#i fell asleep surprisingly quickly yesterday. for a first night in a hotel

[nikatyler]

Having air conditioning in the room is fun until you wake up freezing in the middle of the night and don't know how to turn it off

#and i didn't want to wake up anyone so i just suffered lol #anyway good morning! #i fell asleep surprisingly quickly yesterday. for a first night in a hotel #nika rambles

[cheelieve7]

Pavement Rose Part 4 - Sweet for breakfast

Fandom: The Boys (Amazon Prime TV Series)

Pairing: Black Noir x OC

Hello! I really don’t know if anyone is following this fic seriously but i’ll just assume so and say, i’m sorry for the break! I’m genuinely depressed after that last ep y’all lol But my boy deserves a hug so, anyways, i hope you guys like this! 

Tags: @joequinngf​

For the first part: 

https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/cheelieve7/686962414693040128?source=share

For the second part:

https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/cheelieve7/687694097503420416?source=share

For the third part:

https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/cheelieve7/689079191986208768?source=share

I opened my eyes. Everytime i did, i couldn’t prevent the feeling lost. I didn’t know if i felt this way because latest memory i could muster was filled with nothing but confusion. Now every time i opened my eyes, i expected to be lost again both physically and mentally. I also couldn’t help feeling like a total stranger to my own place. At first i thought that was just because i was staying in a hotel but it unfortunately didn’t make any progress when i moved into my own place as well. It almost felt like i broke into someone’s home and fell asleep on the couch.

Ha. I fell asleep last night huh. Oh. I quickly searched for the space under me as if i was looking for a remote. Like as if he could be stuck between pillows. Where was he? I bit my lip. God i hope i didn’t drool. I didn’t know what i exactly expected but i was surprisingly disappointed when he just left like that, without even a note. My eyes searched one more time the coffee table for that small piece of paper.

Nope. What did i even expect i mean.

‘‘Oh well. Consider yourself lucky he was okay with lilo&stitch.’‘

The hell i was gonna feel myself lucky for. This was my house i mean. ‘’I dare him to not be okay with lilo&stitch.’’ i answered to myself.

Sigh. What was i gonna do with him? Was there gonna be even another time i wondered. I mean sure, we’d come across during work. I just didn’t recall a single time he formed a sort of exchange. But then he’d accept the invite to my place and watch an animation with me all night, not minding me snoozing on his shoulder. One would define my companionship last night less than ideal. But how about me?

Now i changed my position from laying down on my side to facing the TV with my legs and arms all stretched out for a yawn. I let my arms fall to the backside of the sofa. Did i enjoy his companionship? I gave one last look around in hopes of a note. So what if i did? How bad could it get? And that was only if we ever hanged again. It wasn’t like he swung by after work everyday. Ha. When i think about it, i don’t think we ever ran into each other except when i was randomly in mortal danger.

‘‘Idiot.’‘

‘‘What did you even think you idiot.’‘ i murmured again to myself. Now i grabbed one of the pillows up to my chest to gain some sort of consolidation. But but... he made a little heart. That must have mean something. I pulled my legs to myself and made a little fetus position, now pillow under my chin. Maybe i should had ask for more explanation then and there instead of simply inviting him over. He must have thought i understood it. I reached for my purse and grabbed the sandwich from yesterday. When i realized i was holding the damn sandwich with both hands as if it’s the most valuable thing in the world while i’m intertwined with my blanket due to all stretching around and pillow safely sitting on my lap, i decided maybe it would be a better idea to have my breakfast on my kitchen instead.

Just when i reached my counter two things hit me. I actually had his number. When i got the first gift, the phone; my phone, he sent a message with it. I never seemed to receive an answer to my previous attempts before but now maybe things would go different. And there were a plate of fresh puffy pancakes just waiting there for me.

Okay, i was simply gonna ignore the amount of things he caught about me and how he did and proceed to just try messaging him instead. I just seemed to have a knack on people’s moods well, most of the time anyways and i wanted to trust myself on this. No matter how creepy it’d come off some things he’d do one would say, when we were on the sofa together last night and just enjoying the moment, i didn’t get any alarming feeling. And that was good enough for me.

‘‘You bitch you actually did enjoy it didn’t you.’‘ i couldn’t help smirking to my own words. It was refreshing to not feel the urge to keep making up a story for everything because i didn’t remember the original story i had. No matter how much i liked hanging out with Paige, there was this need to keep up just so i wouldn’t come off as weird. Hell, i still did come off as one i bet but i didn’t want to risk losing very few friends i had. I took a big bite from one of the pancakes to distract myself from amount of thoughts i’d bury myself in. God, this was good. I couldn’t help myself chuckle. Just imagining him with a little apron over his suit, waiting on top of the pan, spatula on hand, ready to flip the pancake any minute. God. That’d have been a sight to see.

‘‘Such a shame you did so many yummy pancakes but didn’t stay long enough to share.’‘ 

I read the message couple of times before i decided to send it. I wasn’t exactly sure what to say or if i’d even finally receive an answer from him. But it didn’t hurt to try. I kind of wanted to see him again. He was a mystery himself and it was intriguing to worry about someone else’s background for once.

I tucked the rest of the pancake to my mouth and threw in one of the banana slices as well.

‘‘Oh god he sliced a banana.’‘ i giggled.

I decided to make a plate and carry the fun back inside to my sofa. Grabbed two more pancakes and i randomly poured the ‘’sliced’’ fruits i saw on the other plate to mine and grabbed the chocolate sauce from the fridge. This was good enough. And since it was a Saturday, i didn’t have to rush to eat in as well. Hell, could even brew some tea and treat myself. I quickly turned my stove on for some hot water and carried my plate to the living room. Just when i was finally gonna sit on the sofa, i heard the door knock.

No way.

No. way.

I heard the door knock three more times.

‘‘Um comiiing!’’ after moving over my small shock, i rushed to the door only to surprise even more.

‘‘Black Noir.’‘

‘‘Hi.’‘ hi? Stupid. Stupid! He lifted up his hand and gave a small wave when i looked at him like a rabbit that just jumped in front of a car and got blinded by its headlights.

‘‘Errm, why don’t you come on in?’‘ i opened the door a bit to give him space. I tried to get it together my composure as well. I must have looked really funny right now. After he payed a quick look, he walked past me towards the familiar room. I followed him behind, feeling like a kid compared to his build.

‘‘Would you like me to make you a plate as well then?’‘ i asked, knowing well enough he wouldn’t answer. He just settled down to the place like it was his usual hangout. I couldn’t hide away my smile. He was this unreadable assassin to everyone. Intimidating. Terrifying. Monster. But there he was. Passing rabbit drawings to me and making pancakes for breakfast. He almost looked innocent sitting between my colourful pillows and small blanket. Came to share pancakes.

‘‘I want to try something.’‘ i blurted out. I didn’t know what came over me but i felt so bold out of a sudden. I was filled with adrenaline. My heart was beating my chest just too loud. I marched in front of him and get down on my knees. I wasn’t gonna back down on my plan. Our eyes met. Was he nervous? Yesterday i was tired enough to pay attention to his mood but now i could sense it. He was nervous. I slowly moved up while i rested my palms on both of his knees and placed one of my knees between his legs to the sofa for support. We were so close. I could feel him tense up with unclarity of my motions.

‘‘It’s okay.’‘ i tried to give him reasurrance. He placed his hand to my chest. It was embarassing to know he could hear it all too well how fast my heart was beating. I shut my eyes for a quick second. Okay. No back down. I opened my eyes and held his hand. He looked at my hand to understand what i was doing. After my fingers lingered around with his a little, i placed his hand on the backside of my hand and once again i held our eye contact.

‘‘See. If i do something you don’t like, you can stop me.’‘ i quickly explained. And i did the same to his other hand that was holding my chest. Now it was time for the hard part. I slowly held his chin with both my hands. I was almost sitting on his lap now. My legs were curled under me uncomfortably but i was still between his legs. And god, were we close. I circled my thumbs over his masked cheeks. He didn’t move away his gaze for one moment. It was as intense as if he saw through me. Made me shiever a little when i looked back at him.

‘‘It’s okay.’‘ i repeated. And i slowly moved my hands to his neck. I looked back in confirmation. And slowly started to lift the mask up. I could feel his hold that was following my hands were getting tight in warning.

‘‘It’s okay.’‘ i said one more time. But i continued to lift. And i stopped when i reached his nose.

‘‘Now i see you too.’’ i murmured. I had a sheepish smile on my face, i was mesmerized by the trust he’d just put in me. I kept running my fingers on his bare face now as if i was the one tracing his features. Originally my plan was up to this point but a new curiousity hit me. I smiled at him again with the idea i just had. I placed my hands to his shoulder this time and slowly close in. I wasn’t sure how he’d react so i was dramatically slow. I didn’t pull my gaze from his eyes as well. Then our lips finally met. I pressed a soft kiss to his lips and pulled back to see his reaction. But when i felt his arm wrap around me as if wanting to pull me closer, i wrapped one of my arms to his neck as well. Our chests were pressing to each other now. He pulled me up, took me into his lap and i let my legs fall into either side of him. My hands were tracing patterns on the nape of his neck now. His fingers were searching for in the folds of my t shirt, almost in an attempt to feel me under the soft material. Our lips clashed once again. The kiss was filled with so much more heat now. His tongue devoured into my mouth. I couldn’t help escape a soft moan. And after couple more small kiss, i pulled back and rested my head on his helmet.

‘‘This is okay.’‘ i smiled. I took one of my legs and threw over his lap as if i was laying down. I rolled my arm tight around his neck while i reached out to a piece of pancake from my plate.

‘‘Wanna taste? You sort of came here for this after all.’‘ i laughed and held it up to his mouth. He took the bite in with one sharp move and start chewing. I could feel his content. That just put me at ease too. It was a weird sensation but i felt safe. Accepted. Belong. I liked it. I rubbed my nose to his neck and rested my head in the crook of his neck. And brought my other arm over his left arm and held it there. I could get used to this.

‘‘Thank you for the pancakes.’‘ i hummed.

#black noir #black noir fanfiction #black noir x reader #the boys tv #the boys #the boys fanfiction #black noir fandom #black noir x you #black noir fluff

[charliesradiodemon]

Arranged Marriage (Part 6)

Part 1  Part 5

(Ping reminders for: @ariloucii @wargraymon0709 @in-to–deep @norski28 @the-red-milk @seekerbea @aclusterfuckofeverything If you want a ping reminder, comment, reply or dm me!

I’m amazed with the amount of people who like my fic and honestly I didn’t think this would go far haha Thank you all for your support and contributions for the Charlastor community!

EDIT 3/17/2020: I have rewritten this chapter and will continue to do so with the rest!)

Part 6

Charlie woke feeling incredibly well rested. It may have been due to her emotionally taxing day yesterday, but she somehow slept through the whole night without issue. A part of her felt guilty for how well she slept, but it also made her feel silly for thinking so. 

With a sigh, she turned onto her side as she recounted her day yesterday. Through her painful day, Alastor of all people was there to comfort her in his own strange way. 

He even promised to stay until she fell asleep, just as she had asked. Charlie half expected him to brush her off, especially after his odd reaction to her near-touch. But surprisingly enough he agreed. And as a man of his word, he indeed stayed until she drifted off to sleep. Her face warmed as she also remembered how she’d held onto his hand as he sat beside her. 

It was Saturday, a free day at the hotel, and one of Charlie’s only days off. Saturday was a day for the sinners of the hotel to do as they wished- preferably inside the hotel’s walls. It was a day of self reflection to allow the sinners to pick up their own hobbies and put in their own effort toward redemption. Being in hotel at all times kept them out of trouble and focused on rehabilitation, but they were also allowed to leave and do as they please. 

As for Charlie, she’d use the day to talk to whoever stuck around the hotel and plan the coming week’s activities. At the end of the day she’d normally watch a movie or binge a series with Vaggie, but it might not be the best idea considering the recent events around them. Besides her assumed broken tradition with Vaggie, today should be no different. She’d been living with this schedule for half a year now and she planned to stick to it. 

With a determined huff and and smile, Charlie sat up in bed. But as she did so, she noticed a familiar red figure at the other end of the room and froze. It was Alastor.

“He stayed the night.” Charlie whispered to herself. She scooted off the bed and fixed her nightgown before quietly walking up to the motionless form on her couch.

Sure enough it was Alastor, sitting upright, legs and arms crossed, a small close-lipped smile and his eyes closed. Had she not seen how slowly he breathed, Charlie would have assumed he was awake and waiting. Charlie leaned over and got close. ‘I guess even Alastor needs to sleep.’ She mused in her head. She’d never seen him sleep before and she’d never seen him so still and peaceful either. He was usually bouncing with energy and enthusiasm whenever he was around her.  

“Can I help you Charlie?” Alastor asked suddenly. Alastor’s bright red eyes shot open and stared straight back at the demoness.

“HOLY-“ Charlie jumped back immediately and nearly tripped on the rug, sending her limbs flailing about as she caught herself from tumbling. 

Alastor chuckled and rested his elbow on the armrest. He plopped his head on his open palm and watched Charlie try to calm herself. “Sorry if I startled you sweetheart, but watching people sleep is quite rude you know!” He grinned widely and continued to chuckle.

After collecting herself, Charlie took a few deep breaths to calm herself. “No, I’m sorry. I woke you up and I was… being kinda weird…” she looked away and fiddled with her unkempt hair. The pout on her face made Alastor’s flutter and he nearly forgot where he was for a moment. 

That was, until he took a good look at her hair. “No worries dear. I had a good laugh out of it,” he mused. He then pointed at her hair and raised an eyebrow. “By the way that is a fine nest you have!” Charlie shot him a confused look to be met with a smug grin.

When she turned and walked to her vanity she yelped, “What? How’d it get this bad?” She sat herself down and began running her fingers through her hair to get the tangled mess under control. With her frantic tugging, she kept getting her fingers snagged on the knots. She let out an exasperated sigh, signaling her quick defeat. “I mean it’s never perfect in the morning, but it’s never been this bad before! I need to get Razzle and Dazzle!” She shot up from her stool.

But before she could head for the door, two claw-like hands rested on her shoulders. Looking up in her vanity mirror, she saw Alastor holding her in place. “No need! I can take care of it if you’d like.” he materialized a brush from nowhere and gently pushed her down to sit. Saying nothing, Charlie sat back down and continued to watch him through the mirror. 

He went straight to work once she settled. Instead of going head first with the brush, Alastor set it aside and instead used his fingers to untangle any nasty snags that could get caught in the brush. It was so strange how thoughtful and careful he was as his pointed claws occasionally brushed over her scalp. Charlie even closed her eyes as he worked, clearly enjoying the sensation. 

Once Alastor deemed it satisfactory, he took the brush he’d summoned and gently brushed through her golden locks all while humming. 

Charlie’s butlers Razzle and Dazzle would normally brush Charlie’s long and voluptuous hair, but never had it felt this good. From the soft brushes of her scalp to the gliding of a brush through her hair, Charlie didn’t notice the content smile that graced her face. 

Alastor, however had. He watched the princess’ expression soften through the mirror with amusement. Was she truly this naive? Despite being at the mercy of the Radio Demon, one of the most feared overlords in Hell, she’d put her full trust in him and relaxed into his touch, even. The moment reminded him how just last night she asked him to stay until she fell asleep. It still racked his brain how she could be so at ease with him in the room. But most of all he wondered why exactly he decided to stay by her side the whole night. Or why he volunteered to brush her hair so carefully. 

“You have quite a lot of hair you know,” Alastor joked in an attempt to get his mind off of his confusing thoughts. He’d ponder on it more later, now was just not the time. 

Charlie’s eyes shot open, and Alastor could have sworn his heart skipped a beat at the sight. Even when he attempted to get his mind off of what she did to him, she still somehow managed to get his heart off-beat. So much so Alastor was beginning to think that he was merely experiencing heart palpitations. “You must get it from your mother.” he finished, trying to keep himself calm and collected. Charlie smiled soberly and nodded.

“Yeah, I get that a lot. It’s why I don’t ever wanna cut it, because it reminds me of my mom.” she chuckled and brought her gaze down to the floor, deep in thought. 

What was her mother dong? She still hadn’t called, nor had she picked up any of Charlie’s calls in the past few days. She must have been busy with wedding preparations, but couldn’t she just spare a couple of minutes for her daughter? She’d just gotten engaged! 

With his eyes still fixed on Charlie’s face, Alastor hadn’t realized that he’d thoroughly brushed though the demoness’ hair a while ago. He was so engrossed in the softness of her locks and his heart palpitations, he’d completely lost focus. He stopped brushing, but part of him didn’t want to stop just yet. So instead he started to do something else to Charlie’s hair, which promptly caught her attention. The gentle tugging told Charlie he was probably braiding her hair. “I bet you must be excited to see your mother today.” he commented. 

“Yeah- wait,” she slammed her palms on the table, stood and whipped her head around to face Alastor. The braid that he’d started came undone in the action, but Alastor didn’t care. Not when his fiancee’s beautiful demonic form began to peek out. Alastor’s grin widened in anticipation and his fluttering heart began racing.

“WHAT?” She shrieked, yet Alastor didn’t flinch. Charlie began pacing away from the vanity, muttering wildly with a hand over her mouth. Her wide eyed gaze was fixed on the ground. Alastor couldn’t understand what she was saying but he did notice that her horns were present and her nails seemed longer than usual. He took Charlie’s seat at the vanity and sighed contentedly at the sight of her. He had to admit that she certainly was a belle, but this side of her was a unique sort of beauty that he could appreciate. 

She looked to him pleadingly. “What should I do?” she cried before returning to her frantic pacing.

With a confused yet amused expression, Alastor asked, “Are you not excited to see her?” The demoness snapped her head to look at him once more with her ruby-red eyes. 

However the visible part of her true form retracted as quickly as it appeared with just a blink. Charlie stopped her pacing and sighed. “It’s not that. I just haven’t seen her in a long time and she hasn’t returned any of my calls,” she ran a hand through her hair and shook her head with a groan. “I-I just don’t know what to say to her Al.” 

“Why not just start with a simple ‘hello’?”

Charlie groaned in frustration again. “Come on, be serious!” She turned back around to pace with her hands tangled in her hair.

“Oh I am though,” he stood to full height and walked up to her to grab her by the scruff of her nightgown and effectively stopping her from pacing endlessly again. Once she stilled in his grasp, he released her before continuing, “The reaction to a simple smile and a ‘hello’ tells you everything you need to know about a person! See where you go with it sweetheart. Not to mention your mother would be pleased to see your gorgeous smile.”

Charlie turned and shot him an unsure look. When he didn’t falter from his confidently wide grin, she shrugged. “I guess it’s better than nothing. Thanks for the advice, Al.” she crossed her arms and turned away. The unsure tone of her voice did not comfort Alastor’s inner concern one bit. 

‘Concern? For her?’ He thought. When was the last time he’d felt concerned for anyone? And when was the last time he’d felt the need to truly comfort someone?

Alastor took each of her shoulders in his hands, causing her to look up at him. “Chin up my dear, everything should be going uphill from here on, trust me.” his calm, nearly radio-less voice and his closed lipped smile somehow eased Charlie and she relaxed under his touch. 

A soft, appreciative smile melted onto her face, sending his heart into a beating frenzy.  

He quickly let her go, letting his searing touch linger on her shoulders. “Now, after your little hotel duties, we have to go meet your mother to finish the details!” Alastor said quickly before briskly exiting the room and gently shut the door.

Charlie brought her hand to her shoulder where his hand had lain and felt her heart skip a beat.

PART 7 HERE 

#charlastor #charlastor fic #charlie x alastor #alastor x charlie

[fiction-in-my-blood]

A Dark Past (KBBTB Eisuke x MC)

This is my first post so I hope people like it! I don’t know much about writing on Tumblr so this is a little nerve-wracking lol. I also mainly write stories so I hope this doesn’t seem awkward.

Trigger Warning: Talks of Miscarriage, Jealousy, kinda angsty?

Premise: MC finds out she’s pregnant, which she thought was impossible. Getting scared about her future with the man she loves, she meets up with an old friend she hasn’t seen in years. How will Eisuke react to this unknown fellow?

Word Count: 3877

~~~~~~

Eisuke and I have been together for a long time now. Being with him, I never thought I could feel this way about someone again. Life has been good and surprisingly calm, despite all of the criminal activities going on in the hotel. However, I've been feeling a little under the weather lately. I'm woken up at night with pains in my stomach, and they're not the usual cramps I get every month. I know what this might mean, it's happened to me before, but I was told I'd never be able to get pregnant again.

"They said it was a slim possibility, but ultimately null." I bite the inside of my lip as I stood in our bathroom, staring at the stick on the countertop. Eisuke was out and I was technically meant to be working, but I couldn't get the thought out of my head. We had never talked about having kids, I wasn't sure he even liked them. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go through pregnancy again. Not after the last time...

Seconds ticked by like minutes as I stared at the lines thickening on the display. I felt physically sick and turned back to the toilet. It took all of my bravery just to go to the store and buy a test. What would happen when I try to tell him?

Suddenly, my alarm sounded and I jumped up, my eyes darting to where I had left my phone. Quickly turning it off, I hesitated to look at the pregnancy test. What if it's negative? Would I be disappointed? I never thought about having a family since the accident, I thought my chances to do it were over.

Sighing, I thought it would be better to just get it over with. I'll have to decide what to do when I know how I feel about having a baby. Right now, I wasn't even sure that I was pregnant.

"Two lines," I observed the two pink stripes on the stick and felt my body go limp. Falling to my knees, I dropped the test, believing I was dreaming. There was no way. How? Well, of course, I knew how. But it was meant to be impossible...

A few years ago, I was engaged to a man I loved. Truthfully, he proposed because I was pregnant, but I always dreamed of having a family together. We never felt like we were forced into committing to each other for life. But, one night on the way back from the college I studied at, I was hit by a drunk driver. I lost my child and my fiance and I grew distant and quickly called our relationship quits. I was told there was so much trauma done to my body that I would never be able to carry a baby to term, let alone get pregnant in the first place.

My throat closed up as I thought back to when I was told that by my boyfriend, tears in his eyes as he clutched my bruised hand in his.

Before I knew it, I was balling my eyes out, not being able to look at the floor where the test laid. I clutched my belly as the sick feeling returned and I felt like screaming. I couldn't go through that again. I couldn't have another miscarriage. It could kill me.

~~~~~~

I wasn't sure how much time past as I sat on the floor of my bathroom, but by the time I had come to my senses, I started to panic about all the work I hadn't done. Scrambling to my feet, I threw the test into the trash and took out the bag, emptying it before Eisuke came home and discovered it. Taking a deep breath to steel my nerves, I splash my face with water and dried my eyes with the back of my arm before walking out.

In the common area of the penthouse, I tried to slide past those that were there, unnoticed. "____! Come over here!" Ota called out to me as I tried to hide my face from them. I knew my eyes would be red and puffy and I didn't want to have to explain myself to them- not before I spoke to Eisuke- because I knew they would be able to get it out of me. I was so weak to their persuasive questioning I almost always disclosed my thoughts. Even when I was afraid of Eisuke, when he first bought be from the auction, Baba could get me to admit that in front of him.

"S-Sorry, Ota. I'm in a hurry!" I ran to the elevator and quickly as possible got myself to the basement where the hotel's trash was collected.

~~~~~~

At the end of my shift, I had barely gotten the rest of the rooms in the hotel cleaned, let alone get back to the penthouse to clean there as well. I was too scared to see Eisuke. I didn't know what I was going to say. I didn't even know if I was going to tell him. What if he gets mad? Would he blame me for getting pregnant? Would he get mad that I didn't tell him about my past experiences? I wasn't ready to have that conversation with him.

"Hey, ____, you okay?" My coworker and close friend, Sakiko, approaches me with a somber look on her face. I had been staring holes in the wall on the break room, trying to process my thoughts. I didn't even notice her coming in.

"Y-Yeah. I guess I've been feeling a little off lately." I stumbled over a lie to get her to back off, not wanting her to know. I didn't want her to start pitying me like everyone else I knew at the time. I moved here to get away from it.

"Maybe you should get some sleep, you look tired." She shows me a kind smile as she puts her hand on my shoulder. I quietly agree and reluctantly return to the penthouse, where I live with my boyfriend.

Luckily, no one was there. I assumed it was because of the auction, the IVC had started soon after my shift. Collapsing onto the bed I shared with the man I love, I stared up at the ceiling. I felt an overflowing urge to call my ex-fiance, just so I could confide in someone that had been through what I had been through. But, it had been years since we spoke, I don't even know if he has the same number.

"Oh, what's the problem in trying." I sighed, pushing myself up with my arms and grabbing my phone from the nightstand. It rang few a few seconds before someone spoke up. To my surprise, it was him.

"Yuta," I whispered, too astounded that I heard his voice on the other line to leave a proper greeting.

"____?" His rough voice resounded as my eyes grew wide. From what I remembered, he was trying to quick smoking when he found out I was pregnant. I guess the events that followed pushed him back to it.

"I-I'm sorry, it's so late. I... I didn't expect you to pick up." I quickly shied away.

"No... No, it's okay. It's nice to hear your voice." He responded, sounding a little sad. My panicked features changed to an expression of sadness. I honestly felt the same.

"How have you been?" He spoke up after some silence.

"I've been good. I got a job at this casino hotel thingy. How about you?" I talked slowly, not wanting to lay all my worries on him first after all of the years we haven't spoken.

"I made detective. In narcotics." Yuta reported and my heart filled with pride. When I knew him, he was just a patrol officer. It was his dream to become a detective one day.

"That's great! I'm so happy for you!" I cheer quietly, not wanting Eisuke to overhear me if he came back to the penthouse before the auction was over. Who knows how he would react if he knew I was talking to a man he didn't know, let alone my ex.

"____, how are you really?" Yuta's tone was grave like he could see right through the weak facade I was trying to put up. I sighed, tears collecting in my eyes as I fell back onto the bed. Staring up at the ceiling, I took a deep breath to try and calm my racing heart. Although, it didn't help much.

"Can we meet up soon? I want to see you, but I don't feel like I can explain over the phone." Yuta knew my need to see someone's facial expressions when I spoke to them. He knew how much I prefer to have a face-to-face conversation rather than over the phone. He grew silent for a moment.

"Sure. I have some free time tomorrow. Should we meet at our old spot?" He chuckled, maybe remembering all the fun times we had at the cafe we would eat lunch together. It was near his station on the other side of the city.

"That sounds great. I'll see you then." Not needing to discuss a time, I hung up. My voice croaked due to the tears collecting in my eyes and once I had put my phone down, I let them free. Thinking about my situation, I fell asleep alone, hugging my pillow.

~~~~~~

In the morning, I was greeted by Eisuke staring right into my eyes. "Wh-What are you so close for?" I shrieked when I noticed the distance between us. The pillow I had been holding was gone and he had his arms wrapped around my waist.

"What's wrong?" His glare was as strong as I've ever seen it and I worried that I might have done something wrong. Soon, the memory of yesterday flashed through my mind and I felt my heart tighten.

"There's nothing wrong," I responded and he almost looked angry that I had lied.

"Then maybe I'll have to force it out of you?" He grabbed my chin so that I couldn't look away, smirking at my lips.

"I-I have plans today." Not wanting to get roped into the day of passion he seemed to be planning for us, I pushed on his chest. Although, despite my rejections, he pushed his face closer to mine, holding the back of my head, and kissed me passionately. Not being about to resist him, I slowly eased into his body as his hands explored my curves. I quickly grew worried he might feel a bump, even if I hadn't noticed one yet. I asked him to wait through the kisses raining down on me. It took everything I had to resist the moans he coerced out of me as he nibbled on my neck.

"Eisuke!" I called out as his fingers continued to travel my body through my begging him to stop. His gaze shot up with a glare and he got up, storming to the bathroom before I could say anything else. Sighing, I brought my knees under my chin, loneliness surrounding me as I thought about what could happen if I told him. It was the same empty feeling I had when I found out I lost my baby. I had to force myself out of bed and to change before Eisuke had his shower.

~~~~~~

Luckily, I made it to the old cafe I used to frequent without much else hassle. The penthouse was empty and I had a vacation day to spend. When I arrived, I scanned the faces of the occupants until my gaze fell on a familiar face. He had definitely matured since I had last seen him. Maybe because of all the hard work he put into accomplishing his dream, he looked a little tired. His wavy hair was tasseled, but the suit he wore was neat. He was definitely more built; his shoulders were broader than I remembered. It was nice to know he hadn't let himself go like I had for the first year we had parted. He was a grown man now.

My shoulders eased when we made eye contact and I felt a small smile spread across my face. Stepping through the rows of tables, Yuta stood up when I reach his.

"It's great to see you again, Yuta. You look well." I announced as he hugged me and I hugged back. I was right, he had gone back to smoking. The overbearing scent was similar to Kishi's.

"You too. You're cuter than I remember." Instinctively, he placed a hand on my head and I looked up, smiling. To be honest, I felt slightly guilty about lying to Eisuke and making him angry. It almost felt like I was cheating on him.

Pulling me out of my anxious thoughts, Yuta invited me to sit down. "You remembered my order?" I stared at the hot chocolate in front of me, eyes widening as the familiar scent filled my nose.

"It's the only thing you ever ordered, even though you could never finish it. How could I forget?" Thinking back on the years we spent together, from high school to college, I grew somewhat emotional. It had been so long since I thought about those memories in a fond way. They had forever been tarnished by the accident that I blocked the feelings I used to feel.

"So... Is everything okay?" An anxious look grew on Yuta's face as he noticed my expression sadden. Suddenly, I burst into tears, quickly hiding my face with my hands so I didn't embarrass myself in front of everyone here. It seemed busier than it used to be. "__?" Not knowing what to do, all my ex-fiance could say was my nickname.

"Yuta... I... I don't know what to do." Tears trailed down my face as I lowered my hands to grab a tissue.

"Are you in trouble? If you are, I can help you." His expression grew shocked, but I shook my head as I tried to save my pride by dabbing away the tears.

"I'm not in danger... But... I'm... I'm pregnant." I felt more tears flowing down my cheeks as his eyes grew wider. "I thought it wasn't possible, but there was a slim chance. And now... I don't even know if he wants children... I can't lose another one, Yuta..." I kept my voice low so that I didn't disturb anyone else in the shop. Forcing myself to look up at him, I saw how shocked he look. He couldn't even say a word.

As I sat there, trying to compose myself, he was able to process the information. "Have you been to a check-up?" He mumbled and I shook my head.

"I took a test, and I know that they can be wrong... But I know that I am, Yuta. I know this feeling." I held my stomach and finally noticed it was rounder than usual.

"The man you're with... Do you love him?" He kept his sentences short, maybe to stop himself from saying too much.

"I do. I really really do love him. But, we haven't been going out for that long. We haven't even talked about the future." Despite the fact that he had bought me for millions of dollars, I didn't know if he could ever settle down. With the way he behaved with women before me, was that even a possibility in his mind?

"Come with me." The comment was so odd, I couldn't believe I had heard it at first. My gaze shot up and that same serious expression from when he proposed to me appeared on his face. "If you don't think he'll accept you, I'll look after you. I will commit to you." He explained and my heart broke a little. My feelings for him were in the past, but I wasn't so sure his were as well.

"I can't do that, Yuta. Not before I try. I'm sorry." My gaze fell to the drink in front of me. It was no longer steaming with heat, but the hands I held around it kept it warm.

The air around us was still for a moment. "Okay. But, if he doesn't want you, I'm here." He gets up and leaves the cash for our drinks on the table.

"Yuta!" I jumped up as he passes me and he turns around. "I'm sorry. For everything. I should have been more careful back then. And I should have tried to love you more afterwards. I'm so sorry." I threw my arms around his torso as I whispered my confession. "But, thank you. You were my best friend. I wouldn't have made it out of that part of my life if it wasn't for you." I look up at him with a determined look on my face. Knowing that I was able to survive my last pregnancy, I was enlightened with confidence. Yuta smiled at that look on my face and put a hand on my hair again.

"It's good to see you happy again. It's been a long time since I've seen that smile." He seemed a little sad as he tried to hide his true feelings before he left me standing in the cafe alone.

~~~~~~

On my way back to the penthouse, I stopped by a convenience store to buy another pregnancy test. I wanted to be sure before I told Eisuke, and have proof to ensure that I wasn't trying to prank him. It was nerve-wracking when I reentered the penthouse to find everyone sitting together, except for Mamoru. Eisuke and I made eye contact across the room, but he looked away before I could greet him. I guess he's still mad about this morning? I sighed and let my shoulders drop as I walked up to our apartment.

Taking the test, I wasn't as surprised as I had been when it came up positive. However, I still had that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that he wouldn't accept me.

Suddenly, as I stared down at the stick, rapid knocking occurred on the locked bathroom door.

"Y-Yes?" I called out as Eisuke called through the door. He ordered me to open it and in my panic, I placed the test on the counter and unlocked the door. Without a word, he stormed in and pinned me to the wall by my shoulders.

"Where did you go today?" He scowled down at me. It was the same distrustful scowl he gave me when we first met. My eyes grew wide at his curiosity and I tried to explain without making him overreact.

"I-I met with an old friend." The reply was vague, which only made him madder.

"Was it a guy?" He asked again and my brows frowned.

"Did you follow me?" I was a little offended that he didn't have as much faith in me as I thought he did.

"You've been acting strange lately so I had Kishi follow you. He said you met with a detective." He explained harshly and I felt my face flush up in embarrassment. Mamoru had likely seen me crying my eyes out in front of him and either got the wrong idea or knew exactly what we were talking about. He saw us hugging.

Looking away from Eisuke's strong gaze, I thought carefully about what I was going to say. "Will you let go of me so I can explain?" I mumbled as I was still being pinned to the wall be my shoulders. But he didn't let go and showed no sign of hearing me. I looked up again, intending on repeating myself, but I was cut off by an aggressive kiss. Eisuke's hands quickly moved to the hem of my top, intending on lifting it up.

"Ei...su...ke..!" I tried to get him to back off, but his lips only attacked mine more. As I had been caught off guard, I was running out of air.

"I'm going to punish you for thinking you could find someone better than me." He pulled back, ripping my shirt off me. I quickly hid my chest as my cheeks flushed red.

"I'm not going anywhere! Let me explain!" I demanded as he tried to continue undressing me.

Getting to the end of my tether, I sighed. "He's my ex-fiance," I announced and Eisuke's hands froze. I cleared my throat as I felt his rage overflowing. "We split up a few years ago. Long before we met." I was slow to explain, trying to stop myself from crying. He could bearly look at me.

"W-We broke up... Because I... I had a miscarriage." Tears started to build up in my eyes again, with my weak knees, I slid down the wall. Eisuke had turned away from me now, but I couldn't force myself to look in the mirror to see his expression. I was almost too scared to know.

"I was hit by a drunk driver on my way back from a college lecture... We broke up because I lost our baby." My voice grew hoarse as I continued. The days of stress and heartbreak were taking a toll on me. I was too busy remembering that shameful feeling to see him walk towards the bathroom counter. "I was told that I couldn't have another baby... But... I've been feeling ill lately..." I added.

"That's why you've been waking up in the middle of the night," Eisuke muttered, but the room was quiet enough for me to hear him. I never knew he knew that I would stay up late at night to run to that bathroom before I threw up my dinner.

His comment made me look up again and I saw him holding the pregnancy test in his hand. "I called Yuta because I was scared. I didn't want to lose another child. It almost killed me last time..." I finally felt comfortable enough to share my feelings with him. "...If... If you don't want a baby... That's okay, but I-."

Eisuke cut me off by turning around, kneeling in front of me, and hugging me close. My eyes grew wide as he held me close. What surprised me was that his hands didn't wander. He wasn't looking for anything more. Even though I was basically topless, my bare skin pressed against his suit shirt, he just held me with the warmth of someone who cared. He didn't have to say anything for me to know that he accepted me.

"I-I was so scared." My frail voice resounds around us and he pulls back, staring at me like I'm crazy. Tears had been falling down my face as he held me and I'm sure his shoulder was drenched. "I was so scared that you wouldn't want me. I-I would never leave you, Eisuke. I love you!" I cried out to him and his expression softened to one of sadness.

"Geez, you don't have to cry." He sighed, rubbing my cheeks to try and dry them. "I love you too." He whispered, leaning in and giving me a soft kiss. This time I was more than happy to reciprocate, but my tears wouldn't stop flowing.

~~~~~~

Find Eiksuke’s POV here. 

#kbtbb eisuke #eisuke x mc #kissed by the baddest bidder eisuke #eisuke ichinomiya #voltage games #voltage fanfic #kbtbb #kissed by the baddest bidder

[oharaswife]

From Hate To Love – Chapter 3 – Alex Morgan Imagines

A/N: Took me a little bit longer than I expected to write this but here it is, I hope you guys didn’t give up on this story cause I kind of have it all planned in my head.

 W.C: 2k words

Warnings : None? I think.

All mistakes are mine, sorry.

 Anyway, enjoy!

 External point of view

When Alex woke up the next morning, the first thing she thought about was Y/N and the events of the previous day. Her head was buzzing and she felt tired, exhausted even and that probably was because she took forever to actually fall asleep, thoughts of her best enemy clouding her thoughts last night as well. The forward shook her head, in an attempt probably to get her out of system and chose to focus on the fact that her boyfriend was soon going to be here and she would finally feel good, for at least one day. She finally got out of bed, checking the time, and jumped in the shower, knowing she had about an hour before Servando’s flight would land. Once she was ready and felt beautiful enough to stun her boyfriend whom she hadn’t seen in months, she got out her bathroom, and started to make her way downstairs to get breakfast with Kelley and some of the team’s morning birds. She stopped dead in her tracks in the hallway when she noticed a very particular room door opening. She was tempted to hide, not wanting to cross paths at all with the person who she expected to come out of that room but couldn’t find it in herself to move when she saw the bartender from the other night exiting the said room, followed by a Y/N who was only wearing bed sheets around her body. The latter gave her a quick kiss before disappearing in the room again. As the bartender came closer, Alex looked at her, analyzing her features. Her eyes were glowing, she seemed happy and very pleased by how her evening went. And just like that Alex felt her blood start to boil again, because she probably was never going to call her back and that smiley face was soon going to turn into a crying face. Alex shook her head again, out of disappointment this time before she started her way downstairs again, hoping her anger towards the girl would subside eventually. She didn’t want to spend the day thinking about her and ruining the only day she could spend with her love.

 It wasn’t until she was halfway through breakfast messing around with Kelley and Allie, that Y/N showed up, looking pretty exhausted Alex noticed. It didn’t take less than a second for Kelley to start teasing Y/N when she sat down in front of her, next to Ash.

“Oh someone looks like they had an eventful night..” she trailed off wiggling her eyebrows, and even the most oblivious person would’ve understood the meaning of her sentence.

“Yeah, it was fun.” Y/N answer, a slight smirk on her face, as she poured herself some coffee, probably to shake the tiredness away.

“That’s all? Fun?” Ash chimed in, poking the girl as an attempt to get more information out of her.

“Yeah, it was fun.” She repeated. She quickly glanced at Alex, before looking down. Her head filled the memories of her altercation with the girl the previous night, the last thing she wanted to do was give her more reason to be upset with her and risk another fight because in truth she was getting tired of all this. She felt like she was on a raft, like she was lost at sea, constantly battling against raging waves and no matter what she did, there was no way for her to find land or to have one quiet day. So yes, she didn’t want to rant about how she spent the whole evening laughing or how she barely slept because someone wouldn’t let her, not that she’d complain about that. “Anyway, what do you guys have planned for the day?” she quickly changed the subject and just like that no one mentioned her date again. It was clear to everyone she didn’t particularly want to talk about all of it. Alex glanced at the girl, wondering why she was so quiet this morning. She would have thought that logically Y/N would brag about how she charmed the bartender, but she just said nothing, and changed the topic of discussion. It made Alex wonder if it had anything to do with her, and their altercation from the previous day but she didn’t give it too much thoughts as she got up, ready to go to the airport to meet her boyfriend.

“Alex, wait!” she heard coming from behind her as she was about to leave the hotel. She turned around to be met with Y/N’s eyes which for the first time, seemed apologetic somehow. “Look I’m sorry about yesterday. I said some pretty disrespectful things and I shouldn’t have. So yeah sorry.” The girl said, and to anyone it would have been obvious that she truly meant her apologies. But to Alex this whole apology seemed forced, as if she didn’t want to do it but had no choice, which only reminded the forward of how she felt her teammate didn’t care much about how/if she hurt women. So naturally, Alex just turned around, barely acknowledging the midfielder, and just started walking towards her car again.

“Are you fucking serious right now?” she heard Y/N say angrily. “Fuck this shit, I’m done. She’s no queen.” She mumbled which caused Alex to turn around real quick, right before she got in her car, ready to burst again, only to see her walk off angrily with her head down and fists clenched.

 Alex’s point of view

My day with Servando was just perfect. After all the crappy things I’ve been through around Y/N, it felt good to be with someone who I knew loved me with all his heart and who’d put me first no matter what; someone who actually respected me. So as we walked down the street, back to the hotel, hands intertwined after having spend the whole day in each other’s delightful company, I began counting him about my altercation of the previous day with Y/N, and that’s everything suddenly changed. He ripped his hand away from mine.

“For fuck’s sake Alex seriously?!” he yelled, causing some people to look at him. I frowned not quite understanding what had suddenly gotten into him. “Can you stop talking about her for one fucking second?” he added, quickly running his hands through his hand with frustration.

“What are you talking about?” I asked still not understanding everything that was happening. He looked so angry, I had never seen him like this, eyes wide and fists clenched on his side.

“I’m talking about how this is the first day we can actually spend together in weeks and all you’ve talking about is Y/N or how she annoys you or how she doesn’t give a shit about women. All day long!” he said through gritted teeth, bringing his voice back to a normal volume so that people wouldn’t hear us arguing but the anger in his voice never left him.

“That’s not true, babe.” I tried, truly believing that I didn’t talk about her that much.

“It is Alex! It’s always like this. Ever since she joined the team, you’re always talking about her. Every time I call you, you don’t ask how my day went, or how I’m doing, you talk about her; about how she pisses off, about how she is a player and fucks every woman she meets. Every fucking time.” He started walking away, mumbling stuff I couldn’t quite hear as tears started to fill my eyes. I had never realized that he might feel this way or that I talked about her as much as he said. Even when she’s not round Y/N just ruins my life.

“Wait Serv, please. I’m sorry.” I started, trying to grab his hand but he just shoved it back into his pocket.

“I can’t do this Alex. Obviously I don’t give a fuck about who she fucks or when but you do so until you figure out what you want and what your priorities are, I’m done. I’m sorry.” He finally said, and I could feel my heart slowly breaking into a million pieces.  He didn’t turn around and just got into a cab, probably heading to airport to go back, leaving me standing in the middle of the streets, wondering if I had just ruined my relationship because of Y/N.

 ---

External point of view

Y/N jumped in bed, woken up by the violent banging on her door. She got up, getting nervous and honestly scared that something might have happened and that this would be an emergency. And once she opened the door she realized it was an emergency, just not one she was expecting at all. Her eyes widened as she saw none other than Alex Morgan standing on her doorstep. She doesn’t even have time to get a good look at her before the other girl shoves her angrily in the room, slamming the door with her hand once they’re both in the room.

“It’s your fucking fault.” Alex shot through gritted teeth. Y/N was about to respond with just the same amount of rage but when her eyes finally fell on Alex’s face, she frowned noticing something she had never seen before: tears streaming down the forward’s face, her eyes puffy and red. “It’s your fucking fault.” She repeated, but this time the anger was gone, and her voice just sounded sad. That was enough for Y/N’s heart to break. In a burst of confidence, she wrapped my arms around her, not being able to stand the fact that she was crying, that she was in pain; and surprisingly Alex didn’t push her away, not even at first. Instead she welcomed the contact, burying her face in her chest. The contact caused Y/N’s heart to start beating faster than humanly possible. She never expected to be like this with Alex Morgan, engulfed in a hug, and she certainly didn’t expect the way it would feel: warm and soft. She realized right then that she never wanted Alex to be hurt again, whether it was because of her or anyone else. So as she started rubbing circles on her lower back, trying to get her to calm down, Y/N finally spoke.

“I’m sorry.” Y/N said, causing Alex’s eyes to open, but without moving from her position in Y/N’s arms. “Whatever I did, whatever you think is my fault, I’m sorry Alex. I never meant to hurt you.” Alex tensed slightly in Y/N’s arms, not expecting an actual apology. But when she heard those words flying out of Y/N’s mouth, every word filled with guilt and sadness, she realized that maybe she was the one in the wrong,  maybe the heart she was hearing beating in the girl’s chest wasn’t as icy as she first thought it was. Y/N held her close but in a gently way, as if she was afraid of breaking her somehow and the little circles she was drawing on Alex’s lower back were enough to reassure her and make her feel safe. So yes maybe Alex was wrong for hating the girl, but admitting that meant admitting that she was the one who had been petty, who’d been jealous and who’d hated the younger woman for absolutely no reason and she couldn’t have that.

The truth was Alex knew deep down that hating the girl would be easier that loving her, so she pushed her away before walking of the room, not saying a word, leaving Y/N confused and honestly, sad that she lost the warmth of Alex’s body around hers…

 To be continued.

 A/N : Hope you liked it; let me know!!!

 -Kat

#uswnt #uswnt imagines #uswnt imagine #alex morgan x you #Alex Morgan #alex morgan imagines #alex morgan x reader #nwsl #woso

[amnachil]

To the Perfection Chapter 3 Part 2

We continue :) A long Thomas’s part again.

Thomas Monday April 22

The teenager woke up in a bed which wasn't his. Surprised, he stood up and looked around. He quickly recognised Joël's room. This one hadn't changed it much since their childhood. The walls were painted in flashy blue. Here and there, clothes and dvd lay around. He had an old tv and a computer for himself. Surprisingly, he hadn't any poster of female celebreties. The ginger went in the corridor. Nobody there. He checked the hour : 2 pm. No wonder he was starving. His thoughts went to Dan, who was probably alone at home. He went to the stairs but suddenly, he heard Joël ask behind him :

"Watcha doin' bro ?"

He turned towards his friend. He was wearing a sport tee-shirt and baggy pants. He held in one hand a bag from the local fastfood, in the other a plate of creamy spinach.

"This is lunch." he precised when he noticed Thomas was staring. "Thought you would be hungry."

"I am." admitted the other. "But I need to go. I can't let Dan on his own."

"Yeah, because staying with him went totally fine for both of you until now."

And a blank. Are you trying to hurt me now ? Is this my punishment for everything I have done ? Being taunted by the most idiotic of my friends alias Joël ?

"After what happened last night, I think we can say you're not emotionally AND mentally ready to be with him only the two of you." continued his friend. "So don't be a moron and come eat with me."

Go fuck yourself prick. Thomas said nothing. He only followed Joël to the dining room. He sat in front of him reluctantly and looked at the spinach.

"What ? You hate burgers right ? I know that duh."

The ginger shurgged and started to eat. He was frankly surprised but his priority was Dan. And Raphaël. I need to make sure my brother is okay.

"Sooo... What are we planning next ?"

"What do you mean dumbass ? There is no we. I have this under control."

"Yeah clearly. You forced Ilhan to have sex with you in order to appease your desire right ? You made Cody's life a true hell. Oh and you broke your brother's heart aswell as your crush's one. Not to mention you almost took advantage of the man's drunk state to have SEX with him. Yeah, definitely you got this man."

Again, a blank. Thomas closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

"You're right." he said miserably. "I need help."

"Heck yes you need help." confirmed Joël. "But what's the plan ? Are you gonna continue your thing with Ilhan ? Talk to Dan ? To Raphaël ? What do YOU want from them exactly ?"

"I thought what I want was pretty clear and caused this mess in the first place ? Isn't what you said idiot ?"

His friend facepalmed.

"No. I said the way you DEALT with your desires led to this." he explained. "But the problem in the first place is that you don't even know what you want precisely. And apparently, you don't separate what you CAN have from what you CANNOT have."

"Are you a shrink or something ?"

"I'm fucking trying to help here ! Stop being so overdramatic and just give some thought to the damn question brat !"

It took more time than he expected. Originally, he thought it was very simple : he wanted Dan. He started by this.

"I want Dan to love me." he said. "I love him and I want it to be mutual. He's sweet, caring and always nice... A bit naive but I like this too. And man, when he ate ! Damn yes, I want him..."

He paused the time to realise he had destroyed all this things in Dan lately.

"But I can't force him." he whispered. "And I regret I have hurt my brother. I mean sure, if I'm gonna ever date Dan, he'll be sad, but I would prefer it to go smoothly... Oh fuck it's too late for this. What I've done ?"

"We already established what you did." pointed out Joël. "What is in the past can't be changed. Just go ahead."

Thomas nodded.

"So I want to apologise to Raphaël for calling him a monster. I'm not sure I'm ready to tell him the truth but I need to at least take responsability for my mistake. Oh and I thought about what you said. I realised I wanted so badly to be as perfect as him... I think I still want that. I look up to him more than I hate him I guess, but it drives me crazy sometimes."

His friend cleaned their plates in silent. He served two orange juice and sat back.

"You know my bro is way older than me so I can't relate exactly, but I think it's pretty normal to feel this kind of things towards them dude." he stated. "Your problem is how special Raphaël is. The man is not normal I tell you. Pretty sure he got abducted by aliens before ! So you can't compete eh."

At least, the bad joke made Thomas laugh.

"Joël you're very stupid."

"I know."

"I owe you a lot."

"I know that too."

It was late afternoon when Joël agreed to go visit Dan. They went together, since Thomas couldn't be trusted. Which, I admit, is true. His crush was obviously home. He appeared drunk again and out of his logical mind. He was mumbling about Raphaël. It saddened the ginger, but not because of his jealousy. I realise how much I hurt him now. It's my fault if he's suffering like that. They managed to put him to bed with a bit of struggle and then came back downstair. Joël turned on the TV while the teenager sent a text to Shirley.

< Thomas : Dan's asleep but not better. You can come over tomorow if you want. >

She quickly replied yes.

"Dude ! Raphaël's on tv." hailed him his friend.

He went in the living room to watch it. What he saw scared him to the bone. His brother had always looked frightening. Mostly cold. But there was something in his eyes which was even scarier. Even through the screen, he emitted so much sadness and distress. He looked empty, like a doll.

"Our team will be at L.A starting tomorow and until this weekend." he said.

His tone. Oh god his tone. It was emotionless, dead.

"L.A is not that far. You should tell Dan and help him go there." declared Joël.

"What ? No !"

He defied his friend's gaze for a while.

"I don't want them to go back together." he confessed finally. "I know it's selfish but... I have a chance now ! I won't have another if they make up."

"You don't know that." countered Joël. "And you have of chance of what ? Do you fell in love with the fat drunk dude I just put to bed or with the real Dan ? Because I'm pretty sure the real Dan won't come back without a proper talk with Raphaël beforehand."

Thomas grunted.

"Look, we don't know for sure if they'll be a couple again. Besides, it's not the point. You hurt Raphaël and Dan and they don't deserve it dude. Now you have the opportunity to try making things better or you can follow your selfish desire. Just think about what Dan wants."

"Okay." he finally conceded. "I'll tell him."

Cody Thursday April 25

This week was the weirdest he had ever lived. He went from discovery to discrovery. First of all, the story between Ilhan and Thomas was fake, as the first had revealed. But it didn't prevent the ginger to come again yesterday night and to sleep with his unwitting fuck buddy. Which led Cody to one of the biggest new of the day.

"He told me he was with Joël all this time." told Ilhan. "Do you think... he's cheating on me ? Arf, I shouldn't say it like that since we ain't a real thing."

Thomas... with Joël. That was something he wouldn't have even imagined one week ago. But now, he was seing things differently. So his crush was getting tired of having only one fuck buddy and went for another ? Well, it led Cody to the second biggest new of the day.

"Do you think he'll fatten him up too ?"

"Wait. What ?"

Ilhan swallowed the chocolate bar he was eating.

"You thought I became like this on my own ?" he asked while making his belly jiggle. "Man ! He's way too much into feeding !"

Now I'm lost. He looked to their friend. Thomas was chatting discreetly with Joël near to the classroom. He was so cute. What about me ? Do I fit his taste ? Cody glanced at Ilhan. They were about the same height, but there was a at least 30 kg (66 pounds) difference between them. He's fat and I'm underweight. Damn, how come I never linked his gaining with Thomas ? Now the real question : Was Cody ready to grow into someone similar to Ilhan ?

Dan Saturday April 27

They arrived in L.A in the evening. The college student gulped. He was in the same city than Raphaël. He get out of the car and looked at the colossal hotel facing them. He mentally repeated the things he wanted to say.

"Are you ready ?" asked Thomas.

He seemed to talk more to himself than to Dan.

"Yeah." replied this one anyway.

They had to do it. I need him in my life. I'm just a complete stupid. This week had been the worst. When he had done his coming out, when Shirley had insulted him back in highschool for being gay... All these bad memories were nothing in comparison. I've been so horrible with him. So unfair. Thomas talked to the reception and showed his ID. The lady gave them Raphaël's room number. They took the elevator in deep silent. It was like a dream. Dan was afraid. Afraid because he didn't know how to behave. Afraid because for the first time in in life, Raphaël wouldn't be happy to see them. But I have to talk to him. They were at his floor. In front of his door. His friend inhaled.

"There is no going back now." he said.

And he knocked. Dan's ex-boyfriend opened three seconds later. He was wearing white pants with a blue shirt. His hair were disheveled. But Dan noticed almost instantly his eyes. They were empty. They had no life in them.

"Hi big brother." whispered Thomas.

His voice was trembling. The college student stood straight, incapable of speaking. I need to say I'm sorry. Just say it. Raphaël slowly turned his head towards his little brother.

"Hi." he said.

The two visitors shivered. His voice sounded completely dead. There wasn't a word strong enough to tell how deprived of warmth it was. The eldest ginger then looked at Dan. This one felt tears on his cheek. He was shaking.

"Do you have something to say ?" asked Raphaël without any emotion.

"I... I... Oh my god."

He couldn't say it.

"He's sorry." intervened Thomas. "No, we're sorry. Darren told us the truth and we're very sorry. Please, believe me."

Thomas, don't you see it ? This thing we have created ?

"Okay." replied Raphaël. "Is there anything else I can do for you ?"

His answer caught Thomas out. Dan sobbed. His boyfriend was gone. Completely gone. He had destroyed the last part of his humanity.

"You don't look well." said this doll of Raphaël. "You should go to rest. Thomas, make sure your friend goes back home safe."

Friend. The word hurt, but not more than the meaningless tone of the person who used it. The ginger closed the door slowly. God what did I do ? Please, tell me there is a way to help him. To bring him back ! He felt Thomas drag him to the elevator. But Dan didn't noticed he was crying too.

To be continued

We’re not having fun moments in this story I know.

But Thomas has to deal with the consequences. Dan’s too. 

For Raphael’s state, it’s pretty simple: he decided to not feel anything anymore, to avoid further disillusion.

Thanks god Joel is here.

#to the perfection #TP #Thomas #Cody #Dan #Raphael is a machine #He doesn't have feeling #Thomas is sad #Dan is sad #Everyone is confused #Chapter 3 #Part 2

[maximows]

Against the Odds - Chapter III

Riiiight,

MASTERLIST (mobile) AO3

Warnings: smut, too much fluff, dirty talk,

I was sitting on Chris’ sofa in his house. I spent the last few days in there, babysitting Dodger. I took over from Scott, who took care of him while I was in England filming Macbeth and Chris was promoting Captain America: The Winter Soldier.  

So, I was there, petting the dog, whose head was on my lap, watching Modern Family and eating popcorn. Chris had had a premiere today and was now asleep in his hotel room, trying to get some sleep before his flight home. Dodger and I were missing him dearly, because we both haven’t seen him in two weeks, but since the dog accepted me as his temporary care-taker, we’ve had some decent times.  

We’d FaceTime Chris a few times a day, when we had time and would just keep the connection on while doing what we had to do. It was just so natural and casual.  

I looked at the clock and realized it was time to walk Dodger. He followed me enthusiastically when I stood up and grabbed his leash. I was very happy when he got used to spending time with me as he was one of the most beautiful and well-behaved dogs I’ve ever encountered.

He was pulling me to walk faster towards the park. I took a few pictures on the way. I got used to taking hundreds of photos and flooding Chris with them.  

At first I sat down on a bench and let Dodger run around on the grass. At one point he started to chase a butterfly, which was one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen. I stood up and started to play with him using the ball I brought. Chris taught him to fetch, sit, lay down, roll and he was so well-behaved that spending time with Dodger was truly a blessing.

I had to go back to run over my calendar for April with Hannah. I wanted to see how much time I would be able to spend with Chris, since we missed out most of March. It turned out we had a lot of filming together in Atlanta, Seoul and England, which was great, because we’ve been dating for 5 weeks and only spent 1 one week together.  

To be honest, I was already falling in love with him. Chris was this perfect guy every girl dreams of. He's the full package. The way he takes care of me, when we're together and asks how I'm doing when we're not. And tries to solve my problems despite being thousand of miles away. I can’t ever imagine myself being with another man, because no one will ever come close to that.  

I spent some more time outside in the backyard, playing with Dodger, before laying down on the sofa, with the dog next to me and playing some films.  

I must've been really tired, because I fell asleep watching the movies and woke up to Chris standing over Dodger and me. “Hey, beautiful,” He greeted me quietly. “What did you do to him? He always freaks out when I come back.”

“We had some long walks yesterday and I must've tired hi out. I fell asleep around 9PM.” I smiled as he leaned down to kiss my forehead.

I closed my eyes and smiled. I tried to get up without waking up the dog, but I failed and Dodger started to bark happily at Chris. It took him 10 minutes to calm down and get over it.

“Wait, what time is it?” I asked, noticing the dark sky. It was only 4 in the morning. “How am I not tired?”  

Chris walked up to me and pulled closer to his body by my waist. “It’s cause you’re as excited to see me as Dodger is.” He planted a kiss on my lips. “Happy birthday, baby.” He whispered against my lips.

“Riiiiight,” I grinned. “I don’t feel like celebrating, though.” I snuggled my face into his chest. He smelled so good. It was actually a part of my little plan. Surprisingly, I was ready for another step with Chris and wanted it to happen on my birthday – mostly because I knew it would be one of few days off we’d get together in a while. He’s the sweetest and kindest person on Earth and I wasn’t even nervous about that decision.

“Let’s go take a nap then, huh?” Chris suggested. I nodded and he simply lifted me up, just to carry me to the bedroom.  

He put me down on the bed, but I was already prepared for what was going to happen tonight. “I’ll just go to the bathroom for a minute.”  

I had already prepared a white lingerie set for tonight. It consisted of a delicate, sheer lace bra and panties. I covered it up with a short, white, silk robe. I checked my face and it was flushed delicately, I fixed my hair. I took a few deep breaths and opened the door slowly.  

Chris was laying on the bed, he was on the phone with Scott, who’s in Boston. “... I mean, she really has to lay off. I don’t know if Emily would want to meet them so soon...” he turned to me and stopped. “Tell mom I say hi, bye.” I moved slowly and walked up to his side of the bed. “What is happening?” he asked.  

“When I was here alone, I kept thinking how great you are, you are an incredible man,” I started. “And I was wondering why I never let anyone have sex with me and it's because no one's ever made me feel safe like you do.” I took his hand and sat on the edge of the bed, next to him. “I want to do it, if you’re up for it.”  

He seemed surprised, astonished. “Emily, are you sure you want me to deflower you?” he asked and I smiled at his choice of words. “I mean, I’m much older than you, I’m a mess, I might be having a panic attack right now...”

I put my lips on his to shut him up. “I want you, Christopher.” I mumbled against his lips and moved to sit on his lap. “You are all I want and need in a man, you make me happy the moment you come near me and I want this to happen.”

Chris took my face into his hands and deepened the kiss. His tongue massaged mine as I his hands slid the robe off my shoulders. “Tell me if you want to stop.” He whispered. “I really want this, but I don’t want you to regret it.”  

“Oh my God, Evans,” I sighed and pulled his shirt off. “Just fuck me already.” He rose his eyebrow and pushed me rapidly to lay under him.

“The lady gets, what the lady wants, then.” He sunk to kiss my throat and nibble on the delicate skin of my neck. I creeped my hand up his muscular, tense arms and rested on his shoulder blades. “No teasing tonight, baby.”  

While Chris' lips moved to my breasts to suck on my hardened nipples, his hands moved down to my pussy, his thumb rubbing my clit. “Just gotta get my girl ready for me,” I squirmed under his touch. “But it seems like you are ready.” Chris moved back to look me in the eyes, while his fingers were doing wonders on my pussy. I felt one finger circle around my entrance, it made my pelvis jolt up. “You’re so responsive, princess. I love it.”  

Chris stood up to get rid of his trousers and I bit my bottom lip as I saw his hard cock slap against his stomach. It made me a little nervous, because I’ve never masturbated with anything more than my two fingers and it still felt a little tight. “You look angelic, baby,” Chris whispered as he stroked his shaft gently. “I’m gonna be gentle for now, ok?”

I nodded and wrapped my hands around his shoulders as Chris hovered over me, resting his weight on his elbows. He captured my lips in his, I felt him guide his cock against my wet folds and let out a moan. His tip pushed against my pussy and I gasped as he moved inside me gently. As Chris deepened out kiss, I felt him hit my hymen. He made a more rapid move and tore the thin tissue. It was more uncomfortable then hurtful, but Chris broke the kiss to look me in the eyes. “Is everything ok?”

I nodded. “Just go slow, ok baby?” I whispered. He seemed relieved and continued to move inside me, still not burying fully inside. I wanted that, I couldn’t wait for him to be fully inside me. My pussy started to clench around his length and we both moaned loudly as Chris buried himself inside me completely.

“Fuuuuck, Chris...” I arched my back as I reached my first orgasm, while Chris wasn’t even close. I dig my fingernails into his back as he continued to thrust into me, slowly quickening the pace. Chris was panting heavily, while I kept moaning his name. He angled himself to hit my g-spot and it made my second orgasm come even sooner. Chris changed his position and lifted my leg to reach even deeper.  

“Baby girl, you feel so good around my dick,” he breathed out and moved his hand from my hip to my clit, to speed up my third orgasm. He rubbed his finger against it. “Come on, baby. One more time. Come with me.”

I was so sensitive at this point, that another orgasm arrived quickly just as Chris’ did. The room was filled with our heavy breathing, our bodies covered with sweat. Chris pulled out and sat between my legs.  

“We should’ve done that weeks ago,” I mumbled. “Chris, that was...”

Chris smirked and kissed my knee. “I know,” he moved to lay down next to me. “I might need to eat more, since I’ll be doing more cardio from now on.”

I smiled and hid my face in the crook of his neck. “How did you do that?” I asked. “I came three times while you only came once... You're like a sex God.”

Chris chuckled. His hand wandered down to my ass and grabbed the flesh. “Gotta be at my best for my best girl.” I laughed at the use of old slang.  

We both fell asleep and it was the best sleep I’ve ever had. I woke up at 12PM to a empty bed and got out to look for Chris. I put on his black t-shirt and panties and left the room. My thighs were a little sore from last night. Actually, I had trouble walking normally.

I found my boyfriend running around the kitchen like crazy. He was cooking something for me. He really is a real prince charming.

“Hi,” I said. “What's cookin, good looking?”

Chris lifted his head to look at me and grinned. “Hello, birthday girl! You should be in bed, wearing your birthday suit!”

I sat on a stool by the kitchen island. “Are those pancakes with chocolate and strawberries?”

Chris nodded. “I mean, I'm trying to make it look like pancakes.” He explained. “Seriously, go back to bed. I’ll bring everything there.”

I sighed, went back to the bedroom, brushed my teeth and jumped back into the bed. I had some text messages waiting for me, like the one's on my group chat with the girls. They wished me new roles, good reviews, an Oscar and great sex with Chris in the future. Well, I did have to let them know.

Me: Ladies, just so you know. A mere 7-8 hours ago I had my first time with Chris.

Me: I came three times.

Me: I can barely walk like a human being.

I was fully expecting my phone to blow up with notifications, but I heard Chris come in, so I switched the internet connection off.

Chris brought my breakfast on a tray along with a few roses around the plate, a mug of hot chocolate and a Harry Winston box. I glared at him immediately. “I think we’re gonna have to name a price limit for the next occasions.”  

Chris sat down next to me and kissed my forehead. “Happy birthday, baby girl,” he whispered. “I hope you’ll let me occupy you for the whole day.”  

I smiled. “I wouldn’t want to spend the day in any other way.”  

He let me eat the pancakes, while he answered some e-mails. They weren’t the best, but I knew he tried his best, so I wouldn’t dare to complain. “Thank you very much,” I said and sat next to Chris, resting my elbow against his hips. “I didn’t know you were a culinary mastermind.”  

“I really wish I was,” he smirked and tossed his phone aside. “So, why won’t you open your present?”  

I grabbed the box. “You know that’s my fifth present today, right?” Chris raised his eyebrow. “Three orgasms, breakfast and now this.” I explained.  

Chris started to laugh. “There will be more coming, then.”  

I opened the box and saw a beautiful, gold bracelet. It was delicate and thin. It had a few little leaves on it, it looked so amazing. “I love it,” I smiled at Chris and hugged him. “Thank you.”

Chris took the piece and put it on my wrist. “How about it draw you a bath now?” he suggested.

“Am I going to get the Royal treatment for the whole day?”

Chris smiled and went to the bathroom. “This is how I’d like to treat you every day.” He explained.  

I laid back down on the bed and took my phone. As I suspected, Sophie, Mary and Amy sent like a hundred messages, asking how it was and how good Chris is in bed.

Mary: You can't just send something like that and leave!

Sophia: Yeah, that's a dick move!

Me: It was amazing, Chris is incredible. If he keeps it up, I won’t be able to walk by myself. He made me breakfast to bed, got me a Harry Winston bracelet and now he’s drawing me a bath.

Amy: He sounds like perfect husband material.

“Emily, it’s ready!” Chris called. He left the bathroom, waiting for me to join him. I stood up and took my shirt off. Chris was waiting for me by the bath. It was filled with blue coloured water and rose petals. “What do you think?”

I smiled widely. “It looks great,” I said. “Will my perfect boyfriend be joining me?”

“Only if you want me to.”  

We sat in the bath, my back against Chris' chest. He was massaging my shoulders and I was just trying to relax and not think about anything. “God, baby...” I moaned.

“I love that sound,” Chris whispered. “I’m gonna make sure I hear it as often as I can.”

I rested my head against Chris’ shoulder and reached out with my hand to scratch the back of his neck. “I’m a very lucky girl, then.” I whispered before dosing off.  Chris’ hands roaming around my body made me as relaxed as I hadn’t been in a while.

When the bath started cool off, we got out and it turned out Chris had planned everything out. He got dressed before me and told me to wear something comfortable and meet him by the car. I got a little confused, but did what he told me to. “Dodger is coming with us?” I asked as I saw the pupper in the backseat.

“He is,” Chris answered. “But please, just relax and try not spoil the surprise this time, ok?”  

“Fine.” To be honest, I had already worked out that we were going on a picnic, but didn’t want to say anything. Chris had mentioned a few times that he was a hopeless romantic, but he really understated that.  

We arrived at some part of the Hollywood Hills. Chris got a basket and two blankets out of the boot. I put Dodger on a lead and we marched some way up. “This is the best birthday I’ve ever had so far,” I admitted. “Even better than the time I got pissed for the first time.”  

“Oh God, you have to tell me now.” Chris grinned and laid one blanket on the ground.  

“I was 17 and it was the first time I drank vodka. My friends showed me pictures and videos from the evening and I couldn’t recognize myself. I was on the ground, on my hands and knees. Literally, a mess. And I was running around, chasing a guy I liked back then.” I explained.

I sat on the blanket and Chris laid his head on my lap. “You know, I’m not a jealous guy, generally, but whenever you talk about other men in your life, I feel like punching them real hard.”  

As Dodger laid next to Chris, I reached out my hand to scratch his head and leaned down to give Chris a kiss. “I never thought you would be a jealous type.” I said. “I thought I’d be the jealous one in our relationship.”  

“I never was, you broke me, woman.” He joked. I pinched his cheek in response.

We dropped the jealousy topic and moved on. Chris admitted to having anxiety attacks before agreeing to portray Captain America. “I also refused a few times, but thankfully, Marvel didn't stop asking.”  

“Do you still get those?” I asked, playing with a few loose strands of hair on his forehead.  

“Sometimes,” he admitted. “During premieres, interviews or conferences, just around people who judge me.”  

“I’m judging you right now,” I said and made Chris shifted on his elbow. “I know anyone can get anxious, but you are a smart, generous, kind, handsome, sexy, tall man...”

“Oh no, keep going.” He smirked. “I get ‘I thought you were bigger’ too often to miss an opportunity like that.”  

I laughed at him, looking at his incredible biceps and chest and just his whole face and body. “If it makes you feel any better, you’re big enough for me,” I whispered wrapping my arms around him. “I still have sore thighs.”

“Maybe I should give you a massage?” Chris asked. “To make up for it...” He put his hand on my thigh and gave me a gentle kiss, before giving another, a deeper one. His thumb brushed against the sensitive skin of my inner thigh and I opened my mouth in a quiet moan. Chris used it as an opportunity to slip his tongue into my mouth and explore it. I ran my fingers through Chris’ hair as he bit my bottom lip. He pushed me gently to lay on the blanket and laid next to me. I smiled against his lips as his hand moved to my hip and then gripped my ass. “God, I love it.”

“You really are an ass man, Christopher.” I gasped at the rough squeeze.

“You know, I used to be pretty sure about this, but then you appeared with those beauties...” He looked down at my breasts. “It’s a draw right now, I guess.” Chris’ lips moved to my neck, which he already knew, was sensitive. He found my sweet spot and started to suck on it. I felt that our activities were making Chris more and more excited.

“Chris, I’m loving it,” I whispered. “but we're in public and your dog is napping next to us.”  

He pulled back and smiled. “Sorry,” he apologised. “Once we’ve started, I don’t know when I’ll get enough of you.” I smiled as he laid down next to me. I moved to put my head on his chest while he wrapped his arm around me. “Let's stay here until the sunset and then we can do whatever you want.”  

I pulled out my phone and opened the camera. “Smile!” I said. I took one normal picture which was followed by a series of selfies photobombed by Dodger.  

“Oh God, send me all of them.” Chris laughed.  

I scrolled through the pics and chose one. “Can I post this one on my private Instagram?”  

“You have a private and a public one?” Chris asked.

“Hannah handles most of the stuff on the public one, I only do stuff on my private account. “ I explained. “Only some of my friends follow me, cast mates and family. Also, Scott follows me.”  

“Post it, then,” Chris agreed. “But I want the caption to say My incredible boyfriend took me out to see sunset over Hollywood Hills on my birthday and I’m so grateful for it.”  

“Yeah, it really sounds like me.” I smirked and posted the photo. “Done.”

We watched the sun, making small talk about nothing and everything, until the Sun disappeared. When it started to get dark, we gathered our things and went back to the car.  

Suddenly, I remembered something. “What were you and Scott talking about?”  

He smirked. “My mom wants to meet you.” He said. “But I asked her not to pressure us, because you might not want to do this yet.”

To be honest, every time Chris told me anything about his parents, they seemed like really kind people, ones you’d like to meet. So maybe I should? There will be an opportunity when we get back from filming in London. Maybe he should meet my parents when we are in London?

“How about...” I started. “you meet my parent’s while we’re in London and then I meet yours when we get back?”

Chris nodded, but didn’t seem convinced. “Aren’t you still not talking to yours?”

“Then called me today, I’ll call them back tomorrow.” I sighed. “I’ve already spoken to my brothers, so it’s alright between us. I had a heated text exchange with my dad. I reckon we’ll be fine by June. And it’s still plenty of time, so it definitely won’t be too soon to meet yours.”

Chris sighed. “I know your parent did you dirty, but they’re still your parents, Emily. I hated my parents’ divorce, too. But if they were alright with you before that then you should try to make up with them? I know that this lie thing was just awful and I’m not justifying their actions, but...”

“Then don’t.” I snapped and ended the conversation.  

We remained quiet for the rest of the ride. When Chris parked outside his house, I left the car, let Dodger out and took him for a walk. Chris didn’t say anything, he just texted me.

Can you just confirm that you’re taking him on a walk and it’s not a kidnapping?

We’ll be back in half an hour.

I took Dodger to the same park we usually take him to, where I sat on the bench. I pulled my phone out and dialled my Mum’s number.  

“Yes?” she answered with a sleepy voice.

“Mum, why didn’t you tell me about Dad straight away?” I asked.  

She sighed. “I told you we wanted you to be able to come back to a normal, regular home, but to be honest, I was ashamed.”

“Ashamed of what? He should be ashamed.”

“Emilia, I’m wasn’t surprised he got into an affair,” she started. “We started to get more and more distant, we stopped spending time together, despite your father’s efforts.  

She explained how they just got worn out and both started “working late”, spending time with other people. I turned out that my Mum got into an affair too, but she didn’t have a kid with that other guy. The actual truth didn’t sound half as bad as what they initially told me.

“Why would you hide all of it from me and not from Matt and Charlie?” I asked.  

She didn’t respond right away. “You didn’t feel comfortable in the U.S. at first and you always came home seeking comfort. We didn’t want you to come here and have to deal with our problems.”

I tried to explain that solving other people’s problems is a part of being in a family and it would’ve been easier for me to understand two adults divorcing each other, even if they were my parents, rather than have them lie to me to make me feel better.  

After we got everything of our chests, I changed the topic. “Anyway, Chris wants to meet you. Both of you.”

“That’s nice, when?”

“We’re filming in England by the end of May, so we will be free to go to London in the beginning of June.” I explained. “I’m just afraid Matt and Charlie will try to scare him off.”

“They’ll behave, I’ll make sure of it.”

Soon we ended the call and I decided to go back. I felt bad about lashing out at Chris. He was right after all and I refused to admit it.

He was sitting by the kitchen island, reading an e-mail. He didn't turn my way when I walked in. “I'm sorry,” I said, hugging my face into his bicep. “you were right.”  

“About what?” he locked the phone.

“I called my Mum, we apologized to each other,” I explained. “And now I’m apologizing you.”  

“Could you never do something like that again?” he asked quietly. “It's also things like that that trigger my anxiety.”

Suddenly, I felt terrible. He told me about his anxiety moments before I decided to do something so stupid. “Chris, I am so sorry,” I whispered and pressed my face against his chest. “I’d never leave like that. J just needed a moment alone, that’s it... I promise.”

He hugged me back, squeezing me tightly against his body. “It’s okay. I overreacted. It wasn’t the easiest topic and you deserved some time alone.” He spoke. “Besides, your relationship with your parents is none of my business.”

I shook my head. “No, it’s not. You’re my boyfriend and you’re going to meet them when we go to the UK, so it’s also your business now.” He raised his eyebrow. “My mum is excited to meet you and I’m sure my dad and brothers will be too, so we're doing it.”

We moved to the sofa, where I told Chris about the phone call and explained the entire situation. He was as surprised as I was, but didn’t comment on my parents' actions. “It was a stupid thing to do, but you were right – It’s between them, they both knew what was going on, and even though I don’t like it, I can’t be that mad at them,” I continued. “They lied to me, but I know they thought it would be the best for me.”

“People do weird things when they care about someone.” Chris sighed. “Let's just forget about it for now and watch some movies.”

He moved to lay his head on my lap. “I loved today, thank you.” I said, scratching his beard. “We should have picnics more often now that it’s getting warmer.”

“Sure, of course,” Chris agreed. “Just a quick note – I’m shaving my beard by the end of the week.”

My eyes widened. “I think we need a break, then.”

@daybreak96 @coffeebooksandfandom @smilexcaptainx @betinalunardi @rollinsuh @lily2089@stella2445 @hy-pocrite @l0rd-disick @beholdoritou @klaussstilinski@achishisha@givenchymercury @just-trying-to-survive-marvel @henry-cavill-gossip-girl @rock-titties @bombsandsparkles @marvel-fan23 @cap-just-said-language @blackaestheticislife @justsomemarvelspam @nerdchester17 @shyofaspark @cssrogersse@crispyearthquakezombie@ultragalaxy @bit-of-a-timelord @kingofallthingsz @morguleth@calicokitkat @areelphony@gemgemswift @donut-crazs @dontchawishyouknewhowtosalsa@kandomeresbitch @deafeningpsychicpandahands @severely-theoretic @chmedic @patzammit@winterssoliderss@metalarmlover @saturnki @dundun-baby @monselxo @im-a-mess24 @capsgirl516 @shelbyaesthetic @asia-mclaren @missminnie-123 @dundun-baby @monselxo

#chris evans smut #chris evans imagine #chris evans blurb #chris evans fanfic #chris evans fic #chris evans fluff

[wendyhamlet]

The Morning After

So this is the first part to a modern FMA au, I honestly just have some disjointed ideas that I want to write down and it may or may not end up a semi coherent fic lol Anyway! Here’s the first part, enjoy, I hope to get it posted on Archive of Our Own once I get an account there so stay tuned!

Warning: this fic will be rated M for safety as there will likely be talk of violence, adult themes, language, and possibly some smut

Pounding, throbbing, aching pain. That was the first thing that came to Edward Elric as he woke up.

As far as hangovers go, it was definitely one of the worst he’d had in a while. Usually after a night of drinking he would wake up with a headache, that awful stale taste in his mouth, and at least some disjointed memories of the events leading up to passing out.

This time however, he felt like the room was spinning, everything hurt, and he had literally no idea what had happened in the past twelve hours.

With a groan, he rolled over in bed, his body going rigid as his arm brushed something beside him.

Something warm, soft. And breathing.

Sitting up with a jolt, he forced his eyes open, wincing against the early morning sunlight streaming through the window. Blinking through the blur in his vision, he struggled to focus on the person lying in the bed beside him.

Blonde hair, pale skin, face turned away from him.

Oh. Oh...fuck.

Launching himself out of the bed as if it was made of wasps, he bolted for the bathroom, immediately crashing to the ground and letting out a hissed curse under his breath. Groping around on the floor for his prosthetic as he crawled toward the bathroom, snatching his jeans as he went.

Easing the door shut and locking it, he made his way over to the tub and hoisted himself onto the edge of it, digging around in his jean pockets for his phone. Once he found it, he hit the first number on his speed dial and held it to his ear with his shoulder, using his now free hands to attach his prosthetic to his left thigh.

“Edward? It’s like five AM.”

“Al! Al shut up and listen! I have a girl in my bed, a girl, Al!”

There was a stretch of silence, then his younger brother let out a sigh. “Okay, is she still breathing?”

“What? Of course she’s still breathing!”

“Well then what’s the problem? Honestly this isn’t the first time you’ve drank too much and hooked up, I really don’t think it was worth waking me u-”

“It’s Winry.”

A long silence.

“Oh.”

“Yeah! ‘Oh’, now what the fuck do I do?”

Suddenly the other line was full of laughter.

“Alphonse!!”

“Ling owes me fifty bucks! Thanks brother.”

“This is not the time to be cashing in bets, I’m freaking out!”

Al sighed, the sound of a kettle singing in the background indicating that he had opted against going back to sleep after the call. “Look, it’s not like you didn’t want this to happen, right? I mean you’ve had a crush on her since we were little kids.”

Ed flexed his prosthetic leg, rubbing at the muscle that connected to the metal socket. “Well, yeah...but not like this. I mean, I haven’t told her how I feel.”

“Well, I’m just hazarding a guess here, but I’m pretty sure the cat’s out of the bag now.”

“Great, super helpful, thanks bro.”

“I’m just saying, you can’t take it back now, the only thing to do is move forward. I don’t exactly have any advice to give you since I’ve never been in a situation like this. The best I can do is just tell you not to freak out too much. It’s Winry, you’re best friends, just...talk to her.”

Edward looked up at the door, the simple barrier that separated him from the inevitable. “I...I don’t know how.”

“I have faith in you, brother. I’ve gotta go now, just...take a deep breath, you’ll be fine.”

Letting out a heavy sigh, he nodded. “Right. Thank’s Al, I’ll talk to you later.” Hanging up, he tapped his fingers against his knee, mind struggling to pick up even a fragment of memory from the night before.

He and Winry had left for Central city for the concert, they’d checked into their adjoining rooms at the hotel and headed over to the venue. After that, everything was a blank.

What was he going to do? Alphonse had said to just talk to her, but how could he? Where would he even start? Hey, Winry, so I guess we had sex last night, by the way, I’ve kind of liked you since we were little kids, I guess you feel the same?

Yeah, that would go over great.

Al was really the only person who he trusted to share this kind of thing with, but he hadn’t been able to give him much advice. Who else could he talk to?

A name popped into his head, and although he was hesitant to call, he was desperate.

Taking a deep breath, he dialed the number and waited. One, two, three, on the fourth ring, the line picked up.

“Elric?”

“Lieutenant, Hawkeye? I uh...I have a bit of a situation and was wondering if you could maybe give me some advice.”

“Is it military related? The Colonel would be more qualified to-”

“Uh, no, it’s personal.”

“I see. It’s good that you called me then. What can I help you with, Edward?”

“Um, it’s a little awkward, but I couldn’t think of anyone else who I could call.” Pausing to steady his breathing, he plunged right in. “I think I might have slept with Winry last night, but we were both drinking and honestly I don’t remember anything. But I woke up and we were both in bed and just...I don’t know what to do.”

“I see, well, is she awake?”

“I don’t think so, I’ve been holed up in the bathroom since I woke up, she was still asleep when I came in here and I haven’t heard any noise so I think she’s still sleeping.”

“And you can’t remember anything from last night?”

“Not a damn thing. I don’t know if that’s better or worse for this situation.”

“Well, I think you should talk to her once she wakes up, just be honest and see if she remembers anything.”

“Yeah, that’s what Al said, but I don’t know what to say. I mean, she’s my best friend, we’ve been best friends since we were little kids. Sure we haven’t spent a whole lot of time with each other these past couple years because I was serving and she was busy with school, but that’s what this trip was supposed to be for, we were supposed to reconnect and spend time together, it wasn’t supposed to be so damn complicated.”

“Edward, take a deep breath, it’s going to be alright. Go out, get coffee and breakfast, bring it back to the room, and just talk to her. You said it yourself, you’ve been best friends since you were little, and even though you haven’t seen each other much these past years doesn’t mean that you aren’t still just as close.”

“Right, okay. Thank you, Lieutenant.”

“Anytime. By the way, have you decided on whether or not you’re going to accept the Colonel’s offer?”

“Honestly, that’s the last thing on my mind right now.”

“Of course. Call if you need anything.”

“I will, thanks again.”

“Sure. Goodbye Edward.”

Steeling himself, Edward Elric pulled on his pants, slipped his phone into his pocket and crept back into the room.

Winry was still fast asleep, thank goodness. And he blessed his stealth training as he gathered up the rest of his clothes and grabbed a room key as he slipped out into the hallway.

Get coffee and breakfast, not bad advice. He remembered Winry mentioning a cute cafe they passed yesterday a couple blocks away from their hotel, that would be as good a place as any to grab something.

Surprisingly he was able to get to the cafe, buy breakfast, and be back in the hotel within an hour.

Juggling a bag of pastries and a drink tray in one hand, he fumbled for the room key with his other and finally managed to unlock the door, nearly dropping the coffee in the process.

Slipping inside, he winced as the door slammed far too loudly behind him.

“Ed?”

Shit.

Rounding the corner slowly, he came face to face with Winry.

She was sitting on the edge of the bed, dressed in a simple pale blue tank top and high waisted jean shorts. Her hair was damp, she probably just got out of the shower.

“Uh, hi…” He held up the paper bag and drink tray. “I brought coffee and breakfast. Banana nut still your favorite muffin?”

She smiled, a little weakly. “Yeah, thanks.”

He set the bag down on the side table and sat down next to her, wordlessly handing her a cup of coffee. “Here, if you’re even half as hungover as I am you’re gonna need this.”

“You don’t happen to have any aspirin do you?”

He dug into his pocket and pulled out a small bottle. “Here, I already took some.”

“Oh, bless you.” She exclaimed, quickly popping a few of the pills into her mouth and washing them down with the coffee.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, then Edward finally said something.

“Listen, um...about last night. This is really embarrassing but uh, I don’t really remember...anything.”

“Yeah, me either. I mean, I remember the concert a little, but then it’s all just a blur.”

He bit his lower lip, worrying it between his teeth anxiously. “So...I, well I mean we...I guess-”

“We didn’t have sex last night.”

He finally turned to look at her, brows pulled together in confusion. “What? But you just said you don’t remember anything.”

“Well, no, I don’t but um, I’m not...sore.” Her face was bright red, and she was avoiding looking at him. “I mean, we both had our underclothes on, right? If we were that drunk why would we put clothes on after sleeping together? And like I said, I’m not sore or anything, not saying that that’s a guarantee or anything but it’s pretty common unless uh…”

“Oh, trust me, you’d be sore.” Ed said, immediately turning red and sputtering flusteredly. “N-not saying I’d be rough or anything! Just um, well I mean I’m not...oh fuck it.” He dropped his head into his hands, his palms pressing against his burning face. “I’m sorry, Win.”

“It’s not your fault...we were both pretty drunk last night. We probably just fell asleep in the same bed instead of me going back into my room. That’s all.”

He lifted his head. “That’s right, I bet that’s what happened. Besides, we’ve shared a bed before, I mean...not in a while, but still, we’re best friends, this doesn’t have to be weird. Right?”

She nodded. “Right! Let’s just...put it out of our minds. I mean, we didn’t have sex, so there’s nothing to freak out about.”

“Yeah, I guess it was kind of silly to even think we would have banged.”

Laughing she stood up and walked over to the bag of muffins. “Right? Totally crazy, I mean I don’t think we could ever be that drunk.”

Ed swallowed, looking away from her as he chuckled half-heartedly. “Yeah, what was I thinking.”

#FMA #fullmetal Alchemist #modern au #fic #fanfiction #Wendy Writes #Edward Elric #Winry Rockbell #Edwin #Alphonse Elric #Riza Hawkeye #TMA

[grungeandrockoneshots]

Love ur tumblr,it's awesome,congrats!!.Please,could you write an Eddie shot about I'm Eddie's girlfriend. One night I have a nightmare: he falls while he's climbing at some show and he gets hurt badly.I wake up very scared so I beg him doesn't climb that night because I have a bad feeling,but he does it. Nothing bad happens of course,but I get so angry with him.He tries to apologize in a sweet way,you know ;) Thank you!! Btw, English it's not my mothertongue so forgive my mistakes :)

The room was so fullthat no one else would fit in. Porch was just somewhere in the middle of itsusual duration, Mike was rocking his guitar in a breathtaking solo. You stoodat the side of the stage supporting your friends, but mostly your boyfriendEddie, who was just going crazy from all the energy and atmosphere. He wasjumping around and running all over the stage and he obviously wanted to geteverything out of him. You loved watching him perform, but his kind ofself-expression in moments like these often made you worry a lot. His passionfor climbing and jumping into crowds was something you didn’t share with him.Again, you had to watch him trying to get on the top of several speakers. Theroom went dark, the only cone of light was directed at Eddie. The speakers werefew meters high and he was almost there. Two or three little moves. But justwhen you were about to feel joy that he safely reached the top, his handsuddenly slipped and he fell down on his back from an enormous height. A dullhit was pretty much audible and you witnessed it all in an unexpressible shock.Eddie’s paralyzed and motionless body didn’t show any signs of life. Youimmediately started crying and wanted to run to him to help him, but a pair ofsomeone’s arms caught you and refused to let you on stage. He repeated over andover that you couldn’t go there and that there were people who’d help him. Youtotally broke down as you watched more and more people rushing to the stage,taking Eddie away from you…

„Y/N! Y/N, for God’s sake, wake up!“ you heard from adistance, feeling hands on your shoulders. You woke up to Eddie’s worried face.There’s no need to say how hard the wave of relief hit you. Your cheeks werewet and your heart was beating so fast that you thought it would explode soon.You grabbed Eddie’s tshirt and pulled him into the tightest hug you’ve evergiven him. You still couldn’t stop yourself from crying, because the damn dreamscared the shit out of you. „Love, it’s okay. It’s gone. Shhh, it’s okay,“ hecomforted you as he was stroking your back. He held you until you calmed downand then asked what happened.

„I was watching you play and you decided to climb up thehuge speakers you always have on stage and…and fell down. You just lay thereand didn’t move and I wanted to help you so bad, but someone held me didn’t letme go there…oh God, why was it so real? I thought I’d never see you again,Eddie, I seriously thought it was an end…“ salt water filled your eyes again,which made Eddie take your face in his hands and kiss you on the forehead.

„It was just a bad dream, okay? I’m here with you and I’malive. Please, stop crying, Y/N,“ he whispered and wiped the tears off yourcheeks.

„What if it was some kind of warning? I don’t want you to doit. I’m so worried about you all the time. And I don’t wanna wait untilsomething really happens to you,“ your voice was still shaking a bit.

„It’s under my control everytime, Y/N. It’s not as dangerousas it seems, trust me,“ he objected.

„Eddie, you’re the only one I have and you know that Iwouldn’t handle losing you. Promise me you’re not gonna do it at least the nextshow. Please, I don’t ask for much.“ He sighed long, but agreed: „Okay okay, Ipromise. But now you promise me that you won’t have bad dreams tonightanymore.“

„Promise,“ you smiled and cuddled up to him. His arms wereproviding you a feeling of safety and home, so you soon fell asleep withoutbigger problems.

*

It was right before the beginning of today’s show. All theguys were in a great mood and you were supposed to be, too, but somehow youcouldn’t get that dream out of your head. Eddie looked fine, nothing seemed tofrustrate him.

„You’ll be careful, won’t you?“ you were making sure beforehe went up on stage.

„Of course I will, don’t worry,“ he quickly kissed you andthen disappeared in a corridor leading to stage. You sighed and waited forStone’s and Jeff’s girlfriend to go watch your men together from the side of thestage as usual. They kicked off the show with Why Go and Deep, Jeremy and Even Flow followed. People in the crowd were great, you couldhardly see someone who wouldn’t enjoy this night as if it was their last.Usually you’d dance and sing along, however today you still couldn’t help itbut felt something bad in the air. You kept repeating in your head that nothingcan happen, you trusted Eddie and his words. Everything seemed to be fine sofar, but you turned to the girls and started talking to come to other thoughtsanyway. They were great girls and it was always fun to be around them. Finallyyou felt better.

„Hey ladies, do you see that photographer over there? Stonetold me he’s totally head over heelsfor Ed. Look at his face! Y/N, I swear even you don’t look at Ed like this!“You all laughed as you focused on that photographer.

„He looks like he’ll do everything to steal him from me,“you joked.

„Well, I think not only him,“ Jeff’s girlfriend pointed tosome girls in the crowd who were jumping there half naked. „Gosh, he’s crazy!Does he wanna jump again or what?“ You immediately turned your head in Eddie’sdirection. He was already one leg on the speaker, climbing higher and higher.Your stomach gripped tightly as an unexpected wave of fear mixed with angerflew through your body. He made a fuckingpromise.

„No. No, I’m not gonna watch this,“ you told the girls andran to backstage to Eddie’s dressing room where you took your jacket and gotout of the building. You caught a taxi and got back to the hotel room. It washard for you to believe that he really did it. Despite his own words. You tooka quick shower and when you returned to the bedroom, you found out that Eddiehad tried to call you several times, because the phone was full of left voicemessages. You deleted all of them, you already didn’t want to hear a word fromhim today. You slipped under the blanket and tried to fall asleep before hereturns, but it was useless. Your head was so full and didn‘t allow you to cutoff from the reality.

As soon as you heard the opening door, you took a deepbreath. You even wanted to fake the sleep, but before you managed to close youreyes, he already stood in the bedroom. And apparently, angry as well.

„Can you explain to me why didn’t you answer my calls? Doyou even know how worried I was about you? I wanted to cancel the rest of theshow when Mike told me you’d left without any reason!“ he said in heightenedvoice. He literally made you look at him in total disbelief.

„Excuse me, without any reason? You know the reason verywell, Eddie, so stop acting like this! You will be telling me something aboutfear? You? You never fail to amaze me, really. But you know what, I don’t wannahear anything from you, let me sleep.“

„No way, I’m not done yet. Look, Y/N, okay, I admit that youhave a full right to be mad at me, but you should have answered the calls.You know how it’s dangerous outside, people can recognize you and not all ofthem are nice and friendly. You should have waited for me,“ he wildlygesticulated. You sat up on the bed.

„Eddie, but this is not about me at all! I mean, what didyou expect? That I will happily watch you climb almost to the ceiling and jumpinto people who can easily not catch you? That I will just stand there andsupport you in this? I think I told you clearly enough yesterday how importantit is to me that you stop with it. And if I remember well, you promised me.“ Theblame was on his side, so he didn’t have any right to accuse you of anything.

„I know! But as you can see, nothing bad happened and I’mhere. It’s a part of the show! I want to give those people something they won’tever forget, do you understand?“ he continued with his silly arguments.

„Yeah, how nice of you that you care more about other peoplethan me,“ you said. Eddie probably lost his ideas how to reply, so he justuttered: „This isn’t leading to anywhere.“ And then he left the bedroom.

„Idiot,“ you said quietly to yourself as you were layingyour head back on the pillow. Soon you heard the running water form thebathroom and despite your strong wishes you couldn’t fall asleep even thistime. You tensely laid with closed eyes as he returned to the room.Surprisingly, he obviously thought that you were really sleeping, because hissteps and moves were very quiet. He slowly laid next to you under one blanket.First few minutes he kept silent, but you could feel his open eyes.

„Y/N? Are you sleeping?“ he whispered.

„How could I?“ you responded. Then he carefully threw hisarm over you, taking your hand in his. He sticked to your body from behind andkissed your shoulder.

„I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have done any of it, I’m such anasshole. You’re the most important person to me in this world, so if you reallywant me to stop with it, I will. I’d rather see disappointment in thousands othereyes than in yours. I love you so much, Y/N,“ he said quietly, causing yourheart melting.

„Why do you always get me so easily, Vedder? I hate you,“you smiled and pulled his hand up to your lips, where you kissed it.

„This doesn’t look like hate,“ he laughed slightly, leaningin for a kiss. You let him play with your lips for a while. „Mmm, and thisdoesn’t look like hate at all,“ he continued kissing you, slowly getting on thetop of you. Your hands disappeared under his tshirt, exploring his muscularbody. His lips landed on your neck and softly sucked the skin. As his handsstrayed under your tshirt as well, you couldn’t stop yourself from breathingloudly. All of this was great for his ears, because he knew he was doing a goodjob on you. Once he rolled your tshirt up and caught one your nipple in hislip, you gasped and tugged his hair a bit. You could see his content face as hestarted going down little by little. And yes, his expression was enough for youto turn you on. You felt his hot breath and wet kisses everywhere on your tummyand later even on your thighs. It took him so long before he finally got whereyou wanted him the most. He skilfully removed your panties and threw them away,while you were eagerly waiting for his next action. He returned to your thighs,paid a little more attention to them and then made his way up. As soon as histongue touched your clit, your grip in his hair tightened. He started off verygently, circling his tongue around and gradually increased the intensity. Hewas tasting you with the tip of his tongue by tesing you in the area of your entranceevery now and then. You were writhing under his touches and because of all the delight.When he’d decided to use a finger to help you come, you were high up in the skybecause of how good it felt. You even had to let go of his hair, because you weresure you’d have tugged them out.

„Fuck, Eddie,“ you moaned, crushing the sheet between your fingersright before you reached your climax. Then Eddie rolled down your tshirt again andmade you lay on his chest. He gave you little kisses in your hair while you werestill catching your breath. You ran your fingers to his long hair and played withthem, because it always calmed you down. „I love you,“ you murmured to his chest.

„I hoped to hear this,“ he smiled, „good night, Y/N.“

-

Hello, firstly, thank you♥ secondly, I really hope that by your “sweet way of apologizing” you meant something smutty and if not, I’m very sorry! And thirdly, this oneshot is the longest I’ve written so far, so I hope you enjoyed it♥

#pearl jam #pj #eddie vedder #one shot #fanfiction #jeff ament #mike mccready #stone gossard #dave abbruzzese #matt cameron #pearl jam one shot #pearl jam fanfiction #eddie vedder one shot #eddie vedder fanfiction #smut #writing #grunge #90s #music

[angstymarshmallow]

Retrouvailles Part 2 (Zig x MC)

[A little note: Today was a really rough day, and instead of finishing off holiday requests - here I am doing this instead. Originally, I sort of planned several parts inside my head but I didn’t know if anyone really enjoyed the first one. Plus I am so flimsy with sequels. Thanks to @debbienewnes84 for reawakening my urge to continue this. In general I would also like to add I don’t condone cheating, this is I stress purely for the plot of the story and a little more of my own personal headcanon.]

[Summary: When Dia (MC) slips out the next morning with the intention of avoiding Zig by all means necessary - she comes face to face with a dilemma that threatens to unravel five years of coping].

Retrouvailles (NSFW) Part 1

[Word Count: 3591]

Dia awoke feeling groggy and extremely satisfied.

Her arm shielded her from the light poking through her window, and she uttered a groan at the slight pressure she felt – a tinge of a headache awaited on the brink of awareness. Every movement even the slightest had a ripple effect; as if she’d just completed a marathon instead of turning in for the night.

Rubbing her temples, she sighed quietly. It took her a moment to realize she was tucked firmly against something, or better yet - someone reasonably warm. More surprisingly familiar. A fair amount of a particularly fair-skinned arm was braced between her and her pillow. It surprised her that she hadn’t noticed before.

Blinking, she glanced at the outstretched arm blearily as if trying to convince herself she was still asleep. Did she meet someone last night at the reception and forgot to kick them out of her room?

Fighting back sudden irritation rising with every unsettled nerve, she twisted onto her side ready to meet whoever this unexpected visitor was with a stern frown and nearly yelped at the sight of the person next to her.

Oh no.

It wasn’t just anyone cuddling up to her, with a half hard-on pressed by her hip. It had to have been him. Zigmund Ortega - a man she used to spend years learning every smooth part of his body. A body that somehow was more than just a dream as her eyes dipped momentarily towards his chest.

No wonder it felt familiar.

As events came flooding back to her – the subtlest of touches while at the wedding photoshoot; the grinding of her hips against his, their first shared kiss spiralled them both into desire; hastily yanking off clothes and falling into bed together – everything came back in a heated rush.

Her hand flew to her open mouth.

Shit.

Last night hadn’t been a dream.

Her sore muscles and the sight of him sprawled out beside her confirmed that everything last night had been, indeed real. Oh god. Oh god.

She needed to get out of here.

Slowly she uncurled her clenched hands and shifted her shoulders. She leaned as much as she could out of his embrace without risking the impromptu of waking him. She took her legs one at a time over her side of the bed.

Bracing herself for the vertigo; she got to her feet and hissed the moment she felt it. The rush. The pounding inside her head.

Ah, shit. It was far worse than she anticipated. Clutching her temple with a scowl, she could barely supress the urge to groan.

She had to focus.

Her eyes skimmed the room, searching for any sign of their discarded clothing.

The bad news was her underwear had been nowhere sight. Unfortunate for her – they were her favourite pairs of lace, however after another clean sweep of the room she caught sight of the dress she wore at the reception. She grabbed her heels on her way out.

When she heard the sudden rustling of sheets behind her, she froze. Gulping fresh air, she slowly turned towards him.

The sheet had dipped low, and she could almost make out his lean hips, the distinct v-line drifting lower until she bit her bottom lip at the sight.

She thanked her lucky stars that his eyes had remained closed. There was no way she could explain the amount of oogling she was currently doing in a justifiable manner. At least he was still asleep, even though she had growing suspicion he could stir at any given notice. A hand reached out blindly towards where she had been minutes ago.

Shit. Shit.

Panic made her almost drop her heels. She had to escape. She couldn’t face him. What if he saw her leaving? What could she say - how was she supposed to adequately put into words what happened last night?

It had been…amazing.

Mind-blowing amazing.

They both had been caught up in the moment; alcohol offered her an excuse not to question anything, and all those all-too-familiar memories she had locked tightly together inside a box had came bursting forward.

Now that she was in her right mind again. There was no alcohol to stop her from thinking. And thinking about this was the last thing she needed.

She didn’t want complicated.

Whirling around quickly, she tip-toed towards the door and with every step, she felt a little less nervous and a little more in control of her life.

Before she could touch the door handle, Dia heard him stirring again – this time a groan had filled the room before she heard his voice.

“Dia….?” It was nearly a croak – broken by sleep and exhaustion. When she glanced over her shoulder at him; his eyes were still half-open and he was nearly sitting up in bed.

She cringed. “This is all a dream.” She tried to keep the panic out of her voice. Cooing softly, she added. “All just a silly dream; I’m still right beside you – go back to sleep.”

For a moment, she feared her breaking the silence was enough to rustle the rest of sleep. He seemed unfazed, as if he were about to launch into a protest until he suddenly fell back. She uttered a sigh of relief instead when she realized he rolled over – taking the pillow she slept on, with him. “You smell so good, babe.” She heard him inhale deeply.

She waited a moment longer before she saw his head dip back under the sheets. Heaving another sigh, she promptly opened the door and slipped out of his room.  

Peeking down the hotel’s hallway; she waited until she was certain the course was clear before quickly darting towards the direction of her room. She didn’t stop moving until she was safely inside.

-

Once Dia arrived, she discarded her shoes, dropping them carelessly before she leaned heavily against the door. Wedging her eyes shut, she took a deep breath. And then another. And another.

She made it.

Although, she wasn’t quite sure how long her quiet peace would last, she decided it was best to avoid it for as long as possible. Her patience with awkward and uncomfortable circumstances had never been good and yesterday hadn’t been one of her proudest moments.

She trudged towards her bed. Wasting no time, she jumped onto it and landed on her back. She stared up at her ceiling.

Dia knew she couldn’t keep this to herself.  She had to tell someone, someone she knew wouldn’t judge her too harshly for making such a stupid mistake. Luckily, she knew Kaitlyn’s new number by heart, and toyed with a strand of her hair as she waited for her to answer.

On the fourth ring; she could hear her friend’s perky voice sweeping through. There was shouting and the sound of music in the background; almost too loud for Dia’s ears. “Dia! Hey!”

“Shit too loud.” She leaned away a little from the sound of her voice.

“Sorry.” She lowered her tone, and the loud heavy metal music began to fade into background noise. Eventually all Dia heard was the sound of wind picking up and a door slamming shut.

Dia hesitated. “Is this a good time?”

“Yeah, its fine. We just wrapped up our set.” Dia could hear her yawn over the phone.

“…So early?”

“Yup, our schedule’s been kinda crazy lately. But it’s nice to hear a voice that isn’t screaming at me.”

Dia laughed, “are you and the band fighting again?” She waited a beat. “Rachel or Amara this time?”

A pause. “Okay, kind of both – but it’s not anything we can’t work through or handle. We’ve been through worse,” Kaitlyn mumbled; and yet there was no mistaking the increasing frustration rising inside her voice. “Anyway, what’s going on? How’d the wedding go – I was just about to call Abbie when you called.”

“It went well, I guess.” Dia shrugged, “I mean it’s a wedding – so everyone was all happy and bubbly. I wish you could have seen it – the whole thing was pretty sappy.”

“Aww, damn.” She sighed, “I totally won’t miss the next one.”

Dia’s brows furrowed, “you say that like you’re expecting another wedding pretty soon.”

“Well there is Zack, Chris and you –“

“I am never getting married.” She emphasized never to bring her point home. “Besides, I think Chris is far ahead of me; every time I saw him and Maggie together – I swore I kept hearing wedding bells echoing off inside my head.”

Kaitlyn laughed. “I’m not surprised. I like Maggie, and they’re really good together.” She paused. “Still, it doesn’t hurt to hope, huh? I have to keep hoping we’ll all find that special someone. Or someones.”

“Hmm, I think that’s really just the hopeless romantic deep down inside you talking,” Dia replied shortly. “Speaking of which -”

“You didn’t call to talk about my love life.” Kaitlyn breezed by the subject easily and Dia knew better than to push.

“You know I’d ask you anyway.”

“No such luck in that department right now I’m afraid.” She admitted finally. “So, what’s up?”

“Right, well.” Abruptly, Dia felt tongue-tied. Usually, she could approach most subjects with reasonable easiness and without any lingering second thoughts but she felt as if the moment she did – it made it all the more real. More real than she was ready for it to be.

“Did you sleep with someone?” Kaitlyn’s voice broke through her train of thought. “Isn’t that normal for you? No strings attached and whatnot?”

“Usually,” She snorted. “But I wish it had been just anyone,” she dragged her fingers through her messy hair. “I slept with Zig last night.”

“Ah.” Her friend didn’t sound perturbed or even surprised by the news.

“Ah?” Dia’s brows bunched together; “is that really all you have to say?”

“Well I knew you still had –” She hesitated, “hold on one sec I’m getting another call.” A pause, “I think it’s Abbie.”

Dia sat upright. “Really? Shouldn’t she still be asleep? Recovering from whatever Tyler did to her last night.”

“Ugh, I so do not need that mental image right now. I’m still recovering from the last time I accidentally walked in on them.”

“But that was literally years ago.”

“My point exactly. Anyway, give me one sec.”

Dia waited several minutes to hear a second click. Eventually, she heard Abbie’s voice. “Hey, Abbie! Shouldn’t you still be asleep?” She waited a beat. “You know, recovering from the night you had and all that. I bet Tyler kept you awake all night.”

“Shut up!” Abbie sounded mortified.

“You’re married now, you don’t have to sound so modest.”  

Abbie fumbled to change the subject. “Shouldn’t you be catching the next flight back to San Francisco, Dia? You wandered off early last night, so I figured you were already out of here.”

Dia swore. She knew she had forgotten something when she woke up this morning. “No, I uh – woke up late today.” She swallowed slowly. Her flight was probably in the air already. “I have to re-book it.”

“Yeah, she woke up late because she was too busy booking something else.” Dia swore she could almost hear Kaitlyn’s smirk over the phone. “If you know what I mean.”

“I’m not really too sure Kaitlyn -“

Dia scowled. “Kaitlyn –“

“Booking someone else in. All night.”

“Thanks.”

“Dia, we talked about this!” Abbie’s abrupt outcry made Dia wince. “No random hook-ups allowed at my wedding! That was my number one rule.”

“It’s really weird that you have that specific rule…” Kaitlyn trailed off.

“It wasn’t just anyone!” Dia interjected, feeling defensive. Then slowly, she exhaled before bracing herself for the impending doom once she confessed. “It was Zig.” 

It never came. Instead, she heard her friend’s voice crack over the line. “Oh honey, please tell me you didn’t.”

“I did.” Dia closed her eyes and fell back in bed. And it was everything I remembered...except better. Like figuring each other out all over again – “I know I shouldn’t have, but one thing lead to another.” She pressed her eyes firmly tighter together. “Then the next thing I knew we were naked in his bed.”

There was a pause from both women. Several seconds passed before Kaitlyn spoke. “I told you she wasn’t over him.” She sounded triumphant. “And he’s clearly not over her either.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Really?”

“Okay, well it doesn’t matter that they aren’t over each other,” Abbie replied crisply.

“Of-course it does! They were so good together –”

“Until they weren’t!” Abbie was almost shouting; rising loud enough for Dia to shove the phone away for a second. “Do you remember how bad it got? How badly it affected everyone else? They could barely stand being in the same room together.”

“But that was then and this is now.” Kaitlyn said insistently, “Now we’re all older – and wiser. I ship them Abbie. I ship them hard.”

“Ship us?” Dia interrupted; eyes flying open to stare at her ceiling incredulously. “Kaitlyn – there’s nothing to ship?! This doesn’t mean anything.” Liar, liar, pants on fire. Her inner voice nagged insistently. “Last night was a mistake – a momentary lapse in judgement – ”

Kaitlyn blew out an irritated noise of disagreement. “Yeah right,” she chuckled. “You can keep trying to convince yourself that it didn’t matter.”

“It didn’t!” Her voice rose too high. Dammit.

“It doesn’t matter!” Abbie interceded; her stern voice cutting through the pace of their conversation.

“Wait,” Dia’s own hackles rose, “why doesn’t it matter?”

“Because Zig’s with someone else!” Abbie exploded.

What?

“Are they on again?” Kaitlyn huffed, “sometimes it’s so hard to keep up - with whatever her name is.”

“Evaline.” Abbie corrected. “And I think they’re...on again.”

“Yeah, whatever. She isn’t good for him.” Kaitlyn added dismissively. “I hear about how much they fight - and the last time I saw them together, the room practically oozed with tension.”

Dia’s froze. 

She sucked in a deep breath.  “Wait, wait –“ She interrupted. “I need you both to back up for a minute.” She sat upright in her bed again. “What do you mean by other woman?”

“Well...” They both hesitated.

“Come on,” she gripped her phone a little tighter. She hadn’t entertained the thought that Zig had moved on – why hadn’t she thought about it until now? Was she hoping all this time that he still cared for her? She took a deep breath, weighing the question inside her head before saying it out-loud. “Who’s Evaline?”

Abbie answered her first. “When you broke up; it was hard on Zig. I’m not saying it wasn’t hard on you too, I know it was. But it wasn’t just you who was suffering.” She sighed. “He didn’t really open to us much about it – mostly we just heard a some of it from Chris, but what we heard was really bad.”

Dia closed her eyes as guilt assailed her. She felt a lump form in her throat and could barely manage a subtle nod. She knew after leaving Hartfeld and Northbridge behind her wasn’t easy on anyone - least of all him. “Go on.”

“He was a wreck with a capital ‘W’.” Kaitlyn mumbled.

“He threw himself into football and school more than we ever thought possible. We tried to get him to see other people, but he didn’t want to – he kept saying he wasn’t ready. And when he finally did, it was mostly just random hook-ups. It took awhile for him to date someone and it was never anything serious.” Even though Abbie was only explaining what Dia had missed, she felt partially responsible for everything she told her. “Then he met Evaline in one of the classes he TA’d for. He didn’t want it to interfere with his job - so they ignored each other at first. Then came next semester and they kept it pretty casual for awhile. But last year they made it official.”

Oh.

Dia hadn’t known what to say. She supposed she should be happy for him. That was the right thing to do right? The right thing to feel?

Five years was a long time to harbor anything more than that. But a bitter taste was inside her mouth. A part of her wanted to remain selfish – she wanted him to be miserable too; he deserved to be happy. She could easily imagine anyone – falling  for him.

“But it’s not like it’s been easy for them.” Kaitlyn spoke up, “On and off again - I don’t know why they just don’t stay broken up. And it wasn’t until I met her during this summer why I started understanding why they didn’t work.”

“Kaitlyn,” Abbie chided. ‘That’s really not any of our business –”

“Not to mention she’s currently across the world for some foreign exchange program.” Kaitlyn continued as if Abbie hadn’t spoken. “Really Dia, they aren’t good together. They’re just something ridiculous, temporary –”

Dia knew Kaitlyn was saying all of this to make her feel better. She wanted to appreciate the gesture, but she was still mulling over their words. Whether or not their relationship was working – Dia had no right to interfere.

She wasn’t that person anymore.

And some part of her was having difficulty believing Zig was capable of doing something like that. Even though they were pretty out of it last night - she still knew she wanted him. The Zig Dia remembered from five years ago would never have done that. His sense of loyalty and passion wouldn’t let him.

However that was years ago -  this was now. Maybe she didn’t know the type of person he was anymore; and she couldn’t help the rush of anger she felt - she was the other woman. She was mad at him. Mad at herself too. And it hurt more than she was willing to admit that it had been a fluke. Maybe some part of her had always….

She shook her head clear before she could finish the thought.

Last night had really been a mistake. Yet despite how complicated this was – she didn’t regret a single moment they spent together last night. She should, but she didn’t.

Clearing her throat, she realized the line went dead silent as if they were  expectantly waiting for her to respond. “It’s fine,” she replied breezily. “Last night was a mistake,” she repeated the words out-loud, her convictions felt firm.  “I just feel like I owe Evaline some kind of apology or something.”

Abbie harrumphed over the phone, “sorry Evaline I slept with your boyfriend? Even though I really didn’t know about it - I’m really sorry? How do you think that’s gonna work out?”

“Abbie!”

Dia winced. “No she’s right Kaitlyn. This is just completely shitty of me.”

“But it wasn’t your fault – well not all your fault, and I’m sure Zig wasn’t thinking clearly.” Kaitlyn rambled on. “Otherwise he wouldn’t have allowed things to go as far as they did -”

“It doesn’t matter. We’re both adults, and we should own up to our mistakes.” Dia interjected, biting her bottom lip. “Thanks for at least telling me girls.” She sighed dejectedly. “Now I’m really glad I didn’t stay around and wait for him to wake up.”

“That walk of shame back to your room must be feeling extra shitty right about now, huh?” Kaitlyn’s voice was at least sympathetic even if her words hurt.

Dia laughed with no real mirth. She was thankful her friends were just as supportive as they were witty enough to poke fun at her mistakes. “Oh yeah, you have no idea.”

“We’re really sorry though.” Abbie said quietly, “If I realized that you didn’t know, I would’ve given you a heads up –”

“Don’t worry about it.” Dia didn’t want to spend anytime discussing it anymore. The hardest part about growing up was letting go of what used to be – she wasn’t going to allow this to completely unravel her. Not even close. She had to keep moving on, being better than something she believed she no longer was. “I’ll meet you for lunch Abbie?”

She waited for Abbie to agree before quickly making an excuse to hang up her phone. 

She  wanted to sound brave – as if none of this had bothered her. But the truth was, she felt everything but that. All the progress she made over the years - building herself up again suddenly seemed meaningless. One simple thing shouldn’t have shaken her as much as it did; but Zig had never been one simple thing.

Now Dia was beginning to feel stuck. Stuck between who she was, who she wanted to be – and who she knew she had to be.

She wanted to cry. She wanted to curl herself inside a ball and forget the rest of the world. But, the rest of the world wouldn’t wait - it never did.

She showered quickly; changing into a pair of black slacks and a loose fitting tee before running a brush several times through her hair. When she felt it was decent enough to show her face, she pocketed her phone before swiftly heading towards the door.

Maybe food was all she needed to help her through the rest of this day. 

At least it would give her brain something else to think about. She forced a smile at the thought as she reached to turn her doorknob hastily open. Her smile quickly disappeared the moment she met his somber stare.

Zig.

“You got a minute? We need to talk.”

-

#zig x mc #zig x mc fanfic #the sophomore #the freshman #zig x dia #zigmund ortega x dia brekker #choices stories you play #zigmund ortega #my cliche ending #I cringe #my tackle of 'drama' #playchoices #angst #an angstymarshmallow writes #this was supposed to make me feel better but meh #at least it's done #zig ortega #zigzaggers fan club #i enjoyed writing it and then I don't knowwww #ignore my tags #i'm just super moody

[onewheelneil]

My first 3 days

Day 1: Today I started my Appalachian trail thru hike journey. I woke up at hotel in Dawsonville, GA from sitting in a car, that my parents were so graciously driving, all day yesterday. We had an exquisite dinner the night before and my tummy wasn’t feeling well. I woke up at 7 am and took a nice long hot shower since I wouldn’t be having one in a long while. It was good for a hotel shower and I was thoroughly cleaned. I brushed and flossed as well. Afterwards my parents took turns doing their morning ritual and we left the hotel around 8:30 pm. We stopped at a breakfast place and a grocery store before heading to the trail. By that time my stomach was feeling better. Once we got to the visitors center I had a little orientation with several other thru hikers and were showed a new method to hang our food so bears couldn’t get it. After that I was off! My parents joined me to the top of the Amicalola Falls and after some pictures and hugging I was by myself for the rest of the 7 miles to the start of the Appalachian trail. It doesn’t start at the visitors center it starts at the summit of spring mountain which is an 8.8 miles climb from the visitors center. So I technically haven’t started the trail yet. Once I got started from the falls where my parents sent me off I was going at a nice pace and my legs fell into a rhythm and the pain from going up the falls seemed to melt away. I crossed some other hikers when the trail crossed a gravel road and kept going up. They were looking beat and I stopped to have a quick drink of water. We talked a bit but then I started cooling down which I didn’t want to do yet. So I kept going. I got back into my rhythm and got up a quite steep part until it went flat for a while. It was nice listening to nature through my grunts and breathing and hearing nothing. It was awesome. The farther I got the more I hurt. My legs were aching and my lower back was complaining but I kept on trudging. Of course it got to a point where I had to stop and eat some trail mix and more water. After finishing the trail mix from several stops I was almost there. I also had to sit down a few times to rest my legs. Eventually I made it to the to of springer mountain. There was one point where I crested a hill and was looking at the summit from below where I thought “that cannot be the summit its too far”. But of course I was wrong and walked up it anyway. After resting at the top I started down the actual Appalachian trail. I was beat so I decided to set up camp near the shelter 100 yards from the summit. It didn’t take long and it was well marked. I set up my hammock and put my sleeping bag and pad in to weigh it down as it likes to flip over when empty. Then I got my med kit out to put some mole skin on some parts of my foot that were getting rubbed. After that I got my food out and heated up some water to cook it. Tonight was chili with beef dehydrated by my loving mother so all I had to do was boil water and pour it in there. While it was cooking I started to shiver as the wind picked up and a drizzle started. I had on my gloves and my long johns and my fleece and my rain gear but I was still cold. Wishing I had my ski jacket but knowing that it would be way too bulky and heavy. Once the water was boiling not even a minute later I poured it over my food and let it sit in the food cozy my mom sewed together herself. She treats me well. There were lots of other people at the campsite and one of them even had a dog but it was very protective and would growl at you if you got near the owner. Still a good boy. I ate my chili after it had rehydrated and then climbed into my hammock because everyone else was retreating to their sleeping bags to get out of the cold. I laid down inside and just felt my body slowly warm up but the wind kept chilling my butt and I wished I had an under quilt. I’ll buy one maybe at the next town and see where I can fit it. The rain slowly tapered off until it was only drops falling from the trees blown by the wind. It was after dark then and I slipped into a warm cold sleep.

Day 2: This morning sucked. I was woken at midnight by a cold wind that sent shivers up and down my body. I also had to pee really badly but I didn’t want to get out of my sleeping bag knowing it was much colder outside it. I tried to fall asleep and I must have been successful because th next time I woke up was at 4 am. I noticed that all the condensation that happens from you breathing with a rain fly above your head was frozen to the ceiling of my hammock. You see my hammock is basically a floating coffin with an insulated bottom and a rain fly that encloses me in a protective cocoon from wind and rain. Unfortunately it was way below 32 and it doesn’t protect me from sheer cold. My sleeping bag is rated for 20 degrees so it must of been below that as well. At 4 I begrudgingly got myself out of the hammock tiptoed to a tree and pissed on it. Then I scurried back into a relatively warmer hammock except it wasn’t warm enough for me to fall back asleep. I just lay with my eyes closed trying different positions trying to get warm. I put my rain pants on and put my rain jacket over my sleeping bag to protect it a little from the eventual drops of the frozen condensation when it warms up in the morning. I changed my alarm from 7 am to 8:30 thinking I could get a little sleep after sunrise instead of getting up at sunrise. So when 8:30 comes around i tell myself there’s no reason to stay inside any longer. I start to unzip my bag as my brain is telling me “WHAT ARE YOU DOING ITS COLDER OUT THER YA DINGUS” but I ignore him. As I get outside I look around and everything is frozen. Every branch is covered in ice and even my hammock is covered too. I quickly put my rain coat on to warm myself up and do some exercises to get warmer. I jog in place and stretch before starting to pack camp. I even make some tea to help with the cold. I try to eat my breakfast of cliff bars but they were frozen solid so I put them in my inner pockets to warm them up. I pack everything back into my pack and set off knowing I’ll warm up faster from hiking. While I’m hiking the wind is blowing the ice off the branches in wood chip sizes. It was like walking past a wood chipper when it spews the wood out. But ice was falling on me instead. Sometimes it hurt but mostly it just fell on me harmlessly. I had most of my clothes on including my long johns and fleece and rain gear. It surprisingly didn’t become uncomfortably hot until mile 4. I had descended quite a bit from starting on top of spring we mountain and it was just raining from the branches down here. I passed many people and even several doggies. When I was changing out of my warm clothes a bunch of day hikers with their children came by asking how far I was going and when I replied they said to their children, “wow he’s better than all of us combined”. It brought a smile to my face. As I kept hiking along I stopped at one point to eat my breakfast and some beef jerky and just listened to nature. I was surprised no one passed by during that moment since there was so many people today. There was a pair of guys with a dog that kept playing leap frog with me. I asked them where they were headed and they said the same place as me but they didn’t know if they’d make it at their pace. I kept going knowing I’d see them again. Then I found a glorious sight. A big tent with oodles of food and water underneath it. A group of adults who had thru hiked before had set up a table and rain tarp and were handing out goodies. A bunch of other hikers were there already and while I was munching and drinking more hikers stopped by as well. We all talked about different things and at one point a guy asked me about my future and I said I was going to grad school for robotics. He replied, “Robotics?!?!?, you mean you wanna be responsible for sky net?” And one of his friends said, “Oh Terry shut it with that trash”. I chuckled and responded with, “No I want to help make sure skynet doesn’t happen”. That brought a few chuckles and the subject was changed after that. As soon as I was done I thanked them all and headed on my way determined to go 15 miles before sundown. But as it turns out that was a mistake. At around mile 8.5 my knee started giving out going down a hill so I stopped took it easy and rested. Then when I thought it was better I kept going. It wasn’t better and I gingerly limped hoping maybe taking some weight off it would be good but still gaining ground. Eventually it came to the point where I was limping painfully and after a frantic text to my mom and dad (I was lucky for any cell service) I staked camp at a little tent site about 4.5 miles from my destination. It hurt to put any weight on the knee so i just sat and elevated it on my sleeping pad. A couple hikers passed by and when they asked if I was camping here I told them of my predicament and one of them handed me an instant ice pack. It helped reduce some of the swelling and made it so I could get to work on setting up my hammock again. Before I set in for the night I had to put my food into a bear bag using the pct method. The method involves pulling your bag full of food up all the way to the branch then tying a stick in the middle of the rope so when you let go, the stick keeps the bag suspended and the bear can’t cut the string to get your food which they had now learned to do. It took me a while to find a branch suitable to carry my food since my food weight about 10 pounds and all the branches around here looking pretty flimsy. Eventually I found one and with a little difficulty, since it was my first time doing it, I had my food suspended in air. Afterwards I went back to my hammock jumped in and enjoyed the music of nature. I even took a video because there was a really loud bird of some sort making some weird noises. I thought it was an owl but let me know what you think. Then since it was going to rain again I closed up my rain fly just as the sun was setting. Before going to bed fully, I read my book a little bit until sleep took taking me by the hand into dreamland.

Day 3: Today I tried to hike on my hurt knee today but had no luck. I got myself to Horse Gap where the trail crossed a road. There many hikers passed me making sure I was okay with one hippie looking girl offering me some pot to ease my pain. I of course said no. I had called a cab company to come pick me up and take me to a drug store so I could pick up a knee brace. Luckily a local who helped thru hikers with their problems had happened by and agreed to let me hitch a ride with him. We drove to Coopers gap where he handed off some packs back to some other hikers who asked him to carry some weight for them. After meeting them and talking with other hikers that stopped to get some water from his truck we drove down to the town of Dahlonega. There we stopped at a Rite aid so I could get a knee brace and then to a motel where I got a room for the night since I wasn’t capable of getting back on the trail with my knee in this condition. It was a cheap motel called the Mountain Inn and I got a room for 65 dollars. So I cooped up and watched some TV and read a book to keep my knee healing. I iced it as well to reduce the swelling. I also got to hang my stuff over the shower to dry since my hammock and sleeping pad were wet from this mornings rainstorm. Hopefully the rest will help and I’ll be back on the trail tomorrow I already have a shuttle service booked to get me back to the trail so I can try again and this time take it slow. That’s all today I’ll update you on my progress tomorrow hopefully it won’t be bad enough to go back home.

[withabackpackandcamera]

February 16th, 2020

Day 2: Getting My Steps In On A Full Day Out In Hot and Humid Singapore

It was strange to wake up feeling completely awake in the middle of the night. But I guess that’s not strange when I fell asleep mid-afternoon yesterday and slept through the entire night until around 3-4am this morning. I chilled in bed trying to figure out what the plans were for the day and what I was willing to get up and do so early in the morning. I ended up looking at a bunch of websites for an hour or so, starring a bunch of food places to check out during my time here. Around 5:30am, I finally got out of bed with plans to seek out a popular hawker stall for kaya toast, a very breakfast-y thing here in Singapore, before visiting the marina for sunrise. 

By the time I left the hostel, the sky was still dark yet the humidity was still present. Thank goodness the heat had calmed down a bit. I walked to the MRT station and ended up waiting outside its doors for a bit until it actually opened. Once things were good to go, I hopped on the MRT and got off at the very first stop (I was feeling a bit lazy to walk there this morning). After wandering the streets for a few minutes trying to figure out where my Google Maps was taking me, I finally wandered into the hawker center I was looking for: Amoy Street Food Center. The center was pretty empty when I arrived as it was still pretty early. But after roaming through the center for a bit and realizing that the hawker stall had numbers, I finally found Ah Seng (Hai Nam) Coffee, the stall I was looking for for their highly-recommended kaya toast with soft boiled egg breakfast (this place was highly recommended online because of the unique way that the toast is made, which is on a charcoal fire, leaving it with a unique texture and taste compared to other places). I was probably one of their very first customers of the day. And the greatest part about being one of the first is: no heat and no line! The stall was run by an old couple who had probably been running it for a while. The lady quickly took my order, got things going, and before I knew it, my kaya toast and soft boiled eggs were ready! And it was pretty tasty and surprisingly filling. 

After sitting and eating, I walked over to Marina Bay as the sun was rising, which was around 7am. I walked along the waterfront toward Merlion Park and stopped a couple of times for photos of Marina Bay Sands, the iconic hotel located across the marina from Merlion Park. As the sun continued to rise in the sky, I took a quick breather at Merlion Park and watched as people made quick stops to take photos of the iconic Merlion statue before continuing on their way. 

Once my break was over, I continued on around the bay and across Helix Bridge before making a turn to walk along the outside of Gardens By The Bay on the way to Marina Barrage. At this point in the morning, the sky was clear, the sun was high in the sky, and the temperature was climbing. I took in the views at Marina Barrage before making my way through the public part of Gardens By The Bay, where I found Supertree Grove, an iconic spot in Singapore most known for its beautifully-lit supertrees at night. I stopped here briefly to take a look, knowing that I was going to be back later in the evening, before making my way over to Marina Bay Sands to take a quick look inside from the hotel’s sky walk. After a quick peek, I slowly found my way to the closest MRT stop for a ride back to the hostel. 

I stopped by the hostel for a bit to hang out, cool down, and relax before meeting up for an early lunch with Stephanie and Tony, two of Julia and Austen’s ex-pat friends in Singapore. At first, the plan was to meet up and eat at 40 Hands, a western restaurant in Tiong Bahru, but once we met up there, they changed their mind and we ended up eating at Cheng’s @ 27, a nice little Asian restaurant located on the bottom floor of their apartment building. And the food they ordered was tasty! We ordered a vermicelli Singaporean noodle dish, leafy greens, crispy chicken with ginger, crispy pork cubes, and nasi lemak with a cup of cold herbal tea for me. And it was delicious, especially the crispy chicken with ginger! We sat and ate and chatted for a while about all sorts of things, from Singaporean life, their life as academics in Singapore (they are both professors teaching their own classes at the universities here), having babies in Singapore, and having helpers (i.e. servants, housekeepers).

After lunch, we walked and checked out a bookstore in Tiong Bahru just down the road from the restaurant before stopping for dessert at Plain Vanilla, a cafe/bakery further down the street with good cupcakes. There, we got a raspberry rose cupcake and an earl grey lavender cupcake, and I got a lemongrass jasmine iced tea to quench more of my never-ending thirst. We sat around and conversed for a while more before touring the neighborhood briefly and checking out the Tiong Bahru Market which, by this time, was already starting to close down. We walked through the hawker stalls before Tony and I ended up getting a soursop drink for further hydration. It wasn’t too bad. I bet my mom would love it. After a total of four hours of socializing with Stephanie and Tony, they had stuff to get to and so we bid farewell and I was on my own again. It was nice to meet some locals and talk about life in Singapore but it was also nice to run into some Americans who were familiar with the U.S. and the current state of things there. Once I made my way back to the hostel, I took another short break before planning my next moves as the afternoon wore on. 

I killed some time and rested my legs and shoulders at the hostel for a couple of hours as I recharged my phone. The break ended up being longer than I intended because of the weather outside. What was earlier a clear day slowly became more cloudy until the rain started to come down. I watched as the forecast and radars showed rain moving into the area and stayed put until the showers had passed, which didn’t end up occurring until close to 7pm. 

Once the skies were no longer dropping rain, I made moves to get to Supertree Grove in time to watch the wildly popular and famous Garden Rhapsody, a show of music and synced lights at Supertree Grove that occurs a couple of times every evening. And I got there just in time to see the super egg-looking things lighting up in the water and synced to cool, calming music right before the start of the main event. And it was pretty cool seeing the Supertrees light up to music (this time, it was opera). It was like watching a bigger version of synced lights during the Christmas season. Minh would love this! 

After staying put under the supertrees for a little more than an hour and experiencing Garden Rhapsody twice, I walked back and through The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, the large shopping center attached to Marina Bay Sands. I originally thought it’d be a good idea to cut through the shopping center, check it out, and stay cool, but it ended up taking forever to get through since I had no idea where to find the exits to the marina side of the shopping center. It was super confusing, but eventually, I did find my way out after spending way more time looking at the nice stores inside than I was intending to do. 

When I finally got to the promenade, I walked along the bay on the side opposite of the side I was on earlier this morning. I didn’t stop to take any photos this time since I knew the photos wouldn’t be all that interesting and because I was tired of lugging my heavy camera bag around everywhere. At this point, I was dead. Like dead tired. I pushed myself to get to the closest MRT (which wasn’t so close), and once I was there, I decided I would make one more stop before finally going home. 

The plan was to get off the MRT at the Chinatown stop and look for a specific hawker stall for wanton mee, a noodle dish I found online that looked like it was worth trying. By the time I got to the stall I was looking for, the stall had already closed for the evening. Darn. So I walked down to the Maxwell Center, where there were only a few stalls still open. I was hoping that the Hainanese chicken rice stall would still be open but it wasn’t either. But luckily, I found another stall, No.1 Maxwell, that was still open and that sold wanton mee. Sweet, I get to check out another dish before finishing up the night. I ordered my wanton mee and ate it slowly since I was tired. The wanton mee wasn’t bad. It consisted of egg noodles with meatless wontons (that part was weird, not sure if they cheated me out of meat or it was supposed to be like that or it was a mistake), char siu park, and some sauces with soup on the side. I sat there and finished it up before finally making it back to the hostel, with my energy almost completely drained from one of the longest city-exploring days I’ve had in a long, long while. Can’t wait to wash up and just sleep. Whew. 

5 Things I Learned Today:

1. Kaya toast is made of two pieces of bread with butter, sugar, and Pandan-fragrant kaya (coconut jam), usually served with soft boiled eggs that you can add some dark soy sauce and white pepper onto. This dish is typically eaten for breakfast. And it tastes like toasted wheat bread with sugar and jam. Oh, and most people get it with a coffee.

2. Marina Bay is a very popular location for a morning run or bike ride in Singapore given the promenade and how well the area is kept. It was full of people being active early in the morning.

3. What is Sanglish? It is Singaporean English slang. Based on what I was told, it’s a slang where people in Singapore use different words or sounds at the beginning or end of words or sentences to mean different things in English. For example, “la” at the end of sentences can be used to indicate that the sentence or thought is at its end. Like a verbal period. Another example. People can reply with the word “can” to signify affirmation of something or to answer yes to a question. Strange. 

4. Helpers in Singapore are essentially cheap servants/housekeepers that are hired through government-regulated programs. They are usually people brought in from Indonesia or the Philippines (countries where incomes can be very low, so these people can be hired for cheap labor) to help with things at home. It is regulated by the government so as to not break human rights rules, though sadly, like with anything else, people can bend the rules and not treat helpers in the humane way they should be treated. 

5. Supposedly, most Singaporean restaurants don’t automatically provide napkins for you when you eat with them. The standard is that you bring your own. Also, interestingly enough, napkins have a second use for many people here in Singapore. You can use your napkin or tissue packet to save a spot or seat at a table if you’re not there physically. And people actually respect it. Crazy. No way that’d happen in many other places.

#huyphan8990 #withabackpackandcamera #travelblog #travel #blog #Asia #Singapore #MarinaBay #MarinaBaySands #HelixBridge #GardensByTheBay #SuperTreeGrove #SuperTrees #hawkerstalls #foodphotography #travelphotography #photography #landscapephotography #meetingwithexpats #MerlionPark #kayatoast #wantonmee #worldtravels #GardenRhapsody

[storm-does-stuff]

Small Town Frights

I’m finally back from finals!

(Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3)

Others from the research group were already waiting in the lobby when Maude and Kenna finally arrived at the restaurant.

“Oh, hey Maude!” shouted someone from across the room. “I already put our group on the list.”

“Thanks Bilski!” Maude shouted back, recognizing one of her coworkers easily. “Did they give you a wait time?”

“Twenty minutes like ten minutes ago.”

“That works out great then.”

Maude began to make her rounds through the room, meeting up with all the members of her team. There were a couple that had come from her office in the south, as well as a few from the west coast, and an overwhelming amount from the NYC office. Not all of them were with her demonology research team, many of them were did more human research, like criminal profiling and psychology. It was confusing that the National Magical Investigation Institute had many human research groups, but it was all cool.

On Maude's team there were eight members. Jeffery Rodriguez, Hitomi Shirakawa, and Ana Rockfield in charge of runes and binding circles, Rocket Fisher, Laine McKillet and Earnest Lockheart on magical artifacts, and Lloyd Hershey as well as Maude herself as summoning experts. It was a rather small investigation team, considering the size of the case.

Maude didn't know Kenna's team's jobs as specifically, but she did learn all their names. She left Kenna with one person named Alex Gutierrez when they started talking about something Maude couldn't even begin to understand.

At dinner they wound up sitting at two different tables, one for the demonologists and the other for the Nerd Squad. The demonologist table was loud, with people yelling and reaching over each other, as was the personality demonology attracts, while the Nerd Squad calmly spoke about the best ways to gore a charging Wendigo, as was the type of person preternatural crime scene forensics attracts.

By the end of the night even an extreme extrovert like Maude was tired, and Kenna had taken the all-you-can-eat crab far too seriously.

When they finally parted ways and reached their hotel room, Kenna groaned before Maude had even taken out her room key.

“Really?” Kenna said, banging her head on the wall.

“What is it?” Maude asked, opening the door, only to see what Kenna meant.

Tyrone was sitting on the kitchenette counter eating cookie dough ice cream, the kind that was really more cookie dough than ice cream and probably had a good chance of giving even the strongest stomach salmonella, straight from the tub.

“I tried to wait so we could have ice cream together.” he said. “Then I got bored. You guys were out for a long time.”

“Sorry, we were hanging out with friends.” Maude said, grabbing a spoon from the silverware drawer and jumping onto the counter next to Ty.

“If you can call all fifteen of them our friends.” Kenna said.

“We were making them our friends.” Maude said. She crossed her arms and turned up her nose, before dropping the act to eat the ice cream.

“Ty, how did you even get into our room while we were out? How did you even know which room we were in?” Kenna said, walking over to the bedroom, stopping to lean on the door frame. She really just wanted to sleep off her stomach ache gained from eating copious amounts of crustaceans.

“Magic.” Ty said.

Kenna rolled her one visible eye. “Fine. Just, you're sleeping on the couch.”

“So rude.” Ty pouted. “I wanna sleep in a giant snuggle pile!”

“We can snuggle pile!” Maude said.

Kenna rolled her eyes. “Just don't wake me at odd hours of the night giggling.”

“I would do no such thing!” Ty said.

“I keep a journal, do you really want to know the answer to that?” Kenna said. “It's more likely than you might think.”

“Am I that bad?”

“Yes.”

“Geez, you two would kill each other if I left you in a locked room.” Maude laughed, standing between Ty and Kenna. “Do I need to get yall on leashes?”

“No, I can behave myself.” Kenna said, her lips tugging up at the corners.

“I do have some self control.” Ty said.

“In the form of Maude?” Kenna said back, falling into the usual routine of friendly bickering.

“She is like ninety percent of my impulse control, I will admit.” Ty said.

“You overestimate yourself.” Maude said around her spoon. “I'm at least ninety-five.”

“This wound!” Ty yelled dramatically, pretending to stab himself with the spoon. “How will I ever recover!”

“Well, considering I'm at least eighty-five percent of Maude's impulse control...” Kenna laughed, pushing off the door frame and leaning on the counter next to Maude.

“You think it's only eighty-five percent?” Maude asked, eyes shining.

“Well, you have gotten better.” Kenna laughed. “Now pass me a spoon, I want in on this ice cream business.” she decided that she might as well eat her fair share of ice cream now, she'd already passed the point of no return with all her crab.

Maude laughed and grabbed her one, taking the ice cream from Ty and balancing it in her lap so everyone could have better access. They spoke randomly, about how their days went, the horrors of travel, and in the end Maude and Ty settled on the couch to watch a series of documentaries about travel disasters. Kenna turned in early to go to sleep, deciding that the ice cream was quite possible the worst decision she had made all year.

Kenna's alarm woke her up at eight in the morning, and a quick glance to the bed next to her showed Maude had wound up sleeping on the couch—her colors weren't resting in the bed. Kenna took the opportunity to go through her morning routine before Maude or—worse—Ty could steal the bathroom from her.

At eight-thirty she went into the common area of the hotel room, and sure enough Maude and Ty were lounging on the couch, Maude snoring loudly.

“Wake up!” Kenna shouted, smacking her fist on the wall a few times for good measure. “We need to leave for the investigation sight in an hour!”

Maude yelped as she fell on the floor. “Kenna,” she whined. “Why'd you have to yell so loud?”

“Because if I was any quieter you wouldn't hear me.” Kenna said, vaguely noticing she hadn't properly turned on her Sensor Suit yet. It was too early in the morning to be alive.

She was about to begin the configuration process when Maude stopped her. “I'm gonna force you to wear a coat, so don't even bother.”

“Well, thanks for warning me.” Kenna sighed, and just pulled her foldable cane from her utility belt. “Get ready fast, we don't have any food in the kitchenette yet, so we need to eat out of the buffet downstairs.”

“We want first picks.” Maude said.

“Well, that and all the NMII agents are going to be going down at about the same time. I don't feel like waiting in ridiculously long lines today.” Kenna said.

“Me neither.” Maude said. “So I guess I will have to forgo my thirty minute shower?”

“You can shower tonight.” Kenna said.

“Fine.” Maude said, “Is Ty still asleep?”

“Yep.” Kenna said, “He's out like a rock, I guess.”

“Lazy.” Maude agreed. “Should I leave him a note?”

“He knows we're here for work.” Kenna said. “And besides, he's a big boy. He can figure it out himself. Just get dressed so we can eat.”

“Someone's grumpy.” Maude said, retreating into the bedroom and getting dressed in her uniform. “What happened to the cheery Kenna from yesterday morning?”

“I need my copious amounts of caffeine and sugar before I can be expected to be a good person.” Kenna said, yawning loudly. “Yesterday morning was an outlier and should not have been counted. No, I was awake for long before you and had already recovered, and drank my tumbler of coffee.”

“That's not very nice.” Maude said.

“See my previous statement.”

The breakfast buffet was, as Kenna had expected, absolutely packed. There were NMII agents scrambling all over the place, holding tablets and ancient tomes and big cups of coffee with food added on top of the stack as an afterthought.

Most of the tables had already been monopolized by stacks of paper and books and computers, with food slipped in wherever it would fit. The hotel staff was standing in the corner, clearly done with trying to control the chaos and merely focusing on keeping enough coffee out to fit everyone's needs. Maude and Kenna were preparing to find a nice length of wall, preferably with carpeted floors, when a voice cut across the chaos.

“Hey! Maude, Kenna! You can sit with me!” Jeffery yelled, sitting at a table that was, like the rest, covered in research materials, his covered in ancient and vaguely foreboding runes.

“Thanks dude!” Maude yelled. “I was getting ready to sit on the floor! You really saved my butt!”

“Maude, butt jokes aren't that funny.” Kenna said.

“Butt they are.” Maude said. “Get it? Butt?”

“You literal child.”

“You know you love me!”

“Not this early in the morning I don't.”

“Oh, is someone not a morning person?” Jeff asked as the girls sat down.

“You're a freak of nature.” Kenna said.

“Just because of the five cups of coffee mixed with energy drinks and straight caffeine pills.” Jeff said. “I can't feel my feet right now, but that will die down before I have to do real work.”

Maude stopped moving and stared at Jeff, “I can't tell if you're serious or not. Either way, you're dying and early death.”

“Probably.” Jeff said, taking a swig from his mug and shivering.

“I don't care, Maude, let's go get food.” Kenna said.

“Alright!” Maude said, “Hold down the fort!”

“The fort is not filled with helium!” Jeff said.

“Who cares!”

Surprisingly, the line for the buffet was pretty short. The coffee machines were swamped, but the actual food was had basically no line at all. They quickly went through the food line, and went back to the table.

“You're not getting coffee?” Jeff asked. “Want a sip from mine?”

“Gladly.” Kenna said, reaching out to take the mug from him. She only took a small sip, but it woke her up and tasted absolutely disgusting. “That's awful, I'm never eating anything you give me again.”

“Oh no, you've lost her trust.” Maude said. “And we will get coffee, just at a coffee shop on our way to the site.” she began to tuck into her meal, taking bites that were probably too big for a human mouth to hold.

“That's smart.” Jeff said. “I made this myself in my room, I brought my own coffee and caffeine pills.”

“You're gonna have a heart attack.” Kenna said, grabbing a muffin off her plate and eating it to get the taste out of her mouth. “I'm shaking so bad right now, you see this?” she held out her hand to show off the quivering.

“That's nothing, you should see mine.” Jeff said, holding out his own hand.

“Wow.” Kenna said sarcastically. “Like a leaf, I can really see it.”

“Oh, right.” Jeff said, pulling his hand back in.

“You're good, you're good.” Kenna laughed.

“Kenna, girl, eat faster.” Maude said. “There's gonna be a line at the Sunshine coffee shop.”

“Is that really the name of the closest coffee shop?” Jeff asked. “That's a little ironic, actually.”

“That's what I said.” Kenna said. “I think Maude was still asleep, though.”

“Oh shut up.” Maude said. “I'm not the one biting heads off 'till noon.”

“At least I'm sentient.”

“You mispronounced grumpy.”

“Good morning.” a new voice said, and Kenna let her head drop to the table, resting it on top of butter-less toast.

“Good morning Ty.” Maude said. “We would have woken you, but we needed to cycle through the bathroom quickly.”

“I'm hurt. You think I'm a bathroom hog?” Ty said, sitting down and grabbing a muffin off Maude's plate.

“Hey, I was eating that!” Maude swatted at his head.

“Historically, you take hour-plus long showers.” Kenna said. “I still have that journal.”

“Um, hi? Who is this?” Jeff said.

“Oh yeah! This is Tyrone, he's our roommate.” Maude said. “This is Jeff, he works in runes.”

“'Roommate'.” Kenna laughed. “More like insufferable pain in the butt.”

“Nice to meet you, Jeffery.” Ty said, ignoring Kenna and shaking Jeff's hand. “Hope you're not secretly evil and plotting to destroy us all!”

“Um... okay.” Jeff discreetly wiped his hand on his pants. “So, what division do you work in?”

“Oh, I'm not with the NMII.” Ty said, now grabbing at some of Kenna's sugary cereal. She gave up and pushed the entire bowl to him, rolling her eyes and sighing heavily.

“He's self employed.” Maude explained once it was clear that Ty had stopped talking. “He's a writer, does writerly things.”

“Flexible hours.” Jeff said. “Must be nice.”

“Awful hours, you mean.” Kenna said. “He is nocturnal sometimes, I swear.”

“You too, dear!” Maude said.

“I'm blind I have an excuse!”

“And I'm an artist!” Ty said, and Kenna could feel his smirk.

“Well!” Maude said. “Kenna, we're supposed to be at the site early, we should have left five minutes ago.”

“Why didn't you tell me!” Kenna shoved an entire waffle into her mouth.

“Well, like, we were talking, and Ty showed up, and we were having fun, and so I just forgot.” Maude said.

“We're gonna have to drive through time.” Kenna said, grabbing her coat off the back of the chair.

“See yall later boys!” Maude agreed, sweeping her flowing coat over her shoulders. “Don't kill each other!”

“So um...” Ty trailed off. “Sports?”

“No.”

“Dissected creatures?”

“That's cool.”

Kenna just finished off her coffee, black and piping hot, when they pulled up in front of the crime scene.

“And it's kinda weird, you know?” Maude said. “This is like just, a normal neighborhood. It actually looks a lot like your house did in middle school, Kenna. And to think that such a thing happened here... and all the magical energy, it's almost uncanny.”

“I think I know what you mean.” Kenna said, looking out the window. “The house is on my side?”

“Yep.” Maude pulled her bag off of Kenna's legs and began digging through it for her things.

“And... all of the neighbors have been evacuated, right?”

“They're staying in the same hotel as us, on different floors of course.”

“Does everything look normal to you?”

“What's wrong?” Maude asked, zipping her bag up.

“The whole house has an... aura, sort of.” Kenna said. “But it's not like an aura it lacks... texture. It's just blank. Like white noise, that's what it is. The house's aura looks like white noise.”

“Looks like white noise...” Maude repeated, scribbling the words down on her notepad, a type made specially for the NMII so that no one accidentally summoned a demon while taking notes. “Is there anything like, remarkable about it?”

“It's so unremarkable that it's remarkable.” Kenna said. “Does that count? It just looks like... all the ambient energy in the entire town decided this was the one place to gather at. It almost feels like electricity on my arms.”

“Like... electricity...” Maude repeated. “Well, I think I'm gonna go with a little more safety gear than I'd planned. I'll send out a memo too...” she reopened her bag and dug around for her phone, tapping out a message for her people to dress as though there were a possible miasma/vengeful spirit/demon lingering in the home.

'Extra safety gear' to Maude meant her rune-riddled vest over her shirt, and her special anti-demon headband that folded out into a helmet. For Kenna that mainly meant a necklace with a purity sigil ingrained on it and making sure that her hair securely covered her right eye.

It was while watching Kenna secure her bangs that Maude got an idea. “I have a pretty bad and kinda selfish idea.”

“No judgment zone.” Kenna said, taking a quick inventory of everything in her utility belt. “Shoot away.”

“Like, maybe you could take a look with your right eye?” Kenna's hand froze. “Like, it might get us a better idea of what we're working with here! Though, if you're uncomfortable with it you don't have to! This was a terrible idea.”

“It wasn't a terrible idea.” Kenna said, resting her hand on top of the velvet pouch of her belt. “I just think it would be like using a sledge hammer to plant a daisy, at this point. Like, we could get the same result by using less drastic measures.”

“That makes sense.” Maude said. “Sorry for bringing it up.”

“It was a good idea, in the right direction.” Kenna said, “I just don't think we need it yet.”

“Well, let's get going!” Maude swung her car door open, and Kenna followed suit.

Maude rolled across the hood of the car, and grabbed Kenna by the hand. “Now, let's go investigate a murder!”

“You don't have to sound so cheerful about that!” Kenna laughed scandalously.

The NMII had already set up a type of airlock at the entrance, where agents had to get checked in and out, and get sprayed down with a type of mist that eliminated outside contamination. There, Maude and Kenna had to ditch their shoes and coats, and had to wander the house bare foot.

“This feels really weird.” Kenna said, standing in a corner while she calibrated her sensor suit. “I don't like being barefoot in strangers' homes.”

“Don't worry Kenna!” Maude said, “I'll keep vengeful ghosts from eating your toesies!”

Kenna laughed. “You know, strangely enough, that's not my main concern.”

“We'll bring slippers tomorrow.” Maude said.

“You know what, I think that would make me feel even more awkward than walking around in my socks.” Kenna said, looking around the house.

“So, let's check out where the fuzzy aura is thickest, okay?” Maude said. “Lead the way, girlie.”

“Okay.” Kenna began walking, narrowly avoiding walking into a door. “Man, the energy's interfering with my suit. This sucks.”

“Don't worry I wont let you run into any walls.”

Kenna walked into the large kitchen, rubbing her hand along the cold tile counters. “The energy in here is also elevated, but I think it's just by proximity. The most of the fuzz is in that way.” she pointed directly in front of her, across the counter. She went around the island, and stopped short, eyes fixed on the ground in front of her.

Maude tried to continue on into the living room, but Kenna grabbed her arm.

“Don't go in there.” Kenna said. “There's... glowing lines, all over the ground.”

“Glowing lines?” Maude asked.

“Yeah, just all over that room.” Kenna said, gesturing with her hands. “Is that where the crime was committed?”

“Yeah, it was.” Maude said.

“Can you not see the lines?” Kenna said.

“Not at all. I only see a bunch of blood, and chalk outlines where the bodies were.” Maude said. “I'm gonna ask you to draw the lines for me, do you think you can do that?”

“Of course.”

Maude turned around to one of the other agents milling about the house, “Grab me a marker and some papers. Also I want the living room wrapped in two layers of caution tape, no one goes in there. Thank you!”

She slipped the paper and the marker to Kenna, who was sitting on the floor now, rubbing at the floor. Kenna nodded and took them, turning the top page to be landscape oriented, and scribbling the word 'door' at the bottom corner.

What she drew was full of swooping curved lines, with many circles and runes scribbled inside the gaps between the lines. In the end she took another piece of paper and wrote out all the runes individually, with a finer tipped pen.

“Does that look good?” she asked when she was done.

“Well, these are real runes, but the order they're in looks like complete gibberish to me.” Maude said, tilting her head at the rune only page. “Well, a few of these are unfamiliar to me, but that's fine. I'm no expert in runes, we'll send these off the Jeremy and his group to crack.”

“Sounds good to me.” Kenna said. “And the lines.”

“It looks really intricate, very complicated.” Maude said. “It looks kind of like a summoning circle, or one chunk of one. Now the most likely culprit is a demon, but I don't recognize the circle at all. I'll have to do a lot of research.”

“I agree.” Kenna said. “I wanna get a sure source on all of this energy, and see if we can create an energy detector sensitive enough to give us a sure number on the amount of energy in this place.”

“Whoo, big task.” Maude commented. “You ready to head out now?”

“No, not yet.” Kenna said. “I want to check upstairs, there's a lot of energy condensed up there as well.”

“Upstairs?” Maude asked.

“Unless all this energy is in the attic.” Kenna said. “It's just up.”

“Well, to the upstairs I guess.” Maude grabbed Kenna's hand, leading her to the stairs that led out of the kitchen. “I wasn't doubting you, by the way. I was just surprised that we had to go upstairs. Nothing happened up there.”

“Well, it must be some invisible culprit.” Kenna said, laughing as she pointed at her eyes.

“Must be.” Maude agreed.

The upstairs had a game room right at the top, with a crystal television screen mounted on the wall. “Rich family.” Maude noted. After the game room there were two bedrooms. It was one of the bedrooms where Kenna stopped.

“This room.” she said. “This room is the one that's the source of the problem.”

It was a child's room, a nursery more specifically. The walls were painted a pale yellow color, with a white cradle in one corner, and a matching dresser near the window, and a lavender rocking chair in the corner across from the cradle. There was a flower wreath mounted on the door.

“The couple didn't have any children, did they?” Maude asked cautiously.

“No?” Kenna said, “Why?”

“This is a baby nursery.” Maude said. “Were they expecting?”

“Why would there be this much energy in a nursery?” Kenna said.

“I guess this is something we'll need to tell the more human side of the investigation.” Maude said. “I think we have enough notes to work with for now, wanna hit up that crappy Mexican place for lunch?”

“The like, what Samantha's Enchiladas?” Kenna said, following Maude to the exit.

“Close enough.” Maude said, laughing along.

#transcendence au #I write #small town frights

[sweeppuccino]

Chapter 1, part 1

“When the lights go out She’s all I ever think about The picture burning in my brain Kissing in the rain I can’t forget my english love affair”

Luke’s POV.

After a gig, Calum decided that we should have a beer or two. We’ve been in the UK on tour for awhile now and are currently driving to some random pub in downtown London. It’s Friday, so most of people are having a happy hour…sorta.

Loud music, low illumination, a lot of people and a slight smell of alcohol and wood; that’s how I can describe the place Calum picked. It is pretty comfortable, tho. And their original beer was awesome.

Some fans dragged their chairs to our table and we spent some time together, but suddenly, around a hour or so Mikey clapped me on my chest and pointed to a girl in the bar. She were wearing a fluorescent green skirt with a pink blouse and black vans. She looked like she was straight out of a 80’s magazine, and oh my God, so ridiculous.

I couldn’t help but laugh, just like Mikey. And then we turned our gazes to the table. A few shots of tequila have just arrived, and we ended up drinking more than some shots.

Several hours later, I was dizzy and looking at the amount of people on the dancefloor. A electronic song was pumping on the stereos and now the place had some colorful lights on. I felt someone looking at me, but didn’t turn to see who. Taking another shot, I pulled myself up and walk to the dancefloor.

The girl from earlier was close to me, and I finally could see her face better. I mean, I was far from her the first time I saw her, and now I’m close enough – and maybe drunk enough – to actually think that she’s stunning. She cracks a devilish grin and start dancing in front of me. I do the same, smiling and dancing the best way I can. I know the song, which makes me sing the chorus.

Surprisingly, she does the same, and together we start to laugh and jump, until the song ends. Another one start, but I didn’t recognize it at first. So, I moved my glance to 80’s princess and asked in a high voice, since the place was loud.

“What’s your name?” I ask, getting closer to her ear.

“Lydia.” She says, looking back, to the bar. Then she point it with her thumb. “Wanna go grab some drinks?”

I nodded. We both went to the bar to have some shots, and then some more. She told me about her dreams and I talked to her like she was my best friend that I haven’t see for a long, long time. Several times my eyes fell to her lips and I noticed that she did the same. God, why? I only could think about how her legs felt wrapped around my waist and how her nails could dig into my back.

Deciding to not think any longer, I push her by her hips and pressed my lips against hers. Lydia took it as a cue, pulling my hair and starting to kiss me harder.

I can’t tell how long we spent just making out in front a lot of drunk people. The way she tasted and felt were addicting.

“Hey, come with me.”

She says suddenly, breaking our kiss to look at me with a smirk. Nodding, I let her lead me through everyone till we get out of the bar. In seconds we reach a car, probably hers. She quickly takes the keys out of her pocket and unlocks the back door. Taking her again, I get in the car, having her on my lap.

“Maybe we should go to a more… Proper place?”

I asked in a husky voice, sliding my hands down to her butt, moving my lips to her neck, hearing her moan softly. She nods and grab a fistful of my hair, pushing it gently and giving me goosebumps.

[…]

The next morning, I woke up with the sun shining through the window and a freaking headache, hungover, probably. I didn’t recognize the place I was until I looked at my side, seeing Lydia still asleep, twisted around the bed sheets.

“Fuck.” is the only thing I can manage to mumble, touching my forehead and rubbing my eyes. Bit by bit, all my memories come back, since the time we left the bar until we fell asleep.

I remember of how her fingers felt against my skin and how she wrapped her legs around me, better than I imagine. I remember how passionate our night was and I remembered how much I loved it. It wasn’t the drink – despite those awful clothes, Lydia was gorgeous.

For minutes, I stared her asleep, saving every single detail of her heart-shaped face, her brown eyes and fair skin. Right now she looked harmless and naive. But I knew she was totally the opposite, at least in bed.

I can’t contain a grin remembering all the kinky things from yesterday. I couldn’t be a dick and leave before she woke up, so I left the bed and walked through the place until I found the kitchen.

Lydia showed up right after me finish the coffee, like she had the perfect timing. She seemed to be in a terrible hangover, her eyes were almost closed and frowning, she looked at me, whispering:

“What… The fuck?”

Her accent were pretty strong in the sentence, which makes me smile. Shrugging, I put some coffee on a mug and gave it to her.

“Uh… Should I have left before you woke up?”

I asked on a low voice, we both were with headaches and loud voices wasn’t a good thing for the moment. Holding the white mug, she stares me, shaking her head.

“Is just a rare thing. The last guys didn’t wait for me to get up.”

Ouch. I thought that british boys supposed to be polite as fuck. Sitting on a chair close to the stove, I kept glancing at Lydia. She were wearing only a long black band tee, which covered only a small part of her thighs, making it look… Provoking.

“Uh. That sucks.”

“Yeah…”

For a moment, an awkward silence was our only company, and it was uncomfortable. After sipping, she sat by my side and started tapping the glass with her nails.

“So… What’s your name again?”

“Luke. Lydia, right?”

I asked, just to be sure. She nods and stares me, making me only think about her lips and want it. Shit. I couldn’t stop staring those.

“You look familiar to me… I don’t know why. Do I know you?”

So she didn’t know that I was in a band. Cracking a grin, I consider about telling her about 5sos, after all she could ending up seeing my face on a show poster.

“I’m from a band, and we’re here for a tour… 5 Seconds Of Summer. Do you know it?”

Lydia looks to the mug, taking three seconds to exclaim a loud “oh!”

“You guys came here for a tour? Whoa. That sounds big.”

That makes me laugh for a sec, and nodding I bit my lip, something I got as an habit.

“Yeah…”

And then, there was the awkward dead silence again. Maybe it was my cue to leave. Cleaning out my throat, I stand up, toching my pockets, checking if I had my wallet and cellphone.

“I guess that’s it. Uhn… See you around. Maybe.”

I tell her, feeling stupid for it. ‘See you around, maybe’? Really?! But she gives me a grin, tho.

“See you around… Maybe.”

[…]

Mikey is the first to notice I’m back, and half a second after I step in the hotel room, he’s on my heels.

“Where have you been?” He asks, while I jump into my bed, gasping and closing my eyes.

“With a girl. Do you remember the weirdo one, with the pink blouse?”

“No way.” Michael laughs, sitting at the verge of my bed. “She’s ugly. How could you feel attracted to her?”

“As a matter of fact, she's​ gorgeous. Just doesn’t know how to dress…”

“Are you serious?” Mikey​ asks, frowning at me. “You ARE serious!” he exclaim when I don’t say a word.

I can only laugh at that, not feeling embarrassed at all. Lydia definitely wasn’t a mistake, or something that I regret. Actually, I wish I could repeat the dose.

“Where’s Calum and Ashton?” I ask, while I get up and pick up my guitar to practice a little for the gig tomorrow. It was our last show before coming back home.

“I have no idea. Maybe in someone's​ bed. You three just disappeared last night. I came home alone. Late night. All. By. Myself.”

With that, I send him a glance that says “are you done with drama?” and then I start playing, calling the conversation off. He understands that, and joins me for the “rehearsal”.

A/N: Hey guys! Hope u enjoy it. It’s my first fanfic, sorry about the name and horrible start/end of chap. Not my strongest point… ehhh. More coming up soon, byee! Love, Allison

#5sos #5sos imagine #5sos fanfic #luke hemmings imagine #luke hemmings #5 seconds of summer #5 seconds of summer fanfic #5 seconds of summer imagine #5sos au #5 seconds of summer au #calum hood #michael clifford #ashton irwin #luke 5sos #calum 5sos #michael 5sos #ashton 5sos