd done it.

You'd finally made him proud.

So why didn't it feel better?

Because Chance pushed you to it, you realized. Even when you could finally make him proud, it was always him behind the scenes.

When would you make a choice, alone, that he might be willing to put the Claybourne name on?

As your emotions overwhelmed you, you felt the switch inside of you flip.

Great. Flaring in public. This is a great day.

“Y/N!” called out Ben, falling into step beside you, black t-shirt and jeans making him stand out amongst the uniforms that the students were wearing.

“Ben? What're you doing here? Did you forget you'd graduated?”

He shook his head, before scrutinizing you more closely. “Are you okay?”

“What? Of course I am.” Managing to snuff out the flare, you continued, “Never been better. Morning, Lily.”

“Morning!” she greeted cheerfully as you walked past her on the way to your locker.

“See? I'm great.”

“Saying good morning to someone doesn't make you okay,” he responded, before adding, “I'd know” under his breath.

Coming to your locker, you put down your bag and turned to him. “What're you doing here?”

“I came to congratulate you on the captaincy, but now I see that I need to talk to you about whatever's in that letter. Who's it from, Y/N?”

“My dad,” you answered reluctantly.

“And?”

“And he's proud of me.”

Ben held up your backpack as you zipped it shut, asking, “Well, who wouldn't be?”

“You don't get it, Ben, he's… he's never like this. Not when it comes to me.”

“Why are you feeling like this, then?”

“You're one to talk about feelings, Benjamin Blue.”

“That doesn't answer the question.”

“No, it doesn't,” you acknowledged begrudgingly. “It's just… he's always been proud of Chance, you know? And Chance made me do this. In a way, it's just like he's proud of Chance all over again. I – I know it seems silly-”

“Chance didn't get Delilah Lee kicked off, now, did he? Or was it him that set up the cameras in the supply room, him that spoke to the former pitcher who was doomed from the start, him that never gave up even when suspended?”

“You… know about all that?”

“Oh, please, just because I'm graduated doesn't mean that those three don't constantly talk about you. Speaking of which, text me sometime, would you?”

He ruffled your hair and squeezed your shoulder, and you smiled as he walked away, going to replace the sheet in the envelope but finding another paper in there.

A clipping from the school newspaper, the headline reading 'With Lee Defected, A Team Resurrected?'; a picture that you didn't remember being taken of you at bat.

Underneath the picture, where the caption identified you, there was no writing – only a double underline under the name “Claybourne”.

And in spite of yourself, you clutched the letter and the clipping a little closer to your chest before putting them away.

“Having a social life is exhausting,” you bemoaned, letting your face fall onto the cafeteria table.

Tory poked your arm, moving an exaggerated foot back when you growled. “By God, the woman's an animal!”

“Aren't we all?” asked Hi, causing you to kick him under the table. “A wolf on the streets and a wolf in the sheets!”

“Hi.”

“Please remove me from this place if you exist, Jesus-”

“Some of us are Jewish, Shelton-”

“Jewish or not, you're all a mess,” cut in Jason, putting his tray on the table. “Losers. Tory.”

“I'm included in losers now?” You glanced up, adding, “I could destroy you. At least, that's what my new social status seems to say. Hit me up with a fry, Taylor, and I might forgive you.”

He rolled his eyes but nonetheless held the cup out to you, adding, “I believe you're too tired from upholding your social life to destroy me.”

“I'm never too tired for vengeance,” you retorted, taking two fries instead of the promised one and almost laughing at his mock outrage. “Oh, sit down.”

You hadn't lied – all the talking to people that you'd done since they talked to you and you didn't want to be mean, the fact that you had to pretend to care when one of the girls had asked you for relationship advice and your answer was largely bullshit considering the fact that you hadn't really been listening probably evident, but apparently not to her.

The day finished, you finally walked into the house after both the long school day and the softball practice that had run for two hours, sighing with relief as you threw down your-

“Don't leave your bag in the middle of the foyer again.”

Thanks a lot, Chance. You begrudgingly moved into the dining room, freezing as you noticed the smell in the room coming from what was in the center of the table.

“Chance?” you asked hesitantly, dropping your bag in the middle of the dining room – it wasn't the foyer, after all. “Why did you buy roses?”

“What?” His shadow shifted in the kitchen as he added, “I didn't.”

“Then… what are these doing here?”

“Oh, those? They're from Jason.”

Wait, Jason Taylor?

“Hold on a minute, what?”

Your half-brother entered the room, leaning against the wall as he ate a banana. “They're from Jason. Taylor, that is.”

You blinked.

“What the holy fuck?”

Since when does he buy you roses? Are you dating? Since when?

You realized it should have been obvious – hell, Jason had almost said just a short while ago that he and Jason were more than friends, quickly catching himself and correcting it to “more than you know”.

“I was under the impression that you knew,” he added. “There was that one time the other month when you asked where I was going and I said on a date?”

“I – I thought you were being sarcastic!”

“Two weeks ago, you asked why I was smiling and I said I was back from a date.”

“Again, thought you were joking.”

“When I texted you and said I was staying the night at Jason's house?”

“I thought you were friends-” You blanched. “You mean that you were having sex? That's nasty! Weren't his parents home?”

Oh, wait. He'd hosted a party that day because his parents were out of town.

Of course.

“Oh, my god. You're… dating Jason. He's gay. You're gay!” You walked back and forth, trying to make sense of it all.

“Bisexual, actually.”

“The two of you had sex! You said I couldn't stay the night on Morris the other day because you were afraid Hi and I would have sex!” you cried, turning on him.

“I'm allowed to have sex, for God's sake, I'm a consenting adult!” He turned into the kitchen, shaking his head.

“You can't control who I sleep with.”

“I don't want you to end up like your mother!”

“Don't you dare insult my mother, at least my mother is alive!”

Anger rose in you, a spark igniting as you eyes changed color, but your blood chilled when he turned around, dark blue eyes meeting.

His expression shifted and tone dropped as he murmured, “You too?”

The silence took over the room, tension having been cut through by the realization that both of your flares had returned, and a sob rose in your throat as you moved quickly across the room, finally falling apart in his arms.

“It didn't work,” he murmured. “I thought it might just have been me, but-”

“It's everyone.”

“Including Cole and Ella?”

“I wouldn't know, I don't talk to them. Then again, sometimes I don't know things about people I do talk to.”

“I'm not sure if you're referring to the flare or my relationship status.”

“Does dad know?”

He froze.

“I sure as hell hope he doesn't.”

“And if he did?”

He sighed deeply, his chest dropping with a shudder. “I'd probably be rewritten out of the will, to be honest.”

“What, it's not like he has any other heirs.”

“He has you, Y/N.”

Oh, right. “You think he'd choose me over you?”

“Knowing him? Probably.”

“You think I wouldn't cover you?”

Chance laughed. “I can't answer that, honestly.”

You hit his chest. “Asshole.”

“Is that a no?”

“Of course not.”

“It's the bottom of the ninth inning, and the Griffins are on their winning streak – if they win this game, they take home the championship! We are at a tie right now, Claybourne's up to bat, the team captain hits it, it's off, she's off! She's putting a lot of faith in her bat right now considering no man's on base and we have two strikes – she's at first and the ball is into the stands! It's a home run! She's not taking her time as she slides onto second, takes off for third – off third, and she's home! The championship is ours!”

Rolling your eyes at Sarah's commentary, you slid onto the home plate, hopping up while the team flooded onto the field, being hugged by eight different girls at once as the crowd cheered loudly.

During your tenure, your home runs were something of a habit… though, admittedly, you were prone to the accidental flare or two on the field, and this victory had come of one.

“I can't believe you're leaving us,” yelled Lily in your ear, standing on tiptoes in order to be heard. “Do you have to go and graduate? You're brilliant!”

Sarah held her arms open with a smirk. “Look at that, loser.”

You hugged her without a moment's hesitance, grinning. “You're the best commentator. Real career for you there, you know.

“Please. You’re the one who makes the game interesting enough to want to talk about.”

Surrounded by your girl, you realized that the team was about more than victory.

It was about the experiences you had.

Though winning never hurt.

“Wow, babe, you got dirty out there,” laughed Hi, waggling his eyebrows at the dirt along the side of your uniform and yelping “Assault!” when you smacked him, pulling you close and-

“Did you just whack my butt?” you asked, somewhat bewildered.

“Hashtag no regrets.”

Rolling your eyes, you retorted, “Stop using hashtags in verbal conversations!” “Hashtag can't stop won't stop.”

“Hi.”

“Fine, fine, I'll stop. But only for the beautiful girlfriend that I'm entirely too lucky to have, who is smart, strong and I can't think of a word that starts with 's' for kind but if I could I'd say it!”

“You're a dork.”

“Your dork,” he corrected, before whacking your butt again.

“Hi!”

“It looks so good in that uniform, though!”

“Oh, shut up.”

He leaned down, grabbing you around the waist.

Your arms flew around his neck by instinct as he kissed you insistently, yet slowly – passionately, yet sweetly – quickly, yet seeming to last forever.

“I love you, Y/N,” he whispered, lips leaving yours to trail kisses on your exposed neck.

“I love you more.”

“Impossible.”

A/N: This series is done! Next series is called Spring Into Action, which’ll be some interesting shit. Thanks for reading!

[thecupcakeconsumer]

Playing Ball pt. 4 - Eavesdropping and Shortstopping

A/N: This took forever, I'm so sorry, school and new meds have been catching up to me! Luckily this is a fairly good-sized baby. ^-^

Part One |  Part Two | Part Three | Part Four (You are here!) | Part Five

Navigation: Masterlist is here.

Taglist: @writers-block0o0, @imaginesbyemma.

Summary: It's not just a challenge to the team any longer. It's a challenge to your pride and morals, and it's time to take a stand – once and for all.

Warnings: Mild language.

Word Count: 3,050.

Other Notes: Female reader. Post-Terminal, pre-Spike.

Suspended.

There weren't enough words to describe the numerous ways it made you feel, lying on the grass while you fiddled with a softball, outdoors with Shelton, Hi, Ben and Tory.

Were you embarrassed? Of course.

After all, you'd finally stood up to the person who had been tyrannizing your entire team, and been shut down, with her receiving no repercussions.

It was humiliating, and the way your coach had talked down to you afterward certainly didn't help.

Blaming it on female hormones? Coward's way out.

While Delilah had suffered a broken nose, you had suffered a broken image – a blow to your pride, and a severe detriment to your respect from the team.

Or, at least, so it would seem, considering none of them – not even Sarah – had reached out to you after the incident, mysteriously silent and, if choosing any side, staying on hers.

Of course, that wasn't to say that you weren't infuriated – why did she get to go off scot-free? Why was everyone pretending she didn't say anything?

What had Delilah done to make everyone so scared of her?

“Y/N? You okay?” asked Shelton, glancing over at you concernedly. “You've been awfully quiet.”

“Yeah, sure,” you replied, tossing the ball in the air and yelping as it came down and hit you in the nose.

Cautiously coming closer, the older boy nudged you. “Hey. Have you eaten anything today?”

You tried to think back. “I… think so?”

“Y/N.”

“No, no I haven't.”

Grabbing his bag, he reached into one of the pockets despite your (admittedly feeble) protests, pulling out a granola bar. “Eat.”

“But-”

“Listen, I know you're upset about being suspended.” Shelton's eyes met yours, and you weren't quite certain whether his expression was sympathetic or scrutinizing. “It's ridiculous and entirely unfair that because you responded with physical violence, her verbal abuse is being ignored. I know you're sick and tired of being lectured on it. But it's not the end of the world, I promise.”

“I didn't say it was the end of the world,” you argued, begrudgingly taking a bite of the proffered snack. “I didn't even say anything.”

“Oh, please, we've known each other, what, four years now? I think I have a slight idea of what's on your mind by now.”

You huffed.”Am I expected to know what you're thinking now?”

“What? No, of course not. Nobody's allowed to know what I'm thinking. That's what makes me so interesting.”

He slid away, leaving you with a granola bar in your hand and, despite your upset, a smile on your face.

You shouldn't have let her get to you. That you knew.

You've already been suspended. Why isn't that enough for you to learn your lesson?

And yet, here you were, flaring in public during lunch on the day of an important game which you wouldn't be a part of.

Even your common sense was currently being drowned out by the screaming of every nerve in your body – screams of how good it felt to finally let go, the relief now sung by the same veins pumping you full of adrenaline.

“I can't lose this,” hissed a feminine voice, piercing the conversational buzz of the cafeteria yet unrecognizable, even with the range you could pick up. “You know without it I'm nothing.”

“So, this is your plan? Sabotage everyone and make it seem like you're the only one who can play so that you're captain and the team fears you?”

Sabotage? It sounded for certain like a certain someone, but… “Look. If I'm not on top here, I'm vulnerable. And if I can't keep this, there's no telling what they'll do to me. After the first time I did it, I became something to be feared. And speaking of which… Reyes has been getting cozy with Claybourne lately.”

“What're you planning, Lee?”

Lee.

Delilah Lee.

You choked on your lunch as you heard the two girls converse. No wonder so many people are off the team so suddenly. This way no one could get in her way in being the next captain. One decent player after another mysteriously quitting or getting kicked off the team.

Ignoring the activity at the table around you, you listened further to attempt to hear what she was planning.

“How are you going to sabotage a catcher?”

“Easy. Loosen a few screws, mess around a little, suddenly the face mask won't stay down... and one can't exactly play if their face is crushed by a ball, now, can they?”

“What makes you think she'll get hit?”

“A little distraction. It's about the message, not the impact. I'll see if I can get in the supply shed before practice tomorrow.”

Did she really just share her plans in the middle of the cafeteria? you thought to yourself as Tory snapped her fingers in front of your face.

“As I was saying, Y/N, we should really...”

You were nodding, but you weren't listening, wondering how you could convince your coach of what would transpire.

“Sarah,” you called out, jogging a little to catch up with her.

She didn't appear to have heard, walking faster.

“Sarah! Get back here!” Was she ignoring you? “Sarah Reyes!”

Finally, she stopped, letting you fall into step beside her. “Claybourne. You're not gonna punch me?”

“What? No, of course not. Why would I do that? I like you. You're a good person.”

“So's a lot of folks who've received worse.”

“What's gotten into you?” You quickened your pace to walk in front of her, before stopping as the taller girl tried to get around you. “Why're you being so… frigid?”

“Frigid. Seems artistic. Smart words. Smart person. Guess you're brains and brawn.”

“What did I do wrong?”

She glanced around, before pulling you into a classroom. “You want to know what you did wrong? You went against everything I told you. You got on her bad side, even though I told you to stay neutral. You went and made her look bad, and then, like an idiot, you decided to punch her. Now the goddamn girl has a broken nose, and she's never been so volatile!”

“What does it matter to you?”

“What's it matter? It's not like I'm on the team or anything.”

“Sarah, I… She's going to try and sabotage you. Next game. She doesn't like-”

“That I talk to you.” Sarah smiled, what was supposed to be a gesture of happiness instead coming off so ironic it was almost humorous. “Thanks for the warning, Claybourne.”

She left, ignoring your calls and slamming the door behind herself with a slam that seemed to shake the whole room.

What have I done?

“Hey, coach,” you spoke, leaning against the doorframe of his office.

He glanced up. “Ah, Claybourne. Last I checked you were suspended. Unless for some reason I should put you back on the team?”

“I… I need to tell you something.”

“Oh? What? That it wasn't your fault? That you didn't mean to? Or that-”

“Delilah Lee has been sabotaging girls on this team since the beginning. I have names, I know that-”

His laugh cut you off.

“Of course, of course. Delilah Lee – the team's captain – who just happens to be the reason you're suspended right now, has been singlehandedly tearing the team apart. She's been doing, what? Making anyone who gets on her bad side leave the team?”

“Y/N, even if I had kicked anyone off the team, I assure you, it has nothing to do with her.”

“But-”

“Is that all? A false accusation without proof?”

“But I can-”

“Come back to me when you have something worthwhile to talk about, Claybourne.”

Lily Aquino – former pitcher, quit the team under mysterious circumstances after having been suspended five consecutive times.

Around the same time, rumors had been spreading around the school that she had slept with Delilah Lee's man.

After ardently denying the incident, however, it had never been proven – or disproven – that anything had actually transpired between the two.

Rumor has it the very person who started up the story was the supposed girlfriend of one of the perpetrators. But at the moment, you weren't focusing on the past.

Now, you were focusing on the present – the person who owned the locker in front of which you stood, who should be getting here about-

“Hi! Can I get to my locker?” The short Filipina girl smiled widely, the picture of innocence in a stark contrast to what she was accused of.

You moved to the side, and her eyes lit up. “Oh, you're Y/N! The new girl on the team, right? I hear you did really good this season. Did you need something?”

“I wanted to talk to you,” you answered simply.

Her eyes widened. “Me? Are you sure? If you've been listening to Delilah I assure you-”

“She sabotaged you, didn't she? Led to your suspensions, despite how hard you tried to keep up your resolve and stick to the team, convinced if you just kept your head down she would leave you alone?”

Pushing up her glasses as she tugged open her locker, Lily murmured quietly, “I don't know what you heard, but-”

“Lily, I'm suspended right now because of her,” you interrupted, and she nodded slowly.

“What do you need? Do you need proof? I don't have any, but I have accounts – she threatened me, said if I didn't back off from her boyfriend she'd have me kicked off, and that I should stop being such a candidate for captain because the position was hers – I'll do anything, just give me the word.”

All of a sudden, she shifted so easily from being on the defensive to on the offensive, slightly chilling considering her size and just how much resentment could be packed into someone so small.

“Will you help me make a case against her in front of the coach?”

Determinedly, she nodded. “Anything.”

Two cameras set up in the supply room surely served as evidence, didn't they?

At least, that was what you thought when you did so, and after having returned to remove them, you grinned.

Thanks to your warning – or at least, so you'd like to believe – Sarah had stayed cautious, and when her mask flew open paid enough attention to be able to immediately close it before anything could happen.

And these cameras, surely, would hold the proof.

An account. A video.

Would it be enough?

You fit the SD card into your computer, double-clicking one of the videos once it loaded and quickly adjusting settings so it would play at twice the speed.

And there she was.

You sat back a moment in amazement, still somewhat disbelieving of the fact that you'd managed to catch this on video.

Of course, the best person you could get to testify against Delilah was the only major candidate for captain – who'd been on the team for just as long a time, and whose word was almost as credible, considering she'd never been sabotaged.

“I won't do it.”

You stared in shock at Sarah, books almost falling out of your hand. “I'm sorry, what?”

“I won't do it. I mean what I said, Y/N.”

“But she's been-”

“You have enough of a case without me stepping in. I don't need to be a part of the reason she gets kicked off the team.”

You stepped closer, trying to discern her expression even as she looked pointedly away from you. “But if she's off the team, you won't need to be afraid any more of her sabotaging you-”

“Sabotage.” She laughed mirthlessly. “That's not what I'm concerned about, Claybourne. Forget it. Carry out your vendetta on your own.”

“What happened to teamwork?” you demanded, as she turned to start walking away.

Sarah froze, slowly rotating to face you again, before hissing, “It's not about the team, Claybourne. If it were, this wouldn't be happening in the first place.”

“Then why won't you testify?”

“Because I love her, damn it!” she shouted, causing you to jump. “Because I'm the damn idiot who's fallen in love with the bad girl, the stupid catcher who honestly thought she had a chance with such a beautiful girl, who looks over her flaws and doesn't want to cause her to lose the only good thing she's got going on!”

“Sarah, I-”

“You know we slept together? Junior year, we got wasted. I don't remember the first time I've slept with anyone, and it was the only time she'd look at me without disgust, contempt, and it's ruined any chance I ever had with her! I'm in love with the villain, okay? So call me a villain myself, sure. I won't do it.”

She stalked off without another word, refusing to turn back, as if hoping you wouldn't notice the fact that she'd started to cry, eyeliner starting to streak her face as she crumbled, the resolve of such a seemingly powerful girl now shed and making her seem like something you'd never have thought of Sarah Reyes as.

Helpless.

“I'm planning on getting Delilah Lee kicked off the team,” you announced, less than a week after what you had overheard, at lunch with Tory, Shelton, Hi and Jason.

The four paused, Jason being the first to speak. “I'm sorry, you're sinking down to her level for your revenge?”

“No, that's not it at all,” you answered, shaking your head with a slight smile. “I've found evidence that she's the reason the team is failing. I'm going to confront the coach with it today.”

“What kind of evidence?” asked Shelton interestedly, leaning forward on his hands.

“Well, let's just say… sometimes people don't check for cameras in the supply rooms when they go and play with helmets.”

Tory grinned. “You're picking up some stuff from us. I like it. Is that why you were talking to Lily the other day?”

“Yep.” Nodding, you turned to Hi, who'd been silent this whole time. “Hi?”

He shook himself. “My girlfriend is beautiful, kind, and a genius.”

Flushing under his praise, you shook your head. “We'll see how well that works out.”

“Videos don't lie.”

“Videos don't lie,” repeated the coach, nodding slowly. “And… she's the reason?”

“She's the reason.”

He looked up at you and Lily, before shaking his head. “She's off the team. You're back on, Aquino. Pitcher. Current pitcher will return to out-field – she was always better there, anyway.”

“And me?” you asked quietly.

He smiled sardonically. “Well, Claybourne, how do you feel about being short stop?”

This was real.

This was happening.

And you'd broken Sarah's heart to do it.

“I can try it.”

All's fair in love and war – and yet love was a battlefield.

“Excellent. I'll tell her the news.”

Was it worth it?

“Now,” called out Sarah as the team flooded the locker rooms after the first practice without Lee, “that Ms Lee is gone, we seem to be in need of a new captain.”

How easily she shifted from falling apart to her newfound composure.

“I nominate Claybourne.”

You froze, shirt over your head, quickly pulling it back down to cover you as all seven of the girls in the room turned to you.

“Wh-what? No, I can't take that on,” you gushed quickly, as Sarah quietly started chanting 'Claybourne, Claybourne.'

“Let's have a vote with what remains of our team!” called out Young. “Ready? All in favor of Claybourne, say aye.”

A resounding 'aye' filled the room, causing you to flush.

“Guys, I joined the team two months ago.”

“You got Lee kicked off the team, that took some will power,” argued Lily.

“You helped! You should be captain, all in favor of Lily-”

“I don't want to be captain,” she laughed. “I'd rather have the very person who broke Lee's nose in charge.”

You shook your head. “How about you, Reyes? You've been playing since freshman year – you're team captain.”

She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “Just accept the offer.”

Looking around at the eager faces, you finally relented. “Fine. I'll be team captain.”

“Yes! No take backs, you're team captain until your death or graduation. You can take your shirt off now, love.”

“Oh, thanks, I was waiting for your permission.”

Even with the sarcasm, there was no denying the excitement beneath the surface – at the support that your team offered, and at the new future for you under a new leadership.

A fair one, this time.

Now alone in the empty locker room, you pulled out your phone, tapping in Hi's number and almost buzzing with energy as the ring reached you.

"Well, guess who got kicked off the team?" "No babe, did he really... that coach is such a bastard..." "Yeah. I guess it's a good thing that there's a new team captain now." "But I thought Lee was - wait, did she get kicked off? Is Reyes the new captain?" "Lee's off, Sarah's not the captain, though." *dramatic gasp* "You're captain! I'm so proud!"

“Hey, sexy.”

You smirked as you feigned a sad voice. “Well, guess who got kicked off the team?”

The line went silent for a moment before his voice came back on. “No babe, did he really... that coach is such a bastard...”

“Yeah, I guess it's a good thing that there's a new team captain now.”

“But I thought Lee was-” He stopped. “Wait, did she get kicked off? Is Reyes the new captain?”

“Lee's off,” you replied, twisting your sleeve in your free hand, “but Sarah's not the captain.”

A crash seemed to only say that he'd dropped the phone – the very reason why Hi had such a protective case – before a gasp sounded when he picked it back up. “You're captain! I'm so proud!” “It's not a-”

“What're you doing for dinner tonight? No, not important, because now you're coming over to my house. Pizza. Your choice.”

“Are you finally giving me the recipe?”

“What? Never. That, my love, is something I'll tell no one. Not even you. I love you, babe! See you tonight!”

“See you,” you replied, a smile breaking out across your face as you ended the call, before packing up your bag and leaving the locker rooms, turning off the lights and closing the door on the past of the team, looking forward to your new beginnings.

A/N: We got some regret going on here, as well as (as my English teacher would say) some rebirth following death! I'm super excited to announce that the next (and likely final) instalment in this will be up on Friday. Thanks so much for reading! I'm sorry for the wait! Part five is up!

[thecupcakeconsumer]

Playing Ball pt. 2 - Fielding and Shielding

A/N: This series is getting i n s a n e and you'll never guess what I was up last night at midnight talking about? More ideas for this! So guess what there's more to come. 

Part One | Part Two (You are here!) | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five

Navigation: Masterlist is here.

Taglist: @imaginesbyemma, @writers-block0o0

Summary: After you win your first game of the season, you learn there was someone in the audience you weren't expecting. Chaos ensues.

Warnings: A couple of sexual references, language, and punssss. The reader also considers the prospect of sex in this, I even used the word. Dick jokes.

Word Count: 3,027

Other Notes: Female reader, as per usual, and this is post-Spike. Reader is in senior year, about a month after pt. 1.

Softball was a great stress reliever, you would give it that.

And being forced to do the extra curricular on top of your workload had forced you to manage your time better, something that (though not your favorite thing in the world) had helped a lot when it came to your assignments.

However, that was all practice.

This? Your first actual game of the season?

More stressful than anything.

Pacing back and forth, you struggled to keep yourself in check and not allow the anxiety to overwhelm you, the line you walked slowly wearing a path in the grass.

“Loosen up, Y/N,” advised Sarah, her character bubble gum still being chewed as the first pitch became ever nearer. “You can't go in your first time dry.”

“What?”

“All I'm saying is, relax and you'll enjoy it. It's not all about winning, God knows we ain't won in ages. Good news is, our pitcher hasn't been suspended yet for the mysteriously recurring spitballs that nobody ever finds 'er doing.”

You tilted your head to the side a moment while attempting to comprehend what she had just said. “Spitballs?”

“Listen, dovey. You didn't hear it here, but there's sabotage that goes on with this team.” Pausing, her gum popped dramatically and she didn't even blink. “Watch your back. You're on outfield today. Whatever you do, don't throw for short stop.”

She looked up as a whistle blew loudly. “Time to go.”

Even more uncomfortable than you had been before, you reluctantly followed her to the huddle.

“It's our first game of the season, eighth inning, and our Griffins are down three to six, not that anyone is surprised at this point,” narrated Sarah sarcastically from behind you as the pitcher nervously experimented with the ball. “Ready to bat, Claybourne?”

“As I'll ever be,” you answered nervously.

“Remember. We got a lady on second and one on third. Heads up.”

She signalled the pitcher, whose pitch landed right where you needed it – you hit, and quickly dropped the bat and started running.

Without fully comprehending, you managed to just barely slide onto third base, your two runners safe.

Sarah flashed you a thumbs up from where she was crouched behind the next batter.

5-6.

You could do this.

The next girl – number 48, whose name you couldn't quite remember – stepped up, rotating the bat over her shoulder confidently, before hitting it low, giving you just enough time to run home as she stepped onto first base.

“That's what I'm talking about!” Sarah clapped. “Tied. One inning left. Let's see if we can win this shindig.”

You frowned at her sudden turn around from the earlier pessimism. “But I thought you said-”

“Shhhh. Don't sour this rare moment.”

Taking a seat on the bench, your eyes searched out a familiar face in the crowd, landing on Hi.

When he realized you had seen him, your boyfriend held up a hand and waved eagerly, the other offering a thumbs-up.

Idiot. You'd told him not to come – that it was only your first game of the season, that you probably wouldn't even be playing that much, and that there was a good chance that you would lose – but you should have known he'd come anyway.

Smiling even as the next batter struck out and the inning ended, you set out with a new sense of hope.

You wouldn't let Hi down.

“Aaaaand she's in!” Number 30, whose last name you were about certain was Young, barely managed to get the last point you needed, finishing up the game during the bottom of the ninth at 7-6. “And there we have it! Our fabulous Griffins pull out victorious! It's all Claybourne's fault!”

You blushed at Sarah's praise. “No it's not.”

“Fine. Half of our points are Claybourne's fault!” She ruffled your hair, easily falling into step with you as the team made for the change rooms. “Not bad out there, especially not for your first game. Your running? God speed. Not to mention that fly ball you managed to catch to get Dearborn out on what otherwise would've been a home run. Amazing, even if now she'll bitch about it on Friday.”

“Friday?” you repeated.

“Yep. She doesn't know it yet, but we're going out again. Two months running.” She grinned, before casting you a stern look. “I may like you so far but I will shove that bat so far down your throat if you have a problem.”

“No, no, I'm good with it.”

“There's my pro!” exclaimed Hi, hugging you tightly as you walked out of the change room.

“Even athletes need to breathe.”

“Right, sorry.” He released you with a wide smile. “I don't know too much about softball but based on Wikipedia and my rich history in childhood Wii Sports I'd say your triple saved the game.”

You rolled your eyes. “I told you not to come.”

“Since when do I listen? No regrets. You were awesome out there. You got a ride home?”

“Yeah, Chance will be waiting.”

“Ahh, wouldn't want to keep him waiting. I'll text you. Love you!” He kissed your cheek with a loud, wet smack before jogging off as you repeated the last words back to him.

You walked slowly back to where you Chance had said he'd wait for you in the parking lot.

Curiously enough, he was nowhere to be found when you arrived – only a tall girl leaning against one of the columns, texting.

“Well, I've no clue where you got it from, but you're pretty damn good, kiddo.”

It took you a moment to place the voice.

“Mom.”

The same woman who'd raised you, sent you out to Charleston to stay with your father when she started going through college, and you hadn't seen since.

The same woman who'd had you young because of a drunken one night stand but still raised you, working several jobs and never accepting the help that Hollis Claybourne had offered until you insisted that you wouldn't think any less of her if she finally got her college education and had you stay with your half-brother and father.

The same woman you hadn't seen in almost four years.

Here.

You ran into her arms, feeling yourself begin to tear up. “How did you-?”

“You're so tall. Is that makeup I see? Honey, you've changed so much.”

“You're still taller than me,” you retorted, crossing your arms for just a moment before throwing them around her again. “Why didn't you tell me you were coming out here? I would've, I dunno, made plans?”

“Oh, come on. I wasn't about to miss my favorite daughter's first softball game.”

“I'm your only daughter.”

She pulled you tighter into her chest. “And thank Jesus for that. What's new, honey? We haven't talked in so long. How's the infamous boyfriend? That still going on? Any hormonal changes?” You felt her chest rise in a small gasp. “You hadn't even had your period yet when I sent you out here. Oh, no, you had your first period with nobody but your father and your brother, you poor thing-”

“Mom.”

“Right, right.” Your mom pulled back, holding you at arm's length and looking you over. “I've got my car, I'm driving you home. Don't worry, Chance knows, it's not like I'm abducting you or anything. We'll spend so much time together you'll grow sick of me.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Please. As if that's going to happen.”

Holding up a list you had just printed, you carefully stuck wink-eyed stickers onto the calendar in the hallway just outside the kitchen.

“What are you doing?”

Without turning, you answered, “Softball practice schedule for the month of April.”

“Seems busy. What do all the other stickers mean?”

You took a step back. “Let's see. We have the little ones with the crossed out eyes and tongue out – the dead ones – for nights on which Chance is supposed to cook. The heart eyed faces are for date nights, happy faces for study sessions.”

“Happy faces?”

“I only have so many emoji stickers!” you huffed in mock exasperation.

“So, you already have dates planned. When do I get to meet this boyfriend of yours?”

You stopped, almost dropping the sticker roll. “You... want to meet him?”

“Honey, how long have you been dating? Since, what, sophomore year? It's been two years and I have no clue what your boyfriend even looks like. Invite him to dinner. Chance knows him, why don't I get to?”

You nodded slowly. “I mean. I guess I have met his parents.” And that was... interesting.

But it would be different if it was with your mother.

Namely because they both love me and they both seem inclined to embarrass me no matter the circumstances.

“I'll cook,” she offered.

“Okay. Fine.”

Grinning, your mom hugged you tight. “Love you, honey. He's Jewish, right?”

“How do you know?”

“I know these things.”

She drifted past, plucking the sticker roll from your hand despite your protests. “What're you doing?”

“Me? I'm taking these away until you, young missy, call up that Hi of yours and invite him to dinner Thursday night.”

“Thursday? That's tomorrow.”

“Want these stickers back?”

You sighed, grabbing your phone off the counter and flipping through your contacts, hesitating over Hi's contact name.

“Don't you dare try and get out of this by calling someone else. Don't make me look over your shoulder.”

Laughing, you finally dialled the number, feeling your heart race as you heard the ringing. “Put it on speaker,” your mother asked, and you raised an eyebrow.

“Do I have to?”

“I don't ask so much, now, do I?” You relented, wincing as Hi's voice came on the phone.

“What's up, daddy?”

“Hi!” Cheeks flushing red, you hissed, “You're on speaker!”

“So? Chance won't kinkshame me.”

“Hi, my mother's in the room.”

The line went silent for a moment.

Then, “I'm sorry, I must have heard you wrong. You mean to say your brother is in the room, right?”

“No, Hi. My mother.”

“Since when is your mother in town?”

“Since yesterday.”

“Cool! Hi Y/N's mom! I'm sure you're a lovely person with a bad taste in men!”

Alarmed, you glanced up to see your mom laughing. “I mean, he's not wrong. Go on, ask him.”

“Hi, do you wanna come to dinner tomorrow?”

“Dinner? You know the way to my heart, babe. And the artist who created my masterpiece will be there?”

Rolling your eyes, you answered, “Yes, my mom will be there. She wants to meet you.”

“Oh.”

You frowned, leaning your head to the side. “You still there, Hi?”

“Yeah, still here, still here. Always here. Always watching, always waiting. You know, we haven't gone to the park in a while. Wanna walk with me tomorrow?”

“Sure,” you answered.

“Great. I'll see you then. Love, you babe!”

“Love you,” you responded almost instinctively, confused. “Wait, are you going to-?”

The call ended.

“Ooooooh, trouble in paradise?”

Taking the sticker roll back, you didn't answer, confused.

What's up with him?

“Hey, babe, how's it going?” asked Hi, kissing you on the cheek as he met with you at your locker.

“Good,” you answered, grabbing your bag and stuffing your textbooks in. “How about you?”

“To be quite honest, I'm rather scared.”

You whipped around so fast that your bag swung and nearly hit him in the face. “You? Scared? And admitting it? What's wrong? Are you okay? Are you running a fever? Where was our first date?”

He laughed. “I'm fine, on our first date you broke up with me, and I'm nervous, really.”

“About what? Something happen?”

“About meeting your mother.”

You surveyed him for a moment. “You're serious.”

“Actually, I'm Hi.”

“You're nervous about meeting my mom.” You almost laughed at the thought. “Why?”

“Why?” Holding open the door to the school, your boyfriend cast you a bewildered look. “Because the girl whom I love and have been dating for over two years just invited me to dinner with the woman who raised her, who I know essentially nothing about.”

“What, and you think meeting your mother wasn't worse?”

“You'd met her before, though!”

“Yeah, once or twice,” you scoffed, glancing around as you crossed the parking lot. “She's really a lot to get used to. My mom, on the other hand, will do whatever it takes to embarrass me. The two of you will get along just fine. She already loves you.”

Hi shook his head. “Okay, look, Y/N, consider it this way. This-” he held his hands about a foot apart “-represents the spectrum of awesome. Let's say this is 1-” he waved his right hand “-and this is 10. Now, Chance lies about here. I'm not giving negative numbers out, but if I was, he'd have earned one. Ben's probably around the middle, Tory a little higher. I give Shelton a solid seven. Coop's probably an eight.”

“Wow. Coop ranks higher than your closest friends. He must be a good boy.”

“He is definitely a good boy.” Hi nodded, before shaking himself to refocus. “Anyway, you sit at a solid ten, only because there's no higher number. Now, I'm probably about a nine. Your mom? Raised you up to a ten, therefore she must also be a ten. Do you see where I'm going with this?”

“No, not at all. Unless you're saying my mom is too awesome for you.”

“That's exactly what I'm saying!” exclaimed Hi, almost walking into a stop sign. “She intimidates me. I made a joke about her taste in men. She's gonna hate me.”

“Hi, my dad was a one night stand. She laughed at your joke, and she's gonna love you, okay? You two have a... similar sense of humor. Do it? For me?”

He grinned reluctantly. “Anything for you, Y/N.”

“Y/N, honey, what took you so long?”

“It's the same walk home as always, mom,” you answered with a laugh. “Mom. This is Hiram Stolowitski.”

“Hi,” he interjected, sticking out a hand. “I go by Hi, that is. And the greeting too, I guess. Hi, Y/N's mom.”

She smiled. “I've heard a lot about you. I'd say 'come in' but you're already inside and this isn't even my house. Y/N, take over the pasta, stir occasionally. I'm going to talk to your first crush-”

“Mom, shut up!” you interrupted, flushing red as she continued to talk.

Let's hope she doesn't irreversibly ruin me in his eyes.

“Your mom is so tall,” commented Hi, the three of you sat around a table that you hadn't even known existed.

Apparently, your mother knew this house pretty well, even if its owner was only a one night stand.

“And you're so short... do you get it from your dad's side? Did he have a short-”

“Hi! You're in front of my mother!” you hissed, feeling your face heat up.

She only laughed, which made the situation worse. “I won't say, but he sure didn't know how to use-”

“Mom,” you whispered, putting your head in your hands. “My ears are bleeding.”

Your mother leaned over to stage-whisper to Hi. “It's no wonder the condom broke.”

Covering your eyes, between the gaps of your fingers you saw him look to you. “Ah, well, happy accident.”

“You two combined,” you murmured, “are less mature than I am.”

“Oh, honey, if I'm even remotely insane it's your fault,” argued your mother, ruffling your hair.

Hi snickered behind his hand as you groaned.

“I can't believe you were worried about this, Hi. I'm obviously the only one who's being embarrassed here.”

He shook his head. “Nah, you take after her.”

“Oh no. Such an insult, I am wounded in my heart.”

“You don't have one,” quipped your mom.

“Nah, you really do,” insisted Hi. “You're both super nice.”

You didn't have to look at your mom to know she was flattered.

“I see why my daughter here likes you.”

“Please. Who couldn't like me?”

“Stop making my mom like you more than me.”

“That was so fun,” gushed Hi with a smile as you drove him home. “I can totally see the resemblance, aside from your height and your eyes and your facial structure and-.”

“I thought she was too awesome for you?” you teased, amused.

“Oh, she is. But in a good way. Like you. I love you even though I don't deserve you.”

Thrumming your fingers on the steering wheel, you fought the urge to roll your eyes at his cheesiness, adding, “I'm glad you got to meet her. And you didn't mess up as badly as you thought you would, so that's a plus, isn’t it?”

“For sure.” He gazed out the window, watching the river as you crossed it, the calm waters only lit by the moon. “You'd be good at it, you know.”

“At what? Meeting my mom?”

“No, no! At being a mom.” You turned to him, and almost immediately, your boyfriend blushed. “N-not to say that we should have one – I mean, like, we're still in high school – I mean, we could always do the – not to pressure you, I mean – why did I even start talking? Oh, look, it's my stop.”

You laughed. “Dork. I'll see you tomorrow?”

“If I haven't died yet of embarrassment,” he answered, pointing finger guns at you before unbuckling his seatbelt. “Thanks for driving me home, Y/N. I love you.”

“Love you too,” you responded, smiling as he cupped your cheek and quickly pressed his lips to yours.

He got out, and you watched his figure retreat, a hand resting over the gear shift but not changing it just yet, musing to yourself.

Would we be good parents?

There was absolutely no denying that you had considered, well, sex – after all, the two of you had been in a relationship for longer than two years, and had already dropped the 'l' bomb.

But actually going through with it? Another story entirely.

Not to mention, what if Chance heard us or something happened?

You were an accident, and you didn't want to be stuck with one, either.

Finally, you shifted into drive, letting the moonlit road take over your thoughts.

A/N: Thanks for reading. Hit me up with your thoughts! Part three is here!

[thecupcakeconsumer]

Mistake, Heartbreak, Hoping She’ll Wake - Hi Stolowitski x Claybourne!Reader

A/N: A little bit of a different format to celebrate the fact that I’ve never really had a request before! It’s more organised this way so I can say what I wanna say, I’m stealing the format from my other blog.

Request: “Hey, can you write a Hiram x reader? (Reader and Hiram are bf and gf) Where the @ gamemaster tries to hurt the reader and she almost dies and ends up in the hospital. Hiram serious for once tells her he loves her while she’s in a coma and she wakes up and cheesey shit?” Courtesy of @writers-block0o0

Navigation: Masterlist is here.

Taglist: None of y’all actually asked to be added to my taglist so I feel a bit pretentious here with this, but here goes, I hope y’all lovelies enjoy - @themorrisislandpack, @shelton-devers, @viralgonepsych-o,  @virgosfr3ckles,  @quaintnessandqueerness, @parvovirusxpb-19, @eatsleepcringerepeat, @waterlovescake.

Summary: As Chance Claybourne’s half-sister, life has never been easy - but when someone working against your closest friends kidnaps you, it’s a matter of life and death all dependent on when and if they can get to you. Takes place during Code.

Warnings: Language - “damn”, “bastard”, and I think at least three (3) uses of the Lord’s name in vain, which might offend some people. Also, firearms mentions. Kidnapping. Blood mentions. It’s somewhat violent. Don’t read this to your kids, please. Just a bad idea.

Word Count: 4,008 (I usually don’t add that but damn I wanted you to know this is not a short oneshot!)

Other Notes: I hope I’ve fulfilled this request as well as the requester wanted, considering how long it took me to get around to it! (I’m still sorry!) Anyway, here goes nothing.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” murmured Shelton as they sat in the bunker, gathered around the iPad on which the next clue was scheduled to appear.

“Shelton,” sighed Hi, “you’ve always got a bad feeling. How bad can it…”

He trailed off as the iPad flickered on, revealing a video of a girl that they knew all too well.

“Y/N,” whispered Ben as the Gamemaster’s vile laugh filled the room.

“Isn’t she beautiful?” asked the man rhetorically, face not visible as a knife was dragged across her skin, barely touching it. “Have fun finding her.”

The video stopped, and a timer appeared on screen, giving them four hours.

“No. This can’t be happening. This cannot be happening,” muttered Hi, getting up and starting to pace.

Tory stared in mute disbelief at the screen as the numbers started to count down before finally opening her mouth. “We have to find her. Hi, calm down. I know you’re concerned but this is not the time to be panicking.”

“My girlfriend is being held captive. By a madman!” Hi flailed his arms in the air for emphasis. “By someone who's probably going to kill her, how can I not panic? Why aren’t you panicking? How aren’t you panicking? We were supposed to go on a date, this was supposed to be a normal day, I was finally ready to-”

He sat down, too choked up with tears threatening to fall to continue.

“When was the last time we saw her?” asked Tory. “Shelton, you had tech with her. Do you remember what she said she was going to do?”

“She rode home with Chance,” offered Ben, causing all eyes in the room to turn to him. “Y/N rode home with Chance. She always does on Wednesdays. It’s why she hates them.”

Tory, Ben, Shelton and Hi all knew it was no secret that you weren’t exactly fond of your half brother – since you had been forced to move in with him and your father around the time that Tory moved to Morris Island, the two of you had never quite gotten along.

Not near as well as you got along with the Morris Island crew, anyway – you and Ben were like brother and sister, while you had been dating Hi for six months strong.

“We’ve got to find her. Who knows what he’s-” Hi struggled to keep down a sob “-done to her.” He turned to Tory. “How strong is your nose?”

You aren’t used to things going so fast, but with Hi, it never feels like you’re rushing things – and besides, amidst all of the adventures that your friends have managed to get up to since being infected, it’s hardly like your relationship is the least stable thing in either of your lives.

In fact, as Hi once put it, “it’s nice to have something that feels real for once when the rest of your day feels like a dream.”

Ironically enough, he was eating a Twinkie while saying this and ardently defended the golden snack’s “realness” when you brought it up.

A knock on your door startled you out of your reverie, but the moment you opened your mouth to answer, you frowned.

Who would knock on your door in this house? Currently, only your half-brother, Chance, lived here – not even your father was here anymore, considering his current occupation of serving a life sentence in prison.

Since moving in a few years ago, Chance had never come to your room, considering the two of you did not get along well. In fact, you were about certain that he wasn’t even home at the moment.

“Who’s there?”

Nobody answered, and you started to think that you must have imagined whatever you heard.

Oh well, can’t hurt to be sure. You padded across the carpeted room before pulling open the door.

You don’t even get the chance to scream as a hand claps over your mouth, and despite your struggle, you can’t twist to see the owner of said hand before you pass out.

A combination of Tory’s sense of smell, enhanced by flaring, along with a touch of technological tracing on Shelton’s part had them following a trail of blood through the woods not far from downtown Charleston.

“Are you sure we shouldn’t have gotten backup?” asked Shelton nervously. “Maybe the police would have been good to bring into this, considering he’s probably armed.”

Tory turned to him, yellow eyes gleaming in the darkness of late evening. “Yes, Shelton, and how were we supposed to explain how we found him? It’s better to keep the police out of this. We just solve the puzzle, grab Y/N, and nobody gets hurt.” I hope, was what she didn’t say, but it was what all of them heard anyway.

The four stopped abruptly as the fading sun cast light upon a dark building in the middle of the world, a shack inconspicuous enough that they would never have looked at it twice, but also a shack where the trail ended.

“He’s probably got cameras up around the place,” offered Ben, frowning as he took it in.

“Ben, can you check if there’s any windows? That seems safer than trying to get in through the front door.” He nodded at Tory’s request as she continued to survey it.

Before Ben had moved five steps, a shrill screech came from inside the shack, the scream loud to even the three of the four who hadn’t flared and bringing Tory to her knees, hands clapped over her ears a moment too soon. “Quick.”

The tallest of the boys disappeared into the trees to survey the perimeter as Hi sweated through his shirt, nervously wringing his hands.

“I can’t believe she got dragged into this,” he mumbled under his breath, the sound still audible in the silence of dusk. “This is all my fault. I should have gone all Harry Potter to her Ginny and broken up with her to protect her.”

“Hi.” Shelton grabbed him by the shoulders. “We all know how well that worked. Stop it. Y/N needs you right now.”

The other boy nodded, hardly hearing him as Ben came back. “There’s two windows. One is the room they’re in. One is near it. I think they’ll hear us if we break through there.”

“Front door it is.”

Ignoring the sense of foreboding that came upon them as they approached, the four walked up to the front door, Shelton testing the handle.

Easily, it turned and opened, not even locked.

“Either they just got here, or he was expecting us.” Shelton made to enter but Ben yanked him back by the collar.

“There’s no telling how he’s rigged this place. It’d probably be best if we all flared.”

“But won’t he see?”

Hi rolled his eyes. “Listen. If this Joker is really so mad as to try and steal from us and take Y/N while he’s at it, God knows what other crazy thoughts he’s got going on in his head. Who’s he gonna tell that will believe him?”

He was the first to flare, and soon, four pairs of gleaming yellow stood in the front corridor of a single-story shack that couldn’t have looked more like it was out of a horror movie if it tried.

Firearms from Glocks to AK-47s lined the walls and hung on racks, and a sickening spatter of blood on the floor had splashed onto the couch nearby.

It was a gruesome scene that made Shelton visibly shudder as they continued through the room, Ben grabbing one of the pistols off its rack and switching off the safety.

He hoped to God they wouldn’t have to use it.

“Oh, please, you’re pathetic,” a voice sounded through the walls, so muffled that only Shelton picked up on it at first. “Your friends are going to help you? How cute. You know why they didn’t drag you into this, hm? It’s because they don’t think you’re special. They don’t think you’re strong enough… because there’s always been a line dividing you and those four, huh?”

“They’re AP. They’re special. They’ve always been smarter than you and they didn’t think you would be enough of an asset to help them solve this… it’s a shame, really. If they’d have told you, maybe you wouldn’t have opened a door to a stranger.”

Now in the room next to the one in which the Gamemaster was talking.

“They have an hour and fifteen minutes left. Maybe if they rush enough, they’ll follow the clues and get here in an hour. Are you worth rushing for, sweetheart?”

Now they could hear your hardly there response, not even comprehensible due to the gag in your mouth around which you struggled to speak.

Shelton slowly started to push open the door, the dark-skinned hand trembling on the knob before he took a deep breath, turning it and finally swinging the door open in one fluid motion.

‘Shelton!’ you tried to shout through the duct tape on your mouth, using the distraction to hook your tongue around it and finally using your teeth to take the makeshift gag into your mouth.

“Please tell me my badass girlfriend just managed to eat the duct tape,” whispered Hi.

You turned to him, eyes wide, and found your boyfriend’s almost permanent smile had dropped, even his eyes showing the pain that coming upon you in such a state had brought him.

It was Ben who spoke first of the four, entering the room with his gun pointed straight at the Gamemaster. “Let her go.”

“Let her go?” repeated the man, before latching a hand on your hair and tugging hard enough to elicit a sharp yelp from you. “Sure.”

He dragged you across the room before any of the four could do anything, coming to a staircase you hadn’t known was there before throwing you down the steps, your head knocking painfully against the wall on your way down.

Black swarmed your vision as you heard footsteps scrabble on the floor above, Tory’s almost always confident voice sounding fragile in her next words.

“You’ll pay for this.”

They were an hour early, but even so, the Gamemaster had an escape plan, his final words the last you heard before succumbing to the darkness.

“You’ll have to catch me first.”

The time was nine o'clock – coincidentally, exactly the same time at which Hi had made a reservation for dinner for the two of you.

You hadn’t even gotten the chance to get ready for the night out that he had been planning for weeks, and now you were in a hospital gown.

Between his well-conditioned upper body and the enhancement that flaring provided to him, Ben had managed to carry you back to the car, the four and you fitting awkwardly, considering you were unconscious and bleeding from where the wound on your wrist had reopened – the same wound from which the blood dripping made the trail they had followed.

None of the four had spoken, Hi taking your head in his lap and doing a silent inventory of the bruises on you, trying to find where the blood spatter in the room had originated.

You weren’t spotless, but there was certainly nothing to suggest it had come from you.

They had taken you to the hospital, saying you had fallen down the stairs and gone unconscious, and still, you hadn’t woken up.

It had been an hour and Hi was already worried sick.

“This is all my fault!” he cried, pacing the room. “You heard what he said in there. Maybe I should have told her about this, that there’s a mad psycho on our asses! I’ve never kept anything like this from her before. She knows about us, for God’s sake!”

Visiting hours were over and the four wanted nothing more than to see you.

“Hi. Your mother will be worried sick. We’ve got to get you home.” Ben, always the voice of reason, clapped his hands on the other boy’s shoulders from behind. “She’ll be fine. She needs time to recover after that. Worrying in here won’t get you anywhere.”

Your boyfriend only started pacing faster. “Six months. This is our six month anniversary! We’re supposed to be out on a date, not here! I should never have dragged her into our nonsense. It was all or nothing and I kept things from her and now I’m going to lose her!” He turned back to Ben, unshed tears glimmering in his eyes. “I don’t want to lose her. I can’t lose her! She’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me and I’m in love with her, damn it! I can’t lose her because of that bastard!”

Exhausted, he fell onto the chair next to Shelton, putting his head in his hands.

“Hi. Let’s get you home. We’ll come back tomorrow, I promise.”

He nodded blankly, getting up and following Tory out, accepting the reassuring squeeze on the shoulder that Ben offered.

Even so, Ben would never stop blaming himself for what had happened to you – for the mess that he had gotten them into.

If I hadn’t told him about her, this would never have happened.

A week’s worth of missed work from your classes piled up on the table next to you - even if you weren’t in AP like the Virals all were, high school was demanding nonetheless - and Hi sighed, glancing at it before sitting next to you.

“Hi, Y/N. It’s me. Hi. I’ve said my name twice now.” He laughed, but even with nobody in the room to hear it, it sounded forced. “You’ve been asleep for a week now. I know even you need your beauty sleep, but you’re worrying me to death and worry is not a good look on me. This bod was not made for stressing.”

Drifting in and out of consciousness, you felt your limbs like dead weights and your boyfriend’s voice, usually light but now heavy with his pain, providing a familiarity in this foreign environment. His next words were the first you heard.

“I need you, Y/N. I like to think I don’t need anyone but I’m wrong. I’m always wrong. I need your voice, your smile, to run my fingers through your hair and to touch your skin and have it warmer than me. I-I’ve been wanting to tell you for ages now, and I finally worked up the guts to do it. I was going to take you out to dinner and then I was going to take you into that one cheese shop that’s always open late and tell you ‘now that I’m surrounded by cheese, it’ll seem a bit less cheesy when I say this: I love you’ and then kiss you amidst all the cheeses whose names I can’t pronounce.”

“I rehearsed that for weeks, Y/N, and I’m honestly shocked that you would take that away from me considering it’s the best thing I ever came up with. It’s been a week but it feels like I’ve gained ten years.”

“I love you. Please come back to me. If it’s the homework you’re hiding from, I’ll pay off Shelton to do it and I might even help him. But please, I can’t lose you.”

You couldn’t fight back your smile anymore, and honestly, considering how long you had slept, you considered it somewhat rude to pretend to do the same.

“What’re you dreaming about?” He had evidently noticed your smile. “Is it Twinkies? Those dreams are the best.”

Your throat felt dry and scratchy with your reply. “Better than a dream. It’s you.”

You finally lifted your eyelids open, struggling to keep them so as you adjusted to the light in the room and the brightness in the eyes of Hiram Stolowitski, who was grinning despite the tears that you could see on his cheeks.

“Y/N.”

“I heard all of that, you sap.”

“Y/N!” He threw his arms around you before loosening them, remembering you were injured. “You jerk. I can’t believe you’d fake being asleep like that after being asleep for a week.”

Odd, his summarizing exactly what you had just been thinking. Then again, that was exactly what made the two of you mesh so well together - you were kindred spirits.

“Water?” You hated the sensation that your words caused as he nodded vigorously, pulling a bottle from his backpack.

“Here. Drink and reflect on your actions.”

He smiled lopsidedly at you as you drank, the water feeling divine as you were parched. “You’re here. I can’t believe you’re here. I thought you’d never wake up, or when you did it’d be like one of those seven-year comas and then you wouldn’t recognize me because I’d be so old and my young attractiveness was gone.”

“Hi. You’re fifteen.”

You shook your head at his antics, struggling to sit up and breathing a sigh of relief as he helped you, adjusting the pillows and grabbing a couple from the floor. “I may or may not have nabbed these from one of the storage rooms.”

Raising your eyebrows, you looked at him doubtfully.

“Fine, fine. It was Ben’s idea.”

Finally able to look him in the eye, you smiled again, before grabbing his face in your hands and kissing him.

Hard.

With tongue.

He’d be talking about this for weeks.

Smiling as you pressed your forehead to this, you whispered, “I love you too, you big dolt.”

“I mean, who couldn’t? Have you seen my muscles?” He pumped his arm as if to prove it, causing the two of you to laugh. “I’m sorry, I should have told you about the Gamemaster, I never expected he would go after you.”

“Hey, it’s the first thing you’ve ever kept from me, aside from your signature pizza recipe.”

“Which you’ll still never get.”

You stuck your tongue out at him, taking another gulp of water. “I’m your badass girlfriend who knows how to get duct tape off her mouth with her hands tied, and you can’t even tell me how to make a pizza? I’m starting to think I’m not good enough for you.”

Pressing a loud, wet kiss to your cheek, Hi replied, “You’re too good for me, Y/N, but you’re still never getting that. Maybe one day when I’m on my deathbed and you’re my next of kin, I’ll whisper it to you dramatically but miss the last ingredient and then the recipe will die with me.”

You pushed him. “No death jokes. Insensitive.”

“Irreplaceable.”

Your boyfriend grinned widely at you and you resisted the urge to gag at his cheesiness. “Where are the others?”

“What, am I not good enough for you?” He shook his head. “I don’t know. I think they’ll be here later. I came right after school. We’ve been in every day. Your brother’s been collecting your homework for you. Chance. He’s been worried sick about you, ya know. Something about how he should’ve been home, shouldn’t have left you in that ginormous place alone.”

You nodded, finding it hard to believe. “Huh. I doubt it’ll last once he realizes I’m back to my old, annoying self again.”

“Please. You could never be annoying.”

Hi’s gaze traveled your face as if he was taking it in for the first time. “I’m so glad you’re back.”

“Me too.” You grinned. “I’m still holding you to that, though. I’m not in any fit state to do all of this work.”

“Please. I’d have done it all if it meant getting you back.”

“Liar. You would at least have delegated some to Shelton.”

He held up his hands in surrender. “What can I say? You know me too well.”

“I’ll never know too much about you. I love you.”

A kick at the door made you look up, revealing the other three of the pack looking sheepish.

“Were you spying on us?” gasped out Hi, pointing an accusatory finger. “Honestly. You’re so depraved.”

“If it helps,” offered Tory, “we’ve only been here since you talked about Chance.”

“You are all horrible eavesdroppers and I don’t know why I’m friends with you,” you murmured, shaking your head with a laugh. “Also, who kicked the door?”

“In my defense, I was aiming for Ben,” retorted Shelton, brushing himself off.

“What? It’s not my fault I can’t stand these two.”

You threw one of the pillows that Ben himself had stolen, scowling as he caught it.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen any of you flare,” you said quietly, even if they could all hear you anyway. “I never knew your eyes went yellow.”

“Hopefully you don’t get yourself into more danger that we have to save you from,” replied Tory. “How are you? Suffering from cavities due to this charmer’s sweetness?”

You shrugged. “Honestly, just tired.”

Hi gasped dramatically. “You’ve been sleeping for a week and you want to sleep more? Honestly, Y/N, priorities.”

“I was joking,” you said with a laugh as the pillow was thrown back at you.

Looking up to the doorway murderously, you saw Ben hold his hands up as if to say ‘I didn’t do it’ and noticed a shadow behind him.

Chance.

“You’re not allowed to do that again,” he spoke, leaning against the doorway as the other three moved to offer him space. “No falling down staircases. In fact, it’s probably a good idea to just avoid them altogether.”

You scowled at him. “Like you avoid me?”

“Yes. Exactly. Good talk.” He left the room, leaving you staring at the door in confusion.

“He cares,” offered Tory, watching his retreating figure. “In his own way.”

You shrugged. “I don’t need him. I have you. And that’s enough.”

Ben mimed throwing up. “Stop listening to Thickburger here,” he laughed, ruffling Hi’s hair as he crossed the room. “I liked you better when you were feisty.”

“Uh-huh. Like you aren’t sappy, mister I-Steal-Pillows-From-Hospitals.”

He turned on Hi. “You, sir, are the biggest snitch.”

“Hey, she was the one who said it couldn’t be me. Checkmate, Ben. She knows what a big sap you are.”

Nodding along with his words, you couldn’t help but smile, glad to be back with Tory and her boys.

Like it or not, Ben and Shelton were like brothers to you, far superior to Chance, in your eyes, and Tory the sister you never had.

Hi was the best boyfriend you could have asked for, and the fact that they were all here and you weren’t still with the Gamemaster just proved that, no matter what he might have said to the contrary.

“So, Y/N, how about we get a jumpstart on that homework?”

“God, Shelton, stop being such a buzzkill,” you sighed, shaking your head. 

“Hey. Hi’s the fun one, Ben’s the strong one, it falls to me to be the boring, smart one,” he replied with a shrug, eyes widening when Tory turned to him with her hands on her hips.

“And what does that make me?”

“The bossy one?”

She punched him lightly on the arm, exchanging a glance with you. “Boys. Honestly. They smell, too.”

“I haven’t showered in a week.”

“Gross!” exclaimed Hi, jumping away from the bed, before laughing. “We should probably let you get dressed. Come on, come on, shoo, guys, give the lady her room.”

He ushered them out, before leaning back into the room to wink at you. “I love you, Y/N.”

“I love you, Hiram.”

You felt warm even under the thin cotton sheets and the flimsy hospital gown, the heat coming from your heart, and the knowledge that no matter what, your friends would always be there for you.

They never made you feel like the weaker one, no matter what the Gamemaster had said.

Having friends like these just made you stronger, and you loved them for it.

“Shut up, Hi! You’re like a lovesick puppy!”

“Yeah? You think we haven’t noticed how you look at - hey! What was that for?”

Quirks and all.

A/N: Fun, fun, fuuuuun! That didn’t take near as long as I expected. Which is a good thing, I wouldn’t want to keep people waiting. Thanks so much for reading!

[thecupcakeconsumer]

Seeing Red pt. 5 - Infection

A/N: Okay! This isn't exactly a full chapter with a discernable plot so much as it is a series of scenes, but I really liked the quite welcome change. Drabbles, I'd call it, but they're all about 500-750 words, so it's more like short shorts. All filled exactly one letter-size page in 12 pt. font, that's the only deciding factor, and they do go in order of appearance! 

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 (You are here!)

Request: Technically this wasn't asked for. But it contains some thoughts that I discussed with @writers-block0o0​. I'm sad to see this end, but, of course, I've got tons more ideas to pursue with this reader! Anyone can request them, or anything Virals-related, in my message box, asks, comments, I really don't care how you reach me!

Navigation: Masterlist is here.

Taglist: @writers-block0o0​, @imaginesbyemma​, I tag by request for pairings/series/fandoms.

Summary: You may have lost what made you different, but it's resurfaced, and the impacts haven't been buried. In interacting with others in your life, you find relationships redefined, as you share those close to you a part of yourself.

Warnings: Puns, feels, and fluff. All of the segments are puntitled, and we also have (entirely safe) underage driving. I may have, for once in my life, managed to have this entirely clean!

Word Count: 3,131

Other Notes: Female reader. Post-Terminal, pre-Spike. (It goes Shock, Swipe, Spike, Shift, right? It's Shock, Shift, Swipe, Spike. I'll never get that order right).

Furtively Different

“So, that's... that's how it is?”

Shelton narrowed his eyes at you.

The last one of your closest friends you had told, and the look he was giving you was making you start to regret – if only in the slightest – not choosing to keep Tory or Ben or Hi with you for support.

Instead, you had loaded it onto him at lunch, and only now, standing in the hallway outside of your tech classroom, could he react.

You had waited until everything resolved itself to choose to potentially widen the gap between you and the pack – because you weren't sure that you could have faced this divided.

Not that it had made much of a difference. Your flaring abilities had been stripped, experiments conducted, and none of you were near the same... though your infection had started to resurface in the strangest of ways.

Your flare color and abilities hadn't gone away, they had simply... changed. And by that, you meant that the red you had once had danced around the color wheel to a dark blue while Tory and her boys' flaring took the form of light blue eyes and communication almost without borders.

Though you wouldn't really know much about the telepathy. Just as your eyes were darker than the pack's now, the same abilities had been used for a darker purpose, taking advantage of the strength and the individuals but never with any of the same links that seemed to bring together your best friends.

“Yeah, that's how it is now,” you finally answered, bringing yourself back to the moment.

He let out a low whistle. “Tell me, does your Trinity know how to count?”

That was what he was commenting on?

“Ella, Will and Cole were the voluntary members,” you explained. “Chance was the unofficial orchestrator that Will didn't really like to acknowledge, and then I was pretty much the bargaining chip between the two. He got control over them, they got control over me.”

“I know where he lives.”

“So do I,” you added apprehensively. “Wait, what are you saying?”

“Nothing,” responded Shelton a little too quickly. “Nothing, Y/N. I just can't believe I wasn't invited to your girls' night with your boyfriend and girlfriend.”

“Awww, Shelousy, I'll sit through all your One Direction albums with you to make it up to you.”

“Do that and I might just forget that you called me Shelousy.”

“Deal!”

Unable to resist the urge, you threw your arms around his neck in a hug.

“This is new. Do we usually hug?”

Despite his words, Shelton's arms tightened around your waist, returning the sentiment.

“We do now. Suck it up.”

He laughed. “Or what? You'll sink your canines into me?”

“Are you really pulling a Hi?” you asked, pulling back to stare fixedly at him. “I would say you're doggone mad.”

The hallway's artificial light glinting off his glasses, Shelton shook his head. “You're barking up the wrong tree.”

“Damn. This is really ruff.”

“Not feeling it here? I can take you to LIRI. You'd fit right in with the labs.”

“Oh, please, I'll have you eating your words so fast you'll be wolfing them down.”

“Just stop,” bemoaned Jason, causing you to startle as you remembered that you weren't the only people in the hallway. “Please. For the good of everyone.”

In perfect unison, you and Shelton retorted, “Don't hound us about it,” before high-fiving.

“But, come to think of it, we really should stop.”

“Agreed.”

“Oh, thank God.”

Driving Me Crazy

Tap, tap, tap.

Dark eyes, the cobalt blue of a deep ocean, regarded idly the repeated motion against the desk.

Heightened hearing could not only hear the tapping, but its resonance through the dark wood.

Your new control over your flaring had taken some getting used to, but you had gradually become more accepting of it.

Curious, how though accepting its effects and giving into the flare, you had never quite consciously come to terms with the fact that you would be forever biologically changed by it.

You couldn't just go to the doctor and have bloodwork done, nor could you ever consider yourself entirely human.

Human, there's a thought. “What's the difference between human and humane?”

“Deep.”

The voice, recognizable immediately, was easy for you to place in the room, and you threw the pencil at Chance without even having to look back from your comfortable seat in the office chair.

He moved out of the way. Damn.

“Can we talk?”

SNUP

Grateful for being able to quell your flare instantly now, you spun around. “About what?”

“Anything.”

“Anything?” you repeated. “Grab the keys.”

Chance, confused, nonetheless walked forward as you herded him out of your room and down the stairs, obliging your request as you pulled on your shoes.

“Where do you want to-?” “Pass the keys.”

“You can't drive. It's not even legal, you don't have a permit.”

When you didn't respond, he crossed his arms over his chest, affixing you with a stern look, in as close to a show of responsibility over you as he had ever gotten.

“Are you asking me to teach you to drive?”

“No. I'm telling you that if you want to talk it'll be about the gear shift.”

Chance continued his staring for just a moment longer before nodding. “Let's go, then.”

For as long as you had known him, you had never seen Chance in the passenger seat of his own car – which served to you as a sign that he

“What's brought this on?” you asked with a side glance, accidentally putting on the wrong turn signal and quickly correcting the mistake. “You're breaking the law to hang out with me.”

“Not my first time breaking the law,” he commented under his breath. “You're my sister.”

You raised your eyebrows at the stop sign ahead of you. “Did you do a genetics test, or...?”

“If I'm responsible for a human life, it's useful for that human to actually communicate. I've made mistakes. Huge mistakes. You were kidnapped. Once by a psychopath, once by the government.”

“And…?”

“And that wouldn't have happened if I had listened to you for once. So I'm here. And I'm ready to talk to you about anything.”

“Anything?” The word was dangerous. It should have been outlawed years ago.

“Anything.”

“Have you ever had gay thoughts for Jason Taylor?”

The glimpse you managed of his expression was priceless. “The hell kind of question is that?”

“Unless,” you added with a wide grin, “you'd like to start this new relationship by lying to me-”

“I haven't had gay thoughts for Jason Taylor!” he sputtered, then paused. “More than once.”

“So you have had them!” Lifting your foot off the gas at a stoplight, you raised the roof triumphantly. “Called it.”

Frying My Nerves

“Eyes on the road, Y/N,” muttered Chance, but the corner of his mouth turned up in a smile.

“Y/N! Over here!” You looked up curiously, seeing Tory stand and wave at your lunch table.

Approaching, you realized she was the only one there. “Where are-?”

“Oh, they're around. Somewhere. I just wanted to make sure you saw me.” She smiled.

“Tory. We always sit here, and in case you hadn't noticed, there's not that many redheads in this school,” you teased, but nonetheless sat down. “How's it going with you and Ben?”

Sighing, Tory asked, “Since when are you into girl talk?”

“No, we're talking about your boy, silly. Duh.” Leaning forward on your hands, you gave her your attention. “Tell me, does that darkness and mystery about him lend passion to your relationship?”

Her smile twisted downward into an oh, really? look. “Yeah, you're insufferable.”

“You didn't answer the question, unless – wait, you said yeah, was that my answer?”

The other girl didn't answer, only waggled her eyebrows. “It's… a little tense, but also intense.”

“Tense as in…?” you prompted.

“As in I literally made out with your-”

You covered your ears. “Ew, ew, ew! Disgusting! No more boy talk. Ever again. You ruined it.”

“No, we can still do boy talk. With the alarmingly small number of tolerable girls in this school,  I need to keep my options open.” Tory grinned nonetheless at your reaction. “He's not bad.”

“Who's not bad? And at what?” you asked, tilting your head to the side.

“They're both not bad at kissing.”

Groaning, you grit out, “Stop, stop, those are my brothers.”

“Brothers?” she repeated, copying your motion of tilting her head.

“Brothers. Friends. Same difference,” you scoffed, but you wouldn't take it back any time soon.

“It's just… weird.” Tory stole a fry off of your tray, waving it in the air as she spoke. “Ben and I. Normal boyfriends, you'd introduce them to your parents and then your dad would give them the whole what-are-your-intentions-with-my-daughter speech and you'd be super embarrassed. But he and Kit already know each other.” She put the fry in her mouth, brow furrowing. “We haven't really gone on any real dates, either. What did you and Hi do?”

“Well, Hi's never met my parents, if that's what you're asking,” you started, “and Chance doesn't really count, now, does he? They'd hate each other regardless of whether I was involved.”

“That's not what I meant. I meant, what did the two of you do for your first date?”

“I don't remember when it stopped being considered the two of us hanging out and started being dating,” you replied with a shrug. “He asked me to be his girlfriend in front of the Pineapple Fountain, I remember, and I almost shoved him in I was so surprised. I guess that would've been our first date.”

“Wait, he asked you to be his girlfriend there?” Tory snickered.

“What, you never knew? After that he started singing, 'Who's in front of a pineapple beside the sea? Hi's new girl-friend' and I broke up with him for all of five minutes.”

She stole another fry from the tray you hadn't touched. “So when Hi says he's been in more than one relationship with a beautiful girl more than once he's not lying?”

“I don't know. He might just be talking about his mother,” you mused in response with a laugh.

Tory's expression shifted. “You know, I think you're really strong and resilient and loyal.”

“What do you want?” you asked suspiciously.

“It just came to mind, with all that happened. And I'm glad you're willing to talk about it.”

Even so, you knew that part of the reason she forgave you so readily is because after what Ben had done to earn her affection, the grudge that Tory had held impacted her pack and her relationship.

She wouldn't let misunderstanding stand between her and the ones she loved again.

“Sure, sure, just make sure you call my cell and not the house phone next time you need me.”

“That was one time!” Her freckles were obscured by her furious blush.

“Yes, but the fact that you knew I was home and didn't consider Chance and started gushing about how I think I might have a problem, it's heavier than usual, it's painful and-”

“Shut up, shut up!”

Assailance at Sea

“Are you sure?”

Ben crossed his arms over his chest, raising both eyebrows. “Are you saying that I should leave you here on this beach alone, to whatever elements of nature, and your likely death?”

“Yes.” You laid in the sand, sprawling dramatically. “Leave me here. Let me die alone.”

“Get up, Y/N.” Stoic expression still in place, his voice betrayed his amusement.

“I won't burden you. I will become one with the sand. When you come back there will be naught to suggest my existence. You will walk on this beach and think of me, and wonder why.”

“I see why Hi and you mesh well together,” he commented, forcibly yanking you to your feet and onto Sewee. “I also see why he'll kill me if I let you die on this beach.”

“Awww, good to know, you're doing this for your own life and not mine.”

Ben's lips thinned. “That, and the fact that I want to talk to you.”

“Oh?” Your eyebrows arched, intrigued. “Recently everyone does. I should start charging.”

“Listen, I… you know Tory pretty well, right?”

“You want to talk about Tory? Really? First time alone with you in ages and you want to talk about your girlfriend? Honestly, you two are boring. Were Hi and I really this bad? Is this karma?”

“Yes,” he responded immediately, then adding, “Us two?”

“I will betray nothing of our private correspondences.”

“What if I offer you dirt on Hi?”

You didn't stop to contemplate for long. “She totally wants you to take her on a date.”

“He's thinking of asking you and Chance to dinner at his place with his parents.”

“No,” you breathed, eyes widening. “How do I know you're not lying?”

He shot you a blank stare. “Do you want to see the messages? “

“Wait, you have messages?” Lighting up, you proposed, “If you show me the messages I'll help you plan a date for Tory tonight on IM. Deal?”

“I'm betraying the integrity of the group chat in doing this,” he droned.

“Please. Like you care about the integrity of the group chat.”

“You know me so well.”

Ben passed his phone to you, and you lit up. “Wow. This is intense. So many messages.”

You frowned. “He really freaked out about this and proposed a role play while no one was on and then started acting as me, Chance, Linus and Ruth all by himself?”

“You know your drama queen.” He glanced over. “Wait, stop scrolling up!”

“You enabled me. You did this. This is international waters. I am bound by no law.”

“It's my boat. You're bound by the law of my fist.”

“Oh, Ben, you know exactly what to say to please a woman.”

Pretending to continue to scroll through the messages even as you had turned off the screen, you smiled to yourself, glad that the two of you were back to the way you always were.

You weren't sharing that much – Ben never had.

He was the closer-to-your-age and less frigid brother Chance wasn't, even if the story would probably be far different if the two of you lived in the same house and he had to drive you everywhere.

Still, he was like family.

“He's got characterization on point. Y/N: Wow, Mrs Stolowitski, these muffins are delicious. Hi: That's not the only delicious thing she's made. Chance: There's only so many things on this table.”

“None of us could read that. It was too painful.”

“It's like fanfiction. Can you imagine people making fanfiction about you?”

“You know Tumblr. It's a cesspool.”

“Morris Island is a cesspool. You're all criminals. Every one of you has committed a felony.”

“I guess we are.” Thinking you weren't looking, Ben broke out a grin. “Some of us steal hearts.”

“Benjamin Blue! You've been spending far too much time with Hi.”

“Any time is far too much time with that clown.”

Walking It Out

“Hey, sexy!”

You froze, hand at your side curling into a fist at the words, a voice you couldn't quite place.

“My beautiful babushka!”

Oh. It was only Hi. “You know that means grandma, don't you?”

Falling into step beside you, your boyfriend shrugged. “Doesn't matter. You'd make a beautiful grandma just like you make a beautiful girlfriend.”

“Oh, stop it.”

“You're blushing. I win!”

“I'm not blushing.” You rolled your eyes. “What's up? Did you just miss your ride home?”

“Worth it for you, but for the record, yes. Yes, I did. However, I have an excuse, and you're going to need to keep going straight here.”

“My house is to the right, though.” Tilting your head to the side, you chanced, “Are you high?”

“Yes, I am Hi, as a matter of fact. And you? Divine.” He grinned, a spring to his step as he half-tugged, half-dragged you in the wrong direction.

“I have a bag. I hope you aren't planning on taking me somewhere where they'll think I'm shoplifting. Or particularly far.”

Hi grabbed the bag off your shoulder. “Solved. Now I have you for as long as I want, right?”

“I finally convinced Chance to cook dinner, so you until my likely death by food poisoning.”

“When's he home?”

“Eight o'clock.”

“Plenty of time, plenty of time!” Your boyfriend smiled wider, if possible. “And I have your bag so you can't run away if you want to get your homework done.”

“Blackmail. Such lowliness you stoop to to get my attention.”

“Your attention is a sweet bliss as I do not deserve.” He grinned. “Guess where we're going?”

“There are so many places in downtown Charleston, I at least need a hint.”

“We've been there before.”

“Yeah, because that narrows down the options,” you drawled sarcastically, but soon processed your destination when one of two distinct fountains came into focus. “We're going to Waterfront Park?”

Hi applauded with a laugh. “You are indeed the genius that I gladly asked to be my girlfriend here. Yeah, we're going to Waterfront Park. You've been...” he drum-rolled on his thighs, “dated!”

“Tell me something I don't know.”

“You don't know that you're the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes on,” he replied.

Hi. Ever the charmer.

“Nor do you know that here – in the same park as the Pineapple Fountain, the Charleston symbol for hospitality and the accommodation of our small corner of the country, that which is south of the icy north's frigid and unwelcoming igloos and-”

“You're gushing because you're nervous about what you want to ask me, and you want specifically to ask me if I'll bring Chance – or, rather, he'll bring me – to your house to have dinner with your family because you feel our relationship has progressed enough that you would like me to meet your family, formally, as your long-term girlfriend and love.”

Now at a halt, it took several moments for Hi to regain control of his jaw to close his mouth.

When he finally managed to do so, his first words were, “What. The. Hell.”

Well, sorry, Ben, though it didn't seem that his first instinct was to blame one of the other boys.

“You're smarter than I thought. I mean, not that I didn't think you were smart. I thought you were smart – not smarter than Tory, I mean, I did but don't tell her that, and I guess you two are smart in different ways and-” He stopped, reaching a hand up to scratch the back of his neck. “So, yes?”

“Yes, I'll have dinner with your family.” Smiling demurely, you added, “If Chance agrees.”

“I'll take my chances.”

He scrambled to find his footing as you attempted to push him into the fountain. “Assault!”

A/N: That’s done! I’m glad and sad at the same time. I’m working on something else for this world, and damn, I’ll get to work on a masterlist soon because this is most definitely getting intense. Thanks for reading!

[thecupcakeconsumer]

Seeing Red pt. 1 - Injection

A/N: Welcome to part one of a five-part series about the same Claybourne reader and Hi as my others. Enjoy!

Part 1 (You are here!) | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Request: @writers-block0o0​ asked for some more with the same Claybourne reader, with the question “what if she was a Viral too?” She's still Hi's girlfriend, but this is less about them as a couple and more about her!

Navigation: Masterlist is here.

Taglist: @writers-block0o0​. Tell me if you want to be added, because I’d love to add you.

Summary: Something's up with your half-brother, and there's no telling what it is. With his new job at Candela Pharmaceuticals, you expect him to be concerned with his work, but that doesn't explain how much time he's been spending in your father's study.

Warnings: There's no swearing in here! Not that I can tell, anyway, which is really quite surprising. However, it does contain needles, blood mentions, and vomiting, so there's always that.

Word Count: 2,345. Yes, really.

Other Notes: Female reader, and yes, this will have a part two! (Spoiler alert: it’s going to be a series.)

Something was up with Chance Claybourne.

Living almost alone with his half-sister, one didn't see him much around the house, but recently he had spent a suspiciously long amount of time in his father's study.

Our father's study, you tried to remind yourself, padding along the hallway in your socks, exhausted.

You walked by the door to the study, before pausing a moment and putting your ear to the door.

“Useless!” muttered Chance under his breath, the distinct thump on the desk what could only be him hitting it. “It makes no sense.”

Footsteps that started to near the door signaled not only that your brother was wearing shoes in the house, but that he was going to exit, and you scrambled away from the door, walking back so it would appear that you were approaching the study again.

The door swung open, hitting the wall with a loud bang, and Chance stormed out, startling when he saw you so close before starting to near you.

Backing away instinctively, you asked nervously, “Chance, why are yo- what's that in your hand?”

The long metal tip that was pointed out from his hand could only have been that of a syringe, and, terrified, you yelped as he pushed you against the wall.

“I'm sorry.”

He knocked you up the back of your head, sharply forcing your head forward and causing you to black out for a moment from the sudden loss of oxygen to your brain.

When you came to a few moments later, you were on the floor, your brother nowhere to be seen, and feeling the same as you had a moment ago but trepidation crawling its way through your skin.

What did he to to me?

Walking into the kitchen the next day after school, your eyes darted around the room, looking for what was out of place in the usually spotless room.

You saw it.

Raw ground beef, unwrapped but still on its tray, dripping.

Gross.

Who would leave that out? Unless it was a subliminal message telling you to cook dinner, there was no reason to have such a thing on the counter.

It looks good.

You froze, your eyes focusing on it, the urge making you want to vomit.

No, no, no, that's disgusting, there is no way I'm eating that. Realizing suddenly how close you had come, standing in front of the counter before even knowing that you had moved, you backed away.

To the other side of the counter.

Out of the room, for good measure.

What was that?

You walked decisively to your room, closing the curtains, before sitting down on your bed and pulling out your homework, hoping to take your mind off of what had just happened.

It was a shame that algebra wasn't intellectually stimulating enough to absorb you fully and keep you from your thoughts.

What had just happened in the kitchen was most definitely not normal. While it was a tendency of yours to check what was in the fridge right after getting home from school, you never would have pulled out any raw meats, nor noticed them as you just had.

So what had it been that possessed you in that instant, to think that the globs that were useless unless cooked were something that you wanted to eat?

“Y/N?”

“Chance?” What are you doing home? “Buzz off.”

You were still mad at him over what had happened yesterday, though you still weren't sure of how much of that you had imagined. After all, since what happened with the Gamemaster, you had had far too many intrusive thoughts and imagined being knocked out by a stranger in a thousand ways.

It wouldn't have been the first time.

Then, “I thought you were working late?”

“I got off early.”

It seemed too convenient.

“When did you get home?”

“Just a couple of minutes before you.”

“You left something on the counter.”

“Did I? I'm surprised you noticed.”

You scowled at the door suspiciously before proceeding to ignore the person on the other side in favor of silently wondering why he had been acting so strange recently without his voice to prompt more questions.

Lunch had never been so awkward as it was here, sitting with Ben, Tory, Shelton and, of course, Hi, and it certainly wasn't because of the conversation.

Oh, no. While it wasn't always interesting, the attitudes of everyone made any discussion topic into something far more passionate than it usually was. That wasn't the problem.

The problem was that you couldn't bring yourself to eat the food in front of you, and the first bite of your salad had almost made you gag.

In fact, you'd been nauseous even before that, almost passing out in the hall and catching yourself just in time on your way to the cafeteria.

“He was too,” argued Hi, as you tuned in to the conversation, before pulling out his English textbook, turning to the page on which Shakespeare's portrait was and holding it up to his face. “Wherefore art thou, oh opium? A poppy by any other name would taste as sweet. Perhaps I doth need to eat some more of this.”

Shelton and Tory snickered while Ben groaned at his impression of the English poet, complete with a ridiculous accent, but you didn't even crack a smile.

“Y/N?” Hi poked you on the arm which was holding up your head. “That was hilarious. Why aren't you laughing?”

“Sorry, it was so funny I forgot to laugh,” you replied bitterly, glaring at the back of some random student's head for lack of any better place to look.

Your boyfriend looked from you to Ben. “She's behaving like you, Blue. Which can only mean one thing, and that's that you infected her with your updog!”

“Shut up, Hi. That didn't work the last fifty times, what makes you think it'll work now?”

At least I'm not the only person in a foul mood. Shame it wasn't as common for you as it was for the oldest of your friend group.

“I'm going to the washroom,” you announced abruptly, standing and ignoring how you almost collapsed.

“Don't fall in! I love you but there's a line!” called Hi as you left.

Though grateful for the quiet that started to bring back your appetite, it certainly wasn't a salad that you were hungering for.

Like the other day, all that you wanted was meat, and the very thought was disconcerting as you turned and entered the bathroom, going to the sink and washing your hands, hoping the coolness of the water would help to jerk you back into reality.

Looking up at the mirror, what you saw caused you to blink rapidly, not convinced that it could be real.

You leaned forward to try and see more clearly what you had thought you had seen – a fringe of vibrant red around your iris, the flecks seeming to fade before your, well, eyes.

I must be imagining things.

“Y/N?” Tory frowned at you concernedly from the doorway of the bathroom, startling you. “Everything okay? That time of the month?”

Desperate for any way to explain what was happening, you found yourself nodding in agreement.

“Want some chocolate?”

Chocolate. The very thought was repulsive for some reason, tinging your skin with green as the nausea you had managed to distract yourself from worked its way to the surface, and you scrambled to move into a stall before chucking up what little you had managed to eat.

“This isn't just your period, is it?” asked Tory, holding back your hair. “Does it have something to do with Hi? You’re not as you usually - did the two of you?” 

“Jesus Christ, no! I think it's just a stomach bug. Probably just a twenty-four hour thing. I'll stop in at the nurse's office and get some Pepto, I should be fine.”

“Can I grab you anything? Are you sure you want to stay the rest of the day?” If there was one thing that could be said for Victoria Brennan, it was that she cared – and while her compassion was a comfort on most days, right now you just wanted her to leave you alone. “Do you want to come back and sit with us?”

Shaking your head, you replied, “I'll be fine. I think I'm just going to walk around a little bit before class starts.”

“What should I tell the boys?”

“I don't care. I'm in a dramatic love affair with Jason Taylor and you caught us in a steamy make out session in the science lab,” you suggested sarcastically, before moving to the door and leaving to collect your thoughts.

Privately.

What's Jason got that I don't? was the first thing you saw upon opening your phone, a joking text from Hi that he had sent at lunch.

You were seated in the passenger seat of Chance's car, the drive seeming excessively long, when it happened.

Time seemed to freeze for a moment and begged you to let it go faster, to give in to something distinctively animal, and without hesitation you embraced it.

Your vision seemed to clear, and you caught your reflection in the mirror, eyes gleaming red.

Shit.

It wasn't just your imagination. Something was distinctly wrong, and you turned to stare pointedly out the window, desperate to ensure that your brother wouldn't notice.

The drive home was too short. You couldn't risk whatever sort of episode you were having not ending before you got there.

You needed a different destination, and quick.

What Tory had said earlier was what first came to mind.

“I need to go to the drug store.”

Even looking out the window, you could practically feel your brother's suspicious glance. “Why?”

“I need supplies.”

“What supplies?” he pressed.

“Supplies,” you emphasized, hearing the breath Chance sucked in as he realized what you meant.

It might make the awkward drive longer, but it would give you more time to try and snap out of whatever you were going through, the car's air freshener becoming so suffocating that you rolled down the window.

Whatever you were going through, it was suspiciously close to what Hi had described when he was talking to you about flaring, and that was what scared you the most.

How would he react?

How does he snap out of this? Once he had described how slapping Ben in the face had ended a flare, and experimentally, you lifted your leg before violently jamming it against the bottom of the glovebox.

SNUP

Well, that worked well.

“You good?” asked Chance, voice tentative as if somehow the implication that you were on your period made you suddenly prone to lashing out at any given opportunity.

Eyes no longer red, you turned to meet his. “Yes. Just fine.”

As if. Something was wrong. And considering that it probably had something to do with whatever he had done to you the other day, it was probably best if you didn't tell him.

For some reason, the syringe didn't seem so much like your imagination any more.

Eleven o'clock, the numbers at the top of your phone screen read.

Late. Late enough that nobody would see you for several more hours.

Late enough that it was safe to slip out of bed and go into the bathroom, turning on the light and closing the door before turning to the mirror.

Before you lost your courage, you closed your eyes, trying to summon the feeling that had overwhelmed you in the car.

Animal. Letting go of what you thought was right, forgetting about school.

Forgetting about everything but your instincts.

It came almost too easily.

SNAP

Flare.

You inhaled deeply, the smell of the bar of soap in the dish on the counter sharp and bitter, eyes now able to distinguish the slimmest of cracks threatening to form in the porcelain of the sink.

It was exhilarating. It was wild.

And it was terrifying how easily it had come.

“Y/N Claybourne,” you whispered, your name seeming twice as loud as it should have been in the otherwise silent room, all of your senses heightened.

There was no hiding from it. Something was wrong with you.

Something that seemed suspiciously similar to what the Virals had been going through, but your eyes weren't yellow.

They were red as blood.

It hadn't taken several days. It had come on almost instantly, but with the same symptoms.

Just… more control.

What is it? It couldn't be the same as what Hi and Ben and Shelton and Tory had gone through, but it was remarkably similar. It couldn't be the same virus - that had been eliminated along with Dr. Karsten.

It has something to do with Chance.

Shuddering as you felt bile rise to your throat, you turned off the light, the only thing you could see in the darkness the haunting reflection of the red eyes in the mirror, taunting you with questions that you weren't sure you could trust anyone to answer.

Frustrated, your fist reeled back, thumb on the outside as you Ben had taught you, before ramming into the glass of the mirror and shattering it.

SNUP

Your amplified strength had caused it to break with far more force than anticipated, shards starting to fall into the sink and the sharp pain enough to kill your flare. 

What was that?

You sucked in a ragged breath, blood starting to drip from your hand, before turning away, unlocking the bathroom door and crying out as you find a breathless Chance on the other side.  

“Are you okay?”

“Fine,” you bit out, fighting the urge to look over your shoulder. “I'm going to bed.”

And with that, you pushed past him, ignoring his calls and idly brushing your hand to remove the shards of glass.

Breaking a mirror, you were alright with him finding.

Why? Not so much.

Let's hope he never finds out.

You could only pray that he wouldn't notice how much more force it took to make such a break than you possessed.

A/N: That’s done. And there we go! Thanks for reading. Leave a like or comment? Part two is here!