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tomtenadia · 3 years

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A Little Braver - Chapter 2

I think I will be brave as well and post chapter 2.

In the chapter when Rowan muses about his call sign he uses the term FNG - it literally mean Fucking new guy. In US military it describes a newcomer.

Enjoy the chapter!

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The next morning Rowan was on his way to the fire station. He had left the house a bit early to allow for traffic or getting lost. In the end he had arrived with ten minutes to spare. He parked the car along the road and walked to the main area in front of the station and stopped.

The tall training building was on fire and a few people were outside in front of it as if in waiting. He searched for the captain but she was not there. He wanted to go and ask to the team about her whereabouts but did not want to interrupt the training session. So he just decided to lean against a wall of the fire station, arms folded at his chest and just watch the drill.

He was curious about why they were not using the truck or water and wondered if they were following a specific exercise.

Being a fighter pilot was full of risks but by looking at the raging fire and thinking that there were people willingly putting themselves through that inferno made him shiver. He’d rather been strapped in a metal cage than in a house on fire.

All of a sudden a figure ran out of the building carrying what looked like a dummy and two more followed. He gasped when he recognised the captain. The dummy she was carrying on her shoulders must have weighed a ton and he was impressed. He followed her, dumping the dummy on the ground and joining the tall blonde man and pat him on the shoulder looking happy. His lips turned up in a hint of a smile.

Her eyes met his and she gave him a huge smile and Rowan straightened up and pulled away from the wall. She walked to him while unbuttoning her bulky fireproof jacket.

“Morning Captain,” she brushed her hair away from her face and Rowan’s heart started to race.

“Enjoyed the show?”

He cleared his voice while he tried to gain some sense again “That was fascinating.”

“Can you give me twenty minutes to have a very quick shower and get changed? You don’t want to be in a meeting with a stinky woman.”

Captain Whitethorn nodded “Take your time.”

“You can go and meet the guys. They are a friendly bunch.” She offered “just ignore the lewd jokes.”

“Thank you for the head’s up.”

Aelin ran away and he gathered some courage and walked to the team. He was not the best around people he did not know, but he wanted to play nice.

He took another step and the tall blond man noticed him and walked with purpose toward him and offered him his hand “Captain Whitethorn isn’t it?”

Rowan nodded.

“Aelin told us you were coming. I am Lieutenant Ashryver.”

Rowan nodded and studied the man in front of him and noticed that his posture and attitude screamed military. After he had spent all his adult life in the force he had gotten used to spot one of them. He had the same feeling at the base during the fire.

“Can I introduce you to our team?”

“Gladly.”

Aedion turned to the red-haired woman “Ladies first. This is Ansel. Never leave her and Aelin alone because then you are in trouble.”

“Hey, I’ll tell her you said that and she will put you on truck cleaning duties for a month.” Aedion ignored her and continued “then here we have Brullo, Nox, Ress, Ren and finally Luca.” He grabbed the young man’s shoulder “he is our probie. He finished the academy and he joined us a few months ago. For now he is coming to the less serious calls but we are planning on coddling him a bit less and make him see the real stuff as well.”

Then the man turned around, scanning the area in search for something or someone “we also have two EMTs, Elide and Lysandra but they must be around the station doing something. You will meet them anyway.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”

“Everyone, clean up and don’t leave everything to Luca. All of you haul ass. Nox, Ren you are on equipment duty. Ansel, Ress you two are on uniform checks. Brullo, take Luca with you and go over him some truck procedures for before and after calls. Now away all of you.”

Rowan chuckled. The man was definitely ex military.

“Where did you serve?” He asked the man taking a chance.

“I was in the army. I was an artillery specialist. Once I retired Aelin called me saying her station was looking for recruits and I applied for the job. Guess my experience with explosives and such was a plus. Many years later I am still here and still loving it.” Then he studied the Captain “how did you guess?”

“Your posture. It’s the stick up your arse, as Captain Galathynius would say, that gets drilled into you from day one. The way you give order, again, very familiar.”

“Call her Aelin, Cap or Captain. She hates being called Captain Galathynius.”

Rowan raised a eyebrow with curiosity for that statement.

“I usually call her brat or menace.” Aedion chuckled “she is my cousin. I have known her since we were little. I have earned that privilege.”

Aedion started walking back into the station and Captain Whitethorn followed him.

“She has the bas habit of not filtering what she wants to say, can be brash and very vocal when she is mad at something or someone, but she loves her job and her team. She loves being a firefighter. She might be young be she is extremely capable. She is the first female captain. Absurd to think that before her it was just a boy’s club, eh?” The man joked, and lead him into a big spacious room with a lone table and chair and a kitchen at the bottom of it “If she keeps likes this I can see her climbing up the ladder pretty quickly, although I cannot imagine her in a desk job.”

Rowan knew very little about the woman but he had the same feeling.

“This is where we spend most of the time when we are on shift, all tasks are done and just wait for a call. We have books, video-games, tv… you name it. And like all families we fight for who controls the remote.”

Aelin joined them a moment later “Are you giving our Captain the tour?”

“Yes, just the cheap tour for now. You can give him the proper one later.” Aedion winked at her.

“I guess that after our meeting, the Captain will be more than happy to get rid of me.

“I gave you a tour of the base, I would love a tour of the station.”

Aelin’s mouth almost fell open in disbelief.

“If you are not fed up with me we can think about it.” And she turned around and walked away the same way he did the day before.

Aedion gestured with his head to follow her and Rowan ran after her.

“I am sorry for the delay. Once I got back to work yesterday I had an email saying that our annual performance review is due in three weeks. I did not have a way to contact you otherwise I would have pushed the meeting forward a bit.”

“It was actually interesting watching you guys train.” He followed her to her office and took the seat she offered “we have performance reviews as well. What do you guys have to do?”

Aelin was caught off guard by him being talkative all of a sudden “We get tested on our abilities. We usually go to the academy, are given a scenario and the whole team has to work as if that was a real call. We also get to perform some individual tasks and those are timed. It’s a very stressful period.”

“You can leave our project to me until you are done with your review. I am happy to give you an update and you can come once a week to check how things are progressing if you are too busy.”

“Are you trying to get rid of me, Captain?” She smiled at him, leaning back in her chair.

He shook his head and she noticed him finally relaxing and sitting more comfortably in his chair “we have those review as well and they are always stressful for the team and I am aware how much of my time, preparing drills takes me. I am offering you to concentrate on your mission ahead for now and then catch up in three weeks.”

Was he actually being nice to her?

“I will be fine captain, but thank you for the offer. I appreciate it.”

“If you change your mind, my offer will still be on the table.”

“So,” she said quite abruptly changing the subject. If he even thought she needed his help because she was a woman he was in for a tough ride.

Aelin grabbed a folder with her plan. She had spent the entire previous day working on it. “These are the copies for you.” And she passed him a pile of papers “they are the ideas and changes I would like to suggest. I believe that is the part you will have to discuss with your CO. the biggest and probably most time consuming change is the extra door. All the other suggestions are repairs and perhaps replacements of old parts. I would like to explain again that these changes are not up for discussion. They need to happen.”

Captain Whitethorn nodded “I have discussed the matter with my CO after our meeting and he understands that and agrees. He promised me that he will fight until the last ditch if they start blocking him with budget bullshit, his exact words.”

“Please tell Air Commodore Salvaterre that I appreciate his cooperation. It goes in the interest of every single person who works at the base. Him included.”

“This pile here is a draft of possible training sessions for both your squadron and the ground crew. I want basic fire prevention training, fire extinguisher training, reviews of fire drills. I would like to do some training, especially with the ground crew on fuels handling, fuel storing and clearing spillages. Your squadron will be welcome as well. I think it will benefit everyone.” She flipped through her notes “I would like to nominate a couple of people as Fire champions or any other name we can come up with. Their role would be to perform monthly deep inspections and weekly spot checks. The idea is that by doing this, you are always on the ball with any problems. Of course we will provide training on how to do all this.” She kept explaining and the man in front of her listened to her with great interest, never interrupting her.

“Needless to say that fire prevention is everyone’s job. See it, report it. And if you can, fix it.” She jotted down a few things “of course all of this depends on our rosters. I don’t know how it works for you guys but we work in shift patterns.”

“My squadron and I, we work Monday to Friday when we are ground-side. Ground staff such as engineers for example, they tend to follow shift patterns as well. I can talk to the supervisors for the mechanics and engineering team and see if I can get a roster from them. They are aware of the fact that extra training is on its way.”

“Please do. I have a feeling that will be the biggest job.”

“Do you have any questions for me so far?”

“Which venue will we use?”

Aelin tapped her pen on the table “I was thinking here if it’s okay with you. We have the equipment, also we don’t have maximum security checks.”

“Speaking of security…” he extracted something from his pocket “`I have your badge.”

Aelin took the badge he offered in surprise.

“I imagine we will be working together quite a lot and you will need to visit the base as well on a regular basis. You have now the badge with consultant clearance. It’s not a lot, but it will grant you access to all the are you will need. And no more forms to fill.”

“Thank you, captain,” she was speechless “Thank you for trusting me.”

She smiled fondly at him and Rowan realised he’d do literally anything to see that smile. It was intoxicating.

They worked for a few hours and Aelin realised it was not as bad as she had feared. The captain had been very keen to listen to her plans and making suggestions according to his knowledge of the base and his team. He had also looked a bit less uncomfortable and more willing to have a full conversation instead of monosyllables. At least it was progress and since it looked like they were going to work together for a while it was a good thing.

When her stomach grumbled loudly she coughed embarrassed to try and cover it but the very faint hint of a grin on the captain’s lips told her that he had head her.

“We can stop for lunch, captain.”

Aelin almost blushed “I guess so. I think I have a black hole forming in my stomach. Those drills always leave me famished.” She stood “there is a lovely diner very nearby. Can I interest you in lunch? It’s on me. But no shop talk.” She was ready for a refusal but the captain stood and nodded.

“I’d like lunch.”

When they left the office they met Elide and Lysandra carrying boxes full of supplies to stock the ambulance. As soon as Rowan noticed he jumped forward and offered to help Elide.

“Let me carry them. They are quite bulky.”

“Thank you,” said the woman flashing a smile to Aelin then showed the captain the direction to the ambulance.

“Where do I place it?” He asked once they were arrived. Elide opened the back door of the vehicle “just here. Lys and I will sort through everything. Thank for the help.”

Lysandra dropped all her stuff and turned to the two captains.

“These are Lysandra and Elide, they are our two resident EMTs.”

“Ladies, this is captain Whitethorn.”

Lysandra mouthed hot to Aelin and the woman rolled her eyes.

“The captain and I were going for lunch. Could you please tell Aedion to man the fort for me while I am away? I am just going to Emrys and I have a radio with me if anything happens.”

The woman nodded “I know the drill. Go, enjoy lunch.”

The two captains left “we are walking. The place is just down the road. We are all regulars there.”

Five minutes later they reached the small diner and Rowan thought the place looked cosy and felt like the good old fashioned family run restaurant.

“Emrys and his husband Malakai have been running this place since forever. It’s an institution in the neighbourhood.”

“Aelin, my girl.” A very smiling Emrys walked from behind the counter and went to hug the woman “Are you keeping well?”

“Of course.”

“Two today?” He asked looking at the Aelin’s companion.

“Yes please. Can we sit anywhere?”

“Go ahead.” He gestured pointing at the tables.

“Quiet today?”

“Not at all. You just missed the rush. Until twenty minutes ago we were full. Malkai is delivering an order to the police station.”

Aelin walked to the table near the window and invited Rowan to join her.

“Here’s the menu for your friend. Let me know when you are ready to order.”

Rowan took the menu, opened it and lowered his head to start reading it.

Aelin studied him for a moment while he was distracted. Stared at his hands and noticed the hint of a tattoo sneaking from underneath the uniform. Interesting, she would have never pinned the man as someone who would have a tattoo. A smile tugged at her lips. A part of her wanted quite badly to get to know him a bit more. “Your hair,” she asked “has it always been silver or it became like that with age?” Then she stopped embarrassed “I mean I am not saying that you look old. I just meant as if it got like that as you grew up.”

He lifted his head from the menu and his piercing green eyes settled on her “I was born like this. Apparently it runs in my family.”

“I am sorry, I didn’t mean to pry. I was just curious.”

He gave her a half a smile. It did not linger. It was quick and for a second she thought she had imagined it “I am used to it.” He tapped on the plastic menu “you haven’t decided yet?”

“Oh no, I don’t need a menu. I know it by heart and I know what I want.”

Emrys came back and both placed their orders and Aelin enjoyed the shocked expression on the captain.

“You can’t possibly eat all that stuff.”

“Watch me.”

The silence grew uncomfortable again. It looked as if he was chatty only when it came to work.

“Why did you join the airforce?”

For a moment he looked stunned at her question “I was eighteen and fresh out of high school. Happy I was done studying. My parents wanted me to go to uni, but the idea of spending four more years on books was not for me.” He explained and noticed she had he hands folded under her chin “One day I met Lorcan. We knew each other from before already, being both from Wendlyn and all. It was nice to see a friendly face in a new place. Anyway, he told me he had moved here to Terrasen with the TAF. He told me they were recruiting and I went to the base during an open day. The day after I had signed up and a month later I was starting pilot academy.”

“Where in Wendlyn?”

“Doranelle.”

“I was there once. On holiday with…” no, not time yet “with a friend. We loved it very much.”

He nodded “It’s a nice place, but I must admit that after so many years I feel like an adopted citizen of Terrasen. Orynth is quite a gorgeous place.”

Emrys came with their food and Rowan noticed how skilfully placed all the plates on the table. As if he was used to have all those orders from her.

“You can’t be serious and actually eat all this food.”

Aelin tackled her first plate “watch the pro at work, captain.” She gave him a smile and Rowan shook his head and tackled his food.

“Why firefighter?”

He noticed her still for a second and the happiness wash away from her face in an instant. Fuck. Wrong question already.

“I was eight.” She said playing with her food for a moment “I was out playing with some of my friends. I was on my way home when I saw two massive fire trucks in front of my house and my home on fire.” She placed the fork on the plate “I ran toward the house but this fireman stopped me. I was crying and calling for my parents. He hugged me, he told me they were working to try and save my parents. I remember trashing in his arms to get free but he held me tight.” She took a bit to keep herself busy while telling the story “he took me to the back of the engine and showed me some of the tools and explained to me how the engine worked. He distracted me while his colleagues worked to stop the fire and save my parents.” She finally met his gaze “it took them almost two hours to kill the fire. After that there was nothing left of the house and of my life. My parents had been found dead in the house. The gas boiler has suffered a fault and basically exploded. They stood no chance.”

“Aelin I am…” his hand moved slowly closer to hers and brushed it gently “I am so sorry.”

“When I grew up I decided I wanted to be like the firemen who attended my fire. I wanted to rush into a house on fire and try to save some person’s parents of spouse and help them avoid the loss I suffered. I wanted to be like the man who stood with me and distracted me.”

Her finger lifted a little and met his almost in acknowledgement “Aedion’s family took me in. As soon as I finished high school I was like you. I had no interest in uni. So I signed up for the fire academy.”

“Sorry for ruining lunch.”

She shook her head and flicked his finger playfully. That had been the first contact between them. He had always kept his distance and that little flicker of affection made he heart flutter. The man was a puzzle. He could go from stone cold bastard to this in a small amount of time.

Aelin finished her food and noticed the captain staring at her with curiosity.

“I cannot believe it.”

“Told you,” she smiled at him with a smug expression “and I am even going to get cake.”

“No you are not.”

In defiance she stood and went to the counter and ordered chocolate hazelnut cake from Emrys. She came back and sat down again and ate the whole slice.

“Remind me to apply for a mortgage if I ever take you out for dinner.” At those words Rowan froze. He did not mean to do say that. It was supposed to be a joke but he should have learned by now that he was bad at making jokes.

“I’ll keep that in mind, Iceman.”

His head shoot up and looked at her. She had used his callsign. Something that only his squadron members would ever use. They all had one. It was a tradition. But it also meant something. It was always the other pilots in the team who choose the callsign. Never the pilot himself. It was a rite of passage that welcome you in the squadron. In a family. He got his one because of his hair. Everyone thought it was because he was cool and calm under pressure but no. When he was still one of the FNG he went through his naming ceremony like all the others FNG and they had decided he was going to be iceman because with his hair he reminded them of a creature from the snowy glaciers of the Staghorn mountains, hence iceman. Hearing her calling him like that made his heart skip a beat.

“We don’t have call signs. We got nicknames but nothing official like you guys.” She polished the plate from the chocolate left from the cake “the guys usually call me Captain or Cap. Aedion is the worst. Because he is my cousin he takes the liberty to call me brat or menace. I should really write him up for insubordination.”

She tapped his hand “come on grampa, let’s get back to work.” And stood. Rowan had wanted to grab that hand and hold it for a moment. It felt as if a small shift had happened in their weird work relationship.

Aelin paid for the meal as promised and they walked back to the station “are you sure you will be able to concentrate with all that food in you?”

On the way back Aelin looked up at the sky and noticed a few flakes that had started to follow. “Looks like it’s going to snow.”

She turned her head and caught Rowan sniffing the air, the eyes closed and a relaxed expression. The hard lines of his face had disappeared and the faint smile on his lips changed him completely. Yes, the man was hot but there was more to it. The very rare times that his face softened his eyes lit up as well turning a deeper green and made him stunning. She had a feeling those moments were rare and was glad that she had caught at least a couple. Like right now, his body relaxed enjoying the first flakes of snow. That was a precious insight in the man at her side.

“You like winter?” She broke the magic.

His eyes snapped open and his face turned hard again as if he hated being caught enjoying something.

“I do.” He said softly “I love the snow and winters in Terrasen are incredible.

Aelin smiled. His scent. His scent reminded her of Terrasen. Pine and snow. She had smelled it the other day while she was inside his plane and he was quite close to her. He smelled like winter and realised for a second that the nickname Iceman was perfect as well for that reason and not just because he could be a cold hearted bastard. They got back to the station and she found it quiet apart from Brullo and Luca near the fire engine. Apparently the man was explaining the youngster some of the routine checks they performed. He was their resident engineer and mechanic so he was the best one for that type of training.

“Nice lunch, Cap? Did you eat all the food at Emrys?”

“The vegetables are still there. They are safe.” Aelin turned when noticed that the joke came from Rowan.

Brullo and Luca burst out laughing “oh he is good.” Added the older man.

“My eating habits are the joke of the station.”

“Cap, they are insane.” Added Luca.

Aelin turned to Rowan and he lifted and eyebrow as if to say I agree with them.

She turned again on her colleagues “one more joke from the two of you and I’ll have you scrub the station from top to bottom with a toothbrush.” Then she turned on her feet and walked away to her office.

Rowan tapped his hat in salute to the two men and followed her. He found her in the kitchen making coffee “Do you drink coffee?”

“I don’t think I could function without it.”

“Good. We basically drink it by the litre. It keeps you alive on a night shifts.”

She made some coffee and offered him a mug “milk, sugar?”

“Black, thank you.”

He watched her as she dropped two spoonfuls of sugar in it “All this sugar is not good for you.”

“Shhh you heathen.”

He rolled his eyes and took a sip of his coffee “Thank you for lunch by the way.”

“My treat, for working with me.” She apologised, while leaning against the counter and drinking her coffee.

“You are not as bad as I thought. I agree with Aedion, you are a brat and a menace but I can work with that.” Bad idea. Rowan noticed anger flash in her eyes.

“I am not having you calling me that.” She slammed the cup on the counter “you barely know me and I have been professional, sure if cracking a joke or two makes me a brat it’s your problem you need sense of humour. I have been busting my ass to fix the shit that went down in your station.” She took a step toward him and Rowan braced himself “I know how I run my station. I am aware of every single problem or fault that happens here. Your fucking hangar went down in a blaze of glory and you had no idea of the shitstorm about to happen.” She was now a few mere centimetres from his face and a foolish part of him wanted to push her against the counter and kiss her senseless. She was mad at him and all he thought was how her lips would feel. What was wrong with him?

“Don’t ever call me that again with that smug face of your because I have no problems removing that smirk with a punch.”

Rowan kept staring at her in silence, not risking saying a word while she was that mad at him. Damn the woman had fire in her. And it did not matter he was getting a well deserved lashing down from her, he could not stop thinking that she was beautiful. Not just physically, she was fierce, brave and passionate and he was irremediably drawn to her.

Which it was totally crazy since they had met the day before.

“Now get the fuck out of my station. We are done for today.” And she stepped back.

“Captain, I did not mean to offend you.”

“I said out.” She repeated through gritted teeth “I have your contact. I will let you know when I am in the mood to meet you again.” She grabbed her coffee and walked away from him.

Rowan stood still and stared at the spot where she had been. He ran a hand through his hair and cursed himself for his stupidity. They had finally set aside the bad start they had, and messed up everything again.

He picked up his cap on the counter and then realised he had left all the documents in her office. He was about to walk to her but then changed his mind bad idea. So he just left the station, got back to his car and drove back to the base.

Aelin was furious. Why did he have to go and ruin everything with his bloody mouth of his?

That beautiful mouth of his.

She paced the office for ten minutes then she left, went to changing room and changed into her training gear. Some exercise will do her good to clear her head.

Aedion found her twenty minutes later “here you are,” he shouted as she ran back and forth in the yard with a dummy on her shoulders.

“Aelin!” He shouted when she did not stop. When she ignored him again he went in front of her and stopped her “Aelin.”

“What?” She growled dropping the dummy on the ground with a loud thump. She was breathless.

“I thought you were with the captain.”

She ignored him and grabbed the dummy again but Aedion stopped her and grabbed her hand “did something happened?”

“Yes, he happened. He is an arsehole and I don’t know why I am bothering to help him.”

“Because it’s your job.”

“Well, he can go and ask west station for all I care.”

Aedion shook his head “they are in our territory.”

Aelin ran a hand through her hair.

“Did he do something to you? Because if he did I am very good at hand to hand combat. I’ll destroy his stiff arse.”

Aelin chuckled. Aedion had always been very protective with her.

“He called me a brat and a menace. He said that I am not as bad as he thought and that he agrees with you for my nicknames.”

Aedion laughed “that’s why you are mad at him? Ace, I love you but you can be both.”

She sat down on the dummy “I know. But if you say it it doesn’t bother me. We grew up together. You know me better than anyone. He instead…” she punched the dummy’s face “he had this smug face and he used this tone like a condescending prick.”

She groaned “you can be a brat and a menace but I can work with it,” she repeated in a mocking tone “I am the one doing him a favour to help him. Idiot.”

“You just want to find an excuse to hate him and push him away from you.” He sat down on the dummy beside her “Ace, could it be that you like him but you are still too scared to allow another man in your life?”

“No. I have known the guy for two days. And no, I do not like him.” She protested.

“Would it be that bad?”

Aelin stood and faced him “I am not interested in getting any closer to him than what works dictates. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie.

“You are overreacting and you are behaving like a brat and proving him right.”

She pushed him off the dummy “you are on truck duty for the whole week.” Aelin grabbed the dummy and went back to her training.

Rowan finally made it back to the base and went straight to his office but Lorcan intercepted him.

“You are back early. I thought you were going to be at the station all afternoon.”

Rowan ignored his CO and plopped on his chair and closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“That bad, eh?” Joked Lorcan at the man’s reaction.

“I opened my damn mouth. That’s what I did.”

Lorcan sat on the chair on the opposite side of the desk “What did you do? I thought you were the guy who counted till ten before opening his mouth. That’s why I gave you this assignment. I need this to go smoothly and fix all the shit that the old CO messed up. If I wanted to piss off the TFD’s captain I would have sent Moonbeam.”

Rowan snorted “probably would have been better. Far more charming than this cranky old bastard.”

“I have seen the woman. Fenrys would end up fucking everything. Literally.”

Lorcan sat back relaxed “I am coming to the station tomorrow and I will talk to her and bring her back into our good books.”

“You?” Rowan scoffed “if there is someone who has a worse temper than me is you, Lorcan.”

“I’ll be my charming self.” The man joked.

“The gods save us all.” Rowan joked standing and pacing the office “trying to scare her will not work either.”

“I noticed that. I wish some of our men would have that level of balls. Quite amazing for a woman.” Rowan’s head snapped at his CO’s words.

“Don’t even dare say anything like that in her face or you are a dead man.”

He and Lorcan would go along on most of the days but on some concepts, Lorcan still followed the good old fashioned ideas that for example females were not suited for the military, a topic they had many fights on. Rowan had tried to open up the ranks to a few more females in the squadron but Lorcan had rejected the idea every single time.

“You know how I feel about those things.”

“Yes, our very progressive man. Equality and all.”

“You can be such an arsehole.” Rowan stopped at the window “even the Navy is accepting women. Their recruitment for female officers is up by 40%. We are still to celebrate when we will have our first female officer.”

Lorcan growled “well, then move to the Navy.” He stood annoyed “flying a jet is not like service on an aircraft carrier!”

Rowan turned furious “you are not seriously telling me that you don’t believe a woman could fly a jet.” He slammed his fist on the table “I have seen Aelin in action and during drills. I have seen her jump into a building on fire without any second thought to save one of our men. I have seen her drag a dummy twice her size off a burning building while wearing the fire suit and an oxygen tank on her shoulder. She could probably do a vertical, pull 9G and then get off the plane and have a dance in our face. She is definitely not the fragile thing you think she is just because she is a woman.”

“What is your point?”

“Stop being a misogynist prick.”

Rowan phone went off and Lorcan moved away “if you are coming tomorrow, you leave that attitude behind.” Lorcan left and Rowan took the call. Once he was done he sat back down on his chair and looked outside noticing the snow falling and a gentle smile tugged his lips at the memory of the moment they had shared at the restaurant. He had to apologise. And quickly.

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sephirothisaslut · 4 years

Text

Time Travel WIP

Cloud woke up in a tank. Surrounded by an all too familiar green. He doesn’t try to fight. He gave up long ago. He’s been here for years now. And the only comfort he has are the three child Remnants he was occasionally allowed to interact with.

When Cloud traveled back in time, the very first thing he did was kill Hojo. Because even if Jenova still existed, it was Hojo who triggered Sephiroth’s decline to madness. (it also helped that he first awoke in Aerith’s church. Much closer to Hojo than Jenova).

He spared Sephiroth. When he first saw him, Cloud froze. He looked so young. Too young to be leading an army. Too young to be a SOLDIER. His mind flashed to Denzel and Marlene. Gaia, they’re nearly his age. So he resolved to save him. Save him from being the murderer he used to will never be.

However, things aren’t as easy as it seems.

The planet wont heal from a single lost life.

Hojo was in a very high position of power. A very coveted position of power. Originally, it was Hollander that was slated to replace him. However, many of Hojo’s assistants have also fought for their right. This started a scientific war between different factions. All vying for the right to be crowned Department Head.

Undeniably, Hollander had the upper hand. But it was one of Hojo’s assistants that rediscovered the secret SOLDIER formula. Allowing them to gain better footing to one day snatch the position on the Board of Directors.

This all happened unbeknownst to Cloud.

The height of the Wutai war was at it’s peak. This caused the urgency for a Department Head to be selected even more large.

Cloud, on the other hand, traveled to Nibelheim to finally destroy the Calamity. (He discovered that the Cloud in this time didn’t exist. After all, how can a single soul exist at the same time. Apparently, the younger Cloud had died falling of the bridge) And he did. Throwing it into a vat of mako in the reactor. But to his surprise, the underground lab had still been occupied. So when he broke in, he had no choice but to fight his way through. Unfortunately, he never made it out.

He found three babies fitted into tanks. Mako being fed into their bodies by a tube. Seeing the Remnants this way broke Cloud. He had previously thought of them as mere manifestations. Born from memories. Created as adults. He had never once thought of them as human. That they had once been children. Like him. Like Sephiroth.

And so, Cloud was captured. Sedated with the drugs they used on Sephiroth. Stuffed unto a steel table. Cut open. Dissected. Used in the same he remembered.

Somehow, the scientists thought that he was one of Hojo’s escaped experiments. In a sense, this was true. However, how else are you going to explain the abundance of mutated S and J cells in him?

So once more, he was called a specimen. This time, though, he was called Specimen J2 instead of C.

At first, this confused Cloud. But as time went by. As the frequency of tests grew. As he spent more time in this horrid nightmare. He finally understood.

He was J2. Jenova 2.0.

Without Jenova, SOLDIER enhancements cant be achieved. And without the Calamity’s cells, new SOLDIERS cant be made. And as the war waged on, they needed SOLDIERS more than ever.

Cloud hadn’t known his J cells had mutated. However it seemed like they did. Producing “better quality cells” as the lab coats said.

And so this is how one of Hojo’s former assistants hopped to win.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Cloud woke up in a groggy state. He didn’t know how long he’s been here. He knew it’s been years. But he didn’t know exactly how many. His hair had grown long, nearly reaching his lower back. An indication of the time he’s spent in this hell.

He had once tried to reach Vincent, but it proved too difficult.

It seemed like the staff had dumped him into the observation room once more. Probably to test the Reunion Theory in whatever convoluted way.

The door hissed open, and three children were thrown into the room. Kadaj his the floor with a grunt, while Loz and Yazoo seemed to have passed out.

“You have an hour” one of the guards spat.

Cloud nearly tripped as he ran to them. “Kadaj, what happened”

Kadaj only whimpered as Cloud arranged Loz and Yazoo in a more comfortable position.

“It’s combat day” Kadaj quietly answered.

“That’s today?” Cloud cursed. He must have been in the tanks for a week then. Combat day is a weekly test that involves fighting mutated specimens. All four of them tested to the point of destruction. All of them slowly being toughened to one day be presented to the President as ‘Sephiroths’. All so they can win that stupid position Hojo left.

And the last time Cloud had been awake, it was combat day.

“Hnn, Cloud?” Yazoo stirred from his unconscious state.

“Shh, I’ve got you” Cloud gently said. He had grown to like the triplets. At first, it freaked him out when they had called him Mother. But he soon talked them into calling him Cloud. However, from time to time, often when they’re in pain or distress, they’d call for their Mother.

Of course, the reason they’d called him Mother was because he was basically their Jenova (sans the mind control power). When he had asked about calling him Father instead, they merely shook their heads and said “But Sephiroth is our Father. The doctors said so.”

Loz’s coughing spurred Cloud back to the present.

“*cough* Mother? It...It h-hurts” Loz crumpled into a ball.

“Shit, didn’t they heal you” Cloud cursed again. He cradled Loz, and moved him unto one of the raised platforms in the room. He gestured for Kadaj to coax Yazoo closer.

“H-he...He blocked me from the Zolom.” Yazoo wheezed, clinging tightly to Cloud’s lab gown. “and they...T-they hit me because of it”

Cloud clicked his tongue. Trust the Doctors to classify protection as weakness.

“Cloud?” Kadaj asked from Cloud’s other side. “Will he be alright?”

Cloud gazed down at the children. He wanted to tell it’ll be ok, He wanted to utter those words so much, it broke his heart. But he can’t. He can’t promise something so unattainable.

“I...I don’t know” Cloud whispered instead.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Genesis had called Sephiroth earlier about a possible lab in the Nibel region.

After the Wutai war, Genesis had been degrading. And with Hollander kept occupied by the ensuing bid for Directorship, he was simply “too busy to deal with Genesis’ childish wiles”

Ans so, it was up to the elite four (including Zack) to help scour for a cure. Thankfully, Sephiroth had no love for Hojo’s men, so he frequently targeted their labs under the excuse of inspection.

So when Genesis had informed him of a lab under a ShinRa mansion in Nibelheim, he immediately took a detour from his route home. He instructed his men to continue toward Midgar, and that Zack and he has been assigned another mission.

When they arrived, the townsfolk had been hospitable but confused. After all, the local monster population was controlled. And they haven’t sent an S.O.S to ShinRa. Too ease their curiosity, Zack just told them it was an inspection on the ShinRa mansion, and that they needn't pay a thing.

Their trek to the mansion was chaotic. Mutated monsters everywhere. Large Nibel Dragons intercepted them as they went higher up the mountains. Black, oozing monsters often attacked from atop the trees. And vaguely looking humanoids screeched at them, alerting nearby mosters.

“Whew! It’s a good thing we got here Seph. These things could’ve killed the townsfolk!” Zack whipped his brow.

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. “These must be coming from the lab. Although, I don’t think they’re supposed to release their Specimens into the wild.”

“A break out?”

“Possibly”

They continued, and finally reached the mansion. The townsfolk had told them it was abandoned. However, it looked like people lived here. Or used too.

The monsters seem to have come from here. The gaping hole in the floor basically told them everything.

Zack and Sephiroth drew their swords as they descended into the depths of thr lab. Ready to fight and defend at a moment’s notice. It was silent. Only their breathing and footsteps audible. That was until they heard the sound of a fight. However, the grunts they heard are most definitely human.

“Shit! Could it be one of Hojo’s men?” Zack sprinted to the source of the sound, Sephiroth beside him.

Sephiroth was inclined to agree. That was before he heard the sounds of children screaming.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Kadaj! Stay where you are!” Cloud yelled as he took a piece of metal to brandish as a weapon.

It has been luck. A slip of fate. One of the cages where more violent Specimens are kept broke. It allowed them escape. It gave then the chance they needed to finally break free from their rooms. It was pure chance that it happened while Cloud was out of the tanks.

A chance Cloud was unwilling not to take.

But he wanted all of them out. He wanted them all to be free. And he won’t be leaving without all of them.

Loz was still passed out from earlier testing. And Yazoo was trying his best to protect him from stray attacks. Kadaj, on the other hand, was corned between a wall and one of the creatures. Cloud was in no better position. He was injured, quickly losing blood to a gash on the side of his abdomen and right arm.

“Damn!” Cloud bit back a wince as he blocked a strike from the massive cat like thing. Black tar oozing from it’s skin like Geostigma. It’s tail is it’s main weapon, slashing and whipping everywhere.

“Kadaj, I’m coming!” Cloud shouted. But to his horror, Kadaj had been hit.

Kadaj’s scream momentarily distracted the creature, allowing Cloud to impale it’s shoulder.

“Kadaj!” Cloud reached out to the child. He thows his body over him, shielding him from the strike.

...But it doesn’t reach them.

Instead, he looks up and sees his once enemy standing above him. Masamune raised. But not toward him. Protecting him.

“Sephiroth?” Was all Cloud could utter as he lost consciousness.

#sefikura #Sephiroth #sephiroth x cloud #cloud #cloud strife #ff7 #ff7 remake #time travel #remnants #kadaj #loz #yazoo #the remnants #zack #fanfic #wip #my post

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prettywordsyouleft · 4 years

Text

Yellow Bells

Pairing: Kim Yugyeom x reader

Genre: florist au / fluff

Warnings: none

A/N: this is for the lovely @mrkimyugyeom for her birthday today. Thanks to the anon the other day who mentioned the florist! concept, I realised it fits this present for my dear friend perfectly. Thank you for everything you have done for me over the last year, Nora! I’m so grateful for our friendship Xxx

Word count: 2136

“Are you sure you can manage on your own, Yugyeom?”

He nodded, ushering his parents eagerly to the exit of the store. “Mum, I’ve grown up in this shop. I’m pretty sure I know every type of flower in here from your little songs you sing as you care for them. Go, I can handle it for a week.”

“He’s right, darling. The florist will be here when we return from our vacation,” Yugyeom’s father assured, tugging his wife outside. She turned to look forlornly at Yugyeom.

Or, probably the row of baby azaleas behind him.

“Make sure you water-”

“I will and I’ll feed those in the tropical part and check the temperature for the lilies and honestly Mum, I can handle this.”

She reluctantly nodded, stretching to place a kiss on his cheek as she hugged him. He waved his parents off as they drove away for their first vacation alone since he was born over twenty years ago. And as soon as they were out of sight, he stepped back into the house of flora and slumped visibly.

Sure, he wanted his parents to have a good time. And he wasn’t exactly lying; he had spent more time within this florist growing up than in the apartment above it.

But Yugyeom wasn’t born possessing a green thumb like his parents. He was even somewhat affected by pollen and since his mother was deeply attached to her flower children, he had only minded the store a handful of times.

“I can do this,” he reaffirmed, nodding his head and slipping his hands deep within his pockets, eying the succulents’ table carefully. “We’ll do this together, right guys?”

He then grimaced, wondering how his mother could speak so fondly to everything in here without any problem. So, maybe he wouldn’t be singing the bushes down the back to sleep as he locked up later on.

But he’d at least be able to keep the store running for the next five days.

Hopefully.

The first day started well. Yugyeom followed the pages of instructions his mother left behind for him to follow, the step by step guide foolproof. He managed to serve a couple of customers and take an order for next week for an event when his mother would be back to make new intricate arrangements.

But that was where he was failing the most. Staring down at the stack of cut-offs lying on the decorative paper he had chosen, Yugyeom groaned out loud. There was no charm to the arrangement he had made. They all clashed and he knew even he wouldn’t buy this to give to anyone.

“You need a different colour palette to balance out all this pink,” you called and he glanced up, his breath getting caught in his throat.

You smiled politely and pointed to the flowers. “You have pink roses, pink tulips and pink carnations. Monochrome is nice but I think if you changed the carnations for a white, it would make the arrangement more interesting.”

“I can do white,” he slowly replied, soon grinning at you. “Thanks!”

“Anytime. I have an order to pick up under the name Y/N,” you stated and Yugyeom nodded, turning to the computer to look up the details, keeping you in his peripheral as he did so.

You glanced around mindlessly. “Mrs Kim isn’t around?”

“Nope, she’s on vacation this week.”

“Oh so you’re Yugyeom then,” you commented and he stopped looking up your order details, blinking rapidly at the fact that you knew his name. You chuckled. “Your Mum talks about you a lot.”

“Really? Are you sure you didn’t hear her say Yellow bells instead?”

You grinned. “I sense some jealousy here. The plants will be offended.”

“You really do know my mother,” he retorted with a breathy chuckle, hiking his thumb in the direction of the storeroom. “I’ll just get your order.”

He returned with a bag of fertiliser and some seeds, sliding them up onto the top of the free counter space. After ringing up your order and accepting your card, Yugyeom then held onto it a little longer than he should. You eyed his lack of action curiously.

“So white?”

You nodded. “White. Don’t stress too much, someone will buy them.”

“Easy for you to say, you’re not the one jealous of flowers,” he teased when he handed back your card.

“Who knows, if it’s still here tomorrow, I might buy it.”

“You’ll be back tomorrow?”

Shrugging, you reached for your purchases. “Perhaps.”

Yugyeom waited for your return the following day. He had managed to empty out the clearance table to a kind elderly couple, stacked the new batch of supplies that arrived just before lunch and even got a start on another mediocre bouquet of flowers when the jingle of the bell over the door made him look up and find you walking inside. He dropped the roll of ribbon he had been fumbling with and then yelped when it landed on his foot.

You laughed. “And a hello to you as well, Yellow bells.”

“I’m going to regret saying that to you yesterday, aren’t I?” he grumbled, bending down to retrieve the ribbon. When he stood back up, you were holding his first arrangement. Yugyeom sighed. “You don’t have to.”

“Why not? I want to be the first person to have one of Yellow-”

“I swear, Y/N if you keep it up!” he cut in with a hearty laugh, your own soon joining his. When the moment was over, Yugyeom then waved you off. “You can have it.”

“Well, I plan on that.”

“No, I mean, for free.”

You grew curious. “Don’t businesses require financial backing?”

“They also require creativity and some sense of pride in their work. That sad bunch has neither. I can’t expect you to buy it.”

“I will. And I will continue to keep buying them until you have just that!”

“What did you say?”

“Ring it up for me, Yellow bells.”

By the fourth day of your regular appearances to the florist, Yugyeom was certain of two things. One, he really liked you. There was just something about you that captivated him and he wanted to talk to you endlessly. Even if it was all about the species of one plant family, he was certain he would listen to every word you said.

Secondly, he knew his mother was behind all this.

“She told you to come and check on her babies, didn’t she?” he asked pointedly when you appeared, looking rather inconspicuously at the indoor houseplants section.

“Who?”

“My mother,” he said and you smiled. “I knew she didn’t trust me!”

“She does actually, like I said, all she talks about is you, Yellow bells.”

He clamped his eyes closed momentarily to clear out the nickname that he was growing rather attached to and then rounded the counter, coming over to your side. “Then why are you turning up every day?”

“Have you made another arrangement yet?” you wondered and Yugyeom rubbed the back of his neck, nodding shyly. “Where is it?”

“It uh, it sold.”

You almost looked upset. “You’re kidding me! Then you’ve done it!”

“I think the old lady felt sorry for me. Something about going home to pretty it up in one of her fine vases.”

“Well, your colour choices are improving so you never know.”

“What’s the deal about you anyway? You always talk about colour.”

You grinned. “I study colour theory at the local university.”

“Huh.” Yugyeom moved over to look at a baby fern, inspecting its leaves. “You’re majoring in art?”

“Business management. I just take it as an extra paper.”

“What’s the end goal for you then?”

“Really?” you asked, biting at your bottom lip as you grinned. “Is Yellow bells interested in where I end up?”

“I’d laugh if it was a florist.” Your eyes sparkled as your lips twitched and Yugyeom gaped at you. “A florist?!”

“I’ve been helping your mother make changes to the business marketing part of the shop for three months now. So it would be this florist.”

“I’ve never seen you before.”

“You moved out, remember.”

“You know too much,” he breathed and you nudged him.

“Not everything.”

“Enough,” he lamented and moved back to the counter in a slump. “You’ll come and work for the family and then you’ll not see me for anything more than Yellow bells then.”

“Were you hoping I’d see you for more than that?” you questioned, unable to hide your intrigue.

“I’m glad the old lady bought the bouquet now.”

“You’ll just have to make me another one,” you concluded, heading towards the door. You stepped out, only to stick your head back around the corner. “Make sure it doesn’t sell before I get here again tomorrow.”

Yugyeom was discouraged. With the knowledge that you were being primed to join the family business, he couldn’t see how this would separate him enough from the son of your future employer. He barely said a word to any of the plants as he locked up that night and grunted in greeting the following morning. He only had to get through today. Tomorrow, his parents would be back and he would be able to return to his apartment downtown and forget all about the way you smiled whenever you called him your preferred nickname.

The day felt like it was dragging. He completed all the morning chores, ensuring the plants that needed watering or fed an enrichment mixture had been checked off his list before he approached the arrangement station. Yugyeom had gathered an assorted bunch of flowers earlier in the morning. There was nothing special to them, just cut-offs that didn’t seem to fit in with others. Together, however, they seemed aesthetically pleasing. Choosing to wrap them in simple brown paper to enhance their beauty, he placed the bouquet into the front stand, going back to working on some multi-coloured roses.

The doorbell jingled and he didn’t even look up. He knew it was you.

“Afternoon flower babies,” you called out, sounding just like his mother. He huffed petulantly, trimming off the excess stem of the rose he was readying for the arrangement. You were soon in front of him. But instead of greeting him with his nickname, you didn’t say anything.

Yugyeom looked up to see what was wrong, his eyes narrowing when he found you staring at something in awe. “What’s wrong with you?”

“You made this?”

“Oh them? Yeah, I felt sorry for them since they didn’t match with their other batches so I put them all together. It’s a bit wild, huh?”

“I love it,” you confessed shakily, blinking a few times. You then glanced up at him and he could see how moved you were. “It’s beautiful, Yugyeom.”

He was overwhelmed. He hadn’t expected this reaction to the bouquet, or within himself. Your words bounced around his insides, shooting off spikes of warmth. He was certain he was madly blushing and cleared his throat awkwardly. “Oh uh, well.”

“I can’t buy this,” you murmured, still clutching the bouquet despite your statement. Your eyes searched his and Yugyeom eventually grinned bashfully.

“Good, I can finally gift you some flowers, Y/N.”

“One of many bunches, I hope.”

“You forget, today’s my last day here.”

You faltered. “You don’t plan to visit?”

“Well, yeah I come and see my parents most weekends.”

“Then you can make me some flowers then.”

“You won’t be here every day, will you?” he wondered, trying not to stare at you too much. He felt there was more to what you were expressing and his palms started to sweat as he thought over what next to say. “You… you wouldn’t come here looking for me, would you?”

“I have every day this week, haven’t I?”

Yugyeom frowned. “That’s because of my mother’s-”

“Actually, she just asked me to come in on Wednesday. I was curious and couldn’t wait until then.”

“Curious about what?”

“You,” you confessed, burying your face into the flowers you held to hide your expression. You then gazed up at him once more at ease. “You’re kind of handsome, Yellow bells.”

He sighed heavily. “It was going so well.”

“Don’t tell me you don’t like it,” you mused and Yugyeom laughed.

“I’ll need to come up with a nickname for you then too,” he announced and you tilted your head to the side.

“You seemed so sure we wouldn’t be crossing paths after today.”

He grinned. “Didn’t you say I needed to make more flower arrangements?”

“I did.”

“Well, I’ve got some new ideas. I need to try them out when I come by. Since you’ll be here, after all.”

You seemed to bloom then, brightening up entirely. “Well Yellow bells, I can’t wait to see what you come up with next.”

_________________

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lavendertwilight89 · 4 years

Text

Shelter

Part 3

Here is the link to AO3

SMUTS. SMUTS AHEAD!!!!!!!

Tag wall:

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Inuyasha had heard Kagome say she loved him before when they were alone together back in the hut. He had known it was on accident--just a slip of the tongue. But hearing her proclaim it to the demon slayer, the monk, his asshole brother, and his sister in law? He was at a loss for words. Not to mention she was burning the crap outta him. So there weren’t a lot of words that could be said that weren't curses...

But she seemed to be taking care of telling off the slayer. He held his ground to stay near her even as her power flared up. He was only half-demon--worst thing she would do was turn him human.

He noticed Sesshomaru had bounded across the room with his mate. Inuyasha was slightly confused because Sesshomaru was a fairly powerful demon. Yea, the purification would hurt him but he was not one to cower from a fight. And this was the second time he pulled Rin away from Kagome while her power was being invoked…

OH. Fuck. He whelped her. That-that--damnit!!! So many emotions were flowing through him; pain, hurt, jealousy, anger, frustration--but he needed to take a moment. He needed to get out of there. Scratch that, they needed to get outta there.

Sesshomaru. He impregnated her. A hanyou. After centuries of being a beating stick, being loathed, a burden because of his ‘tainted human blood’ and this bastard decided to have his own?! He hadn’t nearly apologized enough. Yea, he called them family. Yea, he brushed off his thanks because it wasn’t necessary but--but--FUCK! Fuck him!! They needed to go back to his room before he fucking beat the shit out of him and they were homeless again.

He stood and took Kagome’s arm trying to make it look like he was only enraged by the slayer’s insinuations--not that he wasn’t, but he knew that low blow was coming. He was prepared to be called out on only being loyal to her because he was a half-demon and he had found his mate.

The thing was he really had fallen for her. It hadn’t really mattered she was his mate. The only thing that did was keep him around so he could learn about her. But he soon grew to care about her. He was a moth to a flame and that flame was Kagome. She was fire in spirit--she had to be fed and cared for to burn brighter. Her spirit was so bright, how could anyone not be drawn to her? She was so open with her emotions, her thoughts… Even though she kept so many secrets, she did it in order to try and protect people. They weighed her down and it sometimes seemed it would crush her light. Originally he respected it; he didn’t tell her everything about himself either. Not that he had to. She was annoyingly intuitive but she never forced him to open up. No, she would just call him out on his shit with a smile and carry on with her day. Like nothing.

But in those times when she would look like she was going to break because the weight of the world rested on her shoulders, he would try to prove himself to her. Prove he wasn’t as big of a jackass as he tried to make off to be. Try and show her he could be more when this was all over.

Even then though, he still would backtrack, he’d say callous things to her. Almost like he couldn’t completely put down his walls and barriers to let her fully in. But she would either fight back or let them roll off her back. She knew him better than he knew himself. He honestly couldn’t believe a priestess had allowed him to be that close to her, allowed him to defend her, provide for her, and even hold her when she felt like she might break.

When the monk called after them he about lost his shit right then. He just needed to get the fuck outta there. What part of 'see you at fucking dinner' was not understood?!?!

The only reason he backed down was Kagome’s reassurance. He had half a mind to drag her back to the room but she wanted to talk to the monk. Her needs came before his own. He began walking slowly down the hall. Their initial part of their conversation became muffled. He knew Kagome would likely want it to be hushed but then their voices began to raise and he stalled in his gait.

“--do you know how depleted your life force actually is?!? You have maybe a couple of weeks left! If you’re lucky!!” The monk yelled. Inuyasha froze. He had been walking slowly to ensure the asshat didn't start anything with Kagome… he hadn’t been expecting to hear that was what the monk wasn't saying when he inspected Kagome's body when she was unconcious… Why hadn't he told them? That was why he had been summoned.

“I know!!” Kagome shouted back. Inuyasha’s thoughts turned dark. Of course she knew.

“Are you going to tell him?” He heard the monk lower his voice thinking he didn’t hear their conversation. Dumbass.

“I don’t think it’s really his business at the moment,” she replied back harshly. Typical information withholding Kagome...

“You realize when demons mate you end up sharing life-spans, correct? What happens if you completely deplete or drain his??” The monk questioned. Inuyasha felt his world stop. What…?

“I--I don’t know. We just--Look I appreciate you keeping this to yourself. I will handle this the way I see fit.”

“Lady Kagome--”

“No. No more. Thank you, see you at dinner, lord monk,” she clipped as she turned away from the monk to rejoin him. Inuyasha could only try to hide his face from hers; he didn't want her to know he knew just yet. Also seeing how her face was contorted with plaguing thoughts and ideas… He did the only thing he could honestly think of--play dumb.

“Everything ok?”

“Hm?” She honestly didn’t realize he was standing right beside her again. Her face looked shocked, then worried, then she locked her forced smile on. She was so infuriating. “Oh, ye-yea. He just wanted to know about how I could heal someone is all…”

Her scent didn’t deviate likely because it was slightly true; so he couldn’t call her out for being a filthy liar. When was she going to learn to stop keeping this kind of shit from him?? She slowed her pace obviously realizing she had no way to really know how to navigate the halls back to his room. He took the lead and slightly brushed his hand against her own. She jumped and looked like a frightened deer.

It hurt that she was put off by what the monk had said to her. But what was worse, was the fact she decided to hide it from him.

I’m over this, hanyou. It is my turn.

You’re just gonna scare her off, so fuck no.

Half-demon--you’ve tried your way. She isn’t responding the way she needs to be. It is my turn.

I’ll repeat: Fuck. No.

I will not harm her. I will get her to fight with us.

You want her to, what?!

Her fire is dying. She obviously is going to try to run again. Pay attention hanyou; anytime our life has become threatened, she becomes determined to put distance between us. Our mate must learn we are the protector. We are the provider. We are the alpha. She is who we protect. She is who we love. She is ours.

She probably will purify us to hell the moment you tell her to submit.

Not the plan. Just watch and pay attention.

They got to his room and he opened the door allowing her to enter first. As soon as she was all the way through, he stepped in closing the door quickly before he allowed his demon half to emerge. Play time was over.

His senses began to rise and sharpen; her heart beat started to become more frantic and he realized she likely felt his demonic aura grow and wrap around them. When she turned her sapphire gaze on him, she gasped. He knew his eyes were red, the purple jagged tattoos present, and his fangs were hanging outside his mouth.

Stepping towards her, she didn't move. She watched until he was an inch from her then she looked up into his eyes. Her eyes were hesitant but oddly firm.

“Inuyasha…” At her breathy voice, he nudged her to be against the wall and then took her wrists in his hands.

“I don’t like secrets, Kagome,” he warned.

“I don’t like eavesdroppers,” she retaliated when she realized what this whole scene would be about.

“Keh, can’t help listening when you’re both screaming about you only having weeks left,” he growled.

“I’m not submitting to you about this,” she stated, keeping her head facing him in defiance.

“Yes; you are! What the fuck were you thinking?!?!”

“I was thinking I was saving my mate!!”

“At the cost of your own life!!”

“Better mine than yours! Obviously I’m cursed!! You have a chance to have a family and go on! I'll never be able to have that kind of life. My duty was always to the jewel! It always will be! No matter where I go, what I do, I will always have to defend it and put it first!"

“Bullshit, Kagome. Don’t feed me that crap.”

“Come on Inuyasha; we’ve known each other for a month. You can’t honestly expect me to believe you love me. Or that you are ready to sign up for a long term commitment; you have a chance to move on and actually fall in love, have a family...” Her eyes started shifting and as much as she was trying to control her words, her scent was shifting. She was nervous, she was scared. Her fiery personality was dying off quickly. It was then he realized she was actually afraid he didn't care; that he would leave her and go fuck some other woman and mate with her. That she really was just a stand-in for something greater...

“Same to ya bitch,” he enunciated the last word hoping to reignite that flame that burned within her. He knew she hated that word and he kept himself from saying it to appease her. However when he allowed his demonic blood to surface, promises he made with his human heart got put on the back burner.

“What does that mean!?” She shot him a glaring stare.

“Exactly as it sounds--how do I know you love me? You’ve claimed it twice but all you do is run and hide at the first sign of conflict. You clearly hold no trust in me. You’ll have to actually convince me of that statement you declared in the hut and with the slayer as your actions always seem to negate it,” he smirked. He knew he was getting to her. His instincts knew all the tricks and ques to making her react the way he needed her to.

"That's not fair! It should show you that I do care! I don't know what I would do if you-- if you got hurt because of me! I don't know if I could ever get over losing you!"

"Then prove it, little mate," he purred as his body was now firmly pressed up against hers.

"N-no-- Inuyasha-- we can't-- I can't-- I won't mate with you if it means killing you!"

"Why do you put so much faith in a monk who turned you away instead of listening to your story like the half demon who stayed and protected you? Why value his words over mine?" He questioned as his hands released her wrists and moved up her arms.

"To be fair, the first thing you did was push me away, literally," she huffed.

"Are you still angry about it?"

"N-no-- Inuyasha-- please-- we can't--"

"I told you before that I couldn't leave you even if I wanted to," he began.

"Then why?! Ugh!! You're so-so--"

"Why what?" He asked as he stilled his hands on the curve of her hips. Her scent was flooding his nose and he knew he was being more forward than usual. But his instincts were in control. The arousal she was emitting literally could have killed him but she still hadn't submitted. He wouldn't give her everything until he had what he wanted. He made sure his intense bloodlust filled eyes bore into hers so they made her answer.

"Why did you threaten to leave then?" Her voice cracked and she was heartbroken. Fuck.

Go back.

Hanyou--

No. She needs to hear it from me.

I am a part of you, dumbass. Why from you?

Because I'm the one who hurt her…I’m the one who tried to leave her. To protect her from you--from our instincts.

Fine. I will take back over if you fuck this up. We are not losing our mate.

Without arguing further, his demonic blood granted him back full control again. He peered down at the distressed woman caged between his arms. He didn't deserve her. Honestly. Yet here she was, professing her love to him and the undeniable fears she had with it. The fact he might run. The fact she might kill him. The fact she thought he didn't love her. The slayer’s words likely affected her more than she had initially let on. The fact she insinuated the only reason he wanted to be with her was because there was no other option. But it actually was the opposite. Even if Kagome was somehow not his mate, he’d still be with her.

"Kagome," he said softly. She looked up at him with a genuinely surprised face. "I don't always say the right thing. I'm not good with words. The only people I've honestly talked to are in this palace or they're dead. If you ask any of them, I've hurt them, pissed them off, or I’ve just ran from the situation without even trying to speak. When I get mad, I don't always think. I just talk; say anything 'til I got what I wanted. Which is distance. To hurt someone before they could hurt me.

"For a long time it never mattered who I hurt, because it was only me. No one gave a shit about me, Kagome. Not until you came along. And I know I said unkind things when… when Naraku almost killed me. I felt betrayed by you because you were hiding things. I still don’t understand, but it sounds like you do that because you’re afraid of the information yourself; that you’re scared you are cursed. That you actually do think you’ll be the death of me.

“But let’s get one thing straight; even though I said those things--I had no intention of leaving you alone. Even if you refused to be my mate because of what an asshole I am, I planned on just being around you for the rest of your life. Watching you from afar, marrying another man, having his children… Just seeing you alive would be enough. I meant when I said I would die without you.

“Demons only have one mate, Kagome. You’re mine. Yea--we’ve only known each other for a month and not gonna lie; this month has been kinda shitty. But it has also been the best one of my very long shitty life. Even if I could go back and change it, I wouldn’t. Because I found you. So purify me if you have to, but I’m not going to let you go, ever again. You're mine."

She looked shocked from his confession. He knew that's the most he had ever said in a day let alone an hour. Her parted lips finally closed and her teeth took in her bottom lip.

Take it out of her mouth.

Shut up. Be patient.

Hanyou. Do you not have demonic vision? Do you not see the beauty that is before us? Can you not feel the desire to mark this creature as ours?? Take her!

God, you’re such an asshole. You act like I’m only human when you aren’t in the driver’s seat. I'm dying too, asshole; but I'm not going to push her that far. She needs a second.

Not yet. But you will take her.

Do you ever just stop talking?!

"You--I-- that's not a confession," she argued weakly.

"God, you are so fucking infuriating! I love you, you stupid girl!" He yelled before he lost control and slammed his lips upon hers.

She stiffened underneath his hold but he didn't let up. Fuck that. He wasn't lying when he told her he wasn't going to let her go. She was stuck with him. If all they had was a week, a month, a year at most, it'd be the best year of his life. This amazingly beautiful woman had done more for him than anyone else in his miserable life.

He felt her hands grip the front of his haori. When a moan escaped her mouth, he almost lost the very little control he had over himself. All he could think of was her. Her body he had unintentionally gotten to know very well when he first healed her wounds the first day they met. The curves, the dips, and even the swells over her luscious body were ingrained in his mind. His hands apparently had minds of their own as they began to trace her lithe body he imagined.

In order to protect her from himself, he needed to pull back now. He should. He didn't. Fuck him. Well, that's exactly what he wanted. Or rather the other head that was currently in charge wanted. He knew she could feel it pressed into her stomach but obviously, she was either oblivious to it or she wanted it as bad as he did.

Damnit. It couldn't be like this. Even though his tongue snaked its way out of his mouth and across her eager opening lips to let him taste her, he knew they needed to talk. Their discussion was far from over.

She was supposed to be a voice of reason, right?? Shouldn’t she be running by now? Not stroking her tongue against his fang making him groan. Shit. His treacherous hands had somehow lifted her by her ass and was brushing her--oh fuck she was completely bare. There were no undergarments! Fuckkkkkk she was wet. He could feel it. Nope. He had to stop.

Pulling away he growled at himself and slightly cursed his self-control. Thank God she was just as breathless as he was otherwise he probably would have immediately gotten lost in her again. She was panting and he pushed her head into his chest, still holding her up with one arm by her bottom. He needed to regain control as she apparently had none either. Keeping her head smooshed to him seemed to be a good start because then those daunting kiss-swollen lips were hidden from his sight and not tempting him to eat them. He pressed her nose into her hair and inhaled deeply.

“Kagome--we’re not done talking.”

“R-right,” she stammered.

Fuck he needed his heart to slow the fuck down. Distance. Yea--that’s what they needed. He reluctantly let her down and stepped away from her. Her eyes shot up to him in worry.

“Relax, wench. We just need to slow down a minute.”

“N-no, you’re right. I was careless. I don’t know what came over me,” she said, averting her eyes, embarrassed.

He rolled his eyes. Stubborn as hell woman. Whatever. That worked for now. Turning, he made his way back to his bed, hoping she’d catch the clue and follow. He turned and luckily she did, albeit, reluctantly.

“I know you’re scared. I won’t lie and tell you I’m completely okay with the situation either. But you have to understand Kagome, now that I found you and fell for ya, even if we don’t solidify the mateship, I will still end up following you in death.”

She knelt down hard next to him, somewhat defeated, “But why??”

“Demons don’t just fall in love--we’re not human--”

“But you’re half-human--”

“Yea, but my instincts and demonic half are stronger than most. Also, I’m stubborn as hell,” he added as he pushed his arms into his sleeves.

"Inuyasha, I'd want--"

"Yea but this isn't a ‘you want but I want’ situation. This is an all or nothing."

"I wish I had been more honest…"

"Same, but it doesn't matter; we'd likely still be in this situation. You care too much."

"To be fair you're saying I care about you too much. "

"My statement still stands. If I died before we mated, you’d still live.”

“Wait--how--” She started as she sank down to a full sitting position beside him, now fully engrossed in their conversation. Good. She was finally talking.

“While yes, I can fall in love and care about people because I have a human heart, my loyalties and devotion are kind of separate. They are instinctual. Because I’m human, I can ignore those instincts but if I want to stay alive, I typically follow them.”

“That doesn’t--”

“Kagome do you know how many people have ever accepted me besides you? Do you know how many people treated me with the kindness you did? The care? The equality? My mother. Even Sesshomaru didn’t give a flying fuck about me. Or rather didn’t until Rin came along…”

“Inuyasha… are you--are you upset by Rin being pregnant?”

“No!” The knowing stare she gave him pissed him off further.

“Why aren’t you happy for them? Rin is so nice and she seems like she’s really changed your brother for the better! Look at this room, and the kindness they have given you. No, I do agree, it cannot make up for everything he has done but it’s a start. I could have very well killed Rin accidentally twice now and Sesshomaru is still here. Still helping us. That has to mean something, right? He wants to help you.”

He finally looked at her after her little speech was over and felt like he melted. The heart and body he kept as hard as castle walls and coarse as sand were so easily broken down and softened by this woman.

“Fuck. I don’t like you sometimes.” Her giggle was fucking magic to his ears. He couldn't stop himself from pulling her against his chest and onto his lap. She obviously held no reservations about the contact. Something he was beyond thrilled about. Also slightly terrified. He was attached to her so much; how could she ever think he wouldn’t die if she went away?

“Inuyasha?”

“What?” He shot out shortly.

“I’m… sorry.”

“Nah, I didn’t mean to be so gruff. What’s wrong?”

“What do we do now?”

“Well, you can either cry about your lot, or make the best of it. My youkai believes that mating won’t kill me though; it thinks it’ll heal you fully.”

“You… talk to your demon blood?”

“Kinda. It’s hard to explain. It’s like having conversations with yourself, but your instincts and consciousness actually have a voice. He’s me and I’m him.”

“Is he… uhm… is that the you who you became when you demanded I submit?”

“Yea, he’s an asshole. That’s one reason I needed to put some distance between us. Sesshomaru had helped me learn how to control it; it wasn’t until you came along I started struggling to control it again.”

“Is it hard?”

“Sometimes. It’s easier when we’re like this.”

“Li-like--” He could smell her hint of arousal and some embarrassment.

Chuckling he pressed his head into her hair, “Yea. It likes you enjoying being close to me. That you are depending on me for comfort amongst other things. That you accept this closeness and like it.”

“D-do you like it, too?”

“Dummy, of course I do! He’s not a separate person! He’s just me--just uh… baser form? Less wordy?”

“You mean more basic instinct? Like--closer to your dog demon self?”

“I don’t actually have that form since I’m part human. But basically yes--my more animal self.”

“Don’t say that so disparagingly. There’s nothing wrong with you or your demon half,” she soothed, cupping his cheek, making him look into those beautiful ocean eyes. Gods. How did he get so lucky? He loved her and for whatever fucked up reason she loved him in return. He had begun to lean in to kiss her forehead when he felt her shift and pulled his forelocks to kiss his lips.

Fuck. He could forever get lost in her. In fact, he swore to himself he would in whatever time they had left together…

Kissing Inuyasha was absolutely amazing. Kagome had never felt those kinds of desires before. As a priestess, she had assumed her life would be one of chastity. Even though she was promised to Hojo, she just didn’t see that ever being a thing. There was nothing wrong with Hojo--but she just never saw him as anything more than a friend. Her own revelations of life of priestesshood became even more so apparent in her eyes when it had been revealed the jewel was housed in her own body. Then it had been solidified when Naraku appeared.

Inuyasha broke all the rules she had set herself. And she loved it.

She felt so free, so cherished, so wanted… and desired. She felt his hardened cock grinding against her when he held her against the wall. The way their hips battled for dominance was so new, inviting, and she wanted more--needed more.

When he had pulled back though she was snapped back to her senses. It was embarrassing how caught up she allowed herself to get just by the brush and stroke of his mouth. The way his fangs felt under her tongue. The way he moaned into her mouth… how he made her feel so powerful over him.

She shook herself alert and noticed he had dropped down onto the bed. Joining him in their discussion, she felt bad that she hadn’t noticed the tension that was caused by Rin’s hidden pregnancy.

How it actually hurt him. But she did the only thing she could do; helped heal him. Helped his heart let go of those feelings. Maybe one day she could heal all the wounds that humans and demons battered him with. But for today, she would help him feel better--help him forgive his brother who seemed like he was trying to make amends.

Even if he had no one, she would stay by his side. She would make up for anyone and everyone who shunned him.

The fact he called himself an animal in such a condescending manner only told her how much humans had ingrained in his brain how he wasn’t worthy. How he could taint anyone or anything. It hurt. It physically made her ache with sorrow. She wished she was born sooner--or he was born later. He should never have had to live like that. He was so special. Kind. Handsome. Why did no one else see that?

She didn’t even fight the pull to kiss him again. His sadness, his hurt was her own. She would take it from him and replace it with happiness. Love. It bothered her that she was the only one who could give him this kind of love because he deserved it from everyone. But she would happily give him everything and more. Why should they wait? Even if they didn’t bond, he made it abundantly clear he would likely die shortly thereafter.

Even if by some miracle she survived, even if her powers somehow dissipated for lying with a demon, she would never regret her decision to lie with him. Ever. While she knew her fate was to protect the Shikon Jewel inside her body, she knew her destiny was to be with Inuyasha. That call was a thousand times louder than the one she heard for the jewel.

She brushed her hands through his hair and grasped his ears lightly and stroked them gently through her fingers.

The growl of his pleasure made her so wet she was concerned that there was something wrong--until his hand was suddenly down there stroking between her glistening folds and she felt his moan vibrate through her mouth. It pulled her own groan from her body. She clenched onto the back of his head and neck as she tried to press her body as close to his as she possibly could. She didn’t want to ever let go.

Maybe even in death they could be this close. No space between. Honestly, she wouldn’t be surprised if she was already dead and this was her nirvana. Her peace. Her heaven. Gods, she loved him so much it hurt.

He was so caring. Dashing. He put her ‘human’ needs before his own. Yes, their original first meeting was rough but after getting to know him for the month they were stuck in their shelter, she realized why he was the way he was. She broke down his barriers. Their tender moments meant the world to her. The fact he trusted her that much to embrace her, help her up and down to even pee in the bushes, slept by her futon while she slept on the bed--she owed him. But this wasn’t about repaying a debt at all. This was about the pure lust and desire that flowed through them to mark each other as theirs.

The idea she was fated to be with someone only drew her longing more. This was where she was meant to be. Here--in his arms.

Him stroking her clit. Gods. She pulled her mouth away from his and whined loudly. It felt so good. So overwhelming. She’d never felt this way before. Not even in her free time had she really ever… explored. It seemed forbidden to her. With her duties and destiny riding over her, how could she find time to relax and unwind like that? Not to mention, there was no one who really sparked those interests in her anyway. Hojo was… Hojo. Koga was mated and honestly, he was just a friend. Anyone else in the village only revered her.

She slightly wanted to ask how he knew what he was doing but also couldn’t make him stop. Hell, she couldn’t form words outside of the syllables of his name.

“Inu--Yasha--”

“Gods, you’re so sensitive,” he mumbled against her shoulder. Her yukata had fallen open. How’d she not notice that? Oh, he untied it? Or did she?

A little clear-headed, she took stock on what was actually happening. Aside from the fact she felt like something in her stomach was tight and was going to explode--snap. Not in a bad way---slightly different, but Gods did she not want it to stop. She wanted to see what the feeling would become.

She literally thought she might die if he stopped. Thrusting herself into his hand that was still stroking her jewel, she also felt his finger starting to tease at going inside her; she wanted more.

“Yash,” her voice whispered. She knew he would hear her though. He slightly paused and she whined. “Pleaseeeee,” she moaned pitifully.

Finally, she got what she thought she was begging for when one of his fingers slipped into her. His thumb still caressed and stroked her nub all the while driving her higher and higher.

He was panting in her ear, his hand that wasn’t toying with her sex was wrapped securely around her waist, holding her close to him. Thank all the Gods he needed the closeness too. Without it, it likely wouldn’t be that amazing.

Finally she felt something snap and she screamed out due to the overwhelming sensations and feeling of being so ungodly complete. Full. She felt liquid soak her legs curled beneath her and Inuyasha shiver in her hold as she gasped for air. Coming down from her high she felt him kissing her forehead sweetly.

“Gods,” she finally croaked.

“Fuck Kagome, that was fucking hot,” he said unsteadily.

She shivered in response and he slowly pulled his hand from her. Gazing up at him, still slightly out of it, she caught him licking his fingers. They locked eyes and he looked slightly ashamed. No--she wouldn’t have that. Barely managing to raise on her jelly-like legs she nuzzled his neck and licked his neck seductively as she mumbled, “Do I taste good?”

“Goddamn Kagome--”

“Is that a yes?”

“Fuck yes,” he groaned into the crown of her hair.

“Mmmmmm,” she hummed happily. Then it dawned on her the very hard appendage that was against her calf and immediately blushed ten shades of red.

“Don’t worry, I ain’t a pup. I’m fine. I know I got kinda carried--”

She didn’t allow him to continue his apologies or his resolve to stop in hopes to control himself for whatever reason. She had been serious; she wanted all of him. What he gave her was beyond wonderful but she needed all of him. Shoving him down to lay down she straddled him; her robe was still open so it made it easier for her to shrug off completely. She took his hand and placed it on her breast making them both hiss from the contact.

“Kagome--”he started.

“No. I don’t want to wait anymore, Inuyasha,” she said as she dipped her head down to capture his lips. “Please, if we only have weeks, then please, take me. Make me yours.” Did she sound whiny? Absolutely. But she hoped it got her point across. She wanted him--needed him. If they were fated to die together so be it. Let it be while they were officially bonded so they had no regrets.

“We don’t have to rush this, Kagome,” he soothed, splaying his hands across her hips and raising his own to grind against her own.

“Who’s rushing?” She tried to say it strongly. But it came out as pants. Broken. Whimpered.

“What if this takes your powers, though? What if we have a chance to fight that bastard who took you?” He asked as he sat up still pressing himself against her--the friction between his hardened length still encased in his pants and her core brought her back up to a blubbering helpless pile of goo.

“I-I thought about that--I trust you. I trust that you’ll take care of me. Protect me. Pr-provide for me. I doubt that’ll happen though--that I-I’d lose my reiki. Ah!! J-Just because you’re a demon doesn’t mean you’re tainted,” she gasped when a solid thrust brushed his soaked hakama against her clit again. Her hands were at his obi trying to untie it when his hands stilled her own.

They locked eyes and he was almost testing her. Ensuring this was, in fact, what she really wanted. She was nervous. But there was no doubt that she desired him. Heart and soul and body.

“A-Are you sure?” She finally asked.

“It’s not that I’m not sure, Kagome,” he finally relented, kissing her temples, then cheeks. “I just know you took your duty so seriously until literally a couple of hours ago. In my demon form, he didn’t think about these ramifications. He just wanted to claim you because that was what our instinct called for. I just want to make sure I’m doing right by you.”

“I didn’t know I was going to die. I didn’t know our time was limited. I don’t want to waste it now--”

“That could be changed. We might be able to stop this.”

“Inuyasha,” she breathed. Why was he being so… stubborn about this? Was stubborn even the word? “What’s really wrong? You seem uhm, reluctant about this?”

“Trust me; it’s not that I don’t want you. Fuck every goddamn part of me does,” he added an extra thrust that sent her keening into his shoulder to emphasize his point. Obviously the attraction was there. He was still humping her even through his clothes. “I just--fuck why is it me who has an actual working brain right now, Kagome? You’re usually the one who has the sense.”

The beration he was trying to give her didn’t help her non-functioning head. “Probably because I’ve never done any of this before and you feel so good; being so close to someone was never something I was really allowed. I never allowed myself to have those kinds of desires even alone. It’s intoxicating; you’re everything I’ve ever wanted. Someone I honestly never knew I needed. A shelter--a home. Someone I want to call my own. I don’t want to ever fight these feelings. I just want to be together,” she whined.

“Kagome,” he whispered in awe.

His hand that had moved back on to her breast started kneading it, and then twisted and pinched her nipple. She lost herself and barely realized he had lowered her down onto the pillows the way his mouth was distracting her. His lips moved against hers like magic; he made her feel somewhat more experienced than she was. Especially when his breath hitched when she blessed him with her tongue probing his mouth. She wanted to learn his taste, the feel of his tongue against hers, the way his fangs felt--actually she wanted his fangs to nibble and nip across her body. Along with his tongue. She wanted him to memorize every scar, curve, and crevice of her body. And she wanted to learn all of his.

She wanted him to learn what got her going just like he was teaching her. She wanted to learn the same about him.

Was it crass to ask someone how they were good at stimulating someone? How they knew what they were doing??

“Dunno. Instinct. Also, you’re not quiet or shy about making sure I hear what you like,” he smirked, wiggling his ears.

She knew she was blushing madly. “I said that out loud?!!?”

He chuckled as he moved his face to-- oh thank the Gods, his fangs were pressing against her neck. Panting, she writhed beneath him unable to continue their conversation further. But good to know his instincts were that powerful. Not that she would have cared if he had explored another woman’s body. They did have a rather large age gap between them. OR even if he had to learn everything with her--it would have been okay. Because they would do it together.

“Just so you know--for future reference or whatever, demons are fairly loyal to their mates. Possessive. They don’t stray like humans. Sex is different to us. I am half-demon. So I know what sex means for a human--but I’ve always been too much of a coward to look for sex on my human nights. Also, why bother when I’d have to run the next morning before the sun rose? It was too dangerous to ever explore any of that kind of crap. But with you…”

“You can be vulnerable,” she sighed as his lips descended and suckled on her breast making her cry out and buck her hips off the futon.

“See? Smart girl,” he groaned as he continued his ministrations. Soon his lips dipped lower as he continued to nip and bite her smooth skin. It was a good thing Rin’s yukata covered her body fully--by the time he was done she wouldn’t have a single unblemished part of her skin left. Which only made her body burn hotter. She was embarrassed to think of where she wanted his head the most but it seemed like he knew--or at least that’s where he wanted his head to be as well.

“You like the idea of me tasting you?” She felt a sharp nip at her hip making her focus somewhat as she saw his bright amber eyes searching hers. Why was he asking in such a leading way? Did he feel uncomfortable without her actual words of consent?

“Gods yes,” she pleaded, giving him the permission he was obviously seeking. His face closed the final inches between them and his nose pressed up against the soft curls of her womanhood.

He exhaled shakily making her slightly anxious. Did she smell alright? Was she clean? Did he like that she was as wet as she was?

"Relax, Kagome. You smell fucking amazing," he placated as he took a long leisurely lick of his tongue between her folds.

"Ahhh!! I-I didn't ask that out loud did I?? Ugh! Inu--" Her hands went to interweave her fingers in his hair as she pulled his face as close as possible as she let unadulterated sounds escape her mouth.

Humming his approval only sent her body into uncontrollable spasms. The vibration made her hips rise further into his mouth as he grazed his fangs inside of her folds. His tongue laved every available surface and she swore she was going to actually cry. She had never felt this much pleasure, this much-heated desire and wanting it almost scared her. Almost. The other half of her demanded he finish what he started and to quit teasing her.

"Inuyasha please," she begged, trying to steer his head where she wanted him the most.

His tongue re-entered her and began stroking inside her wet dripping opening. His fingers latched onto her clit and squeezed, twisted, and pulled forcing out her second powerful release.

It was weird to think about--she swore she had left her body from such an extreme high from the mind-blowing orgasm--that he was literally drinking from her.

The villagers talked. Kagome’s knowledge came from treating the women who were married and gossiped about everything. Everything. EVERYTHING.

Those conversations always left her mortified. She couldn't imagine these things these women did for their husbands. Like taking them in their mouths OR how they would just enter them whenever they felt like it... And...just how little it seemed like they got back. Sure, they told her about reaching climaxes but nothing about a man reaching out and touching between their folds, nothing about a man lying between their legs and licking up all the juices they produced. Hell, the liquid that seeped out of her was such a rare topic she could say she was initially concerned when she felt herself become so wet. But Inuyasha only made her wave off her initial discomfort. He apparently was enthralled with the idea her body produced such things. Just the fact Inuyasha was so different from those men made her realize how very special he was. It made her realize how blessed she was.

He slinked his way back up to her and pressed tender kisses on her temples, cheeks, then nuzzled her neck while humming that purr of happiness. He was happy. Inuyasha. He was happy he pleasured her.

She hummed acknowledging she was more aware and back from her vacation of bliss before she moved her hands to rub his delicate ears. Then she did something without even thinking; she pulled his face up to hers and kissed him. She fully tasted herself and it was… wonderful. Erotic. Arousing.

Just knowing that she was only for him. That only they knew the taste of each other. That she drenched him in her own flavor and being able to taste proof of it was enough to make her want to try that thing the village’s women told her about. He was obviously distracted with her mouth perusing him as she finally dropped her hands to his obi and untied it. She stealthily took her leg and used it to push down his hakama as her hands came up to part his kosode and haori.

She must’ve caught his attention as her breath stalled as his fingers brushed over his chiseled abs and pecks; he looked deep into her ocean eyes with fiery ambers. Biting her lip she returned his gesture he often did to comfort her and nuzzled his neck in comfort to coax him out of his shell.

“Kagome…” he sighed.

“Inuyasha,” she said in return and took his hardened length between them in her hand and gave a light tentative stroke.

“Fuck,” he croaked. “Don’t stop.”

This is exactly what she had thought previously as she felt him shudder and moan into her shoulder. He made her feel powerful. Needed. Desired. Somehow she was the puzzle piece he was missing.

“Never,” she breathed into his hair. That was a promise.

Inuyasha wasn’t sure what had come over him when they started kissing again. It was like his demon half had taken control--only it hadn’t. It was all him. He did listen to his instincts of where she should be touched, how hard, how much.

But he was also really testing the waters as he felt around for her nub, twisted her breast, nibbled, and laved her body in the most intimate of ways. He had not only made her come once but twice. And she still wanted him. She still touched him. She was slowly coaxing him to not give a fuck and stop all higher brain function in general.

Fuck. He wasn’t going to be able to last long with her soft unblemished hand stroking him like that. He was going to explode all over her.

He had never been with a woman. A partner. It never really mattered if he saved a village or saved a child, people from far and wide only saw him for what he was; a half-demon. A monster. Sure, he had gazed upon the naked form before. Sure, he had taken matters into his own hands but fuck. Kagome saw him as a man. Someone she wanted to be with. Someone she said it hurt because she desired him so much. His hand would never be able to do the job again.

Even more than that though, Kagome allowed him to do whatever his body and mind seemed to call for. She teased him about if she tasted good when he tried to sneak a taste from his finger and then egged him on to dive deep face-first into her sex. Then by all the Gods, she let him kiss her and her scent of arousal only sparked back to life while she sampled her own flavor on his tongue.

She had thoroughly wound him up so tight he hadn’t even noticed when she had untied his obi and somehow pushed down his pants as she parted his kimono. Only the sensation of her gentle and curious caresses of his chest brought him back from his thoughts that were flooded around the ache of his throbbing dick.

He initially wanted her to realize if they were going to stop--they needed to. Either way, there was no turning back for him. He’d have to hurry to bathe to take care of his cock or finish what they started. Either way, he’d likely have to get this hard-on out of the way so he wasn’t too eager if she did choose to continue because he’d wind up hurting her.

All thoughts went out the window when she took hold of him and started stroking. Fuck. Shit. He was gonna mate with her. Yep. Settled. She was definitely fucking his. No discussion. He’d never allow her to leave. Now, fifty years from now, hundreds, whatever, she belonged to him. Only he would know the gentleness of her hands but firm pull she gave, only he would know the depths and curves of her body.

Fuck he was losing his mind. Over her just fucking touching him. They weren’t even mating yet.

“Kagome--I’m gonna--”

“Please--I want you to; but can I try something else?” She was so sweet. An innocent little angel. It made him harder when she spoke so kindly and brazenly without trying. Not to mention it turned him on more knowing she had never tried this before. Even on herself. The fact he made her feel this way was making his demon beyond excited. Far more possessive than before; it swore they'd go back to the village and slaughter anyone who had ever laid eyes on her.

No; that’s a little drastic.

Whatever hanyou. She is ours.

And whatever she says goes, asshole.

Touche, half-demon.

Her pushing on his chest startled him from his thoughts as she beckoned him to sit up. What did she say? She wanted to try something? What did--OH FUCK. Her mouth was on his dick.

Her. Mouth.

HOLY SHIT.

Was. On.

Good fucking GOD.

His. Dick.

His hands flew down to her head but he showed restraint he had no idea he had and forcibly did not shove himself further in her mouth. If anything just having his hands entwined in her hair just solidified how real and tangible this was. This was better than any fantasy he had ever cooked up in his marble-sized brain. Her tongue grazing over his hardened length, her teeth lightly scraping, her fingers playing and teasing his sac, her other hand rubbing where her mouth couldn’t reach--

It was wayyyyyyyyy too fucking much. He was panting, his ears were pressed down, and the sounds being ground out of his mouth were incomprehensible.

He tried to give her some signal that she was gonna taste him. If she wanted to stop, that would be the time. But she hummed and kept bobbing her head back and forth and damnit--he came with a crashing force; he was scared he actually hurt her when he held her head in place as she drank him up.

When he finally figured out which way was up and down again, he finally looked into Kagome’s eyes. He let go of her head, stirred deeply that she was looking at him so… sultry. She was fucking proud of herself. Shit, she was beautiful.

She let go of his still slightly hard cock and smiled at him while she sat up from her previously crouched position and licked her lips.

“Was that okay?”

“Good Gods woman--I thought that--”

“I was the village healer. You think men are bad. Women are worse,” she laughed. And her laugh only made his dick fully rise again. She had to be the embodiment of lust. Beauty. She was so perfect. This wasn't even about being mates; this was about being in love.

He leaned in and kissed her. Shit. It was like she didn’t totally just blow him. He was up, almost painfully so, and ready to go for round two. Tasting the mixture of her and his own juices was driving him to the brink of insanity. Even though his instincts were yelling at him to flip her onto her hands and knees, he knew he should take her the way he had seen human men take their bitches.

Honestly, the idea was just as tempting--to be able to kiss her, look deep into her beautiful ocean blue eyes, watch her face contort with pleasure, have her hands actively stroking--

I agree. Take her.

“Inuyasha,” she breathed. It was fucking magic to his ears. And cock. This beautiful naked creature beneath him literally clouded all coherent thought. He hadn’t even noticed he had laid her back and his body was covering hers; that her legs were spread apart and he rested between them. Their most intimate parts grazing each other. He was completely drunk off of her. He would never need to drink or eat again if she was on the menu at night. He dipped down to recapture her lips in his.

He swore he had to be dreaming. Fuck. He had never felt this complete in his life and they hadn’t even joined yet. All they had been doing was touching. Yea, sexually but shit. He couldn’t even begin to dissect or discern how this was all so different. New. Amazing.

Was it fucked up that he almost wanted to thank Naraku for driving her to him? Probably. Whatever, he probably would when he was taunting him about how he marked his ‘so-called mate’ as his own. If they made it that far. He knew he would take great pleasure in killing the bastard if they got the chance.

Honestly, Inuyasha didn’t even care if they never saw him again. All the mattered, all that consumed his mind was Kagome.

He pulled back and looked back into her eyes then softly caressed her cheek extending to touch and smooth down her sex-frazzled hair.

“Are you… really sure?”

“Yes,” she said without hesitation.

“It’s gonna hurt, but I’ll go slow, alright?”

“Mhm,” she nodded with glittering eyes.

He couldn’t stop himself as he kissed her again as he lined himself up with her entrance; his dick was covered with her wetness as her ground against her clit. He felt her arms wrap around him and her hands grip the back of his shoulders to hold him closer to her. Taking a steadying breath he entered her tight wet core trying to ignore the hitch and whine she exerted.

He slowed his pace even though all he wanted to do was slam into her over and over again; he began kissing her face and then nuzzled her neck licking up to the back of her ear before shakily exhaling her name.

Her walls loosened slightly and he finally finished entering her. They laid still, trembling, holding each other for a few moments. Him, giving her time to adjust while he was given the opportunity to comfort her. Her, likely trying to get used to the intrusion and the rub her hands all over his body.

She finally released a breath she was holding and nudged his cheek with her nose and slightly raised her hips as if testing the feeling. All it did was drive him crazy but he refused to move until she said otherwise. He didn’t even care if he came right then. They likely wouldn’t have to wait long to go again if that happened. But he wanted her comfort first and foremost and fuck--he wouldn’t rush it.

“Y-you can move, Y-yash,” she said, kissing his cheek and bringing her hands to his face to angle it down to kiss her. He was only happily complied as he slowly shifted his hips and pulled out to push back in. This time he felt her hymen burst as he reentered her; he also, unfortunately, heard and felt her cringe and whimper underneath him.

He moved his face and kissed her eyes then licked her tears. Her delicate little hands shifted from his face to his ears. He let out a calming rumble through his chest to help ease her discomfort and pain.

She moved her hips again and this time her voice was laced with a heated moan rather than one covered with hurt. He took her cue and proceeded to restart his movements.

His ears flicked with the sounds of her uneven breathing, her whimpers of need, the long drawn out sighs of broken versions of his name. Fuck.

She was so wet again, she wasn’t faking anything--not that he thought she would but everything from her scent to her body rising off the futon to meet his thrusts was telling him she was getting as much out of their lovemaking as he was.

That sounded odd to him. He would never have referred to sex as ‘love-making’. Rutting, fucking, coitus, but never something so--girlie. But with Kagome, that’s what this was. While yeah, she was encouraging his primal urges to emerge and work, and yeah, they weren’t going so slow that they’d never finish, but they were fully expressing their feelings for each other. It was an odd sensation and realization to him that he was loved as much as he loved someone else.

Her bellowment of pleasure brought him out of his ponderings; though he was far from silent as well, he thought his growls and grunts would scare her but if anything it made her pull her legs tighter around his waist, her hips churn to hit parts of her she clearly wanted to be touched, her nails grasp his shoulders and dig in deeper--shit he was close but he needed her where he was for the mate-bond to hold.

Moving one of his hands from her hips, he used his thumb to stroke the nub he had originally discovered in his venture of fingering her. Her breath caught and she cried out. She writhed beneath him as he felt her contract around him.

Resting his forehead against her as he continued his ministrations, his hair fell and curtained around them as they were trapped in their own sweaty, hot, panting world. He honestly thought about skipping dinner after all. He would never get enough of this gorgeous woman wrapped around him.

“Kagome, I--I’m gonna mark you.”

“O-Okay,” she ground out with another cry along with another squeeze to his deeply submerged cock.

He lowered his head to the crook of her neck and licked as she began to cry out his name.

“Come for me, Kagome,” he said steadier than how he felt. He was nervous, excited, crazed, everything was swirling around in a timeless blurr. When she began to spasm around him, screaming out her orgasm, he couldn’t hold back his to even save his own life. Right before it was ripped from his body, he bit down on her neck and allowed his youki to flow through her. He hadn’t expected her own reiki to react by flowing back through him.

Coming down from their mutual bliss, their high from release, he raised his head up from her shoulder and gazed into her eyes.

“I love you, Kagome.”

“I love you too, Inuyasha,” she whispered leaning up to kiss him again.

There was a surge of reiki beneath him--coming from Kagome. But it oddly didn’t burn. It seemed to have startled her too because initially, she tried to shove him off of her. He looked down at her hip and saw a bright light that blinded him before it formed into a fucking person.

Now he’d seen everything. Of course, they would be fucking naked, just enjoying the bliss of the afterglow from having sex and a fucking ghost would appear. He pulled out of her and sat up in front of her. Snarling.

His demonic blood hit him full force, without even a warning or blip to alert him before it took over. Kagome's hand grabbed his bicep quickly from behind as she pressed her body into his.

“Wait--” she gasped.

“Who the fuck are you and what the fuck do you want?!” He growled menacingly.

“Relax, half-demon. I am not here to harm you or my descendent,” the ghost waved her arm in placation.

“‘Descendent?’ Are you… Lady Kikyo?” Kagome asked.

“I am. I’ve come to warn you,” she stated emotionlessly.

“After we mated? Your fucking timing sucks,” Inuyasha snarled.

“Yes, that is why I came,” she said.

“Too late now,” he grumbled. Of course, her ancestor would be a judgemental bitch.

“Lady Kikyo, I love Inuyasha. Even if you are here to warn us about mating, it’s already been done and I still have my reiki. Even if I didn’t, he is my mate--”

“No, I came to warn you of Naraku. Your mating only destroyed the things he wanted most. He will be rather angry.”

“What do you mean?” Kagome questioned, still securely pressed to Inuyasha’s back.

“By solidifying your mateship, the jewel has been purified. The act made from pure love was too much for the jewel to take--it is no longer of this world. For that, I am indebted to you.”

“You mean--”

“Fucking made the jewel pure?” Kagome smacked him. Likely for how he had phrased their mating. To be fair he was in demon form--fucking was what it was called. His human half could call it love-making. Same fucking thing.

“Yes; I did not mean to intrude on your post-coital bliss but, we must speak before my spirit is gone. There was a remnant of it imprisoned by the jewel. It was taken to serve as a warning to whoever purified the jewel.”

“Why?” Kagome asked.

“Naraku was once my betrothed, Onigumo. However, he fell prey to the jewel’s darkness, and soon, the demons descended and ripped his body and soul apart. He ceased to exist and became what you know now as Naraku. He is the one who slew me, hoping I, too, would fall and use the jewel for my deepest desires. However, I took the jewel with me to the netherworld knowing it should be destroyed.

“Then it was born again in you, Kagome. For that, I am sorry. But you were able to purify it, unlike so many before you failed to do. You found the answer no one else could come up with.”

“Love?” Kagome curiously said.

“Indeed. Your love for the hanyou is what ultimately purified the jewel. The selfless love you had for him made the jewel unable to maintain its form. But now that the jewel is gone, Naraku will be even more enraged. The fact you have been claimed by this half-demon may even send him over the edge. This is the warning I give to you; Naraku will not stop until he has exactly what he desires. Even if that means he has to start over.”

“Start over? What the fuck does that mean?”

“You will soon find out,” Kikyo said as she slowly began to disappear.

“Wait!! Inuyasha and I won’t be around long enough to finish what you started! OR what we started! Whatever! How--”

“Do not be foolish. You allowed another’s prejudices to cloud your mind. Your mate bond with Inuyasha has, in fact, saved your life. His youki has refilled your life energy and the reiki that you lost when the jewel was purified.

“It is still your destiny to destroy Naraku. But it was never your destiny alone, Kagome. Good luck,” Kikyo finished as she disintegrated from sight.

Inuyasha’s blood receded with Kikyo’s presence gone and he turned to face Kagome who was staring at him in shock. Tears pooled at her eyes and all he could do was grab her face, smashing his lips to hers. She frantically returned the pressure and moaned into his mouth.

When he withdrew, they were both breathless. She giggled with unbounded happiness. Inuyasha wiped her tears away with his thumbs and couldn’t help but return her smile with all the love he felt for her.

“Told ya,” he smirked. She batted his chest and made him chuckle. He took her face and lightly pressed his lips to her when they heard a frantic knock at the door.

“Lady Kagome?? Lord Inuyasha?? Are you both alright???” Rin’s voice called.

“Go in! We must check on her!” They overheard the monk saying.

“This one advises against entering,” Sesshomaru said evenly.

Kagome blushed the brightest he had ever seen and he tossed her the first thing he could find to coverup with--which was his kosode but fuck it--something was better than nothing at that point! He threw on his hakama in haste hearing the slayer demand to enter to make sure neither of them were injured in the surge of demonic aura and reiki.

The door finally burst open. The slayer and monk lead the way followed by the sheepish Rin and exasperated Sesshomaru. Kagome sat behind Inuyasha again, grabbing his bare arm making sure he felt her reiki flow to him to calm him. It oddly worked in settling his raging blood that demanded he slaughter the humans for seeing Kagome in such an intimate position. Wrapped up in his clothes, flushed from their activities, mark fresh from their binding, hair wild from lust, her scent still hot, spicy, and mixed with his own.

Not that they could smell that--but his asshole brother could. It made him growl.

“Lady Kagome--we sensed a large amount of reiki; are you alright? Lord Inuyasha, are you??” The monk began.

Kagome kept hold of his arm as if sensing he was about to tear the monk's arms off and use them to beat him. “Y-Yes we’re fine,” she mumbled into his back. Oh fuck. He needed them to leave so he could take her again. Her full breasts so intimately rubbing against him, her hot breath swaying his hair and brushing against his neck. Fuck. She was so fucking desirable without even trying.

Rin stepped out from beside Sesshomaru and gasped then rushed to Kagome’s side. Inuyasha snarled a warning and she whacked him. Rin. Rin hit him?! What the fuck?!?

“Shush you! Oh my goodness!” She exclaimed, turning to Kagome and slightly touching the area he marked. “You did it!!! You mated!! EEEEEEEEEE!!!!”

“Rin,” Sesshomaru tried.

“We truly are sisters now!! How exciting!!! You probably want a bath before dinner, do you not?? Why don’t you come with me!!” Rin more or less ordered as she grabbed her yukata that was sprawled on the ground and held it in front of Kagome so no one else could see her get dressed.

“What the fuck--no--Rin--” Inuyasha started. Then she whacked him again. WHAT THE FUCK!?!? Why did she keep doing that and why was his fucking inner demonic jackass self taking it?!?

Alpha male’s whelped mate. We aren’t looking for a challenge. We have a mate to consider. Allow the woman to bathe her that way we can reinstate our scent and mark later. When we won’t be interrupted. When we can take her over and over and over--

Fucking hell.

We respect the chain of command, hanyou. Calm your hormones.

“Now, now, respect your lady. She needs a girl talk and a bath. She hasn’t had a proper one in a long time and I’m sure she would love a woman’s touch, Lord Inuyasha. Stay and chat with my lord husband.” Rin helped a frazzled, still heavily blushing, confused Kagome and led her out of the room.

“Inu--” Kagome started.

“Stay,” Sesshomaru ordered the moment Inuyasha began to rise. “Slayer. Accompany them.”

“Excuse me?!” The slayer bellowed.

“Now Sango, maybe they would uhm… like to get to know you better. It seems our goals for vengeance have aligned,” the monk tried to soothe.

“Fine…” she glared at her husband then shot a deadly glare to Inuyasha. He only thought the response he wanted to say; he didn’t want to set her off further while she was going to be with his mate by saying his derogatory thoughts aloud.

Once she was gone, Inuyasha turned back to his brother, “Whaddya want? Obviously you wanted our mates gone.”

“We received something at the gates,” Sesshomaru informed.

“What do you mean you got something? From who?”

“We believe it was from Naraku… We wanted to share this with you before we shared it with Lady Kagome. It is--unpleasant,” the monk added, obviously off-put by whatever it was they got.

“Well what is it?” Inuyasha demanded.

“It belonged to your Miko,” Sesshomaru grimaced. He grimaced. That bastard didn’t give a shit about anyone or anything--well besides Rin. What in the fuck did Naraku have that could disturb Sesshomaru? Stoic Inu-no-Taisho, Lord of the fucking West?

Inuyasha began to get nervous. Edgy. His youki automatically went to seek Kagome’s presence out. Low and behold it found her and her reiki stroked back comfortingly. She was safe. Rin had her. Why was that so comforting?

“Sesshomaru… just fucking tell me. My instincts are all over the fucking place right now,” Inuyasha finally relented to his brother.

“As they should be. You just mated with your priestess. If your youki wasn’t melding with hers, it would be an issue,” he commented as he pulled something from his sleeve and extended it to him.

Inuyasha took it and was assailed with not only Kagome’s scent but Naraku’s. It had another scent on it as well but he hadn’t smelled that person before. He looked down into his hand and saw what looked like a ring… with her hair entwined with it. What in the seven hells--

It was a western tradition to exchange rings when someone became betrothed. Was it possible this was that Hojo-person’s ring? How did Naraku come to have it? He gazed back at Sesshomaru who didn’t look pleased by the development.

“What?! What aren’t you telling me?!”

“It was attached to a finger, Lord Inuyasha,” Miroku conceded.

“A finger?? Whos?!”

“I assume the male of which you scented on the ring. Did you know your mate was betrothed?” The monk watched Inuyasha’s face for a sign of anger, remorse, or whatever. It pissed Inuyasha off further.

“Of course I did. She told me when we were stuck in that shelter we found after we met.”

“Yet you still pursued her??” The monk inquired curiously.

“She was the one who told me she wanted nothing to do with the marriage. Even if she hadn’t run, she said she wouldn’t have gone through with it,” Inuyasha sneered at the monk.

“My little brother would not mate with a woman who was spoken for unless she had been forced into the said arrangement. Your insinuations must stop if you wish to remain here and find your vengeance for those you have lost.”

“My apologies. As I have admonished before, this is an odd situation for me in general. A Miko the mate of a demon, who happened to be the reincarnation of the legendary Kikyo and holds the Sacred Jewel in her body, who we originally thought was mated to the demon who killed our friends and family, and now who happened to be betrothed to another man in her village. Lady Kagome just keeps proving to be a very special woman.”

“Speaking of my mate, she still has her reiki.”

“Unsurprising as she is the keeper of the Shikon no Tama,” Sesshomaru expressed.

“Yea… about that,” Inuyasha started. “When I marked her--the jewel uh--vanished. Purified or whatever.”

“A thousand pardons, Lord Inuyasha. But do you mean to say that--when you and the Lady Kagome were-- intimate, you purified the jewel?”

“Yeah, pervert. And her ancestor, Kikyo came out and had a nice little chat with us. Which was why you sensed the large amount of youki from me and the spiritual power from her. She told us about Naraku. What he actually wanted. Then gave us some half-ass weird ominous warning about him still trying to get what he wants even if he had to start over--now that we covered that, why the fuck is my mate’s hair wrapped around her ring??”

“We believe it was cursed. Especially with the finger that was attached. I have locked the uh--appendage away for now. Lady Kagome’s power may be able to ward off the evil that we sensed with it.”

“The ring is fine though?” Inuyasha demanded.

“We do not sense jyaki from it. So it is. For now,” Sesshomaru spoke.

Damnit all! Of course, the bastard would still be at large! Ruining the time that Inuyasha should be exploring his new mate’s body, solidifying their bond, rutting her over and over, making her glands literally drip of his scent--

"This conversation should be continued with your new mate, Inuyasha. We should see if she is able to detect anything from the object. I have also invited another guest to enlighten us on these recent developments. He should be here by dinner time. "

"I agree with Lord Sesshomaru," the monk added. "Lady Kagome should be informed of the newest situation."

"Maybe I missed something, but why are you trying to be all 'buddy buddy' now?"

"It will be discussed at dinner which should be ready shortly, little brother. Get dressed and head down to the dining hall," Sesshomaru lamented as he left his chambers.

Before Miroku could bow Inuyasha grabbed him by the robes and hauled him in front of him. He let his aura flood him just so he knew how powerful he actually was.

"Look here monk; that asshole may say we should wait ‘til dinner but I want answers. Now."

"Lord Inuyasha, we never meant any harm to begin with. As I have said, this is a peculiar situation--"

"Can it. Why did you change your mind? Why are you willing to stick around with Kagome and I? You and your bitch didn't seem keen on the idea the moment you laid eyes on her."

"We all make mistakes, Lord Inuyasha. We learned quite a bit more after you and Lady Kagome engaged in--"

"Shut the fuck up. You're such a bozzo."

"My apologies. Old habits die hard. However, we did learn from scrolls about mating, a little more about Naraku’s whereabouts, and also about another Lord who has been having trouble with him.”

Oh for fuck’s sake--

“Lemme guess; Koga?"

"Yes. He was more than eager to join us at the castle knowing Kagome had come here for refuge."

"My asshole brother say anything else to him about why she was here?"

"I don't believe so; just that she was under his protection. I think he was going to leave it to you and your mate to inform him on bond.”

“Good.” Not that he thought it’d be disrespectful of Sesshomaru to tell the wolf of his and Kagome’s now marked mateship, but he knew Kagome was friends with the fleabag. She would likely want to be the one who shared the news with him.

Walking over to the chest, he pulled out another clean kosode and redressed himself. He turned and saw Miroku still standing there waiting for him.

“What do you want?”

“Lord Inuyasha, I do wish to extend my deepest apologies for upsetting you and your mate. We hold no grudges against her. While we know it was truly not her who attacked our friends and family, her face still does strike a raw emotion for my wife and I.”

“How long ago was the attack on your people?”

“Just over a month. From Lady Kagome’s tale, he likely had her for a couple of weeks between when we saw her to when you two met. Did anything happen between them?”

“Even if anything did happen, it’d be none of your business.”

“Of course not. It is apparent Lady Kagome does not wish to associate with him. She seemed uncomfortable at the mention of his name entirely.”

“She’s not the most forthcoming person in general.”

“As most priests, priestesses, and monks are. When things come from a higher power, we tend to try and control the situation as much as possible.”

“Huh. I’ll keep that in mind. Explains why you failed to mention her lifespan was shorted.”

“Again, I am truly sorry--”

“It’s fine. It’s fixed now.”

“Your bond truly does astound me, Lord Inuyasha. I wish you and your mate many years of happiness.”

If Inuyasha had anything to say about it, they would. Centuries even. He would always make sure Kagome was taken care of. Physically. Emotionally. And intimately. Kagome was his life now. He would be damned if he let anyone or anything get between their happiness. As he and monk made their way to the dining room, the tension between them slowly lifted. But a new realization hit him; he knew they would still have some battles to overcome. Naraku. Her family… if they were still alive. Where they would go. What they would do.

All he knew was that he would always ensure she and himself had a shelter. A home. A place to call their own they could fill with their love that was deemed so pure, it purified the jewel.

#inuyasha fanfiction #inuyasha x kagome #inuyasha au #sesshomaru x rin #inukag #inu x kag #smut smut smut #shelter part 3

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penniesforthestorm · 3 years

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“I’ve never seen such beautiful horses!”-- Justified Season Three, Episode One: “The Gunfighter”

On the internet, no one knows when you take an unintentional month-long hiatus... (Everything’s fine, by the way; I was just busy.) But I’m back and ready to dive into another season of murder, mayhem, and wisecracking shenanigans. Recaps and notes for Seasons One and Two are tagged ‘#did you miss my heart on purpose’, and I’ll follow the usual procedure here: first and final episodes of the season will get individual entries, and everything in between will be grouped in threes. I’ll confess right off the bat, having seen the show in its entirety, the 3rd season is my favorite, so I’m looking forward to it-- as always, comments, questions, and conspiracies are welcome!

“The Gunfighter” picks up with the aftermath of the S2 finale, “Bloody Harlan”: Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) is in the hospital, being treated for the bullet wound he received in the firefight outside Mags Bennett’s house. Deputy Chief Art Mullen (Nick Searcy) reassures the frantic Winona Hawkins (Natalie Zea) that Raylan will pull through, and, as she attempts to thank him, he waves her down the hall. Three weeks later, Raylan is on his feet again, but still recovering-- after a dissatisfying round of target practice, Art recommends another week of light duty, and, on his way out the door, informs Raylan, “Crowder’s here.”

There are, of course, two conversations happening during the following scene: as Raylan casually mentions that all of Mags Bennett’s marijuana drying sheds have been cleaned out and searched, and oh, by the way, there’s a chunk of Bennett money missing, he’s trying to suss out Boyd Crowder’s potential involvement. (Raylan describes the amount as “somewhere in excess of... ten dollars”. Boyd jokes that, with that kind of money, he’d run off to Mexico. Raylan responds with a more pointed joke: “I don’t think you’d like it. There’s a lot of Mexicans down there.”) Boyd (Walton Goggins) also has an agenda, though we don’t see the full import until the final moments of the episode. As Raylan’s departing, Boyd brings up Dickie Bennett, claiming that a bargain was made: Boyd would let Dickie go with Raylan to save Loretta McCready, and Raylan would leave Dickie at Boyd’s disposal. This inflames Raylan’s self-righteousness, and he takes a swing at Boyd. The camera switches to Art Mullen, on the phone in his office, who looks over his shoulder just in time to see Boyd and Raylan crash through one of the glass panels of the interview room. (Art’s reaction is priceless--something along the lines of you kids don’t make me have to come over there...) The other marshals swarm in to haul Boyd off to jail.

The next scene finds us in the Frankfort office of Emmitt Arnett, last seen agreeing to Gary Hawkins’ land-development scheme. He’s meeting with a stranger (later named as Robert Quarles, played by Neal McDonough)-- an imposing man in an expensive pinstriped suit, all the more menacing for his enthusiastic cheerfulness, expounding on the beauty of the Kentucky countryside. Arnett sits him down, and his pretty secretary Yvette brings in the coffee with her signature gimmick-- offering a “lil’ kick” of bourbon. Quarles refuses, and as he watches Yvette leave, lectures Arnett, telling him, “You’ve lost her respect.” Furthermore, he notes, “Detroit is concerned”-- Arnett’s land holdings have lost value, and Quarles has been sent to collect on a loan: $250,000, to be exact. Arnett tells him the money will be there tomorrow, and, as Quarles leaves, he turns his attention to the other stranger in the room: a lean, dark-haired man in a grungy leather jacket. “You said you were looking for work,” Arnett remarks.

Back in Harlan, we discover what’s happened to at least some of Mags Bennett’s marijuana-- it’s sitting in garbage bags, piled up in Arlo Givens’ parlor and tool shed. Arlo (Raymond J. Barry) and Devil (Kevin Rankin) have called Hot Rod Dunham, to give him the right of first refusal. As Hot Rod and his boys inspect the product, Ava arrives, and Devil brags about the arrangement, claiming to be acting on Boyd’s behalf and more or less shoving Ava aside. Things go south quickly-- Hot Rod informs them that the plants are rotting and attracting vermin, and refuses to take them, and Devil gets snotty. Ava is able to intervene and send Hot Rod on his way, sarcastically noting to Devil and Arlo, “Did that go about like you expected?”

The major business of the episode centers around the wolfish stranger in Arnett’s office-- a.k.a. federal fugitive Fletcher “The Ice Pick” Nix (Desmond Harrington). We find out how he got the moniker in a tense burglary scene-- he ends a standoff over a suitcase full of expensive watches by stabbing his adversary in the hand with the titular weapon and shooting him in the head. Over at the Marshals’ Office, Deputy Tim tells Raylan that he thinks Nix might be linked to Wynn Duffy. Raylan reluctantly agrees to accompany Tim on a fact-finding mission to Duffy’s motor home, where Duffy gives a revealing non-answer to a direct question about Nix, and dismisses them by mentioning his urgent schedule of “watching women’s tennis”. Duffy calls Arnett, warning him that the Feds are on the scent, and sure enough, an oblivious Raylan encounters Nix in the elevator on the way to Arnett’s office. Arnett isn’t there, but Yvette is, and Raylan takes her for a drink at the Sheraton, where she coyly ‘reveals’ that Nix and Arnett will be meeting later that night. As the marshals prepare an ambush, Raylan confides to Art that he suspects Yvette’s information was not on the level.

Meanwhile, Ava has visited Boyd in jail, where he informs her that he’s being transferred to the state facility, and she asks what to do about the weed. Boyd tells her to burn it (Boyd’s disregard for anything to do with marijuana will come up again, much later down the line). As Ava prepares supper for Arlo and Devil, she relays Boyd’s orders, and once again, Devil gets lippy. Ava, carefully setting down a sizzling pan of greens, sweetly advises him that her patience is about to run out. “What’re you gonna do? Spit in our food?” he sneers, as Arlo cackles in the background. (I don’t know how Rankin managed such a beautifully bitchy facial expression, but boy, it’s effective.) Without a second of hesitation, Ava whacks him with the pan, sending him sprawling over backward with a bloody nose. (Don’t hit people with cast-iron pans unless you really, really mean it.)

Raylan’s suspicion of Yvette turns out to be well-founded-- the marshals’ attempt to ambush Nix and Arnett is a bust, though Deputy Rachel Brooks manages to tackle one of the decoys. Raylan drives Winona back to his motel room, and the two of them discuss baby names. (Raylan suggests “Felix”, Winona jokingly supplies “Jiffy Pop” and/or “Palmolive”). They have an unexpected visitor-- Fletcher Nix, who, in his marble-mouthed drawl, introduces himself as “the one with the gun”. Of course, Raylan is also armed, but Nix persuades him to take off his holster and sit down. He tries another round of his favorite game, but Raylan is prepared-- he grabs the tablecloth and pulls Nix’s pistol toward him before Nix has time to get the ice pick ready. (I’m a little sorry Nix didn’t get to stick around; Harrington’s weird charisma fits right into the show’s goon menagerie...) Back in Frankfort, Quarles gives Wynn Duffy quite an introduction: he shoots Arnett and Yvette with a pistol rigged up his sleeve, Travis Bickle-style. Duffy looks genuinely unnerved.

And finally, we get some hint of what Boyd was up to during his seemingly unprovoked spat with Raylan: as he’s led down the hall of the state prison, he passes by two characters with whom he has unfinished business--Dickie Bennett and Dewey Crowe. They appear to have taken quite a shine to each other-- Dewey has been describing the relative pros and cons of getting tattoos in various places, espousing it as one more way to pass the time. Boyd makes no verbal greeting, but the look in his eyes as he marches into his cell speaks volumes--after all, he’s more or less on his home turf now. Stay tuned...

#tv #tv review #justified season 3 #long post #did you miss my heart on purpose

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rndyounghowze · 3 years

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Black Noses And My Personal History With White Supremacy

I finally got the courage to talk about something that Dana has been challenging me to post about for a while. #blm #stopwhiteterrorism

By Ricky and Dana Young-Howze

Mays Landing, NJ

Venmo: @rndyounghowze

I have a very vivid memory of being teased on the school bus in elementary school for having “a black nose and lips”. Until I got glasses and was diagnosed with Tourettes it was the common theme of my playground bullying. My biggest role model at the time was our bus driver Mr. Garland (I think that was his name) because he defended me. I remember trying to make up some story about how I got plastic surgery and they messed up my nose. He looked me dead in the eye and said “we have to be proud of what we look like. We are beautiful inside and out. They’re ugly on the inside. That’s what makes us better”.

I lived with my grandmother during the week and my parents on the weekends. My mom and dad lived in one of the first “projects” in the US and at that time they were one of two white families living there. I would be playing with the kids in the playground and a Black mom who would be watching us would tell me to come up to them and she would hold my chin in her hand and turn my head for inspection to the other mothers sitting there smoking cigarettes. She would tell me “I don’t care what your mom and dad told you” and would let me go back and play. I never really knew what she meant.

Flash forward to high school. I decided that I wanted to dive into my family history. I was in a play about the Confederate Flag and I remembered that I had family on both sides of the war. I had enough info about my family to join the Sons of Confederate Veterans. I also knew that my family up In Kentucky had fought in the Union. I was proud to have “heritage” on both sides.

I was rooting through photo albums in my Dad’s mom’s house. I came upon a family bible that was really old. It had to be old enough to be owned by the parts of the family that lived in the Appalachian Mountains in the 1800’s. Family bibles used to have these front pages that listed weddings and births. Listed in the middle is a marriage between a woman with the last name Jung and a man named Richard with no last name. This would not have meant anything except that after his name they took the time to list him as “a n*****r”. They then spent a paragraph talking about how he fought in the Civil War and saved lives in a battle by shooting a superior officer and allowing the company to retreat. So he was a n*****r but he was a “good n*****r”.

I knew that the story was that our family had changed our last name from Jung to Young to avoid discrimination. My Dad’s side of the family has an outstanding military history and I know they were worried about appearing to have German ties in the war. I eventually went across the street and asked my great grandfather about this. The only thing he ever told me was “marry a girl with the Irish in her. It’s the best thing you could do.” My great grandfather passed away while I was in Highschool. My grandfather passed away in college. After the funeral I went to the house and looked for the family Bible. I had held it in my hand four times in three years. It was gone. I have never found it again. My Dad has special needs, his mom has dementia. The rest of my Dad’s family has never spoken to me after the funeral. It may be because I married a Black person. Maybe not. I will never know.

One time while driving through my mom’s side of the family’s hometown I saw a church sign that had the family name on it. I asked why we never went there and she just casually said “that must belong to the Black families that live here that share our last name”. I was floored by this. We had a black side of the family? What!? She was quick to tell me that they were in no way related. It was just that the family was as old as we were and had lived in that town as long as we had. My family has lived there and owned land there since before the Civil War. I have been digging into the genealogy based on what she has told me and after two or three generations the family line with our last name seems to disappear. Two white branches of the family go back eight or so generations and seem to have married into the family three generations or so back but there don’t seem to be any birth or death records in their town that support her story that the family had been there for a very long time. There is no not-slave-owning explanation for this. To this day my grandmother refuses to talk about it. She leans into the Scots-Irish side of the story.

In grad school when I first met Dana they made sure to do two things: Tell a very wrong Obama joke and then ask me what I was mixed with. The joke was to see if I reacted to the joke in a ”white way” (their words). If I did they would never feel comfortable being alone with me ever much less date me. The second question is because they saw what every other Black person I know saw. I told them what I knew about the probable Black man on my Dad’s side and my theory about my Mom's side. They kinda looked flabbergasted. Like they were surprised I admitted it.

Dana and I fell hard in love and spent three years trying to do the long-distance relationship thing. We had very long talks about race and whiteness. We had to have massive discussions about privilege and culture. I had reading lists and albums and homework that I had to do and Dana readily admits that in a lot of ways I already ”got it”. However, it was never enough. They wanted me to make a conscious decision to marry into a black family and know what I was getting into.

In August of 2014, I had just gotten back from spending a summer with Dana and I was using my hour before work to buy an engagement ring. I had two months to move to NJ so that we could start a job together. I heard on the news that Michael Brown was shot by a white cop in Ferguson. It hit me like a ton of bricks. It was the first time that the weight of what I was doing rang home in the deepest parts of me. I was marrying a Black person. At the time I wanted to bring children into this world. It finally dawned on me that those children were going to be Black. Just as the math in my childhood was Black nose+white skin=white guy the calculus done in a cop’s head was not going to add up well for our children. I worked at a church so I went to the altar and prayed. I prayed for a whole hour. I got the ring and moved to NJ. Dana and I were married five months later. I never looked back.

Why am I saying this now? Because white supremacy is the scourge of American Theatre. It's the reason why our Asian American artists are afraid to walk the streets at night. It's the reason why our Black artists are having to stand up and form their coalitions to get work done without a ”white yes”. It's the reason why even though I have photographic proof that the Cis males in my family have slowly gotten paler with every generation and that I know with absolute certainty that there is a Black contribution to my heritage somewhere that they locked it down and hid it from me like it was a crime (and it was until Loving V. Virginia, the very state my Dad's side of the family hails from). They appear to have bred as much of it out of me as possible by marrying women with ”Irish” in them. I feel like I was force-fed the blue pill and sidelined from my culture. I will never be black. I’m not even trying to be. I am just sickened that something that every Black person I’ve met can see may or may not come from a heritage that was stolen from me and hidden so well I can probably only prove it with a DNA test.

Whiteness is not a culture, it is an allergic reaction to the existence of BIPOC contributions to American life. It is cancer in our American Theatre and we have predominantly white institutions that are standing out like tumors in our cultural landscape. I am singularly focused on rooting them out not just because I'm married to a BIPOC artist. I'm rooting them out so that I can claim all of my cultures so that I can make reparations for the harm that has happened in my personal history. To create me BIPOC heritage may have had to be bred out and hidden and I may never be able to prove it. The sheer insinuation is enough to sicken me. I will uncover it and amplify my ancestors’ stories if I can find them. I will create a culture where this doesn't have to happen again. It ends with me.

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#theatre #nj #theatrelives #blm movement #black lives matter #endwhiteprivilege #end white supremacy #end white terrorism

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mercurygray · 4 years

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Mansion House Murder Party

@jomiddlemarch asked me to kick off our Mercy Street round-robin writing project today! You all may remember we kicked around a couple of ideas and we all seemed to like the idea of making horrible people suffer for doing horrible things; Clue was mentioned, as was Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, in which 13 strangers meet at an isolated hotel at the invitation of an invisible host and are all accused of murder - at which point they all start dying, leaving the remaining guests to wonder who killed who.

I don't really fancy killing the entire cast this week, so - one Southern Gothic, post-war Clue-style murder party it is.

In the interest of providing some room for development and explore some new ground, I think it'd be kind of cool to explore post-war Mansion House - a building that has returned to being a hotel, to which all of our Mercy Street friends have been invited back for the weekend when Silas Bullen, the Quartermaster we all love to hate who has also been invited to this odd reunion weekend, dies suddenly and unexpectedly. The characters are trying to catch up on what's happened since they last saw each other ten years previously, and figure out who killed the odious former officer. Any character we met during the two seasons is fair game for inclusion!

@jomiddlemarch, @sagiow, @fericita-s, @broadwaybaggins, @jamesknoxpolka have all expressed an interest in participating - and if anyone else wants in, speak up in the comments below. I'll start this week's writing, and tag someone else to write the next bit. Any style, perspective, or voice is encouraged - and it’s southern Gothic, so...an unhappy ten years is probably for the best. (I’m going to start with a less-than-satisfactory ending myself in the interest of getting another character back in the mix, and we’ll see where it goes.)

So - 1875. Grant is president. Country’s in the middle of a recession. Reconstruction’s still going on, and we’re back in Alexandria.

It frightened her, a little, coming back to Mansion House. For the whole stagecoach ride she’d worried over her gloves, her wedding ring, the trim on her dress, the ribbons of her bonnet. After ten years away, what would it look like? Certainly not the way she’d left it in 1865 - stained walls, scraped floors...memories.

Emma could still remember standing in the front hall the day they’d closed the hospital - the patients gone, the beds removed, walls dingy where men had rested heads or medicines had been spilled, stairs worn with use. For five years this had been her home, her family, even - and she was leaving it. She’d looked around, wondering if it was wise to try and commit it to memory, and then she’d taken her trunk out into the street, unable to look back.

And she’d not been back, at all, since the war had ended. Her father had taken possession again and tried to wring five years of ill use out of the building’s walls and floors, and it had been hard work, but he’d done it - though the effort had likely been what had led James Green to an early grave. Her brother, of course, had wanted nothing to do with the place, too busy with the furniture factory to worry over the running of a hotel as well, and now, if Jimmy had his way, it would be sold.

“You look worried,” her husband said, from the seat opposite. It wasn’t a full coach - travelers from their neck of the woods being few and far between these days. “I’d have thought you’d enjoy coming back - being in civilization again.” She said nothing, and he went on. “If it’s about your sister, I wouldn’t pay her any mind. We’ve still got our pride, even if she hasn’t, and that’s worth more than a dozen fine dresses and a house in the city. No,” he went on, “We’ll be just fine - as soon as we sign those papers and sell up. And then there’ll be plenty of money for that new dress you’ve been wanting. Can’t have my wife looking like a pauper for her family.”

And whose fault is it we’re poor? Emma wanted to say. Whose choice was it to refuse a federal pardon so that no decent folk would employ you, and to take a parish in the poorest county in Virginia because they were the only ones who’d have you? Pride doesn’t put food on the table, or a roof over our heads. But she’d learned much in ten years about men’s moods, about staying silent, and “being ‘haved”, as her Sunday School students would say.

The coach pulled up, and he opened the door for her, helping her out into the street and then ordering their bags down from the roof, leaving her to contemplate the outside of the hotel, the words MANSION HOUSE HOTEL vivid once more over the doors, glass beautifully etched.

The first thing she noticed was the color - the richness of it, the vibrancy, crimson drapes and deep walnut woodwork, the navies and burgundies of thick carpet underfoot, well-lit from above by a magnificent, many-lamped gasolier. In her memories it was plain and whitewashed, and now? This hardly felt like the same place, especially with so many well-heeled travelers coming up and down the stairs, the ladies with their bustles and hats, the gentleman in waistcoats and jackets, not a shirtsleeve or apron to be seen. The air smelled of cigars, adding to the general air of well-fed opulence.

Her husband breezed into the lobby behind her like he owned the place, leaning on the counter and giving the clerk one of his best, . All Emma could see was the back of his collar, fraying at the seam, one more testament to their present poverty. “Good Morning. I’ve a room booked - and a meeting today with Mr. Green. We’re expected.”

“And who should I say is here, sir?” The clerk asked, looking as though he very much doubted both of those things, posing his glasses on his nose so he could inspect his register.

“Mr. and Mrs. Frank Stringfellow,” he announced, smiling back at his wife with the pleased look of a man who knows he has made a good bargain.

Emma tried to smile back, thinking, wanely, as she stood in the lobby to wait for her brother and took in the carpets, the chandelier, the wallpaper, of a different time and different faces, feeling the ring under her glove and wondering where she had gone wrong, why she had chosen to leave the hospital, had chosen to stay in Virginia, had chosen Frank.

- @jomiddlemarch - your turn!

#mercy street murder party #is a thing now #i'm trying to do this AND start DND at the same time so I"m a Mess over here.#sorry if this doesn't make sense

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katedrakeohd · 5 years

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A Choices: The Royal Masquerade Fanfiction

Pairings :(MC) Julia Aster x Renza Fierro,

Julia Aster x Kaydan Vescovi

Author's Note: As I transferred this story from writen page to digital it occurred to me just how long it was becoming so I've had to break it up into several parts.

...........................

Part One:

A State of Undress

The morning is sunny and warm on the day of our cruise on the Fierro yacht. I’m standing outside in my courtyard with my steward Vasco waiting for Renza’s carriage to come pick me up. As I smooth my hands down over my corset and skirts for the hundredth time, Vasco notices my nervousness and smiles.

“I suppose this will be your first time on a sailing ship M’lady,” he says.

“Yes, it will.” I nod.

“I’ve heard that Lord Hector is a very honourable man. Are you anxious to meet him?”

To tell the truth I’ve barely thought of him at all today. And it’s not Hector or the boat trip that have me feeling anxious. Since we’ll be with the Fierros, that means Kaydan the Crown Shield will be around too. And these days he has occupied my thoughts more than anything.

“I’m hoping Lord Hector isn’t as dull and strange as Lord Emery is. Such a disaster that dinner was. If it weren’t for Henry rescuing me with a new plate of dinner after Cyrus and Emery left the table I would have starved to death.”

My pet wolf cub Astro scampers around the courtyard threatening to trample the flowers. His antics have stolen Vasco’s attention and my comments go unanswered. I shrug and go back to my own thoughts.

Ever since I met Kaydan Vescovi the night of the masquerade, I haven't been able to get him off my mind. Just being around him with his dark eyes, wavy black hair and strong muscled physique is enough to make even the most sober person feel a little intoxicated. When he smiles at you and gives you his full attention it's like nothing else matters. I consider myself a lucky woman to have had the chance to spend so much time with him these past few weeks. As the Crown Shield wherever King-regent Henry Fierro goes, Kaydan isn't far behind. Between both handsome men being around lately it's like receiving two beautiful presents for your birthday when you're only expecting one.

During the joust when Kaydan and Henry both sought my favor, it was such a thrill. But when the swords came out after they had both been knocked off their horses, I realized that the rivalry goes much deeper. Fortunately the duel ended without anyone getting seriously injured. I know they're friends and I would hate to see them ruin that because of me. But still I must admit seeing Kaydan win was exciting.

In the stables after the joust Kaydan told me that it had been fun to fight Henry in front of the crowd. Being able to knock his half-brother Cyrus down a peg anonymously as the Black Knight had also been satisfying for him. His victory takes the title of Champion of the Tournament of Flowers out of noble hands. I enjoyed cheering with the other spectators, even if I was the only one hoping for Kaydan to win.

Henry is all sunshine, winks and flirty smiles. There's no wonder all the single ladies at court clamor for his attention. There's no mystery to him and he wears his heart on his sleeve. He radiates a perfect example of wealth and privilege. When I'm around him I’m polite and friendly. He's given me no reason to doubt his intentions as Crown Regent are genuine. But for me all I feel is loyalty not affection.

Kaydan is all long looks, secret smiles and quiet respect. Although he was born of nobility, he's not considered one of them. He's accepted his place as the bastard son and chose a life of hardship and responsibility in the guard.

Henry may have his name and noble house to hold him up, but it's Kaydan's humble strength and sense of duty that protects him. I admire Kaydan for that, although he won't accept the title of hero no matter how often he's earned it. There's more to Kaydan than his imposing presence. I'm drawn to him in a way that goes beyond the physical, and I’m determined to know him better.

He's worked his way up through the ranks to become Crown Shield, and earned the respect of many along the way. I've sought out his expertise in matters of security, and he's always seemed pleased to have my company. Sometimes when we're alone we comfortably lapse into conversation and he lets down his guard a bit.

In the short time we've known each other we've developed a mutual respect and kinship. When we're alone I'm just Julia the scribe, and he's just Kaydan the black sheep and we're comfortable with that.

I hear Renza's carriage approaching and take a deep breath to prepare myself to be in her company. She's as brash and confident as her brother is charming and sweet. I never know what she's going to say or do when we're together.

Vasco steps forward to open the door of the carriage for me, “Are you entirely sure you don't want me to travel with you your Ladyship? There's room for one more in the carriage.”

As I take his offered hand to assist me up into the carriage, I smile and shake my head. “I'll be fine with Renza. Please make sure that Astro is fed and properly put away for me, and then join us at the marina later for the trip.”

Vasco nods, bowing to me, “As you wish.”

Tucking my skirts around my legs I settle down on the seat opposite Renza. Once Vasco has closed the door behind me, Renza looks me over critically from head to toe and then shrugs.

“Well good morning to you too,” I jest.

“My dear Julia, please tell me you don't expect to impress Lord Hector wearing that?”

I can't help but take offense to her remark since I am wearing a gown in the rich tones of blue and gold that represent my noble house. The House of Aster. I’m not sure if her jab is an intentional insult to my house or my sense of style, so I try my stoic best to deflect it as irrelevant.

“Honestly Renza. If I must marry someone for the sake of politics, what does it matter what pretty wrapper I am presented in?”

It's not like I'm that excited to be offered up to Hector as some sort of trophy wife.

“You may say that now, but you don't need to sound so bored and dismissive about the prospect of a match.”

“I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound that way. I'm just distracted. My poor sister has still not awakened, and suddenly becoming the head of my household is overwhelming. I've barely had the chance to figure out what that even means, and now I am expected to marry myself to a total stranger to support the Crown. Whatever happened to falling in love and getting married. That's what I really wish I could do.”

Renza laughs, “Oh you're such a Romantic. Don’t forget that you're a noble now. Marriage for nobles is a contract with obligations, land titles and bank accounts. Romance is for affairs outside of marriage. Why are you so hung up on love and romance anyway? Is there someone you've had your eye on?”

“I…well. I don't want to say. That's between him and I.” I can feel myself blushing.

“Ok fine, but I'll find out one way or the other. I bet a little wine will get you talking.”

Before I can turn her down, Renza has already opened a bottle of red wine and poured me some. It's still morning but apparently Renza feels that drinking wine is appropriate for all hours of the day.

When the carriage turns off of the main road and onto her Manor's private lane one of the wheels bounces over a rock. I gasp in surprise as the wine in my goblet splashes over the front of my dress.

“Oh no! This is a disaster.” I cry.

Renza produces a handkerchief out of the bodice of her gown and offers it to dab at the wine stains.

“Well that's a shame. But look at it this way. Now I’ll have the excuse to put you in a dress suitable to impress the pants off Hector and your secret lover.”

I hand her back her handkerchief, shaking my head. “We're hardly lovers.”

“Not yet. You may have been able to charm the minds of men at court so far with your cleverness and wit. But leave it to me and your looks will charm the rest of their…parts.”

I roll my eyes, “Oh please Renza I’ve already gotten my fill of Cyrus and his brand of sleazy charm. I don't want all the men at court to start talking to me that way. I implore you to at least keep some shred of my dignity intact.”

As the carriage comes to a stop, I look out of the window and marvel at the grandeur of the Fierro Estate. Renza escorts me to the dressing room attached to her bedroom to get changed. The opulent furnishings of even this room put most of what I have back home to shame.

Renza wastes no time in helping me get out of my dress. As I stand in my underclothes she gives me another critical inspection and I feel myself blush.

“H..happy now?” I stammer.

Renza's surprised expression takes me off guard, “More like impressed! With a body like that you could make a bedsheet look alluring. I'm almost tempted to send you out like this.”

Crossing my arms across my chest I frown at her, “Renza, seriously. Focus.”

She gives me another critical inspection, making me feel even more uncomfortable.

“Natural beauty aside, whoever tied this corset isn't doing you any favors. Here let me fix it for you.”

I back away, holding up my hands. "No, no. Leave it alone. I like being able to breathe thanks.”

She sighs and then steps away from me again. “As you wish.”

I'm still standing in just my underwear as she continues to talk.

“So are you curious about meeting Hector at all?”

“I'm mostly curious about what kind of person he is.”

“Well professionally all that I can tell you is that he is a trade expert hired by the merchants across Cordonia to help improve their business.”

I try to sound interested, “So he's …business minded.”

Renza scoffs, “Well when you say it that way it makes him sound stuffy. Lord Hector sails the world and visits all sorts of interesting places. Imagine the fascinating stories he could tell."

I nod, "Well then I guess he doesn't sound so stuffy after all."

Renza smiles, looking relieved "Good now let's get you dressed. Stay here while I fetch you something to wear."

She gives me a wink and then leaves me alone. I feel self conscious, exposed and plain in such a fancy room. When I hear the door open suddenly I turn around expecting Renza. But instead it's Kaydan!

"Lady Renza, I found the --... "

He stops short and his eyes go wide when he sees me, "Julia!"

I feel myself blush to the roots of my hair, but as shocking as it is for him to see me in my underwear, I can't help but feel a rush of excitement too. My heart is pounding like crazy in my chest, but I flash him my bravest smile and place my hands on my hips and ask, "Looking for something?"

He's still standing there rooted to the spot and gaping. "I..I wasn't expecting -- .."

"Hmm?" I smirk at him, stepping closer.

He clumsily shuffles backward, trying to avert his eyes from seeing so much of my bare skin.

Renza re-enters the room and gasps, "Crown Shield, what in the world do you think you're doing?"

"But..but.." he stammers, looking at us both.

"Out, out, out! Now!" she shrieks.

He quickly shields his eyes and mumbles his apologies as she pushes him out of the room and closes the door.

"The nerve!" she exhales with relief.

Biting my lip and trying to hide my grin, I giggle. "I hope that he enjoyed that as much as I did."

Her mouth drops open and her eyes sparkle with amusement as she laughs, "Lady Julia Aster, you saucy minx!"

"What? Accidents happen. Besides he knows this is your room so I could ask you questions too."

Renza brushes off my remark and raises her chin giving a haughty retort, "Well this is my house after all. Quit avoiding the issue. Out with it, you like him don't you. And here I thought it might be Henry."

Breathing a sigh of resignation I admit it, "Yes, Kaydan is who I'm interested in. Please don't tell anyone. I know he's not noble."

Renza laughs, "True, he wouldn't improve your social standing as a match, but he's definitely an impressive piece of man to have on the side. If you're saying there's more to him than what's on the surface then I must say congratulations to you both."

I open my mouth to protest that Kaydan is more than just a side piece, but then decide to change the subject. "If I'm to impress Kaydan or Hector today you better give me something to wear."

Renza blinks, remembering the gown she has in her arms. "Of course, where was I?" she hands me the dress. "You're sure to grab attention in this."

As she lays the shimmering blue and white silky and sheer fabric in my arms I am amazed at how light and airy it feels. It's surely worth more than my entire wardrobe.

I stammer as I thank her, "Are..you sure about this? Have you nothing more plain or modest?"

"No, no I insist. Consider it my engagement gift to you. It never fit me properly anyway. Hector won't be able to take his eyes from you."

Or Kaydan either, I thought to myself.

I nod gratefully and step into the dress, "Well thank-you, could you help me fasten the lacing in the back?"

Renza smiles as I turn around. She adjusts and ties the satin lacing a little tighter than necessary, and I find it difficult to breathe. Is she jealous that the dress fits me better, or is she feeling spiteful and wanted Kaydan for herself?

As I turn back around and catch sight of myself in the mirror I can't help but smile.

Behind me I catch Renza's expression and she looks annoyed as she says, "Alright then now that you're wearing a properly fitting garment, let's be off, the carriages await."

...

Continue on here

Tagging:

@gardeningourmet @samihatuli @jovialyouthmusic @sirbeepsalot @dcbbw @mfackenthal @bobasheebaby @pedudley @be-still-my-aching-heart @krishu213 @ibldw-main

#kayden vescovi #theroyalmasquerade #long post

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changeit20 · 4 years

Text

First Site Review

Oh where to even start with this company...I never write reviews but this one had to be written. This will be long but I assure you its worth the read. I will try to go in order of what issues I had throughout my lease along with an overall summary at the bottom and a note to the owner who replies to these reviews.

1. Whenever I had to talk to a First Site employee I was always talked down to, and they treated me as if I didn't know anything. Always had an undertone of "mommy or daddy" handles everything so I can't possibly know what I am talking about. This is evident when going through the leasing process. Whenever I asked a question about the lease they would brush it off and just say “everything is handled this is a very easy process no need to ask these questions” I didn't sign it immediately as they so desperately try to do with other students. My roommates resigned and they assured us the apartment was ours as long as we signed the paperwork on Friday (This was told to us on Wednesday) Friday morning comes along and we go to sign. They told us the apartment was already rented out to someone else yesterday (Thursday). We told them on Wednesday that none of us could sign that day and wouldn't until Friday as our schedules were booked. They assured us repeatedly that we would have the apartment because we were resigning and were good lessees. When we were obviously perplexed as to why it was signed away. Their reasoning was they didn't have to wait on them and signed within hours of viewing pictures online.

The lack of professionalism is astonishing. Not sure if they do not communicate between each other, lack training, or simply make rules up as they go. Another example is you could ask a simple question and receive a different answer from every single one of their employees. I went in and called them (I kid you not) 10 times asking about my parking pass that was included in my lease. They were dismissive and clearly fed up with me consistently asking. I finally was told to go to Joes Towing to get it. When I got there a few minutes later the lady was frustrated that they sent me to their office. She did not have my pass. Even she was annoyed with them as this was not the first time they did this to someone. It took one call from her and they finally disclosed where to actually get it. Mind you this was the same person working that told me to go to the towing office. This was not the first or last time I had to go in circles to get the right or proper information. If you ask them something PLEASE get it in writing and the name of the worker so you can defend yourself. If you tell them you were told differently you WILL be called a liar or simply just "misremembering" as they "would never" tell someone false information...ugh please.

They treat you as if you were a child. When I first moved in I was given one key. This key was meant to be the front door key. The key they gave me looked like the stairwell key. I did not say anything at the time and assumed they changed the locks to the door. When I went up unlock my apartment the key didn't fit. I went to check if it worked for the stairwell and it did! I went back to the office and asked for the front door key. I was belittled and treated as if I was dumb.

"Are you sure you did it right?" "Do you even know how to open a door with a key?" "That is the right key, you clearly did it wrong" "That is the front door key" "Did you even go to the right apartment? Did you go to [redacted]? Are you sure it was apartment number [redacted]? Do you know your numbers?"

He then told another worker to go with me to "show me how to use the key right" The other worker, bless his soul, knew that the key I had was the stairwell key so he got the master key as well. I am grateful he apologized on behalf of the other worker. The way that worker talked to me was despicable.

Hire more personable and competent workers as this worker was also the one who gave me false information about the parking pass and has always been hostile towards me. I have talked to FirstSite about this worker and I was simply told it won't happen again.

They only care about money. They offer a program where you can defer payments until your student loan comes in and you are able to pay rent. I asked when the due date was to fill out the form and was told I had a week to do it. I filled it out 2 days later and called again to ask a question, they told me that the date had already passed by over 2 weeks. I told them that I had a week of time left because that is what a different employee told me. They said they couldn’t do anything and I needed to pay. I waited another 2 days and called again. I was told I still had time and it wasn’t until the end of the month. I turned in the paperwork that day. A few days go by and I was told that I was too late as the due date passed by a week. After talking to this agent and the manager I was told I needed to pay and if I didn’t pay within 5 days after the 5 day grace period they would start the eviction process. I told them I wouldn’t be able to pay until a day or two after the grace period because of my financial situtation and if it was possible to waive the late fees for that. I thought that was reasonable as multiple workers told me lies and caused me to go in financial distress in order to pay for the months I would have had deferred. They refused to help me in any sort of way. I have worked in the rental business and a good company would try and work with someone in my situation after everything. I would still pay, just not within the grace period. They were rude to me and said I still needed to pay the rent and late fees. Each time I was late I and my roommates would be harassed with text messages saying I NEEDED to pay, and multiple threats of eviction.

What really pisses me off is that my roommate during our lease couldn’t pay for a few months, and yet no threat of eviction was given to her! They said she had something like 30-60 days to pay. They were sympathetic to her and understood her situation. Also I only received ONE text message about it. How come I was not given that same response??? Was it because she was white and I was not? Again the level of professionalism of their employees is sub par. They do not have good customer service AT ALL. It is basically non existent.

2. First Site is obsessed with renting out their apartments as fast as possible. They start their rental process extremely early and pressures students to find an apartment for next year quickly because they rent out fast. They can show your apartment to potential renters. I lived above their office, I can not say if they do this to other locations but they would send out a text to each person living in the apartment stating they are going to show it to people within 10-15 minutes. That in itself is outrageous. Typically lessors should give at least a 24 hour warning before showcasing the apartment. This is to assure the renters have privacy, can clean up and make it presentable, not have a ton of guests etc. But because we were right above their office we were never given that absurd 10-15 minute window. It was always 5 minutes or less.

How is that okay???? I have been in the shower or freshly out of the shower multiple times when they came in. It happened so many times I thought they wanted to see me naked. It is extremely uncomfortable to run from the shower to close my bedroom door while its being opened by the leasing agent all while naked because I did not hear them. If I was given more of a warning of the apartment showing I obviously wouldn’t hop in the shower. I checked my phone when I closed my door and their warning message was sent to me 7 minutes prior. THAT IS INSANE.

My roommates and I felt violated and felt like we had zero privacy as they just waltzed in whenever they felt like it. Many times I wouldn’t get the text until they were already knocking at my door. They always came at the WORST times. Either someone was showering, we were cleaning, cooking, sleeping etc. Our apartment didn’t rent out fast so we had to deal with this for MONTHS. And they never changed anything.

First Site should refuse same day apartment showings for walk ins. Their website offers a schedule showing option. I have never used it but they should make sure they do not allow people to view an apartment less than 24 hours of booking. This would solve the major issue I had. My roommates and I expressed our concern about this and we were told that they simply just have to rent out the apartment for it to stop and the texts were sufficient. 15 minutes or less IS NOT ENOUGH TIME. WE DESERVE PRIVACY.

This is the part that a lot of people have been reviewing about. Filter the reviews from lowest rating and you will see.

3. The move out process is predatory. It is designed to assure you do not get your deposit back. If you do get any money back, it will be enough to get you a fast food meal. Each person on the lease will have a security deposit. Anything they deduct from it will come out of every single person’s deposit regardless of who did the damages. Their form and method of inspecting the apartment is rigged. They will simultaneously nitpick and glance over every part of the apartment. The form they used is rigged because if one box labeled as a deep clean is checked, then your deposit is hit with the max amount. A deep clean depending on the apartment size is an automatic $100-$235. So it does not matter if there is a tiny amount of cleaning like a simple wipe down or a large amount like an actual deep clean scrub, it’s viewed as the same. Here is what the form looks like for the Kitchen:

[ ] **Clean inside/outside/sides of Stove

[ ] ** Clean top & underneath Stove top

[ ] Pull out stove & clean floor under stove

[ ] ** Clean top and underneath range hood/microwave

[ ] **Clean broiler

[ ] Clean all ceiling fans & light fixtures

[ ] ** Clean inside & outside of refrigerator

[ ] ** Clean inside & outside of microwave

[ ] Clean inside and outside of all cabinets

[ ] ** Clean inside and outside of dishwasher

[ ] Clean and wipe down countertops

[ ] Clean all light switches & outlet covers

[ ] Clean & mop floor

[ ] Clean out pantry

[ ] Clean bar stools/table & chairs

the ** parts are labeled as a deep clean. When they inspected the kitchen they automatically checked these before viewing the kitchen. When I commented on that they then spent extra time trying to find reasons to justify it. The microwave justification was 3 specks of the inside corner of it. They did not check the underneath it yet it stayed checked. They did not open the dishwasher but it was checked. Regardless if was spotless or had a minuscule speck of dirt, if a box with the double asterisk was checked the entire apartment was automatically considered a deep clean. It says on the from as well

“If a box is checked then the required cleaning was NOT completed by the tenant.

** Failure to clean any appliance and/or shower/tub will result in a heavy clean charged to the tenant”

Now I will admit that the inside of our oven needed cleaning as something on the base of it would not come off. That is one part I will agree to it being justified.

But they just mark these boxes for any small reason. For the bedroom the desk and dresser is combined into one box. It was checked because there was a TINY piece of paper that came off of the paper towel used to wipe it down on the bottom half of the desk. They took a picture of it and used that as their evidence that we did not clean it. I am talking half an inch in size. I said I could just pick that up after they took the picture as it was so tiny and the desk wasn’t dirty so it shouldn’t be marked as so. It still ended up marked and the picture was in our final move out form lol.

Example of Bedroom:

[ ] Clean all ceiling fans & light fixtures

[ ] Clean and wipe down inside and outside of desk/dresser

[ ] Clean and wipe down all baseboards

[ ] Clean all windows (glass, sills, frames)

[ ] Clean closet and all shelving

[ ] Vacuum carpet

What is also annoying is the carpet section. Not only was the vacuum carpet section checked (When you can CLEARLY see the vacuum marks, and they came by 40 minutes before our appointment asking if we were ready and would want to do the move out early, they said sorry for knocking loudly as they could hear us VACUUMING and wanted to make sure we heard instead of just unlocking the door) That is just dumb.

They have a carpet cleaning section. In this section there are 3 options.

No carpet shampoo needed

Carpet shampoo needed

Strip and seal (wax) needed

They will charge you $45-$89 dollars if you did not have it shampooed yourself. Which is so stupid because their sales pitch is “we have professional cleaners deep clean the apartment so it is move in ready for you” They say that they have the carpet shampooed after each tenant, so why should we have to pay for it if they allegedly do that after every lease?

If they find pinholes in your walls they will mark it down for painting. That is an automatic $100-$225 fine. The painting fine is automatically applied regardless if it is one wall or the whole apartment.

What pisses me off is that they do not do these cleanings that they mark in these move outs. When we moved in, there was dust, dirt and grime everywhere, previous pin holes in the walls, marks on the bathroom floor, paint chips on the wall etc. The appliances were not cleaned, I could see the grease left on it from the previous tenants. The carpet was 100% NOT cleaned. I vacuumed my room 5 times in a row and each time my vacuum was FILLED with dust hair etc. And yet they heavily charge you for these exact reasons. The showers were gross. Red and brown build up, the shower doors weren’t wiped down. My toilet had this brown/black sludge on the bottom outside bowl that had to be there for a while because even when I cleaned it with bleach and other cleaning supplies, it left a stain. I have no idea what it was but I was extremely grossed out. A “deep clean” wouldn’t leave that.

Now I am not stating that I am perfect. There were a few things that needed to be cleaned. What I wish First Site would do is deduct the damage costs based on who lived in what room. A majority of our deductions were in a roommates room. I shouldn’t have to be punished for that. Now stuff in the common areas I think is fair to distribute the costs between everyone. I do not agree with their nitpicking. They want you to leave the apartment 20X better than you got it. And if you didn’t get your own pictures during the move in inspection they can claim [allegedly] it wasn’t there before and you did it and its their word agains yours. Now again I am not stating my apartment was perfect upon move out, what I am stating is that the way they handle this move out and they way they charge is isn’t right.

Basically if you want to sign with them, take two days to fully look at every single detail of your apartment and take photographic evidence of it and send it to a manager or the owner so they also have the photos. Do not expect any amount of your deposit back. ( I have a feeling that they might get commission for marking it as a heavy clean.) If you want any amount of it back, it should sparkle and not have one speck dirt. Take spongebob’s episode sb-129, everything is chrome in the future, make sure your apartment is like that too!! Do not think you will be treated as an adult. I am in my mid 20′s and was talked down like I was 12 years old. You will receive different responses/answers to simple questions from each person as they do not communicate with each other or maybe they don’t care to look up the actual rule/regulation and just say whatever they want. The only redeeming quality is their maintenance team. Any time I have interacted with them has been pleasant and they are very nice people. I wish first site would hire more people like them.

I don’t know if the actual owner replies to these google reviews, but you can clearly see how “professional” they are. I have gone in and discussed my issues to you, so don’t reply with that. You don’t seem to take any of these negative reviews as a serious matter nor care to change the ways of your company and your employee’s behaviors. I dare you to reply to this review with something other than your 4 same responses. I already came in and discussed the issues. A “thank you” reply to a negative review is simply passive aggressive. You sound like Trump when you state any negative review is “fake news” or a “fake review.” The only fake reviews are the 5 star review that you tell people to leave so they can get a free t-shirt, gift card or another incentive. Also I clearly do not have my name public on this review so don’t even try to say that “you have no record of me” and therefore my review is “fake.” How can this level of detail be fake love? Why would I spend my time writing a fake review? Also your empty threats of posting the move out inspections of people so “the google world can see” is just laughable. If you could do that, you would have already lol. The responses you give make you seem like an immature child who can not take any criticism and simply deflects it. Your awards of being one of the best in Bloomington doesn’t have any real credit to it as you monopolize the city and are 1 of, what, 3 realtors for students? Here is a link to their replies incase they delete them or if they say I am “making this up” https://imgur.com/a/V154UuN and gives proof of these repetitive replies I stated above. I have stated my issues and ways you can improve. So why don’t you actually implement some changes for once?

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shirtlesssammy · 5 years

Text

7x14: Plucky Pennywhistle's Magical Menagerie

Then:

Send in the clowns (much to San’s utter horror)

Now:

Our intrepid hero, Sam Winchester runs down a dark alley away from CLOWNS. And honestly, I can’t blame him. They are scary! A couple corner him in an abandoned warehouse while he mutters, "If it bleeds, you can kill it."

60:00:00 Earlier

Dean battles the germs of a phone booth to talk with Frank. He’s got, as Sam puts it, “dick on Dick”. Sam has a potential new case though, and since Dean’s just coming off of his Amazon baby mama drama, he swears this time there will be “No bars. No booze – no hot chicks of any kind.”

Wichita, Kansas

At the morgue they’re presented with a corpse covered in red boils. Apparently a Giant Pacific octopus did this to the man, in Kansas. The coroner surmises that someone staged the hickies and then bled the victim dry. “So what are we looking for? An octovamp? A vamptopus?” Dean wonders to Sam later.

They head to talk with the victim’s widow.

They ask her all the routine questions and she tells them they should talk to Stacy, the nanny. She was with him the night he died. The boys discuss why the wife would summon such an excessive monster while they leave the house. Dean heads to interview the “naughty nanny” while Sam stays to check out the wife’s house after she's gone.

At Stacy’s, Dean learns pretty quickly that the nanny mainly dealt with Deborah and that Stacy was working late because Brian was working late. It was their daughter Kelly’s birthday and the party was at Plucky Pennywhistle's Magical Menagerie and Brian showed up for 5 minutes while Deborah didn’t show up at all. Another kid told Kelly that her parents didn’t love her. Dean asks the usual questions and Stacy admits that Kelly’s afraid there’s a monster in her closet.

Dean later calls Sam to see if he can interview the daughter. Sam gets in a brief conversation with Kelly where she tells him that she tried to warn her dad that the monster would get him before her mom calls her back inside.

At night, a man in a bathrobe runs for his life away from a galloping horse. He jumps a fence and rests a beat against the fence only to have a golden spire pierce his chest. He falls over dead while the camera pans over the fence to reveal a majestic unicorn. It’s horn is glistening blood and as it turns and speeds away, rainbows shoot out of its butt. (This REALLY has is it all.)

Now

Sam’s battling the clowns. He tries shooting one of the clowns but his gun only shoots glitter.

The clowns continue to laugh and mock him, and then start laying punches.

36:36:08 Earlier

Dean inspects the unicorn murder. After asking the victim’s wife some questions about their son, he learns that the father and son were at a friend’s birthday party. Dean calls Sam and asks if he remembers Plucky Pennywhistle’s. Sam’s face goes blank and he say, “No.” He quickly counters that when he admits that he hated them as a kid. Dean would dump him to go “trolling for chicks.” Dean made a connection to the place and the murders though and suggests Sam check out the local Plucky’s while he talks to the latest vic’s son. Sam hastily suggests he interview the kid. Dean laughs and wonders if this is about Sam’s “clown thing.” Sam weakly denies this, but Dean sees right through him and advises him, “If it bleeds, you can kill it” before hanging up.

Sam heads inside to face his nightmare.

(I’m sorry, but what’s with the skeletor clown in the front? How much fun did Jerry Wanek and Co. have this week?) He sees a frazzled mom working while trying to convince her son to just “stay sane for three more hours.” He sees a wall of “Draw your worst fear... Plucky will make your fear disappear” drawings. The manager, Jean, finds Sam. He asks about the drawings and she gives him the explanation that it’s supposed to help kids cope with their fears, otherwise they can affect kids well into their adulthood (*cough* SAMMY *cough*). Sam asks about the latest kid’s story and the manager tells him that the dad threw a fit about leaving early.

Sam is then approached by a skittish maintenance worker who tells him to come back after closing.

At the motel, Sam fills Dean in on the mean parent trend and the worst fear drawings.

Dean has some war flashbacks to fighting leprechauns. Dean then shows Sam what the boy drew --a unicorn impaling his father.

At Plucky’s, just as Saul, the maintenance man, is leaving for the day, Jean tells him that a kid puked in the ball pit. It’s gonna need a complete sanitization. And I’m sorry, but why are you waiting to tell him at the end of the day?! I’m side eyeing you HARD, Jean.

Saul is next in the ball pit, sucking the balls up one at a time (seems a tad inefficient, but then I have no clue how those places are cleaned. Probably aren’t --so, gross.) The camera pans behind him, Jaws-esque music starts, Saul cries out and reaches for his leg. His hand comes away bloody.

He’s then sucked under the balls. Welp.

Sam and Dean arrive to find the cops taking away the body.

*Classic Dialog Alert*

DEAN: Cops have a theory?

SAM: Yeah, they think the ball washer did it.

DEAN: The what?

SAM: The... ball washer.

DEAN: The what?

SAM: The ball –

Dean shows Sam the victim and they both agree that it was a shark bite. Dean knows a bit more due to his excessive Shark Week research. They head inside the darkened Plucky’s.

Inside, they stop by the wall of worst fear drawings. Sam notices that the shark drawing is missing this time. “Dractopus. Seabiscuit the impaler. Land shark – what's next?” Dean asks. (Seabiscuit the Impaler is my wrestling name.)

The next morning the waitress, Libby, pulls up to Plucky’s with her son Tyler. They’re both tense - the mom is late for work and the kid’s irritated and on his own to catch the bus. As they part grouchily, the camera zooms in on his drawing: a giant killer robot shooting laser eyes. Um. HERE FOR THIS.

Back in the present, Sam continues to get the glitter kicked out of him by the two killer clowns. (I find them far more annoying than frightening.) The only thing more aggravating than a villain with a smug grin is one with a grating chuckle.

Back in the past, Sam and Dean toss out theories. It’s time to put the hammer down on the investigation. Dean is SUPER excited to be given the job of the creepy loner dude hanging out at Plucky’s while Sam plays Fed. (But also, he really is?)

At Plucky’s, chaos reigns. It’s full of kids and the bloody murder ball pit is “roped off” for the day. Yikes. Dean spots a kid walk by playing with a giant slinky and suddenly all thoughts of the investigation leave him.

And immediately Dean WANTSES THE SLINKY. (Please imagine that I’ve just written eight tons of meta about Dean’s missed childhood wrought by his father and later, by himself.)

He asks to buy one at the prize counter, but the chirpy clerk tells him that he has to earn it - he can’t just buy one of the prizes. Dean heads off to ski-ball his way to giant slinky glory.

Meanwhile, Sam interrogates Jean about the guy’s death, spooking her and sending her running from Plucky’s. Dean demonstrates his adult priorities, ditching ski-ball to stalk his quarry. He discovers Jean’s terrible secret. She’s unwinding with a quick joint behind the building. So… not really a criminal magical mastermind.

Sam moves on to the cheerful clerk. “Special agent? Wow!” he says excitedly, while reading Sam’s business card. Sam scowls at Mister Sunshine-and-Light and amps up his bad-cop routine.

While Sam snarls at suspects, Dean teams up with Tyler to properly police the correct game-play of ski-ball. They bond over it and the kid’s mom arrives with a plate of greasy pizza for his dinner. Dean tells the frustrated kid to cut his mom some slack. His dad “hauled him places” too. (I mean, crime scenes, crappy motels, and monster dens, but sure.)

Dean notices Tyler’s killer robot drawing but before he has a chance to comment on it, the lion-costumed guy Sam was interrogating splits. After a harrowing chase set to 70’s style cop-show-music Dean pins him down. The guy sort of confesses to manufacturing meth in the past, but is also PRETTY SURE he hasn’t been using kids’ nightmares to kill people. (He sounds a little uncertain on that last point.) He mentions a sub-basement of the building with creepy sounds coming up from the boiler room near the vents. Well, we know that only good things happen in boiler rooms.

They head back to Plucky’s. Inside, Libby loses her cool. It’s time to leave but her son resists - someone stole his killer robot drawing. Dean immediately hones in on that. Awww yeah KILLER ROBOT TIME. (In a subplot, Dean communicates nonverbally with Tyler, encouraging him to communicate better with his mom, who in turn communicates better with her son. I’m glad we were all here to share this after school special.)

The sub-basement is eight levels of creepy, stacked with crap and featuring an open pit of flame. “Well, that’s perfectly normal,” Dean comments. And...yeah. The boiler room does appear to be problematic. Posted up on the wall are kid drawings and on tables, occult books. Dean examines a book and finds the missing robot drawing. He turns to find the chirpy clerk, Howard, training a gun on him. He orders Dean to drop his gun.

Dean compliments him on his magical prowess. It’s gotta take some serious mojo to make a unicorn. “There's power in fear,” Howard tells him. “And when a child draws what he's afraid of, a little of that mojo ends up on the page.” All of his victims deserved what they got, Howard maintains. He’s targeting Libby for sure, but tonight’s not the night for killer robots. Instead, his current target is Sam-the-Fed.

Cue the clowns!

Now that our timeline has nearly caught up, Sam stalks Libby and Tyler back to their house, only to be confronted by a creepy clown. Nooooooo!

While Sam gets beaten by evil clowns, Dean discovers that Howard is angry that he lost the management job to Jean. He’s deranged, and thinks all the kids are better off without various parents in their lives. Oh, and he’s got some fun buried trauma of his own. His brother drowned while his parents ignored (or didn’t take seriously) his cries for them to help.

Dean chucks Howard’s old drawing of the drowning into the magical fire, plus a clown statuette, and suddenly a drowned child appears, looking vengeful. Howard whimpers pleas for mercy to no avail. Before Dean’s astonished eyes, the clerk drowns in front of the phantom of his dead brother. Y I K E S. Destroyed by his own fear, anger, and guilt. (Looks directly into the camera.)

Elsewhere, Sam’s about to get clown sandwiched when they explode into harmless glitter bombs.

Welp.

Later, Sam pulls up to meet Dean. When he gets out, we see that he’s absolutely covered in glitter (and, apparently, seltzer from the clowns’ flowers).

Dean just about dies laughing at the sight. He then apologizes for “psychologically scarring” Sam, and ditching him when they were kids. Hey, all’s forgiven. Sam pulls out a present for Dean - a giant slinky!!!!

Dean is overjoyed. He gets out a gift for Sam as well - a clown doll.

Er. Thanks, Dean. Sam treats it with the appropriate reverence and gratitude.

_____________________________________________________

Everybody Loves a Quote:

So we got dick on dick?

You spawn a monster baby, see how quick you want to dive back in the pool.

If it bleeds, you can kill it.

So now unicorns are evil?

A whole week of sharks.

Watch out for evil lunch ladies.

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#spn recap #spn rewatch #spn 7x14 #plucky pennywhistle's magical menagerie #dean winchester #sam winchester #supernatural season 7

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purrincess-chat · 6 years

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Moving On

Putting this all under a cut because I don’t know how long it will be, and it’s mostly just me brain dumping. I’ll probably delete it later, but just some things I want to say in order to get them out of my head and finally start healing. I know to some people it might seem silly to be this upset over a cat, but I think a lot of people underestimate the role that pets play in people’s lives. I live alone in a tiny one bedroom apartment. I have a couple of friends here that I see fairly regularly, but my really close friends and family all live an hour or more away which means if I want to see them, one of us has to drive. Which usually isn’t a big deal, and I visit often on the weekends, but weekends are only two days out of the week, and all of the other five days a week I spend alone.

I get up. I go to work. I come home. I might see another local friend once or twice a week, but most of my evenings I spend in my apartment on tumblr, discord, or youtube. I write, I watch videos, I play games, I scroll aimlessly down my dashboard looking at the same pictures over and over and over. Most days I have no one physical to converse with at home, so I chat with strangers on the internet. And I’m okay with that. I’m okay with being by myself and being about my own agenda, in fact, most of the time going out with friends a lot is draining. I like my quiet time, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get lonely.

Most of my days are pretty mundane. I’m in a weird transition point in my life between one step and the next as I figure out where to go, and while I love the time I get to myself, sometimes I do crave some sort of interaction. No one can be alone all the time, and that is why I got a cat.

I got Penny a little under a year and a half ago. She was just a tiny little kitten at the time, and ironically enough, I inherited her from a coworker who almost ran her over. She was loud. She was stubborn. She was bratty. But she was also snuggly, affectionate, and immensely attached to me. Often times, I would stick my face in hers to give her kisses before leaving for work every day, and after a few months, she started licking my face any time I leaned down to kiss her. She would get fussy if I came home and didn’t kiss her hello right away. She liked to sleep in my dirty clothes because they smelled like me, and she never showed much interest in the clean ones. She spent a lot of time in my bed, especially if I was in it because she wanted to be close by. She used to sleep on my face at night, or sometimes I’d wake up to find her curled up on my chest. She liked to be close to me. She liked to be touching me. It was comforting for both of us because that way neither of us felt alone.

However, despite all of my best efforts, Penny was a wild cat. She was born in the wild, and although she was raised indoors from a young age, she still longed to be outside. I was wary at first, living in an apartment, so I would leave the door open in the evenings if I was cooking or doing dishes and let her push her boundaries a little at a time until she inevitably came running back inside. As she got older, she got braver and wandered farther, but she always knew where her home was. Every night, I would let her out (and she would demand that I do so) and every morning she would be waiting right outside my door, ready to come in and have breakfast before curling up someplace comfy to sleep for the day. I got used to listening for her cries at the door to be let in, but no matter how long it took, she would wait for that door to open because she knew that I would always come back. We learned to trust each other in that sense, so I let her out every night because I knew that in the morning she would be waiting for me.

But Tuesday night was unlike any other night she had experienced.

For the most part, it was a typical Tuesday for me. I let her in in the morning, fed her breakfast then shuffled off to work. She slept inside all day on the back of my couch on a coat of mine that I’d tossed there days before. I came home for a little while after work and took a nap because I’ve been doing my damnedest to get over these stupid allergies. After a while, I got up and went out to dinner with friends just like we normally do, and when I came home, Penny was waiting for me on the arm of the couch. It was a cold, wet night, and she seemed a little hesitant to go out at first, and I waited until she was comfortable and certain before closing the door. I didn’t expect her to stay out long in such weather, but to my surprise, I never heard her howl at the door once.

I went about my usual business, keeping an ear out in case she ever wanted back in from the cold, and before I went to bed for the evening, I peeked my head out the door to see if she was waiting. She wasn’t, and she didn’t come when I called either, but there were many nights where similar situations occurred, so I didn’t think much of it and went to bed, figuring I would get up in the middle of the night and check again in case she finally wanted in.

1AM came, and I woke from my sleep as I often do to usually let her out on nights where she stays in longer. I poked my head outside, but she was no where to be seen. Again, I shrugged it off, figuring she was out exploring and doing her own thing. 5AM rolled around, and I woke up again, but I figured that I would be up in a few hours anyway, so I rolled over and went back to sleep. My alarm went off at 7, and I turned it off. Another alarm at 7:30 at which point I finally sat up. Most mornings, Penny would sit by my door and listen for sounds of movement then she would begin howling for me to let her in, so I sat in bed on my phone and kept an ear out in case she called for me. But she never did. After a while, I got up and opened the door, but she was no where to be seen. Again, I didn’t think too much of it because sometimes she did that too. Sometimes a couple minutes after I shut the door, she would come running up because she knew that I was awake.

But she never came.

We were due for inspections at my job that day, so I had planned to go into work early, and a little before 9AM, I thought it odd that she hadn’t come in yet and started to get a little annoyed. I messed my coworkers that I was going to hunt down my cat then head into work, so I took my trash out to see if maybe I could coax her out of wherever she was hiding. I called for her as I walked to the dumpster, but she never came. So I went back inside from the cold and wet and waited a few minutes to see if she would finally come. She didn’t. At this point, I am exasperated, but starting to worry, so I got dressed in something more substantial than my pjs for the cold, grabbed her container of treats and headed back outside. I walked the length of my complex and back, shaking her treats and calling for her, but she never came.

I walked to the frat house next door because she often times liked to hang out in their yard, but she never came. I walked a little further down to the bar thinking that maybe she went a little further to avoid the cold, but still no sign of her. I kept telling myself that she must have found someplace warm and dry to curl up and that she would turn up eventually. When I went back to my apartment, I decided that I couldn’t hold off any longer. I needed to go to work. I decided that my morning walk in the cold and mist warranted a trip to the donut shop for donuts and hot chocolate, so I put out some food for Penny in case she showed up while I was gone and wanted food and took a different route from my normal one, going the opposite way up the street than I normally would have.

Just as I arrived at work with donuts and hot chocolate, I received a text from one of my employees that our inspectors had arrived. Perfect timing. I rushed inside, set my breakfast on my desk, and immediately took over placating them as quickly as possible. Inspections weren’t pleasant to say the least, but we at least passed. With that out of the way, I was left to worry about Penny as the day was only supposed to get colder with more rain showers leading into an eventual freeze overnight. I told myself that if she didn’t turn up that I would check the local shelters in the morning (today). I decided to use some of my sick time to take the afternoon off when my employees changed shifts, and I sat at my desk picturing Penny waiting for me back by my door when I went home.

Time seemed to move in slow motion, and I debated leaving before shift change numerous times, but after some time, my next shift worker offered to come in early so that I could leave and go wait for Penny to come home. I agreed, and left an hour earlier than I intended, and I don’t know if I would call it fate or coincidence, but leaving at that time, in that exact moment allowed me to pass by a certain truck stopped in the road at an exact moment.

Now, my complex is situated kind of awkwardly along the road, and most of the time, you have to make a u-turn if you are coming from the opposite direction to get into the entrance. I was coming from the right side, so I didn’t have to u-turn, but as I approach the median where the turn is, I notice a white city truck parked in said turn lane, and something in my gut told me to pay attention to him, and as I got closer, I notice that he is raking leaves out of the road. When I glanced down at his pile of leaves, I notice a mass of black fur that catches my attention, and just as I pull level with him, he scoops his pile up to eye level with me, and I see a small face with a pink tongue sticking out for a split second as it is tossed into the back off his truck.

My stomach drops, my heart skips, my throat closes, and a quick glance in my rear-view mirror tells me there is no time to stop lest I risk causing an accident. So I pull into my complex quickly, but there are no places to park on the side I pulled in on, so I am forced to drive all the way around to the other side where I pulled into the first available spot. I rushed from my car back to the main entrance, hoping to flag him down, but he is gone. For a moment, I stood on the pavement, too stunned to move, but after a moment, I find my bearings and slink off to my apartment, noticing the bowl of untouched food still sitting outside my door. I go in and shrug off my coat and crawl in bed, processing what I had just witnessed and rationalizing any possible way for it not to be true. But deep in my gut, I feel that sinking confirmation because even though my glimpse was brief, it combined with Penny’s lingering absence were confirmation enough for me.

My friends and family kept telling me that maybe it wasn’t her. Maybe she would still come back. Keep hoping. Stay positive. But maybe my brain has just never worked like that because I knew that Penny was that cat in the road, and that she wasn’t coming home. It then became a mission of figuring out of there was a way to track down that truck and potentially get confirmation, but after a few phone calls, it became clear to me that the truck was gone and so was Penny.

I checked with my office just in the building right next to mine just in case, but they had no knowledge of a dead animal reported, but the moment I mentioned it, my landlord gasped in horror, “You don’t think that was your cat, do you?” I shrugged, but the look on my face seemed to confirm my thoughts, and her next words nearly broke me. “I just can’t believe that. She was always waiting for you outside that door. Such a good cat. No matter how long it took, she would always be waiting for you to open that door.” Swallowing back tears, I thanked them for their time and retreated back to my apartment.

Several times, I almost cried, but I didn’t.

My best friend several towns over dropped everything, left work early, and drove an hour and a half to come spend the night with me. We went out to dinner. We talked and laughed. We came home and ate peanut butter from the jar while watching She-ra. Then we went to bed, and I lied awake for a while unsure of whether or not to cry. I don’t like to burden people with those things, but after a while of being misty eyed, I fell asleep. The next morning, we woke up and made breakfast while watching another episode of She-ra (because hey this is pretty good) after which my friend had to leave to drive back home and go to her own job. As she left, I picked up the abandoned bowl of food from my patio, accepting that Penny was never going to come back and eat it.

I sat in bed for a while on my phone, trying to distract myself from the emptiness of my apartment, still listening for those exasperated mewls outside my door but knowing they would never come. I got up after a while, avoiding the litterbox and bowl of dry food that I’d filled the morning before in preparation for her. I got dressed. I packed my bag. I grabbed my keys, and as I opened the front door, I turned to look back at my apartment, a habitual phrase catching itself on the tip of my tongue.

“I’ll be back later.”

I stopped before the words left my lips, realizing that there was no one there to say that to now. My heart broke, but I shut the door and carried on. Work was dull. Time passed slowly, and I was left to my thoughts. I tried to write on paper, but didn’t get very far. Even though I had accepted the fact that she was gone, part of me still hoped to find her waiting for me when I got home. But she wasn’t. As I climbed back up the stairs and approached my door there was nothing but my faded welcome mat waiting for me outside the door. I went inside to find an empty apartment with no sassy scrap of fur standing on the end of the couch to greet me with a dissatisfied mew. No face to lean down and kiss, no rough, sandpaper tongue to lick my nose, no purring chin to scratch. Just furniture that didn’t match, discarded jackets and shoes strewn about carelessly, and traces of black fur littering her favorite spots.

I went in and shut the door, kicking off my shoes and coat and abandoning them with the others as I crawled back into bed. My apartment is quiet, and for a moment, I am left with my thoughts, recounting all of the things Penny used to do around the apartment.

And that’s the hardest part about moving on.

Living with ghosts, remembering how she used to trot up and jump on the bed with me. How she used to curl up next to me while I sat on my computer, sometimes curling up on me. How she would start to purr when I’d look over at her every once in a while, and she’d blink at me happily. How she would follow me to the kitchen when I went to cook dinner. How she would run and jump on the bathtub when I went into the bathroom. The stupid way she would smack her water bowl before drinking from it that required me to move it into my bathtub. How she would sit on the corner of my desk and watch me from afar, watching curiously as I would toss an empty water bottle or a used tissue in the direction of the trash can. How I instinctively go to hide my hair ties under my pillows when I pull my hair down for the day but realizing that there’s no one here to try to eat them anymore. Realizing that when I come home at 7PM that I can lock and latch my door because I won’t be opening it again for the remainder of the evening. Thinking that maybe I can finally do all of my puzzles since there’s no one to knock them over anymore. Small things. Tiny, insignificant little things that most people wouldn’t think twice about suddenly leave a gaping hole in my chest. Routines that are no longer necessary.

I can always get another cat. In fact, I probably will some time soon. But new cats bring new adventures. New routines. New quirks. I’ll never have the same ones again. I’ll never experience those things with Penny again. And that, to me, is the hardest thing to come to terms with. I’ll get to love another cat again, but I’ll never get to love that cat again. Never get to kiss her face or awkwardly juggle her and my laptop in my lap. All of those days are over.

At some point I’ll have to clean that stupid litterbox. I’ll have to pick up her food and clean her diva bowl then put it away in the cabinet until the next one comes along. I keep replaying the day in my head, watching how all of the events unfolded in such a way that leaves me wishing that I had done things differently. That I had taken my usual route to work and passed by that place where I maybe could have seen her. That I had left work earlier when my gut told me to so that maybe I could have beaten the trash man and found her myself. That I had stopped sooner and waved him down so that I could see if it really was her or not despite how damning the evidence is now that she’s been gone for two days. That I had gone out to look for her before I went to bed and insisted that she come in from the cold. That I had maybe walked the other way during my morning search.

I don’t know how long she was in the road. It could have been a few hours. It could have been since the night before, shortly after I let her out. I think not knowing whether or not I could have found her and saved her that morning is something that haunts me. I think not getting to say goodbye is what really breaks my heart. I knew the risk of letting her out, but I never thought that she would venture out into the street. She never showed interest in it before. It was always too noisy, too busy, too crowded. But the night was cold and wet, so who knows if she maybe ventured out seeking shelter. Who knows?

If you’re reading this and thinking that it’s melodramatic for a cat then, hey, maybe rethink your priorities because you kept reading. You could have stopped, but you didn’t. And that’s your fault.

I think all in all I’m okay. I have my moments where I get misty eyed, and maybe that’s my way of crying. I’ve never really been good at it anyway. I don’t think I know how to feel. I think part of me is still in denial. I still expect to see her every time I open my door. I still expect her to be waiting when I come home even though I know she won’t be there. I guess part of me still hopes.

I don’t like to feel sad. I don’t think that it’s productive. I don’t want to spend my time lying in bed crying over something that I can’t change. Because no matter how hard I wish it, I can’t go back and change any of it. It’s done, and all I can do now is move on.

To all of you out there with fur babies who bothered to read this far, hug them close. Give them that extra treat, let them lay on you even if you have to pee or your leg’s asleep or they’re unbearably hot. Because you never know when it’ll be the last time you see them.

#non ml #personal #delete later #sad cat thoughts

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my-emotional-self · 6 years

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The Accident Chapter 7

Pairings: Chris Evans x OFC

Warnings: Fluff, Angst, Nightmares

Summary: After yet another fight with your boyfriend Chris, you go for a drive and get into a terrible accident. Upon waking up in the hospital, you find both Sebastian and Chris sitting there. The only problem? You have no recent memories and you think you are still dating Sebastian.

@missecharlotte I love you for all of your help!

The car ride back to the house was eerily quiet; neither you nor Chris wanting to talk much. To be honest, it was actually kind of nice. It seemed as if Chris knew to give you some time to cool off and not badger you right away with questions. It was like he really knew you. Instantly you kicked yourself, of course he knew you; the two of you had been dating for a little over two years.

Opening the door to the house all you wanted to do was see Dodger as he always seemed to calm your nerves. He came rushing up to you and Chris and you bent down immediately, letting him give you kisses as you scratched behind his ear. A smile grew wide on your face as you took in just how happy Dodger was. “Yes, you’re a good boy. Yes you are! Yes you are!” you spoke in a pitchy voice.

Peering your eyes over Dodger’s head, you saw Chris open the fridge, his eyes scanning for something to eat or drink. He must have sensed a pair of eyes on him as he turned to face you, a half grin tugging at his lips. “Do you want anything to drink?”

In the years you had known Chris while dating Sebastian, you always thought he was a good looking guy, that any girl would be lucky to have him as he respected women in such a way. But right now, as the kitchen was dim and his body was lit up from the kitchen light, he was more than just handsome. His body was well-formed, and he was overall very pleasing to look at.

Breaking from your thoughts, you cleared your throat. “Got any wine?”

With a nod of his head he closed the fridge door and went to the small wine fridge that was hidden under the kitchen counter. “Red or white?” You thought about it for a minute, suddenly pausing and becoming completely still. “Erica are you okay?” Chris’ voice brought you back to reality.

“Umm, yeah, I think,” you said with a slight shiver. “It’s-it’s just that, I never drank wine. I don’t even know why I asked to have some wine. I usually would just have a beer here or there, but never wine.”

Chris’ face soothed when he understood you were alright. He smiled widely as he grabbed a bottle of wine and two glasses. He uncorked the wine and began to pour a glass for you as you sat down on the stool at the kitchen island, watching him intently. He poured himself a glass and held it up to you, a gentle giggle evading your mouth as you clinked your glass with his.

Taking a sip, you hummed in content as the cool liquid washed down your throat; it tasted delicious. “I guess you could say I introduced you to wine,” Chris admitted.

Your eyebrows rose as he uttered his words. “Really?” you asked in surprise.

The smile that broke across his face made your face heat up with blush as your heart rate began to accelerate. “It was our first date. We were at an Italian restaurant and they didn’t serve beer. Only wine. That was when you asked me for help because you said you never had wine before.” He held up the bottle before setting it down in front of you. “This is the wine we had on our first date. We always make sure to have it stocked here for you. Wine is your go-to method of de-stressing, whether it was a stressful day at work, or if we get into a fight.”

You perked up as he spoke, becoming more alert as a feeling nagged in the back of your mind. “Do-do we fight a lot?”

His face became sullen and he cast his gaze downwards. You had no idea what was going through his mind at this moment; no idea that he was thinking about the fight the two of you had that led you to storm out of the house, resulting in this accident and your memory loss; no idea that he felt guilty for all of it.

Reaching out, you grabbed his hand, squeezing it gently. “Chris?” you called his name as his gaze snapped up to meet yours.

“Sorry. Umm, I mean we fight like normal couples do. But we always make up afterwards.” You listened to him intently but something felt off with him.

From everything that happened today, you were stressed, tired and ready to just break down and it seemed now was the time your body wanted to do so. Tears started to fall from your eyes as your head was bowed. They came slowly at first, but soon you couldn’t hold back the sniffling anymore.

Chris sensed without delay what was happening as he rounded the corner and wrapped you tightly in his arms. At that point, you let it all out as his grey shirt became soaked with your tears. His arms tightened around you and you felt a sense of safeness in his grip. Lifting your arms up, you splayed your hands on his back; your hands clenching at his shirt as you continued to sob.

Everything was finally catching up to you; the accident, the stress, getting a memory back but Sebastian not helping you through it. All of it came crashing down at once, but it felt good to let it all out; it felt even better to have Chris there for support.

You pulled away after your sobs died down, letting out a chuckle at how wet his shirt had become. “Sorry about your shirt,” you laughed.

Chris looked down, seeing his shirt wet from your tears but shrugged it off. “It’s fine. It’s not like I don’t have 20 of the same ones in the closet.” You laughed again, a somewhat sad laugh but it was a laugh nonetheless. “Now, do you want to tell me what just happened there?”

Letting out a sigh, you wiped the tears from your face, wincing as the bruising was still tender on your face. “It’s just, everything I guess. Everything came crashing down on me at once. I think the main reason was that I remembered a memory back at the restaurant, and Sebastian wouldn’t help me through it. He told me to drop it, when all I wanted to know is what happened. I can’t just remember a memory and then not have someone help me through it. I feel betrayed by him I guess.”

He cupped your cheeks, tilting your head up so you could meet his gaze. “Hey, it’s alright to cry about this Erica. It’s alright to feel strong emotions and to let them out. I don’t know much about the memory you remembered from the restaurant, but I do know that it was during a very difficult time for you and Sebastian. It was near the end of your relationship.”

Your chin began to quiver uncontrollably at that moment and Chris leaned down to kiss your forehead. It was as if time had stilled; his lips on your skin grounded you in the moment, tearing you away from the sad memories. His lips stayed on your forehead as his thumbs brushed tenderly on your cheeks; he was very aware of the bruises still dusting your face. You took a few deep breaths, willing those tears away and it worked.

As Chris pulled away, there was a smile he seemed to try and hide, but you saw through it. “Better?” he asked and you nodded.

“Thank you Chris,” you breathily replied, your eyes scanning his lips and up to his eyes. “I-I think I’m going to head to bed.”

Chris smiled, giving you a nod as he pulled his hands away. “Sleep good. I’ll see you in the morning.”

You gave him a smirk before heading off towards the master bedroom. Once inside, you made your way to the bathroom, needing to take a shower after your melt-down. You stood in front of the mirror, naked, as you inspected yourself. The large bruise across the left side of your cheek was still very dark and purple. It would take a few weeks for it to fully heal and you would have to wear some makeup to cover it up. Turning to your side, the bruises on your ribs were also still a garish deep purple. Luckily, nothing seemed to bother those bruises too much unless you slept on your left side. It was beginning to get easier to breathe more deeply and you were grateful that there was not much more harm done to you from the accident, well, physically at least.

The hot water felt good on your body as the shower helped your tense muscles. In any kind of tense situation you dealt with, your neck muscles always became tight. It had been a whirlwind of the last few days and while you were sad to see Sebastian go back to NYC, in a way you were kind of relieved. You felt that you and Chris could really start to bond, and hopefully he could help you get some more memories back by showing you pictures, telling you stories and taking you to places that the two of you used to go.

Done with the shower, you made your way back into the bedroom, only to see Dodger lying on the bed, waiting for you. Chris must have fed him dinner and let him out to do his nightly business; bringing him in the room while you were in the shower. Getting a pair of shorts and tank top on, you climbed into bed and gave Dodger a kiss on his nose, hoping for a good night’s sleep.

~~~

“Erica,” Chris was frantically yelling your name while gently nudging you awake from your nightmare. “Erica, sweetheart please wake up!” Your eyes snapped open, your chest heaving as your throat felt hoarse. Your body felt on fire and your throat felt like you had been walking through the Sahara desert for days without water.

“Wh-what happened?” you asked breathily, your mind fuzzy as you felt disoriented.

Chris visibly relaxed his shoulders. “You were having a nightmare. You were screaming so loud it woke me up. I came in here to check on you and you were thrashing around the entire bed. Poor Dodger was shaking in the corner.”

You scanned the room as your eyes finally landed on Dodger, who was in fact in the far corner, watching you intently. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry!”

Chris placed his hands on your shoulder, “Hey, there is nothing to be sorry about. It was just a nightmare Erica.” You began to inhale through your nose, and exhale through your mouth, hoping to steady your breathing. “Do you know what your nightmare was about?”

You looked up at Chris’ waiting eyes, just wanting to get lost in the sea of them. “I think it was about my mom. I can’t remember much about it. But there was just a lot of pain it seemed like.”

Chris swallowed, his tongue darting out to wet his lips as he gave a shaky nod. “Try to get back to sleep alright? You really need your rest.” You nodded at him before laying back down in bed. As you watched him walk away, there was a tugging feeling at your chest; you didn’t want him to leave.

“Chris?” He turned to face you just as he got to the door. “Will-will you stay here with me tonight. Please?” You could see the internal battle in his eyes that he was debating if it was a good idea or not; but in the end, he granted your plea. He climbed in next to you, calling Dodger up onto the bed as Dodger lay on the other side of you. Chris kept his distance, but you were just grateful that he was there with you after your nightmare; even though you couldn’t recall the events. “Will you tell me what happened to my mom?”

He let out a deep breath before turning his body to face you. His response was delayed as he stared back into your longing eyes. “Maybe tonight isn’t the best time. But I’ll tell you soon. I promise.” Giving him a subtly smiled, you nodded your head and rolled onto your back, your hand reaching for Dodger to pet his fur. The feeling of his soft fur helped you tire as you closed your eyes and lulled to sleep.

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#The Accident #Chris Evans #Chris Evans Fanfic #Chris Evans Fanfiction #Chris Evans x Reader #Chris Evans x You #Chris Evans x OC #Chris Evans x OFC #Chris Evans Angst #Chris Evans Smut #Eventual Smut #Slow Burn #Steve Rogers Fanfic #Steve Rogers Fanfiction #Captain America Fanfic #Captain America Fanfiction #Steve Rogers x Reader #Steve Rogers x OFC #Captain America x Reader

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galaxy-sharks-and-bottled-ships · 6 years

Link

I can’t believe I’m having to ask this. For those of you who have seen the post accompanying this page:

https://gogetfunding.com/radio-station-manager-falsely-accused-of-theft-prosecuted-by-most-corrupt-county-in-america-which-doesnt-even-have-jurisdiction/

I have some news for you. Walker County still is holding my dad. Our lawyer has advised us to hold onto the retainer fee for now and see if the department will do the legal thing and release my dad on June 27th (this month) during his preliminary hearing so that if they do we can use it to pay a civil lawyer and if they don’t, we can pay her. This mostly stems from the fact that she has apparently talked with someone about what a reduction in his bond would likely be. Too high for us to pay. She says it would be financially responsible to leave him in there, since they have already held him longer than his 30 days between arrest and preliminary, because otherwise we are looking at a more than likely $15,000 bond and a $150 dollar ankle monitor with a daily $10 maintenance and surveillance charge. She has said that if they do not release him on the 27th, despite not having any evidence, then she will finally step in, but otherwise to hold the money and be packing our house up. Yes, that’s right. Our lawyer has advised us to be packing the house up “to be ready to move the very week he is released.”

She has told us that while she was out shopping someone approached her and mentioned our visitations to her office and inquired if she would be taking our case, after which they reminded her the local lake is deep. Smith Lake is a well known body dump in our area – it is reportedly under constant surveillance (going out on a boat with no lights is a very quick way to get arrested too because of the body count they have supposedly pulled from it). Now, I admit, I have no idea how true this story is but, I can’t imagine our lawyer would make this up for no reason; let alone insist we move within a single month for no reason. Granted, we were planning on moving this year. Maybe around September or August, but not this soon.

Several times now people have swerved at my car like they are attempting to swipe it off the road, I have had slurs and curses spit at both my sister and my mother, and we have found my little sister’s dog poisoned. We are scared to leave the house unattended and scared to go out into public alone. We have a friend order any food in his name to be sure that we don’t get anything ‘extra’ in it. Like spit, trash, or anything else. It my seem like overkill but we have actually upset a woman once who worked at our Domino’s – she bragged that she had scraped along the bottom of a dumpster with the cutter she used to cut our pizza with. On Facebook, no less! A repeat of the incident is what we are trying to avoid.

On another note, I have still been in contact with my dad. According to him the jail there is only legally equipped to hold 13 inmates, and currently holds 23. He says the other 10 sleep on the floor and everyone is fed the bare minimum. “Last night’s dinner was a weenie.” I want to state that my dad is very specific with speech, and I even checked to make sure I had understood correctly. A hotdog is a weenie and a bun. They had just the weenie, no bun! That was dinner! From what he has told me that was a common occurrence! He has also notified me that he is not the only man being held in there illegally – one man was able to prove in his preliminary that the arresting officer was lying and that man is still in the jail. Another was arrested with a friend while they were in their vehicle. His friend had drugs on him and the officers arrested them both. Despite both his testimony at the preliminary, and his friend also stating that he had no drugs and that it all belonged to that friend, they are both still in the jail under drug charges.

And so we wait hoping that the legal thing will actually happen and he will be released. Honestly though, we’re prepared to have to go to court over this nonsense. Until then we’re trying to pack to move away. We have listed all of our redundant equipment for sale, as well as the jump tents that we used to use at charity events to try and get the funds to stay above the red line; however, someone keeps reminding people of my dad’s current whereabouts and telling people we’re thieves, frauds, and not to buy anything from us because we likely stole it. Thanks to a generous family member, we at least have our power on so we don’t have to try and move in the heat and dark but, we can’t even resume the station’s broadcast. Not only will none of our patrons (who we have worked with for years by the way) help us right now. After the power was kicked back on, I went to check on the radio equipment to get the station back and on the air. I had even planned on starting a radio segment called ‘Know Your Rights’, where I was intending on tackling the topic of rights being violated, why our rights exist, and what they mean.

However, the moment I turned our transmitter back on and checked the power output versus reflected power I was amazed to discover that, despite the 200 watts, we were somehow reflecting 600 watts. An impossibility, according to my dad who has worked as my engineer. “Check the heliax and make sure those idiots didn’t cut it.” I have inspected the portions of it that are visible but I did not find any cuts. Still, our transmitter insists we are reflecting everything it pours out back into it, and then double that. It doesn’t sound too bad, but as a bit of an idea of what that can do – A few years back, a violent storm took our antennas down and that caused reflected power. We smelt a burning ozone smell for a few hours the next day before anyone went to check. We found to our dismay that the reflected power had melted the -now partially detached- antennas, overheated our heliax cable, and fried the internals of our transmitter. Overall, a few thousand dollars worth of damage as well as a good scolding from dad about the importance of inspecting towers right after a storm. Reflected power is no joke when it’s over half of what the transmitter puts out, and right now my engineer/tower climber/dad sits in jail.

Our station sits still off the air unable to help, our equipment listings are all being flagged as fraud, and the one other form of income (through engineering work) sits in a jail cell hoping someone will let him out.

–And so it is with great regret that I am once again posting here asking for donations. Now for a moving fund, that we were hoping to be able to provide ourselves by the selling of our extra and backup equipment. If any one needs any equipment for their own station just send me a PM, tell me what you need, and I will see if what we have is up to the specs that you need and we can talk from there.

The current goal set by family members older, and so therefore somehow ‘wiser’ than I, is $10,000 to cover any extra court fees or surprises, the moving fee, a partial fee for someone to climb our tower and help disassemble (unless someone here can help with that) it so we can move it, as well as the general price of living while we try to find a new home to move into. Also the rent to get into the new home. The bare minimum we need is $5,000 but I’m being told $10,000 will (“Had better damn well.” actually) cover everything. I know it is a lot to ask for but this has really wrecked our business and we’re looking at a minimum of 4 months of recovery. We have to pack up our house and disassemble our station, find a new home and rebuild our station, and then pretty much go door to door hoping to find new patrons before the first power bill comes in and we get shut off the air again. It’s hard to get patrons when the station they’re thinking of supporting isn’t even on the air for them to hear.

I hate to ask for money given it is generally our job to help others in need but this entire situation has put us in that place right now.

Any little bit helps; I feel bad enough having to ask for anything at all.

https://gogetfunding.com/walker-is-still-illegally-holding-my-dad-and-now-we-have-less-than-a-month-to-move/

#signal boost #please #i'm sorry i'm having to post about this again

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streetforce49 · 2 years

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Will A Chimney Sweep Go Away A Multitude After Cleaning My Chimney?

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