#because to hell if i was going to freehand that shit

[florshedworf]

i spent way to fucking long on this test animation so im posting it here

#worf opens their big mouth #i want to do a soldier poet king meme but i needed to test thunders walk cycle #because to hell if i was going to freehand that shit #super giant robot brothers #// gif warning #worf drew something? #also this bitch walks so weird. like its all normal for most of it and then he does this thing where he???? lifts his leg like up to his #torso?????? #im so glad it turned out fine i am not reanimating this entire thing . #dude i just realized i might have to turn his entire torso. mmmmm not looking forward to that #might cheat that

[tizzypizza]

How are you so good at drawing?

Oughhh. Simple answer? Study EVERYONE’S art. Nobody is bad at art. Some people (even non-artists) have an affinity for certain features and are really good at them! For example some beginners have a very intact sense of values, colors, or maybe they’re just really good at drawing noses. Study them! Study Disney cartoons even if it’s totally out of your style. Study dinosaur illustrations even if you’ve never drawn nor do you intend to draw dinosaurs. Study a picture you took offhandedly of an alleyway even if you’re more into character illustration. Study everything, there’s always so much to learn from everyone and everything.

Real answer? Dog I’m sooooooo not LMFAOOOOOOO Believe me I stayed up until 8 am this morning painting a few things and I kept a physical tally of how many times I cried because of how ugly it was and confusing I’d made the process out to be 😭😭😭😭 BIGGER POINT BEING If you’re an artist and you’re asking this question you are already in a dangerous headspace… “getting good” feels impossible for a lot of people and setting such a vague and lofty goal is unproductive at best and discouraging/destructive at worst. Set goals for what you wanna be good at and DRILL THE HELL OUT OF THEM !!!!! This is what I’m trying to do. Tackle your weak points and BEAT THE FUCK OUT THEM I’m so fr.

One of my favorite art quotes is “YOU ARE GETTING TOO COMFORTABLE, TOO COMPLACENT” which I got off Knight Zhang, a digital freehanding legend and an idol of mine. Always push your comfort zone. If you go to draw something and it’s just super difficult (backgrounds, hands, perspective), you have no muscle built up there! TRAIN THAT SHIT CONSISTENTLY !!!!! If you WANT to get better, never let yourself wallow in complacency because you will feel so good after the days to weeks to months of torture that is practice.

…But also like. Don’t push yourself too hard lol Art isn’t really fun for me anymore ever since I tried my hand at improving at it so be moderate and find silly brushes to use and doodle your favorite fandom characters instead of just drilling croquis or plein airs or something

#me when i can go on art rambles forever and my art is mid as fuck #oh well #tiz’s inbox

[tiredstressedemotionalmess]

hey this is kinda random but I was wondering if you had any advice about making patches? I’ve been wanting to make some of my own but idk what kind(s) of fabric & fabric paint would be good to use for it

YESSSS MY TIME HAS COME I LOVE GIVING PPL PATCH MAKING TIPS!!! im actually working one a zine abt this rn so ive totally got you covered

so pretty much any fabric you can get your hands on will work. i mostly use fabric from shirts ive cut into tank tops or crop tops, and denim from old jeans. both work just as well, but the tshirt fabric is thin and stretchy so i usually find it easier to paint less detailed designs on that. if i want a detailed design and im using tshirt material ill usually use a stencil bc it helps me keep the lines cleaner. using something like an embroidery hoop or some cardboard and safety pins to keep the fabric taught and hold it in place works wonders too

as for paint, i use a mix of fabric paint and regular acrylics. usually ill do a three base layers of white fabric paint, then go over top with a layer or so of whatever color acrylic bc the acrylics tend to be more vibrant and more opaque

using just straight up acrylic on fabric will work, but it may crack a bit and will probably fade in a wash a little. if ur just doing acrylic, try and limit the number of layers you do bc the thicker the paint is, the easier it will be to crack. personally, ive found acrylic tends to crack more on denim than on tshirt fabric- i think because the shirt fabric is thinner so the paint soaks all the way through instead of just sitting on top like with the denim. if im using shirt fabric and the design is simple ill usually just go right in with the acrylics and not even bother with the base layers bc of that

fabric paint is more flexible than acrylic bc its literally made for fabric. i use the tulip brand MATTE white paint, and im specifying matte here bc they have a fucking glossy version called "slick" that goes on soooooo fucking think when you paint it with a brush it just. its horrible it takes so many fucking layers to get any possible color the matte is so much better it only needs two or three to really pop

ANYWAYS- i use that most often bc my local craft store has it for cheap and like i said i literally only use the white stuff for base layers and shit. they have other colors but ive never tried them bc acrylic over the white works out just fine for me so. idk maybe using the colored fabric paint would save time in the long run- less layers and shit- but ive never tried to myself so who knows

you can make a pretty damn good fabric paint substitute yourself though too!! its like the middle ground between the store bought fabric paint and the acrylics in terms of flexibility. mix equal parts fabric softener with acrylic paint. ivr used this method a fee times and it works well. its definitely less cracky than regular acrylics but depending on the ratio it might take a few more layers and a bit longer to dry. its not as flexible as the fabric paint but its a bit more opaque so depending on how you want ur patches to look it might require less layers

uhhhh other things. stencil are my best friend when im trying to copy a specific logo or do a more complex design. i never fucking freehand letters- use chalk or a pen to get letter placement done first bc the grief of painting half a patch and realized the rest of the work doesnt fit is REAL. thrift stores have a lot of cool fabric with little designs and patters which i personally think are super fun to paint over and use as patches. if you have access to an iron ik some people like to heat set their patches by ironing them when theyre dry (ig it helps the paint stick to the fabric? ive done it a few times but im too lazy to commit to it regularly. might be good if ur just using acrylics tho). pretty much any fabric you have access to will work (hoodies, old socks, old bedsheets, ANYTHING) but knitted fabrics are hell to paint on and so id recommend avoiding those

thats everything i can think of off the top of my head!! sorry this turned into a whole fucking novel. i really like making patches and telling other people abt how i make patches :p

#asks #THANK YOU SM FOR ASKING ME AGAIN SORRY THIS TURNED OUT SO LONG I HOPE THIS WAS HELPFUL #i seriously love talking abt this sm god i need to finish that zine- #save #<bc im totally stealing parts of this for the zine later lmao #OH! and you should totally absolutely send me oics of whatever patches you make iyw :]

[imeverywoman420]

okkkkk so as a STEM girlie who's been a tutor on the side and TA I think/hope I can explain the issue with math. (this is @andsheoverthinks btw but that's my sideblog so i can't submit asks from there)

(1) math is one of those subjects where you have to understand everything along the way

(2) math requires more abstract thinking than every other subject. spatial intelligence is usually also important for stuff like trig and geometry and everything thereafter

i learned when i was tutoring second/third graders that getting people to think abstractly is difficult. if i asked kids to add say, 17+9 they would count on their fingers to get the answer. this would always yield the correct answer but it is inefficient for obvious reasons. i had to skip ahead to explain hundred's, ten's, and one's places to wean them off it.

(3) it is genuinely hard to help someone bad at math because of (1), you don't know how far back the confusion goes. it might be the first grade

(4) people will come up with an inefficient way of getting the answer, which is the Wrong (TM) way and it comes back to bite them in the ass with harder problems. a lot of times people develop weird/bad habits and refuse to change

i also tutored an eighth grader learning algebra. she was learning systems of equations. there are two ways to solve a system, geometric (which is just for illustration purposes and really shouldn't even be taught) or algebraic. this kid would always 'solve' systems the geometric way and always get the wrong answer because it's hard to draw lines straight. i tried to convince her to do it the algebraic way which is easier and doesn't hinge on drawing perfect lines freehand. it took a really long time because she would always go back to the geometric/drawing way even though it would always be wrong.

(5) it's genuinely frustrating to teach people bad at math because grade-school math is 'algorithmic' aka procedural. you just memorize how to do it and then do it.

for example you posted an example of SOH CAH TOA and i am genuinely confused why it's hard to understand (not trying to be a dick). if someone asked me to explain it i'd literally just read out what's on the picture because they're definitions. like. the sine of an angle is equal to the ratio between the length of the side opposite the angle and the length of the hypotenuse (side opposite the right angle). idk how else to explain it more clearly. it's not rocket science i promise.

Thank younforntjis responsee its really. Enlightening.

Ok my confusion with that last part would love tonhear back

what the hell is a sine of an angle? How can a sine of an angle be equal to the rationo whatever. What does that mean. Its just a triangle. Why would anyone need to know that.

like what is the purpose in a sine. What even is that.

And its just. So many letters and shit??? What do the colors mean. How can you understand this its so many colors and letters and things with no words its just hierogylpsh

like WHATT IS THISSSSS HUHHH. WHAT IS A SOH CA TOAH??? Like. Whatttt.

#Ask

[ghostonly]

Fixing up a shirt that's too big and needs tailoring.

A couple years ago, I kept thinking to myself, how does one even acquire goth or grunge clothing? And the conclusion I came to is that you need either a lot of money for band merch and studded leather and all that shit, or you need to get your hands in it and fuck around with what you have and make something grungy and homemade, so that's what I'm doing cause I'm poor as shit lmao

Now that my chest is flat, and I'm recovered enough and have a minute, I'm making up a shirt that I've been planning to do for like over a year now. I ordered a few things a year and a half ago and I fucked up the order because they didn't have any 3-6x sizes in stock for this plain, black shirt I wanted, but they did have 7x, and I said, "fuck it, it'll be baggy but it probably won't be THAT much bigger than the stuff I usually wear."

I was very wrong

I've been wearing them anyway (I've got 2 of them) but like, they don't look good lmao. These things are made for one of those guys who is not only large but built like a fucking skyscraper

But lots of extra fabric means great for customizing in a fun way. So anyway I have been wanting to put the cover of The Twilight Sad album "nobody wants to be here and nobody wants to leave" on a shirt, cause it's a great album and the art is a great vibe, but the art is in white. I looked up some ways to put white on black fabric and decided to make a bleaching stencil

Here are some progress shots from while I was working on it. I guessed at the CD shape and then freehand copied the outline of the art with a 5x4 comparison grid

I made this strip to block out where letters would go with the intention of painting on the details with additional bleach after spraying

Then used a razor knife to cut where I wanted the border to go through on the drawing when I sprayed it with bleach

After the stencil was ready, I stuck the shirt around a big plastic drawer so that the bottom of the drawer would be a working surface and the bleach wouldn't bleed onto the back of the shirt (as u can see, it is a very large shirt :') there was actually extra fabric I clipped onto the drawer's edge with binder clips)

Before I actually starting with the spraying, I did also stick more cardstock (it's not regular paper, it's like twice as thick) under the edges of the stencil frame to guard the rest of the shirt, but I didn't get a picture of that

This is my first time doing this and you're not actually supposed to do it with paper but I didn't realize that until I'd already spent like 2 hours making it, so i said fuck it, it's fine if it isn't perfect. You're supposed to make it with freezer paper and iron it onto the shirt temporarily and the temporary adhesion of the plastic keeps the bleach and shit from spreading and the stencil from moving (both would have been really handy but Oh Well 😪)

So after spending an hour spraying the bleach and adding detail with a broken-off pencil I kept dipping in bleach (I was trying to use the method of a guy who used a wooden skewer but I don't have any) this is what I've got

It's messy as hell but I kinda like that it is. Looks fucked up in a good way and that's what I like about doing crafts for grungy purposes - it's very low stress, if not low effort

I don't think it's that orange irl but the sun had mostly gone down so I was taking pictures under a lamp

I was surprised at how well the intact lines came out considering how thin they were. As you can see, some of them "blew up" because they got too wet and spread, but that's okay. It's good to know that, with spraying, you can get really good detail. I will probably do this again in the future with freezer paper so I can iron it on

Anyway, it's in the wash now. I'll post pictures of the finished... Drawing? When it's done drying

Then later I'll add more when I've done the actual tailoring bit because the whole shirt is getting overhauled

#crafting #tailoring #goth #grunge #art #tshirt #clothing #fashion

[anotherrunawaytrain]

So it only took about two hours for me to break down 30lbs of pumpkin for canning. I was going to also do the 20lb one, but I didn’t get to carve it last month, and I was worried we wouldn’t have enough jars (we did tho so that’s fine). I gave all the scraps to my chickens and my in-laws’ chickens. Didn’t have a marker, so I just freehand carved this crazy thing.

I like to carve things in a way that keeps it more intact and has layers for different brightnesses. The whiskers are spaghetti.

I was feeling bad about how messy it was, hoping it would work how I envisioned in the dark and…

It did. Too damn funny. I love it. 🤣 Look at the shading in the cheeks and ears!

I got all of these seeds, which I’ve got drying now:

Then I spent another two hours peeling spice berries, which are now also drying. Some got ground up for on a pie.

I got 5qt of pumpkin puree canned as well as the 3c needed for pies. Two pumpkin pies and one pumpkin cheesecake are done, all with nut crusts since my gallbladder doesn’t let me eat wheat or oats anymore 😑 and both pies have monk fruit instead of sugar, also because of said whiney gallbladder.

Now I’m finally in this shallow ass tub with epsom salts and oatmeal trying to relax and smooth my blisters from yesterday. And of course? It’s never quiet or anything, so I’m not relaxing. Even with the light off and a linen candle going. I wish I could get the hell out of this house and I wish there was better mental health care in my area because I need sent away for a while and have for a while but no one fucking cares. So fuck me, yeah? 😩

I hate how I’m made to feel to blame for “getting upset over nothing” as if I don’t bottle it all up EVERY DAY. If I’m showing anger, it’s because I have no more room for it because I’m never allowed to say anything. I’m always wrong for everything. I have to tip toe around everyone like fucking Harry Potter having to not exist. (Seriously that whole “pretending I don’t exist” line has stuck with me since I first read it because that is my damn life.

Anyway… people don’t read my posts anyway but it’s getting long and I’m at risk for saying something I “shouldn’t” so 😤. Also my battery is at 10% anyway. So I guess it’s time to scrub the pumpkin guts off my elbows and get out and see if I can find some earplugs.

I need to be allowed to just demolish a building with my body. No tools, maybe… I don’t know. Might take a crowbar because that’s fun. But when you demand a person never say anything and constantly take all the shit of the world and constant abuse, it needs to come out somehow. So who wants a building ripped apart while I make loud inhuman screams at the world?

#vu personal

[saint-magdalena]

thing #6, Wednesday, October 19 2022 8:47 am

so the class isn’t over yet but i’m just gonna hop on here for a while while the recitation’s going on. i just want to let a few thoughts out while that’s going on. listening to other people recite is anxiety-inducing for me, maybe more when i, myself, am reciting. i don’t know, i just kinda feel uneasy when someone else is trying to answer a question, but they don’t answer it the way that i would? so like the dissonance just feels weird to me. so right now, the meeting is on like a volume where i can barely hear it, so i still know what’s going on(kinda) but i don’t have to hear the other students speak. again, this harkens back to my previous mini-rant about being uncomfortable with online classes because i would’ve felt fine with all of this if i was in an actual classroom. maybe the part of my brain that regulated all of this feelings just atrophied these past few years. i haven’t been in a classroom since 2019.

i really thought this was the year that in-person classes came back. i mean yeah, it kinda came back but with my school, i only have a class like twice a month. that’s basically nothing. this was literally my only chance at developing a social life because it’s so easy if you’re surrounded by peers in a closed environment for most of the day. I have a class tomorrow and i feel like i’m gonna have an anxiety attack just thinking about it. i even made an itemized list of steps to get ready in the morning just in case i forget, because there have been too many instances in which i’ve forgotten at leas tone thing. and for some reasons, it’s almost always deodorant? do you know how embarrassing it is to forget deodorant?—god this girl’s mic is so loud. i had to turn the volume down again.

wow, this recitation portion is goin on for longer than i thought. adding to that, recitation in an online class feels so performative. as in, i feel like students force themselves to speak more than they have to. again, with the lack of non-verbal cues from both the student and the teacher, i feel like nobody just knows when to stop talking anymore. there aren’t anymore reassuring nods or uncomfortable smiles. instead of joking with the teacher about what someone just said, the students just laugh at their own jokes when they talk. it’s awkward as all hell.

and teachers aren’t exempt from this either. sure, they still laughed at their own jokes in the classroom before, but at least there were a few students who laughed along with them. i feel such admiration, especially towards my animation history and freehand drawing prof. that man gives zero fucks, but like in the best way. he’s still the type who laughs at their own jokes in class, but like they don’t make it feel awkward at all? their tone or vibe doesn’t change at all despite the lack of feedback form the students. even my classmates expressed how at-ease they felt in his classes. it’s just such a chill and laid-bac vibe that it actually makes me feel motivated to give a shit about the classes. well, at least the ones i can attend if i’m not asleep.

by the way, have i mentioned that my professor’s hot?

i had my doubts at first, because i had a teeny tiny feeling that he was one one of those arrogant know-it-all male types. but thank fuck i was wrong. the readings that he gives to the class are probably the most fun i’ve had with reading long-ass essays like ever. he gave one a few weeks ago about feminism and the diaspora of filipina women, and just now, we read about the underlying culture and politics surrounding black women’s hair. good shit. and the way he talks? jesus take me now. the timbre isn’t anything special, i mean, he’s no norm lewis. but the manner in which he carries himself while speaking. it just feels so thoughtful and understanding. the type that wouldn’t be condescending towards you even though someone like him totally would? yeah, he can get it.

okay, so we just had a 15-minute break. and i hat to be one of this bitxhes that would just fawn over men giving the bare minimum. but this mf just said “welcome back, i hope you had a restful break”. PLS—and i know he’s talking to 39 other poeple to but shut up let me have my moment. oh and i haven’t even described what he looks like yet. uhm he kinda looks like a filipino patrick wilson when he was in the first conjuring. add some aviator glasses and headphones to that. to reiterate, this man can GET IT.

i’ll probably go to sleep right after this class so hopefully my dreams will help with some of the absolute whoredom that’s going on right now. if not, there’s a fully charged vibrator on standby so maybe she can help.

[pascalscenarios]

SAFE HOUSE (Dave York x Reader)

Safe House

Scenario Series

Bodyguard ! Dave York x Reader

Summary: It’s Dave’s week with you. After someone attempt to kidnap you, he takes you to a safe house. 

Words: 2652

Warning: Attempted kidnapping, mentions of blood

Authors Note: Had this in my drafts for a while - K

CHAPTER 1

Your father was a wealthy businessman. Many people came after your father and he knew they would use you to get back at him. You were the most important thing to your father, so from a young age you always had a bodyguard with you. You were older now, seeing no point in having one. It had been years since someone decided to come after your father. You were independent, capable of taking care of yourself, not needing someone to be with you 24/7, but if it gave your father a piece of mind then you guess it was okay.

Someone was loudly pounding against your door.

“Alright! I’m coming, I'm coming!”

You opened the front door to your apartment to find Dave York was standing there. Your face contorted in confusion. What was he doing here? It wasn’t his week to be with you.

Out of all the bodyguards that were assigned to you, Dave York was your least favorite. He wasn't very keen on you either. Dave was an ex CIA operative. He’s a few years older than you. He’s been one of your bodyguards for a little over a year. You knew nothing about him besides that. He was very private, closed off from letting you get close to him. You were nothing but a job to him, but he sure loved to get under your skin.

“Hey sweetheart” he gives you a fake smile.

“What are you doing here? It’s not your week! Where’s James?” you say. Dave makes his way past you and goes to your kitchen to get something to drink. You shut the door and follow him.

“Where’s James?” James was one of your other bodyguards. You two were secretly seeing each other.

“None of them told you? He’s got fired” Dave laughs as he opens the fridge grabbing the carton of orange juice.

“What? Why?” You say in shock

He snickers “Your daddy found out about you two were sleeping together”

Your eyes widen “What? T-that's not true!” you lied

“Don’t play innocent, you two were clearly screwing each other silly” he scoffs as he takes a swig from the carton.

There was no point in lying. “How did he-” Your eyes widened in realization “You!” You pointed at him. “You told him didn’t you?!”

He takes the backs of his hand, wiping away the orange juice that dripped from his lips “Guilty” he smiled. “It was obvious you two were a thing...You need a better poker face, but it’s good he gone...something was off about that guy”

“Good he’s gone? What the fuck Dave! Seriously? Running and telling my Dad? What I do in my life is none of your concern!”

“None of my concern?” He snaps at you, setting the carton down

“I’m your bodyguard! My job is to protect you! Your father is my boss, I’m supposed to tell him shit like this!”

“You don’t know anything about James! You can't just- You never liked him! You did it just because you felt like it! To make my life miserable!”

“No, you don’t know anything! I did you a fucking favor by telling your dad!” He yells at you. “If you only knew…” he mutters under his breath. “I did it for your own good. ”

“I don’t need you to protect me!”

Dave's phone begins to ring. He takes it out of his pocket, looking at the caller ID.

“Your Dad, I gotta take this” he heads to your front door, stepping outside to take the call.

You rolled your eyes. You were irritated and heavily annoyed with Dave.

You headed over to your living room, plopping yourself down on your sofa. You pick up the TV remote off the coffee table and turn it on. You were flipping through the channels when you heard Dave enter your apartment again. The door is closing.

“Gone to tattle on me again?” You joked, but part of you was serious. You stopped on a rerun of a reality tv show. It was silent. Usually Dave always had a quick comment back at you.

“Dave?” You look over your shoulder to find someone that wasn’t Dave. A man dressed in black and a ski mask covering their face and a gun in their hand came charging towards you.

Your eyes widen as you scramble to your feet staring at the person coming towards you.

From behind you, you felt a hand slap over your mouth, muffling your screams. Their hand grabs on tightly to your arm and pulls you back closer to their body.

You began to thrash and squirm in their grasp. You managed to bite down on their gloved hand, making them retract their hand away

“Fuck!”

“DAVE! SOMEONE HELP ME!” you quickly screamed.

“Shut up!” The man in front of you rushed closer to you pointing the cold barrel of the gun to your head.

“Scream again, and I’ll fucking put a bullet through your head!” He yells at you.

Tears streamed down your face as you sobbed, your lip quivering. The man holding you, grips you even tighter, their arm wrapping around your torso.

“We’re either gonna do this the easy way or the hard way” The man in front of you stares down at you.

“Hey! Knock it off! He said we needed them alive! We’re wasting time!” The man begins to drag you towards the backdoor of your apartment.

Dave calls at your name as you hear him enter your apartment.

“DAVE!” you scream.

“Shit” The man in front of you says as Dave quickly rushes in with his gun drawn. Before the man could react, shooting the man in front of you twice. His body hit the floor, blood pooling.

The man holding you lets you go, in shock off what just happened.

“We gotta go, quickly, come on!” He grabs your wrist and drags you out of your apartment. He was quickly running to his car that was parked just outside. You were barefoot and stumbling as he pulled you along.

As the two of you rushed to the car as bullets sprayed behind you. A bullet flies right past the both of you shattering a car window you were running past. You look back seeing the man that was shot coming after the two of you. He was walking limply, his hand over one of his gunshot wounds. His gun pointed straight towards the both of you

“Dave!” you yell as he let go of your wrist and jogged to the drivers side of the car.

“Just shut up and get in the car!” He barked at you. You quickly did what he said and opened the door, slipping inside.

He puts the key into the ignition, pulling the gear shift into drive and stepping on the gas, zooming out of the parking lot.

With a freehand, Dave grabs your free hand pushing your body down. “Stay down!”

You continue to hear gunshots after gunshot, then the back windshield, shattering. You let out another yelp. You quickly turn around to look behind you, pieces of glass dangled from the broken back windshield.

But your eyes widened as you noticed both men standing in the middle of the road as they watched you and Dave flee away.

You quickly face forward, your eyes widen in fear.

“I told you to keep your head down!”

“Who was that?! Dave, what the hell is going on?!” you cried.

He doesn’t say anything and keeps driving. He weaves in and out of cars, making sharp turns and he flies down the streets. You place your hand on the middle console and the roof of the car as he frantically drives.

Dave pulls into a parking garage turning into the spiral ramp, making his way up to the fifth level.

The fifth level was empty, only a Black Dodge Charger parked. He parks his car a few feet away, turning off the engine.

He reaches over you, opening the glove compartment and grabs a key. He hands it to you.

“Go wait for me in the other car”

“Dave-” you were shaking.

“Just do what I say!” He opens his door, and learns how to pull the lever to pop the trunk open.

You flinch at his reaction, quickly get out of the car, pressing the fob to unlock the car. You go to the passenger of the car, get in, setting the keys on the dashboard.

You watched as Dave pulled out his gun, reloading it with a mag and cocking it. He places it back in his holster. He grabs a black duffle bag, slinging it over his shoulder, and slams the trunk shut. He walks over to the charger, opening the back door and tossing the bag inside.

He gets inside the car grabbing the keys off the dash.

…

The two of you sat in silence as he drove to god knows where for a couple hours. Usually you would be irritated and take his ear off just to annoy him, but you didn’t know what to say. In fact you had nothing to say. You were scared. All you knew is that the situation you two were in is serious and then you should listen to what he tells you to do. There was no time for fun and games.

You had made it to a random house by nightfall. It was in the middle of a rural forest. It was like a fortress, with tall walls fencing in the house.

Dave drove up to the gate. He rolled down his window flipping open the code box, punching numbers in. The gates open allowing him to drive the car onto the property, parking in the garage, which he opened from a button in the car.

Once the car was parked, he pressed the button in the car again, closing the garage door. Dave steps out of the car, opening the back door to grab the duffle bag.

“Come on” he says before closing the doors.

You step out of the car, shutting the door and following him.

You and Dave enter the house. All the lights are off. Dave heads over to the security system that was placed on the wall when you first enter.

“What is this place?” you asked softly as he messed with the security.

“Safe house”

The lights turned on, you and Dave continue through the house into the living room.

He sets the duffel down on the sofa.

“Stay here, I’m gonna check out the house real quick”

You sat down on the couch anxiously as you waited for him to return. Your eyes kept darting around, wondering if someone was going to up out somewhere. The events of today replaying in your head like a broken record. Who were those men? What did they want from you?

“Hey” you broke out of your train of thought. You jump and look up at Dave.

“It’s just me” He reassures you as you ease down. “Everything's secure”

“We should sleep. It’s been… a day. Let's go upstairs” He picks up the bag and heads over to the stairs.

You follow him up to the second floor and he leads you to the master bedroom. The room was large. A king bed was in the middle of the room, a tv mounted on the wall and the bathroom off to the side.

“You can say here, I’ll be down the hall”

“I want to shower”

“Okay”

“...I don’t have any clothes though”

He opens up the duffle, grabbing a t-shirt and shorts.

“Here. It’s mine. Well, figure out the essentials in the morning.”

“Thanks...Is it okay if you wait here until I’m done?” You’d feel safer knowing he was just outside the bathroom door.

“Yeah” he moves over to sit on the bed.

You made your way into the bathroom. You look in the mirror noticing how exhausted you looked, your eyes puffy from crying. You noticed the bruises on your arms from one of the guys holding you tight and several small cuts from the glass shattered while running.

You stripped yourself from your clothes and stepped into the shower, turning the handle. You let the warm water slide off your skin. Standing under the shower head you slick your wet hair back. You cup your hands together letting the water collect in your hand before.

You stay in the shower for several more minutes. You changed into Dave's clothes. As you lifted the shirt over your body, you smelt the fabric. It smelled like his cologne. Dave would douse himself in his cologne and you would rag on him about wearing too much. The weeks he would be with you, your house would smell of him. You secretly loved the smell but you wouldn’t tell him that.

You slipped on the shorts and grabbed the towel scrunching your hair. You open the door to find Dave in the same spot. He stands up grabbing the duffel and makes his way over to the door. You walk over to the night stand turning a knob to turn the lamp on.

“I’ll be down the hall if you need me.”

“Okay...Goodnight”

“Night” He turned off the main light and shut the door

You placed your towel on a chair that was in the room and headed over to the bed. You pulled the covers back and went to sleep.

...

You were having trouble sleeping tossing and turning the whole night. Even though you knew the house was heavily secure and Dave was just down the hall, you felt unsafe.

You got out of your bed, and made your way down the hall towards Daves room. You stood outside of his door, debating if you should bother him or not. 

You slowly open up his door. Dave was sleeping on his side, his back towards you, the covers draped over his body.

“Dave?” You whispered.

He stirs awake, turning over slightly too look over. Seeing you stand there, he sits up in bed, the blanket falling off his body, pooling at his waist. He was shirtless, which made you blush slightly.

“What’s wrong?”

“Sorry to wake you” you start off by saying. You knew he was just as exhausted as you are.

“I was wondering…would it be okay if I sleep with you?- I mean to be with you, but like next to you? I really don’t wanna be alone- I could sleep on the floor or if you don’t want me here at all I under-“ you stuttered quickly at him

Dave says your name

“Y-yeah?”

“Just get in the bed” he says scooting over.

“Okay”

You close the door behind you, walking over to the bed. Dave lifts the blanket up, letting you side in.

“Are you okay?” he asks as he stares up at the ceiling.

“I couldn’t sleep...after what happened...I don’t wanna be alone. I’m scared if I’m being honest”

He signs “I shouldn’t have left you in your apartment like that-”

“It’s not your fault Dave...You didn’t know that was going to happen” The conversation fell dead. He didn’t respond until a few moments later.

“I had a bad feeling about him, James. When I figured out you two were together, it didn't sit right with me. I wouldn’t care if it was anyone else but him...he’s...somethings off with him...Look I didn’t tell your dad to make your life miserable...just worried about your safety. Despite what you think, I do care for you...and not because it’s my job”

You didn’t know what to say...He cared for you in what way? Was he saying what you think he was saying?

He says your name

You didn’t say anything. You pretended that you had fallen asleep.

You heard him sigh. “Goodnight”

You felt the bed shift as he placed a soft kiss on your forehead before shifting back over to his side.

MT: @icanbeyourjedi @sara-alonso @greeneyedblondie44 @hb8301 @alberta-sunrise @spacenerdpascal @ryleyrooroo @reader-s-cantina @nikkixostan @mindidjarin

#the equalizer 2 #Dave York x reader #Dave York #pedro pascal

[with-the-same-tattoos]

what brush do you use for your lineart? it looks so good ;;

AAHDSHD;;;; TYSM FOR ASKING IK THIS IS A SIMPLE QUESTION BUT I WILL USE ANY CHANCE I GET 2 RAMBLE ABT ART TECHNIQUE & WHATEVER BC ITS MY FAVE FUCKING THING IN THIS WHOLE WIDE WORLD

My brushes r actually quite simple !!!!!!! I built them to compliment my very freehand/sketch style. If someone is interested, feel free to ask, I can check how to make them downloadable/whatever, but really I have just a couple things that I focus on when it comes to them!!!

Square tip. I use one in CSP called quadrado, I think its in the original set, I'll have to check that out later? But yeah I feel a square tip allows for some fun angular spots to really come through !!! This is also super popular in painting I think, angles & sharp edges r super important there

Shape dynamics. The super basic stuff. I have two main brushes; my basic square, which is for draw flow stuff, and a rough square, which i mostly use to fill in bigger areas / do some extra shading with. My basic square has more flexibility (a bigger range, a lower minimun value) and the rougher one is less flexable and most of the time chunky.

Density. I find density options more appealing to me compared to opacity, but I cant tell why? exactly???? yk???? But yeah. Again, basic square has more flexibility, and rougher less. I find the flexibility & range in my basic brush SUPER important, since i like sketching within my linework and erasing it away/cleaning it up. (difficult to explain- if someone wants a video feel free to ask)

Basically:

oSoOther settings go a bit more into semantics. I also use a blender tool to sometimes soften areas, and often my eraser is set to erasing on all layers so I can kinda build my linework ON my sketch layer and use it in the back as some extra flow.

My current style of drawing is inspired by som rly specific artists that I can talk abt if someone wants 2 hear. I do intend to experiment w stronger lines, im just a wuss and like all... squishy stuff ; v ;

U DIDNT ASK, but again bc i just loooove rambling abt this shit, some additional things that have personally helped me w linework!!!

Those super basic linework practices !!! Just drawing straight lines endlessly, drawing a squicle and trying to replicate it now w a slower stroke

Forcing urself to sketch fast; croquis !!!! I recommend croquis cafe for anyone looking to do this kinda stuff online, its GREAT. Just focus on the time, not how good the sketch is. Croquis is FANTASTIC. it helps u develop muscle memory for unique strokes, develop understanding of what u need to pay attention to (are you paying attention to shadow, light, where the weight of the body is, the squished parts, the stretched out parts, the skin, the muscle, the hair, etc) (ive personally done sessions just focusing on darkest shadow, midtone shadow etc, or light, or the stretched out parts, or just like, a few lines to give the idea of the pose ((eg 5 sec croquis)) ((tho i havent seen those in any web stuff, i had a class where we had those and they were fantastic))) anyways DO CROQUIS AND ALLOW URSELF 2 SUCK AT IT DO IT UNTIL UR HAND HURTS AND UR HEAD HURTS (dont actually do that please) (drink water, take breaks, stretch ur hand)

Warmups !!! before i take on a serious linework, I ALWAYS DO WARMUPS. Some lighter line stuff, flowier line stuff. I often do croquis for this. If i dont do this i get more severe hand cramps, because.... yeah

Traditional sketches w different pens. Preferably ones that u cant erase. Kinda similiarly to croquis, this is super good to just develop more confidence w ur lines. U cant go back and erase them so... U just have to learn to get them right. Im bolding this bcs this is probably the one tip i heard that has helped me the most. All my traditional sketches w pens r ugly as hell but they seriously have helped me so much to get some more freedom and have more fun when drawing & not worry all the time, and its made the process way more enjoyable !!!!

Also please take breaks and stretch ur hand !!! THeres a lot of good guides for artists to stretch their hands :> Seriously. Take care of urself.

#ask #anonymous #u thot u could just ask me for my brushes u wrong !!! #*infodumps* #i fucking #love art process #I k u didnt ask but this stuff is so exiting to me

[emperor-palpaminty]

Killing Time

Because nothing can kill a relationship like lies.

A modern AU where crosshair is a hitman and you're his loyal girlfriend who happens to be in the bodyguard business, but neither one of you know the other's careers

Warnings: swearing, mentions of death, making oit and allusions to smut, also this is in no way accurate to real life and it's just dramatic, please don't hurt me lol

children you have full permission to run away and not come here, in fact please run away

Very few things phased you. The only things that brought you to your precipice of agitation was burning pasta, your phone charger not working, and showing up to your shift only to realize someone had been killing all your clients.

Who said keeping people alive was easy? No one, that was who, and if anyone said it they were wrong or had no experience working with others whatsoever. Making sure others lived to see their next day was deadly business, for the people that were trying to live, at least.

“Charles!” You barked, feet hitting the floor of the bull pen. “What the hell happened?” You slammed your files on your desk, face warm, head just about collapsing with pressure. Your fingers pressed to your temples, hoping that they would grip it, hold it together. “Burke was alive when I left last night.”

“Doesn't matter now." Your coworker dropped his sandwich onto his desk. "Burke is fucking dead now. As dead as a doorknob." He swallowed his bite. "Luckily, you weren't on shift when it happened, so you aren't gonna catch any fire for it."

"Shit, Charles, a man is dead." You collapsed in your chair, a gentle "oomph" escaping your mouth. Your lips pressed together in agitation and you moaned to yourself. "This is the third one in two months. Sure, I'll get a couple cold bodies, but-"

"But this is a lot." Charles sunk into his own chair, grabbing for his sandwich again.

You stared at him, disbelief coating your gaze. "One is a lot, Charles," You snarled, grabbing at the folder on your desk. "Any leads?"

"Oh, yeah. But they're all at Burke's mansion." Charles tossed the crust of his lunch into the trash can. "I can drive ya."

"No, I'll take my car," You grumbled. You swiped the keys from your desk and stood, stalking back towards the elevator, anger eating away at you.

If one more of your clients- YOUR own clients- got killed, you would have to start pulling full shifts again.

___

Your shoes, practical, did little more than tap against the marble floor as you ducked under the Police tape. You skimmed the scene, frowning, eyes gracing past a particularly nasty chunk of gore on the wall. "Shot from above," You mumbled, glancing at the shattered window.

The mansion was huge. You'd been coming here for nearly a year now to keep an eye on Burke, and it still shocked you when you saw the absolute volume of the home. How much house would one man need, exactly?

In your years as a bodyguard you'd watched out for a lot of people- spoiled celebrities, prideful and arrogant politicians, and a particularly interesting Chef who had an unusual desire to cook everything with some kind of caffeine in it. That was probably your favorite client.

"Excuse me, miss," a voice broke the mumble in the next room, probably of detectives or cops sweeping the house for evidence. "You shouldn't-"

"I was Burke's bodyguard." You tugged your badge out or your pocket, allowing the interrupting police officer to take it and examine it. “You can verify with my assistant, Charles. Make sure you tell him he’s my assistant and not the other way around, though, he can be a dick.”

The cop hesitated, then gave a slight nod. “Well, we’re still cleaning up the scene.” His hands offered your badge back, and you slid it into your back pocket, satisfaction deflating. “You can come by later after it’s clean. Ballistics is running comparisons right now.” He paused and glanced at the shattered window. “Looks like the shot came from the garage. It’s the only side with no motion sensors or alarms.” The cop’s brows raised in interest. “Know why?”

“No.” You said, calmly, turning towards the front door. “I assume I can go there?” You heard no objection as you stepped outside, tugging your sunglasses back on over your eyes. The sun was unforgiving and you gave an involuntary hiss as the bright rays hit your eyes just right to temporarily give your vision black spots. You blinked strongly and hurried towards the garage. 

In truth, Burke had alarms everywhere except the garage because he had so many people and cars coming and going. For any new technology the billionaire was releasing, the man had drugs and other forms of entertainment coming in and out, and it was all stuff that would probably bring him down. That nondisclosure form was still somewhere in the house in some obscure filing cabinet and you really, really, really didn’t feel like having a lawsuit lurking over your shoulders. Life was too good- well, everything outside of people you were being paid to keep alive was good. 

Death really killed the whole “survival” business.

You clamored your way to the roof of the garage, noting the ladder was the same one that the gardener used around the several acres Burke owned. The police had to have put it here- the gardener only came in the mornings.

So who the hell climbed up here without a ladder? Most people didn’t want to put in the effort to scale this freehand or wedge between the wall of the garage and the fence to shimmy up. That someone had to be either very determined to kill Burke, for personal motive or financial motive.

You brushed off you pants and glanced around, looking down at the surface of the roof. Nothing- not even a bullet casing- had been left behind. You frowned and raked a hand through your hair, skimming your scalp as you examined the roof, walking to the edge closest to the window.

You stared in, at the shattered glass, pondering. Burke was heading to bed when he'd been shot, you assumed, so the assassian would have had to know his routine. Your mind ran through possibilities again, but you could come up with none that were motivated personally enough or fit enough to climb without much assistance. You trailed along the surface, frowning, unable to find anything, but paused at a smudge of black paint, small, on the corner of the roof.

____

You turned your car down the street, exhaling softly as you pulled into your driveway.

99. That was what the marks said. Very subtle, meant nothing, unless it was a birth year or graduating class. The cops had come back, irritated, snapped a couple of pictures, and told you off about your wild theories of a fiscally motivated assassian. Apparently, you watched too many scret agent movies, or something like that.

You opened the door of the car and climbed out, frustration making you slam it shut. You inhaled the scent of the yard- clean, fresh cut, and perhaps it could help soothe your anger before you went inside.

After fumbling on your Keychain, you unlocked the door and hurried in, locking it behind you. "Cross?"

A savory aroma wafted from the kitchen, and your mouth watered. Your toes found their way out of your shoes and you hurried to the kitchen, pausing briefly at the doorway.

Cross's lanky figure was leaning over the skillet, stirring something, pale hands moving in expertise across the stove top. "Darling, you're late." He drawled.

You sighed, fully entering the kitchen. "Yeah. Sorry." You leaned up and wrapped your arms around his waist, face pressing against his back. You sighed. The day felt a little less bad now- filled with him. "Work kept me."

"How was work?"

You grunted. "A killer. An absolute killer." The irony was not lost on you, but it was lost to your boyfriend. He thought you were an editor for some book publishing company, because cover was the most important thing. You were one of those people trying to stay alive, after all.

Lies hurt, but it was one of the necessary ones. A little lie.

"Yikes." His hands drew plates to himself. "Mine wasn't much better. Got a few new clients, a few new cases." He sighed. "The Baliff forgot to submit evidence."

You mumbled against his shirt. "Law school really paid off, huh?"

"I'll say." He turned around, adjusting your arms, slowly taking your chin and leaning down to peck you. You always melted at his kisses, knees weak and brain numb, and he seemed to know it every time. You hummed, running your hands up his chest, the irritation for the day pooling to your midsection as your fingers gripped his shirt, your lips pulling in on his.

Cross tugged away gently, and you whined, fingers stubbornly clasped. "Wow, really frustrated today."

"Yes," You mumbled.

His lips pressed towards one of their corners in a half smile, and he picked your head. "Go shower. Then we can eat and I'll take care of you."

You hummed, fingers reluctantly releasing him, and you hurried away to the bathroom. You paused at the dresser, rummaging through, grabbing an especially large t-shirt and hipster underwear. Comfort was more important at the moment.

You climbed into the shower, turning the water to as hot as you could and scrubbing yourself off, humming in pleasure as the day came off you and went down the drain. The floral scent of the soap remained, the purple bad working diligently to rid you of your grime and frustration. Lavender really is a natural relaxant. You sighed and leaned back briefly on the tile, feeling every muscle in you ease at the same time.

After toweling off and getting dressed, your padded to the kitchen where Cross was pouring a your favorite wine. You sighed happily, accepting the glass as he skimmed your fresh-showered body. "Thanks."

"Of course." Cross picked up his own glass, taking a sip, eyes still diligently stripping you on their own. You shivered slightly, setting down your glass and looking up at him. "Dinner's ready," He mumbled, leaning in, pressing a hand to the counter of either side of you, leaving your back to the counter. "But I would much rather start with dessert."

You drew in a breath as he pressed his lips to your neck, drawing out a sigh with his teeth. You wrapped your arms around his neck, humming in agreement, and he scooped you up. Your groaned as he drew your legs around his lips, shifting, the agitating heat pooling back between your legs. "That's a good idea." You mumbled, whimpering as he bucked his hips slightly. "I just showered, though."

"Then we can take another one," He hissed, lips covering yours. "You're so damn intoxicating."

You mumbled something against his lips, unable to get a coherent response out as he dropped you on the bed. You bounced briefly, giggling, and he yanked off his shirt and joined you, climbing over you and hovering. "Come here, sweetheart," His finger traced over your shirt between your breasts, running down to the hem. "Let's end the day on a good note."

You whimpered, neck straining as you leaned up for his kiss, and you felt Cross snarl against you, tugging your surrendered form up closer to him. Your body relaxed again, neck loosening and head back against the pillow as he tugged your own shirt up, eyes gleaming with a primal eagerness that made you swoon, ready to work out the agitation for the day you both had.

#crosshair x reader #bad batch crosshair x reader #bad batch au #hitman crosshair #bad batch reader insert #clone force 99 reader insert #crosshair #crosshair x you #minty writes

[akitokihojo]

Monster - Chapter 4

Hang onto your butts... This one's on the longer side!

chapter index

----------

“Who?”

“Sango.” Kagome answered as steadily as possible.

“Who are they?” Inuyasha was intentionally bouncing questions off of her quickly to see how she’d answer, to see how her body language would respond. Would she flinch? Twitch? Shift her eyes to the left, or waver in any way, shape, or form?

“M-my friend.”

There. Sure, the stammer could be written off as her anxiety, but she didn’t elaborate when it was clear that this was the opportunity to do so.

“Why are you looking for them?” He reached anyway.

Kagome cursed herself. She was a quick-thinker, but her mind felt so muddled. She was still uneasy, uncomfortable, and frightened, and it impeded any ability she had to cover her own ass. She was usually a good liar, but she was in the most unfair disposition of all right now.

She gnawed her bottom lip, playing it off as she thought up something. “She went out a few days ago and hasn’t returned yet.”

“And, they sent you to look for her?”

“I left on my own.”

Inuyasha sighed out through his nose, the breath clenched in his throat and sounding almost like the breaking waters of the sea in his own ears. He shut his eyes, tilting his head and resting his cheek on the arm he used to hold the girl’s hands above her head. He gave himself a moment before continuing on, glancing back down at her with patient eyes.

“Tell me the truth. What are you really doing out here?” He demanded, and he watched her face flush instantaneously.

He’d seen right through her the whole time. What else could she have said? The truth was out of the question, so she didn’t know what else to give him in response. Decidedly, Kagome kept her mouth shut.

Her fearful expression was pressing, brown eyes unintentionally guilting him. Why wouldn’t she just tell him? “Are you in danger?”

Still, she didn’t speak.

“Come on, kid, you gotta give me something to work with. Are you on the run?”

“No.” Kagome shook her head.

“Are you in danger?” He asked again.

“No.” She said.

Both truths.

“Do you live nearby?”

She hesitated that time, but chose to answer in the end. “No. Not really.”

“So, what are you doing out here?”

Kagome bit her bottom lip out of habit, trying to steady herself. “I really am looking for someone.”

Inuyasha gave a dry chuckle. “But, you’re not gonna tell me who.”

She didn’t respond, eyes falling to his chest.

“Gonna stick with the Sango story?”

Kagome could only nod.

“Alright.” Inuyasha accepted. He occupied his freehand, removing his sword in its sheath from the loop in his belt and dropping them to the leaf-covered earth. He moved to unlatch the buckle in the center, pushing the free end of the worn leather through the metal bracket.

“What are you doing?” Kagome asked, her nerves suddenly spiking again. She pushed herself further against the tree to shy away from him as much as she could.

“Hey, calm down. It’s not what you think.” He immediately stated, trying to fend off her discomfort. “I didn’t bring rope along with me, so this is gonna have to do until we can get back to my things.”

“Rope for what?”

“What do you think?”

“I told you there’s no bounty.” Kagome argued. “What do want with me?”

“Listen, I don’t know what’s going on, but bounty or not, you’re still acting suspicious. It’s usually a good idea to keep people like you close in case anything arises.”

“Like what?”

“Answers, first of all. Look, until I find out if money will eventually be offered for you, someone is looking for you, or if something’s wrong and you’re involved, you’re sticking with me.” He said with a sense of finality, pulling his undone belt from the loops in his pants.

“But, none of those things are the case.” Kagome said, more defeated than she’d ever sounded before. She granted him an indignant stare. “You’re wasting your time.”

Inuyasha lowered her hands in front of her, pleased that she wasn’t struggling. Her wrists were small, so it was very easy to keep them secure with just one of his palms, and he began wrapping the leather around them, fastening it tightly so she wouldn’t be able to pull her hands right out.

“I’ve got a gut feeling that I’m really not.” He shrugged his brows, giving a little tug on the belt to make sure it wasn’t too loose. “Can you still feel your fingers?”

“For now.” She replied impassively. Kagome sighed out, her shoulders dropping. As of right now, she had zero energy remaining in her to fight. She’d expended everything she had the day before, with Hiten, and then now while she attempted to escape this guy. The few hours of sleep she’d stolen were barely doing a thing for her at this point, and as her adrenaline levels trickled away, she could feel just how fatigued she truly was. This was just too much commotion in the span of twenty-four hours. So, she reluctantly gave in to her savior-turned-captor.

Honestly, with his tone having relaxed and the way he now handled her, she didn’t feel the danger she did just moments ago. And, that was more dangerous than anything. She should feel scared in this sort of situation, she should be nervous, she should be trying to get away and fight him off. Now would have been a good time to use her spiritual powers, and yet she felt it was the wrong thing to do. He was taking her captive, and she felt wrong for thinking to use her powers on him. Her exhaustion had to be getting to her more than she’d thought. He said he wasn’t going to hurt her a moment ago, and she legitimately believed him.

What sort of mess was she in for?

Inuyasha leaned down and grabbed his sword from the ground, his other hand busy holding the belt between her forearms. He gave a small pull and they were on their way, which thanks to her, was going to take much longer. Not only was he going to have to actually walk, because he wasn’t about to carry the girl all the way back to his destination and he didn’t think she could manage running several miles right now - or even a fast-paced walk at that, but they were also significantly off course. It wasn’t entirely her fault, given he’d had to pursue Hiten for quite a ways before she’d shown up, but once she took off like a bat out of hell, the trek back became even worse. His bet: they’d be in the area just before the sun set.

The girl hadn’t said a word. She kept up fairly well, didn’t give him any reason to yank her wrists so she’d go a little faster, didn’t struggle, didn’t do much of anything, really. A couple times when he’d stolen a glance back at her, she was observing the scenery, eyes half-lidded. There were a few occurrences where she’d lost her footing and slid down hills and he’d had to catch her. He didn’t criticize her. It would have been natural for him to criticize her, but something inside told him she wouldn’t be able to bite back right now. Though, when she’d apologized for her stumbling, even her whispers were barely coherent. From that point on, down any slope or hill they traveled over, he moved slowly, stabilized her properly, and supported her the whole way down.

Finally, he could see the area he’d accidentally dropped his shit in. Hiten was quick, and his bag wasn’t worth grabbing in the heat of the moment. Luckily, no one had wandered through the woods and snagged it. Even more luckily, they weren’t all that far from the family who’d initially offered him the lump sum. They were close to stopping for the night.

Inuyasha dropped his sword to the ground before turning and undoing the leather from around her wrists, allowing her a minute to shake her hands and rub out the indentations they’d left behind. Then, he gestured for her to get on her knees beside him, moving with her so she didn’t get uncomfortable with him still standing. He could understand how that could be misperceived, and he wasn’t about that whatsoever.

“I want your hand on me. Anywhere.” He said while he kneeled. The girl went ahead and rested on her butt for the moment, legs crossed in front of her. At her suspicious side-eye, he went ahead and elaborated, swallowing his chuckle at her silent judgement. “I don’t want you running off while I’m distracted. Come on, just hold my clothes or something.”

Kagome sighed, reaching over and slipping her fingers into his closest, available pocket just as he turned to rummage through his bag of belongings. If he’d been paying attention by now, he’d have been well aware that she didn’t have it in her to challenge him to a race again. Therefore, the physical contact was completely unnecessary. Kagome wasn’t going anywhere, but alternatively she didn’t have the energy to argue either.

Inuyasha couldn’t fight the humored grin that grew on his lips, and as he pulled the rope out of the pouch of his bag, he shifted around to look at the girl. “I like how you went for my back pocket.”

Realizing where her fingers were, Kagome hastily pulled her hand free, opting to grab onto the top hem of his pants, instead. There was no hiding her embarrassment but she tried anyway, turning her head off to the side to stare at the warm glow cast through the treetops, accenting the forest beautifully with golds, oranges, and pinks that were only granted for an hour or so throughout the day. His laughter made her cheeks burn hotter. She could literally feel the maddening blush on the bridge of her nose and just beneath her eyes, and she wished he’d just let it go without teasing her. She hadn’t been paying attention when she’d reached over. She hadn’t noticed she was touching his butt, and it was most definitely innocent and not meant inappropriately.

“It’s fine,” He rasped between chuckles, reaching for her wrist at the back of his hip. He shifted around to face her, enjoying her humility far too much. “Little pervert.”

“Stop it.” She whispered, scrunching her nose. He liked it.

“What? All you had to do was ask.” Inuyasha pestered, gesturing for her other hand.

“You’re a jerk.” Kagome huffed.

“I know, I know.” He smirked, shrugging his brows carelessly as he began constructing a knot around her wrists. As per usual, he tied it tight, making sure there was no room for error. Women, in general, had small hands and wrists and could weasel their way out of snares, so he was naturally inclined to avoid those mistakes. Her wince had him inadvertently pausing, glancing up to make sure she was alright and then loosening the reins a tad. For some reason, for some odd and interesting reason, he didn’t want to treat her like she was as disposable as the other people he sought out. There was no reason to. Her description wasn’t on any lists that he’d seen, and he knew, he just knew, she was mixed up in something else. Something bigger that she wasn’t yet willing to talk about. Yes, she was in his captivity. Yes, he would hand her over if someone was looking. But, the bruise around her throat had him feeling she didn’t deserve any sort of abrasive treatment at the moment. No matter how much attitude she’d presented to him a while ago.

“Too tight?” Inuyasha asked as he finished off the knot, leaving a long tail so that he could keep her close without having to hold her wrists anymore.

“What do you care?” She quietly sassed.

“Would you rather I didn’t?” He countered.

“It’s fine.” Kagome finally answered, giving her fingers a faint wiggle to make sure blood was still flowing to them.

Inuyasha nodded in a that’s-what-I-thought fashion, sticking the tail of rope beneath his boot to keep her next to him. He threaded the belt back through the loops in his trousers, then pulled a canteen of water from his bag. Removing the cap, and without a second thought, he handed it to the girl, making sure she had a proper grip on it between her closely-tied hands before releasing it completely. There was more than enough slack in the rope for her to be able to lift the bottle to her lips, and she took a quick sip, aiming to hand it back immediately after.

“Drink it.”

“What about you?”

“Don’t need it. Not as much as you. Don’t want you keeling over on me.” He said, waiting for her to raise it back to her mouth. When there was hesitation, he continued. “I’m serious, kid. Drink it. I know you’re thirsty.”

Kagome started drinking full gulps, the tepid water still soothing to her dry, irritated throat. She slowed down so she wouldn’t upset her stomach, ignoring the fact that the demon was eyeing her. She’d noticed it several times their entire trip there, and not once could she grasp why he studied her. Again, she just didn’t have the energy to ask. She also didn’t want to give him attention if that was what he was seeking, so she actively pretended she never noticed it.

“Better?” He asked, holding his hand out for the empty bottle. The girl nodded, giving it back and rubbing her lips together to spread the moisture from the water over them. He capped the canteen, tossing it back in his bag and shutting it. “What’s your name?”

Her brown eyes held steady on his for a moment, searching for something, maybe even thinking of a reason as to why she should answer him.

“What’s yours?” She asked in return.

“Inuyasha.”

“That’s right,” She nodded slowly. “I remember Hiten saying that now.”

There was another beat of silence, and Inuyasha had to give himself a mental clap on the back. Patience had never been his virtue, and though he wanted to grind his teeth every time he had to wait for an answer, he was still holding composure well.

“My name’s Kagome.”

“Alright, Kagome,” He spoke, throwing the straps of his bag over his shoulders. He stood, putting Tessaiga back in its rightful place on his hip and then stepped off of the rope, reaching down to grab her by the arms and help her stand faster than he was sure she would have on her own. “Let’s get going.”

“Where, exactly, are we going?”

“I’ve got some people I need to talk to. They’re less than a mile or so from here. Then, we’ll be finding a good place to set up for the night.”

She didn’t say anything thereafter, simply accepting his answer and following him along. He held onto the rope, and she continued to keep up well enough so there was slack. The last thing she wanted was to be yanked forward if she’d drifted behind a bit, and she really wouldn’t put it passed him to do so. Kagome could only imagine it would make her feel like a dog on a leash.

The thought had her attention shooting toward the top of his head. His pointed ears matched the shade of his hair, triangular in shape, sometimes swiveling to catch sounds in the woodlands. She was intrigued by them, watching them for several paces. She’d met a couple of humanoid demons before, aside from Naraku’s goons, but none of them quite held the physical characteristics Inuyasha did.

“Cat or dog?” The question had slipped off her tongue before she’d caught it, and even though she’d never much intended to ask, feeling like she was intruding on personal information, it also felt harmless. And, if he declined to answer, it wasn’t going to hurt her feelings.

Inuyasha glanced at Kagome from over his shoulder, brows furrowed in curiosity. The question came out of left field, and he couldn’t help but be surprised that she was feeling a little talkative now. Truthfully, he was enjoying the silence, but so long as she didn’t yap his ears off, then he was fine.

Ears. It was his ears. She was asking because of his ears.

“What’s your guess?” He queried, his tone low and casual.

Kagome made a small sound as she pondered, not immediately answering. “Cat?”

Inuyasha’s ears twitched in offense, and his lips curled in repulsion. “What?”

“Am I wrong?” She inquired innocently. “I only thought it made sense since you’re kind of feisty like a cat, too.”

Abruptly, he stopped walking. The statement stung his pride, and he couldn’t blame anybody but himself for that one. He should have just answered. Always tell them, never let them guess. Rookie mistake. Inuyasha scrunched his nose, looking back at the girl and shaking his head.

“Oh. So, dog?” Her tone still held soft.

He merely nodded in reply, his lips pressed into a thin line.

“Sorry.” Kagome whispered.

“I’m half.” Inuyasha said, after a long moment of silence, clearing his throat. They’d continued walking, and he could smell the scents of the small, homely town ahead. Dinners were being made, people were beginning to head indoors, and he didn’t sense an ounce of chaos. Meaning, Naraku’s men had chosen a good day to fuck off.

“Half?”

“You’re wondering why I’ve got dog ears, right?” He guessed. “It’s because I’m a half demon, or hanyou, so some of my features are mixed.”

It made sense now why his demonic aura wasn’t as pronounced as Hiten’s when she’d first seen him. He only had half the power. Frankly, it didn’t completely add up to her. She didn’t sense an even division. His demonic blood was there, and it demanded acknowledgment, it just wasn’t as prominent as any other demon’s she’d encountered. If he’d said he wasn’t completely demon, she’d have believed him just as well, but she was honestly surprised, with the energy she felt radiating from him, that he was only half. Whomever his bloodline originated with must have been incredibly formidable.

What had the majority of Kagome’s interest was how he so openly admitted to who or what he was. Conjurers weren’t the only ones being wiped out of existence. So were hanyou. Half demon’s had actually been ostracized since before Naraku showed face, Naraku just upped the ante. Some humans reproachably saw them as tainted, vile creatures. They looked at demons as a breed one should never mate with, and if a baby was born between the two species, it was hated from the moment of conception. The same was said about demons. To mate with a human was taboo and nearly unheard of. Demons spoke of hanyou as if they were disgusting, unworthy, and offensive to their kind. Demons refused to claim half-breeds as one of their own, and humans did the same. The only people half demons could rely on were their families.

Kagome had met one when she was around fifteen. She, Miroku, and Sango were out being reckless, their typical M.O., and Miroku had scraped his leg up pretty bad near the outskirts of a nearby village. Jinenji was the sweetest person she’d ever met. He didn’t laugh, didn’t criticize, hardly said a word, and blushed if either of the girls made eye contact with him. His mother, on the other hand, was slightly frightening, but Kagome supposed that’s where their family dynamic found balance. Her son was large, apparently malformed, and to a closed-minded person, terrifying. So, the rest of the village judged him harshly and outcasted him, never treated him fairly, and were even cruel and violent at times. Jinenji was timid and gentle. He was educated in herbal remedies, making medicines, and could even dish out basic horticulture. He was helpful, good, strong, and kind. He was a living, breathing being. Jinenji had a beating heart, a brain, and blood running through his veins just like everyone else. He deserved the same respect humans and demons expected.

It was there that Kagome had first learned of a half demon’s mistreatment. Jinenji’s mother explained how difficult it was for him growing up, how some half demons come out “pretty,” while others not so much. She explained the unjustified wrath their mere existence created, and the three teenagers felt sick to their stomachs hearing such a thing. Never could Kagome understand anyone’s logic for condemning someone or something just for living.

So, she couldn’t imagine Inuyasha’s past or the amount of trials he’s experienced. That’s why she wondered how he seemed so okay telling her he was of mixed blood. Maybe he didn’t care because he was strong and could fend for himself, so he wasn’t worried about others knowing who he was. Maybe it was because his traits were visible, and even obvious to other demons since they could easily tell a half-breed from a full blood, and he’d potentially be outed either way if they ran into one. Had he had it hard? Had he ever run into Naraku’s men? If so, had they ever succeeded in doing something horrible to him? Attempted to kill him? Kagome blinked the thoughts away, shying her gaze to the earth as they walked. She didn’t want to feel sympathy for her captor.

“I’m only gonna be a minute.” Inuyasha started as he unsuspectingly stopped directly in front of a slim tree. “If you need anything, just call for me. I’ll hear you.”

“Wait, what?” Kagome questioned. He’d started wrapping the slack of her rope around the tree trunk, fastening her to stand close to it and knotting the rope in a fashion that she wouldn’t be able to reach. She looked around, only seeing woodland, and she wondered just where the hell Inuyasha was about to head off to.

“Trust me.” He dismissed.

“You honestly expect me to trust you? After all this?” She grimaced.

“Or not.” He chuckled, shrugging dismissively. “Just don’t scream. It’ll be more annoying than anything.”

Kagome groaned, her head dropping back. “Where are you going?”

“I told you, I need to talk to someone. I’ll be back.”

“It’ll be dark soon.”

“I’ll be right back.” He repeated more firmly. When she only stared at him through furrowed brows, he took his leave, confident that he would be near enough to hear her in case she needed help. She could be grumpy all she wanted, it didn’t matter to him.

He approached the yard carefully, smelling each occupant of the home from outside, their freshly baked bread, cooking meat, and recently-burned incense. This was usually his favorite part of a job, but at this point, it was just a courtesy. He didn’t know if this would be comforting for anyone, really.

“Inuyasha.” He’d heard the voice from his right and spotted a young girl that was no more than fourteen donned in a blue dress. The remaining daughter of the household. He’d made light of her older sister’s death earlier in the day, sure, but that was never something he’d do to the family’s face. He understood that this was difficult and painful for them all, and he wouldn’t disrespect someone who felt so distraught that they were willing to pay for the revenge of their daughter’s murder. The girl perked up a little taller when he looked at her, running over his way with more brightness than he’d expected, her long, brown hair bouncing over her shoulders. “Inuyasha’s back!”

From inside, he could hear her family stumbling to race out, her father appearing first, then the mother who looked so incredibly exhausted that he was surprised her legs cooperated with her to jog over.

“Did you - did you find him? Or are you still looking?” The father asked, and his eyes weren’t subtle as they looked around for evidence of Hiten’s demise.

Kagome had rested her head against the tree, her eyes closed, the bark sort of smooth, pleasant, and cool to the touch. It made sense that he had to leave her. Couldn’t very well walk around with a hostage like it was a casual occurrence. Did it make it acceptable? Absolutely not. She was substantially more vulnerable than any reasonable person would prefer to be. Tied up, drained of all energy, and alone; she was doomed if anyone stumbled upon her.

Not too far off, Kagome could hear a girl shout happily, and she swore she’d heard Inuyasha’s name, bringing her ears to hone in and focus. Inuyasha was really that close? For some reason, despite what he’d said, she’d expected him to be further off, carelessly leaving her to fend for herself. When he said to trust him, he was giving her legitimate reason to trust. What was with this guy? He was so hot and cold, Kagome wasn’t sure how to read him.

A man spoke next, bringing Kagome back to the present, his tone excited but deep with worry. Did he find him? Who?

“Look, before I say anything, I want you to know that I don’t need nor expect anything in return. I’m just here to let you know that the job is done. Hiten’s gone, but take the money off the table.”

“Wh-what happened?” The mother breathed.

“What do you mean?” Her husband followed.

“Just what it sounds like.” Inuyasha replied.

“He’s gone, or he’s dead?”

“Both, but ultimately, he’s dead.”

“Then, where is he?”

“Unfortunately, things got a little out of hand. I had no choice but to use a powerful attack, which in turn, destroyed his body. There’s nothing left of him.” Inuyasha said.

Right. There was a bounty over Hiten’s head; Kagome remembered the whole reason their little argument had sparked, which was what got her here in the first place. It was a family who’d hired him, though? She couldn’t help but wonder what Hiten had done to make them send Inuyasha after him to begin with.

“Are you sure?” A woman asked, her voice wavering with obvious sadness.

“I swear.”

“How are we supposed to believe you without a body, Inuyasha?” A man spoke harshly. The same man as before. “What if you failed, you’re just backing out because he’s stronger than you, and the moment our guard is down is the moment Hiten will come back for my other daughter?”

“He won’t.” Inuyasha responded, his tone direct and deep.

So, Hiten had killed one of his daughters. That malicious, heartless, stone cold creep. Kagome almost hoped Inuyasha would tell them he had a witness. If he came back and grabbed her, she’d testify for him. He did kill Hiten. He carried out his mission, and the only reason he didn’t have proof to calm this family’s upset was because of her. She’d tell them that, too. He didn’t deserve this heat.

“I guarantee you Hiten is dead and won’t be coming back for anyone else.”

“How are we supposed to believe you?” The man asked again, this time more emphatically.

“You don’t have to. I understand your position, but like I said, I don’t expect the money. I failed to bring back his body, but I made sure to take care of the problem no matter what. You’ll see in due time that Hiten can’t take anything more from your family.”

“And, if he does come back, it’ll be too late to -“

“Honey, stop.” The woman spoke gently. Kagome felt horrible. Awful. Inuyasha had made it seem like he was entirely in it for the money; he’d never told her there were people actually depending on him on the other end of it all.

“Papa, he’s gotta be telling the truth.” A younger girl spoke. The first voice Kagome had heard. “He doesn’t want the payment you’d offered. Think about it, if he was backing out because he wasn’t strong enough - like you said, why would he even bother coming to see us when he could just be on his way?”

“There’s no way I’m weaker than that scrawny bastard.” Inuyasha murmured under his breath, rolling his eyes.

Finally, there was someone sensible, and Kagome breathed a small sigh of relief.

“Look,” Came Inuyasha’s voice, and even Kagome could tell he was leaning on the fed up side. “Hiten’s dead, the job’s taken care of, you got your revenge, your daughter can rest in peace or whatever you guys say nowadays, and I’m leaving.”

“Wait,” The mother spoke, and the hanyou halted mid-turn, his head dropping to his shoulder impatiently. “I believe you. W-we believe you. Please forgive my husband, this is just hard for us all. Take the money.”

“I don’t want your money.”

“We insist.” Her husband spoke, and even though there was clear reluctance in his body language, there was authenticity in his statement. “If you vouch that he’s gone for good, there’s no reason not to believe you. You deserve the payment.”

“Keep it.” Inuyasha said. It was better for them, anyway. Maybe they didn’t know the exact way their daughter died considering he found out through Hiten, himself, and if that was the case, they were better off. Nonetheless, he was aware. It was a sick way to go. Even if he brought back the thunder demon’s body for them as promised, there was a good chance he would have declined payment anyway.

“Okay, then please stay the night. It’s getting late. The least we can provide is a roof over your head and a nice meal as thanks.” The woman offered.

“I appreciate it, but I can’t stay. I’ve got someone waiting for me.”

“A girl?” The young one said almost too elatedly. She must have been the type to always have her nose in romance novels.

“Something like that.” Inuyasha deliberated, bobbing his head to the side.

Kagome huffed, grimacing. That punk.

“Oh, how sweet!”

“If she only knew.” Kagome sighed.

“Well, then I insist you take some food with you! For dinner!” The woman pressed, and it seemed like her spirits had lifted minutely.

“That, I will take.” Inuyasha accepted, giving an appreciative nod.

It was another few minutes before Kagome heard Inuyasha’s footsteps approaching, and she watched the direction he was coming in. The sunset was no longer visible throughout the woodlands, a haze of blues beginning to trickle through as dusk invited itself forward. The air was beginning to get nippier, and she was worried, depending on how much further he wanted to go until he called it a night, that it would be pitch black before they stopped.

Inuyasha’s amber eyes met hers for a moment until he got close, his clawed fingers going straight for the knot he’d fastened.

“You okay?” He asked.

“Mhm.” Kagome hummed, giving a small nod.

“I didn’t hear anything, so I’m guessing no surprises popped out at you.”

She hummed a decline that time, the shake of her head minor. The knot came free, and he allowed the tail of the rope to drop from the trunk of the tree, not immediately snagging it until she took a few steps back, and even then, he was relaxed with his grip. It was like he was testing her. That’s the only explanation that could make sense. Either that, or he was really bad at taking victims alive. The killing part, he seemed to have down. Was he waiting to see if she’d jerk away and make a run for it? Maybe giving chase would be fun for him; he was a dog. Maybe he was seeing if she’d take a mile if he gave an inch. She didn’t much see the point of it. Additionally, he didn’t bother putting anything in or over her mouth before. She could have screamed. He and the family were so close, all she needed to do was scream and his cover would have been blown. Hero facade in the mud. But, she didn’t.

She didn’t.

She didn’t?

Why the hell hadn’t she screamed? Sure, it would have been hoarse as all hell, maybe even muted when her voice gave out, but other people would have been alerted to her situation. She would have had a chance to get away. Why didn’t she scream? He’d even told her not to - literally brought up the idea to her - and still, she didn’t think about doing so afterward. Kagome couldn’t help but worry about her survival instincts that had apparently washed down the drain sometime between this afternoon and now.

Or, maybe it was her survival instincts at play that had prevented her from making a noise. He’d warned her not to. He could have gotten violent if she’d disobeyed him. Maybe even killed the family for finding out his secret.

No. She knew next to nothing about this guy, but she could tell he wasn’t evil. It was in her blood to sense evil, and he wasn’t that. There was something warm about him. Something she’d noticed immediately. Something she’d picked up before he’d even appeared to help her. Something she didn’t like to admit he harbored. He had rough people skills, that’s for sure, but there wasn’t a wretched trait about his aura.

“We’ll just go a little further. I don’t like being close to towns at night.”

“Why not?” She inquired, swallowing her mistakes and trying to forget them.

“Naraku’s bitches.” Inuyasha answered. “It’s one thing if you’re staying in an inn, but if they smell you right outside the village, they like to try and sneak up on you.”

“I take it, you have experience with this?”

“Yeah. Consider yourself lucky you don’t.”

They walked for about thirty minutes, and Inuyasha had to carefully guide the girl, keeping her close as they crept through trees, nowhere near a trail. The way he preferred it. He didn’t smell anything that didn’t seem to belong in the air, no demons were around, and it was quiet as the night settled in. He had decided on a cozy, little spot, not too far off from a rushing water source.

“Here. Sit.” He said, tying her slack to a slim, dying tree beside her. “Give me five minutes to grab some wood for a fire.”

Kagome didn’t respond before he walked off, unable to see him after a certain point but still listening for his footsteps to drift away. Even after she could no longer hear anything but the chirping crickets, she waited, gently chewing on the plush of her bottom lip while she gave ample timing as cushion. As soon as Kagome felt it was sufficient enough, she quickly dove her fingers into the side of her boot, maneuvering around awkwardly as she finagled the small, hidden dagger out. Inuyasha had left just enough slack in the rope between her wrists and the tree that if she lifted her calf a bit, twisting at her hips, she could reach what she was looking for.

Survival instincts back in action!

The positioning of her knife was weird as she aimed to cut the tail of her rope away, but just as the sharp blade touched the underside of it to start slicing upward, Kagome stopped. Why did she stop? There was a cold sensation budding in her abdomen as she pictured herself running away. Was she afraid? It wasn’t like he could use his weapon on her. Last she saw, it wasn’t much of a weapon anymore. That isn’t to say there wasn’t some sort of otherworldly malfunction and it’s back to supersized mode - he hadn’t said a thing about it since, so there was no way of knowing.

The thing was, as she sat there frozen, prepped to start breaking her ties, there were no intrusive thoughts like before when she went to leave home. They were all her own; confused, jumbled, messy, and scattered. She didn’t know which way was up in her head. Why wasn’t she freeing herself yet?

Kagome twisted her face in frustration, mentally fighting with herself. She didn’t have time for this. If she was going to run for it, she needed to do it now. Now. Do it now! Why wasn’t she doing it!? That cold feeling had spread throughout her entire torso, encroaching on her heart. She was afraid, but it was of herself. What the hell was wrong with her? She had an objective, and she wasn’t going to get anything done tied up and dragged around by this dog demon.

As long as she was bound by rope, she was in danger. So, why didn’t she feel like she was in danger? The battle with herself ran so deep, Kagome felt so conflicted, aggravated, that she squeezed the handle of her dagger with excessive force until a sharp pain pierced the injury on her left palm, almost bringing her to drop her knife out of reaction. Her gasp was shuddered, and she crinkled her nose as she hissed in an attempt to will the sudden pain away. It was just another thing she didn’t have time for.

Why would she willingly stay a victim when she had an opening to save herself? Why would Kagome accept captivity? More ambiguously, what in her right mind made her want to trust Inuyasha? He was out for money. For all she knew, he would sell her off to the first person who offered him a coin. Just because he’d saved her life before, didn’t mean he was permanently on her side - the restraints were proof of that. Just because he said he wouldn’t hurt her, didn’t mean he meant it forever. It could have been an in-the-moment sort of thing, and she should know better than this. He pulled out his sword against her. The message behind it was loud and clear. His intentions meant harm. Like she said before, the guy was hot and cold. He went from arrogant teasing one moment to threatening her well-being the next, all over an insult. She should be heeding his unstable temperament, and she should feel evil in his aura.

But, she didn’t. And, that was what kept her ass on the ground. How stupid. How utterly and unforgivably stupid of her. Despite everything, she really did believe he wasn’t going to hurt her. Oh god, Kagome couldn’t take this anymore. Never in her life had she been this mad at herself, the intensity only growing bolder as she gave up and slid the knife back into her boot.

Kagome crumbled, almost wanting to cry from the frustration she felt, overwhelming and subduing the cold that had attempted to control her core, and she dropped her face into her hands. From this point on, if she got hurt, it was her own damn fault. If he sold her, that was her fault too. It turns out, as troubling and trivial as it was, she really just wanted to see where things led. No one said she was the smartest risk taker, even she was aware of the hazards of her own curiosity. If things got worse, perilous, she had the knife. She could make a run for it at any moment, and she forced herself to believe that it was a comfort.

“I’m gonna be fine,” Kagome breathed to herself, pleading her mind to rest. “I’m gonna be fine. Everything’s gonna be okay.”

“Hey,” The gruff voice was directly and unsuspectingly above her, and it startled Kagome. Inadvertently, still high strung from upsetting her own nerves, she shot to sit up straight. She hadn’t realized Inuyasha was standing so close, hadn’t realized he was leaned over her, and the back of her head harshly collided with the front of his, bringing the hanyou to his knees as she instantly jolted to clutch her sore spot. The ties made it impossible to reach, but the pain had brought her to curl back up anyway, folding beneath her forearms, her breath caught in her throat.

“What the fuck,” Inuyasha groaned, holding his palm to his forehead. “Why would you do that!?”

“I’m sorry! You scared me!” Kagome whined, her head throbbing. “God, is your skull made out of rock or something!?”

“I could say the same fucking thing to you!”

“When did you even get back?” She asked, finally beginning to unfurl from her ball. “Make a noise or something.

“I did! You were just too busy having a breakdown to notice!” He argued.

“I was not having a breakdown.” Kagome proclaimed, shooting him a glare.

Inuyasha’s mouth was opened to respond something snarky, but he froze. Again, his nose was offended by the smell of salt. The moonlight shining through the trees hit her skin perfectly, accentuating her fair color with cool hues. The skin beneath her eyes was wet, and tears were gliding down her cheeks.

“You’re… crying.” He mentioned, appearing more confused than anything. He was literally gone for no more than five minutes - seven minutes at the most since he filled up his canteen at the river. So, what the hell had happened? She was fine when he’d left her. If there was one thing he didn’t know how to handle more than women, it was their emotions, and he was about ready to pretend he didn’t see a damn thing.

“Yeah, I just got hurt! Of course, I’m crying!” Kagome stated matter-of-factly, playing it off well. In her own defense, she was on the brink of tears before he showed up. His skull just pushed her over the edge.

Inuyasha grunted, rolling his eyes and giving one final rub to his tender forehead before pushing himself back to a standing. “Big baby.”

“Takes one to know one.” Kagome grumbled, her upper lip curling with attitude.

The half demon rolled his eyes, intentionally ignoring her remark as he went about structuring the wood and kindling he’d collected for the fire. He got some embers sparking pretty quickly, the flames developing and growing, and Inuyasha stabilized it’s rise by adding more wood. He’d shrugged off his bag when he’d gotten back, so he sauntered over to it and pulled out the bottle of water, taking a quick swig before walking over to the girl. This time, he felt he’d done the right thing by pretending not to notice her hastily wiping her tears away with her captured wrists knotted together.

“Thirsty?”

Kagome shook her head, keeping her eyes low.

“Come on.” He groaned.

“No, thank you.” She whispered.

“Fine.” He rasped, shutting the canteen and tossing it on top of his bag as he gave her space. The hanyou took the opportunity to finally, finally, silence the burning question at the back of his mind. It had been pressing him since the moment it had occurred, and took every bit of self control he had - which wasn’t much to begin with - not to figure out the mystery sooner. With chasing the mouthy girl, swallowing his anger and calming her down so she wouldn’t hyperventilate, and then crossing several miles to get back to the family who’d hired him at a decent enough time, he had no fucking choice but to let the question remain unanswered. The sword on his hip quivered now and again throughout the journey, giving him reminders he didn’t need that it had failed him for the first time in forever. They were lucky he wasn’t solely dependent on it as a weapon and was perfectly capable of fending off anyone and anything with his bare hands.

He gave himself plenty of room between he and the pouting girl, facing the trees, the fingers of his right hand doing a slow dance over the hilt of Tessaiga. Interestingly enough, he could still feel the demonic energy soaring off of it, reacting positively to his own touch. Nothing had changed there. Then, he took a firm grasp of the handle, pulling Tessaiga out of its sheath where the demonic power strengthened. What once sat battered and weak, dull, and nonthreatening, was now strong, thick, sharp, and mighty. His abdomen tensed beneath its weight as he supported his body properly, a muddled sensation filling him as he could only wonder what the fuck had happened before. Inuyasha stuck the top portion of his sword into the earth, allowing it to stand on its own while he turned to face Kagome. She was already looking over, wide, brown eyes glued to Tessaiga before shifting over to him.

“What the hell did you do?” The hanyou asked gruffly.

“What?” Was the only response Kagome could muster. She knew exactly what he was referring to, but how in the world was this falling back on her?

“My sword didn’t transform when I pulled it out on you. What did you do?” He asked again.

“Nothing.” She said defensively, brows pinching together. The half demon merely cocked a brow at her, crossing his arms over his chest, and she knew he was waiting for a real answer, but this was as real as it could get. “I didn’t do anything, Inuyasha. I honestly thought your sword was naturally gigantic. I didn’t even know swords could transform. I mean, it’s not everyday you see a letter opener turn into an ogre killer in one swoop.”

“So then, what did you do?”

“Are you not listening?”

“Hard to understand anything you’re saying really.”

“Oh my god, is this the extent of your maturity level? You get a little aggravated and then turn to insults because that’s your first layer of defense mechanisms? The joke’s dead, buddy. My voice is messed up, I look like crap, I’m short, we get it. Now just talk to me like I’m a person, because I’m doing the same with you. I did not do anything to your precious sword.”

She watched him flex his jaw, heard the heated exhale from his nose, but his vibrant, golden eyes stayed attached to her. His arms tensed behind their black sleeves, still crossed but communicating a more obvious upset.

“What could I have possibly done?” Kagome tried again. She honestly had no idea what more she could say to make him believe her. She’d felt it’s powerful energy when first seeing it, but she truly had no understanding that it was a transformative blade. There was no time to figure out those details. It was honestly one scenario to the next, and Kagome was none the wiser to anything but her own end of circumstances.

Inuyasha didn’t say anything, angry, perplexed, and ready to throw another jab her way. He needed answers more than he needed an infuriating argument, though. He had an idea. It was farfetched, but worth a shot. In his mind, Inuyasha pictured a life or death predicament. Quickly, he painted the scene. Men were surrounding them from all sides, and he needed to defend himself and Kagome. When he was a child, his father had told him that this sword, the Tessaiga, was created to protect. It could only be wielded and mastered if you harbored respect for humans, and was specifically granted to Inuyasha upon his father’s death. His dad died when Inuyasha was still young, and he wasn’t old or strong enough to control it - given the damn thing was ironically known as the sword of destruction. Then, when he was capable, the stupid weapon refused to work for him due to his temporary phase of wanting to find a way to become full demon. No one would have been able to say a fucking thing to him if he were one. No one would have been able to lay a finger on him or his mother had he found a way to transform himself. It wasn’t that simple or doable, though, and when he finally came to his senses, realizing he was just as proficient at fighting just as he was, the Tessaiga started revealing what it could do. It took years, but he could confidently say he’d about mastered the blade. And, he knew well that the quickest way to bring life to Tessaiga was the mindset to protect.

So, he imagined the danger vividly, the helpless, damsel in distress that Kagome was hiding behind his back while bandits encroached. With that in his mind, Inuyasha reached for the hilt of his sword, plucking the head of it from the ground as he faced the trees, threatening energy radiating and encircling the blade as it powered up for a wind scar. He waited, allowing the energy to stabilize at a specific level, and when it was there, the heat of the sword’s need to demolish its target slithering up his flexed forearms, Inuyasha branded Kagome as the enemy.

In his mind, she had her bow raised to him. Innocents were dead, lifeless on the floor all around, and she was gleefully covered in their blood, smiling as she pulled the arrow back. His temper was now directed at her, the need for justice was strong as he made it his mission to prevent her from killing anyone ever again. He wasn’t only doing this to protect himself. No, fuck it. He was doing it to protect anyone he could from her.

Inuyasha raised Tessaiga above his head, the lick of his blade’s passion burning at his palms, the skin of his arms beneath his shirt, and he closed his eyes to make sure his vision didn’t falter when he saw her innocently observing him. Adjusting his footing, the hanyou was able to swivel on his heel to face Kagome’s direction, bringing the sword down to about waist level to aim at her, but then he noticed the hot sensations along his flesh were simmering. Quickly. The fire of his sword’s determination was extinguished, the demonic energy evaporating, and the weight of his weapon diminished within a matter of seconds.

Blinking his eyes open, Inuyasha looked at his sword’s original, battered condition. It wasn’t lifeless, though. The entire thing, blade and hilt, were pulsating forcefully. Tessaiga was communicating with him. It was saying, No. It was saying, You can’t use this on her.

“Why the fuck not?” He breathed, almost inaudibly, before glancing up at the girl.

Kagome had been holding her breath, eyes wide and mouth hanging agape from the moment he’d faced her. She couldn’t even begin to think of what to do to save herself, and froze like a deer who’d been spotted eating the vegetables in your garden. Even as the thing wilted away to its sad, powerless form, she couldn’t quite yet grasp herself. Her entire body was tense where she sat, and when her brain started functioning again, the only thing she could bring herself to say, tremblingly as it may have been, was, “I-I didn’t do anything.”

“Relax.” He drawled, sighing deeply before he sheathed Tessaiga. “It was just a test.”

“Please - please - get a new test dummy.” Kagome shuddered, willing her muscles to unclench. There was no comfort in finding out there was no real threat to her life when her life had already flashed before her eyes.

“Turns out, it’s not you.” He grumbled. “It’s the sword.”

“Is it broken?”

“Did it look broken?” He retorted roughly.

Kagome chose not to answer that, pursing her lips and staring down at her hands. Her sassiness had gotten her into too much trouble already, and she felt like now was not the time to take the bait.

“It’s not broken.” Inuyasha quickly snipped, noticing her coy expression. “There’s just something about - no, you know what?” He was done waiting. He wanted answers, and he was going to get them. Why the fuck would Tessaiga specifically say he couldn’t use its power on her? It had never done that before, not to anyone. Not so long as the proper intentions were enforced. He’d pulled it on the wrong people before, and still, it stayed transformed. So, what was so special about this chick?

Inuyasha marched closer, pulling his weapon out by the sheath as he sat down beside the fire and set it at his side, staring at Kagome with fierce eyes. “Who the hell are you?”

“What?” Kagome asked after a moment’s hesitation.

“Who are you?”

“Kagome.” She answered unsurely. His lips had sealed, the orange and red tints from the flames dancing over the skin of his face, neck, and the opening of his chest in his shirt. The light created a hypnotic glow in his irises, accenting his color beautifully, but also aiding his steadfast gaze. “I’m Kagome. I’m eighteen. And, to you, I’m nobody.”

He didn’t like that answer. Nobody didn’t sit right with him. Not after his sword threw its own version of a hissy fit. Still, he felt it was sort of fair that that was all she gave. He wasn’t asking for her life story, and he hadn’t clarified what he was looking for. His eyes swept over her, studying for a moment before he spoke again, this time more mellow, less demanding.

“Alright, talk. What happened?”

He was referencing her marks, and Kagome couldn’t help but feel slightly self conscious like before, brown eyes shifting to the side briefly. “Naraku’s men.” She admitted.

It was like the heat from the fire pushed through the barrier of his skin to twist like a whirlwind within his gut. The expansion of warmth rode though the veins of his torso, up his neck, down his arms. Anytime he heard a damn thing about Naraku, or even the henchmen carrying out his orders, it instantly sent his blood into a boil. He refrained from saying anything, but she’d noticed his expressive shift and he was appreciative that she took that cue to elaborate.

“Their last inspection got a little out of hand. I stepped out of line.”

That’s what she was trying to say earlier. He was too vexed to hear her out, though.

“They’re still looking for those conjurers, huh?” He asked, rolling his eyes and shaking his head.

“Y-yeah.” Kagome nodded, her sight drifting downward. She stared at the ground, watching the glowing shadows bounce and dance along the dirt and sparse grass. Her stomach suddenly wrenched with guilt, with pain. She somehow hadn’t thought of this all day, and now that she was back in the moment, it hurt. It made her feel sick to think about it. It was something that couldn’t be neglected, though. These emotions, feelings, they needed to be felt, because if she pushed them aside until she was numb to them, they would only come back with a vengeance in the most self destructive manner. Kagome swallowed thickly, willing herself to appear composed. She needed to acknowledge these emotions, but she didn’t need to outwardly express them. They were hers to feel, and hers alone. “They - um - they found one. She was a little girl. Nine, I think.”

Inuyasha’s heart dropped, a lump quickly developing in the center of his throat. It had been a while since he’d heard of them actually finding one, let alone a prepubescent. Conjurers were a rarity. Those who held the powers were few and far between, and those who actually practiced their art were even rarer. But, a little girl? He knows it isn’t beyond them to do something so brutal, but that didn’t make it sit any easier. It tested his gag reflex just imagining the horrible crime, his stomach churning. Kagome had to watch it, though. She saw it all first hand. She was beaten for running out of line, and he was willing to put money down that he knew what for.

The girl wasn’t making eye contact, and he understood that this must have been traumatizing for her to witness, making the ordeal difficult to talk about. He wasn’t aggravated by waiting her out this time, nor was it pressing any limits. This was recent, and hard, and he could see her face paling even though the firelight wasn’t hitting her as well.

He focused on his olfaction, expecting to catch the scent of tears when instead he caught the hint of copper. Immediately, his eyes scanned her, looking for open wounds. Had their heads collided that hard to make her bleed? Her face was fine, her neck, her exposed chest all fine, the green of her sleeves weren’t stained, but then he stopped his trail at her bandaged hand. It was coming from there, and at the very edge, just beneath her pinky, he could see a red stain peeking through.

“Your hand.” Inuyasha mentioned instinctually. Kagome glanced at him curiously before redirecting her attention toward her restrained wrists. She opened up her palms to find the blood seeping through her bandages, and seemed just as surprised as he was, a small sound escaping her mouth. “Where’d that come from?”

“The inspection,” She explained. “It hasn’t healed yet.” Honestly, she was willing to bet she’d accidentally reopened the wound when she’d squeezed her dagger. That’s where the sharp pain had come from. How stupid. “There’s a little kit in my bag full of medical supplies. Would you mind fishing it out for me?”

“For what?”

“I need to change my bandages.”

Unenthusiastically, Inuyasha pushed himself from the ground, sauntering over toward the girl’s backside where he kneeled. He yanked the drawstring of the bag on her back loose, opening it up and reaching in for the kit, only having to shove a few things out of the way to get to it. At the side, he noticed her bottle for water and pulled that out, too. It was maybe less than half full, so he figured while he let her play around with her wrappings, he’d go fill it up for her. She didn’t need to be drinking his if she had her own.

Shutting her bag and pushing the kit a little closer for her to reach, he ignored her words of gratitude and mumbled a quick, “Be right back,” before wandering off into the woods and toward the river.

He kneeled on the rock, opening the canteen and dumping the old contents out before leaning over to fill it up with fresh water. He had a habit of closing his own bottle and shaking the water about to rinse the container, and as he fell into a deep train of thought, he allowed his habits to run their course. Honestly, he’d only seen a couple of inspections happen, and he had a reputation for not seeing them all the way through, instead breaking it up and challenging the mother fuckers to fight. The groups he’d seen were no match for him at all, and if they didn’t end up running away with their tails between their legs, they were dead on sight. He had zero tolerance for that horse shit, but because of that, in the end, he had limited insight on the ramifications of an uninterrupted inspection. Was walking away looking the way Kagome did normal? No. She’d said it had gotten out of hand, and she’d stepped out of line. Presumably, she’d stepped out of line to try and save the little girl who was being attacked. So, she was punished for that, but what about the cut on her hand? Did she try to stop a knife and grab the blade? Did they slice her? Was she concealing any other open injuries that needed treating?

Fuck, everything he’d initially thought was washed down the river. If she was running from Naraku’s henchmen, even if a bounty did appear over her head, there was no fucking way in hell Inuyasha was about to help them. There was no amount of money that would ever get him to cooperate with those fucking creeps.

She wasn’t running, she’d said. She was looking for somebody. There was a good chance she was looking for someone to help her town; maybe even find a solution to the infestation of nasty, unwashed demons trekking through like they owned the damn place. Who was he to stand in her way? Kagome was probably afraid to tell him the truth because she didn’t know whose side he was on in the first place, but after hearing him mention his preference to be further away from villages while camping due to those bastards, she most likely realized where he stood.

In truth, it was because of his notoriety that he was obligated to stay further away. He wasn’t just a half demon, but he was a well-known enemy of Naraku’s stupid ass men. They wanted him dead, and vise versa. More importantly, he wanted Naraku dead and he wasn’t shy about letting it be known. Naraku had taken so much from people, leaving nothing but needless death and destruction in his wake. Naraku was psychotic, power hungry, and insatiable. There was no one genius enough to reason with him, there was no one compassionate enough to calm him down, but there were few strong enough to kill him. Inuyasha was one of them. Naraku wanted to make life harder for a hanyou, but he couldn’t wait for the day it backfired on him. Because, a hanyou was going to be the one to bring him down.

Inuyasha stepped back into their little camp, focusing on the agitated huffs coming from the girl. She was leaned over some, her dark hair waving over the sides of her face to block his view of what was going on, but when she quickly looked over at him as he snapped a twig beneath his foot, he realized she must have been struggling to get the bandages off of her hand the entire time, opting to try and pull it loose with her teeth. He should have figured he was leaving her helpless, but he hadn’t even thought of her potential complications. Shockingly, Kagome wasn’t looking at him with any amount of blame or malice in her eyes. She was simply caught off guard, and when she realized it was only him, she went straight back to work.

The half demon stifled his laughter, crossing over to her and pushing her head back after placing the canteen at her side. “Knock it off.” He muttered. She flinched slightly as he reached over her legs, pulling out the knife in her boot and smirking.

“You knew I had that?” Kagome asked, stunned.

“Of course, I knew.” He chuckled, cutting the rope from her wrists. “I literally left everything on you without bothering to pat you down. It’s not odd for someone to have another weapon to rely on in case they lose their primary. And, I saw the butt of it sticking out when I got back from collecting fire wood.”

Inuyasha watched a slight expression of defeat cross her face where she sighed, closed her eyes, and dropped her head a little. It was easy to know what she was thinking. If she were in a more dangerous situation, that would have gotten her into a lot of trouble.

“Let me see it.” He said with a low tone, gesturing to her palm with a nod of his head. He carefully slipped the knife back into her boot and waited for her to get over her apprehension so he could take a look at the damn wound.

Kagome studied him for a moment. What game was he playing? Was he going to help her or hurt her? Now that she was untied, she could do this part herself for sure. There was no need for him to help, so why was he offering? Or, maybe he just literally wanted to see. No matter which end it was, there was no harm in allowing it. Kagome went ahead and removed her bag, bow, and arrows from her shoulders, relaxing slightly now that the weight was off of her before she gave him her hurt hand.

“Come here, closer to the light.” Inuyasha grunted, picking himself up and inching the both of them closer to the fire.

He went ahead and undid her wrappings, tossing it into the flames and taking a look at the decent knick in her skin. It was definitely still fresh, but wasn’t bleeding all that bad. Inuyasha twisted her wrist to face the fire better, spreading the cut open a little further so he could see if there was any dirt that didn’t belong, ignoring her small hiss of objection.

“When was this?” He asked, grabbing her water canteen and opening it up.

“Yesterday.” Kagome replied promptly, her nose crinkling as he poured the cold water over her palm. He paused for a moment to squeeze his hands down her fingers, sort of massaging, and she realized he was cleaning the entire area. She was surprised by his gentleness and efficiency, his calloused fingers rough but mindful, and his claws never once threatening.

“Jesus, no wonder you look like shit.” He commented. There it was. Less than twelve hours into knowing the man, and she’d already grown unfazed to any satirical retorts. It was just how he communicated, wasn’t it? He poured more water, this time opening the wounded area again and running the liquid directly through, once more ignoring her little wince. “You got anything in that kit to clean a cut?”

“Mhm.” She nodded, reaching for it and opening it up. She went ahead and pulled out the small containers, reading her cousin’s sloppy handwriting. After rustling through a few, she pulled out the disinfectant, healing ointment, and held a couple cotton balls in her free hand for him. She’d thought about offering to do it herself, but this man’s kindness came and went, and she felt she should appreciate what he had to give at the moment.

Inuyasha took the first container she’d set out along with one of the cotton balls, dousing it in the disinfectant. “Keep going. You never finished telling me what happened.”

Kagome had been braced for the sting of the disinfectant, and it took a moment for her to realign, now bracing for the impact of reliving yesterday.

Kagome felt her face scrunch uncontrollably as he cleaned out her wound. “The - um -“ She was trying not to stammer, trying to concentrate on giving him the story he wanted as straight as possible, but she felt nervous, a lump beginning to develop in her throat. She had to be careful not to let anything slip. She should be more than accustomed to this routine by now, but there was something undeniable about Inuyasha that made her want to trust him. That was the hazardous part of all of this, and she had to remind herself not to get carried away.

“The demons - Naraku’s demons - had been coming more often than usual lately. They were positive that a conjurer was in our village, but I don’t know what made them so sure. They tried something new this time, though. I don’t know if you’re familiar with an inspection, but they typically go for wrecking things and intimidation. Sometimes, it gets physical, and the elderly are more at risk when that happens.”

“Yeah, I know that much.” He quietly mentioned, hiding his anger, grabbing the ointment and softly applying a generous amount.

“This time, they narrowed the demographic. Called out girls between the ages of five and twenty and had us all line up. They cut our hands with a knife and then held on to see if we’d have a conjurer’s reaction to their demonic energy.” She explained.

“A conjurer’s reaction?” He inquired, brows furrowing as he reached into her kit for the roll of bandages.

“I don’t know too much about it.” Kagome shook her head, shrugging slightly. “But, they got one.” She said sadly.

There was a small pause in his wrapping as Inuyasha was struck again by that information. He would have ripped their fucking heads off if he were there. A part of him wishes he had been. He didn’t seek these things out; he strictly only stepped in if it crossed his path. But, if he had been in that area, wherever it was, the little girl may have survived and the woman before him wouldn’t be so harmed.

“Did you know her?” Inuyasha asked, promptly returning to what he was doing.

Kagome gave another shake of her head. “I know my neighbors, and the shop keepers, but otherwise, the people in my town tend to keep to themselves. Always sort of have, I guess. The less anyone knows nowadays, the better, anyway. Or, worse. Maybe more people would have stepped in if things were more personal. They stabbed her. Everyone just watched.” She could hear the mother’s scream ringing in her ears, and Kagome’s face twisted painfully. “I ran out of line to try and help the little girl, but there was nothing I could do. The bleeding wouldn’t stop.”

Inuyasha could see the anguish vividly on her brow. She was unconsciously staring down, looking at his thigh but not actually looking at it. She was engulfed by the events of the day before, and he could guess that if she stayed on this track, she’d get trapped and spiral. He did the first thing that came to mind to prevent that, yanking on the bandages he was still working on wrapping. He’d just passed her wound, so the bandages pressed firmly into it, applying a physical pain that had her irises shooting up to him as she gasped slightly.

“Ow.” Came her barely audible whimper.

“So, you got your ass handed to you for running to help?” He asked, averting her mind from the dead girl.

“Mhm, pretty much.” Kagome nodded. “You think I look bad, you should see my cousin.”

“What happened to them?”

“He got double teamed for trying to help me. His ribs might be broken, but I’m not sure.”

“It’s pretty easy to tell. How are you not sure?” Inuyasha inquired skeptically, cutting off the end of the bandages and tying it securely. Her hand was wrapped just as it was before; from wrist to the base of her fingers, properly protecting the wound from dirt or infection slipping through any openings.

“The doctor was away, and I left before his return. I left that night.” Kagome said, appreciating his skilled work on her hand as she looked it over. It was definitely less sloppy than what she would have done on her own. “Thank you.”

“Why’d you leave?” He pressed, feeling like they’d come full circle.

“I’m looking for someone.” She repeated.

“Someone to help?”

“Yes and no.” Really, she should have just said yes, but it wasn’t that simple. She didn’t want to make it seem like she wanted to target the superficial issue when the only way to truly take care of it was to annihilate it at the root. Because, if he were to say he knew a person, she wouldn’t be able to accept the help, turn around, and go home.

“Kagome -“

“I can’t tell you.” And, she hoped he’d let it go. She hoped giving him every other detail he wanted to know was enough for him to respect that there was one thing he wanted that she couldn’t give him. “Please, Inuyasha. I can’t tell you.”

Though she seemed stable, he could tell there was desperation that he wouldn’t keep pestering her about the issue. She wasn’t going to crack. No, her eyes were telling him she couldn’t crack. It was detrimental that she held her ground, and truthfully, that only made him want to know more. What the hell was this girl up to? What was going on? Inuyasha had to remind himself that he wasn’t involved, and if this was as much as she was willing to share, then so be it. As much as he wanted to pry, he’d already gotten enough to know that keeping her around wouldn’t be beneficial to him. He should have just listened to her in the first place. As mouthy as she was, as irritating as she was, she was right. He’d only wasted his time. And, rope.

Begrudgingly, the hanyou tried to push the issue to the back of his mind - though, currently, the furthest he could force it was midway. He sighed heatedly, leaning back onto his hands. “Any other battle wounds you’re hiding, or is this it?”

A small weight lifted from her shoulders at his subject change. Kagome breathed a little lighter, inwardly thanking him for dropping it, and shook her head. “No, it was just my hand.”

“Alright. Look, stay here tonight and then in the morning you can carry on with your grand quest.”

“You’re - you’re letting me go?” She asked, slightly cocking her head to the side. “Just like that?”

No, it couldn’t be that easy. Could it? He literally held her prisoner just to release her at the end of the day? It was no more than twenty minutes ago that she was borderline freaking out because she wasn’t willing to make a break for it, and here she was untied and set free by a guy who thoughtfully helped clean her wound first. She couldn’t help but be glad he hadn’t heard the clashing argument she’d had with herself in her head back there. Even so, she was still mildly embarrassed, while also incredibly confused. Instead of trying to make sense of it all though, Kagome deliberately let it go. At this point, it was just too much energy that she didn’t have to solve the ever bewildering riddle that was her situation.

“What, did you want me to tie you up again?” Inuyasha questioned, arching a brow.

“No, of course not.”

“Keeping you would only slow me down. You’re not a paycheck, you’ve been through your own hell in the last twenty-four hours, so yes. I’m letting you go. Jesus, you’re probably the only idiot I’ve met who would question that and not just be grateful.”

“In my defense, you’re hard to read.” Kagome defended.

“Right back at ya.”

“But, just so we’re clear, I’m good to go?”

“Yes.” Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

“Thank god!” Kagome hopped to her feet, dusting off her butt real quick as she went to jog away.

“Hey! What the f- what did I just say!? Get your ass back here!” The half demon jolted slightly, caught off guard by her quick motions. “You’re gonna get killed out there, and I’m not chasing after you again!”

“I have to pee!” Kagome frantically stated, bouncing from one foot to the other. “I’m leaving all my stuff with you! I’m not going anywhere, I swear! Please, just - I’ve gotta go!”

Inuyasha barely hid his amused smirk as his exasperation quickly faded. The absolute urgency in her tone was enough to bring anyone to laugh, and she was lucky that all he released was a small snort. Now that he thought about it, he recalled her leg bobbing every now and again while she sat in front of him. He’d figured it was because she was anxious. No wonder she wouldn’t drink any more water. He waved her off to go relieve herself, and the woman was hasty to about face and run into the woods.

“Don’t go far!” He reflexively called after her. His sensitive ears caught her small, raspy grunt of agreement before she disappeared through the darkness of the trees.

He took the moment to inspect the area surrounding them, tuning into his senses. He didn’t feel any presences around, didn’t smell any demons, and the only human was Kagome. There were nocturnal animals about, but none that would harm her in her vulnerable state. She was safe.

Inuyasha took the opportunity to get up and cross over to his bag, pulling out the wrapped meat that was gifted to him. Thankfully, it was fully cooked so he wouldn’t have to wait for it to be heated through over the fire. It was too late for that shit, it would take too long, and he was hungry.

Footsteps steadily approaching from behind told him Kagome had returned. Inuyasha peeked over his shoulder at her, noticing her small smile as she took a seat in front of the fire on the far side, her knees cradled to her chest as she rested her chin against them. He got up, striding over with a portion for her to eat, picking up her canteen along the way. “Here.”

“What’s this?” She asked, her tone small as she took the contents he offered.

“Food. Eat. You haven’t had anything all day, have you?” He guessed, walking back over to the opposite side of the fire. Inuyasha sat in front of a tree, leaning back to rest against it as he ate his own portion. “And, drink your fucking water.”

“When did you even fill this up?” She asked, noticing for the first time that it was her own bottle she was holding.

“Geez, you’re oblivious. I grabbed it when I pulled out your medical box, kid.”

“Oh, that’s what you went back into the forest for.” Kagome clued in. “Thank you.”

Inuyasha didn’t respond, eating his food and no longer minding her. She set the bottle to the side of her thigh, allowing her legs to fall into a crossed position so she could sit more comfortably as she ate. With her first bite came the first, huge grumble her stomach spoke that day, shouting it’s demand for sustenance. She froze, feeling the hanyou’s amber eyes land on her. Things had been so crazy, so stressful, that she hadn’t even thought about food, her body more focused on everything else than her hunger.

“What the fuck was that?” Inuyasha snickered.

“Shut up.” She murmured, embarrassed, chewing through and taking another bite.

“Good lord, woman.”

“Shut up.”

“You sounded like a boar in heat.”

Kagome nearly choked on her food, coughing slightly as she shot Inuyasha an incredulous glare. He carelessly laughed, taking another bite of his food and winking at her. As much as she wanted to toss him a sarcastic remark, none came to mind, more focused on filling her stomach than having another argument with the jerk. It was his fault she hadn’t eaten in the first place. If she hadn’t been taken into custody by the prideful punk, she was positive she would have consumed food much sooner.

Moments passed after she’d finished, her belly happy and full, and she once more cradled her thighs to her chest, always finding comfort and warmth in this position. The half demon sat silently, eyes scouring the trees, and she wondered what he could see. Thanks to her supernatural abilities, Kagome was capable of sensing evil, demonic presences, and things that didn’t necessarily belong. But, Inuyasha, harboring demonic blood, had much more going for him. With the way the ears atop his head twitched, she assumed he could hear things very well from a distance. His eyesight had to be impeccable, and much more well-attuned to the night than her human eyes could ever be. He may not be able to sense malicious intent, but he could probably pick up demonic presences much better than she could, as well. This was his nature. He not only had the gifts of sensitive receptors, but was probably trained well since he seemed so acclimated to camping out.

“So, you’re a bounty hunter?” She asked, breaking the silence.

“Not necessarily.” He replied, glancing her way. “I go where the money is. Sometimes, it’s just to catch stupid asses and bring them back. Sometimes, it’s something specific like finding a lost child that needs help. I hate those jobs more than anything. It’s usually a sob fest and I’m caught in the middle until I’m paid. More often than not, though, I’m hired to kill evil beings.”

“Oh, like a demon slayer.” Kagome perked.

“Again, not necessarily. Humans can be evil, too.”

“Oh, right.” She felt a little presumptuous. “Sorry.”

“How do you even know what a demon slayer is? Isn’t that profession dead?” He inquired. At one point in time, years ago, demon slayers were a threat to be reckoned with. They held power, kept the peace, and had the numbers to kill off mass swarms of belligerent demons. As far as he was aware, it seemed they’d fallen off the face of the planet. They had been overpowered, their villages practically wiped out from targeted attack after targeted attack. At this point, with the odds against them, it was more than unlikely that they’d come back from that.

“We actually have a small group in our town.” Kagome mentioned. “My friend is the daughter of their leader.”

“You know demon slayers? Actual demon slayers?”

“Mhm.” She nodded.

“They must keep a low profile.” He assumed. That had to be the case. He’d been all over and hadn’t seen or heard of any demon slayers around.

“Kind of. They don’t travel off too far; they just take care of troublesome demons within a specific radius. And, they only take on cases they know they can handle with their numbers. They’re very picky on how old people need to be to join, and their training is rigorous and not for the weak.”

“I’m a little confused. You have these given protectors in your own village, but you walked out looking like that?”

“They can’t stop inspections, they can only make sure they don’t get out of control. And, they’d actually left on a job, so we were on our own. No one knew there was a conjurer in the village to protect. If Sango’s dad was aware of her, I’m sure he would have taken steps to help her.” Kagome was speaking from experience. He was there when she found out she was a conjurer, herself. After her father died, he always checked in to make sure things were okay. He constantly reassured her that if anything happened or she needed help, he was there. After Naraku came to rise and demons began looking for people of her kind, killing them off, he was very clear that she needed to know how to properly subdue her powers. He wasn’t aware that she was way ahead of him. Sango’s father was protective, a guardian, and Kagome was forever grateful. She was certain he would have offered the same blanket of protection to that little girl.

“Oh, so that’s who Sango is.” Inuyasha smirked.

Kagome giggled, nodding. She’d almost forgotten she’d used her friend’s name before. “Yeah. I’m no good at coming up with fake names on the spot, so I had to take one from someone I knew.”

“Does she know you’re out here?”

“By now, I’m sure she does.”

“Wait, you didn’t tell her?”

“No.”

“Did anyone know you were leaving? You got a family, kid? You said you have a cousin, right? He know?”

“Like I said, by now, I’m sure everyone is aware that I’m missing. The only one who knew I was leaving was my younger brother, and he kept it a secret because my cousin would have tried to stop me. Mom, too.”

“As they should. You said your friend is the daughter of the head demon slayer, right? I’m assuming she’s skilled. You’d have been smart to at least bring her. Alone, you’re nothing but an easy target.”

“Well, I didn’t really have a choice, Inuyasha.” She stated, tucking herself a little closer into her thighs. “Everything happened so fast yesterday, it was hard to get a grip. I made my decision and left. Miroku would have only hurt himself more by trying to stop me, and Sango had to take care of her own brother since their dad was out on a job. I did what I had to do.”

“What is so goddamn important?”

“Ah, we’re heading into dangerous territory again.” Kagome lightly warned, raising her brows as she grinned.

Inuyasha groaned, rolling his golden eyes. “You’re so stubborn.”

“I am. I really am.” She proudly agreed.

“Not a flex.”

“You’re stubborn, too. You’ve asked me the same question like eight hundred times.” Kagome rebutted.

“See, now you’re just dramatic.” Inuyasha shrugged.

“Sorry, seven hundred and ninety-nine.”

“Shut up and go to sleep.” He said, abruptly ending all conversation.

Kagome eyed him, a little unsettled. She looked around the area, worried her bottom lip, then glanced back at him. With everything that had happened, he couldn’t really expect her to feel comfortable sleeping right now, right? Sure, she was utterly exhausted, and if she rested her head against anything, she would have fallen asleep instantly, but that involved letting her guard down. He’d proven, so far, not to be as harmful as she’d half expected. That didn’t mean she trusted him well enough to be completely vulnerable in an unconscious state with him, though. She wanted to trust him, but this was like a leap of faith. With his expression falling into slight frustration, the man rolled his eyes for the nth time.

“Oh, relax. I’m not gonna do a damn thing to you. If I were you, I’d take the offer. Tomorrow, you’re on your own and you won’t be able to get a full night’s sleep again.”

He was right. She didn’t like admitting it, but he was right. She would only be able to afford a couple of hours at a time, and even that would be risky. She hadn’t fully recovered from yesterday’s stress, and given what she went through today, if she didn’t take the opportunity, she’d be a hopeless, wandering, mess tomorrow.

Kagome regarded him with a nod, then sighed as she got up and grabbed her bag. There was nothing too hard in it at the moment so she could happily use it as a pillow. She pulled it a little closer to the fire so she wouldn’t get too cold in the night, curling up and resting her head down.

“Can you do me a favor?” Kagome asked, her voice small.

“What?”

“Don’t leave without waking me up, please.”

“Shut up.” Inuyasha wouldn’t leave her completely defenseless. He’d told her to go to sleep because he was there to watch over her. He’d be able to sense danger from a mile away, unlike a helpless human. She was wise to take his advice. She looked like hell and she’d been sluggish for the majority of the day, even making him feel bad for her for a while. Letting her go off on her own tomorrow the way she was now felt cruel.

Apparently, she was learning to read his tone. She was even surprised she could understand the underlying message in his comment. Kagome took a moment to inwardly thank him, sighing out as much tension as she could as she closed her eyes, quickly falling asleep.

—

The sky was dark, the deep blue of night tinted with a poisonous shade of violet. Smoke and fire surrounded her, but Kagome’s lungs inhaled and exhaled just fine, unaffected by the tainted air. She circled around, scanning the area slowly. Was this a dream? Was it real? She felt neither hot nor cold, but she did feel conscious and scared. What had happened? Where was she?

“Inuyasha?” Kagome called, stepping backward in her panic. Where did he go? Was he okay? Did he leave her?

“You’re a fool, Kagome.”

She spun around quickly to face Kikyo, her fair skin sprinkled with sweat and hair sticking to her dampened neck. She wore a condemning look, brown eyes boring through her, her hand gripping her own bow tightly while she stood just feet away.

“You.” Kagome breathed.

“Your first day, and this is what happens to you? You’re taken into captivity by a half demon?” Kikyo scolded.

“What?” Kagome was confused, now more than ever. “How did you even know that?”

“That is irrelevant.”

“No, it isn’t. How did you know that, Kikyo?”

“I have insight on you, Kagome. Shouldn’t you know that by now?”

“How?”

“Because, I am the conjurer you’re supposed to be!” Kikyo shouted, her voice deep and angry. “You have so much potential, you are strong, you learn quicker than even myself, and yet you’re living up to nothing! Less than twenty-four hours after leaving, you get yourself into needless trouble. I am disappointed in you.”

“Gee thanks, mom.” Kagome slighted, her temper swelling. “Glad you called me here to put me down. You seem to forget that you have no right, though. None of what you just said explains anything. You’ve given me no path to follow, no direction to go in -“

“You aren’t meant to follow mine, you’re meant to follow your own, Kagome! Use your powers! Your intuition is stronger than anyone’s; you can figure it out!”

“Aren’t I supposed to find you?”

“We will find each other soon enough.”

“How do you have insight?” Just as Kagome asked, a thin, white, serpent-like creature floated down. It had six legs in the front of its long body resembling that of insects, perching on Kikyo’s shoulder as its long tail curled around her frame. “What is that?”

“Shinidamachu; a soul collector. To aid in my power, I will sometimes take the souls of deceased women.”

“How - what!?” Kagome’s face twisted bewilderingly. “You steal the souls from dead women!?”

Kikyo released an exacerbated exhale from her nose, the sound deep and clenched. Kagome could tell they were heading down a road the conjurer had never counted on going down, but Kagome didn’t care. You can’t just throw that information at her and expect her to brush it off like this is a normal occurrence.

“The souls help aid in longevity and health. If I am wounded or exhausted, putting up a barrier and collecting a soul or two will increase the rate of my recovery. My soul collector has also helped me understand you better.”

“Do you use it to spy on me?”

“I use it to make sure you aren’t misusing your abilities or getting yourself killed. You are still young and inexperienced. There is much you have yet to learn before you can take on Naraku.”

“Have you ever considered, instead of doing that, maybe just teaching me yourself? I feel like things would move along a lot faster that way.” There was a bit of snarky attitude in Kagome’s tone, her jaw tensing as she listened to Kikyo talk down to her.

“I cannot teach you.” Kikyo stated plainly.

“Why not?”

“I am not meant to.”

“Why?”

“Because, I am the distraction while you are the weapon. I know you think other conjurers may be coming, but they aren’t. You are the only one who is meant to do this. I cannot teach you, because we desperately need to stay separated. You and I together are nothing but sitting ducks. If Naraku catches wind that I am helping another conjurer, which he would, he would bring down nothing but hell. I cannot help you.”

Kagome stood there, mouth hanging agape, her eyes focusing on the sweat drop that glided down Kikyo’s temple. That was a lot to unpack, and these were things she would have definitely benefitted from learning earlier. Why was Kikyo only telling her this now? Why was this the most in-depth conversation they’d ever managed to have? She was finally receiving clear answers, but it felt like her mind was unraveling. While she’d had a small hunch that she may have been the only conjurer Kikyo was reaching out to, it was still a shock to have it definitively confirmed.

“Why - why didn’t you tell me any of this sooner?” Kagome inquired unsteadily.

“I couldn’t. You wouldn’t have been able to handle it. I wanted to slowly ease you into things as you matured. I still don’t think now was the right time to tell you the entire truth, but I seem to have had no choice. You’re stubborn; you would have only kept asking questions.”

“So I’ve heard.” Kagome shrugged her brows, eyes falling to the charred grass beneath her boots.

“I collect the souls to keep up my strength. To keep me going until you’re ready. That is my purpose. Yours is to save everyone.”

“No pressure.” She sarcastically and quietly remarked.

“You need to make wiser decisions starting immediately, Kagome. Do you hear me? Trust your intuition.”

“I do!” Kagome quickly defended.

“Then you should know better than to put any amount of trust in a demon right now.” She hastily countered. “We’re at war with demons, what in the world would make you trust them?”

“Inuyasha’s already released me, what are you talking about?”

“Then get up and leave!”

“He hasn’t hurt me, Kikyo! If anything, even while I was in his captivity, he kept me safe! I mean, hell, he saved my life to begin with! He made a mistake, but he’s not a bad person!”

“He has demon blood, does he not!?”

“That is neither here nor there!” Kagome yelled, infuriated. “You sound pretty prejudiced for a conjurer. A little ironic, don’t you think?”

“You do not know what you are talking about, and if you keep this up, I’m afraid you are going to have to learn things the hard way. I’ve had kinder demons betray me, Kagome. Never let him find out the truth about you.”

“He isn’t bad.”

“You are naive.”

“No, you are.”

“I know what I’m -“

“You’re ignorant, too.” She interrupted, her face feeling hot, but it was of her own anger and not due to the dying flames around them. “If your only argument for me not to trust him is the blood running through his veins, then it’s falling on deaf ears.”

“You defend him as if you know him.”

“I defend him as if he deserves a chance to prove himself! Just like us! My friend has a twin-tailed cat demon in her family, you got something to say about her, too?”

“Kagome, enough. You’re a fool.”

“Yeah, you said that already.” Kagome stated bluntly.

“Heed my warning.” Kikyo all but ordered. “Stay away from him.”

Kagome could only shake her head in disbelief. “You can’t be serious. You would actually judge him -“

“Please, do not mistake me. I just want you to be cautious. Overtly cautious. You’re alone, you can’t afford many mistakes like this. It’s not that I believe all demons are evil; I’m saying you will never know off the bat which ones will turn on you. Make your friends after the war. For now, you cannot give your trust to any demon; half breed or what have you.” Kikyo took a deep breath in the time where things seemingly sunk into Kagome’s head. Her plush lips were parted, and her brown eyes fell to the ground, almost in disappointment. The girl was still immature, and though Kikyo was fully aware of the hardships that came with being a conjurer, she could still see so much hope radiating from Kagome. So much hope and heart. The thing was, the heart was the most important part of their kind. It was what made up their strength; their passion drove their power. But, so easily could it break them as well. Being a conjurer was like holding a double-edged sword. If you had that fire within you, you could thwart evil, but if your heart is crushed, you could lose it all in an instant. Kagome seemed to wear her heart on her sleeve, wanted to trust easily, believed everyone deserved a chance, but she - being who she was - could not afford that way of living.

“What did you mean?” Kagome finally spoke, picking her eyes from the ground and slowly drifting them upwards to meet Kikyo’s. “You said I’m a weapon. What did you mean by that?”

“Isn’t it obvious? You are the one capable of bringing Naraku to his knees.”

She shook her head, half in denial and half in disbelief. “You said this was our responsibility. The responsibility is ours, remember? You gave me that spiel over and over again for, like, the past year.”

“And, it is.”

“‘Our’ is a very broad term, Kikyo.”

“You and I.”

“That’s it? We have this maniacal tyrant, and the world apparently only has the two of us to depend on?”

“Don’t push your lack of confidence on me, Kagome. I know it’s a lot of responsibility when you think about it, but destiny has this written in stone?”

“Oh yeah?” Kagome questioned exasperatedly. “I’d like to see the terms and conditions. Where’s the plaque?”

“Kagome -“

“You say all of this too lightly, Kikyo! This may be common sense to you, but this is breaking news to me!”

“All you need to focus on for now is yourself! You have the room to practice more! You don’t have to hold back for the sake of your home, and I know you have been! I can see what you’re capable of, and it’s monumental! You will surpass me if you just dedicate yourself, so do it! Stop holding yourself back, and stop being so goddamned scared! Pick yourself up, protect yourself, trust no one, adapt, and I’ll meet you at the finish line. Together, we will be unstoppable.”

The conjurer seemed so sure, so stable. She truly believed in what she said, and Kagome couldn’t help but swallow any uneasiness she was currently feeling. Kikyo’s confidence was contagious, but there was one thing wrong with what she was preaching. She treated her intuition as the end-all, but Kagome had a gut of her own. It was telling her something different. Kagome’s intuition was telling her Kikyo was jaded, and it would be smart of her to trust any alliance she could form. She was alone for now, and she didn’t particularly know what her next move was, but something told Kagome she wasn’t going to be able to beat this battle on her own. Even getting to the so-called finish line, as Kikyo put it, was going to require some help, and there was nothing wrong with that. She could understand why Kikyo was insisting Kagome put her guard up. The mistake she’d made with Inuyasha could have been detrimental. If it were anyone else, she didn’t know what would have happened to her, and for that, despite it all, she was thankful her circumstances were what they were. In a twisted sense, she’d gotten lucky.

Honestly, Kagome didn’t know where Kikyo was getting her information from. If she was prophetic, she’d give her kudos, because as far as she was aware, that wasn’t in the job description of being a conjurer. Maybe she was having secret dream rendezvous with actual clairvoyants. Either way, Kagome was dying to hear this all herself, because no matter how much Kikyo’s statements repeated in her head, not all of it was adding up. She could tell that arguing was a waste of time, though. She felt like she’d get nowhere with Kikyo. Kikyo was set in her ways and convinced of future events playing out in specific patterns, but Kagome truly, truly, felt like things were immediately about to shift.

She’d take Kikyo’s advice. She’d be careful, and she’d use her powers with less restraint. She’d be cautious about her surroundings, she’d screen anyone she came across, and she’d increase her power. What she wouldn’t do was isolate herself or stay away from those who have no control over the blood beneath their flesh. Kagome couldn’t bring herself to look at things that way. Maybe it was naive, but it didn’t matter. The open-mindedness sat right with her.

“Kagome, do you trust me?”

“I want to.” Kagome admitted. “You’ve been a mystery up until now.”

“I’ve been told I’m not as direct as I could be.” Kikyo laughed quietly. “I want to trust you, too.”

“Does Naraku know about me?”

“I have a feeling he will soon enough. It’s inevitable. That’s why it’s imperative for us to stay apart until we can’t anymore.”

“Got it.” Kagome acknowledged. There was a beat of silence where it seemed they were both processing their encounter. She wondered how long Kikyo had been on her own, fighting this battle. She said she was the distraction. Kagome felt sympathetic for her situation. It must have been terrifying at times, hard, and exhausting. She must have tried to form alliances only to be stomped on multiple times to explain the mentality she was harboring. Kagome wondered if her gaze lacked vibrancy because of how drained she was. She wondered if she had no choice but to rely on collecting souls so she could stay on her feet until the day was done. Was there no rest for this conjurer, playing the distraction until Kagome was ready?

This fueled her, a heightened sense of determination shooting through her veins. If she needed to expand her strength, then she’d do it as quickly as possible. She’d get stronger, more powerful, and become the fierce conjurer Kikyo was so that she wasn’t alone in this fight anymore. She expected Kikyo not to always agree with the way she went about things, but what mattered was the endgame. With this, Kagome was one step closer.

“Remember what I said. Follow your intuition.”

“I will.” Kagome agreed. “Mind if I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“Where are we?”

“Nowhere.”

Kagome grimaced, looking around at the fire that she couldn’t feel the heat from but Kikyo obviously could as sweat continued to dot her face. It definitely didn’t look like nowhere to her.

“Technically, this is the spot of a recent demon attack. But, we are in an in between space. No one can see us; we’re talking in my mind.”

“Your mind?”

“Correct. I am here, and you are not.”

“How are you doing this?”

“We have a connection, Kagome.” Kikyo grinned, though it seemed lackluster and Kagome noted the dark circles beneath her eyes. “We are two connected by fate.”

“So, can I do this? I mean, can I connect with your subconscience and talk to you?”

“No. My mind is too guarded. You wouldn’t be able to reach me, even if you knew how. Even so, I only partially brought you here. I am too far from you for a more physical aspect. Though, I’m sure you don’t mind.” Kikyo said, sort of laughing at herself.

Kagome wasn’t sure if that was something Kikyo should be proud of. It sounded slightly depressing to be so guarded. Though, alternatively speaking, it could be seen as a weakness on Kagome’s behalf that Kikyo was able to jump on through to her whenever she so pleased. That still didn’t much answer how she was doing this, but Kagome was willing to let it go. This wasn’t necessarily anything Kagome desired to do, anyway. Telepathy always sort of creeped her out.

“Are you gonna be okay?” Kagome couldn’t help but ask, taking Kikyo’s current state into consideration.

“You have nothing to worry about. Please, focus on yourself. You must get stronger.”

“I will. I swear.”

“Be careful, Kagome.”

She blinked her eyes open, brows furrowing as the brightness of the campfire momentarily blinded her. The night was quiet and peaceful, and as Kagome came to, slowly turning away from the light, she realized she was covered by something thick and warm. It was crimson, and as she moved her legs to readjust herself so her hip would stop digging into the earth, she noticed it only covered her up until her mid-thigh. It smelled so good, the scent inexplicably comforting her as she pulled it further over her shoulder and closer to her nose. She’d always appreciated the aroma of the woodlands, that of campfires, but there was an additional spice that sent a warmth fluttering through her abdomen. Did it belong to Inuyasha?

Inuyasha.

Sluggishly, she picked herself up on her elbow, looking over to the tree where she’d last seen him. The hanyou wasn’t there, and while an unsettling thud came from her chest, she could still feel his presence nearby. Kagome turned her head, observing their little area of the forest before her eyes came right back to the very same tree. Glancing upward, she spotted him sitting on a high branch, his back against the trunk and a leg hanging over the side, staring off into the night.

From where he sat, the moonlight was hitting him perfectly. His silver hair shined with dimmed hues of blue and white, and his skin glowed as if he were a descendent of Luna, herself. He was handsome. It was moments before Kagome could bring herself to look away, only finding her eyes drifting right back to her guardian above. His jawline was sharp, the shadows of the night where the moon couldn’t reach him complimenting his features just as well. A sudden, thin feeling of jealousy prickled at Kagome’s chest. She envied the moon, and the night, itself. They got to touch him.

She felt safe. Nothing inside of Kagome told her to run, or leave, or to tread carefully. Instead, she was heavy and solid where she lay. For the first time in two days, everything felt okay. In the morning, she would head her own way. Kikyo had no reason to be concerned. Inuyasha and Kagome would say goodbye and never see each other again. In the morning.

Kagome rested her head back against her makeshift pillow, tucking herself further into Inuyasha’s crimson garment. The scent of him washed over her once more, and she held onto it, memorizing it. She allowed herself to be comfortable, to feel serene. She allowed herself to rest under his safety.

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#inuyasha #kagome #kagome higurashi #inukag #inuyasha fanfiction #inuyasha fanfic #inuyasha fic #inukag fanfiction #inukag fanfic #inukag fic #monster #akitokihojo

[trentaafcsblog]

February 14th

Anyone You Like

Warning - this is really shit, I’m so sorry! 

“Happy Valentine’s Day, my love” he whispers as he snuggles up next to you, pressing a kiss onto the tip of your nose and smiling when you start to stir from your sleep. His heart going all fuzzy as your face scrunches up and you lift your arms above your head to do your classic morning stretch - something so simple but he was literally obsessed with it, having seen you do it pretty much every single morning for the past six years. 

“Hi” you’re saying when you finally open your eyes, burying your head into his chest as he brushes your hair away from your face and wipes the sleep from your eyes, mumbling an ‘I love you’ when you lean up to kiss his lips before stopping yourself from going any further.

“What’s that?” you’re asking as you shuffle out of his arms and pull the duvet away from your face, looking up at the ceiling and realising that it’s completely covered in red and white balloons with pieces of gold ribbon dangling off them. Your lips going all pouty as you sit up to get a better look at everything, noticing the rose petals that are sprinkled on the floor and the huge bouquet of red roses that are waiting for you on your bedside table, a little card in the top that reads ‘I love you forever and always’ - a saying that you’d picked up along the course of your relationship and something that had a much deeper meaning than people probably realised. 

“Babyyy” you’re cooing as he goes all shy and giggly, hiding his face under the covers because neither of you were ones to make a massive fuss like this, particularly on Valentine’s Day because you don’t see the point in celebrating each other on one specific date when your love for one another grows more and more with each passing day. “I love you so much” you’re saying as you try to pull the duvet away from his face, fighting a losing battle when he rolls over and prevents you from seeing his blushing cheeks, leaving you with no option other than to lean across him and attack him with kisses until he’s forced to look at you. 

“Stop” he giggles when he gives in and reappears from under the pillow, looking up at you hanging over him with the same look in his eyes that he had when he first realised that he loved you, one that let you know that he was yours until the end and that he’d go to the ends of the earth to see the little smile that’s now on your face. Just staring at one another for a few seconds, still in shock that you get to call the other person yours after all this time. Wondering what the hell you did to deserve one another and be lucky enough to experience all of life’s journeys with them, and all of the challenges that you thought would break you both - yet here you are now, probably the most content you’ve ever been, with a future ahead of you that you could only have ever dreamed of. But your little romantic moment quickly comes to an end when his tummy starts rumbling, just like it always does when it gets past about 7am, knowing that food probably occupies his mind more than you do as you lay there and roll your eyes at him. 

“Just you wait until you see what I’ve done” he winks before springing out of bed, heading downstairs and reappearing a few minutes later with a huge tray piled up with all kinds of plates and bowls. Orange juice sloshing over the side of one of the glasses and making you cringe when it leaves a trail of little splashes all over your white carpet. “It’ll come out, don’t worry” he’s telling you before putting the tray on your lap, clearly not as bothered about the mess that he’s made as you are, dreading to think about the state of the kitchen going by the array of different breakfast items he’s brought you. Waffles, croissants, mini pancakes that he’s cut into the shape of hearts with a cookie cutter that he found at the back of one of the kitchen drawers, a fruit salad, vanilla yoghurt, a random bowl of baked beans and some nutella and syrup to dip things into. “Looks delicious” you grin before scooping some of the chocolate up on a strawberry, getting him to open his mouth before you’re popping it in and he’s teasing that that’s the most romantic thing you’ve ever done for him, which of course earns him a gentle smack on the chest and a threat to flip all of his hard work on the floor, knowing that it’ll make a lovely contribution to the orange splatters that now decorate your lovely white flooring.

“I got you a card as well” he’s telling you with a mouthful of croissant, the flaky bits of pastry flying all over the duvet from where he’s trying to talk. “Just as well I got you one too” you wink before handing him the red envelope with his initial and a little kiss on the front. “Nice to know you’ve made it all cute” you joke as you look down at his to see ‘the missus’ scrawled across the front in a pen that looks like it ran about about five years ago. “Excuse me, I was busy doing all of this” he’s telling you as he points at the ceiling and the tray of half-eaten breakfast, most of which he’s consumed himself despite claiming that it’s for ‘the pretty lady’, replying with ‘I know, I know, I’m just kidding’ as he hums and slides his finger under the flap of the envelope to open it up.

“That’s cute, innit” he’s saying as he nods towards the card that he’s got you. A teddy bear couple on the front, one of them holding a bouquet of flowers and the other one going all shy and blushy in response. “Yeah, I take it you’re this one though” you tease as you point towards the blushing bear, not even bothering to fight back because he can’t argue with that, not after the state he got himself into this morning when you saw what he’d stayed up doing all night. 

“Thank you so much” he’s whispering once he’s finished reading your card, leaning across to kiss you whilst trying to disguise the fact that he’s crying at what you’ve written inside. “Thank you so much for mine, who knew you had such a way with words?” you smile as he rolls his eyes at you, propping your card up on his bedside table so that it acts as a little reminder to read it again before he goes to bed. Pulling you into his side and pressing a series of kisses onto your forehead as the two of you lay there in each other’s arms, tracing patterns along each other’s bare skin with your hearts going all fluttery each time the other person looks at you, never wanting this moment to end.

***

“Wow, what’s going on in here, mister?” you’re asking when you come walking into the kitchen to see him leaping around and trying to juggle about six different frying pans. Completely ignoring your question when he sees what you’ve come down to dinner dressed in. The most beautiful red silk dress that hugs your figure perfectly, paired with the pair of Louboutins that he bought you for your birthday a couple of years ago and a little black clutch bag to match - not that you particularly needed it when you were spending the night at home, but he loves how you still go to so much effort to look all pretty for him, even though he’d love you just as much if you turned up to the kitchen in your Minnie Mouse pyjamas that are littered with about twenty different holes. 

“I would come and give you a kiss but I’m quite busy if you can’t tell” he’s saying as you giggle at him. “Come and sit here to keep me company though, I poured a glass of your favourite drink so don’t say I don’t look after ya” he winks as you coo and make your way over to the kitchen island, clinging onto the worktop to steady yourself because it’s been ages since you last wore heels and you don’t want a repeat of five minutes ago when you nearly went arse over tit halfway down the stairs. 

“Is that my favourite pasta?” you’re asking as he nods his head nervously, now realising why he spent most of today’s movie marathon on fancy restaurant websites trying to find a recipe for something that you couldn’t quite get a glimpse of thanks to the angle of his phone, but it turns out that it was your favourite dish. Immediately feeling guilty for scowling at him and telling him off for being rude when you were meant to be relaxing and watching all of the soppy love films on Netflix, completely oblivious to the fact that he was actually busy trying to memorise about twelve different recipes so that he could pretend that he knew it off by heart, particularly as it’s your favourite. 

“I made my own garlic bread too, look” he’s saying proudly as he points towards the oven. “And a salad, and some of that fancy bread that you dip in the oil and vinegar, well actually that’s a lie, I bought the bread but I mixed the oil and vinegar together and cut the bread into little stars” he’s telling you as your heart almost bursts at the seams. Looking over at the plate of little bread stars across the other side of the kitchen and just dying to squish him for being so cute, especially since he’d cut them all freehand without using any sort of template - something that he was incredibly proud of himself for, even if a couple of them had very wonky edges and a few missing points.

“Aaand I made a chocolate cheesecake as well” he says smugly as you raise your eyebrows in slight disbelief. “All whilst I was getting ready?” you’re questioning as he nods his head. “Don't look so shocked! You were getting ready for about three hours so I had plenty of time to do everything, even if I did spend about an hour trying to work out how to use a garlic crusher” he’s smiling as you laugh at him, loving how he was still pretty inept in the kitchen despite managing to conjure up a romantic meal for you. 

“Let me take the pretty lady to her table” he’s saying with a posh voice as you slide off the bar stood and link your arm through his, letting him lead you over to the dining table that you didn’t even notice when you came in. “Oh my god” you’re cooing as your eyes scan over the little tea lights that he’s shaped to look like a heart, rose petals scattered across the table and a collection of Polaroids that the two of you have taken across the years dotted around too. Trying to swallow down the lump in your throat as he pulls the chair back and helps you get comfy before disappearing off and coming back to bring you all of the food that he’s prepared.

“This looks amazing” you whisper as you reach across the table to hold his hand, mouthing a little ‘thank you’ at him as he lifts your hand up and presses a kiss onto your skin. “Don’t go all shy and emotional on me now, missy, it’s not our first date” he teases as you giggle at him and wipe away a stray tear. Being cut out of your emotional moment when he forces a little star of bread into your mouth, the oil and vinegar dribbling down your chin as you give him the evils and try to pat it away with one of the paper napkins that’s he’s folded into a square - covered in little Christmas puddings because ‘what’s the point in buying ones for Valentine’s Day when we can use what we’ve already got?’ Tempted to do the same thing back to him but you’re managing to resist the urge to start a food fight on the most romantic day of the year, instead dipping your fork into your bowl of pasta and twiddling several strands of linguine around it before putting it into your mouth. Clinging onto the table when you start to chew, your eyes blowing wide as you stare straight back at him and wag your finger in his direction. Waving your hands above your head and clapping before swallowing and letting out a little cheer. “Is it that good?” he laughs as you start shovelling more of the pasta into your mouth, giving him the all important answer he needs as he breathes a sigh of relief, knowing that all of his not-so-sly google searches and telling offs during your movie day have paid off.

“Thank you so much for all of this” you’re saying as you tuck into your slice of cheesecake, admiring the little hearts that he’d swirled into the top of the chocolate mixture before doing the all important taste test. Nodding your head and smiling at him to reassure him that it tastes incredible before he’s reaching across the table to hold your hand again. “Thank you so much for making me realise what love is” he’s saying as you try your best to fight back the tears. Never really hearing him come out with things like that unless he’s drunk, probably because he gets too shy and embarrassed and worries that you won’t feel the same way, despite spending the past six years of your life with him and reassuring him every single day that he’s the one for you, so hearing him have the confidence to tell you how much you mean to him means the absolute world. 

“Thank you for making my life a million times better and holding my hand through all of what life’s thrown at us” he’s telling you as you tilt your head to the side and just admire the man you love with your whole heart going all soppy, clearly having added something to his pasta that evoked this kind of emotion. “And for keeping my feet on the ground and being there when things haven’t gone quite as I’d planned” he’s saying as you sniff away opposite him, your thumb rubbing circles on the back of his hand as he carries on. “There’s genuinely nobody else in the entire world that I love as much as you” he’s adding, his voice breaking half way through, making the rest of the sentence all shaky, as he does his best to try and hold himself together, despite just wanting to burst into tears at how much he means each and every one of those words. 

“I love you so much” you blub before getting up and making your way around the table to him, sitting down on his lap and burying your head in the crook of his neck as his arms snake around your waist and pull you close to him. His fingers tracing gentle patterns on the sides of your hips as you play with his hair, occasionally pressing the odd kiss to his skin which makes his grip around your body become even tighter. A comfortable silence washing over the two of you as you sit there in a completely love-filled state, neither person knowing quite what to say, but going by each other’s reactions a few minutes ago, it’s clear that this is what love feels like.

“I got you a present” you’re saying as you pull away from him, breaking the silence and climbing off his lap before disappearing off into the hallway. Picking up the little white gift bag that you’d left at the bottom of the stairs when you came down for dinner, your fingers looping through the silk handles as you make your way back to him. “I thought we said no presents?” he’s questioning as you scoff at him. “Says the man who decided to decorate the bedroom and cook me dinner” you’re replying as he gives you a shy smile at the thought. “It’s just a little something but it shows how much I love you and I know you’ve wanted it for ages” you tell him as he pulls one end of the bow, watching it unravel before he’s dipping his hand into the bag and fumbling around amongst the tissue paper. Pulling out several sheets of white tissue paper littered with tiny scarlet red hearts before he’s eventually reaching the box inside. Looking at you with a confused expression as he lifts the rectangular black box out and gives it a little shake, something rattling inside as he pauses for a second to think about what it could be, ruling out the possibility of it being a bracelet or a fancy watch, not that he’d ever want you spending that much money on him, of course.

“Just open it!” you’re giggling as you push him to open the gift, the anticipation getting to you more than it is him as. “I’m scared” he laughs nervously, waiting a few seconds before he’s beginning to lift the lid off. “Don’t be” you’re whispering as he looks at you one final time before fully taking it off. 

His jaw dropping as he admires what’s inside, his gaze flicking between you and the inside of the box as he tries to process what you’ve given him. 

“We’re having a baby?” he asks as you nod your head, your reaction taking a while to process in his mind, but after what feels like forever he’s letting out a breathy laugh, one that combines happiness and slight disbelief. And then the tears are coming too, his hand covering his face as he sobs into his palm. Making your way back over to him and wrapping your arms around his neck as you rest your head on top of his, letting him come to terms with the fact that you’ve blessed him with the best gift of all.

“Thank you so much” he’s crying as he takes the pregnancy test back out of the box, admiring the two little lines that are showing on the screen - confirming that there’s another life inside of you, made up of both you and him. “No, thank you so much” you’re sniffling as you cup his face and press a little kiss onto his lips. Staring into his teary eyes before they’re fluttering shut when your foreheads touch and the tips of your noses brush over one another. Neither of you knowing quite what to say as you settle back down on his knee again, just holding him close to you until he pulls away every few seconds to look at the pregnancy test again, feeling as though this is all one big dream and someone’s going to wake him up and take it away from him at any given moment. But it’s not. You’re living the dream, and it’s about to become a reality in just a matter of months, a reality that you’ve been craving for the past six years and one that you wouldn’t want to experience with anyone else, and now, it’s one step closer to becoming yours. 

 February the 14th. The day your lives changed forever.

——————————————————————————

I hope you enjoyed this little imagine 🥰 please let me know who you imagined it with because I’m nosy and I’d love to know hehe, I hope you’ve all had the best Valentine’s Day (regardless of whether you’re in a relationship or not) and remember that I love you all to bits x

#trent alexander arnold #jadon sancho #ruben loftus cheek #marcus rashford #dele #dominic calvert lewin #james maddison #ben chilwell #rhian brewster #reiss nelson #valentine’s day #england nt #liverpool fc

[knuffled]

just practice - chapter thirteen

here’s it is! it’s a shorter chapter, but i hope to have chapter fourteen up within two weeks, so be on the look out for that! if you enjoyed the chapter, reblogs are greatly appreciated! it helps make the effort needed to write the chapters feel worth it! 

here’s the link for ao3

Takashi’s Batting Cage was a quaint, almost run down affair not far from Seneca Falls. The building was owned and maintained by an old Japanese man that had immigrated in the late sixties, and there was something about the place that made it feel like it was frozen in time. The walls were plastered vintage, hand-painted posters of bands like The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream, and The Shadows. Mr. Takashi himself often sat near the entrance with a cigarette hanging between his lips, polishing the wooden baseball bats that he had carved.

Behind him, there were two kiosks, one where you paid for rounds in the batting cage, and another where you could buy hotdogs made by Mr. Takashi’s wife, sold cheaply at a buck fifty. All you got was a bun, hotdog, minced onions, and a drizzle of mustard and ketchup, but Reyna had assured Annabeth that they were nothing short of life-changing.

The kiosks themselves faced a huge chain link fence that housed three pitching machines that whirred like projector reels. The fence was painted green and touching it was enough for the paint to flake onto your fingers.

To a newcomer, it didn’t make for a particularly impressive sight, but there was a warmth and coziness to the place that could only be experienced firsthand. Over the years, the batting cages had developed a devout following as a spot where anyone could go to have a good time. Spending even a few minutes there was enough to leave the impression that the place was well and truly loved, like an old baseball mitt.

Annabeth had never heard of the place until Reyna had suggested they hang out there the Saturday after Percy’s swim meet. She was therefore surprised to see the number of cars parked outside, although she suspected that that might also have had to do with the weather calming down some. Reyna was already waiting for her inside when Annabeth entered, leaning against the wall.

Once she spotted her, Reyna offered Annabeth a smile and said, “Hey, thanks for making the drive.”

“It was no big deal,” Annabeth said, unwrapping her scarf. “I couldn’t help being curious after how enthusiastic you sounded about the place.”

Reyna raised an eyebrow and her smile widened. “Oh boy, the pressure is on now, huh?”

“Just a little,” Annabeth said, grinning.

“Ooh, scary,” Reyna said. “C’mon, lets head inside.”

Annabeth nodded and followed Reyna to the first kiosk. There were families using two of the pitching machines, but thankfully they would have the third to themselves. A wooden sign was bolted to the kiosk, informing her that it was three dollars for five pitches. Reyna mulled it over for a short while before handing fifteen dollars over to the clerk and looking at Annabeth.

“I think we can start with that much and see how you like it,” Reyna said, shrugging.

Annabeth nodded and took a helmet from the clerk behind the kiosk before heading inside the cage with Reyna. They slipped off their jackets and set them aside on top of wooden bench that sat against the fence. The astroturf inside the cage was an oddly modern touch that felt anachronistic when juxtaposed with the otherwise retro atmosphere, but Annabeth didn’t have long to dwell on it because she was forced to move off to the side for Reyna’s first round on the machines.

Reyna slipped on her helmet and took a few practice swings before she stepped up to the plate and nodded to the assistant operating the pitching machine. The machine whirred on the far side of the fence and shot a ball towards them at incredible speed. Annabeth could barely even see the ball, but Reyna waited for the right moment and swung, making perfect contact. The ball cracked off the bat and sailed across the cage.

Annabeth focused more on the second pitch so that she wouldn’t make an ass of herself when it came for her to try as well. It was still almost faster than she could register, but even Reyna missed this time, which made her scowl. Although Reyna hit the three remaining pitches, she still looked peeved when she handed Annabeth bat at the end of her turn.

As she moved towards the plate, Annabeth couldn’t help feeling like she didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of hitting a single ball. Her suspicions were confirmed when the first ball fired past her before she even had a chance to react. The second one was no better, but she could at least make out the course of the ball. She managed to swing on the third and fourth pitches, but she didn’t make any contact. It was on the final fifth ball that she grazed the ball with her bat, sending it shooting upwards into the fence.

She ignored the way her face burned and turned to Reyna with a wry smile. “I think I’m gonna need you to give me some tips.”

“Your form could use some work,” Reyna admitted, stepping towards Annabeth.

Reyna put her hands on Annabeth’s hips and turned her slightly. “Angle your hips like this. Turn your shoulders a bit more this way. Move your left hand a little further down the bat.”

Annabeth couldn’t help feeling flustered by how casually Reyna was shifting her around. She was exactly the most touchy-feely person. She was only comfortable with it when it was someone she knew really well, but she was surprised to realize she was far less uncomfortable with Reyna than she thought she would have been. Still, she couldn’t help wondering if Reyna was aware of what she was doing.

“Do another round. I’ll go after you,” Reyna said, stepping back.

Annabeht cleared her throat and nodded before turning towards the pitching machines again. She grazed the first ball again and missed the second one entirely. On the third pitch, she finally managed to make contact, but the ball didn’t travel very far. The fourth and fifth pitches traveled further each time, but they didn’t pop off the bat the way they had when Reyna hit them.

She paid even closer to attention to Reyna during her turn to pick up on what she was doing that Annabeth wasn’t. Reyna missed the first pitch but hit the four subsequent ones. Each one shot farther and farther across the batting cage, soaring higher and higher, almost like she aiming for something. It was then that Annabeth noticed that there was a wooden target tied near the top of the cage. Although Reyna was still off the mark by some ways, she got progressively closer and closer with each attempt.

Nevertheless, Reyna still failed to hit the target once over the course of the next half-hour, which was presumably why she suggested taking a break to get some hotdogs. Annabeth was more than open to the offer, albeit for different reasons. Although she was improving, she still wasn’t anywhere near consistent enough to hit the ball properly more than once or twice a round, and it was beginning to get frustrating.

Once they bought a pair of hotdogs, they sat down at a table facing the fence and watched the other families play while they ate. Annabeth wasn’t really a huge fan of hotdogs, but she had to admit that Reyna had been true to her word.

After her first, she turned to Reyna and said, “Okay, this is stupid good for a dollar fifty.”

Reyna gave her a knowing look and grinned. “I know right?”

“I’ve never heard of this place before,” Annabeth said. “How did you come across it?”

“I heard about someone at school talking about it, so I figured I’d check it out sometime. Seemed like a good way to let off some steam,” Reyna said, taking another bite.

“I don’t if it’s just because this was my first time at a batting cage, but this is a lot harder than it looks.”

Reyna laughed. “That’s because the machines here are faster than at other places. You’re doing really well for your first time, though.”

“You didn’t have nearly as much trouble,” Annabeth noted.

Reyna shrugged and said, “I’ve been coming here for years now. I barely got any hits my first time around either. You’re doing better than I did then for sure.”

Annabeth chased some ketchup threatening to drip off her hotdog. “That would be enough to turn most people off from trying again.”

“It rubs me the wrong way to be shitty at something.”

“A friend of mine who said he went to summer camp with you said you weren’t bad at anything,” Annabeth said, smiling.

“Really? Who?”

“Jason Grace.”

Reyna’s eyes widened in recognition. “Oh, I remember him. Nice guy. Almost thought I had a crush on him, but that was before I realized I wasn’t straight.”

Well, that was news to her. Annabeth raised an eyebrow and tried to stifle a smirk. “Really?”

Reyna’s face turned a gentle shade of pink, which made Annabeth’s grin widen. “I was like thirteen, okay?”

“I’m not judging or anything,” Annabeth said innocently. “Just thought it was interesting.”

“That shit-eating grin on your face says otherwise,” Reyna grumbled.

“It’s okay, we were all cringe at thirteen.”

Reyna snorted. “Cringe is a good word to describe it, even if it’s mean.”

Annabeth waved her freehand dismissively. “What Jason doesn’t know won’t hurt him. Besides, he’s got a hot girlfriend now anyways.”

Reyna gave her a sidelong glance. “Are you sure you’re straight?”

“What was it you said last time? ‘I might be gay, but I still have eyes?’” Annabeth said. “Same thing, except other way around. Besides, jury’s still out on the topic of my sexuality.”

“Fair play, I guess,” Reyna rolled her eyes. “Speaking of last time, how are things with your fake-boyfriend going?”

Annabeth picked at the onions on her hotdog and said, “You are awfully interested in him despite hating his guts.”

“I don’t hate him,” Reyna protested.

“Thinking he has bad vibes is pretty much the same thing.”

“You’re doing a rather poor job not answering the question. Sounds like something must have happened,” Reyna said suspiciously.

Annabeth sighed and resigned herself to telling Reyna what had happened on New Years and subsequently at the swim meet. Despite her initial reticence, it was honestly refreshing to be open with someone about the whole fake dating arrangement, just like it had the last time they had talked. The main thing that had been bugging Annabeth recently had been how during the aftermath of the swim meet, she’d come face to face with the realization that she had actually been totally okay with the idea of Percy kissing her. More than okay, actually.

I could have stopped the kiss at literally any point if I hadn’t wanted it to happen. It was just as much my decision as it was yours, okay?

Those angry words of hers had kept echoing in her mind at random intervals almost every day. The fact that she had basically implied that she had wanted Percy to kiss her was an epiphany that she still struggled to make sense of. On the surface, she didn’t feel any differently about Percy, but it was the only explanation for why she had felt so disappointed on New Year’s Eve.

“That means I like him, right?” Annabeth asked aloud.

“Babe, you wanted to kiss him so bad you felt disappointed when it didn’t happen.”

Annabeth’s cheeks began to prickle. “I know jack shit about romance and relationships, so excuse me for not knowing.”

Reyna snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. “This kind of goes beyond not knowing. It’s honestly kind of mind-boggling to me that you’re struggling so much with the idea that you might have a crush on someone.”

Annabeth pursed her lips and said, “I’ve been thinking the same thing too, lately. It seems like it’s natural for everyone else, but it feels so weird to me.”

“At one point, I thought that you were aromantic or something, but I get the vibe that it’s something else. Like, you dissect your emotions so clinically that you abstract them and save yourself from feeling them,” Reyna said.

Annabeth laughed despite herself. “Holy shit, that sounds exactly like what a therapist would say.”

“Fuck off,” Reyna said, bumping her with her shoulder.

Annabeth bit back a smile and said, “Not sure I totally understood you, but you’re sorta right. Only thing is, I feel all my other emotions normally. Just not this stuff.”

Reyna thought for a moment and said, “I don’t know, this is just me talking out my ass, but maybe you have some baggage about romantic relationships or something.

“If that’s you talking out your ass, you’re gonna make me feel real stupid,” Annabeth joked.

Reyna screwed her eyes shut and rubbed her temples. “I take back what I said about having a crush on you. Dealing with this level of sass gives me a fucking headache.”

“I’m sorry,” Annabeth said, holding back a laugh. “I’m usually the one getting bullied, so I couldn’t resist the opportunity. I promise I’ll try to stop.”

Reyna rolled her eyes and looked thoroughly unconvinced, so Annabeth leaned into her and said, “Can you find it in your heart to forgive me? When I see you at the Olympics someday, I wanna be able to brag to people that you once thought I was hot.”

“Don’t try and flatter yourself out of this,” Reyna snorted.

“I’m not,” Annabeth protested. “I could totally see you at the Olympics someday.”

At this, Reyna was oddly quiet. Annabeth thought she had touched a nerve, but Reyna looked up at her demurely and said, “You really think so?”

Annabeth blinked. “Yeah, I do.”

A shy smile made its way across Reyna’s face. “Thanks, Annabeth. It’s always been a dream of mine to compete in them someday, so it means a lot to hear you say that.”

“I have full faith in you,” Annabeth said earnestly. “I’m sure you can do it.”

Reyna laughed and said, “What ever happened to wanting to beat me at a meet?”

“Oh don’t worry, you can still be an Olympian after I kick your ass at State,” Annabeth said casually.

Reyna raised an eyebrow, her eyes darkening. “Is that so?”

Annabeth coughed surreptitiously and turned to finish her hotdog. Reyna bit back a smile but otherwise chose to spare her by not pursuing the topic any further. The silence gave Annabeth time to collect her thoughts and dwell more on what Reyna had said. There was a lot to process, but one thing in particular had struck a chord with her.

“About what you said earlier, about me having baggage about romance and stuff,” Annabeth began slowly.

“I don’t think I’ve ever felt like being in a relationship was something meant for me. Not sure if I told you, but my mom left my dad and I when I was still a kid. She never explained why, but it really wrecked the both of us. Eventually, my dad remarried and moved on, but I don’t think I ever did. Move on, I mean. It’s hard for me to think about getting into a relationship when I saw what it did to my family, what it did to me,” Annabeth continued.

Reyna pressed her lips in a line and nodded. “My mom left our family too. I can understand how that would really affect your views on romantic relationships.”

“Fuck, I’m sorry to hear that.”

Reyna shrugged. “She had a good reason for it, so it’s whatever.”

She was tempted to ask Reyna more about it, but she was afraid of overstepping her bounds so she remained silent.

“I don’t know if it’s something I never wanted or if it’s something that I never allowed myself to want,” Annabeth said quietly.

Reyna was silent for a while before she said, “Does that even matter though?”

Annabeth looked at her with a frown. “What do you mean?”

“Do you really get any value out of getting an answer to that question? Isn’t the only thing that matters what you want now?”

There was a pause. “I don’t want something that isn’t meant to last.”

“You have no way of knowing unless you give it a shot,” Reyna said softly. “Besides, what have you got to lose?”

“Everything.” Annabeth dug her fingernails into her palms. “I could lose everything. Percy is too important to me. I- I can’t lose him.”

Reyna was silent for a while before she said, “I don’t have any advice for you. I think, at the end of the day, it comes down to what you want and what you’re willing to risk for it. Only you can answer that.”

Annabeth nodded slowly and said, “Yeah. You’re right. I just wish it were easier.”

“Something tells me you’re a smart girl. You’ll figure it out,” Reyna said. “Besides, if all else fails, we can come here and you can hit baseballs as hard as you fucking can to get it out of your system.”

That managed to get a laugh out of her. “I might have to take you up on that sometime.”

Reyna opened her mouth to say something more, but then she looked past Annabeth’s shoulder and smirked. “Speaking of the devil.”

When Annabeth followed Reyna’s line of sight, she saw Percy standing by the entrance by three of his teammates from the swim team. One of that had said something that made him laugh, so he still hadn’t noticed her. She wasn’t sure how to feel about seeing him here, but she didn’t have long to dwell on it because one of his teammates spotted her and nudged Percy to get his attention.

Percy smiled once he saw her and gave her a small wave. At first, it didn’t seem like he would come over, but his teammates shoved him towards her, making him scowl.

He walked over and said, “Hey, fancy seeing you here.”

Annabeth cleared her throat and said, “Um, yeah, likewise. Reyna invited me here to hangout.”

Percy nodded to Reyna in greeting and said, “Hi, forgot if I ever introduced myself, but I’m Percy.”

Reyna offered him her hand and said, “Reyna. Annabeth here has told me a lot about you.”

He shook it with a bemused smile. “Only good things I hope?”

A sly smile danced on Reyna’s lips. “All sorts of good things actually.”

Percy’s questioning gaze flitted to Annabeth’s for a fraction of a second before immediately returning to Reyna. Though the way they spoke was casual, Annabeth felt a charged tension in the air, like anytime the two of them met. She assumed Percy was only going to make things worse until he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

“I, um, wanted to apologize for how standoffish I acted the last few times we met. It was a dick move, and I’m sorry about that,” he said.

Reyna blinked in surprise. “Oh, no worries. I wasn’t much better either.”

And just like that, the tension dissipated almost immediately. The two of them still looked awkward around each other, but the vague sense of hostility between them had faded. Percy’s apology had been enough of a metaphorical olive branch, Annabeth supposed.

“I know you came here with some friends, but do you want to try going a round or two in the cages with me?” Reyna asked suddenly.

Percy swayed on his heels. “Um.”

Reyna shrugged and said, “Just some friendly competition, promise.”

Percy looked to Annabeth for guidance, but Annabeth was just as clueless about Reyna’s motives as he was so she could only shrug. He mulled over it for a little while longer before nodding and following Reyna inside the batting cage. Before she joined them, Annabeth threw away the left overs of her hotdog and washed her hands to get the ketchup off her fingers. When she returned, Reyna finished slipping on her helmet and turned to Percy.

“We’ll do three rounds each, so fifteen pitches total. The person that hits that wooden target over there the most or gets closest to hitting it wins. Deal?” Reyna explained.

Percy nodded and leaned against the fence, next to the bench where Annabeth sat. They watched Reyna hit four of the first five pitches before it was Percy’s turn. Percy missed the first two pitches and only barely grazed the third one, sending it shooting upwards into the fence. He got decent hits on the last two, but like Annabeth, they barely traveled further than halfway across the batting cage.

Reyna hit four pitches again, and the last three sailed close to the target but fell just short. Percy’s next turn went much like his first. He managed to hit the ball each time, but the contact was too shaky to send it a decent distance. On Reyna’s last turn, she hit every single pitch, each getting closer to the target than the last, but in the end she didn’t manage to hit it. Reyna scowled when she stepped away from the plate and removed her helmet. Annabeth didn’t see why she was so upset. Judging by the previous rounds, it would be very unlikely for Percy to do any better than her.

Percy got good contact on the first three pitches, actually sending them all the way to the back fence, but they lacked the height needed to reach the target. On the fourth pitch, Percy’s grip on the bat slipped, causing it fly out of his hands instead of hitting the ball. His face was grim before the final pitch, but Annabeth could see that there were still traces of hope burning in his eyes. He had been subtly altering each of his swings in the last round, like he was testing something.

The pitching machine launched the last ball towards him, and Percy waited for the right moment before swinging. The ball exploded off his bat and shot all the way to the other side of the cage. Annabeth stood up from the bench and held her breath, watching the arcing trajectory of the ball. When the ball hit the target, barely off center, she grinned and threw an arm around him without thinking.

“Holy shit! You actually did it!” Annabeth beamed.

“Somehow,” Percy said, grinning. “I’m pretty sure that I just got lucky.”

When Reyna cleared her throat, Annabeth grew aware of how close she was to Percy, so she quickly disentangled herself from him, her face burning.

“You won, fair and square,” Reyna said, offering her hand again.

Percy turned to her and shook her hand. “I’m just glad I didn’t totally embarrass myself.”

Reyna rolled her eyes and said, “If anyone embarrassed themselves today, it was me. That was the second time I’ve lost to you.”

Percy furrowed his brow. “Second? There was another time?”

Reyna hummed under her breath, a twinkle in her eye. “I wonder.”

That did nothing to clear his confusion, but it was clear Reyna wasn’t going to elaborate so he didn’t press the issue. It was clear to Annabeth that Reyna was messing with him, but it didn’t seem malicious enough to make her angry. Still, she wished she knew what was going through Reyna’s head.

One of Percy’s teammates called out to him from the rental kiosk, so Percy thanked Reyna for the game and said goodbye to Annabeth before he left. Annabeth waved to him and watched him leave before she turned to Reyna with a frown.

“What was all that about?”

Reyna shrugged. “Nothing.”

“It was super obvious that you were messing with him,” Annabeth said, narrowing her eyes.

“Only a little bit,” Reyna said, smiling. “Don’t worry, it was just for shits and giggles.”

Annabeth pursed her lips. “Well, as long as you weren’t doing it to be mean, I guess it’s fine.”

“It’s nothing to get working up about,” Reyna laughed. “How do you feel about going another round?”

It was a poorly disguised attempt to change to the conversation, but Annabeth didn’t feel like pursuing the topic any further, so she sighed and said, “Sure, why not. About time I get my ass kicked again.”

#knuffled fic #just practice #percabeth fic #percabeth #fake dating au #percabeth fake dating au

[boyduroy]

Shave and A Haircut

Fandom: It (2017/2019)

Characters: Bill, Richie, Eddie, Stanley

Word count: 2,044

Genre: slice of life, hurt/comfort

Warnings: language, mentions of bullying

Synopsis: Just another day of being bullied by Bowers. Luckily Richie knows what to do.

{Not beta’d/proofread, sorry for any typos}

Bill, Eddie, and Richie are all sitting at the Tozier dining room table, waiting for the fourth member of their party to arrive. Their geometry homework is spread out across the wooden table, most of it unsolved, along with an array of snacks, most of which have already been devoured. Bill looks at the old clock on the wall as Richie and Eddie bicker over who gets the last of the barbeque-flavored potato chips. Stanley should have been done with baseball practice 30 minutes ago, and it doesn’t usually take him this long to bike to Richie’s house. Bill briefly considers riding up to the baseball field to check on him when a knock comes from the front door.

“About time,” Richie mutters, quickly swiping the final few chips from Eddie’s hand as he gets up to answer the door.

“Richie, you turd!” Eddie screams as

“Y’snooze, you lose, skeddi-boy,” Richie calls back to the dining room with a mouthful of chips. He rubs his hands on the edge of his shirt as he reaches for the door handle. He doesn’t remember locking it, and Stan knows he can let himself in, but Richie figures his friend is just being his usual polite self.

“Stan the man,” he announces loudly, swinging the door open. “Where’ve you been? You know we suck at math…”

Richie trails off as he takes in the sight of Stanley on his front porch. The other boy’s head is hung, defeated, and his baseball cap covers his face completely. Still, Richie can see the faint outlines of tear tracks running from Stan’s chin. His knuckles are paper white as they clutch his gym bag, and aside from the usual dirt stains on his uniform, he doesn’t look too roughed up in any apparent way.

“Stanley?” Richie asks, tilting his head to peek up under the baseball cap. Stan’s face is red from either crying or from exercise, or possibly a combination of the two. “What’s wrong?”

Stan sniffs, his dark brown eyes refusing to meet Richie’s. “May I come in please,” he asks, his voice a bit raw.

Richie pulls him inside, taking his gym bag from him. “Go sit down on the couch, I’ll grab you a glass of water.” As Stanley quietly kicks his cleats off near the front door, Richie races to the kitchen, tosses the bag down haphazardly, and grabs a clean glass from the cupboard. Any other day he would’ve just grabbed one of the dirty ones from the sink, which would’ve earned him an earful from both Stan and Eddie about how gross that was – “I drank from it earlier, so why should it matter?” – but right now was not the time to instigate. As he fills the glass from the kitchen sink, Eddie and Bill poke their heads in.

“What’s going on, Rich?” Eddie asks. “You drop something?”

Richie hurries back to the living room, trying not to spill the glass that he accidentally filled up with too much water. “Something happened to Stan,” he calls over his shoulder. “Come on, he’s in here.”

“What h-happened?!” Bill asks worriedly, he and Eddie hot on Richie’s heels as the three of them come to gather around Stan, now sitting stiffly on the edge of the couch. Richie offers him the glass, which spills a little onto the couch cushion, but Stanley accepts it and takes a drink. Eddie perches next to him, his hand on Stan’s shoulder, and subconsciously starts checking his friend for any signs of outward injury.

“You alright, Stanley?” Eddie asks. Stan swallows the water eagerly and gasps, handing the now half-full glass back to Richie. He nods but continues to look down, his face still obscured by his baseball cap.

“What happened?” Bill asks again.

“Bowers and his gang…” Stanley answers quietly. He suddenly shrinks into himself, unwilling to reveal any further information. “I can’t, it’s embarrassing.”

Bill kneels, putting a gentle hand on Stan’s knee. “It’s okay, you can tell us. W-why don’t you take off your h-hat so we can hear you better.”

“I can’t.”

“Huh?” Bill blinks, confused.

“I can’t take it off,” Stan repeats.

Richie smirks. “Don’t worry about your hat hair, Stanley, we’ve all been ther—”

“No.” Stan sniffles and looks up finally, his brown eyes swimming with tears. “I can’t take off my hat, Richie, because Henry Bowers and his asshole friends put krazy glue in it,” he enunciates sharply. “My hat. Is glued. To my head.”

The three of them stare stunned at their friend, whose head falls back down sadly. Bill can feel his own face growing hot with anger. Fucking Bowers… It was one of the cruelest pranks you could do to someone: paint the inner brim of their hat with krazy glue and just wait for them to put it on.

Eddie is the first to break the silence. “Oh Stanley,” he whispers, his own eyes threatening to mist. “It’s okay, you’re okay.” He rubs Stanley’s shoulder and looks to the other two. “What should we do, guys?”

Bill strides towards the door. “I’m guh-gonna got kick the sh-sh-shit out of Bowers,” he says matter-of-factly. Stan is on his feet in an instant.

“Please no, Bill! Don’t, he’ll do something worse to you,” Stanley yells, grabbing Bill’s shirt. Bill tries to shake him off as he opens the front door. “Please, it’s okay—”

“It’s not okay, Stan! He hurt you!”

Stan hardens. “Fine, I know, it’s not okay. It fucking sucks. But I don’t want you to get hurt fighting my battles for me! Bowers is going to get what’s coming to him eventually, but I don’t want you or anyone else getting hurt today.” He loosens his grip and sighs, rubbing his face. “Just… leave it alone, okay? For now, at least. Please?”

Bill huffs but eventually closes the door again.

“Fine,” he says, resting a hand on the offending baseball cap on Stan’s head. “But we still need to figure out what we’re g-going to do about th-this.”

“You’re gonna have to cut it off, I guess,” Richie offers.

Stan frowns. “No, I can’t. It’ll look so stupid.” He tries gently tugging the cap, but it doesn’t budge. “There’s got to be another way.”

Eddie approaches and carefully inspects where the hat and Stan’s hair are connected. “He really did a number,” he admits. “It’s stuck to your scalp in some places.”

Stanley groans. “Great,” he sighs.

“It’s just hair, it’ll grow back,” Richie insists. “My dad has some clippers in his bathroom, we can take care of it right now.”

Stanley shakes his head. “I especially don’t want to shave my whole head, Richie!”

“Why not? It’s just hair.”

“It’s my hair!” Stan argues. “Excuse me if I don’t want to look like Sinead O’Connor the rest of the school year!”

“It’ll grow back, Stanley!”

“I don’t care!”

“Oh my god, you are so sensitive,” Richie grumbles as he marches off and slams his parents’ bedroom door. Bill is about to suggest something when they hear the telltale buzz of an electric razor. The three of them are frozen in place.

“He wouldn’t,” Eddie says, looking wide-eyed at the other two.

They stumble past one another as they race to the bedroom and Bill pounds on the bathroom door. “Richie, what are you doing?!” he yells over the loud buzz of the razor. He tries the doorknob but it’s locked.

“Hey dumbass, you proved your point,” Eddie shouts at the door. “Cut it out, you’re freaking us out!”

Finally, after a few more bangs on the wood and jiggling the doorknob, does the buzzer click off and the door swing open. Richie stands there proudly, glasses off, clippers in hand, and with a freshly (and poorly) buzzed head.

“See? I told you it’s not a big deal, you wuss,” he says, gesturing to himself. The other three just stare at him in utter shock until Stan finally sputters.

“Richie, you… you--” Stanley says, then dips his head down into his hands, his shoulders beginning to shake. Richie frowns, worried for a minute that he’s crying again, but then Stanley tosses his head back and he’s laughing so uproariously. “You idiot! What the hell is wrong with you,” he asks through gasps.

The tension broken, Bill and Eddie also begin to laugh while Richie just smiles stupidly.

“You missed like so many spots, dude,” Eddie snickers. “Geez Richie, were you even trying?”

“Hey, I had to take my glasses off,” Richie protests. He tosses the razor to Bill and points to the back of his head, where tufts of black hair remained in messy patches. “Mind cleaning me up, Bill?”

Bill smirks and gets to work shaving off the rest of Richie’s hair. He actually didn’t do too bad of a job, just missed a few places here and there. At least he put a guard on it so he wasn’t just freehanding it.

“There you go,” Bill says once he’s finished. He hands Richie back his glasses and dusts the loose hair off his shirt. Richie examines himself in the mirror, his hands running over the short buzzcut.

“Looks a hell of a lot better than Sinead, if I do say so myself,” Richie remarks, satisfied with his handiwork. He throws a look to the other boys and grabs a pair of mustache scissors, snipping them threateningly. “Your turn, Stanley.”

Stan shakes his head quickly. “Not from you, four-eyes.” He takes the scissors and hands them to Bill. “Please be gentle.”

Bill nods and carefully starts cutting away the worst of the glue/hat/hair combination until the hat is freed, along with a substantial amount of hair. Eddie throws it unceremoniously into the trashcan. Stanley shuts his eyes, not wanting to see how ridiculous he looks with half his hair missing. Then Bill methodically shaves away the rest of his golden curls and it’s over before he knows it.

“Okay, you can look, if y-you want to.”

Stanley peeks one eye open and looks in the mirror. His face looks back at him, now sporting the same crewcut as Richie. It’s… not as bad as he thought it would be.

“It’s different,” he admits, touching the short prickly hairs gingerly. His heart aches for just a moment. It sucks but Richie was right: it’s just hair, and it’ll grow back. He glances at Richie. “I think I pull it off better than you, at least.”

Richie feigns a wounded look, clutching his chest dramatically. “Hey, whoa, watch yourself there, Staniel! Don’t forget, you copied me. I started this trend.”

They all laugh at this, then Bill looks at himself in the mirror, shrugs, and buzzes a line right down the middle of his head. They watch with amazement as he gives himself a haircut to match, smiling the whole time. Afterwards he clicks the buzzer off and turns to his friends, offering another shrug.

“I wanted to f-fit in with the cool k-kids. This look is v-very in right now.”

Stanley beams and throws his arms around Bill and Richie. “You guys are so dumb, but thank you,” he says. The three of them hug, then Richie looks mischievously at Eddie, who suddenly pales.

“Eds,” he states. “Snip, snip.”

Eddie glances between the three of them who now appear to be ganging up on him. He sighs and digs into his fanny pack. “My mom’s gonna think I joined a cult,” he mutters to himself. He pulls out his inhaler, takes a big puff, and looks to Bill. “Do it.”

Soon brunette hair joins the piles of auburn, blonde and black on the floor of Maggie and Wentworth’s bathroom. The boys take turns dusting each other off and inspecting one another for any missed spots, but Bill was careful and thorough and they all look good, if not a little bit off for the current fashion. Stanley felt grateful for his friends, idiots though they may be, for always making sure he was never alone in his suffering. They return to their long-forgotten snacks and homework, enjoying the pleasant company of one another – until the cry of “RICHARD TOZIER, WHAT IN GODS NAME HAVE YOU DONE TO YOURSELF” from Richie’s mom interrupted their time together.

#it #stephen king's it #fic #fanfic #richie tozier #bill denbrough #eddie kaspbrak #stanley uris

[psychemeanscure]

PART 23

The sound of their heavy breaths is the only thing that can be heard behind the narrow line of flipped junk cars they found for hiding, or rather for shielding. They were able to seepage from the motorboat with the same assistance of somewhere springers. Jae who is still holding a shotgun, manage to pull out a small two-way handheld radio from its leather jacket. Hastily pushing the PTT button of it which she presumes to be connected with his co-subordinates. For she never gone wrong.

“What just the hell happened, Lee? I thought this direction was the safest, then what’s this?!”

His whispering grumbles through the other line as he was also answered promptly. “Idiot, we’ve been ghosted. Sh*t! I should have check carefully.”   

“What? What do you mean?”  

“I thought the Alcaziar tag along to that opposite side of the port, turns out he manage to split his men. He wasn’t there, so most probably… we’re doomed!”  

“Are you saying---“realizing his own thought, he can only give a knowing look to her. “F*ck! We’re already doomed, you say.”    

He was about to cut their conversation then if he wasn’t able to hear its next cursing from the other line. “F*ck, F*ck. This is f*cking shit!”      

“Why, why? What’s up?”

“Boss, is coming back. I repeat, going back to the ship! F*ck, this is crazy!”

Jae sense Lee’s inattentiveness from their radio conversion already but rather its attention was actually moved into commanding their other members. They’re in a panic mode it is for Sung Eunyoung to be alerted as well. “What did you just say?”

Snatching the handheld radio from Jae’s hold, pressuring the one from the other line which only responded her a silent gasp. “F*cking answer me, dammit!” Vigorously throwing it by the assistant’s chest, a tear starts to cascade once again.

He can only gulp his own saliva as if indirectly scolded by a boss’ wife. Much as he guesses how Lee felt like. “Go down.” For one thing they needed to do is to follow an unspoken order. ‘Guess they’ll make a great pair, indeed. Both intimidatingly scary.’ A thought he can actually imagine.

“I’m currently.”

For Lee interrupting it is the useful thing he needed. “Can I speak to boss.”

“Now, that’s the other problem.”

Left confused, he opts to query. “What?” as he can also see her incoming furrows. “It seems like he accidentally slips it from his ear. I can’t reach him no matter calling I try.”

“Sh*t! this isn’t what I’m expecting. F*ck.”

He starts contemplating. He is, for she can already see it. Eyes torn between her and the far away sight of the ship. Even the contrary silence from the other line only makes her decision clear. “Go.”

Jae was surprised hearing it from her indeed. “W-what? But boss ask me to look for you. I can’t just disobey Ms. Sung, considering the Alcaziar is probably looking for you again. “

“As much as you’re worried about him, I am as well. The backup will do for me, perhaps.”

“But---“

“I’ll give him a word for you. So no more buts and go, please. I’m also asking right now.”

Still doubting, he had no choice but to grab her request even. Clearing a throat, he speaks to the radio. “How many of us backing this area we’re in?”

“Half.”

“So, just enough.” A convincing monologue for himself before inquiring once again. “Can they spot us from here?”

“Yes.”      

Sighing, he agreed. “Alright. Radio them to guard her up. Keenly, please. I’ll be following you in a sec.”

“Copy that.”  

~

Right then Jae frantically loading the shotgun in his hands with new ones before he turns to her then. “Now, Ms. Sung. This may be a meaningless word to say but I really need you to do just one thing. Stay. Stay hiding no matter what happened please. Use this if you ever sense someone against their sight.”

Giving her the handheld radio, she can only nod. “O-okay. I will.”

Jae was about to leave then if only the idea in mind did not bother him suddenly. So he turns to her one last time, guiding her freehand to hold a silencer gun which left her baffled. “I know you still haven’t recovered from earlier, but this is the only thing I could offer as well. Just in case, miss.”  

Looking by the thing in her hand she begins to get nervous for herself. Then explosion happens. As it only gets worse for her again. Afraid that if she opens her eyes from the impact, things will be a death of her. Jae was already cursing beside her while she’s left with bulging eyes, watching the scorching fire from faraway ship. “No. No, please…”

“Ms. Sung. Don’t think anything ahead first. We will find boss, we promise. He’ll be alive.”

For there she was, being left in iceberg. Silently crying all her might from the expense of events she never dared to imagine. Not when she heard a screeching sound near her. “F*ck this. Could they have at least wait before I’m somber?”

Her whispering sarcasm for herself as she eventually wipes her halt tears, tucking the handheld radio in her coat’s bottom pocket, carefully crouching to stand up, trying to peek unnoticed while taking a fully grip to the silencer gun as if her life depends on it already.  

But before she can actually do. A hand pulled her back into hiding out from the sight of the springer backups. The stranger covered her lips by its freehand for she can only shut her eyes, muffling squeals becoming useless. She’s trap! And no one’s here to save her. She can onl---

“You’re really stubborn, aren’t you?”  

And It didn’t take a second to snap her eyes open, dismissing the hopeful thought in mind for it already came before she can ask for it. A washed Jang Taeyoung was the stranger in front of her. That the moment he let go of his hand from her lips, uttering his name is what she needed. “Jang.”

Her gaze was just too soft that anyone can’t rather handle to surrender, but not with this scoffing man whose piercing furrows lingers caused by her recent behavior. “Don’t look at me like that, woman. I’m still mad at you.”

But either or, neither happened to affect her with his words for it was ignored instead. Not knowing he’ll actually the one being effected. She hugged him. Sung Eunyoung cannot hold back anymore that snaking her hands to his neck tightly is what she wanted. He realized it. Her chin on his shoulder, she’s crying… again.

 And like a thunderbolt being strike by the rain, he gives in. Despite his prickly body, he still obliged to slouch enough to make her comfortable from tiptoeing. He was even oblivious of his action before he knew it, he was already tapping her back with care. An upkeep he had never felt ever since but her. She always does.

“I’m wet.” He managed to crack the obvious

“I’m dirty, anyway.” while she managed to chuckle from it.

Before silence takes in once again. Stroking her back this time, he utters an apology.                          

“I’m sorry.”

She only hummed. “Did I worry you that mu--- Ouch! What was that for?”

A strong smack on his back went through indeed for he needed to minimize his exclamatory grumbles when pulling away from her embrace. “Stating the obvious, yes. I really hate y---“

“Yah… W-what happened to your upper arm, uh?”

She tried to touch it which only earned a small grunt to him. Sighing for he can’t rather mock at her switching countenance caused by her worried face even. He chose to pick up the silencer gun instead. The one she dropped to embrace him.

“Just a small one. You don’t have to worry. But this? You shouldn’t be holding this, woman. Tss. Jae.”

“Don’t scol---“

“What? You’ll give a word in their behalf?”

Crunching her brows, confused. She asked. “How did you know that?”

“I was able to retrieve my earpiece so I heard it. I can also give you details of how I manage to reach here whole, interested?”  

Groaning, she ignored his bicker. Instead, she tends to watch him pulling out the handheld radio from her coat which antenna’s peeking, making him easy to recognize. “You were told to use this, but you didn’t even. Woman, really.”

“Ms. Sung! Ms. Sung, are you alright? Where are you at right now? Tell us your current situation, please.”

The bombardment radioed questions of Lee then, before Jang Taeyoung pushes the PTT button to answer. “Go back now. I’m with her.”  

“Boss!”

Acknowledging him, he responded to his men. We’re in a dark corner 6’oclock of indoor junkyard. Does the others see us from here?”

“Indoor you say, boss? We can’t. The thermal scopes have limits to get through roofs still.”

“So, it makes sense.” Scoffing, he blurts out his frustration. “Do remind me the latest next time, PLEASE.” Sighing, he proceeds to charging his next agenda. The next it did, he was on to using the earpiece again while Jae who just came back being their tail. They just learned that another set of Alcaziar’s men were actually few meters from where they’re hiding. Too close if not being planned wisely.

“Now woman, Listen. The moment Jae throws the grenade I want you to run as fast as you can by that side. See that pile of containers? Ahead of that 9’oclock, a car will be waiting to pick you up. Jae will tail you, so don’t worry. You, got me?”  

She was nodding then but her thoughts still evolved about him. He’s at it again. Risking his all. “Jang…”

He hummed. As she holds his hand tightly. “C-can… Can we just leave together, please?”

“Woman, are we back on this again? We already discussed this. Jeez, I can’t understand you.”

“So do I! --- hmp!”

“What the hell are you thinking woman?!”

His whispering scolding the moment her thunderous exclaim resonates the whole place. They supposed to be moderate to not letting the enemy sense their way but because of her surprise flare, everything becomes useless.

“Shit. Boss, they moving faster on our way.”

Jae hastily reminds the moment Lee gave him information from the ear piece he manages to acquire for his own. Piercing eyes of Jang Taeyoung stares at her with vigorous disappointment. “Instead of going with the plan, you only made us run in the pit of death, woman. I really hate you right now.”    

“Might as well die together, then.”

~

Her stern conviction that she never expected be reflected so soon. For everything happened so fast. An injured Jae, passing out on the expanse of the dirty pavements and Jang Taeyoung’s forcing body. Her troubleshooter… trying his best to stand up for her despite his shot ankle and knee, dried wounded stomach starts gushing another blood. A nowhere sniper attacks and the loss of their springer back-ups. None of their plan works that the only thing exists was the fading smoke Jae manage to throw, and most specially…

The trembling figure of her collapsing body, helplessly staring unable to think of anything but his safety. Their ill-fated fate takes in once again.

“D-don’t… Please Jang, don’t overdo yourself. Please.”

But even the sluggish shakes of her head can’t do any for Jang Taeyoung resisted to approach her still. “Jang, please! No… stop already, please.”

She was afraid, yes. That whenever he tries to move, another bullet will be fired to him. And it did. But not from the sniper she foresees, but from the Alcaziar’s bullet itself. A shot on its burned upper arm came through as his gorging scream resonates the whole place.

“Jang!!”

Her feared shout on so when the geezer was just behind her grasping her shoulders, bending to lean by her ear to whisper. “I told you, we’ll do some reenactment, right? But you slip it away from me a while ago that you just made me beastly angry, little pea. So might as well work it out today.”

Its threatening words that from bending behind her, he shifted to Jang Taeyoung’s back that as fast as she could, blocking her frigid body to shield him is what she needed from more possible attacks the latter may planning. “No, please. Stop. Don’t hurt him. Don’t hurt him!”

Yet she was only answered by its menacing clicking of tongue. Head’s tilting with irritation, frowning brows crunching tightly. “Please, don’t hurt him.” her lenient plead, only to be pushed from her blocked body to flop on the ground, and a click on its gun’s hammer. Pointing it thoroughly to Jang Taeyoung’s back head.

“How was my hide & seek game, mi niña? You enjoyed it?”

Deepening the gun to Jang’s head. She had finally lost her composure. “No! No, please. Do---“

~

A gunshot… was heard.

Her wobbling body approaching his shaking one. Snaking her arm into his shoulders, tears streaming endlessly into her eyes as her freehand pressing his bleeding neck. She doesn’t even care anymore if she’s covered with blood as well as she searches for help. “J-Jang. Jang Taeyoung, stay with me. Stay with me, loco. Please…”

Jang Taeyoung, was just staring at her with drowsy eyes but despite of it, he still managed to look at her with such tenderness. “F-finally. M-mission accomplished. Isn’t it, volatile?”

His sort of validation she obviously knew, yet the fulfillment doesn’t absorb her well-being for she’s only worried of the man in her arms. Much for her despair when blood starts to spit in his mouth. Agape eyes resulted to panic as she shakes her head, hushing him from pushing another word. “S-stop. D-don’t say another word, please. I’m begging you.”          

Yet, he’s not following her but cupping his weakly hand onto her face instead. Even made a small chuckle as if everything about him is okay. “H-hey… I remember you told me, you will be the one hurting me but why does it feel I did it instead. D-don’t make me guilty, woman.”

He was wiping her tears by his thumb, giving her the sweetest smile he never dared to share ever since but her. He speaks. “I don’t know if am I doing it right, but I’m actually fulfilling one of your wish right now, volatile. Though I’m afraid I may not fulfill the other one.”    

“Jang please, no… D-don’t say that loco, please…”

Her continuous set of pleads as a loud call of attention coming their way. Even if it’s hard for him, he needed to force her pressing hand to pull away and give it to the unexpected savior. She was resisting, but he insisted. “Go, Sung Eunyoung.”

“I won’t f*cking leave you, loco. Please.”

“You have to.”

Her eyes start to blur from another proceeding tears, considering the bleeding on his neck begins to spread bigger. She can’t attain. Not with him in a high risk! But the savior starts to get a hold of her to stand up. And she lost it. For her wimping body can’t urge any further.

“Jang Taeyoung!!”

Then she lost him.

#kim soo hyun #kimsoohyun #seo ye ji #seo yea ji #seoyeaji #seoyeji #hyunji #hyunjicouple #by quantum physics #quantum physics #nightlife ventures #jang tae young #jangtaeyeong #real #korean actor #realkoreanmovie #korean actress #sung eun young #sungeunyoung #ko mun yeong #moon gang tae #psycho but it's okay #psycho but its okay #it's okay not to be okay #itsokaynottobeokay #its okay not to be okay #slow burn #au #alternate universe

[calypsoff2]

Thirteen.

Our trip is coming to an end, our last night here and I am a little upset that it’s coming to an end, Robyn and I have gotten to be ourselves for the first time in so long, and I am going to miss it so much “you good?” I asked, Robyn nodded her head as she came in from sunbathing outside. I pulled her in for a gentle kiss, my lips were soft on hers; my tongue lightly traced the line of her bottom lip. She sighed and her mouth parted under my own, my hands ran down her hips and to her ass, cupping it gently “you feel it?” she moaned, her arms tightening around my neck “I don’t want to go back” I knew it, she is just like me. We both do not want to go back home; I don’t blame her because we have had such a good time just being us. No worries either, just sun and vibes “we are the same people” pressing a kiss to her shoulder “you know with it being a our last day, I have a little something fun” moving back my head “fun?” Robyn looked up at me all wide eyed “yeah and what is that you have been hiding this little fun huh?” I chuckled “well, get ready baby and I will tell you” slapping her butt as I moved back from her “wait, excuse me? What you got going on?” I chuckled, I left this to the last day “just something fun, come on now. Just get dressed so we can go and have that fun” Robyn is judging me, she walked off side eying me as she did. She is giving me a side eye, well I wanted to do this on the last day.

Robyn sat across me; she is dressed which was quick “you got me a gift now? I thought we wasn’t doing that gift thing? You swore to me that we weren’t doing gifts? You said no too also” she is so annoyed “how you know it’s not a gift for me twin?” she is funny, this gift is literally for me and that is what she needs to understand “show me then” why is she so angry at me, I can’t even deal with her right now being like this “why are you annoyed? Hey” I chuckled “because we have to go back but show me, what is in that bag?” she pointed, sliding the bag over to her “go on then look” clasping my hands together with the biggest smirk on my face “you have a cheeky smirk on your face, what have you done?” I laughed just wanting Robyn to open the damn bag already, Robyn put her hand in the bag and grabbed the box. She gasped seeing it “no way!” she spat, I busted out laughing “now I know where you said your pleasure, oh my god. An egg vibrator, oh my god. Wait, I am actually excited about this, oh wow. Ok. You going to put this in me and you downloading the app? Oh my god, my pussy about to be doing cartwheels, chile. You are so sneaky” I can’t wait to put this in her already.

I smirked and turned it on, Robyn I gasped “oh my god, this is so weird” I turned up a little more. She gasped, her hands now clutching the fabric of the bed covers “stop!” she spat, oh this is good, and this has made me happy “do not put that on high, I swear. It’s already about to have me on my knees, oh my” I can tell it’s about to have her crawling on the floor “I will be good, so we going to eat” Robyn’ face dropped “oh no, we not doing that. I do not trust you!” she spat, I laughed out “I am your husband Robyn, why don’t you trust me? We are only going to the hotel restaurant. I thought keep it close, come on” Robyn is not sure, I think she doesn’t trust me, but I wouldn’t do that to her “you can’t do that to me Chris?” she shook her head “do what? Come, I have a table booked. I will not put it on high unless you piss me off” putting my hands behind my back smiling at her “but you will purposely keep doing it-” she stopped speaking as I pressed the button, and she couldn’t speak “stop!” she spat, her chest heaving from pleasure. I did it again and her hips twitched “that is so powerful! Chris!” she shouted, she lifted up her skirt “I have no panties on and see!?” oh she is wet “just let’s go, clean yourself up and let’s go” I don’t care to hear it “don’t make me do it again, just hurry up” walking off, she needs to get on with it.

I feel so pleasured, the waiter bought the drinks over to us “thank you” Robyn said with a smile, I am smirking so hard right now at this “it feels weird, please don’t do it” licking my lips sitting back in my chair “why did you buy this again? I can’t believe I am even sat here listening to you, why are on earth are you looking for this?” she got questions “I thought why not, I saw it. Well it was actually something I read you know, I thought you can feel how I felt that day” Robyn laughed out “nigga I had to have my nails off, I felt nasty without my long nails. It’s painful actually” eyeballing her “see what I mean, I came freehand. I am still mind blown by that” shaking my head “well you my bitch, what!” Robyn slapped the table “stop it” trying to suppress my smile “I am your what?” I said raising my eyebrow “bitch! You are my bitch; I swear you are. I will keep on saying it bitch” shaking my head, she is in angry now “I like your anger, it’s more of a turn on actually. But anyways, are you moodier because we are going back, let’s talk” Robyn is so damn beautiful, like even without makeup, she is beautiful, and that tan is hitting “with that in my coochie? You want to talk” nodding my head “stop being negative, come on” she huffed out “well yeah, just that I have enjoyed being away from California, being away from all the negative shit and just to see us being us, the us I missed so much. Also I have got Tina to look into the best Cancer treatment for Captain, I want to do this. In my heart I do” nodding my head in agreement “I am all for it, but I can’t wait to see the girls, my daughters are the reason I want to go back. What if we did move? To like a nice holiday country, we can have peace” I want to move actually “you have said about moving a few times now, you really want that?” nodding my head “I feel I have nothing to be here for, everyone has fucked me over. Who have I got?” Robyn frowned at me “you have people stop it” I think I need a change; I am ready for it more than ever.

I was being so good with Robyn; I didn’t even use the thing with her. I thought let her eat, but we are walking back to the room now. I feel Robyn has become accustomed to the egg; she isn’t bothered now. She is just walking like it’s nothing, but I got something for her ass, she is ahead of me “fuck!” Robyn spat, as she held onto the wall “oh god” I am not stopping this time, her head fell back, and her hand balled up into a fist. I thought I would be stood away from her and just let her marinate, pressing the button again “Chris!” she shouted so loud at me and then cried out, my dick is getting hard seeing her unravel in front of me, oh I want her. Robyn moved back from the wall and started to run to the room, but I pressed it again and she fell down “oh my god” I said laughing, she literally fell onto her hands and knees “I swear, you ass!” she spat, this shit must feel really good actually because this got Robyn all over.

Closing the hotel door behind me and locking it, Robyn literally struggled getting into the room, but she made it, it has been the funniest thing to see her like this “Robyn?” I said looking around the room “I am here, and this is out” I laughed out “I literally came, it was down my leg too!” I guess I can put my phone away now because she has taken it out “you had a little too much fun, now you get on that bed and eat my fucking ass out, now!” she pointed, she doesn’t like me having fun “mhmm, I rather suck your toes?” she shook her head “get naked and do it, I want it ate good too. I want the best head ever from you, kiss this shit better” walking by Robyn, she means it too “man, you always ruining the fun. I am going” Robyn lightly pushed me because I am dragging my feet to the room “is it sore?” I questioned, I bet it is “it won’t be once your mouth is on it” feeling Robyn’ arms around my torso “I love you so much Chris” I cooed out, Robyn can never be angry at me, she loves me too much for that.

I fell to my knees, grabbing her waist and pulling her centre to my face. Her hips lifted off the bed and into the secure hold of my hands. Inhaling her scent, I nuzzled my nose against her clit and found my happiness. I opened my mouth and took as much of her pussy into my mouth as I could. My head rocked back and forth, gently sucking on her clit. My tongue lapping up every ounce of juice she released. Zigzagging my tongue across her clit before moving my mouth and I licked my lips clean; I went back in for more and tongued down her pussy “fuck yes” Robyn said, her body arching off the bed. She held her breath, her body twisting as I refused to move back. I am getting a orgasm out of her, watching her gasp heavily struggling to even breath “Chris” she panted out, trying to push me away but that wasn’t going to happen, she wanted this. My mouth clasped around her clit, sucking until a howl came from Robyn, I did my job right during this trip and I am happy as hell, she is going to be sore for a while.

Robyn is in her phone already, like her face is all in it know we are on the jet going back home. It’s bittersweet because on one hand we miss our kids and on the other we want to be ourselves with peace so it’s bittersweet “so that’s it now?” I said leaning on the table with my arms “huh” she finally looked up from her phone “sorry, see what I mean. As soon as I leave my holiday away they are on it so quick, asking all these things. Break is over now, Fenty is back in business so does it’s owner but I will be with you in a second” here we go, I can’t blame her because she has done her best to give me all her attention and do the utmost with remaining at home, it’s going to be a time where she has to go back to work “ok done, just had to send that message. Sorry poppa, I am just doing that. I will have to go New York, but I said I need to take my girls back to school for the first day at least, I know they will be upset if I don’t do it” I like that, Robyn is thinking of the kids now “so that is what you were doing?” I pointed at her phone “I did, they wanted me to come just now, like land there. I said no, I will skype, but I need to drop my girls off at school for the first time at least, but now I am wondering what they want” I chuckled “you’re a good person Robyn” placing my hand over hers, she is very much a good person.

Grabbing the suitcases out of the car, home sweet home I guess. Placing them on the ground, the gates opened up slowly which means the girls know we are here “you got the cases?” Robyn asked as she came around the car “yeah I do” I laughed seeing Imani running out “they are home!” Tianna spat, I didn’t want to come home but then I do because look at this, my daughters “awww my princess. Why you got this on” picking Imani up “you got this out” pinching her stomach, Imani hugged me so tight “I love you mama” pressing a kiss to the side of her face “awww you missed us that much” the girls are attacking us with love “look at that, the girls missed you both so much” Monica said as she looked at us all pleased, she looks so happy “you both look well” Monica complimented me, I just grinned at her “we had a good time, thank you so much. I think we have reconnected in many ways” Robyn smirked at me and then shook her head, I think we had a very good time to reconnect.

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