#I’m laying in bed gazing in the area I have my chips stored

[marvel-ousnesss]

Unrequited (Valerio x reader)

Warnings: angst, use of drugs, alcohol, cursing, cheating, breakup, mentions of Valerio x Lucrecia 

Word count: 2000-ish

A/N: Sorry this took so long, I hadn't been motivated to write anything until recently. As always, I love to hear comments, thoughts and feedback. Also, thank you so much for supporting my work, hope you enjoy 💜

Masterlist

Request

“Stop it, Valerio.” You abruptly close the book you're holding, eyeing the teacher as you place it on the desk. “They won't even let me get out of the house.”

He had been nagging you all week long about some party he was dying to go to, and you wanted to, really. The only problem was that, a few days ago, the two of you had dragged Guzman on a nightly adventure to the beach, which seemed right at the moment, since he had spent the whole summer sulking. Your dad practically had to drag you home by an ear, and, to say the least, your family didn’t wanna hear a beat about parties or your friends any time soon.

He scoffs, “seriously? Your parents are like the chillest people ever, they weren’t even that mad.”

Incredulous, you look at him up and down, betrayed by the amused grin that flicks on the corner of your lips. “Just checking, were you there on Thursday? One step out of line, and I'll be walking around with an ankle monitor.”

“Y/N, Valerio, is my class, perchance, interrupting your conversation? Should I take it elsewhere?”

With a quick apology and a glare at your boyfriend, cutting the conversation was cut short. However, it was naive to think he'd just settle for the answer you had given him.

“Whatever, Y/N," he grumbles. "I’m sure They'll let you if I,” he frames his face and smiles coyly, “am the one who asks.”

"Geez, why didn't I think of that!". Turning the page of your textbook, you deadpan. "Oh, right, dick-in-a-sock incident.”

Valerio lowers himself on his seat as his face embraces a new tone of crimson. After a second, he recovers. “Can't believe you brought up that teeny-tiny mistake of mine. Low, Y/L/N, even for you.”

You open your mouth to respond, but the bell rings.

When it stops, you continue, “Seriously, V, they've been all over me these last few days, it's a long shot.”

Both of you get out of the classroom and begin to make your way to the lockers. “Just tell them Polo’s gonna be there, don’t they love Polo?”

You sigh, checking the time on your phone. You only have fifteen minutes before your next class began, and, honestly, lack the energy to spend them trying to knock some sense into your mule of a boyfriend.

“Fine,” you settle. “I’ll call them in a minute. But, don’t get your hopes up.”

“Too late.” With a captivating smile, he leans in and pecks your cheek.

After you agreed to at least call your parents, Valerio's mood improved considerably the rest of the day. The rest of the classes went by uneventfully; before you knew it, you found yourself in the car, duffle in hand, on your way to the Montesinos'.

You arrive at their house and let yourself inside, leaving your stuff at the door and heading straight to the kitchen, looking for something to drink. When you turn around to face the stairs, Lu’s making her way down.

"So, how did you manage to dodge your sentence this time?"

"Haggled my freedom, sort of." You place a glass on the table and open the fridge to fetch a bottle of sparkling water.

She rolls her eyes and sighs, exasperated. "A call from my dad would’ve done it".

"Thanks, but it wasn’t that bad, really, " you assure, pouring some water into the glass then cutting a lemon in half. "Just have to take my brother to some birthday party next week and, in exchange, they gave me their blessing for Valerio's thing, and let me stay at yours after."

"God, Y/N, you complain about my brother 24/7 and, in the end, the two of you are just as stubborn."She grabs an apple and takes a bite. "You could've saved yourself the trouble completely."

"Oh, well."You take a seat by the kitchen bar. "Guess it takes one to know one."

"Anyway, what are you wearing tonight?"

You unlock your phone and browse through the gallery. When you find the picture, you stop and point a finger at her. "You're gonna hate me. " You show her the screen smiling from ear to ear.

"Oh, my fucking god, Y/N! How- I- is that the Valentino you were drooling over the other day?"

You just grin.

"You, bitch, how did you get your hands on that?"

"Aunt Millicent."

"Of course," she huffs.

"Turns out that there were a few perks of her going off to Milan." You shrug. "But that's not important right now, what are you gonna wear?"

With that. she drags you up the stairs and into her room. You spend the rest of the afternoon immersed in makeup experiments and debates about fashion until Valerio and Guzman shout your names to start pregaming.

You enter the party together and go straight to the most vacant area of the VIP zone. After grabbing the first round, you join the others at the table and sit down with Polo and Carla for a few drinks. The group remains wrapped in conversation until Ander walks up to his friends and drags them to the bar, probably to tell them about his most recent disagreement with Omar. Soon after, Lucrecia makes eye contact with Nadia, muttering something about her daring to come, and standing up with a huff. Knowing she's physically incapable of keeping herself out of trouble, Carla stands up with a roll of her eyes and follows her.

Valerio lets his arm fall around you and chuckles, taking a sip of his drink. "And then, there were two."

“Wanna get high?" You don't wait for him to answer verbally. Instead, you grab his hands and pull the two of you to stand up.

He laughs, grabbing a bottle of whatever was on the table beside yours.

The two of you sprinted to the nearest restroom in a fit of giggles and lock the door behind you. He puts the bottle on the counter and reaches his pockets, freezing as soon as he lifts his gaze. You dig into your clutch and shake a small bag in his face.

"My treat," you grin, resembling a kid in a candy store.

"Oh, my, little miss Y/LN!" he gasps in fake horror. "What happened to the ankle monitor you were telling me about."

"I won’t tell if you won’t."You smirk, carefully arranging the lines.

The party comes to an end a few minutes before sunrise. You reunite with Lucrecia and Guzman by the entrance of the club and the four of you get in the Montesinos' car. Your head rests on Valerio's chest and he traces lazy patterns on the skin of your arm and shoulder.

When you make it to the house, Lucrecia doesn't waste a minute to drag a tipsy Guzman upstairs, waving a quick goodbye on her way. You giggle, well aware of your friends' plans for the night. Then, you head to the kitchen for a snack.

"Confess it." Your boyfriend stares at you from the stairs, arms crossed over his chest. "The only reason you ever visit is that we have a better pantry."

"To be honest, I thought you already knew that." You grab a pack of chips and walk toward his bedroom, passing by him and kissing his nose softly.

You don't fall asleep that night, writhing in Valerio's arms and debating whether or not to go find something for the hangover that was already beginning to haunt you. When you open your eyes, the first rays of sunlight are already peeking through the window. You decide to get out of bed. You throw the blanket off you and turn, expecting to see your boyfriend, but only find a mess of his blankets instead. You check the time on your cell phone: 8:22 a.m.

Seeing no point in continuing your attempts to get some sleep, you put on the shirt that was laying on Valerio's desk chair and leave the room. As you're crossing the hall to the pool, you hear noises coming through Lucrecia's door. For a moment, you think it may be her and Guzman, but remember hearing him say that he had to go home at dawn to get to a swimming competition.

You try to ignore the noise and convince yourself it's none of your business; but, when you continue to walk away, your ears are invaded by a voice you knew quite well. "It couldn't, they can't-, they're...", a million thoughts invade you. You take a deep breath and to open the door.

There are no words to describe the feeling of your heart being ripped in the blink of an eye. Your legs threaten to collapse and blood rushes to your head, making you dizzy for a brief moment. Not only do you find your boyfriend in the bed, with an unreadable expression coating his face, but you find your best friend redhanded, looking right at you like a deer in headlights.

You don't even try to digest the scene; instead, you run out of the house, suddenly not caring about your current apparel. Part of you wanted to shout what you had seen, to ruin them, but they meant too most to you. You couldn't do it, no matter how much you wanted to get it off your chest.

Luckily, your house was empty. You went straight upstairs and locked yourself in your room for the rest of the morning. You did whatever you could to take your head off what you had seen, but nothing worked. In the end, you wrote it down, desperate to get it out somehow. You hadn't opened your diary since you were twelve, but it was relieving; a weight was lifted off your shoulders.

You spend the remaining of the day so deep in thought, that you didn't even notice your family arriving from the park. You drifted off to sleep after working on some homework, only to be woken up by our brother's voice.

"Y/N, your boyfriend's here!" Hearing the word sends a jab of pain through your body. However, you reply, "I'll be down in a second."

You put on a hoodie, some shoes and leave the fort that was your room. Your parents are focused on a movie, so you take the opportunity to step into the backyard with Valerio.

You face him, trying to appear emotionless, even if your bloodshot eyes give you away.The childish gleam in his face is nowhere to be found, his shoulders are more drooping than normal, and his eyes are almost as red as yours. You wonder if it's because of the crying or the cocaine.

“How long?”

“Before I went abroad.”

You attempt to walk back into the house, but he grabs and pulls your arm, begging you to stay and listen.

You sigh. “I won't say anything, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

He stays silent for a few seconds, bringing himself to believe that your thoughts on him were actually that low. Then he mumbles, “I don’t care about that, I know it’s unorthodox, and that you’re probably gonna stop talking to us now, and-“

You didn’t have the energy to hear him ramble. “Look, yes, I’m really shaken, to say the least, it's the first time I’ve seen something like that.” You grimaced. “But, the point is you betrayed my trust, V! Completely!” Your voice shakes, you try to clear your throat but it comes out as a sob. “I- even if it hadn’t been her, you hurt me. You promised you’d never do it, but you did!

He takes your hands, and, even if you don’t resist, feels how tense that makes you. Hours prior, it would’ve been comforting. “And I’m sorry, really. I did it without thinking, Y/N/N, it won’t happen again.”

You pull your hands out of his. “Please, V, it’s been happening for more than a year, half of the time we’ve been dating.”

He stays quiet.

You quietly question, “do you still love me?”

This time, his bottom lip quivers and his voice cracks when he answers. “I care about you, a lot, you know that.”

That’s the last you bear to hear. You avert your eyes from him. “I forgive you. You can go now.”

“Y/N/N…” He moves closer to you, but you shake your head, stopping him.

“Please,” you croak.

#valerio montesinos imagines #Valerio imagines #Valerio imagine #Valerio x reader #Valerio Montesinos x reader #elite #elite imagines #netflix elite #las encimas #Valerio #Jorge López #x reader #valerio blurb #valerio oneshot

[marvelfansince08love]

My best friend and my sister

Word count: 3714

Pairing: Tammy x Miller!Reader (Lou’s younger sister)

Prompts requested: 1 “Why didn’t you tell me” 18 “How could you be so irresponsible?” 

A/N: For my sweet Anon, I hope you enjoy x Sorry it’s taking so long to get these out, I’ve been very burnt out recently but I’m back on track now! 

Tags: @waitingfortheendtocome @natasha-danvers @saucy-sapphic @witchxaf @creepingwolfberry​ @chewbacca0805​ @coconutlipss​

Prompts 1 & 18 

You and Lou had always been close growing up. Having such a cool older sister had its perks. Like when you were eight years old and you had pleaded and begged for that toy you had spotted in the window but your parents had shook their heads, not having enough money to afford ‘special gifts’. Those were only reserved for birthdays and Christmas’s. You had walked out of the store devastated with tears in your eyes until Lou walked you around the corner and revealed the toy from the depths of her long coat, a finger to her lips and a wink keeping the secret gift between you both. Lou had been seventeen then and was struggling to find a part time job to help pay some of the family's bills and so she could buy you gifts. 

“Every kid should have a few toys growing up. Including you, Y/N.” She would say. 

Once Lou had reached the sweet old age of twenty-one, an opportunity had presented itself before her, one that she just couldn't refuse. One right where the tall green statue stood proud overlooking the city of dreams. New York City was Lou's chance to make something of herself and, who were you to deny her of that?

"This could be good for us, Y/N! I could make enough money to bring you over and you can live with me!"  She had exclaimed, excitement filling her youthful blue eyes. You had nodded and basked in her excitement, the dreading feeling of abandonment slowly creeping its way through into your chest.

Once you had turned eighteen, Lou had kept to her promise of bringing you over to the big city, flying first class from Australia and leaving your parents down under, ready to start your new life; a better life. 

You had lived with Lou while studying in New York. Your apartment was small, but enough for the two of you. That was, until Lou introduced you to the infamous Deborah Ocean. The woman was beautiful and mysterious, her words carefully calculated, her dark eyes taking in the room before she had even stepped into it. You thought she was pretty badass compared to your older sister, especially when you found out what they did for a living. The ‘jobs’ that they did helped keep you both afloat through your first few years in New York City, especially when the bigger jobs were coming through, which helped you move into a bigger, fancier place that you could call home. 

That was the day you fell in love with the most breath-taking human you had ever laid eyes on. The woman was average height, her blonde hair resting against her breasts in soft curls. The small dark freckle on the corner of her upper lip drawing you in and oh, that wide smile that lit up her whole face making her brown eyes sparkle ever so slightly under the sunlight that seeped into the open living room space where you had stood, staring a little too long at this stunning woman.

"Stop drooling, kid. You're gonna end up needing the mop at this rate and we haven't even put an offer in yet," Debbie had whispered to you, teasing your love sick expression. You had snapped out of your gaze at that remark, stuttering over your words trying to defend yourself. You both stood and watched as Lou and this beautiful blonde discussed the price by the bay window overlooking the busy streets of New York. Tammy was her name, and it was the most beautiful name you had ever heard of, her soft voice showing a tiny hint of a lisp making you swoon just that bit more for her.

She was an old friend of Debbie's who knew just the right places for the best prices around the area, she had also helped with some of the more high profiled jobs when needed, mainly moving various illegal items across borders. You looked at the sweet blonde in awe, wondering how a woman like that could look so innocent and sweet. 

You had never gotten over that first meeting with Tammy but as the years went by and you matured into a strong minded individual, you realised that you'd rather ignore that pining feeling and continue on with your life as if nothing had changed within you that day. As if you hadn't pictured her breathless beneath you while you buried your fingers deep inside her throbbing heat or how good her left hand would look with a diamond ring on her finger letting everyone know she is yours and you are hers.

No, she was a friend of your sister… your older sister, and a good friend at that.

'Still, it doesn't stop you from thinking about how sweet she would sound moaning your name,' You think bitterly to yourself, hating that you still have this pull to her. 

That’s why you totally weren’t stalking her social media page as you entered your shared apartment with your older sister and her best friend. Briefcase in hand and your eyes glued to your phone screen, eyes transfixed on the sweet blonde who’s smile still makes your stomach flutter. 

You were so invested in your scrolling that you had missed the knowing smirk shared between your sister and her best friend. 

“Hey Kid, how was your first day on the job?” Lou asks, hiding her smirk beneath her coffee mug as Debbie lays out the new flooring plans for their next big job. You look up at the sound of her voice, taking in the blue papers on the living room table.

“Yeah, it was good! The students were lovely and eager, which was encouraging.” You gush, the excitement from your first successful day distracting you from the breath-taking photos of your secret crush.

“God, just the thought of college makes me shiver now. Thank god I develop my skills as a con artist.” Debbie jokes, her eyes trained on the carefully mapped out plan. You move to sit next to her, leaning your chin onto her shoulder pointing at an unmarked area on the layout plans. 

“If you place the camera chip by the corner on the east wing here, that should cover up to the left side of the entryway down the hall.” You mumble, before grabbing Debbie’s hot coffee and taking a sip. Lou scoffs from her seat across but you can spot the pride in her eyes. Living with two very intelligent con artists has its perks. Debbie kisses the top of your head with enthusiasm.

“You’re the best, pumpkin. Still think you’re going down the right career path?” She questions, a playful smirk appearing on her lips making you shake your head as you move towards your bedroom. 

“You guys have your thing, I have mine. Besides, I’m far too good for your lil crew, Ocean.” You joke, turning to wink at the brunette before heading into your room. You falter slightly upon closing your door hearing your sister’s voice shout through to you from the other side. 

“The ‘crew’ are coming over later to go through the plan. You wanna join us?!” You bump your head lightly against your wooden door, already feeling the knowing smirks coming from both women. 

“Maybe. I’ll see how I feel later.” You reply against the door, before moving away and removing your work clothes piece by piece, leaving a trail of material towards the en-suite bathroom. 

Placing your phone on the drawer by the bathroom door, you head in for a shower completely missing the new text message from your favourite blonde.

Hey darling! I hope your first day went well. Can’t wait to hear all about it tonight! Tam x

***

Writing up the last few lines for your lesson plans, you look towards the digital clock on your desk as your stomach flutters in anticipation at seeing the blonde. You see, you may have never seeked out your intentions with Tammy but you would be fooling yourself if you thought you were over your silly crush on the woman. 

A loud knock on your door interrupts your thoughts. 

“Y/N! They’ll be here soon, are you joining us or not?” Lou’s deep voice came muffled from the other side of your door.

“Uh, yeah. Let me finish up this lesson plan and I’ll be out.” You reply, distracted by your thoughts. Shaking your head, you refocus back onto the task at hand before you can let your thoughts trail off into a much more filthier place.

You continue to write in your planner making sure that every detail has been looked over at least twice wanting everything to be perfect, completely unaware of the unannounced presence that stands by your doorway leaning heavily against the doorframe, soft eyes gazing lovingly at your hunched over figure. 

“Hey, you.” 

The voice startles you from your productivity, making you gasp and swirl around swiftly at the unexpected voice. Hand on chest, you try to catch your breath as the sweet angelic sound of Tammy’s laughter echoes throughout the bedroom. 

“Oh my god, Tammy! You gotta warn me next time.” You breathe, turning back to rearrange your notepad and planner. Tammy chuckles this time before pushing away from the doorframe and making herself comfortable at the foot of the bed.

“I’m sorry darling, but we’ve been out there for nearly an hour and well.. I missed you. We haven’t hung out with you much lately and we’re missing our most valuable member of the crew.” She confesses, a small smile playing on her lips as she takes in your room. You feel your heart flutter at the thought of her missing you, but you quickly squish down the thought knowing she didn’t mean just her but the rest of the gang. 

“Oh shit! I hadn’t realised the time. You guys haven’t ordered yet, right?” You ask, eyes hopeful and mouth watering at the thought of some delicious greasy pizza. 

“We have..” You pout at her words before watching her smile wide at you. “But don’t worry Y/N, I ordered your favourite.” She informs you with a smug expression. You leap out of your chair and practically leap towards her, placing your arms around her shoulder you press a big kiss to her cheek before moving away just as quickly heading for the living room.

“This is why you’re my favourite, Tam Tam.” You exclaim, already out of the room before she could blink. Within your excitement you missed how the blonde touched her cheek where you had placed the kiss onto her scorching skin, a tint of pink blushing across her cheeks. 

Yeah, you weren’t the only one smitten. 

***

Over the next few days, you had helped your sister and her crew form the perfect plan to take over the new Randervelt Museum and their very expensive art pieces. Debbie had dropped enough hints that you ended up being a part of the plan. 

“We can’t do this without you, Y/n.” 

“The money is good.” 

How could you say no? After all, you were a Miller and the thrill of a heist had always been appealing to you ever since your sister brought you along to your first one when you turned 21. “It’s tradition”, Lou had said. 

During that time, you had noticed Tammy had been awfully quiet around you. Sometimes you would catch her staring just a little too long at you before she would turn away and engage in conversation with one of the others, as if nothing was wrong. You had tried to talk to her about her odd behaviour but every time you got her alone, she would make some kind of excuse to not be around you. 

You’d be lying if you said it didn’t hurt but the plan had gone smoothly with everyone accounted for, all except for well... you. 

“Where is she, Constance?” Tammy raged through her earpiece, getting ready to jump back out of the van and go searching for you herself. 

“She’s got caught up with that big ass guard. I’m going to intervene to see if I can get her out of the way.” Constance replies, far too calm for her liking. 

“What do you mean caught up with the guard?! What’s he saying to her?” 

“I dunno but, uh… it seems like he’s flirting with her.” Tammy gulps slightly at that, feeling her stomach drop. 

“Well, get him to back off before I come in there and do it myself.” She says through gritted teeth.

“Alright girl, chill the F out. I’ll go get your girl.” She mumbles into her ear. Tammy’s eyes widen at the blunt statement as she hears quiet chuckling from the others. 

“Ladies, can we please focus? This is my sister and I swear to god if anything happens to her I- just… Constance, go and get her. Me and Debbie are going to bring round the other truck so we can transfer the paintings over to you, got it?” Lou’s authoritative voice crackles through the earpiece. A collective of sorry's are mumbled across the team as everyone returned back to the task at hand. Tammy holds her breath, waiting for Constance's confirmation of a safe exit with you in toe. 

“Got her. We’re on our way out now, be ready for us.” 

She can finally breathe again.

***

The journey back to the warehouse was quiet and tense. Tammy tried to let go of the pent up frustration and unwanted anger of having you in such a situation in the first place, but she couldn’t seem to drop it. That is, if her knee bouncing rapidly had anything to say about it. 

You kept your eyes fixed on the empty seat across from you, knowing that a certain pair of  brown doe eyes were burning into your skull from the spot across. Once you had all entered the apartment, the team disperses towards the living area bringing in the pieces one by one. 

Tammy is no longer able to keep her thoughts to herself, the words ready to spill from her throat. 

“How could you be so irresponsible?” She scolded, turning towards you. 

Your eyes widen as you gape at her, showing your shock at her blunt words. 

You can hear Lou chastising Tammy quietly in warning from across the room, but from the look on the blonde's face she wasn’t about to listen to her friend.  

“Excuse me?” You exclaim, taking a step closer to her. 

“You could have gotten into some serious trouble back there Y/N, if that guy had caught onto what you were doing.. You need to be more careful.” She lectured, trying to slow down her rapid breathing knowing that secretly, deep down, it wasn’t your fault. 

“Are you being serious right now?!” You question, baffled by her defensive behaviour. 

“I knew it was a bad idea putting you in danger like that. I should have said something.” Tammy mutters to herself, but her words are clear enough for you to hear. 

“What do you mean, Tam? Is that why you’ve been so weird with me? I knew there was something up with you.” You summarize, pointing an accusing finger at the blonde. You notice at the corner of your eye, the other woman silently leaving the room, clearly not wanting to be involved. 

Your eyes catch your sisters, her crystal blue eyes staring back at you with understanding and knowing, baffling you even more before Debbie escorts her reluctant form out of the room, knowing that you are old enough to deal with the problem at hand.

“Okay, fine! I was pissed off, alright? I hated the fact that you were dragged into yet another job, an illegal job might I add. You are doing something good with your life right now, darling. I don’t want you getting mixed up in all of this. You’re too good for this.” She says, indicating towards the stolen art pieces. You frown at just how concerned she is with your involvement.

“Why do you care so much, Tam? I’m just your best friend's kid sister, remember?” You mock, remembering back to the time when you overheard her conversation with Debbie about your odd relationship with the older woman. 

“She’s young, Debs. I’m merely being a friend.”  Those were her words back then and they still stung to this day. 

Tammy drops her gaze, shame evident, remembering how she saw your retreating form from the corner of her eye back when she spoke to Debbie about her confusing feelings towards you.  

“I only said that because I was too scared to admit how I actually felt about you, Y/N.” Her voice soft, faltering slightly under her confession. Her eyes bright with unshed tears, her shoulders dropping as if the weight of her secret love for you has been lifted. You gape at the woman in front of you, overwhelmed with uncertainty and hope.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” You managed to croak out, unable to form further words. 

Tammy shrugs her shoulders in defeat, before slowly meeting your conflicted gaze. You could see the vulnerability in those big brown eyes, making you step towards her. That instant pull between you growing stronger just like it had during that first meeting. 

“What, and tell your sister ‘oh hey, I know I’m one of your closest friends but I’m in love with your younger sister’? I don’t think that would have gone down well back then, do you?” You both chuckle slightly realising how ridiculous this all is. 

“I’m pretty sure she’s known something was going on,” you pause for a minute, thinking carefully about your next words. “Because I dunno if you know this, but I’ve been in love with you since I first laid my eyes on you.” You confess, folding your arms across your chest as if to protect yourself from your own words. 

Before you could apologise or take back your words, scared by the fallen silence that has settled between you both, Tammy walks the last few steps towards you placing her hands gently against your jaw, cupping your face within the palms of her hands. The tenderness within her hold makes you want to cry at just how much love seeps from her one single touch. 

“I would very much like to kiss you.” She whispers, her lips an inch away from your own. You close your eyes basking in the moment before you reply. 

“Then, do it.” Her lips clash with your own at your words, desperate as if they’ve been waiting a million years just to touch your own soft lips. Her tongue traces along your bottom lip making you part your lips ever so slightly but enough for her to trace her tongue along your own, fighting for dominance. Bringing your hands up, you thread your fingers through long blonde locks keeping her close not wanting to break away just yet. You continue with this fight for dominance with your mouths before the distinctive sound of someone gagging makes you break apart. 

Turning your heads to the side, you both see Lou and the others stood by the doorway with stupid grins on their faces. All except for Lou, who was fake gagging next to Debbie who just rolled her eyes at her best friend's antics. 

“Are you guys done sucking each other's faces? Because I wanna order pizza.” Nine says with indifference, before moving into the room and towards the kitchen where the food menus lay scattered on the kitchen island table. 

The others laugh watching as you both fluster at being caught making out like teenagers. You eye up your sister who has been very quiet about the whole exchange, feeling Tammy shift uncomfortably next to you clearly waiting for your sister to react. 

You keep a supportive arm around her waist, silently telling her that no matter what you’re both stronger than the rejection. Lou walks agonizingly slowly towards you both with a stoic face, giving nothing away while Debbie rolls her eyes at her friend's dramatics, once again. 

“My best friend and my sister...” Is all she says, as if trying to piece the information together out loud. 

You gulp once she’s up close to you, standing with her arms crossed as her eyes flicker between you and Tammy. The silent exchange feels like it goes on for a century before she breaks out into a huge smile, showing her pearly white teeth and her arms out wide towards you both.

“My best friend and my sister!” She exclaims excitingly, before pulling you both into a three-way hug. You both lock eyes over your sister’s shoulder, relief evident in those perfect brown eyes making you grin softly. 

“Yeah, me and your sister, Lou.” Tammy says as she laughs at your sister's antics. Lou pulls back, holding your shoulders with her hands eyeing your now clasped hands. 

“Just don’t make it gross, yeah? She’s still my little sister and I will kick your arse if you hurt her, Tam Tam.” Lou threatens, but the tone of her voice clearly shows she’s only half joking. 

You roll your eyes at your sister’s empty threat before she bops you on the nose, which you bat away with your free hand. 

“That goes for you as well, kid. She’s still one of my best friends, you hurt her in any way then me and you will be having words. Got it?” She promises, before winking and walking back towards the kitchen where the others have been not so subtly listening in to the exchange. 

You look at the blonde in front of you, taking in her soft features and perfect smile, overwhelmed with love for this woman in front of you.  Leaning in, you kiss the corner of her mouth softly. 

“I could never hurt you Tam Tam. Who would get my pizza order right, if not you?” You tease, watching the mischievous glint burn within her brown eyes as she playfully shoves you. 

“You, dork.” Grabbing her hand quickly, you place it over your heart and whisper. 

“But I’m your dork,” you smile cheekily at her.

“Yeah, my dork.” She confirms, her adoring eyes gazing into your own thinking to herself. 

Finally.

#tammy x reader #sarah paulson x reader #oceans 8 #lou miller x reader #tammy is an angel #sarah paulson #lou miller #debbie ocean

[alfredosauce50]

What makes me human [Cyberpunk! America x reader] 12

Wordcount: 3, 719 Rating: M for strong language and mature themes Warning: Implications of a panic attack and other sensitive/shocking content ahead. "See? I don't even have any goddamn organs! And I'm still alive!" "But hey, I get it. Maybe this isn't even my body. If it was, I wouldn't be alive. Maybe I'm a clone or something. A robot clone. Do you think they still kept my old body as a souvenir?" Chapter synopsis: Alfred is dying from something unknown, and the weaker his body gets, the faster his sanity wanes. You can't do anything but ease his pain as he slowly deteriorates. Fortunately, a deus ex machina arrives to save the day. The reader is referred to as she/her

Songs to listen to while you read (in order as found in playlist): VIRUS, Devil’s At Your Door, Glassy sky, Within. I have indented song titles throughout the chapter so you can change accordingly. Starting now:

VIRUS

12 - Like tears in rain

When Alfred left to do his business, you traced a finger over your leg and continued to look towards the bathroom. He was going to reappear any second now. That was what you told yourself as you waited, impatiently, but it never happened. Instead, you heard a loud slam and your heart jumped out of your chest.

It was the sound of glass. 

“... Alfred?” You called out, tone uncertain. Sliding yourself off the bed a few moments later, you walked to the door with a fearful kind of urgency. Without wasting another second, you knocked a few times. “Are you okay in there? I heard something. What happened?” He didn’t answer. There was only shuffling of feet--the rough scraping of the sole of a sandal against the tiled floor. 

It was almost as if he was struggling to stand. 

“Alfred, open the door!” You rose your voice in a distressed shout. Pounding your fists against the door, your pleads fell on deaf ears as he never made an effort to respond.

That alarmed you beyond compare and you resorted to thrusting your elbows against the cold and hard metal surface. “Alfred—” Your voice broke as his name fell from your lips. Bile never rose this quickly in your throat. 

When the door did open, you stared wide-eyed at the man through a flurry of tears. He was so confused, disoriented even, but he was safe and sound.

But when he saw the way you looked at him, crying, his face twisted with regret. “Fuck, (F/N)!” He breathed, catching you in his arms when you launched yourself at him. 

“I’m sorry for scaring you, but I’m okay—I promise. See? Now please don’t cry anymore.” Pulling away to offer a smile of reassurance, it faltered when you shook your head profusely with bitter despondency. 

“I’m not stupid. I know what I heard.” A dark glare only lasted so long when your expression quickly morphed into despair. “Please just tell me what’s wrong.” Reaching out to grip onto the sleeves of his shirt, you clung onto him desperately, almost as if he’d disappear if you didn’t. Little did you know, it wasn’t far from the truth. 

As if Alfred already knew this, he hung his head with a tired grin. 

“To be honest, I don’t know any more about this than you do.” He shook his head, defeated. “My best guess is that I’m having particularly shitty side effects with this... Immortality thing. But that’s it. I can’t die. So I’ll be okay.” 

He didn’t pay much attention to the signs he’d been seeing for the past few days. At first, he only experienced a little bit of lagging in his interface, like whenever he’d use his trusty in-built Google maps. This minor issue escalated into occasional forgetfulness, and even then, he brushed it off. But now, this mutated into something alarming.

Finding yourself in his arms again, you squeezed him in a tight embrace and screwed your eyes shut.

“That means this won’t be forever... Right?"

You wanted to believe it with every fiber of your being. But fear returned like an old friend, ravaging your being until it left nothing but paranoia in your consciousness. "I still think there’s something wrong with you..." Shaking your head as you choked out your words, he squeezed you right back.

"This won’t happen again, I’m sure of it. So don’t be so worried, okay?" Pulling away to soften his gaze on your teary one, he wiped away any moisture with a swipe of his thumb. Then, he sighed, but a small smile appeared right after. “I’ll be fine. Otherwise, who’s gonna look after you when I’m gone?”

“Don’t say that.” You deadpanned.

The truth to his words was haunting, and you couldn’t deny it. That was precisely why you hated hearing it.

“Do you care about me that much now, (F/N)?” The other grinned, his cheeks pink with content.

“Don’t ask that as if you don’t already know the answer.”

Alfred closed his eyes with a look of satisfaction. To hear you snap at him like this only pointed to one reason, and one reason only.

He'd totally grown on you. Maybe more so the other way around, but this was how things have always been. So he wasn't surprised when he was the first to feel something beyond a platonic friendship. Ironically, he was made of more metal than flesh and blood like you. But did that even mean anything anymore?

“Just wanted to hear you say it. But that’s good enough for me.” He hummed, watching a blush spread over your cheeks he himself was responsible for.

You hit his shoulder. "... Take this a little more seriously, would you?"

The blonde laughed. "I am! I was just being honest."

Neither of you noticed that you both had taken the leisure to sit on the ground. But given the circumstances, how could you possibly focus on something else? The same could be said for Alfred as he continued to stare at you with an unreadable expression.

Even then, he was pulling you in like a moth to a flame.

"You say that and yet I really can't tell what you're thinking."

"... And what if I didn't want you to?"

Whatever it was that was between you both, it couldn't be ignored. You weren't on the same page as him, but that didn't mean you wouldn't do everything in your power to save him.

He was carefree about this, but you weren't taking your chances.

Not that you could do anything to help him as his symptoms spiraled out of control. What he said would only be a one-time thing became a daily ritual. His episodes were longer. More violent. If he wasn't freezing up in the middle of the street, he was having seizures left and right until he fried his own brain.

Devil's At Your Door

You would drag his heavy body to an alleyway to wait it out. This was one of those times, but the task proved more difficult during a thunderstorm, and when heavy was more of an understatement. Not only was he made mostly out of steel, but he was well over six feet to boot, so all it took was one small puddle to slip and drop him--right onto the concrete with a thump.

In the few seconds he laid flat on the ground, he looked dead.

But a few seconds was more than enough for tears to form. They streamed endlessly down your face as you watched his, motionless and peaceful as it lay half-submerged in a murky well of water. As dark as it was, it still reflected the bright neon of the city. But the lights were anything but beautiful.

"... Sorry for dropping you." You murmured, reaching up to rub your eyes. He remained quiet. A part of you wished he said something, maybe a soft laugh going, don't worry about it. But he never did.

Bending down to sit beside him, you pulled Alfred onto your body and rested his head on your shoulder. It wasn't the freezing puddle your legs were submerged in that bothered you. Nor was it the light drizzle of rain on your face, the rumbling of thunder, or your dirty clothes sticking to your skin.

It was the feeling of him twitching in your arms, the restlessness in his uneven breaths. Something inside him was killing him. And all you could do was ease his pain while he wasted away.

Sticking your hand into his pocket, you pulled out a metal pin before lifting his tank top. Then, you inserted it into a tiny hole in his chest. You felt a pop, and a plate opened up. At least he wasn't drenched on the inside. But the water was a bad sign nevertheless, especially when he wasn't filtering it out like he normally did.

With whatever areas of your clothes that were still dry, you rubbed the inside of his torso vigorously. Then, you carefully removed detachable parts to wipe them as well. So there you sat, and hoped, unscrewing plates and reattaching them with his trusty screwdriver for ten minutes before he began to stir.

It was easily the longest ten minutes of your life. When he laid there, unable to process a single coherent thought, you had to wonder if this would be the last time. What if he never woke up? What if your father's men found him out here, and did away with him while he was so vulnerable?

The fear for his dwindling life chipped away at your sanity faster than you could deal. But every time he woke up, he put a stopper on your waning senses. A cough was heard and you stopped your movements abruptly. "... Pervert." He cracked his eyes open into thin slits as a tired grin stretched at his lips.

But you couldn't humor his comment as bile rose in your throat.

"I thought you weren't gonna wake up again." Your lips trembled in a frown. Working quickly to put him together, you pulled his top down and leaned down to hug him. "Thank god... We need to get you out of the rain. I know that much."

You helped him up slowly and slung his arm around your shoulder. "Yeah. You know more about this dinosaur than me." He furrowed his brows together and managed a sheepish smile. "If you didn't dry me up, I could've shocked myself to death. That would've been kinda embarrassing."

"Oh, shush. You know I'd never let that happen." Taking slow and steady steps, you both moved out of the alleyway and onto the street. The downpour just got heavier, so you kept your head down and ran to the closest shelter available--the outside of an upgrade store.

And as you stood there, waiting, you heard him say something you would never forget.

"... Even if you didn't, I'm still... Probably gonna die anyway." He laughed dryly. Misery shook his voice, and it manifested in the form of tears that rolled down his face. When you saw them, you almost couldn't tell as droplets of rain had dotted his skin. But he gave you no chance to process the fact he was crying when he continued.

"I'm being killed by something inside. It's not a disease. It's like... A virus." He dug a hand through his hair, and his eyes widened with a manic kind of sadness. "Ha! I'm about to die the most unnatural death. And to think I used to believe I was still a human."

"But you are." You forced out, swallowing thickly as an intense wave of grief washed over you. Then, you shook your head at him. "What I said when I met you was stupid. I didn't know who you were. I was scared. You're scared. I can tell. But don't tell me you're not human after everything you've done."

He wanted to believe you with every damn fiber of his being. He did. He really did. But he just couldn't. Not while his vision glitched so that he could barely see your face. And not while his ears blared with static to render him deaf. "... I'm not what you think I am."

Gritting his teeth so hard, veins popped around his neck and his left eye shattered.

"Alfred, stop!"

What was left of it was a bright blue light in his eye socket.

"Look at me." He breathed shakily. "I'm not even a fucking cyborg. Nothing about me is natural. Can't you see?"

He forced his chest plate open, and no matter how hard you tried, you couldn't stop him from pulling it off its hinges. Landing on the wet sidewalk in a clatter, you struggled to keep his hand still as he tore away one part after the other. "I've opened myself up before. I pulled everything out. There's nothing inside but metal and plastic."

But it was true. It became apparent when he pulled himself apart and gutted himself. You stood no chance against his inhumane strength, so he ripped everything out until he was reduced to nothing but a hollow shell.

"See? I don't even have any goddamn organs! And I'm still alive!" Alfred screamed with a face full of tears, but you were just as much of a mess as you sobbed wretchedly. "But hey, I get it. Maybe this isn't even my body. If it was, I wouldn't be alive. Maybe I'm a clone or something. A robot clone. Do you think they still kept my old body as a souvenir?"

He emptied himself as he spoke through crazed laughs, tossing his insides onto the street without a single shred of care.

Glassy Sky

As people walked by, they stopped to stare at the unfolding altercation, but some couldn't bring themselves to give a shit. A few even stepped on his parts on accident as they brushed past. And the sight of them cracking under their feet left you more and more unstable until you stopped crying altogether.

Lowering yourself into a crouch, you covered your ears as an unpleasant concoction of panic and anxiety overwhelmed your senses. As if hot water rushed into your head, a thick mental fog slowed your thoughts to a standstill. In fact, it was so incapacitating, you never struggled when you were picked up from behind.

Even when you were placed into a stranger's car, you never made a move to get out.

Once you calmed down, you were in an entirely different location. Familiar, but different. As you studied your surroundings, you came to recognize it to be the same room you stayed in at Arthur's. And rather than laying down in bed, you were leaning against a warm body. Pressing your face into their chest, you were overwhelmed with the scent of cologne.

Allen's cologne.

Tilting your head back, a pair of striking red eyes stared down at you with the most tender gaze. "Hey. Did you miss me?" He'd said.

For the second time that day, you cried. You cried and cried until there was nothing to cry about anymore. But rather than on a fearful note, it was a happy one. You clung onto him like a lifeboat as he began to rock you gently from side to side, then whisper soft words of comfort into your ear. Allen was alive and well. And the tables had turned for him to save you.

He never thought he'd have the stroke of luck to find you and Alfred. But his sudden urge to go to the bathroom--which came from the heavy downpour--turned out to be the best damn thing that ever happened to him.

"... I gotta take a leak," Allen murmured, earning a slow nod from the man beside him. Climbing out of the vehicle, he jogged across the road. He had been mulling over going all the way to the mall a few blocks down to relieve himself, but he opted for the alleyway right across where their car was parked. When he left, he noticed a small gathering of people down the street.

"...?"

Then, someone screaming bloody murder. He would've turned away, having seen similar scenes unfold like a regular Tuesday, but it was the sobbing that followed he couldn't ignore.

The voice sounded just like yours.

In a heartbeat, he burst into a sprint and pushed his way through the crowd to the center. When he finally got to the middle, he managed to step on a random part--an enhancement of some kind--much to his confusion. Then, he lifted his head for some answers. He paled immediately at what he saw.

Alfred was standing there in all his glory, having disemboweled himself. You were presumably reacting to him doing it.

"... What in the hell?" Sweat amassed around his forehead as he processed the grotesque sight. But seeing you so distraught was more than enough to get him to spring into action. Without a moment's hesitation, he shoved all the curious onlookers away with a scowl. "Fuck off, all of you. Never seen a dude gut himself before?"

Once the group dispersed, he scooped you up with one arm while he used the other to drag Alfred away by his collar.

One frenzied car ride and nap later, you were here in Allen's arms. He had long forsaken the idea of leaving you by yourself. But that wasn't the right way to put it when he never considered it in the first place. "You're okay, (F/N). Everything's gonna be fine." He murmured, digging his hands into your hair to rub your scalp.

It was something he always did to calm you down, and like every other occasion, it worked like a miracle. Feeling his fingers massage your head was therapeutic, and you quickly settled into his chest.

"... I thought you died, you know." Tightening your grip on his white tank, your chest felt heavy as you revisited the memories. "Even if it was for a little while, I knew I went a little crazy afterward."

Allen closed his eyes and rested his chin on you. He usually would have cracked a joke on a topic like this, but he knew better. So there was no sign of mirth in his expression when he responded.

"And that's why I didn't die, sweetheart." Coiling his arms around your neck, he gave you a squeeze. Then, he opened his eyes and narrowed them into a frown. It didn't matter what he did in his life. If he somehow passed before you did, which was more likely than anything, he'd latch himself onto this world with the regret of unfinished business.

"If I died before you, I wouldn't ever forgive myself. I can't leave you alone in this... Shitty world." He pulled away just so he could press his forehead against yours. "It's just you and me. Everyone else is fucking crazy. We're the only sane ones alive."

You couldn't help but crack a smile at that. Allen always had a way with words, even if he was a bit heavy on the colorful vocabulary. In a way, he shared an affinity with Alfred who hated the world just as much as him. But rather than starting revolutions, he preferred to keep it on the down-low and make the most of what he had.

And you had to admit that you preferred the same. "... Maybe you're right. But at least we have each other."

Allen hummed.

"Uhhuh. And maybe I could take Arthur into consideration for the normal people club. He's got a good head on his shoulders."

Speaking of which, how was he going with Alfred, anyhow?

Within

As if he read your mind, he offered to take you to the medical bay. Leading you down the dimly lit halls, he pushed open the door to reveal a violent altercation taking place. Alfred, who had been sleeping off the operation, was up on his feet and causing a ruckus. He held medical scalpels in both hands as if to defend himself.

Darting his wide eyes between the two men, Arthur and another man you didn't recognize, he screamed his lungs out. "Don't come any closer! I'm armed!" Backing himself to the corner, he dropped one of the blades but kept the other firmly in his grip. And that he used to point at whoever that moved.

"Who the hell are you guys? What the fuck did you do to me?!"

What did he say?

Your face fell as you watched the scene unfold. Nothing but pure, unadulterated fear oozed from every action Alfred made. Like a caged animal, he kept his distance from everyone and everything because he simply couldn't understand what was going on.

And the longer the predicament dragged on, the clearer it became to you why he was acting up.

The Brit gave Allen a nervous side-eye.

"Allen, do something! Restrain him, I don't know! We don't have any enhancements, so one stab from that and we're done for!"

He shook his head as he made a weird look. "Wait, what dya' mean restrain him? He's just disoriented, just let him be! What if he dies?"

"Yeah, big guy! Tackle him while we try and sedate him!" The other man exclaimed, narrowly dodging a metal tray thrown his way. His copper brown hair was tied back in a long ponytail, and his eyes were almost as red as Allen's, but they were noticeably darker. "Fuck you! This is pretty much a hospital, you know? Just because we don't have uniforms doesn't mean we tried to sell your organs!"

"... Not that you even have any." He murmured that under his breath, but karma struck and another metal tray came flying his way to hit him square in the face. "Ow!"

Arthur muttered out a string of curses. "Goddammit, Allen! He's not disoriented, he has amnesia!" You tensed up all over as your suspicions were confirmed right then and there. "He doesn't know who any of us are, and he won't have any trouble killing us all when he figures out he can shoot rockets from his arms!"

"Wait, what the fu--I can do that?!"

"Uhh, no you can't!"

There was no way he couldn't remember you, right?

The thought deeply saddened you, but it was more reasonable than getting ahead of yourself. If he couldn't remember Arthur and Allen, what were the chances he'd remember you? Nevertheless, a part of you hoped he somehow did after everything you two went through.

There was only one way to find out.

"Alfred!"

Your shout echoed across the room and he turned to the source. When he saw you, he dropped his scalpel to the ground in a clatter.

His eyes went wider than dinner plates, but you had no way to gauge what he was feeling, let alone thinking. So you let him walk up to you, albeit slowly. When he managed to stand right in front of you, he attached two hands to your shoulders, the action prompting Allen to pull out his gun at light speed. Training that at the blonde's head, he curled his finger around the trigger.

But he never pulled it.

"... (F/N)?"

#hetalia fanfiction #hetalia x reader #x reader #reader insert #axis powers hetalia #axis powers ヘタリア #aph america #america x reader #aph america x reader #alfred f jones #allen jones #2p america #2p! america x reader #2p!americaxreader #cyberpunk #cyberpunk 2077 #cyberpunk fanfic #fanfiction #scifi

[feralrunaway]

A New Day

CHAPTER 2

Summary: Captain Syverson finishes his latest tour and returns to his hometown only to find that things have changed since he’s been gone.

Warnings:  Cursing, Slight angst, Mentions of alcohol, Mentions of religion, Bad coffee, General confusion

Word count: 1,466

Chapters: 1 , 2

**Hi.  This is my first fanfiction ever, so bear with me.  I don’t know what I’m doing or how to tag things.  Also, I’ve never shared a story before it’s finished, and I’m doing this chapter by chapter and it’s giving me hella anxiety. I’m sorry if this sucks! I don’t own anything related to the SandCastle movie or its characters.  However, this is my original writing and I do not give permission for use of the idea or reposting without credit.**

*Also also, I’m trying my best to avoid any grammatical errors but if you see any, please let me know. I’m having a lot of fun getting to write in my own accent but spellcheck is having an absolute aneurysm over it so I’ve gone a bit blind to all the red lines.*

Sy’s morning walk through town was unusual, to say the least.  Waking up with a throbbing headache wasn’t making him feel the most chipper to begin with, and finding the only coffee available to him at the local convenience store was cold from a bottle had him scowling.  He was getting restless.  He’d known things would feel odd at first, given how long he’d been away.  But this?  Fresh paint, manicured lawns, nothing out of place anywhere he looked. Every street corner, every billboard, shop window, and newspaper had some advertisement for the local church. His parents had been pretty religious, but it hadn’t been something the whole town was engrossed in.  Seemed his brother was right about one thing, it definitely was a new day.  

Shrugging to himself, he made his way down to the shops in the small downtown area. Pushing open the door to the closest clothing shop, he was greeted by the ring of the bell above the door and the startled “oh” of the diminutive woman behind the counter.

“Good morning sir. What can I help you find today?”

“Call me Sy,” he said, “and I’m just gonna have a browse around if that’s okay?”

“Of course, sir,” she said quietly.

He quickly selected a few pairs of Levi’s in his size and a few plain tees in varied colors, and made his way to the counter.  

“Will that be all, sir?” she woman intoned.

“Sy, and yes, just a few things to get me by darlin’.” His usually charming grin was missed as the woman kept her eyes trained on the shop counter as she rang up his purchases.

“Vera! How’s a woman like yourself gonna forget your manners?” came the voice of a man approaching the front of the store.  “Syverson here has been away so long he probably near forgot what hospitality feels like!”

Sy recognized the older man as one of his father’s old buddies.  If he remembered correctly, old Jim Cade and his father used to play a similar tune at their favorite bar in town, loosening up and tossing their money at the bartender most of the evening before coming home a’stumblin to their families.  

“Jim.  How ya been?” Sy asked.  “Still keepin’ the waterin’ hole in business?”

“Oh definitely not,” Jim replied seriously. “Bar’s been out of business for over a year now, Sy. Ain’t none of us drinkers anymore. Church’s set me straight.  My only problem now is keepin’ old Vera here in line,” he smirked.

“Keep hearin’ a lot about this church.  Didn’t know y’all got so spirited while I’ve been away,” Sy said delicately.

“The church damn near saved this town Sy.  We was all lost and sinnin’ before they came along.  We learn the ways, keep to the roles we’re s’pose to, the church provides. It’s a new day, son.  This town’s learned to value a good hard workin’ day. It’s only too bad your daddy isn’t here to see it.”

Sy grunted in reply, not knowing what to say to that.  All this “new day” business had a ring to it that didn’t sit well with him.

“Well, Jim, Vera, thank you.  Best be on my way.”

Jim waved at him as he walked away, but Vera remained quiet, staring down at the shop counter.

_________

After stopping in at the local diner for lunch and yet another bottled coffee, then grabbing a newspaper to look at the classifieds, Sy drove his rental car on toward the local car dealership.

He approached the door expecting to be jumped on by one of the salesmen, but beyond a few friendly smiles, they left him to his own devices.  He found what he was looking for with little fuss.  He considered himself a simple man.  A good solid truck would be just fine by him.  As he inspected the blue F150, a flutter of yellow floral fabric caught the corner of his eye.  He turned his head fully and what he set his eyes upon made his breath hitch in his throat.  If he had one regret about disappearing, he was looking at it.

“HOO-LYY shit,” he drew out the syllables as his face broke into a shit-eating grin. “Little Olivia Harper. What a beautiful sight for sore eyes.  How the hell have ya been?”

Delicate fingers trailing over the side of a black version of the same truck Sy had been looking at, Olivia turned slowly, her short yellow sundress and long wavy auburn hair moving in the small summer breeze.

She looked up into his eyes at his question, a slightly confused smile crossing her face, as though she was trying to drag recognition up from deep in her memory.  

“…….Jude?” She sounded as if she was unsure if that was really his name.

What a punch in the gut.

“Uh…yeah Liv, it’s me. I’m back home for a while,” Sy replied, feeling more awkward by the minute as she watched him quietly.  

The Liv he remembered would have immediately given him shit for calling her “little”.  He always had, even though she was only a few years younger. He’d tease her constantly, but she would always throw it right back.  They had been friends all throughout high school and up until he’d left on his first deployment.  Troublemakers, the both of them.  He would never have told her at the time, but if he hadn’t been so desperate to run away from this town, he would have gone beyond their one single, forbidden kiss, shared one night after sneaking out to lay in the bed of his truck and watch the stars.  Her father had always hated Sy.  In his eyes the loser son of a drunk would never be good enough for his daughter, so when Sy left, he figured it was best to leave things the way they were.

Olivia stared and stared at the large man.  Something felt familiar about him. Something was tugging at her memory but it was hard to focus.  Always so hard to focus.  His voice made her feel warm inside, like she was basking in sunlight.  Sunlight?  Oh yes, she was outside in summer. Of course.  Who was this man talking to her again?  What was she supposed to be doing?  Blake would tell her.  Her eyes met the man’s blue gaze and she felt that tug again.   “Jude.” She said again, in confirmation.  This man’s name was Jude.  She was certain of it somehow, but it still felt off.  Her eyebrows furrowed slightly.  Had she called him by some other name before?  “Sy?”

His name on her lips held so much uncertainty that he was positive a small piece of his heart just chipped off.  

“Olivia!” A well-dressed man stepped out from around the other vehicles and up to her side. “Olivia, what are you doing over here?” He said testily, but stopped short when he saw Sy. “If you’re quite done wandering, we have a purchase to complete.” He handed her a bottle of water.  “Drink.”

Drink.  Blake.  Yes. She was supposed to be waiting with Blake.  Something had caused her to wander over to the truck she was standing by.  She touched it again.  Wouldn’t it be nice to lay in the back and watch the stars?  Drink. Yes, she should drink.  

Sy observed the exchange, completely bewildered and concerned.  Had something happened to Liv while he was gone?  Something requiring a caretaker?

The man looked Sy over, taking in the fatigue pants he was still wearing, giving him a winning smile, then stuck out his hand.  “Blake Turner.  You must be Captain Syverson.  Your brother told me you would be coming home.  Welcome back, and thank you for your service to our great country.”

Blake Turner was a smooth operator.  Too smooth. Sy hated him already.

“Nice to meet ya,” he said, accepting the proffered hand. “How do you know my brother?”

“Jonah works for my company. A great man, we love having him on board.  He really embodies the values we aim to represent within our company.  We can really do some good in this town with more men like him.”

“Yeah?  He didn’t tell me much about what he’s been doing for work now.  We didn’t have a lot of time to catch up yesterday.”

“Well,” Blake said, taking Liv’s arm in his grasp, “we have to go finish up.  Nice to meet you.  If you’re looking for work now that you’re back, have your brother contact me.” Sy knew instantly that he would do no such thing.  Blake steered Liv away and she followed with one more slightly confused glance back over her shoulder.  

Sy’s blue eyes met her green ones, and he found himself determined to find out what was going on.

#captain syverson #fanfic #fan fiction #sandcastle #a new day

[lucas-koh]

Stitches - Bryce Lahela x MC VII

Parts 1-6 are linked in my bio!

Doesn’t exactly follow canon, but elements of canon. FWB.

Song: Try A Little Tenderness - Otis Redding

Rating: M; implied sex, sexual language, swearing

Word Count: 4273

Taglist: @lahellacute @lahamseiroshoe @anotherbeingsworld @fuseboxmusebox @choicesficwriterscreations @bubblelaureno @bratzlahela @eleanorbloom @bryceslahela || please let me know if you would like to be added to or removed from this list

Chapter Seven: A Simple Favour

Suki stood in the corridor, glass of water in hand, utterly confused. Where the hell did Bryce go? She walked the length of the hall to be sure she wasn’t just being dim, but he was no where to be seen. Had he been really that annoyed that she wouldn’t kiss him despite their rules? Or, maybe Suki was being too self-centred. The likelihood was that Bryce had to run off for some work thing – it was the middle of the day after all.

She continued on with her work day, but her mind kept flicking back to her strange morning. Especially when she’d seen Bryce only hours before back at his place and he’d been completely normal. They’d had a great time as usual, and there wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. He’d even told her to leave early because he wanted a good sleep for his surgery. Of course she knew why he was different, but it was still strange to see. He’d been so psyched for the surgery to the point he’d even told his fuck buddy about it. Particularly when the story didn’t seem to add up and he was keeping pretty shtum about it all.

Suki just couldn’t help it – she was nosy.

—-

It wasn’t until about a week and a half later that Suki finally saw Bryce, or interacted at all with him. He’d texted a rather blunt ‘👃’ to which she’d read off and headed over to his apartment.

Almost as soon as Bryce opened the door to her his lips were on hers, not even giving her time for a greeting. He seemed on a mission. It was forceful, intentioned. Bryce heaved her up so that her legs wrapped around his waist with ease. Suki was surprised, but didn’t let on.

Pleasantries abandoned, they stumbled to the bedroom as one, continuing to kiss and touch their way out of most of their clothes – which were now strewn in a trail from the front door to Bryce’s bed.

He threw her down on to the mattress as though she was a pillow. Once Bryce had Suki’s hands pinned either side of her on the bed and was giving all his attention to her neck; she decided to ask him. It did seem to have affected how he was that night, after all.

“How are you feeling? You know about the surgery?”

“Fine,” he muttered through a tirade of kisses to Suki’s neck, much more focused on that than the conversation.

“So, like, the other day… where did you disappear to?”

He sighed and removed his lips from her neck, not lifting his face to meet hers, but muttered into the crook of her neck:

“It doesn’t matter right now.” He smoothed his hands down her bare stomach.

“Okay…” she threaded her fingers through his hair as he started moving again. But she couldn’t just drop it. He’d been so weird and then left without a word? He was being weird then. Her curiosity was getting the better of her.

“Have you spoken to Dr. Emery since?”

Bryce let out what sounded like a half-grunt, half-sigh, and rolled away from her, staring at the ceiling.

“Can we just- not talk about it? Please?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.” He laid there for a few seconds, seeming to compose himself. Then he turned so that he was on his side, “come here.”

So, it didn’t seem Suki was getting a confession out of him any time soon. He wasn’t his usual cocky, playful self that day, but rather blunt and straightforward, and really focused.

And sure, Suki was only there for sex – it wasn’t like she was his therapist or anything – but she was still a little peeved off that her attempts to help him had been brushed off to the point where he just left her. But, she supposed it wasn’t her business, and she should stop being so nosy.

She relented and leaned into him, letting his kisses absolve her of thought.

Which – although unknown to Suki – was exactly what Bryce was doing, too.

—-

But the next time she saw him – in a group setting at their apartment – he was back to his usual self. He was absolutely giving her whiplash, and Suki wasn’t sure how she felt about it.

They all lounged around in the living area, TV playing in the background. It was their first day off in what felt like far too long. Bryce was bickering with Jackie over something trivial while Suki lay beside him with her head on Aurora’s shoulder, the weeks’ work catching up with her. Elijah and Sienna were watching funny videos on Sienna’s phone.

“Nope. Absolutely not,” Jackie said. “Tomato Ketchup belongs in the cupboard.”

“You have to be crazy! It goes in the fridge, it even says so on the bottle!”

“But why would you want cold ketchup with hot fries?”

“Because of the temperature sensation!”

Suki sighed, zoning out of the ridiculous bickering, but smiling to herself all the same. Aurora was breathing quietly, relaxing Suki’s heartbeat.

After a little while, the conversation seemed to have changed to Donohue’s the other week.

“Oh come on, you brought your own shades!”

“I know, it’s because I’m just that cool.”

“Pfft,” Jackie snorted.

“I wish someone had caught that on film, we were epic,” Bryce grinned.

“Oh, of course I filmed it!” Sienna interrupted, her attention pulled away from the video she was showing Elijah.

“Really?”

“Here-“ Sienna handed him the phone, and Suki could hear the muffled recording of her and Bryce at karaoke.

Truthfully, she’d already watched it a fair few times. Just to check she didn’t do anything embarrassing. But she had found herself picking at every little thing she’d done. And marvelling over how effortless and comfortable Bryce had looked. Watching the way he moved and grinned as he sang, looking silly but like you’re laughing with him, not at him. The way they’d bounced off each other up there.

She could hear the laughed ‘you’re the one that I want’, and lifted her head from Aurora’s shoulder to look over for Bryce’s reaction. He seemed a lot closer now that her head was straight. Bryce was smiling, corners of his eyes crinkled and the ghost of a dimple on his right cheek. The song came to an end and Suki could hear Sienna’s screaming in the phone at quite the volume.

“Send me this, Si?” He asked.

“Yeah! I’ll airdrop it right now,” she grinned, taking back her phone and getting to it.

“Why would you want video evidence of you looking and sounding like that?” Teased Jackie.

“I obviously want it so I can admire Suki’s amazing karaoke.”

“You heard me right? I can’t sing for the life of me,” Suki scoffed.

Bryce just winked, pulling out his own phone to save the video.

“I actually love when people film me doing random shit,” she smiled, “it’s like I get to take a peek at myself through someone else’s eyes. Who I am when I’m not performing for the mirror or my own camera, you know?” She said it more to herself than anyone else.

“Yeah. I know completely,” Bryce smiled back, his shoulder almost grazing hers. There was a moment they just looked at each other in complete understanding.

“Ugh. I hate when people film me,” Jackie groaned, breaking their reverie.

Bryce broke his gaze with Suki and laughed at Jackie, setting off another silly bickering fest between them.

Suki felt so insanely comfortable with everyone there at that point that she couldn’t believe she’d ever felt awkward about it.

—-

“Yeah, so, I’ll see you guys later.” Bryce smiled on his way out. Everyone was getting ready for bed.

“Yep! See you dumbass,” said Jackie affectionally as she patted him on the back.

Everyone said their goodbyes, and Bryce slipped out of the door. One by one they all retreated to their own rooms, saying goodnight to one another. Once she was sure they were all gone, Suki snuck back over to the door, and opened it up to a grinning Bryce leaning on the wall.

She put her finger to his lips, earning a humoured nod. Bryce stepped inside and Suki shut the door as quietly as she could and the two tip-toed over to her bedroom. He’d given her the signal earlier, and she’d texted this plan. After all, they really didn’t need everyone on their backs about it. She didn’t ask about the surgery again.

—-

Towards the end of November, Suki was just returning from picking up a few bits from the convenience store and moving back from the chill air into the warm hall of their apartment building. She was prepped with chips and candy for her first day off in ages.

As she climbed the flights of stairs (she wanted to keep fit so avoided the elevator), she could hear voices coming from her floor. An exhausted looking mother who Suki recognised as Gia, the woman across the hall from them, was holding her son’s hand and seemed restless on the phone. She smiled warmly as she saw Suki, although they hadn’t interacted much they’d become friendly.

“No, like right now,” she said into the phone. She scrunched up her face at whatever the receiving end said to her. The little boy, Tommy, pulled on her sleeve.

Suki came closer and placed her bag down. Then she crouched and placed a finger to her lips, beckoning Tommy over to her.

“Hi!” She whispered when Tommy approached. He was about 3, so his conversation wasn’t that wide yet. He just smiled at her, deep dimples and curls on his head. So cute!

They messed around a little before Gia hung up, and looked even more stressed than she had before.

“You okay?” Suki asked.

Gia appeared to think for a moment on whether she’d share with Suki.

“No. Work needs me and honestly, I need the hours. I can’t take him to work, he’s too young and he’ll just run around the store and I can’t keep an eye on him. But Tommy’s dad is busy and I can’t find a sitter…” she pinched the bridge of her nose.

“I’ll watch him. If you’re okay with that, of course, I’d be more than happy to help.”

“Really? You honestly wouldn’t mind?”

“Hey, I’m happy to look after him a little while.”

“Oh Suki! You’re a lifesaver.”

Gia scrambled out many more thanks’, told Suki she’d be gone for about four hours (are you sure it’s okay? Really, no pressure) rushed out her number to Suki so she could check up on them once Suki assured her for the umpteenth time that she didn’t mind, and hurried down the stairs.

For the first hour or so, Suki and Tommy were having a great time. They played peek-a-boo, Suki drew some animals for him to colour in, and even made a little fort on the sofa.

Eventually, Suki needed the bathroom. She was a little apprehensive to leave Tommy even for only two minutes, but it had to be done. So she went as quick as she could and then they continued on with their play. Suki even supplied a snack of banana and peanut butter toast.

What must have been a half hour after Suki went to the toilet, the doorbell rang.

“Ding dong!” Imitated Tommy.

“Yes! Now you sit on the couch while I check who it is.”

Tommy jumped on the sofa and crossed his legs exaggeratedly, wanting to impress her. She gave him an encouraging thumbs up.

As Suki put her hand to the doorknob she was struck with a little confusion, had someone forgotten something they needed for work?

Opening the door however, revealed otherwise. Bryce was stood in the doorway once more, leaning casually on the frame.

“Hey hot stuff.”

“Bryce! What the f- uhh heck are you doing?”

Bryce looked confused when Suki seemed to not expect him, or go in for a kiss. And he was more confused when she opened the door wider to reveal Tommy behind her.

“Um… you… you sent me the nose,” he whispered behind a hand.

“I- what?” She asked, shocked. Her eyes fell on the shape on the sofa. “Sh- It must’ve been the kid.”

“Ah.” Bryce pulled his lips into his mouth like he was about to laugh. Suki beckoned Bryce in and shut the door so that Tommy couldn’t escape. She crossed over to the sofa and picked up her phone. Sure enough, her last sent texts were way too many nose emojis.

Santa Fe: 👃👃👃👃👃

Scalpel Jockey: i’ll be at yours ASAP?

Santa Fe: 👃👃👃👃👃👃👃👃👃(£&&£?

Scalpel Jockey: lol hold ur horses

He must’ve struck when she’d gone to the bathroom, and she had forgotten to lock her phone. She wondered how Tommy had gotten ahold of her text messages and the nose emoji in particular, but of course…

“God it’s- it’s in my recents,” she blushed.

Bryce gave her a shit-eating grin. “Yeah it is.”

She wanted to hit him, but it probably wouldn’t be good manners in front of a child so she just gave him a death glare.

“Who’s this?” Tommy asked, still sitting nicely on the sofa.

“This is my… this is Bryce!”

“Hey little guy.” Bryce crouched down in front of him and shook his hand gently. Tommy seemed very pleased at this.

“So… what’s the deal?” Bryce asked Suki in a hushed tone as he settled in next to Tommy on the couch. She told him the story.

“Everyone’s at work,” she finished, “my plans were originally chips, candy and Netflix but, I think they changed for the better, right, Tommy?” She grinned at the little guy, earning a giggle from him.

“Uh so you had the day off and the place to yourself and you weren’t even going to invite me over?” Bryce mocked offence.

“Yep. My life doesn’t revolve around your d- uhh nose.”

Bryce howled a laugh, enough to make Tommy join in.

It took him a while to recover, at which point he just tapped the side of his nose like they’d shared a secret, but of course, the secret was his no- uhh dick.

“So, uh, sorry you came all the way here but, as you can see, I’m a little busy.”

Bryce nodded, still grinning from the laughing. “Eh, whatever. I had a nice walk over here. And I think that nose quip made it worth it.”

And then, in yet another divine intervention, just as she was about to usher Bryce out Suki’s pager beeped.

“Can this day get any more hectic...” she muttered, more to herself than to Bryce as she stood from the sofa and patted herself down to find her pager. She began rushing around to grab her coat. “I’m going to have to take him with me or- or… or something.” She was bustling around the apartment at speed, frantically collecting her things.

Bryce cleared his throat, causing Suki to look at him as though she’d momentarily forgotten he was there.

“I’ll watch him.”

“What?”

“The kid, I’ll watch him while you’re at work.”

“Bryce he’s not even mine, I don’t know if Gia would be comfortable with this. I can’t ask you to do that.”

“Obviously he’s not yours, I think I would’ve known by now. I’ve met Gia, she loves me. Right, Tommy? Your mommy thinks I’m so cool.”

“When?! Actually, don’t answer that,” Suki said, realising he must’ve met her from one of the many times he’d been round. “Call her for me.” Suki threw her phone at Bryce, who caught it expertly, before she rushed to her bedroom to freshen up a little.

She splashed water on her face and made sure she had everything she needed before hurrying back to the living area.

“She’s okay with it. Something about Doctors being trustworthy,” Bryce smirked form the sofa, where he had Tommy on his knees and was swaying him from side to side as though playing aeroplane.

Suki raised an eyebrow, some Doctors were trustworthy. “Are you sure? I don’t know how long I’ll be.”

“I’m sure, now go.”

He gave her a confident smile as she closed the door behind her.

—-

The page was because one of Suki’s patients was becoming critical, and all hands on deck were needed. There wasn’t a lot she could do once she was there except help to stabilise him, make him comfortable, and wait to see if he improved. It was physically and emotionally taxing but soon enough she was headed back home, and was honestly looking forward to seeing that sweet little kid and Bryce being an idiot as usual.

When Suki snuck into the apartment, there was no noise. She looked over to see Bryce asleep on the sofa, a snoring Tommy in his arms. He looked so at peace, so gentle, his eyelashes fluttering against his cheeks and his lips slightly parted. Given most situations she’d been looking at his lips, this was an odd contrast. But it suited him. God, she hadn’t forgotten, but it was certainly a reminder of just how pretty he was. His strong arms looked delicate as they lay protectively around Tommy’s small figure. Tommy was curled into his chest like a little koala.

Seeing that, all her anxieties were quelled for a moment. It was like a ‘hey, there’s still good in the world’ nudge. Odd that that good was from Bryce but, also not so odd. He had managed to talk her down after she’d had that difficult day, after all.

Suki moved over to the sofa quietly and perched on the coffee table. She just sat, looking, for a moment. Finally Bryce wasn’t running his mouth off about something. His quiet breaths were masked by Tommy’s purr-like snores, but she could just about hear them, like a live, ASMR metronome. She found herself breathing in sync with him.

Eventually she reached out a hand to gently shake Bryce’s shoulder.

“Hey,” she said softly.

Bryce’s eyes blinked open slowly, confusion shifting to a bemusing sort of tenderness as soon as they spotted Suki. Suddenly he didn’t seem worried about where he was.

“Hey,” he whispered, voice slightly croaky. Careful not to move too much for Tommy’s sake, Bryce brought a hand up to clear the sleep from his eyes. He watched Suki, noticing she looked significantly more worn than she had before she’d left.

They sat like that for a while, mostly silence to let Tommy continue resting, but it felt okay. Suki ‘life embarrasses me’ Moore felt completely fine sitting in silence, somehow. Maybe it was the fact that she herself was getting sleepy and her eyes kept closing until she remembered she was sat on a coffee table and couldn’t sleep there. Maybe it was left over sensitivity from today’s chapter of Existentialism: Doctor’s Edition. Maybe she just wasn’t worried about what other people thought because the only other people were a sleeping toddler and someone who she was simply sleeping with. Maybe.

Not so long after Suki returned there was a knock at the door, revealing Gia.

“Hi! I’m so sorry I took so long, I don’t know how I’ll ever thank you both for looking after him. Hey, little guy!” She greeted Tommy as scooped him up in her arms as he waddled over to her.

“It’s okay. It was all Bryce, really.”

“He’s a pleasure. You had him a while before I popped in though - I can’t take all the credit,” Bryce grinned, all charm.

“Well, both of you. Be sure to cash in a favour whenever you need one.”

And with that Gia and Tommy left, all thankful smiles.

“So…” Bryce turned to Suki, eyebrows raised in humour. Then he flicked a thumb in the direction of her bedroom. She pulled up one side of her mouth in a smile, reached down to grab one of his hands and pulled him into her bedroom.

—-

After the fact, and way later than either of them expected, the duo were beginning to get a little sleepy. The clock on Suki’s bedside table read 01:14am. Bryce sat up in the bed, rubbing his eyes and looking for his clothes. He noticed Suki looking a little distant.

“Was I that bad?”

She laughed gently, no real humour behind it. “I would’ve kicked you out if you were bad.”

“What’s wrong?” The concern laced in his voice brought Suki back to that time he’d found her in the supply closet, and she knew at that moment she could tell him.

“My patient, the one I was paged for, he’s not doing so well. It’s part of the job and all but, it still hurts every time.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. You’ll do your best, I know you will.”

“Thanks.”

There was a moment where Bryce hesitated, considering giving her a comforting pat but decided against it. He continued looking around for his clothes, but was clearly very tired and moving slow where he sat up in the bed. Suki sighed. I’m so going to regret this. Oh well.

“It’s late, stay. Just make sure you’re gone by the time I wake up.”

“What about your roommates?”

“You’ll just have to be more careful this time.”

“If you’re sure.”

Suki just nodded. She turned away to face the wall, shutting her eyes and waiting for sleep.

“Thank you,” she heard Bryce mutter behind her. Really it was him she should be thanking, for looking after Tommy, but she was afraid to breach the silence again.

Moreover, she was doing it for herself more than for his sake. She wasn’t sure she wanted to be alone as she entered unconsciousness that night.

Soon enough Suki drifted off into a peaceful and primarily uninterrupted sleep.

Because she definitely hadn’t awoken when she felt Bryce stir beside her. He seemed to sit up and stay there a while. But not wanting to give herself away, Suki stayed stock still. And then it felt like his lips brushed her shoulder, and his hand brushed her hair, but the next thing she knew she was falling back into unconsciousness, so maybe it was a dream…

—-

When Suki awoke Bryce was gone, as he said he would be. The spot on the bed beside her was cold. Stretching out her muscles, Suki realised she’d slept much sounder than she’d anticipated after the rush into the hospital. She didn’t want to attribute that to Bryce’s presence, but perhaps just knowing someone was there was all she needed.

Feeling energised for the day Suki slipped out of bed and began to bustle about her morning routine: a quick shower, minimal face care, a large mug of coffee with oat milk (it added a nice sweetness without the need for sugar), brushing her teeth, picking something warm and cosy to wear in, and then rushing out to hop on the T.

When she finally reached Edenbrook Suki was in high spirits, bouncing along to the changing rooms. She actually felt hopeful about her patient, too. Perhaps a good nights sleep was all she needed to treat him properly, and all he needed to recover.

Getting a little ahead of herself, it wasn’t until a few moments passed that Suki realised she was standing outside of the changing rooms, hand hovering over the doorknob. She could hear voices.

“Nah, I’m just feeling good is all,” ther first voice said. Of course, the voice was very familiar to Suki as it was Bryce’s voice.

“Oh yeah? Got some cool medical stuff going on?” The second voice joked.

“Pfft. Not after the surgery disaster.” Hm. Okay. Suki couldn’t help but feel a little miffed that Bryce was talking about the surgery with whoever this was, but that he hadn’t shared with her. Again, she felt bad for feeling that way since she wasn’t in a position to earn the information, but all the same – it felt a bit shitty.

She realised then that she’d subconsciously decided to eavesdrop on this conversation, but she wasn’t quite sure why. It wasn’t like they would stop if she walked in.

The second voice laughed, and there was a clang of a locker. “Okay, so you’re just in a good mood for no particular reason?”

“That’s right.”

Then there was a scuffle and a couple of grunts, like someone had rushed the other.

“Oooh! You’re sleeping with someone!” The second voice exclaimed, obviously having found some information.

It was at this point Suki knew she shouldn’t have kept listening. But, she did.

“Give it back.”

“You are, right?”

“Maybe,” he said. Although Suki couldn’t see him, she could hear his bragging smile. There was a pause, and Suki wished she could see the expressions on their faces to gauge what was going on. Or even see what on earth the second voice had found.

“You like her.”

There was a poignant pause.

“I like her body.”

Oh.

Suki stepped away abruptly, she didn’t need to hear anymore. For some reason hearing that brought on a stabbing pain in her chest and a flip in her stomach. Perhaps it was that the last couple of weeks had been so easy and comfortable between them had made Suki forget that he wasn’t obliged to be her friend. Or even was her friend. Obviously the only thing he was interested in was her body, and she was stupid to think otherwise. She should’ve never let herself feel safe when their arrangement had been so clear: keep it casual.

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[namjoonmiluna]

Breaking Free - BTS (M)

btsIf you’ve enjoyed my story please share & visit the link at the bottom to view the rest. Thank you!

Main characters : Kim Namjoon & a girl an average girl named Jenilyn. All BTS members are side characters. Suga becomes a main character in later chapters.

Genre/Warning : Written as a Kdrama. 18+ Triggers for mature content, emotional abuse, physical assault, violence, & sexual content. Later chapters may contain mental instability, drug use, racial undertones and sexual assault. Read with caution.

Length of Fic : Very long, at least a novel or two in length currently. It is not completed.

Summary : Purely by chance, a ordinary girl's life is forever changed by her favorite man-band. The simple act of choosing a new career path sets off a chain of events taking her on a journey of love, jealousy, heartbreak, desire, destiny, & drama. With a target on her back she fights to stand tall in the face of adversity.

I tried to make this story very digestible for new and old army. There is a lot of the fandom put into it and I tried to keep their personalities as close to accurate as possible.

Chapter 1 - The Meeting

It had been a long night. One of those nights that make you question why you even work there anymore. She was alone, as she usually was. The gift shop was small - only the sound of the FM radio, 90s, 00's and today's. There had not been a customer in hours. It was late, but nearing the end of her shift. She went to the restroom where she could see the eyeliner rubbing under her eyes. She did her best to fix it and laughed at herself in the mirror. Her blonde hair, now frizzy and limp from a long day - rested on her shoulders, cascading down her upper back. Why is it I'm always the one covering the shift when someone calls off, she asked herself. Her breasts were large and bouncy, held up by a small waist. Her hips were wide with an ass to match. She looked ridiculous. Thank god I can go home soon, she thought. The white tee looked stretched out from the day. She untied the black and white flannel shirt she had tied around her waist and put it on over her shirt. Her skinny jeans had torn a little more from when she had put them on, exposing more of her thighs than she liked. She thought about how she looked and quickly brushed it off - it was closing time soon anyway. She planned to crawl into bed as soon as she could.

   It was 15 minutes until closing when she noticed lights in front of the store. She had already turned off some of the overhead lights, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness - the headlights all but blinded her.

   Great, last-minute customers, she thought to herself, the absolute worst kind.

   She could see many figures getting out of what looked like a bus. One by one, seven entered the store. Each bringing multiple pieces of luggage and handbags. They all looked tired, and perhaps a little angry. One last man entered after them. Entering the store he removed his sunglasses, tucking them into his jacket pocket. The man looked tall, mature. Thick black hair and of clear Asian decent. He had slightly beady eyes and a rounded nose. His lips were thick and dark.

   "Hi! Can I help you?" she asked loudly from across the store.

   The older man walked to her counter, offering out his hand, "Seijin" he smiled. "I know it's late. Our vehicle broke down and there isn't much around here. I realize this is a campground, but I'm hoping you may have somewhere we can stay?"

She took his hand and shook. She looked to the boys, to Seijin, and back again. Trying to piece together what she was seeing, she managed to spit out, "Um, yeah! We should have something available. Let me find out for you. Are you wanting 8 rentals?" She asked him. He nodded.

   She could see that some of the boys had sat down on the floor, two more laid down, resting their heads on their bags. There was one in particular who laid on the other members of the group, flopping his arms and legs enthusiastically over them. Another slowly walked around, picking up things and calling to the others to look at what he found before setting the item back down. He was curious about all the oddities to seen around him.

   She made a few phones calls and figured out availability. "Okay so, we have 4 deluxe rentals, and 4 regular. The deluxe come with linens but ---" she paused "the regulars do not." She braced herself for him to cop an attitude with her - her years in the recreation industry had toughened her skin giving her the ability to handle any disgruntled customer with ease. She tried not too let it bother her too much, that's just how it was - being mad about it wouldn't change it.

   "Okay" one of the boys on the floor groaned, loudly. It sounded like he wanted to lay on an actual bed as quickly as possible.

   Seijin laughed at the boy who groaned, "I guess that's fine, then."

She made him a map of where the rentals were located. The park spanned a total of 80 acres. She handed it to him and vaguely gestured to where they were located, which was all over the map in different areas.

He looked down to study it, seeing that all of them were in different parts of the campground he said, "I hate to ask another favor but can you possibly take them to the rooms? They are exhausted - it's been a tough day. Anonymity is of importance."

   Still slightly stunned from the strangeness of it all, she managed to get out, "Yeah for sure, but I can't leave for 10 mins when I can close up shop." She pointed to the clock above her.

   Seijin, "That is just fine. Boys." He turned towards the boys, who seemed to be getting comfortable on the floor, "do you want to get any snacks before the nice girl closes?"

   She laughed to herself. Girl. She was in her early 30s, far from a girl. Although she had always presented younger. Coworkers always assumed she was in her early 20s. She didn't bother to correct them. It must be her skin care routine. In her mind if you act young, you stay young. It had worked well so far.

   A few of the boys jumped up. One boy followed the others around explaining what things were as they picked them up. They spoke a foreign language that sounded extremely familiar to her, perhaps a movie she watched with subtitles. Even though they spoke a different language, they riddled each other with English phrases, often spurting out words like "Ok" "Yes!" "Let's go" or "Fighting". The boy following them around laughed and shook his head, often covering his face with his hands. He's super cute, she thought to herself as she watched them walk around the store.

While the boys walked around, another man entered the store, he immediately walked to the counter and greeted Jen. He was tall and just slightly on the chubby side, he had a full beard and looked like he lived in the country his entire life. The boy following the others around the store gave him a side-eye, paying close attention to their conversation. As the member of the group most fluent in English it was hard for him not to listen. Their conversation sounded like they knew each other extremely well.

"Hey Jen" he called.

"Oh hey, Brody!" she chimed, "it's late what are you doing here?"

"We're leaving tonight" he mentioned, "someone at work got into an accident and I have to work tomorrow after all."

"Oh" she said, her voice sounding slightly disappointed.

"I'm really sorry" he apologized, "you know I was really looking forward to seeing you."

She nodded, "it's fine, we'll get together another time."

He laughed, "yeah I hope so." He looked around the store to see the guys walking around, "do you know them?"

"I don't" she said, "they just booked some rentals for the night."

"Nice to meet you" he yelled through the store, "I'm Brody."

The guys turned around and mumbled hellos to him for a second before continuing on their way.

"Not very friendly" he murmured.

Jen laughed, "give them a break, I'm pretty sure they are foreigners."

"I can see that" he said, looking to them again. He moved his gaze back to her. He gave her a big smile and dropped his head sideways.

She laughed, knowing he wanted a hug before he left.

She walked around the counter and gave him a big hug. His arms wrapped around her so tightly they arms reached his body again on the opposite side. He hummed while he hugged her before picking her up in the air and setting her back down.

The boy following the others couldn't help but notice her. She has great body lines, he thought to himself. During the hug, her back faced him.

She stepped back from him, "drive safe."

He leaned forward quickly to whisper in her ear, "the tall one is checking you out." She turned around quickly to find him staring in their direction, only to quickly look away. Jen giggled.

He nodded, "I'll talk to you soon" he said before turning to leave.

   She turned around as one of the boys opened the fridge and loudly yelled "SPRITE!" in plain English. The other boys laughed next to him, each grabbing their own drinks. Lots of bottled water and Gatorade - the typical drinks any young guy would choose.

   Items were piling up on the counter : chips, snacks, sprite, bottles of water, slim jims - even cups of ramen noodles. Enough snacks and drinks for seven.

   She packed up the items, making sure to bag the items separately. Each took their bag and went back to sit on the floor. They seemed a little happier and began eating their snacks. The sounds of snack bags crinkling covered up the music on the radio. She could hear light conversation and laughter coming from them. They reminded her of children.

   The last boy stepped up to the counter, shaking his head and laughing, "These guys act like they haven't eaten in days. How much do we owe?"

He was extremely exotic looking. His heart shaped face matched perfectly with his thin eyebrows. He had somewhat soft cheekbones and jawline. His chin sharp when he smiled. His lips were gorgeous and full. She always preferred men who looked different - normal was boring to her. His hair looked to be between a blonde and silver with a hint of blue, as if it was fading out. He stood tall and lean, towering over her 5'4" frame. His shoulders back, he knew how to carry himself to make others feel slightly intimidated. She wasn't intimidated by him in the least, but she did think he was attractive.

She laughed, "$134.89" From the looks of it, they had a very long day.

   The boy threw his head back, looking at the others happily eating their snacks. He handed her a credit card. She ran the card on what seemed like an ancient credit card reader.

"Boyfriend?" he asked in very clear English, his voice low and deep.

"Huh?" she asked.

"Brody" he smiled, "is he your boyfriend?"

"Oh god no" she laughed, "we're just friends."

"Not interested in him?" he asked, curiously.

"I um.." she thought for a minute on how she should respond, "We've known each other since we were teens. At one point we considered dating - on our first date we went to see a harry potter movie so that tells you how long ago that was."

He laughed and nodded, "didn't hit it off?"

"We did but--" she laughed, "it turns out he's in love with his best friend and I wasn't trying to get involved with that."

He grimaced, "ouch."

"He's persistent, I'll give him that" she laughed, "to this day he's still chasing her and she has at least a few boyfriends at any given time."

"He's just basically a backup but he keeps his hopes up" she explained, "whatever works for him." She truly did hope he gave up the chase and found someone, she felt he needed it desperately.

He nodded thinking about all the strange things he learned while in America.

He fiddled with things on the counter, accidentally knocking some candy on to the floor. He would occasionally catch a passing glance at her when he thought she wasn't looking, only to sheepishly smile and look down to avoid direct eye contact.

"Sorry" he apologized, bending over to put them back. She laughed. He is clumsy in the cutest way, she thought to herself.

   "I'm sorry this thing is so slow" she said nervously. She hated how long it took, waiting for it to finish made her anxious in his presence. Awkward forced conversations were a pet peeve of hers.

   He shot her a sideways smile, dimple forming on his cheek. "That's okay" he said, flashing a peace sign over his right eye. "You can call me RM"  he said, loosely introducing himself to her.

   And just like that she knew exactly who he was. Who THEY were. Maybe it was how late it was, but she hadn't put two and two together. Her heart started racing, she gulped and tried to control her breathing. OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG, she thought to herself.

Kim Namjoon, also known as RM was the leader, spokesperson and main rapper for one of the most popular K-Pop groups from South Korea. His singing voice a tenor while his rapping voice ventured closer to baritone - sometimes sounding almost throaty. He grew up in the small city of Islan. As a boy, he had big dreams of being a superhero and changing the world. He felt his music did just that. He chose the stage name of Rap Monster, later changing it to just RM - a better reflection of who he thought he was. During their debut, Namjoon was one of the most hated members. Often receiving hate from "fans" who claimed he shouldn't be in the group at all. He worked hard to prove the naysayers wrong. A lyricist by nature, he provides many of the lyrics for the group. His belief in the group so strong that when asked if he would like to go solo or stay with the group - he chose Bangtan Sonyeondan without hesitation. He believed in the group and each of its members without fault. He had a tendency to hold onto his feelings without letting others know, and doing so has lead him to depression and anxiety in the past. He struggled and continued to struggle with loving himself - something he admitted he will strive for until his death. Although he was technically the "middle child" of the group, he was considered to be in the hyung line - a term used in South Korea that meant eldest of the group. Lover of all things cute and quirky - he had many collections of toys and figurines. If he could choose his own middle name it would be fashion which doubled as his passion.

He looked back over to the guys, "I'm kind of like the leader of the group." He looked back at her and gave her the sweetest smile. His smile is so charming, she thought to herself.

   She collected her thoughts before responding, "Jenilyn" pointing to her name tag. "You can just call me Jen."

   The credit card finally went through, she handed him the card and receipt to sign.

She added the receipt to the register and checked the time. "One minute is close enough" she announced packing up her register. The boys rolled their luggage outside while she finished closing. She put her register drawer in the safe, turned off the lights and clocked out for the night.

Locking the front door to the gift shop, she turned around to say, "I can't fit all of you in my car at once. I can take two of you at a time." She pointed to her pearl white Hyundai Elantra in the parking lot.

"You guys want to introduce yourselves?" RM asked, suggesting the guys to be more polite towards her. He physically pushed one of them closer to her gently.

Two of the boys stepped forward while RM loaded their luggage.

"V" one said in a low tone, bowing slightly and avoiding eye contact. He was slightly shorter than RM, although he kept his head down making him feel even shorter, closer to her own height. His voice sultry and deep. When he did smile, his mouth formed an almost stretched out heart shape. His dark hair looked messy, slightly curly, covering his eyes. He looks like a shaggy puppy, she thought to herself. He had a beautiful set of eyelashes that would make any girl envious. He was extremely shy towards her. She imagined he would look great in a preppy sweater vest or a leather jacket, his beauty knew no bounds.

Kim Taehung, also known as V. - A quirky guy and baritone vocals for the group. Easily distracted by animals and would occasionally act a little strange - so much so that anti-fans dubbed him as an alien, a nickname which he hated.  Considers his dog to be his child. Gets bored easily and sleeps with his eyes open - fans often wondered if he slept during American interviews. Originally considered to be the "pretty" one in the group. While it sounds like a compliment, it was more often used as an insult - that the only thing he had going for him were his looks. Like Namjoon, he worked hard to improve his vocal skills - proving everyone wrong. Very honest about his true feelings in the moment. He was the third youngest member of the group, making him part of the maknae line - a word used in South Korea that referred to the youngest. His personality and quirks made him seem much older than many of the group members.

She smiled at him, "Nice to meet you, V."

RM pushed the other boy on the back softly.

"Suga" he said. He was about an inch shorter than V. His hair also looked a little shaggy, although not as long as V's. His hair stopped just at the top of his eyebrows. His face somewhat round, with a chubby babydoll look. His eyes were dark and almost triangular in shape, as if he was judging the situation. They looked to be a cross between both monolid and double eye lids. His features were soft, even delicate at times. He pulled off the look well. The first thing she noticed about him was his confidence, nothing really seemed to bother him and he had no problems looking her in the eye. He didn't try to present himself in any particular way - he existed as he was. She loved that he could be that way.

Min Yoongi, known as Suga - Another rapper for the group and one of the fastest rappers in the industry of kpop. As a descendant of a very powerful clan during the Joseon dynasty, he had a rich heritage despite growing up poor. He spent much of his time producing his own music as well as music for the group. Slightly anti-social due to his social anxiety, he did the best he could in social situations. He could most often be found observing the group and letting the other guys lead the way. In his down time he liked to sleep, write lyrics and play games on his phone. He thought his fans to be the most special as he saw himself as average looking at best. Slightly obsessed with basketball, his favorite manga featured the sport. He didn't care to show certain parts of his body and remained covered at all times. He suffered from a shoulder injury he acquired during his trainee days, when he took a side job for extra cash. He kept his emotions well hidden, very rarely allowing his true feelings to escape. He remained a loud advocate for mental health and depression as his fight had been long and difficult. Loved to be hugged by the other members but pretended to hate it. Fans called him "sleepy" for his sleeping habits as well as "meow meow" for his cat-like appearance. Even though he looked the youngest, he was the second-eldest member of the group he - was hyung to all members aside from Jin. In their debut days, he felt like he got shafted by the company - he thought he'd be joining an all rap group and with focus on music production with little choreography required. Success and their fan base, known as ARMY, helped him come to terms with and accept his new life as an idol.

"Nice to meet you Suga" she said, opening the car door. Both boys sat in the back of the car, moving the pillows around in her back seat.

Everything in her car was galaxy themed - from the car seat covers to the pillows. Suga picked up one of the pillows, fluffing it in his hands. "You like stars?" he asked.

She laughed, reversing out of her parking space. "Yeah I really like the galaxy patterns. The colors are super pretty."

He nodded his head, placing the pillow next to him and using it as an arm rest.

"I actually have lights installed in the floorboard. Let me get going and I'll turn them on" she put the car in drive and slowly took off. The speed limit was 5 mph in the park. She flipped the switch located under her dash, lighting up the floorboards in purple lighting.

"Oh cool" Suga said checking out the floorboard. He stared at her dashboard, "Bluetooth?"

"Unfortunately, no. But I do have an aux" she said passing the cord back to him. He took the cord and plugged his phone in, playing the next song on his spotify. Drake.

"Do you listen to Drake?" he asked, curious about her.

"I do like Drake. I actually love almost all music" she said pulling into the parking space of the rental. She popped open her trunk. She got out and helped V with his luggage, handing him the key to the rental. She stepped into the rental really quick to show him some key features. "If you need to use the hot water you will need to push this button about 15 minutes in advance." He nodded and said "thanks."

She got back into the car with Suga, who had moved to the front seat in her absence. It had taken several minutes to get V all settled in, Suga still jamming out to Drake when she got back in.

"Geesh, you scared me" she laughed, seeing him in the front seat. He smiled a big smile at her. She pulled out of the parking spot and headed to his rental to drop him off.

"Anyway so as I was saying I really do love just about anything" she laughed, "I remember watching Drake on Degrassi when I was a kid. He was always one of my favorites. Drake is just slightly older than me so I was really at the right age to relate to those struggles in the show." She paused, "I spent a good deal of time watching it."

He smiled at her, still bobbing his head to the music. She pulled into the parking space for Suga's rental. She opened the trunk to help him with his bag.

She laughed, "Oh, wow. You only have one bag? You pack surprisingly light." She handed him the key. "There is extra bedding in the closet."

He smiled at her, his eyes looked tired but he remained attentive to her. "Can I text you?" he asked, holding his phone.

"I uhh.." she wasn't sure what to say.

"As friends" he said laughing slightly.

"Oh okay, sure" he handed her his phone and she entered her number, handing it back to him with a smile, "have a good night Suga."

She got back into her car and made her way up to the front again. She pulled into her parking space and got out, motioning for the next set of boys to get in. RM loaded their luggage into the back.

Another boy stepped up to introduce himself, this one slightly more aggressive than the others. "Jin" he said, "also known as worldwide handsome." He was tall, although slightly shorter than RM with dark hair. Lean, but stockier than the others - very broad shouldered. She imagined he would give a very comforting hug. His eyes were slightly cat-like, flattering his oblong face perfectly. His cheekbones and jawline strong. He had beautiful full lips that looked almost heart shaped when he didn't smile.

Kim Seokjin, Jin for short - Another vocal for the group - one that was renowned for being a "silver voice". His stable breathing and strong falsetto made him extremely versatile in all genres. A funny guy with a mild temper - he was considered the mom of the group, always making sure the guys were well taken care of - bringing them ice cream to cheer them up. Often times preparing meals and lunches for them. Cooking was another passion of his. He had a love of telling uncle jokes. His laugh was contagious and his face would turn red when he felt like people were staring at him too much. He was a terrible liar and loved to be complimented. Easy going until he got worked up - once slightly angered he would speak so fast it was hard to understand him. So handsome that his fans named him "Mr. Worldwide Handsome", meaning he was considered handsome in every country he visited. He was the eldest member of the group.

RM laughed while he put the luggage in the trunk, "It's late can we give the flirting a rest?" He rolled his eyes at Jin.

Jen smiled at Jin, he was very handsome, although in a very traditional sense. Very Hollywood actor. She preferred a man with more unique features but she could appreciate his beauty all the same. He obviously spent a great deal of time perfecting himself and he was proud. "Nice to meet you, worldwide handsome" she said giving him a smile.

His black hair fell over his face as he stepped forward, "Jungkook." His eyes were big and bright as if he was excited about something. Of all of them, he smelled the best, smelling slightly fruity with base notes of vanilla and chocolate. It smelled very familiar to her. He smells slightly feminine but it suits him well. I am pretty sure I own that perfume, she thought to herself. He had beautifully cut features, as if he could pull off both the innocent boy look and a badass at the same time. His lips featured a prominent cupid's bow and reminded her of her own lips. Very full on bottom with a slightly thinner upper lip. He looked sweet and innocent.

Jeon Jeongguk, stage name Jungkook. - For lack of a better word, he was the most "average guy" out of all of them. As the youngest member of the group he was known as the "golden" maknae - a term given to the absolute youngest member. Although he seemed like an average guy with his love of manga, food and video games - his outstanding appearance and professionalism told a different story. His vocals rivaled the greatest of singers - new and old. While the other members preferred to dress in expensive clothing, he stayed with his tried-and-true brands. He was one of if not the most popular member in the group. Fans gave him the nickname of Kookie. Despite their success he had average dreams - he wished to eventually get married and have kids, to settle down and live an average life. Training as an idol from a young age, he joined the group as a teen - his childlike demeanor still holding true. He had an uncanny ability for learning quickly and excelling at everything he tried. It often left him feeling like he needed work harder to feel like he worked just as hard as the other members, to the point of dehydration and exhaustion.

"Nice to meet you Jungkook" she said opening the car door. Jin sat in front with her, Jungkook in the back. Jungkook laid down in the backseat, getting comfortable on her pillows. I'll take him home last since he's so comfortable, she thought to herself. She handed the aux cord to Jin, "Suga wanted to listen to music on the way. You can too if you like." He nodded and set the cord down without playing music.

Her phone sat in the cup holder between the front seats. Her phone starting going off. Her text notification for one of her friends was, "Waste it on me", specifically, RM's part of the song all the way to the end. She quickly took the phone, placing it face down to end the notification. She laughed, slightly embarrassed.

Jungkook immediately started singing and continued singing after the notification stopped. He really does have a beautiful voice, she thought to herself. It was extremely soothing to her and made her feel more relaxed.

"A fan?" Jin asked, curiously looking at her.

She could feel her face getting flushed, "I am." She nodded hoping the moment passed quickly.

"You didn't ask for an autograph?" he asked, although it sounded more like a statement.

She smiled, pulling into the parking space for his rental, "You guys looked tired and honestly I'm not into that kind of thing." She stepped out of the vehicle to help him carry his bags.

He gave her a half smile and raised an eyebrow slightly, getting out of the car with her, "What do you mean?"

She opened the trunk and started removing his bags, setting them gently on the gravel, "I don't really like to get close to celebrities. I like to admire from afar." She paused and stared at him. "In my mind if I can give them one less crazed fan to worry about, maybe their lives will be a little more peaceful." She handed him the key for the rental.

He hugged her, his broad shoulders wrapped around her. I was right, his hugs are the best, she thought to herself. She left her arms to the side without hugging back. He thanked her and headed up the stairs to his rental. She waited until he got inside before leaving.

Jungkook had sat up by the time she got back in the car. In her rear view mirror she could see him smiling at her. He moved close behind her, using her seat to pull himself forward. She felt as if he liked being able to intimidate her slightly. Perhaps he is into power plays, she thought to herself. He was so close to her that she could feel him breathing on her neck. It was kind of weird but slightly erotic. She wasn't even sure if he did it on purpose or not. He looked too sweet and innocent to do it purposely.

She pulled into the parking space, opening the trunk once again. He joined her at the back of the car, removing his luggage. He stood directly in front of her with a big smile on his face. His wide eyes open as if he had a million racing thoughts. After several moments he reached out to her hand, holding it within his. She looked down, noticing the tattoos on his hands. She looked up to see him smiling at her still. She laughed and took her hand back, handing him the key.

"Goodnight Jungkook" she said. He gave her another big smile, this time big enough to crinkle his eyes. He went to his rental while she made she he got in safely.

She drove back to the front of the park. She couldn't stop thinking about how flirty the guys had been. They were all so cute but man are they good at making me feel uncomfortable, she thought to herself.

She opened the trunk and didn't bother getting out of the car this time. It was already nearing midnight and she was exhausted. RM helped load their luggage, lightly patting the trunk after he closed it. Seijin sat next to her in the front seat, another hopped into the backseat, he sat in the middle, leaning in between Seijin & Jen.

"I'm J-Hope" he said cheerfully. He had a very thick Asian accent, suiting him perfectly. He shared a similar height to the other guys, although he seemed noticeably thinner. Very fashionable. He had a slightly longer face cut with a strong jawline and high cheekbones, Like RM he had dimples when he smiled. An adorable nose that turned up slightly at the end. She had always known that he was really cute, but his personality really won her over. He was extremely kind and happy. She often wished she could be that person. Being an introvert, she often tried to conserve her energy for situations she really wanted to enjoy. Being outwardly happy all the time exhausted her in most cases. It was rare she found someone didn't drain her mentally, she thought most people to be energy vampires.

Jung Hoseok, stage name J-Hope and sometimes referred to as Hobi. - The final rapper of the group and another member who received much criticism in their debut days. Anti-fans asked him to leave the group on numerous occasions which he eventually considered before deciding not to - the love and trust of his group pulling him back. He was the best dancer and most fashionable of the group. His laugh was contagious and animated - he had no problems with falling over from laughter. Spending too much time in water made him seasick and roller coasters scared him to death, though he did think it was fun after the fact. He is known as the happiest member of the group - often gritting his teeth and hiding any problems he faced. He was considered to be the second-to-the-last favorite member of the group, after RM of course, in their debut days. His fan base grew as they reached unimaginable levels of success. As the third eldest member of the group, he was a part of the hyung line.

Seijin sat quietly as J-Hope talked both to, and at, Jen. He often nodded his head in agreement, listening to him be so happy. She pulled into the parking space for Seijin's rental. She had her hand on the door handle when Seijin said, "I'll get my bags. You stay here." She smiled at him and handed him the key. He returned a smile adding, "thank you" before exiting and grabbing his bags. She waited until he entered the rental before backing up. She pulled into J-Hope's rental, a mere 40 feet away. She exited her car, helping him remove his bags. He had more bags than most of the other guys. She set his bags gently on the gravel.

He smiled at her, he swayed back and fourth slightly as if he was nervous. She handed him the key. He picked up his bags and turned away for a brief moment before turning around to ask, "phone?" he asked in English, making a phone call gesture next to his face.

She laughed, louder than she probably should with how late it was, "You are the second person to ask tonight. Let me see your phone." He handed her the phone and smiled, a low chuckle escaping his lips.

"Second? Who asked first - V?" he asked.

She entered her number into his phone. She handed it back to him, still laughing about it, "Suga."

He looked at her stunned before returning the phone to his pocket. "I can't believe that. He doesn't even respond to us."

Her laugh died down into a smile, "Well he hasn't actually texted yet so...." her voiced trailed off, dropping her smile. She could feel how tired she was now, even with the excitement of meeting BTS she felt like she could fall asleep at any given moment.

He smiled at her again, giving her a thumbs up before entering his rental. She waited until he got inside and she could see the lights pop on.

Seijin & Hope's rentals were in the back in the campground, it took her awhile to get back to the front. Pulling into her parking spot she could see RM and Jimin outside the store. Jimin laying on the ground, resting his head on RM's thigh. RM staring off into the distance, resting his head against the window of the store. They both looked fatigued. She couldn't imagine what they had gone through.

   She exited the car, and gestured them to get in.

    The last boy she had not been properly introduced to stood up slowly and whined half-playfully and half-seriously,  "I'm hunnnnngry."

   RM rolled his eyes. "Jimin, you just ate" he said with a sigh.

   "No, real food" he whined again. This time almost stomping his foot, his blonde hair bouncing with the motion. Compared to the others, he looked petite, but strong. His lips plump and a generously handsome smile. His had slightly chubby cheeks yet still prominent cheek bones, very doll like. He seemed comfortable in his sexuality and that in itself was attractive to her. He presented himself in a very fun, childlike manner. She could see immediately that he often needed reassurance from the others.

Park Jimin, stage name Jimin. - The second-youngest in the group after Jungkook. Lead vocals and well known for his falsetto - he had the voice of an angel. He was a sensitive guy with a need for attention. He loved being the center of it just as much as he loved showering the other members in it. He loved to compliment and purchase gifts for the other guys, always holding on to or touching the other members. In their debut days, he felt out of place when they would strive for a "bad boy" image. In more recent years he allowed his true personality to shine brighter and was met with complete acceptance from his fans. As one of the most popular members, he loves his fans more than life itself. In their early days, he was one of the most hated members - not by his fans but by fans of rival groups. So much so that he had received multiple threats on his life. He struggled in the beginning with loving himself as he was. In his quest to find perfection he often starved himself to the point of exhaustion. Recent years had treated him much better and he was a happier person because of it. He was one of the sweetest members of the group and his love for army knew no bounds.

RM sighed loudly, tilting his head back, letting his arms fall to the side.

   "I have food, not a lot but I can probably get you something?" Jen offered.

   "It's really not necessary--" RM said before being cut off by Jimin.

   "What kind?!" Jimin asked, practically jumping up and down.

   "Umm, chips, fruits" she said thinking, "maybe some spicy ramen?"

   Jimin didn't even say anything before getting up, he bounced around happily next to her.

   "It's been a really long night for everybody, we don't mean to waste more of your--" RM rebutted, trying to calm Jimin.

   "It's really no big deal. I live in the apartment up there" she said, pointing towards the sky above the gift shop.

   RM looked up to see there was an apartment above the A frame building. Jimin looked to him expectantly. He smiled, rolled his eyes slightly and said, "Well, let's get it."

   They walked around the building and up the set of stairs, dragging their luggage behind them. Jen helped Jimin with his as she noticed his struggle.

She placed her key in the lock and turned the doorknob, forcefully pushing the door open. Immediately the smell of blueberry pancake filled their senses.

"Mmm" Jimin said, smelling the air, "what smells so good?"

She giggled at him, "It's a candle. I love candles but I'm especially fond of fall scented ones."

The apartment was small, but cozy. She loved the shabby chic look and decorated her space to reflect that. Lots of white and ivory with subtle pops of pink. It was calming to her.

   Jimin dropped his bags near the door. Walking through the kitchen, he immediately opened the fridge and started pulling things out, naming things as he went. "Strawberries, blueberries." He found the bananas on the counter. She handed him a plate, smiling at how happy he was.

   RM sighed loudlly, giving up at this point.

   "If you keep walking straight you'll find the living room. You can sit down if you want" Jen offered.

   RM thanked her with a smile, and headed to the couch. He removed the pillows from the corner and placed them in his lap, laying his head back and letting his neck hang. It feels so good to sit on something other than a bus seat, he thought to himself. He looked around to survey the room - clearly a girls space. Candles. Blankets. Throw pillows. He found the remote and turned on the TV, scrolling through her apps. He scrolled through, finally deciding on Funimation, he reached across to grab a blanket. Covering himself he could smell the faint scent of perfume. It smelled beautiful and warm, just like she did. Slightly expensive, but not too expensive. He breathed deep and let the scent fill him.

She walked into the hallway leading to the living room, stopping at the console table to empty her pockets. She usually carried so many things with her, always her phone but also lip balm, a small vial of perfume, and a pen. She plugged her phone into it's charger. "I'm going to change my shirt" she yelled, unsure if they would even care. It felt super awkward having them in her apartment but they acted like it wasn't a big deal. They are probably used to meeting strangers, she thought to herself. She closed her bedroom door and took off her shirt, adding it to the laundry basket. She rummaged through her drawer to find something comfortable, but appropriate. She chose a plain white tee that ruched on one side. She typically preferred to get comfortable as soon as she got home - getting out of her jeans as fast as possible. To her, pants were leg prisons and shoes were foot prisons.

   She entered her living room. "Comfy?" she asked, sitting down on the opposite side of the couch. She admired how cute he looked snuggled in her blanket.

   He smiled, "Yah" purposely snuggling a little more.

   She giggled, "Jimin found the fruit and he's having a good time in there." She said, reaching for another blanket.

   He laughed and shook his head, "I bet he is."

   "We can share" he said, throwing a corner of the blanket at her.

   Damn he's cute, she thought. She wasn't even sure how she was containing her inner fan-girl. Her heart was screaming but she managed to play it so cool. She thought her heart might burst with how fast it was beating. She covered her legs and snuggled on the couch. She was happy, but so very tired. She could feel her eyes slowly closing against her desire to stay awake.

   Jimin finally emerged from the kitchen, smiling and rubbing his tummy. He sighed, eyelids half closed.

   "Ready to go?" Jen asked, sitting up on the couch. Jimin nodded. She got up to take Jimin to his home for the night.

   "Do you mind if I stay here?" RM asked "Thinking about that ramen now."

   "Oh yeah sure. Pans are in the cabinet near the sink. Ramen in the upper cabinet" she said heading out the door, carrying some of the bags for Jimin. He watched through the blinds as she helped Jimin into the car, loading his bags for him. Jimin seems to like her a lot, he thought to himself, I can see why - she is lovely.

RM got up and began looking through the cabinets, finding the extra spicy noodles and boiling the water. He finished the noodles, drained and then mixed them together.

   She had gotten halfway to drop Jimin off when she realized she forgot her phone. CRAP, she thought to herself, It's late anyway, I will be okay. Jimin sat in the front seat next to her, leaning his head against the door. He fell asleep on the ride. He looked peaceful, as if the car ride comforted him in ways he had not been comforted in a long time. She pulled into the parking space, letting him sleep a minute longer before waking him up.

   RM sat the bowl down, deciding he needed to find the bathroom. He entered her bedroom. Small, but plenty of room with a desk and vanity. Curious, he opened her closet doors. The closet was surprisingly big for how small the apartment was. He looked over her clothing, fashionable, mostly tees and denim. Comfortable shoes - Adidas and converse. Clearly a girl who dresses to be cute and comfortable. He closed the doors. Exactly what he expected based on the little he knew about her.

   He went to the bathroom, located next to the closet.

   Exiting the bathroom, he had a clear view of her desk across the room. He walked closer and realized that her screensaver was none other than BTS. He moved the mouse to see that her background had a picture of him, specifically from the "Butter" concept photo shoot. He raised an eyebrow and smiled.

On the other end of the wall sat her vanity, slightly messy as if she used it often. It had a large Hollywood glamour style mirror, surrounded by fifteen bright light bulbs. Exiting the bedroom he could hear music. Getting closer to the source, he could hear it was a BTS song. Mic Drop, in particular. He picked up her phone from the table and looked at it, recognizing the number that texted her.

The text message contained only one word. "Hey." He laughed a little, shook his head and said, "Suga" to himself out loud.

He set the phone down, only for it to immediately begin ringing again, this time a phone call. He picked up the phone again to see "Ex" calling. He let it ring, setting it down and listening to "I'm fine" playing. He sang along softly to it.

   He picked up his bowl of ramen again about the time she walked in. She shut the door quietly.

   "Jimin is safe" she said turning off the porch light. "Poor thing fell asleep on the drive" she mentioned.

   RM, slurping his noodles, raised both eyebrows, "You had a call."

   Immediately she knew that her ringtone was on. He heard it. Oh god he heard it, she thought to herself.

   "It was Ex?" he asked.

   "Yeah" she sighed, "my ex husband."

   Still eating his noodles, he made a sound between huh and oh?

He gave her a big smile, "And Suga texted you." She blushed, slightly embarrassed. He laughed, louder this time, "I can't even get him to text me."

   She picked up the phone, adding Suga as a contact. She returned the call to her ex. He listened to her from the kitchen.

   "Yeah what did you want?"

   "What does it even matter?"

   She sighed.

   "We've been through this. I'm done and it's over".

   RM heard the anger rising in her voice, and gestured with two fingers for her to give him the phone. She handed it over, giving him a sideways look.

   "Yea man, she said no. Its over." He ended the call and smiled - both dimples showing this time.

   "What did you do?" she asked, panicking.

   "Now he knows you're with a man. He'll leave you alone" he shrugged.

   It was silent as they returned to the living room, "Not something you can fix?" he asked out of curiosity.

   She laughed. "No, it is not" she said, plopping down on the couch.

   He sat down on the other end, one eyebrow up as if he questioned her.

   She leaned her head back and stared at the ceiling. It was always hard for her to hold back her tears when someone asked directly. "After five years of marriage he decided that he would rather have girls on only fans." She looked at him dead in the eyes, "and fuck them." She looked down this time, "more than a few times."

   RM was quiet. He had no words that would comfort her in the moment. She seems like a really chill girl, he thought to himself. He moved closer and rubbed her upper back softly, offering what little support he could think of.

   She laughed as she wiped away the tears. "Its alright. He's the one that's missing out. I'm fucking great" she announced.

   RM laughed. She's kind of cocky - I like it, he thought. Clapping his hands together he said, "It's been a long night and I think we're both tired.."

   She blinked at him a few times. She didn't really want to go anywhere at this point. She wanted to fall asleep when Jimin did earlier. "You can stay here if you want?" she offered, half question half offer.

   He nodded his head in agreement. She brought him some pillows and a larger blanket for the couch.

   "Bathrooms off my room if you need it" she smiled. She went into her room, changing out of her jeans and into ruched shorts. She faced the desk fan towards her bed before getting in, she preferred the cold when she slept.

   She fell asleep quickly.

The group chat that they used to communicate with each other was on fire that night :

Suga : Thoughts? She's cute

V : Very

J-Hope : Her car smelled nice

Jimin : Her apartment smelled nice too

Suga : What?! You went to her apartment?

V : I'm thirsty, do you think she'd help? :D

Jin : Too much V

RM : Jimin complained he was hungry

Jimin : I'm full now : )

Jin :  She seems really nice. Reminds me of my mom.

Suga : She likes drake

Jungkook : Cool girl

Jin : She likes us

Jungkook : Yeah all of her ringtones are bts.

RM : I can't believe Suga is actually responding to us in group chat.

J-Hope : A pretty girl will do that to him.

V : We should invite her to the show tomorrow night

Suga : YAS!

RM : We will ask Seijin in the morning.

Jimin: *clapping emoji*

RM : *sent a picture of him laying on her couch to the chat*

J-Hope : You stayed with her?!?!

Suga : OMG

   He didn't respond further after sending the picture. He laid on the couch, thinking about the day. She was obviously a fan but she treated him like any other person. It was refreshing. He thought about Suga asking for her phone number. It almost pained him to think about and he wasn't sure why. To think of it, all of the guys seemed really smitten by her, he thought to himself before falling asleep.

   He fell asleep for a couple of hours before waking up in the night. He walked through her room to the bathroom. He could see her silhouette in the moonlight. She was sleeping on her stomach with one leg bent. He could see her butt poking out the bottom of her shorts. He went to the bathroom and came back. He admired her figure. Her butt was idealistic, the kind that many women would photo shop to copy. Almost too good to be real, he thought. He slowly climbed into bed next to her.

   Him laying next to her woke her slightly. She was a very light sleeper, with any kind of noise waking her. She could feel his body next to hers. Wiggling closer she rested her head next to his and offered him half of the blanket. They slept together but in the most innocent way. Similar to how you would sleep with a very good friend - cuddled together without sexual expectations. Neither of them had been cuddled in so long, both enjoying it immensely.

He woke up very early. He stared at her while as she slept. He wished he could lay next to her for awhile longer but there was a van waiting to pick them up. Before he left, he took a selfie with her phone, entering himself as a contact. He noticed Suga had sent her another text message as she didn't respond to the first. He smiled, surprised that Suga tried a second time. It was unlike him to pursue someone more than once.

He found a notebook on her counter and wrote her a note before grabbing his bags to head out the door. He quietly closed the front door when he left, his luggage behind him. Before getting into the car he dug out his journal. He sat between Suga & J-Hope. Once settled and on their way, he wrote yesterday's journal entry :

"Today was a great day. The day was long and the ride even longer. Our vehicle broke down on the way to Chicago. We stopped at a campground and met a really nice girl. Pretty. Smart. I slept on her couch and then moved into the bed with her. It was lovely."

He read his entry over, adding small details he wanted to remember. J-Hope couldn't help but notice his entry, "She's pretty" he admitted.

RM laughed, "Yeah so pretty Suga got her number." Suga laughed, letting out a little snort.

"Had to try" he responded.

J-Hope blushed, covering his face.

RM laughed, "You asked for her number too didn't you? How many of you do you think she can see at once?"

V, who sat behind RM, leaned forward between the seats, "I wanted to ask her but I was too shy. She seems really confident."

Suga laughed at V's misfortune. "You weren't able to form words around her."

RM smiled as he listened to the boys jokingly fight over the girl. They often fawned over pretty girls, but usually not the same one. His mind got lost in thought.

Suga's phone went off. He looked at it, seeing a text from Jen. "I win." he said, showing the text message around as if it were a gold medal.

Both V and J-Hope sighed. RM laughed at their behavior. It was cute and charming, but also somewhat childish. He rolled his eyes listening to them talk about her.

Jen woke several times during the night to find him snuggled with her pillows. She thought he looked like a sweet angel when he slept. He snored softly and looked at peace.

In the morning, he was gone. She yawned and stretched. He didn't wear a cologne - instead he smelled of incense with hints of honey and lemon. His scent lingered on her sheets. It smelled as interesting as he was.

It was her day off, she wasn't in a hurry to do anything today. She made her morning coffee. She looked out the window, mug in hand, to see if the bus was outside. It wasn't. For a minute she thought it was all a dream until she noticed a note on her console table.

"Thank you for everything. -Namjoon"

She smiled at the note and looked at the dishes in the sink from the noodles and in that instant it hit her like a truck. Last night was real. And amazing - but short-lived. She honestly had the best night of her life. It really doesn't go up from here, she thought to herself.

   Her doorbell rang. She opened the door to find flowers on the deck. A beautiful bouquet of mixed flowers of all colors. Bringing the flowers in, she set them on her dining table and checked the card.

https://www.wattpad.com/story/278213084-breaking-free-bts-rm-kim-namjoon-fanfiction

#bts #bangtan #rm #btsrm #suga #btssuga #bangtan sonyeondan #kim namjoon #namu #rap monster #rapmon #kpop #idol #korea #south korea #fanfic #bts fanfic #joonie #kdrama #love #angst #smut #desire #fluff #fantasy #romance #drama

[rodypowderedmilk]

hehe @tonguetiedmisfit1

Del remembers being a teenager and desperately wanting to shop at Victoria Secret, like the girls with the beautiful bras in the laundry room. She wore Hanes bras from Target, and never felt comfortable or beautiful enough to join in with the confident strutting of the girls with the lacy bralettes and push up bras. Not to mention the imagined embarrassment of her mom doing the laundry on Sundays and having to move the lacy, sexy bras or underwear from the washer to the dryer. The situation was shudder inducing- at best. 

But she still thought about it and admired the window displays from the lingerie shops. In her brave moments she browsed the online shops, looking at all the pretty lace and gauzy material, the fancy embroidery and intricate straps. She wondered what it might look like on her body. 

Now, almost a real adult and going through her masters program in the shining and steaming city of New York, Del does her own laundry and has her own washing machine. Well. A washing machine that she doesn’t share with her mother. New York certainly has more malls and outlets than the midwest, and the copious amounts of advertisements- billboards, big screens, and window displays had been something to get used to. They’d become the starry night sky of home. On full moons, it used to light up the town, back home. Now every night in the city, there are no stars to be seen, but the light of the city is akin to every beautiful full moon. 

It was the second semester of her freshmen graduate program when she’d been on her walk home from campus, gyro remains in her hand from a late lunch when she’d walked past that great big Victoria’s Secret store. She’d taken one look at those glamorous black and white photos with the airbrushed girls and their [double decker titties] and said to herself, today is the motherfucking day. 

Del remembers wondering what Dr. Banner might think if he knew what she were using her internship money for, and at first it was hard to reconcile what seemed like such a frivolous and needless purchase with her current lifestyle. High school days were filled with going along for snack runs and declining to buy those chips she wanted, and trips to the mall wondering whether or not to use that three year old gift card from Auntie Margaret because maybe something even better will come along and I’ll really, really need it. 

Things have changed a bit from then. 

You keep trying to talk yourself out of it and the inside of your head is beginning to feel like a high school debate team meeting, except none of the arguments are well thought out or succinct. It’s mostly just panicked half-thoughts and repeated curse words. 

It’s, of course, not your first Avenger’s party- not even by a long shot. There’s been Superbowl Parties, March Madness Parties, dinner parties- sushi, pizza, and chocolate fountain alike. There've been drinking parties, and New Year’s parties, and then, of course, the Just Because parties. You are no stranger to the party planning expertise of Tony Stark. 

Tonight seems to be one of the ‘Just Because’ parties, with all the staff from the upper floors of the tower invited. Which means some of your coworkers from the lab floors. And, of course, Tony Stark who is a bloodhound. 

So, while the strappy piece of lingerie that is currently laying on the bed seemed like a good idea, it now seems very… rash. 

It’s black and… risque, to say the least, and you’ve already picked out a dress to wear over it. With any luck, no one will notice what you’re wearing underneath. But the thought of anyone finding out what you’ve got on is enough to send your head spinning and your stomach alight with aggravated nerves. You reach out to touch it, one little pat, and groans. It shouldn’t be this hard, should it!?

“Hey, uh Del?” 

You jump, hearing Bruce call from the other room and clutch at your chest which is still damp from your shower. 

“Are you almost ready?” he calls out. 

“Shiiit,” you curse to yourself through gritted teeth, lightly pounding your first against your forehead, “UhhrrrrAH, fuck- Yeah just a minute, I’ll be right there!” You yell. 

“Fuck.”

The ride up to the Party Deck, as Stark has so affectionately dubbed it, is spent trying to get your legs to stop shaking. Not to mention the, ahem, underclothes you’re wearing are wedgied so far up your ass you think if you were still a virgin, you might have just been deflowered. 

Bruce reaches out and grabs your hand, bumping his forehead against your shoulder, “Hey, you look really nice.”

The struggle to hide a squeal or a moan is immense and you finds your cheeks growing hotter despite how long you’ve been with this man. 

“Thanks, I- uh, thanks,” you give him a short smile. 

The elevator dings, opening, and Bruce places his hand on your back. You relax into him, grateful for his warm touch. God, he’s just a calming presence, and for a second you want to ride the elevator back up to his floor and just.. 

He tenses up beside you, and you realize his hand is resting just over where all the straps conjoin. You fight the urge to whine and collapse from embarrassment. He looks over at you, eyes wide. You’re hoping no one is looking at who’s just arrived. 

“Uh, surprise?” 

When you’ve made it away from the entrance, coaxing the shocked Bruce Banner beside you, he holds onto your arm. 

“Are you-” he blows air out through his mouth, and groans a little bit under his breath, “Mmmmm Del….”

All you can really do is whimper and squeak and face plant into his shoulder, making various embarrassed noises. “I’m sorry, I just! I got the idea and…”

Bruce runs his hands over your back, probably attempting to soothe you, and consequently feeling the rest of straps up and down your body. 

You pull back and look at his face, trying to gauge what he’s thinking. He swallows thickly, “Yeah.” 

He reaches down and absentmindedly adjusts himself, eyes still locked on you, his other hand still on your back. You squeak, “Bruce!” 

“Huh- oh, what? S’ just… tight.” 

You faceplant back into his shoulder, pretending to sob, “Ohmygod.”

He chuckles, “No, no, it’s good, I… I really like it.”

“Obviously,” you grumble. 

He holds your shoulders, pushing you back. He holds your face, “I really like it,” and presses his groin into your stomach. You can feel him hard under his pants, and it lights up your stomach, and deeper, between your legs where you’ve become hot and swollen- the arousal zinging through your body quicker than lightning. You hold back a whimper. 

He kisses your nose, “Now, let’s go see if we can find me a chair… or a pillow.” 

A snort escapes you, unattractively, and he shoots you a fond smile. 

The first 20 minutes pass without fanfare, although your stomach remains a livewire of energy and nerves, snapping like crackling fire and embers. Bruce sits beside you on the incredibly posh and low to the ground couch that Tony for some unthinkable reason has deemed acceptable for the Party Deck. Some of your coworkers are milling around and have stopped to come say hello to you and Dr. Banner. You fight a blush every time they do, what with Bruce’s hand comfortingly on your thigh, and his blazer awkwardly draped over his lap.

You’re worried at any second there’s going to be some impossible breeze and everyone is going to see your underthings, or maybe the material is actually see-through or thinner than you thought, and everyone is going around and whispering about what you’ve got on. 

You’re trying to hold onto the arousal that you felt moments ago, but are only grasping to the tail end of it, like a rope falling out of your hands. The longer you sit there, the more anxious you become. Until, of course, Bruce’s hand begins creeping up your thigh. 

You shoot him a look, and at first he looks bashful, but as you lean further into his side, he continues. His hand moves over one of the straps around your thigh and you can feel him breathing in shakily beside you. “Jesus, Del,” he says, breathlessly. His grip on your skin tightens, and you feel yourself growing hotter, thinking of the way he revels in the shape and feel of your thighs. He pulls at his pants again, looking around the room surreptitiously. “Ohmygod, Bruce,” you whine, tilting your head onto his shoulder. 

“Ah- I’m sorry! It’s- it's tight.”

You can’t help but nervously laugh, the noise coming out a bit hysterically. 

“‘And ‘s your fault,” he rumbles. That alone is enough to make you want to hide in the crook of his neck and never come out. 

“I’m sorry,” you whine, drawing out the y at the end. You’re feeling almost like you could cry, you’re so overwhelmed and anxious and hot. 

There’s the noise of a glass ringing, someone tapping their glass to make a toast, silencing the small crowd of the party. 

“Heyo,” Tony says, where he’s decided to stand on top of some impossibly designed coffee table, “drinks are served,” he announces, elongating his r and pronouncing the -ed ending. 

The crowd heads over to the bar, mostly leaving you and Bruce alone in your area of the floor. 

“You look like you could use a drink,” Bruce jokes, stroking his hand over your jaw, “you’re all red,” he teases, cupping your cheek. 

“Bruuuuce.”

It seems your embarrassment is just turning him on more because he adjusts himself again, actually palming himself this time. 

“Ohmygod, Bruce!” you whisper shout. 

“Wha- I can’t help it! It’s just-” he sighs, “you’re so fucking hot,” he says, almost mournfully. 

You feel like you have a sunburn, your face is so red- probably unflatteringly so, “Uhm, do you wanna… do you want me to…” you swallow, feeling his intent gaze on you, “you want me to, uhm, help?”

“Oh my god,” he mutters, almost to himself, “Yes. Yes. Please,” his voice cracks. “Wait, wait, are you sure? Are you sure?”

You’re not, really, but you respond, “Yes, yeah, of course. I offered didn’t I?”

He kisses you, so soft, so sweet, with a little nip, “Hey, you really don’t have to. I can- I can go get a glass of,” he swallows, “of ice, or or, or something, I-”

You stand up, holding his hand in both of yours, “Let’s go,” you pause, “please?”

He stands before you, blazer awkwardly held in front of his crotch.

“Yes. Yes, always.”

You’re pretty sure you two manage to slip away unnoticed by the crowd, and hopefully unnoticed by Stark, who’s ribbing you won’t be able to handle come Monday. 

You slam the door of the bathroom shut behind you, leaning heavily against it. Bruce is panting heavily, facing you and staring at you with the intense longing of a starved lion faced with a field of gisseles. 

“Ohmygod,” you whisper, covering your face with your arms, “oh my god, ohmygod.” You groan into the corner of your elbow. You’re genuinely worried your legs might give out, that feeling coursing through your stomach and between your thighs, turning you molten and shaky- like melting cotton candy about to be blown away into the wind. And then you feel Bruce’s warmth, pressing you into the door behind you with his hips, and caging you in with his hands pressed into the darkwood beside your head. And, god you can’t help but throw your arms around his neck and cling for dear life. Jesus, it’s just a glorified bra. 

“Hey, hey,” he kisses the side of your head, “Hey, baby, you’re okay. Listen, listen, we can go right upstairs, no problem.”

You shake your head, “Mm, no, please, wanna-” you gulp in air, “wanna suck you. Please.”

“Fuck. Fuck,” and he devours your [mouth], thrusting his tongue into your mouth like he wants to taste every inch of you. You can’t help but open up, melt into the door, and make soft whimpering noises- and he, he smiles into your mouth, devilishly amused at your reactions. “Mm, that’s my girl, huh?” he murmurs, kissing down your neck, the sharp press of his teeth making you gasp and grasp at the salt and pepper hair at the back of his head. 

His hands are under your dress, pulling and kneading at the skin of your thighs, hungrily feeling for the straps you’ve hidden under your clothes. 

“Mphm- wait, wait,” you pull back from him for a second, trying to get some oxygen to your brain and knowing that if you don’t pull his hands away from you, you’ll get fucked bare ass on the glass sink of Tony Stark’s ridiculously lavish party floor. The- it’s- underwear doesn't really go with the set you’ve bought. You’re surprised your dress hasn’t already got a wet spot on it from when you were sitting on that couch- and it’s, it’s made your thighs tacky with your own wetness. So, no, you don’t think Bruce- or you for that matter- will be able to contain yourselves.

Your hands are shaking as you try to unbutton his pants, weak with desire for him. “I just,” gasp, “gotta get my mouth on you,” you get out, finally getting the button. He shoves your hands away unzipping the rest and pulling his underwear under his cock, “Here, here, that’s it.”

It’s thick enough that you never quite get over the difficulty of getting your mouth around it, on it. Your mouth is spread wide enough for you to feel a tug at the corner of your mouth, a considerable stretch. And you never had a thing for big dicks before, but Bruce’s makes your mouth water, wrapping your lips around it and massaging your tongue against the head. 

You remember your first time with him, timid, and awkward, but so fucking hot to see him above you in pleasure. You’re not much better than that first time- can’t get the length very far down, and you’ve not mastered any intricate technique, but you’ve got a wet mouth and an eager disposition.

“Yeah, that’s my girl, look at you, so perfect. Damn, how’d I get so lucky, fuck, god you’re so beautiful.”

And that’s your other favorite part. No matter how poor of a job you do, Bruce seems to eat it up, praising you to hell and back, his mouth running faster than he can keep up with. It sends pleasure down your spine, tingling pleasantly against your neck and cradling you in warmth. It makes you suck on him harder, makes you whimper, makes you take him deep enough to gag. 

He reaches down, cradling your face between his palms, “mm, good gir- ah mm, good girl,” he’s got your hands in your head, half trying to pet you, and half trying to hold on to something. He’s got his head thrown back against the bathroom door, and that makes you swallow, and whimper, setting off vibrations against his skin. He’s hot and heavy in your mouth, hard and perfect. You can taste his wetness on the back of your tongue, and goddamn it’s just… fantastic. 

“That’s it, uhnn, fuck, that mouth, jesus you’re so good. So hot.

Look at you- how lucky am I, how lucky am I, hm?” 

He holds his hand under your chin, coaxing you to look him in the eyes, “You want this, baby?” he asks, checking in with you more than goading, and pushing his hips into you a little bit. You nod, or nod as much as you can with a mouthful of cock. He presses into you slowly, pulls out and then in again, “Oh, oh mm, baby, shit-” you suck on him harder, “whew, fuck that feels… uhhhhnnnn yeah, go on.

“Here let me hold you,” he says, holding your face and caressing his thumb over your cheek. You get a little too eager, slipping forward and gagging, wanting to feel his touch on your skin. “Gentle, gentle,” he eases, “damn, girl, you really want it, huh?” 

You nod and moan low in your throat. 

“OH, fuck, ahhmfuuuuck, you’re gonna get a lot more than you bargained for really quick, sweetheart, shit.”

And that makes you even more eager, bobbing up and down on his dick, breathing as deep as you can through your nose and letting a few tears roll down your throat. You’ve got your eyes trained on him, ensuring his eyes stay closed. You’re still a bit insecure about how you look giving head, and as far as you're concerned, if his eyes are closed, that means you’re doing a good job- and even better, he can’t see you. 

“Jesus, kid, you trying to make me look bad?” he says, with a little jerk of his hips. You can tell from the tension in his stomach, and the kicking of his dick in your mouth that he’s close. You can feel the tremors of his thighs, and you put in that extra mile.

“Fuck, fuck, slow down, slow down, slow down, oh no, fuck I’m gonna- Fuck, Del, sweetheart, I’m gonna come if you don’t-” you swallow hard, and moan, “you gotta-mmMM” and he comes in your mouth.

[theobsessor1]

Not as it Seems

summary:  Thomas’s great grandfather has recently passed and in his will, he left his large house and giant sanctuary reservation attached to it to Thomas. Only Thomas comes to learn that it's not quite as it seems, as every day it seems to get stranger and stranger.

pairings: none yet

Warnings: none

Word count: 2302 co-written with my friend @i-crave-luck , if you wish to be added to the taglist let us know.

Chapter 1 of Right Here by Your Side 

Thomas gazes up at the large wooden building, nearly a mansion, surrounded by miles of forest property that seems to go on forever. Flowered vines crawl up the walls, vibrant moss making its home in the cracks it makes. The shutters at the windows were once brightly painted, he can tell, but now all that was left were a few steaks and chips of faded color. He can’t help but wonder how his great grandfather had managed to take care of all this by himself for so long. 

“Huh, so this is the place he left you to inherit?” Joan comments, stepping out of the car to stand beside him. Dressed, of course, with their usual bright orange beanie they never leave without. 

Talyn puts a hand on their hips and knocks their shoulder into Joan’s, their ever-colored hair bouncing slightly from the movement. “It reminds me of those old haunted houses in movies, you think this one’s got any ghosts?” 

“Hardy har har, I’m sure it’s not that bad.” Thomas tries for a smile, turning to his friends. “It’s just been left alone for a year, I’m sure it just needs some cleaning up and then it’ll look as friendly as I remember it.” 

Joan squints up at the house. “Hm, possibly, but first things first is getting you moved in.” 

“Right!” Thomas smiles brighter, coming over and popping open the trunk of his old car. “The rest of my stuff should be coming later with the moving truck, so I only brought more of the essential stuff for now.” He picks up one of the large boxes stacked in the car, all of them messily labeled with sharpie. 

The trio makes their way into the house, piling the boxes where they go and emptying a few. Thomas was just working on putting a few things away in the kitchen. The house itself was pretty nice, a bit rustic for his tastes but maybe a few new things here and there could fix it. It will feel more like home when he moves some of his own furniture and trinkets in, and fixes the numerous scratches littering the floor. 

He didn’t know his great grandfather all that well. He got to visit a couple of times that he could remember as a little kid, but after a particular accident and a few arguments between his parents, they stopped letting him come. He was rather surprised to get the news that Grandfather Alkwin had set him to inherit his home and what he has been told is an animal sanctuary and reserve. 

Hopefully, the animals here were in good shape with no one around to check on them in almost a year. 

Thomas jolts out of his thoughts at the sound of Joan shouting upstairs somewhere, sounding delighted. Curious what the commotion is about he sets down the plates he had just pulled out of the box and quickly heads up the stairs. “Joan? What’s going on?” 

As Thomas makes it up the stairs Joan peaks around the corner of the hall waving him over, looking rather ecstatic. “Dude come look at this!” 

Joan opens the door to a bedroom, looking oddly clean and used for a place no one’s visited in awhile. Fancy coffee mugs littered the dresser, with a few polaroids dispersed throughout. Picture frames hung on the walls, full of pictures of landscapes or a couple people. A pair of sunglasses layed on the bedside table. On the bed, looking rather unimpressed by the humans invading its space was an extremely large and elegant cat. It gazed at them with eyes that seemed to hold far more intelligence than a cat should. 

“Holy cow!” 

“I know right! The cat’s huge!” Joan laughs. “I think it’s a Mainecoon but I’ve never seen any that big! Do you think it was your grandfather’s?” 

“I don’t know, maybe? This isn’t his room as far as I know.” Thomas steps inside, glancing at the mugs and polaroids. “These look too recently used to have been just left here.” He picks up one of the mugs, causing the cat to hiss and jump over to glare at Thomas. 

He finds himself putting it back down, suitably chastened. The cat purrs and rubs against his leg, looking up at him. He leans down and offers it his hand to sniff and it does so, purring louder and bumping its head against his hand. 

“Hey Talyn, get on over here!” He hears Joan yell, followed by footsteps running up the stairs. The cat turns its head to Joan and padds over, mrowing curiously. 

Joan crouches down offering his hand to the cat cooing at them just as Talyn comes up to the room. “Wow giant cat!” The cat seems immensely pleased with all the attention, strutting around slightly and trilling at the two for more pets. 

Thomas hums, turning away from the group to look more closely at the pictures on the walls. He recognizes his great grandfather in a few with people he doesn’t know...some of them looked off somehow, though he couldn’t quite place why. There was a guy in a few photos wearing sunglasses and a small fur coat. 

“Huh, I think my grandfather did have someone living here, helping him. There’s a guy in some of these pictures that has the same sunglasses on as the ones on the table.” He comments with curiosity. 

“You think this might have been his room?” Joan asks, glancing up at Thomas with a raised eyebrow

“Maybe, and I think he’s still living here. If all the coffee is anything to go by.” 

The cat makes a strangled sound, distinctly not cat-like and arches its back. It looks around for a moment and then leaps away, scrambling out the window. Scaring a few crows who immediately squawked and flew away, fading into the distance. 

There was a moment of silence among the trio. 

“...Alright that, uh, that was weird.” Joan comments as they help Talyn to their feet. “Wanna see what other strange stuff we can find in the other rooms?” 

“Oh, there should be a big library or study somewhere downstairs, think my grandfather has some interesting things in there.” 

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” 

The trio make their downstairs going down a long hall of doors. Most rooms in the house were empty, cleaned out of whatever his grandfather had stored in them. One room that caught his friends’ interest seems to have been turned into some sort of greenhouse area. 

Thomas lets them admire the strange plant room as he continued down further to the end of the hall where a room stood with large double doors, leading to a humongous library. Only to freeze at the sight of someone else in the house! 

“Wha-whe-who are you?!” Thomas oh so eloquently shouted in surprise. 

It seems the young man in the library was just as surprised to see Thomas as Thomas was to see him apparently, nearly dropping the book he was putting back on the shelf.

Thomas could have sworn he looked odd, something being off, something not quite right and different about him, but just as he had the thought it disappeared as the man ran a hand down his chest as if to smooth nonexistent wrinkles in his outfit. 

“What? Who am-- Who are you?!” He spat back, glaring through thin wooden framed glasses. 

Thomas sputters, taken aback. “I asked you first!” The guy’s outfit was too neat and fancy to be some thief trying to rob the house, plus Thomas hadn’t seen any other cars parked nearby so what the heckity heck was this guy doing here?!

The stranger didn’t seem to like that response, wrinkling his nose as his brows furrow further. His dark eyes seemed to spark with something dangerous. “I don’t care who asked first, you are trespassing on this household. If you do not leave soon…” He pauses, a hand moving from his side and opening slightly with the sound of wood creaking, echoing through the cavernous library. “...You will not be leaving at all.” 

Thomas quickly puts his hands up in peace, taking a step back away from the threatening man. “Woah, hey! I’m not trespassing, I own the place! Or, uh, inherited it from my grandfather. If anything you’re trespassing!” He points an accusing finger at him. 

The man pauses. “Wait…” He cocks his head. “Thomas?” 

“Yeah, that’s m’name.” Thomas finger guns awkwardly. 

The man’s whole demeanor changes, dropping his arms and looking rather horrified with himself. “Oh Gods! I hadn't realized it was you! Alkwin only showed pictures of when you were--” he stopped himself, “Never mind that!” He waves a hand as if to wave away his previous sentence. “Have you settled yourself in fine? Got all your belongings unpacked?” 

Thomas can’t help but rub his neck nervously, the guy had just been threatening him and was now checking in asking if he was moving in ok?...Wait.

“You know my grandfather?” 

“Why, I-” The guy clears his throat, returning to a stiff posture and gaining a serious air to him. “We were compatriots, I helped him care for the land here.” He hums, seemingly realizing something. “How rude of me, I haven't introduced myself. Please, call me Logan. I’ll be here to help you, just as I did for Alkwin.” 

“Right, um, thanks.” 

There’s laughter in the hall, getting closer. Logan tenses up, eyes darting to the door with that same dangerous spark form earlier. 

“Oh right, I brought some friends with me! Should, uh, probably introduce you to them, heh.” Thomas quickly makes his escape, leaving the library to meet his friends halfway and stopping them before they go any further. 

“Aw geez, Thomas you ok?” Talyn puts a hand on his shoulder, looking him over worriedly

“Well that depends, I think I just found a friend of my grandfather’s who’s somehow here and just threatened me? Before checking in to see if moving is going well?” He runs a hand stressfully through his hair. 

Joan nods. “Think that’s how most family reunions have been for me for the last couple years too,” They joke.

“Joan!” Thomas playfully shoves them away, laughing. “Just get in here and be my moral support would you?” 

“Of course.” 

When they enter into the library, Logan is nowhere to be seen, simply vanished it seemed. Or if the open window was anything to go by, possibly climbed out from there. 

“Huh, guess they got worse social anxiety then you do.” 

“Joan!”

“What! I’m just joking,” They laughed.

Talyn had wandered over to the desk in the room, digging through the drawers. “Guys look at this.” They pull out a mini statue of clay, about six inches tall, looking extremely life-like, and sets it on top of the desk.

“Was your grandfather some kind of sculpter in his spare time?” 

Thomas shakes his head, staring confusedly at the statue. “I don’t think so? It looks awfully familiar though, he likely bought it from somewhere?” 

“It’s got a strange symbol on the back,” Talyn turns it around, revealing some kind of strange possibly hieroglyph type symbol on the back of it. “I don’t know what it means.” 

“I don’t either, I think for now we should just put it back. It’s gonna get late soon and I need to finish unpacking the few boxes I have left.” Thomas picks up the statue, an odd feeling of familiarity to it as he sets it back into the drawer. 

“Right! Then let’s get those boxes finished so Talyn and I can head home before it gets too dark.” Joan states, making their way out of the room with everyone else close behind. 

Several hours later, with his two friends sent on their way home, Thomas sighs, looking at the wide space...of his new home. There was still all of his grandfather’s furniture here, but it still felt so empty with just him in the house. 

How did his grandfather do it? Living in such a big space by himself, Thomas already felt lonely and his friends just left!

With a shake of his head he heads upstairs to the bedrooms, making his way to the end of the hall. He had chosen to stay in the room right across from where his grandfather’s room was, where he would stay when he used to come for visits. 

Running a hand lightly across his shirt where he’s memorized the faint scars on his chest were, he pauses in front of his grandfather’s door. Peering into the room. It doesn’t look all that different from his memories, there are a few new succulents by the window, a new dream catcher sporting rainbow colors. Thomas can’t help but wonder if he put that up in honor of when he finally came out to the whole family or if his grandfather just wanted a splash of color. 

He slowly sits on the bed, smiling at the memories. He would run in here climbing onto the mountain of a bed as it seemed at the time when he was so small. Seeking his great grandfather for comfort when the spooky sounds outside scared him...He lays down, strangely emotional. Curling up on the top of the comforter and closing his eyes. Willing his tears away and taking a deep breath of the familiar scent of the room. Of wood and something else, he could never place. 

A small mew startles him as he opens his eyes, spotting the cat from earlier looking up at him, somehow looking sympathetic. It jumps up, nuzzling itself under Thomas’s arms and curling up close to his chest. 

He lets out a watery chuckle, closing his eyes again. 

It’s going to be okay. 

#sander sides #sander sides au #Thomas sanders #Logan sanders #elf logan #skinwalker Remy #Remy sanders #inheritance au #Right Here by Your Side #writing is hard #thomas and friends

[anathtsurugi]

Day 15 - One More Day ;)

So, my dear @jellysharkbat, I’d at first thought to present you with a scene from the new chapter of TCTW, but the scene I had in mind was a little too dialogue heavy, even if it was in the same vein. So you’ll get more of that when the chapter comes out. But hopefully this is enough in line with what you were feeling.

Snow, as far as Alexsandr Kallus was concerned, could go get kriffed.

Granted, it was in the middle of a snow storm he'd first begun to see the love of his life and he would be eternally grateful for that, but it was likely the only thing he ever would grant to snow. Anything other than that one instance was evil incarnate. And that was saying something coming from a man who'd once worked at the very heart of the Galactic Empire.

The day had begun like any other at Echo Base. The techs still couldn't seem to adapt their speeders to Hoth's extreme cold, so patrols were still being carried out on tauntauns. Really, a lot of their tech was having trouble on this world. Even his own double-layer thermal gear was barely managing to keep out the cold. The persistent subzero temperatures had been creeping in on him all week and the conditions had been making his bad leg crankier than usual which, in turn, made him even crankier than his typical  uptight self, and he knew it showed.

Say what you will about Yavin IV. At least heat is manageable.

Draven had been on his case about the new supply line he'd been endeavoring to open up from an old Imperial contact who was just about fed up with Coruscant's precious New Order. It was a delicate process, though, so he was rather starting to wish the general would just take his less than subtle grumbling elsewhere. More than petty matters with Davitz Draven, there was also the fact that Cassian hadn't yet reported in from his latest assignment and Jyn and Bodhi were visibly beginning to worry, asking him if he'd heard anything. And he could understand their worry. Of course he could, but having to let down Cassian's odd little family every time one of them asked after the young Fulcrum agent was also beginning to wear on him. Today it seemed it was Bodhi's turn to receive the bad news as they passed through one of the supply corridors that connected the hangar bays with the storage areas.

"And there's really no emergency channels you might use?" the pilot pressed him as they walked.

"Believe me, Rook, I've tried all of them. At this point, it's up to Cassian himself," he responded with an exasperated sigh. "I promise you, I worry just as much as the rest of you. Cassian is my friend, too. But he wouldn't be a Fulcrum agent if he couldn't handle situations like this one. We just- have to trust him."

And as always, whenever he had to disappoint Bodhi Rook, Kallus felt as though he'd kicked the proverbial puppy at the silently despairing look in his fellow defector's large brown eyes. One just couldn't disappoint Bodhi Rook and walk away unscathed. It wasn't physically possible. And on top of that, his leg was really starting to twinge, causing him to bite down on a wince.

The day was barely half over and already he would've been quite happy to have done with it.

What else can go wrong?

He regretted thinking it almost the minute the poisonous thought had slithered through his brain. No situation is ever so bad it can't be kriffed up even further; and that fact was proven almost immediately by an ominous-sounding crack from overhead.

"What the-" Bodhi's voice started as they both looked overhead, but Kallus spotted the problem right away. A crack had indeed appeared in the ceiling over their heads, and already it was splintering and spidering outward from its initial break.

Kallus didn't stop to ask questions. The moment chunks of ice began to tumble into the corridor, he seized Bodhi's shoulder and threw them both free of the collapse.

The ex-Imperial felt his leg shriek in agony as they hit the permafrost floor of the tunnel, chips of broken ice flying overhead as a full section of the ceiling came down. Once debris had ceased spilling into the corridor, he began to hear voices from the next level up.

"Stars, what the kriff-"

"What happened?"

"What's-"

"Is everyone all right down there?"

Forcing himself up onto his knees through the pain, Kallus looked up, calling back. "We're fine! Just the two of us down below. Anyone above injured?"

"No," came the mostly even voice of General Rieekan in response. Oh, kriff. The command center.

"Though it might not be long before you're not all right," the just as distinct voice of Draven followed only a moment after. Within seconds, the head of Rebel Intelligence's pinched face appeared over the  edge of the hole in the ceiling. "Why is it I always seem to find an ex-Imperial around whenever something goes wrong?"

Kallus full-on glowered up at the man overhead. Partly to hide his own grimace of pain, but also because he really was just that pissed at this point.

"Yes, because obviously we plan for these things to happen," he snapped.

"I would be remiss in putting it past you. Fully trained ISB operative that your are, Agent ISB-021," the man taunted in a pointed voice.

That did it.

The frustration and physical pain that had been chipping away at his composure all week broke through his strict mental control. If he'd had his bo-rifle on him, he might've actually drawn it.

"Kriffing arrogant nerfherder!" he snarled up at the general. "If you think for one second I would ever endanger anyone in this base, then you've-"

"Kallus," Rieekan's now stern voice interrupted his imminent tirade as he joined Draven at the edge of the collapsed section. "I think it might be better if you took a walk. I know you said you weren't hurt, but you and Rook should probably take extra rest shifts, just to be certain."

"General, I-"

Whatever he might've said was quickly silenced by the Alderaanian's firm gaze. He scowled before going to help Bodhi up. Though he couldn't deny being the tiniest bit pleased to catch the tail end of Rieekan's next order.

"You and I will be having words later, Davitz. You can't keep going on like this."

"Th- thank you," Bodhi stuttered out. "You definitely saved my neck back there."

"No trouble," Kallus returned, though he didn't look at the younger man, as he knew he couldn't manage a smile just then. "I'm quite certain it would be more than just Draven angry with me if I allowed harm to come to you. About half the Alliance, likely...not to mention Cassian and Skywalker," he said before starting to head in the direction of his quarters, leaning heavily against the wall as he moved.

"Do you maybe need help?" Bodhi called after him.

"No," he ground out, even though he knew he was limping. He was on trajectory now and couldn't stop. If he did, his anger would dissipate and that, in turn, would allow the pain he was currently keeping at bay to overwhelm him. He kept his eyes forward and his teeth gritted the whole way back to his and Zeb's quarters.

He barely managed to make it to the bed before collapsing, body now racked with pain and mind swirling with frustration, anger, and more than a little guilt.

Agent ISB-021...

Most of the Alliance no longer held his past against him, but Draven was one who couldn't seem to let it go. He never missed an opportunity to remind Kallus of who he had been...of what he had done...

You are not that person anymore.

Maybe not...but that doesn't mean it didn't happen.

He had no idea how long he lay there, stewing in all that ugliness, before he heard the door to their quarters slide open. He looked over to see Zeb standing in the entryway.

"Rook told me what happened," he said without preamble as he entered, the door sliding shut behind him. "You okay?"

"As can be expected," he answered, though he couldn't quite keep back the tiny whimper of pain as he dragged himself into a sitting position. "Just the leg."

"You take anything?"

Kallus shook his head, rubbing faintly at his leg. "No. I wouldn't want to waste it. This will pass."

Zeb exhaled in frustration, and though Kallus wasn't looking at him, he could easily picture the way he would roll his luminous eyes. Before long, though, he found a slender thermal container thrust before his face.

"What...what's this?" he asked as he took the container.

"Little something Hera and I put together this morning from the Ghost's stores. Some of that spiced tea you loved so much. I was makin' it for you anyway, since the cold's been seepin' in on you all week, but now seemed like a good time to bring it to you."

Wordlessly, Kallus twisted the vessel open, inhaling the divine scent of the black tea in mild disbelief. It was no small thing...to be able to make something like this with the limited supplies they had. He may have moaned a little as he took the first sip of the warm, frothy drink.

They didn't speak after that. After all, Kallus was reasonably certain Zeb would've got the whole story from Bodhi. The Lasat sat down beside him on the small bed, large, skilled fingers beginning to work at the improperly healed joint, soothing away some of the ever-present stiffness and pain and bringing the hurts from the day's misadventures down from an insistent snarl to a dull ache. More than the massage, it was really just nice to have Zeb's sure, strong hands on him.

Not wanting to drink all of the tea right away, he sealed the thermal up when it was about half-empty and set it aside. Then Zeb drew him into a kiss, a slow, luxuriating press of lips that didn't presage anything further, simply connected the pair of them in that moment.

I'm here. I'm here for you. People can be as stupid as they like, but they can't take this away from us. I'll always be right here.

The kiss turned into a cuddle without much effort on their part. Almost before Kallus was aware of it, they were curled up together on their little bed, Zeb cradling him easily against the broad plane of his chest. Alex curled up tightly against him, languishing in the feel of his lover's arms around him, warm and strong, safe and caring. So much he had never expected to have in his life – never expected to be worthy of – all vested within one amazing person.

They would have to return to their tasks eventually. There was always more work to be done. But for now, just for now, they would accept the quiet gift of simply being with one another. When it came right down to it, that gift was all they really had in the face of a vicious galaxy.

But it was also all they needed.

#Kalluzeb #star wars rebels #fan fiction #Have some cuddles #And some Rogue One #Because in this household we do not kill Rogue One

[triforceangel13]

Blood and Tears Ch. 9 (An AkuRoku Vampire Au)

Chapter 9: Caught

“What do you mean you're moving out? Isn't it not safe for you out there?” Demyx asked the redhead with a frown. Axel popped another chip into his mouth as he sat at the table across from Demyx, letting out a heavy sigh.

“I think it's time Demyx. The Superior gave me another job to do and he said it was about time that I come out and get back out there,” Axel explained to him. He wasn't stretching the full truth. It was what the Superior was expecting.

“But what about those guys that had attacked you and had taken...”

He let the word die away. Axel knew exactly what he meant and he had to force himself to flinch and look away.

“Roxas wouldn't want me hiding forever,” he said, taking a deep breath. It was almost funny. He was talking about like Roxas wasn't around when in reality the blonde had been moving some of their stuff from their old place and getting a snack to keep himself occupied.

It was Axel's job to let Demyx down as gently as the could. The guy was a good person to room with and he had protected him up until then, but it was becoming apparent that Axel couldn't hide Roxas forever from Demyx. There was two different ways this could go. He could tell Demyx about Roxas and risk exposing him to the rest of the world as well as every other vampire in existence and thus prompt killing himself.

Or, he could slip out quietly without Roxas being exposed and let Roxas live a life where he was able to at least walk around his own home with no fear.

It was an obvious choice thus why he was sitting down with Demyx to tell him what was going on. As expected Demyx was upset but he really had no other safe choice to take.

“It's not like I'm disappearing or anything. You know that. And besides our monthly meet up is going to happen soon,” he reminded him. Every month all of the members would meet up to discuss updates and missions. Axel had been excused from the past one but with now the “permission” to come out of hiding Axel was expected to be there again.

“I know man but I was getting used to having you around,” Demyx sighed. “But I guess I see your point.  We can still hang out as we used to and well...maybe it'd be a good thing that I don't hear you screwing your new boyfriend or anything.”

Axel couldn't help but smirk at that. For some reason, though probably the factor of vampirism, their love making was enhanced so much. It wasn't the first time that Demyx had complained about the noise level they had shared.

He had even tried to retaliate once but it didn't even come close.

“What can I say man? I rock that bed,” he laughed, earning a few chips thrown at his head. He chuckled a little but then let out a small happy sigh. “In all seriousness man, I do want to say thank you for letting me stay for so long. It really did help me out a lot and got me back on my feet.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Demyz said, reaching over and patting his back. “Any time man. And maybe one day you won't be so embarrassed about that new boyfriend of yours and actually introduce me?”

“Maybe one day Dem, but not now,” he said with a small shrug. “After what happened with Roxas I don't want to risk it getting out who I've been seeing. Don't want to get them wrapped up in all of this mess either.”

“Good point.”

“Not like you have anything to worry about. You're dating with in the ring,” Axel pointed out. Demyx blushed a little but grinned.

“How'd you know?”

“It's not hard for me to recognize Zexion's voice,” Axel said. “Or should I say the Cloaked Schemer.”

The blush just grew on Demyx's face. “How?” “Come on Dem, you were screaming his actual name.”

“Yeah...good point.”

“I'm gonna miss you man. But we should make time to hang out again after this.”

“Yeah, you're right.”

*

Roxas slept soundly next to Axel in their bed. It was only going to be a few more days there and then they would be staying with Riku until further things could be figured out. The redhead gazed down at the blonde with a warm smile.

He looked so peaceful. It was still daylight now, the sun even peeking through the blinds which Axel had tried his best to hide. The blonde still didn't have the necessary protection to be out in the sun yet so Axel made sure to take any precautions necessary.

The conversation that he had with Demyx the night before was still on his mind. He felt bad for leaving his friend behind but he had been right in his words. He would just have to get used to it. He would also need to make up for everything he had done for him.

That's when an idea sparked in his brain. Quickly looking down next to the blonde Axel leaned over and brushed a soft kiss against his forehead. “I'll be back as soon as I can,” he whispered despite the blonde couldn't hear him.

Quietly the redhead left the room to go to the store nearby. Maybe buying some of his favorite foods would show how much he appreciated what he had done for him over the time that he had stayed in his apartment.

During the time that Axel was gone Roxas buried himself further into the blankets making him look like just a lump on the bed.

The house was silent around him until the bedroom door banged open.

“Rise and shine Axe,” came Demyx's voice though only a groan was the response from Roxas on the bed.

The sandy blonde made his way to the window, pulling open the curtains wide to let the sunlight come in. “Come on man, the Superior has asked to see us. He says its serious.”

Another groan passed from Roxas. Demyx sighed heavily, grabbing hold of the blanket and yanking it off the body in the bed in one swift move.

His eyes widened at the sight before him. Roxas...Roxas was in the bed. But he was supposed to be dead. He had seen him in the hospital on his death bed!

The light quickly enveloped the blonde causing him to scream in pain, body quickly moving up from the bed and laying on the floor.

“Roxas!” came Axel's voice. The redhead quickly shoved Demyx out of the way, grabbing the blanket from the floor and quickly going to Roxas, wrapping him up in it.

Roxas trembled in his arms under the blankets.

“I've got you,” Axel whispered softly to him.

“Axel, how-”

“Get out,” Axel snapped at him, eyes glaring daggers at him. He had hurt Roxas. Sure he had no idea but right now Axel was too angry.

“That's Roxas-”

“I said get out!”

Demyx didn't have to be told twice and he bolted from the room, the door closing behind him. Axel let out a sigh, leaning in closer to Roxas.

“Let me close the curtains,” he said, slowly pulling his arms from around him and running to the window. The shades were drawn once again and the curtains put back into place. As soon as he did Roxas carefully poked his head out from the blanket.

“Oh....Rox,” Axel said as he came closer, slowly pulling the blanket from him. Burns covered his skin, the areas that weren't burnt flesh just resembled a bright red looking area like a nasty sunburn. “Are you alright?”

Roxas shook his head. “It hurts...It hurts a lot. If I hadn't' moved I would have been done for.” Axel pulled him into his chest, kissing his hair. He had almost lost Roxas. Again. Why was it that he was always almost losing him?

He was not going to lose him again. He had made that vow that he would never lose him ever again as long as he lived.

“I want to help,” Axel said to him, looking down at him. “What can I do to help? Do you want me to get some ointment and bandages?”

But the answer was clear. He had to feed in order to heal.

“Drink,” Axel demanded as he pressed Roxas closer to his drink. To his surprise Roxas shook his head. But Axel was more insistent.

“Come on Roxas.”

“I shouldn't,” he whispered, his voice laced with so much pain. He was not about to let him suffer because he took what he needed.

“I think you should. You need to heal and I am the closet thing right now,” he said to him. The blonde hesitated but then lightly kissed his neck. Axel pet his hair, letting out a small grunt when he felt Roxas gently bite into his neck, drinking slowly from the redhead.

“There you go,” Axel said softly. “Now you'll feel better.”

Drinking what he needed Roxas pulled back, looking to Axel a little scared. He was very pale, a little sweat covering his forehead.

Without a second though Roxas bit into his own wrist and pushed it up to Axel's lips. Axel took hold and started to suck on the wound gently.

*

Demyx ran till he couldn't any longer, his throat burning it seemed as he barged into the hideout of the organization. Lexeaus stared at him from his position next to the Superior at the large table. His right hand man sat next to him, his yellow eyes glaring at him form being interrupted which were quickly hidden as he turned his head, blue hair hiding his face.

“Ah, Melodious. I was wondering I would be seeing you,” the Superior said, attempting to look behind him. “Where is Flurry?”

“He's...not...with me,” Demyx gasped for breath as he came closer collapsing into the chair in front of his desk and ran his hands down his face.

“Well that is not like him. Did something happen?”

“Yes...no...it's complicated.”

The Surperior rose a brow at that and set the paper down that he had been holding. “Calmly explain to me Melodious,” he said, resting a hand on the man next to him as he rose in annoyance from his seat, looking as if he was ready to pound Demyx right into the floor just for even speaking right now. “Please sit Luna. Don't need to go spilling blood yet. I want to hear what information he has to say right now.”

Slowly the blue haired male took his seat again but still held daggers for Demyx who swallowed thickly.

“Go ahead,” the Superior said.

“I went to get Flurry to come see you like you had asked and I had accidentally ran into...his boyfriend,” Demyx explained.

“His boyfriend? But his boyfriend had passed away a while ago.”

“That's the thing. He was living and breathing. But when I saw him I had drawn the curtains and the sun beat on him and...”

“Burnt him,” Luna finished.

“How did you-” “Well looks like it's about time you found out Demyx,” the Superior said with a frown. “We live among the dark creatures of the night. This boyfriend of his is a vampire.”

“And Flurry has kept this from us,” Luna said nonchalantly. The Superior was silent a moment and then slowly nodded his head.

“He has.”

“He had said he was going to be moving in with the doctor that had worked on his boyfriend. Someone named Riku,” Demyx finished.

A wicked grin spread across the Superior's face then. “I think it's about time that we made a visit to Flurry and this boyfriend of his.”

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#kingdom hearts #akuroku #blood and tears

[eerythingisshaka]

#Fictober Day 28

“I felt it.  You know what I mean.”

(Undead!Erik x Black!Reader)

Word Count: 9k

Warnings: Violence, smut

“FUCK EVERYTHING!!”  You say as you toss your phone aside.  

It had been five weeks since your situationship called things off, and you were desperately looking for reprieve in the app life.  However, Tinder, Plenty of Fish, Bumble, Black People Meet, and digging through your old schoolmates on Messenger was coming up dry, dull, and completely disgusting to you.  If people weren’t being plain boring or curving you, they were breadcrumbing, catfishing, and tryna have they cake and eat it too.  You didn’t have time for none of that!  Why was it so hard to find a quality guy that could also bust you open on a regular basis?  You were good looking thick melanin goddess, with a good job, own place, all you  wanted was companionship.  

You pull out a bottle of Hennessy and get to sipping to try and feel at least a little bit good and lit.  As your body warmed up and your mind got hazy, you start to look through the internets typing random stuff into Google about how to find a good man.  The lists telling you to ‘Be yourself’, ‘Don’t be afraid to make a move’, and ‘show him respect’ made you want to throw your shit out of the window.  You went out, you were yourself, and sharing your time was the most respectful thing you could do for someone.  But the pickings were dustier than the skeletons in their closet.  

Sitting back with your drink, you turn to your TV and see Queen of the Damned being played.  Aaliyah looks amazing as the sinister title character, complete with embellished crown and bustier, gyrating and hissing at her seduced followers.  You wish it was that easy, but of course, you weren’t Aaliyah, or a Queen of the Darkness.  

A thought sparks your mind gears as you consider a new inquiry in your search bar.  Scrolling through you find all kinds of creepy looking websites boasting incantations, spells, voodoo, and witchcraft that can bring your most desired mate to fawn after you eternally.  Some required too much:  hoof of a deer, venom from a snake, head of a chicken.  No way in hell would you consider massacring and animal for something you were only curious about.  

One website got intrigued as it seemed a bit more reasonable in its requests, and it was headed by a Black woman from New Orleans who looked like your great aunt.  ‘A spell for renewed bliss’ was the title.  All you had to do was get a dead rose, a mirror, a bottle of liquor, a piece of clothing that is important to you, a match, and a Bible.

You grabbed the decayed bouquet that was gifted to you on your last date with what’s his name.  And you hadn’t finished your Henny yet, so that would do.  You grabbed a mirror, a match (and some weed cuz fuck it), a pair of panties that always got you some good good, and the Holy Book.  And you knew exactly where you wanted to go to try this out.

You take 30 min drive out along a secluded, barely lit road that led to the outskirts of town.  You didn't make a habit of visiting cemeteries in  the middle of the night, but you were feeling Henny bold.  You were bored on a saturday with a broken pussy and no one to fuck with, so why not try the other world niggas.  You pull up through the gates slowly and drive along the rocky driveway until your headlights illuminate the section number you were looking for.  

Getting out of your car, you pull your jacket around you tighter as your phone lit you path while you carried your bag of ingredients.  It was the marker closest to the wall, a small stone, cheaply made as he didn't have any family.  The marker reads “Erik Stevens".  You had heard of him from the news. He caused a raucous in Wakanda and practically took over the world until he was killed.  His body was sent back to America but no one could claim him, so the Wakandans gave him a basic burial.

You kneel on the grass in front, opening the bottle of Hennessy to take a swig.  You look around you as an owl hoots in the background, sending chills down your spine, but you weren't turning back now.  You wanted some entertainment, and the spirit world better not disappoint

The mirror was propped up to face you, and the rose was to be burned and scattered in the bottle of alcohol you brought.  You pour some of the concoction on the crotch of the underwear you brought and lay it across a corner of the gravestone.  Sitting back, you spark up your joint and crack the Bible open.  

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.  Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried.  Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate." You read, ominously.  

“Shit, thats dark.” You whisper as you take a drag and savor the high you were feeling.  Looking at the stars in the sky, you were so taken by their beauty you almost forgotten about the task at hand.  Completely entranced by the twinkling nature, you don't notice the disturbance in the grass between your feet.  You swipe at the tickle near your ankle, judging it to be a bug until it felt bigger and more solid and grabbed you back.

You shake your foot casually until you look down and see a dirty hand.

“Ohhh SHIT!!  What the fuck-- Get off!”  You scream as you yank your ankle from its grasp and crab walk backwards from the grave.

You watch in horror as the arm extends out in the air, studded with scarification marks.  The hand is grasping for leverage creepily until it gets the grass.  You can see the stress in its knuckles as it prepares to pull.

You toss your blunt, shaking your head and pinching yourself.  “This can’t be happening!  This gotta be one of those ‘I had too much chocolate before bed’ dreams.”

Soon as your theorized that, the other hand busted out of the ground, clawing at the grass as the earth between the two started to become disturbed.  

“Oh, fuck this!”  You yell as you jet to your car.  Getting in you push to start the engine, putting it in drive.  You had no idea how to get out of the cemetery besides the way you came in, so you forced the car in reverse.  Backing into the grass, you desperately turn the steering wheel with all your might to right yourself in the appropriate direction before putting it in drive.  Once you did, you looked up through your windshield and what you saw made your body run cold.

Standing before you was the man you thirsted after in your dreams, day and night.  The man who was once dead, and looks like everything but now.  

Besides being covered in dirt remnants, Erik Stevens looked as good as the day he died.  Scars along his entire body, muscles permeating from under his melanin; with the addition of the stab wound T’Challa gave him that caused his death...and he was naked.  

He had his head down, locs shielding his face, breathing heavily until his head started to rise to look at you.  He stood there expressionless and you weren’t sure what to do.  Run him over?  Call the police?  Call a Priest?  Leave an unsatisfactory Yelp review for the auntie’s website that made you do this in the first place?

You were as frozen as he was, forgetting to breathe as you stared at him.  No way he could actually see you in the car with the headlights on but his gaze matched yours perfectly.

Suddenly his nostrils flared, eyes bucking, fist clenched, his expression menacing.  “AAAGGHHH!!”  He roars at you, before booking it out of the cemetery.  

“Where the fuck is he going?”  You watch as he books it to God knows where.  You hit the gas and go after him.  He is running along the gravel road, skin to the wind like a madman.  He’s fast, but you catch up to him.  

“Erik!  ERIK!!  The hell you goin?!”  You yell out the rolled down passenger side window.   He looks at you and lands a kick against your car that sends it swerving into the other lane as a car come toward you.  Your jaw clenches as you turn the car in the correct lane and hit the brakes. The oncoming car passes you, honking and flipping you off as it goes by you but you’re way too rattled to care. You look in your rearview to see if there are any cars coming before you back up to look where Erik turned into.  Stopping the car, you get out, yelling his name once more, but he was long gone in the woods.  You hold your head in dread as you think about how you just resurrected a problematic man and set him loose , naked and angry into the city.  Walking back to your car, you noticed the sizable dent in the side of your car caused by his foot.  

“Oh, I’m finding this damn nigga.”  You say to yourself fuming as you try to open it, to no avail.  

You are almost home before you notice that the gas on your tank was pointed to the E.   You had less than ten miles to the tank before it became empty.  Luckily your house was not that far from the gas station in your neighborhood so you made your way there.  Paying for your gas in store, you pick yourself up some chips, a tea, and personal pepperoni pizza from the kitchen, hot and ready.  

Walking outside, you put your goods on your seat and get the nozzle to pump.  

“The hell you doin out here lookin like that?!”

You hear some commotion on the far side of the parking lot.  A couple of OGs were looking in an area behind the gas station.  

“Boy, is you stupid or sum’n?  The hell your clothes out, nigga?!  Getcha ass beat round here for that kinda shiet!”

You stop pumping and walk a little closer to get a better view.  All you saw was back and ass sitting on a rock.  You run back to your car to get the extra blanket in your car and the pizza.  

“Aye y’all!  Move on, now.  Ain’t nuthin to see!”  You yell at the graying and drunken street guys watching.

Erik turns at the sound of your voice, and you talk to him gently.  “Hey, Erik.  It’s aight.  You hungry?  I know your ass hungry, come on.”

He slowly gets up, walking to you as you try to keep your eyes on his civil areas.  His expression was hard as he looked you a moment before snatching the pizza from your hand.

“Uh!  Chill the fuck out, Erik.  I don’t give a fuck what grave you crawled out of, you better be respectful!”  You throw the blanket around him as he practically shoves the whole pizza in his mouth at once.

“Aye, girlie!  He botherin you or som’n?”  The OGs come up beside you.  

One of them goes to point a finger in his face, that instantly gets bent backwards, sending him on the ground, writhing in pain.  Erik grabs the other up by the throat as he begs for air.

“Erik!  Put them down!  Stop right now!”  You push him and grab at his arm to put the man down.  Erik flings you away from him, making you roll across the asphalt.  You get up slow as Erik begins to cause a scene, someone is calling the police.  

“Erik!  You still hungry?”  you ask desperate to get his attention from the man as he turns blue.

Erik looks at you dropping him, and walking your way.  He picks you up, shaking you for food.

Your head knocks as he rattles you, but you gain your bearings enough to smack him across his face pretty good.  He drops you on the ground, holding his cheek, fire in his eyes.

You get up quickly, backing towards the car.  “You don’t get no damn food if you attack, Erik!  You hear me!  You’ll starve and go right back to wherever the hell you came from if you come for me!”  You say with as much authority as you could muster.  Erik stops his stampede towards you, huffing with rage.  

You start to hear sirens in the distance.  “You gotta come with me though.  Get in the damn car Erik.  Now!”  

You start the engine up and put it in drive waiting for him to make his move.  He stares at you with the same blankness as he had in the cemetery.  The OGs were still rolling on the ground around him and you prayed they would not put a hunt out for Erik.  Finally, after what felt like forever, he comes to your car.  You forgot the passenger door wasn’t working because of him, but before you could get out and tell him to go in the back, he rips it open and gets in.  You look at him as he stares you down.  It wasn’t until you got in the enclosure of your car before you smelled him.  

“Damn!  You really were a corpse!  You gettin a bath first man.”  You groan in disgust as you start the car and make it out to the street.  

Erik’s nostrils glare, clenching his fists.  “And I don’t give a damn FUCK about a tantrum, nigga.  I could leave you out here to be a hashtag out here in the parking lot.  You know the cops wouldn’t mind.  Have some sense, I’m tryna help you.  But attack me and you as good as dead!”  

Erik was thinking, you could tell.  He might not have had oxygen in his brain for a while, but he still knew what he was doing.  He sits back, taking your instruction.

Once you all get to the house, you get him inside and head for the bathroom.  “Don’t sit on anything, touch anything, do anything!  I was serious, you are bathing first!”

You run the shower and hand Erik a towel.  “I hope you remember how to bathe.  I ask for a man and so far, I have became a mother to you.  What if the cops got you?”

Erik goes in the kitchen stepping right into the shower, letting the water run over his body, the water pooled around his feet is a muddy brown.

“Take the washcloth, and clean off ALL that dirt.  You cannot sit on my furniture with a dirty body.”

Erik stands in one spot, not saying a word, and not moving a muscle.

You roll your eyes, and decide you have to feed him the steps.  “Here. Soap?” You squeeze some soap out on the washcloth.  “Water?”  You put the washcloth in his hand and run water over it.  Then you place his hand on his chest to make a lather.

“Waaaassshh.” You say, nodding your head as he watches the suds appear and dirt disintegrate.  

Erik looks annoyed at you, but that’s been his default since you picked him up.   You leave him to figure himself out as you sit down and open your laptop.  The stress of your situation was hitting you with a ferocity beyond your control.  What if someone got your license plate number?  And he wouldn’t be a hard suspect to find out in the open.  Six foot, Black man with scars all over his body?  And you would go down for aiding and abetting!

You try and look over the website that gave your the resurrection ingredients and hope there is a reverse to it.  You decide to email the Madame, praying she replies soon.

Erik comes out with the towel resting around his neck, body dripping wet and soapy in some parts.

You get up in a huff.  “Gatdammit!  Get back in there!  I don’t believe you washed up for real, but you certainly did not rinse.  You need to cover yourself.”  You snatch the towel from around Erik’s neck, tying it around his waist.  Erik flinches, rubbing the heat on the back of his neck.  

“Rinse off!  I’ll get ya some clothes!”  

As Erik pads away, you look through what you call the “Box of Bullshit” to find Erik something that he could wear.  The dude from your situationship left a lotta stuff in your closet and drawers, yet he didn’t have a single understanding of commitment, but that was neither here nor there.  You find a simple white tee and some sweatpants and socks.  Going back to the bathroom, you crack the door open and toss the clothes in.  “I hope you know how to dress yourself.”  YOu yell through the door.

As you do some more research, Erik comes out clothed, despite the shirt being inside out and backwards.  You also remind yourself to get him some underwear at the drugstore; if him being an undead being wasn’t bad enough to be a target, that dickprint would call him out quick.

Erik stands there staring at you, letting out a grunt.

You look up at him.  “What?”

Erik sits down next to you, takes one of your typing hands and rubs it on his stomach.  

Snatching it back you yell at him.  “Aiiiight, dang!  Nigga, Imma need you to learn words again, quick!  This sign language sit is not what I’m built for.  I’ll order some food, but you finna need to earn your keep soon if you layin up here.”  You pull up the website for Little Cesar’s to order some $5 Hot-N-Readys.  

Erik looks at your screen and groans pitifully.  “Uh...I know you are not being picky?  Nigga, this is MY money.  If I’m paying, you’re getting something quick and cheap.  Your first word you speak to me better be ‘thank you’.”

When the order is placed you get up to get your jacket.  “Now look.  I have to go get the shit, but the block is too hot for you, so if you can stay here, not touch no shit, that would be helpful.  Yes?”

Erik gives you his usual annoyed look.  “Great!  The food oughta be good motivation to be good.”

----

Stepping out of the Little Ceasar’s with two Hot-N-Readys, you get your keys out to open your car, dropping them in the process.  

“Lemme get that for you, baby.”  A guy comes up to get your keys from you.

You’re hesitant but play it cool.  “Oh, thank you.”  You hold your hand out for the keys but the guy keeps a hold of them in his hand.  

“What’s your name?”  He asks, smiling with a black tooth.  

You had no time at all for this Uncle trying to talk to you.  You place the pizzas on the hood of your car.  “I don’t give that to strangers sir.  Give me my keys.”

He kisses his gnarled teeth.  “Aww, come on.  I don’t bite or nothin…”  He steps in front of you reaching for your waist.  You step back towards to the door of Little Cesar’s.  

“Give me my damn keys!”  You say with more bass.

He gives you a sour look and tosses them on the ground.  As you pick them up and open your door, soon as you get the pizzas in, he gets by the back of your hair.  

“You think you the shit, bitch?  Fuckin whore and worth the spit out my mouth.”

You struggle against his grip until you twist your body to jab him in his genitals.

“FUCK!”  He exclaims, teetering backwards in pain.  

You jump in your car and peel out the parking lot as soon as possible.  How was this night starting off as some toxic selfcare and fun to this?  You promise to never drink and research voodoo ever again.  

You notice some bright headlights in your rearview mirror and adjust to try and see the driver, but no luck.  You were on a straightway, so you couldn’t turn off and you were almost home.

Pulling up to your spot, the car pulls up behind you as well.  Soon as you get out with the pizzas, that same uncle came out his car limping.  

“I told your fuckin ass!  You ain’t nuthin.  You oughta be glad I’m talkin to your raggedy ass!”  You trot up to your door, messing with the keys until the door opens.  Erik is standing there ready to eat.

“Fuckin bitch!”  the uncle yells.

This catches Erik’s attention as he begins to walk past.  

“No, Erik! It's food! Take the food!” you remind him in vain.

The uncle sees Erik coming towards him and stops in his tracks. “Oh shit. Uh, I don't mean nothin by it sir, just a misunderstanding.”

Erik keeps coming.  

“Erik, don't fucking hurt him. I swear on everything!” you scold him.

But Erik walks past him, causing some relief to wash over the uncle.  But the sound of bent metal, made him jump.

Erik has a grip on the passenger side door, before ripping it off its hinges and smashing it like a ball of paper, glass shattering all over.  He tosses the remnants in the car, and punches the windshield in, busting it for good measure.  

“Oh, brotha, come on! I didn't even do nothin!”

Erik points in the distance, signaling for him to get the hell outta dodge. Which uncle obliges quickly.  

Once he is gone. Erik comes back over to you l, looking intently all over your face and body.  You hand him the pizzas.  “He didn't do nuthin.  I hurt him more than he could.” you say walking inside.

Erik lets out a sound that almost sounded like a laugh, so you assume he approved.  You plop on the couch, exhausted.  

“You need a drink, there's water.  I ain't got nuthin else.”

Erik sits on the couch, fisting slices of pizza into his mouth.

“Chew! It aint gonna run away!” you roll your eyes.  “You so extra.”

As Erik chews, you reach for his locs, studying them, dirty and overgrown.  

“Remind me to retwist your shit.  Lookin like a wilderness man aint cute.”  

You get up to go get him a paper towel from the cabinet, and the door hangs off the hinge.

“Shit!  I thought I fixed that!”  You prop the door closed and give Erik one.

The rest of the evening, you spent searching for answers to you right your creation against the laws of nature, coming up short.  The FBI would have a field day with your search history.  Erik just sat still on the couch, watching the TV.  You didn’t want to go back to your room so you could keep an eye on him, but you certainly couldn’t stay awake all night.

The next morning you get up, stretching out the crook in your neck.  Erik was nowhere around you.  You get up, becoming frantic as you get up to look outside your door, hoping he hadn’t gone far.  Turns out he was just on the steps, looking up at the sky.  You go outside to join him, looking down at the sidewalk.

“Erik, did you sleep?”  He shakes his head no.  “Can you?  Sleep?”  He shakes his head no.  You study his profile, he looks a little sad.  “Are you hungry?”  He shakes his head no.  “Well, I got a spare toothbrush for you.  Use it, and I’ll do your hair, aight?”

He nods, getting up to do as he was told.  You take a moment to look at the sun, wondering what the hell you were going to do.

You join Erik in the bathroom as he is rinsing his mouth.  He looks a little more alive today, less like he is an alien that is new to Earth.

“Get on your knees, I’m going to wash your hair out in the tub.”  You get the shampoo and conditioner ready as you start the water.  Erik gets down leaning his head over, looking back at you curiously.  

“Don’t worry, I won’t drown you.”  You say as you guide his head under the lukewarm water.  You watch dirt remnants go down the drain as you massage his scalp gently.  You feel his back relax under your arm as he enjoys the attention.

“Mmmm.”  Erik groans.

“That’s nice huh?  Don’t get used to it, you say, jabbing him in his side playfully.  Erik flips his head back, splashing lather and water all over you.

You jump, only able to stare at him in awe.  “You have to be kidding me.  ERIK!”  You splash him with water back.  “Now I’m drowning your ass, put your head back down!”

Erik wouldn’t comply.  Instead he picks you up and holds your entire body in the stream of the water, before letting you go to run away.  

“Erik!  Gatdammit!”  You turn off the water, stepping out of the shower damp.  You were down for playing but he was too rough!  You change your clothes and go sit on the couch to watch some shows.  Erik went outside and came peeking through the front door.

“You either in or you out, boy.  Don’t matter to me none!”

Erik comes inside.  “And don’t sit on my couch with a wet head, go rinse your own damn hair!”

Erik kisses his teeth.  “Ohhh, and you gettin smart!  Walk your ass on somewhere then, I don’t really care!  You got one more time, try me!  Nobody playin!”  

Erik gives you that annoyed glare but skulks to the bathroom, running water.  

When he comes out, he’s got a towel on his head and products on his hands.  Your feet are propped on the table, which he moves from under you without regard.

“Erik, what’re you doing?”  He sits in front of your legs, backing up into you.  “Uh, uh.  You don’t want me to do shit for you, cuz you wanna play.  I ain’t playin right now!”

Erik leans his head back looking up at you, eyes all wide, jaw tight.

You roll your eyes, smacking the side of his face gently.  “Aight then, get up.”  You part your legs for Erik to squeeze between.  He was so wide, it was a bit of a problem.  But you start to get to work.

Drying his hair a little more, you get to talking to him.  “My name is (Y/N), by the way.  I know you can’t talk yet, or ever, but...that’s my name.”

Erik nods slightly, giving a grunt of approval.  

While you twist him up, you figure you can ask him a few yes or no questions.  “Erik, do you think you are alive?”

Erik  reaches his hand out for you, taking your hand and placing it against his chest.  You couldn’t feel a heartbeat, and checking the area near his jugular confirms that.

“Wow, do you feel dead?”

Erik shrugs.

“Do you remember dying?”

Erik is still for a moment before he nods slightly. “Yeah, I remember hearing about it.  I wasn’t completely mad about you, just mad for you.  It wasn’t fair the hand you were dealt, but you got a little outta hand.  Like, not too long ago even.”  You say referring to the OGs he choked up in the parking lot and the car he destroyed.

You couldn’t see his face but you felt an eye roll from him.  “Come on, Erik.  You said your were gonna kill any and everybody who stood in the way of your plans.  You can’t make those kinds of declarations and come out smelling like roses.  Shit’s dirty man.”

Erik holds his hand up, moving his hand like it's talking.  “Uh, you want me to shut up?  Please, you not listening is what did you in.  You shoulda been talkin to people instead of being led by a blind fury.  Mayne you not talkin now is a poetic justice.”

You finish up his hair and leave him to admire your work in the mirror.  Just then your phone gets a text.  It’s the guy from your situationship.  

You freeze, not sure what the hell to do.  You go to the box of his crap in the corner and go to get it.  “Uhh, Erik.  Imma need you to stay here again, ok!  I’m going out again.”

Erik steps from the mirror, looking at you with a hand on his stomach.  “Oh, uh, I-I’ll pick up something.  Then we gotta talk-- or, whatever.  Cuz we gotta figure out what to do with you.  You look more presentable so maybe we can figure out how to get you somewhere to be or work or somethin.”  You rush out the door as your mind was focused on other things, leaving Erik to his own devices.  

You pull up to his spot, sitting for a second to collect yourself before getting out.  Box in hand, you go to knock.  

He opens the door, still looking like how you left him.  A handsome pain in your ass.

“I figure you wanted this stuff back too, since we talkin now.”  You say, shoving the box in his arms.

He looks you up and down, scoffing.  “Oh, miss thing got a backbone?  Or somethin stuck up your ass, one.”

“Ty, I ain’t tryna hear it from you, ok?  You breadcrumb the shit outta me and then dip.  Now you got somethin to tell me, so what the fuck is it?”

He puts the box down before leaning on the doorframe.  “I wanted to see you, just one more time.”

“So you officially through with me?  That’s funny cuz I been done with you!  No problems to my name!”  You say, boldface lying.

“Nah, I figure you wouldn’t even want to deal with me no more.  I treated you shitty, I get that but I couldn’t handle a good woman.  I just didn’t know your were until I didn’t have you.”

You fold your arms, your anger beginning to falter.  “Yeah, cuz you...you ain’t shit, Ty.”

“That’s what happens when you take ‘the’ out of it.  You were my meaning, without you, I’m shit.  You my ‘the’.”

You hated him.  You couldn’t stand that pretty face talking with that pretty mouth giving you that sexy stare.  Before you knew it, you were on top of him, making out on his couch.  You felt sick, but he wanted you, he said so.  This didn’t have to be the end, you all can start anew since it is sure that both of you want a real thing.

His phone rings as you reach for his belt buckle.  “(Y/N), lemme take this real quick.”

You whine, “Come on.  I’m ready for you now!”

Ty lifts you off of him before running for his phone.

“Hello?  Yeah, no it’s fine.  Oh for real?  Ok, let me know what the cost is.”  He looks at you apologetically.  “Oh, wait, baby I don’t wanna talk to her right n--  Hey Mom!  Yeah, no your daughter is amazing!”  You expression falls flat as you dry up hearing the conversation continue.  “Yes she is beautiful.  I am lucky to have her for my….future wife.”

This was your cue to get up and get on.   You are out the door as he is hanging up.  “Baby, come on.  It ain’t like it sounds!”

“A WIFE, TY??  You getting married, married?  And you were just kissing me on your couch?”  You get in your car, and he leans talking through your window.  “Aww, now don’t be like that.  You’re my meaning, remember!  My the!”

You stare at him through your window, seething.  “Get THE fuck off my car.”  You peel off, hoping you got his feet.

You pull up to your place, feeling worse for wear, seeing Erik sitting on the stairs reminded you that he needed to eat.  

YOu curse under your breath as you walk past him inside.  I’m making you something.  I don’t feel like going out again.”  YOu go in the kitchen, banging pots around, opening a soup can.  YOu try opening it with the can opener but it's no good.  The can is only halfway open before you give up and try shaking the contents out in a pot but half of it splatter on the counter.  

“AGGGHH!!  I’m tired of niggas!  If I’m not taking care of them, they are fucking me over, there is no inbetween.”

Erik comes up to you placing a hand on your shoulder.  “No, Erik!  This ain’t the time!  I’m trying to be nice, but I can’t see the point!   What am I supposed to do with you?  Huh?  YOu weren’t supposed to be here, I was playing around!  I was bored and heartbroke!  What do I need with a damn zombie!”  You take a pot and send it clattering in the sink as you lean on the sink.  “I can’t deal with anymore of this, I just want to be left alone.  I’m tired.”  

You hear the front door open and close shut.  You look back and Erik is gone.  He thinks this is better, but now you’ll have to wonder where he is until he returns.  You look at the mess on the floor, and reach for your paper towels.  You open the door too quickly and expect to have to catch it but it sits perfectly on its hinge.  You survey that there are crew placed correctly in the door, fixing the mess that it was.  You’re confused only for a moment before you realize it was Erik’s doing.

Great, you thought.  Now I really gotta find him.

In your car, you drive around just trying to be vigilant and look around to see where he would be.  He wasn’t walking the neighborhood, he wasn’t at the gas station.  A thought crossed your mind that you didn’t like, but you figured it was crazy enough to work.

You get to the cemetery, luckily it's daylight this time and see him sitting down.  You pull up and get out of the car with a bag of food.  You take a seat next to him, pulling a burger out of the bag, but he doesn’t take it.  You unwrap it and take a bite.  Y’all stare at his headstone and the whole he crawled out of a moment.

“Erik, I didn’t mean….”

Erik doesn’t look at you or interject.  Not like he could.

“...I didn’t mean all of what I said.  Now, if the truth is what you want though, I didn’t ask for you to come into my life.”

Erik looks at you with a stank look.  “Come on, I was just playing around!  I didn’t know this shit was real!  But, dang, this is hard.  I don’t want to leave you on the street, I wouldn’t do that.  You had a soft spot in my heart before because I got your story, you just went about it the wrong way.”

You grab his arm to pull his attention away from the grave.  “I don’t want you back there, I really don’t.  I could put a couple different people in there before I think about sending you back.  I couldn’t if I wanted to, and I’m not.  Erik, I don’t know what’s happening in your head, but I’m sorry for what I said that may have brought you here.  You are getting a second chance, this could be something special.”

Erik looks at you, taking you by the shoulder to look at you intently.  “I’m fine.  Just nigga troubles.  The guy whose clothes you’re wearing called me and I thought we were being a thing again, but nah.  He gettin married.  God bless the union.”

Erik nods, biting his lip and looking away.  “You wanna get outta here though?  Now I got somethin for us, we should be good til tomorrow, then I can get some food in my fridge.”

You and Erik enjoy the evening watching shows and winding down from the day.

“Ohm and thank you for fixing my cabinet door!  That was bothering me for weeks, and now I can confidently retrieve my paper towels.”

Erik smiled, probably the most genuine one he has given you, dimples unyielding.  “Maybe you can fix my car door next, with ya heavy handed ass.”  You stick your tongue out at him.  

Joining him on the couch again you start to drift to sleep, leaning on Erik’s shoulder.  It was nice to have someone to snuggle up to, even though he had no pulse, he wasn’t cold or stiff. He just was him, with no heart.  So, himself.

Your eyes flutter awake as something caresses your face.  You peer up to see Erik’s hand combing back your curls with his fingers.  “Come on, lemme sleep.”  Erik keeps caressing your face, planting a kiss on top of your head.  You look up at him suspiciously.  “Uh, ok.  With that, I think I’ll go to my room tonight.”

There was no way in hell you could go through life having fucked around with a corpse.  Could he even do shit anyway?  Day by day, he is less of a toddler acting dude and more of the man he once was, but he was still mute and not alive!

You get up to go to your room, looking back at him as you open the door to go inside.  You leave the door open a crack, in case of anything and try to forget what’s happened.  Erik was still Erik, dead or alive, but there was no way, not on God’s green Earth.

You lay in bed a moment, facing away from the door.   You close your eyes praying for sleep but you were suddenly wide awake and anxious.  You hear the door creak open.  

“Erik, I don’t know, I just want to sleep so--”  The bed creaks as his weight slides next to yours.  You turn to face him.

“You don’t sleep remember?  So there is no reason to be here.”  You say authoritatively.  Erik is looking you dead in the eye.  His hand rises to rest on your hip, more innocently than anything.  “Are you still checking that I am ok?”  Erik nods.  “You don’t have to be sorry or anything, we are good.  I’ve gotten used to having you around and I mean, it’s nice or whatever.  A nigga that can’t talk back.”

Erik smirks at your aside, rubbing your hip, firmly.  You feel yourself gettin tight between your legs so you adjust, while at the same time scooching closer to Erik, who pulls you into him.  It didn’t take long for your lips to meet his, and the answer to your previous inquiry begins to poke your thigh.

Kissing him felt so good to you, it really made you forget most of the logistics behind what was about to happen.  You roll yourself on top of him to straddle, taking off your shirt and helping him out of his.  You felt so many questions lingering on your lips that could keep you from going further, but they hushed when he kissed your breasts.  Your head leans back as he gently licks your nipples, massaging your back, turning you into puddy in his hands.  You run your hands through his freshened locs as he hums into your areola, flipping you on your back.   As he takes down his tenting sweatpants, you pull off your bottoms hoping this is worth whatever natural laws you may be breaking.

Everything about him was perfection, from his scars to his muscles to his roaring erection.  No one would believe he was in a grave just a couple days ago.  Maybe you could make this work, maybe he could stick around a while…

Erik’s eyes were dark with lust as he sized up your opening with his tip.  You bring his gaze to your face.  

“Don’t go too fast, ok?  Keep it slow…”  You say instructively.  If he needed coaching on bathing himself, you weren’t risking the destruction of your walls to his enthusiastic ignorance.

Erik nods as he keeps his gaze upon you, you feel obligated to not look away so you can keep focus on him not obliterating your pelvis.  As you feel him enter, your mouth flops open as you wince.  Erik stops from your reaction, holding his breath trying not to hurt you.

You squeeze his shoulders encouragingly.  “It’s alright, go ahead.  I’ll tell you to stop otherwise.”  You really didn’t want this to be whack or painful, this was the guy of your dreams come back to life.  A sex God of your fantasies, but it’s like you’re dealing with a virgin from outer space.

Erik pushes further into you, increasing your discomfort but once settled in, you could feel yourself becoming accustomed.  You nod, allowing Erik to begin to move inside you slowly.   The pace was good enough to make the pain go away but now you needed more.

“Faster, Erik, just a little.”  

Erik bites his lips to pick up his pacing, finally you feel waves of pleasure building.

“Mhm, deeper, please.”  You moan as you bring your hand down to stimulate your clit.  Erik brings your legs back to oblige your request, grunting as he felt you tightening around him.

“Ahh, that’s it.   Oh, that’s good, keep going Erik!”  You encourage him as you climax under his strokes.  Erik seems to get the hang of it as his grip digs into your thighs, mixing the depth of his strokes at an angle to relieve your G spot.  

“Ohh, come on, Erik.  My pussy so wet, show me it’s yours!”  You whine, grabbing the pillow behind your head as you run your hand down his studded chest and abdomen.

Erik lays on top of you, grinding his hips against you, putting all of himself into you while hitting your clit just right.  His breath on your neck couple with his primal growls made you lock him into place, calling out his name without regard until he suddenly pulled from you.  Stroking himself over you, the amount of seed that left him was so much, you thought surely he would die of dehydration.  There should not have been any liquid left in him after how hard he came, your stomach, breasts, even up to your neck was covered in his cum.  He made a whole glazed donut out of you.

“Damn, Erik!  Is it like that?”  you say,  touching it lightly, contemplating the clean up of your situation.  

Erik breathed out heavily, a little too heavy, as he lied down with a thud, eyes fluttering closed.

You spring up, alarmed.  “Erik….Erik?”  

He laid there motionless.  He already had no pulse so no use in checking that.  Did he die die?   You smack him and shake him but he doesn’t stir.  

Getting out of the shower, you peek slowly to see him still knocked out, you laid a sheet over him for decency.  You shake your fists at the ceiling, arguing with God about how your behavior warranted this outcome.  Going into the living room, you pull up the website you got the resurrection spell from to see if there was a wear off period.  If you had known that, you would’ve let him wander around after he hopped out that grave instead of taking him home.  

Zzzzzz…

You look towards your bedroom, alarmed by the noise.  Zzzz…  Was he...snoring?  yOu get up and peek inside to see.  He was definitely snoring, loud as hell, but you breathe out thanking God you hadn’t killed him again.  You go in, sitting on the bed again, laying a hand over his nose to feel him breath.  Laying a hand on his chest, you feel a familiar flutter that nearly took you out.  His pulse was racing, renewed within himself, you couldn’t fathom what was going on.  So he was now alive?  A living, breathing being?  Could he talk now?

You decide not to wake him but come morning, you would be ready to go over his state of being.  Going back to the living room you research on your laptop, coming up with nothing more until you passed out for the evening.  

When the sun wakes you the next morning, you stretch feeling work out and exhausted despite the full night’s rest.  You feel sore and become worried until you forget the abominable act of last night.  Holding your head, you moan in shame thinking of how many ways you could be considered an insane sex maniac.  You let out a heavy sigh as you walk to your bedroom to finish what your research of your newly livened friend, but the bed was bare of his presence.  You cursed under your breath as you looked out a window, checked the bathroom, before going out the front door.  

You find his at your car door, using some device to pop the dent out of it.  You stomp over to him.  “Erik!  You can’t disappear like that, I thought that was clear!  Are you alright?  You passed out after...you know.”

Erik looks up to you, standing up, putting a hand to your hip.  You swipe it away.

“That’s what started shit before, don’t think it’s happening again!  Besides that though, I touched you and felt something I didn’t think was possible.”  Erik made a face suggestively.  “No, your heartbeat!  I felt it.  You know what I mean.”

Erik puts a hand to his chest to feel for himself, nodding.  

“Yeah, it’s crazy.  I thought I killed you, but then your heart started again.  Like, you’re alive again, right now!  So I actually brought you to life twice!  Haha, nuts!”  You laugh awkwardly over sirens in the distance as Erik stands there looking at you with a raised eyebrow.  “This would be so much funnier if you could talk though.  Which reminds me, where the hell did you get that thing to take the dent out of my car?”

The sirens get closer as a cop car pulls in front of your house.  Two cops come out with guns drawn.  

“Don’t move!  Sir get on the ground with your hands up!”  

Erik’s eyes widen as he steps in front of you.  You peer over his shoulders.  “Officers, you must have something wrong.  What’s goin on?”

“This guy was seen stealing equipment from an auto body shop a few blocks from here.  He is under arrest for trespassing, breaking and entering, burglary, and if he doesn’t comply now, a lot more.”

You touch Erik’s back.  “You stole that??  Erik, you shouldn’t have left without telling me, I would’ve told you not to worry about it!”

Erik turns around to face you.

“I said hands on the ground!”  The officer says loudly.  

Erik looks in your eyes, searching your face for something to say, if only he could.  You could barely make it out but once he opened his mouth you could recognize his words.  “(Y/N)....”

A gunshot rang through the air, making you both jump as one of the officers fired, presumably in the air.  Erik bolts behind your house to the backyard, cops following suit.  

“Erik!  Stop!  You can’t do this!”  You yell running after them.  You hear them going through some of the wooded parts, opting to stay out of it, yelling his name for him to give up or come back.  He really messed up now.  They would be looking for him now that he was on the run, and finding him at your house leaves you open to surveillance.  Going back to the front door of your house you look back at your fixed car door, saddened that the dent was gone to remember him by.  

“Miss, you’d better come with me.”  One of the cops come back with his gun drawn on you.  

You raise your hands slowly, trying to remain calm.  “For what?”

He shrugs, “Harboring a fugitive, aiding and abetting.  Conspiracy to commit robbery, I can make some shit up.  But you being with him, makes you a suspect all the same.  Now get in the car.”

You blink your eyes to keep from crying out right as you walk slowly to the back fo the squad car.  He pushes your head in as you duck in and slams the door on you.  When he gets in, his partner comes through huffing and puffing.

“Can you believe that Black bastard running like that?  We’ll find him, no problem.  Sticks out like a sore thumb.”

They drive off with you, chatting about Erik and putting out his description on the radio.  “Your boyfriend is in a whole hell a lot of trouble, so when we get you to the station, just follow our instructions, let us know what he’s done, where he might be, and let us do our job.”  Your eyes well up as you shake your head.  There was nothing you could add to the situation, and even if you did you wouldn’t help them!  You look aimlessly out the window watching the trees zip by, hoping Erik has found a path far from where you are now.  

Just then the car comes to a screeching halt as you are flung forward, hitting the partition with a thud.  

“What the hell...It’s him!  Carl, call back up!” The officer exclaims as he gets out the car.  Carl calls back up as you look to see Erik in full on rage as he stares down the officer with his taser out.  The officer says something but you can’t hear and Erik doesn’t look up for talking.  The cop deploys the taser, making Erik wince and twist under the shocks.  The officer approaches him as Carl steps out the car, and suddenly Erik has him by the throat and hoisted in the air.  Carl moves quicker now as he gets his gun out.  Erik doesn’t miss a beat, tossing his partner at him, sending them toppling over the side of the road, down to a ravine.  

You watch all of this wailing for Erik to stop as you try to get out the car in vain.  You beat on the window when Erik stomps towards them again, snapping him out of his angered trance.  He goes to your side of the car, pulling the door open like a chicken bone.  You crawl out, jumping into his arms.  

“Erik, you gotta go, now!  There will be more and you can’t fight them all, they’ll kill you.”

“I’ll...die….then.”  Erik strains from his voice.  You look at him incredulously.

“No. you will not!  You did enough of that already!  You will go back to my house right now and we will go somewhere, anywhere but here to save you!”  

You get into the squad car to drive back to your place, trying to hatch a plan along the way.  When you arrive, you run out of the car towards your door, trying to ignore the sirens coming.  Erik gets you by the arm, pulling you to him.  “There’s no time Erik, we gotta go!  I just need my wallet and some clothes, and-”

“Don’t...I’ll run.”  Erik says slowly.

You shake your head.  “Where?  Where could you possibly go with no ID, money, or people you know?  You’re still dead according to your tombstone.”

The sirens get closer, sounding just a couple blocks away now.  Erik walks away from you, heading for the road.  “I’ll...find you….(Y/N).”

Your vision blurs as you get emotional again.  “Don’t worry about me, just go!  I can’t see you die again, just get out!”

Erik nods running down the road and heading for the wilderness along the road again.  When cops arrive, they question you, but you’re of little help.  You don’t know how this happened, who he was, or where he went.  That didn’t stop them from canvassing the place and watching you for the next month to track his whereabouts.  

One night, when all the searching died down, you took a turn down the road you traveled once before, heading to his tombstone for old times sake.  You hadn’t heard from Erik in a couple months, but you figured he got away with it so far since the news hadn’t shared any updates.  Looking at his spot in the ground, the earth has been filled again, grass filling in sparsely.  Kneeling in the grass, you pull out a small $2 shot of Hennessy and pour a little out for him.

“Can you believe I miss your raggedy ass right now?  I came here because the first time when I woke you cuz I missed dick, but now I just miss you and...I just hope you alright.”  You sit in the stillness of the cemetery a moment.  “I don’t know how to contact you, so I just brought myself to here for a symbolic talk is all.  Got a pizza waiting for me in the car so I shouldn’t let that get cold, huh?  Ugh, this was stupid right?”  You get up sighing over the non-closure closure of your situation.  

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Your car alarm goes crazy when you look over where it’s parked, you fumble with your keys to turn it off.  A shadow passes over the headlights making you freeze in place.  The figure reappears, stepping into the light, looking worse for wear but alive nonetheless.

“Pizza?”  He asks.

#fictober18 #erik killmonger fanfic #black panther au fanfic #shakafic #fanfic

[asplashofblarn]

Writing Prompt

: You're allowed to steal from stores at the mall. The security guards don't care. They're there to shoot the mannequins if they come to life.

u/JoshuaFnBoyer

ACT I

The slog placed on my list of burdens during the morning due to that early onset of blissful grog was nothing new to me. If anything I became thankful for it weighing my face down into the slab of chipped marble that was my counter as I attempted to preform daily hygiene using the toothbrush. See I already know I'm ugly, no need to dwell on it. Nor my teeth for that matter and stacking on top of that continuing to waste all of this time sitting next to a slumbered me would make me late for my first day at my new job. There it goes again that sloggie beast just passing by flipping me off, don't feel bad you sad husk of a beast I hate me too. I hate me so much today that I awoke this morning, right now, with the same grinning monster looking right at me. Victory is yours today slog. Well I also suppose it was yours yesterday too, but last Wednesday I never woke up, because I never went to bed. Victory.

Oh how leaving my wonderful mess of sea blue sheets and bits of popcorn poking at my bum was very oh so much saddening, but duty calls. I looked at my cat Tibblez on the floor next to my bed laying on top of my shoes that I majestically slid out of as I sprawled into my resting place last night. Last night. Last night was a long one, I got all dressed up and went to wonderful restaurant to meet my mother and siblings for a rewarding meal and conversation about my new employment. No one showed up and I had some rolls and pasta, overall the meal was a bit too salty for such a fine dining establishment; part of me rings food is food. Once arriving back at my apartment I took off my watch then stood in the shower with the water on the hottest setting it could muster and peered down at my garb, my ensemble unappreciated.

Knowing I had a new job to start today I managed to quickly get done with all of my morning activities such as: feeding Tibblez; he liked wet food in the morning and dry at night. Brushing my teeth, finding a food on the pyramid to jam down my feeding hole, shaving that section between my eyebrows and putting on clothes so I could appropriately walk outside of home. As I stepped out of my apartment door I had the pleasure of not running into anyone strolling about to gaze at me and the elevator was for bitches so I took the stairs, I hope to one day be faster than an equestrian with these climbs and descends I tend to make a habit of. Not that I've never used the elevator. One floor, then two. I have been living on the third floor in room 307. Once reaching the bottom of the floor sequence you can then leave through the lobby or choose to be adventurous and continue your momentum down into the lower sanctum of the structure. Today, like everyday that has came since I moved into this complex, I chose to exit into the wonderful world of lobbies. No hustle and bustle or snacks or well any signs of an appropriate lobby. It was a mess with a little sign that read “UNDER CONSTRUCTION”

Today was the first day at my new job that I had just gotten my big human paws on and I was prepared to begin the gnawing process. My interview was two weeks ago and I didn't have much trouble it would seem earning the spot at this nice little spot of a mall close to my complex on the east side of town. With my kind of record, experience and resuméI had been finding it rather difficult to land a nice spot so I could try to build anew. But here we were at the front end sliding doors and from there to the back of the store where I could place my stuff on and blend into the working environment, into society really.

The security room was down a not too long of hallway with a blue scratched up door and a horizontal sign that read “security” across it. This is where I was supposed to enter in order to welcome myself into the first day of my job I had supposed, I looked around myself a bit and couldn't find a better way to move forward with that task, so I opened the blue door. “There you are. Nice to see you managed to find our little spot in time for the morning shift.” There were three men looking at me when I entered into the room and the one speaking was an older gentleman with a dusty white beard and the chest of a young construction worker. “Happy to be a part of the team here sir.” My response was just as I practiced, strong and polite. With a small grunt the younger man on his left got up and walked into a small closet and pulled out of it: one black shirt, a yellow jacket, a white ball cap, and a pair of red chucks. All this shit was my size too. “Nice bro you already gave your size, smart move cause some cats don't put it on the paper and we have to ask them a question about the dressing.” We both looked at the stack of stuff placed on the table as the other two stared at their cups of joe to get that slog off their backs.

We all left as one unit in our gear, my first day in gear had me feeling some of that pride you can hear about. Before we departed out little haven of the mall that lay behind the blue door we already had a game plan. The right side man from the gray beard who had greeted me, pulled out a map of the area in which we were employed at and placed it on the table we all had gathered about. “Listen up young blood cause I ain't repeating what had already past been said you hear me? We have four men now so we can play doubles rather than being oddball we can begin to form solid groups, this hasn't been possible in the last two months okay; hopefully our guy upstairs can pull another good soldier out of the dirt and we can form platoons or something out here. Alpha team which will be our fresh slice here and you Lamont, y'all gon start at the Tops Are Hot store in the far corner of the second floor. Me and dusty neck over here are working this bottom level. Please throw a shout over the walkie talkie if anything of note should arise. Alright.” We all nodded looking at the map.

Alpha was my team name, we were Alpha team and from what I had gathered out of the map reading is this was the first time for even team balance since two months previous to today. Alright then my mans name was Lamont. Once reaching the second floor of the mall we began progressing toward our instructed goal to begin our patrol. “Okay listen up here young doe, we start from the back and comb each sector until we reach the front where we report down to B eta then comb front to back.” I chimed in, “Making sure to get each sector right.” Lamont looking over to me, “Yeah get em' right.” He wiped his nose with a cupped claw and passed me the baton slamming my head to the right I noticed some ruffians up in the cosmetics store getting all up in some eyeliner, filling their pockets till they had to remove shoes just for that space it contained within the structure which encapsulated the human foot for both style and practicality.

“Lamont, over yonder we got some ruffians filling their pockets, practically looks like they bout to move on down to their shoes with it next.” The continuous sound of our feet let me know something was amiss. “Let em, them fellas know what's good for them they'll clear out before noon comes. Moms probably took a couple from pop over on their side.” I knew in my head that they were doing something bad but I knew in my wallet that this didn't make any sort of sense. The merchandise we were losing had to be damaging to the mall correct. A few moments later as we passed out of their view I could hear screams echoing from that direction and in front of me I could see the Tops Are Hot store sign at the end of the way. It's neon glow lit me up to the point I barely recognized the machine gun on top of sandbags placed at the front entrance. “Must be about noon.” Lamont said.

[naturepointstheway]

Performance and Poignancy (Beauty and the Beast (2017))

“Has he always been so...theatrical?”

Jolted out of his current read on the bench under his favourite tree, the Beast glances up at Belle, who comes to sit down beside him.

“Come again?”

“Lumiere. You know, the candle?”

“Candelabra,” the Beast corrects her automatically. He catches Belle raising an eyebrow at him. He simply looks back at her, a little bemused by the slight exasperation in her eyes. “That is the correct expression.”

“Yes, Lumiere, the candelabra. Has he always been so, how to put it--”

“Showy?” the Beast suggests, tilting his head that way and that with each suggested synonym.. “Dramatic? Melodramatic? Theatrical? What gives you that idea?”

“Oh I don’t know,” Belle says, recalling all of Lumiere’s antics the first night at the castle. “I have no idea what gave me that impression. Except for his...dramatic pose he struck on my bed when he first showed me my bedroom in the East Wing.”

The Beast makes a strange choking sound.

“Are you alright?” Belle asks, concerned.

But when she sees his shoulders shaking from amusement, she realises that the odd sound he had been making was suppressed laughter. Composing himself quickly, he turns his head toward her, showing his fangs in a grin, but this time, Belle does not find them as frightening as before.

“Go on.”

“Then there was his whole production of providing me dinner in the evening--”

“I thought I had heard something theatrical that night.”

Belle giggles a little, remembering the moment she had realised that Lumiere was just as dramatic as the Beast, if perhaps not more so.

“I seem to recall him telling me the same day about how you get “so dramatic”.”

The Beast snorts, his lips pulling up at one corner. “The candelabra doth protest too much.”

“I think he gets much more dramatic than you.”

“You think so, do you?”

“He certainly has a talent for performance, even if he did drag off the whole tablecloth with my meal still on it as he lamented how many years he and the other servants had been--what was it he said--rusting?”

“Lumiere is a man of many talents and loyalties, but accepting how over-dramatic he can get sometimes? Not among his many gifts.” The Beast’s eyes gaze down at her, looking warm and genuine, but Belle thinks she sees some sadness mixed with memories from dusty decades ago. “And I mean that as a compliment, not as a strike against him. He really does mean well. Really, he does.”

Belle watches a little bird twittering away to a couple of its avian friends on a branch overhanging the bench.

“You have very loyal servants,” she observes, “I understand they’ve known you a long time.”

The Beast’s smile warms considerably, and fades quickly, looking away from Belle, leaning back on the bench, his eyes too going to gaze at the birds.

“Since I was a boy,” he confirms, then falls quiet for a minute or so, just sitting with Belle. For once, the snow cocooning the ground in its perpetuity seems beautiful, as though it had fallen from heaven. The ground is not dead--there are branches around with signs of life sprouting from them. It’s almost enough to make him dare to hope.

Despite the peaceful beauty he gazes upon, when he speaks again, his voice has taken on a wistful sadness.

“I confess, I fear some day I may forget what they once looked like.”

“The servants?”

The silence that follows makes Belle’s heart squeeze with compassion in her chest. Reaching over, she lays her hand gently on his paw. Several moments pass before he touches his other paw over hers.

“Do you not have any paintings of the servants when they were once human?”

“I confess I do not know.”

“Then one of them must know, mustn’t they? Surely there are paintings or sketches in the library. Perhaps a sketch book?”

“I was not much of a painter, I’m afraid. But Mrs Potts, bless her, always loved to paint or draw.”

Belle gasps in delight, “She does? How wonderful!”

“If anyone knows where any paintings are, no matter how hidden away they are, it will be her.”

“Then let’s go ask her. Come on then.”

Belle slips her hand out from between his and stands up, tightening her cloak around her shoulders, making careful little steps through the snow. The Beast can’t help but feel warmed by her genuine concern as he gets up and joins her as they stroll back inside the castle to look for Mrs Potts, wherever she may be.

Just as the Beast had said, Mrs Potts did know where all her old paintings and sketches had been stored away, hidden in a quiet, private area of the library where her favourite armchair used to be. Chip was, if possible, even more excited than his own mother at the prospect of seeing the drawings his mum once did a long time ago.

“Watercolours, pencil drawings--those were my favourite forms of drawing!” Mrs Potts tells Belle as they all make their way to the library, “Do you draw yourself, Belle?”

“Blueprints,” is the reply, “For my inventions.”

“Inventions! Good heavens, is there anything you cannot do, my dear?”

“Make as excellent a cup of tea as you do.”

If Mrs Potts had been in human form, she would have puffed up with pride at the flattering words.

“Heavens, you’re making me blush--ah, there’s the library!”

Beast, Belle, and Mrs Potts with Chip all enter the library, the tea tray rolling ahead of the other two who follow the lead.

“See over there?” Mrs Potts turns her teapot form around, now facing toward a small corner with a little side table.

“If you look in a small shelf near it, you may find the scrapbooks. Careful, some are very old.”

Belle, with a little direction, locates the thick scrapbook, pulling it with great care off its home shelf, holding it in two hands, hoping she would not drop anything on the floor.

“There you are,” Mrs Potts says as the girl sets the scrapbook on the sidetable. “Enjoy and let me know what you think. Perhaps you might show me a few of your drawings too.”

“They’re just sketches.”

“Nevertheless, I’m intrigued. Now I’ll leave you two to it.”

With that, the tea tray rolls away from the pair, leaving them alone with the scrapbook. Belle feels the Beast sidle up next to her, one of his paws coming up as if to touch the book, but hovers in mid-air inches from the spine, as though afraid he would break it should he so much as brush the old tome. Belle smiles up at him, before nodding over at a sofa with enough room for a Beast and Beauty to sit together, poring over old drawings made by Mrs Potts’ hand. She lays the book, still closed, in her lap as the Beast gets comfortable beside her. With warm eyes and smile, she gazes into his own eyes.

“Ready?”

“As ready as you are, Belle.”

She opens the front cover, and she gasps softly on seeing the very first pencil drawing to greet their eyes. Each shading is tender in its creation and the finest crease in the baby’s fist poking out of the blanket that covers it is realised. Belle fancies the blanket so soft-looking she is sure she’d feel the wool with her own fingertips were she to touch the drawing.

“That’s of Chip, isn’t it?” the Beast guesses.

Belle moves her hand away enough that Mrs Potts’ cursive, small handwriting is exposed for them to see. She feels her breath catch in her throat, running her finger under the name. It is not of Chip as a baby after all.

“Prince Adam,” she whispers, aloud, as much to herself as to the Beast sitting in deep silence beside her, so still now, so very still in the light of dusty memories. 

#Beauty and the Beast #batb 2017 #good lord I'm really on a roll here with all these fics! #I'm not complaining though #but it's like well past midnight #and my Muses are still chipping away #(also do not let that first screencap fool you) #(there are feels waiting further on in)

[escapingreality1992]

The Calm Effect of Hearts Ch. 7

It had been six weeks since I had been released from the hospital meaning that I no longer needed the cast on my arm, the doctors cutting the cast off, freeing me. My arm had felt like rubber from being in it for so long, but it also meant that I could start my cleaning job in the compound. This day, however, I would find myself alone for the entire day.           Early in the morning the sheets shifted a little causing me to stir thinking something was wrong; Bucky could’ve been having a nightmare and required my comfort.

           This wasn’t the case, of course. Bucky had gotten up on his own accord, my eyes cracking open at the sight of him wearing cargo pants and pulling a dark shirt over his head. He had just strapped on his combat vest when he heard my voice.

           “Bucky? What time is it?” I asked, my voice hoarse with sleepiness I hadn’t experienced in a long time, not since my days working at the doggie daycare.

           “It’s four a.m. I’m sorry if I woke you. We’re headed out for a mission and we’ll be gone most of the day. Go back to sleep if you can. I’ll see you when we get back,” he answered, kneeling by the bed, holding my hand.

           “S’okay. Be safe. I love you,”

           “I love you too. See you later this evening,”

He kissed me before standing up and walking out the door. I let myself drift off, my lips tingling from his kiss.

           I woke up again three hours later to my alarm blaring loud from my phone, it being cleaning day after all. Groaning, I reached out, shutting it off and throwing off the covers; I sat up, my bare feet touching the soft, velvet carpet and stretched my arms above my head. The tank top I was wearing rose up enough to show a thin line of skin that was my stomach. I rolled my head in a circle, releasing the tension in my neck, spreading my toes as well; I was trying to get the blood flowing throughout my body. I stood up to my full five feet 1 inch height and walked over to my dresser picking out fresh underwear, a bra that was made for physical activity, a tank top and soft cotton shorts.

           Changing quickly, I pulled my dark blonde hair into a ponytail and got to work. The plan was to clean up around the compound starting with both labs. Finding the cleaning supplies located in a supply closet downstairs in the hallway between the lounge and the kitchen, I made my way first to Tony’s lab and then to Bruce’s. I didn’t know exactly how they liked to organize things, doing my best to leave the most important things visible in case they needed them at a later time.

  ��        “Miss Jensen? Would you like some music while you work?” the A.I. voice everyone called FRIDAY asked, startling me in the deafening silence.

           “I…uh…yes. Please play pop music or just a mix of different tracks,” I stated, resuming dusting down the desks.

           “Yes Miss Jensen,” the A.I. responded, an upbeat song playing over the speakers. I swept up the dirt on the floor before running a squirt mop over the swept areas making it sparkle, dancing to the music. Moving on to each Avenger’s rooms I brought down the individual hampers downstairs to the laundry room, sorting the different sets of clothes; the clothing I wasn’t sure how to wash I set aside for the dry cleaners. Once sorted by color and by Avenger I threw in the first load and set the hampers on the long counter space to put each of their clothes in once they were dry and folded.

           Since I didn’t know what to specifically hand I figured I’d leave that up to them later. I told FRIDAY to alert me when the washer and dryer timers went off so that I could switch out the different loads as I went about cleaning the rest of the compound. After that I decided to clean each room, vacuuming, dusting, and making the beds. I was almost done with Wanda’s room-going back and forth to the laundry room to attend to the loads of laundry-I decided to see what time it was; FRIDAY telling me it was approaching one in the afternoon.

           “It’s time for lunch, I guess,” I mumbled to myself. Retreating down to the kitchen I found only ramen noodles hanging out in the pantry, nothing much in the fridge par from yogurt, orange juice, and the usual condiments.

           “Remind me to go to the store when I go out to the dry cleaners please FRIDAY?” I called out getting a short affirmative response. Pouring myself a cup of water while I waited for the noodles to heat up, I pondered what to fix for the next three days. It came down to spaghetti and meatballs, chicken, zucchini, and squash, finally deciding on tuna and asparagus for the third night; I also decided on picking up sandwich meat and bread in case someone didn’t want my choices.

           “How do I pay for this anyway?” I muttered to myself.

           “Mr. Stark left a card for you in the briefing room when you recovered enough to start working,” FRIDAY responded to my passing thought. Oh, well that was nice of him, I thought, a faint smile appearing on my lips. I finished lunch and sped through the last two rooms and put in another load of laundry, making the decision to head out after doing so. I silenced the music before I took the elevator down to the garage, grabbing the keys to my car from the key hooks, dry cleaning in hand and got in to leave for the store. Dropping off the dry cleaning after asking FRIDAY which one they usually go to, I went to a local supermarket to do some shopping. I picked up things I had compiled onto a list, throwing in two packs of chocolate chip cookies as a bonus and left; the dry cleaning would be able to pick up the next day.

           Returning back to the compound, I unloaded the groceries and set to work on vacuuming the lounge and dusting off the tables, two loads of laundry left to do. I swept and mopped the kitchen, washing the dishes left in the sink, moving on to the training room; I repeated my previous steps of the other two rooms, straightening up the equipment after I was finished. I breathed in a sigh of relaxation, pleased with what I had accomplished today.

           “Miss Jensen, it’s now seven o’clock,” FRIDAY informed me, the set reminder meaning that I needed to start dinner, tonight being spaghetti and meatballs. At this point I was sweaty from constantly moving around, so I took a quick shower, changing into pajama shorts and a tank top, making my way to the kitchen; I started crafting the meatballs with basil, salt, pepper and oregano, cooking them in pan with oil, adding the spicy tomato sauce once the meatballs had been cooked through. I let the sauce simmer, preparing the water for the pasta, occasionally stirring the sauce so it wouldn’t burn.

           As I was still waiting for the water to boil, my phone buzzed on the counter. Checking it, I saw the message from Bucky telling me it’d be nine before they’d get home; I’d be dining alone tonight. I sent back okay and texted him that I loved him receiving his ‘I love you too’ message he had sent in response. My attention returned to the now boiling water; I broke the pasta in sections, breaking the dry noodles in half, making it easier to fit in the pot. 11 minutes later, I strained the pasta from the hot water, spooning the noodles on a plate; the sauce and meatballs following suit. I sat down at the dining table, making sure everything was turned off with the stove.

           “Hey FRIDAY, can you turn on the TV and find me a horror movie to watch?” I asked, not wanting to be in complete silence as I ate dinner. She turned it to a movie I’d seen before, that very horror movie still sending chills down my spine. Once I was finished my meal, I cleaned up, placing the leftovers in a large container and putting it in the fridge for later; maybe my friends would want some when they got home. Checking the time-the oven clock read 8:30- I decided on baking the cookies, setting the dough on two baking sheets since I bought two packs; there would be plenty for everyone when they returned. I resumed my horror movie binge, waiting on the couch while the cookies did their thing. I was comfortable under the blankets and completely in tune with the movie I was watching that I jumped when all of the Avengers burst in…well okay, they only walked in but their voices startled me.

           “I really wanted to come home and…go to bed. Wow, it’s super clean in here,” Tony stated, his jaw dropping open taking everything in. His gaze landed on me and he swept his arms in a wide arc.

           “Did you clean this entire place…in one day?” he asked, still in shock.

           “Yeah, and I even made dinner for everyone. It’s nothing fancy, just spaghetti and meatballs. Or if you don’t want that, there’s some sandwich meat and bread if you’d prefer. You’re home a few minutes early, in time for cookies,” I responded, the timer going off a second after I stopped speaking. I got up from the couch to go into the kitchen in order to pull the sheets out.

           “Cookies? You made cookies? Bucky, dude, your girlfriend is amazing!” Sam spoke next, on my heels on the way to the kitchen.

           “I know. It’s why I love her,” Bucky commented, leaning on the counter as I pulled out the pans, laying them out to cool.

           “They’re chocolate chip if that’s okay. Oh, the laundry is done. I wasn’t sure what to hand or fold so your clothes are folded neatly in the hampers. What I didn’t know how to wash, I sent to the dry cleaners. Tony, Bruce, I tried my best to clean your labs but I wasn’t sure how to organize thing but I left what I thought was important visible in case you needed it. What? Why are you staring at me like that?” I explained, surprised to see the bewildered looks on their faces.

           “How the hell did we end up with someone so awesome like Abigail?” Natasha asked, popping part of a cookie in her mouth.

           “Thank Bucky. If it weren’t for him ambushing her on their first meeting, I don’t think we’d have ever met her or experienced her amazing personality,” Steve noted. Heat flooded my face, my eyes downcast, the compliments throwing me off guard. I felt someone caress my cheek, turning to look up at Bucky, who pulled me into a gentle kiss. When we pulled apart, the adoration in his eyes made my heart swell.

           “You two make the most perfect couple. Come on; let’s watch a feel-good movie before we go to bed. It’ll help us relax from our long day,” Steve said, grabbing a couple of cookies and sitting on one of the couches. Bucky and I joined him, Bucky pulling me into his lap, my head on his shoulder. Others made their dinners; some heated up the leftover pasta, some wanted sandwiches, either way the night ended with laughter and joy with the best company one could ever hope for.

#Bucky Barnes #bucky x oc #marvel #love #fluff #slow burn romance #Steve Rogers #natasha romanoff #avengers #sam wilson #falcon #black widow #captain america #tony stark #ironman #loki #thor #wanda maximoff #scarlet witch

[rubyyoulazycat]

The longer they drove, the more it all began to blend together; clubs she'd be too nervous to enter, theaters she could't afford, alleys she was certain hid danger, it was a miracle no one ever got lost. Johnny slowed to a stop at a crosswalk, "Hey, so, anywhere you wanna go?" Gestal blinked at the tacky sign advertising the building next to them. She instinctively shied away from the waves of people pouring in and out, even as the aroma of greasy restaurant food arrived on her muzzle and made her empty stomach roar. Johnny looked back, "Hungry? This place has great burgers." Gestal did not answer. She couldn't. Among the sea of people, being in the cab only made her feel more visible. Every passerby was another reason to shrink into her cloak until she was hidden. She wasn't on the streets, she was back at home, wrapped up in her sheets, alone. It told Johnny all he needed to know, "Hmm...alright, I get it. Don't worry, I've got just the place." he said with a grin, kicking the cab into high gear. The longer they drove, the more the noise and light around them began to diminish. A quick peek from under her hood revealed a quiet, residential area, lined only with houses and the occasional store. With the crowds gone, Gestal unfurled, taking in the sights once more. The streets were barren, lit only by dim lampposts. All was quiet aside from the rumbling of the cab. Even the stars were easier to see. Johnny noticed her awe, "Heh heh, don't come to this area often? Nice, ain't it? But, I haven't showed you the pièce de résistance." he said, turning a corner and pulling into a small, circular plaza. He parked near the sidewalk and jumped out, gesturing for her to follow. Gestal gasped as he led her to the gargantuan fountain in the center of the plaza. Up close, she was free to marvel at the stone statue sitting atop it. It depicted Eiswald's founders in such great detail, she walked right up to the edge to get a closer look. Below was a well, going at least ten feet deep. It held no water, but was littered with coins at the bottom. "Wow..." she whispered. "Yep. Beautiful." said Johnny. Gestal shut her eyes and let herself be enveloped by the gentle, winter breeze. There was no noise, no bright lights, no people. Unbelievable that Eiswald could have such a place, if only due to a friendly stranger. Strangely, Eiswald no longer seemed like such a nightmare. She was at peace for the first time since she could remember, not even flinching when Johnny drew an arm over her shoulder. "This is nice." Gestal sighed. "Glad you like it." he said, pulling her close, "...that'll be 300 bills." Gestal's eyes snapped open, "What?" "You heard me. 300 bills." said Johnny, no longer sounding so friendly. "But you said--" There was a loud click. Johnny pulled a switchblade from his sleeve and held it's tip to her neck, "I said I'd drive you to the bar for free. I did, and then you had me drive you all around the city." She tried to back away, but Johnny kept a firm grip, "I...I don't have any money!" "...hmph." Without warning, Johnny grabbed the end of Gestal's cloak and shoved her over the edge into the fountain well. She would have fallen in had he not kept his grip. Johnny placed a boot on her back, "Do you think I'm an idiot?" "N-no?" He drove his foot into her hard enough to make her wail, "Do you think I'm an idiot?!" "Aggh! I swear! I really don't have any money!" "I watched you buy a drink, you moron!" Johnny seethed, taking a look at the cloth in his hand, "This is pretty pricey material too." he then pulled her back out, keeping her held close as he rummaged through her pockets. The search turned up nothing but lint, "Baaah...guess you really are broke." he grumbled, smacking the back of her head, "What a waste of time. You like wasting my time?!" Gestal was frozen, only able to whimper at the tip of his blade. "Y'know, when you waste a cabbie's time, you're making sure they lose money. And if we lose money, Jarzey loses money!" "W-who?" "The guy who runs this town, moron! Everything he does for Eiswald and you just wanna spit in his face?!" Johnny shoved her to the ground, squatting down to keep his knife close, "I'm not letting tonight slide, no no no. When will you have some money?" "I...I-I..." Gestal stammered, trying to inch away, only for Johnny to stamp his boot on the tail of her cloak. He shook his head in disgust, "Fine. You've got a week. And don't even think you can hide in the woods. We'll find you and collect what you owe, even if it means chipping it off your frozen corpse. Got it?!" Gestal nodded meekly, saying nothing. "Good." said Johnny, withdrawing his knife and pulling her to her feet, "Now, lemme see who I should tell the boys to be on the lookout for." he reached for her hood. Without thinking, she smacked his hand away. "Ow!" Johnny stepped back, looking down at the sudden cuts on his hand, "Oh, you little--" He rushed her. Gestal tried to turn and run but found herself in a headlock. She thrashed in his grip, making them both stagger and fall against the fountain. "Get up!" said Johnny, bringing Gestal up with him and pulling his knife out, "You just made it three days!" Gestal stopped struggling. She saw the cuts on his hand. Her gaze then moved to her gloves, where she saw just the slightest bit of blood on the metal bits sewn into the finger tips. She hadn't worn them in so long, she had completely forgotten about it, "I...I didn't mean to--" "Shut up! Y'know, I've killed people for less than this! Don't think you can press your luck just cause you're new here!" Johnny tightened his arm around her neck, forcing her to take a step back. She felt the back of her boot connect with something solid. They were right against the fountain. He held up his blade, his infuriated breaths finally slowing, "Three days, got it?" The instant she saw his knife, she thrust her weight back. Johnny lost his grip and fell backward, rolling right over the ring and down into the well. A sickening snap could be heard as he hit the bottom, followed by a pained scream, "Gahhhh! My leg!" She looked down inside, watching him repeatedly collapse as he tried to stand, "Oh no..." she reached over the edge and into the well, "L-let me help you out..." Johnny bared his teeth and whipped out his knife, practically roaring as he swung at her paw. Before Gestal could pull back, she felt the blade slice her palm, "Ahh!" she screamed, backing away. There was clearly no room for negotiation. Johnny was out for blood. Sparing no hesitation, Gestal turned and ran as fast as she could, not slowing down until Johnny's cries of anger faded. The race home was a blur. Miraculously the trip had circled around the town and plopped them in the residential area just next to Caesar's district. Within minutes, she was back inside the shop, drawing the curtains and rushing for the kitchen to examine her wound. Her ruined glove had taken most of the damage. Her paw still had a few bleeding cuts, but nothing worth waking Caesar over. Giving them a quick rinse and digging into the cabinet for a bandage, she wrapped her paw and headed back upstairs. Disrobing and falling into bed, she curled up and buried her face in her pillow, letting out a series of ragged, almost animalistic breaths as if to vent all the pent up terror she'd suffered at Johnny's hand. Outside her window, the beautiful landscape no longer seemed so mysteriously magical. It hid a dirty, violent secret; cabbies with fake smiles, thugs willing to beat people for money, and whoever this "Jarzey" was. The air seemed to sour, a bitter breeze that would carry only the memory of this night. "...home really is the only safe place..." Words she'd been told before, by a man not nearly as naive. What a fool she was not to treat his word as gospel. The photo of him came into view. Her heart ached at thoughts of him, at thoughts of how it should have been; a quick dispatching of the foolish cabbie before a hasty escape, a lecture on the dangers of inner city life, a pat on the head, and an assurance that her safety was all that mattered. This night should not have happened. He should have been there to protect her. But he wasn't. He was gone. "Ozwald...where are you?" she sobbed, "I need you..." There she lay until sleep took her.

#made grizzly #music #ost #dynamite grizzly