#but my guy if you comfortingly pat my back after i nearly fell asleep in class and tell me that it's alright and i can later copy ur notes;

[leyhes]

am i developing a crush or am i just not used to people showing me affection

#but if i remember correctly the guy said that he has a girlfriend on the first day of school but i'm not really sure #but my guy if you comfortingly pat my back after i nearly fell asleep in class and tell me that it's alright and i can later copy ur notes; #wish me a good night and text me that you're excited for monday (when we see each other again); softly smile at me all the time and say #that the job of the prettiest in the group has already been taken by me #then taken or not; how do you expect me not to slightly fall in love with you #how do u subtly ask someone about their relationship status without making it obvious that you might be a tiny little bit in love with them #and while knowing that the answer will probably only hurt? asking for a friend #lou talks #i feel like a teenage girl who has her first crush dlskd

[screamingatanemptyroom]

The World After the Super Heroes Disapeared Part 2

Hey guys, this is a continuation of THIS STORY . The story of Brandon, a former super villain, who’s forced to help out after all of the super heroes disappeared. 

Hope you guys enjoy!

____

What am I doing?

Brandon sighed as he dodged yet another power blast coming from the caped figure in the corner. Rubble from the crumbling school showered down around his head, raising a crowd of dust. The air was filled with the screams of the children in the classroom, who huddled in the corner staring at the fight with wide, frightened eyes. 

This isn’t good, I need to get him away from these kids.

A plan forming in his brain, he poked his head up over the desk, staring at the threatening masked man. He recognized him. How could he not? Not only had he been the focus of many news stories, Brandon himself had fought against this man multiple times.

The only problem was, back then, Brandon was the villain.

And this was Power Man, one of the most highly respected super heroes of the generation.

So why was he attacking a school?

“I wish I knew.” He muttered to himself, waving a hand to catch the former hero’s attention. “Woohoo! Power Man! Why don’t you pick on someone a little more challenging?”

Power Man’s head turned slowly towards him, his yellow glowing gaze dull and unfocused. He seemed, confused almost. As if he were half asleep and lost. Nothing like the overly dramatic focused hero he’d been years ago.

But that was before The Disappearance.  The day all the super heroes vanished without a trace.

Brandon still had no clue what had happened to them while they were gone, or why they were suddenly appeared five years later committing crimes all over the country. The world had gone crazy while after they disappeared, and now with the reappearance of heroes it had been plunged into even worse chaos.

Maybe he could be reasoned with?

“Look, Power Man, I don’t know what’s happened to you, but you aren’t the guy who holds school kids hostage! I mean, we had our fights and all, but you were the guy who lectured one of my minions on the health risks of sugar and caffeine.” He shrugged. “You were the ‘color in the lines’ kind of guy and that really worked for our dynamic in fights. So could you snap out of it? I feel really REALLY uncomfortable being the good guy.”

 “…” The glow in Power Man’s eyes seemed to dim a little for a moment, he shook his head slightly and tried to focus his gaze on Brandon. “Red… Bandit….” The words were mumbled, whispered under the former hero’s breath but they filled Brandon with hope. 

“That’s right! I was the Red Handed Bandit! The coolest of all the supervillains!” He glanced over at the children and teacher who were all making awkward faces and shaking their heads. “Okay, okay! I was pretty cool…” He trailed off once more as they continued to disagree. “Fine, I was bottom tier, but I worked hard, dangit!”

A young girl gave him a thumbs-up of approval at this description, and Brandon had to fight hard not to cry.

“So snap out of it, hero!” 

As soon he said this, however, he saw Power Man’s eyes glow bright red for just an instant, so quickly there and gone that he might have imagined it. The moment of relief Brandon had felt turned to panic as the dullness returned to Power Man’s gaze, and his hand slowly raised, the fingers glowing as his power gathered to strike once more. Brandon prepared to dodge, but then nearly screamed with frustration as the hand turned towards the other end of the room, preparing to fire into the crowd of children. 

“CRAP! NO!” He pressed a button on his belt, grabbing a tiny breathing filter and clapping it over his nose and mouth while rushing forward to tackle the attacker. A sleep gas escaped from hidden pockets all over his red suit, leaking out with a hiss. The hero swayed on his feet, the glow disappearing from his hand, and fell to the ground, incapacitated.

The gas dissipated rapidly, and Brandon removed his mask, leaning over to inject a vial of sedative into the hero’s tricep, praying the dosage would keep him down long enough to get him to the hideout.  The children took this as a sign of safety, and rushed around him.

“Hey! Thanks for helping out!” One boy punched the air. “I was going to pulverize him, but I thought you needed the practice. “

“I thought you were a villain?” A young girl pushed the first child out of the way, asking him with wide eyes. “Why did you save us?”

“I’m not a villain anymore!” Brandon pulled a business card out of his pocket, handing it to her. “I’m a real estate agent.”

“…” She stared at it. “I’m nine. I don’t need to buy a house.”

“I know, but maybe your parents…”

“You’re not very good at being a real estate agent, are you?” She patted him on the shoulder comfortingly. “Maybe you should stick to what your strong points are.”

“Which are…?” “You did just save us.” She smiled. “Maybe you should be a hero?”

You’ll never be a hero.

Brandon jerked as he heard those words again in his mind, trying to force a smile even as he broke out in a cold sweat. 

“Thanks, but I’m sure the real heroes will be back and helping out soon, so you won’t need me!”

And in the awkward silence that followed, he tied up Power Man’s unconscious body, loaded him up in a small red wagon he found in the kindergarten classroom, and wheeled the hero out.

___

“Brandon!”

A voice called out, catching his attention, he smiled as Sam ran up to him, forgetting that he had been trying to hide the gap in his mouth from where he lost some baby teeth. Sam came to a stop nearby, disconcerting him slightly as he had to look up at her. She had hit her growth spurt six months ago, shortly after they both had turned eight, and ever since she had been the taller one. Brandon tried to sleep early at night and even ate the vegetables they served at the orphanage, hoping he would hit a growth spurt soon, but so far he hadn’t grown at all.

“What’s up?” He asked, putting down the small gadget he had been working on.

“There’s a new kid in our class coming today!” Sam was bouncing up and down with excitement. “I heard he has powers!”

“Powers?” Brandon grimaced a little. “Like a super hero? Shouldn’t he be going to the hero school then?” 

“Apparently his parents want him to hang out with ‘normal’ kids? WHO CARES? Isn’t this so cool!”

“Yeah, I guess.” Brandon picked his gadget up again, trying to tighten one of the small screws.

“What are you doing?”

“Just finishing up my confetti trap.”

“COME ON! Work on that later!” Grabbing his hand, she pulled him along. The motion knocked his invention out of his hands, causing it to hit the floor with a loud clatter behind them. Brandon winced, not wanting to look back, worried that it was broken.

“What’s his name anyways?”

“Whose?”

Brandon rolled his eyes. “The new kid? The one you’re so excited about?”

“Oh yeah! It’s Stephen.” 

___

Suddenly, he was in the alley again.

“Stop…” Brandon’s voice came out broken, shaking. Tears and blood mixed on his face, sticking to his clothes as it dripped off his chin. “Please…”

A large fist struck his face, causing him to see stars. A snarling voice whispered in his ear.

“You could never be a hero.”

 Brandon crouched down, trying to protect his face, terrified.

 “Brandon!”

He shook his head, wanting to escape, but knowing that he was outmatched.

“BRANDON!”

After all who would believe him, even if he told anyone? 

He was better off running away.

Becoming something out of HIS reach.

“BRANDON!”

A super villain.

“BRANDON WAKE UP!”

Brandon’s eyes snapped open as a familiar voice pulled him from his nightmare of the past.

Sam was shaking his shoulder, her face concerned.  He smiled wanly at her, rubbing his eyes, hoping he didn’t look as terrible as he felt. 

“Hey Sam, what’s up?”

 Sam glared at him. “You fell asleep on the floor. You’re working too hard! I know I told you we needed help with this, but you’ve barely slept or ate ALL WEEK!” 

Brandon shrugged. “There’s a lot of heroes popping up all over the place. We have no idea if how long each one will stick around for, or if they’ll disappear again. We have to take the chance and get them now.”

“Yeah, and you’ve done great, you’ve caught over fifteen super heroes.” She patted his shoulder. “But you’re going to run yourself ragged at this rate. Trust me, I know.” She smiled sadly. “Stephen used to do the same thing. He always wanted to be the best.”

He felt himself flinch at the name, but kept his face neutral. “Are you worried?”

“Worried?”

“Worried that he’ll show up robbing a bank or something?”

Sam sighed, sitting down next to him on the floor where he had collapsed and fallen asleep earlier. “I don’t know. I mean, he has the power to shift within quantum realities, so I always hoped that he was… out there… somewhere. That he escaped, you know?” 

She leaned back, closing her eyes. “But now, it’s been five years. I feel bad hoping that he’ll show up ‘robbing a bank or something’, but at least then I know he didn’t just run off.”

“He…” Brandon hesitated. “He wouldn’t do that, wouldn’t run off. Being a hero was too important… I mean... YOU were too important.”

She snorted derisively. “No, you got it right the first time. Being a hero meant everything to him. Everything else… including me…. took a backseat to that.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be, nothing like five years in a world gone mad to really give a girl clarity and perspective on relationships.”

They both sighed in unison. 

Brandon didn’t want to break the silence, but eventually spoke up. “So… this isn’t going to work. “ 

“ I know. There’s too many super heroes, and all of them are under some sort of mind control.” Sam buried her face in her hands. “We’ve had to keep all the ones we’ve captured sedated. So there’s no one to help you.”

“Actually… there might be someone.” 

“Who?”

Brandon grinned. “I’ve got a bit of a crazy plan.”

___

“NO.” Captain Doombringer glared at the two of them, crossing his arms across his chest.  “I am the leader of the villain’s coalition, not the freaking cub scouts! Why on earth would I help someone STOP crime?” 

“Come on!” Brandon spread his hands helplessly. “It’s the former heroes committing the crimes, so at least you’d be fighting on the opposite side still!” 

“No.”

Sam broke in. “So, I hate to ask this, but did any of you guys have something to do with the disappearance of the super heroes?”

The Captain glared at Brandon. “Why’d you bring Quantum Blade’s reporter girlfriend here?”

“She insisted on coming… and she’s kind of a childhood friend.” Brandon shrugged. “She’s cool.”

He sighed. “No. None of us villains did it. Believe me, we all WISH we were the ones who pulled this off.”

Sam raised an eyebrow. “So whoever did this, isn’t part of the coalition?”

“Freaking renegades.” He grumbled. “Trying to avoid paying dues.”

“Isn’t this a good way to get them back? By spoiling their plan?”

Brandon saw that Captain Doombringer was hesitating. “Plus, you know the crew is getting bored committing crimes with no one to even try to stop them.” He added on the pressure with a smile. “This, however, will be fun!”

“You have no idea what the word ‘fun’ means do you?” The Captain stared up at the ceiling, as if searching for help there. “…fine, I’ll bring it up at tomorrow’s meeting.”

“Hooray!”

“You rock!”

“… I hate you both.”

__

Two days later, Brandon and Sam high fived, looking over a crowd of slightly excited looking super villains.  Several spontaneous fights broke out, with laser beams bouncing off the ceiling and shooting in several directions. 

“Well, I got them here.” Captain Doombringer looked resigned, and tired. “Now what?” 

Brandon looked over at his fellow super villains, grinning. “Now? Now us super villains are going to do the one thing we’ve never done before:”

He pulled on his red cape.

“We’re going to save the world.”  

#writing #short story #part 2 #super heroes #super villains #disapeared #villain to hero #reluctant hero

[thefloorisbalaclava]

All That Really Belongs to Us Is Time - Arthur Morgan x Belle Kennedy - Chapter 3

A/N: This chapter is from Arthur’s POV. I think it’s important to see how and what he thinks of Belle! Enjoy!

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2

That woman, Belle, had shocked him to say the least. She appeared to have never lived nomadically but easily adjusted. Not to mention that she seemingly appeared out of thin air. What would a woman like her be doing out in the wilderness unless she was running from something...or someone?

Arthur cleaned his hands then splashed his face with water, sending a chill through him with how cold it was. He stared in the direction of her cabin wondering if he should go and check on her. She didn't seem to need much checking up on but he couldn't seem to help himself. He was drawn to her in a way he couldn't explain. Before he knew it, he found himself in front of her door. Knock knock. There was no answer and his heart immediately began to beat faster. Why was he so worried about a woman he had only just met the night before?

He knocked again and after waiting a few moments, he opened the door just a crack. He saw her curled up in front of the fire...in his coat. Her dress hung nearby and her boots sat off to the side of the fireplace. That meant…

He tried his best not to look. He really did. It looked like she still had her stockings on and he was sure she wore her shift. Please let her be wearing more than just stockings and his coat. He walked over slowly to make sure she was okay. She must have fallen asleep after there little adventure this morning. He tilted his head and looked at her curiously. “Who are you?” he whispered to her sleeping form.

Belle shifted and Arthur froze wondering if she would be offended if she woke up and saw him standing there but she only mumbled and turned over. Some of her curls fell into her face and he felt the urge to wrap a strand around his finger. He shook his head and turned to the door when she began to cry out. He couldn't make out what she was saying but she started to thrash and he didn't want her to get hurt. Without thinking, he grabbed her gently and shook her awake. 

“No!” she shouted once more before opening her big brown eyes and focusing on him. “No.” Her small hands were wrapped around his wrists and she wouldn't let go. “I want to go home,” she cried. “Please.”

“I know,” Arthur said comfortingly. “I'll get you there.” He patted her shoulder awkwardly. She sat up and wiped her face, looking at him. “I came to check on you.”

“You have impeccable timing, sir.” She reached up and tried her best to smooth down her hair. “I must look a damn mess,” she said, embarrassed. Arthur thought that he hadn't seen someone quite so attractive in a long while.

“You look fine but you shouldn't be sleepin’ on the floor. You got a bed right over there.” He stood and helped her up noticing how perfectly her small hands fit in his large ones.

“I didn't mean to. I'm just so tired.” She walked to the window and looked out at the snow. Arthur nearly chuckled at the fact that his coat reached her ankles. Suddenly, he sneezed and she turned to him. “Bless you. You're not getting sick, are you?”

He wasn't sure what he was expecting to happen when she walked over to him but it sure wasn't for her to touch him. She reached up and placed a hand on his forehead then moved down to his cheek. He felt like closing his eyes, like leaning into her touch. That one small touch, those small hands, had lit a fire in him. It may have been snowing out but he felt as though the sun had been shining down on him on a summer’s day.

“You don't feel like you have a fever but you better take care. You need to take this coat back.” She went to take it off and he turned his back to her quickly.

“You ain't gotta give it to me just yet.” He swallowed hard and she snorted behind him.

“I'm not naked you know. Here.”

“Just...leave it there. I'll get it myself.” He heard her scoff and sigh behind him before the cot creaked and she gave him the okay.

“I'm decent now, Mr. Morgan.” He turned slowly and she waved with a giggle. “I appreciate you being so...coy.”

“I'm bein’ proper, Miss Belle.” He still found himself eyeing her form under the blanket. “You sure you don't want to keep this?” He held his coat up to her and she nodded.

“I'm sure one of the ladies can find me something.”

“All right, well, the food'll be ready soon. Should I bring it here to you?”

“Arthur...you don't have to take care of me the way you are.” She played with her fingers.

“You sayin’ you can take care of yourself?” he asked.

“No, it's just that…you're doing so much for me and I have no way of paying you back. I don't want you to feel that you're responsible for me.”

“But I am, ain't I? I'm the one that found you.” He grimaced at the way that came out. “Not sayin’ that you're some kinda property or anything…”

“I know what you mean but still...I just feel like a burden, a lost child.” Arthur took a good look at her. She did look pretty young but he couldn't place her age. “I'm 30,” she said as if she could read his mind.

“30? The years have been better to you than anyone else I know.” She certainly had to be well off wherever she came from. She was probably used to baths every day and perfumes and never had to worry about where her next meal would come from. But why was she running?

“What are you thinking about me? That I can't possibly be 30? Or is it that I look too delicate to be out here with all of you?”

“I'm thinkin’ I never heard anyone talk quite like you but also that there's more to you than your delicate nature. You obviously can shoot and hunt and that only makes me more curious.” Arthur had never been drawn to someone this way. He had never been able to talk to someone so easily. Maybe he just loved to hear her speak.

“Well, if we're talking about our ‘nature’, Mr. Morgan, you don't seem like much of an outlaw to me.” She sat up and the blanket fell to her waist. Look away, you goddamn fool.

He found something interesting to look at out the window. “No offense, Miss Belle, but we only just met and you don't know about the things I done...and will do.”

“Fair enough but...I like you. You've been nothing but kind to me and I appreciate that.”

“You may just be the first person to ever describe me as kind. Thank you.” He tipped his hat and met her eyes again. She looked upon him with care and admiration, something he wasn't used to. How much longer would she look at him that way before she saw him for what he truly was? Why did he care so much?

“I've read a lot about the Old West, the Wild Wild West, and I've always found it intriguing. We were just starting an exhibit at the museum about this era…” She clapped a hand over her mouth and shook her head. “I meant to say I've read about cowboys and outlaws in the papers. My parents always spoke pretty badly about you all but I secretly may have been rooting for some of you,” she whispered.

“Is that where you read about us? In the papers?” She nodded and picked at some lint on the blanket. “And you ain't afraid?”

“No, well, maybe a little but none of you have tried to hurt me and you took me in without hesitation. You're not all that bad.” She spoke so sincerely that Arthur wanted to believe that deep down he could have been a good man.

“I should...get back out there. See if the food is ready.” 

“Okay. Bye Arthur.” 

He walked to the door but really didn't want to leave. There was so much he wanted to say. Before he could reach for the doorknob, there was a knock on the door and he looked at Belle and shrugged. When he opened it, he immediately wished he hadn't.

“Oh...hello Arthur,” Micah said trying his best to look past him into the shack.

“What the hell do you want?” Arthur asked moving his large frame into Micah's view.

“I thought I'd come see how our new member was doin’ but it seems like you beat me to it.” He winked at Arthur and he had to stop himself from punching Micah square in the nose.

“She's fine but I have a feelin’ she won't be if you go near her.”

Micah put his hands up and smirked. “Calm down there, cowpoke, I know she belongs to you. If you ever feel up to sharin’ just let me know.”

“Get the hell outta here before I hurt you,” Arthur growled.

“I don't think Dutch would like that...but I'll go. I can always come see her another time.” He slapped Arthur on the shoulder before walking away.

“That guy gives me the heebie-jeebies,” Belle said from across the room.

“The what now?”

“He...I just don't get a good feeling from that guy. I want him to stay far away from me.” 

“Don't worry, Miss Belle, I'll make sure he does.” He tipped his hat and left her to rest. He made sure he kept a weathered eye on Micah.

#Arthur Morgan #Arthur Morgan x OC #Arthur x Belle #Red Dead Redemption 2 #RDR2 #headcanon

[swellio]

Gold; Chapter One

A/N: so something happened and the original post glitched out, so i’m reposting chapter one :) sorry for the troubles! but please enjoy

tag list: @dahladahlabills @sanguinewritings @cookiecuttercritter @velvetlighthouse @storyteller-shealie @txintedsxint

—

“What’s the matter, pretty boy? Scared?”

Eren’s grip tightened on his glass, glaring at the man who had been taunting him from the moment he had entered the bar.

Chrys knew his brother was already drunk; his cheeks were rosy and his eyes were half-lidded. He also knew his brother’s temper was always worse when he drank too much, so he stood from his stool and put a hand on Eren’s shoulder, abandoning his untouched drink.

“Let’s go,” he said. He saw Mavaren rise from his seat behind him, dropping a few coins on the table, clattering loudly. The bar had grown silent as everyone watched the tension grow. “Now.”

Eren roughly shrugged off Chrys’ grip, standing. The armor on his arms gleamed brightly in the light, his hands curled into fists as he raised them. “You want a fight?” he snarled, shifting his feet to balance himself. “Go ahead, I’ll give you the first move — you might even be able to brush against me.”

Two other men stood, positioning themselves across from Chrys and Mav. “Hey, we don’t want any trouble,” Mav tried, but they already had knives in their hands.

Chrys stepped closer to his brother. Mav stood beside him. “Eren, drop it. Let’s leave.”

“They’re practically begging for it,” Eren growled. “We’d be doing them a favor.”

“If you thick-headed fools don’t want to be dragged out of here by Guardians, I suggest you take this outside,” the bartender warned.

Immediately, Eren grabbed the first man’s sleeve and began to haul him outside, his posse following behind them.

Mav sighed. “I suppose we should go help him,” he said. “Even he can’t take all three of them.”

Chrys shook his head, walking towards the exit. “He’s lucky we’re his brothers.” Mav smiled as he followed.

The three brothers stood side by side, ready to fight. Eren’s fists were already raised as Chrys yielded his shortsword, eyes narrowing at the man across from him. Mav had his bow sheathed on his back, simply standing with his arms to his sides.

The man who had started the fight charged at Eren, knife aiming for his stomach. Eren blocked it with his arms before grabbing his arm and twisting it, the knife dropping out of his hand as he cried out in pain. Eren knocked the weapon away before letting the man go, watching with a satisfied smirk as he sprinted away, gripping his arm.

Mav waited until the man across from him was near inches from stabbing him before grabbing his wrist. He struggled to escape from his grasp as Mav used his other arm to pluck the knife out of his hand, smiling down at him kindly. The man whimpered as the grip on his wrist grew tighter.

“I suggest you leave,” Mav advised, his smile dropping. “Go.” The man’s eyes were wide with fear as he chased after his friend.

Chrys circled his opponent, both of their weapons raised. The man smirked before jolting forward with surprising speed, his dagger colliding with Chrys’ sword. Chrys swept at the man’s feet, elbowing his gut as he stumbled. Before he could stand, Chrys aimed the point of his sword at his neck.

“Stand up, slowly.” he commanded. The man did as he was told. “Drop your weapon.” The dagger clattered on the ground. “Now go — your friends are leaving you behind.” He sprinted away without another word, hand grasping his throat.

Eren laughed drunkenly, leaning on the wall for support. “We did it!” he slurred.

Mav walked over and slung him over his shoulder with ease, ignoring his orders to put him down. “You drank one too many Embers, little brother,” he said, chuckling.

“Don’t act like you didn’t drink a bunch of them, too! How are you not wasted?” Eren complained.

Chrys rolled his eyes. “Mav doesn’t get drunk — you should know this by now,” he replied. The three brothers made their way onto the path that led to the forest, the sun beginning to dip beneath the horizon. A cool breeze countered the humid summer air, fireflies greeting them as they entered.

“Whatever,” Eren mumbled, eyes closing. He began to snore only moments later. Chrys huffed out a laugh as Mav gave him an unamused glance.

Thankfully, they reached their camp just as night fell. Chrys rekindled the fire as Mav dumped Eren onto his pile of blankets. The stars shone brightly above them, the moon finally making its appearance. The crackles of the fire calmed Chrys as he was finally able to relax.

“He’s going to be knocked out until the morning,” Mav stated, sitting beside Chrys. “Did you get hurt?”

Chrys shook his head. “He couldn’t even land a hit on me,” he replied. “That was probably the shortest fight of my life.”

“I kind of felt bad for them,” Mav admitted. “I hope I didn’t hurt the guy too bad.”

“You’re way too nice, Mav. With your height and strength, you could be a pretty intimidating guy.”

Mav gave him a slightly worried look. “I don’t scare people, do I?”

Chrys scoffed. “When you’re fighting? People see you and the other way,” he said, smiling fondly, “but other than that, I don’t think you could scare someone if you tried.”

Letting out a yawn, Chrys felt his eyelids begin to droop, feeling as if they had weights on them. He leaned against his older brother, falling asleep to the sound of the fire and Mavaren’s quiet humming.

———

Chrys’ eyes slowly fluttered open, hit by the sunlight filtered by the trees.

He sat up, pushing off his blanket. Mav must have moved me while I was asleep, he thought, stretching his arms. Mavaren was already awake, packing up their supplies, while Eren sat on a log, clutching his forehead.

“My head,” he groaned, chugging down water from his waterskin.

“That’s what you get,” Mav chided, but still patted his head comfortingly. He glanced over at Chrys, walking over to pack up his bedding. “Morning.”

“Good morning,” Chrys replied, standing. He stifled a snort at Eren’s state. “Rough morning?” he teased.

Eren glared up at him, dark circles prominent under his eyes. “Watch your mouth, little brother,” he snapped, chugging down more water.

“Alright, boys,” Mav said, hoisting up their bag of supplies over his shoulder, “let’s head out. If we leave now, we can reach Regius by noon.” Chrys nodded, leading his brothers back onto the main path.

Dirt crunched underneath Chrys’ boots as he walked, taking in the scenery. The closer they got to their home town, the thicker the foliage became — Regius was known for its greenery and mystical ponds, filled with lily pads and surrounded by wildlife. It had been so long since Chrys and his brothers had returned.

“I can’t wait to taste Regius hot peppers again,” Eren said, lips turning up into a grin. “No one can beat those.”

“I just want to visit the animal sanctuaries again,” Mav replied. “All the foals have probably grown so much.”

Chrys thought for a moment — what was he looking forward to? “I want to take a swim in the pond right by our old house,” he decided, shivering just at the thought of hitting the cool water. Both his brothers agreed.

The three continued to share thoughts as they walked. Chrys felt his worries grow lighter and lighter the closer they grew, replaced by a surreal excitement he hadn’t felt in years. He had been nine when he last saw Regius, back when his parents had just passed. He could hardly believe it had been nine years. Mav had been fourteen back then, Eren being eleven.

Mav had taken on the role of parenting, forced to become mature at a young age. Chrys had always seen him as kind and patient, always going to him whenever he had troubles. Being the youngest, his older brothers had always been protective of Chrys, Eren especially. Although he was hotheaded and they often got into fights with each other boys, Eren didn’t let anyone lay a hand on Chrys — Chrys could hardly remember the number of times his brother had nearly gotten arrested for trying to protect him.

“Regius should be just at this next turn,” Mav announced.

Eren bumped Chrys’ shoulder with his own. “I’ll race you there,” he challenged, smirking.

Chrys smiled. “You’ve already lost, brother.” The two took off, Chrys taking the lead. Eren was close behind him as Mav calmly walked after them, shaking his head in amusement.

Chrys felt his heart begin to race even faster as he saw the gateway into Regius, but then stopped in his tracks.

The stone gateway had been knocked down, the fences bordering the town demolished. He could see smoke rising from the ruins of his home.

Eren nearly knocked into him. “Hey, what are you—” He stopped.

“Oh, no,” Mav muttered, catching up to them. “What’s happened?”

In unison, the three brothers sprinted to the gate, pushing past the rubble and climbing over.

The once crystal clear ponds that had greeted people at the front gate were clouded with ash, the lily pads already beginning to wilt. No wildlife remained, leaving behind beaten grass as they escaped.

“Hey!” They turned.

A Guardian was walking toward them, a scowl etched into his face. “What are you three doing here?”

“We came to visit,” Mav explained, “but we didn’t know there was an attack.”

“What happened here?” Chrys asked.

“Haven’t you heard? A big group of Corrupted got inside the Wall — they’ve been traveling from town to town, destroying whatever comes their way.”

“What? How?” Eren questioned. “There are Guardians along the Wall day and night.”

The Wall was a large, stone wall that separated Salvil, the land inside the Wall, and the Corrupted. The land beyond the Wall was poisoned with magic; anyone who ventured onto it became plagued by it as it sunk into their bodies, slowly taking over their minds and souls.

Legends said that if anyone were to harness the magic, they would become invincible — yet, no one had lived to tell the tale.

The magic always killed its host, taking weaker people much quicker than the strong. Most could barely even begin to try and use the magic before dying.

“There was an explosion at the border,” the Guardian replied. “We think they were probably planning this for a while. There’s a huge hole they stormed through — we got most of them, but a group of them still managed to escape. They’ve been going town to town, destroying everything in their paths.”

“Well, why haven’t you caught them yet?” Eren pressed.

The Guardian narrowed his eyes at him. “If you couldn’t already tell by what they did to Regius,” he growled, pointing to the wreckage behind him, “these Corrupted are unlike the ones we’ve seen. They’re much faster and stronger, so I suggest you evacuate to Sabur like everyone else has.”

“We can help you catch them,” Chrys said. “We’ve helped the Guardians plenty of times before — it’s our job.”

“It’s true,” Mav added. “We help Guardians in different cities catch criminals they can’t find.”

“We’re good at it, too,” Eren said, grinning.

The Guardian looked at them in surprise — the look in his eyes seemed almost panicked for a moment before returning to its normal gaze. “No,” he said sternly, “this is far too dangerous for you three. As a Guardian, I can’t let you put yourselves in danger.”

“We can handle ourselves,” Eren insisted.

The man perked an eyebrow, looking down at Eren’s short figure. “Sure you can, kiddo.” Eren’s face turned beet red, glaring at the Guardian. “Listen, the Guardians who have been sending you out on these little missions were probably just giving you chores they didn’t feel like doing, alright? Just go to Sabur and sit tight until you’re given the all clear.”

Just as Eren opened his mouth to give a response, Mav pushed him back, staring at the Guardian with a calm stare. “I appreciate what you’re doing, sir, I really do,” he started, “but I think you should listen to my brothers. We may not look like much, but we really can put up a good fight. You can even bring a patrol to help just in case.”

The Guardian scoffed. “That’s cute. I’m not going to fall for your game of pretend, so quit trying to kiss up to me and just follow my orders.”

Mav’s shoulders slumped, eyes wounded as Eren pushed forward once again. “Don’t talk to him like that,” he snapped.

“I can talk to him however I want,” the Guardian shot back.

Chrys knew there was something wrong as he listened to Eren and the Guardian argue with each other. Guardians were supposed to be the most caring and patient people you ever met — the man that stood in front of them was anything but.

“Hold on,” Chrys interrupted. The two stopped bickering to look at him. “Sir, are you really a Guardian?”

The Guardian laughed. “What sort of question is that, kid?”

“Can you recite the Guardian Oath for me?” He froze. “I’m not even a Guardian and I know bits and pieces of it, but to graduate from any Guardian Academy, you have to have it memorized.” Chrys drew his sword. “Who are you really?”

The man narrowed his eyes before whistling loudly. More people dressed in Guardian armor began to surround the three brothers, all wielding their own longswords.

“Alright, playtime is really over now,” the first man growled, taking out his own weapon. “I was getting tired of entertaining you guys, anyway.”

As soon as he lunged after Eren, Mav grabbed his bow and drew an arrow, shooting it at the man’s shoulder. He fell with a cry, giving Eren the perfect chance to hit his head with a rock, knocking him out.

Mav continued to shoot at their opponents with perfect accuracy while Chrys charged, dodging attacks easily as he fought. Eren was next to him, disarming the men before quickly taking them down.

The enemies just seemed to go on and on. Chrys felt himself tiring, knowing his brothers had to feel the same. Beside him, Eren’s face was dripping with sweat, and Mav would soon run out of arrows. Worried for his siblings, Chrys tried to make his way closer to them, feet burning with exhaustion as he tried to move as quick as he could.

Eren let out a shout when a blade grazed his face, collapsing to his knees.

The moment he was distracted, Chrys felt a sharp pain in his stomach. Glancing down, he saw his shirt begin to turn red with blood.

“Chrys!” In the moment, Chrys couldn’t tell who was calling to him as he felt someone kick him to the ground. The last thing he saw was the malicious grin of a man before blacking out.

———

“Chrys? Are you awake?”

Chrys awoke with a groan, trying to sit up.

“Hey, take it easy,” Mav said softly, guiding him back down. “You got a pretty nasty cut on your abdomen, but they let me stitch you up.”

“What?” he asked, eyes focusing on his brother’s concerned face. “Who—? Wait, where are we?”

“In prison,” Eren replied gruffly, arms crossed as he leaned against the wall. His own face was bandaged, but he was mostly unharmed. “I never thought I’d go to prison for something I didn’t do, and yet here I am, in prison for doing jackshi—”

“Those Guardians knocked us all out and brought us in here,” Mav interrupted. “They took all our stuff, too.” Only then did Chrys realize his sword was gone, along with Mavaren’s bow and arrows and Eren’s armor.

Chrys looked around the cell. It had no windows with only one bed and one toilet. The bed he was lying in was hardly even a bed; it was just a solid block with a pillow.

“There’s no way those guys are Guardians,” he retorted.

“Well, we have no idea who they are, so that’s what we’re calling them for now,” Eren said, eyes filled with anger. “I can’t believe they just tossed us in here — the next one of those guys I see is in for a treat.”

Chrys attempted to sit up once more, letting Mav slowly ease him gently. “I don’t understand why they didn’t just kill us,” Chrys said. “What use are we to them?”

“I have no idea,” Mav sighed. “We can only hope they’ll let us go once they’re finished.”

“As if,” Eren scoffed. “They didn’t kill us then, so they’re probably planning on killing us now.”

“Don’t think like that,” scolded Mav. “We’re going to get out of here, we just have to wait for the right moment.”

“Well, I’m afraid that will be pointless — you three aren’t going anywhere.”

They all turned to the voice from outside the cell, greeted by the man who they had first encountered. “We were planning on just killing you,” he began, smirking, “but now that we know who you are, it turns out you’re too valuable for that.”

“Too valuable?” Chrys questioned. “What does that even mean?”

The man rolled his eyes. “As if you don’t already know.” He turned to the three Guardians behind him, nodding.

They walked forward, one of them unlocking the cell door. The Guardians filed in, each grabbing one brother.

“Hey, hands off, prick!” Eren growled, eyeing his brothers. “Keep your hands off them, you hear me? I swear, I will beat your—”

“Shut up!” the Guardian barked. “Or else I’ll make sure you never see them again.” Eren’s mouth snapped shut.

Mav opened his mouth but quickly closed it as a knife was drawn to his throat, barely meeting Chrys’ eyes. Instead, he gave a small nod to him as he walked out of the cell somberly, the Guardian not being able to carry his bulky figure.

When the final guard approached Chrys, he tried his best to avoid his grasp to no avail. He winced in pain at the Guardian’s roughness, seeing Eren’s eyes light up with fury and Mav stiffening.

“Now take them each to separate interrogation rooms,” the man ordered. “I have a feeling they’ll talk more without each other to rely on.”

“Hold on—” Mav started.

“Shut it,” his Guardian growled.

Eren tried to elbow his captor, seething with anger. “You’ll regret this!” he yelled.

“Did you already forget our little deal? Keep quiet!” Eren looked over at Chrys, eyes filled with an unnatural mixture of panic and fear.

Chrys struggled against the arms holding him back, kicking and yelling profanities. “Let me go!” he shouted. “Where are you taking them?” He watched with a heavy heart as his brothers were dragged away, both in different directions. “Don’t hurt them — please,” he begged. The Guardian paid no attention to him.

Chrys eventually fell limp, letting himself be dragged into a room and shoved into a chair. He could only imagine what was happening to Eren and Mav; they were all he had left. He felt tears well in his eyes just thinking of having to leave without them.

“Listen to me, kid,” the Guardian said, interrupting his thoughts, “we know who you are now; we found your IDs in your bags.”

“So?” Chrys asked. “There’s nothing special about us.”

“Yeah, right. You can give up the act and stop wasting my time.” He leaned closer to Chrys. “Now, tell me — how did they do it?”

Chrys looked at him, confused. “Who?”

The Guardian groaned. “Do I really have to spell it out for you?” No reply. “Your parents. How did they do it?”

“My parents are dead.” The Guardian shook his head, and Chrys felt his stomach drop.

“Your parents are everything but, kid. Emilia and Bennett Hall are the only two people who have successfully learned to use the magic of the Corrupted; they’re immortal.”

Chrys felt the blood drain from his face. No. This isn’t possible.

“So, let me ask you one more time — how did they do it?”

#writeblr #writers on tumblr #wip #original work #original writing #creative writing #writing #my wip #fantasy #writerscreed #lin’s wips

[charonaraccoon]

Bridges (drabbles/prompts):

The perks of being a race engineer (Max/Daniel)

25. "Don't you try and pin this on me!"

Simon Rennie loves his job. He loves working with a young and motivated team and he loves working under Christian Horner’s watchful and understanding eyes. He loves the dynamics of the sport, the new challenges regarding track alterations or new rules. And he really loves working with Daniel Ricciardo, the ever-motivated, ever-smiling Australian. But sometimes he really hates his job. The deprivations, the traveling, the tiredness. Moreover, he sometimes really hates working with Daniel Ricciardo, when he’s late for appointments. And on top of the huge pile of shit he already has to deal with he has to search for his driver on the Saturday of a race weekend after he already missed the morning meeting at the paddock and it’s only four hours until qualifying starts.

Simon runs a hand through his dark hair and makes a beeline for the driver homes. The chilly morning air makes him shiver and he clings to his coffee cup like a drowning man, a poor, drowning, caffeine-deprived man.

He turns around a corner and is able to avoid a collision with Michael Italiano just in time, spilling coffee over his hand.

“Jesus fucking Christ!” he curses. Michael scratches the back of his head awkwardly.

“That’s my bad. I’m sorry, Simon.”

Simon knows he won’t come up with anything nice to say so he sticks with Bambi and simply stays silent, eyeing Daniel’s physiotherapist grumpily.

“Hey, have you seen Daniel? He was supposed to meet me for a run over two hours ago and didn’t show up. The last time that happened I made sure he had a hell of a week, sport-wise.”

Simon sighs and wipes his wet but now at least warm and good smelling hand dry on his jeans.

“I bet he overslept and his phone died or anything. Let’s check his trailer.”

“Wasn’t there a meeting like an hour ago?” Michael asks, irritation mirroring in his green-brown eyes.

“Yep, Christian nearly exploded after Max didn’t show up to his own appointment with him either.”

“Wow, that’s a first. Max missing out on his duties.”

“Yes. It’s going to be an interesting weekend.”

They make their way to where the huge trailers are parked and literally stumble upon Gianpiero Lambiase, who bumps into Simon as they pass by Verstappen’s motorhome.

“Jesus fucking Christ!”, Simon grumbles again, quickly lifting his sacred coffee out of harm’s way.

“Ups, sorry, Simon. Have you guys seen Max?”

“What? Don’t tell me Max is nowhere to be found either?!”

“Haven’t seen him today, no. And what’s that supposed to mean “either”? Where’s Daniel?”

They look at each other in a moment of silent thought and Simon takes a sip from his coffee. Glances are exchanged, opinion wordlessly gathered and plans pondered on.

“Oh, fuck me.”, Michael groans then and takes a deep breath.

I feel you, buddy, is what Simon wants to say but bites back the comment again.

The unlikely trio of them makes their way to Ricciardo’s motorhome.

Michael makes use of his chip card and the automatic door slides open with a soft hydraulic sigh. They are met by complete silence and darkness and stale air. One after the other they enter Daniel’s home for the season and Simon freezes to place in the doorframe, taking in and processing the picture in front of him.

The two red bulls lay in the middle of a self-induced chaos of clothes, videogames, beer bottles and cushions. The TV’s still displaying some flickering main menu of a gory horror game.

Simon’s mouth falls open and he hears Michael huff behind him.

Daniel Ricciardo’s sleeping on his stomach sprawled across the sofa, one hand and one leg dangling over the edges, dressed in nothing more but shorts.

His fingertips rest on Max Verstappen’s naked shoulder, who lays hurled up in a small bundle on the floor, just in his sweatpants, PlayStation controller still in one hand.

They snore in unison.

“That’s it. I quit.”, Gianpiero murmurs and turns around on his heels to leave.

Simon and Michael exchange a quick glance before Simon clears his throat.

“ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!”

They two drivers jolt upright, Max hitting his head on Daniel’s elbow and moaning in pain, while Daniel lets out a strange mixture of a groan and yelp that sounds like a little animal being strangled to death – something the Aussie would deserve, Simon states internally matter-of-factly.

“You two are a disgrace! I’ve been looking for you for HOURS! You missed two appointments, embarrassed the team and are already late for qualifying! I could strangle you and would receive a promotion from Christian for doing so!”

He looks into two pairs of immensely tired oceanic and ebony eyes and sighs.

He can’t shake the impression that the embarrassment of being caught in the act, half-naked, in strange domesticity and possibly hungover is worse than anything he could throw at them in the moment. He wipes his eyes and lifts his hands in a capitulating gesture, before shaking his head.

“Just get the fuck out of here, before I actually do so!”

With that he leaves the two drivers alone with fast spreading redness on their cheeks and necks that matches their team logo surprisingly well.

He hears them muttering.

“Fuck, I can’t believe we fell asleep.” Daniel’s voice is drowsy and raspy. A yawn follows.

“You were the one who wanted to play borderlands so badly!” Daniel then says, Max obviously too tired to form English sentences after just being woken up so abruptly.

“And you came up with resident evil, that wasn’t my fault.” … or maybe not, Simon reckons, leaning against the side of the bus with one leg propped up against the huge tyre.

“Hey, don’t try and pin this on me . You wanted to try the new beer type.”

"It was so warm in here and the alcohol and the game... I can't believe I fell asleep on the damned floor!"

“Oh, my back hurts.” “My neck is so stiff!”

They say that in unison and despite everything it manages to make Simon smile.

Beer bottles clatter, Max laughs hoarsely and Daniel yawns like a dog shuffling down the stairs and into the morning cold.

He shivers and wraps his arms around his upper body now hidden under a huge hoodie.

Max appears behind him, eyes squinted against the brightness and still carmine red.

Daniel ducks his head when he sees Michael’s raised eyebrows, Gianpiero’s clenched jaw and Simon’s crossed arms.

“We’re fucked, aren’t we?”, asks Daniel ruffling his already messy hair.

“Absolutely.”

“I might be pushing my luck but…”, he says then with a grin that’s borderline enthusiastic. “when’s breakfast?”

Gianpiero’s shoulders drop, Michael instantly chases the two drivers across the parking lot, ranting and yelling, and Simon lets out a melodramatic groan.

“I should have become a kindergartener…”

Simon pats his colleague's back comfortingly, handing him his coffee wishing it would be something stronger.

#archive of our own #fanfiction #writing prompt #daniel ricciardo #max verstappen #simon rennie #michael italiano #cuteness #drabble #mystuff

[jeremysomethingwrites]

Samson and Lazarus piece.

First piece to start off the blog is a little thing about Samson and Lazarus from the Binding of Isaac! It’s a little rushed, I might go back and edit it more later, but for now, enjoy?

Lazarus sighed to himself as he sat on the grassy hill, several yards away from the field where the schools football team was running their usual drills. Despite it being summer, he was still wearing his favorite knit green hoodie. Even though it was made by his mother, it was far from a perfect fit. The sleeves were too long and floppy and he was prone toying with the yarn out of boredom. He liked the look, though. It made him feel cozy.

    No matter how hard Lazarus tried, his eyes always fell to the same person. Even from where he was sitting, he could see the stupid red headband he had always wore. Lazarus was pretty sure it didn’t serve much of a purpose outside of aesthetic, as his long, mostly unkempt brown hair still flew wildly about with each motion he made. Even though he was pouring sweat from every pore, he still held his large, foolhardy grin. Lazarus admired how strong he was. How well he kept up with the other athletes. His blind, occasionally foolish confidence.

    Lazarus was so lost in his own thoughts that he had failed to notice the man he had been so intently staring at was now taking long strides up the hill towards him. He snapped out of his trance when he noticed, and shot up from his position on the ground. Samson, someone who hung around with Isaac and the gang occasionally, stood before him. He was wearing his uniform, and still had on the familiar red headband. Despite just finishing a heavy workout, he still looked like he could run a mile.

    “Heya Lazzy! What brings you here?” Samson greeted merrily, patting Lazarus on the shoulder firmly.

    Lazarus’ face grew hotter than the air around him. Samson stood almost a foot taller than him, and his strong, stockier figure juxtaposed Lazarus’ lack of any form of mass.

    “Oh, um, hi Samson.” Lazarus stuttered nervously. He ran a hand through his short ginger hair, one of his numerous nervous ticks.  “I was… just, uh… I…” he struggled to find any excuse besides “I wanted to watch you work out.”

    “Let me guess: you decided to finally try to gain some mass?” Samson glanced at what he could see of Lazarus’ skinny form and flexed a bicep. While he wasn’t exactly a body builder, he still had a decent amount of muscle. Lazarus tried not to stare.

    “I… yeah, I guess.” it was true. Lazarus wasn’t exactly proud of being as scrawny as he was. He kept telling himself one day he would try to start at least taking a walk outside, but his overprotective parents wouldn’t dare let him out of their sight. It took some pleading to even let him stay after most days.

    “Walk with me.” Samson motioned for Lazarus to follow him down the hill. Lazarus did as he instructed, following at his side.

    “You know, if you wanted to work out, you coulda just asked.” Samson told him as they approached the now empty field. “You know, the secret to a good workout is balance.” Samson began a long tangent on the key points to a perfect workout, that Lazarus wasn’t listening too intently to. Instead, he was more focused on his facial expression. Samson had a look of pure bliss on his face, like what he was talking about was the only thing he could ever care about. The look in his hazel eyes was one of the cutest things Lazarus could have imagined.

    “You get all that?” Samson smirked at his much shorter companion. Lazarus nodded with a smile.

    Samson grinned. “How about we start with a small jog, then?” Before Lazarus could respond, Samson had taken off with the simple order of “Come along!”

Samson ran at a slower pace than usual, but even this was still uncomfortably fast for Lazarus’ out of shape body. Regardless, Lazarus still attempted to keep up, nearly sprinting.He put a hand protectively over the brown satchel he carried with him at all times. It contained all the various medications he had to take daily, along with a few for emergencies. He had opted to tell most people it had snacks in it.

What was probably just about a minute of speedy jogging felt like he had done the mile ten times over. Sweat poured from his forehead, from a mix of exhaustion and heat.  Right as he had just about finished one lap with Samson, his pace slowed rapidly, and he came to a stop. He bent over and put his hands on his knees, exhausted. Samson noticed his workout partner had stopped, and ran over to his side.

    “Come on! We just barely started!” Samson encouraged. He noticed Lazarus’ heavy breathing, and took a hint that he was exhausted.

    “I… think I’m gonna… pass out…” Lazarus panted between heavy breaths.

    “Here, lean on me.” Samson offered, putting an arm around the tiny ginger. He didn’t know exactly his condition, but Samson didn’t want to risk putting him in any danger. Lazarus’ parents would probably have his head.

Like instructed, Lazarus put most of his weight into Samson’s side. Unsurprisingly, Samson felt he was as light as a feather. Samson rubbed his shoulder comfortingly, smiling warmly.

“I think you need something to drink. Come with me.” Samson told him. Lazarus nodded, and attempted to start to follow. When Samson noticed his shakey, stumbling steps, he stopped him. “Hop on my back.” he said, bending over. The kid looked like he was gonna pass out, and if he was, he would rather have him be under his protection. Or rather, over his protection? He didn’t want him to fall on his face.

A little shy, and his face somehow turning redder than before, Lazarus placed two hands on his shoulders, and before he knew it, Samson was escorting him back into the building, taking swift strides even with Lazarus on his back.

When they entered the school, Samson took care to make sure Lazarus did not bump his head on the door, then continued his sprint down the halls of the school. Lazarus, though feeling half asleep, held on tightly to his shoulders. He noticed a few people giving them strange glances, but was far too tired to pay them any mind. Most of them were too busy with their own business to say much more, either way.

When they reached the cafeteria, Lazarus let out a comfortable sigh as he entered the air conditioned room; the cold was a relief from the hot summer sun he had felt for too long. He was pretty sure he was terribly sunburned at this point. His pale, freckled skin was prone to sunburns.

Samson set him down gently on one of the benches at a table, then rushed off to the front of the room, where a confused looking lunch lady was working the counter. Lazarus opted to rest his head on his arms, looking at Samson through tired eyes. His worn out brain couldn’t think much about the situation, other than he now felt he owed Samson his life.

About a minute later, Samson rushed back, carrying three juice boxes in his arms, which he set down in front of Lazarus. Feeling conflicted between feeling embarrassed that he was drinking something so childish and being relieved that he could finally drink something cold, he punctured the top and took a sip.

“Sorry, they’re the first thing I grabbed.” Samson said. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Still too preoccupied with trying to drink as much as he could as fast as he could, Lazarus just gave a weak thumbs up.

“I… I apologize. I shouldn’t have pushed you so hard.” Samson toyed with one lock of his hair nervously. Lazarus was surprised he had suddenly became so sincere so quickly, but he didn’t mind seeing Samson so serious so suddenly.

“No, you’re fine.” Lazarus told him in a small tone. “I’m just… weak, I guess” Lazarus laughed nervously as he started the second box.

“Hey, c’mon, don’t say that.” Samson patted him affectionately on the shoulder.

“I thought I heard two gays rampaging through the hall.” before Lazarus could say anything else, both of them became aware of the presence of Eve standing behind them.

Eve, despite what she claimed, was another friend of the groups. Eve had said that she started hanging out with the gang “because there was no one else,” but most of them had started to think it was just because she enjoyed their company.

“Oh, hi Eve!” Samson greeted, his tone now back to it’s overzealous self. He held up a hand for a high-five, but much to his disappointment, was denied.

“Is Lazarus dying or something?” Eve looked at Lazarus, her tired, cold expression not changing.

“Nah, he just ran a mile.” Samson gave Lazarus a firm clap on the back suddenly, causing him to jerk forward.

Eve raised a single pierced eyebrow. “Really?” She seemed to doubt Lazarus’ ability to stay upright, let alone to run a mile.

Samson nodded, seemingly proud.

Just as Lazarus was finishing the third juice box, the phone in Lazarus’ pocket buzzed. Taking it out and flipping it open, he jolted up.

“Sorry guys. My mom’s here, I gotta go.” he told them, before quickly hurrying off. Samson stared at him as he hurriedly ran out of the cafeteria, slowing his pace when he reached the hall as not to break any rules.

“You’re gay for him.” Eve told Samson.

“Perhaps.”

#writing #the binding of isaac #samson #lazarus #they're gay

[1youmakeitright-blog]

Chapter 3 - The Pool Encounter You slumber so peacefully wrapped up in Josh's arms. He stays so still, as if he had waited forever for you. You turn over, facing him. You bury your face into his chest, and the blanket falls a little off of you. Josh wakes up as you shift, quickly grabbing the blanket and pulling it back over you. He smiles gently over the top of your head, before you both dose back off to sleep. You wake up to hearing the soft whispers of your best friend. “Psstt..“ the sound made you shutter. “What do you want?” You say completely monotone. “We need to leave before they wake up.” You crack open your eyes only a little to see her crouching down on the floor in front of the couch you were sleeping on. You're still facing Josh, so you're trying to be as quiet as you can. Her words made you doubtful, but you trusted her decision. Between the two of you, she was always better at making choices. “I want to stay.” You say in a whiny tone. “It’ll be okay. We’ll see them soon.” She says comfortingly. Willing to subside, you get up trying not to disturb Josh, who you just fell asleep with. It tears you both apart to leave them, they look so peaceful. As if they had never felt love. When you slip out from under him, you cover him up to his ear. He's absolutely precious laying there, sleeping so peacefully. You give Shea and reassuring nod as she stands up and waits for you. Before you creep out the door, you both look back at them. “Something about this just seems right.” Shea speaks in such a tone that it almost sends you into a trance, causing you to know without a doubt she’s right. You hop into the car. As you drive, your hands grip the wheel intensely. "D, are you okay?" Shea shows concern for your uneasiness, glancing at you with a worried look plastered on her face. "Um... yeah. I'm fine." You mumble, trying to convince her that you're telling the truth. "Destinee, I know you better than that. What's going on?" You sigh, giving into her. After a few silent moments, you speak. "It's Paul. Shea, you know how bad I wanted him. You know how much I've prayed for him. And now that he feels the same, it seems impossible for me to commit to him. I love him, but Josh is-" she stops you in your words. "I know you love Paul. And he has taught you a lot about yourself. But this is something we've always dreamed of. Just let it happen, okay? Whatever happens, let it be." She smiles warmly as you pull into the parking garage of the hotel. You smile back at her sleepily, then you both climb out of the car. You both make your way up to the room, taking the elevator and giggling about how your night went. Your phone buzzes as Shea searches for the key to the room through her purse. Received 6:47 a.m. Call me whenever you wake up. You choose to ignore the message because you didn't want to raise concern to Shea, and honestly, you just wanted to go back to sleep. 
Shea unlocks the door to your hotel room and runs to her bed as if it were her only refuge. You giggle because almost everything she does is hilarious to you. Once she's settled on her bed, you pull down the sheets to yours as well. She finally sits up, positioning herself comfortably. "So... did Ty and I... you know..." she says awkwardly. "Nope. Not even a kiss." You scrunch your nose at her. You could tell she was a little disappointed, but she was just glad he didn’t take advantage of her. “Well, I'm still exhausted. Goodnight." She yawns as she turns off the lamp, leaving you alone in the dark. You sit in silence until you know Shea is asleep. You creep out of bed and into the bathroom in order to call Paul, like he'd requested a few hours earlier. You close the door gently, trying not to disturb Shealan. You find Paul's name in your phone and call him. His adorable picture glares into your blurry vision, but your heart never failed to skip a beat when you saw his face. "Hello?" He answers, sounding sleepy. "Good morning. Are you opening today?" You ask, trying not to distract him from his job. "Yeah. I'm on my way to the bank now. I get off at five." He informs you. "Great. So, what's the big deal? Why'd you want him to call you?" "Well... you know how NEEDTOBREATHE is coming to Nashville and you couldn't get any tickets?" He starts to get more enthusiastic in his tone. "Paul... you didn't..." you squeal. "I did! Front row seats, baby!" He giggles. "You're freaking amazing. I'll be home tomorrow." You are grinning from ear to ear at this point. "Great. I'll see you then. Call me later okay?" You can hear his car door shut, meaning he's back at work. "Okay. Have a good day at work." You say sweetly and hang up. You squeal to yourself before you walk out of the bathroom and crawl back in your bed. You hadn't closed your eyes for five minutes before you hear pounding on the door. The sound jolts you up, and wakes Shea up too. She looks at you, kind of frazzled. “Are you gonna get that or do you want me to?” You say, concerned for both of you and your safety. She agrees to get the door. She opens it, peeking her head through. You stand up, feeling alarmed. “Hey, sweetheart.” Tyler says through a smile as she opens the door. Josh pushes his way past Shea to get to you. He looks so scared. Next thing you know, his arms are wrapped around you, hugging you as if he didn’t know if he’d ever get to see you again. While he’s hugging you, you notice Tyler pull Shea outside in a rather possessive way. 
“Destinee, I thought I did something wrong. I feel horrible. Please tell me I didn’t hurt you in any way.” You smile at his genuine innocence. “I’m fine, Josh. I promise.” You say smiling at him with your eyes. He smiles back, and through that smile he says, “Swear it?" He glares into your eyes deeply. "Swear." You smile with your teeth as you return the glare. "So, how did you find us?" You bite your lip innocently waiting for his response. "Shea must've dropped a flyer from this hotel or something out of her bag when you left. We found it on the living room floor, so we tracked you here." He smiles, not realizing how creepy he sounds. "Right." You nod your head not knowing what else to say. You sit down on the bed, patting the seat next to you and offering it to Josh. "Come on. You're not a stranger at this point." You giggle to yourself. "No. Definitely not." He smiles as he crawls in the bed. He sits with his back against the headboard, and you lean on his chest. He begins to play with your hair, nearly sending you off to sleep. You're yet again jolted out of your sleep when Ty and Shea walk into the room. "So, there's a pool at my house you know.." Tyler smirks at Shea. "Oh? That sounds like a fun thing to have." You say awkwardly, running your fingers through your hair. "Um... well.... we want you guys to come swim with us today. Just spend the day off at Tyler's house. Hm?" Josh smiles at you kindly. Shea announces, "we didn't bring any swimming suits." Josh sighs, thinking his plan has gone to shreds. Then, Tyler attempts to solve the problem. "Well, Josh and I would love to take you ladies to get the proper swimming attire! Right Josh?” He says smiling. Josh speaks in agreement while smiling at you. 
"Okay. I guess so..." you tease as you roll your eyes at Josh. "Well let's go. We're in my car, so be looking for it." Josh smiles as he grabs your hand gently. His touch sends shivers down your spine and causes your knees to grow weak. Nobody has ever made you feel that way besides Paul, and that alarms you. You all four make your way out to the car. Josh offers the front seat to Shea, which she takes. Josh sits in the back with you, never letting go of your hand. You make it to the store that they brought you to, specifically an Aerie store. When you walk inside, you notice the place is nearly empty. You and Shealan searched and looked together, trying to find something decent to wear. You found a few bathing suits you liked, but one you absolutely loved. "Wanna try it on?" Josh smiles, hoping you'd say yes. "Um... sure." You say awkwardly. You and Josh go to the fitting room while Shea and Tyler continue to look around. You put on the bathing suit, judging it for yourself. "Can I see?" Josh beckons from outside of the fitting room door. "Do you have to?" You persuade. "Yes. You do. Now come on, cutie..." your face immediately turns into a huge grin at the fact that Josh Dun called you 'cutie.' You can hear Josh smiling too as you opened the door. You modeled a two piece, consisting of black high rise bottoms, showing your sides due to the cut outs, as well as a maroon top that ties in the back into a cute little bow. "Well..." you speak up as Josh traces every inch of your body with his eyes. He runs his hands through his yellow hair, "yeah... you look gorgeous." He blushes as his eyes continue to wander. "Hey, earth to Josh?" You snap your fingers at his face. You didn't mind him looking at you like that though, if you were being honest with yourself. You giggle and close the door back, changing back into your clothes. You meet Shea and approve of one another's swimming suits, then you check out. The boys gladly pay for your suits, then you head out the door and crawl back into their car, and then back to Tyler's house. You and Shea immediately change into your swimsuits as Tyler and Josh do the same. When you and Shea come out of the bathroom where you were changing, you saw the boys already splashing around in the pool like children. 
You played a crap ton of pool games, including chicken, where you and Josh failed miserably. Once you looked like shriveled up prunes, Josh get out of the pool to go get your towels. As he climbs out of the pool, you can almost hear your ovaries screaming out of agony. He’s so gorgeous to you. It felt like your heart was about to explode from the love you already had growing for him. You’re snapped out of your trance by Tyler splashing you and Shea. "I'm going to start up the fire, okay?" He smiles. You climb out of the pool, quickly being greeted by Josh wrapping you up in a towel and hugging you from behind. Once you’re all dried off, you sit by the fire. All cozied up to Shealan and as drunk as he can be, Ty offers us a game of Truth or Dare. You all have a fair share of alcohol in you, causing everything to be ten times funnier. You giggle and offer to go first. “Josh, truth or dare?” He smiles in the cutest way humanly possible. “Truth.” He says. “Who was the last person you slept with?” You say almost dying to know. “Uh.. um… can I switch to dare?” He says, kind of embarrassed. “Yeah. Sure.” You slur, not thinking much about it. “I dare you to kiss Tyler, like you mean it.” We all exchanged a couple looks, and Tyler looks at Shealan as if he’d been expecting that question. Before you know it, Josh is leaning in to kiss Tyler. He cups Tyler’s face, putting his thumb on the side of his face. You look at Shea, knowing that this was an absolute dream come true. Josh kisses Tyler deeper and deeper, and Tyler is so into it. Tyler reaches to put his hand on Josh’s back, causing Tyler to scratch Josh’s back, which only makes Josh go harder. Josh moves to kiss Ty’s jawline, causing your own jaws to clinch. Josh moves down as he kisses Ty’s neck causing Tyler to let out a slight moan. You glance at Shea, and you can tell she’s soaking up every single second of it. Josh pulls away, leaving Tyler breathless. Josh sits beside of you, criss crossing his legs. Tyler pulls his bottom lip between his teeth. He sits up, sending a cold chill down your spine. “New game.” He says, giggling. As he stares at the fire, he says, “Let’s make this night a little more fun.” You look at Josh, wondering if he has that mind reading connection with Tyler. Ya know, the connection you and Shea have. Evidently, he knew exactly what he was talking about. 
Tyler stands up and grabs Shealan’s hand. “We’ll let you two have some privacy. Let’s go Shea.” As he walks away, he winks at Josh. 
“Well, and then there were two.” Josh giggles innocently. You can’t help but melt into a giant puddle because he’s everything you ever asked for. “So, I mean… I think I know, but I still want to ask. You skateboard right?” You ask curiously. “Yeah. I’ve been skating for a while. Do you skate?” He asks through a smile. “Yeah, but I’m not skilled. I can’t do tricks. I’m pretty lame.” You say laughing at what you said. He throws his head back in laughter, revealing his gorgeous teeth. “You’re not lame. I can promise you that.” You blush at the words coming out of Josh Dun’s mouth. You’re both still pretty intoxicated, not thinking straight. Josh puts his cold hand on your jawline, sending chills down your spine. Rubbing his thumb on your cheek, he stares into both of your eye simultaneously, as if he were looking for something. Before you know it, he’s leaning in rather quickly to kiss you. His soft full lips press against yours, causing your legs to feel as if they’re on fire. He sends you into almost a daze by his gentleness. His tongue slowly begins to press in, as you put your hand on his thigh, applying pressure, letting him know you need more. He begins to kiss your jawline as if he’d waited his entire life to kiss you. You grasp his side, digging your nails into him. He takes his callused fingers and stokes your soaked hair to your back, exposing your collarbone. He makes his way down to kissing your neck, and eventually your collarbone. He’s so gentle, as if you were priceless porcelain. He starts to leave a mark on you, but you don’t mind. All of a sudden, your phone blares “Car Radio.” It’s your ringtone. Someone is calling you. Josh pulls away as he sighs. You drop your head just before standing up. “Hello?” It’s your mom. “Hey, honey. I was just calling to check up on you and see how you guys were doing." You sigh as you turn to look at Josh. He seems upset that your passion was interrupted. "We're fine. We're about to go to bed." You lie. "Okay. Well, call me before you head home. Goodnight! I love you." She says gently. "Goodnight. I love you too." And with that, you hang up. You sympathetically smile back at Josh, knowing the mood is gone. "I'm sorry." You sigh as you sit back down next to him. "Don't apologize. So when are you going back home?" He asks, staring deep into the fire. "Um... tomorrow." You mumble, not knowing what he'd say. "Tomorrow? Why?" He shrugs. "Well, my b... um... my best friend, he got us tickets to go see my favorite band NEEDTOBREATHE, and the concert is in three days so we have to leave soon in order to make it. It's in Nashville, so it's quite a drive from our hometown." You speak rather informatively. "Oh, I like them. They're great." He smiles awkwardly. "Yeah. I'm so excited. Paul got us front row seats and I'm pretty pumped to be that close to Bear and Seth to be honest." You giggle as you blush. "Paul?" He looks at you with concern. "Yeah. If we get to spend more time together, you'll hear about him a lot. We work together, but we've gotten really close over the past few months." You smile at the thought of him. "Hm." Josh seems totally uninterested about what you had to say. "Um... yeah. His mom treats me like one of her own. They're an amazing fam-" but before you can finish that last word, he cuts you off. "Are you like... dating him or sleeping with him or what?" He questions you in the rudest way possible. "Excuse me?" You reply in a shocked tone. "You heard me." He spits. "Josh... do I seem like that kind of girl?" You mutter as you feel the tears swell in your eyes. You take great offense when someone accuses you of sleeping with someone or straight up being a slut. You stand up and brush yourself off, and just as you begin to walk to the sliding glass doors, Shealan and Tyler come out onto the deck. "Excuse me." You push past Tyler, trying to hide the fact that you're crying. Josh sighs when he realizes he was overreacting. "Destinee, wait-" but before he can speak much, you're completely out of sight. "Maybe you should leave her alone." Tyler suggests, acting as if he's a girl expert. Shealan leaves Tyler's side to come find you. You took refuge in the bathroom in the hallway. "D, it's me." Shea knocks on the door. "I'm okay. Give me time." You sniffle. "Are you sure?" She asks. "Yeah. Just give me a while." You insist. "Okay, but if you need something, let me know." She comforts before she walks away. She leaves you alone and your thoughts start to flood in. 'Do I seem like a slut?' 'Am I just a tease?' All these questions consume your mind until you hear another knock on the door. "Shea, I said give me some ti-" but your cut off by Josh's gentle voice. "It's me, sweetheart. Can we just talk?" His words make you want to give in, but that stubborn side of you won't let you. "No. Go away." You demand. "I'm not going anywhere until you talk to me, even if I have to wait right here." He bluffs. You don't believe he will, but you remain silent. Minutes turn to hours rather quickly. You check your phone and it's already three in the morning. 'They're all probably asleep. I'm going to get an uber and go to the room.' You think. You stand up after hours of sitting down and wipe your face off. You open the door, and you so happened to look around and notice Josh was sitting against the wall, asleep, never breaking his promise to never leave. You gasp at his perseverance, knowing you don't deserve him. You walk over to him and curl up next to him, your body warmth well received by his body. "Josh, I'm sorry. I want you to go to bed. Okay?" You whisper faintly. "No, I'm sorry." He mumbles, half asleep. "We'll talk about it tomorrow, okay, sweetheart?" You kiss the side of his head, knowing he's too pure for this world. You help him stand up and lead him to his bedroom. He crawls into the bed and you cover him up like a little child. "Will you sleep with me tonight?" He asks as if he was a child asking an adult. "I'm going to sleep on the couch. But I'll see you tomorrow." You smile as you push his hair back and kiss him gently on the forehead. You creep downstairs and take up residency on the couch until morning.