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dat-town · 6 months ago

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baby, you and me are a twisted fantasy

Characters: marine biologist intern!Leehan & siren!female reader

Setting & genre: dark urban fantasy au, angst

Summary: Donghyun finds a captured siren in the basement of the oceanology institute he works for and falls more in love with the sea while you learn that maybe not all humans are all bad.

Warnings: birth name used, blood, needles, cut wounds, captivity, unethical experiments, mentions of unorthodox surgical procedures, bodily alterations (MC’s scales are removed), starvation, drowning, crying, ideation about killing and dying, minor character deaths, lip-to-lip contact that’s not really a kiss? (this gets pretty dark ngl sorry)

Words: 4k

Author’s note: title from aespa - hold on tight. @restlessmaknae, you wanted angst, so i deliver… with love tho! see you in a few hours! <3

Donghyun was in love with the ocean before he was in love with you.

You hated him and everything he stood for before you even met him.

Physical pain was one thing. The way you could feel your lungs collapse, the thirst for just one drop of water before you suffocate, the blood dripping down when one by one your scales were torn out, the burn in your sea-soaked skin drying up…

Being a lab rat was another. It was white coats, needles and gloved fingers prodding into your slippery skin, touching places they shouldn’t with no questions asked. You wished you had enough power to fight back. To scratch, to bite, to kill.

But a bathtub worth of chlorine water was only enough to keep you alive, just barely. You knew they were doing it on purpose, they were smart enough to figure out that they couldn’t keep you locked down if you were stronger. They knew it when they fished you out of the ocean and let you starve, let your skin turn dry and warm. When the first fever hit and your scales started turning stone-like, they finally put you into water from your humid prison just so they could keep experimenting.

You had your eyes closed, too exhausted to move, to react, but you heard their whispers in the white of the room. Human language wasn’t that hard to understand, not with their greed and cruelty. You swore to yourself you would hurt as much as you could at the first chance. You would leave as much damage as you could before ending it all. You would rather have it your way then letting them cast you away like a used toy when they finished taking you apart.

The ocean didn’t forget after all.

Something cold touched your perched lips and your tired eyes fluttered open, waking from your dreamless sleep.

It was his eyes, the first thing you saw. They were the color of wet sand at sunset. They were gentle and kind with the warmth of the Sun. You flinched away nevertheless because you knew this dance, you knew this trick and you wouldn’t fall for it.

Even if every fiber in your body screamed for the water in the glass the boy brought, you turned your head away, letting your long, air-dried hair cover your face. Your cheek pressed against the cold tiles, a little comfort as you ignored the pain of moving with not enough water in your body. You breathed through your mouth harshly, something that didn’t come naturally but you had to learn to do anyway with the poisoned tap water barely reaching your waist in the small space you could call yours.

“You should drink.” Kind Eyes said and even his voice was gentle despite being deep like ocean waves. Humans were so two-faced. How could they lie with not only their words but with their voice too?

“I promise it’s just water,” he added cautiously and anger flared in you.

He knew then. Of course, he knew. That the water they brought you was not to help you but to make you less of a trouble when they unchained you. It made you drowsy, you couldn’t control your own body and dulled your senses. At least it paled the pain too, so when you were lying on their operation tables, you saw the wounds more than you felt them. You were full of zigzag white scars, healed only by water because you were the ocean’s daughter. Such a disappointing one, fallen into the trap of humans.

“Please,” the boy’s voice trembled and it was the last straw because he didn’t get to do that. He had no right to plead when he acted like he was doing you a favour and you were saying no.

You leaped towards him as fast and as hard as you could, your elbow knocking the glass out of his hand that went flying to the ground, leaving shreds of glass and water puddles all over. The metal dug into your wrists as the chains harshly kept you back, your face merely a few inches from the boy’s as you glared at him.

He didn’t even flinch nor did he pull away at the closeness. The other white collared men all looked at you with either disgust or with very human hunger in their eyes. But all of them were afraid of you. They all had their little needles prepared in case you attacked, in case you bared your canines like the predator you were.

This one, he seemed more fascinated than anything. He looked at you like you were a wonder and maybe that was the worst. You wished you could scare him. You wished you could taste his blood to have these humans taste their own medicine. You wished you could drown him in the chlorine of your poor excuse of a bathtub. You wished he stopped looking at you like that.

Because you didn’t know what to do with that.

Somewhere further down the hall of the basement a door opened and closed.

The boy with honey brown hair and doe eyes snapped out of his stupor and quickly stood up, looking around. He looked at the broken pieces of glass on the ground, quickly swept them under the sink with his shoes before looking down at you. His eyes were full of something you couldn’t name. You didn’t see this look on any human before him. It made you hate him even more.

The boy didn’t come back again after that. Not alone at least.

There were footsteps of four people. You could tell with your eyes closed. One of them was the bearded older man who ordered everybody around. He always talked about you like you were his trophy in a fatherly tone yet he treated you like a ragdoll. His voice alone made you want to tear his skin with your nails until he bled, preferably from his artery.

“What you will see, Donghyun-ah, is strictly classified. You cannot tell anybody about this. It could be the discovery of the century. Our institute would be the first to…”

The man kept talking but you tuned out his voice. You became good at that: pretending not to feel, not to hurt. You kept your eyes strictly locked on at one point while the man whom the others referred to as senior doctor touched your turquoise scale-covered fin. You kept your mouth in a firm line when he pressed down hard enough to hurt. You clenched your teeth, breathing through your nose, willing yourself not to move while he grabbed your hair roughly to push it aside, revealing the gills at your neck. You stayed still like a statue, your eyes straight on the boy and his eyes full of horror. You could hear his heartbeat pick up like whispers of the ocean in a shell but you couldn’t tell whether it was from anger or dread, fear or something else. You kept eye contact nevertheless because you wanted him to see it: that you weren’t afraid, that you weren’t there to humor them. You were a survivor, a force of nature, you were the ocean itself and you would have your vengeance one day.

It hurt. Breathing.

The scales on your chest, just above your breasts were still healing from the metal digging into your skin where it was the softest. At weak moments like this, you just wanted to sleep, sleep forever. Become one with the water and the stars.

Sounds of approaching steps alerted you and you braced yourself for one more round of unwelcomed sterile touches and pain. You didn’t let your guards down even when it was the boy with the soft eyes. He might not have been the one cutting and pulling out scales from your skin one by one but he could as well have been. One day he would be.

He approached you slowly but not out of fear. He moved deliberately as if he didn’t want to scare you. He had a cloth in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. You eyed him warily as he sat down at the edge of the tub.

“I’m going to pour it on you. It might be cold,” he whispered and something deep inside you wanted to snort because this boy clearly had no idea how cold the deepest parts of the ocean were. But you kept silent, gritting your teeth, mentally preparing yourself for the burn, for a trick, for anything other than ease for the pain.

But then the water touched your skin, familiar and ocean-scented, dribbling down from your shoulders across the valley of your chest to your turquoise scaled tail and you felt a little bit more alive. You felt like you could finally breathe and your scales shone just a bit brighter and the angry red scars faded. You didn’t intend to let it show but your shoulders shrugged in relief. Maybe that gave the boy the courage or maybe he was reckless by nature but he moved closer.

“Your wrists,” he explained and before you could have protested, he lightly dabbed over the wet cloth along your metal-cut wrists tied to the not working tap, helping them heal too.

For the first time, it was you who studied him. The way he leaned over you to reach your arm. The concentration on his pretty face. The way his fringe fell over his honey eyes. He was beautiful in his fragile human way. Centuries ago he could have been a prince or a sailor you would have seduced into the waters.

He was so close you could hear his heartbeat clearly like the little chimes on fishing boats. Water was filling up your veins but you could still feel your hunger grow. It would have been so easy. He made himself an easy prey. It made you wonder whether it was just a ploy, whether they were testing you, whether he wanted something in exchange. He must have had some ulterior motives because humans were selfish creatures. Even if he wasn't, his death would have been a small price to pay for freedom.

You didn’t move even when the boy pulled slightly back to check on his work. Not when his gaze lowered to your face and your eyes met. He was so close you could feel his breath on your lips and you would have had to barely push yourself up to meet his. You imagined kissing him until all oxygen left his lungs, leaving his lips chapped and bloody.

You could have drowned him. Right there. In the water of his own body.

“Aren’t you afraid of me?”

You barely recognized your own voice. It had been so long since you had sung, even longer than you had spoken a human language. It surprised the boy too. His eyes widened and he blinked in confusion, but didn’t pull back.

“I could kill you now. I want to kill you,” you told him coldly because he was one of them and they deserved it.

The boy didn’t even flinch.

“Why aren’t you then?” He asked simply, so calm as if he knew no tidal wave came crashing.

“I don’t know,” you admitted because your only explanation was that he was an odd one. “Why are you helping me?”

You weren’t naive enough to expect the truth but you weren’t sure if a lie or pity was more humiliating.

“Nobody would deserve this,” came the answer as if he wasn’t one of the white coated people, as if he didn’t see you as a mere test subject.

“Not even a monster?” You asked with a tilt of your head because you had heard what they said about you, about your kind. You knew the tales mothers used to tell their sons about the beautiful, dangerous beasts of the sea in order to keep them from wandering around. You weren’t more of a monster than those men though. Not even with sharpened teeth and claws.

“You’re the farthest thing from one.” Doe Eyes spoke in the softest tone like he really believed what he was saying. Like he didn’t see your anatomy on a blueprint in those white walled operating rooms. Like he didn’t hear the rumors about you spilling the blood of his peers on capture day. Like the only thing keeping you back from tearing him apart wasn’t hanging on a loose thread.

So this time, you did snort.

“You have no idea.”

They starved you for two whole weeks. You could only keep track of days due to the unexpected daily visits and yet, they would have never guessed that your condition wasn’t worsening rapidly thanks to one of their own.

“I’m sorry,” the boy apologized in his honey voice after the sea water he brought healed the newest puncture wounds on your bare shoulder and you looked up at him in question, confused. “That I can’t do more.”

You couldn’t say you understood him. He was on neither side. He wasn’t with those men who just took and took and took nor was he brave enough to go against them and let you go. He was neither good nor bad yet he was doing more for you than anybody had ever done. You weren’t used to kindness like this, neither from humans, nor from your own kind, so you were wary of him and his apologies. If you had been meaner though, you would have told him that it wasn’t that he couldn’t, it was that he didn’t want to. But you weren’t the type to bite the hand that fed you. And who were you to blame him for his selfishness when you were the same? You both just wanted to survive in a harsh world.

His name was Donghyun, you finally remembered. It burned into your brain cells as clear as the scalper’s cut was into your tender skin when they forced the surgical tool into his trembling hands.

You saw the tears pooling in his eyes and you really didn’t understand why he was crying. You were used to the pain. You were used to being hurt.

Maybe he wasn’t used to being the one to do the hurting but his hands were at least kinder than anybody else’s.

Donghyun sat on the edge of your bathtub when you awoke. The first thing you noticed was that his hands were still shaking. The second was that one of his cheeks reddened in the form of a palm and something heavy and angry pressed down on your chest seeing him hurt.

Comfort didn’t come naturally to you, it wasn’t in your nature yet looking at him then you wished it was. You wanted to reach out to touch, to hold, which was so unlike you catching yourself doing so hit you like a heavy wave. For once, you were relieved that the chains held you back and you couldn’t move. It would have been a mistake to start caring now.

Yet, you started humming an old sea melody, the rhythm of waves washing up the shore on beautiful, calm mornings to fill the silence. It wasn’t enchanted like your singing but this was the most you could do. It wasn’t comfort, it wasn’t care, just to fill the silence, you told yourself.

Still, Donghyun looked at you in awe, his gaze mellow like you were a miracle and not just something broken. It somehow made you feel worse. He wasn’t supposed to look at you like that. Not without glamour.

The next day you carved four lines like a sculptor into the doctor’s old face. His blood was still under your nails when they dumped you in the damp metal cage with no water at all as a punishment. Your tail laid uselessly on the ground and your scales felt heavy on your body. Like this you really felt like a fish out of the water.

Time went differently without having Donghyun around. You didn't even notice how much you got used to his presence until you started missing it. You replayed his voice, gentle and deep, imagined his eyes on you, kind and free of judgement, naive, over and over again.

“Do you miss it? The ocean?” Donghyun had once asked.

It had been a stupid question. It was like asking if you were missing the oxygen but you answered nevertheless. If he wanted to make small talk so bad, you might let it just to hear his voice.

“Every breath.”

“How is it? Tell me about it,” he had prompted softly and you soon learned that he was fascinated by everything you told him about your home, a safe haven and a doom all the same. You had thousands of stories about how vicious the sea could be, how cold and unforgiving, but just as much about its beauty and Donghyun drank them all in. When he told you about the time he learned to swim or when he saved a turtle, you realized: he was nothing like the other white coated men who just wanted to take and take from the waters until they could. Until they drained it from its wonders… and horrors, like you. Donghyun was different, he just wanted to observe and understand. Not that you needed or wanted his sympathy. Or so you told yourself.

When Donghyun held your hand for the first time, you thought you were dreaming. It didn’t seem real. His touch was feather-like, butterfly wing touches against your dry skin. He was so careful as if you could crumble just from his fingertips.

“Hey.”

When you heard his voice, you wondered whether your mind was playing games with you. Whether the lack of water was starting to drive you to insanity finally.

You opened your tired eyes slowly and in the dimly lit basement room, Donghyun’s elegant features came out a little hazy. Or were you dizzy just from the thirst?

“I’m getting you out,” the boy said so confidently as if it was the easiest thing to do. If it wasn’t too exhausting to move an inch of muscle you would have laughed at him. Without the sea, you were nothing. You were less than a pretty shell.

In that state of yours, barely conscious, you couldn’t tell how he managed it: how he got you into a wheelchair or where he got the key to your chains or the card that opened every door but the next thing you knew was rain and wind hitting you in the face, sand and sea on the horizon. The salty air made breathing easier.

It was a typhoon, you could tell. It was the sky’s wraith and oh there was a reason why storms were named after women.

You were halfway down the beach right next to the research institute when the white coated monsters noticed your absence amid the chaos the typhoon caused.

“Stop! Kim Donghyun, don’t you dare!” The doctor’s voice boomed like thunder then it was followed by bitter disappointment when Donghyun didn’t even falter. “I knew she put you under her spell, you stupid child.”

Two long sentences full of curses later the ocean welcomed you in her waves like a benevolent mother welcoming her ungrateful child back in her embrace.

It was like food for the starving, like a drug for an addict in rehab. Being back in the waters made you feel a heady kind of powerful, like you could do anything. You could feel the waves coming, you could taste the salt on your chapped lips, you could feel the hunger and anger come back in full force. You could have just left. Now being able to swim freely without chains, without anybody holding you back, you could have just headed towards the deepest part of the ocean and never look back but you didn’t even think about leaving like that. Not when you could finally sing.

You will drown them all, you thought, a little wicked, because wasn’t it cosmic justice? Letting the sea take them after they had taken you from your motherland?

You could feel the enchantment building up around you, its sound was carried through waves and thunder, the storm helping you make a symphony. Surrounded by the water and its fury you felt power surge through your veins and just like that your siren song filled the air. It really was a bit like a spell, just as much you were a sea witch.

You watched with a content smile as the old senior doctor and all his followers struggled to get to you in the water, getting deeper and deeper. You let them drown one by one as they couldn’t keep up with the storm brewing and the heavy waves took them under. You didn’t pay much attention to most of them, your focus was on your main torturer, the old man, the doctor. You swam up to him with a sweet smile watching his face morph into a blissful grin at your closeness, then you grabbed him by the collar and dragged him underwater. You pierced your sharpened teeth through his wrinkly skin and bled him out like it was poison. You wanted him to suffer like he had done to you. Like they deserved.

Vengeance never tasted so sweet.

It was like waking up from a long slumber when you came to consciousness. Rage and adrenaline had left your body by then, leaving you exhausted in the calm after the storm. The beach was left in ruins all around and that was when you realized that something was wrong. Something was missing. Or rather, somebody.

Donghyun.

In your haste and delirious state, you forgot that even though he helped you, he was human too. That if he stayed close, he was just as affected by your song as all those sailors over the years. Him of all people, the only one who thought you weren’t a monster.

“No,” you whimpered when the realization hit you. “No, please.”

Frantically you looked around, swimming towards the part of the beach where the wheelchair was left, broken. That’s where you found him, near the rocks, lying in the sand, unconscious. Even as you got closer, you couldn’t hear his heartbeat and it was your fault.

You crawled over the sand, right to his side. Even in this state, soaked and pale, sand sticking to his skin and hair, he looked like an angel. But he had water in his lungs and a barely beating heart.

You could have left him there and nobody would have batted an eye, nobody would have even known that you killed one more but the thing was: your kind might have been selfish but you were loyal too. He had saved your life, so now you owed him.

“Come back,” you whispered as you leaned over him, watching his pretty, calm features before pressing your lips to his, evaporating the water from his body just enough to let him breathe. When you pulled back, you could still feel the soft tingle of his lips on yours and you waited until a flutter of his eyelashes showed that he would awake. Then you slipped back into the sea, out of sight, as if you hadn’t even been there in the first place.

You watched from a distance as he was found by an elderly couple and he looked around confused. You watched as he was treated with the kind of care and kindness you could have never given him because you belonged to the cold deep ocean sea and he belonged to the warm soiled land. You had no future together, nothing but a fever dream fantasy.

And if he heard your humming at night when he walked on the beach, some would have called it haunting but some would have called it a confession.

Because you weren’t made for love but he was. He deserved it all and this was the most you could give him. The love of the ocean, untouchable but always present.

#boynextdoor x reader #bnd x reader #leehan x reader #leehan angst #boynextdoor angst #stories

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usafphantom2 · 3 months ago

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Just some Records held by the SR-71

Altitude in Horizontal Flight: 85,068.997 feet

Speed Over a Straight Course – Average Speed: 2,193.167 mph

Speed Over a Recognized Course: New York to London: 1 hour, 54 minutes, 56.4 seconds

The SR-71’s speed was not limited by the power of its engines. It was limited by the heat its structure could withstand.

Titanium makes up 93% of the SR-71s structure. A material that had never been truly utilized to its full potential until the SR-71 came along.

Each SR 71 was handmade. That means everyone of the Blackbirds were ever so slightly different. The men that flew the SR’s had their favorites and then there were the hangar queens that no one liked to fly..

The reason why titanium was so expensive was the process to make it usable.

The first reliable process to produce chemically pure titanium was developed in the 1940s. This process made the SR-71 possible. It begins by first converting the titanium dioxide to titanium chloride.

How do we convert the Titanium?

To do this titanium dioxide is mixed with chlorine and pure carbon and heated. Any oxygen or nitrogen leaking in will ruin the process, so this has to be done in relatively small batches in a sealed vessel. Once this process is complete, we have Titanium Chloride.

We then need to purify the Titanium Chloride from any impurities in the titanium ore through distillation. Where we heat the product and separate titanium chloride using its lower boiling point.

This Titanium Chloride vapor is fed into a stainless steel vessel containing molten magnesium at 1300 kelvin. Titanium is highly reactive with oxygen at high temperatures, so the vessel also needs to be sealed and filled with argon. Here the Titanium Chloride reacts with the magnesium, which itself is an expensive metal, to form titanium and magnesium chloride.

At times the engineers were perplexed as to what was causing problems, but thankfully they documented and cataloged everything, which helped find trends in their failures.

They discovered that spot welded parts made in the summer were failing very early in their life, but those welded in winter were fine. They eventually tracked the problem to the fact that the Burbank water treatment facility was adding chlorine to the water they used to clean the parts to prevent algae blooms in summer, but took it out in winter. Chlorine as we saw earlier reacts with titanium, so they began using distilled water from this point on.

They discovered that their cadmium plated tools were leaving trace amounts of cadmium on bolts, which would cause galvanic corrosion and cause the bolts to fail. This discovery led to all cadmium tools to be removed from the workshop.

Converting Titanium for the SR-71 is really slow

This reduction reaction is extremely slow, between 2 and 4 days. It’s pretty clear that titanium is expensive and extremely difficult to work with. But without Titanium and the SR-71, we wouldn’t be where we are today, talking about the fastest, air, breathing airplane in the world. You can read the full article here. Linda Sheffield.

@Habubrats71 via X

#sr 71 #sr71 #sr 71 blackbird #blackbird #aircraft #usaf #lockheed aviation #skunkworks #aviation #mach3+#habu #reconnaissance #cold war aircraft

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mery-cm99 · 7 months ago

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Death & you ~ Wally Clark (Chapter 1)

Masterlist

Description: Lana had always thought she had already lost all the people she had to lose. She was supposed to be able to have him forever. He's just her best friend, but he's her everything. That's why when fate took him away, Lana lost everything that tied her to life.

Pairing: Wally Clark x fem!OC

Warnings: Mention of death, trauma, wounds, homophobia (not from OC) and sad stuff in general (just my usual writting style). English is not my first language, so sorry in advance for any grammar or spelling mistakes. It might have same spoilers from the first season of School Spirits.

Ratings: Teens and up

Chapter: 1/?

Word Count: 1.070 words

The cold was cutting into her cheeks and the wind was pushing her hair in all directions, but Lana didn't even notice. All her attention was on moving one foot behind the other in circular motions. She didn't even hear the wind whistling, making the leaves dance on the trees that hadn't lost their foliage that fall. She didn't want to think about all that had been lost that fall. She could only listen to the clacking of her bicycle chain, paying attention so as not to run off with the snow that still filled the sides of the road. It was a cold January night, but Lana had gone three months without feeling anything but the deep ache in her heart.

The girl stopped with a jolt as she recognized the familiar entrance that could be glimpsed barely seven meters in front of her. She took two steps back, but slipped on the ice covering the asphalt and went sideways onto the sidewalk. She let out a hiss of pain and pulled her bike off her to look at her hands. She had a large scrape and several pebbles stuck in the flesh of her palm. She carefully removed them and, still sitting on the sidewalk, looked up again at the white façade slightly illuminated by the street lamps. All the lights in the house were off, something obvious considering that it was three in the morning. The girl's attention was drawn to the window to the left on the second floor and, for a millisecond, she thought the curtain was moving. But reality hit her at once. That curtain would never move again, her best friend would no longer lean out of that window to smile at her and gesture for her to come in. Lana was still surprised to think that the house she had loved as her home had become such a cold and painful place. Before what had happened, Lana had spent more time in that house than in her own, but in those three months she had only been there twice, and both times had hurt like hell. Lana laughed - ironically - at how a path she once walked unconsciously now burned and hurt step by step, as if the path had been filled with burning embers.

Trying to run away from the pain, Lana jumped up and picked up her bike, ignoring the burning in her palms. She hopped back on and turned her bike around to head to her original destination.

When she reached the grassy lot, she got off the bike to hide it behind a tree and headed to the back of the building. Lana found the sliding window that was always left open without a problem and opened it all the way. She climbed up onto the sill and used the desk next to the window as a ladder to climb down. She then closed the window making sure to leave a crack for the return trip.

The school was covered in shadows, the only light came from the moonbeams streaming through the windows. But Lana didn't need light, she could walk that path even with her eyes closed. Humidity and chlorine greeted her as soon as she opened the doors leading to the pool. Lana had missed that smell so much during her hollidays...

It wasn't the only thing she had missed.

Wanting to get rid of that thought, she took off her backpack and clothes until she was just in the swimsuit she was wearing underneath. Then she pulled her goggles out of her backpack and dove headfirst into the water. The cold temperature of the pool soothed the sting of her pain instantly. No one could explain why, but ever since Lana was a little girl, water was the only thing that soothed her discomfort. When she was a baby, her mother would give her cold water baths when she cried and the baby would instantly shut up.

That night, the girl needed more than ever the calm that only cold water could give her. She began to swim some laps while thinking about her best friend. Lana didn't want the next day to come: her first day of school after the hollidays. The thought of living another day hurt because she knew that the only person she had loved would no longer be there with her. Her best friend had been there for her when no one else had been and, even though they only loved each other as friends, Lana had never loved anyone as much as she loved him.

For the first time since everything had changed, Lana could think of him without instantly falling apart. The water that surrounded her and pushed her to the surface acted as a retaining wall to keep her from breaking. As she did laps in that silent pool, Lana realized it was the first time she had felt at peace since she had lost her best friend.

———————————————————————

An anguished scream woke her up, so Lana raised her head in fright, looking for the person who had screamed. It was at that moment that she realized she wasn’t in her bed, but still floating in the pool. She saw someone jump into the water in her direction, so the girl assured him she was fine, but the boy didn't seem to hear her as he was underwater. Lana pulled back as she saw the stranger grab someone else by the arm and pull them to the edge of the pool. Lana hadn't even noticed that she wasn't alone in the water. She swam in his direction to help him, but it was no use because the people crowding the edge of the pool helped pull the unknown girl out of it

Lana knew it was a girl because of her long hair, but she couldn't see her in the crowd. She climbed out of the water to go over to help. As she made her way there, the crowd of people opened up to look in her direction, but Lana couldn't notice anything but the girl. Her hair was still in her face, but she could identify blue lips and a very pale skin. She stopped suddenly, startled, as she recognized the girl's features. It was like looking in the reflection of a mirror, only that reflection was not moving, not breathing.

She was dead.

#wally clark x reader #wally clark x you #school spirits #wally #clark #Charley #Rhonda #School spirits x reader #fanfiction #wally clark fanfic #milo manheim #milo manheim x reader

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darl-ingfics · 3 months ago

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Love love LOVE your writing!

From the prompts, I would kill for 10 and/or 9 with pretty much anyone as sickie and caretaker. I'm mainly into BTS (Yoongi bias) but more than happy to read any group you feel inspired to write!

Have a lovely day ☺️

You are too sweet 🥹 And thus I give you a cold-ridden Yoongi and a curious, sneaky Jimin. Also, this is the last one for tonight 🫡

“Heh-etchu!”

Jimin peeked his head around the doorway from the cabin’s kitchen to the dining room. Yoongi was stationed at the table, tapping away at his laptop, back to the doorway. Jimin paused, lower lip pouting in thought as he considered the situation.

“Take a picture. It’ll last longer.”

Jimin jumped at Yoongi’s voice, (which was, Jimin noted, several notes huskier than usual). Despite the venomous tone in the producer’s voice, Jimin took the opportunity to approach.

“You okay, hyung?” the vocalist asked, voice sweet as sugar.

“Um, yeah?” Yoongi barely looked up at Jimin, simply continuing to click away as his keyboard. He sniffled sharply. “Have any other common sense questions?”

Jimin frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. “Oh yeah? Then how come you’ve barely hung out with us today?”

“I have work to do. You know that.”

“Yeah. I also know Bang PD approved a two week extension so you could enjoy your vacation with us.” Yoongi’s fingers froze mid-type. Jimin smirked. “Why’re you avoiding us, hyung?”

Yoongi slowly turned his head over his shoulder, turning a suspicious glare up at the younger man. Jimin stared at him, deceptively innocent wide eyes sparkling down at the rapper. Yoongi sighed, shoulder caving a fraction of an inch. Got him. “I’m not avoiding you, Chim.”

“Then why are you in here and not out at the pool with the rest of us?” Jimin pressed, grabbing Yoongi’s shoulders and shaking them ever-so gently.

Yoongi groaned. “Cause I don’t want chlorine in my hair.” He tugged at said hair, recently dyed an ethereal silver.

Jimin rolled his eyes. He should’ve expected that one. But what he didn’t expect was the tremor he felt run through the rapper’s shoulders. Jimin frowned. “Are you… shivering?”

“No.” Yoongi tried to shake Jimin off. But even after he’d successfully removed the vocalist’s hands, the younger man could still see the shake of Yoongi’s body. “You definitely are. Hyung, are you sick?”

“No.” His breath hitched immediately afterward, and Yoongi flinched away from Jimin, catching another sneeze in his opposite shoulder. He groaned, rubbing at his forehead.

Jimin pressed his lips into a tight line. “Want me to get Jin-hyung?”

“No! Etchuu!” Yoongi snapped forward, at the mercy of his own body.

“Hyung, one more sneeze and you're going to bed.” Jimin shook his head.

Yoongi scoffed, running his wrist against his nose. “You can’t make me do anything.”

“Maybe not. But you know who can?”

“Don’t you dare tell…”

“JIN-HYUNG!”

Yoongi’s eyes were pure murder when Jimin turned back to the producer with a bright smile as they heard splashes from the pool outside. “You’re an asshole.”

“I think the word you’re looking for is creative genius.”

Caretaker Dialogue Prompts

#anon requests #sickie suga #caretaker jimin #bts sick #bts sickfic #kpop sickfic #kpop sick #darlingfics

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strigimorphaes · 3 months ago

Note

josh/your pick, crying? ☺️

it keeps saying there's an error in processing the post.... its a fucking battle to make it work for some reason. if I put in a readmore it wont post? if i try to remove the accidental empty line in the second half it won't post? what??? anyway warning for bad initiation rituals and thinly veiled doping references - or is it a winner's room reference......?

G's the last to come in. He says as much, voice quiet and calm in the way it gets when he's trying too hard. If Josh was still right in the head, he'd be guessing it was about seniority or some kind of status, the pecking order that he's done his best to learn since he got on the team. He doesn't think much by now, though, still catching his breath after Luke. Even though Luke was nice about it. Josh has lost count of how many they’ve been altogether. He's been counting how many hands have cupped his face instead, and how many of his teammates kissed his cheek. How many told him to spit and swallow. Laurens held his hand. Josh blushes as burrows his face in the duvet on the bed, so tired, and his knees are so sore from kneeling here. He only looks up when Geraint sits down.

Geraint’s big, warm, gentle hand ruffles Josh's hair. "Alright?" Geraint asks. Josh can't really find the words to talk. It's been overwhelming. This morning he didn’t think he’d ever – he’d been staring, yes, but – and now his jaw is sore and he’s got drool on his chin. All the memories overlap so that he doesn't know where to start. He’s alright maybe, but it’s been quick and then slow and so much and someone told him he could come if he wanted to, so he did, but now it's been long enough that he needs it again and Geraint can probably see it between his naked legs still. Geraint pats him on the cheek. "It's just the initiation, Josh. You’re a strong kid. We've all done it." Josh nods. His whole body hums with expectation when Geraint pushes his joggers down a little bit further. Yeah, he wants this too. His mouth is already open, tongue on display. Part of him will remember how Geraint treated him, part of him thinks he’s gonna be in G’s place someday, or maybe he’s already in both, enjoying seeing himself reflected in Geraint’s eyes. Pink lips, glazed-over eyes. They got him a single beer before but it's not that. He's not been himself since he came into this room – he’s been theirs, part of a we. He shuffles closer on his knees. Wants to stay in this state of mind where it doesn’t hurt until he comes and comes down. Now he knows what happened that afternoon when everyone else went inside to talk and he was left alone by the pool feeling miserable until his fingers were pruned up and he smelled like chlorine. He smiles now. To think he was being left out - he was bring taken in. Geraint takes hold of his head and Josh lets his mouth fall open. Long, slow motions. And he wants to prove himself and it worked well before, so he goes deeper, taking G's cock as far back as he can. He can see and feel that there are just a few centimeters left and then he'd be close enough for his nose to hit Geraint's pelvis – then he chokes, but even that doesn’t really pierce through the haze his thoughts have become. He doesn't fight it, forces himself to relax. It doesn't matter if it hurts. That's what he's been taught, and he can take it. He squeezes his eyes shut and a few tears roll down his cheeks. Sits there in the feeling of being someone else's. The tears don’t stop. It’s as if now that his body has remembered that crying is a thing it can do, it realized also that it really needed to do it, and Josh sobs. Geraint stops him from trying to keep going with the blowjob, making him rest his head on Geraint’s thigh instead. "Shh, you don't have to. I don't want it to hurt you like that." "Sorry,” Josh says, the word forced out of his aching throat. "No, no, it's - " "It's just - a lot." "I know. I…" Geraint doesn’t seem like he knows what to do with himself, and then he says, “They didn’t hurt you, right?” “No. It’s – it felt good. Dunno if it was meant to, but – “ “I told them to try to make it good, yeah. I want to - wait. Sorry. I have to do this." Josh sits back trying to control his breathing as Geraint finds his phone. He doesn't wonder what's going to happen. Whatever it is will wash over him. He lowers his head, and then, why not, gently teases the head of Geraint's cock, gets some reaction, a little kick despite the circumstances. The salty taste from a tear mixes with the taste of sweaty skin.

“Stay like that,” Geraint says, and then Josh hears the camera click. Geraint looks down at him and says, "That's the most important part, actually. Photo evidence.” Josh could ask, but he’s out of breath. Geraint pats his thigh. “Now come up here. Your knees have got to be killing you." Mutely, Josh accepts. He doesn't fit on Geraint's lap at all, but they arrange their bodies as best they can. There are arms around him, now, and something for him to grind down against. "That's the tradition," Geraint says, reaching for Josh's eyes to dry them with the pad of his thumb. "So that the new pros don't start talking if they see something they shouldn't have." "Like what?" Josh says, his voice brittle when G reaches down between them, offering him some relief. "Was it - " "Shh. You'll find out, but it'll be okay, right? Part of the team, now, you've got us to help you." Geraint doesn't really look at Josh while his hand works him over. His gaze is fixed on the wall behind Josh, or somewhere else entirely. "We're gonna make sure you don't have to cry."

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mamayan · 2 years ago

Note

Yaannnn!! Congrats on your milestone! ʕ⇀ᴥ↼ʔ♡ This event is so cool!! It’s creative, I really like it kekeke

My prompts are 9, 67, 92, 99 for Nanami Kento please?? ( x fem!reader)

Thank yoouu ( ˘ ³˘)♥

Finally! Haha! Bang! You’ve been shot!

Nanami Kento

tw: NSFW • Obsessive/Possessive Themes • Implied Kidnapping/Imprisonment • Implied Forced Relationship • Dark Themes • Fem! Reader • Dubcon • Fingering (F) • Sex (M)(F) • Yandere • Punishment

wc: 1960

He sometimes wished it could be different.

The air is frozen as he walks farther into the room, the scent of chlorine overpowering and burning his nose as he clicks his tongue and moves towards the back wall. Hundreds of stainless steel metal doors rest closed, numbered placards to the right of each one. Most are blank, but a few towards the right hand side have a few code words scribbled in messy writing on them. Nanami strides towards one such door, your name standing out due to the pristine hand writing on the card.

He takes his time removing his jacket and tie, rolling up his sleeves before his glasses and wrist watch follow onto the table off to the side. The latch to the door clicks, audibly signaling it’s opening as cool air rushes out. He grips the handle that greets him as he opens it, pulling out the table hooked to a rolling system which allows it to be removed from the wall.

He really did wish it could be different. His stoic face almost bored as he gazes down at you, your body curled and shaking on its side while you whimper brokenly like a scratched record.

You flinch when a drastically different temperature touches you, his body heat almost burning against your chilled flesh as you cry out.

“Shh…” he hushes, voice low and soft as he gently helps you sit up, pulling your trembling figure into his arms as he slides one around your torso and the other under your thighs to lift you up into the air against him. “Good girl, I’ve got you now.” He recognizes the irony of his words, no doubt irritated he uttered them to begin with but… he can’t deny how good it feels to have you clinging to him like a life line at the moment.

He knows it won’t last. He’s not optimistic this alone is enough to crush your spirit in the slightest, though it truly is a grim punishment in its own uniquely sick way.

“Na-Nanami,” you croak his name in a voice clearly hoarse from screaming.

He hadn’t left you long enough for any permanent damage to set in, but you were certainly becoming feverish as he warms you with his body heat now.

He chose a plain metal folding chair to sit, positioning you to straddle his lap while he helped you lean against his chest. His large calloused hands card through your stiff locks, the cold having hardened the strands.

“—m’sorry…” he hates how it affects him, the little sniffle and your painful tone while you apologize. He wishes it were different, and it could be when you stopped being so stubborn. He’s silent as he rubs your back. The exposed skin darkened in some areas, chilled more than the rest, cold burns could hurt just as badly as those caused by heat. He was even more gentle as his fingers traced over those spots, already noting the supplies he’d need to to use to help you heal properly.

Your tears seemed to melt with the frost on your body as you sobbed, numb arms moving to curl around his thick neck where he radiated heat. Your face pressed into the crook of his neck, and he leaned down further to hold you close to him while you cried. He didn’t say a word, only lightly patted your head and listened.

“—sorry ‘Nami, please, don’t please, m’sorry, hck,” it broke his heart to hear you cry like so, made him feel sicker than he knew he already was as he placed sweet kisses to your temple while you soaked up the warmth his body offered. The only warmth he was offering to you.

When you began to feel your extremities again, able to shift and wiggle without feeling like a mummy encased in wrappings, you clawed at him. Arms too weak to actually drag him down, but he obliged when you tugged and allowed you to connect your cool lips with his own. His eyes narrow, hating how the tears on your face and the desperation in your gaze made his slacks tighter. You should be smiling and teasing him, whispering naughty words in his ear after he grumbles about his shit day at work.

That’s all he ever wanted truly.

Instead your actions are fueled by something primal and gut wrenching, a display of submission and asking of mercy he doesn’t stop. He lets you slip your tongue in his mouth, groaning and helping your eager little hand pawing at his belt buckle, lifting you into his arms so he could shift and drop his pants while still keeping your mouths connected. He keeps you pressed close, aware the chill still affects you and happy to grab his jacket and bring it over your shoulders while you tremble and pop the buttons of his dress shirt open. He sighs into the kiss, turning your eager desperation into a slow burn to warm you up and silently show the affection he wants to shower you in. He sucks on your small tongue, taking control as he settles your exposed cunt against his throbbing cock, the heat from it nestled against your folds while your hips twitch. He doesn’t move yet, just kisses you languidly while you sigh, taunt muscles slowly but surely relaxing as drowsiness sets in as the adrenaline and fear fade. He lets his hands move, careful for the areas tender from the chill, moving over your skin and heating you a little more as he squeezes and rubs you. It’s difficult not to like it, the way he smells and the warm muscular body you rest against weakly. Your mind is too fuzzy and clouded to fight or even want to as he slips both hands onto the globes of your ass, massaging gently and moving down to your thighs and copying. Eventually his fingers creep closer, mouth moving sensually against your own and invading your mind with lust and the promise of warmth and pleasure. He’s spreading your pussy open without resistance, feeling the front pressed against him while he runs two fingers down the back where your hole leaks pitifully.

“Such a good girl…” he murmurs against your lips, chuckling when you chase his own as he pulls back, “Getting wet just for me.” He resumes the kiss as you tangle your fingers into his hair and tug, his groan deep and reverberating into your mouth. He pressed one finger inside of you, swallowing your gasp of pleasure as he wiggles the digit deep and then joins it with another as he fills you.

Your back arches, bare chest pressing further into his own as he slicks his fingers with your growing arousal and fucks you with them, calculating each thrust with just the right depth and strength to have you mewling for him.

Nanami breaks the kiss to trail his lips lower, down your jaw to your neck where he sucks the sensitive skin into his mouth. Your breathy moans are music to his ears as the capillaries easily burst under his tender nibbles, marking you up as he curls his fingers and makes you sing.

“‘Nami, m’gonna cum—,” he knew even if you didn’t say it, but it makes him proud you remembered he likes it when you tell him.

“Cum for me sweet girl,” he whispers, groaning when you clench tight around his fingers and gush, making a mess in his lap as you sigh and wiggle your hips, fingers digging into his chest while he works you down from your high softly.

He pulls his fingers out slowly, your pussy eager to hold onto him still as brings the sticky coating on his fingers up to his mouth to clean noisily while you watch.

You always looked so adorable after an orgasm, watery eyes half lidded and face slacken.

“You did so good, baby, I’m very proud of you.” You shiver at his words, pupils dilating and it makes something dark inside him swell with pleasure. He’s cleaning his fingers and then kissing you, forcing the taste of your cum into your mouth now as he circles your hips with one arm. Nanami easily lifts you up, using his free hand to position the fat mushroom tip of his cock at your entrance and then allowing gravity to do the work.

You don’t have enough strength to lift up and off him, too weak to stop each thick inch from breaching your walls as you choke and gasp into his mouth.

He relishes the way you grip him, the intimacy and closeness of having you pressed so tightly against him. Nanami grunts as he bottoms out, as deep inside your pretty cunt as possible, while you whine and cutely nip at his bottom lip.

“That’s it sweet girl,” his hips jerk up, bouncing you as he nudges up against your cervix, “you took every inch.”

It’s slow, Nanami leaves you to breathe and merely hold onto him while he lifts your ass and fucks you. His mouth filthy as he kisses you and groans your name, heating your body inside out as he pushes his cock in and out you, dragging the girthy rod against your sensitive walls.

“We could’ve avoided all this you know,” he mumbles darkly, teeth skimming your ear as you gasp and moan, “I could’ve been running you a bath already after I made you cum until you saw stars, but you wanted to be a brat today.” He hisses it into your ear, uncaring as tears well and spill down your cheeks again, your little moans and sniffles not affecting your tight pussy wrapped around him.

His grip is firm as he snakes his free hand around your neck, grip loose so you could breathe unhindered as he tilts your head up to look him in the eye.

The submission in your gaze is addictive, but he knows it won’t last for very long.

“If you pull another stunt like that,” he jerks you down onto his cock roughly, amused how you scramble and try to sit up from the intense pressure he placed inside you, “I’ll lock you in here for a week.” The threat snaps something inside you, clear as day to him your dislike for this space as you shake your head and murmur pleas while he bounces you on him. His pace not slowing as you cup his cheeks and promise to be good, “‘Nami I won’t again, be so good for you, I promise.” Your watery eyes and hips which struggle to gather the strength to meet his own are so precious it has his balls drawing tight, lips pressing together as he grips you tight and fucks you harder. He drinks in the moans you release and promises to him, feeling how your walls clench and pull him in deeper.

“M’coming ‘Nami, fuck, please,” you’re so desperate and needy like this he wishes you’d just stay this way forever, clawing at his shoulders and crying his name.

“Take it all baby,” he grunts, cock twitching and filling your cunt seconds later as you come apart around him.

He holds you close as you both come down, keeping your trembling body lifted against him to avoid your thigh muscles from straining too much.

You’re asleep a minute later, eyes closed and mouth lax as you pass out.

Nanami gently stands and begins cleaning up, keeping you in his arms the entire time as he fixes you both up enough to leave and return home.

He doesn’t believe this will be your last escape attempt nor trip to the morgue, he’s not optimistic like that unfortunately. He wishes this could be different though.

Post dividers/@cafekitsune

@desi-the-blue-eyed-kakushi

#500 Event #my bad gambling skills have kept me from shooting anyone thus far #Nanami Kento #Nanami Kento smut #Nanami Kento x reader #Nanami Kento x reader smut #Yandere Nanami Kento #Yandere Nanami Kento smut #jjk Nanami #jjk smut #jjk Nanami smut

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joesbnbg · 10 months ago

Text

cruel summer

part one of everybody wants to rule the world

in which the girls get ice cream, robin has a meet-cute, steve throws a pool party, and everybody gets high [4.4k words]

The summer of ‘85 in Hawkins, Indiana was a scorching one. Tarmac sizzled under the butter yellow sun, cotton candy clouds spun on the saccharine sweet taste of summer freedom. Perfect for soaking sunburnt bodies with chlorinated water at the Hawkins public pool; perfect for long bike rides against the wind, speed and sun burning the rubber of the thin tires; the perfect weather for ice cream.

Which was right where April and DJ were headed, AC blasting in April's beat up ‘74 Chevy Vega, sun reflecting off its faded orange hood as the two teenagers drove towards the Starcourt Mall. Blondie blasted from the speakers and April sang along lazily as DJ chattered over Debbie Harry with unprecedented speed about everything and nothing at all, fumbling with the fringes of her cut off shorts.

April's fingers drummed against the steering wheel as she turned into the crowded parking lot, eyes scanning for a place to park as DJ craned her neck towards the entrance, watching couples and teenagers and families alike clamber inside the mall like sweaty zombies who sought cold air instead of brains.

April pulled into the closest spot she could find, which of course wasn’t close at all, and quickly turned the car off, as ready to escape the summer heat as the rest of her town. She pushed her sunglasses back onto the crown of her head, black frames against copper hair, watching as DJ snaked out of the car window, falling to the ground with an ungraceful thump. April's passenger side door hadn’t worked since she had bought the car over a year ago, but DJ still hadn't gotten the hang of an elegant landing.

“Let’s go,” April said with an impatient smile, head tilted towards the mall. DJ grumbled, wiping bits of rocks from the indents they had created on her palms as she scrambled to her feet, the old canvas of her black converse tearing slightly at her movement.

“I thought when you got a car it would come with less injuries,” DJ said, catching up to her best friend as they began towards the building, beat-up shoes moving in tandem against the blacktop. “I’m fighting for my life out here.” April huffed out a laugh, adjusting the strap of her purse on her shoulder.

“If you were behind the wheel, we’d be fighting for our lives every five minutes. I much prefer these odds.” April responded, pushing through the glass double doors and into Starcourt, a well welcomed whoosh of cool air greeting her. DJ sputtered as she removed the wind blown hair from her face, tucking dark strands behind her ears.

“What, because I went airborne? That was one time.” DJ said as they rounded a corner, making April laugh again.

“Two times.”

“One and a half. Only the front two wheels came off the ground the first time.”

“I don’t know if you’re aware of this, Dot, but a car’s wheels aren’t supposed to come off the ground ever. Front or back.”

“They won’t be saying that when cars can fly.”

“Emphasis on ‘can.’ My car is not built for that. No car is built for that. Honestly, I’m starting to think you might have a better shot getting your pilot license.” April said as they walked into Scoops Ahoy, Hawkins’ newest and nicest nautical themed creamery. DJ whistled at the boy behind the counter whose face perked up slightly at the sight of the girls. How this schmuck in an ill-fitting sailor’s suit had managed to win over her best friend was still a mystery to her, but she tabled the thought for later as they approached the counter.

“Too expensive. Yo, Harrington! How do we feel about another driving lesson?” She called at him, a grin tugging her pink lips upward. Steve shook his head vigorously as he moved towards the tubs of ice cream, head bent as he scooped USS Butterscotch onto a wafer cone.

“Absolutely not,” He said, and although amusement colored his tone, it was clear he was being completely serious. He stood upright, passing the cone to April, who took it with a bright smile, one he shared as their brown eyes met.

“Well, take it up with your girlfriend, because apparently, she’d rather sacrifice my palms than get her wizard cousin to fix the car.” DJ said, holding up her scratched up hand as April rolled her eyes.

“Okay, first off, he’s not a wizard, he’s a thirteen year old who happens to know a lot about science, and secondly, he’s not a fucking mechanic. He’s just a kid.” She shot back. DJ shrugged, taking a cone of cookies and cream from Steve’s outstretched hand.

“Close enough,” She said as she licked a dribbler off the side of the cone. “But I’m pretty sure I saw him blow up Older Sinclair’s blender, so really, what’s the difference?” DJ asked, dropping a loose quarter from her pocket into the tip jar, which made Steve involuntarily grimace.

“He’s also not even here,” April reminded her. “He’s at that science thing for another three weeks.”

“Camp Know-Nothing or whatever,” Steve added.

“Camp Know-Where,” April corrected.

“You want a bandaid for that battle scar?” Steve asked, eyebrows raised and eyes focused as DJ inspected the broken skin on her hand. DJ shrugged like it was nothing, because things like this were always happening to her. Steve turned, opening the partition to the back room, calling towards the coworker neither April or DJ realized he had. “Robin, can you get the first aid kit?”

“What, did you sprain your wrist slinging ice cream, Stevie?” The voice called back, and Steve rolled his eyes, gritting his teeth with annoyance as he turned back towards his friends. April trained her eyes on the floor and sunk her teeth into her bottom lip to keep from laughing, but DJ couldn’t help the snicker that escaped her.

“Yeah, Stevie, hurt your little baby wrist?” DJ said, pouting at him. Steve’s eyes narrowed as he turned towards the back again.

“It was for my friend actually, but forget it, because she’s being an absolute dick right now.” He said, and this time April couldn’t stop herself from laughing into her ice cream. “Let her bleed.”

“Are you allowed to curse in uniform? Isn’t that, like, against the company image or whatever?” DJ asked, clearly getting more joy out of teasing the boy than the quickly melting treat in her hand.

“Company image? What is this, Disneyland?” Steve retorted.

“What? King Steve wasn’t an animated Disney classic? Since when?” DJ replied, eyes widening. She laughed, loudly this time, but all confidence and joy seemed to drain from her face as Steve’s coworker stepped out from the back room, first aid kit in hand.

“Who needs the first aid kit?” The girl asked. “Had to look through, like, seven different cabinets to find it. I’m also pretty sure the instructions on this thing are in Russian.” She frowned, head bent as she examined it with bright blue eyes. DJ gulped, trying to steady herself, and April and Steve shared a knowing, amused look.

“Robin, this is April, my girlfriend, and DJ, April's leech. April, DJ, this is Robin.” Steve said, and Robin looked up at them for the first time, eyes training on DJ’s just as DJ’s had trained on Robin’s. Pink rose to her freckled cheeks and she quickly looked down again, focusing on opening the first aid kit again.

“Hand,” DJ blurted, pointing it out towards Robin, who looked at it like DJ had just shoved a knife in her direction.

“She hurt her hand,” April quickly supplied. “Climbing out of my car, because the door doesn’t work.”

“Oh,” Robin said, clearly nervous herself as she awkwardly opened the kit. She pulled out a bandaid and when she grabbed DJ’s hand to inspect it closer, DJ held her breath. Delicately, Robin placed the bandaid over the spot, patting the brunette’s hand lightly as she let it go. The air was thick with the smell of vanilla and tension, and Robin cleared her throat, stepping into the back room again.

“...Huh,” Steve said after a moment, head tilted in thought. “I mean, she’s usually awkward, but she’s not that awkward.”

“I wasn’t-”

“I didn’t mean you, shit-for-brains.” Steve said, eyes on DJ, whose eyebrows knit in frustration.

“I should slap that stupid hat right off your head.” DJ replied.

“You’d be doing me a favor.” Steve said, and April chuckled.

"How long has she been working here for?" April asked. "I've never seen her around." Steve shrugged.

"Dunno. She just sort of showed up and started insulting me."

"I like her already." DJ said, and Steve rolled his eyes.

"Clearly." He muttered.

“So, Stevie-”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Stevie, you know it’s really hot out today.”

“Mhm.”

“And you know what people like to do when it’s hot out?” Steve stared at DJ, unamused.

“Go inside and leave other people alone?”

“Go swimming,” April supplied, and Steve turned towards her, raising an eyebrow before wagging a finger between the girls.

“You planned this, didn’t you?” He asked, before turning his attention back to DJ. “Don’t you have a pool?”

“Yeah, but you have something I don’t: absentee parents.” DJ said with a grin, and Steve glared at her, playing with his ice cream scooper.

“Gee. Thanks. Rub it in my face, why don’t you?”

“I’m just saying,” DJ continued, leaning on the counter to get closer to him, “We could have a super-fun-no-parents-pool-party to kick off the summer? I’ll get the drinks!”

“You look younger than Henderson.” Steve shot back, and DJ grinned brightly at him.

“Okay, then you get the drinks.” DJ amended, and Steve smiled with disbelief, shaking his head slightly.

“Is that a yes?” April asked, looking at the boy hopefully. Steve rolled his eyes before finally nodding his head in agreement.

“Fine,” He said. “Fine. Seven o’clock.” DJ broke out into a sly grin.

“You’re the best, Harrington.” She said, and Steve rolled his eyes again, waving his hand.

“Whatever.” He said as April dug into her purse for her car keys, extending them out towards her friend.

“DJ, why don’t you go ahead and get the car started? I’ll be out right behind you.”

“I don’t think the good patrons of Scoops Ahoy will appreciate the make-out session in the middle of their nautical ice cream experience,” DJ said as she took the keys, twisting them around her finger.

“Shut up!” April said as Steve ducked his head down, blushing.

“Wear protection!” DJ called as she headed towards the exit. “I am too young to be an aunt.” April laughed, turning back towards Steve, who gave her a smile.

“So…” April started, leaning closer to him, “I was thinking…”

“Oh yeah?” Steve said, grin growing with the girl’s words.

“We should invite Robin to the pool party tonight.” Steve’s smile faded as he crossed his arms, looking at the girl in front of him.

“Seriously?” He said, blinking. “Why?”

“Because!” April responded, lowering her voice slightly. “She and DJ were really hitting it off back there.”

“That was hitting it off? I’ve seen babies communicate more gracefully than that.” Steve argued, but April pressed forward.

“There’s something there. Invite her, please.”

“How do you even know she’s a lesbian?” Steve whispered, and April's eyes darted towards the back room, making sure Robin wasn’t listening.

“I don’t,” April said, “But I have a feeling if we invite her, it’ll be a good thing. Come on, please?” Steve was silent, thoughtful as he weighed his options. “You know,” April said, closing the space between her and the boy even more, “If DJ has a friend, or somebody, she won’t be as interested in what we’re doing.” Steve stared at her blankly. “Do you understand what I’m trying to say to you, Steve?”

April watched as the idea registered in his brain, eyes filling with recognition and mouth opening slightly. “Oh,” He said slowly, starting to break out into a thoughtful grin. “Okay. Okay.”

“See?” April said, smiling, too. “Invite her.” Steve groaned, looking towards the back room, nose scrunching with disgust at the girl who sat inside of it. “Come on,” April pushed back Steve’s cowlick, moving the chocolate colored hair out of his face. “Please.”

Steve huffed. “Fine.” He said. “Fine. God, I just do whatever you two tell me to, don’t I?”

“Yeah,” April agreed. “You must be real fucking whipped, Harrington.” Steve rolled his eyes.

“Get the fuck out of here. I’ll see you at seven.”

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When seven o’clock rolled around that evening, April and DJ found themselves once again inside April's car, bikinis on under cut off shorts and big graphic tees. The sun was dipping below the trees, filtering through the leaves and houses as they drove through Hawkins, the cool breeze that accompanied the late hour playing with the ends of their hair.

“I wonder what else we could get Steve to do because he’s in love with you.” DJ said, watching the clouds pass by as they drove, hand draping lazily out the window.

“He’s not in love with me.” April said quickly, and DJ quirked up an eyebrow.

“What do you mean? He’s definitely in love with you.” DJ said. “I mean, come on, who else would put up with me just to date you? Not many people.”

“Found that out the hard way.” April added. “But can we not… we’re just taking it slow for now, okay?”

“O…kay,” DJ said finally, a little lost. “I wonder what we could get him to do because he likes you so much,” She amended. “Do you think he’d kill someone, or is that, like, a six month anniversary present kind of deal?”

“Jury’s still out on that one,” April replied after a moment.

“No, the jury definitely thinks he’s innocent. They’d think a man who uses that much hairspray probably wouldn’t have any brain cells left to murder ‘cause the aerosol in the can would have killed them all.”

“Okay, he doesn’t use that much hairspray,” April argued, although she barely even believed herself.

“Have you ever seen him without hairspray before, or are you guys not that serious yet? Does that also come with the six month anniversary murder?” DJ kept going. “Like, maybe he murders someone because they’ve seen him without hairspray, or maybe they discontinue it so he murders whoever makes - or, I guess doesn’t make - the hairspray, or-”

“Okay, we get it.” April said as they turned onto Steve’s block, pulling into the empty spot in front of his house, right beside a tree with a branch convenient enough for DJ to use to haul herself out of the car.

She managed the escape a little better this time, huffing as April retrieved her things from the back of the car. DJ frowned at the sight of an unfamiliar bike resting in the driveway as they got closer, nudging April to make sure she saw it, too.

“Is that Steve’s?” DJ asked, and April stared at it, doing her best to pretend she didn’t know who it belonged to.

“Hmm, I don’t know.” She said. “Maybe it’s one of the kids.”

“He’d invite the kids to a pool party where there’d be alcohol?” DJ said incredulously. “Mr. Mother-of-the-Year? I don’t think so.”

“Well, who knows?” April asked as she knocked on the large wooden door. “They like to just randomly appear in places. Could be one of them.” It was a few more seconds until the door swung open, and Steve stood behind it, looking far more comfortable in clothes that fit his body correctly.

“Retired from the navy so soon?” DJ teased. “I thought they were about to promote you.”

“Shut up,” Steve replied before kissing April in greeting as the girls walked inside.

“Where’s mine?” DJ asked, puckering her lips at him. He made a face at her as they walked through the house. Music played softly on a speaker outside as Steve made a pit stop in the kitchen, passing cold beer cans to the girls before sliding the glass door to the backyard open.

“Hey, guys!” DJ almost dropped her drink at the sight of the sandy haired girl in front of her, laying out in a navy blue two piece, nursing a beer.

“You guys remember Robin,” Steve said, gesturing at her as if it wasn’t April's idea to invite her in the first place.

“Yeah!” April said brightly, hoping her excited attitude would draw away from the fear growing in her best friend’s eyes. “It’s good to see you. Isn’t it, DJ?” She turned towards her friend expectantly, whose green eyes only grew wider.

“I-it’s great! Or, or cool! Or, it’s very normal. Awesome. Fun…tastic to see you.” DJ sputtered on her words, drawing a quiet laugh out of Steve. Robin didn’t seem phased as she took another sip of her beer.

“You know, I think we had English together sophomore year,” She said, eyes focusing on April, who smiled with recognition.

“Yeah! I think you’re right. God, Mr. Shipman was an absolute trip.” April replied, twisting her hair up into a bun.

“I took English!” DJ offered, and Steve moved towards her, patting her on the shoulder.

“Take a lap, champ.” He said, and DJ nodded, still flustered as she moved to dip her toes in the deep end of the pool. “That went so badly I hope she doesn’t drown herself.” Steve muttered softly against April's ear, causing her to stifle a laugh.

“So how long have you two been going out?” Robin asked. DJ was still on the other side of the pool making splashing sounds with her feet that were loud enough to cause a scene. Steve and April looked at each other.

“Like… five months at this point?” Steve asked, and April shrugged in agreement. Robin looked between them with a smile.

“How exactly did you pull her, Harrington? She seems a little too cerebral for you.” Robin tilted her head, smile taking form into a shit-eating grin as April giggled and Steve’s face dropped.

“That’s what I’m saying!” DJ shouted from the other side of the pool.

“Well, considering the fact that I don’t even know what ‘cerebral’ means, yeah, you’re probably right.” Steve said coolly. “We met through her cousin-”

“Her cousin who is a child.” DJ added in a yell, cutting Steve off.

“Who I, y’know, look out for sometimes-”

“He’s a glorified babysitter who doesn’t get paid.” DJ continued, and Steve turned towards her, placing his hands on his hips.

“Shut the fuck up, Dorothy.” Steve shouted as DJ padded her way back over to them, wet feet slapping on the concrete.

“Make me, Harrington!” DJ gestured towards him and he moved ever-so-slightly before April put a hand on his arm, redirecting the conversation back to where it had started.

“I tutored him.” April said. “And to be honest, I thought he was a major douche. But he actually turned out to be a big softie.”

“Is that why he can’t get it-” Before DJ could finish, Steve turned towards her and pushed her in the pool, causing all three of the girls to yelp as DJ landed smack in the middle of the water.

“Jesus, Steve!” April exclaimed, though she was laughing. Robin was laughing, too, and Steve cracked a smile, guzzling the last of his beer.

“Took care of that problem, huh?” Steve said as DJ spluttered, spitting chlorinated water out of her mouth and pushing her sopping wet hair out of her eyes.

“Not fair!” DJ exclaimed, although she was smiling, too. Before she knew what was happening, a whiz of a blue bathing suit was making its way into the pool with a whoop, landing beside her. Once she had popped back up out of the water, Robin smiled at DJ, eyes reflecting the color of the pool.

“Couldn’t leave you alone in here, could I?” Robin said, and DJ did her best to keep her body from short-circuiting. Still on land, April eyed Steve nervously, body tense as she waited for him to push her in, too. Steve stared at her, his hands on his hips.

“I’ll at least give you the dignity of taking your clothes off first.” He said, eyes drifting towards DJ, whose large shirt was fanning around her like an underwater overcoat.

“Gee, what a gentleman.” April grinned, stripping off her denim shorts and t-shirt to reveal an emerald green bikini underneath. Steve waited with amusement as April tossed them to the side, then scooped her up bridal style and tossed her into the pool before chucking off his own shirt and cannon-balling after her.

DJ swam towards the shallow end to peel off her now soaking denim shorts and t-shirt, tossing them with a loud plop onto the side of the pool. She felt a lot lighter in just her maroon bikini.

Once the group was officially cooled off and fully chlorinated, they removed their soaking bodies to lay out by the side of the pool, each nursing cold beers, condensation dripping onto the already wet concrete.

“So,” Robin said, a grin plastered on her face as she reached her free hand towards her bag, “I brought something that might make today a little more interesting.” Steve raised an eyebrow, his interest piquing. Robin whipped a baggie out of her purse, holding it up for the friends to see, and April laughed.

“Magic oregano,” DJ said, making April laugh harder as Steve stood up, grabbing the bag from Robin’s outstretched fingers.

“Brownie points for Buckley.” Steve moved towards the nearby table to begin rolling the joint.

“I didn’t know you smoked, Robin,” April said, prompting the girl to shrug. Steve scoffed.

“Are you kidding? Look at her. Her nails are painted black and she’s in band.” Robin made a face as both April and DJ laughed.

“Okay, okay, fair,” April conceded.

“I wouldn’t think you guys smoked,” Robin said. “DJ, maybe. Steve, sure. Definitely not you, April.”

April shrugged. “I like to have fun.”

“She likes to have a break from talking all the time.” Steve translated, licking the rolling paper. April grinned.

“What does that mean?” Robin asked.

“I go really quiet when I get high.” April explained, and DJ nodded enthusiastically.

“Nonverbal, almost.” DJ added. “It’s really kind of funny.”

“Wish you’d go nonverbal,” Steve muttered, and DJ’s head whipped towards him.

“Do I have to remind you you’ve never won a fight, Harrington? Want to make that record zero to three?” DJ said, and Steve gave the girl a wary look, going the long way to avoid her as he moved towards Robin, who held her lighter outstretched towards him. “You’re lucky I don’t have that. All it would take is one jab of that fire in your direction and the amount of hairspray up in that wig of yours would make you go bald in an instant.” April couldn’t help but laugh as Steve flicked the lighter in DJ’s direction before bringing the joint to his lips, taking a puff.

He handed it to April, who took a small drag and suppressed a cough as she handed it to Robin, who took a similar hit, who passed it to DJ, who held it to her lips far too long just to stop herself from thinking about the fact that her hand had brushed Robin’s. She coughed up a storm, handing the joint back to Steve, who laughed.

“Little smaller next time, Wilkerson.” He advised, and she glared at him with watery eyes, trying to stop the coughs from coming out of her. They each took one more hit, then another, until a little less than half the joint was left, which Steve stubbed out to save for later.

It didn’t take long until all of their brains were humming, tuned on the frequency of a certain kind of tranquilness that only came from joints like these. They all stared up at the sky, admiring the way the clouds went by, the shapes they made, the way they danced in the air.

“This is nice.” Robin said. “I honestly wasn’t gonna come, but… this is nice.”

“Yeah,” DJ agreed with a lazy smile.

“If I’d have known you’d had weed up your sleeve, I would’ve invited you over a long time ago, Robin.” Steve said, turning towards her slightly. “Where’d you get it?”

“You guys know Eddie Munson?” Robin asked. Steve frowned.

“Who?” He asked.

“He’s a senior. He’s in that Dungeons and Dragons club, with the long hair? Looks like he could be straight out of Metallica, or something, and he’s kind of weird, but in a harmless way, and definitely nicer than he looks - but anyways, he sells weed, good weed, obviously, and my friend told me about him, and his prices aren’t too bad, so around last year, I started buying from him and was like ‘Oh! This is cool!’ and so I’ve kept going back and-”

“I think you've made your point.” Steve said, shutting the girl down before she could continue. DJ sat up, staring at him.

“Let her speak.” Steve rolled his eyes as DJ laid back down again.

“So, anyways, yeah. I buy from Eddie. That was really the end of the story.” Robin said with a shrug.

“I have such an urge to jump in the pool right now.” DJ said, eyes on the sunlight that danced across the water’s surface.

“Don’t,” Steve warned, shielding his face from the sun with his arm, “You’re gonna get yourself killed.”

“No, I’m not,” DJ argued. “And even if I did, you’re a lifeguard, right? So you could just save me or whatever.” Steve gave her a pointed look.

“I’ll go in the pool with you!” Robin offered, sitting up in her own chair. DJ grinned, looking towards Steve again.

“See? Two against one. April, you in?” April shook her head.

“No, I’m good.” She said, eyes closed as Steve played with the ends of her hair. DJ shrugged, moving towards the edge of the pool.

“Okay, still two against one. That’s fine. Majority rules. But don’t worry, Mom, I won’t, like, backflip into the pool or anything.”

“You don’t know how to backflip.”

“Yes, I do.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Yes, I do.”

“Get in the pool before I push you in.” Steve said, and though he made no effort to move, DJ cannonballed into the pool without another moment’s hesitation.

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i hope you guys enjoyed this part! these characters are so special to me and i'm having such a fun time with their dynamics :)

#platonic stobin #robin buckley #robin buckley fanfic #robin buckley x reader #steve harrington #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington x reader #stobin friendship #stranger things #stranger things fanfiction

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weilongfu · 3 months ago

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Unfiltered Sunburn

(The "alpha pissing contest" Po mentioned during Chlorinated Salt Water. It's 1000000% wish fulfillment Earn hate. Don't judge.)

"Excuse me for a moment," Thame said with a smile and a gentle squeeze of Po's hand. "I'll be right back and the next round is on me." Po gave Thame a look. "What?" Thame squeezed Po's hand again. "I'll be fine, I'm just going to the bathroom."

After looking around the room, Po squeezed back. "Okay, don't come back too quick. I think Baifern will enjoy being conscious for a few moments even if it means you're not here."

Thame watched Baifern stir at the sound of her name and winked in her direction despite Po's annoyed huff. Understandably, Baifern shrieked and fainted again. "She says I'm not her bias, but that keeps happening. What would happen if I invited Per here tonight?"

"Other than Gam killing you?" Thame only smiled in response. "You're a menace."

"Just for you," Thame said before kissing the back of Po's hand, earning another round of cooing and screams as he walked away.

The bathroom was quiet when Thame entered but the door opened with a loud bang as he zipped up his fly to leave.

"So you're dating Po."

Thame only gave Earn the pleasure of being viewed from the corner of his eyes. "I am."

"And how much did he pay you just to get you to come to the party tonight?" Earn leaned against the wall by the urinal. The smell of alcohol, urinal cake, and something like photo developer solution was beginning to stick to Thame's nose and of the three, he wasn't sure which was Earn's scent. "Or did he ask as a favor back when you both worked for ONER?"

"Neither," Thame replied as he moved to wash his hands. "I pursued him, I wooed him, we danced one of the oldest dances two people might dance, and now I'm here." Thame flicked the water off his hands before moving to the air dryer. "And what about you?" Thame timed it perfectly and failed to hear Earn's annoyed huff over the running machine. "How did you get P'Po to date you? I can't imagine it was your smarts, your wits..." Thame looked over his shoulder at Earn. "Or your capabilities."

"I was- AM very capable. He thought he was helping me, supporting me because he loved me, but I did plenty on my own! I'm a CEO of my own successful company-"

"That P'Po did all the design and promotional work for. That you took all the credit for and only wanted to give him credit for after he became famous and it'd be even more advantageous for you." Thame nodded and turned to face Earn at last before leaning against the wall by the sink. "That is a kind of capable. I've seen it a lot with managers that get fired before the end of their first month."

Earn sputtered. "You have a lot of nerve for a washed-up idol."

"Well I did only just wash my hands. It'll take a bit for me to wash the rest of myself in a sink and get rid of the rest of my nerve if that's what you want, phi."

Earn finally growled and moved to get into Thame's face, but Thame was quicker and despite being nearly the same height, Thame tipped his head up and Earn wound up looking down at their shoes. Thame growled low and even the grumbles from Earn's throat stopped. Here, backed against a wall, the smell of musk and leather began to override the smell of photo developer.

"Thank you, phi, for educating me on the kind of partner you were." Thame continued to tip his head up just to look down on Earn. "Shallow, selfish, rude, and impulsive. I promise to take even better care of P'Po so he'll forget all about you and continue to be even happier. Please look forward to it."

Earn sneered at the floor and Thame resisted knocking Earn over so he could kiss it. Another huff and Earn shoved Thame aside and stormed out, leaving the scent of anger and shame in his wake. Thame breathed out and felt the tension leave his body before washing his face slightly to remove the smell from his nose and leaving the bathroom.

"You're back," Po said with a small smile as Thame sat back down. He glanced over at the bar where Earn was throwing back drinks a little vehemently. "Did Earn talk to you in there?"

"A little, he wanted to make sure I was taking good care of you, P'Po." Thame smiled. "And I made sure to tell him I was."

"Kyaaaaaa!" Baifern, now recovered and resting her cheek against her hand, gave a breathy sigh. "Mr. A and Mr. B, you look so cute together."

"Don't we, phi?" Thame threw his arm around Po's shoulders and pulled him closer despite Po's protests to Baifern. "I think P'Po is the best for me."

"He is! Ai Po! You better not waste this opportunity!"

"Oh, that reminds me!" Thame snapped his fingers before pulling out his phone. "I should be thanking you, P'Baifern, you helped P'Po find his way to me. Should I call Pepper and have him say hi to you?"

Baifern fainted again and Po raised his hand to get a waiter.

"Check please."

#thamepo #thamepo the series #thamepo heart that skips a beat #omegaverse #we hate earn in this household #fic #fanfic

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ofthecaravel · 1 year ago

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Heaven In Time

Chapter 1: Thoroughfare

Danny Wagner x Sam Kiszka

Summary: Danny, en route to California to find love, picked up small town runaway Sam on a Texas thoroughfare and has been on the road ever since. While Sam adjusts to life as himself, Danny's wondering if he's found love without even leaving the South.

Tags: Religious trauma, mentions of homophobia, Anxiety, very sweet little crushes, idk all very soft when its not Tense

Words: 5.4k

A/N: HEAVILYYYYYY inspired by Thoroughfare by Ethel Cain, even borrowed a lyric here and there. Any and all credit to my beloved Hayden. First chapter of ??? maybe 4?? but I haven't decided. There's going to be more mention of Sam's questionable Southern Baptist Christian upbringing in those and I understand that may not be everyone's cup of tea so feel free to scroll if that may be upsetting for you.

“Do you think we’re gonna get arrested?”

Over the gentle splash of the thin, chlorinated water, Sam heard Danny’s long sigh. Usually he laughed at all of Sam’s misplaced little comments and queries, but sometimes he just sighed. Sam knew he didn’t mean anything harsh by it, but it definitely didn’t feel good.

“Not if you don’t say anything,” Danny answered plainly. A smile ghosted his tired face as he rotated to face Sam, who stared back as he awkwardly bobbed with his long hair trailing behind him like a veil. After however many dusty miles and state lines they’d crossed, it always felt good when they had a motel to crash at instead of the cramped cabin of Danny’s pickup. And it felt twice as good when the motel had a pool, especially when it was nice and late at night and there was no one else around. Sam wasn’t much of a swimmer, but he was happy to tread water and watch Danny float. His broad chest would peek just over the surface of the water and his eyes would close while his dark curls moved like the fingers of lazy clouds.

Yeah, Sam was happy to watch that.

“It doesn’t feel right,” Sam murmured, watching his fingers flex anxiously under the water in the refracted view the harsh fluorescents provided. With the country sky full of nothing but mosquitoes and the occasional whistling breeze, the yellowing pool lights were the only thing illuminating them. Sam felt suddenly self conscious thinking of how washed out he must look in this rare moment where he was the one being watched. He turned to the side, only offering Danny his profile.

“They won’t know the credit card ain’t mine until we’re in Arizona,” Danny insisted in a hushed voice. “And even then, I didn’t give the desk my real name. We’re golden if you can keep that mouth of yours shut. Can you do that for me, cowboy?”

“Sure I can.” Sam bristled, but knew Danny’s request was justified. Ever since Danny had taken pity on him and picked him up on that thoroughfare back in Texas, Sam never seemed to be able to do the right thing. He had gotten as far as he had in an attempt to remove himself from the suppressing influence of his uber religious hometown, but so far it seemed like he was still dragging it along with him. It was an embarrassing first impression to leave on someone as great as Danny was turning out to be, but he hadn’t left Sam behind yet, so Sam figured he must have some redeeming qualities that kept him around.

“Atta boy,” Danny smiled, his eyes closing as he lolled his head back and drew in a deep breath of the cool night air. “Christ alive, I needed this. How long do you think we drove today?”

“5 hours?” Sam guessed, thinking back on the day. “Felt longer ‘cause of the sun.”

“Damn that sun,” Danny cursed. “Burned the hell out of my nose, too.”

“We can get lotion or something at the next gas station,” Sam offered. Truthfully, he found the ruddy blush on Danny’s nose and freckled cheeks extremely flattering, but he knew it had to hurt. Growing up in Alabama, Sam knew a thing or two about sunburn.

“With what money?” Danny laughed humorlessly, sighing again and running a hand over his face. “Although at this point, I’d be willing to skip a dinner to get my hands on some lotion. Mm. Not that I don’t appreciate your presence, but...”

Sam blinked blankly, feeling an implication pass him by like they often did. He didn’t say anything in return and sank a little further into the pool, trying not to feel even more stupid than he already did. Being tired certainly wasn’t helping, but he was really starting to feel the weight of all of his graceless actions from the past week pile on him as they swam in silence. Hopefully Danny would want to head up to their room soon and Sam could just try again the next day.

Danny noticed Sam’s silence and opened his heavy eyes to observe him with a worried look. Sam’s neck was craned and the sharp point of his nose grazed the water as he continued to stare into the palms of his submerged hands. He was halfway to prayer by the looks of it, and Danny guessed that probably wasn’t too far from the truth. It was a state of mind Sam never really seemed to leave. Danny remembered the scandalized look on Sam’s face when they’d shared their first diner meal together and Danny had picked his fork right up and gotten to work when the waitress had brought their plates. Now he knew to wait and let Sam save them with a quick round of grace before eating. Sam had never asked for his hand to hold when doing it, but somewhere between the Texas border and New Mexico, Danny had offered it up and they’d been doing it that way ever since. It sure made it a hell of a lot more tolerable for Danny to wait for Sam’s long winded recitations with his slender hand in Danny’s. He really didn’t mind too much, especially after he’d begun collecting little glimpses of the seemingly excruciating evangelical life that Sam had left behind in Alabama. Danny didn’t pry, but there was a lot about Sam that he didn’t know. He watched Sam lit up in the pale, shifting luminance coming from the pool and realized with a strange, absent pang that he wanted to know. Maybe all of it, actually.

“Not a star in the sky,” Danny commented dreamily, tilting his neck back to stare at the pitch black sky after another long minute of staring at Sam left him feeling flushed. “It was always easy to pick ‘em out when I was on the farm, but I really have to squint when I’m in cities sometimes. It’s a crying shame.”

“We had to have all the lights out in town at a certain time so I always got to see the stars,” Sam replied in a small voice. “My brothers were always looking for Castor and Pollux, but we got lost after finding Orion every single time. Always forgot whether to look up or down or west or what.”

Sam smiled at the memory, remembering watching his older brothers bicker in whispers in front of the window while pressing fingers to the glass and eventually calling Sam in for help. Their parents fell asleep fast and heavy, so nights were usually when he and his siblings really got to be themselves. Sam found himself tired during the days almost all the time, but he’d carried his drooping eyelids with a bounce in his step. Even on the rare instances when he dozed off during study or services, he’d take a ruler to the knuckles with a smile.

“I’ve always been partial to Orion,” Danny agreed, searching it out as he said it. “Probably because it’s easy to find and I’m a simple man when it comes to stuff like that.”

“You’re plenty smart,” Sam complimented. He finally lifted his head from his gloomy stance, his ear resting on his shoulder as he turned his smile on Danny. “Especially with maps. We’d be halfway to Argentina if I were the one navigating.”

“I wouldn’t mind that at all,” Danny laughed. “We can go there after we find love in California, how about that?”

“Perfect,” Sam complied, feeling a familiar sour rush of adrenaline when reminded of their end goal. It was ignorant to feel shocked over and over when he thought about it, especially considering that talk of Danny’s unknown Californian love were some of the first words Danny had ever said to him. Danny had pulled up next to Sam on the side of the road in his beat up pick up truck, told him not to run, and asked if he wanted to go see the West with him.

“‘Cause love’s out there,” Daniel had explained after Sam had hopped right in. “And I can’t leave it be.”

And Sam had agreed. Out of luck to spend and no more energy in his body to spend on walking, it was the perfect escape. It still was. It’s just that the more time he shared with Danny, the more he disliked the thought of Danny sharing time with anyone other than him. Sam was suddenly very sure he was greedy and selfish and wicked, and he made plans to pray on it after Danny had gone to sleep.

“Smart,” Danny echoed with an airy laugh, finally lifting his hair from the water and shaking his head slightly. “I don’t know about all that. If this were a movie, I’m pretty sure I’d be the muscle of the operation.”

“I guess that’d make sense. How much can you lift?”

Danny gave Sam a mischievous look and shrugged, hoping the smirk creeping onto his face didn’t give away his plans for what he’d do next.

“Not sure,” Danny answered coolly. “How much do you weigh?”

Before Sam could respond, Danny rushed forward as fast as the water allowed and grabbed Sam around the waist, boosting him up with a noisy splash. Sam shrieked initially, but it gave way to a surprised laugh, every nerve alight with buzzing heat as Danny lifted him up. Danny could only manage to keep him up for another few moments before buckling at the knee from the close contact, allowing Sam a little time to plug his nose before Danny dunked him under.

Sam met the shifting blur of the pale water and felt a jarring, overwhelming peace as the water swallowed all sound and sensation and he began to sink to the bottom. For a second, he thought he might like to stay there forever, just floating and free from everything he didn’t understand about what was happening to him, what had already happened. What he wanted to happen.

Sam didn’t even feel the sizzle of his lungs begging for air until he opened his eyes best he could and saw the blur of what was waiting for him up above.

Now, Sam had obviously been far too young for him to remember his baptism, but as he brought himself back to consciousness and pushed himself out of the water and into Danny’s arms, he imagined it was a similar experience. Without really thinking, his arms went around Danny’s neck and he breathed in a great, shuddering gasp, desperately filling his chest with air as Danny’s arms reflexively wrapped around him and kept Sam pinned to his chest as he coughed.

“Fuck, Sam, did you forget to breathe?” Danny whispered urgently, resisting the urge to shout and wake the other motel patrons. “I mean, pardon my French, but you scared the shit out of me for a second there!”

“Sorry,” Sam choked out as he began to control his breathing and let it give way to an embarrassed laugh. “I got distracted for a minute.”

“Yeah, I’d definitely say you were coming up on a minute!” Danny sputtered, patting Sam’s back in a last ditch effort to knock any water loose. “I’ve never seen anyone go that long underwater. Good lord. You sure you’re okay?”

“I’m okay, I promise,” Sam insisted, leaning back to flash Danny a sincere look of assurance. Curiously, he didn’t feel the need to unlock his arms from behind Danny’s neck when doing so. In the same way, Danny didn’t feel the need to release his grip on Sam, keeping their bare chests flush as Sam comically mimicked drawing in deep breaths and releasing them to demonstrate his capability.

“Fine, fine, I believe you,” Danny relented, despite the anxiety still fluttering in his chest. “Just don’t scare me like that again. I get nervous enough when you’re out of my sight, and now you’re telling me I gotta worry about you when you’re right in front of me? Phew.”

“What do you mean you get nervous when I’m out of your sight?” Sam laughed, his dark brow crinkling inquisitively as his stomach gave a little flip.

“Just worried you’ll get to wandering,” Danny replied with faux nonchalance. “Don’t want some lawless vagabond picking you off the street.”

“Ain’t that what you did?”

Danny tossed his head back and let out a loud laugh, knowing he needed to be much quieter than he was but doing nothing to rectify it. Sam burst into a round of hushed giggles and attempted to put his hands over Danny’s mouth as he shushed him theatrically. They goodnaturedly tussled for a minute before Danny finally let Sam go, pushing him back and looking away with a nervous laugh still running its course in his chest.

“I got enough law in me to keep an eye on you,” Danny continued on, flicking his wrist lightly to splash Sam. “Can’t have you leaving me to drive the rest of the way on my own.”

“Well, I only ever leave if there’s not much worth staying for,” Sam muttered. It wasn’t entirely true when considering the importance of what he’d left behind in favor of hitchhiking aimlessly in pressing Texan heat, namely his family. He felt guilty saying it, but Danny took his words with pillow softness. His laugh melted into a shy smile that fell on Sam like a kiss on the forehead.

“Lucky me, I suppose,” Danny smiled, punching Sam gently on the shoulder. “I’ll do my best to make the rest of the trip worth staying for.”

“You won’t have to try too hard,” Sam replied sincerely. “I’m having a lot of fun so far.”

“Yeah?” Danny questioned with an amused arch of his eyebrow. “You’re having fun coughing up dust in the passenger seat of a beat up truck that doesn’t work half the time? You’re having fun having to share flat, suspiciously stained motel beds with some sorry hick you met two weeks ago?”

“Well, when you put it that way, it sounds terrible,” Sam laughed. “But it is fun. It’s the in-between stuff that’s fun.”

“Like what?” Danny prodded, giving Sam another playful little splash.

He asked without any real pressure, but there was a big part of Danny that really needed to know if he was making this spontaneous road trip a good time for Sam. It seemed a little ridiculous to some extent considering that when Danny set off, he wasn’t expecting any kind of lingering company in the slightest. At the end of the day, Sam was a borderline neurotic runaway that Danny had taken a chance on after some strange gut feeling had told him to take a left and not a right while driving aimlessly. But at the same time, Danny was really starting to like him. It both confused and warmed him.

“I don’t know!” Sam sputtered. “It’s always fun to look through gas stations for stupid knick knacks. That mood ring keychain was pretty cool, you have to admit.”

Danny only laughed in response. The tacky keychain had pretty obviously been for kids, but with the way Sam’s eyes had lit up when he pressed his thumb to the heat reactive surface, Danny had found that fact the least important part of the equation.

“It’s fun when the diner menus have stupid names for the sandwiches,” Sam continued, feeling increasingly more embarrassed talking about himself. “And I definitely have fun when I get to listen to my station on the radio.”

“And you can continue to have that fun in half hour intervals,” Danny asserted, trying not to roll his eyes while recalling Sam’s beloved church music station. “Anything else?”

“Hmm. This is pretty fun,” Sam answered with a quick, impish shrug. “Even though you tried to drown me.”

“Hey!” Danny scoffed while Sam sailed into another round of delighted giggles. “I’ll show you drowning!”

Danny reached out and they wrassled again, a flurry of arms and bickering laughter as Danny pretended to try and dunk Sam under the water. Once again, Sam’s arms went around Danny’s neck as they struggled, and once again he made no move to remove them when Danny slowed. However, this time around, when Sam felt the careless adrenaline fueling him with a whisper of unknown courage, he seized it and gave Danny a quick kiss on the cheek. It was no more than 2 seconds of his lips on Danny’s slightly stubbled skin, but it struck Danny like a slap to the face. Sam released his grip on him and gave him a good natured smile.

“Seriously, this is so fun,” Sam insisted. “But we’ll never sleep if we keep being rowdy. Bed?”

“Good thinking,” Danny replied a little too quickly, successfully fighting a quiver in his voice and letting out a silent, choked sigh when Sam turned his back on him and started making his way to the edge of the pool. Facing away from Danny allowed Sam a moment to let his innocent, grateful gesture sink in. He began to panic slightly, rushing out a hurried mental prayer that Danny hadn’t taken it the wrong way. Sam almost turned to apologize, but decided it would be more awkward if he did, instead electing to haul himself out of the pool and grab his towel as if nothing out of the ordinary was raging inside his head.

Meanwhile, Danny definitely wasn’t taking it the wrong way. But he was taking it in a very surprising way. Feeling sudden and immense guilt, he realized that he was really going to have to book it to the hook where his towel hung in order to cover the “reaction” he was having to Sam’s little kiss. Thankfully, he was able to make it without Sam seeing. Danny felt grateful for his Southern charm when Sam finally did turn his doe eyed smile back on him and Danny was able to steer their conversation in a new direction as they walked to their room and he kept his towel tightly wound around his waist.

But neither one of them really recovered from it. Something so small and instantaneous weighed heavily in the back of their minds as they went about their separate nighttime routines and turned away from each other when Danny turned the light off.

After an infuriating hour of staring up at the flaking ceiling and listening to the muffled whistle of a keening wind outside the window, Sam finally heard Danny begin to snuffle and sigh, signifying sleep. He released a pent up sigh and rubbed a hand over his eyes as he tried to manifest sleep. A few hours prior he had been nearly nodding off at dinner, but now that he was alone in the inviting dark with Danny, it was hard to keep his eyes closed. Usually he whispered himself to sleep with psalms that lulled him into a fuzzy, dreamless void, but it felt wrong to do so with the imagery pervading his mind. None of it was graphic, simply a replay of how it felt to float in Danny’s arms. And how safe he felt with Danny’s hand on his back. How the feeling of his mouth on Danny’s cheek made him wonder how it would feel if it were the other way. How it would’ve felt if Danny had picked that moment to turn slightly, causing Sam to catch his lips instead of his stubble.

It was shameful, but Sam felt himself tensing and carefully guiding each muscle so that he could turn over to lay on his side facing Danny’s back. Unable to lay alone with his thoughts any longer, he decided that the sight of the body next to him would be enough to quell the uncomfortable desire in his chest that was beginning to frighten him slightly. However, he was startled to find that Danny had turned over at some point as well. Sam’s heart flitted and jabbed at him from his ribcage as he took in the sight of Danny’s cheek pressed to the pillow, his mouth ever so slightly ajar as he drew in deep breaths. He was laying on his chest, and Sam fought the urge to trace the swells of muscles in his arms as they came to cross underneath the pillow beneath his head. There was a needling, demanding pull in Sam’s stomach now, one that yanked and strained the longer Sam took in the sight of Danny’s placid, perfect face in the spectral moonlight. It puppeteered him to slide a trembling hand up and delicately cup Danny’s freckled cheek. Sam felt as though he was doing something exceedingly terrible when his thumb traced a gentle journey over Danny’s skin that still buzzed with heat from his light burn. Danny drew in a big breath and released it through his nose, stern eyebrows knitting slightly in a dream as Sam screamed at himself in his head to move his hand, flip back over, and just go to sleep. Yet it seemed like such an insurmountable task now that he’d felt Danny’s breath on his wrist. Worse, it reminded Sam of the proximity of Danny’s lips to his own, only inches away and closer even to his fingers. Sam’s mind raced as he became obsessed with possibility.

His dreams were quickly dashed in a moment of blinding, white hot panic as Danny sniffed and stirred, stretching his arms slightly as his eyelids fluttered. Even with Danny rousing, Sam couldn’t find the strength to move his hand. He kept it resting with soft pressure on Danny’s cheek as he panicked about whether or not to feign sleep. All the while, Danny blinked fully and his eyes came into focus. Sam settled for a fake, heavy lidded gaze, doing his own round of “half asleep” blinking as Danny studied his expression. Danny let out an amused huff through his nose and his arm facing Sam loudly disturbed the sheets as it lifted from under the pillow and his hand clumsily tapped against Sam’s own on his face.

“You’re dreaming, Sam,” Danny mumbled, his voice low and grumbling as he fought to speak without falling asleep again. “Go to sleep.”

“Not dreaming,” Sam whispered tiredly. He watched as Danny’s hand stretched and rested fully over his own, Danny’s fingers curling a little as his eyes closed again and he began to doze.

It was such a little thing, but that pull inside of Sam snapped. There was something overwhelming him, and in his exhausted, newly freed state of mind, he saw no other option but to succumb. For the first time, when he felt the compulsion to pray for his salvation, he ignored it outright.

Shifting forward, Sam used his hand on Danny’s face as leverage to gently pull himself forward and press his lips to Danny’s. He did so with no real pressure, simply lingering as long as Danny would allow him to and trapping a shivering breath inside his lungs as his eyes closed at the relief. He fully expected Danny to spit and push him off the bed, leaving him right then and there to hop in his truck and find California all on his own like he was supposed to. His fingers pressed into Danny’s skin at the thought, holding on to him as long as he could before this impulse came back to bite him in what he was sure would be seconds.

Instead, he was met with the ginger push of Danny’s lips meeting him halfway. It only lasted for a couple of seconds, and Sam could taste the lingering whisper of mint toothpaste on his breath behind the numbing warmth of his tongue, which did no more but tap momentarily at Sam’s closed lips. When Danny’s lips unstuck from his, Danny barely pulled away to speak, giving Sam the luxury of their close proximity for longer than he ever could have dreamed of.

“Now you’re just getting my hopes up,” Danny breathed with a laugh that lasted only a fraction of a second and seemed more like a punch of air from his chest.

Not really understanding what Danny meant, Sam flew into another panic. He could no longer feign a sleepy stare and blinked rapidly with restless nerves waking him up all the way. His heart pounded in his ears and he prayed his hand wouldn’t prickle with sweat from the dread beginning to course through him. All at once, he could hear a chorus of a hundred voices from back home reminding him of the great, divine consequence of what he was doing.

“Sorry,” Sam apologized, his eyes immediately prickling with anxious tears. “I just…”

“I just don’t want you waking up tomorrow and feeling all…you know, guilty or whatever ‘cause of something you did half asleep,” Danny murmured. He cursed his moral compass pointing him to true north, even in this miraculous circumstance when the dial seemed to be spun on its axis entirely.

“I’m awake,” Sam argued in a whisper. “That’s why I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that with you sleeping, that’s-”

“I was awake, too,” Danny replied simply. “I mean, when...”

An infuriating, tense minute passed between the two of them. There was much to be said, and also nothing at all. Too little time had passed in each other’s company to have any kind of profound feeling to confess, and yet there was a confounding magnetism that left them staring into the other’s eyes with heavy breath and rattling hearts. Danny’s hand eventually fell from where it had lain over Sam’s, but before Sam’s heart could sting with hurt at the loss, he felt Danny’s arm adjust to wrap around his waist and pull him closer. With this motion, their lips connected again, and Sam breathed in sharply through his nose as he attempted to fall into the rhythm of this disarming, second ever kiss. The matchbox capacity of the motel room and the sleeping world beyond its cracked windows were swallowed up by the fervor of Danny’s shuddering breath and the heat rolling off his skin. Sam heard the chastising chorus in the back of his conscience begin to sing again when Danny’s hand on his lower back tightened its grip. His heart hammered thinking about roaring hellfire and scores of taunting devils, but when Danny carefully rolled Sam onto his back and Sam opened his eyes, he saw only an angel.

“This sure is a step up from your little gesture in the pool,” Danny acknowledged, caging Sam in with an arm at his side and another by his head.

“I was only saying thank you,” Sam muttered sheepishly, struggling to speak with his throat so dry and his muscles so alive with flickering reactions he fought to suppress.

“What are you saying now?”

Sam fell silent. He had no experiences to draw on or words in his vocabulary to place what he felt about Danny. Kind, gracious, handsome Danny, hovering over him with the patience he doled out time and time again when lesser men would have rolled their eyes and drove off.

“I think…” Sam started, fighting to sort his scattered, uninformed feelings. “I’m still saying thank you.”

Unexpectedly, Danny’s eyes flickered with apprehension. Sam’s eyebrows knit with confusion when Danny leaned back to straddle Sam’s hips, suddenly wearing a somber expression. Sam’s bottom lip quaked and pouted as he hurriedly propped himself up on his elbows.

“What?” Sam blurted. “I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, fuck, I fucked it all up, didn’t I?”

“I just really hope you don’t feel like you have to…do anything for me just ‘cause I’m giving you a ride,” Danny said earnestly. “I’d be really sore if you thought of me that way. I don’t expect a single thing from you.”

Sam’s heart gave a deep, aching clench as Danny’s words sank in. He felt his eyes nearly welling with tears again as he watched Danny look down at his hands in his lap before flicking his eyes up to Sam, probing him for a response.

“No,” Sam replied firmly, pushing off the bed to sit straight and stare up properly into Danny’s eyes. “No, no, that’s not it at all. I would never. Never ever. You should know that, Danny, come on. I, it’s just…”

He trailed off again, blushing with embarrassment as the words finally came to him, plain and true.

“I just like you is all,” Sam admitted, thankful for the shade of night to conceal the flush he knew was painting his face pink. “I’m sorry.”

“You keep apologizing when you got nothing to apologize for,” Danny accused quietly. His hands were close to shaking as he tried to calm himself down, but it was hard not to shiver at Sam’s confession.

��Sorry. Product of my upbringing, I guess.”

“Well, I got a bone to pick with a lot of things about your upbringing, if I’m being perfectly honest.”

“Me too,” Sam whispered truthfully.

Danny studied Sam’s face with that familiar worried look he found himself sporting every day now, taking a minute to smooth Sam’s hair back and get lost in his dark, doll-like gaze.

“I know it wasn’t part of the plan,” Sam went on with a small, shameful voice.

Danny let out an airy, one note laugh through his nose and rolled his eyes, finally plucking up the courage to cup Sam’s cheek as Sam had done to him.

“I’m not even sure what ‘the plan’ is anymore,” Danny sighed, finding it difficult to look anywhere but Sam’s rosy frown. “I know what I said, but I think deep down all I really wanted to do was go. California just seemed like the best place to start.”

“So…” Sam coaxed, unable to stop himself from tilting his chin into Danny’s grip. “When will you know where you’re going?”

“Now that I’ve met you, Sam? I think I know where I’m headed.”

Before Sam could bring up any matters of direction, of Danny’s supposed destined Californian love, or of what was to become of them as a them, Danny kissed Sam for a third time. Nothing special, nothing mind blowing. Yet with it, Sam felt every saying about the magic number, three strikes, and the Holy Trinity itself fade in comparison. And when Danny laid him down again, Sam swore he could see the stars.

The next morning, Sam sat in the passenger seat of the truck with his head hanging out the window, chestnut hair spilling behind him in the wind as the bare fields and pale blue sky rolled on by. With his shirt unbuttoned to remedy the heatwave, anyone would’ve been able to see the small, tender bruises lining his collarbone and marching down his chest. Beside him, Danny kept one eye firmly on the empty road and the other on his passenger. On a whim, he took a hand off the wheel to fiddle with the radio, adept fingers spinning the knob until a choral worship song came crackling over the waves. Sam turned his head at the music and made a fond sound, shoving Danny’s shoulder with a light push and settling back into his seat. However, after a minute of listening, Sam found himself reaching to change the station. He settled on a rock station blasting a song dripping with bass and drums, nodding his head along to it curiously as Danny shot him an incredulous smile.

“I fear I’ve corrupted you,” Danny laughed, reaching out to muss Sam’s hair.

“Good,” Sam hummed. “I needed it.”

“Yeah, you did. Just remember you promised not to go running off on me. And no bar fights. And before you ask, tattoos are a solid maybe.”

Sam laughed, pressing up against the headrest as he kicked his boots up on the dashboard and allowed himself to recline. For a moment, it crossed his mind that this might be one of the first times in his life he felt truly comfortable. It also crossed his mind that Danny’s persistent worry of Sam running off into the night was becoming increasingly more ridiculous. As he looked at the man driving next to him, who was miraculously unaware of the midday sun setting his curls and perfect side profile alight, Sam knew with confidence there was nowhere else he’d rather be.

Chapter 2!

#the day i stop writing fanfics based off of ethel cain songs is the day i die #i will never stop or get better or learn #gvf #greta van fleet #danny wagner #sam kiszka #sanny gvf #greta van fleet fanfiction #greta van art #karoufiction

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