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haravath0t · 3 years

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A Christmas Heist Pt. II - Going Undercover

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Warnings: None, except an asshole Santa Claus, an immense word count, and a cute elf!Bucky

A/N: Hello, lovelies! Yikes, a day late. I’m very very sorry for putting this out later than said on the masterlist of this mini-series! Now, we are starting the mission, so things will be tense from here on out! I gotta thank my fabulous Bucket @world-of-aus for once again helping me with this one! As I’ve said before, this request is pushing out of my comfort zone and is helping me shape how I would like to write for mission-related works such as these! I apologize for this part being long, as I wanted this to capture the essence of the first day on site. As always, feedback and commentary are very much appreciated! Happy reading, lovelies! :)

My pinned masterlist can be found here!

A Christmas Heist Masterlist

You got out of the car with Bucky, having decided that it was best that you two came to the mall roughly the same time, while Steve would go sooner to the Apple Store. You took a breath as you waited for your boyfriend, adrenaline was already surging through your body, looking around for safety.

“Alright, so like we discussed, sweetheart, you’re going in first. I’ll wait 5 minutes before you come in, I’ll do a quick little floor check on the mall before “working” with you.”

“Uhuh..”

“And then we’ll-”

Bucky’s words slowly fade away, leaving you with your thoughts. Would this be foolproof? What if you accidentally slip? How many casualties would be counted should the worst of the worst-

“You alright, doll? You seem to be a bit nervous.”

You jump slightly, blushing as realized you were the one up in your head this time, sending your boyfriend a small smile. “Yeah, I’m ready. Just a tad nervous, Buck… worrying about you ya know,” you say, putting your earpiece on your ear, fixing your hair so it’s further hidden.

Bucky looks around a bit, making sure no one was there before cupping your cheeks to press his lips quickly to yours, giving you a reassuring kiss. “Come back to me, Y/N. You’re like a million miles away up in that head of yours,” he mutters, a hint of smile forming into your lips as he repeats your words from last night. That smile grew when you felt his smile form on your lips. “Mmm.. I know I know… I just don’t want to hurt anyone during this assignment.” You admit softly into his lips before he pulls away completely, rubbing your arms for comfort.

“You, Steve, and I are trying our hardest to avoid that, sweetheart. Like you said, it’s not the first time we’ve done this. We’ll be okay, just one step at a time.” This made you more confident than you were a few minutes ago. “One step at a time,” you repeat back more firmly with a nod.

“That’s my girl.” Giving Bucky's hand one final squeeze was enough to get you moving forward, a silent promise shared between the two of you that you would meet inside soon.

It’s quiet when you enter the mall, there’s not the usual hustle and bustle of what you were normally used to, but then again you were in this mall for an all too different reason other than leisure. This was for work, you repeat to yourself, looking around as you see employees make their own way to their respective stores alongside you, minding their own business. You are merely early. This is what the average person does when they go to work, you tell yourself. Well that is where the problem lies. You are more than just the average person, for your job had people’s lives at stake.

Bringing a hand up you pushed the comm further into your ear, head ducking slightly as you continued to walk the quiet plaza, “I’m in,” you murmured before you were straightening out eyes straight ahead as you continued to your destination. It was a minute, maybe two before you heard Bucky's deepened voice come through, “Right behind you, meet you in a few.”Those are the last few words you hear from him as you approach the toy store, “Visual on y/n,” you hear Steve’s voice come through. This made you jump in surprise, eyes darting to the Apple Store across you, only to see Steve wiping down the glass windows. A subtle wink gets thrown at you paired with a small reassuring smile, with you exchanging it before his eyes are returning back to the task at hand.

Glancing away you look up at the toy stores sign before looking at the double glass doors. Breathing in deeply you braced yourself. You guys could do this, you were trained agents, you could do this. Moving forward you’re pushing through the glass doors, from what you can see the store is fairly empty aside from the rows upon rows of toys that sat all around you. An overwhelming feeling hits you as you pause mid step in the doorway.

It was a beautiful sight to see, one that was truly a child’s paradise, for your eyes wandered all over the place in awe. There was a toy train chugging around the store, a big looking plastic house for kids to play in, a Christmas village display, stuffed toys, toys for toddlers, toys for kids, everything one can dream of. Wonderful aisles of toys surrounded many displays in an organized fashion. You realized this would be so crowded within an hour, hence why it was a good spot for Hydra to carry out their plans here. Such a shame that horrid people would take advantage of a wonderful place like this for their own benefit. However, you looked to your left, seeing the place where the mall Santa Claus would be. You then looked through the window, seeing the Apple Store in clear view. No wonder Santa’s chair was where it was. Noted, you say in your head before wandering around the Toy Store, looking for the manager.

“Never been in a toy shop before?”

A quiet gasp leaves your lips as your eyes dash to the middle of the aisles. A burly man stands there almost leaning against the shelf as he takes your form in, eyeing your bundled self up and down.

You hold back the shudder that threatens to roll through you. Pulling on a tight lipped smile you finally find your voice, “Not necessarily that I haven’t been in one before, just haven’t quite seen one like this, it’s lovely,” you replied.

The man moves forward, almost as if he’s coming from the shadows, “You must be the new hire,” he grins, “Now tell me where did they find a Mrs. Claus as gorgeous as yourself.”

Oh god.

“I can assure you looks had nothing to do with it,” you ground out, “personality on the other hand well -” The man’s toothy smile grows wider as he steps closer, your fingers itching to find the comm hidden in your ear. “I think I’ll have plenty of time to get to know that personality of yours -- Mrs. Claus.”

“Is that how you talk to all your female coworkers?” came his voice from behind you, an edge to his tone. You tried your hardest not to tense up, as you recognized the voice, hoping that you two would not look suspicious or that you knew each other. The man in front of you looked over your shoulder with a raised brow, “And you are?” Bucky moved around you, body unknowingly shielding yours from the man in front of you.

Hand stuck out he replies, “Buddy, Buddy the elf.”

Your childish side gets the best of you, a choked snort leaving your mouth and raised eyebrows wrinkle your forehead, clearing your throat as the burly man scoffs at your boyfriend before he shakes Bucky’s gloved hands. You hoped that they would not recognize him, watching their interaction carefully.

“Mmm… I see… you’re the new hire for the...elf… playing like a smart ass already, huh? Not sure if the manager would like that.” The man tests, letting go of Bucky’s hand and crossing his arms, eying Bucky in a judgmental manner. A small smirk graces Bucky’s lips as his hands are now back in his pockets. “I assure you, I’m going to do my job correctly and won’t cause the store any problems. But, I think the manager will not enjoy hearing that you are hitting on an employee, or possibly hitting on a customer, as Santa Claus.” He retorts back. All of the tension that has been built was then forced to be forgotten when the manager greets you three.

“Good morning, Brock! I see you have met our newbies!” The manager exclaims, arms opening wide in a welcoming manner before he claps his hands together. You resisted widening your eyes, for you have heard of this name before. Some uncertainty came back to your mind, then. Brock can only grunt and nod, “Yes I did, sir.” As he glares at Bucky as Bucky shakes the manager’s hand and stares at you as you follow suit, he couldn’t help but feel something off. But what exactly was off? He decided to wave it off, for it could possibly be just the cockiness of this new worker. You on the other hand, gives him a perfect opportunity to perhaps get to know you better. You were far from bad looking and seemed naive first glance. He could deal with that, he concluded to himself, lost in his own thoughts as the manager showed the two of you around the store. Rumlow scoffed at himself before he went off to put his suit on.

It was not too long until the manager finished going over the respective jobs with you and Bucky. It eased your nerves knowing all you had to do was be nice with kids under a costume. It eased you even more knowing that this Rumlow guy leaves immediately after shift. You held your costume and wig, making your way to the women’s locker room to get dressed, only to be stopped by the manager.

“I hate to put this on you and George, Mary,” the manager starts, addressing your guys’ undercover names. “But do you think you and George can put up more decorations in the later part of your shift? We want to add a more Christmas spirit to this store, and the hours to see Santa today ends a good two hours before the closing of the store.”

“A-alrigh-”

“Oh! And you’ll be an elf too, so you can have a good reason to decorate without sticking out like a sore thumb, you know? Would ya look at that, Buddy the Elf with a partner right?”

Wait a minute, Fury did not tell you this part. You knew playing Mrs. Claus was going to be a big stretch, but Mrs. Claus and an elf?! You can hear Steve fail terribly at refraining from letting out a little snort. Cool reference to Elf, I love George’s creativity, it’s such a good idea, and here in New York too!” The manager exclaims excitedly, only receiving a tight lipped smile in return from you. “Then… I’ll be Jovie,” you manage to squeak out, before the manager exits. You groan to yourself before you change into your first costume of the day.

Although it was quite draining to deal with many fussing kids, your time as Mrs. Claus went by smoothly, for you found satisfaction in helping these kids have a happier holiday meeting Santa and his Mrs. Sadly, it was hard to find out where to find this hard drive on Steve’s end of the assignment, but Fury was right, for the gaze of this Santa Claus was for the most part fixed right on the Apple Store. He would find time between kids to murmur some quick orders or questions into his own comms, trusting the bustle of the store to deafen his conversation. However, you were able to hear some words leave his mouth, always making a personal note to hear him better later and to not make that mistake during Santa hours. Sadly, the search will have to continue tomorrow.

You were now dressed in your elf costume, the label Jovie now pinned on your costume (haha..) as you set up a ladder next to the big Christmas tree in the middle of the store. After some pictures, you finally had time to do what was asked of you. You were focused on your work until…

“You are very good at decorating that tree.”

You look behind and below at your boyfriend, laughing as you take in his cute green elf uniform and his tights. Your laugh only got less contained from there, as you realized his muscular thighs are definitely being shown and the top does not hide his muscular torso either. His gloved hands were now on his sides with a small playful scowl as you had to put the ornament down from laughing too hard.

“Oh, that’s no way to treat Buddy the Elf.”

“It’s just… it’s just too funny!” You say between laughs, causing Bucky to smile before decorating the tree alongside you. As you two decorate, you managed to make a compromise with the manager, allowing yourselves to show up to the store earlier than everyone to have the rest of the store decorated. With that being said, to your luck, the manager gave you both a copy of the key to the store by the end of the shift. Very lucky. You both walked out on separate times to the car, carrying out the bags with the uniforms that you both got today. You still did not let go of the elf costume, laughing much harder in the car on the way back to the apartment complex.

“Y/N, sweetheart, you don’t see me laughing at your costume!”

“Yeah, because I’m cute in it at the very least!” “I agree, but-”

“BUT MAN, THAT ELF COSTUME WAS JUST TOO FUNNY! Cute, but funny! Like who ever sees a brawny man play Buddy the freaking Elf?!”

“At least I don’t have to pretend to have wrinkles going in as Mrs. Claus!”

“Fair point.”

Steve met with you two at yours and Bucky’s apartment for dinner, having paid for takeout. “No luck with the hard drive unfortunately. I don’t even know where to start.” Steve sighs. “Well it’s not like you would, punk. That place looks big, and if the toy store’s back room is huge, I am sure Apple does too.” Bucky replies with a shrug finishing the last of his food. “Well, Buck and I have the excuse to come early to decorate. The manager gave us a copy of the key. Hopefully, we can find some leads from Rumlow’s locker. Although I doubt it, it can’t hurt to try.” You reply. Steve only nods, staying quiet as he finishes his food and throws the trash away. He was thinking.

“Alright, Rogers, I know you have something in your mind, so spill,” You push, leaning over against the table with a raised brow. Steve couldn’t help the smirk that formed on his face.

“A key too, huh?”

“What do you mean a key too, punk?” Bucky asks with a chuckle.

“I got one for the Apple Store too,” Steve replies with a smile, taking it out of his pocket and holding it up.

“Already?! But that’s Apple Steve, you’re new!” You start, cutting off when Steve stays quiet.

“Steven Grant Rogers don’t tell me that you stole it-”

“We are not stealing, we’re borrowing, doll, now hear me out,” Steve cuts you off with a firm tone. You could only gawk at him in surprise and cross your arms. “Alright I’m impressed. So what are we doing?” Steve smiles.

“Alright, we’ll make it a point to go early tomorrow. All of us. You do a run through of the locker room and watch out for any leads. I’ll look around Apple too. We’ll go from there as we go along.”

A nod of approval comes from you and Bucky, an excited smile coming from Bucky. You couldn’t help but giggle as you fully processed what measures Steve already took on his first day in, giving you nothing to do but shrug.

“Well I guess that settles it. Let’s rest up. We got quite the next few days coming up.”

Tags: @world-of-aus @world-of-aus-reads @whew-oh-em-gee @tomholland-96 @lordyitsjordy @letstalkaboutsebbaby @thee-soom-soom @lookiamtrying @vesper852 @hailhydra920

*if you want to be added to the tag list, do let me know via ask! ☺️

Part 3: Digging Deeper

#bucky barnes #bucky #bucky barnes x reader #steve rogers #bucky barnes scenario #buckybarnesxreader #james buchanan barnes #bucky barnes fluff #mcu #fandom basurero fics #a christmas heist

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bloodylariat · 18 days

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She doesn't exactly know why she was born the way she was (yet), but the thought of being used again by others makes her sick.

#[blood acolyte; cadence]#[voice from the shadows; dash commentary]#hi this conversation caught her attention

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ex-vengeancedemon · 3 years

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Averting Disasters and Other Ways to Avoid Your Problems

Chapter 2

Characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Mentions of things that occurred in Angel: The Series season 5.

Main Pairing: Buffy x Spike

Characters: Buffy, Spike, Giles, Willow, Xander, Andrew, Faith, Dawn

Summary: Set in 2008, five years after Spike's resurrection at Wolfram & Hart. Buffy is living in Cleveland guarding the hellmouth. Spike has left Angel and company and is hiding out in Chicago. The Scoobies are scattered. When something starts going wrong with the slayers around the world, it's time to get the gang back together.

Masterlist & Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Cleveland, Ohio

Buffy woke up groggy. She was still in her bed. It was still dark outside. Her eyelids felt heavy as she squinted through the dim, struggling to focus. After a disorienting minute, she shook the fog from her head and glanced at her alarm clock resting on the nightstand, its only fixture. She had meant to decorate. She would....eventually.

The segmented, glowing red numbers on her alarm informed her it was four in the morning. That couldn't be right. Could it? Had she really only slept for an hour? Add sleep deprivation to the list. Whatever list that was. List of future problems maybe.

A light patter of rain beat down on the roof and decorated the windows with beads that shimmered with the occasional passing headlights. Buffy couldn't recall forecasting rain that night. It had been still and cloudless all night. Good patrol weather. A distant crack of thunder sounded and the windows vibrated softly.

Buffy frowned as she swung her legs out of bed. When her bare feet hit the cold wooden floor she was irritated to notice a healthy coating of dirt scattered on the ground and clinging to her soles. She would have to clean it up later. It could wait. No way did she plan on going all vacuum crazy at four a.m. She wasn't that lost to reason.

The house rattled again with a closer shock of thunder as Buffy made her way downstairs. It was kind of nice. The storm. It broke up the quiet. Buffy reached the kitchen and snatched the kettle from the stovetop. She filled it with water without bothering to turn on the lights and switched the burner on. A quick cup of tea and then back to sleep. It was something her mom had done. If she woke up in the middle of the night restless, her mom would somehow know and... what did she say? She would say something. Buffy's hand slipped slightly and the kettle dropped the rest of the way to the burner. She jumped at the sudden noise just as some water that had spilled hissed against the now red hot grills.

Buffy held a hand to her head and winced as she noticed a fresh bruise she didn't remember getting. She sighed as she rummaged through her cupboards looking for the box of tea bags. She didn't have to look too far. The cupboards were dangerously empty. A grocery run was definitely called for. The joys of living alone.

As she grabbed an old UC Sunnydale mug from the dish rack she noticed the answering machine was flashing green again. Another message. Someone needed to cut back on the caffeine. Then again, maybe it was Giles. Maybe the time was more reasonable in England. Buffy was too tired to think about the exact time difference.

The tea kettle started whistling and Buffy redirected her attention, pulling the kettle off and fixing her cup of tea. She had never really liked tea. But her mom had drank it and Giles drank it and so it was just something she did now. She let the cup steep while she went to check her messages.

As she reached out her hand she noticed that her sleeve was torn. And it was her favorite shirt. Buffy picked at the ripped seam in the cute white top she had bought for Dawn's graduation. Her brows furrowed. Why had she worn it on patrol? She never wore it on patrol. She didn't wear it last night.

Buffy spun around, suddenly uneasy. But she heard nothing but the light taps of rain. The kitchen was dark and empty without barely even a slinking shadow. Moving quietly and deliberately, she made her way to every door in the house and checked the locks. Everything was locked, bolted, and chained. Just as she had left it. At least, she was pretty sure that was how she had left it.

What was that thing her mom always said? Something to do with tea. Or had it been coffee? Hot chocolate? Something about tiny marshmallows?

A note a panic started to rise in the back of her mind, but it was impossible to pinpoint why. She made her way back to the answering machine and hit the button.

"Hey B," Faith's voice came through. "Look I-" Her voice cut off, then returned with a waver. "I don't know. There's just- something's wrong. I woke up in the cemetery last night. No idea how I got there. And you never got back to me... it's been a week. I need help. Call me."

Buffy's face paled and she staggered away from the phone. A week? A week since Faith called last. It couldn't be, she-

She couldn't remember anything.

***

Chicago, Illinois

"Where's Willow?" Spike asked, more than a little irritated. "I'm sorry but your being on the case doesn't exactly strike me as reassuring. Where's the witch?"

Andrew had made himself comfortable on the one chair Spike owned. Bit of a cheeky bastard that one. Barging into someone's home and stealing his chair. Next thing he's gonna start raiding the fridge.

Andrew raised his hands. "Hey now, patience is a virtue."

"Don't have any virtues." Spike pressed off the wall and moved to grab his jacket.

Andrew gave another nervous grin. "Right. Well. She's in Cleveland. You know..." He seemed to struggle for words. "Working on it. It's a bit of a mess right now... well, everywhere."

Spike slung his coat on and began buckling his boots. "Does she know?"

"Willow?"

Spike looked up from what he was doing with a frown. "Buffy."

The name felt strange. He hadn't said it out loud in years. No one to say it to.

"None of them know what's happening," Andrew answered, his face darkening. "We haven't been able to risk informing them. At least, not yet."

Yet. Spike hated that word. Only reason to use it was to put off some horrible thing or another.

"Where's Giles? He have anything in that bookish brain of his that'll... help?"

Andrew shook his head. "Not yet. But he's-"

"Workin' on it. Right," Spike finished, straightening up. "Guess it's time for a little field trip then."

Andrew's face brightened up. "Oh you're gonna love the car! It's got those special glass windows... you know so you don't turn into powder and all. And," he leaned in conspiratorially, "it's a total chick magnet."

Spike raised an eyebrow at him. "Right. So I guess it's just the burning dash to the car then. Brilliant."

Spike grabbed Andrew by the collar and tossed him out of the chair towards the door. He stumbled a bit before catching himself on the door and shooting Spike an indignant look.

"Hey! That's Armani!" Andrew protested as he straightened his suit and walked up the stairs.

***

On the drive to Cleveland, Andrew had been able to more or less catch Spike up to speed on what they knew so far. The color commentary on his own life was a bit less than welcome, but Spike had refrained from socking him in the jaw so that was something.

So far, it seemed that slayers all over the world were having strange lapses in memory. It started with small things, forgetting they had called someone, forgetting to meet up for coffee. Small things. But lately, things had been getting significantly worse. Huge blocks of time - days, weeks, for some even months - had been lost. No one was sure why. The girls seemed more or less normal during the blackouts. As far as anyone could tell. But they had been getting more and more reports of the same phenomenon. Slayers were losing time. Andrew seemed cagey to say much more than that on the subject.

Willow was already in Cleveland where both Buffy and Faith were stationed. If something was going wrong with slayers, it seemed only logical that they'd both be feeling the effects. Although no one had been able to reach either of them for days.

Giles was already on a flight from London. Xander was apparently also on his way, not that Spike really gave a damn. Xander was all but useless in most cases.

"So, anyone told Dawn?" Spike asked, breaking the silence that had fallen after Andrew had suggested a road game.

Andrew shook his head. Spike could almost say there was something like guilt there.

"Why not?" Spike pressed. "Think she'd want to know if the big sis was in danger."

"Buffy didn't want Dawn involved in any of this stuff," Andrew replied. "We're just respecting her wishes."

"She's already involved," Spike muttered under his breath. "Not like there's an out for any of us now, is there?"

Andrew didn't respond to that last bit. Spike wasn't sure if he was just pretending he hadn't heard or if silence was his answer. Guess it was all the same.

The thought of seeing the gang again was... uncomfortable. He hadn't seen any of them besides Andrew since he had burned to ashes and been buried beneath the rubble of Sunnydale. They didn't know he was alive. She didn't know he was alive.

He had planned on telling her. Eventually. It just... he wasn't sure if fair was the right word. But it just didn't seem fair to barge back into her life. He was dead. They saved the world. He died. End of story. She was free to go off and live a semi-normal life with a normal guy. At least, that was the lie he told himself. The truth was always worse.

#btvs #buffy the vampire slayer #buffy the vampire slayer fanfic #btvs fanfiction #spuffy fanfic #spike x buffy #buffy summers #spike #buffy the vampire slayer fanfiction #chapter 2 #averting disasters and other ways to avoid your problems #spuffy

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the-inc-den · 3 years

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I Think This Could Be the Start of a New Life (The Inc Den)

A/N: Oh hi 👋🏻. Here’s the first piece I guess. Figured I’d get everyone introduced. I hope you enjoy them because I love everyone dearly. so yeah.

Warnings: None? swearing I guess, but this is SFW

Summary: River would really like to stop being sexiled from their apartment.

Word Count: 4.5K

River was lounging on the couch in the main space of their apartment waiting for their roommate Lacey to come out of the bathroom. Literally lounging as one foot was propped up on the couch while the other stayed on the floor, careful to keep their still shoe wearing foot off the couch lest Nox or Lacey throw a fit. They were scrolling through their phone and half answering texts from their work group chat, Al and Roger debating pop music influences with commentary chimed in from time to time. They tapped their foot to some mental tune they were playing to keep themselves occupied, probably something that was on Drake’s playlist that they’d heard at work. River had to wonder if Nox was in the room and waiting for them to leave before coming out, but they were probably still curled up under Lacey’s bed. River threw their head back and let out a groan as they looked at the clock on their phone, Lacey’d been getting ready for nearly an hour.

“Lace, c’mon, do you want to get to Labyrinth before last call or not?” They called. They hardly remembered why they had agreed to accompany Lacey on her night out, she was just going to meet up with Scott and then sexile River from the apartment. Then River would have to call up Drake or Roger or Al and crash on their couch and they weren’t super keen on doing that tonight, their hips still hurt from the last time they’d had to. Lacey exited the bathroom with her red hair curled and her makeup done to perfection which was really impressive, River just wished it didn’t take an hour to do.

“Please tell me you’re not going out like that?” Lacey pleaded. River looked over their outfit: ripped jeans, Converse that had seen better days if the faded canvas and scuffed bottoms were any indication, and their “River’s Fight School” t-shirt that Lacey had made them after the “worst breakup she’d ever experienced” that had ended with River threatening to kick the ex’s ass. The outfit had been what they’d worn on shift and it’d been fine, mostly because unlike Roger, they never dressed to impress at the shop.

“I am, because may I remind you I’m not keen on impressing anyone. Besides, I wanna sleep comfortably on whatever couch I have to end up crashing on.” River replied with only a dash of bitterness sneaking into their tone. Lacey rolled her eyes and slid her boots on.

“Fine, fine, c’mon,” Lacey said. River stood up and grabbed their jacket off the couch arm.

“Nox, don’t tear the apartment apart!” River shouted into the apartment as they closed the door. Their typical parting words to the shadow monster who lived under Lacey’s bed.

The duo walked to Labyrinth with little fuss, minus Lacey occasionally twirling her hair around her finger. After six years of friendship, River knew that she was nervous about something.

“Are you and Scott okay?” They asked.

“What? Oh! Yeah, totally, work’s just been a pain and I’m… wait what —“

“You’re twirling your hair,” River said, miming the gesture by twisting their bangs out of their face. Lacey looked over at her finger and immediately dropped her hand.

“Damn you Rio,”

“You love me,” they were quick to interject with a smile. Lacey chuckled as they approached the bar. Frankie was standing outside and Lacey smiled up at the rakassha as she entered and River gave a mock salute. “Evenin’ Frankie,” they said and received a nod in response. River walked in and was almost smacked by the noise. Boys Don’t Cry was playing over the speakers as the bar and surrounding tables were crowded. As to be expected on a Friday night.

“Lacey Loo!” A male voice yelled from one of the side tables. Lacey grinned as she turned to greet the voice. Decked in a red plaid shirt and good jeans was Scott, the himbo werewolf boyfriend. He was a good guy, he and River got along when they hung out together, they were just… loud when it came to nightly extracurriculars, and that was before getting into the whole “is a werewolf” thing. River nodded that they were taking their leave as Lacey went over to Scott and they found themselves going to the bar. They waited for the bartender to finish dealing with some newbies as they took their seat in their usual stool. It was a miracle that as busy as the bar was, they managed to snag it. If River didn’t know any better, they might’ve thought that Chrissa was saving it for them. They watched the orc bartender work, she eventually turned around and seemed relieved to see River.

“Finally, someone easy,” she said with a sigh. River chuckled and smiled.

“Hey Chrissa, my usual?” They asked.

“One mildly large glass of Coca Cola, coming up.” She said as she pulled a glass and the soda gun. Chrissa filled it and slid it to River with a smile, garnished with its usual orange umbrella, a mental note to whoever came on shift after Chrissa or simply any passing waiter that River wasn’t drinking. They snuck a glance around the bar, trying to spot if there was anyone they knew hanging around. Other than Scott and Lacey cozied up in the corner, the answer seemed to be a resounding no, not that it wasn’t expected. River sighed and went back to focusing on Chrissa doing her work. They’d always had a fascination with watching the bartender work, it was always interesting, trying to follow Chrissa’s hands move and grab the bottles without thinking too hard about what they were, measuring the liquor with ease that only came from repeated movements and months of training before her first shift. Laurence had hired her after he got tired of working the bar himself, roughly around the same time River and Lacey had started frequenting the place when they first moved to the city.

Chrissa dealt with some customers at the other end of the bar before coming back in front of River.

“How was work by the way?” She asked. River shrugged in response.

“Wasn’t too bad, mostly just stayed in the basement with Drake.” They said, the record shop they worked at had a light dampened basement for those who didn’t do well with sunlight, which included their vampire coworker. River just liked it because it was usually a lot quieter than working the upstairs front counter. Even if Al sometimes sent the most ridiculous requests down to them.

“No wonder you’re so fucking pale,” Chrissa joked as she cleaned glasses. River just rolled their eyes.

“Hey, I’m pale because of a lot of reasons. The basement and Nox are just two of the reasons.” They remarked.

“How is Nox by the way?”

“Good, he’s mostly keeping to himself, deep cleaned the apartment the other day and I didn’t even know he could do that.” River remarked with a chuckle. Nox didn’t pay rent, but he usually made up for it by keeping the apartment clean when Lacey and them couldn’t. “I think he wrote something about wanting to try manifesting fully again while we were there, but we haven’t been in the apartment at the same time long enough.”

“Scott?” Chrissa asked. River groaned and nodded.

“I swear, it’d be easier if they just moved in together so I could start looking for other roommates, but they’re “still taking it slow”.” River remarked.

“Heads up, someone headed your way,” Chrissa said, her tone of voice taking on a dash of an edge. River furrowed their brow until they turned and saw a purple skinned woman stride toward them with a glint in their eyes that River had a sneaking suspicion they should fear.

“Do you?” River asked with a slight head tilt of confusion

“Yeah, if it were anyone else, I’d say run.”

“But it’s me so…”

“Oh I’m so looking forward to what comes next.” Chirssa said with a laugh as they moved down the bar a bit. The woman who finished coming over made a show of coming next to River without getting into their personal space. River watched them out of the corner of their eye, waiting to see what the play was.

“What’re you drinking sweetie?” The woman asked. She had wavy purple and pink hair with white ox horns that curved just below her chin.

“Just soda, I’m a DD tonight,” River lied. Not about the soda, but about being the DD. Really, they were waiting for the text that said they were out of an apartment tonight, but DD seemed like the safer excuse.

“Ah, the responsible friend, those are always nice to have, I’ve never had the luck,” the woman said with a smile. Her voice sounded like honey and it was pleasant to listen to. But between Chrissa’s warnings and this woman seeming to lay on thick whatever it was they were trying, River let a chuckle escape them. “What?” she asked with a slight tilt of her head.

“You’ve struck out Misae,” Chrissa said, coming back over with a martini glass with pink liquid in it. “You managed to pick the one ace human in the whole establishment.”

“I doubt that,” River remarked, the venn diagram of “ace being” and “human” in this establishment was a thin middle ground, but not one person thin. At least, as far as River knew. Misae however chuckled and smiled.

“Then I’m terribly sorry about all of that,”

“Ah don’t worry about it, you’re still pretty and I like getting hit on by pretty women even if they are trying to mildly charm me.” River said with a grin. “I’m River,” they said, offering their hand.

“Misae as Chirssa mentioned, charmed to meet you River,” She said, shaking hands with a gentle grace. When they released each other's hands, Misae furrowed her brow. “Nothing?” She asked which got another laugh out of River. “Not a thing,” they said.

“Wow…” Misae said with a sigh as she took a sip of her drink. River thought she’d leave and go find another target before a grin came onto her lips. “Would you mind coming and pranking my friends? I’ve got one who needs to be taken down a peg and I think you’ll be my secret weapon.” She asked. River looked over at Chrissa who gave a short nod.

“If it’s who I think it is, they’ll knock him down several pegs.” She said, River turned back to Misae who was still grinning, more conspiratorial than sensual, they snuck a quick glance to where Lacey and Scott were still curled up together before facing Misae again.

“Yeah why not,” they said as they popped off their barstool. Misae giggled and offered her hand, a hand that River took, as she dragged them to a booth tucked into the back of the bar, it was an eight person booth currently filled with three similar looking individuals, in so much as they weren’t human and definitely had demonic lineage. River did their best to not make assumptions, but judging on what Misae had brought them over to achieve, the members of the table were all various forms of incubi. Concubi? Was that the technical term? One on the edge of the seating arrangement was a light blue man with his horns curving up from his forehead and a darker blue coloring on his cheek that River had a hard time telling if it was a blush or makeup.

“Mis, who’s this?” He asked, his voice slightly higher than expected and a curious look on his face.

“This is River, River this is Azzy,” the light blue one who smiled slightly and River was pretty convinced that this was the closest they were going to experience an embarrassed incubus. “Kori,” a maroon inc who seemed to be the eldest of the group as he simply smiled at their appearance. He had long hair tied up in a bun and River felt a little bit more at ease seeing him. “And Joliet,” another maroon skinned being who was grinning, he also had tied up black hair, though he wore jewelry on his horns. “Where’s Rose?” Misae asked as she gestured for River to sit next to Joliet. She sat down next to Azzy across the table and River tried not to feel like they’d been suddenly thrown off the deep end.

“Bathroom.” Azzy said.

“Biblically speaking,” Joliet quickly added. River chuckled a little at the need for clarification. Something told them that for him it was actually necessary. They also suspected he was probably their target.

“Ah, well, that’s chill.”

“Mis what are you planning?” Kori asked with a slight glare directed at his friend. Ah, he was the dad friend.

“Oh nothing, just a lil bit of karmic justice,” Misae said with a grin that was anything but innocent. Joliet leaned over to River and whispered in their ear.

“Blink twice and I’ll get you out of here,” he said with a smirk. River stared at him with a smirk of their own and Joliet broke into a laugh. “Oh they’re good,”

“Seriously Mis, what’s going on?” Kori asked.

“It’s payback for Rose stealing my mark last week.” Misae said.

“And how is this gonna be payback?” Kori asked. “You just put a perfectly beautiful human in front of him, if anything all this is going to do is insure none of us sleep tonight,” he said.

“Oh you’ll see,” Misae said, throwing a wink River’s way. River tried to not blush at being called beautiful and simply kept their game face on.

“What’ll Kor see?” A navy blue inc asked. He wore a grey t-shirt and dark black jeans and River saw the issue. Between golden eyes and a charisma that dripped off of him, even as unaffected as River was, he knew who and what he was and was well aware that manipulating people was second nature. He’d been looking over at Kori before scanning the table and landing on River. “Oh… oh hello,” he said. His voice was warmer than Misae’s was, more a whiskey than a true honey, but it didn’t hit River the way they imagined he intended. “If you’d scootch in sugar,” he said. To play along, River did so, pressing a little closer to Joliet in the process. River snuck a glance at the others who all looked a little nervous, even Misae, but River softly shook their head, hiding it by pushing their bangs off their forehead a bit. “Now, hello. I’m Rosair, you can call me Rose,” he said as he offered his hand to shake. River took it with a smirk of their own.

“Nice to meet you Rose, River,” they said. Rosair took their hand and kissed the back of it and River chuckled. “You do this to all the pretty people who cross your path?” They asked.

“Yes,”

“Then I can see why Misae and Chrissa put me up to this,” they said with a chuckle. Rosair furrowed his brow to which River only grinned. “I’m ace Rose, you’re just pretty.” Rosair looked over at Misae who was grinning.

“Payback’s a bitch Rosie,” she said.

“Ah no matter, you’re still here.” he said with a small smirk that seemed to indicate he wasn’t done yet.

“Sure,” River said as they tapped his shoulder. “So, other than trying to pick up people at bars, what do you lot do?” They asked with a tilt of their head. Even Misae looked a little surprised at the question. “What? You think I’m just gonna go back to the bar and go back to sitting alone? C’mon now, you guys are not that dumb.” Joliet broke out of the stunned silence first with a laugh.

“You’ll have to forgive them, they’re very used to transactional interactions and have not quite figured out just normal interactions, I work at a tattoo parlor.” He said with a smile.

“Interesting, Kori?” River asked, glancing a little around Joliet.

“Oh uh, I work at a bakery. Mostly donuts and cake.” He said.

“I’ll definitely have to try it some time, assuming you’re any good,”

“I’m mostly the counter, but Mandy, who actually owns the place, is quite good.” Kori clarified.

“Azzy?” River asked with a raised eyebrow, watching him fight off the dark blue crawling onto his cheeks.

“I work at a thrift shop.”

“I’m a grad student,” Misae said, “mostly focusing on art and culture, and Rosair’s a mooch.”

“I think the technical term is gold digger,” Joliet commented.

“I thought it was drifter,” Kori chimed in.

“None of you are correct, I’m a freelancer.” Rosair said with a roll of his eyes.

“That’s what we said: a freeloader.” Azzy said and River had to quickly get closer to Joliet as Rosair nearly vaulted over the table to get at his friend. River laughed a little and looked over at Rosair for the first time since he sat down.

“What’s your specialty?” They asked leaning on the table and cutting off the others physically a bit, which got a gasp from Joliet.

“Graphic design,” he said.

“You any good?”

“I’ve been told so, but you’re welcome to find out,” he said with a smirk returning. River laughed a little.

“Okay, yeah, I walked into that one,” they said as the giggles subsided.

The conversation continued on like that for a while, giggles and quips and jokes at everyone’s expense. River learned that Kori, Misae, and Azzy had known each other since high school, Joliet wasn’t technically an inc but his dad had been, so his cambion status gave him a weird in when they were in college with the other three, and Rosair had needed people to help pay the rent on his, in Azzy’s words, “fucking massive” apartment which had led to their loose confederation of people. Joliet called them “the Inc Den” which only got a groan out of Kori. They were pleasant and funny, and River tried not to think about how they were the first friends they’d made outside of work in three years.

When Misae had left the table to get drinks, River felt their phone vibrate and they tried not to groan as they fished it out of their pocket.

“Careful sugar,” Rosair said. He’d tucked himself in close next to River even after the rejection and they kept their phone in the pocket next to him.

“Shut up Rose,” they muttered as they clicked it on.

From Lacey Loo: hey…. I’m sorry. Tell drake i’ll pay for his breakfast.

River tried not to slam their head on the table in response. They tried not to think about how normal it was that Lacey didn’t even have to say much for River to get the whole picture. They changed their text channels and started texting Drake.

To Drake-ula: please tell me your couch is open

From Drake-ula: sorry dude, ditto situation

To Drake-ula: a) get some, roger’ll expect a review b) fuck you fine c) please tell me it isn’t roger

From Drake-ula: you think too lowly of me, it isn’t roger. And fuck you too, see you tomorrow.

River went to change chats again when Joliet piped up, “What’s with the angry eyes Riv?” He asked.

“My roommate just sexiled me and my go-to couch did the same.” They said as they pulled up Roger’s contact.

To Roger Snake: please tell me I can crash on a pile of pillows

The lack of instantaneous reply led to River looking at the time. The fact that it was a little after midnight meant Roger wouldn't even be up, the early sleeper he was. “Fuck!” They hissed.

“Aren’t you a little old to get sexiled?” Kori asked.

“Do you want to be in the same apartment as a werewolf having sex when he’s noisy even unshifted?” River asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Fair enough,” Kori said almost immediately. River sighed and tried to think of literally anyone else who might be okay with them crashing. Derek usually didn’t want anyone in his apartment except for holiday dinners, Chasen was out of town, and Al lived with six other people and they usually had people on the couch. They felt bad for Nox, who could technically leave the apartment, didn’t like doing it so they usually just suffered in silence and berated Lacey in the mirror the following morning.

“You could stay with us sugar,” Rosair said. River looked over at him with a look of confused amusement.

“Bet you say that to all the pretty people,”

“Actually we have a “no marks in the apartment” policy,” Azzy said. “It ensures we all sleep and don’t end up in this very situation,” he added.

“Why should I?”

“Because going back to your place means a very vocal werewolf,” Rosair said.

“And we have a pull out couch.” Kori cut in quickly.

“And they think you're cute and the fact that you haven’t run for the hills after nearly two hours with us is a sign they might want to keep you around,” Joliet whispered in River’s ear. Joliet had quickly become a grounding element at the table. He seemed to translate the unspoken wants of everyone with ease of exetend exposure. River tried not to flush a little at the comment.

“Can I convince you all to swear on no funny business?” They asked cautiously.

“Absolutely, just a couch,” Kori said. River looked over at Rosair who chuckled but nodded.

“On my name, there’ll be no funny business, just a couch.” River glanced at Azzy and Misae who nodded in agreement.

“We’re with them.” Misae said. River did a quick pro-con list in their head and sighed.

“Alright, yeah, I’d love it if I could crash on your couch,” they said.

“Then we should probably get out of here,” Kori remarked. Misae stood up and allowed him and Azzy out of the booth. Rosair did the same for River and Joliet. River quickly realized that other than Azzy and Misae, River was the shortest amongst the group, and even Azzy had his horns for a little bit of extra height. As they started walking for the door, River caught Chrissa’s eye who only slightly furrowed her brow and came a dash closer

“Rio,” she said. The group stopped and River went over to the bar, leaning over on their elbows.

“What’s up?” They asked.

“You’re fully conscious and aware you’re leaving with these people right?” Chrissa asked. River chuckled slightly and nodded.

“Yeah, Drake’s got someone over and Lacey kicked me out, they’re letting me crash on their couch,” River said. They appreciated the check, really, it was out of character for River to leave Labyrinth with anyone other than Lacey, Drake, or even Roger if they managed to catch him early enough.

“Alright, text me in the morning, yeah?” She said, which River nodded without comment. They went back over to the others and they continued their way out of the bar, River saluting Frankie at the door as a symbol that they were leaving willingly. Frankie let out a low growl but nodded as they let Kori lead the group to the apartment.

It wasn’t a far walk from the Labyrinth, probably why they favored it like Lacey and River did, and it was actually surprisingly closer to work than River’s own apartment. Which meant it was in the opposite direction of their apartment making changing before work tomorrow a challenge. Maybe they could? No, no that’d be pushing it. They’d just ask Derek to have a spare set in the back room when they got in. When the group reached the complex, River realized why Rosair had needed help with the rent, it was not an inexpensive building, even if Rosair was as good as he said he was. They all piled into the elevator with Azzy practically leaning on Misae out of exhaustion. Kori was scrolling through his phone while Joliet was fishing out the keys. They reached the sixth floor and wandered down the hall a little before opening the door.

The main space was fairly open, a decent size kitchen off to the right, a television on a stand by far wall in between two doors. There was a small set of stairs that seemed to lead into a small hallway. If River had to guess, they were going to go with the idea that that’s probably where the den’s bedrooms were.

“Bathroom’s the left door, I’ll help with the couch when you come out,” Joliet said. Having been relieved from bed duty, Azzy and Misae wandered their way upstairs. River nodded once and wandered into the bathroom that was quite well furnished for a half bath. They quickly went and splashed some water on their face and came back to Kori and Joliet waiting for them. Joliet had tugged the bed out and it looked really comfy, even by pull out bed standards, as Kori had seemed to stack pillows and extra blankets on the end. Kori then handed over a pair of sweatpants.

“Figured you didn’t want to sleep in jeans,” he said and River couldn’t tell because the apartment was dark, but they could’ve sworn Kori was a little flustered.

“Thanks Kor,” River said with a small smile. Kori nodded and untied his hair as he wandered over to the stairs, shaking it out and running his hand through it. River tried not to be mesmerized by the gesture but based on Joliet’s chuckle they were unsuccessful.

“I’m pretty convinced that’s why he keeps it tied up,” Joliet remarked.

“Probably, he could cause traffic accidents like that.”

“Wait until he reminds you he can be a whore,” Joliet said.

“Huh?” River said with a small flush of pink.

“Kori doesn’t like to advertise he’s an incubus, rather just let people think he’s a slightly tall tiefling. Hell, if he could survive without having to feed, he’d do it. But every once and a while either Misae or Rosair will convince him to dress up and it tends to lead people to have a hard time keeping their hands to themselves.” Joliet said. “But, enough chatter, I’m the door to the right, if you need anything just knock. Most of us don’t get up before noon, but I’m your best bet if you need something in the morning.

“Like a different t-shirt?” River asked.

“Oh yeah, I’ll even loot a pair of underwear if you need it.”

“I don’t think--”

“Don’t worry, Rose won’t notice.” Joliet said with a smirk. River tried not to laugh too loudly at the prospect.

“Thanks Jols,” they said. Joliet grinned and held their arm out, allowing River to come into his side if they wanted to. They did, with ease tucking themselves into his side and receiving a quick squeeze.

“No worries darling, I’ll talk to you tomorrow, yeah?” He said with a smile. River nodded and quickly disappeared back into the bathroom to change into the sweatpants that anyone with eyeballs could tell weren't theirs, but they didn't really mind. They were comfy and that was all that mattered. They tiptoed back out and carefully curled up in the pile of blankets. This.... this was good.

#exophilia #terato #demon boyfriend #demon girlfriend #exophilia writing #nonbinary lead #incubus #sucubus #my writing

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gallivantingheart · 4 years

Text

good luck charm

who?: gryffindor!chan x ravenclaw!reader

word count: 735

genre/s: hp!au, fluff

warnings: none

synopsis: chan, seeker and maknae of the gryffindor team wins the game again thanks to his good luck charm, you.

You jump about in the stands, frantically waving your red and gold flag. You don't look so out of place in the Gryffindor stands, wearing your black cloak and your boyfriends' house scarf that hides your own cool-toned tie. You watch as he zips across the open field, seemingly going nowhere. But, you know better.

"C'mon Chan! You got this babe! Go Go Gryffindor!" You yell, stamping your feet in a known rhythm to start a chant.

The roaring of the Gryffindor house swallows the rest of your cheers, but you still watch on as a chaser goes soaring past and Chan swerves suddenly, swinging round sharply to fly directly at you. He and the Ravenclaw seeker - a fellow housemate a year above you - tuck in close toward their broomsticks, eyes trained somewhere behind you. They drop dangerously low and the crowd screams in fright, ducking for cover. You feel the back draft whip your clothes. The commentary by Seungkwan has faded away as you watch the pair stick close. As they drop to a steep descent, Chan makes a break for it, hand outstretched. Pulling his fist to his chest he veers off, spinning as he whoops and yells. Once high enough, he thrusts it high, the golden glint of the snitch's softly fluttering wings catches your eye.

"And that's game over! Chan has caught the snitch in a win for Gryffindor! The maknae of the team has done it again!" Seungkwan announces.

You shake Sana, cheering in her ear as Chan makes a victory lap of the field. As the team gathers on the ground, you split from the crowd, already running down the stairs to the doors. You stand in the shadows, open enough to be seen but still out the way. You're heaving breaths, feeling your lack of athleticism scream in your lungs. Returning the equipment, the two teams shake hands and head in. Jihoon gives you a side glare at your attire and despite being a bad ravenclaw, you were being a good girlfriend. Chan had asked you specifically this time for you to cheer for him.

He had swung your hands between you. "Baby, I know your house is playing us this week, but it would really mean a lot to me if you would cheer me on this round."

You tilted your head. "But I always do anyway."

He smiled and shook his head, coming in closer. "I know, but...on my side - my colours, y’know? I really need you there. You're like, my good luck charm. Please?"

Of course you melted at that. Between his soft voice and pleading eyes, not to mention that little phrase you were hooked. You sighed and nodded. He beamed and wrapped you in a tight hug, swinging you side to side.

"Thank you." He leaned back to pull his scarf off, wrapping it lazily round your neck. "There, now you look just like a brave Gryffindor."

You smirk, discreetly inhaling the scent of his masculine floral. "If you don't look at my socks."

He'd laughed then, tucking you under his arm as he walked you to your advanced arithmancy class.

But back to the present, Chan catches your eye from under cover. With a blinding grin he breaks free of his teammates, broom in hand to meet you. It hits the grass when he meets you in favour of scooping you up for a tight hug, your toes dragging over the ground as you giggle in his ear.

“Congrats, Channie.” You say on a squeezed breath.

He pulls back to look at you, bright eyes glittering. “Thanks. But like I said, you’re my good luck charm - I couldn’t have done it without you.”

You roll your eyes at his gushing, but take the compliment anyway. When he finally puts you down, both teams have ditched you and you can see the rippling trail of black cloaks weave back up to the castle.

“Hey, lemme just change out of my gear and then we’ll see about sneaking you into the after party, okay?” Chan says, bending to scoop his broom back up.

You nod, ducking to peck his wind-whipped lips. “Sure. See you soon.”

He waves excitedly as he dashes off and you perch yourself against the wood wall of the stand, watching your superstar boyfriend dash off. As lovely as he looks, you hope you don’t see that image too often.

#caratwritersclub #chan #dino #seventeen chan #seventeen dino #seventeen fluff #seventeen au #seventeen fic #seventeen imagine #seventeen scenario #dino fic #dino imagines #dino scenarios #written

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kneipho · 3 years

Text

Submission: @mantrabay

A Little Known Shortcut.

Wandering the roads. It has me under a spell.

Even when prickly brambles

scrape my eyelids or those bony ankles are being twisted by tooth like stones. The angular sort clustered mischievously among the green shoots that litter every footpath.

They lie in wait, in ambush.

It goes with the territory for this seasoned footman.

Meandering landscapes are house and home to the spiral lanes and clover clad hills that are rife in my area.

Their rustic heritage sometimes sacrificed to the orphanage of malleable motives.

Crop farmers obsessed with bountiful harvest.

A restless developer pushing the limits of an urban jungle.

Fellow traveller in league with fugitives from the cockpit.

The pressure cooker of modern life.

The town dweller with split loyalties who clings to the tumult of the city but hankers after some rural idyll.

Culprits one and all.

A lair from the hubbub.

Dwellings of the quaintest kind huddle together like dots in a matrix separated only by a minuscule space.

The more alluring aspects of tradition have been preserved.

Among these are shortcuts or bypasses.

Those sequestered passages that shave miles off for the perennial rambler or clueless hitchhiker.

The eye becomes a lense to all these

things hidden or supposedly hidden.

Human vision as sensor to magic trails.

Those tucked away secret spots beloved of local wiseacres.

They festoon the sprawling countryside at random.

My name is Eric Spring.

Anthea, my partner a transcendental meditation teacher retired early at an early age.

Her withdrawal from work was never meant to be permanent.

A final decision hinged on Anthea’s ability to purge that fiendish veil of sadness that had been shadowing her.

There were several obstacles in her path but they weren’t insurmountable.

Thoughts of Anthea in her halcyon days haunted me.

Mental pictures of a vibrant woman imbued with passion.

Poignant evocative heart-tugging images.

Bar excursions into town my station is that of Anthea’s carer.

This eternally stoic woman is mindful of her mental boundaries and the abyss concealed by each of them.

But she is not prone to self-hate or abuse. The more lethal plagues of the psyche hadn’t yet impacted on her.

Anthea was groping for exits but hadn’t found the signs.

She remains housebound as I embark on those age defying treks into town.

We keep in touch by mobile phone.

A very angelic sensitive looking person is she.

Reminiscent of a Sunday Times editor.

The accent filters every noun and stresses every nuance.

Like the sounds from an early morning orchard.

Anthea’s job became monotonous and her other pursuits painting and writing fled without trace.

A budding artist’s most dreaded syndromes struck.

Writer’s block. Artistic vacuum.

The wellspring of her imagination now devoid of those inspiring flashes that sustain creative impulse.

She had few outlets bar my care and a lady called Fidelma who had the edge on me with regard to local knowledge. I longed to hear Anthea’s voice on my device.

Her hypnotic voice bridges gaps.

You feel close even when speaking to her from a distance.

I love the walks and savouring all those pivot points of folklore.

I pride myself on my intimate knowledge of every branch strewn rivulet, stream and layered rock formation.

My links to the environment are almost erotic as I crave it’s sensual touch.

At times I enter a tranquil zone where the shutters are drawn.

Just myself and all those habitats.

“Hello Eric? Lost in thought again.

How is anthea these days?

I spoke to her over the phone a few days ago.

I sometimes drop in on her when you are out.”

Fidelma speaking with that chirping red robin voice of hers.

She had this penchant for suddenly appearing like an archaeological site.

And she vanished just as quickly leaving the person she spoke to scrambling to process her asides and insights before they disappeared.

Neighbour, friend, root and branch archivist whose grasp of detail was legendary.

“She seems to be coping.” I said.

“Glad to hear that. Maybe I can pay a flying visit some time soon.

But aren’t you a foolish man to be imposing all those Olympic Marathons on yourself?”

Fidelma about to share one of her treasured nuggets.

“I love walking but any tips?”

Spring enquired naively as events soon demonstrated.

“There’s a shortcut…..a little known shortcut.

People in the know recommend it though I have never actually used it myself.

Maybe I will one day.

See, it’s on the right hand side up the road there.

Think it might be useful when you want to get home in a hurry.” She concluded.

Fidelma in advanced middle age was still sprightly and youthful in her ways.

I missed a text from anthea and Fidelma noticed.

“Yes. I have one of those gadgets too.

Keeps me connected.

Took me awhile to master it.

Wish there was a shortcut for that.

But I’ll best be on my way.

Take good care whatever the route.”

As always having spoken to Fidelma I wondered about in a trance.

Another colourful aspect of Fidelma’s personality was her “Banana Skin Syndrome.”

She could lose her balance betimes when enthusing about a topic or when she stumbled on an area that fascinated her.

The feet were a little wobbly.

All this against her philosophy about how interconnected everything is.

The mind is an antenna sending out signals to others was a frequent broadside of hers.

Even when Fidelma said very little she always had this magnetic effect on others.

Those terse one liners could trigger an avalanche in the mind.

Her thin phrases were always shrouded in a well crafted poetic meter.

It was in the tone, gestures and body language.

Those beady yet expressive eyes scanning her environment like a radar screen.

A cascade of images and sound bytes ensued when she left.

Several hours passed as my mind was in overdrive like a central processing unit.

I heard this inner voice telling me to explore this “shortcut.”

Having texted Anthea I then proceeded to this offshoot of a lane.

It was going to lighten the journey of this slope and pavement plodder.

Off I went down this quaint country shortcut.

Nothing out of the ordinary to begin with until Anthea rang.

“Gnawing feeling of sadness.

My mind is a dark blue canvass at the moment.”

Her lilting twang mingling with the song birds at the start of my downward journey.

I sensed this was urgent and started to walk quickly.

That’s when problems arose.

Just a plain country passage with a primarily flat surface at this point.

There were houses on each side and some weeds strewn and partially mangled, turned to mulch by wild and indiscriminate boots.

Strange feelings welled up within me as I felt like a geyser at yellowstone.

The puff and splutter of tractors in nearby fields as furrows, the epicenter of future yields were turned.

Scarecrows were strategically perched in the meadow behind the right hand hedge to ward off some menace or other.

Something told me to relate my surroundings to Anthea.

If only to divert attention from an impending gloom.

Those barely audible inner prompts again.

“Eric, I don’t want to pressurise you but at the moment I feel this dark cloud.”

Eric paused.

It then occurred to me that I was engulfed by dark foreboding clouds in tandem with a rising rainbow like haze.

As Anthea continued her disorders seemed to be complemented by external threats of rain intermingled with sunshine.

“I feel, Eric there is a radiance trying to break through.

Just to see you … your presence is a light which I could focus on.”

Then I realised that speed was of the essence.

That’s when I could have panicked.

Anthea’s voice seemed louder, but also more lyrical as I realised this obscure

overlooked route could have done with some restoration!

Tufts of grass oozing slime.

Mounds of mud with pockets of oil stained water.

The briars were a shock team that endangered every part of the human body.

I was conveying all this to anthea as I was trying to dash at my normal pace.

Oddly Anthea’s tone of desperation started to dip.

But she did appear less tense as I told her this story over the phone.

“Someone told me this is a shortcut.”

Eric said gingerly.

“Who was that ? Anthea asked.

“Fidelma. We met on the main road just a short while ago.” I responded.

“You know her a bit better than I do.”

Anthea observed. “She’s going to call over one of these days I’m sure.”

By now Anthea, initially nervous was mellowing as I continued with my frantic running … and staggering commentary!

She didn’t have had much to excite her over the last five years.

But I had to be careful lest those dark brooding phases returned.

Like a roving reporter I regaled her with lurid descriptions of limp green shrubs, tea brown leaves shredded on fissured rocks, juice dripping blackberry bushes with foraging earwigs seeking shelter from the sun.

But here I was almost knee deep in tangled foliage while keeping the love of my life up to speed!

The labyrinthine outcrops and mock craters were all included.

Suddenly misfortune struck without warning.

I nearly sprained my leg as I fell face down on a grassy patch.

Sprawled awkwardly across this surface my phone went flying but I managed to catch it.

“Eric, are you ok?

I don’t mean to be a burden.

Will I get someone to meet you at the end of this lane or short cut.”

Anthea again.

“I’m fine, Anthea.”

Eric said before slowly rising.

I kept detailing my observations and Anthea was reacting positively.

But I made it eventually with the sounds of the road as guide.

The temperatures continued to rise causing perspiration.

Peering thru the maze of entwined growths I saw … Fidelma.

“Where did you spring from?” Eric punning his own name.

“Fidelma …you fell too.” A question that might have appeared tactless.

She was getting up, having fallen when taking her bearings it seems.

“Fidelma …. thanks but no thanks.

The shortcut.” I said.

“You are shivering.” She observed.

“I am. Spring responded.

“Got to get to Anthea because she might be in need of help.” Spring continued.

We both headed for my house as quickly as possible.

But it wasn’t far.

I texted Anthea and she answered by saying she had every reason to speak to me.

One wondered what that might be.

My face whitened.

Fidelma and I soon reached the house where I lived.

Eric pressed the doorbell as his heart pounded.

The door opened suddenly and we couldn’t believe what we saw.

“Anthea, is that you?

I haven’t seen you smile like that in years.”

I said.

Fidelma and I were perplexed to say the least.

“It’s early days yet but those locusts of darkness hopping around in my head maybe dwindling.

Those creative juices returned when I sensed your anxiety down the lane because I didn’t want two sick people in this house.

But you brought splashes of vivid colour into my drawing room.

I could almost smell the rustic fragrance of every wilting petal and the creaking of every twig.

You set a whole cycle in train.”

Anthea then showed me two items she was working on.

“I have started a rough sketch of the lane you detailed and a short story.

There’s been a sea change.” She said.

“Oh I wonder what I’ll call this sketch and that short story?

Any ideas?” Anthea enquired.

Fidelma and I looked at each other and spoke almost in unison.

“I think we both have a fair idea what they both might be called.

Your story included.”

A little known shortcut indeed!

Photograph and short story mantrabay copyright protected

#mantrabay #submission sunday #writers on tumblr #photographers on tumblr #written word #photography #submission #other #short story #fiction #original photography #a little known shortcut

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