#FUCK I FORGOT CODY'S FRECKLES

[glitterblooded]

so i made something

This is probably my favorite edit I've made so far! 😭💕💕

BTW THIS WAS THE EDIT I WAS INSPIRED FROM!!

Someone told me the credits in the replies! CREDIT GOES TO: tylerluvxr_

ANYWAYS NOCO NATION i hope y'all appreciate this!! 💋💄❤️ Love you guys!

[gigglinggoblin]

Whisper Drinkers: No More Words

Image used with permission from the lovely and fantastically talented Cody Darkstalker! Go check out her gorgeous collection on her Twitter, Instagram and Onlyfans!

[pov: anygirl, femdom, undead but sweet, nsfw, hypnosis, fantasy, intelligence reduction, pet play, headpats, leghumping, consensual, but you know maybe don’t actually drain your partner’s thoughts without asking them irl idk you should tell them if you’re a vampire thing that drinks words is all I’m saying]

"U-Um, so, so maybe I'm talking too much," Ami whimpered, as the mysterious woman next to her on the bed reached over, took her by the hand, and began to delicately caress it, running long and slender fingertips over Ami's palm and smiling slyly up at her, "it's just th-that I'm, um, well, see, I've never—never had anyone in my room before, is all."

The raven-haired beauty smiled up at her, hearts dotting her cheeks like freckles, luscious lips parted in a tempestuous pout. Her pretty jewelry caught the room’s rosy light so dazzlingly. So glamorous and glimmery...

Ami squirmed and barely held in a squeak as the woman beamed and scooted a little closer. She reached up and affectionately stroked Ami's cheek.

Then her hand slipped down to tug at the neckline of Ami's modest blouse.

"Oh!" Ami bit her lip, excitement trickling through her almost as fast as the red rushing to her cheeks. "I-I mean, well, see, of course I—" Her voice nearly broke as she felt her hand being guided to the woman's breast, guided to rest there, to gently feel the softness of the woman's skin, such a pretty hue of rosy-pink in the light.

"—it's not my room, of course," she corrected, cheeks burning, wiggling as the woman started undoing buttons on the blouse, undressing her even as she babbled. Why can’t I stop talking? Please, gods, let me stop talking.

"I mean, it is, because—well, I paid f-for the room, it's an inn, obviously. It's just tha—<i>aaaaat</I>—" She practically mewled as she felt her blouse being tugged away, as the woman leaned in even closer, and she breathed in that sweet minty perfume. Oh, fuck, this lady smelled so... so nice...

"Just that," she panted, but her words were scattering to the winds as those soft, luscious, pouty lips settled on her neck and began to kiss slowly, sweetly, indulgently across her skin, "just that, um, I mean, I-I've... I've, um... never..."

She felt a hand on her side, and without thinking, Ami allowed herself to be steered so she could be pushed back onto the bed.

Her head settled onto the pillow, and she was squirming and blushing and whimpering as she now felt the mysterious woman's cool, plush weight on her, pinning her to the bed, as those lips smacked indulgently along her neck and jawline. "... n-never," she whimpered, marveling at the softness of the breast as she squeezed and fondled it, "never... with..."

She trailed off into a moan as those wonderful kisses reached the sensitive spot where her neck met her shoulders, as her sensible bra was undone to join the blouse beneath her.

Her head was starting to feel so... so bubbly. So fizzy. She actually giggled as she felt the woman's fingers running through her hair, stroking her with the utmost gentleness. "Oh, um, g-gosh," she gasped, wriggling, "you're... p-petting me l-like I'm s-some kind of... um... um... umm..."

Kitten. Puppy. Bunny. Pet. Silly girl who needs to be comforted and soothed. She struggled to form the words, desperate to fill the silence, but no sooner had the thoughts bubbled up into her mind than they were gone. She blinked dazedly, bubbles popping throughout her fizzy pink mind.

The kisses paused. The woman pulled up and blinked innocently down at her, parting those soft, kissable lips in a seductive pout.

Ami stared up into those eyes. Stared at those lips. A little whimper escaped her, but she found she didn’t... didn’t quite know what to say right now.

But even as she was given a brief reprieve from the kisses, Ami squirmed, feeling some... other attentions getting a lot more pronounced. That other hand was not being idle. Long, slender, delicate fingers ran over her breasts, groping, fondling, stroking in dainty spirals around her nipples.

Ami shivered. Even more tantalizingly, the strange woman's knee was placed right between Ami's thighs so... so perfectly, and the thought occurred to her that it would be so easy to just kind of... grind...

Her words melted away, and she giggled, quite forgetting exactly what she'd been trying to say. "Th-This feels... nice..." she mumbled, as more bubbles of pink pleasure popped in her mind, as she found herself grinding more and more overtly, unable to remember why she would ever hold back.

She let out a moan, and oh, gods, moaning felt so good... so much better than talking...

The woman smiled and cooed her pleasure with Ami, one of the first sounds, Ami realized dumbly, she'd heard the woman make so far. And then she forgot why this was strange, because the lady’s voice was so pretty, and knowing her lover was pleased just made Ami want to grind and hump harder as those kisses returned to her neck, her breasts, so soft and sweet and indulgent, and Ami mewled and whined happily.

She could no longer remember much of anything, actually, aside from feeling good. She humped the strange woman's leg like a wifwolf in heat, moaning and panting, because why would she need to babble and prattle when she could be making cute horny noises like those that seemed to please the woman so well?

She beamed and cooed and wriggled happily as the woman rose up slightly, those glowing crimson eyes shining like twin sunsets, so pretty, so happy with Ami.

Ami was being a good girl, Ami knew, even if her lover couldn't say it. And that realization was the sweetest feeling of all.

And Ami giggled and squealed and bounced and ground against the leg as she came, came under her skirt like a good girl, and made even more adorable noises in the process.

She was panting, red-faced, gasping for breath. She was drowning in the pink mist. Drifting in the fizzy pink bubbles.

But... she was still horny, she realized dimly, even in afterglow.

So, so horny.

She stared up into those bright lights and smiled dreamily as her beautiful pale lover leaned down for the softest of kisses, the stranger’s lips pillowy and fulsome, her own sighs of bliss impossibly faint but sending Ami into a daze of pleasure.

Ami wrapped her arms around her lover and moaned into the kiss, and happily allowed her inner thoughts to dissolve, for a time, into pure, sweet nothings.

The pale woman no longer felt cold. But maybe Ami was just blushing hot enough for the both of them now.

~ ~ ~ ~

Whisper drinkers are a rare and unusual form of vampire that drink not blood, or cum, or milk, but words themselves. Said to arise from those who died lost to their own worries and anxieties, the whisper drinker is often considered a benevolent spirit, as far as any of the Dead can be described as such. They are often drawn to the worried, tired or anxious, and with their kisses, they slowly ease the thoughts away, granting their lovers a brief reprieve, comfort and affection.

Spirit Rangers consider whisper drinkers to be very low-priority targets, though it is something of a controversial subject whether whisper drinkers truly understand what they are doing. Some argue that the whisper drinker acts as a nearly elemental being, purely occupied with her instincts, and cares nothing for those she lies with. Others, particularly those who form relationships with the mute undead, claim that there is far greater complexity to the whisper drinker than anyone truly understands.

[Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this story and want to read more like it, there’s absolute tons of content on my Patreon. For just a few dollars a month, you gain access to alternate Bad Ends, bonus stories, polls on future content, early updates, erotic text-based roleplay/D&D games, and much, much more! If you can afford to, consider pledging, so I can keep posting Tumblr fics like this one on the regular! Thank you! <3]

[My Patreon] [My Commission Info]

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[mominousrex]

That Gregor: A Shebby Debbie Story

Gregor (Pre-Mia on Abafar) FANFIC!!!

Introducing female OCs (Debala & Mumu). Commander Cody gets some love too!

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF SHEBBYS.

18+ MATURE THEMES

(CH. 2 is 18+ NSFW and well...you will have to go to my AO3 for that)

Wanted to get something done for Gregor! @clonetober this one is 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Thanks to @saint-tries @catsarefurrypeople for the beta love!

SHEB = "ASS" in Mando'a

SHEBBY = A beautiful piece of ass that loves clones and is loved by clones.

CH. 1 - GIRL MEETS BOY

Oddly, it was a busy weeknight at 79’s.

Debbie didn’t even bother to style her signature red hair this evening. Her bangs were perfectly straight as usual, and the uneven layers of her blunt bob looked more casual when she just let them be. She barely had any make-up on, save for this morning’s coat of mascara that now looked like a smokey eye framing her sea-green eyes. So what if some of the boys noticed her freckles tonight? Many of them already knew most of the freckles on her body. What could it hurt if they noticed them on her cheeks and nose? At least she had four different types of lip gloss somewhere buried in her purse, somewhere. Thankfully she had her comfiest strappy heels and the ever-reliable black halter maxi dress that looked sleek and sexy but fit like a cloud of nothing.

Debbie hadn’t seen this many clones out on a Wednesday night in a long time. Perhaps some mission had gone exceptionally well and she missed the holonet report. It was hard to keep up with all the war reels lately. She’d had a long day at work and was looking forward to a simple night in for her “alone time”. Debbie was very particular about her nights to relax and be by herself. She had finally mastered the balance of having a good time with others and having a good time just hanging with herself.

But, she forgot she promised Mumu, the latest gal who happily fell into the Shebby scene, that she would meet with her tonight and go over all the different terminology and rankings of the GAR. Being a shebby was about having a good time, but it was also like a research project, a form of civil service, and a masterclass in sexual empowerment too.

When the war first started and the clones took over the fledgling 79’s club, Debbie was there almost every night of the week. The rest of the city saw them as bizarre wonders of science that only served the purpose of fighting against the Separatists. Debbie and her girlfriends saw them as something so much more. Sure they were gorgeous, built, and way too much fun. But they also invoked a desperation to live in the moment. It was contagious. They lived half-lives. For clone soldiers, life in this fucked up galaxy moved at a hyperspeed pace with their accelerated aging and constant brushes with death. Every day alive was a gift to have and a curse to keep up the fight.

When she started hanging out with one, she couldn’t help but want to see how another was different. And then another. And then another. It never ended. A different version of the same man. A man that you wanted badly, who may or may not fancy you back, but there was always another one...who absolutely did.

“Deb! Deb! Fuck girl, the commandos are here tonight! I think it’s Foxtrot, right?”

“Oh, fuckin hell they are. Commander Cody owes me a threesome.”

“Deb! You are shameless.”

“You bet I am. I won that holodart game. Fucker can’t handle losing. I knew he would chicken out,” Debbie adjusted Mumu’s wide bra strap for her and tucked it back under her top. She swept Mu’s long jet black hair to cover it up. Mumu was petite but had the galaxy’s greatest tits in the world and no idea what to do with them. The fact that she didn’t show them off made the gentle sweetness about her even more adorable.

“He’s a great fuck that Cody. But most of his men are terrible. He needs to show them. I think he’s just greedy. Not like those 501st boys. Torrent squad alone, they could tie me up again—-”

“Again?” Mumu looked both horrified and intrigued.

“You heard me,” Deb signaled to the bartender, “they could tie me up again, fuck my brains out the lot of them, and just leave me there, waiting until they get back.”

“Was the new one Fives as good as everyone says?”

“Mumu? The answer is yes, of course. He is the best at eating pussy, that’s one gifted soldier. Especially in front of his brothers. He’s a showoff. Wait, stop—You didn’t fuck him that night? Mumu you gotta listen to me when I give solid advice.”

“Oh, I know. We didn’t do anything really. Some kissing. He’s such a good kisser. It was really sweet,” Debbie’s eyes narrowed with suspicion as she listened to Mumu’s gushing, “We were having so much fun laughing and he just walked me home.”

“He walked you home? Fives?! Aw, that is...sweet. That’s some Wolfe Pack shit. They always take their time. They like the chase.” Deb realized she may have to emotionally nurse another shebby back to life after Fives. Fives was a “shiny” in the 501st and new to the shebby scene himself. An ARC trooper clone that had that rare combo of infectious charisma, romantic intelligence, and a twisted pension for drama. He wasn’t a bad guy at all. He really did fall for every girl that fell for him. It was just that practically every girl fell for him first . The civvies were the ones who would end up going absolutely berserk and waiting for him outside 79’s or sneaking into the barracks to confront him about who he’s been seeing. Shebby gals had to make sure to let the boys have their fun and move on. But Fives was almost impossible to move on from for most gals. Half the girls that his twin, Echo, hooked up with were rebounding from Fives. This was even worse because Echo was probably the one they should have hooked up within the first place (if they were looking for the fully committed, caring, and dedicated one.) Those Domino shinies were a dangerously wonderful new addition to the 501st. And Debbie made sure to tell that Captain of theirs to watch out for them. “Rex, those two are going to either save the galaxy themselves or destroy every female they encounter. Maybe both.”

Who knows? Maybe Mumu’s porcelain skin was thicker than it looked.

“Well, you’ll fuck him, Mumu. I would say just stick with that. I mean it. Ignore him and stuff. Even if he actually likes you. Which you are so fucking cute, Mu — he’s for sure into you. But don’t get too hung up on him. I think that romance shit is a turn on for him. Fives get girls all crazy in love and it makes the sex really good but then he drops ‘em and starts this crazy game where he’s juggling three or four at once,” she threw back her shot. Mumu was nodding her head like a good student agreeing to an assignment she was never going to actually do. Then she mimicked Debbie and threw back her shot too.

The great Commander Cody of the 212th had finally made his way over to the bar a few meters away. He has two or three of his men trailing behind, as usual.

One catches Debbie’s eye, a rarity. That’s a new one . The new one also catches Debbie looking at him and gives her the naughtiest little “I caught you” grin that made her chest heave with fire that shot right down to her panties.

Debbie hesitated. Which Debbie doesn’t do. Fuck. Who the fuck is that?!

“Gregor!!!” Mumu shouted and dragged Debbie by the arm as she ran over to this ...Gregor .

“Yay! My dancing buddy!” Mumu ran over and gave him a kiss as he grabbed her waist and hugged her, smiling and laughing as Mumu threw her long black hair behind her shoulders. Gregor even wiped Mumu’s bangs out her face for her as she was squealing and laughing with him. Maker of men that was a sweet move.

Debbie made sure to go nowhere near that wild animal she had yet to tame. She then heads over to Commander Cody. She was his first shebby and he was her first clone. It seemed like ages ago. The clones somehow made time feel like it was flying. Now, Cody was more like an old friend worth a laugh or the once-in-a-while lovely night of reliable, great sex, “You’re a sore loser Commander Cody. I’m owed.”

“Debala. How’s your evening?”

“It could be better, Commander. I want what I’m owed.”

“You’ll have to pardon my delay. I’m in the middle of a galactic civil war.”

“Excuses, excuses.”

Cody laughs as he orders his drink letting Debbie continue, “You know, I was hoping the 212th actually appreciated what they were fighting for. You better not start slacking on us now... Victory is up to all of us! ” They both lazily said in unison, then Cody mimed jerking off as Debala mimed getting shot in the face.

Cody chimed in looking out at Gregor and Mumu, “I like the little soldier you brought with you tonight. Her tits are incredible. She should be falling over with that little body of hers.”

“Ohhhh no you don’t! I was very clear. This time I wanted you and one of your men. We had a deal. I beat you at holodarts fair and square and it’s been two weeks, CC-2224.”

“Oh, we’re going there, Deb?” He handed her water as he drank his beer.

Gregor and Mumu come barging into this grown-up conversation. Gregor is dancing while twirling Mumu and requesting permission all at the same time. Debbie is so turned on she knows she has a look of disgust on her face. “Permission to go get something to eat, sir?”

Cody sighed, “Gregor we just ate.”

“Always hungry, sir.”

Cody looks at Deb shaking his head, “It’s true.”

“Painfully true, sir,” he winks at Debbie, “plus I want to buy Mumu here some ice cream.”

Cody gives Gregor a dry commander’s tone, “Don’t eat her ice cream, Gregor. Girls don’t like that.”

Gregor looks over at Deb, “I heard they don’t mind sharing a lick or two” a wicked giggle followed. He was locked on her, “I’m Gregor,” he said as he kissed her hand and raised his eyebrows.

“Debala,” she raised a shoulder to feign being slightly impressed.

“Hello, Debala.”

Some clones have a nice smile, some clones have a hot grin, but this one had a positively poisonous smirk. She was struck good.

“Careful Gregor, you’re talking to the Commander of the Shebby Army, Shebby Debbie.”

“Well, I only know her as Debala. I like saying your name. I'm calling you Debala ,” he said her name that time to feel it in his mouth and let his tongue flick the last syllable off of his teeth.

Deb was impressed. This one liked to play. She let her eyes size him up and he allowed it. Cody wasn’t even paying attention.

“I can make you say my name a little louder if you want, Gregor.”

He laughed at that, “I bet!” His laugh was uniquely wild and it made Debbie squeeze her thighs together and clench right then and there to practically rub herself into her seat. Her mouth was processing the false alarm of sudden arousal and she was struck speechless from his laugh, his eyes on her beaming his whole wonderful energy into her being.

Mumu is now back, “Deb! Come get ice cream with us. Gregor’s treat.”

Gregor turned to Mumu with a pinch of her soft chunk above her hips, “Gregor’s treat?! Oh is it now, Mumu? I’m taking care of both of you ? You’re gonna dance with me for one more song then!” Mumu was all over him at that point making him look beyond desirable.

“Nah love, you kids go,” Debbie hadn’t been bonked over the head like a little teenager in years, maybe a decade.

Cody once again called out to his brother, “Gregor, don’t hurt yourself again. Soldier, not a dancer.”

“Aren’t we though, Commander? He whips Mumu around with a seductive man handling twirl that now has her ass backing into him one little ass shake at a time to get home to his perfect rhythmic hips. Debbie noticed that he never took his eyes off of Mumu's face, hair, or neck. Kriff, he’s attentive. Most clones, the ones that will dance, just watch their own lap hitting your ass, grinding your crotch, or just your tits jiggling like they were men starved.

This little shit. He’s showing off his moves all over Mumu and looking at Deb the whole time. It’s getting hot, so Debbie looks over at Cody.

Gregor then tickles Mumu and she squeals and giggles all over him, her glorious breasts bouncing with every laugh. The hot and bothered mood now shifted to playful and naughty.

Debbie is still shocked she had never met him before, “Were you hiding this one from me, Cody?”

“Huh? What? Ohhhh, you want Gregor?” He smiled with a proud twinkle in his eye.

“At some point, maybe.”

Cody’s expression shifted from smiling to strategizing, “Interesting...”

Debbie always forgets that Commander Cody is actually a brilliant strategist. He was genetically designed to be so. Cody continued, “I’d like to watch him fuck her, wouldn’t you?”

Deb could play along and see where this goes, “Tempting. I might be watching that right now? I’d bet he’d like to watch you fuck us ladies silly.”

“Maybe. But I always like watching you take care of your soldiers, Deb. Gregor would definitely be into that.”

“Hmmm...so, from three to four then, Commander? Can Gregor handle it?” Maker, Deb knew this Gregor could handle by that first look he gave her.

Are you renegotiating your win, Debala? Tsk tsk tsk. Gregor can handle it, I think?”

“You think? Oh no. What’s wrong with this one?”

“He got pretty banged up in the heart by a civvie, some clerk at the requisition warehouse. See, Deb? That’s why we’re glad to have wonderful shebbies like you and the girls. We don’t need anyone messing with the boys' heads.

“For the Republic...Commander,” Debbie now wanted to fuck Gregor and hold him. Oh boy. She better keep it together. She and Cody raised their shots to clink and down ‘em.

Gregor now had swooped back in with Mumu’s impossibly gorgeous teardrop-shaped tits draped all over his back and smushing here and there with the music and Gregor keeping the beat. Debbie knows that Mu’s tits probably felt so good up against his broad shoulders. She’s almost blatantly caressing them against his now semi sweaty shirt. The thought of it gets Debbie the softest hint of wet. Enough to be effective, but still in control of the situation.

“Permission, sir?”

“Gregor, when we’re at 79’s you don’t have to ask for permission to go get ice cream,” Gregor just sat there blankly looking at him until Cody responded, “Granted. Be back here in twenty minutes. Special assignment,” Cody smiles as Gregor’s eyes smile to that last addition and he salutes them both in good fun.

Mumu catches Debbie looking at her with a smile. She rolls her eyes with a silent I know, don’t fall in love. But Debbie gives her a wink and an air smooch, knowing that she’ll be helping MuMu with her first tag team fuck later.

Besides, Debbie’s got her own moves to show off to this Gregor.

WANT TO JOIN THE FUN? Head over to AO3 for Chapter 2

[musicandi]

Craig Knows

Prompted by kchante

A fic centering around the many moments Craig caught or almost caught Deran and Adrian giving each other heart eyes, would be so funny. Him trying to broach the topic every now and again, to let Deran know it’s cool, but not knowing how.

Warning: Swearing, Drugs, and Angst (Sorry girl, this turned out a whole lot more Angsty then it was meant to be.)

UPDATE- How rude of me, I forgot to give love to my betas @heatherofthenight and @allthehearteyes (love these girls, thank you so much)

The first time Craig meets Adrian is when Deran drags him to the beach to see his new friend from school. He remembers Deran busting into his room throwing him off from his video game, said there was this new kid who was so cool and he knew how to surf.

“Craig can you take me to the beach this Saturday? Me and Adrian want to go surfing.”

Craig bites down the urge to roll his eyes and say no because as he looks at his baby brother he sees the biggest smile on his face, one that Deran rarely shows and  he couldn’t find it in him to turn him down. 

Walking down to the beach, he sees this scrawny freckled kid waiting for them on the sand with his board, practically bouncing on his feet waiting for them. 

“Craig this is Adrian. Adrian this is my brother Craig. He’s cool.” 

Craig watches as Deran crosses his arms over his chest, trying to remain nonchalant but he knew his brother well enough to know he was nervous. He would run his hand through his hair and his eyes would go back and forth between Craig, Adrian and the ground. 

Adrian looks up at Craig and gives him a shy smile. 

“Nice to meet you. Thank you for bringing Deran.” 

Craig raises his eyebrows at the kid’s manners. It is unusual to see considering the people that make their way into the Cody boys lives but Adrian is something completely different. Adrian’s eyes move back and forth from him to Deran unsure of what to say or do. Craig looks back at Deran and catches him smiling at the other boy and wonders what has got his kid brother so happy?

 He turns back to the new boy and answers. “No big deal. Deran says you know how to surf, wanna show us what you got?”

Adrian smiles brightly and nods his head. “Yeah, let’s go.” 

Both Deran and Adrian laughs as they grab their boards, running into the water leaving Craig there standing there confused and amused. 

~*~*~*~

Since that day, Deran and Adrian are practically inseparable. Craig loves it because it drives the guys crazy. It is sort of refreshing to see the two boys together, always having fun, playing around, trying to one up each other, laughing and causing mischief to everyone around them, even Craig. Those two are thick as thieves, which is nice to know his baby brother has someone like that. Someone that he trusts that much. 

He remembers one time when he caught them in his room and the look on their faces. Adrian looked like he had seen a ghost and while Deran tried to remain cool, buffing his shoulders up and stepping between him and Adrian, he could see some fear in his eyes. It diminishes any anger he felt after that. Growing up in Smurf’s house, they learned there were many things to fear but he never wants himself to be one of them. 

Later than night he thinks back to that morning and how protective Deran was of Adrian and it made Craig realized it wasn’t the first time he was. 

He remembers there was one night Baz and Julia were bagging on Adrian after a night of drinking and smoking whatever crap Julia got that day, saying how Adrian was a pansy, how they didn’t know why Deran was hanging out with him. 

Deran shot out of his seat and screamed “Shut the fuck up Baz, don’t talk about him like that.”

“Or what? What is baby boy going to do to me?” Baz says standing up from his spot and getting into Deran’s face. That night all Craig could think was how Baz was being an idiot thinking he was a hot shot for challenging a kid but now he tried to remember how Deran acted. He remembers seeing him curling his fist, anger boiling up in him but he remained still until Smurf walked in to break it up. 

“That’s enough Baz.”

“Of course, here comes Smurf to the rescue. It’s not my fault he didn’t like what I had to say about his boyfriend.” Baz says rolling his eyes and going back to the couch. 

Craig spotted that exact moment Deran was about to charge at the older man and Craig jumped up putting his arm around his chest to drag him out of the room.

“Baz you are such an asshole.” He threw out as Deran struggled in his arms. 

He brought Deran to his room and made him sit on the bed. He watched as Deran pulled his knees up to his chest to attempt to hide his face but it was too late. Craig already saw the tears. 

Back then he just thought Deran was embarrassed but now he thinks there might have been more to it. He knows Deran cares about Adrian but now he wonders to what extent. 

The next morning he sees Deran sitting at the kitchen counter eating breakfast and sits down next to him. 

“Hey, What’s up?” he mutters around a mouth full of cereal. 

Craig stays quiet, not sure how to ask Deran about Adrian but Deran must have read it wrong because he jumps up from his seat with panic.

“Look if this is about yesterday I am sorry alright. I just wanted to show Adrian something, it was all my idea.”

“No I know that man. I am not mad.” He tries to comfort his brother, putting his hand on his shoulder and bringing him close. “Look you know I would never hurt you right?’

Deran retracts back, his eyes looking anywhere but at Craig. He nods his head but Craig could tell this was not a conversation he did not want to have with Craig. He sighs out and tries to lighten the mood by ruffling his hair. 

“Come bro lighten up. Besides you gotta get dressed if you want to make your competition.” 

Deran seems to brush away the awkward moment once surfing is mention and smiles up at Craig before moving to his room. 

“Wait, put your fucking dish away!”

~*~*~

Time passes and Craig can’t help but notice little moments between Deran and Adrian. It is mostly at the beach because these two boys were basically fish, but turns out they were fish that could really surf. They were always placing high in competitions that happened around southern California, really making a name for themselves. Craig pretty much became Deran’s designated driver but he didn’t mind. He was happy that Deran was finding something outside of the family, no matter how jealous he was deep down. There were a few times Adrian would catch a ride with them and when he does Deran would always hop in the back with him, telling him about something he watched or something he did. Later as they grew they would even bust out a joint on the way there. Deran always said it helped with the nerves.

“What do you have to be nervous about? You are gonna kill it, like always.” Adrian tells him one day looking over to the blonde boy with that innocent smile that Craig always associates with him. 

Deran smirks and gives Adrian a wink while taking a drag from the joint. Craig glances in the rearview mirror to watch the two teenagers pass the joint back and forth, noticing they would look at each other for a second before looking back out the window, how their hands would drag across the other while they pass the drug over. This was getting way out of Craig’s depth. 

“Alright, my turn. Give me some of that shit.” Craig interrupts them bringing his hand back to snatch the joint. He hears Adrian chuckling quietly behind his hand, looking out the window trying to be subtle. Deran was trying to do the same but he keeps looking over to Adrian, a smile slightly appearing before turning away. 

Later that day, the competition is going good. Deran scores pretty high on his first heat making it to the second round. Instead of sitting with the other boys up in the tent, he sits next to Craig watching Adrian surf his heat. Craig finds himself looking over to Deran as he watches Adrian surf, he lights up everytime Adrian lands his trick, or makes little comments about what Adrian has to do, taking little notes. 

“He seems to be in the zone.” Craig comments, wanting to see how Deran will react. 

“Yeah he is doing pretty good especially with that little shit, Danny, dropping in on his waves.” He comments, never taking his eyes off the water. 

“You guys are close huh?” Craig starts, keeping his focus on the sand around his feet.

“Yeah, so what’s your point?” Deran asks finally looking at Craig.

“It’s just you know Adrian he is cool and if you know you and” Craig mumbles out clearly ruining any chance of him getting this out right.

“Craig what are you trying to say?” Deran looks at him with a raised eyebrow, irritation and panic flashed in his eyes and in the end, Craig shakes his head and clears his throat. 

“Never mind, I think I am just having a bad trip.”

He can see Deran wanting to ask something but doesn’t say anything. They both hear the horn to signal the end of the heat and whatever tension that was there disappears.

“Hey I thought I saw someone who I know has a good hook up. I will catch you after alright.” Craig says, hitting Deran in the arm and standing up. He needed to clear his head for a second and he saw Renn earlier. She definitely knows how to clear his head. 

~*~*~*~

After that day on the beach, Craig tries to avoid ever bringing it up with Deran, even though he noticed the glances happen a lot more, the touching that tries to be as casual or subtle as possible. He wonders if they even notice they are doing it. 

As the next few years go by, Smurf starts putting Deran to work more. Instead of just sending him to collect rents or little side jobs, she starts giving him bigger roles during the heist. A couple of times she has him working the front end, dragging the crowd away, playing the employee role that has to explain the delays. At first he can tell Baz or Pope bites their tongues, wanting to put their two cents in on why Deran shouldn’t but with one look from Smurf they shut their mouths. 

It just made Deran fight harder to prove he was good enough for the older boys. The more he did it the more closed off he became. He noticed whenever things got bad at the house, Deran would leave for the night and when he came back the next morning he would be calmer. Although Craig has never had proof, a part of him knew he was going over to Adrian. 

It wasn’t until a few months later, he got his answer. One of the jobs had a slight problem resulting with a bloody security guard, and Deran with a headache and a split lip. Everyone was on edge after that, Deran most of all. He could tell Smurf wanted to coddle him and was confused when he would brush her off. Craig heard about a beach party down by the pier and decided to drag Deran with him. Get him out of the house and relax. When they got there, the sun was already down and the party well on it’s way.

“Hey look, there is Adrian.” Craig points out to the taller boy talking to some of their friends. He must have heard them because he turns their way. At first he throws a smile but then a second later his eyebrows scrunch down and he makes his way over.

“Hey guys, where have you been? I have been calling.” He says when he gets to them. 

“Sorry, I’ve been busy.” Deran mutters, hugging his arms around himself. 

Adrian bites his lips, wanting to say something else but instead nods his head towards Deran’s face. “What happened to you?”

Deran brings his finger up to his lip and flinches at the touch but shrugs it off. “Fucking Pope. We were playing around in the pool and he socked me out of nowhere.”

Craig could immediately tell Adrian didn’t see through the lie and decides to intervene. “Yeah and he has been a little bitch since. Do you think you can take him off my hands and cheer him up?”

Adrian, at first, stays quiet. His own arms crossed over his chest, looking like he doesn’t believe a word they are saying, but in the end, lets a soft chuckle and shakes his head. He drops his arms and grabs on to Deran’s shirt pulling him away. “Yeah sure I will see what I can do.”

After being there for a couple of hours, Craig has had endless drinks handed to him, excellent drugs to make him forget about all the shit going on and enjoys his high. It wasn’t till he wander off to find a spot to take a leak when he comes across Deran and Adrian sitting in the dark, hidden away from the crowd passing a joint back and forth between them. 

“I was worried when you didn’t come over last night.” He hears Adrian tell Deran, passing the joint and pulling his jacket closer into him. 

“Sorry about that, last night just sucked so bad. By the time I was free it was so late. I figured you would be sleeping already.” Deran says before taking a long inhale. 

“When has that ever stopped you?” Adrian shoots back. He watches as Deran and Adrian stare at each other, not saying a word but yet having a complete conversation of their own. 

“Look I know you won’t tell me, just be careful alright.” Adrian confesses. His voice so soft, laced with fear and concerns. It makes Craig wonder how many times they have had this talk. Smurf has drilled it into their heads, Family first. No outsiders. They know never to speak to anyone about what they do. 

He also knows, they are the worst kept secret in Oceanside. Everyone knows they do things although no one would admit it and no one would ask. Everyone just keeps their mouth closed and things move along. 

He looks back at the two and sees Deran now has his head on Adrian’s shoulder, both boys sitting there quietly. He watches as Adrian brings his hand to Deran’s head and brushes his hair back. Almost like how Smurf would do but yet this had a completely different feel to it. When Smurf did it, it always felt heavy and controlled. This looks light and caring. Like something they have done over and over again. 

He watches as Adrian calls out to Deran before bringing the joint up to his lips and blowing a big shot of smoke into the younger boy’s face. 

“What the fuck was that for?” Deran says laughing, his eyes watering from the smoke, but the smile never leaving his face. He goes to grab the joint when Adrian started coughing through his laugh. The same smile on his face. The weight that was there before completely gone. 

“Sorry, it just looked like you could use a smile.” he hears Adrian admit, his eyes never leaving Deran’s. He watches Deran struggle to keep his gaze before looking away. It was one thing he notices about Deran, he doesn’t like to look people in the eyes for too long. His eyes always glancing over or moving away. The stares even shorter depending on how thick the atmosphere is around him. 

“Yeah well, you are good at that.” Deran tells Adrian breaking Craig out of his thoughts. He sees Deran look up at Adrian and he thought he would see Deran embarrassed or closed off but instead he is smirking, almost challenging like. 

“Fucking right I am.” Adrian challenges back. 

This was the ‘Deran and Adrian’ Craig is used to. Completely comfortable with each, playful and relaxed but yet there was still something different, something Craig doesn’t think he is ready to get into it. 

“So what, you gonna come over tonight then?”

“Yeah.”

Craig walks away, shaking his head, trying to brush off everything he had just witnessed. He has always known how important Adrian is to his brother, even if Deran would never admit it, but watching them at the moment answered more questions then he ever thought he would need to know. 

Right now what Craig needed was a beer, a good amount of coke, and an awesome lay. 

~*~*~*~

It wasn’t until years later when Craig watches Adrian walk out, his head in his hands and Deran hot on his heels before turning away when he sees that Craig and Lena were there that he realizes he put it off for too long. 

It doesn’t take an idiot to notice that something is different. 

When Deran left for Belize and heard that Adrian was with him,he thought things were going to be different when they came back. That Deran and Adrian were actually going to be an ‘Deran and Adrian’ but instead the other boy came around less and less. Deran started getting snappier and anger all the time. 

Craig never knew how to approach the topic and ask Deran about Adrian. He always got tongue tied, it made him feel so awkward whenever he thought about it. It’s not that he can’t understand why Deran was gay or bisexual or whatever. It’s just that, he knows Adrian is important to Deran and if he is pushing him away because he thought Craig would hate him or something, that worries him.

He can’t speak for Pope or Baz. He is not even going to try for Smurf because he knows the answer to that. But all he wants is his baby brother to be happy. Adrian did that for a long time as his best friend and maybe more. All though Deran never admitted it, when Craig actually paid attention the answers were always there.  

Watching as Deran macks on some random girl after Adrian left, he thinks enough is enough. His brother is hurting his best friend and himself when he doesn’t need too and if he needs to hear Craig tell him what he probably has always been so scared to admit then he can do that for him. 

As he gets rid of the girl and all the other random people, watching Deran put up a front like he isn’t hurting, isn’t hiding, it finally made it very easy to say what needed to be said. 

“I don’t give a shit who have sex with, man.”

[treelightcitystory]

Sketching a Story

Thought about making an Au based on this:

You’re an Art student and I’m an English major and you keep stealing the papers for my assignment to doodle and I would kill you but you’re really cute and hey that’s actually a really nice sketch

warning: may contain language, violence.

He had been rummaging for his notes for minutes on end before he had to go to class, and so far, he found none of them. 

“Where in the bloody hell are my notes?” He mumbled. “Josh, what did you do with my notes?!” 

A boy with shaggy brown hair and a bagel in his mouth walked out of his bedroom while putting his backpack behind him.

“I didn’t do anything with your stuff,” Josh replied. “I’m gonna be late for my class. I don’t think I have time to help you out. See you later, man.” 

As soon as the door closed behind him, Cody started searching through his English notebook again. It had been nearly thirty minutes and no such luck in sight. He really wanted to be a musician when he started college, but now he’s here, trapped in a major he never wanted, thanks to his parents’ disapproval of music and their pressure of finding something much more useful, like literature.

“Aw, dammit,” he said to himself. “I don’t have time to deal with this shit. Now I’m gonna have to copy from someone else.” 

He then picked up his bag and headed to his class.

“Everything okay, man?” Matt asked him silently, sitting beside him. 

The teacher continued the lecture without giving a thought of the silent conversation between him and Cody, who is still focused on his missing notes.

“I’m fine. I’m just really pissed off about whoever keeps taking my notes, and not giving it back. Josh said he didn’t take them, though I really wanted not to believe him.”

“What if you can take pics of my notes? That way, you have to worry about remembering and writing it all down again.”

“I appreciate it, Matt. Thanks.” 

The curly blonde took out his phone, and after checking it if it is on silent mode, he took pictures of his friend’s notes, with the teacher not noticing luckily. By the time she was halfway done, Cody had already taken the pics for the notes.

“Thanks, Matt. Wanna grab coffee next time? It’s on me.”

“No problem. Love to have one after weeks of studying.”

“Sanders, Todds! No talking during the lecture!” Mrs. Hill had heard the discussion between the two and eyed them both suspiciously. 

Few of the students turned their heads towards them, while others giggled about them getting caught. They quickly gazed at their notebooks, trying to avoid her glare.

“Sorry, ma’am,” they both said in unison. 

She continued the lecture, while the boys started taking notes again.

In the library, Cody looked through the notes he took pics of from Matt, and the new notes he has handwritten himself. But he was fixed on whoever took his notes for a given assignment. He didn’t notice someone sitting next to him until he heard a chair being pulled and looked up to see a familiar face.

“What’d you got for today, Josh?” He asked him.

“Not a whole lot. Just some papers due next month, a couple of notes from a cute girl-Sam, I think-and a really big craving for a burger right now. What about you? Any luck on finding the note thief yet?”

“Not yet. I’m getting close, though. I don’t know why they keep taking my notes and not giving it back to me. I’m starting to get pissed off about it.”

“Have you asked anyone about it? If they have seen your notes maybe?”

“No, I haven’t-” He stopped for a second to see the papers that were missing on top of his new ones. 

Shocked and bewildered, he checked through them to see random doodles of figures, scenes of sunsets and one of them which is a mermaid. He didn't understand. They weren’t there when he was chatting with Josh. 

“What the fuck?”

“What’s wrong, man?” His friend asked, curious about the sudden change of his behavior.

“My notes are here.”

“The ones that are missing from before?”

“Yeah. I don’t get it. I lost them yesterday, now they’re back on my notebook, only with doodles. Someone’s been messing with my stuff!”

“Who?” Josh asked as they exited the library back to the dorm.

“I have no damn idea! But I’m gonna find who is messing with my stuff! They’re messing with the wrong guy!”

He would’ve pummeled the person who stole his papers from yesterday, but he never got a chance to, because this person is actually--she.

“Oh, c’mon. Not again.” Cody searched through his notebook for the notes from yesterday. 

First, he had his papers with the doodles back, now he lost his other ones for the assignments. “Why does this happen to me all the time?”

“Lost them again?” Matt looked over his head, with a cup of coffee in his hand.

“Definitely, and trust me, someday, I’m gonna make him regret it.”

“Well, I did see a certain someone take a few of your papers and head down to the library. Maybe you’ll find your thief there.” A smile appeared on Matt’s face as if he knew something is about to happen. 

Cody didn't notice since he got up quickly and shoved his notebook in his bag.

“Thanks, Matt. I needed that intel.”

He stormed over angrily to the library, the location he had been told where the thief would be. He was finally going to find out who took his papers for the assignment he expected to get for the term. 

As he approached the place, he can see a head of auburn-brown curls through the glass doors, over at the far right of the room. He opened the doors quietly, because of Ms. Carla, the librarian, who is at her desk checking books, and made his way to where the thief is. 

However, when he was halfway to the table, he stopped suddenly, and his mouth dropped open at the sight.

Her head finally looked up to reveal a female, about 22 to 23 years, with soft-round cheeks, now showing half of her brownish-red bangs covering her face. But what mainly caught him off-guard are her sky-blue eyes staring up at the ceiling of the library, as if she is thinking about what to do next on the papers that Cody had been currently looking for. 

He really wanted to chew her out-no, he can’t. She just looks too beautiful and sweet to be yelled at, even though she had been stealing his papers to doodle. 

As he processed about what to say to her properly, she lifted her head to see Cody, whose freckled face suddenly turned red, standing there frozen in place. 

She only smiled and waved a little bit at him, and continued doodling on the notes. The blonde boy stayed where he is until Ms. Carla noticed him and walked over to him, concerned.

“Everything okay, Sanders?” She asked him, and he quickly snapped out of the trance.

“Wha-huh, what? Uh, yeah. ‘M fine. Sorry, I-uh... just couldn’t... I, uh, was told by a friend of mine that she had my notes and, uh, I was going to ask her if I can have them back.” He gestured to the girl at the table doodling away. Ms. Carle looked at her before nodding slightly.

“Oh, yeah, that’s Aaliyah Reely, she’s one of my friend’s daughter.”

“Huh.”

“She and her sister were both pretty young when she and her husband got killed in a car accident, so they were given to me to be my kids.”

“You never told me about it.”

“I didn’t want them to live in an orphanage, so I decided to raise them. And sometimes,” her smile faltered a bit. “Alli reminds me a lot of her mother. Stubborn, brave, kind. Karol was like that when we were their age.”

“That must have been hurt badly.” Cody could imagine a poor, little girl left out in the open with no one else, besides her older sister, and watching their parents fade away, all because of a drunk driver, or a hit-and-run.

“It does. Do you want me to introduce you to her?” 

The last part struck him hard. No, he didn’t plan for this, he wasn’t here to see her personally. He was only here for his papers, not to chat with the person who took them, let alone a beautiful girl.

“Actually, I’m o-okay for right now. I’m just gonna head out-”

“Oh, come on. She’d be very happy to meet you, Cody. Let’s go.” Ms. Carla took him by the arm. 

He can instantly feel his face glow red as he was being pulled closer and closer towards the girl who took his notes. 

He was staring at her beauty, and not listening to the older woman chat with Alli, the blue-eyed girl until he snapped out of his fantasy when Ms. Carla said, “I’ll leave you both to it.”

“No, no, wait-” he never got enough time before she disappeared back to her desk. 

‘Oh, great,’ he thought to himself. 

There he is, a love-struck college sophomore, in the library with a beautiful note thief/girl, who took his notes for doodling. This is just great, my lucky day, he thought sarcastically.

“Uh, h-hi,” he stammered to the girl, now known as Alli. 

He is definitely in love with her.

“Hi, you’re Cody, right?” She spoke finally. 

God, she is beautiful.

“Uh, yeah. I’m new around here, came here about a year ago. What about you?” The blushing never left his face as he stuttered.

“Well, my dad made that place a long time ago, so... he wanted me and Nabel to come here on his will.”

He didn’t know what happened next, but he suddenly got trapped in a conversation with the note thief/miss, aka Alli, which he didn’t know lasted until the library was about to close. They exchanged numbers as they were about to head back to their dorms.

“Oh, by the way, I almost forgot.” Alli pulled out her notebook from her bag and gave Cody his notes. “I didn’t know these were yours before you came for them. So sorry about that.”

“N-no, that’s fine. No offense, but don’t you have paper for you to draw on?”

“I wish I do, but apparently they don’t allow blank note-size papers to be used as drawing paper. But I’ll try and use other papers if I have to.”

“Well, I’ve got to admit, your sketches are... incredible. You’re pretty good at this.” Cody studied the drawings she had made on his notes, still blushing from his first encounter. 

Not only is she beautiful, but she is also talented. Anatomies and different flowers are put on the side as if she made those so he can still see his notes.

“Thanks. Anyway, I’ve got to get going. I’ll see you tomorrow then.” She waved from behind and headed back to where her dorm is, as he watched her leave. 

As soon as she is out of sight, Cody headed to his as well. By the time he came back, he can’t get those blue eyes out of his head. The blushing on his face never disappeared either, even though she isn’t here at the moment. 

As he laid on his bed, thinking about what happened today, he neglected to notice Josh entering and telling a girl, probably Josh’s girl, about where the bathroom is.

“Hey, Cods,” he said as he entered his friend’s room. “Listen, Sam is gonna spend the night here, since her roommates are out, and she kinda doesn’t feel safe at her dorm. Is it all right with you, if you don’t mind?”

“Yeah, she can stay as long as she wants,” Cody answered softly, a smile on his lips. 

As he studied his face, Josh picked up the notes on his bedside and slowly skimmed through them.

“Wow, Cody. These are actually pretty good. You didn't make them, did you?”

“Nah, was someone else.”

“Really? Was it that note thief of yours? You didn’t find ‘em yet, did you?”

“I did, and I think I’m in love.”

And he remembered that as he kept on seeing Alli in the library day after day to study for future exams. He never minded her doodling on his notes after the first time he met her. They help him remember what he needed to know during tests. And he was taken back by how beautiful and kind she was about his story. But her own left him shocked and amazed.

Aaliyah Reely was loved since birth by her parents and sister, Nabel, who looked after her even after their mother and father died in a crash caused by their father’s greedy and jealous brother when they were four and one; their uncle fell for Karolina years ago, but Halbert was the first one to get to her. After his brother’s demise, he was found trying to hide from police and placed in jail for the remainder of his life, never to contact his nieces in any way. 

While they were placed in Carla's care, Nabel took care of Alli and became both sister and mother to her. Carla even became more like a mother to them as well as they grew older. However, when the girls first hit high school, Michael James first noticed Alli in a very comfortable way at first, but a week after they made the relationship official, Nabel warned her about the way he is acting. 

The younger sister had wished she never waved off her concerns. 

Michael became possessive and controlling, then he turned to physical violence. He never got that far after he hit Alli the first time. She instantly broke off with him the moment she looked over his personal blog and found out he was only with her for her family’s fortune. With the help from her sister and Carla, she was able to block his number and break off contact with him.

“Has he ever tried to contact you again, recently?” Cody had asked her one day as he was walking her to her class.

“Well, he did, in a very threatening way, but I reported him and they are looking out for him, so I should be alright,” she replied after she had noticed his worried expression when she mentioned about it. “As long as he is not around me on the campus, I wouldn’t have to call the cops.”

Cody decided to check up on her the day she had told him about her ex. With whatever chance he got, he would visit her in her dorm room and ask if Michael had been bothering her recently.

“No, he hasn’t,” she would reply, brushing off a strand of auburn hair from her face. “Thanks for worrying about me, though. You don’t have to visit me every day.”

He was more than worried when her older sister answered the door instead of Alli one night after one of his classes.

“No, I haven’t seen her for a while,” Nabel said when he asked her if she is home. “In fact, I don’t think she is home at the moment. The last time I contacted her, she said that she is heading back an hour ago.”

“I’ll go look for her. I have a car, it won’t be any trouble.” 

As he drove around the campus looking for her, he heard a ding from his phone, and his eyes grew in horror when he saw it was Alli.

“I’m at a gas station, not too far from where the campus is. Someone’s been following me. Pick me up, please.” The message sounded like she was scared, and had no idea how far she could make it back to the campus.

“I’m on my way, hang tight.” He responded to the message quickly and headed to where Alli could be. 

By the time he picked her up from the gas station, she was running towards him and crying. He held on to her for as long as he needed to and took her back to her and Nabel’s dorm. 

Then she managed to speak out the story. She was at a bar with some of her friends when someone tried to flirt with her. But the more she rejected him, the more agitated he became. When he accidentally mentioned Michael, her ex, coming for her, she feared the worse and headed to the gas station and dreading that the same guy might be stalking her until Cody picked her up.

“I’m really glad you came for me,” she said finally after she had finished her story and wiped her eyes. “I don’t know what would have happened if you didn't.”

“It’s no big deal, really,” he responded, relieved that she is safe. “I’m just looking out for you. Is there anything you need?” 

Alli hesitated for a second before she faced him, her face slightly red.

“Can you stay with me?” She softly asked. “Just for tonight?” 

Cody seemed taken aback by her request, but since he knew that it is a weekend, he accepted. He stayed by her side for the rest of the night as they are sitting on the couch, her head nestled on his shoulder and her hand holding on to his shirt. Just as he was about to sleep as well, he couldn’t stop looking at the way she looked when she was resting.

“Even at night, she is angelic,” he thought before his heavy eyelids closed.

It had been three months since that night, and he never wasted any time staying by her side whenever they have free time from their classes. They still continued to hang out at the library and study for winter finals, even him watching Alli doodle for inspiration of the Snow Art Show. By the end of the day, courtesy of Cody, she came up with a woman holding a mixture of ice and fire heart that is connected to her loved one.

As the weeks progressed, they became closer than they ever thought. Cody would intertwine his hands with her own, or wrap his arm around her shoulder or waist, while Alli would move a bit closer as if she needed protection from a winter storm.

It wasn’t until after they had finished their winter finals that they became official. Matt, Sam, and Josh approved of Alli when they first met her as the five hung out at a nearby restaurant as a celebration for their hard work. Nabel had even thanked Cody that night for being there for her and welcomed him to come by whenever he wished. 

On some days, they would walk in the park or hang out at the mall that is closest to the campus. On other days, they would hang out at one of their dorms and hold each other close. Even though he knew he would be there to protect her, he was afraid of her ex-boyfriend coming back and try to win her back by force.

His fears are confirmed one day when he saw a different car parked on the sisters’ driveway. He knew right away that this is Michael’s car; Alli had told him every detail about it on one of their study days. 

In an instant, he ran straight to where the girls’ room is, and stopped suddenly to see the door broken open. An ear-piercing scream reached his ears, and Cody suddenly jumped over the broken door and sped straight to her room. 

The sight in front of him sent his blood instantly boiling.

Michael had her, the girl Cody loved since the first day he met her, by her curly hair, while violently screaming at her and sometimes striking her, which prompted her to cry out some more. “You just broke up with me and left me for some fuckin’ sophomore?! How could you be so stupid, bitch?! You deserve to be with me!”

“Michael, please stop!” 

A severe slap from her ex-boyfriend made her scream out in distress. 

Unbeknownst to Michael, it also arranged Cody to abruptly rush at him in a fit of rage. The other guy didn’t have time to react, for his grip suddenly loosened on Alli and he was sent flying against the wall. The blonde was lucky that he was drunk because of his slow movements and that he was unable to fight back easily.

“What the fuck is wrong with you, you bastard?! You think you’re so tough when you pick on someone, let alone an innocent woman?!” Cody shouted at him as he held the intoxicated man by the front of his shirt.

“She’s my girl, I’ll treat her however I please!” He slurred.

“I’m not your girl anymore, Michael!” Alli furiously yelled at her ex-boyfriend. 

Michael tried to come after her, but Cody held him back sternly.

“Alli, call the police, tell them what’s going on. Then I need you to stay out there for a bit. I’ll deal with this sick bastard here.”

“Cody, I can’t-”

“Just do it, Alli. Please. I’ll let you know when I’m done.” 

She hesitated for a second, before nodding and running to the living room. He didn’t want her to see what he had in store for this drunken jerk of an ex. 

He repeatedly punched him in the face and stomach a few times before throwing him on the ground and punching him over and over again, but not too much to kill him. By the time he was finished, Michael was groaning and crying in agony. He picked the intoxicated man by the collar once more and held him firmly close to his face.

“She told me what you have done to her. Stalking her, threatening her on social media, even using her for yourself, that’s just sick shit, man. No guy ever does that to their girlfriends.”

“Well, what about you? I bet you treat her better than I did.”

“Trust me. I love her too much to hurt her like you ever did years ago. She’s an amazing, beautiful woman and I cherish her for who she is. She never hesitates to help people when they need it the most and she puts others before themselves. And you just took advantage of that.” 

He pulled him close so he can snarl savagely in his ear. “And let me warn you, motherfucker. If I ever see or hear you come anywhere less than five fuckin’ yards of her again, I will make sure you bleed all over the goddamn place. Understand?” 

That made Micahel nod and whimper response. After Cody made sure he got the message, he let him go and walked away, leaving him on the floor.

Alli could barely hold back her horror when Cody walked out of the room after having dealt with her psychotic ex. His face was a bit bruised and his shirt was messed up. 

But he didn’t care. He was glad she was safe. 

She instantly rushed over to hug him, only gently because of his figure sore from the struggle. He wrapped his arms around her slowly for the same reason, her head resting on his shoulder.

“Did he hurt you badly?” She asked, her voice muffled on the shoulder.

“Nah, not too bad. He was wasted enough for his moves to be slow. Are you okay?” 

In response to the question, she abruptly pressed her lips against his own, which caught him off-guard at first, but he kissed her as well. 

Over the sounds of police sirens outside the house, he can hear her say to him, “Thank you, Cody. I love you, too.”

Even though it had been a couple years since the attack, and the two still never got over it, despite healing from it. 

Nabel and Carla were the first to arrive at the hospital as soon as they had heard about the attack and Alli being placed in there. They repeatedly thanked Cody many times for saving her life, and Nabel had commented that she would’ve been killed or worse if he hadn’t come by on time. Matt, Sam, Josh, even Alli’s classmates, and her best friend, Jameson managed to drop by to visit her and meet Cody. 

When Alli had asked about Michael, he replied that he was charged with aggravated break-in and domestic violence, and will be placed in prison for some time. The two both got discharged from the hospital a few hours later. 

As time passed, they started discussing their future while studying collectively a few times. They talked about having a family one day, when they decided to have their own home, anything they can think of. 

Cody knew he didn’t need to talk to Carla about asking for Alli’s hand in marriage. She already adored him the moment the girl introduced him to her. His family had also welcomed her with open back in Christmas when they first became official. So he had decided to plan it. 

On the day of graduation, Cody took the stage and asked for Alli to come up. Mixed but excited, she walked up to the steps as the audience gasped and murmured about what is about to happen. Cody took her hands softly and looked at her in her eyes. 

“Alli Reely, when I first met you, I never thought that I would meet a talented woman doodling away in my notes like you. And I never thought that searching for them would lead me to you. I’ve made your life happy and you’ve done the same for me.” 

As he knelt down on one of his knees, some people started cheering, others gasped in joy and few are already recording the moment. He pulled out a box and opened it to reveal a diamond ring. Alli clasped her hand over her mouth, a few tears escaping from her eyes. 

“Aaliyah Reely, will you do the honor of stealing my heart like you stole my notes for the rest of my life?”

She nodded in response and the audience swore they saw her say “Yes.” 

With the ring on her finger, the two kissed, resulting in roaring cheers from the people in the gym. 

It was a great, special day for Cody Sanders, for him to meet the girl who stole his heart like she had his papers for drawing every day. 

[futurepast56]

Gallavich Week - Day one: Firsts

(i also published it at AO3: link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/11655189) Every normal relationship has a lot of first times, usually in the same order: first meeting, first date, first kiss, first time. Usually there is also a lot of others firsts in between like first movie night, first argument or first tickle fight. Ian and Mickey also could make a list of their first times, although it would have completely different order.  *****  First meeting would be first on that list even though none of them remembered that. Ian was six at the time, holding his older sister's hand and speaking with excitement in his voice as he noticed big school building in front of him.   "I've never seen a kid that would be so happy for his first day in baseball team" Fiona mumbled, fixing his backpack. Wide smile appeared in freckled face as Ian looked up.  "Lip told me that I will meet a lot of friends and it will be fun!" He screamed, making his sister smile.   "Well if Lip told you that it has to be truth" Fiona assured him and let go of his backpack, letting him run to meet his friends from little league. Redhead almost fall down three times during his little race to meet the coach and when he finally stopped he was already out of breath.  "Hello, Mr Higrow!" He said and saw how older man turns around and looks down into green pair of eyes. "I'm Ian Gallagher, sir. When will we play?" He asked making coach smile.  "See this kid, Trevor! That's the excitement I was talking about! Not that fake shit you were trying to pull here!" Men exclaimed, looking at blonde seven-year old with baseball bat who stick out his tongue in response. "Okay, Gallagher, today you will just throw a ball a little bit and swing a bat once or twice okay? We won't actually play, just practice, get it?" he asked and Ian nodded quickly. "That's good. Go join the little ones there" he added pointing his finger at five kids talking, while throwing a ball. Ian put his backpack down and run to his new teammates, who stopped throwing the ball when he joined them.  "You are new guy?" Tall brunette asked and Ian nodded.  "Yeah, I'm Ian and I will play with you" he said and rest of them also introduced themselves. Jamie, Ryan, Tyler, Bruce and Cody. All of them were really nice – except Cody, he called Ian 'carrottop and then laughed at him because of his dad reputation so Ian throw a ball right into his balls, which granted him applause from the rest of his new friends.   "When we gonna play like older kids?" Ryan asked, pouting and starring at blonde boy who was preparing to swing a bat and punch a ball under coach's instructions.  "When you will be as big as Travis or as scary as Milkovich then maybe you will have a chance" Tyler answered to his twin brother.   "Milkovich? Like Mandy? I'm in the same class as she is" Ian joined, looking around for a storm of black hair that he always associated with Milkovich girl.  "It's Mandy's brother. I think they are twins too" Ryan mumbled and Tyler looked at him with confused expression.  "No, they're not. He is at least two years older than Mandy"  "No, he is not"    "Um, yeah, he is" brothers started to argue and Ian laughed when he heard coach scream to all of them.  "Okay, kids! Snack break! You all got five minutes and then little ones are getting the sticks are you are going to throw a ball. Go and eat, now!" His voice filled the space and at one moment all the equipment fell down and everyone started walking toward their backpacks to get something to eat. Ian run over and picked up his Power Rangers bag when he noticed that one boy with baseball bat didn’t move from the field. Ian looked around wondering if the boy is waiting for someone but he stayed where he was. Alone. Ian took his sandwiches and slowly walked towards the boy.  "Hay" he said and dark-haired boy turned around and looked at him with raised eyebrows.  "What?" He asked with an angry tone. Ian smiled and opened his lunch box.  "Do you want one? Fiona made them with cheese today and it's really good I think you would like them. Unless you don’t like cheese, but C'mon who doesn't like cheese..." He stopped himself and handed over his lunch box after he took one sandwich. Boy hesitated and then he took food from the box. He still looked a little bit confused when he bites the food without breaking an eye-contact. "I'm Ian, by the way" he introduced himself and some food fall out of his mouth, which made the other boy chuckled. "What's your name?" He tried again, but the boy just continued to eat. Actually, he didn't say a word to Ian during their entire lunch break. Ian discovered that boy's name was Mickey Milkovich when next week he pissed on the first base and was kicked out of the little league.  *****  Their second first is where it stopped follow the pattern as first time appeared before first date or kiss. After completely stupid attempt to take back Kash's gun Ian end up under Mickey Milkovich with possibility of getting his head hit with tire iron. But then it happened. Their heavy breathing caused by fighting made them both out of breath when suddenly bashing Ian's head wasn’t an option. They locked eyes and for the first time Ian noticed how amazingly beautiful and blue are Mickey's eyes right before black pupils took over blue. In one moment iron was dropped and they were undressing each other, too busy with a moment to think about the danger that was drunkenly snoring in the Livingroom. Simple shock of Mickey being gay that appeared in Ian's mind for a moment already disappeared when their T-shirts end up on the floor and their pants joined them right away. It was rough and quick sex, Ian's second time with anyone his age. They didn’t have a time to do anything other than a quick round, Mickey being a definition of 'bossy bottom', way too stubborn to let Ian properly prepare him or engage in anything else like kissing or even a blowjob in exchange receiving only some groans and murmurs like "faster", "harder" and "be fucking quiet Gallagher". During their first time Ian didn't do a half of things he wanted to do with Mickey, but he can happily say that he had a chance to do them all on different occasions.   *****  First time they were holding hands... was not what Ian expected. After Monica came back he run to Mickey for help and then they fucked in the shop. This is what Ian needed – touch of someone's skin, smell of sweat and sex, feeling everything outside just to be able to feel nothing on the inside. His hand touched Mickey's, fingers next to fingers. He half expected Mickey to move away to make sure it's still 'just sex' and 'no intimacy involved', but Milkovich stayed the same, letting Ian do what he needed to feel better. And after Kash came and everything went to shit Ian could still enjoy the memory of their hands next to each other. And maybe it was stupid, but he was more smitten by the thought of this simple moment than all the fucking they did – not that he forgot the fucking. How could he forget the best sex in his life?   *****  Ian wanted their next first to be a date, but he wasn't that lucky as their relationship – if you could call it relationship – was kept a secret. After releasing that Ian was hoping for a kiss to be next. A simple kiss couldn't take that long, right? Unfortunately, this also wasn’t a time for a kiss. Before a kiss they had their first fight.  It was reckless really. When Mickey started working in the shop keeping their fucking secret became much easier, because the only thing they needed to do was turning the sign from 'open' to 'close' and then head back to their spot. That exactly what they did this day when they moved to the back, laughing about some stupid joke Carl made day before.  "This kid kills animals every day, Gallagher. You are one step away from cops on your doorstep coming for this little bastard" Milkovich laughed and Ian pretended to be offended.   "That’s it? I thought I will be getting some advice from the fucking crime master Milkovich" he said, locking door behind them.  "Fuck off, Gallagher" dark-haired men laughed and looked him in the eye. "And now take of your shirt, I didn't come here to chit chat" at those words Ian smirked and did what he was told. It was like any other day and none of them expected Frank fucking Gallagher - because a member of Ian's family will be the death of him one day – to appear and fuck everything up.   Ian noticed before how Mickey acted, how he masked every single feeling or real emotion with violence – which he never did with Ian – and how his fear could control his actions. He could've and should've predict his next words. He should've expected them, be prepared or simply ignored words that were obviously caused by anger and fear that older boy was dealing with. "You are nothing but a warm mouth to me" who would have thought that their first fight would also became Ian's first heartbreak.   *****  Ian did tease Mickey about their first kiss. He also fantasized about it – a lot. He was thinking how easily he could just move a little and connect their lips, but then Mickey's words that caused his heart to shatter appeared in his mind and he stopped himself. Just sex. Nothing more. No emotions, no attachment. He started repeating, but deep down he knew it's a lie, because he fell for Mickey already, long time ago, and he couldn't just stop caring. But he could pretend. He kept lying to himself, going to the bars and clubs, picking up men he wasn’t really attracted to just to avoid any real connection. He teased Mickey about Ned too.  "He's not afraid to kiss me" Ian said, trying not to sound hurt, all emotions hidden deep down. He wanted to hurt Mickey by saying that, wanted Mickey to know that there is someone that could give him more things that he wants. He wanted him to suffer just like he suffered before. This wasn't really a dare either, because he didn’t expect a result. That's why it was a shock.  Mickey run back. He run back to the van, Ian noticed that with a part of his eye, but he thought he came back for a gun that he decided to left. But he didn’t stop, he came in and touched Ian's face right before their lips connected. It was short, quick and clearly as the result of some stupid dare, but Ian could not stop smiling.     *****  It was two days later when Ian decided to has their first real kiss, because, even though he couldn’t forget the kiss from the can he also could not stop think about it being just a result of a dare. That's why when they were in shop Ian change the sign to 'closed' and grinned towards Mickey. Milkovich raised his eyebrows.   "Gallagher, I've been shot in the ass two days ago, you can keep it in your fucking pants for a little bit longer" he exclaimed and Ian kept on grinning when he put his arms on both sides of the shelf, locking Mickey inside.   "I know we can't really fuck right now, but – how you love to say – I can use my mouth for something else" he said, looking down at raven-haired boy's lips.  "Yeah, you could do that" Milkovich agreed and licked his goddamned lips. Ian nodded.  "Okay" he whispered and connected their lips without any further warning, still half expecting Mickey to pull back. But Milkovich surprised him even more when he invited him for a deeper kiss and put both hands on Ian's face. Gallagher could swear it was almost gentle, which made him smile through the kiss, feeling the taste of beer, cigarettes and mint from the gum Milkovich was chewing couple minutes ago. Couple seconds later they pulled away and Ian smiled as wild as he could.  "Shut up" Mickey said, his voice a little raspy.  "I didn’t say anything" Gallagher mumbled confused, and still overwhelmed by a kiss.  "You were thinking. It's all over your fucking face. Just stop" he said, little smile appearing on his face for a second, which Ian noticed but decided to keep this information to himself. Instead he let Mickey go and went to change a sign on the doors. "Gallagher" he heard in the way to the door. "You can still do some others things with that mouth of yours" he added. Ian grinned again, which caused Mickey to roll his eyes and walk to the back of the shop, Ian following him right after.   *****  Sleepover was definitely their first date and it will always be for Ian. They had food and drinks. They talked and joked while watching a movie. They even made out for a good part of it, giggling like teenagers that they were. They had sex later, sure, there was no denying of those four – or was it five? - times they had this night in the actual bed. That was not only their date but also first time they didn't just have sex – and if Ian would be naïve, which he wasn't, he would even call it love-making.   *****  First time they said it was quiet in the night. Ian had his arm around Mickey, slowly tracing patterns on paler boy's skin. Mickey shivered a little, but then gave in, making Ian smile sleepily. Gallagher felt how his tiredness takes control and he closed his eyes, slowly falling asleep when he heard it. Little whisper, words so quiet and gentle Ian almost didn't catch them at first.  "I love you" his eyes opened at once when he looked at Mickey, who seem as confused as Ian was. "Did I... Shit I said it out loud" he whispered and Ian could only keep on starring at this beautiful man, who just said he loves him. Love. Love. Shit, love, Mickey used exactly that word... Ian felt like this could be a dream.    "This isn't a dream, right?" He asked quietly to make sure the rest of Gallagher household keep on sleeping. "You want it to be?"   "It seems like it" Ian answered. He moved closer to Mickey, turning them around so he could look his boyfriend in his beautiful blue eyes. "I love you too" he whispered. And then he smiled as he felt like all negative emotions and memories disappeared. "Fuck, Mickey, I love you so fucking much" he whispered and connected their lips. Out of all of theirs first, this was the one they both find the most significant. 

[unrequitedmime]

Cairo raised one delicately defined eyebrow, "That's your evidence?" Koda spun to face her, brown strands of hair slicing through air. Her green eyes were burning with a storm of emotions, and Zachariah nearly took a step away from her when he recognised the sparkle between her long eyelashes. He did not fancy emotions. Not at all. The air between Cairo and Koda suddenly seemed to tingle with tension. Zachariah wish he had a knife so that he could truly test the metaphor used. Usually he was a skeptic, but he was quiet sure that something in the air would split between them if he swung his hand through. He was sure he would be zapped if he walked between them. He remained where he was; in the door frame. Damaris leaned against one side of the frame, his insufferable hair a mess. Despite the late hour, the light from the hall behind him seemed to shine through and paint a halo around him. His brown eyes shone. Zachariah could feel his body heat. He stepped away. Damaris didn't spare him a glance as he strode forward, delicately resting his hand upon Koda's arm to calm her energy. Zachariah had the faintest impression that he was expected to do that, considering his friendship with Koda. But Zachariah did not fancy emotions. "He's gone, Cairo," Koda's voice was a sharp, loud slap. "I can feel it in my bones." "Well, tell your bones to call the police." "God, you're a bitch sometimes Cairo," Minnie breathed somewhere behind Zachariah. He could feel her breath on the back of his neck and nearly startled. Zachariah hadn't seen her in the shadows of Cody's room. If he had, he would have stayed in the doorway. "Shut up Minnie," Cairo's voice was a punch. To be fair, Cairo was quite a bitch sometimes. But Zachariah did not quite like Minnie, so his mouth remained closed. "Hey now," Damaris said. His voice was barely above a whisper, yet somehow it carried the entire ocean. It seemed to wash over every body in the room and calm their hearts. He watched their deep breaths and their fluttering eyelashes. He wondered why they thought it a good idea to breathe underwater. He wondered if they knew that salt water made your eyes sting when you came back to the surface. Oh, well. "There's no need to be frustrated, or mad, or worried." Each of those emotions flickered to dust within the three girls. Zachariah watched Damaris work his magic. It seemed to flow through the air like fairy dust. Zachariah tried not to breathe too deeply. Koda released a shuddering breath and closed her eyes, clenching her jaw. Zachariah watched the muscles in her cheek string to life in her frustration. He wondered if she was frustrated at Cody, Cairo, herself, or the world. Possibly all. "Something's wrong, Damaris," she whispered, her voice shattering as she spoke. She sounded as if she were walking upon shards of glass. "I can feel it. I need to find him." "You will find him," Damaris replied softly, his voice practically curing world hunger. "There's no need to worry, K. You know Cody as well as I; he's probably out drinking, or maybe he went for a road trip and forgot to text? How many times has he done that, huh?" He laughed gently, and Zachariah watched again as chests loosened at the pure sound. Like running water. Koda shook her head, hair shaking, "No, Wez. This is different. I know he did stupid things sometimes and left without telling anyone, but I always knew he was safe; I could feel it." "And now?" Benjamin's light voice drifted with the air. Koda's bottom lip trembled. It reminded Zachariah of clouds before thunder storms. "Nothing," she whispered, her voice falling apart, "Absolutely nothing." "Maybe if you sleep you'll find that feeling of safety again," Zee suggested carefully, her voice kind. It sounded like white clouds. "No," Koda snapped, angry yet again. "I don't need sleep, I need to find my twin brother and bring him home." Zachariah did not quite like Cody. He was an impulsively lost and wild spirit. He laughed too long at jokes, had dull eyes, and he smelled of cigarette smoke. Zachariah was surprised his fingers had not permanently melded to accommodate the curve of a beer can. He also surfed. Zachariah did not trust boys that surfed. Damaris surfed. Cody loved his sister, though. When Cody looked at Koda it reminded Zachariah of the way the sun shone brightly at the moon before it settled beneath the waves of the horizon. Losing, yet adoring.  "Where do you think he is, then?" Minnie asked, her voice as soft as Zachariah's blankets back at home. He wish he was there. Minnie was still too close again. Zachariah moved back to the door frame.  "I don't know."  Cairo expelled a breath of air, "Well then how the hell are we supposed to know where to look?"  Koda's glare was so hot Zachariah levitated towards it. Zachariah was so cold, and he craved the heat. With an empty and exhausted mind, he stepped closer to Koda. The next thing he knew, Damaris was in front of him, one hand on his chest as he gently saved him from the girls' wrath and pushed Zachariah back to his spot. Zachariah was slightly taller than Damaris and intended to glare down at him. Then he noticed how warm Damaris' skin was through his t-shirt. He obediently stepped back, letting Damaris' warmth seep into his chest and expand like tendrils of calming flame. It slowly spread through his cold body, bringing back feeling to his numb mind and heart. He expelled a single breath of air, letting the emptiness release from his body. Damaris' hand was heavy on his chest.  He pushed it off, and Damaris let it drop, his eyes on Koda and Cairo.  Zachariah ran a hand through his hair, enjoying the feeling of his smooth strands against his shivering skin. He felt a heavy gaze resting upon him and turned to find Minnie watching. Not him, exactly.  Her eyes were upon his chest, as if she could see the warmth that swum out from his centre. As if it glowed. He glanced down to check himself; no glow.  He met her eyes.  They were cold as ice. Zachariah took a step closer to Damaris.  "Cairo," Koda growled, a mama bear, "I understand that its your birthday, but can you stop being such a self centred bitch for three seconds of your god damned life?"  Zachariah was sure that if he breathed too deeply frost would flow from his lips. Two cold, angry women with gazes heavy enough to bury alive. Everyone held their breath.  "I'm going," Cairo announced, spinning on her heel. Her sky hair flowed behind her as she strode from the room, blue expanse trying to keep up with flowing jets. Blue skies preparing for a storm. She was the storm. "Whoever wants a ride, feel free to join."  Zee wordlessly followed her from the room, loyal to the very end. She had plaited her hair down her back, and Zachariah watched it bounce against her spine as she slipped past. Benjamin followed her, his long legs taking careful strides so not to make too much noise. He, like Zachariah, most likely feared that the slightest creak in the floorboards would pull Cairo back with rearing fists.  He prayed that Benjamin didn't creak any floorboards.  A small body warmed his arm. He looked down to Minnie with disdain.  "You coming, Zach?" She asked, her voice a delicate flower in the breeze.  He stared at her. He supposed she wasn't ugly. Her red hair hung in a neat bob, and her deep blue eyes were interesting to look at. Zachariah noticed she had a light spray of freckles across her button nose. No, he decided, she wasn't ugly at all.  "My name is Zachariah."  "And only I can call him Zach, sweet cheeks," Damaris reminded.  "No," Zachariah said, "You cannot."  Minnie let out a shaky breath, "Are you coming or not?"  "No, he's staying with us," Damaris answered, his voice suddenly firm, as if daring Minnie to object.  She glanced irritably at him and Zachariah blinked. No one had ever glanced irritably at Damaris. For how could you hate the sun for shining and blessing the Earth with light.  Zachariah personally thought that sunlight was overrated.  Minnie's skin was pale. Perhaps she had never liked the sun either. He wondered what made her brave enough to announce that she preferred darkness. He remembered her cold eyes.  She huffed before storming away, the neatest mess of red hair and swirling floral dresses that Zachariah had ever seen. He blinked again. No one stormed away from Damaris.  He glanced at the sunshine boy and found him staring at the doorway in confusion. It burnt in his eyes. Everything burnt in his eyes. He turned away suddenly, his face transforming into a warm hug for Koda.  There it was; the shift.  Why was he the only one that ever saw it?  "No fucking way," Cairo's snarl was like a dagger ripping through the air. It struck Zachariah's sleeping skin and he sat upright, his heart racing.  Sunlight swum through the loft, bleeding through the large windows. They were splashed with colour; courtesy of Cairo, and the rays shone like small rainbows as they washed over the lounge. He could feel it shining through his hair. He was sure that his hair was a mess of brown-reddish waves. A messy ocean washing upon pale sand. Everything was slightly blurred, as it always was without his glasses. He pat the couch for them, panicked, and a moment later they were placed upon his head, Cairo's touch light as a feather. He flinched.  Cairo stepped back, letting her hands fall as she waited for his eyes to adjust. He blinked up at her. She stared back, unimpressed. Her hands were crossed over her chest. He winced.  Cairo was dangerous when her arms were crossed. A dragon in blue skies.  "Why the hell are you on the couch?"  He blinked up at her, silent. He didn't like being sworn at. And he was tired.  Zachariah watched Damaris' door fly open in the corner of his eye. He noticed that his own door, beside Damaris', remained closed. Zachariah had no doubt in his mind that Koda was awake, if she had even slept. He also had no doubt in his mind that she trusted Damaris to calm Cairo down before she appeared.  Apparently everyone trusted Damaris. He didn't quite understand why.  The sunshine boy skidded out of his room barefoot. His own hair was an autumn birds nest upon his head. His eyes were wide and slightly unfocused as he raced out to Cairo, his sweats shifting with every step.  "Cairo!" He smiled dramatically, "Morning, love, how was your sleep?"  "I hope you're not trying to woo my girlfriend, Wez," came Zee's voice from the kitchen. Damaris' eyes fell upon her, somewhere behind Zachariah's spot on the lounge, before he grinned his crooked grin. If he listened hard enough, Zachariah could hear Zee's heart soften and sing. He didn't quite understand why. How could a grin that was not straight possibly be endearing?  "Of course not, Zee," he winked, "You two are a love story I enjoy watching unfold from the very core of my heart."  Zachariah blinked. He wondered how long it would be until Koda walked out of his room. He would quite like his bed back. He had a dreadful sleep last night.  "Zachariah, why are you on the couch?" Cairo asked yet again, refusing to be swept away by Damaris' words.  Damaris' eyes fell upon Zachariah, and he too, frowned slightly.  "Really, Goldie? You slept on the couch? When the mattress is right over there?"  Zachariah glanced at it. And abandoned mattress in the corner of the loft, closest to Zachariah's room. It had been there as long as he could remember; a forgotten bed made of nothing but undesired love and aesthetic sunshine. No one used it; all occupants of the loft had their own beds. It was simply a place of comfort. It was for those in dire need of a space to think.  Zachariah never used it. Neither did Cairo or Damaris.  Benjamin used it the most, and he didn't even live with them. He was the one that cared enough to change the sheets every week. This week the mattress wore a peach coloured sheet with pillows full of painted ferns. It was a peculiar sight, and it was quite ugly.  Therefore, it matched everything in the loft perfectly.  The mismatched decor of the loft frustrated Zachariah if he allowed himself to think about it too deeply. He mostly ignored Cairo's taste for style, more so, the lack of. Her desire for a fun and crazy life had leaked into her home without Zachariah or Damaris' permission. She adored all things odd and old. Zachariah did not.  Many mornings he had walked into their kitchen and found Damaris standing silently, observing the latest appliance that Cairo had brought home from a suit case rummage somewhere. Together they would stand, analysing the oddness of the object in silence, before moving on, avoiding the appliance until Cairo showed them how to work the mysterious thing.  Those moments were the only times that Zachariah and Damaris had ever come close to resembling friends.  He preferred not to think about those mornings.  "Benjamin naps on that mattress," Zachariah said.  Damaris glanced at the mattress once before releasing a snort whilst Cairo frowned in confusion.  Damaris seemed  to be the only one that ever understood Zachariah's words. It certainly wasn't an achievement; most should understand his words. Zachariah didn't quite understand why many frowned in confusion; he spoke clearly enough.  "Now, now, goldie," Damaris grinned; crooked, of course. "Don't be mean to poor Benjamin. He's a nice chap."  The only times Zachariah could stand to hear Damaris' voice was when his British accent shone through the American. His childhood in Britain was well hidden until Damaris used phrases that any Englishman would cherish within their hearts. He didn't quite like Damaris, but he enjoyed  the sound of his voice. An deep American accent, but with the rough edge of something more. A slight lilt to his words. It was fascinating.  "Don't call me Goldie," Zachariah said, "My name is Zachariah."  A laugh escaped a pair of lips. Cairo let her eyes flutter shut, smiling finally; a gentle smile that seemed to bless her lips. Everything in her face softened. Zachariah blinked in surprise; surely he hadn't made her smile?  Zachariah never made people smile, or laugh. He was not funny. "Ah," she sighed, tilting her face to the sunlight, "Now I can begin my day." Confusion sat heavy in Zachariah's stomach, but he remained quiet. "What?" Zee called from the kitchen, her voice echoing off the marble floors and brick walls. Cairo opened her eyes, smiling at her girlfriend, "Zachariah said his name was Zachariah. The world had righted; the rotation of Earth continues." Zee laughed softly, and Zachariah had the faintest impression that he was being made fun of. He did not enjoy being made fun of. "I wouldn't have to say it if you all called me Zachariah. That is my name." Damaris released a laugh, "We know, Goldie, trust me."  Irritation flickered within Zachariah. He didn't enjoy it when people called him Zach, but he hated when Damaris called him Goldie. The moment Damaris had noticed that Zachariah's glasses were rimmed with gold, he had grinned his insufferable grin and announced the nickname that swum to the surface only when Zachariah couldn't find his contacts. Zachariah thought it was unfair to tease him for his glasses. The wiry framed, round, golden things were definitely not his choice. Cairo had chosen them and promptly forced him to take them to the front counter. Considering she was paying for his glasses as she broke the last ones, she had decided that gave her authority to decide what suited him and what didn't.  She had decided that the golden rims suited him perfectly.  "It makes your brown-reddy waves shine, Zachariah," she had smiled brightly in the Optometrist, "And it makes your eyes look nice. It brings out the yellow in them."  Zachariah had tried to put them back when she said that. He didn't like the yellow in his eyes. He had decided when he was young that he looked like a cat with his golden eyes. Cairo had once announced that he had not only cat eyes, but their feline grace as well.  He had stopped comparing himself to a cat after that.  "My name-" "We get it, Zachariah." All heads whipped to stare at Koda, standing in his doorway. Zachariah's boxers hung off her hips, and one of Damaris' shirts floated around her frame. Her waves were a mess in the morning light, but her green eyes shone steady.  Zachariah did not like that his boxers were being shown to the occupants of the loft. He believed that boxers were quite a personal thing. He believed he deserved that privacy. But so did Koda.  He remained silent on the couch.  "What are you doing here, K?" Cairo asked. Her voice was not full of sharp edges; it was instead full of jagged cliffs. Exhaustion. Fighting with Koda exhausted Cairo. Always. Zachariah wondered why they bothered fighting so frequently when it drained their bodies and souls. It seemed like a waste of time.  Koda, finding the tiredness in Cairo's voice, slowly shrugged. She let her gaze full upon Damaris and Zachariah as she spoke.  "I don't know," she admitted, "I fell asleep at Cody's last night and woke up in Zachariah's bed this morning."  All eyes turned to Zachariah. He shrugged, and Damaris released a strangled laugh.  That was the second person he had made laugh this morning. He wondered what he had done that was so amusing.  "We didn't want to leave you alone at Cody's in case something happened," Damaris explained, "So we brought you back here, decided it would be domestic abuse to make you sleep on a couch as uncomfortable as ours, and set you up in Zach's room."  "Zachariah," Zachariah corrected.  "Who changed my clothes?"  Damaris cleared his throat, "Zachariah did."  Relief shone through Koda's face, and she glanced at Zachariah with trust in her eyes.  "I didn't know you had a tattoo on your stomach," Zachariah said. After a moment, he added, "It's nice."  Koda's features softened as she smiled at him, "Thank you, Zachariah."  He nodded once. Changing Koda had been a very uncomfortable act. Damaris had announced that changing the unconscious girl was Zachariah's duty before he disappeared into his bedroom, leaving Zachariah alone.  His hatred for Damaris had flared yet again, and he fought the urge to pray for the removal of his horrid existence. It had taken a while to wrestle the clothes off Koda without waking her, but eventually he had done it. His hands moved into a rhythm as he worked, steady and fine as he slipped sleeves off arms and boots off feet. Only when he had tucked Koda into bed had he realised that he didn't even remember her bare skin. He didn't remember if her body was pleasantly warm, or if her body was fit. If it was nice to look at. He didn't remember looking at any of her curves. He had only paused to admired the tattoos twirling against her body. That was all he had noticed; ink.  Damaris watched Zachariah, amusement and something else in his eyes as he stared.  Zachariah wondered why Damaris had left Zachariah to undress Koda.  He wished Damaris would stop watching him.  "Jesus Christ you boys are so extra," Cairo scolded, turning to the two of them. "Her loft is downstairs. Why couldn't you just have taken her home to Minnie and Benjamin?"  Damaris shrugged, smiling a sly smile, "We thought it'd be funnier to see your face this morning." "Well, I'm sure Zach didn't enjoy losing his bed."  "My name is Zachariah."  A collection of sighs.  "So his surfer friends are still in the city, his college friends are at their classes, and his friends from school haven't heard anything from him?" Minnie's voice sounded like fingernails rubbing against couches full of lint. She was apparently grumpy, and had not been delighted when she was awoken and summoned upstairs to their apartment.  "Does that mean he's gone alone?" Benjamin asked, sipping from his coffee. He, also, was not a morning person. His dark hair was a mess, and black rimmed glasses sat upon his nose.  Zachariah eyed them with a curious envy. Damaris' gaze flicked between Benjamin's black glasses and Zachariah's golden rims. He was hiding a grin. Zachariah fought the urge to sigh.  "Who said he's gone?" Koda asked, staring down at the map sitting on top of the steel bench, "Maybe he was taken."  "He's 6'1, Koda," Zee reminded gently. She had the weakest bond with Koda as she didn't live in the industrial building with them. Zee had an apartment closer to the city; a half hours drive. Her and Cairo often had sleepovers.  Well, not sleepovers. Other things.  "And your point is?" Koda snapped, her voice thick with annoyance. Zee flinched slightly, and Cairo took a defensive step towards her girlfriend. Koda's face softened with guilt. Slightly. "He could have been drugged, or knocked out."  "Woah, woah, woah," Damaris interrupted, waving his hands. As his large hands shook the air, tension dissipated. He seemed to wrap it up with his fingers and hide it away.  Magic.  "I don't think he got kidnapped, K," Minnie assured gently, tip toeing on egg shells. "There's no need to panic yet, sweets."  Zachariah found it faintly amusing that Minnie thought it appropriate to call Koda 'sweets', considering she was a tigress spirit. A woman warrior. A thriving soul full of jungle life and storms.  He thought it appropriate instead that Minnie tremble in the face of Koda, as she was a chief. An old chief of a forgotten empire. Zachariah just wasn't sure which one. Yet. Koda glanced quickly at her small friend before meeting Zachariah's eyes. Her green depths shone with fear and worry. This was easily the most serious he had ever seen his only friend.  "What do you think, Zachariah?" she asked, and all heads turned in surprise, "What do you think happened to my brother?" Zachariah felt vaguely uncomfortable, and disdain for Koda momentarily washed over him. He knew what she was doing; she thought him smart, and she wanted him to prove it to her. He would do no such thing. "I think that your brother is impulsive and forgetful. I think he has escaped for a weekend and has forgotten to tell you. I think that there is no need to worry." Lies. All lies.  Something had indeed happened to her brother. He just wasn't sure what. Yet.  Minnie watched him with admiration in her eyes. Admiration and adoration. His skin prickled uncomfortably under her loving gaze. He hoped that she would recover from her slight crush very soon. Very soon indeed.  "See," she breathed, her dark eyes sparking. He no longer found them interesting to look at. He decided he didn't enjoy looking directly at them. "If Zachariah said that there's nothing to worry about, then there's nothing to worry about."  Cairo snorted, "If I had a penny for every time Zachariah said something simply because he knew we wanted to hear it, then i would finally be able to afford my share of the rent for this damned loft."  Zachariah glanced at her, dismay washing over him yet again. He was not impressed with Cairo's observation. It slid him back into the spotlight. Koda opened her mouth to ask him yet another question, but Damaris interrupted. Zachariah had never been so grateful to hear the sound of his voice.  "Koda," he asked, "Have you called the police?"  "No," she whispered, despair falling upon her as delicately as a piano, "Something within me says not to."  Benjamin sighed into his coffee, "Well then what the hell were you expecting, Koda?"  "You to support me, maybe," she snapped, and he startled away from her tone, holding his hands up to show innocence. His coffee was still in one of his palms. Zachariah faintly hoped it spilt.  "We are going to help you, Koda," Damaris reminded softly, throwing a scolding glance Zachariah's way. He blinked as it hit him.  What had he done wrong? He had done simply what was expected of him; he sat silently and listened. As he always did. He didn't see what was wrong now.  "Damaris is right," Minnie said, her voice gentle and loving. "What do you want us to do?"  Koda closed her eyes for a moment, calming her racing thoughts. Zachariah watched them falter in her brain. He watched her entire being calm slightly.  "I think we should go to his apartment one more time."  "You know, Minnie," Benjamin's voice vibrated through the walls beside Zachariah's head. "You really are not subtle at all."  "Excuse me?" Minnie squeaked, confused.  These walls were certainly thin.  "You like him," Benjamin announced.  Zachariah paused. Damaris, in the other corner of the room, paused too. He was beside the same wall, a few metres in front of Zachariah. He had bent to inspect the papers on Cody's desk. Zachariah had paused in front of a book shelf to admire Cody's fascinating collection.  "Who?" Minnie asked, her voice an octave higher. Zachariah hadn't known it could go an octave higher. He had thought it was at it's peak.  "Don't you 'who' me, Missy." Silence settled. Zachariah, not too interested in their conversation, continued to browse the spines of books. He felt Damaris' gaze on him. He ignored it, as always. "Well, what do you want me to say?" Minnie's voice suddenly burst out from the wall in front of him. She sounded exasperated, as if she had been holding her breath and was finally expelling deep gulps. "Yes, I like him, Benjamin. Happy?"  Benjamin's deep laugh echoed through the wall. Zachariah nearly took a step away from it. He did not like Benjamin's voice. Unlike Damaris, Zachariah disliked both Benjamin and the sound of his voice. Zachariah realised that two of his least favourite people were in a room together. Alone.  He wondered how much trouble he would get in for setting a room of Cody's apartment on fire.  Possibly an amount that would still make the sacrifice worth it.  "Why would that make me happy, Minnie?"  "What do you mean? Why wouldn't it?"  Benjamin's hollow laugh echoed again, and this time Zachariah did take a step back. Damaris watched him, his gaze heavy.  "You have feelings for Zachariah, Minnie."  "And?"  "And Zachariah is the most apathetic and empty person I have ever met! Have you ever seen him smile? He's like a hollow shell-"  "Don't talk about him like that, Benjamin!" Minnie snapped, her voice all hell.  "I'm serious, Minnie! He feels no emotions. He is an empty shell of a human being. He has no personality, no life, no gods damned soul-"  "Benjamin!"  Their voices were clear through the wall.  Zachariah felt a rock settle within his stomach as he heard their words. He did not want to hear their words very much. Not at all.   "Why are you wasting your time on Zachariah, Minnie? You can do so much more!"  "I am wasting my time on Zachariah because I like liking him!" She yelled. "I like thinking about whether his hair is a deep red or if its a chocolate brown. I like his eyes! I like the way they shine when he talks to Koda or Damaris!" Damaris stiffened in his corner. "I like the way he frowns when someone calls him Zach. I like the light freckles sprinkled upon his skin! I like that he's tall, and that his body is just right. Slim frame, long legs that always seem graceful. I think he's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, and I think that others do too. He doesn't look at me twice, I know that, and that's okay. I know who he thinks is the most beautiful, and it's not me," Her voice shook slightly, "That's okay, too."  Benjamin sighed, his voice softer this time, "Minnie, you don't see him for who he really is. He is rude, and silent, and downright creepy. He never fucking speaks, and who doesn't like the name Zach?" "Benjamin," Minnie warns, but Benjamin ignores her, his volume growing with his anger. "He doesn't care about any of us, Minnie. He talks to the rest of us only because Damaris and Cairo make him. He is hollow, and empty, and he is probably rotting inside. You've got to understand that he's hardly a real person, Minnie. He doesn't even count as a human-"  Benjamin made a strangled noise. A moment later, the wall between them trembled as someone was thrown into it. Zachariah took another step back. His feet were numb. Everything was numb. That rock in his stomach was heavy. So heavy it seemed to hurt.  Damaris wasn't standing in his corner anymore.  "Take it back, Collin," his growl vibrated through the thin plaster between them as he shoved Benjamin's face into it. "I said fucking take it back now!"  "What the fuck are you doing, Wez!" He roared, and another shock went through the wall as something hit it again.  "Damaris, stop!" Minnie's high and loud voice rang through the wall. Zachariah winced, a headache was forming in his head. Like thunderclouds rolling.  "BOYS!" Koda yelled as she raced down the hall, a blur of dark hair and a green bomber jacket passing by, "STOP!"  Zachariah remained frozen; two steps away from the wall.  "Benjamin Collin," Damaris' voice, low and rough, sounded like a thousand sharpening blades. There it was, Zachariah thought; the shift. He wondered if the occupants of the room next to Zachariah's were frozen with shock. They had never seen the boy with bleeding hands, only the one with shining smiles. "Take. It. Back."  Zachariah wondered if he should still try to burn down the room.  No, he thought, there were people in that room he didn't want to die.  "Take back what?" Benjamin yelled, choking as Damaris grabbed his throat. Sounds of Koda's struggling shot through the air as she tried to pry Damaris away from Benjamin. Zachariah stared at the wall. He was suddenly exhausted.  "What you said about Zachariah," Damaris said. The knives had sharpened. They were pointing at Benjamin. His voice had never sounded so deadly.  All sounds of struggling ceased. Silenced settled as Koda stepped away from Damaris' grip on Benjamin. Zachariah could suddenly hear the bomb in Koda's mind, slowly ticking down. Despite Benjamin's foul existence and Zachariah's desire to set him ablaze, he prayed for him. He only had so long before Koda detonated.  "What did you say about Zachariah?" she asked quietly, her voice clear and firm. Her rage burned just beneath the surface. Zachariah wondered if it was at hot as Damaris' smouldering eyes.  "Nothing," Benjamin choked, "I didn't mean it, you guys know I didn't mean it! I love Zach as much as you do-"  "I doubt that," Damaris growled.  "I'm just trying to paint an image, okay?"  "What?" Koda's voice was a thousand falling rocks.  "I needed to paint a gods damned image, okay? Minnie loves him-"  "It's not love," she interrupted.  "And I couldn't bear it. I'm trying to make her get over him."  "And that's relevant to you, how?" Koda asked, the bomb ticking down.  "Because I'm in love with her!" He gasped. Silence.  A tornado spun through the room, quiet as all hell. Benjamin huffed as if he had been holding his breath his entire life and had finally gotten a taste of air. Everything within him seemed to shatter.  "I'm in love with you, Minnie," he whispered, his voice a broken mirror. Discarded and fragmented and completely fucked up.  Silence settled as Damaris released Benjamin. He let out a gasp as he slid down the wall. Zachariah's eyes followed his slumped form. He stared at the spot on the wall where he knew Benjamin was.  Maybe if he set fire to the wall it would only hurt Benjamin.  Heels suddenly clicked as Minnie stormed out of the room, her shaking chest a symphony of sobs and confused hiccups. Zachariah listened to the song that was Minnie's emotions.  Zachariah didn't quite like music.  Koda followed her out, calling her name. Minnie's crying hurt Zachariah's ears, but Koda's voice didn't.  Zachariah continued to stare at the wall.  The room beside his was silent.  Boots creaked the floorboards as they walked towards the room Zachariah occupied. Zachariah wanted to tell the boots to be careful, that the creaking floorboards might make Cairo and Koda mad at each other again. Zachariah could not bear any more fighting. He thought he'd yell.  Zachariah didn't yell.  Damaris appeared in the door frame. Zachariah dragged his gaze away from the wall, ignoring the small magnet for the bigger one. His eyes stuck to Damaris. Damaris' light brown hair was a mess and his eyes were smouldering.  So Zachariah was right. He knew they would smoulder.  Damaris' gaze was heavy upon Zachariah's body. Upon his face, his eyes, his everything. His very soul.  Zachariah had been tired a moment before. Now, everything in his body seemed to yawn and sit up straight. No more drooping flowers.  "Wow," Damaris breathed, "I totally thought he was gay."  The shift had been unsuccessful. Damaris' voice was a mosaic of jagged glass and rays of sunshine. It was both soft wind and the crack of trees as lightning struck them. An angel's flutter and the devil's crack of a whip. Damaris' voice was not only a mix of American and British, but a recipe with both heaven and hell thrown into the mixing bowl.  Minnie's voice hurt his ears, but Damaris' soothed them.

unrequited 

[spookyjenn]

1-40

cherry - what is your sexuality? i like both flavors 

lollipop - favorite makeup products? Covergirl matte liquid liner

daydreams - if you could be anything or anyone, who would you be? boy oh boy i cant pick

october - what month were you born in? May 

caress - do you like to snuggle? not really 

ivory - describe your pajamas? shorts, t shirt 

golden - favorite stationary product? post it

freckles - most-worn article of clothing? at the moment? my Metallica shirt

twilight - best friend? Daisy

silk - do you like k-pop? absolutely not

poppy - favorite pastel color? pastel pink

dimples - most attractive features of a person’s face? eyes + smile

sunkissed - autumn or spring? autumn

buttery - favorite snack? trail mix

whisper - how much sleep do you get? not enough

pencil - do you own a journal? yes i do

cupcake - are you a good cook? id like to think so 

honey - favorite term of endearment?  baby, babe, honey.

clouds - describe one of your favorite dreams? i once dreamt my future baby girl and it was the best thing ever

velvet - who was your first crush? some fuck boy probably

paper - favorite children’s book? cat in the hat

peaches - do you have a skincare routine? yeah fam mary kay cleanser

mochi - favorite studio ghibli film? my what?

backyard - did you ever have an imaginary friend? still do bitch

strawberry - favorite fruit? grapes

kiss - have you ever kissed a friend? nope but ive thought about it.

nightlight - do you read before bed? nope

shampoo - favorite scent? mens cologne ( or flowers)

skin - what distant relative are you closest to? none of them

aphrodite - favorite actress/actor? at the moment Cody Fern is my jam

cuddles - do you have any pets? two devils

lace - if you own any dresses, which is your favorite? my tropical dress

sheets - sanrio or san-x characters? ????

cream - frozen yogurt flavor? never had it

watermelon - do films ever make you cry? OH YEah

sapphos - favorite poet? John cooper Clark (the only poem everyone knows)

plush - how many stuffed animals do you still own? too many

roses - what flower do you find most beautiful? i think all flowers are beautiful but i cant fucking name any of them (i studied floral design very heavily and i fucking forgot everything)

sweetheart - favorite mug/cup? my kylo ren cup + my christmas owl mug

sunset - what are your pronouns?