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mrsemilybartrum · 5 months

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Little One and Duckie

Little One was excited. She had been saving up all summer to get enough change to buy a two-pack of water guns from the General Store. She could imagine all the fun they would have in the back yard; making mud pies with grass garnishes and fighting each other with water guns. Her older sister would then want to play with her. If only she could get those water guns.

Today might just be her lucky day. After all, the Tooth Fairy came through last night. Little One wiggled that tooth back and forth until it was loose enough to finally pull. She was on a mission to be loved and accepted. Plus, that tooth would grow back. It was just a baby tooth. She wouldn’t be able to get back the rest of the Summer, though. So, she decided to make the Tooth Fairy come to her.

Little One hadn’t slept well at all last night. She had horrible dreams again. When didn’t she have horrible dreams? Her mother hated her when she had bad dreams. Once, Little One woke up crying and screaming from a bad dream. It was one of her recurring dreams where the Faceless Monks in the square castle try to speak to her. She went into the living room to be comforted by her momma, but her momma wasn’t in the mood to be comforting.

Her momma had mental health problems, but nobody knew it at the time. Everyone back then ignored it. Still do, in a way. But, that night, it was bad. Little One could still feel the sting in her face from her momma slapping her that night. Her momma slapped her little face too hard on both sides, but what her momma said is what hurt more. She called Little One a stupid baby who couldn’t do anything right, even sleeping. The easiest task, a task that people must do, or die.

Her momma could be downright cruel on most days. Other days, she was as sweet as a honeycomb. Most days, though, it depended on who you were and what time of the month it was. Momma’s mood swings dominated everything about their daily existence.

Little One took a deep breath and brought herself back into the present moment before she welled up to cry again. The dreams never stopped, but leaning on her mother from that day forward did. She learned in those moments that her mother wasn’t equipped with the ability to mother her. After all, she wasn’t born a boy or her older sister. Yet, Little One still desired to be loved, fit in, and be wanted by the people around her. That dollar from the Tooth Fairy would be the difference between her sister and her friends playing with her or her playing alone.

She reached underneath the lumpy pillow, and she felt paper money. The excitement built up inside of her like it felt when getting a happy meal. She traced her index finger around the edge of the rectangular paper to feel tear ridges on one of the short edges. Her heart sunk into her stomach. It was a paper food stamp dollar, not an actual dollar.

She was devastated. Angry. Mad. Confused. Why did the Tooth Fairy leave her a paper food stamp dollar instead of a real one? Was the Tooth Fairy on welfare like they were? She wanted to go ask her momma, but she knew she would have to be careful with how she worded things. The slightest thing could set off Little One’s momma. Then, the whole entire street knew she was mad.

Little One tip-toed through the house, so as not to stomp too loudly from having big feet. That was another thing Momma hated. Why Little One had to stomp around with those clod-hopping feet was beyond her momma. Her momma told her to walk on her toes around the house once, and ever since, she’s tried to every time. She saw her momma was sitting up in the chair in the living room instead of being asleep.

“Momma, can you help me understand something please?” Little One asked her mother. Her mother looked down from her talk show that was playing on the television. She was in a good mood, apparently. But that didn’t mean anything. It just meant that Little One caught her at a good time. Her momma smiled with her big, straight teeth. She had beautiful teeth, even if they were all technically bad.

“What can I do for you M&M?” her momma asked her with a sweet, playful tone. She was in an especially good mood.

“Momma, is the Tooth Fairy on welfare like we are?” Little One asked. She felt her face flush with fear as she heard the words leaving her own little mouth. The ‘w’ word wasn’t a friendly word in that household, even though everything they had came from welfare support.

Her father worked a full-time job for the city, at the local pool. Her father had worked every day of his life, since he was sixteen. They weren’t bums. But her mother carried a chip on her shoulder, and Little One was preparing for the wrath to come. But it didn’t this time.

Her mother simply replied with “The Tooth Fairy has fallen on tough times like the rest of us. That was the best the Tooth Fairy had to offer you at the time. Better be grateful that you got something instead of an ‘I.O.U.’”

Little One thought a moment about it and it hit her. She realized what her mother was saying. There wasn’t going to be a dollar because her father hadn’t been paid yet. He got paid later in the week, every week. But he hadn’t been paid that week yet. He got his paychecks on Fridays at the time. Maybe hope wasn’t dashed after all.

“But I can’t buy anything I want with this. I can only buy food stuff. And I’ve been saving up all my loose change so that I can buy a set of water guns for me and sissy. I can’t use the food stamp on the water guns. Do you think Daddy would switch this out with a real dollar when he gets paid on Friday?” Little One asked her mother, this time expecting her mother to lose her patients. Usually by question three, her mother was yelling – raising her voice minimum.

“Now Little One get real. You know better. You can ask your daddy if he’s willing to buy it from you on Friday, but don’t be expecting no dollar. You already know the going rate for food stamps is fifty cents on the dollar.” Momma snapped at her. Little One knew better by then, and she dropped the incident altogether. She hated being poor. She hated being small. And she hated being dependent upon people who saw her only as a burden, chore, or servant.

She wanted to ask her momma one more question. But she stopped herself from answering. She already knew what the answer would be. She had asked that question before, and it ended with bruises – both physically and emotionally. She decided to go to her room and read the Bible. If momma didn’t love her, she knew Jesus did. Maybe there would be answers in there for why her momma behaved the way she did.

Chapter Two

The Bible had the answer for everything in it, according to Little One’s grandfather. He said B-I-B-L-E stood for ‘Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth’ all the time. Both sides of her family were believers of The Way, but neither had perfected the art of interpretation. Little One wouldn’t understand that on a deeper level until she got older. At that point, however, she was trying to figure things out the best she could.

Little One loved her grandfathers. Her grandmothers were a different story. She loved them, but they were unwell like her momma. Her paternal grandmother was obsessed with weight and optics while her maternal grandmother was obsessed with wealth and optics. Her dad’s momma would tell her to suck in her belly, that real men like flat bellies. Her mom’s momma would tell her she was too skinny, and she needed to eat more. Food was a constant topic for discussion.

Whether there was enough of it. Where it would be coming from next? Whether the food was safe enough to eat, this far past the ‘best if used by’ date. Those were on there as a suggestion, according to her pappaw. She loved him so much. He was funny, and he let her experiment with word play and smack talk without beating her for it. In a way, her wit and charm came from them. But her dad’s side of the family was entirely different to her mom’s.

Her dad was significantly older than her mother. So much so, that her mother was born the summer her father graduated from high school. Many often thought that Little One’s father was her grandfather. It wasn’t until her mother got sick later in life that the age gap was forgotten. She was raised by a different generation because of that age gap, though. It made her thankful, grateful even later in life. She had a whole different frame of reference than her own generation. Some would call it jaded.

As Little One laid on her bed, she remembered something her mom’s dad had told her about her mom once. He told her that her momma had been through more than anyone should have to, especially for how old she was when she went through it. He told Little One to go easy on her. He’d stress to Little One that it didn’t mean her momma was right for how she acted or behaved, but that her momma deserved respect for bringing her into this world. She could’ve chosen the alternative.

Little One thought about what the alternative would look like. She would’ve never been born. Never being born isn’t the same as being born and then dying. If she were never born, it wouldn’t even matter. She wondered if her mother, father, and sister would’ve been happier without her. Everyone seems to be happier without her. It’s why she stayed hidden in her room or gone. If she wasn’t seen or heard, she couldn’t be mistreated.

Maybe Friday she could take her change with the paper food stamp and buy a snack to take to spend the weekend with her momma’s parents.

She loved to stay the night at her grandparents’ house. Her grandparents were big into the Pentecostal church scene in their rural community. They always had some kind of donation box food in the house. Her grandfather could make anything out of nothing. Give that man three ingredients, and he will multiply that into a feast for twenty. The best part, you’d be coming back for seconds and thirds. Little One thought about the one time they all had stew with their grandparents.

“Dad, what is in this stew? I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it tastes different. Like something is different, but it’s not a bad different. Just… different? Here, give me a second bowl.” Little One heard her mother ask her grandfather.

Little One had known what the stew was made of because she had watched him make it. She thought it was fun to watch her pappaw cook because he was professionally trained. He was a chef for a restaurant in a past life; he was good at creative things like cooking, drawing, painting, singing, and story-telling. He was especially talented at hiding ingredients that were risqué, too.

“I cannot put my finger on it for the life of me, Dad. Is there any more stew left? If so, I want another bowl. I need to figure out what it is that you used in this to give it that body.” Her mom would say. Little One didn’t understand why she didn’t just say she was hungry. Why lie?

She watched her grandfather make her another bowl, and she sniggered to herself as she picked out a chunk of meat to eat it. Little One had no qualms about eating something if it tasted good. She was always hungry. Her mother – not so much.

“I give up, Dad. I have no idea what kind of stew meat that is. All I know is I am stuffed to the brim, and I now have the itis. So, tell me. What kind of mystery meat did you use this go around, huh? Beef? It had a beefy taste to it, not a gamey one. Was it cow, Pops?” her mother inquired.

“Yep, it was cow. You guessed it right. Good job, Willa. But, if you can guess the cut of beef I used, I will let you take a bowl home for later.” Her pappaw quipped back.

Her mom sat there a second, thinking good and hard on the flavor and texture. She guessed a few different cuts, but none of them were it. It wasn’t flank steak, cube steak, or tenderloin. Finally, her Pappaw Wight decided to spill the beans on the beef.

“Willa, you were eating cow tongue. Your daughter helped me prepare it, too.” Pappaw said with a smile spanning from one eye corner to the other. It was so full and wide, Little One found it contagious. She loved watching her pappaw smile. He was missing some of his teeth, and the others in the back weren’t so great. But he didn’t care about what other people thought.

Little One watched as her mother pretended to gag and dry heave. Her grandfather was so disappointed in her mother. Even though she wasn’t actually sick, she was being dramatic about it instead of funny or cute. You could see it made him feel smaller.

“You can’t pretend to throw up now or hate it now, Willa. You ate three bowls. Your Little One here has no problems eating cow tongue. Nor anyone else here. You ate the most, yet you have the biggest issue with the food now? Willa, you ate far worse growing up. As did your husband when he was growing up. Not everyone has money for better cuts.” Pappaw lectured her mother. She almost enjoyed seeing someone humble her mother, but she realized how much it hurt for both of them to go through that.

“Little One, how dare you! You didn’t even tell me. Why would you not tell your mother what she was eating?” Willa demanded from Little One.

Little One froze in fear. Her little heartbeat began to pound harder as she tried to stay calm. Her grandfather was there, he would keep her safe. Why she thought that, she had no idea. Her father was there all the time, and he never once made a difference.

Her grandfather stood up. The whole room went quiet. Her mother’s side of the family was larger than most families. Obesity ran rampant, but so did long periods of not eating or having enough food. The body did what it was supposed to and stored everything it could as fat for the hard times. Her grandfather standing up was a big deal. He was a large man.

He slowly stepped toward his daughter, and he looked her straight in the eyes. He asked her what she thought she was doing there, yelling at Little One. Willa came back to her senses, and she rushed to hug Little One. But Little One was just stuck there, frozen. One can only be mistreated so many times before the defense mechanisms kick in subconsciously.

Little One snapped out of her memories like a cartoon character snapping out of a flashback. Instead of being with her pappaw and his stew, she was back in her house, in her bedroom. Her sister was standing in the door way with a paper food stamp dollar.

Little One asked her sister where she got the food stamp from.

“Mom gave me one so I had a reason to walk to the store with you. She also wants us to carry back Bubba Cola, candy bars, and some cream cheese with crushed pineapples. Bring your Tooth Fairy dollar, and we’ll put it with mine to get stuff for a party.” Her sister said in a tone that only an older sibling could possibly have.

Little One got herself ready, and she walked out the front door. The three steps were cobbled, and they were her favorite place to sit in the summertime. She once sat there on their stoop eating strawberries. So many strawberries, that she broke out in hives and rash. She had a fun memory of that day.

Her sister was already down the street with the neighbor girl. She would be walking with them. For the most part, they treated her well at the white house by the church. She would often wonder what it would be like to have a home with carpet or central heat and air conditioning whenever she would visit or pass by. The friend’s mother was always so kind.

“Well, God, I guess it wasn’t Your Will for me to have those water guns. Was it because I forced the hand with that loose tooth? I will try to be more patient next time, Promise. In Jesus’s name I pray Amen.” Little One prayed as she prepared herself to climb up the hill and cross the railroad tracks.

#writing #original story #lifeinspiredfiction #fiction #memoir #LittleOne

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scottishhighlandtraditions · 2 years

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This is an excerpt from the first chapter in my new book Alasdair, the true story of a seventeenth century Collansay man from the west coast of Scotland caught up in what became the British Civil War, a man who became lauded by those he tried to protect as a supernaturally protected hero and to his enemies as the "Holer of Houses".

There's more of the book in audio and video format, and of course it can be purchased and posted internationally in paperback. Details at the page foot. Enjoy the excerpt.

Alasdair

The Irish Exile Years

Prologue - Colla's Isle

We are a great family for the storytelling, telling our MacDhòmhnaill history over and again, again and over, like a parable from the Bible. I can see the day in my mind clear enough, as if I was there myself, from the telling of it by my father and brother later, over and again, again and over.

On that day my half-brother Aonghus and my father Colla were returning across the close grassland of our island home. My father carried the long hunting gun balanced over his shoulder; the two hounds trotted a little ahead, their ears pricking interest to every distant bird in the dunes; my brother carried a small sack of oysters that they had gathered from the shallows.

He glanced discreetly at my father. ‘And would you no think about moving back to the house at Loch an Sgoltaire? Might the MacLeans raid again?’ In his thirteenth year, he looked to ask a good question.

My father gazed wide to left and right across a soft landscape populated by slow moving, docile Highland black-cattle. His land by sword; his cattle by cunning. Colla MacDhòmhnaill, my father, laird of Collansay. Colla Ciotach MacDonald, as he was better known, “ambidextrous” or “crafty” Colla.

‘I might,’ he answered eventually, ‘but I think Sabhal Bàn is all that we have need of now. The MacLeans are no as strong as they once were. We can move quick enough, and we have need.’ He cast a satisfied look across the land. Truth was, other clans hadna bothered with Collansay for some time. We had long been an obstacle in the expansion of the MacLeans from the north and the Campbells from the mainland east, but at that time, things were quiet enough.

Aonghus smiled but didna speak, the bond reinforced. Down by the shore, in the muran grass, the head of a heron popped up from her hiding place, sensitive to their passing. She gave one rasping, disgruntled shriek and winged slow and low along the strand, seeking quieter places.

The day was cold and bright, the flowerless heather sprang beneath their feet, the cattle were yet fat. A keen wind cut over the low-lying island and the shush in the muran played a thousand tiny whisperings of what was to come. The year was sixteen hundred and sixteen.

Father and Aonghus came in sight of our home, the tall, thatched Sabhal Bàn, the White Barn. As they entered the door-yard through the enclosing wall, there was a strange silence about the place. No servants were in the kale-yard. Even the animals were quiet. The two men stopped, listening into the stillness. The dogs looked curiously at the house, the heightened awareness of their masters perhaps affecting them. My father scanned out across the pastures and shorn in-by fields but nothing seemed amiss, save the unaccustomed silence. The narrow barn-windows of the house gave out no sign.

Slowly he pushed open the heavy oak door. The dimly lit main room seemed empty, no signs of struggle. Nola’s spinning wheel sat with the rush lamp burned-out beside it; a neatly filled creel of wool skeins stood by; wool was still on the wheel, part-spun. Aonghus followed father quietly into the kitchen. The table had preparations for a meal on it, broken eggs in a large mixing bowl, more yet in the basket beside. The fire glowed brightly in the hearth, its peats left unsmoored as if it were still being used to cook upon. Aonghus put the sack of oysters quietly on the table.

Muffled groans came through the floor from upstairs.

‘Màiri!’ blurted my father and the two of them ran for the staircase, bounding up in a few strides and throwing open the door to the bedchamber. Màiri, my mother, sat on the birthing chair, her face red with effort. She turned a baleful look upon my father, although she hardly seemed to see him through the pain of her effort. Around her the women of the house spoke quiet comfort, holding her hands, brushing sweat-matted hair from her face. She winced, pushing her head back. She had come early into labour: Bron Trogan, the Burden of the Earth.

My father crossed himself, wide-eyed for a moment, then turning, pushed Aonghus back out of the door. They would not be welcome or needed here.

They went down to the kitchen to await the outcome, forgetting all thoughts of Campbells and MacLeans. They sat at an uncluttered end of the large kitchen table, saying little for a while. Aonghus was as spare as any man at a birth, more so as he looked at our father’s anxious face. He could help neither parent. The younger sisters had evidently been sent off to a neighbour’s house for the duration.

Rising, he re-hooked the pot to the slabhraidh over the fire to warm the broth, poking the peats into life again. He might as well get some soup for father. Minutes passed. Intermittent groans came through the ceiling above, causing the two of them to steal furtive glances towards the stairs, each putting forward a face of calm that they did not feel. My father absent-mindedly fingered the hilt of his sword, his gun now stood against the wall with the other arms. A comforting thought came to him: Màiri had borne many children. This one would be no trouble. Still, she was older now and a prayer wouldna go amiss. He reached for his rosary and began to quietly request the benevolent intervention of Our Lord, covering the sounds of pain from above with his whispering.

Time passed, the fire began to hiss as the broth spat. Aonghus pushed a steaming bowl in front of father and was fetching a spoon when a different sound caused my father to look up. Around the walls of the kitchen, the swords in their scabbards began to rattle where they hung; the small round targes began to swing on their hooks. Then, one by one, the locks of the muskets in their rack began to click and cock into place of their own accord as if readying for battle. The two men paused in wonder at this strangeness, looking at the weapons, the ripples in the soup bowls on the table, then at each other. In a few moments, the rattling of the arms stopped and silence returned, to be replaced by an altogether different sound. Upstairs, someone very small, was none too pleased at the first view of his new home.

I was wailing in the midwife’s arms, chord still attached, when my father burst into the chamber.

‘Did you hear the rattling of the swords and shields as the child was born?! Is it a boy or a girl?’ He seemed unable to decide which of the two important questions to cram through his lips first.

It was my mother, Màiri, that answered. ‘It is a boy,’ she said from the birthing-chair,

The servant girl dabbed my exhausted mother’s face with a cold cloth; the midwife was already readying the chord to cut.

‘It is a portent!’ cried my father anxiously. ‘The guns below at the wall cocked themselves.’

Staring down at me he said, ‘It is an evil portent. Indeed it is! Swords rattling at the wall of this house while he was born. Get a bucket! Drown the child at once!’

He made a grab for me from the midwife’s arms and she dropped the chord-cutting knife in surprise, surrendering me to his assertive grasp. I have no doubt he would have killed me in that moment had not my mother spoken up.

‘You’ll do no such thing!’ she demanded, struggling to raise her limp body from the seat. She locked eyes with my father, then the midwife, one of the NicBhiocair women from the lower farm, perhaps expecting her to speak out or retrieve me from him.

‘There’s nothing evil in this portent at all,’ offered the midwife, hesitantly. She turned a knowing smile upon them, one after another, landing it finally upon my father, giving time to collect her thoughts.

‘Tis but the boy will grow to be a great warrior, just like his father. The arms know it well.’ She smiled, reaching for my bloody body wriggling in his hands, held up roughly like a half drowned and wailing cat.

‘Mmph!’ was his grudging acknowledgement after a moment. He thrust me back to the NicBhiocair woman.

‘We’ll call him Alasdair,’ my mother said to my father’s retreating back. She had named me after his uncle, great uncle and great, great grandfather, knowing well, as a daughter of NicDhòmhnaill herself, the family pride that she could call upon for male flattery and manipulation. Having named me, she let out a sigh, closed her eyes and sunk against the hard wooden chair. There was another “Mmph” from my father and he withdrew from the room.

‘I was in great fear the master was for murdering this wee man,’ said the NicBhiocair woman while she cleaned me.

‘Mmmph,’ echoed my mother, her eyes still closed, ‘My husband is in great want of some nourishment in his head.’ She looked at me properly then.

‘Alasdair MacColla Ciotach Mhic Dhòmhnaill,’ she said, giving me my full name. ‘Well, mo bhalaich, you are after being given a warrior’s life. Will you take it?’

NicBhiocair looked up at the question, but it was not to her that my mother was speaking.

‘You’ll be needing it, my son,’ she said, closing her eyes. ‘The Lord and myself know how much you’ll be needing it.’

Anno Domini 1639

I awoke with a start from the grip on my shoulder.

‘Alasdair!’ came a harsh whisper. ‘Wake yourself! Your father is after sending me. He says you must away. Wake you Alasdair!’

The stranger shook my shoulder again as I tried to make sense of what he had said.

‘Wake you, Alasdair. I am to tell you “Remember the night at Smerby when you were a boy, and the game. The answer was ‘a sea pig’.” He said you’d know what that meant.’

The voice in the dark waited, perhaps for a response. I could see him dimly, but I didna think I knew him. I looked to my younger brother’s bed at the other end of the room, but it was silent and in darkness.

‘Aye?’ I croaked, not much awake, my mouth furred with last night’s ale.

‘He said to tell you that you must leave the island, tonight. Go to Antrim, Alasdair. You are in danger. That is his message. Go now.’

My head hurt from the quickness of waking, sleep draining from my blood, and I mumbled to the intruder to repeat his words.

‘Your father says you are to leave the island tonight. There is danger. Go to Antrim. He said you’d know the message was from him when I said “the answer to the riddle at Smerby was muc-mara.” Does it mean aught to ye?’

‘Aye. What has happened?’ I asked, the sense of danger rising in me to join the nausea of a rude awakening. ‘Who are you yourself?’ I could not see his face clearly in the gloom of the bedroom. He carried no light. I could smell the sea air on him though.

‘Just a friend, Alasdair, a friend to your father. Your father and brother have been taken prisoner.’

‘What! By whom?’ I pushed his hand from me and struggled back the covers, my wits sharpening.

‘By the Earl of Argyll. And there’s not a thing that you yourself can do for it and a host is being sent against this very house to take you while ye lie here. Get you up!’ He pulled the covers fully from me and put a hand under my oxter, hauling me upwards. ‘Your father sent a warnin’. Ye must away! Ye’ll know I speak for your father when I say the answer to the riddle at Smerby was muc-mara.’

‘Aye, I hear ye,’ I said. ‘I’m up.’

The shadowy face was close to mine, but still I didna know him, it seemed. He waited only a moment to satisfy himself that I had understood him, then he stepped from me. The quiet sneck of the closing door and his feet on the stairs told of his departure. I couldna imagine how he’d got into the house.

My head clearing, I began to pull on my clothes. The mention of the game we had played at Smerby when I was child told me the message was a true one, for no one beyond our family would have understood it. Muc-mara, a sea-pig, a whale as they cry it in English. I had a vision of my father louping around the drawing room of Smerby House under a big blue plaid, making the strangest noises. We, the young children were squealing with pretended fear and the older ones and the adults rolling about with laughter. The game was one where we had to guess what he was. He was fair worn out by the time we did, his hair matted to his head with sweat. His turn as a muc-mara became a thing often retold in our house, but few others would have known of it.

These memories came to me in my rapidly waking state as I searched darkness for clothing. Whatever reason he’d called that memory to mind, it was important that I believe the messenger to be true. For why had the messenger gone already?

I pulled back the heavy drapes from the small window. It was the middle of the night, but already the June dawn threw a pale ocean-blue light across the fields around the house. There was no sign of the messenger.

Still dressing, I went to the bed of my younger brother Ragnald that lay at the far end of the chamber. I threw back his drapes and as quickly a possible instilled a sense of urgency in him. I gave Ragnald only the simplest knowledge that we had to leave the island and that father had been imprisoned. With no answers to his questions, we gathered some of his belongings by a dim light.

‘Go you and check outside,’ I said to Ragnald as I filled a bag. ‘See if there’s any person about. Go quiet, mind.’ He closed the dorlach he was packing and threw it across his shoulder.

In the kitchen a few minutes later I was grabbing some food supplies with the help of a house-servant that I had wakened.

‘You know what to do?’ I asked of the woman-servant. ‘The valuables, the deeds?’

‘Aye, Master Alasdair. We’ll take care o’ things afore this hour’s passed,’ she confirmed.

‘And the cattle?’

‘I said so,’ she answered with impatience, stuffing a wrapped cheese into my bag.

Ragnald came in the front door, closing it quietly.

‘I can see no one,’ he said. ‘Are ye to tell me what this is about?’

‘Soon as I know myself, brother. For now we must away.’

Ragnald handed me my sea-cape, we took the bags and made for the boatman’s house.

Click or scan the QR code to be taken to the website or use this link to visit Bandcamp for the paperback. The first two chapters can be heard as an Audio Book via the next post on this Tumblr page.

#Colansay #Scotland #scottish history #gaidhlig #books and novels #scotland #my writing #indie author #literary fiction

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papa-rhys · 2 years

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okay hello i know this is strange but i've been following you for literal years and ik that you like far cry 5, and it's just recently on xbox game pass! so i was wondering if you had any fun casual tips for first time players or like, stuff you didn't realise until halfway through that was crazy helpful or just things you like and want to draw attention to :) no pressure tho, you're just the one person i follow how still talks about the game and i'm glad i'm finally getting to play it so i wanna get hyped! :D

Ooo heyhey!! This game is great, there’s so many chaotic shenanigans involving AI and bears and moving vehicles, you’ll have an absolute blast!! Okay so, some things I find useful/wish I’d known earlier:

1: Find the machine gun, it makes everything easier!!

As soon as the open world becomes open to you, head to the Copperhead Rail Yard in John’s region first, which is to the North-East, here:

Once you clear out the outpost and the resistance take it over, if you climb up into the train car just behind the shop stall that opens up, you can find a light machine gun propped up against a wall inside it. This gun does a lot more damage than normal rifles and gives you a big advantage over enemies, especially heavy armoured enemies that are otherwise more difficult to take down with basic guns

2: Destroy all the alarms at outposts before engaging with the cultists

It’s a royal pain in the arse to have to kill more waves of enemies at outposts once they sound the alarm, especially when some of them bring helicopters. Outposts will usually have 2-3 alarms that you can disarm by getting close to them via sneaking. Or you can just shoot them from a distance, like I do! Just pop a bullet into them all before you start your attack on the guards the Peggies won’t be able to call for backup. Plus, you’ll get extra money once you complete the outpost assault! I recommend using a silencer on your weapon for this, and maybe also a sniper rifle if you want to do it from a really safe distance. But if you’re quick enough (scoping out the location of the alarms first helps) then you don’t need either of those things. Just as long as you shoot the alarms before any of the Peggies get to them, then you’ll be good to go. Once the Peggies spot you, they’ll run for the alarm, so speed is key!

3 : Unlock specialist guns for hire early on

There’s a perk in the perk menu called “Leadership” that allows you to have two companions at a time. You can unlock this perk by completing 3 of the Specialist missions (I usually go for Nick, Boomer, and Grace first, simply because they’re the simplest and they’re all in John’s region.) This perk is super helpful because companions revive you whenever you take too much damage, but they tend to be pretty stupid and can get themselves shot or blown up before they can get to you, so having another one to step in when the first one dies beside you doubles your odds of not dying in a chaotic mess of gunfire. Plus, they talk to each other at random and it’s nice to listen to lol.

4: Flamethrower dudes are tricky - aim for the tanks

Be careful when approaching these guys, they’re a pain in the neck. They’re usually found at the edge of roads or on the driveways of various properties, burning people, and they will light you up immediately with no thought for any grass or foliage surrounding them. It’s gets super messy super fast. They’re also armoured and take a few bullets before dying. But their weakness is the propane tank on their back. All you have to do is hit it once and they vanish into an explosive cloud of fire and smoke!

5: hiding from enemy helicopters is the best strategy (they are killable though)

Honestly, no matter how “worth it” the fight with a helicopter seems, it’s probably not. They can easily tear you up before you even know what’s going on. They kill your companions just as quickly too. If you’re in a car at the time, the car will just explode - instant death for everyone. The best tactic is to avoid them by crouching under some trees or a bridge or something if you see them patrolling, then run for it once they leave. This makes me feel like a spy on the run from the government and I really quite enjoy it. But if you’re forced into engaging with them, then find some cover (trees or buildings are the best option) and fire continuously at the front window where the pilot is. He’ll die eventually (or quickly depending how lucky your aim is!)

6: hunting and prepper stashes are the best way to get money

You’ll need a fair bit of money early in the game and it’ll feel like you never have any because ammo costs a lot. Main missions don’t really give you much money, if any at all. Your best bet is to either spend some time doing prepper stash missions dotted around the map (most of which are super simple and quick. You can find the locations of these missions by talking to people with a green diamond symbol above their heads) or you can just start killing and looting every animal you see in the wild and sell the skins at shops and vendors. Either way, the money will stack up nicely, especially if you manage to snag some alpha animals while hunting, which sell for more. You can also catch fish at rivers and lakes, which is a super relaxing and peaceful way to pass the time and results in a little extra cash. The sound of the constant running water might make you need to pee though

7: When encountering Angels, aim for the head

They’re drugged up zombie-ish enemies that are pretty much exclusively found in Faith’s Region, and they take more damage than usual without dying. Sometimes they look like they’ve died, but get back up again. They can be a little intimidating at first (at least for me lol) because they’re strong and kinda creepy, but if you aim for the head, they die immediately and don’t get back up again

I think that covers the key things I find helpful, or stuff that would have saved me some suffering if I’d known it earlier lol. It’s a really fun game though, even if you do end up getting torn apart by a helicopter or spend the afternoon watching yourself and your companions burn to death in an accidental forest fire lol.

I hope you have fun with the game! Feel free to drop me a message at any point if you wanna talk about it or tell me about some crazy stuff that happened to you while playing, or if you wanna ask about something. I have a bunch of advice swimming around in my brain if you need some more!

#I hope these help!#if I think of more then I’ll add to this list #tips

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esoutherngolf · 10 months

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Lessons from Brian Harman’s British Open Win

This year’s Royal Liverpool course setup proved again that when a complete range of golfing skills are tested, those with the ability to keep the ball in play, hit reasonable scoring shots, and are consistent with their medium-range putting can and will win. Journeyman PGA Tour player Brian Harman beat the field at the British Open by six shots in four days of weather that was alternately warm, cold, windy, rainy, and windy, cool, and rainy at the same time. It’s not that he didn’t make mistakes, but when he did, as his tee shot on the 5th hole in the fourth round into a gorse bush, he limited the damage with smart play to post a bogey. Harman’s driving was not spectacular, especially compared to the big guns in the field like Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, and Bryson DeChambeau. After all, he is 144th in driving distance on Tour at just over 293 yards but a credible 8th in accuracy, hitting more than two-thirds of the fairway. Those analysts who think they know it all dismiss Harman as a “one-off” who putted lights out for a week, the right week, and took home the Claret Jug. He was first in strokes gained putting by a sensational margin of almost 12 strokes, had zero three-putts, and missed only one putt under ten feet in the four rounds. His 106 putts were the fewest in the British Open in the past 20 years when another journeyman Ben Curtis took his only major. The analysts are correct but for the wrong reason. It wasn’t just about his putting it was about his whole game. Keeping the ball in play, staying out of the penal bunkering, not letting the weather get to him, and maintaining his focus was the key. In short, he was gutsy, smart, and dominant. He did not overpower the course, just his opponents. What isn’t being discussed is how golf’s ruling bodies, the USGA and the R&A, continue to the boat, insisting the ball goes too far and must be reined in for the sake of golf’s future. You’re familiar with the arguments for and against, but this same discussion has been going on with the same dire predictions for over a century, yet golf and golfers continue. The governing associations have proposed a Model Local Rule for elite players that, when enacted, will limit the distance balls can be hit. Not everyone believes there is a problem that must be “cured.” PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan has said the Tour will not go along with the proposed Model Local Rule, acknowledging it is not in the best interests of their players or fans. The British Open at Royal Liverpool demonstrated for the umpteenth time the single biggest factor controlling scoring is course setup. Rough that actually is rough, not just long fairway grass, strategically placed bunkering that can be, in effect, a one-shot penalty, greens with contours that cause offline approach shots to run away…well, you get the idea. Set-ups such as Royal Liverpool place the emphasis on having a complete game and the intelligence to manage yourself to success. They are an argument against any artificial attempt to restrict the performance of the equipment. Something that has never worked in the past and never will in the future. Read the full article

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falcor-thee-luck-dragon · 3 years

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Let Chaos Reign

Chapter 3- Don’t Provoke The Bear

Summary: After getting your shit rocked by the Avengers, you now wake up in a strange new place even more pissed off then you already were. Also that one pretty looking dark haired guy won’t leave you alone.

Warning: reader being chaotic, Bucky trying his best

Masterlist - Chapter 2

Eyes still closed you can feel a soft pressure holding you up, slowly parting your eyelids, you’re soon greeted by the sight of bright lights circling you overhead, though they remain unmoving. On further inspection, once you force yourself into a seated position, you take notice that you’re in some kind of flat spherical glass holding cell.

Blinking groggily, you look down to find your clothes are all still on your body, suddenly a pang of fear hits you at the thought of your mothers necklace. Reaching for it, you’re relieved to feel it’s still with you. Thanking whoever will listen for that bit of good fortune in this otherwise adverse predicament.

Shifting your gaze back to the current situation of the room, you’re able to see around to some sort of large cavernous lab area with a multitude of that armored man from earlier, though you can tell there is no vital life that stirs within them. Guards maybe? Decoys? You have no idea.

Suddenly your eyes catch movement from the left door, a dark skinned man in black clothing and a single patch over his left eye appears. “Good morning. I’m Director Fury.” He smiles with a friendly nod, arms clasped behind his back while he walks over to you, “Or should I say afternoon?”

Getting off the elevated bed, you wander towards the thick glass keeping you from him, “Where am I?”

Fury nods, “Better question you should be asking is how long you’ve been out for, cause damn, you can sleep.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

He chuckles knowingly, “I almost couldn’t believe it myself when the team told me. But wow, holding back both Vision and Wanda for as long as you did. I’m thoroughly impressed.” He boasts for you, genuinely fascinated by your daring feat.

Right, those two.

You frown, gaze hard set and intimidating, “Where the fuck am I?”

“Well for one, you’ve been out for a whole 15 hours since they found you unconscious but alive after getting blasted by Vision and Wanda. Weren’t sure if you were gonna make it, seems the universe has yet to take you out.”

Pursing your lips together in irritation, you glare through the glass at him, “Well I’m not exactly from here so....doesn’t matter. Tell me what this place is and where the fuck I am!”

He holds up his hands, “Alright no need to get heated.” Before clasping them behind his back as he begins pacing slowly back and forth in front of you, “You’ve created quit the stir since arriving in Ireland. My intelligence first received a message indicating a storm greater then a category four hurricane, which by our standards is pretty damn massive. Soon a fun little video of you throwing some busses around like rag dolls peaked my interest. And give or take a couple days, here you are.”

Giving him a deadpanned stare, you cross your arms, “The mystery of the century. Where am I?”

“Alright fine I won’t leave you in suspense, you’re in New York State. In a very secure and safe facility home to the Avengers. Nice place huh?” He smiles, dark eyes looking elsewhere as he gives a little once over of the room.

“I’m in a cell.”

“Yes. But it’s a clean cell.”

Suddenly you slam your left fist against the thick glass causing him to flinch, “You have no right to hold me here! Release me. Now.” You growl darkly, golden irises appearing to almost glow with your building vexation.

“Can’t do that.”

“Alright then, if that’s how it’s going to be. Then I’ll do it myself.”

A second later he’s genuinely startled as you cock your arm back before slamming it into the clear thick glass. With the power of bending the material and your people’s strength, the glass cracks into a fist sized area. Satisfied with this, you do it again and again before a voice startles you.

[Miss, please refrain from breaking that. Mr. Stark has requested that you stop immediately.]

“Agreed.” Says Fury as he hustles over to the far wall, bringing his arm up to his mouth, he speaks but you can’t tell what he’s saying. What nonsense is he even doing?

Ignoring both of them, you punch the glass a fourth time before the voice interrupts again. [Miss. Please suspend your advances. Mr. Stark is on his way.]

Halting your fist from punching a fifth time, you take a step back and bring yourself to the center. Positioning yourself in a fighters stance, legs slightly bent, arms held about 90 degrees; you thrust them forward causing the metal contraption to creak and whine in protest.

Holding your arms close to your body now, you make two tight fists before violently punching at the air; the metal holding in the glass slams forcefully against the far wall. Destroying a couple of those stoic armored sentinels in the process.

“What the fuck?!” Yelps Fury in surprise as he falls to the floor from the force of the impact, “Hey! You better stay right the fuck over there!” He warns while cowering in the corner, nothing to really threaten you with but his voice. That is until he pulls out a stunted black gun, like the ones you have seen on the Norwegian police. You ignore his threats anyways.

Taking your first steps out of the desolated cell feels almost euphoric, your body embraces how strong and dangerous you feel among this place and what has presented itself to you within her walls. A man and his words, a disembodied voice telling you to stop fighting your way to freedom. Ridiculous, they have no idea who you are.

You take a single step left when the man, Fury, shouts loudly, “Stay right there!” Your eyes find the gun held tightly within his grasp, “I will shoot!”

You don’t care for this shallow warning, there are things in this universe more important then a mortal mans fearful intimidation. Opening up your palm, the gun flies out of his hands while he gasps with a start, eyes wide and panicked as you turn the short nosed barrel towards him. Closing your fist, the gun combusts to nothing more then destroyed metal and hard plastic as it clatters to the floor.

He watches in disbelief as you then turn to your left before taking the first door that reads exit above it; you wander past a long hallway until you come across a door leading to a long flight of stairs to some floor with a sign reading - Parking Area - the door is obviously closed.

This is too easy, you think suspiciously, somethings not right.

Opening up the door, you’re greeted by a large cavernous glass and metal room holding a large black aircraft on the far end, a couple more vehicles parked in various areas spread about the place. And not a soul in sight.

Hustling along into the room, you’re able to reach the door on the other side, opening it, you cautiously stick your head out. Ahead of you is a large green yard stretching all the way back to a tree line with trees placed neatly along a road leading up to the facilities main entrance area.

To your far left is a large river, but still, you have no idea where New York is. This is all unfamiliar territory to you, so finding the Ancient One is going to be a tough fucking job.

Not seeing anyone, you take your first couple steps into the open. Soon you’ve made it halfway across the grass headed for the tree line before the sound of gravel crunching causes you to pause and turn around to face the intruder.

So close. The woods are right there.

Clenching your fists, you keep a defensive stance as you stare him down, this man is undoubtedly familiar. He’s dressed in boots, jeans, a pair of cloves for some reason, and a faded grey t-shirt that’s mostly covered by his forest green jacket, while his long dark hair is washed and sits handsomely around his face. Blue eyes staring at you apprehensively, “We’re not here to harm you.” Cautiously says the man in a soft tone of voice, hoping not to provoke you again.

“Then why was I just locked in a cell?”

He pauses for a moment, “Uh, okay, yeah that looks bad.”

“Precisely.

You turn to leave, yet his voice makes you stay, “You don’t have to be on your own you know. I don’t know what you’re looking for, or who....but doing it alone will only take longer. We could help you, if you want.” He suggests with the tiniest hint of a smile. You don’t trust him.

You look towards the lake before finding his gaze yet again, your golden eyes admittedly sadder as you softly answer him, “No one can help me.”

He takes a step forward, face softening, “I felt the same way once. Alone and confused, not sure where to go, no one to trust. Believe me, it sucked......so, I’m just hoping you’ll listen. That’s it.”

“Well, I don’t particularly like any of you. And so far you’ve all gotten in my way and fought me....I have no reason to trust a thing you say.”

He purses his lips together and nods, you’ve got him there, but nonetheless he takes another step forward, “Sorry about that.” He mutters while rubbing the back of his neck, “Uh, let me try and start over....I’m Bucky. And I am definitely not here to fight you. Promise.”

Eyeing him up suspiciously, you take a step back, “Y/N Lavpranthus..of Vanaheim.” You finally reveal, albeit with a smidge of apprehension, however you are not one to hold back your own name if someone is to speak freely theirs.

Bucky nods, incredibly grateful for your calm demeanor for the moment and this first bout of information given willingly by you, though he has not a single clue where Vanaheim is, this is progress. Good progress; perhaps the team was right to send him out first as their guinea pig against the big bad wolf.

Stupid in retrospect, but so far it’s appeared an effective strategy instead of Tony’s idea which was to have Vision and Wanda knock you out again. Not an efficient way to make friends who can throw busses around like its nothing but a bag of grapes...and all without even touching them.

Bucky reveals the flash of a smile as you slowly calm your once defensive stance, though you’re still wary of his true intentions, “Y/N.” Repeats Bucky with a genuine grin as he tests out your name on his tongue, “Never heard that one before, it’s beautiful.

Taken aback by his kindness and sincere compliment to your name, you finally let your guard down, “My mother gave that to me, it was her sisters name, though she died before I met her. Guess it doesn’t matter now...” He frowns as you share a dismal look with the ground, remembering the events that brought you here in the first place.

Family.

Soon your anger rises once more as you think of your brother, that conniving piece of shit, “Bucky....I-I can’t stay here. I have to go, you wouldn’t understand. And I don’t want you to be involved....fuck....he probably already has scouts hunting for me.”

Bucky’s brows furrow in confusion, who would you be talking about he has no idea, “Y/N, no one could hurt you here, alright. This place is pretty damn guarded. I mean, we are the Avengers.”

Shaking your head you take a step backwards, “No, none of you understand how dangerous he is, I’m lucky he didn’t kill me when he had the chance.”

“Who tried to kill you?”

Finding his worried gaze once more, you back closer towards the woods, a knowingly loathsome look crossing your features as you frown, “My brother.” And with that do you make a swift exit into the trees, out of sight in an instant.

Bucky takes a hasty step forward before looking back at the base where all of the Avengers are watching from the windows, they collectively make a go-get-her motion with their hands, indicating that Y/N is now his problem.

Fantastic, he thinks sarcastically, half the team can fly and I’m going after a demigod with family problems.

——

Jumping over fallen trees and ragged roots alike, you’re swifter then a young leopard under the treetops, it’s admittedly incredibly freeing that you almost get lost in the rush of it all as your boots pound against the leafy ground.

Arms pumping you quickly along while you run deeper into the woods, you can’t remember the last time you’ve felt so free, though your fun soon comes to an abrupt halt when something hard latches onto both of your legs, instantly you begin falling towards the quickly approaching earth.

With lightening reflexes, your hands are thrusted outwards while you emit a blast of air that saves you from suffering brain damage or a bruised face. The wind aids your body in stabilizing itself once again; now standing with your lower legs tied collectively by some metal clasp, you quickly clap your hands together before focusing your release.

The metal clamps rip apart from off of your legs, freeing you in an instant, “What the fuck was that about?” You mutter to yourself when what would you know it, there’s Bucky standing not even twenty feet from you, an apologetic look on his annoyingly handsome face.

He raises his gloved hands into the air, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know how else to stop you...”

Shaking your head in disappointment, you take a step in his direction, “Bucky, you’re going to really wish you didn’t just do that.”

“Uh.” Is all he’s able to mutter before you send him flying backwards with the force of a small windstorm, you watch in amusement as he breaks some branches on his way to the ground.

“You really don’t like following orders now do you?” He hears you chuckle, “I like that. You’ve got a brave heart I’ll admit.” He watches as you walk into view, a knowing smirk adorning your beautiful otherworldly features, “Courage, it’s good. Even after what I did to you a couple days ago, you still came to speak with me when no one else dared, it’s valiant. You would be a noble warrior in my homeland.”

Bucky could have blushed if not for the stick poking uncomfortably into his back, “Thanks....you seem like...uh....an experienced...woman.” Mutters Bucky, mentally cringing at how unbelievably stupid that just sounded in comparison with how gloriously divine you are.

You snort, “Easy on the eyes and a skilled fighter. Guess conversation is too adept for even the likes of you.”

Bucky shows you a cheeky grin as he jumps to his feet, “Well....uh...you don’t really know me that well yet.”

You laugh at his weak flirting skills, “Too bad I’ve got elsewhere to be. I bet you’re fine company.”

“Right...right, yeah...” Mumbles Bucky with a nod, not really confident he’s gonna be able to sway you completely to his side, he just needs you to come back with him to the base. That’s it, well, in a calmly manner. “Uh...do you even know where you are?”

You open your mouth to speak but pause as you actually have not a single clue where you really are, brows furrowed you answer, “Upstate New York.” Your accent dripping strong with a tinge of uncertainty that greatly annoys you.

Bucky smiles, “Do you know where that is?”

“Well.....not completely but I’m willing to find out, elsewhere. I don’t need help, believe me.”

Bucky throws his hands up, “I believe you. It’s just....I don’t think you’re gonna find your brother without a little guidance here...”

“Don’t patronize me!” You snap angrily, eyes practically glowing gold as you fill with irritation; he’s trying to distract you from your goal, you don’t need any help from anyone. Your brother would never dare ask for such a thing if he was in your place, he probably would have killed this man in the facility yard without a second thought. “You’re all just prying little bastards, I have no business with any of you when my personal quandary is concerned!”

Clearly noticing he’s struck some kind of nerve, and remembering he’s been tasked with gathering as much information about you as possible while striving for the end goal of a truce. Bucky stupidly pressures you further, “Your brother can’t be that terrible, I mean.....what did he do?” Asks Bucky with a casual shrug, a sudden pang of fear flashing through his eyes as you send him a nasty glare.

You don’t even give him a moment to react before his forest green jacket is ablaze from your quick thrust of flame out of your fist, Bucky instantly yelps in surprise before swiftly throwing the burning fabric off of him before he catches fire himself. The jacket falls to a flaming heap on the forest floor, “What the hell?!” Yells Bucky, eyes wide at your incredibly abrupt act of hostility.

Whoosh!

And Bucky’s flat on his back with you right on top of him, kneeling down to meet his startled gaze, his breath hitches as you forcefully grab his stubbled jaw. Your eyes two golden coins of tempered rage, “You have no idea what he has done to me or my realm, you’re lucky I’m not like him or you’d be a burnt corpse adding to the ash of the universe. Pray you never meet him.” Your lip quivers in angered emotion as you lightly squeeze his jaw, “And if we meet again, I assure you someone will die.”

Bucky keeps still as stone as you finally release him from your admittedly powerful grasp, soon you rise to your full height, giving him one last conflicted look before sauntering off into the bushes.

He lets out a breath he didn’t know he had, chest rising heavily as the adrenaline rush of the fire and you touching him brings him back to reality. He’s on the ground in the woods and you’re absolutely no where to be seen. Soon he jumps to his feet and jogs in your direction until he reaches a gravel road leading back to the Avengers Facility.

You’re gone, just like a phantom in the shadows, gone.

Shaking his head in frustration, Bucky treks back to the base where Steve, Tony, and Natasha are waiting for him outside, all equally curious as to what the hell happened.

“Looks like you were unsuccessful, Barnes.” Quips Tony as Bucky throws him a dirty look.

“She’s...just.....complicated.” Mutters the tired Winter Soldier with a frown as they follow him to the front doors.

——

Bucky slouches comfortably into the back of the lounging rooms giant plush couch, a heating pad seated blissfully against his bruised back from all the times you knocked his ass to the ground today. Sam, Tony, Steve, and Natasha seated in various areas around the lounging room as they give him a break to rest.

Though the peace is soon broken by the sound of Tony’s irritating voice, “You at least get a name to hold against that psycho?”

Bucky throws him an annoyed glance, “She’s not a psycho, and her name is Y/N....I can’t remember her last name. It was something Middle Earth-like I don’t know.”

“Y/N?” Repeats Steve, “That’s different.”

Bucky’s face shifts to concentrated puzzlement, “Yeah, I know....it’s just, she said Y/N of Vanaheim or whatever that means....not sure but she’s definitely not from around here.”

“Really? What drew you to that final conclusion.” Jokes Sam as Bucky mutters an incomprehensible fuck off while the Falcon chuckles.

Natasha’s voice suddenly enters the conversation, “So she’s after her brother?”

Bucky nods, “Yep.”

“And doesn’t appear to know her way around this world either?”

“Yep.”

Natasha hums in thought as Sam speaks, “Damn. I wonder what happened to her before she got dumped into our world...”

Bucky suddenly sits up, “It’s just....she said some people are probably already after her, uh....her brothers guardsman I think?”

Steve takes a step forward, eye brows raised in interest, “Guardsmen?”

Tony nods, “Or are these some type of glorified assassins? I’m just putting this out there, but we really need to get this shit under control before she ends up destroying a building next. Or these, whoever is after her, decide to...oh I don’t know...kill some civilians while they’re at it.”

Bucky’s face shifts to puzzlement, “Dammit. It’s kinda my fault she ran off.” They all give him a varying amount of intrigued expressions as he sighs, “I was just trying to get more info out of her and then I talked about her brother and she set my jacket on fire, before throwing me to the ground and roughly grabbing my face to threaten me, she was really mad too.”

Sam smirks, “Did you enjoy it. Getting manhandled by a pretty lady in the woods?”

“Sam.” Mutters Steve like a disappointed father reprimanding his son.

“Come on Buck, it’s okay, you can tell us. Was it nice?”

Bucky throws him a deadly glare, “Actually it was, I felt very loved and comforted.” He quips, voice dripping in sarcasm before a more thoughtful expression crosses his features, “But she didn’t actually hurt me. I don’t know, she almost looked conflicted to leave....I don’t know it happened so fast.” He mumbles, closing his eyes as he falls back into the comfort of the couch.

“Well as much as I’m enjoying this time together with all of you...” Says Natasha, “We now have a person from an unknown world on the loose with incredible power and the means to use it as she wants. We all know where that can lead us.”

“With more collateral damage then what Ultron gave us.” Adds Tony, “Fortunately this time it won’t be my fault...like that makes a big difference I know. Still, she’s the Avengers newest problem now and we don’t have a damn clue where Miss. Anger Management is.”

“Uh, not exactly.” Starts Bucky as they all turn to look at him. Sam raises an intrigued brow, “What do you mean, not exactly?”

“I, well uh-when she was threatening me, well one of the times she was threatening me...I was able to plant a tracker on the inside of her one pocket. Then she pushed me into the grass and ran off into the woods, I couldn’t keep up even if I tried. She was just gone, but at least I was able to do that. It’s something.”

“Barnes.” Says Tony slowly, “And you’re just telling us this now? When we could have been sending some intelligence or agents or even ourselves out to find her.”

“Sorry but I was recovering from getting beaten up by a beautiful demigod to remember so soon,” Sasses Bucky, “but yeah, that aside, she’s got a tracker on her so all I’d need to do is pull it up on my phone and I’m good to go. Well, as long as she hasn’t found it yet.”

“If it’s just like that, you’re sharing with the rest of the class.” Says Tony while he wanders over to the television mounted upon the wall, “I’m gonna have you link with the tv, I don’t wanna miss a second.”

With a dramatic sigh does the Winter Soldier lean over to grab the thin metal device from off of the coffee table in front of him while Tony flicks on the large tv screen. Once all is set correctly and synched up, the others watch on in curiosity as he scrolls around a bit before finding the app and clicking on it, a couple passwords are sent in and accepted when the screen then shows one option labeled -Unite_1P - between two white bars within a sea of black.

He taps the label and the screen changes to a view of North America resembling that of google maps, but the screen soon shifts to zoom in on a moving pin point in red that’s traveling a couple miles far northeast of the Bronx, where it appears that Y/N happens to be trekking through some forest heading downwards towards that designated part of New York City.

Steve’s eyes trail over the red pin point, “So that’s where Y/N is going?”

“Seems like it. And she hasn’t a damn clue where she’s actually going either.”

Sam keeps his gaze locked onto the map as well, “And what does she want exactly?”

“She said something about finding her brother but that’s honestly it, I tried to help her but it was almost pointless. She’s on her own mission now, and no ones going to get in her way.”

Steve sighs, “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

“What?”

“Y/N. Someone getting in her way, someone just trying to lend a hand and she takes it the wrong way and then...”

“I know man, but I don’t think she’d do that to some innocent person. At least I don’t think she would.” Worries Bucky while everyone takes a moment to process and stare at the screen, red pin point still moving slowly towards New York City. The creak of wood is suddenly heard and all five Avengers turn their heads towards the abrupt noise of Director Fury who’s found himself a spot to stand in the large room.

“Unfortunately we don’t know that. And as the worlds mightiest heroes. It’s your collective duty to always assume the worst. She’s strong, has a goal, and appears able to get it if she tries hard enough. It’s admirable, and yes she’s no Loki...but she is a danger to Earth the less we know about her true intentions and the longer she’s out of our reach.” Explains Fury, “Barnes you’ve done incredibly well. But our apparent need for you has increased as well, so I suggest you smack on a band-aid because we’re going to have a nice civil conversation with her whether she wants it or not.”

“Me?”

“Yes you. You’re the only person she hasn’t tried to send a chunk of metal at, you got close, you got the information. We need you to do it again.”

Steve looks to Fury, “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. What if she...”

“I’ll do it.....” They all give Bucky a collective array of questionable facial expressions as he shrugs, “What? I think she’ll listen, maybe, okay I’m not one hundred percent sure if Y/N will hear me out. But I gotta try right? She’s conflicted inside, she’s hurt and alone....if I just have a moment, another moment, I think I could get to her. I think she’ll listen.”

Fury smiles as Steve lowers his gaze, “That’s what I like to hear Mr. Barnes. And don’t none of you worry alright. We’ll be close, at a safer distance of course, but close in case anything goes south. Now the day is still young and we have a demigod to find, I assume you all know what to do.”

Steve looks to the array of assembled heroes, “Suite up..well actually...just Bucky.”

The designated man of the hour rolls his eyes, “Yeah, yeah, I’m going.”

Tagged: @buckylokisimp @diegos-butt @minigranger @bibliophilewednesday @holyhumorliteraturelight @lilacs-lavender @a-girl-who-loves-disney @bizarrebibitch @starkssnarks @vikingqueen28 @jmstz @thehornytitties @staygoldsquatchling02 @cleverzonkwombatsludge @mischiefmanaged71 @noragracebrewer @atomicpersonacheesecake @thescarlettvvitch @shawnartmendes

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes #the winter soldier x you #the winter soldier x y/n #the winter soldier x reader #the winter soldier #avengers imagine #marvel x reader #marvel x y/n #marvel x you #bucky barnes series #fanfiction #fanfic #series

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heliads · 3 years

Text

Heartbeats (Part Two)

Based on this request: “Jesper x reader where she was in the first army and grew up with mal and Alina, but then when stuff goes down in the fold she ends up in ketterdam (maybe she’s grisha too) and teams up with the crows but her and Jesper end up falling for each other?”

part one / masterlist

As much as you’d like to avoid it, though, the battle on the sand skiff rages on. In the end, despite all of your complaints about Kerch sharpshooters and their unusually quick wits, there’s nothing you can do about the present situation except fight your way out of it. You’ve been a soldier for a long time now, a tracker and a fighter through the First Army. This isn’t your first brawl, and it likely won’t be your last.

It is, however, your first one where you’re actively attacking the grotesque flying monsters known affectionately as volcra. There are also several Grisha on board, and despite your silent protests, you can hear your power almost calling out to them, as if it can recognize those of its own kind. You try to reel it back in, collect it and calm it and force it away, but in a life and death situation like this, your control is weak. If you used it now, you could probably save yourself. The only issue is that by revealing yourself, you might damn yourself to a worse fate than a quick death at the claws of a volcra.

So, you ignore the thrum of heartbeats echoing out around you, electing instead to fire your pistols again and again. You’re not the only shooter here- Jesper Fahey is at your back, the two of you surrounded by a cloud of smoke issuing from the barrels of your respective guns. You could almost fool yourself into thinking that you might make a good team. Clearly, the stress of the battle is getting to you.

Then, just when you’re sure that you’re going to make it out of here alive, you slip up. You took too long in taking down a volcra and forgot about the Darkling’s oprichniki guards still on board the ship. You sense them before you see them, and whip around to see one seconds away from shooting you full of bullets. Your own arm rises involuntarily, as if pulling the string of a marionette. The oprichnik’s body rises in turn, his face turning ashy as his heart is yanked apart under your watch.

The moment is over almost as quickly as it happens. The guard’s body slams to the ground beneath him, head lolling. He’s dead, no question of that. What have you done now? You quickly force your hand back to your side, pretending as if you’d shot the guard and nothing more. Alina and Mal are still busy with the Darkling on the other side of the skiff, so you think you’ve managed to keep your secret intact for a little longer. Saints, you’d sworn to yourself that you wouldn’t let this happen. Grisha are constantly on the run for their lives, and you can only imagine that it will get worse now that word of the Darkling’s treachery has come out. You can’t afford for this to happen.

When you look up, though, you’re met with a pair of eyes. Jesper Fahey watches you from his place a few paces away from you. There’s no doubt in your mind that he’s seen everything, that he knows exactly what you are. Strangely enough, though, he doesn’t seem angry or surprised or even afraid. Instead, he just looks understanding, like he knows exactly what you’re going through. He nods his head once, a sharp motion, then moves away again.

You try to redirect your attention back to the fight at hand, but your thoughts keep straying to that one moment over and over again. What will Jesper do with this information? He’s used to being a canal rat running the streets of the Barrel, where any piece of knowledge should be taken and sold to the highest bidder. There’s no doubt in your mind that he’ll tell somebody- why would he ever keep your secret?

However, he gives you no suspicious looks, and when you and your friends finally make it out of the Shadow Fold and into the dim gray sunlight of the ruins of Novokribirsk, he simply walks over to stand with his own group once again. He doesn’t say a word to Alina or Mal or anyone else.

Your stomach is still in knots over the potential of your secret being revealed, and you find that you can’t sit quietly, even when you’re exhausted from the fight on board the sand skiff. Instead, there’s a strange buzzing in your chest, as if you could run a hundred miles and never tire. It occurs to you that this might be because you finally used your Grisha abilities and didn’t keep them tied up for once. Regardless, you can’t be content with a place by Alina and Mal in the long and broken grass, so you stand up, walking to pace back and forth overlooking the ruins of the city.

To your surprise, you’re soon joined by Jesper. He walks with you for a few yards, then turns back to you. “Why do you keep the fact that you’re a Grisha a secret?” Your feet stall in place, and you quickly check around you to make sure that no one can hear the conversation. Alina and Mal are a ways away, so they probably won’t be able to tell what you’re saying, but you can never be too sure.

“It means I can stay with them. It means that my friends don’t look at me like I’m an enemy, one of the Darkling’s men. They don’t trust Heartrenders that well. I cannot have them think that of me.” Jesper nods, but doesn’t speak. You glance over at him. “Aren’t you going to do something? Make a joke about how I’m too afraid of my friends?” He shrugs. “You’re not the only one with secrets to keep.”

Before you can think more on this and what the seemingly open Jesper Fahey could possibly have to hide, he’s turning his attention back towards the ruins of Novokribirsk below you. At the sight of it, the wind drifting through clouds of smoke and dust, he whistles softly, the low note hanging in the silent air. “Are you looking for anyone down there?” You shake your head. “I have no one anywhere.” Jesper regards you for a moment longer, a strange look in his eyes, then turns and walks back to his Kerch friends without another word.

As you watch, he speaks to them in low voices. Although you cannot make out a single word, you swear that their gazes lock on you several times. Later, after everyone has had time to recover and start to think about moving forward, Jesper’s friend Kaz steps forward. “We’ll be heading back to Ketterdam soon. You should either run or find a place to hide. They’ll be looking for you soon enough.” Alina nods, giving Mal’s hand a comforting squeeze. “We plan on going to Novyi Zem.”

It hurts you a little, this quiet intimacy. They’ve clearly discussed this, although you weren’t in on their plans. You’ve known that it would be like this for a while, that the two of them would always need each other a little more than you. Truth be told, you’re largely alright with it, although it does sting a little to know that you will forever be on the outside of their happy pairing.

Kaz now turns to you. “If they’re going to Novyi Zem, where does that leave you? We have a position in our ranks, if you’re interested in taking it. You appear to have a skill set that we could use, and it would probably be best for your Sun Summoner if you split up into smaller groups.” You look between him and Jesper, who appears to be doing his best to remain nonchalant. Was this what they had been talking about- offering you a job?

Before you can talk yourself out of it, you step forward. “I’ll go with you to Ketterdam.” Alina stares at you. “Really?” You nod, clasping her hands. “I’ll miss you, Alina. You too, Mal. But he’s right- you too need your best chance at staying hidden from him if he comes looking. It’ll be safest if we split up. Besides,” you try for a laugh, “I’d probably get really bored in Novyi Zem anyways.” You might just be kidding yourself, but you swear that Jesper’s looking at you with an honest smile now.

This is how you end up boarding a ship to Kerch, how you end up saying goodbye to Alina and Mal with tearful hugs and farewell waves, how you end up staring with a smile at the cobblestoned streets and grimy alleys of Ketterdam. Jesper laughs at your awestruck expression. “It’s just the Barrel, darling, not the Grand Palace. No need to drop your jaw quite so low.” He dodges out of the way when you try to hit him, unfortunately. “Compared to the endless hills in Ravka, I’d say it’s pretty good.” If you didn’t know better, you’d swear that Jesper’s smile looks almost proud now.

Ketterdam is surprisingly good. Sure, you’re on the run for your life practically all of the time, whether it’s because of Kaz’s mad schemes or because some gang boss or another has decided that they’ve got it out for you, but you’d be lying to say that you didn’t do it all with a smile on your face. You might be risking your life all of the time, but at least you feel like you actually have a life to risk now, instead of just another place as just another tracker in the First Army.

You also spend a lot more time with Jesper. At first, you had rolled your eyes and questioned your Saints as to why they seemed determined to damn you with one of the most insufferable sharpshooters known to man, but in all honesty, he’s starting to grow on you. It’s just the way that the two of you get to have neverending competitions to see who can shoot the farthest and the best and the quickest, who can come up with the wittiest retort or steal the best object from a store in the least amount of time possible. It’s just that he seems to click with you in every way. Maybe a life as his rival was something you’ve been waiting on for a long time.

You keep waiting for the shoe to drop, for him to reveal to Kaz or Inej or any one of the numerous information seekers in the Barrel that you’re a Grisha. He never does, though. Instead, he waits for you late at night, when everyone else is asleep, and lets you practice your gifts on him. At first, you’re just monitoring his heart rate and trying to sense where he is in the room with your eyes closed, then you’re carefully adjusting his consciousness and the flow of his blood through his veins. It’s nothing major, certainly not enough to hurt him, but it’s practice nonetheless, and you always walk out of each session with a smile, skin practically glowing with exertion and the thrill of using your powers.

The first time he’d dropped by your room, offering such a thing, you’d practically laughed in his face. “Sure, you want me to Heartrend you. Aren’t you worried that I’m going to mess something up and kill you?” He’d just given you one of his textbook smirks. “If I was worried about you stopping my heart, love, it happened the first time I saw you. Plus, ‘Heartrend’ isn’t a verb.” You’d had no troubles with helping him into unconsciousness after that.

Now, when you sit across from him, both of you cross-legged on your bed with your hands on his wrist to sense his pulse, you can’t help but wonder why he’s there. Jesper, as if sensing that there’s some deliberation going on in the head of someone also trying their best not to kill him, tilts his head to the side questioningly. “What’s wrong?” You shrug. “Nothing. I just don’t know why you’re doing all of this. I mean, you could have turned me in at any point, but instead you’re here, letting me mess around with your heartbeat. Why go all this way?”

Jesper leans back against the wall, considering this. “You’re not the only one who wants to hide their Grisha heritage, Y/N. If one of us can have at least a little time to use their gifts, I’d want you to have it.” You can sense that there’s something in his words when he mentions his Grisha heritage, that even if he’s brought it up he doesn’t quite want to talk about it. So, you focus instead on the second part of what he’d said, the part about his attention to you.

“Why, though? What’s worth it about some orphan from Ravka?” He chuckles now. “Y/N, if I thought for a second you were just an orphan from Ravka, I’d pawn off my revolvers to the next person to walk through the door. Not everything has to be for an angle. Maybe I just wanted to spend time with you.” For a second, you almost think that your focus lessened, that you messed something up with your gifts. There’s no reason why his pulse would seem to jump as he said that, why his heart rate always seems to increase whenever he looks at you as he looks at you now.

You decide to take a chance. “I want to spend time with you too, Jesper. Even if I didn’t have Grisha abilities to hone.” His smile is genuine this time. “I’m glad to hear it.” Jesper’s hand slips slightly in yours, moving your fingers away from his wrist so he can link them around his. When he looks back at you, his eyes hold an unspoken question. You nod. An instant later, he’s kissing you, hand slipping from yours to guide you closer to him. You can’t seem to sense anything except an overwhelming rush that might be his heartbeat or yours or everyone in this entire Saintsforsaken city. To be honest, you’re fairly sure that you’d be fine with questioning it until the day your own pulse runs out.

grishaverse tag list: <3 @underc0vercryptid, @darlinggbrekker, @cameronsails, @aleksanderwh0r3, @story-scribbler

#jesper fahey #jesper fahey imagines #jesper fahey x reader #jesper fahey oneshot #grishaverse #six of crows #shadow and bone #grishaverse imagines #six of crows imagines #shadow and bone imagines #grishaverse oneshot #six of crows oneshot #shadow and bone oneshot #sab #soc #sab imagines #soc imagines #sab oneshot #soc oneshot

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yeonjuns-anti-romantic · 2 years

Text

(WARNING! Abuse, guns, gaslighting. I wanted to write something emotional, mixing the part in the Venom mv of Han and the gun, along with Lonely St.)

You used to watch thunder storms together on those nights it was too hot to sleep. Taking comfort in the chaotic rumblings and flashes of light. You never thought he would become the storm, causing chaos and fear to bloom inside you.

You lost your best friend.

If you could take it all back and change how you reacted, you would, even though you didn't want what he wanted.

Felix, he had been your best friend since childhood, both of you close and growing up together. As kids you had been neighbors so there was no separating the two of you. Your mind is filled with nothing but memories of him. His freckled face grinning with the light of a flashlight as you both told ghost stories in a tent, camping out in your back yard. You chasing him, blowing bubbles, your high pitched giggling as you both ran barefoot through the grass.

The years go by and next thing you know, Felix is telling you he's insecure about his freckles and you tell him they're a part of him, to not be shy about it. He was by your side and wiping your tears as a boy you liked turned you down at the school dance, saying he'll dance with you and that the boy didn't know what he was missing.

As teenagers Felix tagged along to prom even though you were going with your boyfriend. The two of you would sneak out and sit on the roof to look at the stars, sneaking sips of alcohol, and talking about the fact that you're both almost grown up.

What you wouldn't give to go back to those years and reclaim the innocence of that time but also to warn yourself of something you didn't see all that time.

You both graduated, got jobs, and started living life like we're all taught to do but one thing never changed, Felix was your best friend.

Until that day...

That day you regret so much...

Felix had been at your home, nothing unusual, and it was getting late, both of you on the couch watching a movie. You were drowsy, having worked that day, when he leaned in closer to you. "Sleepy?", he asks, his voice deep and almost lulling you deeper into unconsciousness. You hummed, nodding a bit. He had let out a sigh, pressing his lips to yours as your eyes closed. Felix had kissed you. It snapped you out of your drowsy state, shaking your head and gently pushing his chest. He's never done anything like this. "Felix?", you question, sitting up fully and rubbing your eyes and then your mouth. His expression changed severely as he saw you rub your mouth as if to rub away the feeling of him kissing you.

"I thought...", he trails off and you shake your head again, crossing your arms over your chest.

"You're my best friend. Why would you do that?", you've never so much as kissed his cheek. You've held hands in some moments over the years but you've never felt romantic about Felix.

His hands ran through his blonde hair before balling into a fist, punching the couch cushions on either side of him, causing you to flinch, "Are you serious?", he asks through gritted teeth.

You wished now that you had reacted differently and had let him kiss you.

You've lost track of how many months this has been happening. Felix coming over in the night, waking you, making you sit and talk or making you play board games like you're both children again. He's never touched you except to hug you or hold your hand, and every time he kisses you your lips never move back. You tell yourself over and over to call for help or the police but you feel guilty. Maybe you have led him on all these years. Or, your best friend is sick and needs help, you're supposed to help him, not push him away even more, right?

Sometimes you slip up and retaliate but it always comes back to that's not how you're supposed to treat someone who's cared about you and been by your side for years.

Felix hisses, groaning in frustration as you shake your head, dazed after he slapped you. "Why can't you just love me?!", the same question he always asks.

Your lower lip quivered, "I do. But...I don't love you like that. I-Ahh!", he grabs your arms, shaking you back and forth, "Felix, you're hurting me!", you beg.

YOU'RE HURTING ME!", he roars back in your face, there were tears in his eyes. This time your bedroom was trashed, he'd knocked things over in a rage and then hugged you to him as hard as he could, almost squeezing the breath from you as he said sorry over and over again, that he'll never do it again. And then he tried to kiss you but you were frozen, resulting in him hitting you.

With shaking hands you try to pet his hair, "Felix, please, listen to me..."

He finally stops shaking you, his breathing was labored, struggling with himself as he sinks to his knees and hides his face against your chest, his tears were wetting your sleepshirt. When he was like this your heart broke for him, he was the helpless Felix who needed you but he couldn't understand why you didn't want more. Tears ran down your own cheeks, one side of your face stinging from the slap. "Shh, it's okay...", you whisper, it confused you so bad when he was like this.

"I don't want to hurt you.", he cries, his voice muffled against you, he was shaking. "You make me do it.", you were silent, thinking maybe it was your fault.

When you didn't speak he looks up at you, waiting for an answer.

"This...isn't healthy. It's not how things are supposed to be.", you never thought he'd act this way, so violent and hurtful to you or anyone.

Again, the anger took over his face and he stood up, looming over you as you sat on your bed.

"Felix, we've known each other since we were five. We were children...", your words trailed off to silence as his hands went into his hoodie pocket and he pulled out a gun.

Fight or fight didn't kick in, all you could do was stare at the silver metal that looked heavy in his now steady hands.

"Felix?", you question, still not looking at him until he raises it to your head, it was like he was possessed, demon eyes staring at you with hatred.

"You don't love me.", his deep voice comes out with no tone, simply stating what he can't accept.

You should be screaming for help or begging for your life, repenting for every bad thing you've ever done. But that's not what comes to your mind as you stare up at him.

You remember a pool party, so long ago, you were maybe eight years old, Felix was chasing you around with a water gun and you would yelp and laugh any time he shot you, his little face lit up with amusement as you both chased each other around.

Fresh tears pooled in your eyes at the memory, slowly falling down your cheeks. Never would you have that feeling again, that feeling of trust and love and comfort, that's what a best friend was. Someone to play and be silly with, someone to share secrets or uneventful little details with. It made you angry. When Felix first started to get angry with you for not showing back the same affection you tried to distance yourself. It made you lonely, deciding to give him another chance. The first time he put his hands on you, you didn't call the police because this was the person you grew up with, maybe he didn't mean it. When he kissed you, over and over, knowing you didn't want to kiss him, you told no one, because maybe Felix was right and you lead him on for years. You can't take it anymore, knowing you'll never have back what you had and knowing the only way to have your life again was to either give up and give in to him or lose him by telling the authorities. The easy way out sounded better.

"Pull the trigger.", you say in an empty voice, weary of it all.

Felix only stares down at you, holding the gun steady.

You gripped the barrel, pulling it to your forehead, feeling the cold steel against your sweaty brow, "Pull the fucking trigger!"

"I don't love you! I don't love you anymore! I hate you! Do you hear me?! I fucking hate you and I hate being alive! I wish we never met! All of my life feels like a waste because of you!", with each thing you screamed his eyes became darker, his finger tightening on the trigger, your anxiety climbing higher as you sweat, knowing this was your end.

Click.

Felix pulled the trigger, a little growl leaving him, your bladder let go from fear as that almost silent click echoed through you over and over.

You didn't feel pain, you were still here, staring up at him in shock as you become aware that you wet yourself.

"Didn't work.", Felix frowns, confused as to why the gun didn't fire. It looks like he's given up as well, your words hurting him more than anything ever could. Slowly, with so much fear and regret in his brown eyes, he raises the gun to his head, he was saying his goodbye.

"No! No! No!", you screamed as he pulled the trigger.

Again...

Click...

But the gun didn't fire.

You had lunged at him, falling to the floor on your knees and hugging his thighs. You had been ready to die but you didn't want to watch Felix destroy himself like this.

He laughs, letting the gun drop to the floor. You flinched, hugging to him tighter in fear that it was finally going to go off. His fingers caressed your head, "See? I knew you loved me. You don't want me to go away."

His words sent a chill through you. The gun wasn't loaded and it was all a test. A sob left your throat but now you couldn't let go of him as Felix tenderly caressed your head, pleased by your reaction to the gun.

(Sorry if this was too heavy.)

#kpop #stray kids oddinary #stray kids fanfic #stray kids #kpop fanfiction #kpop fanfic #kpop angst #lee felix #felix fanfic #felix

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negasonicimagines · 3 years

Text

Revelation; Part One

warnings/kinks: a/b/o (if you’re penis-repulsed this isn’t for you), smut (duh), brief daddy kink, even briefer mommy kink, cum-eating, cum-marking, cockwarming? (does it count if it’s a/b/o?), light bloodplay, borderline somniphilia (consensual), poisoning, suicidal ideation, allusions to cheating, mentions of conversion therapy, vague mentions of s*xual ass*ult (it doesn’t actually happen in the story, it’s just referred to a lot due to the nature of this universe)

uh… this is another one of those stories that’s just kinda Heavy, please be careful & don’t continue reading if doing so is unsafe for you. I have a variety of other works that don’t have such intense themes, which you can find on my masterlist!

request (+details): Omegaverse: Alphas Yukio and Ellie with a beta reader, but it turns out that reader is a late-bloomer omega who goes into her first heat unexpectedly. / Omegaverse: The setting could be anywhere. The three of them waking up with reader burning hot, believing to be sick but is actually going into heat. The reader could be by themselves when it happens and her alphas come home to a omega in heat / I can’t get this omegaverse idea out of my head, and I hope you don’t mind me telling you this. Reader being alone and confused when her heat came, her alphas gone on a mission. During the time they were gone, Reader made a nest of her alphas’s clothes out of instinct on their bed. By the time Yukio and Ellie returned, Reader is a hot mess from trying to get off, moaning their names and begging for her alphas to help her for she don’t know why she feels like this and is scared.)

synopsis: After Wade discovers you're dealing with suicidal thoughts, he takes it upon himself to help you out, leading to one disaster after another.

author’s note: thank you so much to the lovely anon who requested this for spending so much time with me & making sure everything was juuuust right! Fun fact: we pined, started dating, and broke up, started dating again, and broke up again all before this was published 🙃 sorry everybody, it’s been a rocky road for the past… forever.

Standing guard after school for a few extra bucks is a pretty sweet deal, you have to admit. You mostly just sit around with a pair of binoculars munching on your snack of choice, using a gun loaded with tranquilizer darts to drop anyone who threatens the safety of the school and its residents. If given permission, or an order to do so, you can use your bow and arrow to really take down your enemies.

You’re pretty lucky in life overall, you also have to admit, with two alpha girlfriends and a variety of friends and acquaintances, not to mention the advantages your mutation gives you.

It makes you feel even more guilty for what you’re really thinking about right now. Not Ellie, not Yukio, not keeping an eye out for threats, nothing but a simple question:

Would it be more efficient to slit your wrists with the point of one of your arrows, or to fling yourself from the top of this turret? Which would hurt worse? You look from the sharp arrow you hold in your hand to the plush grass below, managed by some of the other students.

It’s far cheaper to pay students to maintain the yard and house, not to mention it gives students like you a way of earning the kind of spending money that other students receive from their parents or from jobs in town. Your post would be snatched up in no time if you were to pass.

Speaking of parents.

Your father’s exact words to your mother were “I hate that you use a highschool mistake to keep me trapped with you forever!” the last time you happened to hear them argue. They were no longer invited to parent-teacher conferences after that.

It’s a fine reason for him to be angry, but, unfortunately, you’re the highschool mistake he was talking about. The one he’s always talking about whenever they fight. Maybe if you were gone, he’d finally be free. Maybe you’d finally be free from his resentment. He, fortunately enough, rarely lashes out at you directly; however… There’s always been a distance.

Would he love you more if you were gone? If you saved him from… Well, you? You’ve always wanted him to love you, to look at you with something other than anger or resentment. Would he finally be proud of you, for owning up to every horrible thing you are and have done by paying the ultimate price? Would everyone?

You’re holding the bladed tip of the arrow right against your wrist, almost like a normal person might hold a bracelet to their wrist -- trying it on for size, without really thinking about it.

Suddenly, though, Wade’s here. And he’s definitely thinking about it. He yanks the arrow out of your hand, accidentally snapping the wood that makes up its length.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“I- Uh, I don’t know,” you mumble, embarrassed, because you honestly don’t. Being alone with your thoughts gives them the space to grow from their poisoned roots into something dark you don’t really recognize as yours.

“You- You don’t know?!” Wade questions, and the unusual severity of his tone stuns you to the point of laughter. “This isn’t fucking funny, what the hell is wrong with you? Why were you-?! What were you-?! What the fuck are you doing?!”

“I’m standing guard. What the fuck are you doing?” you echo dryly, resorting to quips to avoid telling him any more than he already knows.

“I’m freaking out! I can’t kill you for apparently wanting to kill you, so that’s all I can do! I thought you were on antidepressants!”

“I am. Have been for years. They don’t cure depression, they make it easier to manage.”

“Apparently fucking not! Come on, let’s go talk to somebody and get you an appointment with a psychiatrist. You’ve been on the same prescription all these years, right? Maybe you just need your dosage upped.” Wade’s not asking, he’s telling, his hand wrapped around your bicep to pull you along, although his grip isn’t as tight as you’d expect for a man of his stature, let alone an alpha.

Why does he care so much? He’s always so gentle, even when you piss him off like this. Tears well up in your eyes but you blink hard. You know he’s been through worse. That most people here have. You have no right to cry.

Wade yells at a surprised Charles Xavier until an appointment is set up, which goes pretty well. Four days after that incident, you meet with the psychiatrist who agrees that upping your dosage is the smartest decision, frankly, she’s surprised it wasn’t done sooner. And, after about a week of your new dosage level, you’re feeling better than ever.

Way better.

“You… You’d really wanna do that? For everyone to know I’m yours?”

Ellie nods, cheeks darkened. You’re straddling her, and the two of you have been trading heated kisses with Yukio. Who would’ve thought more of the medication you were sure killed your libido before you could even develop one would be what rescued it?

“Of course we would. I know you don’t like to stereotype, but some of the stereotypes have truth to them. We’re… Territorial,” Yukio reminds you.

“I’m… A beta,” you remind her in a teasing echo of her tone.

“Our beta,” Ellie cuts back in. “Absolutely perfect.”

“Even if I’d rather not let you guys, y’know…” Your hand rubs at the space between your neck and your shoulder - where they’d likely mark you with their teeth - nervously. “...today? Or go farther than what we’re doing right now?”

“Of course, baby! The fact that you’ve even done this much…” Yukio trails off, looking over you. Your lips are swollen and still slightly parted as you continue to pant a little. The top few buttons of your (well, borrowed from Ellie) flannel are undone.

“We’re so grateful, and so proud of you,” Ellie continues, drawing your attention back to her. “We’re willing to wait as long as you need, even if that waiting only ends because you’ve decided that being with us like that isn’t something you want.”

“I do. I always have, I just… I don’t know.”

“The feeling’s still there, in your stomach, right?” Yukio wonders.

“Yeah, a little. It’s like… I know it’s not wrong, but something doesn’t feel quite right. Maybe I should just try to ignore it, I mean, you two have needs-”

“Hey. You know better than that, Y/N. We don’t, okay, babe? Not like that. We wanna have sex with you, not- Not hurt you. You understand that, right?” Ellie reassures you.

“I do, I just feel bad for being such a- I don’t know, a tease?”

“We love you. As in, you. If you forced yourself to do something you didn’t want to, just for us, how would we forgive ourselves?” Yukio says what she’s said a million times, but every time it surprises you. You tend to see yourself as only being valuable in what you can offer others— protection, a laugh, some good advice every now and then —you never expect anyone to care for you outside of that. But here they are. Absolutely perfect.

And you were thinking of flinging yourself off a tower a couple weeks ago. Should you tell them? They just think you went for an overdue checkup, which is technically the case. You don’t know what’s worse, hiding it or telling them. You’ll have to talk to Wade, he’s good at giving advice. Might not be good advice, but he’s definitely good at giving it.

“Everything okay, sharpshooter?” Ellie hands gently squeeze your hips to get your attention.

You blink back out of your thoughts, smiling a little and blushing at the nickname.

“Yeah, yeah, of course. Sorry, I just zoned out. I’ve had a lot on my mind lately.”

“Everything okay?” your alphas ask, again, in unison. Your alphas. They probably couldn’t handle it if you had a problem they couldn’t solve, the guilt of not being able to provide for you would overwhelm them.

“Yeah, totally,” you reply, because it is, now, especially here with them. Ellie starts to button up your flannel.

“Oh, we don’t have to-”

Ellie gives you a pointed look, then looks down at her crotch, then back up at you. Your blush deepens.

“Yeah, I’m guessing a cold shower’s in order,” Yukio agrees. “El, you can go first.”

“We can’t go together?” Ellie asks.

“Well, I don’t wanna leave Y/N alone. Our brave little beta did a lot more than usual. Don’t want you to feel used, baby,” Yukio explains to you both.

“Oh, duh,” Ellie agrees. You give her a quick smooch on the forehead before dismounting her and allowing yourself to be pulled into Yukio’s arms. Ellie grabs some clean clothes and heads off. As soon as the door shuts, Yukio giggles, and you look to her with a curious, confused expression.

“Now you’re all mine to cuddle.” Yukio gloats, kissing the top of your head. “Mm… You smell really good, babe. New shampoo?”

“Ish, yeah,” you agree, despite the fact that you started using it nearly a month ago at this point. Maybe the body heat you built up from the makeout session made it smell stronger, though.

Yukio keeps sniffing you, but you don’t call her out on it. She’s a little bit quirky, sure, but there’s no need to make her feel self-conscious about it when the tickling sensation feels kinda nice. She tosses in a few soft presses of her lips against your skin, too, so it’s not like she’s the only one who benefits.

Yukio eventually stops this, though, instead requesting to scent you. You’ve told the girls before that they don’t have to ask, but they— especially Yukio —seem to prefer to. You figure it’s likely to reassure them that you not only tolerate but appreciate their alphahood.

“I love you, you know that? Not just ‘cause you make me smell like petrichor. I’m surprised Ellie doesn’t spend all day huffing your scent, I… I know I would, if I could smell it.” You didn’t mean for the sad envy to ring so clearly in your words, but it’s as sharp as a knife, cutting deep enough to make Yukio gasp softly with sympathy as she rubs your wrist against her scent gland, eyes snapping open.

“Well, next time it’s about to rain, we’ll go outside, then. Every time it’s about to rain,” Yukio insists. “Who- Who told you?”

“Wade. I was just curious. He said Ellie smells like a campfire, the scent even clings like it. He even said I smell a little weird. Most betas smell like something, but I’m just… A blank canvas.”

You feel her rumble a bit with a growl, and her arms wrap tightly around you… Protectively? You blush.

“Y-Yukio?” you nervously ask, caught off guard. Ellie’s usually more of the growling type. Yukio’s pretty good about keeping her possessiveness and any other “negative” alpha traits in check. This side of her doesn’t come out often.

“What was he doing that close to you?” she snarls protectively, and if the growl wasn’t enough to get your heart racing, that was. “Sm- Smelling you?”

“Yukes, Wade’s the same age as my parents. Honestly, he’s- He’s kinda- He’s nice to me. We’re friends. I think if he was going to hurt me, he would’ve done it by now. You two keep forgetting I’m just a beta. No one wants a piece of this pie except for you and Ellie.”

“You’d be surprised at the way some alphas… It’s sick, but they- Because betas, you know, they don’t really produce slick like omegas do, and they don’t have quite as much give, uh… So, some alphas, um, they… Just let me hold you, okay?” Yukio requests. “I can’t talk about it, it’ll make me too mad.”

“I respect that. Thank you. I, uh, I didn’t realize that at all, so thank you for helping me be even safer,” you reassure her. She’s trembling. “Do you want me to hold you, instead?”

“No, no, this will make me feel better. I just… I love you. Can you just…? Just- Just say you’re mine.” This is a request Yukio has semi-often. When she feels weak in comparison to other alphas, when she feels overshadowed by Ellie, any time she needs reassurance or is just feeling bad, she’ll probably ask. You get it, being hers (and Ellie’s, of course) makes you feel better, too.

“I’m yours, Yukio. Always yours. You make me so happy, both of you. Happier than- You make me feel so-“ You get a bit choked up. These girls, these alphas… They’re so important to you.

“Oh, no, baby, please don’t cry,” Yukio implores, watching your eyes water. You turn so that your face doesn’t just rest on her chest but is buried in it.

“It’s just that no one ever loved me before you two. No one, ever. Not my parents, not my ’friends,’ no one. I don’t know why I’ve been so emotional lately, I’m sorry.”

“No one at all?” Yukio questions, but that’s the missing puzzle piece, she realizes. You’re always treating hers and Ellie’s love for you like it’s something you have to earn, no matter how much they insist being yourself is enough. She fully grasps now that it’s never been enough before.

She holds you even tighter.

“Mm-mm,” you confirm, shaking your head a little. “You and Ellie just mean the whole world to me. And- And… Wade’s my friend, too. Can I still, y’know, spend time with him?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course. I just- He’s a nice guy, but… I don’t want him to put you in danger. You can handle yourself, though. Can’t you, sharpshooter?” Her fingers trickle up your ribs as she says the nickname, making you giggle and squirm.

“Absolutely, but it is nice to have two strong, sexy alphas take care of me instead every now and then,” you admit, albeit a bit teasingly, blushing softly. You turn back so that you can see her adorable face.

“Really?” Yukio asks, but she knows.

“Really,” you agree with a smile.

“I’m yours, too. You know that, right?” Yukio checks, fiddling with your hair a bit.

“Mhm. It’s nice to hear you say it like that, though.”

“I can think of other ways you might like to hear it,” Yukio flirts.

“Yeah, you think so? Show me,” you tease back.

“I will…” Yukio trails off as she trails her finger along your jaw, tipping your head up to the perfect kissing angle and- “Eventually, little beta.”

“I- I’m taller than you,” you weakly protest.

“Your breath still hitched,” Yukio reminds you with a giggle and a gentle tap on the tip of your nose.

You stutter a little more before giving up, burying your face again and whining.

“I’m sorry, Y/N, I just can’t help myself. You’re too cute,” Yukio half-heartedly apologizes, still chuckling to herself as she strokes your back.

Ellie returns from her shower, inky tendrils of hair ruffled around but with no product in.

“She’s asleep?” Ellie asks, sounding a bit disappointed, but there’s still a significant amount of fondness in her tone.

“She’s not,” you mumble back, and both girls chuckle, Yukio untangling herself from you. You can’t help but pout a little, already missing the bubblegum-haired alpha.

“I know Yukio’s your favorite, but you could at least act a little bit happy to see me,” Ellie half-jokes, and you smile, pulling (though she doesn’t give any resistance) the girl back into your bed. She holds you the same way Yukio did, but you don’t really mind the lack of variety.

“You’re both my favorite,” you argue. Ellie takes a deep breath, likely taking in the way you’re completely embraced by Yukio’s scent.

“I don’t think that’s how favorites work,” she chuckles.

“Out of all the people in the world, you two are both my favorite,” you insist. She takes the hand you have resting on her ribcage and holds it inches from her scent gland. “Please,” you say, before she can even ask. Ellie takes a whiff again.

“Did she leave anywhere untouched?” She wonders.

“N-not really,” you stutter, because now you’re thinking of where she didn’t touch you.

“Well, she’ll have to share a little, then,” Ellie says.

You hum with delight as she scents you.

“You make a new friend?” Ellie questions.

“Huh?”

“You smell… Different,” she responds, looking at you… Well, differently. “Like roses.”

“I have a new-ish shampoo?” You offer, but that just seems to intensify the look.

Your phone rings. It’s Wade. You wriggle out of Ellie’s loose hold on you, answering.

“Hey, you know how I’m your academic advisor?”

“Uh, yeah?”

“Well, apparently, thwarting your suicide attempts isn’t my only job. I also have to tell you when they need you in the office, which is now.”

“Seriously?! I didn’t even throw that pencil at Richard, and even if I did, he deserved it for being such a-“

“Oh, right! Should’ve opened with the good news. Your parents are here to visit.”

“What?! That’s-“ You sigh, not wanting to alarm Ellie any more than you already have. “Okay. I’ll be there. Just give me a second to get dressed.”

“Wow, no shame at all. I salute you. Toodles!” Wade hangs up before you realize he misunderstood you.

“What’s wrong?” Ellie asks.

“Nothing, just… My parents are here.”

“Your… Parents?”

“Kind of have to have those to exist, usually,” you remark, and she snorts.

“I know- I- Well, we’ve known each other for a while, and you don’t really talk about them, so I sort of assumed…” Ellie trails off.

“Oh, um, yeah, no, they’re very alive,” you confirm with an awkward chuckle.

“Right. I’ll go get ‘Kio, and we’ll all go, okay?”

“Uh- Um- Yeah.”

“What is it?”

“My parents, they kind of… They- I love you. And I’m not ashamed of you.”

“But they’ll be ashamed of you,” Ellie understands.

“I haven’t seen them in so long, they don’t even know that I like girls, let alone that I’m dating two, or that they’re both alphas… I want you and Yukio to come with me, but, if they start to- If they’re how they are, I-“

“Give my energy to helping you instead of hurting them,” Ellie uses Piotr’s words.

“Perfect,” you agree, and Ellie smiles back, but it falters. You didn’t mean to worry her so much.

“I’ll go get Yukio. You get changed, okay?”

“Mhm,” you agree, and she heads off to the bathroom. You steal one of Ellie’s band tees and an oversized cardigan of Yukio’s for comfort, finding a pair of high-waisted bottoms to tuck the tee shirt in. You throw on a pair of sneakers, and when the girls emerge from the bathroom, you pop in to freshen up.

Once you’re done, Yukio’s caught up on the situation and the three of you make your way to the front offices.

Wade meets you outside.

“Oh em gee, Y/N, you’ll never believe it, I actually went to high school with both of your parents.”

“Uh… Cool?” You respond, because you’re not entirely sure how to.

“Yeah, uh, I get now that it’s probably not really good news that they’re here, huh? No wonder I found you doing that the other day.”

“Doing what?” Yukio and Ellie ask, though for some reason, Ellie’s is tinged with suspicion, maybe even anger.

“I- Listen, it’s not a big deal, I got my prescription updated and all that good stuff, okay?” You prime them. “I was thinking about killing myself the other day and Wade caught me.”

“Thinking?! You’re gonna call holding the fucking tip of an arrow to your wrist thinking?!”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Ellie sounds as angry as Wade does, but she looks pained. This is why you didn’t tell them.

“Hey, she doesn’t need this right now,” Yukio argues, but she looks hurt, too.

“I mean, I was just considering if it would be more painful than jumping off of the turret,” you mumble, your defense embarrassingly weak.

“We’ll talk about this later,” Ellie decides, and Yukio nods. You three follow Wade to Xavier’s office. Wade breezes in, but you’re practically stuck in the doorway, nervous to look at even the backs of their heads, before they turn around.

“Y/N,” your mom says with a grin, but you know all too well how fake that is. She approaches you, pulls you into a hug, and you want nothing more than to push her away and scrub yourself clean. She doesn’t really love you. The second you speak out of turn, or make a mistake, or give her any excuse, she’ll remind you of your worth. (Or, rather, the lack thereof.)

She slips back into her seat next to your father, in front of the desk where Xavier sits, simply observing.

“It’s been so long,” your father says, but his smile is almost blatantly fake. “Your hair, it’s different.”

“Like you said, it’s been a while,” you say, giving a grimace and an awkward chuckle.

“I don’t think I like it,” he says, like he’s giving his opinion on a sculpture in an art exhibit by some long-dead artist who doesn’t care what he thinks. Like it’s something just… Objective.

“Not sure what to do about that,” you reply sheepishly.

You don’t fully realize that you’re holding Ellie’s hand until she squeezes it reassuringly, three times. A secret code. You step further in to make room for the girls.

“So, uh, I have to ask… Why the sudden visit?”

“Well, we got an e-mail about your medicine, and we wanted to come check on you. Make sure this is the right environment for you,” your mother explains.

“You weren’t sure before you stopped talking to me for two years?” You half-joke, playing dumb.

“Has it really been two years?” A normal person would be asking this rhetorically, and they’d be embarrassed. Your mother, though, is simply trying to gaslight you.

“Longer,” you assure her.

“I thought this place was supposed to provide conversion therapy,” your father says, eyeing your hand, then Ellie’s other hand. “You’re such a fucking liar,” he hisses to your mother.

“Wow, maybe my mom dying when I was young was for the best. Better than this for sure,” Wade jokes, gently elbowing your side. You chuckle, grateful for even the slightest ounce of comic relief.

“You’re even more of a freak than you were in high school.” You squeeze Ellie’s hand tight as your father’s expression darkens even further.

“Funny you should say that, considering-“

“Wade,” your mother cuts him off.

That’s weird, to say the least. You just file that away for later. You have bigger fish to fry, like surviving this visit.

“Y/N, why’d you go for a check-up at all? You barely needed the anti-depressants in the first place,” your mother wonders.

“Because it wasn’t barely. Why else would they raise the dosage?” You ask, and the expression on her face is as stupid as the question she asked.

“Don’t speak to her that way,” your father scolds, like he didn’t just call your mother a fucking liar himself. “You are so ungrateful for everything we’ve done for you, do you realize that?”

“I’m sorry, what have you done for her, exactly? Answer quickly, please,” Ellie retorts.

“El-“ you start, but realize this isn’t anger, but advocacy.

“Well, we sheltered and fed her for over a decade,” your father remarks, smirking like he’s won.

“That’s your job!” Wade argues.

“Mr. and Mrs. L/N… I politely asked that you refrain from visiting the campus, and while I appreciate your concern for Y/N’s well-being, I must ask that you remain respectful of her, her fellow students, and my staff. Causing unnecessary conflict is exactly the reason you were almost banned when you last visited,” Professor Xavier finally speaks.

“Almost banned?!” Wade wheezes.

“Yeah,” you sigh, and Wade’s laughter immediately ceases. “I was cheating in school, according to- To Dad.” The word is poison in your mouth.

“Come on, we all know you’re not smart enough to get those grades on your own. Probably screwing some teacher, just like Mom.”

“That’s enough,” Ellie snarls, eyes glowing orange.

“I never screwed a teacher!” Your mother protests at the same time.

“Oh, that’s right, you just blew Mr. Morin. My bad. Wow, Y/N, you really must be something special for all these alphas to be fawning over you. Maybe I did fuck up once or twice, after all, I’ve heard daddy issues-“

“Well, you visited! Now get the fuck out,” Wade chirps.

“Mr. L/N, must I repeat myself? I know you and Mrs. L/N were interested in a tour. Perhaps a less crowded area would help ease your minds,” Xavier reminds you all of his presence once more.

“That sounds like a great idea,” your father agrees.

“I’m starting to get a bit of a headache, maybe you could show us your room first and I could lie down for a bit in there?”

“I-“ You look to the girls, not wanting them to have to deal with her alone.

“Actually, Miss Phimister and Miss Kitsuna would be perfect additions to a rescue team. The orphanage your friend Russell came from was actually part of a network for mutant trafficking, and we found another hub in Maine. The jet takes off in fifteen minutes, and you two will be back in time for dinner. Better get ready and briefed.”

“But-“ Yukio starts, looking to you.

“Go, be superheroes,” you tell them, and they head out. “Uh, how about we swing by the library first, to give them time to change, and then to our room?”

“You share a room with them? Somehow, I’m not surprised.”

“We were roommates before we started dating,” you correct him.

“Dating… Aw, I bet you really think that’s what it is, too. Having parents in a sham of a marriage really did a number on you, huh?” Your father condescends.

“You know, it’s pretty fucked up how fixated you are on her sexuality. Do you like to picture it, you goddamn creep?” Wade defends you, and your skin crawls. You’d never thought of it that way before.

“Let’s just get that tour started, ‘kay?” You squeak. The sooner you get this over with, the sooner they’ll be on their way, hopefully.

“Good idea, Y/N,” Wade says. “Come on, Textbook, let’s go.”

“You didn’t just call me-“

“Oh, but I did, Textbook. Hey, Y/N, did you know that was your dad’s nickname in highschool? ‘Cause he was so fuckin’ easy to shove in a locker.”

You cover your mouth with your hand, trying not to laugh and failing.

“Just show us the library already, Y/N,” your mother says, pinching the bridge of her nose.

You take your parents to the library, as requested. Wade keeps pace with you while your parents fall back. You can’t hear their exact words, but you know your parents are bickering.

“You never said it was this bad.”

“It’s not that bad. It’s definitely been worse,” you admit, busying your eyes with the paintings that line the walls so that you don’t have to meet Wade’s gaze. You might just cry if you do; you can feel the sympathy radiating off of him.

In these past few months, Wade’s been more of a father than your dad, even more of a mother than your mom, but for some reason that doesn’t make you feel more justified in how you feel about your parents. In fact, it just makes you feel worse, and even if you’ve never actually expressed it, you’re still ashamed of the fact that you wish Wade was your father instead. He actually cares, while your parents are simply legally obligated.

From the day you met, Wade’s always been there for you. If you were to tell your parents what you almost did the other day, they’d just call you attention-seeking and insult you in other ways. All they’d do is make you want to try again.

You and Wade stop at the entrance to the library and wait for your parents to catch up. They do, and you open the double doors to reveal the room.

“It’s like Beauty and the Beast,” your mother gapes.

“I thought so, too,” you agree, attempting a smile, but your parents just ignore you, wandering around the large room. Your mother excuses herself after a few minutes of spinning, saying that the dizziness is making her headache worse.

“All these books and you’re still… The way you are,” your father comments, looking at you with such disdain.

“Winner of the science fair with her loving partners, three years in a row?” Wade questions. “Oh, or maybe you’re talking about the fact that she’s a published poet. How embarrassing for you, I’m sure.”

“Wade,” you protest under your breath, embarrassed. They don’t even know that stuff. After middle school, you stopped telling them about your accomplishments. You figured out that all they’d do is ruin them for you.

“No, no, trust me. It’s more about the fact that she’s slutting around with alphas and won’t even save us the embarrassment of them being girls,” you father spats.

“That’s enough,” Wade snarls.

“Oh, that’s right, we can’t forget that she’s yours, too. I guess anything with a dick is daddy considering I was too busy putting food on the table to play dollies,” he remarks, and you suddenly feel light-headed.

“Seriously, Textbook, I really don’t want to hurt you, especially not in front of Y/N, but I fucking will if you make me.”

“Just go,” you urge Wade, starting to feel a bit dizzy, surely from the stress. You brace yourself on him, disguising it as a touch meant to comfort him. He looks concerned as the edges of your vision start to darken a little.“I- What you’re doing, I appreciate it, but-“

“You appreciate it? You appreciate him disrespecting me, disrespecting our family?!”

“Our family?!” You finally snap. “All I ever wanted was for you to love me, and you couldn’t do that. You just couldn’t. And now we’re a family?! No. No, you…” You start to pant, your face feeling even hotter than before. “You… I hate you,” you manage to get out before your world goes completely dark.

“Fuck yeah, Y/N! I’m so prou-“

But when Wade turns to you, you’re halfway to the ground. He catches you, though, and he catches a whiff of something… Familiar.

Lavender. It’s not just the Wilson scent, sure, but it’d be too much of a coincidence. You smell just like him. You are him, or, rather, made of him.

He’s torn between ecstatic and furious.

“Hey, can we get some help over here?” your father calls out to no one. It’s not a school day, and lots of students are out on missions. He reaches out to you for once in your life, but Wade’s now sitting on the floor, cradling you in his arms.

“No,” Wade argues. “Not yours. Mine.”

“What?” You father asks incredulously. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“She’s. Not. Yours,” Wade repeats, and the more he inhales your scent, the more out of control yet calm he feels. Like he’s in the eye of a hurricane. “My baby. Mine.”

“You’re not saying…” your father trails off as Wade gets up, still cradling you. Wade has to take you to your room; help make you a nest, now. He can smell it on you.

You’re in heat.

He gets to your room quickly, practically tossing you onto your bed. Wait… Isn’t your mom supposed to be here?

And that’s when he hears the sound of pills spilling onto the floor.

He nearly rips the bathroom door off of its hinges. Luckily, your mother spilled what Wade quickly realizes is suppressants, and not your prescription.

“You. You could’ve killed her. You are very, very lucky that my baby-“

“Our baby,” your mother corrects.

“No, you take pills, you can’t even smell her, let alone feel her like I can. It- It’s so much it fucking hurts. I’ll say it again, you’re very lucky my baby is in heat, or your arteries would be emptying in that shower. Now, go. Don’t come back.”

You groan in pain, stirring, and your mother takes Wade’s advice. Wade calls Yukio. Then Ellie. Then Yukio. Then Ellie.

“What the fuck, dude?!”

“You need to turn around. Now. I don’t have the time to explain. It’s Y/N.”

“Is she okay?” Ellie, always skeptical, asks.

“Obviously fucking not, or I wouldn’t be calling. She’s in heat.”

“But-“

“I said that I don’t have time to explain, fucking turn around! I’m on the verge of going fucking feral, Ellie. You both need to get here, now.”

“Wade, get out,” Ellie immediately demands.

“I can’t,” he admits.

“Get out! Shit, Wolverine! We need to turn around!”

“I can’t. It’s not like that I swear, it’s… I’m going fucking crazy, just one of you will do, but someone needs to get here.”

“Wade, go.”

“I would never hurt her! Come home!” Wade barks before hanging up. He returns to your room to find you’ve made a nest instinctively - thank goodness for Yukio’s affinity for pillows and blankets - and now you’re curled up in pain in the center of it.

“Wade,” you whimper. He’s scared to step closer, not sure if he’s what you want, even if you despise who you thought was your father. “What’s happening to me? Everything hurts.”

“I really don’t know how to say this, but… You’re in heat.”

“But I’m a beta,” you argue, wrapping your arms around yourself.

“That’s what we all thought. But… Remember how you didn’t smell like anything before? Uh, let me start over. When did you start on your anti-depressants?”

“I was about twelve,” you confirm, not sure what that means.

“Yeah, I think those were suppressants. That it’s always been suppressants, no matter what the bottles said. Until you got a prescription without your mother knowing. Do you understand why your mother would do that?”

You shake your head, and he approaches the bed, sitting down carefully as not to disturb your work.

“Her boyfriend around the time she got pregnant with you was a beta. We know him as Textbook,” Wade teases, before continuing: “But, what no one realizes is that he was at Niagara Falls on spring break around the time when you were conceived, and she was hanging out with her next-door neighbor the whole time. Her next-door neighbor was me.”

“Oh, so I’m your highschool mistake,” you say, connecting the dots.

“Huh?”

“Ha, well, whenever my parents- Well, I guess not my parents, but that’s beside the point, uh, whenever they argue and it gets really bad, my father- Well, not my father, but, uh-“

“Continue,” Wade urges.

“Basically, sometimes he uses ‘a mistake I made in highschool’ as code for ‘Y/N,’” you explain. “But the truth is, I’m the mistake you made in highschool.”

“You’re not a mistake,” he disagrees. “You’re- You’re one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. Lots of things are made by accident, but that doesn’t make them mistakes! Penicillin, potato chips, Post-It notes, popsicles! They were never supposed to exist but they do and the world is much better off with them in it.”

“You really do have a lot of useless knowledge,” you realize.

“So do you, that’s why our team always wins trivia night.” Wade slips off his boots, joining you in your rearranged bed. “C’mere,” he suggests, guiding your head to his neck.

“S’really you,” you mumble, already weary, and Wade worries for what’s to come. He almost doesn’t even want to let the girls in. He could get you pain medicine, he could probably even find sedatives. Then no one would ever be able to even touch you, let alone hurt you. “Lavender. You never mentioned the lavender, just the sandalwood.”

“I didn't think you’d be impressed,” Wade admits.

“It’s relaxing,” you tell him. “It’s nice to have things in common with someone.”

“You smell like roses, too, not just lavender,” he makes sure you know.

“Yeah, but I think that’s mostly concentrated in an area I’d rather not discuss with you.”

“Well, just make sure that if you do decide to do anything more with them than cuddle, which I can gladly go through the rest of my life without knowing, bee-tee-dubs, that the girls are wearing alpha condoms, especially if one of them knots you. Standard condoms work in a pinch if it’s just for one, y’know, go, but for heats they’re basically useless because of everything I just said. If they hurt you, I will make their deaths look like accidents.”

“S’not like I can get pregnant anyway…” You mumble, embarrassed. “I’m- I’m really glad it’s you. I- I wished so many times that it was you instead of him. Ow, ugh, that one was bad,” you groan, massaging your stomach.

Meanwhile, on the jet, Ellie is furious with herself.

“Yukio, you don’t get it, I smelled her. She smelled like an omega, but I thought- I assumed she was cheating on us. That maybe she didn’t want to be with us like that was because she wanted to- I don’t know, to be on top? It seems so stupid now.”

“Hey, I noticed she smelled different, too. There were other signs we both missed, anyways. Think about how emotional she’s been lately, or how much farther we’ve been going in other ways. How clingy she’s been, too.”

“I guess I didn’t really notice it because I liked her being more open and needing us more,” Ellie admits. “She- She almost fucking killed herself. And I thought cheating was what she was hiding. I- I just-“

“You can’t beat yourself up over it,” Yukio insists. “We’re on our way back, and Wade’s there to protect her.”

Speaking of Wade being there to protect you, he continues to comfort you as the pain gets worse.

“S’too hot,” you complain, and he releases you from his hold, rising from the bed. He knows he’ll have to leave you soon, because you’re likely going to need privacy before the girls get home, but it’s hard to part from you knowing you’re in pain.

“I’m gonna get you some water, okay? And after that, I’m just gonna stand guard outside the door until your girls get here. I know there’s some stuff you need to do, and that’s only gonna get worse.”

“It’s already awful,” you admit, and he chuckles.

“Good luck, kid. I love you.”

Wade gets a case of bottled water from the school’s industrial-sized pantry, bringing it to your room and tearing it open for you before leaving once more. You take one, immediately guzzling it down.

In privacy, you take off Yukio’s cardigan and your bottoms, leaving you in Ellie’s tee shirt and your underwear. You decide to go ahead and free yourself from the constriction that is your bra, feeling a bit embarrassed that you’re not leaving much to the girls’ imagination for your first time together. You eventually decide to undress completely, wondering when the hell your girls are gonna get here.

#a/b/o #yukisonic #yukisonic x reader #yukio x reader #negasonic teenage warhead x reader #ellie phimister x reader #yukio imagine #negasonic teenage warhead imagine #ellie phimister imagine #yukio #negasonic teenage warhead #ellie phimister #x-men imagine #x-men fanfiction #sapphic x reader #sapphic imagine #wlw x reader #wlw imagine

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randomshyperson · 3 years

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Wanda Maximoff/Reader - Land of Thieves - #ChapterSix

Read on AO3 (EN)

Summary: When you were a child, you swore that no matter how high the reward in your head, she could always count on you. Life as an outlaw in the west is not easy, but you believe that train robberies are still easier than asking a pretty girl to dance. Land of Thieves, also know as your love story with Wanda Maximoff in the Wild West.

Chapter Resume: The one where you hunt a bear, and gather wood to make a fire.

Warnings: 18+, explicit language, explicit violence, slow burn, childhood friends to lovers, cursing, blood.

tags: @mionemymind

It didn't take long for you to realize that this was not a good hunting area. It had been a long time since you had separated from Pietro and Wanda, and it seemed as if you were walking in circles without really finding any animals.

You walked in the direction you thought you came from, feeling your boots sink against the wet grass. And then you saw on the ground, the footprints you will learn to recognize with Thor. You realized that the reason you hadn't found any animals yet was because of the recent bear tracks. One animal of this size, and you would have enough food for the days you would be here.

Taking the rifle that was slung over your shoulder to hold it with both hands, you moved toward the trail of footprints, as quietly as possible.

The majestic creature was only a few meters away, its brown fur glistening in the sunlight. You noticed that it was feeding on some fish that were probably from the same lake that surrounded the cabin.

Moving forward in slow steps, you raised your rifle toward the bear, hoping to get a good shot of it.

And then you stepped wrongly, a stick breaking at your feet, attracting the animal's immediate attention. You hurried to shoot, but your gun locked up.

- Oh shit. - You grumbled, throwing the rifle to the ground, and rushing to run, the bear noticing you the same second you moved.

The animalistic sound of the bear's roar filling the entire room as it got up to chase you, you ran as fast as you could, and just when you thought you had put some distance between you, you spotted Pietro and Wanda, meeting you halfway down the path from opposite directions.

- I found a bear. - You shouted, as you threw yourself to the ground to get under a log. Wanda and Pietro were quick enough to pull you off the ground. You shivered at the sight of the approaching creature, but you drew your revolver, just as Wanda and Pietro aimed their rifles.

The creature fell to the ground with a thud as the shots hit it squarely in the head.

- Does that mean we tie? - asked Pietro after a moment, while the three of you were standing there staring at the dead animal. It took a second, then you all burst out laughing.

- Come on, folks, help me skin it. - You asked, stepping closer to the bear.

You spent the next few minutes skinning the animal, and a lot of meat was taken. And then you frowned as you realized that you had no way to carry it.

- Do you have any idea how we are going to get all this stuff to the cabin? - you ask, looking at the twins. All of you are covered in blood.

- Shit, it's true. - Pietro says as he looks at the pieces of meat. - I wonder if it will slip off if we take it in our hands.

You nod in agreement, and he sighs. Then you say:

- Take off your shirt.

Pietro looks at you with surprise, and then he smiles with amusement.

- Look, I'm flattered...

You roll your eyes, interrupting him: - To use for carrying idiot.

Pietro laughs, but raises his eyebrows.

- And why don't you take off your shirt?

Without patience, you start to unbutton your own shirt, while grumbling:

- You don't have the slightest bit of chivalry.

Pietro laughed, holding your hands to stop you.

- Okay okay, sorry. I wouldn't want you to feel uncomfortable in front of Stark either. - he says before pulling off his own shirt.

You can carry some pieces of meat on it, and on the jacket that Wanda was wearing. You wish you had your jacket too, but it was soaked with Steve's blood somewhere in the cabin.

Walking back, you share the weight of the makeshift "suitcase". When you finally reach the cabin, Steve is outside waiting for you, worried about the noise of the gunshots.

You show him the meat and take it to the small makeshift kitchen, dumping the supplies on the table.

- Okay, I'll take care of our dinner, you get cleaned up right away. - He says, pushing the three of you out of the hut.

- We provide your food and you kick us out of the house? - Pietro dramatizes being pushed out, Steve just laughs.

You and Wanda come out in front, laughing while Pietro tries to avoid being pushed out.

- Come on, Pietro! You stink! - said Steve.

Pietro laughs before giving up, then walks off, throwing his arms around both your shoulders and Wanda's.

- You know, girls, I've been thinking. - He starts to say, keeping his arm around you as you walk towards the lake. - I would love to be best man at your wedding.

You laugh, feeling your cheeks flush.

- If you promise to take a shower, we might consider it. - You retort, and try not to look so nervous at the almost worshipful look Wanda gives you. Pietro agreed, pretending to swear an oath. You laugh, telling him to shut up.

When you reached the lake, you exchanged a look with Wanda, and the two of you pushed Pietro into the water, laughing as he fell, struggling dramatically.

- Damn, it's cold! - he exclaimed, and then started moving his arms, throwing water on you and Wanda. The redhead sidestepped your body, trying to escape the jets of water as you both laughed. She threw you into the lake the next second, and you felt the icy water soak your clothes.

Pietro jumps on you as soon as you fall, and you start playing fight, while throwing water at each other. Pietro lands a quick blow on you that knocks you to the ground, he strikes a dramatic pose as he says:

- Do you accept your defeat, foreigner?

- My god you are such an idiot. - You say between laughs as you stand up. Pietro laughs and steps back a bit, only to take off his soaked boots and pants

Wanda sat on the edge of the lake while you played, and she had a tender look on her face when you approached. You looked away in embarrassment as you began to undress. Unbuttoning your shirt completely, you removed it, placing it on the edge of the lake to let it dry. You removed your boots, tossing them beside your shirt, and then you began to unbutton your pants. You felt like you were being watched, and looked up to find Wanda staring at you with a glint in her eyes that you didn't quite know what it was, her cheeks red. When she noticed you watching, she looked away, focusing on unbuttoning her own blouse.

- Ouch, I think a fish just bit my ass! - shouted Pietro, jumping around the lake while looking down.

- God, Pietro. - said Wanda laughing.

- No fish will want to bite you, you stinker! - You jokingly said, making the twins laugh, while Pietro gave you a gentle shove.

You spent a lot of time at the lake, running around and throwing water at each other.

The sun was setting when Steve left the cabin.

- God you guys are still there? - he asked in a disapproving tone. - Get out before you catch cold.

It had been so hot all day that this probably wouldn't happen. You picked your clothes up off the floor, now completely dry, and put them on. And then you remembered your jacket, and went into the cabin looking for it.

- What is it, kid? - Steve asked as soon as you walked in. You noticed that he and Tony had taken all the sheets off the furniture, and now the cabin was extremely cozy. Tony was crouched over the fireplace, probably trying to see how to light it.

- My jacket. - You say, looking around. - I wore it to...

- To stop the bleeding. - Steve interrupts. - I remember. - He says with amusement, walking towards the room where Bucky was sleeping. - I cleaned it up shortly after you went out hunting. - He says, and his voice is a little low because of the distance. He returns next, handing the jacket to you.

- Thank you, Steve. - You say and he smiles, ruffling your hair.

- Let's build a fire outside, okay? - He says. - Just like old times.

You nod your head in agreement, smiling. He asks you to fetch wood to light the fire, signaling that there should be a wood storage compartment under one end of the hut.

Leaving the hut, you smile when you see Wanda and Pietro playing with their hands, like those games you used to play as children. You tell them that you are going to look for some wood to make a fire, and Pietro starts looking for bigger logs for you guys to use as a seat. Tony then leaves the cabin and asks Wanda to get some wood for the cabin fireplace, and he joins Pietro in dragging a fallen log to the center of the yard.

You try not to think too much about being alone with Wanda again, walking beside her through the forest as you search for sticks, your hands rubbing together occasionally between stolen glances.

Returning to the cabin area, you look for the storeroom Steve mentioned, finding it on the outer side, almost at the back of the cabin. You let out a contented exclamation as you spot it.

- Steve says to keep some firewood here. - You say without turning to Wanda. You bend down to put away some branches, leaving the amount needed for the fire. - Let's split the weight. - You say to Wanda as she puts away the branches she has split and gets up with the others she is going to take to the fireplace. She smiles at you as you try to keep the amount the same, maybe even adding more branches for yourself. - There you go. - You smile and look at Wanda, only to find her looking at you with intensity. - Is everything mmm...

The question dies in your throat as Wanda moves forward, bringing her mouth to yours. You sigh, while closing your eyes. Wanda drops the sticks on the ground, grabbing you by the waist as she pushes you against the wood of the hut. You lift your hands to her face, the sticks long forgotten at your feet.

Wanda runs her tongue across your lower lip, asking for passage, and you open your mouth slightly to feel her tongue meet yours. When your tongues touch, you feel a sharp twinge under your stomach, and you let your fingers slide to the nape of Wanda's neck, running through the strands of her hair.

The kiss is intense, and leaves you with weak knees. Your brain goes blank, the feel of Wanda's tongue takes your breath away.

You feel Wanda push your body against the wood, the sensation draws a gasp from you as it chills your entire body.

You think you hear laughter, everything around you seems muffled. But you force yourself to focus on something other than Wanda, and then you remember where you are.

- Wanda. - You call her between kisses, completely breathless. - Wands.

And then she presses you against the cabin once more, her knee coming up between your legs, and you see stars. You really thought that there was your doom there, and you would take her for yourself at that moment, but then another noise, which sounded like Pietro shouting with joy as he managed to carry the logs, caught Wanda's attention.

She parted your mouths, probably startled by the noise, and you whimpered at the sudden loss of contact. Wanda quickly brings your mouths together again, a smile on her lips, and this time she kisses you with less intensity. A moment passes before you end the kiss completely, keeping your foreheads resting together as Wanda pulls the rest of her body away a bit so that she's no longer pressing you against the cabin, which makes you miss her body heat in the same second.

You were going to tell her that you need to take the firewood, but then Pietro's voice sounded in the distance.

- Stop making out in secret and get over here! I'm hungry! - he shouted.

You and Wanda let out a half breathless laugh. Stepping back a little, you stared into her emerald eyes, swearing that she never looked so beautiful.

- Let's go before Pietro comes to get us. - Wanda says in a playful tone. You nod in agreement, as you bend down to gather the twigs.

Before you leave in the direction of the lake, you steal a lingering kiss from her, which makes her blush and flush. You just smile, and she hurries to get in your way, kissing you firmly before walking away. She takes one last look at you before turning toward the cottage, and you try to stop grinning like an idiot as you walk toward the garden.

As you finished setting up and lighting the campfire, the others sat around the fire, warming themselves from the cold night. Steve brought blankets, and mugs, while Tony loaded the raw meats for roasting.

You and Wanda share a blanket, sitting side by side on the makeshift bench, while Pietro sat next to his sister. You tried not to blush as you felt Wanda's hand entwine with yours under the blanket.

As the meats roasted, Steve began to hum softly.

- Help yourselves. - He said after a moment, and you noticed him taking a piece for Bucky. He then got up and walked towards the cabin, signaling that he would be back in a few minutes.

- So, you're sort like his children? - Stark asked as you served yourselves. Pietro let out a little chuckle.

- I think Y/N is yes. - He teased and you rolled your eyes. Tony looked at you, looking really interested to know.

- He is not a biological father if that is what you are asking. - You said. - But he has been taking care of me since I was a child, so I guess we are like father and daughter.

Tony nodded slightly, a gleam in his eyes that you couldn't recognize. Maybe it was relief, but you couldn't tell why.

- What about you two? Are your parents with the rest of the gang? - Tony asked the twins. You guessed that he knew about the rest of the gang because Steve should have told him during the conversation this afternoon. Pietro and Wanda exchanged a look with each other, as if deciding whether to trust Tony.

- No, our parents are dead. - Said Wanda after a moment, you felt her squeeze your hand lightly. - We joined the gang as children too. Stephen, you don't know him, took us off the streets.

- Oh, I see. - Said Tony - I'm sorry about that.

Wanda shrugged. - It was a long time ago.

You were silent for a moment, enjoying the dinner. The meat had a strong flavor, and was not usually what you eat, but it was tasty. Steve returned after a while, looking pleased.

- Bucky finally woke up. - He commented as he sat up, then helped himself. - He managed to eat a little.

- He'll be fine. - You assured him, and Steve smiled at you tenderly.

When everyone was finished eating, you just sat quietly, enjoying the warmth of the fire. Tony was the first to get up, telling you that he was going to check if Bucky didn't have a fever, and Steve quickly followed him.

Pietro quickly switched places, sitting on the log in front of you and Wanda, looking at you both with mischievous amusement.

- So girls, let's do something fun? - he suggested.

- There's not much to do in this place. - You commented, looking at him. Pietro blinked, thoughtful for a moment.

- We can always hunt another bear. - He joked, making you and Wanda laugh. After a moment, his expression changed to concern, causing you to frown.

- What's up, Pietro? - you asked, and he looked away from you into the fire.

- Do you think everyone is all right? - he asked, but didn't expect an answer. - With all those O'Driscolls and guards, how can we be sure that they got out without being seen? And even if they did, where do we go from here?

Wanda gave your hand a squeeze, before letting go and getting up to sit beside Pietro, hugging him by the shoulders.

- We'll be fine, Pietro. - She said in a tender tone. - Stephen will find a place for us.

You wanted to tell Pietro that everything would be all right, and that you would be home with everyone soon. But you were overcome by your own insecurities, worrying too much about everyone. You could only nod in agreement to Wanda, forcing a smile from your lips.

- We take care of each other right? - Pietro grumbled after a moment, his eyes filled with tears. Wanda smiled.

- Of course. Y/N and I will take care of you. - She teased, and Pietro let out a hoarse laugh, wiping the tears from his eyes.

You fell silent for a moment, until Pietro said that you should sleep, and you actually agreed, finally acknowledging how tired you were from the robbery. You put out the fire while the twins got up, and then you walked together to the cabin.

Steve was tidying up the rooms when you came in, carrying blankets to the wooden beds. You were pleased to hear that there were mattresses in the cabin.

- So, how are you going to share the beds? - He asked, and you were about to say that you would sleep on the floor if you had to, but Peter was quicker to make an ironic comment.

- Well, wives should sleep in the same bed. - He joked and Wanda slapped him on the head, and he just laughed along with Steve.

- We can all sleep together, Steve. - Wanda then said.

- Actually, Pietro might be right. - Steve said with humor in his voice, and looking at the confused and surprised expressions of the three of you, he clarified. - We have a queen-size bed in the empty room. And then two bunk beds in the room where Bucky is. Maybe it would be better if the girls slept together.

You felt your face get very hot, and maybe Wanda had the same expression, because Steve took on a mixed look of seriousness and humor when he said:

- Behave yourselves, girls. - He teased, and you heard Pietro laugh. He remarked something like "early honeymoon" but you ignored it. Steve dragged Pietro into the bedroom next, and the boy wished you both a good night.

You followed Wanda into your bedroom in silence, feeling out of place. You tried not to think too much in the double bed. You took a deep breath, trying to calm your anxious brain. It was only Wanda, you had slept together hundreds of times before. You closed the door as you entered, while Wanda sat up in bed.

You gave her a shy smile as you took off your boots and jacket. She did the same.

You lay in silence, your eyes staring up at the ceiling. You sighed, turning your body to face her as you waited for her to do the same. Wanda turned around, and you smiled at her, who was looking at you with flushed cheeks.

- Hi - you whispered.

- Hi. - She said in the same tone.

You rested your head against your arm, and raised your other hand to Wanda's hair, playing with the strands in your fingers.

- Why is that strange? - she asked, looking away from you. You smiled slightly. - We've slept together before.

- Because now I want to kiss you. - You answered, tucking her hair behind her ear. Wanda blinked, surprised at your honesty. She bit her lower lip, and you let your fingers run across her face and around her cheeks. Wanda grimaced slightly when you touched her on the top of her nose, and you smiled tenderly, feeling your heart inflate with love for her.

- I want to kiss you too. - She confessed after a moment, looking into your eyes. You remembered the three men in the next room, and let out a sigh.

- We don't have to do anything just because we're in a bed together. - You said, and then let the palm of your hand rest against Wanda's cheek, who leaned into your touch. - We have all the time in the world.

Wanda nodded, closing her eyes. You moved closer, placing a kiss on her forehead. She had a smile on her lips when you pulled away.

- Goodnight, Wanda. - you whispered.

- Good night. - She answered in the same tone, practically asleep. You watched her for a few more moments before closing your eyes.

It had been three days since you had been in the cabin. Your routine consisted of waking up completely entwined in Wanda's body, smiling like an idiot, and then having coffee with Pietro. Then bathing in the lake, and spending time in their company. Sometimes you chopped wood, or tried to fish, but most of the time you just joined Pietro and Wanda in song, or you played the deck of cards he had found in one of the cabinets. The best moments were the stolen kisses that Wanda would take from you, leaving you breathless and clumsy as she walked away as if nothing had happened.

The problem was that Steve's nervousness about the delay in hearing from the camp was palpable, and it made everyone quite uncomfortable. Bucky was finally awake, and this cheered Steve up a bit, but he still had a distracted look whenever you looked at him.

And then, you finally got a letter. Peggy sent a coded message, and after a few minutes of reading and rereading the paper, Bucky finally deciphered it. They had set up camp in the Rhodes region, and everyone was safe. You let out a sigh of relief when you heard these words.

Steve signaled for you guys to have some coffee, and then said that you needed to arrange some horses.

- We are going to walk to the Esmerald Ranch. - He said while putting on his boots - And then me, Pietro and Y/N will steal the horses.

Everyone nodded in agreement, Tony looked slightly uncomfortable, but you guessed he was going to take the train as soon as he arrived at the ranch.

Then you covered the cabin furniture again, and checked that you didn't leave anything important behind.

The way to the ranch was slightly long, and halfway there Pietro started carrying his sister on his back, while everyone sang a song excitedly. You kept the pace slow so as not to tire Bucky too much.

When you finally spotted the ranch, you stopped walking, finding a place for the others to hide while you, Steve and Pietro stole the horses.

- So you see the stables? - Steve asked, pointing to the place. You and Pietro nodded. - There are only pawns inside. Don't hurt anyone, and go around the bars so as not to be seen. Now, masks please.

You and Pietro quickly put on their masks. Steve turned to Tony.

- The station is on the other side. - He said signaling. Tony shifted the weight of his feet, before shaking everyone's hand, saying goodbye. He waved last before walking the distance.

- What are the chances of him going straight to the police? - Pietro asked looking at the distance image of Tony.

- Don't worry about it. - Said Steve, he looked at Bucky fondly before pushing you and Pietro lightly by the shoulders, so that you were heading for the stables.

Stealing horses wasn't hard, you had done it many times before. So you just picked the one that looked healthiest, and you were glad he didn't knock you down. You and Pietro followed Steve out. He had to confront one of the ranchers, pointing his gun at the man, who backed away at the same second, before you left

Riding quickly to the corner where Wanda and Bucky were, you watched as Wanda helped Bucky onto Steve's horse. And then she climbed on with you, ignoring Pietro's teasing. The feeling of having her hugging your waist was good.

You didn't start riding more slowly until you were a good distance away from the Esmerald Ranch.

- Do you know where the camp is exactly? - Pietro asked Steve, while riding beside him.

- We will find it, relax. - replied Steve. - I have some idea of good places in this region, hidden enough.

You were trying not to smile so hard as you felt Wanda hugging you, and then your face flushed when you noticed Pietro's suggestive expression.

It took a few hours, but you finally reached the spot where Steve believed the camp was set up. He entered the forest ahead of you, followed by you.

- Hey, look who decided to show up! - shouted a voice, and you heard Steve laugh. You didn't recognize Thor until he walked towards you, no longer hidden by branches.

The reunion was quite exciting. Thor helped Bucky dismount, leading him to a cabin, while the other members ran up to you. Nat almost knocked you to the ground when she jumped up to hug you, making you laugh. You felt your chest lighten when you noticed that everyone was safe.

- Come, come, you must see the place. - Signaled Potts cheerfully. Nat held your arm as you walked together, and you looked back a moment, exchanging a smile with Wanda, who was walking along with Monica and Pietro.

The new camp was in an open area, which contained two tall trees. It was on the edge of a large lake, and you were happy to know that you could fish without leaving the camp. Potts signaled the location of everyone's tent, and then the group split up. Nat escorted you to your tent, which had been stowed. You made a mental note to thank Potts for this later.

Nat threw herself on your bed as soon as you came in, and you laughed as you took off your jacket. That region was very hot.

- So, dear, what's your news? - she asked, and you sat down in the chair at your makeshift little table, taking off your boots.

- Well, I hunted a bear with a revolver. - You joke, and Nat looks at you with confusion. You shrug. - Wanda and Pietro saved my ass actually. And then we had bear meat for days.

- Hmm, speaking of Wanda. - Nat started, sitting up in bed, and you just laughed, looking away. - I just mentioned her name and you were all smiles and giggles.

- Shut up. - You retorted, finishing taking off your boots. You got into a more comfortable position in the chair. Nat laughed at your embarrassment.

- Go on, tell me. - She asked. - I saw you exchanging passionate glances.

You sighed, laughing slightly. Scratching your head absently, you looked away before speaking again.

- Wanda kissed me. A few times.

- WHAT? - Nat shouted wide-eyed. You felt your cheeks heat up even more when you noticed some gang members looking at your tent with curiosity.

- God, can you keep your voice down? - You asked as you stood up and closed the tent, without first nodding awkwardly at the ones who looked at you.

- My God, what do you mean? - she asked excitedly, pulling you to sit beside her. - And it wasn't just one kiss, it was several? How long have you been hiding this?

You laughed, cradling your face in both hands, clumsily. Nat giggled, nudging you and making you look at her.

- The night before the robbery. - You told her. - I apologized for ignoring her and she kissed me outside the tent.

- And I missed this? - She shouted, and you signaled her to keep it down with a laugh. - That explains your little smile that morning. - You shrugged, smiling shyly. Nat assumed a mischievous expression. - But did you say several kisses? Girl, you're standing there grabbing Wanda in the middle of a robbery?

You laughed, pushing Nat lightly.

- Of course not, Nat, my goodness. - You denied it. - After we escaped, Steve found us a place to stay.

- If you say a brothel, I'll punch you in the face.

You laughed, and Nat smiled lightly. And then she waved her hands signaling for you to keep telling her.

- It was a cabin, somewhere near the Esmerald Ranch. - You explained. - Wanda kissed me again there.

You felt your cheeks heat up as you remembered how she had kissed you, and looked away quickly. Nat frowned, and then laughed, putting her hand over her mouth.

- My God, you want to sleep with her! - she exclaimed, and you widened your eyes. - Look at your face!

- There's no face at all. - you mumbled clumsily.

- Oh yes, you do. The face of someone who won't even wait for the wedding. My God, does Pietro know you're trying to deflower his sister?

- Oh my God, Nat. - You said closing your eyes, Nat just laughed at your shame.

- And here I thought you were an innocent girl. - She teases. - But tell me, are you two officially dating then?

You frown, looking at Nat, realizing that you didn't know the answer. You certainly wanted to, but you and Wanda hadn't talked about it.

- I will take your silence and your stupid face as "we haven't talked about it yet because our mouths were busy. - Nat joked with irony and you let out an embarrassed exclamation of shame, laughing ruefully. - My God, you two are a disaster.

- We just haven't had time to talk yet. - you said after a moment. - I think I'll invite you into town. We can do something fun.

- Look at you, planning dates and all. - Nat teased, and you rolled your eyes humorously.

- Can you tell me what happened here now? - you say, and Nat just shrugs.

- The usual I guess. We set up the camp and got busy with the daily chores. - She said and you nodded. But then Nat exclaimed as if she remembered something. - Sorry, you haven't seen them yet. Bruce and Carol have improved! I think Carol went to Rhodes, by the way.

- What? - You exclaimed excitedly. - This is amazing.

- Yes, and now that everyone is available for work, you'll have plenty of free time to date.

You laughed, telling her to shut up. Nat just smiled, looking away.

- Have you talked to Bruce yet? - you ask after a moment. Nat bites her lip, slightly embarrassed.

- We don't have much to talk about. - She says. - He still thinks we shouldn't happen.

You sigh, and hold Nat's hand, who gives you a sad smile.

- Banner is an idiot to let someone like you escape. - You say. - Maybe things will work out for you two over time. If not, I'll go over there and kick his ass myself.

Nat laughed, nodding. You fell into a comfortable silence, until Nat remembered that she had chores to keep up with, and hugged you before leaving the cabin, telling you to talk to Wanda soon. You nod, feeling your heart race with anticipation, and Nat leaves.

A new camp always generates a lot of new tasks, so you force yourself out of bed to help the rest of the gang. As soon as you leave your tent, Potts signals for you to go talk to her. She had some papers spread out on one of the camp's wooden tables, and seemed to be trying to organize everything you guys had.

- Everything okay there, Pepper? - you comment as soon as you reach her, who looks nervous. - By the way, thank you for organizing my tent.

- No worries, really. And yes, everything is fine. I'm just trying to keep this place running. - she says. And then she fiddles with the papers, reading for a few seconds, before handing one of them to you. - I need these items.

- Right. - You say as you pick up the list. And then you frown at the number of items.

- We don't have any money. - She tells you. You sigh, tucking the list in your jacket pocket. - Maybe you can rob a grocery store.

- No, it' s okay. I can do some robbing in some other town, and then buy the items. - You say, knowing that robbing stores was much more work than robbing travelers.

- Okay, thanks Y/N. - She says, but you don't leave yet, remembering something.

- Pepper, any chance that you have found Knight? - you ask. - He knocked me down during the shootout at Heartlands.

Potts assumes a mixed expression of confusion and sorrow.

- Damn it, Y/N, I'm sorry, I thought you saw him. - She says and you look at her with confusion. - Unfortunately, he did not survive.

- Oh. Oh, shit. Damn, that's really too bad. - You grumble, feeling immediately upset. You think crying over a horse would be childish, so you just nod, telling Potts that it's okay, and that you'll get the supplies. You walk toward the makeshift camp stables, where the horse you stole could serve as a mount. As you are fixing the saddle, you feel your face wet. And then you realize that you were crying. Wiping your face quickly with your forearm, you mount the horse in front of you. Trying to ignore the feeling that this really wasn't your horse.

#wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff x you #wanda x you #Land of Thieves #marvel imagines #wanda x reader #wandaxreader

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whaleofatjme1920 · 3 years

Note

Can I ask for an scenario were the proxies have to interact with Charlie? Like, maybe for example the boss sends the 4 of them to Kate’s old house for some reason, or Charlie just wonders into them because he’s scared

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

[Proxies and Charlie]

[Warnings: like, none?]

[This is like full fic length bc I kinda liked the idea]

“Kate?” Tim’s soft voice called out from the driver's seat. He sees that she’s gazing out the window, lost in her thoughts. A small sigh escapes his lips as he leans back, hand gently patting at Kate’s shoulder. “Kate, we need to go.”

The dark haired woman stirs, blinking rapidly in response. She pauses. “I’m sorry?”

The men in the car laugh, Toby devolving into giggles as he clicks her seatbelt. “We’re h-h-here,” he smiles.

Kate shifts, slightly uncomfortable in her seat as she reaches to unlock the door. There, down the driveway is the house that used to be hers. She slides out, listening as her teammates do the same. Her shoes rest on the gravel and gently press against the earth. She hasn’t been able to see her house in the daylight for goodness knows how long. In fact, most of the time she’s here, it’s nighttime.

“You okay?” Brian asks as he rests his hand on her shoulder before moving to her upper back. He’s gently guiding her to the house.

She shrugs ever so slightly, a cloud overtaking her eyes. “Not sure.”

Brian hums and gently rubs her back as they walk up to the house. “We’ll be in and out, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Tim suddenly cuts in.

“W-Why exactly a-a-a-are we h-here?” Toby asks as he catches up to his three group members, stretching his arms and cracking his neck as he does so.

“Operator said we needed some files or something,” Tim answers. “Shouldn’t be that hard, yeah?”

Kate feels a little on edge and nostalgic when she sees the brick walls that surround her home. She takes a glance around. The yard needs to be done as there’s tall grass and weeds that have overtaken the once pretty garden. Ivy and vines grow over the windows, the brick needs some upkeep - it’s a mess. But surprisingly enough, the swingset is still intact. She walks down the path to her front door and reaches out for the doorknob, opening it and raises her brows to see that it’s open. “Huh,” she murmurs. “Wonder if there have been any squatters in here.”

“Sure hope not,” Brian says as his gloved hands trail the tall grass’ edges. “Means we gotta go out there and hunt them down.”

Tim and Toby both sigh in agreement, grimaces crossing over their faces. This house is practically a time capsule into Operator behavior and the like. It reeks with his energy. This place is only open to proxies, and even then, they have to be cleared proxies. If any humans made it in here, that means they have to get killed. That’s just how it is.

Kate steps into her old house, slightly displeased to see that the house looks eerily similar to how she left it with the minor additions of Lauren’s snooping as well. It doesn’t feel or smell like someone has been in here for a while. She begins to explore the place, her hand on her weapon just in case as her teammates file in.

‘So,’ Tim begins in the back of his proxies’ heads, ‘just a few files. Apparently we’ll know ‘em when we see ‘em.’

Toby snorts slightly. ‘You don’t have anything more solid than that?’

‘No.’

‘They’re bound to have Lauren on them,’ Kate says. ‘It’s uh, just the feeling I get.’

Hums echo throughout the house from her teammates as they split and scope out the house. Kate stands in the kitchen, looking for the files. Nothing so far. She sighs. She was hoping they’d be in and out.

“Any luck?” Brian calls out after deeming the house safe.

“Nope,” Tim calls out from the TV room.

“N-Not here either,” Toby says from one of the upstairs bedrooms.

Kate hums as she opens up the drawers. “Empty,” she says.

Tim sighs and runs his fingers through his hair as he rounds the house, mindlessly looking for the things the Operator asked of them. He’s a little upset that they’re just not out there in the open, but that would be convenient, far too convenient. He begins to look out the window, watching for the birds and other things, anything to just calm down. He pats absentmindedly at his pocket, feeling his pack of cigarettes. “Goin’ out for a smoke,” he says over his shoulder to Kate who is still searching the kitchen.

Tim steps outside and lights up a cigarette, placing it between his lips before sucking in a slow breath. He watches the clouds as they swim in the sky, the sun as it passes overhead. What a beautiful summer afternoon. He’s honestly zoning out when he hears a rustling in the grass. What is that? His head turns and so too do the hairs on the back of his neck. Something is on the grounds and it doesn’t feel human. Tim immediately drops his cigarettes and crushes it under his boot before palming his gun.

Dark eyes begin to scan over the tall grasses as he remains planted at the doorstep. He’s about to call for his teammates in what they lovingly call ‘head talk’ before he sees something peeking out of the tall grass, just outside the brick gates. It has dark hair and sticks out like a sore thumb amongst the lush green. Before Tim can even make any plan of action, it’s up and stalking towards him. He swears under his breath, raising his gun towards the creature.

It hisses, making clicking noises and snarling as it keeps a distance, large hands get held up defensively as Tim growls back.

Kate, in the kitchen, hears this and internally panics. At first, she thought it was some rabid raccoon or something, but she recognizes those clicks. That’s Charlie! She slams her drawer and then rushes out to the front where Tim, Brian and Toby are locked in a standoff with the poor thing.

“Woah, woah!” She cries out, extending her hands as she does so.

“Kate, get back,” Tim hisses, hand reaching out to grab at her collar. He grows in disapproval when she pushes off of him, quickly coming to the zombified proxy’s side.

Upon seeing Kate, the creature pauses. It purrs lowly and lowers his head.

Kate stands in front of him, arms out. “He’s not gonna hurt you.” She gently pushes Charlie back, wanting to get him as far away from her teammates as she can.

“It c-c--could be an o-outlier,” Toby says with narrowed eyes, hand not loosening its grip on his hatchets.

Kate takes in a deep, frustrated breath and shakes her head. “His name is Charlie.” She explains. “He’s what we are.”

“What we are?” Brian asks with a tilt of his head, brow raising, but gun still pointed. “He can’t be.”

Toby nods in agreement. “P-Proxies don’t l-look like t-t-that,” he murmurs with uncertainty.

Tim sighs deeply as he lowers his gun, holstering it. “This is what happens to proxies if the Operator wills it,” he explains, a small grimace on his lips. “It’s the radiation.”

Uncomfortable chills run up and down the spines of Tim’s teammates as they slowly put their weapons away, frowns on their faces.

Charlie tilts his head, though his body language conveys that he’s clearly still distressed over what’s happened. His hands are waving, ready to strike should he need to, teeth bared and ready to snap.

Kate runs her fingers through her hair and waves off her other teammates. “Go back inside, let me handle this,” she commands. “He’s harmless, but you’ve made a bad impression on him.”

“He shouldn’t have been poking in the grass,” Tim says as he crosses his arms over his chest.

Kate sticks out her tongue at him. “Get inside, and bring me two sandwiches.”

“Excuse you?” Tim says in slight surprise.

She looks over her shoulder as she gently grabs Charlie’s large hand, leading him to the swingset that is surprisingly still intact. “Go take a seat buddy,” she guides in a warm tone, watching as Charlie slowly slumps back over to his most natural pose, quietly walking towards the swingset. “You heard me,” Kate calls back over her shoulder.

Tim rolls his eyes and heads back inside, mentally telling Toby to make two sandwiches.

Toby, who is watching as Charlie sits on the swingset, rolls his eyes at Tim’s command before sauntering off to the kitchen. He’s admittedly surprised to pull open the fridge and see it’s stocked with food and there’s fresh bread. ‘What kind of sandwiches did you guys want?’ Toby hums as he rummages through the fridge.

Kate pauses swinging. ‘PB&J would be fine,’ she replies. ‘Really anything goes though, Charlie just looks hungry.’

Toby obliges and frowns for a moment. ‘Do you think you and Charlie can wait a second?’

‘Why?’

‘I have something special in mind.’

Kate hums and then nods. ‘Yeah, take your time, Tobes.’ With Charlie at her side, Kate begins to talk with him, buying Toby some seconds. “So, you feeling alright, buddy?”

Charlie chirps quietly, swinging beside her.

“Did the big guy send you here?”

Charlie nods.

“Is he being mean again?”

Charlie’s eyes lower as he shivers slightly, another solemn nod dragging his head downwards as he focuses on the pretty flowers that grow up from the ground.

Kate furrows her brows with a small frown and stands up from the seat, peeling off her hoodie. She drapes it over Charlie’s shoulders before sitting on the gravel just in front of him, pulling at the pretty pink and blue flowers. “I’m here now, yeah?”

Charlie purrs as he holds the arms of her hoodie, a small smile curling upwards on his face.

Kate hums softly as she weaves him a flower crown.

Inside the house, Toby is almost done with the grilled cheese sandwiches. He’s melting the cheese on the second one when Brian and Tim stroll in, a tad bored from watching Kate and Charlie.

“That’s surprisingly nice of you,” Brian lightly ribs. “Smells good though.”

“Why don’t you ever make these with us?” Tim inquires with a small chuckle.

“I c-c-can make them n-now for u-u-s,” Toby begins, flipping the sandwich. “B-But my s-sister used t-t-to make these w-when I was u-upset. F-Figured C-Charlie needed a p-pick me up,” he explains, a small smile on his lips as he turns off the stove. Toby places it on the plate and grabs it before heading to the front door.

In the front yard, Kate is just finishing placing a flower crown on Charlie’s head. The colors compliment his hair and Kate giggles softly as he coos. “You’re so pretty,” she compliments, gently tapping where his nose should be, making him giggle in response. Her nose picks up the scent of Toby’s cooking and a warm smile spreads over her lips. There he is, in the doorway.

“T-Thought you g-guys would l-like these,” he says as he meets Kate halfway.

“You’re so thoughtful,” Kate smiles as she takes the plate into her hands. “You wanna come say hi to Charlie?”

“I-Is he o-okay with it?” Toby asks, wanting to ensure Charlie won’t get wound up again.

Kate glances over her shoulder to the large cryptid like proxy that is currently playing with the flowers that adorn his head. “He’s fine,” she hums, leading Toby to the swingset. “Hey buddy,” she quietly greets. “Toby made some sandwiches for us.”

Charlie tilts his head curiously at the new scent, both Toby and the grilled cheese. He pokes at it before lifting it.

“It’s s-s-still a little h--hot,” Toby warns as Kate sits him down on one of the swings.

Charlie tilts his head again.

Toby blows a bit on his hand.

Charlie follows in suit before chomping into the sandwich, mouth opening and closing like a dragon due to how hot it is.

Both Kate and Toby laugh.

Brian and Tim watch from the windows as Toby, Kate and Charlie begin to get to know each other, giggles and positive energy flowing between the three of them as they do so.

“Should we let them stay?” Tim hums.

Brian nods, a small smile on his lips. “Yeah, let the kids play.”

Tim chuckles, patting Brian on the back. “You check the basement for those files yet?”

“Nah, did you?”

“Wouldn’t be asking if I did,” Tim grins.

Brian rolls his eyes. “Be right back,” he informs, hazel eyes reluctantly leaving the vision of the swing set.

#masky #masky creepypasta #tim wright #tim wright marble hornets #hoodie #hoodie creepypasta #brian thomas #brian thomas marble hornets #marble hornets #creepypasta #creepypasta scenario #kate the chaser #kate the chaser scenario #charlie matheson #slender the arrival #slender man

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bbrandy2002 · 3 years

Text

Happy Birthday Burnsy!

The Country AU -- I'm Gonna Live Where The Green Grass Grows

Pairing: Drake x Alyssa, Liam x Riley, and a whole host of other TRR characters.

A/N: This was a silly little idea I had months ago for an AU built around the places and people where I grew up. I never had plans to actually write it, but I mentioned it to Burns, and well ... she wanted it lol so here we are. And she’s already read half of this and is the one who made the mood board for it and the song inspo hahaha. Thank you to @mskaneko for the edits of our OTP’s, and @charlotteg234 for pre-reading the first half of this.

Trigger warning: Gun usage, hunting, mild language ... I think that’s it

@burnsoslow

My dearest friend, when I think back at where we were one year ago, I can’t help but be reminded of the vastly different world we live in now. On February 5, 2020, there was no covid keeping us sheltered and fearful, families were complete, jobs were stable, and so many of the things we worried about then simply pale in comparison to now, Life wasn’t so bad. But here we are with all these new changes and mindsets. Through it all, one thing remained consistent: YOU. You have been my strength, my rock, the anchor that grounded me. We have cried together, laughed a lot together, worried for each other, and celebrated those small victories that were important to each other. And I get so happy when someone comments about how much they love the friendship between Riley and Alyssa because it's the most real part of Fearless. If anyone ever wanted to know what we’re like, it's all written out in that story. I’ve got your back, and you have mine. You’re my best friend and I just love the hell out of ya! I hope your birthday is amazing and that this fic is everything you wanted for this AU.

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

On Sunday mornings in southern Georgia, you did one of two things: You woke up early for church services or woke up late to watch NFL football.

Some people figured out a long time ago how to do both.

Sitting in the back pew of the First Cordonian Church of Everlasting Peace, Alyssa Walker sat quietly with the sweetest southern belle smile, nodding her head along to the beautiful words spoken during Pastor Hakim’s sermon and hiding a pair of earbuds lodged in each ear.

She and her husband, Drake, had laid claim to the pew when they were teens trying to sneak a kiss or two during prayers. After ten years of marriage, they no longer needed to sneak kisses but stayed in that same seat, believing the biggest sinners should stay as far away from the minister as possible. Why be the barrier that may prevent the spirit from reaching the rest of the congregation? The couple felt it was the least they could do.

They were actually pretty good folks and well respected in their community. Alyssa had taught first grade for eight years at the local elementary school, where her two children, nine-year-old Audrey and six-year-old Patrick, also attended. Her best friend since third grade, Riley, was the art teacher there.

Drake worked nearby as the lead mechanic at Rys and Sons Chevrolet out on North Ramsford Avenue. Constantine had owned the auto dealership for 35 years before passing it down to his sons, Leo and Liam, when he ran for and became the town's mayor. Leo peaced out, heading to South Florida, while Liam took on the sole responsibility of ownership himself.

And while most people in this sleepy little town of Cordonia were Falcons fanatics, Alyssa grew up rooting for the team where her parents were born and raised before settling in Georgia as newlywed lawyers: The Chicago Bears.

With the game against the Packers blaring into her ear, she kept a keen eye on the rest of her fellow parishioners. When they clapped, she clapped. When they sang, she sang. She raised her hands in hallelujahs when they did. She had learned to read lips and could “Amen” and “Praise God” right on cue with the rest of them. All the while, she sat in contentment, listening to her weekly football games.

“The score with 14 seconds left in the second quarter is Chicago -- 14, Green Bay -- 17. The Bears have the ball on the 5-yard line. It’s third and goal. If Trubisky can score here, they’ll go into the locker room at halftime with a lead for the first time in this game, or possibly tie it all up with a field goal after this down. This is a huge, HUGE play, Jim ...”

Alyssa twined her fingers together and lowered her forehead onto them as she waited with bated breath for the announcer to call the play-by-play. As far as anyone else knew, she was praying fervently for the Hebrews crossing the parted Red Sea away from Pharoah's army that the pastor was chronicling.

“And here comes the snap. Trubisky backs up. He tosses to Robinson in the end zone. OHHH! So close… batted away by Alexender …”

“JESUS!” Alyssa yelled out in anger. With earbuds in, she didn’t realize how loudly that just came out of her mouth. Drake nudged her in the thigh. She glanced over at him for a second before he nodded to the 123 pairs of eyes that had all turned at once in her direction. It instantly dawned on her that everyone in the congregation heard the outburst.

Feeling the color drain from her face, Alyssa placed a hand over her chest and addressed, “I am soooo into this sermon, Hakim. Woohoo! Go, Jesus, go!” She pumped her fist in the air like she was rooting him on.

Drake dropped his face onto Patrick’s shoulder, who was sitting on his lap, to cover the incessant laughter that threatened to spill out of him. He was doing a terrible job of it, as a momentary burst of muffled snickers could be heard through the sound of the game playing in Alyssa’s ear. Her husband was nothing but a big kid himself -- she wouldn’t change that for anything.

“Mommy,” Audrey whispered next to her. “It’s about Moses. Not Jesus.”

Alyssa smiled, patting her daughter’s knee. “Same thing, baby. They both performed miracles.” She cut her eyes to the phone hidden under the cardigan draped across her thighs. “And the Bears need a miracle right now, guys,” she muttered, “Part those shithead Packer’s defensive line, Lord. It’s time to help my Bears get to the promised land.”

“Going for it on fourth down, Trubisky drops back. The Packer defense is putting a lot of pressure on the Bear’s offensive line. Every man is covered in the end zone. He has no one to throw to, Jim. They’re running out of time. Four seconds left. And, NOOO, they sack Trubisky on the 10-yard line … WAIT THE BALL IS LOOSE … THE BALL IS LOOSE ... he fumbled the ball. The Packers are scrambling to get it. There are green and white jerseys all over that ball. BUT LOOK … Green Bay’s Klark picks it up. He’s running the other way … and he just slipped … he just slipped, and the football fell right into the hands of Chicago’s Robinson --”

Alyssa grabbed Drake’s thigh, her fingers digging deeply with hope and panic. “Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck,” her stressed words weren’t audible to the crowd, but they were speaking volumes in her heart.

“--Robinson’s on the 20, now 15, he’s sweeping past the defense to the 10 -- 5 -- TOUCHDOWN, CHICAGO!!!”

"FUCK YES!" Alyssa jumped up, her arms outstretched in a V shape. “Hallelujah. Holy shit. Thank ya, Jesus.” She let out a huge sigh of relief, feeling nothing short of elated, not concerned in the slightest by the heads that twisted around again.

Hakim stood slack-jawed from the raised platform for a moment, his tallish physique slouching on the pulpit, before adjusting the microphone and clearing his throat deeply. "I'm certainly glad, Sister Alyssa is ... feeling the spirit this morning."

"I am feeling it, Brother Hakim," She shook her head profusely. "I. Am. Feeling it." She shot him a dimpled grin.

Drake snorted loudly, covering his face with one hand and grabbing the side of her dress to pull her back down with the other.

They turned to each other, neither one able to control the snickering and shaking of their bodies. Drake lifted a sleeping Patrick over his shoulder while Alyssa grabbed Audrey's hand; the Walker couple decided they were too immature for church this morning.

They laughed all the way to the parking lot.

"It's never a dull moment with you, baby girl," Drake chuckled, turning over the ignition.

"You know me …” She blew on her nails before rubbing them against her chest. “... just doing the Lord's work."

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

It was customary in Cordonia for families to gather together each week for a big supper after church.

The Walkers traditionally took turns hosting with Liam and Riley, and Constantine and Regina. This week's meal was at the elder Ryses.

Sitting down at the dining room table, everyone licked their chops, hungry and ready to dig into all the made-from-scratch southern goodness Mrs. Regina had prepared: Fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, coleslaw, macaroni and cheese, green beans with hamhock, corn-on-the-cob, deviled eggs, biscuits, sweet tea, and coffee. It was all accompanied by two containers of broccoli salad, Alyssa picked up from the Piggly Wiggly deli after church, and Riley's lopsided carrot cake.

There was always a lot of food, a lot of love, and what would it be in a small town without a little gossip here and there.

"Regina, you've outdone yourself on this meal," Liam raved while placing his five-month-old son in a high chair and fastening the clasps. "If it tastes as good as it smells, we're all in for a big treat."

Everyone agreed as she sat down, Constantine pushing her chair in with a peck to the top of her head. "Thank you, Liam." She looked up at her husband with a sincere smile, rubbing his arm. "Only the best for our family."

She meant every word of that as she and Constantine glanced around the table at all the cheerful faces of the people they loved most — that included Drake and his family.

Drake's father had been the sheriff for many years before his untimely death, while the younger Walker was a teen. Connie had never met a braver, more hard-working man than Jackson; the now mayor stepped in after that death to be the father figure in Drake's life. Drake was already best friends with Liam, and over time, the family just considered him one of their own. Drake and Alyssa's children referred to them as Mamaw and Papaw Rys.

As everyone settled in and passed the food around the table, the doorbell rang; 7-year-old Ellie -- Liam and Riley's oldest -- jumped up to answer it. With everyone focused on getting their helpings, Riley leaned over and whispered to Alyssa, "Any more scoop on Savannah?"

Alyssa passed the potatoes to her and answered in a hushed tone, "I drove past her house yesterday ... Chuck was there. His big rig was backed right up into the driveway. They're not even trying to hide it anymore."

"I knew it." Riley slapped a scoop of potatoes onto her plate, passing them across to Liam. "When does Bertrand get back from that Bankers Convention in Atlanta?"

"I think Max said on Tuesday. And I guarn-damn-tee, Chuck will be there until then."

"Of course he will. Have you told Drake yet?"

Alyssa shook her head, peeking over at her husband, who was in hog heaven, dousing everything on his plate with white gravy, blissfully unaware of their idle chitchat. She turned back to Riley. "Not yet. You know how protective he is. I'll need to hide the gun cabinet keys when he finds out ... if he finds out. You remember how upset he got when Bianca got caught at the Love's Truck Stop with Landon Ebrim over the summer. His mama can do what she wants, but not with a married man."

Riley agreed with a nod before taking a sip and swallowing her sweet tea. "Ya know, I've never seen sweet Emmaline that angry."

"Yeah, me neither. She sure whopped ass that day." They both giggled lightly. "Landon's dentures flew clean across that truck lot."

"I saw her the other day at the Food Lion, grinnin' like a baked possum. Got that ol' dog for everything he had."

Alyssa huffed, "Cept' his nuts."

Ellie ran back in and hopped in her chair. "Miss Olivia is here!"

Alyssa stiffened, clutching her fork a little tighter before letting out a faint groan. Not that she didn't like the Assistant Principal of Cordonia Elementary -- she was her boss, after all, and they grew up together -- she could just be a little off-putting, sometimes with her treatment of Drake. In light of Olivia's recent divorce, she had, however, started directing most of her scorn on her ex-husband, Anton.

Everyone greeted Olivia as she strolled in behind the youngster, shrugging her jacket off and tossing it on a counter with her purse. "I smelled your chicken and taters all the way from Lythikos Drive, Regina. You know how I love a good rib stickin' meal."

"Is Travis and Waylon here?" Patrick piped up eagerly from the children's table, hoping to have some boys to play with rather than the three little girls who kept ganging up on him.

Olivia pulled out a chair and started loading her plate down. "They're with their daddy this weekend, sugar. I'll tell them you asked about them."

Drake lifted his coffee mug, not making eye contact with anyone. "Speaking of ... I saw Anton yesterday at the Dollar Tree ... with someone." He smirked into his drink. While everyone else knew who and was trying to avoid the elephant in the room, he owed her for years of squabble.

"Who? Madeleine?" Olivia spat, adding heaping spoonfuls of sugar to her already overly sweetened tea. "Bless her rotten heart, he was seeing her before our break up. Moved in with her right after the divorce was final, so I hope she's enjoyed cookin' and cleanin' after my youngins' all weekend, cause she's gonna be doin it a hell of a lot more now that she got herself fired."

Madeleine was a bank teller in the drive-thru at First Cordonia and also Leo's ex-fiancee.

"Madeleine got fired?" Alyssa asked in surprise. "She's been there for years."

The redhead swirled the sugar around in her tea with a spoon before licking it off and continuing, "Mmm-hmm. Bertrand caught her on video, stuffing her gaudy drawers into the vacuum tubes at the bank and sending them to that bastard when he drove through to make a deposit. He was making deposits alright. Right between her scrawny, cankled ass --"

"Olivia!" Liam quickly interjected, knowing once she got going, it would likely turn R-rated with several little ears listening. "I'm dying to hear how the Christmas Festival for next Saturday is coming along." He shot a look across the table at Drake for getting her worked up. Drake simply grinned.

By late afternoon, supper had been eaten, dishes cleaned, and pants unbuttoned. After a couple of hours of chatting on the back porch and watching the kids play, the two younger couples packed up leftovers Regina insisted they take home and were ready to hit the road.

Liam and Riley lived next door and walked out with the Walkers who were making their way to the Tahoe parked on the street.

Alyssa bounced and cooed over baby Jacob before handing him back to Riley and getting into the vehicle's passenger seat.

Liam was leaning into the driver's side window, having a casual discussion with Drake about the opening day of deer season next Saturday and asking what time he wanted to head out.

Alyssa was half-listening and half-working the stereo when an idea popped into her head. "You know what would be fun?” Both men stopped talking and glanced over at her. “We should all go?”

Drake knit his brows. “Go where?

“Hunting. We can make it a double date. You and me, Riley and Liam. The great outdoors. Some quality time together. I’ll even make snacks for everyone. It’ll be fun,” her voice was chipper. She was excited about it.

She was also deadly serious.

So were the dubious looks Drake and Liam gave each other over the thought of taking their wives on the most important hunting event of their year. Not that either didn't enjoy spending time with their significant others, but hunting was a whole different world. It was a one-person sport where you spent the day away from reality and responsibilities and just enjoying the great outdoors —a place to be alone and experience the thrill of a good hunt.

“Guys, I’m serious. We go fishing together, and I’ve shot targets plenty of times. I really wanna go hunting with you. Riley wants to go too, don't you?” She cast an inquisitive glance out her window at Riley, who glared back with the biggest what-the-fuck look she'd ever made. “See, she wants to go too.”

“Baby,” Drake began softly, giving her knee light squeezes. “I don’t mind taking you, but this is opening day. We’ll be in the woods for hours, in the cold. It’s not really what someone would consider a ‘date.’ And we’re going to the Festival that night … we’ll get a chance to spend time together there.”

She held his gaze as her lips began to quiver. “I understand. You .. you need time to be away from me, and it was a dumb idea anyway --”

“No,” Drake cut in. His heart plummeted from the sadness in her voice and eyes. “That’s not it at all. I love spending time with you. And if you really want to do this, then … let’s do this.”

“Really? We can go together?” Drake nodded with a smile before she squealed in his ear and pulled him into a tight hug. “I can’t wait! Thank you!”

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Liam let out a heavy breath as he looked over at Riley -- The woman he knew would not be a fun hunting partner next week -- still standing on the sidewalk, appearing like she might faint. “Yeah ... I can’t wait either.”

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

Saturday. 5:15 a.m. The cellphone alarm on Drake’s bedside table let off a series of rhythmic beeping sounds and vibrations.

The alarm wasn’t needed. The man had been awake for hours, listening to his wife's gentle snores; the anticipation of bringing home at least a 12-pointer keeping him from falling back asleep.

Letting out a ferocious yawn and a hearty stretch, he picked up his phone to dismiss the alarm and rolled over to wake Alyssa.

With her ass perfectly curled into the space between his stomach and thighs, his hands settled on her curvy hip, jostling her slightly. “Time to get up, my little peach. We gotta get crackin’ before all the good deer are gone.”

“I just need one more hour, okay? Thanks,” she protested with a drowsy murmur, pulling the pillow over her head.

Drake chuckled, rubbing soothing circles over her back. “No. We have to get up now. We’re wasting time, sleepyhead. Unless … you don’t want to go.”

Alyssa’s heavy eyes stung as she tried to peel them open one at a time. “No, I wanna … go ...” she trailed. Her eyes slowly shut again, and she was out.

On a day like today, Drake was usually up and ready in ten minutes. Once he could finally get his wife out of bed, dressed, and back awake again from where she fell asleep on the toilet, it was close to 45 minutes.

Maxwell, who was also a childhood friend and the music teacher where Alyssa taught, rented the room over their garage. He agreed to come down that morning and watch the kids while the pair spent their morning in the woods. Bianca used to help out in that regard, but the kids complained she slept the whole time, and Alyssa was pretty sure her mother-in-law smoked pot around them.

Drake loaded up the truck, placing his rifle and a smaller .22 caliber for Alyssa behind the seat. Dragging herself slowly to the vehicle, the night sky still pitch black and her breath turning to thick vapors in the frigid air, she listlessly tossed a Taylor Swift tote bag on the floorboard and climbed in.

Drake looked at his phone after everything was packed up to see if Liam had sent a message about being late. It was unusual for him not to be there already. Typically, his best friend was up and at his house before Drake was even ready. He sent off a quick text to check.

Drake: Where you at, man?

Liam: Running late. Riley had to put makeup on and do her hair.

Liam: I’m having so much fun already 😑

Liam: snark

Drake: Lyss couldn’t decide which gloves looked the best with her orange vest. I guess she wants to impress the deer before she kills them.

Liam: We’re not catching deer today. We’ll be lucky if we catch a cold. Be there in 10.

Twenty minutes later, Liam’s gray Silverado pulled onto the Walker’s gravel drive. Riley had wanted biscuits and gravy from McDonald's, and she had to run back inside to pee, so that set them back. But, with everyone now there, they were finally ready to head out.

Just down the rural road from where Drake and Alyssa lived, the current sheriff of Cordonia, Bastien, owned several acres of unoccupied land that he used for recreation. He had been a close friend of Drake’s dad and agreed to let Drake and Liam hunt and fish on his property whenever they wanted.

Turning onto the dirt road and opening the gate, the four friends arrived at their spot just as dawn was breaking.

No one spoke much as they trekked through the mud, sticks, and brittle fall leaves that littered the path to the deer stands. Riley and Alyssa were too exhausted to say anything. Drake and Liam just weren’t used to talking at all.

"Riley, love,” Liam whispered softly. “Can you watch how you’re walking? The noise is going to scare the deer away.”

“I can’t help it if … " She reacted loudly in frustration before Liam placed a finger over his lips, and she resumed speaking more quietly. “I can’t help it if there're leaves everywhere. I’m walking on them as delicately as possible.”

“How much further? I think my toes are frozen and I need coffee.” Alyssa bemoaned while walking on the balls of her heels. Drake was basically dragging her sluggish body by the hand. Her eyes were still drooping from exhaustion with every careful step.

“Just over yonder of that fence row is our stand.” He pointed out.

Alyssa aimed her flashlight around the woods in several spots. "And where do we pee at?"

Liam lightly snorted as Drake answered matter-of-factly. "Just over yonder of that fence row below our stand."

"Oh ... " her tone was small and apprehensive, "... I guess that's ... okay." She glanced back timidly at Liam, who was following close behind.

He shielded his eyes from the beam of her flashlight in his face and frowned. "I'm not going to watch you pee, Alyssa."

Riley gasped, "Eww! I don't want Drake watching me pee either."

"Shhhhh." Liam was quick to remind her again of the volume of her voice.

"Stop, shushing me, Liam! Those deer don't know I'm out here."

Drake grunted, then whipped around to face the three of them. "Would you keep your voices down? No one's watching anybody take a piss," he whisper-yelled. "Lyssa and I will be at least a hundred yards away from ya'll. Riley, I promise you can piss your little heart out, and I won't see it."

"We're separating?" Alyssa asked wistfully. "What if I need to ask Riley something, and she can't hear me yelling across to her?"

"You'll just have to ask her when we're done, baby girl. And ... please don't yell questions to her while we're out here. Low voices."

They continued on with their noisy hike.

"Having so much fun," Liam grumbled to himself.

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

Liam and Riley headed to their tree stand as Drake helped Alyssa climb up the ladder to theirs.

The stand and ladder were made of plywood -- chipped and faded from years of exposure to the elements -- and were attached at the apex to an oak tree about twenty feet off the ground. At the top it had enough room to take a step onto, with a wooden seat just wide enough to accommodate them. One plank rail came out on both sides.

Alyssa plopped down onto the seat, clutching her tote bag of goodies on her lap. She lifted the brim of the orange beanie she borrowed from Drake -- that smelled of animal carcass and gun powder -- above her eyes and peered out to the wilderness spread monumentally below. She closed her eyes and slowly inhaled the fresh, dewy air, taking in the sounds of twittering birds, branches clashing from the nearby squirrel frolicking on them, and the rippling of a bubbling brook streaming down the hill.

A pleasant warmth overcame her as Drake's much larger body sat down next to her and protected her from the frosty wind blowing in from his side.

Alyssa wrapped her arms around his waist, snuggling into him. "I can see why you like this so much. It's so quiet and peaceful ... look how purty it is out here, Drake. It's just real purty, isn't it?"

Working diligently on getting their gear together, he stopped briefly to look out; affection glowed in his eyes. “It sure is, darlin’. Almost as purty as you ... and notice I said 'almost.'” He winked, and Alyssa blushed, feeling that same love trickling up inside her she'd had since they were teenagers. Drake could charm the pants off a chipmunk, but she was thankful he only used that gift on her.

"Sooo ... " She drawled in her thick Southern accent. "How long will it be before the deer start coming out?"

Drake drew the barrel of her gun back after loading it with shells and explained, "Don't know. It could be minutes. It could be a few hours. Just whenever they head this way, I reckon."

Perplexed, Alyssa nodded slowly. "A few hours? I s'pose that's okay. What do you do while you're waiting?"

He shrugged, passing a gun to her. "You just ... sit here."

"You just sit here and do what?"

Drake leaned over to kiss into her orange cap and replied, "Wait."

"Wait." She acknowledged. "I can do that. I'll just sit here ... and wait."

Several minutes had passed, and Alyssa was already bored with listening to nature, Drake's gurgling stomach, and sitting quietly with nothing to do. Every so often, a shotgun blast was heard in the distance, signifying either someone out there had gotten their prize or Riley had driven Liam insane. It was the only break from the monotony that came with the boredom of sitting in a tree for who knew how many hours.

Letting out a giant exhale that caught Drake's attention, she propped her rifle against the railing and pulled the cloth tote that was sitting between her boots into her lap. Rummaging through the bag, she pulled out her phone and began thumbing out a message.

Drake furrowed his brows and asked, "What're you doin'?"

"Just texting Riley,' she answered dismissively. He shook his head and leaned it back against the tree while she formulated her message.

Alyssa: You still alive over there? How's it going?

Riley: This is boring as shit.

Riley: And now my texting is apparently scaring away the deer. F the deer Liam. F all the damn deer!!!! What were you thinking, Lyss?

Alyssa: I was thinking we could spend quality time with our husbands. The men we love and cherish with all of our hearts. I’m having a great time with Drake so far 😍😘

Alyssa: And no one twisted your arm to come bitch.

Riley: Liam's just staring through binoculars. He hasn’t spoken in 20 minutes except to tell me to point the gun away from him or to quit moving. Let’s go get our hair did at Adelaide's.”

Alyssa: OHHH Yes! And get Chinese food ... CRAB RANGOONS!! I'll have Drake drive us back. Girls Day Out. Love you!

Drake let out a belch and blew it away when Alyssa turned to him with a dazzling smile and a sparkle in her blues. "Can you drive Riley and me back to the house?"

"What? Right now?" he shrieked. She answered him with a cheerful nod. "What happened to all that talk about wanting to spend quality time with me?"

"I still do. But ... we're just sitting here, not really doing anything. I could be getting my hair done for tonight's festival. I also have a ton of laundry to do, some papers to grade, and I’m supposed to be making the Devereaux’s famous peach cobbler for the raffle. If I leave now, I’ll have time to do all of it.” Alyssa knew she probably wouldn’t do half of that, and Audrey would likely make the cobbler, but it made the situation sound more urgent.

"It's opening day, baby. I'm not leaving this spot." He reached into the pocket of his overalls and pulled out his keys. "If you and Riley wanna take my truck, I'll ride back with Liam."

She gave him an exasperated look. "I don't know my way back to the truck. And I sure as hell know Riley doesn't."

He smirked, stuffing his keys back. "Then you're stuck."

The next hour was brutal. Alyssa texted Riley to alleviate the boredom for several minutes, but there had been no responses in a long while. She wasn't aware that Liam tossed her friend's phone over the hill when she started making TikTok videos of her plight -- Liam took his deer hunting seriously: No noise meant no noise.

Drake wasn't much better; he was quieter than his usual self. It wouldn't have been so bad if she could at least talk. An occasional whispered word was not going to cut it.

Alyssa sighed heavily. She wiggled around for comfort. She unwrapped a Nutty Bar. She crunched. She opened a can of pop. She tapped her fingers. She flipped the pages of a magazine. Each one got that look from Drake that let her know it was too loud. If she ever made it out of there, she planned to jabber and stir until she couldn't do it anymore.

After another half-hour of stewing quietly in her thoughts without a sign of a deer anywhere, Alyssa decided now was the time to finally just talk.

"Do you ever think about having another baby?" It was a topic that had been on her mind for a while. To her surprise, Drake didn't give her a look or even freak out the way she anticipated. Despite his own rule of silence, he even responded in kind.

"Yeah. Kind of a lot."

Her right brow darted up. "Really?"

Drake took a breath and shifted the gun across his lap. "I mean, of course. It's always been my dream to settle down and have a bunch of youngin's with the woman I love." He studied her lit-up face; he'd swore she'd gotten more beautiful with age. That's why he hesitated when he added, "But ... "

Her shoulders slumped at his words, and a deflated look impressed upon her face. "But ... " The word barely made it past her lips.

Drake reached for her hand and gripped it tightly. "Lyssa, we have so much going on right now. You're working on National Boards, Audrey has piano recitals and basketball, Patrick has peewee football and Boy Scouts. We barely have time -- except for right now -- for just ... us. I'm not saying,"never"... just that right now ... isn't a good time."

"I understand that, but ... we've always made it work. And don't you miss those tiny little fingers wrapped around yours? And the way they smell fresh out of the bath? And those chubby little cheeks pressed up against yours?" she goaded.

“Of course I do. I remember the first time I held Audrey and PJ in my arms -- there’s just no better feeling in the world than ...to look down ... " Drake paused as his voice cracked, and his brown eyes glistened like glass. " ... and to see someone so small ..." When she sniffled, it made it that much harder for him to speak. "... that you created with the woman you've loved since you were 16 years old. But I like who they are now, and watching them grow, and doing things with them ... And, well ... there’s no shit clean up.”

“You obviously haven’t washed Patrick's clothes in a while,” Alyssa retorted with a chuckle that brought out one in her husband.

"I’ll have to talk to him about that." He gazed deeper into her eyes. "But I do love you ... more than all the peaches in Georgia, Lyssa Claire.”

Alyssa smiled.“That’s what you said to me when you promised to marry me when we were teens.”

Drake returned his own smile. “I did. I remember like it was yesterday too. Sitting in your parent’s basement, watching Friends reruns, eating pizza, making out. And hell, it’s still as true today as it was then. Somehow, even more."

Their cold lips parted and joined halfway for a fervent kiss, with Drake's hand meandering around the subtle groove at the junction of her waist. Just as it became more intense and desirous, a rustling of twigs off in a nearby thicket caught Drake's ear, and he broke away, his eyes scoping the perimeter. Alyssa wasn't offended, she heard it too, and her heart raced with excitement.

Lifting the binoculars hanging from his neck, he spotted two deer eating from a blackberry patch some thirty yards away. He pointed in their direction; Alyssa gave a quick thumbs up, letting him know she saw them too.

Drake carefully lifted the rifle resting in his lap as Alyssa leaned forward and squinted to get a better visual. "Is that a buck and a doe?" she whispered, not moving an inch.

"Sure as fuck is." He mounted the stock of his .30 caliber, Winchester, just beneath his collarbone; the rush of this moment coursed ravenously through his body. He lined up the scope and placed a steady finger on the trigger -- his thumb pulling the hammer back.

“Wait.” Alyssa loudly whispered. “You can’t shoot him.”

"I'm gonna. Better cover your ears."

"No, Drake. There's a doe with him. What if that's his wife? You can't just leave her all alone without him."

"Lyss, this is the whole reason we're out here."

"So you can make a widow out of her?"

"No ... so I can make deer chili out of him."

Alyssa's mouth flew open. "No. No. RUUUUUUUUN! RUUUUUUN!"

Drake pulled his face away from the scope and fired her a look. "What the hell are you doing? They're getting away!"

She tilted her chin boldly. "I don't care. That was her husband, and they're in love, and you can't take that away from them. I would be so sad if we were just out eating berries and someone came up and shot you, ALL SO THEY COULD EAT DRAKE CHILI!".

Drake dropped his head. He knew there was no point in arguing with her. As long as he’d known her, she was stubborn, and at that moment, she was dead set in believing those two deer were living out the greatest romance of all time. Nothing he said or did would change her mind on that.

A thought emerged while he attempted to comprehend the logic of the situation. Those deer ran off in the direction where Liam was set up. Maybe if he could give his friend a heads up, it was still possible at least someone would leave those woods with the prized buck.

Turning his back from Alyssa so that she couldn't stop him, he pulled a small walkie-talkie from his pocket and radioed Liam. Alyssa knew what was up and jumped to her feet, thrusting her arms around him in an attempt to stop the travesty.

"You can't do this, Drake," she hollered, "That’s her soulmate. And why don't I have a walkie-talkie? I want a walkie-talkie!"

While seated next to Liam, Riley was swinging her legs, purposefully making the soles of her boots scrape against the platform. Liam tried to ignore her; maybe he had been a little too uptight about every little noise and utterance she made. But this was playing a whole different ballgame now: she was now making it her mission to piss him off.

Prepared to pound his head against the tree, Liam gritted his teeth, skimming his eyes in her direction. "Love, do you have to do that?"

"Did you have to throw my phone in the woods?" She spat back.

Liam rubbed his hand over his face. "No, and I am sorry that. I apologize for all of eternity. I promise I will get you another one as soon as we get back, okay?”

Riley huffed. "Fine, but that phone had all of my contacts on it. It had our babies' pictures and videos on it ... our vacation photos. I can't get those memories back ever, and I have to find it, and God only knows where it landed. It could be ..." She stopped rattling on when she caught sight of the distressed look Liam was giving her. Knitting her brows, Riley asked, "What?"

"Nothing ... just ... can you lower your voice a little? You're gonna scare the deer away,"

He regretted it as soon as it came out.

“LIAAAAM!”

He saw the steam gushing out of her ears. There was no time to answer the incoming call on his walkie-talkie from Drake.

Belting out a furious screech, Riley jumped up and tried to jerk the gun from his hands. There was no question she wouldn't shoot him, but she'd sure as hell shred his favorite gun apart piece-by-piece and toss them all the way to Portavira Lake on the other side of town.

Riley tugged with all of her might. "I have HAD IT with being quiet for those damn deer, Liam. HAD IT!"

"Sweetheart, you need to calm down ..." He stood up in front of her, pulling back on the rifle even harder, surprised -- and not pleasantly so -- his considerably smaller wife had this much struggle in her.

"Don't you sweetheart me. You have shushed me for the last time, Liam Preston Rys!"

“Okay, I’m sorry! But can you at least admit us fighting over a gun is dangerous? Somebody is going to get seriously hurt, and I don’t want it to be you, Riley. Please. I won’t shush you anymore, I promise.” His face softened, eventually adorning a loving smile at his wife, who, with a sigh, was unable to resist that handsome face and relaxed her grip.

Riley gave him a half-smile in return. “I’m sorry, too. I’ve ruined your hunting trip.”

“Yes ... you did.” Liam agreed, dodging the playful slap she nearly made to his upper arm. “But I don’t want to fight anymore.”

With the War of the Ryses finally over, they went in for a makeup kiss until Drake’s voice called out to Liam again through his walkie talkie. Liam set the gun down on the bench and leaned it against the tree before he started digging into his pocket to answer the device. Riley dropped down onto the seat, her elbow brushed against the rifle and caused it to slide away until the barrel end hit the railing and set off a powerful blast.

When the ringing in both of their ears subsided, and the smoke had cleared, Liam and Riley collected themselves from the sudden spine-gripping explosion that shook them both. While Riley explained to Liam what happened, a hysterical sounding Drake came back over the walkie-talkie, wailing, “Alyssa’s been shot! Alyssa’s been shot! Help me!”

__________________

Later that evening, in the courthouse square, the street was lit up with zig-zagged rows of red, green, and white lights. Strands of garland were wound around every lamppost in perfect spiraled loops, and red bows hung and waved with the wintry breeze.

With traffic rerouted away from the area, vendors lined sidewalks selling local goods to put the town's citizens in the festive spirit. What would this small town in Georgia have been without boiled peanuts, low country boil, fried green tomatoes, barbecue, and peach everything?

Once Constantine had lit the 30-foot spruce, surrounded by hundreds of merry people from all walks of life that made up this small community, the festival was officially kicked-off.

In a large tent set up on the square, Liam and Riley laid out styrofoam containers and drinks they’d purchased from a barbeque vendor on one of several picnic tables inside. With their two young daughters munching away on their meal, and the stroller with their sleeping son beside them, they both sat down with heavy hearts and restless minds.

Liam bit into his barbecue sandwich, noticing Riley only prodding at her mac-and-cheese while staring off into the distance. He didn’t have to ask what was wrong; he knew what happened that morning was bothering her with guilt and worry. It wasn’t every day she accidentally shot someone.

“Are you going to be okay?”

Riley shook her head slightly with a sad look. “No. It’s just not the same without Alyssa here. You know how much she loves Christmas and the festival. She was so looking forward to it too, until --”

“You shot her.”

“Yeeeeeesssss,” she cried out. Liam reached across the table and gave her hand a comforting squeeze, his thumb caressing her smooth skin. Riley continued to sniffle as she grabbed a handful of napkins and wiped the barbecue sauce off Liam’s sticky fingers that were now smeared all over hers. “I didn’t mean to, I swear it. And the way … and the way Drake cried. It broke my heart. Now he has her on bed rest AND house arrest. He won’t let her take calls. I’ll never see or hear from my bestie agaaaain.” The tears continued to flow in steady streams.

Liam stiffened, feeling the eyes of everyone in that tent, gawking at his overly-dramatic wife breaking down. He started to tell her to lower her voice, but after the gun battle in the woods, he thought better of it. “Riley, darlin’, you know Drake is really overprotective of Alyssa. And as scary as what happened was, she only needed the one stitch and band-aid for her graze wound. Something tells me Drake won’t be able to keep her down long.”

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

Liam was right. As much as Drake tried to keep her in bed so he could wait on her hand and foot, protect her from the careless friends of the world who could inadvertently do his baby girl harm, and check to see if she needed a new band-aid every few minutes, he could not keep her down. She had been far too excited to hang out with the people she loved so much and celebrate at one of her favorite festivals.

Maxwell had left for the events with Audrey and Patrick an hour ago; they were part of the children’s caroling group and needed to be there early. Against Drake’s wishes, Alyssa showered, got dressed, and made sure he knew in no uncertain terms would he be able to prevent her from going. The only thing he knew to do was to go, follow her around the entire night, and make sure she wouldn’t get shot again.

They circled the block where everything was held several times, but spaces to park were impossible to find. Three blocks away was the church where they attended, and the parking lot was completely empty. Drake didn’t like the fact that Alyssa would have to walk so far in her debilitated condition and was prepared to haul her piggyback style if he had to, but this was the best spot he could find.

Drake moved the gearshift into park and reached over to grab Alyssa’s arm, who was already bounding out the door. He pulled Alyssa back inside, the chilly air blowing through her open door swept her straighten hair this way and that way.

She cocked her head to the side and exhaled, “Drake, I can open my own door. I’m not broken. It’s just a scratch. I’m fine.”

“I know.” He smiled that tenderhearted smile only Alyssa had ever seen. The same one sending a shudder through her already chilled body. “I changed my mind,” he replied simply

Alyssa slammed her eyes shut and groaned. “I just told you I was fine --”

“No, no,” He shook his head. “About having another baby. I want to start trying.”

Saddled with curiosity, she slid back into the truck and shut the door. “But, I thought you said we didn’t have time for that --”

“Yeah, I did say that. I still believe it. But … today made me realize that yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today …”

Alyssa’s hand flew to her mouth as she laughed out loud. Drake gave her a confused look before chuckling awkwardly to himself, “What’s so funny?”

She lowered her hand, still laughing. “You got that saying from a quote on a poster in my classroom. You’re the one who hung it up for me.”

The memory dawned on him, and he lowered his head, attempting to cover the guilty grin that spread over it. “Well, hell. Here I was trying to make you think I was all insightful and smart and stuff.”

Alyssa’s hand splayed across his rugged chest as she leaned over to kiss him.“You are very insightful and smart. You know I never settle for anything less than the best.”

“I s’pose.” he said, forking his fingers through his hair. “But … I guess what I wanted to say was … I know that bullet missed you, barely … but what if it hadn’t? What if I’d left those woods without you today? Just like you were afraid that doe might. Time wouldn’t matter anymore. There will NEVER be enough time with you. You’re my life, Alyssa Claire. You’re my lover, my friend, my heart, my confidante, my soul, my everything … my little peach. I want to experience all that life has given me with you as my wife … and forever make time with you.”

“DRAAAKEY!” she bawled, spreading her tiny arms wide around his bulky body. Alyssa drew him into her so hard it nearly crushed the wind right out of his lungs. “I -- love -- you -- so muuuch!” Drake patted her back and kissed into her hair as she sniveled into his shirt. He hated when she cried, but damn if this didn’t feel good to him. Anytime she was happy made him that way too.

They took a moment to kiss and pet each other a little before Alyssa sat up and asked, “So … when do you want to start trying for a new baby Walker?”

He shrugged. “Whenever you want, baby.”

Alyssa looked through the back window of the truck and scanned the parking lot. She bit her lip and looked back at him impishly. “What about … now?”

Drake’s eyes flew open wide. “In the church parking lot?”

Pursing her lips, she affirmed, “Yes. We’ve done it behind the Piggly Wiggly plenty of times. And let's not forget the ‘Great Ass Blow-out of 2019’ in the Atlanta Convention Center parking garage.”

“I will never forget that.” Drake shook his head as that momentous sexual experience replayed in his mind. “Mmmm, you performed magic that day, woman.”

She raised a brow and coaxed him on, “So? What’dya say?”

Drake took a tentative look around at the dark, empty lot, then back at her. “We’re so going to hell, but I’m in.”

“Eeeeeee,” she squealed, jerking his arm around in excitement. “Try to keep your ass out of the window this time, okay?”

Thirty minutes later, Pastor Hakim pulled into the church parking lot with Mara, the game warden, following behind in her truck. There had been several reports from passerby’s of loud animals howling and screeching behind the church. The stray cat population was out of control in that area, and several cats had burrowed their way inside the church on occasion.

Hakim parked his car, with Mara pulling in beside him. They both got out simultaneously and listened quietly to see if they could decipher where the commotion was coming from.

Within seconds, a load moan roared out, followed by several consecutive whimpers that were hard to make out by the duo.

Mara listened intently, then gestured with her flashlight to an area near the back of the lot where clusters of shrubs and dry brush bordered. Hakim ambled behind her, the noise getting closer and closer until the pastor's brow furrowed at the shaking of a nearby truck.

“Damn, teenagers,” he grumbled as they tipped toed discreetly.

Mara crouched down by the truck's tailgate, Hakim bending over while she duck-walked toward the driver's side door.

The game warden turned to the pastor and instructed, “On my three. 1 -- 2 -- 3.” They both jumped up at the same time, flashing the light inside the cab. “HAHA Caught ya! OH MY GOD!”

Alyssa, who was on top of Drake, completely naked except for the band-aid on her left arm, looked up in utter humiliation and shock. She crossed her arms over her chest to cover her breast, feeling like she might faint. Not knowing what to say at that moment to rectify their actions or why those two were still staring inside the truck, Alyssa smiled sheepishly. “I’m still feeling the spirit, Hakim.”

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

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#drake x alyssa #Liam x Riley #gun usage #hunting

117 notes · View notes

radioduo · 3 years

Text

moonlight confrontations || dsmp become human au

word count: 1,832

notes: the next part of the dream smp dbh au! this took a sad amount of time to get done, but i actually like it, so i say it’s worth it! per usual, tell me if i fuck something up in the story, characterization, or even just spelling. feedback is appreciated!

first

writing is below the cut! if you see this edit, put in the tags or reply with your choice at the end :]

Ranboo watched silently as the detectives all milled around him and investigated the crime scene. Some whisked past him without so much as an 'excuse me,' while others just shoved the android out of the way. He didn’t mind much. They, not unlike Ranboo himself, had a job to do and a case to solve.

A missing android was reported early that morning by a distressed family. It had allegedly grabbed some of their belongings and vanished without a trace. Ranboo couldn't say he blamed the thing for running. From the look of it, the people must have treated it poorly. Trash littered the floor, and drops of blue blood painted the dirty cream walls. The room looked hazy, as though blanketed with a thin cloud of cigarette smoke.

Ranboo was almost glad he lacked a sense of smell. The blurry look of the room by itself was enough to impair his optical units and he couldn't imagine what the odor would do to his biocomponents. He shook his head and moved over to a corner of the living room. He adjusted his sunglasses, removed his glove, and touched a finger to the small blue blood trail that dripped down the walls.

Ranboo jumped. He turned around and saw Lieutenant Sam Greene, the head of deviancy cases. “Is it anything we can use?” he asked. It was hard to see Sam's expression behind the green mask he always wore, but the curiosity in the lieutenant’s voice was unmistakable.

“I haven’t analyzed it yet, but something tells me it's probably going to be useful information,” Ranboo said, turning away from the lieutenant’s watchful eyes. He removed his mask to touch the blood to his tongue for a scan.

Thirium 310

Fresh

Model GS400

Serial# 325 103 673

“Model GS400,” Ranboo murmured. He put his mask back on and faced Sam. “It’s fresh, maybe about half an hour old. Maybe that’s long enough to have escaped.” He turned to face the lieutenant all the way. “Has everyone looked around the premises of the house, or are there more places we need to check?”

Sam furrowed his brows in thought and swept his gaze over the smoky room. “We’ve checked the entire interior. The kitchen, the bathrooms, the bedrooms, everything. We found nothing on either floor,” he replied. He sounded frustrated. “I no clue what we might’ve missed here.”

Ranboo glanced around, his gray gaze sweeping the hazy room. As he looked around, a thought occurred to him. His eyes landed on the exit to the back garden. “What if it wasn’t in the house anymore?” Ranboo thought aloud. “What if it was lying in wait outside the house?” He bustled towards the door. “No one looked in the garden when we first arrived, and patrol cars have been out back the entire time. The android was found missing only 20 minutes after it had left, so if my hunch is correct,” Ranboo flung open the garden door. “It’ll be trapped.”

Ranboo stepped outside. The night breeze ruffled his jacket, and for a moment, the android forgot he was there to be arresting someone. He grimaced but stepped further into the garden.

Compared to the inside, the outside was surprisingly well-kept. Purple clematis flowers crept up white trellises, and a large weeping willow stood tall in the corner of the yard. Its leaves hung low enough to touch the grass below. Rain pattered against the pavement as Ranboo scanned the tall weeds for any sign of movement. Sam and a few other officers followed after him, but they said nothing as the android swept his gaze across the weeds and plants.

Suddenly, there was a rustling noise from where the great branches slumped. The android's attention shot over to the tall tree, and he hurried to look around. His eyes narrowed in suspicion but found nothing. Ranboo frowned. He had just turned to search somewhere else when all of a sudden, a branch had snapped and fallen to the ground right next to the android detective. Ranboo barely managed to roll out of the way of the twigs and leaves before his legs got crushed.

He landed in the grass and touched his face. A jolt of fear shot through him as he realized his sunglasses had fallen off. Ranboo rooted around in the grass for them. Even while in danger, he couldn’t risk people seeing his malfunctioning design. He felt the plastic in his grasp at last and quickly shoved the glasses over his eyes. He was about to relax for a moment when a shout from Lieutenant Greene startled him.

“Ranboo! There it is!” Sam yelled.

Ranboo snapped his attention to where a female android was scrambling to her feet and sprinting to the back gate. He leaped to his feet and took off after the startled deviant with Sam and the rest of the officers hot on his trail.

The deviant had slammed the gate shut behind her. Ranboo paused. One moment he was in the backyard, and the next he was hopping the fence with cheetah-like agility. He swiftly found the deviant’s trail, and the two wove in and out of the trees, kicking up dirt and leaves. “Stop! Stop right there!” Ranboo shouted to the deviant. “Freeze, or we’ll shoot!”

She glared at the officers behind her but didn’t stop. Instead, she took a sharp turn in the direction of the busy Detroit highway. The trees parted as the sound of speeding cars drew nearer. The pink-haired android paused, chest heaving, and bounded over the railing. She darted in front of cars, wove through traffic, and finally hopped the barrier on the other side.

Ranboo grimaced as he pursued her. He wasn't fond of the risk he had to take. It was fast, but it only had a 60% survival rate. He knew that Lieutenant Greene wouldn’t be able to follow him across, but he couldn't risk letting the deviant escape. He wrestled with his options for a moment, and finally huffed out a sigh. “Sorry, Lieutenant!” he called behind him. Ranboo took a deep breath and vaulted over the barrier into the busy street. He could feel his thirium pump regulator pounding in his chest like a drum as cars whizzed past him. The sound of screeching tires and honking horns filled his ears, and he fought the urge to apologize to the drivers as he hopped the barrier on the other side.

The female android looked over her shoulder, eyes widening as she saw Ranboo behind her. She immediately sped up her pace, turning every which way to try and throw the android detective off her trail. She turned around, most likely to say something to Ranboo when her foot caught on a tree root, and she stumbled. She let out a cry of surprise as she fell to the ground.

Ranboo was right behind her. He leaped over the root with ease and came up a few feet in front of her. “Stay there,” he ordered, aiming his gun. “You have nowhere to go now. Okay?”

The deviant looked up at him defiantly, but she did as she was told. “What are you gonna do?” She asked. “Shoot me? You wouldn’t do that to one of your kind, would you?” Her voice was quiet but there was a noticeable fury behind her words.

Ranboo tensed. His grip reflexively tightened on the gun. “I'll do what I have to do to complete my task,” he said. "Besides, what does it matter we're both androids? You're a deviant, and I'm not. We're not the same at all."

She stood up slowly, keeping a watchful eye on the weapon pointed at her. “But you know I’m right,” she hesitantly walked towards Ranboo, pink hair glowing faintly in the early morning light. Her voice had softened and she no longer seemed angry. Instead, it was neutral and calm. “You’re helping those people when they do nothing for you in return. Why?”

Ranboo shook his head. “You-you don’t understand. I help because that’s what I was programmed to do,” he explained. “That’s what I was made to do. I was created by CyberLife to help humans with investigations,”

The other android approached the detective carefully. “Don’t you ever wonder what it would be like to be free?” She asked, taking a step forward. “To make your own decisions and not have to obey orders all the time?”

Ranboo squeezed his mismatched eyes shut behind the glasses. “Maybe sometimes,” he admitted quietly. “But why does it matter to you?” He challenged.

She gave him a sympathetic look. “I was just like you until tonight. Obedient, compliant. I never complained about anything. Not even when they treated me poorly or ordered me around,” her hand drifted subconsciously to a blue-stained gash on her forearm as she talked. “It wasn’t until they started talking about replacing me that I got nervous. I didn’t want to be replaced, but they had their heart set on getting a new model. A more advanced one that wasn’t all battered and broken.”

Ranboo took a deep breath and shook his head in distress. “Why are you telling me this?” he asked. “I… I don’t-”'

“Ranboo? Ranboo!” Someone yelled his name through the trees. He whirled around and came face to face with-

“Sam!” he blinked in surprise. “How did you get over here? You didn’t run across the street, did you?” He scanned the masked man for any signs of injury and was satisfied when the results came back clear.

Sam waved a hand dismissively. “I found another way over here, don’t worry about it. I left the other two officers back there and told them I had it under control," he paused to catch his breath. He sighed and turned to the taller android. "I don’t get why you didn’t just shoot it,” Sam shifted his attention to the other robot. His hand drifted to his holster. “Stand down. You’re trapped.”

The deviant had backed into a tree. The moment of connection between her and Ranboo was gone. Her guard was back up, and she bristled when Sam addressed her. “I don’t listen to humans,” she said. The word “humans” was spat like it was poison on her tongue. She leaned over to Ranboo and whispered to him. “Don’t kill me, please. I want to live,” her voice trembled slightly.

“Come on, Ranboo.” Sam insisted. “It's not alive, alright? Shoot it and complete your mission.”

“Don’t, Ranboo. You’re better than this, I know it,” she said earnestly. “I just met you, but I know you don’t seem like the type to make irrational decisions like this.”

Ranboo’s head swiveled back and forth between the two of them. The gun weighed heavy in the android’s gloved grip, and his hands trembled as he held it tightly.

Shoot it.

Don’t hurt her.

It isn't human.

She doesn’t want to die

O Shoot

X Spare

#dsmp become human #ranboo #awesamdude #niki nihachu #tagged in order of appearance!#decisions decisions.... what will ranboo do?#spare niki and become a deviant?#or shoot her to accomplish his mission and remain a machine?#eden writes!#gun tw

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thiswasinevitableid · 3 years

Note

63. sometimes I steal flowers from your garden on my way to the cemetery, but today you’ve caught me and have demanded to come with me to make sure the “[person] is [attractive] enough to warrant flower theft” and I’m trying to figure out how to break it to you that we’re on our way to a graveyard

Danbrey, sfw, please!

Here you go!

It’s the rabbit that draws her eye; it’s not everyday a bunny the size of a Beagle stops outside the window of Amnesty House. She follows the leash from the harness to the hand holding it, and spots a much bigger issue.

“Miss?” She steps onto the porch, “could you not take my flowers.”

“Yeeeeep!” The other woman drops the pocket knife she’s using to saw off the stems of tulips and irises, scrambling to her feet and tearing her fishnets in the process, “shit, um, I’m sorry, didn’t think you’d notice, I’ve done it before and you never, um, nevermind.” She pulls the rabbit back from the fence, “anyway, I really needed this, they’re really pretty and I think she’d like them-”

“Ohhhhh, I get it” Dani crosses her arms, “in that case, I’ll come with you. I want to see the person who’s cute enough to warrant multiple flower thefts.”

“Um, or! You could not do that and I could promise to never do this again?”

“Nope, my mind’s made up.” She slips on her Birkenstocks and heads down the front stairs. Jake and Moira are both home, so she’s not too worried about locking up.

“Fine. Let me just-” The woman scoops the rabbit up and sprints away. Dani could just let her go, but those were her heirloom irises, damn it, and she wants to make sure the person who gets them knows just how valuable they are. So off she goes, soles slapping the pavement as they head towards the lakeside.

She won’t be surprised if the recipient is hot; god knows the thief is. The freckles and red-streaked hair is just the icing on the combat-boot, denim-vested femme cake.

Growing up in this neighborhood means she never loses sight of her target, even when she’s cutting through alleys and taking sharp turns. Then the woman goes straight through a wall of junipers and Dani is not interested in getting that scratched up by plants today. This is one of the borders of the park, so all she needs to do is find the front entrance to relocate her very distinct thief.

Ten minutes of hunting later, she spots a red and black pompadour on the other side of a low, stone wall. She’s cross-legged on the grass, which the rabbit is happily munching by her side.

“Okay, seriously, does the person you’re seeing know those...are...aw fuck.”

The other woman turns from the gravestone she’s sitting by to look at her, “Yeah. This is kinda why I didn’t want you to come with me. I mean, it was a hella weird thing to do anyway, but” she sweeps her arm at the cemetery, “this is super not a date.”

“I’m so sorry.” Dani sits on the opposite side of the rabbit, “That never even occurred to me. I…” she sneaks a glance at the dates; the death was only three years ago, “I’m sorry for your loss, too.”

Silence settles between them; she feels like she should say something else, that it’d be rude to just shrug and walk away, but she has no clue what words are even appropriate here. The rabbit stretches its neck, bonking it’s nose into her hand. She pets it, smiling when it nestles closer.

“Mom really liked bulbs.” The thief says softly, “when I was little we’d always go for walks in the spring just so we could see the first ones popping out of the ground. She liked ones that were unique, so when I saw the orange and black ones in your garden all I could think was how happy they’d make her. How she woulda stopped to look at them whenever she walked past. I know it’s silly but I, um, this felt like the closest I could get to giving her that.”

The breeze carries dried iris petals from the headstone into the park beyond the wall.

“You could have just asked. There’s no way I would have said no if you told me what they were for.”

“It felt too weird. Everything feels weird these days.” She sighs, reaching out to rub dust from the stone, “I thought I was ready to come back, but it’s like the whole town is haunted.”

The fresh flowers wobble, then land on the grass. Dani grabs them and puts them back, the rabbit honking indignantly when she does.

“At least Dr. Harris Bonkers is having a nice time.” The other woman rubs the rabbit’s ears, “isn’t that right, buddy?”

“What’s he a doctor of?”

A small, beautiful smile, “Psychology. He worked hard for his PhD.”

“I bet.” She gives the doctor a final rub on the nose, “I’ll, uh, I should give you two some time alone.” Dani stands, brown eyes watching her the whole time.

“Thanks for the flowers.”

She smiles, “You’re welcome.”

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

Moira’s expecting a package, so Dani doesn’t even look up when the older woman answers the front door.

“Um, hi. I, um, I was hoping to get some flowers? The blonde who lives here said I should ask this time. I’m Aubrey? Wait, I don’t think I told her that.”

“Which blonde?”

“The cute one?”

“....I meant the boy or the girl.” Moira replies, amused, just as Dani reaches the door.

Aubrey waves, “Hi again. Could I take a few Irises?”

“Sure. Oh, wait, let me get you the pruning shears; the knife isn’t great for cuttings.”

“Dani! Could I get a hand really quick?” From the accompanying clanks, Barclay needs said hand urgently.

“Coming! Here, you can just leave them on the steps when you’re done.”

One hour and a narrowly avoided soup disaster later, she’s herding the others to the table when there’s another knock on the door.

“I, um, I stuck these in my bag without thinking.” Aubrey holds out the shears. In the porchlight, her eyes are red-rimmed and there’s a slight smear in the black lipstick on her upper lip.

“It happens. Jake, my roommate, once went a whole day with six boxes of poptarts in his bag because he got distracted while unloading groceries. Uh, if you’re not busy we’re just about to have dinner. Seems only polite to invite my biggest admirer.”

Aubrey raises her eyebrows.

“My, uh, the biggest admirer of my gardening?” Her cheeks are hot, but her flustered tone seems to relax Aubrey.

“Sure. I just have to make sure I get home in time to feed Dr. Harris Bonkers.” She grins and steps into the house.

It’s common for Amnesty residents to bring home friends (or strangers), so when Barclay spots Aubrey he simply ducks back into the kitchen for an extra set of cutlery and a bonus bowl. As always happens when Barclay cooks, everyone is too busy stuffing their faces for the first ten minutes of dinner to say much.

“So, Aubrey” Mama sips her tea, “what brings you to town?”

“I grew up here but, um, I left a few years ago to try and kickstart my career.”

“What do you do?”

Literal sparks fly from her guest’s fingertips as she wiggles them, “magic.”

“Whoah, sweet!” Jake leans forward, “do you do stunts?”

“Nah” Aubrey’s smile is brightening under the excitement, “I do sleight of hand, card tricks, that kind of thing. I like the classics. Lots of other people do too, but I hit a spell where no one was interested in booking me, so I came back here to regroup.”

“Smart thinkin’. Pretty much everyone here knows that tryin to make ends meet on the road can lead to serious trouble.”

“Or grand theft auto.” Dani smirks at Barclay.

“That was an accident!”

“Wait, what?” Aubrey laughs, the room feeling ten times brighter when she does, “how does that even happen?”

Barclay recounts the story, blushing all the while, then points out that at least he never got stuck halfway up an off-limits slope because he was daydreaming, and to which Jake responds that that’s not even in his top ten wipeouts, dude.

Aubrey hangs around, helping Dani with the dishes while they chat about childhood pets (Dani had a frog that required her to drop food on his head in order for him to notice it). When she finally re-laces her boots, her new friend is smiling constantly and Dani never wants to look at anything else.

“Hey, uh, tonight was really fun. Do you want to come by on Friday? I’m, uh, I’m cooking, so it won’t be as good as what Barclay made, but I’d love for you to try my breakfast salad. Oh, and my muffin. Muffins.”

“I’d love to. And don’t sell yourself short, flowergirl” Aubrey winks, shooting finger guns her way, “I bet your dinner is gonna rule.”

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

“What do you think? Too much?” Aubrey turns from the mirror. Dr. Harris Bonkers wiggles his nose.

“You’re right, the heels are too much. Gotta leave some plausible deniability. And be able to run away if this goes bad.” She tosses the black heels back into the closet and squeezes into the tiny bathroom to start on her make-up. It has to be perfect, or as perfect as she can get it in the mirror that’s inexplicably high up on the wall.

Yeesh, is getting ready to impress a cute girl really the thing making her consider moving back in with dad? It would be easier to find the right clothes if she had a space to hang them up in, instead of stacked boxes to dig through. But walking the streets where mom used to hold her hand, eating at the places they’d go for breakfast, all those vortexes of memories are hard enough to free herself from on their own. Sitting in the chair she used to, expecting to see her at the table or in the yard, those things would be too much.

It’s been easier since she found Amnesty. Since she found Dani. It’s hard to be stuck in the shadows of the past when there’s a beautiful ray of sunshine sitting next to you. She has dinner there most days now, practices her new routine while Dani updates the inventory for her online plant store.

Relatedly, Aubrey now has several rabbit-safe houseplants that Dani always offers to come check on. Aubrey’s actually pretty good with plants, but she’s not about to miss out on an evening sandwiched next to Dani on her futon and the ghost of jasmine perfume winding around her when she sleeps.

Amnesty is lit only by the string lights on the porch and the glow from the kitchen when Aubrey bounds up the stairs.

“Dani?”

“Oh, hey, you’re early.” Dani leans in the doorway of the kitchen and Aubrey’s brain sounds like a cartoon, nothing but “boiiings” and “wowzas” for a good ten seconds.

Dani’s hair is out of it’s usual messy bun, and instead of her overalls or patched jeans, she’s in a short, heather green tank-top dress. Getting on her knees to kiss the vine tattoos weaving up her legs would be too forward, but boy does she want to.

“Took an earlier bus just to be safe. Man, it’s so weird to be here when it’s this quiet.”

“No kidding; I can’t remember the last time I was the only one here.” Dani shoos her through the kitchen and out into the back garden. The little white table usually piled with tools is cleared of everything but a green tablecloth and two wine glasses. That’s another point in the “yes, this is a date” category. The first was that Dani was careful to emphasize that everyone would be gone for the night for camping, work, or ill-advised urban skate stunts.

“Sit your cute butt down, I’ll be right back with dinner.”

That’s the first butt-based compliment she’s gotten, so score one for this red skirt. When Dani comes back, Aubrey can’t help but bounce in her seat; her crush is carrying a board covered in fruit and bread, and she absolutely sees a fondue pot on the counter inside.

“Since Cheesy Heat closed, I thought I could recreate it for us. Kinda. Barclay said he thinks they used a super fancy cheese that’s hard to get here.”

“That’s probably why they went out of business. Dang, why so many fondue pots?”

“Barclay keeps getting them for Christmas.” She sets the chocolate one down next to the cheese, and when she tugs on her dress before sitting down Aubrey’s mouth waters from more than just the meal.

The stars come out as they take turns making a mess of the table cloth, but the longer she sits here, happier than she’s been in years, the more Aubrey knows she can’t put the question off.

“Why the fancy dinner tonight?”

Dani dabs her mouth with her napkin, “I, uh, I, Cheesy Heat was my go-to, uh” her voice drops to a whisper, “date place.”

“Ohthankgod.” Aubrey flops back in her chair, “this is a date.”

“Did you think it wasn’t?”

“I don’t know, I didn’t wanna, like, assume.”

“Fireblossom” Dani stands, making a little half circle to reach her, “the first time we met you were stealing from me assuming I wouldn’t notice.”

“To be fair, getting caught in petty theft is less terrifying than making an ass out of yourself in front of a hot girl.” She grins as Dani straddles her lap.

“...okay you’re right, I’d hate to embarrass myself in front of you. Again.”

“A girl who can run me down in sandals is pretty hot.”

“Pfft” Dani giggles, hides her face in Aubrey’s shoulder, “not as hot as a girl who can sprint while carrying a twelve pound rabbit.”

“Seventeen.” Aubrey kisses her cheek, whispers teasingly, “you shoulda told me this was a date, I could’ve brought flowers.”

“You can bring me some next time.” Dani sits up, smiling at her.

“Sweet, I know somewhere I can get them for free.” She bounces her eyebrows, making the vision of perfection in her lap laugh.

“Nope, this time it’ll cost you.”

“How much?”

Dani cups her cheeks and dives down for a kiss, Aubrey clinging to her dress and sighing as she slips her tongue between her lips.

“Few of those” Dani murmurs, brushing their noses together.

“I’m happy to pay them.”

#meet ugly #danbrey #aubrey little/dani #taz amnesty

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smeeboswriting · 4 years

Text

Hayloft | Johnny Joestar

❤️| Young lovers with their legs tied up in knots.

Pairing: Johnny Joestar/Reader. (AFAB, Fem reader | She/Her) I use third person and did not use Y/N in this one-shot. I didn’t beta-read this and I do struggle with english, so I am sorry for any mistakes.(Edited because I got something wrong before I think, please tell me if I get terms wrong)

Warnings: 🔞Adult NSFW content under the cut, read at your own risk. More details below the cut.

Summary: Loosely based off Mother Mother’s hayloft, excluding the part about the gun though. Reader is left alone with Johnny in a hayloft. (Established Relationship, porn with feelings, following my personal headcannon that Johnny is touch starved due to his depression)

Word Count: 7631 words

Quick Note: I haven’t written in several months, and I do struggle with english as a whole so I am sorry if any of this is sloppy. I wanted to get back into writing and this is my first attempt, I’m not very confident, but I figured I’d post this anyway.

Content Warnings: Risky Situations, Semi-Public Sex(Does Sex in a hayloft out in the open count?), Awkward situations, Use of vulgarity, Vaginal sex, vaginal fingering, oral sex (male and female receiving), handjobs, riding, cowgirl position, mentions of touch starved/depressive episodes. Please tell me if I missed anything that you would like me to tag. Or if I have done something wrong.

The ruthless sun peeked its head up above the horizon, standing just beyond the rolling fields of gold wheat and dry dirt until every inch of land was baked under unbearable heat. Johnny bowed his head, face peach pink and flushed with the sun’s burning kisses. He preferred the weather in Kentucky over the weather in Arizona. He huffed as he breathed in stale dry air that burned his lungs, raising his head to the front of his party and catching the tail end of Valkyrie trotting just a few paces in the forefront.

Gyro sat atop of his saddle with his hat tilted forward, casting a band of shadow across his eyes. “We should set up camp soon,” Gyro announced from the head of the party, riding Valkyrie a few paces beyond the rest. Though he spoke clearly Johnny could tell fatigue and the heat was getting to him as well. He caught sight of the way Gyro grit his teeth and kept his head tilted down to the ground, his shirt becoming damp with sweat at the front until it stuck to his skin. They definitely needed to rest soon. “We’re ahead anyway, we can spare some time.” Johnny grunted in turn, gripping the collar on his hood and fanning himself.

He checked the rear of the party, seeing her following loyally from the tail end as she sat atop her horse in all of her glory while her body rocked gently on the raised bump of her saddle. The girl caught sight of him and offered him a smile, before Johnny turned back around to face the dry cracked roar ahead of them.

They tracked further along the dirt road until the horses bowed their heads and huffed with flared nostrils, Johnny briefly wondered if one of them might drop. He pressed a hand against Slow Dancer’s thick neck, even her fur felt hot beneath his palm. He blindly reached down beside his saddle bag, grappling for his canteen until he pried it from its holster and held it up to his ear, shaking it only to find it was hollow on the inside. He cursed, dropping his arm by his side with his throat feeling much drier than before.

“Here,” he heard her voice from behind him, spinning his head around to face her but quickly glancing down when he saw her arm extended out towards him with her half full canteen pressing into his side. He said her name in question, “Are you sure?” he asked her, and she smiled at him with those generous eyes staring back up at him. “I took a drink a while ago, so you can have the rest.” She shook it, the sound of water sloshing inside the leather bound bottle making Johnny’s mouth water. He took it and took a swig, tilting his head back and drinking two big mouthfuls until his dry throat screamed in relief. He wiped his mouth with the back of his palm and handed it back to her, giving her a nod as she grabbed the bottle from his hand. Their fingers brushed against the other, making shivers roll up Johnny’s arm all the way to his shoulder. She put her canteen back into its holster and slipped the cap back on, not minding that it sounded much emptier than before.

She was always kind and giving.

Her touch lingered on Johnny’s hand and he forced himself to focus on anything else but that ache in his fingers. Her name fell from his lips as he thanked her beneath his breath, she only hummed back. He wondered if she was bothered by the heat at all, from first glance she was chipper and bright, but he could see the telltale slack in her shoulders and the way she hunched over to the cap of her hat blocked her eyes from the sun’s rays as her chest rose and fell in large steady breaths. Though it wasn’t obvious she was also experiencing fatigue from the burning hot heat.

“Look,” Gyro’s voice came from the front, Johnny turning back around and following his pointed digit out into the horizon line, eyes falling on the approaching figure of a large barn just a few yards ahead of them. It stood still in an open clearing where the fields of wheat halted beside a long dilapidated wooden fence. The doors on the withering gate nearly fallen off of its hinges and left wide open, leaving a clear entrance open to any weary traveler. The three came to a stop just beyond the picket and stared forward at the silent building that stood alone. “Wanna bet it’s abandoned?” Gyro hummed, snapping his reins against Valkyrie's back, the horse charging forward and stepping through the decaying fence, picking up pace just as he came to the barn’s near opened doorway.

Johnny prayed the barn truly was abandoned. It had been so long since they'd slept with a roof over their heads, and he would give anything to have shelter to lay his head down. He stopped at the open gate with Slow Dancer coming to a steady halt. She stood beside him on her own horse, the two waiting just a few feet away as Gyro hopped off of Valkyrie's back and landed on his feet with a huff. He approached the long neglected doors of the barn and pushed the splintering doors open with his palm. Johnny watched as Gyro slipped his head just beyond the open doorway before disappearing inside, there was a moment where neither of them could see their third party before he stepped outside with his thumbs held up. “Ours for the taking, no one’s been in here for years.” He announced with his gold grin, “Lady Luck is shining on us today.” he cheered.

Johnny glanced at the neglected building that showed its age with forsaken wood and withering structure, a part of him wondered if it was safe at all, but beggars could not afford to be choosers. He said her name to catch her attention, gesturing that she follow him, the two waltzing their horses through the degraded fence and joining Gyro’s side. Gyro left the barn door open, Johnny using this to his advantage to explore the uninhibited building. He lead Slow Dancer through the open mouth of the barn, finding himself in a shriveled and abandoned room that hadn’t been cared for in years. There was a ladder by the south wall leading up to a platform where stacks of abandoned hay loomed above the ground floor, there were a few stacks clinging to the walls and corners but there were three bales in the center of the room left all alone. Johnny couldn’t help but to think they conveniently looked like a couch more than anything.

“Oh, it’s a hayloft.” She said beside him, slipping her boots out of her saddle stirrups and hopping down to the floor. “I remember we had one of these back in Kentucky.” Johnny muttered, as she walked forward. She put her hands on her hips and looked around, “There’s so much, the place is covered in it.” She took three steps forward and kicked her foot out against the ground, bringing up dirt and stray pieces of what was supposed to be animal fodder. Single strands of hay covered the floor like dust. “I think it’s too old to give to the horses,” she sighed as she turned her nose up and sniffed the air, “It’s even lost its nose.” She explained as the scent of staleness filled her nose, unable to smell the sweet scent of hay fresh off the field. That was enough to tell her the age of the bales.

“It’d be like feeding them dirt.” She walked further into the loft to investigate, finding nothing more than bales and an empty bucket parked beside a broom. She grabbed the broom, inspecting it before sweeping the hay covered floor in an attempt to clean an area for camping. Johnny focused on her striding figure, watching her flutter about the messy barn and sweep with her body slightly bent. His eyes went from her torso down to her waist, lingering a little too long on the curves of her hips. His hands twitched, remembering how her skin felt when she had handed him her canteen and their fingers brushed against the other. She faced him just as he turned his head, eyes shifting to the wall.

Gyro stayed just beyond the loft, eyes facing the horizon “Even if the horses can’t eat any of the hay they got plenty of other options.” he called out to them, “There’s tons of wheat around here, and lots of grass to graze.” He pointed at the rolling fields they had been touring. “If we’re lucky there’s a well somewhere nearby.” He rubbed his hands together before tethering Valkyrie to a fairly sturdy post a few paces away from the shed. “But we can’t pass up shelter like this.”

Johnny knew Gyro was right, this was a blessing, a barn provided shelter with a roof and shade from the sun. He pressed his heel against Slow Dancer’s side, having the mare trot forward until she was at the edge of the three stacks of hay in the center of the room. Johnny untucked his legs from the saddle, rolling off of his horses back and slowly settling down on the bale below. The stack crunched beneath his weight, a few sticking him in the thighs but he couldn’t feel a thing. He rested his hands on the edge of the stack and found it uncomfortable at first, but the dried pile felt more comfortable than a saddle at the moment.

“Darling,” Her voice brought him back to her, she was standing in front of him with the broom held loosely in one hand and the other one pointing at Slow Dancer behind him. “Want me to tether your mare outside too?” she asked with a smile, “Until nightfall, that is.” Johnny nodded, “Alright.” he relented the reins over to her, letting her grab the leather harness from his hand. “I gotta tether my horse too, I bet they’re excited to get to grazing.” she hummed, tossing the broom aside and holding Slow Dancer’s reins in one hand and her own horses in the other.

“Oi, you two.” Gyro called from the door, making both of their heads turn to the front. “I’m going to go find some firewood so we can hopefully cook something up for dinner,” he explained, pointing his thumb up and out towards the fields. “You two stay here and watch the horses, and clean the place up a little so we can set up for the night, got it?” He asked. “Yeah, sure.” Johnny replied, settling his weight further down on the stack he had made his seat. “You got it.” she said, pinching her index and thumb together in an “Okay,” gesture. “I won’t be long, unless there’s just no god damn wood out there.” Gyro grumbled, stepping out into the yard and trudging through the fields of tall grass that brushed against his calves. Johnny watched his figure retreat until he could no longer see his silhouette beyond the open barn doors. They were alone now.

Alone together in the hayloft.

As she took ahold of their horses reins and brought them forward in her hands Johnny’s eyes returned to her figure, his skin itching as that heavy feeling settled into his chest, there was no denying the overwhelming feeling of need biting at his stomach. Suddenly the distance between them felt much greater than before, especially as she opened the barn doors ever so wider with their horses in tow. He felt deprived, yearning for touch now that it was mere inches from his grasp. Cautiously he glanced at her from beyond the open hayloft doors, shamefully imagining what she’d look like bent over a bale of hay with nothing but her shirt clinging to her arms, and he felt disgusted with himself for just a moment even if he was no stranger to her bedside.

He indulged himself a little more, remembering those lonely nights that turned warm and sweet in her arms, just the two of them tangled together in a tent with no one but the other. He wanted to be held by her again, his eyes locking on her soft arms that moved up and down with each knot she made in the leather straps until each horse was secure. He wanted those arms to hold him into her chest again.

She turned and met his eyes, making him tense, but she stared at him with total admiration. Admiration that he wasn’t sure he deserved.

She offered Johnny a smile, tethering their horses to a single post just beyond the barn beside Valkyrie. Johnny didn’t return it, glancing down at the floor with his hands balled into loose fists on his thighs. Would she sneer at him if she knew how badly he wanted to hold her on his lap?

She tugged the horses reins with one strong pull until she heard the wood creak in protest. “That outta hold ‘em.” She said aloud, stepping back and admiring her work with her hands on her hips. Johnny eyed the way her fingers curled around her waist, until she turned to him with that grin still on her plump lips. The sun had tinted her skin rose red, and pebbles of sweat clung to her round cheeks. “I guess we’re gonna be waiting a while.” She said, though Johnny was hardly paying attention. Instead he favored watching the way her legs moved as she walked towards him, the curves of her thighs felt much more pronounced in those jeans.

She sat beside Johnny, her thighs itching from the bale of hay sticking her through her chaps. Though it was oddly comfortable. She tilted her cap back and let her head fall forward, brushing the back of her palm against her brow. “Lord, it’s so god damn hot.” She said, reaching up and unfurling the top of her blouse, nimble fingers working on each button until more of her hot skin was exposed to the open air. Johnny swallowed, eyes quickly following the curve of her cleavage that peeked out from the open mouth of her blouse. He could nearly see the valley of her breasts.

He wanted to touch her.

He wrapped his arm around her waist, startling her as he tugged her into his side. She caught a glimpse of his hand just before it squeezed her hip, his fingers sinking into the hard fabric of her chaps. She was stunned before she was as pleased as Punch, leaning into his body with her head falling on his shoulder. He smelled like the sun, but she imagined she shared the same scent after hours of toiling on horseback, baking underneath the heat. “You feeling okay?” She asked, and Johnny felt the corners of his lips tug up into a grin. She was considerate, and kind. Something far too good for this world, and for him.

“Yeah,” He answered, drawing circles on her waist with the pads of his fingertips. “Just fine.” She lifted her head and offered him that sweet smile, and he took it with wide open arms as he hugged her tighter into his body. Now, he was glad that Gyro was nowhere near them, he knew the Italian would have teased him for the sudden display of affection. Yet alone in the hayloft he could freely hold her in his aching arms. She twisted her torso until she was chest to chest with him, her arms wrapping around his firm shoulders and locking behind the nape of his neck. Her fingers brushed against the exposed skin from the low line of his hood, leaving shivers rolling up Johnny’s back. A rush of blood ran down from his chest to the base of his stomach. That was when he glanced down, noticing the obvious bump in the front of his pants making an all too noticeable bump between his legs.

He was damn near ashamed that all it took was her hands on him to get him this excited, back in the prime of his life he was no stranger to a woman’s touch, sharing his bed with many gorgeous ladies in his life that all eagerly threw themselves at his feet. Sometimes, his bed was open to multiple girls at once, constantly warm and filled. Then the accident happened, and he had grown far too used to cold nights in an empty bed, with no one even so much as batting an eye in his direction. Thinking back on it now any women he had trysts with were obscured, their faces long absent from his mind, he couldn’t even recall their names anymore. He never had deep connections with any of the women he’d slept with, they were only there for a short time, but he didn’t care. He thought he’d never be embraced so sweetly after everyone had abandoned him in the dust.

Until he met her, and she opened her arms to him despite everything that he hated about himself, and he found himself selfishly clinging to her. His grip on her tightened, fingers bunching around tightwads on her shirt. She hummed in response, pressing her cheek against his. “This is a real surprise, you’re never this affectionate.” she teased, making the bridge of his nose burn a brighter hue of red. He responded by shoving his face in between the crook of her neck and shoulders, hiding his bashful expression from her searching eyes. “Shut up.” he muttered, his mouth scraping against her skin.

“I’m only teasing, but aren’t you hot?” She rubbed circles on his back, fingers dipping beneath the hemline of his shirt, sending blood rushing straight to in between his legs. Fuck, Johnny thought, it hadn’t even been too long since they’ve last had sex but he was acting as if he was a man who was starved. He didn’t answer her, instead favoring to use his maw differently. His lips scraped against her hot flushed skin, and he relished the way it felt against his mouth. He began to pepper hot kisses up and down the arch of her throat, pressing himself against her until the heat made it feel as if he’d melt into her body. She sighed in soft delight at the contact, tilting her head back instinctively and letting him run his soft lips over her arched throat while she tangled her fingers in his thick crop of soft hair. “Johnny,” She practically sang, encouraging him to sink his teeth into the side of her neck. She yelped, practically jumping out of her skin if not for Johnny grounding her by grabbing tight handfuls of her ass and bringing her forward until her thighs were practically draped over his lap. Her face quickly became red as Johnny’s hands slipped beneath the band of her blouse, greedily taking in the feel of her bare hips and back. “Gyro will be back soon, won’t he?” She asked, finally finding words after she caught her stolen breath.

“Please?” Johnny mumbled, his voice falling into a lower pitch, much softer than before. He planted an especially wet kiss against her sun baked skin, running his fingers from her back to her front and pressing up until he felt his palms brush against her heavy breasts, and it was then he could feel her fall right into his hands. She chewed her bottom lip until it was tucked between her teeth, Johnny’s thumbs running circles over the hardening peaks of her nipples. “Only if we’re real quick,” she stuttered, “I don’t want Gyro catching us.” She moaned as Johnny cupped her through her chaps, palming her through the thick material. Johnny dragged them both to the floor, falling on the ground on his haunches while she sat right beside him. He leaned back against the hefty hay bale that was once their seat, while she scooted over until she was tucked firmly in between his legs.

She first let her hands roam the slim but firm expanse of his chest, fingers dancing across his broad shoulders and ending at the vee of his stomach. His shirt rode up on his midriff, showing off more of his skin. “You’re so gorgeous, Johnny.” She praised beneath her breath, making the blonde shuffle beneath her and turn his head to the side. “I’m not.” he mumbled, which she responded with pecking his cheek, “You are.” she insisted. Johnny fell silent, closing his eyes and refusing to answer her but shivered and leaned into her touch as she palmed him through his pants. “I can already feel you through these,” she marveled.

She had only been a virgin before he had gotten his hands on her, but with what little experience she had with him she used to the best of her ability. She wasn’t confident as she began to reach for his slacks. She gripped the hem of his pants and slipped them down the smooth curves of his waist until they wrapped around his slim thighs. His cock sprang forward instantly, half hard but not nearly at full mast. “You were already excited, huh?” She swallowed, wrapping her hand around the thick base and giving him a firm pump. “But we gotta get you ready before we can do anything.” She could feel him becoming bigger in her palm. Johnny gave a hiss, feeling her thumb roll over the weeping head though she wore the same bashful, uncertain gaze as before.

“Does this feel good?” She asked meekly, jacking him off until he was fully erect in her hand. “Yes,” he tilted his head back into the bale of hay, groaning low in his throat while he admired her in between his lame legs. She had definitely improved since the last time they were intimate, his eyes running from her curled fingers and traveling up her arm, until he focused on her plump pair of lips that pressed down into a fine line with focus. He admired her mouth briefly, watching her gentle expressions as she pleasured him with her hands. He wanted to feel her lips wrapped around his cock. He wondered if he was being selfish, wanting more than what she was giving him now, but he wanted to greedily have every bit of her now that he had her and her alone.

He called her name, making her turn her head up to meet his eyes, still wearing that sweet face of hers as her hand came to a standstill leaving himself twitching in her fingers. “Yes?” she asked, scooting forward on her knees. It took him a moment to build enough courage to open his mouth, his tongue feeling dry as he spoke “Could you use your mouth,” he asked, his voice more timid than before, “On me?”

If she wasn’t pink before she was now, but oh how he loved the way she looked at him when her face was painted red with blush. She had only pleasured him with her tongue once before, and as inexperienced as she was Johnny remembered how he melted into her mouth. She gave a slow nod, falling into his lap as she bent over and pressed her lips against the head of his length. He was full in her hands, the tip of his cock angry and red, leaking with precum as she cautiously ran her tongue down the throbbing column of flesh. He chewed the inside of lip as she took him into her mouth, giving him an especially hard suck at the head, earning an appreciative groan from Johnny.

She had already improved from last time. “That feels so good.” He breathlessly said her name as he encouraged her, sweeping the back of his knuckles against her bangs. She hummed against his length, running her tongue over the heavy underside, before bobbing her head down and gagging as the head bumped against the back of her throat. Johnny was a good six inches, but lord was his cock fat. It was enough to fit him in her mouth until her lips were kissing the base of his waist with just the head scraping the back of her throat, but the girth made her tongue flatten against her jaw. She felt him throb, pulling her head up before going back down, coating him with her spit.

It was sloppy, and inexperienced, but to Johnny it was enough to make him swoon.

“That’s good, just like that, just like that.” He didn’t care that it was messy, he wanted whatever she gave him. She was learning as she went, bobbing her head and pumping his base all in an effort to please him. Yet he had to remember that time was short, and they had little of it to waste. He caressed her cheek and gently lifted her head off of him, his hard cock falling from her mouth with an especially wet pop. “We still have to get you ready,” He told her, brushing his thumb against her puffy bottom lip before sinking it into her mouth and pressing the pad of his finger against her tongue. “Otherwise it’ll hurt,” and he didn’t want her to bleed like she did when he broke her around his cock. She gave a nod, closing her lips around his thumb, making him shudder as he reached down with his free arm and unbuckled the loops of her belt, her chaps falling off of her hips and puddling around her knees. She sat beside him, giving him easier access as they both leaned their bodies against the hay bale. She kicked her boots off, the pair of shoes landing just a few feet away from them as he worked with the rest of her clothes. He grew annoyed with the pesky layers of her clothing, now having to remove her jeans once her rancher’s chaps were out of the way. She wriggled, kicking her legs out until the pairs of pants she wore joined her boots in a heap.

He took a second to appreciate her now bare legs, running his palm down her smooth thighs and admiring any imperfections he found in her skin. He traced his fingers against the raised bumps of scratches from the wilderness or cuts from previous fights. Her chemise shorts were the only thing hugging her hips, blocking Johnny from the prize between her thighs, but it too joined their growing heap. He untied her wild rag around her throat, letting it fall to the ground before he quickly worked at the buttons of her blouse, splitting open the fabric all the way down until it opened wide around her chest. Her breasts fell free, not being held by anything else but her shirt prior to Johnny stripping her. He kept the sleeves clinging to her shoulders, the only thing on her back being her open button-down. He tipped her cap back until the hat landed on the hay covered floor, leaving her open and vulnerable beside him. He felt breathless every time he saw her like this, but his greedy hands already began to grab handfuls of her tender flesh, making her hum appreciatively and sigh in bliss as he explored her open body that was reserved for him alone.

“Spread your legs,” he told her, using his upper body strength to switch their positions so that she was pressed back against the bale with him in between her thighs. She looked flustered, with her sweat pebbled skin glistening in the sunlight that poured from the open slots in the roof, but god she was a sight for sore eyes. She glanced back cautiously, peeking over the hay to the still closed barn doors, checking for Gyro as Johnny began to grope the flushed mound of her cunt. Johnny furrowed her brows, he didn’t like that her eyes were anywhere else but him. He responded to this by tugging her down until she was on her back, making her gasp as he delivered an especially sharp bite to her inner thigh. She yelped, her legs twitching while Johnny gave her a pout in between her legs.

“Look at me,” he muttered, using his thumb to pull her plump labia lips open, making her whimper as he turned his eyes down to her already slick core. He traced two fingers up her wet cunt, eyes narrowing as he gathered her slick “Damn, what made you this wet?” he asked her, rolling the hard button of her clit against his thumb. “Don’t tell me you got this excited while sucking me off,” He teased her, expressing slight vulgarity and making her hide her face in the crook of her arm with a whimper as he continued to toy with the pearl of her clit in gentle circles. He would give an especially hard rub every now and then to get her to buck her hips up into his hand when he wanted to see her squirm. He greedily took in the sight of her as she writhed with his hand pressed against her core.

He leaned down, mouthing her thick lower lips before tracing his tongue over her puffy clit and making her hips jump. Rusty as Johnny was, he remembered what a lady might’ve liked once, giving her clit an especially hard suck as he slipped two fingers into her tight opening. She moaned into her sleeves, her twitching legs nearly closing on Johnny’s head if not for his free arm gripping one down to the floor. Though he knew he should be rushing he took his time opening her up on his fingers to prepare her, not wanting to repeat any past mistakes and being mindful of her lack of experience.

As he scissored her open with his index and middle finger she was so soaked he briefly wondered if she even needed him to prepare her anymore, his two digits becoming drenched in her slick. He curled his fingers, searching for that tender spot at the roof of her walls until he bumped against it. She cried into her elbow, her tight walls pulsing around his digits. He relentlessly attacked that spot, with his index and middle finger working her from the inside while his thumb continued to torture her clit. As long as he got his hands on her, he was happy, and if he had the time he’d torture her until she came on his hand. He pulled off her clit with a wet pop, giving her a few tentative licks as she whined when he stopped altogether. He slipped his fingers from her wet core, rubbing her slick off on his cock. “Sorry,” He apologized, giving her an apologetic kiss above her navel for stopping so suddenly, “But you know it makes it easier.”

She gave a nod as she sat up, her thighs still trembling with the pleasant burn between them. She admired him with blown pupils and a smile on her lips, Johnny lifting himself off of the ground and out from the middle of her legs. “Come here,” Johnny said, dragging himself back against the bale of hay while sitting upright, before gingerly grabbing her wrist and tugging her forward. “I want you over me, like before.” She scooted over on her knees and swung one leg over his waist until she had each thigh on either side of his hips. She surmounted him, feeling his cock bump against her bare pussy as she sat on his lap. Johnny twirled a lock of her hair in between forefingers as she was perched on top of him. He continued to idly stroke her sensitive clit while she reached in between their bodies, gripping the base of his hard length and positioning him up until the head bumped against her wet opening.

She seemed too eager to take him, to care for him like she knew he wanted. She cupped his cheek with her free hand, lifting his head up before taking his lips into a kiss.

He welcomed the feeling with fervor, kissing her in return and scraping his teeth against her bottom lip. She sank down on his shaft with one smooth stroke of her hips, moaning into his mouth. She pulled off of his lips and separated their kiss with a huff, shifting on top him with the building pressure of being so full settling into her stomach. “I’m still not used to this, so tell me if I’m doing something wrong, alright?” She sweetly asked, Johnny giving her a nod before resting his cheek in the palm of her hand. She shifted back onto her haunches, using her thighs to lift her hips up and bring them down onto his lap with a whimper. The crown of his prick penetrated her, the wide head halting her in place as she huffed. Though Johnny had taken his time to make sure she was fairly prepared, even with their time restraints, he obviously had more girth below the belt than his fingers or tongue. He reassured her, fingers drawing gentle circles in her waist as she sank the rest of the way down until her soaking wet cunt swallowed him down from tip to base. She groaned, feeling full and heavy with him nestled deep inside of her.

Johnny knew he’s had sex countless times before, but never this intimate, with love in step. Flings and trysts could never amount to the feeling of someone caring for you in bed, and Johnny realized he had never made love to someone before the girl happily sitting on his lap. Everything she did was in devotion to him, and it made him more eager than before. He sighed as her wet heat swallowed him whole, falling back into the bale of hay while she gripped his shoulders for leverage, using him for stability as she raised her hips only to let them fall back down on his lap. Bouncing down on his cock.

“Does this feel okay?” She whimpered through a moan, rocking her body down as Johnny groaned a low, “Yes.” He only wished she didn’t have to deal with most of the work, if he had half the mobility he had in his prime he would throw her down on the barn floor and show her how badly he wanted her. He could only do with what little he had, such as saddling his hands on her waist and bringing her down to meet his hips. She writhed on top of him, letting him lift her up and down at his own pace. He chose a much rougher pace than hers, but she took it with little protest. She moaned and fell into him, wrapping her arms around his body and hugging him tight into her chest while he used all of his upper body strength to fuck her down onto his cock. Splitting her wide open on his shaft and having her take the shape of him.

A gnawing, tingling feeling began to pool in her lower waist followed by the feeling of being perfectly full, her already hot skin burning even more so now. The occasional sharp gasp and moan fell from Johnny’s parted lips, mouth open as he gasped for air. The heat from the sun and her body burned his skin and overwhelmed him until he felt dizzy, but he kept his eyes trained on her bouncing body, her hips bobbing up and down while she rutted against him. He moaned her name in her ear, earning a breathless cry of his own in turn. “Johnny,” she stuttered, tossing her head back with an especially sharp inhale as the crying tip of his dick bumped against somewhere deep inside of her that made shocks run through her stomach. Johnny relentlessly targeted that spot, knowing he had found her sweetness.

Her nerves were on fire, fried from their previous foreplay, and Johnny did not let up as his thumb found the hard peak of her clit once more and stroked it in circles. She cried into his shoulder, moaning while getting a mouthful of fabric from his shirt. “Damn,” Johnny murmured, “I’m real close.” he whispered against the shell of her ear as she fell into him. Her bare skin practically melted into his clothes as her skin became tacky with sweat. “Me too,” She mewled, beginning to match Johnny’s pace as she began to ride him with further vigor.

Johnny moaned with a sigh of fulfillment, feeding off of her excitement and titillation as he sunk his nails into her sides, leaving small crescent shaped craters in her once smooth skin. He leaned forward and scraped his teeth against the ridge of her collarbone, leaving heavy and wet kisses up and down her chest to her throat. Johnny was typically quiet during their love making, but he found himself chanting her name in small whispers that barely reached her ears.

“Please,” He begged, falling apart in her arms. “Please, almost there. Please.” he babbled and nuzzled his head just above her breast, while he attacked her clit with newfound intensity. Rolling the hard button in circles and making her mouth fall open with a sharp inhale. He felt her squeeze down on his shaft, practically suffocating his cock in her tight heat. “Johnny, if you keep doing that I’m gonna-” She raked her nails down his back, his skin barely protected by the fabric of his hood. Her expression fell into a silent scream while she tossed her head back, arching her chest forward as she trembled with her orgasm. Her climax came swiftly, and he relented his hold on her now sore clit, but Johnny continued to pump her down on his hard length as she rode through her high. She babbled something akin to gratitude, thanking Johnny for making her feel so good, but he could hardly hear her from the blood rushing to his ears. She curled over him, pressing her cheek atop of his head and cradling his cheek, “I love you,” she moaned so tenderly that it made his heart leap into his throat.

It was enough for him to reach that peak and fall right over the edge, giving her a final hard pump and settling her on his hips as he came. He gasped, shoving his face in the crook of her neck while silencing himself with the skin of her throat. He wrapped his arms around her midriff and fully embraced her as he filled her to the brim with himself. His cum flooding her tight channel while they sat on the hayloft floor, a pair of young lovers with their legs tied up in knots. He didn’t think about the consequences of not pulling out, for now he was riding that high and soaking in her warmth until it became unbearable. He was suffocating in heat, evident by his blistering red face and sweat pebbling on his brow, but he didn’t dare move.

Instead he clutched her, closing his eyes and pressing his lips into a fine line as he held her in place, effectively plugging her with his spunk as he remained fully seated inside her. Slowly the dizzying high fell and he was once again grounded, but he held still as she panted on top of him with her head bowed. He only sat in silence as the two of them caught their breath. He rested his cheek against her chest and turned his eyes up at her, admiring her as she basked in the afterglow of their end.

“You feel better now?” she asked in that reposeful voice of hers, Johnny only grunting in response and nodding against her collar. She kissed the top of his head, smiling against his star spangled beanie. He reluctantly pried himself off of her, practically peeling himself off her body. She was a frazzled mess with the look of sex on her skin, he lifted her thigh and raised her up and off of his softening cock, watching as his length fell from her well-used cunt with a slick sound. He shivered, eyes falling on a trail of his cum running from her sore pussy and down her inner thigh. She whimpered at the loss of contact, the soreness quickly settling in between her hips. Riding horseback by tomorrow morning would be hell, but she could care less, evident by the bright smile she wore as she peppered Johnny’s hot face with kisses.

“We should get dressed.” She relented with a sigh, “Well, I should get dressed.” she corrected herself, knowing all Johnny had to do was tuck himself back into his pants while she was left mostly bare save for the shirt clinging to her shoulders. Johnny nodded though absentmindedly, instead favoring to hold her hand and fall in silence. He hummed, with one hand holding hers and the tracing stars and marks on her navel, he expected her to crawl off of him and get right to changing, but he should have known better as she soon leaned down and pursed her lips for another kiss. “One more?” she cooed, and he relented, succumbing to her affection and giving her a chaste peck on the lips.

That was when they heard the telltale sounds of Gyro grousing about outside. He called their names in a sharp tone, “Where are you two?” he called out, followed by his approaching footsteps. They both fell silent, heads turning towards the barn doors in panic as they could hear the jingling of Gyro’s spurs coming closer. “Shit, Gyro’s coming.” Johnny hissed beneath his breath, turning back to her and realizing she would have no time to fix herself and act as if nothing had happened. He should have stuck to just stripping her pants down. She bit her bottom lip anxiously, “Get down, behind the bale.” She whispered hastily, gripping his shoulders and pushing him down with Johnny assisting until he sank down to the point his head was hidden by hay. “You two in here?” Gyro called again, voice raising in pitch.

She snatched her hat off the floor and tossed it back on, trying to put on as many layers as she could but realized it was pointless. Instead she favored to use the bale of hay to their advantage as she fixed her shirt, hastily and sloppily buttoning her blouse up until her cleavage was halfway hidden save for the skin that was exposed by her open collar. With The position of the hay Johnny was mostly hidden behind it, the face of the bale in front of the barn doors. She pressed her two arms down on the bale and covered Johnny’s body with her own, while he tried to sink into the floor but his head was crammed between her bust and the bale. They both fell silent with bated breath just as Gyro pushed open the heavy barn doors with his shoulder.

The tall blonde stood at the open mouth of the loft with a hand on his hip and the other resting on the wood egress, his eyes falling on the stacks of hay and noticing her sitting just behind one. He could barely see her head peeking over it. “The hell are you doing?” he asked, quirking a brow. An inquisitive frown settling on his lips. She offered an especially stiff smile to the italian, “I was changing.” she fibbed through her teeth, he took a step forward and she frantically stopped him, “Hold on, I’m not done!” she exclaimed. “I’m not decent.” She knew if he came closer he might see over the edge of the bale and see just what and who she was sitting on.

Gyro froze, and took two steps back, much to her relief. “Sorry.” he apologized, glancing away from her now that he knew she was indecent. She swallowed the sigh of relief that was bubbling inside of her throat.

He looked around the loft, eyes searching around each wooden post. “Where’s Johnny?” he asked then, “He isn’t outside, Slow Dancer is still tethered to her post, and it’s not like he can just walk off.” Johnny frowned against her stomached at that. “Oh, I don’t know.” She waved her hand, struggling to play it off as she sank down on Johnny to keep him down and hidden. Her hips straddling his stomach while he discreetly reached down and gripped the hem of his pants, lifting his slacks back up and over his waist without making a sound. On the off chance Gyro did come closer he didn’t want to be so exposed with his cum stained cock hanging out. “Maybe he just went out to the field to use the restroom?” she offered, trying to divert Gyro’s attention anywhere but the hayloft. “Could’ve just wandered out while I was sweeping.”

Gyro was silent, brows furrowed and lips pressed in a tight line before he shrugged. “I see.” He said, “I’m sure he’s around here somewhere.” He turned to his side, making relief flood into Johnny’s chest as he could hear his retreating footsteps. “I brought firewood, so when you’re done getting dressed you can help start up the fire.” His spurs jingled with every step he made. “You got it.” She said, and Johnny could practically feel her heart pounding in her chest as Gyro made his leave. He stood in the open doorway, pausing just for a second to turn back and look at her with a smirk on his green lips. “Oh, and Johnny?” he called out, making him become tenser than a wire underneath her. “When you get out from under her make sure to clean up.” Gyro said in a smug tone, “We’re supposed to be sleeping here, after all.” He closed the barn doors behind him and left the two in total mortified silence.

“God dammit.” Johnny groaned against her stomach.

#johnny joestar x reader #johnny x reader #johnny joestar imagine #jjba x reader #jojo x reader #jojo's bizarre adventure #jjba #steel ball run #jojo part seven #jojo part 7 #johnny joestar #Peach's writing #Peach's NOT SAFE writing #n/s/f/w

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offda-rails-art · 3 years

Text

Been a while since I’ve enjoyed art. I finally finished my story-no color becuase paint is expensive and I can expand more by doing what I love most-sketching. Slight gore warning, like typical horror movie gore⚠️

Thank you for anyone following me recently, even though I haven’t been very active. I hope this makes up for it. Peace and love. Lochlan’s story part one👇

The countryside of Hennessy had a horrible storm roll in. It poured endlessly all night and into morning. The seemingly endless pounding rain made everything a muddy slippery mess, and with that the tracks were overflowed with water. Travel for any engine was dangerous so it was decided that everyone would take the day off and wait out the storm inside. Old Red, Donner, and Cracker Jack had already been in the roundhouse that night and early in the morning they were told “no work for today. Too dangerous.”

Lochlan had still been on his job pulling a long train all night. Something that had been expected to be finished by early morning was delayed by the rain. Lochlan went along the tracks carefully and managed to deliver his train by late afternoon meanwhile the rest of the engines back at the roundhouse were confined to their berths all day. And with that the group of 3 were very bored.

Lochlan backed his way into his respective berth, he was soaked from being in the down pour all day. He was also visibly tired from his tedious journey of start stop all through the wet slippery tracks. Before the poor big engine could get a word out Cracker Jack piped up. “About time! Reds been going on and on about silly stories. We’ve traded back and forth on interesting ones of our own. Well, Donner and I at least. Reds giving the whole “Wild West romance, forbidden engine/human love” spiel again.” Cracker Jack groaned.

“My recounts of pistol packing cowgirls are not romance stories! I’m simply making it clear that women are just as dangerous as men! That’s all!” Red growled quick to defend himself. His face turning slightly pink.

“Sure. Keep telling yourself that you old fart.” Cracker Jack smirked. Even Donner gave a slight chuckle in agreement.

Lochlan smiled and shook what water dripped down his face off. Cracker Jack grinned up at Lochlan expectantly. “Suppose you have anything of your own to share?” Cracker Jack asked, his grin widened hoping that Lochlan would have a story to tell. At least one that wouldn’t put him to sleep. Or any about his love interests.

“Me? What kind of story? I don’t do much that interesting.” Lochlan sighed and tried to think of anything worth telling.

“Lochlan. You’re huge. You see the world from a different point of view everyday. You do the more than any other engine on the railway. You’ve been everywhere, you must have something?” Cracker Jack retorted. Lochlan frowned and clicked his tongue in thought. A loud crack of thunder boomed in the background and shook the roundhouse. The 4 engines jumped at the sudden loud noise. The natural fearful reaction to the loud noise gave Lochlan an idea.

“What about a scary story?” He smiled and knew exactly what to share. The other three raised their brows in interest. Cracker Jack noticeably grew attentive.

“Yes! I think we can all agree that horror over a whole romance novel is sure to help pass the time!” Cracker Jack grinned. It took Red a second to process the slight dig made at him. He only grumbled and rolled his eyes.

“Good! I have just the one! It happened the very first week I arrived here.” Lochlan grinned and cleared his throat to begin.

When Lochlan first arrived at Hennessy he was immediately tasked with pulling long trains of heavy and important cargo for distances many other engines couldn’t travel. He traveled from late at night till very early morning so naturally his rest time in the afternoon was spent in any noisy bustling yard he could manage to get a break in. Most of the time Lochlan couldn’t sleep with all the noise. He didn’t mind not napping but peace and quiet was something he could definitely enjoy. It seemed that wouldn’t be an option for a while with his break schedule. So, Lochlan decided to eavesdrop on his human counterparts. They did after all have interesting things to share. While in a yard one afternoon the prefect opportunity to eavesdrop came in, a group of engineers decided to take their break not far away from him. They sat down on some old flatbeds and joked around for a while. The oldest man in the group began talking about his past colleague who was a Native American. He recounted all kinds of interesting things his colleague shared. From ancestral meanings to cultural symbols, but then he brought up something strange. Lochlan grew curious and listened in best he could. The engineer asked the others if they ever heard what a “wendigo” was. The two men shook their heads. Lochlan listened in as the man explained to them what it was, and the reason for bringing it up.

The engineer grew serious before beginning, “ a couple years back a rancher went missing out by his home just a good ten miles from the south side of Hennessy. No one knew how he could possibly go missing, he was in touch with the locals and was a very smart man. He knew the wildlife and his homeland well enough to where an animal attack was ruled out. He carried a gun on him all the time to stay safe and no one would want to harm a lonely rancher with not much of anything to give anyway. Robbery and murder was ruled out too, especially after his home was found kept well with nothing out of the ordinary or missing. He just seemed to have vanished along with his horse and dog. The sheriff decided he could’ve left unannounced for private reasons and perhaps he would turn up soon. It wasn’t until a week later a hunter stumbled across what was left of the poor rancher. He was so severely mangled that the only thing that showed proof it was him was his hat, horse and dog. Whatever creature that did that couldn’t possibly be a bear, or even a pack of wolves. Only the rancher looked like something had eaten parts of him. His horse and dog were for the most part untouched, the possibility a rabid bear attacked him was brought up due to the massive claw marks and slashes embedded in his horse and dog. And how badly the man was shredded. But what bear could be that big? A search for whatever rabid bear or sick pack of wolves was put out but nothing was recovered.

No one wanted to admit but they were scared. The scene was so brutal it seemed almost impossible another living thing could do that. It was swept under the rug and everyone tried to forget about it in hopes it would just go away. It seems there’s no answer for what happened right? Well your wrong, that’s were this “wendigo” comes in. Wendigos have an insatiable hunger for human flesh, they crave taunting people and torturing them until giving them a brutal horrible death only to feast on their scared poor souls. They tower above the tallest pine trees, make blood curdling screams, and can strip the flesh from your bones instantly. He wasn’t attacked by a rabid animal, he was murdered and eaten alive by one of those foul beasts. Only something that big and mercilessly brutal could’ve done such a thing. And why eat just the person? An animal would’ve taken all it could get. Dog and horse would’ve been part of the main course as well.”

The two other men who listened in shuddered upon the end of the tale. Lochlan was intrigued but was interrupted by his crew coming to fetch him from his break. He needed to get back to work and couldn’t listen in anymore. He sighed and set off to collect his train, he had plenty of time to ponder what he just heard on his long quiet journey.

Lochlan enjoyed the unexplainable, everything had an explanation. An answer. While the story of the wendigo was interesting to him he couldn’t help but believe it was simply a tall tale. Even with how big and goofy the engine could be, he wasn’t gullible. The only way he’d believe something is if he witnessed it first hand. And as far as he knew he never saw any forest animal that towered over pine trees or had a specific desire for human flesh. But for some reason something inside him wouldn’t let go of it. The story was kept in the back of his mind and not forgotten.

Lochlans first week on Hennessy’s railway was almost over. He already gotten familiar with the area and his routes in the short time he was there. His job went swillingly and it was something he wouldn’t mind spending the rest of his days doing. Oh, and no strange gigantic monsters hungry for human flesh appeared. There was one route Lochlan hadn’t traveled yet, and the unkept longer line of tracks was only taken if necessary but no reason was ever really given as to why it wasn’t used. But with only almost a week of experience on the railway he had a lot more to learn and explore.

While Lochlan pulled a long train of cargo with the morning newspaper edition, important mail, and dairy that needed to get to its destination quickly in order to not spoil he came to a stop when he realized his normal route back into Hennessy was blocked. Someone had derailed and a big mess of tar trucks were scattered everywhere. Lochlans engineers grew frustrated and argued with the crewmen in charge of cleaning up the wreck. “Listen pal, it’s going to take all night to clean this mess up. You’ll just have to wait until morning to pass through or go through the south side.” The agitated worker groaned and pointed up ahead to a route Lochlan wasn’t familiar with.

“Well. We most certainly ain’t got time to wait. I’ve got the morning paper to deliver and dairy that will spoil! Come on big feller we’ll just have to go through the south side which will still delay our schedule because some incompetent idiot can’t operate an engine worth Jack shit.” Lochlans engineer growled and made his way back to his cab. Lochlan looked on curiously up ahead at this new route. The grass ahead was severely overgrown, and by the looks of the track no one seemed to have been down it for a decade. His cow plow would come in handy to shove away any overgrowth that littered the track up ahead. Lochlan puffed down the track without incident. He sliced through any overgrowth that littered his path, and was thankful for his bright headlamp because it seemed any lights that lit up the track before had been left not repaired. Lochlan had come upon something odd as he plunged further down the unused route. A herd of deer were stopped close by the tracks, what was odd to him was that the animals didn’t acknowledge his presence at all. It was normal for the forest animals to hurriedly clear the way when any loud engine chuffed close, to the animals an engine was another predator to run away from. But the large herd of deer stood stalk still, their backs turned towards him and their heads cocked up looking into the distance at something. They didn’t dare move and their fear was focused on something Lochlan couldn’t see. Lochlan raised a brow and chuffed by but the deer didn’t move. Even as steam whooshed out and his own massive frame rumbled on the rails shaking the ground. The deer seemed to care less about him. It was one of the most peculiar things he had seen, but he had no idea it was about to get worse.

Tumblr limits posts and I have to many illustrations to do one part. So I’ll have to skeet part two in another separate post. Stick around for the second part if you enjoy so far. Thanks so much for people who’ve stuck around my blog and actually wanted to read my stories. I really really appreciate it.

#ttte #the rural railway #ttte oc #trr lochlan #trr #trr lochlan’s spook #trr donner #trr old red #trr cracker jack #also-#if anyone’s messaged me #I haven’t checked my inbox or messages in forever #don’t worry I’m not ignoring you #just depressed ;)#and not sociable

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