#Scratch is a pain in his ass because Scratch is a pain in Alan's ass

[honestlyvan]

(Crossposted from DW)

There’s some interesting parallels to be drawn with the way Scratch is an aspect of Alan, just like the Casey of the Dark Place is. One reflects all his darkest fears, the most self-destructive narratives he can tell about himself, and the other encapsulates the skills and virtues he needs to push himself forward, one wearing his face and another one wearing the face of someone he admires.

So you could do quite a bit with Scratch inheriting that obsession with Casey from Alan, but in a furious, bitter, jealous form where Casey is an interloper, a challenger to Scratch's ownership of Alan, coming between him and his Alan, a stranger, an intruder. Because that's what Casey is -- a tool and a shield, the impression of someone Alan trusts -- someone for Alan to cling to, someone who can disrupt Alan’s internal narrative, and he's taking Alan from Scratch.

Casey is just as much a prop to Scratch as he is to Alan, he's just there to be the hero so Alan can be the victim and Scratch the monster. And just like Scratch's love of Alan is a warped mirror image of Alan's hatred of himself, Scratch's jealousy of Casey is a mirror of Alan's suppressed desire to be a better person. To be a hero, to drive the story forward on his own terms, to have agency.

Which is how you get Scratch hissing “You're not going to get what you want” against Casey's lips, shoving him against a wall in an alleyway when Casey has once again showed up as a diversion, letting Alan run away, taking Casey away from Alan the way he took Alan from Scratch. “You think you know. You know shit. You don't really wanna know”, while bleeding venomous jealousy into the air because he is Alan and Alan is him and Alan is his and this outsider thinks he can take Alan from him. Like Alan isn't just using Casey, too, like Casey is something more than a just an empty vessel for Alan's wants when that should be Scratch, that should have been Scratch from the start.

Because Casey doesn't hate Scratch any more than he loves Alan. His role is to have compassion for the victim, to protect him, to move the plot forward for him, just like Scratch's role is to antagonise and delay and stop Alan from progressing. Scratch knows what he's dealing with. But there's more to Casey than just what he got from Alan, he is a reflection of the real Casey through the lens of Alan – and that’s the really fucking offensive part. That Alan can so scarcely accept himself that he’ll bring in this outsider, discarding Scratch, using a stranger’s face instead.

Scratch is Alan, after all. He has Alan's face and he has his voice, and he knows Alan better than Alan knows himself. “You're going to get what's coming to you”, he tells Casey, loop after loop, until he can get him out of the way for good.

[respectthepetty]

Pit Babe Colors Ep. 10

I'm challenging myself with this show and seeing how good my color skills really are, so I'm doing my normal thing of watching it double-speed on mute, but now, the captions are off also. It's just colors and vibes here. Also, people stay spoiling this show for me in their reblog tags on my posts, so I know Charles and Jeffrey made a dumb plan but I have no idea what it includes beyond Jeffrey going to Big Red's.

Hand over heart, I think Sonic is really pretty, which is why I haven't fully thought he is a baddie, but I need a reason for him refusing to wear blue! North gets it together every now and then, but Sonic? Boy, quit relying on that face and follow the damn color assignment!

I'm missing something but I thought Charles and Barbara were fine yet here they are fighting, but Charles spidey sense is tingling, so something bad is gonna happen or will he have sex with Barbara like they did last week? And now the glasses are off! They better not have sex on this track.

Barbara is racing?! Dean was racing last week! Was Dean informed of this plot twist? Did Barbara get healed having sex with Charles last week?

You can take the red off the boy but you can't take the red out of the boy. You are acting so sus, Jeffrey! You had a full conversation with Charles and now you are just lurking in the background. Someone spoiled that he and Charles made a plan, but if the plan is murder, he is already failing at not being suspicious.

Another hand-over-heart moment, I have no effin' idea what happened on that race track because there was so many blues then a car went off the track, and I had no real idea who it was, but I do know JEFFREY HAS SOME EXPLAINING TO DO with his suspicious ass!

Big Red lives in the same place he has his cult meetings to show off his superpowered kids? Isn't there a rule of not having cult meetings where you spray your EIGHTY MILLION BONSAI TREES! That seems dumb and contradictory, but I'm not a mega villain so what do I know?

Red is usually an emergency room color, but the red yelling at me as Barbie feels all the bad things that happen in an emergency room is a lot. Charles isn't dead because color-coded boys in love get happy endings, but Barbie is probably feeling everything right now and it probably sucks.

"Don't be suspicious. Don't be suspicious." Jeffrey, you need to make out with Alan quickly to prove you're gay, because you canNOT do crimes, and are about to be in Kentana territory again. Whatever you and Charles planned, it was dumb and Barbie is now crying.

KENTANA! Are you in on this too?!

*Record scratch* Jeffrey went back to Big Red's with the dumb plan he and Charles cooked up involving Charles dying, yes? Yes! Kentana, as Big Red's whatever-he-is, knows of the plan, SO WHY IS HE BEING BEAT UP?! Kentana, break Kimberly out and run away to the beach together. Big Red doesn't even wear red! HE SUCKS! Leave!

Stuck between the blue and the red, I see. A choice has gotta be made, Kentucky Fried Chicken. Wings or Thighs? Legs are not an option. Legs are reserved for the elite squad of Peter, Alan, and Kimberly. You don't get legs! (WHERE IS KIMBERLY?!)

Barbie woke up in black. He has no man, but he has his powers, so either he is about to enter his rich widow era or he is going to go Kill Bill on these bitches.

Horrible take. Awful take. The WORST take, but . . . if Waymond didn't decide to be bad, he would have been the perfect person to comfort Babe and ease Barbie's pain, pero . . . he had to be a little bitch instead.

Oh, NOW you wanna follow the color assignment, Sonic. NOW?!

Well, Jeffrey picked up your mantle with his not-all-black outfit and bright ass white-wrapped flowers. This isn't a wedding, Jeffrey! IT'S A FUNERAL! Jeffrey, a note from The Sign's Dr. Chalothon - FAKE IT! Sir, that empty grave is supposed to be your roommate and partner-in-dumb-crime, yet I haven't seen one single tear from someone who just lost their buddy. You're more sus than the entire cast of Dead Friend Forever. How does Barbara not suspect your ass with his spidey senses?!

Damn you, Saltburn!

KIMBERLY! AND HE'S IN BLUE! *sliding down the wall and sobbing on the floor* MY BABY HAS RETURNED!

Wait! Pause! *squints* Why did Jeffrey bring Kim? And why to Alan's house? What in the Chuck E. Cheese is happening?!

Alan, Jeffrey's roommate is quote-unquote "dead" yet you are living your best life. Can you try to be sad too or are you in on this plan and this is why Kimberly is now looking beautiful on your couch?

The blue is between y'all, but just like Charles and Barbara having sex on every surface when Kimberly was being held hostage, do y'all have no shame? Making heart eyes at each other immediately after burying an empty coffin that was supposed to be Charles. Shame! At least pretend that Charles is dead! Or fill Barbie in on this dumb plan.

Vegas' Hedgehog, you pretty bitch. I hate you.

Barbie is watching the crash, and Jeffrey and Alan are playing footsie over Charles' quote-unquote "grave." But I already know I'm more upset for Barbie than he will be for himself because he'll forgive everyone for this bullshit lie in less than two minutes.

Does Barbara think Waymond killed Charles?! He might be shitty, but he is backed by the blue. He ain't guilty! Go speak to your boyfriend's roommate and his new boyfriend, Barbie!

Oh shit! I wasn't expecting you to actually go talk to them! Hold up! Is that blue on Jeffrey?! Does he actually not have anything to do with Charlie's quote-unquote "death"?

SONIC IS WEARING BLUE IN THE BACKGROUND!

Like I know shit is going down right now because Decanus sabotaged ANOTHER car *Pikachu face* but I don't think he is in on the dumb plan to "kill" Charles so . . . Kimberly wore blue this episode and Sonic is wearing blue (even though I think there is a shimmer of red there), and I'm crying in the club because this is all I wanted, and sorry to all of y'all, but the show could end right here, and I'd be happy.

Oh no. My man is crying. I am no longer happy. I am in pain. Why is he crying so hard? Was Dean his best friend? His brother? This feels personal. Jeffrey, come give our man a hug! Right now! RIGHT FUCKING NOW, JEFFREY!

Seeing Alan cry hurt way worse than anything else that happened. Charles isn't dead, so I'm just upset that Barbie has to cry and more upset that Barbara is going to be cool with whatever dumb plan Charles made without telling him, but Alan's tears were unexpected.

However, Sonic is back on his bullshit next week, so I can't stay in my feels too long.

And I get to see Peter while someone fully commits to the blue.

Oh, and we get to see the dumb-plan-that-made-Barbie-cry in more detail. *Arthur fist* Be upset at Charles for just one episode, Barbara. Just one damn episode, please. He didn't try to assault you like Waymond, but Charles has played with your emotions several times, and I just need you to knock 👏🏾 his 👏🏾 ass 👏🏾 out 👏🏾 too 👏🏾.

[its-monster-mash]

Marko(Lost Boys) X Frog!Reader Imagines

Gender Neutral Reader

Content Warnings: gun, near death, brief mention of weed

• You spent most of your life on the East Coast, but you had a lot of family out west, including your beloved Grandfather. So when he passed, you dropped everything to attend the funeral

• You didn’t even recognize Edgar and Alan when you showed up at the trailer with your bag; last time you saw them Ed was just learning his first words(“Bullshit”, thanks Uncle Frog), and Al couldn’t even walk yet. Now here they are, a couple of Angsty sullen teenagers

• “You guys used to be so cute, what happened?” “We grew up.” “Oh please, what are you, 12?”

• You decided to stay for a while, help out with the comic book store while your Uncle deals with the legal stuff about your grandfather’s death. Dying sure was a pain in the ass, you guessed

• All things considered, you liked the work. You were a huge comic fan, and the store was slow enough that you had plenty of time to spend working on your own art. You hoped maybe you’d have your own comic some day, if only you could stick to one idea...

• In fact, you were so focused on your art that you forgot to lock up after closing time; so you were more than a little bit started when someone tossed a comic on your desk

• You look up to see a curly-headed blond man, with one of the most beautiful faces you had ever seen, and you can’t help but blush, he smiles at this. “New in town? I think I’d remember seeing you.”

• You notice his friends snicker as they mill around the store. So he IS flirting with you...this does nothing to help your blushing

• You try to collect yourself, ringing up his comic book as you explain your situation; about your grandfather, and how you’re staying with your uncle for a while...how you accidentally kept the shop open way late

• He seems infinitely more interested once he hears that you’re an artist, and absolutely wants to see your work. In fact, he doesn’t even wait for you to respond. “Is that your sketchbook?” Is all the warning you have before he’s snatching it off of your desk and flipping through it

• His jaw all but drops as he appreciates your work. “This is so sick!” Suddenly he’s pushing the sketchbook back to you. “Can you draw me?”

• Normally, you hate that question as much as any other artist, but you’d been dying to draw him since you saw his face, so you absolutely take him up on that

• It doesn’t take you very long to sketch him, and the second you’re finished he snatches it out of your hands, staring at it like he hasn’t seen himself in years

• While he’s busy being in awe, you snatch the sketchbook back from him, much to his surprise, and you hold up a finger to tell him to wait while you scratch your phone number onto the page. You hope he can read your terrible writing

• You tear the page out of the sketchbook, handing it to him. “Here, my phone number...you could call it sometime...if you want to.”

• Your heart flutters when he smiles, and you think you might die when his fingers brush yours when he takes the page. “I want to.”

• His spikyheaded friend nods at him, signaling it’s time for them to leave. “Name’s Marko, I’ll call you!”

• After a couple of late night phone calls, you never leave the shop open late again; Marko never failing to pick you up just after the sun goes down. You tease him about never seeing him in the daylight, like he’s one of those vampires from your cousins’ favorite comic

• “I’ve never seen you in the daylight either.” “Fair enough.”

• Unfortunately, your cousins overhear this little talk just outside of the shop; and one very early morning you notice them sneaking out of the house...you follow of course, you are the adult after all

• Following at a distance, you watch them climb into an old cave...very clearly labeled “Stay Out”. You wonder if maybe they go down there to get stoned with their friends or something...they have friends right? You consider leaving them be...but decide it would be so much funnier to bust them

• Except it isn’t funny at all. By the time you get down there, you hear your cousins’ screams. You frantically follow the sound, and much to your surprise you find Marko, his face distorted monsterously, ready to tear Edgar’s throat out

• You hardly even notice his friends, making a daring slide to pick up the stake Ed had dropped, and grabbing onto Marko. You aren’t strong enough to pry his grip off of your cousin, but the shock of seeing you here causes him to let go anyway. Ed scrambles to Al’s side, terrified under the gaze of the other vampires

• You press the point of the stake to Marko’s chest, and he looks at you with the most devastated expression. “Touch my cousins and he fucking dies.”

• Contempt and fear plays across the faces of the other vampires, guys you thought had become your friends since you started dating Marko; they didn’t know if you could kill him, but they didn’t want to take that chance. David nods for them to part so your cousins can start climbing out of the cave

• Marko...Marko looks at you with his golden eyes full of sorrow and anguish. Seeing him now for the monster he is, you know that the only reason you’re still alive is because he doesn’t want to kill you. You have a stake pressed to his chest, but you both know he could tear your throat out before you ever got the chance to use it

• “(Y/N), please, I-”

• As soon as your cousins reach the safety of daylight, you toss the stake violently to the floor, glaring into Marko’s eyes. You don’t even spare him a final word before you turn and walk away

• Every night, the phone rings; your Uncle doesn’t even bother to tell you anymore, just hanging up the second he hears Marko’s voice. If he knew the truth about what happened that night he’d be terrified, but as it stands he just thinks you had a nasty breakup; and you’re grown...so it’s not his business

• You hate yourself for it, but you miss him...you want to blame it on his Vampiric Charm, but you know in your heart that he never had to manipulate your feelings...they were real

• One night, you just can’t stand lying awake staring at the ceiling anymore. At damn near 3am, you leave quietly so not to awaken your family, and take off for your grandpa’s old shooting range

• Perhaps it was unwise to take yourself to a secluded area so far from any civilization in the dead of night, but you don’t care anymore. You load your grandfather’s old shotgun, the one he taught you to hunt with, and fire at the target

• Eventually, you hear a lone dirtbike pull up the long road behind you; you don’t even turn to look at him. “It’s four AM Marko, what are you doing here?” You fire at the target in the distance

• He walks up behind you, watching you lazily reload. “I could ask you the same thing.”

• “S’my grandpa’s range. I couldn’t sleep so I figured I’d get in some target practice.” *Ting* “You know that’s no good against Vampires, right?” “It’s not for vampires.”

• He can’t help but be frustrated with you; how could you just come out into the open like this? In the middle of the night? Were you stupid or suicidal?

• You don’t need to read minds to know what he’s thinking. He opens his mouth to speak and you cut him off. “If you wanted me dead, I never would have left that cave.”

• “So why didn’t you do it? You know what I am now, so why didn’t you drive that stake through my heart?” “Even if I could have stabbed you faster than you could have killed me, your brothers would have torn me to pieces.”

• “My brothers aren’t here now.”

• You finally turn to look at him, tears welling in your eyes at the sight of him. Your heart tenses at the sight of the sun threatening to rise on the horizon. “If you don’t leave now, I won’t even have to kill you.”

• “No (Y/N).” You can see the tears in his eyes as he shifts into his monstrous form. “No, if you really want me dead, you’re gonna see it.”

• You’re confused at first, until you see the smoke beginning to rise as the first rays of morning light threaten him. “Marko, what are you doing?”

• He lets out an agonized hiss as his skin begins to singe. “This is what you wanted, isn’t it?”

• Tears well in your eyes as you run to him, throwing your jacket over him in an attempt to shield him from the sun. “Knock it off!” You practically drag him into the old gun shack

• He collapses to the floor once you get him inside, too weak to stand. “If I’m gonna die, I want it to be you.” He sounds so raspy and exhausted

• You shake your head, tossing an old blanket over him. “Well too bad. You’re not dying on me today.”

[scribbles97]

Cahelium and Stone

@gumnut-logic​ wrote this wonderful bit of fic for us but seems to have forgotten how to not leave a fic on a cliff hanger :P 

So of course I could not simply ignore the implications of said fic, so I went ahead and added to it. 

Thank you Nutty for letting me play with your ideas! 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It wasn’t like Virgil to flee when a family member was in hospital. The middle brother having both the most patience and the most medical knowledge of them all would always be the first to take vigil at a bedside. It was impossible to count how many days his brother has sat by a bedside, either waiting or entertaining another.

He was never first to leave. It was rare for him to even consider leaving before the patient was stabilised unless they had a job to do. 

So to be ordered back to Thunderbird Two just minutes after landing in Auckland and flown  home in tense, deadly silence, was nothing like normal. 

To say it freaked Gordon out was an understatement. 

Especially considering just who was in that hospital bed. 

The fact that his older brother hadn’t even protested when Grandma insisted on repeating the medscan on his head spoke volumes. 

Gordon had been shooed off with that look only Grandma had perfected, sent away to shower and change. Grandma would set Virgil straight, she always did. 

Except, the next time Gordon found his brother it was on the floor of the hangar, arms and legs limp like a ragdoll as his eyes stared blankly at a familiar green panel. 

He doesn’t have to look up to Two to know just which panel it was. 

The panel from the wing that had collided with Thunderbird Shadow. 

***

Gordon was by far the least quiet of his brothers, and also the least subtle. 

Despite the pounding rush of blood in his ears and the screaming guilt in his head, he had still heard his younger brother coming. He knew exactly what conversation was to follow, could have probably planned it out in his head if he had been so inclined. 

Except, after the rush of so many emotions just moments ago, numbness had taken over. Physically and mentally exhausted from a day of rescues and disaster, his entire body had gone into protective mode and shut itself down. 

There wasn’t even the energy to tear his eyes away from that dent. 

“She’s fine V.” 

Still he couldn’t draw his eyes away. 

Gordon sighed as he sat down next to him, kicking the panel out of sight with a clank and a shower of paint flecks. 

“Couple of bruises, a bum leg, and a mild concussion, nothing that any of us hasn’t had before.”

Except he had caused it, that hadn’t happened before. 

“Come on bro, this isn’t your fault. You’re the last person Kayo’s gonna blame for this.” 

He was the first person she should blame. Everyone had questioned him after he’d caught his face on that bit of metal that had been sticking out where it shouldn’t have been. A couple of steristrips and a quick med scan had been enough to convince them that he was fine, fit to continue the rescue. It was just a cut after all. 

Maybe he’d missed something. 

“Should’da let you fly home.”

Gordon scoffed, shaking his head  with a grin, “What, so I could ding up both your girls and then suffer a slow, painful, death by both yours and Kayo’s hands? I’m good thanks.” 

He knew it was meant as a joke. 

“V, be grateful it was you flying. Nobody else would have recovered Two quick enough to grab Shadow out of the sky like that.”

It hadn’t been quick enough though, she’d still hit the side of the cliff, crumpled between the weight of Two and the solid rock face. All he’d saved her from was a watery demise. 

“Eos and John both said that the gust came out of nowhere, it was a freak accident, a random result of mother nature and the start of the hurricane.”

“She could have died.” Was all he could force past his lips. 

“She didn’t though.” Gordon persisted, ever the optimist, “Because you pulled her out of that dive into the water.”

A hand squeezed hard on his aching shoulder, feeling finally coming back with a vengeance as he realised just how much of himself was starting to ache. 

“Everyone else saw the same as me bro, you saving your fiancee’s ass. Let me tell you, if you don’t get that into your head, I’m gonna tell her what you’re thinking and let her kick your ass for me.”

His brother’s elbow was lumpy against Virgil’s ribs as he grinned some more and added, “And I will take great pleasure in watching.” 

The little question was still in the back of his mind though, still needling against his greatest fear of the moment. 

“I could have killed her.” 

“Virgil Tracy, you couldn’t kill me if you damn tried. You even hesitate to try and punch me when we’re training.”

Aching muscles damned, he immediately sat straighter, eyes widening at the voice from Gordon’s wrist. 

“Told ya I would.” Gordon grinned, “Your funeral, Virg.”

“Kay, I-- you-- wha--”

Her hologram appeared above his younger brother’s wrist. The image may have been small but the anger she radiated was enough to fill him with fear. 

“Where the hell are you?” 

He swallowed, feeling as small as the image in front of him. 

Visibly she seemed fine, a minor cut on her cheek, a swelling bruise blending with her hairline. She hadn’t had her helmet on at the time, the rush to clear the area before the hurricane hit more of a necessity. There had been nothing to protect her if her ship had hit the water below. 

“The hangar at home.” Gordon filled in for him as the silence stretched on. 

Her glare hardened, as cold as ice. 

“I’m sorry.” He forced out, pursing his lips as he watched her, “Kay I--”

“That had better be an apology for not being here.”

He couldn’t lie to her, it wasn’t in his nature. In that moment though there were several things he was sorry for, and Kay probably knew exactly what he meant. 

Looking across to Gordon, Virgil swallowed, “Gords, will you--” 

His younger brother was already standing, a hand held out to help him up, “Alan’s already prepped Tracy Two. Don’t worry Kayo, we’ll make sure he’s delivered direct to your door at no extra charge.” 

That earned them both a slight smile before she looked back to him, “Virgil? I’m okay, thanks to you.”

His chest tightened, a lump swelling in his throat blocking off any words that he might have tired to respond with. Instead he simply nodded, mute, trying to ignore the cut on her cheek. 

“I’ll see you soon, yeah?” She prompted softly. 

Straightening, he glanced to Gordon before clearing his throat. There was nowhere else he would rather be, nowhere else he should have been. 

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He confirmed. 

Her smile was softer, the anger fizzled out as she nodded back to him. 

“I love you, Virgil tracy.” 

He snorted softly, scratching the back of his head as his next breath came easier. Both knew there was no need for him to respond, that the only reason that he wasn’t already there was out of how much love he held for her. 

Still, he said it anyway. 

“I love you too Kay.”

[nachohypno]

Pine’s College Jocks 2 Ch. 6 - (Re)Building time!

Leo’s POV

I do believe in destiny.

Or I have to, otherwise this would be a very specific chain of coincidences that would have made me very mad, but it didn’t seem to be the case.

Barrinfield city wasn’t exactly where I was headed, but business is business. I was looking forward for a meeting to further expand the company I own, since these things are usually pretty simple. But, the wealthy guys decided to change the place of the meeting to near

A few words, breaking the wills of my comrades and enforcing mine over theirs. As soon as that’s done, I can start counting a couple more numbers in the company’s records.

I walked in the building I was staying in, a hotel with great ratings. Some would call me selfish, because I use my mind control powers to get what I want, but I really don’t care. I AM the one with mind control powers, there must be a reason why I’ve got them.

But I’m bloody sure it doesn’t involve helping some weirdos become professional football players, that’s some… weird fantasy fetish world Piney lives in. (Besides, everyone knows that rugby is waaaay better than football).

Don’t get me wrong, I love that guy. Seeing someone so… ‘pure’ to call it some way, not being corrupted by the powers and trying to do good with them. He’s nice to be around but he also seems kinda… I dunno, but not like dumb because he’s probably way smarter than me.

I got in the elevator and pressed the second-to-last button.

And now, we got ourselves in a bit of a situation. Changing my ways? Not something I thought I would be doing in my Saturdays but alright, I’m amazing so I’ll handle this like a pro.

Besides, he’ll be changing his ways too. Maybe he would learn how things work when you are an all-powerful mind controller.

I mean, I see it like this: There are two kinds of people. Normal people, who live their lives thinking they are free, and want mundane things like the new Xbox, a good job, etc.

Then, us mind controllers. Pine and I are the only ones I’m aware of, but that’s still enough. We have the power to change someone’s personality, routine, likes and dislikes. Their way of thinking, or how they see the world, too!

He wants to do good with his powers? That’s great, and I’m really proud of him for that. But I honestly prefer what I do. Living my life to the fullest and just… taking what I want, because who would stop to think about it when you are basically a god?

Okay, I’m going way over the top here. But, my point is, we’ve both been blessed with this gift, and I’d like him to try out new things before settling down and doing charity for the rest of his life.

He does seem to have a pretty thought of system by the way he handles off things in his campus. Enjoying his good college years while also playing fair. I didn’t do that, nah. I preferred just telling my professors to give me a good grade, since I couldn’t see myself in the future using boring stuff in my work.

The elevator’s doors opened and I was greeted by a corridor. I walked up to my door and entered the apartment I was staying in during my staying in Pine’s city.

I was greeted by a pretty good view, as Alan was still working out in the middle of the room. He was the previous owner of LeoCorp, my old classmate didn’t hesitate to pass the ownership to me after I was done with him.

Now, he was my mindless bro, wanting to keep himself big and strong to serve his master. Hey, I love pretty buffed guys and good looking girls. But I shoot more for the gay side of my bisexuality, I feel a deeper connection with my bros. (“Deeper”, get that?)

I moved towards my friend. He was mumbling numbers as he did some pushups. “59… 60… 61…”

Alan was just a few months younger than me, with blond hair, perfectly smooth body, and a body similar to mine. Wide shoulders, lean torso with nice abs and pecs. When I wasn’t around, he worked out or resumed his assistant’s duties, doing most of my job for me.

After he unwillingly gave me his company, I decided to repay him by making him a permanent slave of mine. He had a good salary, but he didn’t care those lil’ details as long as he was able to serve me.

But, I’ve made a deal. Being more… “nice” with my powers. I’ve got in front of Alan as he did his pushups and stared at him.

He stopped as soon as he noticed me, and looked at me with a big grin “Master! How long have you been there? I’m sorry I haven’t-”

“Quiet, I’m trying to work here” I said, trying to concentrate. I stared at his eyes, trying to reestablish our little mind link. I hoped Pine could someday teach me how he manages to make his mind links permanent, because having them for a few hours was a pain in the ass, honestly.

There, I created the bond. Alan’s eyes became glassy as I toyed with his mind. He was a puppet, a mere pet looking forward to pleasure and obey his master… Well, not anymore.

I tried my best to repair him, just like I remembered him, at least. A friendly and funny guy at my university, with a lot of energy and ideas to take his family business to the sky. Ultimately, he managed to achieve that, just not as the president of it.

I cared for my friend, and I would never destroy his life. But a naïve mistake (Uh… my fault, sorry) left him without his mind, and that’s… that’s something I didn’t know how to fix. I’ve never really looked deeply into it, either. I’ve got into that college because of a rugby scholarship, but my mind control powers also helped a lot with the recruiters.

After learning Pine was a psychology major, I assumed he did the same thing as I did. Mind control your way into being the best of the class, but that didn’t seem to be the case. The guy actually paid attention and tried to study hard enough to be the best, while also using his powers to help others achieve the same result.

Having confirmed that he had the brains and was smarter than me, I wanted to ask him for help with this issue but… I have to give the example. I’m supposed to be older, better, stronger, I’m running out of adjectives to describe how I’m supposed to be superior, and I wanted to think that he looked up to me the day we’ve met.

Besides, he did it already, with the swimming coach. Another accident on my behalf, but he managed to fix it quite easily. Something I haven’t achieved before, but he was angry with me after that, so I didn’t dare to ask him if he could repeat it with someone he never met before.

I could see why, I had to send him my memories of our time together at college, and recreate his personality from there. A big fan of football and baseball, but not that athletic himself. I fixed that when I made him mine, too.

But now… humanity returned to him, as his expression faded and was quickly replaced by confusion.

He still was enthralled, since I didn’t finish with the last details. He still knew who his family was, he regained his knowledge from college, and everything that he became oblivious to returned to his mind.

I snapped my fingers in front of him. The new Alan blinked a few times, before crawling a few meters away from me. “What… Where…? …Leo?”

“Hey…” I offered my hand to him “It’s okay, let me explain everything”

But he didn’t seem to want any explanation. He looked angry, but scared at the same tme“What are you going to explain?” He mumbled. “H-How you ruined my life? How you took over my family company and made it yours?” Alan’s eyes teared up as he looked around. This is… weird, Alan would never act like this. “And what the bloody fuck is this place, Leo?”

Seems like he could remember everything that happened while under my control. That was unexpected. Still, something wasn’t right about him.

“This is… this is our place, man” I said, with a reassuring smile “Barrinfield city, in the US. Isn’t that awesome?”

“Why, Leo?” He looked up at me, without moving his body, only his head as he now noticed his very muscled body and checked himself out while remaining wary of me. “Why did you do this to me? I was your friend!”

“It wasn’t… It was not something personal, I do it with everyone!” I tried to excuse myself, but he tried to get up. He almost fell, it was like he was (or felt) weak.

“B-But that doesn’t mean you should do it! I had a business to lead! And… the first thing I remember is…” He scratched his head “It’s sorta foggy, but I remember being in our college dorm, and you seemed pissed for some reason. Twenty minutes later, I was on my knees and… I couldn’t think anymore, because of you”

I should have felt guilty, but I couldn’t. I don’t know why, but I didn’t feel bad for my actions, because I made him happy. He couldn’t forget about how blissful and happy he felt while under my control, and that’s probably what bothered him. The asshole should be thanking me!

“It was not intentional; and by the time, I didn’t know I could bring you back!”

“That’s a good reason to take over MY company, right?” Alan lumped over on the couch and just laid there, looking at me with sadness in his eyes. He wasn’t mad, he seemed more… disappointed, and scarred about these last few years.

I wasn’t lying, I didn’t know I could rebuild someone’s personality based on his information and memories. Pine did it like a natural, with coach Chris. That means I’m a horrible mind controller? Probably, but in my defense, I barely cared to search for an answer, either.

“You had no mind” I explained. “You weren’t in condition to run such an important business! I tried to make it work and fix you but… you know how that went, I could only do so much and luckily you got back to working in no time!”

“Yeah. As your assistant. So much bloody bullshit, man. You know what’s the worst part?” I raised an eyebrow. Something worse? “I still feel you inside my head, like some kind of parasite waiting for you to say something so I can jump out of this sofa and obey. And I hate it. This is not life, Leo. And… I rather not live like this.”

I moved over to his side “What are you talking about? This can totally work out! You’re back now, Al!”

But he shook his head “Bring me back under. At least, I was happy like that, and I seemed to work out a lot during these few years. C’mon, unless you want me to do something we’ll both regret” He sounded in pain, like he really didn’t want to be here right now.

‘Fuck,’ I thought ‘I fucked up again’

But I knew that this wasn’t Alan, not really. The real Alan wasn’t like this, and he knew it. If it wasn’t his normal personality who was in control of his body, he wouldn’t want to be back at all.

This was probably my fault, too. I made this Alan with my memories, but… maybe it got also mixed with my own thoughts?

I do think it was a bit of an asshole move, taking over his company instead of passing it on to another member of his family. He does have a sister, after all. It just didn’t feel right at the moment, and I had to think fast!

Maybe my insecurities went into his new personality too, and he started acting like I imagined he would? I couldn’t know for certain, being a mind controller was both a pain in the ass, and a gift from heaven.

He was too prideful to let me toy with his mind before, and he was still that prideful when he knew that he wasn’t really in control of his body. Not with me around, at least. And he was right, I could feel in our fainting mind link that he was dying for crawling towards me and pleasuring his master.

“Very well” I mumbled, looking back into his eyes, trying to strengthen our mind link “Just look into my eyes, and relax. Feel everything around you vanish, as you let my voice lead you… deeper and deeper”

His expression gave a 180°, a nice smile replacing the previous anger/sadness. His eyes glazed as the mind link reappeared, and I pushed his barely functional new personality to the back of his mind. Pine was right, this was easy.

Would have been cool to find it out in a less painful way.

“How do you feel, Al?” I asked him, caressing his face.

“Good, master… But that doesn’t matter, how may I serve you today?” And now, he was the mindless Alan he was a few hours ago. I felt like shit now, I never wanted this. And as much as I hated to say this… I needed to learn how to control my powers to avoid doing this ever again.

Better late than never, huh?

I sat beside him on the sofa. “Just… hug me, a’ight?”

“Yes, master!” He said, before hugging me with a blissful expression in his face.

“I’m so sorry, man. I really am” But it was kinda pointless. Apologizing to someone who doesn’t have awareness nor personality.

I fucked up big time when I enslaved him, and I fucked up big time again.

I needed more help from Pine than I thought I would need. Fuck my life, but that’s not a bad thing, right?

My mind controller friend will probably help me become a better and nicer mind controller, without a doubt!

----

Pine’s POV

I honestly didn’t know what to do.

I mean, having Mike become a mindless slave was fun for a while, but it’s not like now I’m going to leave my place and starting yelling at strangers “Hey YOU! You will obey me!” Then point at another guy and yell “You will also obey me! EVERYONE WILL OBEY MEEEE!!”

No, that thought made me shiver. It could work, because of the verbal mind control, but it would be really, really weird (and wrong) to do.

I preferred just chilling for now, and tomorrow I’ll get back to my normal routine. Leo didn’t give me exact instructions, he just told me to “have more fun and be less moral about it”, so I’m pretty free. I think he would have a harder time with his part of the deal.

Although… I don’t really think it counts as a deal? Seemed more like we were making a bet, or daring each other like little kids.

I imagined a little Leo next to a little me, as the two little mind controllers got into a heated argument. “I bet you can’t have fun with your powers!” Little Leo said, before Little me answered a “Yuh-uh!”

“Nuh-uh!” Little Leo answered, trying to mock my little self.

“Yuh-uh!” Lil’ Pine said again, and they just continued like that. I chuckled at the imaginary scenario playing in my head.

I could easily have more fun if I wanted, and then wipe off any change I made after I’m done with it. It’s a nice thing, knowing that I can back up their personalities before actually messing with them.

I was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. Thinking about what to do, and Mike wasn’t around to have fun with him. He went to the university’s gym, before his first class.

It’s been a few days since I’ve made that “deal” with Leo, and I barely did anything with my powers (except for the usual stuff, like helping the football team and etc). It’s not that I’m lazy, if anything I’d like to be over with this as soon as possible, forget about it and go back to my average college student/jock master life.

I sighed. “Better get to work” I told myself, as I got up from my bed. But… what could I do?

I contemplated my phone in my hand as I thought about it. Finishing with my plan would be nice, I’ve had coach Peter/Brody, Mark, Chris and Geoff under my control. Mike wanted to help out too, but I decided to finish with the plan first before getting him in there.

Hmm… Now that I think of it, looking over for Chris would be a good thing. Trying to see if his rebuilt personality is fully working after the little… incident we had after meeting.

Yeah. That will be good, and I’ll also present him with his chores and work at the club.

‘Excellent idea!’ I told myself, before answering ‘Why, thank you!’ to myself.

I… I should get going before I keep talking to myself. Yeah, that’s also a good idea. I called Chris over and summoned him to the sports club, as I grabbed my bag and left my apartment. It was going to be a good day!

----

I arrived at the entrance of the sports club, and grabbed the keys from my pocket. It’s been a while since I’ve actually been at this place, but I was used to it since Mike dragged me a lot to workout with him. (Not that I’m complaining, I have barely-noticeable definition in my muscles now!)

I looked around and noticed Chris waiting for me near the entrance. He just looked around with his headphones on.

Without his swimming cap, I noticed his blond hair was styled in a messy, kind of spiky way. It looked good on him. He was wearing some sunglasses, a plain light blue buttoned shirt and some blue shorts. His whistle was still hanging from a cord around his neck.

I must admit, it was nicer to be around him without feeling the dread of accidentally having erased his personality. But… I’d still have to be careful, because I didn’t want to break him again. He had a placeholder of a personality now, mainly created to make his body function as a normal human being.

I took a deep breath and walked up to him. He didn’t seem to notice me, so I patted his shoulder to catch his attention.

The coach looked down at me and grinned. “Hey man. Sorry, didn’t notice you there”

I mumbled a quick “Its-alright” before moving to the door and unlocking it. Chris followed me, still smiling. That’s part of the new personality, he’s excitable and happy, so he probably couldn’t wait to see the inside.

It was still quite clean, because I never asked the janitor to stop coming to work, even though the place was closed. I saw online that if you don’t keep big buildings like this one cleaned enough, it will quickly start decaying. The man received his full pay, I made sure of that too.

We were greeted by the nice view of the lobby, where people are supposed to show their credentials or sign up as a member to enter the actual thing.

Past this part, the big gym Mikey and I used to work out at (A bit unwillingly on my part, because Mike liked to play the personal trainer with me) and the doors that lead to the other parts, like the tennis court, the inside pool, and the locker rooms. I loved how this place maintained everything quite organized.

“So, what are we doing here, master?” Yup, as I suspected. When I tried to rebuild his personality I told him to treat me like a friend when in public, but as his master when alone. “You never finished explaining me my orders”

“I think you could take care of the pool area. I mean, coaching people in there and… you know, that kind of stuff”

He beamed up “Yes master! How did you know I like swimming so much? You’re the best!”

I tried to give him a warm smile, but I couldn’t help but feel bad. I sighed “By the way, did you bring what I asked you to?”

He looked at me, a bit confused, before a light bulb seemed to turn on above his head and he started looking through his pockets.

A few seconds later, he offered me his phone. “I took pictures of everything you asked in good quality, master. But what’s that for?”

I made a dismissive gesture with my hand “You’ll find out in a while. For now, why don’t we go check the pool?”

He nodded blissfully. His new personality seems to be working, at least for the basic social actions. He should be much ruder, to be honest. But I preferred to make him a nice guy instead of rebuilding him into an asshole.

…That shouldn’t be my choice, actually. But it’s not like the mind police is going to come after Leo because he erased someone’s personality and stepped out for me to fix it, right?

I had an idea for getting him back to his old self. I could totally leave him like this and he would be completely functional. But with this placeholder personality I made up, his memories weren’t working as they should. After a day or so, he messaged me about “a strange man messaging him when he was sure they never talked before, and a bunch of things that he didn’t know how they appeared on his apartment”. He NEEDED a permanent fix, and I was the one who was going to do it.

We walked through the gym, and into the locker rooms. “Do you have swimming trunks or should I get you some at the equipment store?” I tell you, this place has everything. I get why Mike loves it, and that’s some of the reason I want to see it growing again, too.

“I’m wearing my speedos, master! They feel really comfortable!” Huh, never ordered him to do that. But that’s great, it could be his original personality resurfacing!

“Great. Let’s get changed, then!”

I started to take off my clothes, slowly. I was thinking about what I had to do.

I read about this theory in one of my psychology books, about the mind and how it stores stuff. I like to think that a personality can’t be fully erased, and it can be brought back with enough stimulus and maybe some help with my powers.

That’s why I wanted him to bring a few of his things. Trophies, family photos, anything that could help me rebuild the narcissistic swimmer’s original self.

I looked at him and noticed he was already on his speedo. Quite fast, I like it.

I finished undressing and grabbed some swimming trunks from my bag, as Chris blissfully waited for me to be ready by the door.

I finished, grabbed his phone from a bench and walked towards him. “Let’s start, alright?”

“Yes, master!” Chris and I entered the pool area afterwards. The place seemed just like the one we visited just some days ago, but decorated with different announcements and a few triangles hanging from the walls (Like some kind of tournament decoration, or a party!)

The water was clean, and if I opened up this place today, no one would manage to tell it’s been closed for a few weeks already. I’ve also been hyping it up on the club’s social media so… Everything was almost ready.

Almost, because the coaches still needed some tuning in their programming.

Chris looked around, excited. I could tell he wanted to jump in and do some laps, but he had to wait for my commands.

I looked at his unlocked phone in my hand, passing pics until I found one of a big, golden trophy. It had some kind of ocean wave at the top of it and the inscription “2014’s swimming tournament – First place”, along with a picture of him and what seemed to be some good looking sibling or friend holding it up with him. Great, that may be a good start.

I showed him the picture as he did some warm up exercises. “Remember what happened here?”

He looked kind of confused, and shook his head “I know I won that because I have the trophy, but I can’t remember it happening, master. The guy’s name is Jimmy, though. I’ve learned that after texting with him a few times in the last few days, but I can’t remember much of him either. He’s a friend!”

Cool, that would make a nice start point.

I backed up his placeholder personality with the mind link, just in case something went wrong, and continued with my plan. I told him to sit down, and when he did, I pushed his personality to the back of his mind, driving him into a nice and mindless state.

His excited grin grew on his face, as his eyes became glassy. Now I wanted to have Mike in here with us, he reminded me a lot of mindless Mikey.

“I want you to listen closely, and try to search in your subconscious more information about Jimmy, can you do that for me?” I commanded him, with a bit of hope.

If everything went well… Chris would be himself in no time.

He nodded, and closed his eyes. He laid down in the ground, and I tried to look what happened in his mind with the help of our mind link. I just had to concentrate a bit… strengthen the bond and help him out…

I laid down in the floor and closed my eyes. I had to feeling that this would help, somehow, with my concentration.

As I suspected, Chris’ mind was empty, but I pushed a bit... more… I may be able to, I dunno, get something from him?

And… there I go! I could hear Chris mumbling something, but I was too focused to let this go.

I tried as hard as I could to push the enslaved swimmer deeper into the trance, and when I felt myself getting tired from doing it, I stopped and opened my eyes. “Chris?” I asked him.

The hunk beside me was drooling with his eyes totally zoned out. He barely seemed conscious, but he still answered a “Yes… master?”

“Do you know who Jimmy is?” I asked him, with hope in my voice. I didn’t care, I wanted to get somewhere with this. Anywhere, maybe just a step closer to fix the mess I indirectly caused to this poor man’s mind.

Chris gave me a very weak nod, followed by a “yes… master… Jimmy’s my… best friend…” Alright, probably something he already knew before, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

“And can you tell me more about Jimmy? How did the two of you met?” The psychologist inside of me loved this. I couldn’t wait to graduate and do this full time, it’s a piece of cake when you have mind control powers.

“Uh… Can’t… remember, master…” He dragged the words, I tried to make him push a bit deeper, until he continued speaking “Wait… Bodybuilding competition… He got in third place, and recognized me from Instagram… Became best bros afterwards…”

Holy. Cows.

I’m making progress! Hell yeah!

“Chris, you’re doing so well for me…” Hmm, maybe some stimulus from the outside may help him too? “Would you mind taking off your speedo, as you drift deeper and deeper into your subconscious?”

“Yeessss… masterrr…” He reached out for his red underwear and took it off with a kind of robotic move. Anyway, moving back to the rebuilding the swimmer part.

“I want you to listen very carefully, with each memory or fragment we recover from… the old you, Christopher Andrew Wright, you will start feeling a wave of pleasure through your entire body, but it’ll last a few seconds, vanishing until you reach a new memory, understood? When you gather all the pieces, you will feel better than you have ever felt in your life”

There, a little motivation. Chris smiled and mumbled “Yeeesss… master…” Such a nice and compliant coach I’ve got here.

“Now, going deeper…” I tapped the phone’s screen and looked for another pic. One that seemed to be a family pic, he was hugging an elder woman and a young-ish guy, probably a few years younger than Chris, who looked very much like him. I moved to show him the photo and said “What can you tell me about this one?”

He remained silent, vaguely looking at the phone with his drool still coming out of his mouth. His mind must have done ‘click’ after staring at the pic for a bit, and searching on his subconscious. The entranced Chris whispered “Mom… and ma lil’ bro…”

YAY! More progress! I wanted to yell from the excitement and adrenaline I was feeling, but that would startle the mindfucked man.

“And what can you tell me about them? Something from your childhood maybe?” Since it would be an old memory, he would probably need more effort to reach out to it. But in the state he was in now, and me pushing him deeper as he could go with the help of our mind link, this was going to be easy.

“I… My bro and I… we used to love soccer…” Huh, another jock? Not like I’m going to go out and get him but I’m always amused to hear about them.

I grew to like them a lot, the jock stereotype turning out to be one of my favorites by now. “We played a lot… until I found my passion for swimming…” A little smile crossed his expressionless face, probably because he remembered his favorite sport.

His cock started to harden too, the ‘pleasure wave’ suggestion doing its work and it made me smile for a bit, before realizing I had still work to do.

“Try holding on to the idea of swimming, and look out for when you discovered you enjoyed swimming. Can you do that for me, Chris?”

He nodded slowly again with a nice “Yeesss… master…” I waited patiently for him to work on his mind. This was going so good so far, and I couldn’t wait to see if I finally fixed Chris! If not, at least he would regain his memories, which would already make a great advance!

“I… won my first competition… it was during junior year… in high school, master…” The swimmer said. His cock was full hard by now, but that wasn’t important. I was too excited to care about horniness.

“So, are you now able to access your old memories, Chris?” The coach gave me a weak nod “Good, I want you to hold on to them in your mind, and try your best to pull them to the front, moving them from your subconscious to your conscious mind, understood?”

He didn’t seem to, given the rather confusion expression he made, but he was going to do everything I ordered him. “Yes master…”

I closed my eyes and focused on his mind link, to help him out. I would have to see if everything worked correctly after this was over, but so far, he seemed to do well on his own.

A few minutes later, Chris suddenly sat up. Eyes wide open and looked around in surprise.

“Where the fuck… Uh… Sports club, yeah…” He seemed to answer to himself, before looking at me, sitting next to him in front of the pool. “Master! May I ask what happened? I seem to have forgotten about the last days, for some reason?”

My head was hurting. Fuck, not another overload, please not be an overload.

The sole thought of having overloads again… but it was probably just the effort I put in pushing Chris deeper into his subconscious, right?

This wasn’t the whole overloading my mind with mind links, just overusing one mind link… Ugh, this feels awful. I better get back home to rest.

But before I do that, I could totally finish explaining Chris what happened, and help him set back on track. That would probably not need any of my powers’ input at all.

“Don’t worry about it, okay? It’s better if you just pretend they were some normal rest days you’ve been taking, understood?” I put some power in my words, reassuring myself that verbal mind control wouldn’t make me go into a comma again. 

I was jumping from happiness in the inside, but had to take care of him first.

“Sure thing, master” He mumbled, with a nice grin. I sighed, relieved. I could finally stop worrying about Leo having accidentally erasing someone’s personality. 

I know how to bring them back (Unless Chris was a special case and not everyone stores their erased ‘mind’ in their subconscious. In that case, we would have a problem if this incident repeated itself).

He helped me get up, then stared at the pool. “Phew, water looks amazing. But I remember you wanted to teach me what I needed to do around here first, master!”

I looked at the pool. The water did look amazing, and I was tempted to jump right in and tell him to do a few laps together, but he was right, we had work to do. I also noticed he was still naked and full hard. His swimmer body looked really nice, and his cock wasn’t that bad either…

Wait, Piney. That’s your horny mind speaking, work comes first!

I sighed, I’ll have fun with the enslaved man some other time. For now, I had to be a good manager.

…For now.

-----

Chapter 7 is already available in my Patreon!  And by pledging you also get access to other stories before they go public!

[felassanis]

Headcanons of stuff that happened in my Fallout 3 story

1. When my Lone Wanderer enters Rivet City and sees Dr Li for the first time, Dr Li doesn’t comment on the Wanderer’s likeness to James. Instead, she gasps, shocked as she thinks she’s seeing a ghost and she shouts “Catherine!?” Believing for a moment that her old colleague is alive. My Lone is visibly confused until Dr Li calms herself down and she says she looks just like her mother, and they proceed to talk about James. I just think with a male lone wanderer her thinking he looks like James makes sense, but for a female LW, it makes more sense for Dr Li to say she bears a resemblance to Catherine.

2. In the Tranquil Lane (Or whatever the simulation is called) as soon as my Lone enters the pre-war realm James instantly recognises his daughter. His little girl, 10 years old once more. He thinks it’s something in the simulation trying to trick him, the mad scientist’s way of tormenting him. The dog starts to whine and cry a bit. It’s tough for James to see his little girl at an age when everything seemed so simple.

3. James has always been wary of Butch. He doesn’t think the boy is a bad kid, but he has a rocky home life. And James knows that can lead to tumultuous and erratic behaviour. So the fact that Butch has a switchblade genuinely makes him worried for his daughter’s safety and other Vault dwellers. One night, he finds a drunk 17-year-old Butch stumbling about angrily. James tries to calm him down but Butch goes for his blade, and it's here that Jame’s Wastelander side comes out because next thing James has Butch’s arm bent and pressed against his own back and the switchblade has been snatched and James is holding it tightly while he’s restraining Butch. It all happened so fast and James didn’t even think about what he was doing, it was just instinct. Butch remembers that moment and forever wondered where the hell the old man learnt such moves being stuck in the vault. Obviously, things become clearer in later years...They never talked about it.

4. Butch has an obsession with his hair. Will spend hours if he must getting it just right. He doesn’t just wake up like this you know!

5. Butch meeting James Hargrave? Ouch. Yeah, Butch makes sure him and Lone talk to James whenever they’re in Rivet City. He looks out for the kid and Butch rents our a constant room in Rivet City’s hotel so James can go there if he needs an escape.

6. In fact, because you meet Butch in the Muddy Rudder I believe he adopted his mom’s drinking habits but upon meeting James and his mother Tammy as well as some encouragement from my Lone Butch drops alcohol and only ever has some if he’s celebrating. He won’t become his mother.

7. Amata never really dates anyone. Her father is really controlling; I mean he goes into all of her doctor appointments as stated by James in his terminal so she has zero privacy but if we get into the mindset of the other vault dwellers...Alfonse is a bully, a bully who is very protective of his daughter. Dating Amata is just a bad idea, she’s pretty and sweet but no one can get over that looming shadow that is the Overseer that hangs over her. 

8. The only reason the Tunnel Snakes pick on Amata is because of Wally. Wally has a huge crush on Amata but because his mates keep telling him “Dating Almodovar is a terrible idea,” and they call her fat and daddy’s little girl, it hinders his intention to ever ask her out. I mean, Butch and co are arseholes anyway in their teenage years so they pick on anyone but Butch has his rivalry with Lone, Amata doesn’t really cross his mind. Wally picks on her simply because he likes her and so he’s the one that instigates any bullying towards her. The difference between him and Butch is that Wally is a bit more...abusive. He’s grown up with fucking EVIL men in his life and it’s the only way he knows how. It ain’t good.

9. The Lone Wanderer CRINGES during the holotape recording found in her father’s old office in the Project Purity building. Yeah, it’s sweet but she’s hearing the moment before her father and her mother have sex it’s WEIRD.

10. Dr Li has to drag and slap The Lone Wanderer when James dies because she just won’t move.

11. Speaking of Dr Li, she stays with Lone and looks out for her. It’s painful for Li to see the kid of Catherine and James, looking at Lone she can’t help but be reminded of them. When Lone ‘Dies’ completing Project Purity Dr Li is fucking OUT of there. She leaves the Capital Wasteland for good. The woman needs a break.

12. When Lone fixes the pipes in Megaton she sits on Charon’s shoulders so she doesn't have to climb and break her neck scouring the crooked buildings and pipes trying to get to the leaky ones.

13. When Lone ‘dies’ Charon and Butch stay together. It’s kinda like “Well...we only have each other know I guess?” Like it's just them clinging to some familiarity after Lone ‘dies’. But its this period where the two go from indifferent strangers only connected through another person to genuine buddies.

14. I don’t believe for A SECOND that BITCH DELORIA walked to the other end of the fucking Captial Wasteland utterly unharmed. like, Rivet City is fucking FAR from Vault 101. I got my ass beat by a lady chilling in her hoodie in a shitty house and got chewed up by an ant just on the outskirts of Megaton! You can’t sell me the idea that this twink straight outta the vault wandered MILES AND MILES through Super Mutant infested deserts and city ruins to Rivet City without a scratch. Don’t be stupid Bethesda! Butch Deloria walked out the Vault WITH the Lone Wanderer where they came to an agreement.

15. The Agreement was that Lone would escort Butch to Rivet City after he complains non-stop about what a shit hole Megaton was, and on the way, she’ll teach him how to survive. After that? they’ll never see each other again. Obviously, this plan goes wrong because of...well. Enemies to lovers and 19 looks good on Butch Deloria and my Lone Wanderer.

15. Charon enters the irradiated chamber where James died so that he can give Lone a proper burial for her dad. Dr Li reveals they buried Catherine near the water at Jefferson Memorial so they bury him next to her.

16. Amata and my Lone Wanderer DO NOT end on good terms and this stems from my own reaction the first time I finished Trouble on the Homefront. I killed Alfonse during the beginning and you can’t talk down Alan Mack so I get where she’s coming from, my Lone is the Overseer killer and she’s dangerous as well as a tad bit unstable but I was MAD. I was so pissed off that she called me all the way out the 101, didn’t even ask how I was or what I had been through and then begs me to solve their shit out only for her first order as Overseer to boot me out! I lost my dad and now you’re kicking me out a SECOND TIME?! Fuck you Amata.

17. Personally, when Jonas died I took his glasses and when I got a house in Megaton I kept them on my desk. As a little thing to remember the sweetest guy in Vault 101 who did not deserve it. So yeah, my Lone does that.

[hereticpriest]

Like It Really Rough Guy Part 1

Billy Hargrove Soulmate AU

Warnings: Language, NSFW content

Enjoy!!

~

A black Chevy Impala rolled into the parking lot of Hawkins High School and backed into a parking spot near the exit to the lot, far away from the front doors of the school where students were piling up. The driver door opened and one foot clad in a black hiking boot braced on the pavement. A girl with auburn hair that trailed down in her shoulders in thick waves swung out of the seat with a heavy sigh. She wore a pair of high-waisted black pants adorned with silver buttons, and black leather jacket overtop of a white The Clash tank top. Her shirt was tucked into her pants, and her wrists were covered in bracelets of various materials, along with a massive silver watch clearly made for a man. A gold chain hung around her neck, along with a silver chain that clasped a chunk of pink sea glass. The girl’s skin was light, but sun kissed, and contrasted nicely with her pale green eyes. She tucked her hair behind her ear, revealing two studs in the lobe, a gold hoop in her helix, and a copper cuff clasped around the highest point of her ear.

“Hey, space cadet!” A loud, male voice rang out across the parking lot, and the girl tensed, groaning quietly and leaning her head back, “Daisy!”

“Stevie, are you always this much of a pain in the ass?”

“Only for you, Daisy.” Steve laughed, yelping when Daisy punched him gently in the ribs.

“Sorry, Hazy-Daze. I meant to stop him from ambushing you, but Jonathan parked far away.” Nancy teased, jogging towards them.

“Jonathan, save me from this freak show please!” Daisy called out to the dorky brunette as he slid out of his beat up old car.

“No can do, Daisy. I have to hand in a project before first period!” Jonathan called back, heading towards the school. Daisy snorted and rolled her eyes, lighting a cigarette while Nancy complained and tried to bat it away from her. Steve slid an arm around Nancy’s waist and the other around Daisy’s shoulders, leading the girls towards the school. They all paused, however, when a blue camero pulled into the parking lot. The guy that slid out of it was far hotter than any man had any right to be, and he knew it. The new kid as of last week, Billy Hargrove. Daisy eyed him for a moment, until Steve jostled her and kept walking. Her soul mark was itchy today, and had been off and on since that weekend. It wasn’t abnormal for soul marks to get itchy, warm, cold, or even painful with your soulmate’s emotions. Hers was particularly active, though primarily in the more negative range.

“You itchy again?” Steve asked, and Daisy looked at him for a moment before noticing she was scratching at her ribs on the left side.

“Yeah, guess they’re pissed off or something.” Daisy shrugged, tracing the mark on Steve’s neck, “You ever get that?”

“Not nearly as often as you, sugar.” Steve replied. Nancy laughed quietly.

“Mine is just… comfortable all the time.” The brunette mused. Daisy smiled, reaching over Steve to ruffle Nancy’s perfectly curly hair.

“Course it is, Queenie. That’s because your soulmate is a total sugar pie.” Daisy teased, laughing as Nancy slapped at her hand to get her to stop messing up her hair. Daisy stubbed out her cigarette on the brick of the school, checking her pocket to be sure her cigarette case was still there with her money clip. Her metal lighter was in the opposite pocket, along with her keys and the small case she kept her pills in. She threw her backpack into her locker, grabbed her notebook and the textbook she needed for English, then headed towards her class. On the way, she slung an arm around Steve’s waist. Nancy had already run off towards her first class despite the bell not being for a good seven or eight minutes from then. She was probably aiming to steal a kiss from her soulmate since her morning classes weren’t with him.

“Guess who’s got the good stuff?” Daisy asked, bumping her hip into Steve’s.

“Seriously? Jesus, how do you always manage this shit?” Steve lifted her and swung her around in a little circle, then dropped her and kept walking. Daisy punched his shoulder, then looped her arm through his.

“Because I’m the best, duh.” Daisy laughed. It was odd to see her with Steve Harrington, considering he used to be such a douchebag. Daisy had never been particularly popular or unpopular. She was a bit more grown up than the rest of her classmates, having lived on her own for over two years now. Getting emancipated at 16 had been a struggle, but she worked hard and had managed to provide for herself since then. She ignored the rumours around school about her, was patient in the face of any bullying she did receive, and she balanced three jobs on top of maintaining good grades.

“Clearly. Hey, do you still need help with the new place?” Steve asked, and Daisy nodded.

“Of course I do. Johnny boy is in, Nance said she’d help, and apparently the kiddo troupe is all coming along to help too. I am hoping that after you, I’ll be able to get another person who is strong enough to help with some of this. I have a lot that I need to do before my furniture comes on Monday.” Daisy left him at his Math class with a pat on the back.

“I’ll see if I can get anyone to come. No douchebags, I promise.” Steve headed into his class, and Daisy continued to her English class. Her seat was in the back, next to the window, and it hadn’t surprised her when the new kid flopped into the seat next to her last week. Despite herself, Daisy found herself looking him over from head to toe again, not bothering to try and hide it. Warmth pulsed through her soul mark, and Daisy bit the inside of her cheek. He was… beautiful. She couldn’t even deny it, even though the cocky smirk on his face made her want to gag. Last week, he’d been distracted by Jenny Reed, and this week he had spent most of his time allowing Heather Thomas to drool all over him. He hadn’t had time to get to know Daisy yet, and for that, she was thankful. She had enough distractions in her life, and enough responsibilities. She didn’t need someone pulling her focus away from the important things in her life. Of course, all good things come to an end. She had caught his attention today, dressed as she was.

“Billy Hargrove. What’s your name, princess?”

Daisy held her hand out to him, twisting a little in her seat to face him.

“Daisy Prince. Nice to meet you, Billy Hargrove.” She said, tensing up when he brushed his lips over her knuckles. His eyes narrowed just a little bit, his free hand cupping just under his left pec. Daisy felt her soul mark burn, but there was no pain, just overwhelming heat. She wrenched her hand free of his, swallowing around the lump in her throat, and looked determinedly out the window. Billy reached out after a moment, but before he could make contact, the teacher began the class and told him off.

After class, she headed to the bathroom and shrugged her jacket off of her shoulder, then pulled her shirt up to show off the spirals of blues that made up her soul mark. She loved her mark. It looked like a watercolour painting, swirls of colour that she tried time and time again to recreate. Not everyone had a soul mark, and not everyone with one would ever find their soulmate, but it was special when you did. It was meant to be, and from what she understood, it was never wrong. Soul marks weren’t perfect – Jonathan and Nancy were in the same school for ages without realizing they were soulmates. They had never seen each other’s marks, and hadn’t noticed that they were sharing emotions through their marks until after Will’s disappearance.

This just had to be a coincidence. Sighing, Daisy dropped her shirt and shrugged her jacket back on. She wouldn’t fuss. She’d just let things happen, and she was sure she’d figure it out eventually. Yeah, no reason to freak out, or overthink things.

“Daisy, are you okay?” Nancy asked from behind her, startling her out of her thoughts.

“Oh, yeah, Nance, it’s okay. My soul mark is just acting up – no big deal.”

“Maybe they’re close by.” Nancy mused, fixing a couple bits of Daisy’s hair for her. Daisy snorted.

“Let’s hope not.” Daisy retorted, which made Nancy raise her brows. Daisy led her out of the bathroom, and at the sight of Billy Hargrove leaning against a locker just outside of the bathroom with Tommy H, a sharp intake of breath drew both his and Nancy’s attention to her. Nancy noticed Daisy’s unease and dragged her away.

“Okay, so, what was that?” Nancy demanded once they were away from Billy and Tommy.

“Nothing. It’s nothing.” An incredulous look from Nancy made Daisy sigh, “Okay, so, he just… I don’t know, he kissed my knuckles in class and it made my…”

Nancy raised her brows, tilted her head and urged her to continue.

“Me uncomfortable. That’s all.” Daisy lied, “You better go, or you’ll be late for class.”

Nancy cursed, squeezing her arm and then running off towards her class while Daisy watched. Once she was out of sight, Daisy threw her books into her locker and grabbed her gym uniform. She changed by herself once the changing room was empty, not caring that it made her late to class. Coach Alan began to give her shit for it, but one look at who was late and he huffed, telling her to hurry up and join the others. Laps went by easily, as did push ups, sit ups, and rope climbing. The girls were set up to play volleyball, while the boys were set up to play basketball, and she felt a little bit jealous. She quite liked basketball, but when she noticed Steve and Billy amongst the boys playing, she decided she’d be fine with watching between rounds of volleyball. Daisy wasn’t one to play on any sports teams, but she was quite good at sports with the right practice. Her team was leading when she got traded out for a break, and she sat on the lowest rung of the bleachers to watch the games. Billy and Steve were facing off, and she had to pout a little that Steve was on the shirts team, but seeing Billy’s shoulders and the dimples in his back brought her a thrill.

And then he turned around, and his soul mark was on show, right upon his pec. It was identical to hers, swirls of blue and white like watercolour brushstrokes. Her heart began to pound, eyes slightly wide, and Billy’s hand covered his soul mark again, giving Steve a chance to steal the ball again. Daisy tripped over herself to get up, slamming into the ground but quickly shooting back up and running for the change rooms.

“Miss Prince?” The Coach called out, but she was gone before he could catch up. Daisy showered, ignoring the Coach banging on the change room doors. When Robin entered the room and said the Coach sent her, Daisy leaned out of the shower stall with a hand covering her soul mark.

“Hey, Robin, sorry. Can you just tell him I’m feeling sick? I can’t… I can’t be out there right now.” Daisy requested. Robin nodded, pacing a little closer and leaning against the wall outside of the showers.

“Are you okay? Harrington’s pretty worried. He wanted to storm in here to make sure you were okay. I guess the doofus forgot that he’s not allowed in here, since he’s probably been in here before and all.” Robin mused, and Daisy snorted.

“Sounds like Steve. He’s just a worry wart. He helped me through a lot of shit last year, so I don’t blame him.” Daisy admitted, finishing her shower and wrapping a towel around herself, a smaller towel ruffling her hair. Robin hopped up onto the counter beside her as Daisy began to dry and brush her hair.

“I like your hair curly. You shouldn’t brush them out so much. It suits you.” Robin gave one of the curls a tug, and Daisy laughed.

“Thanks. You think they look good? I always thought the curls were a bit much.” The auburn haired girl replied, blushing when Robin nodded, “You’re sweet, Robin. I’ll let the curls settle. We’ll see if you like them dry, ‘cause they’re a bit of a mess.”

Robin headed out to let the Coach and Steve know she was okay, and Daisy scrunched and finger-curled her hair to make it a bit less messy. Once she was done, she got dressed and put her eyeliner back on, swept a bit of lip balm over her pouty lips, and headed out of the change room. Steve was at her side before she could leave the gym, and she had to hold him at arm’s length to keep him from covering her in his sweat.

“Gross, Stevie. You’re a sweaty mess, babe. You can hug me later, after you shower. Now, get back to class before Coach gives you shit. I’m fine, I just need a breather.” Daisy promised, kissing her fingers then pressing them to his cheek.

The picnic tables outside were her normal lounging place, and they were blessedly clear. Daisy draped herself over one, her leather jacket rolled up as a pillow and a cigarette hanging from her lips. Coincidences happen, and there was no way this wasn’t just a coincidence. If she had actually had a chance to compare their marks close up, there would be some obvious difference. Had to be. She was just gagging for it and needed to sate herself, that’s why she thought the hot new guy was her soulmate. Thank God it was Friday. She could put all of her energy into fixing up her new house instead of focusing on her physical needs. It had been a long time since she last slept with someone, and that was all this little phase was.

Daisy felt Steve crawling onto the table with her before she saw or heard him, and it took her a moment to will herself to open her eyes. She stretched one leg out over his lap as he settled on the edge of the table with his feet on the bench. He was quiet for a moment, but soon enough, he looked up at her with concern brimming in his gaze.

“Is it your parents?” Steve asked, and Daisy nearly choked on her own spit.

“Oh, shit, Stevie… no, no it isn’t. I’m sorry for worrying you.” Daisy sat up, pressing closer to Steve and giving him a brief hug, “I’ll explain once I work things out, okay? I just have to think about things a little bit more.”

Steve nodded, heaving a sigh when Daisy began to comb her fingers through his hair. He leaned into her shamelessly, letting out a hum when Daisy dragged her nails over his scalp. Her other friends understood bits and pieces of what had happened to her, but Steve was the only one who knew everything. She hadn’t meant for him to ever get involved, and it had honestly been a complete fluke that he was there for some of it all, but he had been a stable rock for her to latch herself onto in the hardest moments of it all. Steve had gone from someone she despised to someone she cherished with every bit of her. She couldn’t lie to him, but he wouldn’t push her if she told him she couldn’t talk about it yet.

“Well, isn’t this cute?” Tommy H’s voice rang out, and Daisy grimaced at the sound. He stood with Carol and Billy, and Steve tensed up against her in preparation for the bullshit that came with dealing with them. Daisy looked them over for a moment, brow arched delicately to show her absolute disdain for Tommy.

“Hey Tommy. Did you forget what I told you last year?” Daisy asked. Carol tensed and Tommy sneered, but Billy looked amused and mildly confused.

“I see you’re still playing the stuck-up bitch card. Didn’t your parents ever teach you manners? Oh, wait…” Tommy faked a pout, and Steve froze against Daisy. Before he could move, Daisy offered Tommy a killer smile and took a puff off of her cigarette, then blew the smoke out at him.

“I see you’re still playing the ‘second fiddle to the popular douchebag of the minute’ card, huh?” Daisy untangled herself from Steve and stepped closer to Tommy, sliding her arms around his neck and pressing her body up against his, “You still mad that I told you I’d rather eat dirt than ever touch your dick, sweetie? How about you fuck off before I make copies of those notes you left in my locker, huh? No point ruining what little reputation you have. Leave me and my friends alone, or I’ll kick your ass, Tommy. I’m crazy, don’t you remember?”

Carol grabbed Daisy’s arm, but she ripped her hand away and twisted Carol’s arm, then used her grip on her to shove the girl away from her. Billy watched, endlessly amused by this girl humiliating his posse. Tommy tried to shove her, but Daisy planted her feet and checked him hard, knocking him on his ass.

“Run away, Tommy.” Daisy growled, while Tommy scampered up with Carol’s help. They both stalked off, acting like their pride wasn’t bruised, but Billy remained where he stood. Daisy ignored him, stubbing out her burnt out cigarette on the bench of the table.

“Motherfucker wasted my cigarette.” Daisy grumbled, brow arching and shoulders tensing when Billy lit one and offered it to her. She took it, locking her gaze with him for a moment to ponder her reaction, then flicked her tongue out to lick the underside of the filter before putting it into her mouth and taking a puff. Billy smirked, and Daisy blew out the smoke in his face to hide her reaction when the mark on her chest began to feel warm and almost fluttery. Looking into Billy’s eyes, she got a feeling that he wasn’t as oblivious as she hoped, but he was clearly content with going with the flow for now. Daisy couldn’t help but smile when Billy stepped closer and stole the cigarette back from her, taking a long drag off of it while his gaze ran over her body, and then over to Steve.

“So, crazy girl, you got plans this weekend?” Billy asked, and Daisy snorted, stepping closer to him and stealing the cigarette back from him.

“Yeah, I do actually. I’m finishing up renovations at my house. Move in trucks are coming by Monday, so I have to get it all done before then. No time for anything else.” Daisy replied.

“You the newbie on Cherry Lane?” Billy asked, raising his brows, a sly smirk crossing his face when Daisy hesitated.

“Uh, yeah, that’s me. How’d you know?”

“I live at 4819 Cherry Lane. You’re across the street and a house over. 4823 right?” Billy smirked, “I knew I saw someone working in there.”

Daisy took a drag off of the cigarette and shrugged, “Yeah, that’s me. Tell us to shut up if we’re loud this weekend, I’m having people over to help me fix up the place, and we’re probably going to play music and shit.”

“Need any help?” Billy asked, and Steve made a weird noise behind her, so she glanced back at him. His eyes were wide, and he looked like he wanted to shout.

“Yeah, if you want to help. I’m paying, and providing dinner of pizza. Beer if you’re not driving.” Daisy replied, “Your little groupie idiots aren’t welcome. And there will be no fighting. That being said, anyone who helps is more likely to be invited over after. I live alone, so it’ll be a good place to hang out to get away from parents.”

“Well, now I’ve got to help. You starting tonight?” Billy asked, taking her wrist in his hand while the other pulled her closer. He took the cigarette into his mouth, his lips pressed against her fingertips, and the contact made Daisy’s breathing hitch. He smirked at her, scratching at his pec with his free hand while looking her in the eyes. Yeah, he definitely had caught on more than she hoped. He knew, but it was possible he didn’t know that she knew. Unlikely, but possible. Daisy let go of the cigarette, resisting the urge to shotgun the cigarette with him even as it bubbled inside of her. She licked her bottom lip, then pulled a cherry lollipop from her jacket pocket and ripped the packaging off. She tossed the packaging in the trash and flicked her tongue over the candy before popping it into her mouth, curbing her oral fixation that caused her to chain smoke when she was anxious.

“Yeah, tonight. Everyone’s coming around 5 for dinner before we start.” Daisy replied, and Billy nodded, tossing a wink her way, then heading back towards the building. Steve squeaked once he was gone, throwing his hands up.

“What was that, Daisy? Please don’t tell me you’re interested in that jackass.” Steve begged, and Daisy feigned a laugh that had him narrowing his eyes at her suspiciously.

“It was me getting another set of hands to help. If he wants to flirt along the way, he’s welcome to.” Daisy replied, and Steve knew she was omitting something, but she wasn’t technically lying, so he didn’t protest. He knew she’d open up eventually.

[artificialqueens]

Sweet Music Playing in the Dark: Ch. 1- Fire Escape (Craquaria)- Dill

hi everyone!! it’s been a while since i’ve submitted on this blog, but i decided to give it another go! this is the first chapter of a new fic i wrote a while ago and i’m (finally) almost done with the next chapter! you can find me @ drdill on AO3 as well as the remaining chapters of Home (the first fic i wrote)

I hate elevators.

You wait for half an eternity in the lobby fresh off your 9-to-5, only to crowd into a little 4x6 room just like every tired, irritable person around you, then stop at

Every.

Single.

Floor.

Don’t get me started about the summer when sweat becomes a factor. It’s a free, disrespectful sauna. If I didn’t live on the eighth floor, I’d take the stairs, but what sociopath would willingly do that?

It’s a Friday in late May, particularly Memorial Day weekend. The chipping cream-colored paint in the lobby paired with dirty maroon rugs welcomes me off the sunny Brooklyn streets. Most people around are eager to escape for the next couple of days, but I’m sequestered to my apartment to research the new summer color trends. How riveting. The bell rings as the doors open. Walking on quickly, I press the button and seclude myself in the corner. I feel like a fucking sardine, begging no one tries to speak to me as I put my earbuds in. Every “excuse me,” and quick neighbor catch-up is silenced by Bowie and the drums of “Fame.”

Though I’ve never spoken to anyone in this elevator, I somehow know all of them. There’s Joanne, who’s always in a hurry for no goddamn reason, Alan, the workaholic accountant whose undereye bags could be an airport carry-on item, Mike that calls his wife when he gets in the elevator, then gets mad when the signal cuts out, some others whose habits are mildly concerning, and me- the art school dropout. It’s a melting pot of people pretending to have their shit together until they step foot into this building.

I count the floors: 2, 3, 4, 5, and one by one, they shuffle off while I bob my head to the music. Finally able to breathe, I shift out of the corner when I notice a new guy hiding behind Mike. He’s shorter, no more than five and a half feet with umber hair that’s faded on the sides. His wardrobe might as well be a walking Gap advertisement- a powder blue button-up and khakis paired with matching brown belt and shoes. One last person gets off on the seventh floor before it’s just the two of us, causing more confusion when I realize he’s going to the same place I am. Why haven’t I seen him before?

He’s oblivious to my stare, scrolling through his phone. I’d be lying if I said he was my type, but I’d be lying more if I said he wasn’t pretty cute. His pants hug his hips nicely, showcasing his ass before my eyes wander to the front of his-

Pull yourself together, Giovanni. You can’t mind-fuck a stranger in the elevator.

A small hop and the doors open to the eighth floor. He follows me out, still ignorant of his surroundings, ice shuffling around in his coffee as he takes a sip. I reach my door and fumble with the keys when I notice he’s unlocking the door next to me.

That’s…Kevin’s place, as in my very loud, dark-skinned neighbor of 2 years, not this puny white guy. Based on his physique, there’s a zero percent chance he mugged Kevin, so why does he have a key? When he opens the door I hear him enthusiastically say “Hi, Muffin!”

Muffin is Kevin’s cat, so he clearly knows him well enough to be chill with the world’s most evil cat. Regardless, I get inside, throw my stuff on the kitchen table, and give Kevin a call.

“What’s up, G?” He sounds like he’s in a car.

“Hey, I just watched a very small white man walk into your apartment way too happy to see your demon-child.” I’m talking in a low voice as if he’ll hear me through the concrete walls.

His laugh erupts through my phone. “I’m sorry, girl. I totally forgot to tell you!”

“Kevin if this is another guy you met two weeks ago that ‘is definitely the one,’ I’m gonna move out. He’s clearly not your type.”

“Calm down, bitch! It’s just my friend Max. He’s moving here from Seattle in a few weeks and wanted to get a feel for the area. I invited him to stay at my place for the weekend while I’m gone. I just dropped him off from the airport.”

Ah, so that’s Max. Kevin’s mentioned his friend from college a few times but never gave much description. I was imagining someone a bit…taller. And more muscles for a guy with a black belt. It’s underwhelming.

“Rude of you to leave without saying goodbye, but I guess I’ll survive sitting alone outside.” Kevin and I have some intense solidarity from hating our neighbors and sharing a fire escape. Not a day goes by in warm weather without a quick chat on the metal platform. It all started with a false alarm one Tuesday night, causing both of us to run out like idiots and get to talking.

“I’m just going to visit my fam. My sister’s been bugging me to come and see her new house.”

I sigh dramatically. “My blunt and I will miss you dearly, princess. See you Monday?”

“You bet! Love you girl!”

“Love ya, bye.”

I hang up and think about my next move. Do I go over and say hi? That’s way too forward. Do I stay inside all weekend and act like I don’t know he’s here? Well, that would just make me a rude fake-neighbor. Neither sound too appealing at the moment. I settle for a compromise: I will introduce myself…tomorrow- let him get his feet wet a little bit in Brooklyn. I’m sure I’ll be seeing him around more often if he’s moving here soon, anyway. Satisfied with my plan, I make myself a grilled cheese because I haven’t eaten since breakfast, and get to work on my research.

—-

Dusk falls over the city and I’ve spent too long staring at Pantone’s Tumeric and Pepper Stem swatches with reference photos from fashion week. I form a makeshift portfolio for the editors and close my laptop. For finishing ahead of schedule, I roll a celebratory blunt and head for the fire escape.

A deep blue swallows the sky with a bright yellow streak as the sun sets over downtown. The temperature has finally cooled down as I step through my window and touch my sandal on the serrated metal beam. Supporting myself on the railing, I feel the night breeze run across my skin and catch my v-neck before raising the blunt between my lips, sparking the lighter quickly, and inhaling deeply. A quick burn runs through my throat on the first drag, eyes closed as I let the remaining smoke exhale to the sky. The streets are pretty peaceful at this hour, probably because there’s nothing around me but nail parlors, shoe stores, and boutiques that close at 6pm. My temporary neighbor has been suspiciously quiet all day. Normally I can hear Kevin washing his dishes or watching TV when I’m out here, so maybe he’s gone out for the night.

I’m about halfway through my joint when I hear blasting, stark trumpets from behind. Confused, I turn around and detect the sound coming from Kevin’s window, slightly cracked. I creep over to investigate, walking softly so the platform doesn’t rattle, slowly peeking through a slit in the curtain to see Max belting what sounds like “Boogie Wonderland” and dancing around Kevin’s kitchen. Now I can see why they were friends in college.

He’s cooking dinner- some type of pasta, adding pepper on beat and shimmying his shoulders. Those hips of his get put to work, scooting across the floor to grab the garlic bread and place it in the oven. It’s mesmerizing; hilarious, yet adorable, and I can’t look away. I start to realize how long I’ve been staring and get out of sight before he sees me. Somehow, I’m comfortable spying on this man but not knocking on the door and greeting him. Congrats, Gio. You’re officially a creep.

Max must be in a disco mood when the song fades out and “Relight My Fire” immediately follows. I’m giggling at the situation I’ve found myself. This definitely beats the same three Nicki Minaj songs Kevin plays on repeat while he cleans, so I might as well enjoy myself while it lasts. I finish the blunt as I begin dancing around the fire escape like an idiot, bouncing around and singing lightly to myself:

“Relight my fire,

Your love is my only desire,

Relight my fire,

Cause I nee-”

Spinning with my eyes closed might not have been the smartest idea. On my third rotation, my left sandal gets caught on the ladder as I started to move forward. My right knee hits the platform first, followed by my right hand, then elbow, then hip. A loud crash supported by sharp pain in my knee is enough to know I fucked up, and I will probably be getting some company out here soon.

The music ceases. Shit. I hear footsteps getting closer, my back facing the windows. The curtains are pulled back as a voice says “Oh my God!”

I look over my shoulder and see Max open the window and pop his head out. His face reads as really confused, but concerned.

“Are you okay?”

“Oh! Um, yeah. Yeah I’ll be okay,” I reply as I try to push myself up, hissing when I bend my knee. Looking down, I see a trail of dark red run down my leg. Great.

“Here, let me help you clean that up.” He motions me to come inside the apartment. Knowing that I fully don’t own band-aids like a dumbass, I have no choice to accept. I scoot my way over to the window and take his hand.

“‘Tis but a scratch,” I joke, lifting my leg onto the windowpane. He’s laughing while gently pulling me into the apartment. I take my previous statement back about his lack of muscles. His bicep is about to pop through the shirt sleeve, and I wouldn’t have a problem with that.

“I’m Kevin’s friend Max, by the way.”

“I’m Gio. I promise this isn’t a normal welcome to the neighborhood.” I’m shaking my head smiling.

“It’s better than the homeless guy that showed me a magic trick outside the coffee shop earlier,” he giggles.

He puts my arm around his shoulder and rests his at my waist as he walks me over to the kitchen chair, slowly drops me off, and props my leg on another. The apartment is lit dimly, only the lights above the stove and oven providing a yellow tinge to the room. I see a large pan of chicken alfredo and I’m suddenly hungry again. He turns off the burner, runs a washcloth under some cold water, and kneels next to me, lightly dabbing the wound to soak up the blood.

“Hold that there while I get some ice to help the swelling.” Our hands lightly brush against each other as he gets up to go to the fridge. I’m trying to understand the amount of care he’s giving me. He’s such a nice guy; I’m a complete stranger and he’s treating me better than most of my exes.

He grabs a zip-top bag from the drawer and starts filling it with ice.

“So, what brings you to Brooklyn?” I ask him, acting like I didn’t speak to Kevin hours ago.

“I’m getting relocated for work. The publishing company says they need my ‘talents’ in the New York office.” He’s using air quotes, blatantly unamused.

“Jeez, don’t sound so excited about it,” I smirk. He gives a soft smile, closing the freezer door.

“It’s not that I’m unhappy about the job or moving here, I just want more time write my own stuff instead of editing other people’s work.”

“You’re a writer?”

“Trying to be.” He shrugs, coming back to my side and lightly placing the ice above my scrape. I wince as the cold towel touches my skin.

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” I reply. “It sucks not getting to do what you’re passionate about, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah.” It’s silent for a little bit- the tales of a struggling artist.

“Do you want some wine? I probably shouldn’t drink the whole thing by myself.”

“Red or white?”

“White.”

“I could have a glass or two.” He smiles and heads back to the kitchen to get glasses and a wine opener.

“So,” he says twisting the corkscrew in, “what’s your story?”

I sigh deeply. “Moved here from Philly, dropped out of art school last year, haven’t told my parents yet, working at a fashion magazine on complete luck.”

“Holy shit, how’d you manage that?”

“I modeled for a photographer to make some money right after I withdrew from classes, and he was friends with an editor there who was looking to hire an assistant.”

“Okay, that actually doesn’t surprise me.”

“That he and the editor were close?”

“No, that you were a model. Do you want ice?”

I’m slightly taken back while he pours two glasses.

“Wait, what?”

“Ice?”

“No. Well, yes, but no the other thing.”

“What? I’m not blind. You’re cute.” What a charmer. I’m looking down, containing the huge grin on my face from his line of sight.

“Thank you.”

He hands a glass to me and heads for the bathroom. I shudder when it touches my tongue, further supporting my hate for dry wine. However, it’s free, therefore I will drink it happily. Upon returning, he brings some ointment and various sized band-aids.

“I wasn’t sure what size you’d need,” he laughs.

After drying the area around my wound, he applies the ointment, then gently places the bandage overtop. Every action thus far has been with such tender composure, as if he’s performing surgery. Wiping his fingers off, he grabs his wine and sits next to me- not on in a chair, on the floor with his legs crossed. I think he’s suddenly my type.

We exchange stares with silent smiles, finally giving me time to admire his soft, chestnut eyes that crinkle each time he grins, as well as the little, curled hairs resting on his forehead.

“You’re pretty cute, too,” I blurt out.

“Oh, thanks,” he says, a bit flustered at the compliment. His eyes look away, only to avert to my ice pack that starts leaking. I feel a drop of water run down my leg onto the floor.

“Let me get you a new one.” he starts to stand up. “I can get it.” I sit up and reach, getting used to the pain.

Our hands meet one another’s again as we grab for the washcloth at the same time. A tension begins to form in the air when we lock eyes less than a foot from each other’s face. His lips are slightly pursed, breathing heavier than normal.

It feels like slow motion as I lean in closer and shut my eyes. I feel his left hand relocate from my knee to the base of my neck, our lips separated by centimeters, foreheads touching as I feel his breath right under my nose. My lips brush lightly against his when-

DIIIIIIIIING

The oven timer provides as much warning as the fire alarm. We jump away at the sound, hearts pounding from shock. Max starts regaining his composure before jumping up and shutting it off. He rests his arms on the counter, sighing before looking back at me, holding back a laugh.

“I think my garlic bread is done.” His head falls in his hands as he starts to laugh from embarrassment. I join in as I stand up for the first time, limping over to the counter, and grabbing a potholder. He opens the oven door for me, red-faced as I place the tray on the stove, still laughing.

“Would you like to stay for dinner?” He asks me.

“I’ve been waiting for you to ask me that since I smelled the garlic bread,” I giggle. He hands me a plate.

—-

I think I stayed at Kevin’s for about three hours. We talked about books, bonded over our dying love for Emma Stone, and gave each other new album suggestions while washing the dishes together. It felt so natural, to the point where we finished the bottle of wine even though I couldn’t stand it. A yawn builds up and I curse myself for getting tired, wishing I could stay until the sun rises.

“I think my bed is calling me,” I tell him. He nods.

“I guess I’ll see you around?”

“Yeah, and this time, I’ll try not to trip on the fire escape.” His giggle becomes my new favorite sound after hearing it so much.

Our goodbye was a quick hug, nothing more than the attempted kiss before dinner when I duck out the window and climb into my apartment.

Having this one close to home will be dangerous.

[rent-day-blues]

In Part 1, Scott says something about Gordon being a fairly grumpy teenager as well; as a prompt: each of the boys at 16? I love this AU & the writing is fantastic!!

He's sixteen, and he's gonna be a cop just like his dad. He's gonna have a uniform and a beat and a bunch of cop buddies, and he's gonna make his family proud, just the same way his dad does. He's gonna serve and protect, be the thin blue line, live up to the family name. *Officer Tracy* has a hell of a ring to it, and Scott can't ever help but puff up a bit with pride when he hears people address his father. He's gonna enlist in the academy right out of high school, and he's going to kick the training course right in the ass. He'll be a cadet for two years, and then he'll be on the force, bringing home a paycheck that'll make his part time after school job look as futile as it had felt, for all that he'd known his parents were grateful for the help. He'll finally be making a damn *difference*.***He's sixteen and if cancer killed his mother, it feels like might just be grief that kills him. The doctors had said that his mother hadn't felt anything like pain, towards the end, that by the time she was in the hospice, it was mostly the morphine that had brought her life to an end. John's been thinking about death pretty much ever since his mother first started dying, and with her gone, all he has to hope for is that the way she'd died had been a gentle, easy end to the fight she'd had for life. He stands at his mother's graveside, with Gordon at his elbow and Alan in his arms, too old and too heavy to hold for this long, but it's not like that stops him clinging. He's not even sure Alan really understands, but then, he's not sure if any of them ever will. It's not fair, and it makes no sense.***He's sixteen, and hockey and football both cost more than they can afford. Both the coaches keep telling him he oughta go for it, casting speculative glances at him as he continues to add weight to the bar, sending both their team captains over to spot for him, make their hopeful cases. He turns them down. The weightroom at school is free, and after class he can spend at least an hour, maybe as many as two, losing himself in the discipline of sets and reps, in the burn of his muscles and the fact that as long as he's got an excuse to be here, then he doesn't have to be at home, listening to Dad and Scott screaming at each other about money, and about what Dad does to get it. Sometimes it seems like the worst thing that could've happened was for Scott to follow in Dad's footsteps. It turns out their Dad walks a pretty crooked path.***He's sixteen and he's got a concussion, because he's fallen on the wrong side of a barbed wire fence, and cracked his head against solid concrete. His arms are scratched and scraped and he thinks his wrist might be broken, but all he can do about any of those things is stare up at the muddy darkness of the starless city sky, and hate himself for being so stupid. He'd just been bored. He'd just wanted to get out of the stupid fucking house, because he'd hated the sound of their grandmother crying softly in her room. He thinks he can hear sirens and he wonders what they belong to. He doesn't know yet that the security guard, walking his rounds along the perimeter of the warehouse where he'd been trespassing, had seen him fall and hadn't seen him get up afterward. He doesn't know that the ambulance that's been called has been called for him. And when the paramedics show up, he'll be surprised by how nice they are, how kindly they'll treat him compared to anyone else.***He's sixteen and he's got his license. He'd had to whine and rage and beg and bitch and carry on about it *endlessly*, before he'd managed to get his brothers to get their acts together, to do their goddamn *jobs* with respect to their responsibilities as his guardians. Scott had taught him the basics, driving around whatever empty lots met his strict standards and eventually working up to proper practice on the city streets. John had been the one to help him with the written test, had kept after him about studying and told him he couldn't expect to coast on good test taking skills; that the rules of the road were important and that he needed to really *know* them. Virgil had waited patiently with him at the DMV, even when he'd had to go back for a second try at the road test. And Gordon had been the one to intercept the letter with his license in it, to hold it in a clenched fist and jab a finger in Alan's collarbone, swearing up and down that if he ever had to pull his brother out of a car wreck, there'd be hell to pay beyond the pale of the accident itself.But, *finally*, Alan's got his license.Now all he needs is a car.

[smartgirlsaremean]

The Wedding Planner - Chapter 6

Fandom: OUAT

Pairing: Rumbelle, Swanfire, Gold family

Rating: T

Summary: Wedding planner Alan Gold doesn't have much faith in romance, and little to none in marriage. A chance encounter with sweet librarian Belle French has him almost reconsidering his beliefs until he receives a nasty shock: she's the bride in the most important wedding of his career.

AO3

Chapter 6: Belle has her measurements taken, Gold has a heart-to-heart with his family, and the bride and groom finally choose a wedding venue.

Thursday had been a day blessedly free of anything to do with weddings, and on Friday Gold entered the small office space Esther allowed him for design and fittings with a lighter heart than he’d had in several days. It had become increasingly obvious that in order to have everything prepared in time for the Lefleur-French wedding he would need to avoid taking other accounts, but Esther was in no position to complain. The Lefleurs were inviting half the fashionable world to their son’s wedding, and Fairy Tale Weddings would be a household name. Of course, with any luck, so would Gold, if Belle’s gown turned out as beautifully as he imagined it.

There was a knock on the door, and Gold looked up to see that Belle had arrived, clutching a small tote bag and looking nervous.

“Come in,” he said.

She smiled briefly and stepped in, her eyes sweeping around the room and over the swatches of fabric, the dress forms, the framed pictures on one wall, the large three-way mirror against another, and the small privacy screen. “It’s cozy in here,” she said.

“It’s small, is what you mean,” Gold snorted. “I hope to have a larger space one day.”

Belle seemed to relax a little more and approached the photographs, her eyes widening when she realized that they were photographs of his designs, and she scrutinized each one. “These are all so beautiful,” she sighed. “I had no idea some of them were yours - there are gowns here from almost twenty years ago!”

“I told you I’ve been in this business a long time.”

“Did you always want to be a wedding planner?”

“Not exactly, but it’s work I do well.” She gazed at him curiously, and to ward off further questions he gestured to the selection of fabrics he’d laid out. “We discussed satin for the skirt, and satin with a lace overlay for the bodice, yes?”

“Yes.”

“Alright. I have a basic idea of where we’re starting from, but I can’t make any progress until I’ve properly measured you.”

“Oh.” Belle glanced at the bag she was still clutching. “I was supposed to bring what I would wear under the dress, right?”

“Correct.” He motioned to the screen and she ducked behind it. He heard her rustle in her bag for a while and had just uttered up a prayer that she would not need to be laced into a corset when she emerged from behind the screen and stole the breath from his lungs, the words from his tongue, and most of the thoughts from his brain.

A corset would have been preferable, because then at least more of her silken skin would have been hidden from view. In her white demi-cup bra and white lace French-cut panties, she looked like a bridal fantasy come to life, and he really needed to look away before he thoroughly embarrassed himself. Don’t be such an idiot, he berated himself as he pretended to search for his tape measure. You’ve seen hundreds of pretty women in their underwear. He picked up the tape measure and pinched the skin between his thumb and forefinger hard. The pain helped him to focus, and he turned to face her again.

“Should I, uh, by the mirror?” she asked.

“No,” he said. Dear God, the last thing he needed was to be faced with more of her. “You’re fine where you are.” He stepped up to her. “Hold your arms out from your sides.” He passed the tape measure around her bust. “Down,” he muttered.

He told himself that he was measuring a dress form. Bust, waist, hips. He worked methodically, woodenly, trying not to notice that her skin was pinker now than it had been when he started, or that her chest was rising and falling a little too quickly for someone who was standing still. It was almost impossible to ignore the fluttering of the pulse in her throat when he placed the measure near the base of her neck and drew it over her bust and down, and when he took the measure of her back, from the base of her neck to her waist, he told himself that the gooseflesh on her arms must be from the cold.

He was sweltering in his suit, but that was neither here nor there.

At long, long last he took the final measure and jotted it down, and she hurried back behind the screen. Taking a long, deep breath, Gold set the tape measure away and leaned heavily against his drafting board. The worst was over, at least. He would not need to be quite so close to her again, and certainly time and exposure would lessen the...intensity of his attraction to her.

“So…” Belle emerged from the screen, fully clothed once more, but her face was still slightly flushed and she wasn’t quite meeting his eyes. “When should I come in next?”

“Monday.”

“Monday? That soon?”

“The wedding is in less than two months, dearie. The sooner the gown is complete, the better.”

“Right. Okay. Monday it is.” She smiled, her gaze still focused somewhere near his left ear. “Until then, Mr. Gold.”

She rushed out of the studio as if she were being pursued by wild dogs. Gold understood the feeling.

“You look like you got hit by a truck.”

“Thank you, son.” Gold lifted the wooden spoon out of the thick red sauce to check the flavor.

“This wedding must be a doozy. Jeff said it would be tough.”

The spoon froze halfway to his mouth. “Oh? What exactly did Jeff say?” If the idiot had been blabbing about his deal with Blue...

“Y’know, short time-frame, high profile, custom dress, difficult bride.”

Gold’s shoulders slumped a little in relief, then tensed again. “Difficult? Belle - Miss French is not a difficult bride.”

Neal raised his eyebrows. “Really? Jeff said working with her would be challenging.”

“Difficult and challenging are not the same thing.”

“Uh...pretty sure they are, actually.” Neal leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. “What’s with you?”

“Nothing.”

“Right.”

“I’m just...tired of this, I suppose,” Gold said. “All of it. Schmoozing clients, mouthing platitudes, managing everything from the vows to the confetti on the tables.”

“So quit. You have enough money saved up. Open that dress shop I know you’re always thinking about.”

“I can’t just yet.”

“Why, because of this wedding?” Neal shrugged. “Give it to Jeff, he’ll do fine.”

“They want me, sought me out. We struck a deal, the contract’s been signed.”

“So alter it.”

“Neal…”

“Stop bullshitting me, Papa.” His boy’s voice had gone hard. “What’s really going on? Why did you even take this account if you’re sick of everything? Why don’t you just  leave ?”

“I can’t.”

“You can’t? Or you won’t?”

“He can’t.”

Both men turned to look at Emma, who had entered the kitchen without them knowing it.

“What do you mean?”

Emma shook her head and looked sympathetically at Gold. “If you’re ever going to tell him, now’s the time.”

“How do you know?” Gold asked incredulously.

She shook her head. “I didn’t know for sure until recently, but you had to know I’d figure it out. Finding people, learning their secrets...it’s what I do.”

“Secrets? Papa, what is she talking about?”

With a sigh Gold turned off the flame under the sauce and set a lid on the pot. This conversation might take a while. “When we came to this country, your mother was the one with the work visa, and my visa was attached to hers.”

“Yeah, I know.” Neal scratched the back of his neck. “She worked for that shipping company. But you had a job too, right? You worked for that tailor. Mr. Zotto.”

“Yes, but…”

“It wasn’t legal for him to work, Neal,” Emma said gently. “That’s changed in the last few years, but back then…”

“Oh.” Neal shrank into himself a little. He walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of beer. “Something tells me I’m gonna need this.”

“Mr. Zotto was helpful, but...his help came with a price, and before long I was deeply in his debt. He said he’d help me get a green card, and then I could begin working to pay off the debt, but he put it off and put it off, and then...well. The accident happened.”

“Your leg?”

“I couldn’t work for months, and your mother...well, we’d been rocky for a very long time. She filed for divorce, and since my visa was attached to hers…”

“You’re not...you’re not still here illegally?” Neal took a step back, panic flickering in his eyes.

“No, no,” Gold said hastily. “No, everything’s legal now, but back then...It’s just that...well, Mr. Zotto was getting impatient with me. I couldn’t work as quickly or as well, I had you to care for as Milah hadn’t even tried for custody…one day a woman came into the shop. She’d had a dress altered a few weeks before and she came back, claimed it was the most exquisite work she’d ever seen. She ran a wedding planning agency and was looking for someone to tailor gowns in-house.”

“Blue,” Neal said. “But if you were in debt to Zotto...”

“She bought me, more or less. Paid off the debt. Got me an attorney, filed for green cards for the pair of us. I’ve been working off that debt to her for years.”

“But Fairy Tale Weddings didn’t even take off until after you went there. How could she afford something like that?”

“Because Pops isn’t her only deal,” Emma said. “It’s kind of a side business with her. She’s...well, a loan shark, for lack of a better term. She doesn’t usually employ her debtors, I guess you were special.”

“So wait, you knew all this?” Neal turned on his wife, his voice sharp. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Are you kidding? Did that sound like my story to tell?”

“He’s been working his ass off for twenty years because some shady bitch has him by the balls and you didn’t think I deserved to know?”

“I didn’t know for sure until about a week ago,” Emma snapped, “and anyway what are you gonna do about it?”

“Can’t we...I don’t know...go to the police or…”

“Neal, I’m a bail bonds-person, not a detective. I have no evidence. At least, none obtained legally and definitely nothing that would hold up in court. Half of it was guesswork until your dad just laid it all out for us.”

“Okay, so what’s the deal with this wedding, then?” Neal asked.

“It’s the last, Neal. We agreed. After this wedding, I’ll be done with Esther Blue and Fairy Tale Weddings.”

“Right. Good, that’s...that’s good.” Neal looked calmer despite the glistening of his eyes. “I’m still pissed at both of you, though.”

“I’m sorry,” Gold sighed. “I should have told you long ago, but...well, I was a coward. I didn’t want you to know that I’d been so foolish.”

“You weren’t a coward,” Emma said. “You were young and scared and all alone, and...I mean, sure, you made some bad choices, but you really only had a few options and they all sucked.”

“So...I get why you can’t quit the account,” Neal said. “But if you’re not dealing with a bridezilla, why did Jeff say this wedding was gonna be challenging?”

“Because Jefferson is a histrionic madman.”

“I’m not an idiot. I know what Jeff’s like when he’s being weird. He was serious, and he’s never serious. Why is this wedding gonna be harder than any of the others? Why do you look dead on your feet after one week of planning?”

“I’m not as young as I used to be.”

“Papa…”

“Let it go, Neal,” Emma said softly. “He’ll tell us when he’s ready.”

Neal shook his head and stalked out of the room, swigging his beer.

“Thank you, Emma,” Gold sighed.

She squinted at him. “How did that date go? The one from a week ago?”

He dropped the wooden spoon, splattering the stove-top with red sauce. “Fine,” he stammered.

“I ask because you never mentioned the girl again. Neither did Jeff, and he was practically singing he was so excited.”

“It didn’t work out.”

Emma crossed her arms. “I told Neal to let it go, so I will too. But I know there’s something you’re not telling us, about the girl and about this wedding, and I’d bet a million bucks they’re related somehow.” She stepped a little closer and leaned in. “I know it���s hard for you to get this, but you are not alone, Gold, and Neal is not a little boy anymore. Let him be there for you. He needs that.” She followed her husband out of the room.

Gold finished making dinner in pensive silence, and was relieved when he carried the pasta into the dining room and found peace more or less restored. Neal still looked a little sulky, but Emma was teasing him gently and Henry’s cheerful grin was infectious. As the evening wore on, Gold considered Emma’s words about Neal needing to offer support and uneasily shrugged them aside. If there were an actual problem, perhaps he would confide in Neal, but for now...for now there was nothing wrong. Not really.

“What do you think, Goldie? Uh, Goldie?”

Gold started a little and looked about him. The park was large and airy, a fountain playing in the middle with Roman-styled architecture nearby. It would be a lovely background for the ceremony, and was at least preferable to the vineyard.

“The park is an excellent location,” he said. “The two of you would be the first, as no one has been married here before. It’s certainly large enough for your purposes, though we would have to construct the site from scratch.”

“Dad would love it,” Gaston said.

“And the bride and groom?” Gold asked, turning to face them. “Do they love it as well?”

Belle and Gaston turned to look at each other and after a few seconds they spoke at once.

Let’s keep looking.” “Let’s take it!”

Belle looked incredulous and Gaston surprised.

“You like it?” “You don’t like it?”

“I’ll give you a minute to talk.” Gold limped a few feet away. He could probably still hear their conversation over the rush of the fountain if he tried, but he did not want to impose on their privacy.

“You’re the best, Izzy,” Gaston said loudly, and Gold grimaced as he turned to face them again. “You see why I’m marrying this woman, Gold? She’s the best, isn’t she?”

Gold smiled faintly.

“You guys are gonna do a great job on the wedding while I’m gone.”

“Gone?” Belle said. “Gone where?”

“I have to go to Tokyo for three weeks, remember? That merger Dad set up?”

“I thought…”

“Since I’m going to take over so many of the accounts next year Dad wants me to be the face of the company more often.” He gave her a smacking kiss on the forehead. “You’ll do great without me, and Gold won’t steer you wrong, right, Goldie?”

“Ah…of course not.”

“See? It’ll be fine.” Gaston slung his arm around Belle’s shoulders. “When are you going in for your next fitting?”

“Monday.”

“Cool.” He turned to Gold. “I leave tomorrow, so I won’t see you again until I get back. Have fun!”

The two of them walked away and Gold took another deep breath. Seven weeks, he thought grimly.

[speedygal]

McCoy Prime ends up a Medium au

Inspired by Medium and its concept and a episode. This has a read more because of its length. A sort of Spones au. Meant to be a Spones au but then some events  happened and I enjoyed writing it. Enough said. Originally meant to be very Spones au. Decided to write the au post as it is Deforest Kelley’s birthday.

Post five year mission. Jim is driving a sleeping McCoy to Joanna’s house in a hovercar in Georgia.  It is night out. Spock is dealing with another issue regarding Christine Chapel and Nyota Uhura having a lovers quarrel and he somehow is in the dead center of it and his plan involves Vulcan and T’Pring while visiting his mother. Jim can feel Spock’s headache from the two women shouting at each other. He looks at the rearview mirror to see McCoy is in the backseat fast asleep not buckled. He considers how lucky he is to have just married the best man in the galaxy. He tells  Spock through bond that he loves him and Spock replies the same thing. They had been to a medical conference that McCoy was supposedly looking forward to. Suddenly there’s a hover car that comes out of no where and there’s a accident. It strikes the front end of the hover-car McCoy is stirred awake as he is flying. He has a very bad feeling about this in his gut. He feels that he is never going to see Jim again. The rest is a blur. Jim watches McCoy fly past him. And the last thought he sends to his husbands? I am so lucky I had you, with love struck eyes  and a smile. Jim dies without pain. The driver of the other hover car gets out, with a few bruises and scratches, to find the bloody scene. The driver runs away and goes to a local clinic. Spock experiences the sudden death of Jim right as he enters his fathers home. Amanda is taking care of their twin boys, Sterek, George, and  one month old  S’Tamuel with a Sehlat. Sarek calls her out through their bond. Spock is unresponsive once collapsing to the ground. They perform CPR on Spock and get him stable for the healers to attend to him. McCoy’s accident is called in thirteen minutes later by a passer by in the ditch.

When  McCoy awakens, he sees Vulcan who he recognizes from the medical conference. He screams. Because they have a phaser injury all over them. He doesn’t see Jim. He doesn’t feel Jim. The nurses sedate him and tell him that Spock is arriving soon. McCoy feels broken all over. two stinging pain in his mind as though the marriage bond between the three men has broken. The dead Vulcan has vanished. McCoy rests. When he awakens, Scotty, Nyota, Christine, Pavel, and Hikaru are around the bed. Spock isn’t there. They are relieved that he is alive. McCoy feels like he should be dead and Jim should be the one alive. He doesn’t feel lucky.  He feels miserable. He asks when Spock is coming. Nyota explains Spock admitted himself to a Vulcan Ward a few hours ago. McCoy gets pissed off and wants to get the next shuttle to Vulcan to drag is ass out. Scotty and Pavel stop McCoy and tell him when they saw Spock, he was in very rough shape. They reveal  McCoy has been in a coma for three months. McCoy feels his heart break. He inquires about his side of the bond. Why did no one approach him and try to bring him out of the coma via mind meld. They inform him that Spock had. Spock broke himself pulling this stunt to bring him back. McCoy goes silent, then asks, what else is broken? They inform him that Jim, is in fact, dead. The driver who killed him is not dead and the passengers in the drivers car were all ready dead before the accident. There’s a investigation going. McCoy is told a healer was sent to repair his bond and numb it. They talk about Jim, how they have been going, and the funeral that McCoy was not able to attend. How Spock handled it. How the children handled it. McCoy makes it his mission to go to the Kirk cemetery at the Kirk Family Lot.

After his friends leave, McCoy talks to the dead woman. They share condolences to each other. McCoy requests she leave because there is a waterfall that feels like is ready to come out any any minute. He requests that she come later. She introduces herself as T’Pro. She leaves. McCoy cries into his hands of his loss. He spends the next three hours weeping until he can’t cry anymore.  McCoy recomposes himself when a Vulcan healer comes in. He is prepared for the repairs. His personal life is ruined. And he doesn’t feel appropriate to return to being a doctor in space without Jim and Spock. His shields are risen up and the bond is repaired. McCoy gets a lawyer and has his will written. He gives the children to Amanda under guardian ship, his belongings donated to a historical museum regarding the five year mission  upon his passing, his likeness can be used but it must be correct (He got worried someone will make a holoprogram version of himself and be far off so he makes several holovids before leaving to the Enterprise. McCoy makes a lot more regarding situations. How he pronounces words or names. He gives his life into it for the possibility.) McCoy goes home to Georgia. He falls into Joanna’s arms and there’s relief. They talk about family and the children and Jim and about his future. McCoy admits that, “We were a tragedy from the getgo. Three perfect men. I should have known it would not last.” and Joanna tells him.  “You know and you took the risk, dad.” McCoy waits for the children to come running toward him from kindergarten. They tackle him down instead in glee. He hugs them tightly. McCoy encounters T’Pro, again. This time about her murder. McCoy has to go somewhere. He is not sure but T’Pro is sure.

McCoy meets Carol Marcus and her son  David Marcus

McCoy, understandably, is furious that she has come RIGHT NOW AND TELLING HIM THAT HIS HUSBAND HAD A SON AND MADE IT SEEM TO THE BOY THAT JIM LEFT HER WHEN SHE LEFT HIM AND---He can’t take the painful reminder and the painful sting he has. Jim should have known about David Marcus after surviving the incident. McCoy is wishfully thinking by this stage that he had buckled himself in and died in the wreckage. His heart aches too much. McCoy is drawn to the  Reliant where he discovers this is the ship where T’Pro met her maker. He spends twenty-four hours on it. And with some persuasive help from Pavel, gets the one who killed her and put into the brig until their return to Earth. McCoy is pleased to have been useful  (But not as much as having a shrapnel against his neck while Pavel’s commanding officer negotiated). McCoy visits Vulcan to see Spock. He sees the shell of what had been Spock. Shattered, ruined, and utterly destroyed. He sees a sehlat by the man’s side. Which isn’t odd because there are SEHLATS EVERYWHERE HE LOOKS . McCoy keeps his distance from the animal while trying to get across to Spock and telling him what he found himself doing. McCoy feels he lost everything when Spock doesn’t act like there’s a reasonable rational conversation. The sehlat sniffs McCoy and McCoy recoils. McCoy asks a nurse why Spock has a sehlat and they tell him that he doesn’t. McCoy asks about the other sehlats. McCoy learns pets are not allowed. He is seeing dead pets. McCoy looks over to see the sehlat is gone. McCoy tells Spock goodbye. And that he hopes to see him again.  Spock remarks, “You are an odd man, Mr Blue.” McCoy asks, “Why?” “I can see things that are there and you don’t. You sure you don’t have problems up there?” McCoy pauses, carefully thinking how to word that next reply. McCoy finally says, “I see dead people.” Spock takes it without question.  McCoy pats the man’s shoulder,  “There’s hope in you, yet. Mr Spock.” As painful as it is for McCoy.

McCoy goes home, for the last time, as he has decided what to do. McCoy spends the last few months of the year with his family and working at the hospital. McCoy gets administrative leave in 2371. McCoy has been privately going through the grief and has come to accept Jim’s passing but not without seeing ghosts. He has a double life helping the deceased. Joanna has been assigned to a medical colony. McCoy leaves the children with Eleanor. Who adores the children and loves the boys. He hugs and kisses the children. McCoy leaves town.  S’Tamuel and Sterek have known all along what their father is up to. Eleanor takes a nap. Sterek has left a holovid behind. They take their little brother with them after their daddy. The take short cuts, lie, cheat, backstab, trick,and the whole nine yards by acting adorable. Sterek is the stubborn one whose determined on going where daddy goes. They take a mobile transporter that a cadet was in the process of making and has some problems. And chances of death. And they stole it despite being warned. McCoy has taken the necessary steps to make a new life where he is going. It takes a few days to get there but he makes it. And the ship leaves but right behind him is the THREE KIDS GENETICALLY MADE TO BE SPOCK AND JIM’S CHILDREN. The children catch their father’s attention and repeat a phrase Spock said to him years ago, “Together or not at all.” McCoy decides to take the children with him but decides that they must be returned when they  are one week from Pon Farr exactly the time span that they had been gone. The Guardian of  Forever takes them to a different time.

McCoy gets a house in San Francisco and becomes a trial consultant to district attorney who looks like Jim but really isn’t and calls himself  Denny Crane. He used to be  a big time lawyer who won every case for a law firm called Denny, Poole, and Schmit. He has a loving husband named Alan Shore and he is treating for his Alzheimer which no one knows about. McCoy goes up his radar by solving a case in  Tennessee and having someone babysit the kids. In Tennessee McCoy meets a man who look+s a lot like Spock but is not a Vulcan. The man likes McCoy and introduces himself as Harold Grayson. The man follows McCoy, quits his high paying well job as a engineering scientist for Airtech and goes after McCoy once learning where he lives. But he doesn’t have the address. Harold accepts his job at air tech but in SAN FRANCISCO. McCoy is helping Crane with getting the right jury. He has visions of people. There is one prominent vision bothering him throughout the day. The day Jim died. He sees the perpetrators face. He sees the man get fixed and sent on his way. He recognizes the man from his time in the hospital in Georgia. McCoy snaps out of the vision. McCoy has set up his new life, social security, fake background,and birth certificate. McCoy has a system ready for little S’Tamuel. McCoy’s little boys have their ears covered by a beanie in kindergarten. McCoy befriends a group of psychics  and non-psychics who are huge skeptics. He befriends a detective named Hank Son and his husband Peter Connor.  McCoy has a vision of Eleanor waking up to find the children gone. And searching through the house for them. Nikki Understone works as a translator for the medical hospital. Catherine Cine is a nurse at this same hospital. They are both parents for a adoptive little boy from Pakistan who is ten years old.

McCoy’s visions increase in volumes throughout the day. The search for the perpetrator becomes very important and he is apprehended by Pavel Chekov, personally, on his way to Romulus and sent to a prison ship. Pavel visits Spock and tells him that the strange man from earlier has vanished. And so has his three children. Spock has no idea who Pavel is and thinks he is someone else entirely. Pavel goes somewhere private and weeps for his role model’s breakdown. McCoy is shown a flashback where Spock had met the one who caused him pain and misery and forces a mind meld that in part is part of why Spock ended out the way he did. The visions end from his regular universe. McCoy comes across Harold sometime in his new life, again, this time at a crime scene. Hank Son is understandably concerned. Harold  is surprised to hear McCoy's job title and frankly thought he was a relative of the doctor who died last year in a car accident. Doctor Lenny Thomas McCord. McCoy goes throughout the next few days dealing with these visions from the victim that are vague, cryptic, and mostly appear as nightmares about what happened before or after the crime. He feels threatened when a bloody box appears on his doorstep.  Crane tells him it is going to be all right and they have the house guarded. He nearly gets killed by the killer who somehow got onto him when the doctor had gone to where he was at during the time and asked around specific questions with Hank Son by his side. The children are terrified. George,Sterek, and S'Tamuel sleep that night around McCoy on the first night. McCoy dreams of that killer who informs him that he knows what he has and he will stop at nothing to ruin his growing credibility to the detective. McCoy painfully makes the decision not to continue helping Denny on his cases.

McCoy is regretting coming here. He misses Joanna. There is a knock on the door the next morning and it's Harold, soaking wet, asking why he didn't get his damn phone number and let him find out through the local news where he lived and mentions, "That's a terrible way of making a first impression on your domestic life so I brought this." And it's full of  chocolate related items and a card that reads "Do you want to go stare at a aquarium with me?" And he apologizes for appearing this way. And he notices the doctor has been crying.  McCoy smiles back, wary, saying, "If you can accept the kids." And Harold  LOVES children. Loves. loves. Loves to bits. And McCoy mentions it will be chaotic going to the aquarium. They make a date. Harold ends up showing he had something behind his back and it's----McCoy's skin runs cold seeing a doll looking like Spock  in a container along with two other men. McCoy learns that he is fictional. Everything he has done in his past was fictional. McCoy is unable to speak at first but he takes the gifts and the wheelie for George to play with.  He doesn't reply. He is just in a state of shock. Harold is smiling and he gives his phone number, stuttering, and writes it down. He mentions living in a flat and that they can start out as friends if he would like. He wants to take it as slow as McCoy wants. And that he looks forward to meeting him again in the future. McCoy closes the door then slides his back against it hearing his heart beat against his chest. He is not even real and there's a real, living person interested in him who is not fictional.  He goes through his hair. He knows two Spock's. One is real and the other is not. He doesn't know if he can continue this charade. Because how can a fictional person live in real life that he isn't supposed to be? He places the packages on the couch and curls up to bed wishing he never had the accident to begin with. He dreams of Spock curled up on the couch in a meditative position and then the killer comes up and taunts him and antagonizes McCoy in a very degrading way. McCoy wakes up  in the middle of the night and can't go back to sleep. That morning he goes to Denny Crane and tells him he can't do it anymore. He tells  Denny that he can't foresee the future. All he sees is that stupid killer who terrorized his family. And he can't work for him. Denny gives McCoy a leave of absence and is unwilling to let him give up like that. He contacts a psychic friend of McCoy's , who the man had mentioned after their first case together, and asks if she is dealing with a slight problem. Denny is horrified. He knows he is going to lose this case without McCoy's help. Denny goes home that night and gets comforted by his husband--after Alan's hectic day of funding poor people's case and trying them and listening to the amusing stories--regarding it.

McCoy has a dream of a thirteen year old boy getting abducted near the kindergarten school his boys go to. He doesn't know when or where this is going to occur. He thinks he has a edge over the man but in reality he was showing him of what lead him to this. McCoy is not happy after he discovers this. George has a accident at Kindergarten and McCoy picks him up with his twin then takes them home. McCoy finds the psychics at his house, in the living room, knitting being happy as they cam be. McCoy has to make sure they are still alive to believe it. They tell him to ignore the visions from now on and readapt his life style. They make one major suggestion: be a doctor. He can't destroy a human life with being a doctor. He can't go back to a profession that he could not save his husband in. McCoy opts for finding a different job. Dog sitter. The boys are playing with their toys. S'Tamuel cries so McCoy gets the boy out of his room with his beanie on and has the other psychics, a mix of men and women, calm him down. They arrange for a road trip after the aquarium. Just him and his new found friends. Hank Son calls McCoy asking for his help on a difficult case. McCoy can see the vision of the killer with the new victim taunting him. And McCoy hates it but he has to say no. McCoy begins drinking to prevent himself from seeing the dead people BECAUSE HE CAN'T HELP THEM. HE JUST CAN'T. NOT ANYMORE. Somedays McCoy wishes that he can see his husband again but he knows that is never going to happen. McCoy and his three boys go to the aquarium with S'Tamuel in tow. McCoy has to gently tell Harold that they won't work out. Harold refuses to believe that because they can work things out. McCoy goes to the point of telling him that one of them isn't really born in this continent. Harold grows concerned asking him if he is okay and if he is a immigrant. McCoy nods, because that is the easiest way he can explain. He has a green card. He explains about the lengths his immigrant went to nest him here. McCoy admits that he was born in a Toccoa, Georgia but now this Georgia. He spills out the truth in a way that he could understand.  The man uses logic to explain away what he is saying. McCoy tells him that they have to be friends. Harold grows concerned for the doctor.

McCoy steps aside from Harold. Harold only grows determined to win the man over. The boys leave. Harold follows McCoy across the country showing up at random places. HE'S THERE. ALL RIGHT? He  finds the boys within a heavy crowd while the psychics are treating McCoy to his own vacation. One of the psychics is totally okay with one year old S'Tamuel. Harold treats the kids and they get drunk. Very drunk. Harold learns quickly not to feed the children chocolate. Harold finds their slurring very odd and how drunk like they act. He looks up for reasons why children get drunk. And of course, he comes across Vulcans. The children protest against taking the beanie off because  "daddy will be very angry" and he asks, "why?"  they plainly said that they don't exist. Harold takes the beanie off to reveal their eyebrows and their pointed ears. He deduces that logically, they are Vulcans. And Vulcans are real. They are here so therefore they are real. When the group drops McCoy off to the designated hotel room, Harold is waiting alongside it with the children tucked into bed. Harold tells him that he understands where McCoy is coming from and that he is quite honored to have met the famed man. He also says he will wait for as long as McCoy wants. McCoy feels a sense of loss at what just happened. He doesn't understand what just happened.  Harold also admits that he got himself flat broke and he just ran out of his vacation money to get himself a room. McCoy is still floored. McCoy apparently has plenty of money. Thousands, upon thousands, thousands of dollars from leaving his reality prepared. McCoy questions Harold to know if he moves around the bed. Oh, and if he snores. Harold doesn't know if he snores but he doesn't move in bed. McCoy shares his bed with Harold but the man must sleep under the blankets. Harold agrees to the terms. McCoy falls asleep and Harold wonders what happened to  Spock. S'Tamuel is snoring lightly. All three of the Vulcans are not wearing their beanies and at least all three of them have black hair. McCoy has the nightmare featuring the killer again so Harold strokes the man's shoulder and sings to him lightly changing the direction of the nightmare. McCoy's face relaxes. Harold stays up all night admiring McCoy's face and the children and watches them breath and live and sleep. He watches the twins sleep walk around the room, so he has to tell them go to bed. They respond to him and go to bed. On his feet. Harold is trapped by the boys. They don't want him to leave the following morning. So the bunch of psychics, sleep deprived, take the group to a remote location for camping. And then for karaoke. McCoy finds himself feeling glorified while Harold is making sure the little ones are okay and having fun. Harold has four hours of sleep. The children really like Harold and call him father. That night, the boys sleep in the same tent as the men with S'Tameul. Harold holds McCoy that night. He pulls McCoy close to him as he struggles. When McCoy awakens with a pant. Harold wakes up, and asks him what's wrong. McCoy lets it out. He tells him everything. And then it fits together why he is in a sleep deprived group. He then tells McCoy that it has to end. It can't continue forever.

McCoy falls asleep once more. A sixteen year old girl corners the killer in the very same room the family are in. And the killer realizes she is not supposed to be there. The sixteen year old informs McCoy of a family member around where he and his family are is about to be threatened in an hour and lists an exact illegal thing her killer is doing. The killer is outraged that she is here. Two ghosts can't be in here! The girl says,  "Who says we are asking for help?" The killer is then suddenly aware of other people in the room. Thirteen. All the people that people like McCoy could have helped. They all reflect the manner of their death. The killer screams running out then down the hallway and down the staircase followed by a mass of ghosts. The killer goes outside to the parking lot where the other ghosts say they are going to take him to hell whether he likes it or not.  And that this will end no matter how he kicks and screams. The man  is taken. McCoy awakens and calls the number that the sixteen year old told him to call. McCoy falls asleep shortly afterwards. In the morning there is breaking news of a serial killer having been caught due to a anonymous tip. McCoy feels a lot better. Harold notices the change in McCoy and asks if he had a good night rest. McCoy smiles back at Harold while taking a shower and the curtain is pulled back and informs him that he is better than okay, he is excellent. He can go back to his old job. That is if Denny Crane is still there and hasn't been forced to resign. Harold has a feeling he is still there.

One year later, Harold and McCoy have gotten married. Thanks in part to Harold's sheer determination of reassuring that "Even if you are fictional, you will live as a human and die as a human. You will have mattered in this life. You will always matter to me." Now share the house that McCoy bought as a family.  Harold adores the children to bits and McCoy usually does the cooking in the morning but Harold cooks dinner. Harold has been informed regarding that the children will leave one day and never come back. Ever.  Somewhere in their late thirties. Harold doesn't mind that part. But McCoy worries that the boys will have families by then and vanished without a trace. McCoy makes a contingency plan for that. He plans to inform the three children on a specific date on their eighteenth birthday. They both share the same last name, now, Harold Grayson McCoy and Leonard Horatio McCoy. McCoy wakes up once per night with nightmares and Harold is quite used to it and anticipates it when he can't sleep because the looks on McCoy face are so adorable, priceless, and breath taking. Worth it. McCoy uses his friendship with Catherine to get around the medical loop holes and the whole species ordeal about is children. Sometimes McCoy steals Nikki to translate for him during cases. Hank Son is happy to be working with someone he trusts over some hacks who tried to fill in his shoes. Harold Grayson McCoy snores.

We have a montage of McCoy waking up. There is this one part of the montage where the music fades into the background. He wakes up flailing, landing on the floor with a thump followed by, "Honey, is your victim drowning or were you drowning in your fear of being in something entirely new?" Because sometimes the dreams McCoy has are illogical, supernatural, and don't make sense. They rarely take an airplane to anywhere as a family because of some of his visions. Harold looks for the logic in every dream. McCoy does not plan to tell Harold about Spock and Jim. But you know what? McCoy is lucky that he has Harold and his best friend Denny Crane being a major flirt to anyone not relating to a case. He actually reminds him a lot of a aged James T. Kirk now that he thought of it. McCoy dreams of a old Spock visited by a man strikingly looking like him with a device on his shoulder and holding his hand out, "Doctor McCoy, EMH Mark VII. And I am goin' to get your ass out of your head. Fixin' minds has improved recently in medicine for Vulcans." The old Spock just simply doesn't understand. "That's okay, because I am goin' to do somethin' that the original McCoy will be proud of." The  Vulcan finally takes the man's hand and shakes it as it transitions to Harold taking McCoy by the hand down a unusual zoo without cages and has plastic walls and is large and comfy to the animals followed by the children in beanies and short sleeves. The montage continues showing the happy family growing older, in the kitchen, walking in and out, then of a really aged up Harold and McCoy being part of a shuttle craft visit to Mars. And Harold kissing McCoy's cheek. McCoy talking to thin air, agreeing, "Yes, it's a wonderful view. How lon' you been dead?" He apparently enjoys what he does now that he is retired. McCoy is happy and so is Harold. The final part of the montage ends with young bright eyed McCoy waking up from a dream then going over to jot down onto a padd and taking a phone out, "Did you just dream a murder on our honeymoon?" From the side of the bed. McCoy shakes his head, "You signed up for this marryin' me." Harold tosses a pillow over toward him. And so McCoy tosses it back only to end up falling out of bed right as he dialed the number. And then the scene fades to black.

The End.

Dedicated in honor of Deforest Kelley.

[gumnut-logic]

Warnings: Virgil/Kayo

He was her idiot.

-o-o-o-

Her Idiot

He expected to find her in the gym.

But she wasn’t there.

A quick search of her room and most of the rest of the house proved she wasn’t there either.

He bit his lip. If Kayo didn’t want to be found, his chances weren’t good.

The hangars also failed to reveal his girlfriend and an hour later he started to worry.

“John?”

“I’m sorry, Virgil. Don’t ask, she has already scarred me for life last time I told Gordon where to find her when she was upset.”

“Gordon?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, that explains the retaliation. What did she do?”

“I’m not going there. Trust me, you don’t want to either.”

“C’mon, John, I’m worried about her.”

There was silence at the other end of the line.

“Please, John, you can put all the blame on me. I just need to make sure she is all right.”

“You’ll fix my shower?”

“Your shower?”

“My shower.”

“When did it break?”

“Hasn’t broken yet, but I’m sure it will if I point you in the direction of a beach on the north-west side of the island.”

“Thanks, John.”

“I am hiding behind you, big brother. Your girl is scary.”

He smiled. “I know.”

“Hmph.”

Virgil signed off and, grabbing a hat and sunnies, set out for the northern side of the island.

It was late afternoon, but the sun was still at burning strength, so it wasn’t long before he was uncomfortably hot in his long shirt. So he shed it and tied it around his waist, leaving a thin tank top his only protection against the sea breeze.

it was wonderfully cool on his bare skin.

He made good time, jogging part of the way, keeping an eye out for their missing security specialist.

It hadn’t been a good day.

A cascade of poor luck had seen Alan, Kayo and a young woman trapped in a house during an aftershock in Japan. The ground beneath the house had fallen into the river that had undercut the foundations. Kayo had had to make a choice between saving her brother or saving the civilian.

She had tried for both.

Lost the civilian.

And only just managed to catch Alan, who had consequently swung into an exposed beam and gashed his leg open, severing an artery in the process.

It has been bad.

Her yell for help had torn at him, but he had been responsible for six other civilians at the time and had been unable to respond immediately.

Gordon had made it first on the scene. By the time Virgil had been able to make it to her side, she had shut off from the world, her expression ice as she held her wrenched shoulder.

She hadn’t said a word to anyone on the way to the hospital. Virgil stood beside her as Scott questioned the incident.

He sat beside her as they waited for Alan to get out of surgery.

And stood behind her as his little brother woke up.

Now, three days later, finally at home, his little brother was safe in bed in his room, and she had vanished.

He walked past the little cliff and beach they had dubbed ‘their beach’ and continued further around the island. The trail became rocky from that point onwards and he had to clamber over several spots where a path wasn’t really possible.

He still couldn’t find her.

“John?”

“If she breaks my furniture, you’re buying me all new.”

“John.” This had gone beyond a joke.

“Climb down to the beach, there is a small sea cave.”

“There is?” He clambered over jagged basalt, cursing under his breath as it scratched his palms.

“Haven’t you explored the island, Virgil?”

“Uh, been busy. And I don’t have the advantage of Tracymaps.com satellite view.”

“Perhaps you should come visit more often.”

“Yeah, sure, John.”

His brother’s vague snort answered that one fairly clearly. They both knew separating Virgil from Two was not a good idea, for anyone.

He hurdled over a last chunk of rock and his feet hit sand. The little beach was bleached coral white with a scattering of weathered basalt. The high tide line was sketched out with shell and debris from the last major storm, and in the cliff lining the shore the debris disappeared into a darkness where the cooling basalt had left a natural cave that the sea had since chewed on.

Virgil whispered into his comm. “John, is that cliff face stable?”

“Of course. Do you think I’d let our sister under it if it wasn’t?”

“Okay, I get it. Sorry, reflex thought.” A pause. “Does she come here often?”

“Virgil, I keep many secrets. It is my job. I’m already lined up for crucifixion having told you where she was, I’m not going to be drawn and quartered for extra fun.”

“A little over dramatic, don’t you think?”

“She’s your girlfriend, you tell me.”

“She’s your sister.”

“Exactly. I have no protection, despite those twenty-two thousand kilometres. Just remember that this is on your head. Thunderbird Five out.”

A mumble under his breath, “FAB.” And Virgil approached the cave.

It was small but deep. A handful of rough and weather-worn stalactites hung from the entrance like teeth.

“Kay?” His voice was eaten by the darkness, but there was a slight change in the shadows as her face turned to look at him. As his eyes adjusted, and he belatedly remembered to take off his sunnies, her figure, seated on a rock protrusion towards the back of the cave, became clear. “Honey?”

“I’m going to kill John.” It was muttered under her breath and he doubted he was supposed to hear it, but cave and acoustics did it for him.

“You do realise you have him terrified.”

“Obviously not terrified enough.”

“You can blame me. Leave him out of it.” It was firm, but it needed to be said.

She unfolded like a cat, her slim body straightening in the darkness. Her shorts hung low on her hips, her crop top leaving her belly bare. She’d obviously come out here for a run, but it hadn’t been enough. She stalked towards him. “Blame you?”

Despite himself, a spike of concern shot through him. She was half his size, but he knew she could take him on sheer skill alone. Sure he could pin her with his mass, but he doubted she would give him the opportunity.

But then this was Kay, the woman he loved.

“Blame me.”

The little cave blocked the sun and chilled his skin. He shivered.

She walked right up to him and barged into his personal space, simply looking up at him. Then simply stepped around and walked past without saying a word.

He turned to follow her and the sun blinded him for a crucial moment. He grabbed for his sunnies, but in that split second she was gone.

Damnit.

“Kay?” He stepped out onto the empty beach. “Kay!” How the hell had she done that? “For Christ’s sake, Kay, I’m worried about you!”

“You should be more worried about Alan.” Her voice was smooth as honey, from above and behind. He left a gouge in the sand as he spun, looking up to find her crouched on the cliff above the cave.

“Alan is fine.”

“Lucky boy.” She stood up, still cat-like and turning, began to climb further up the hill behind the beach.

“Kay, please!” He made for the rockfall that had allowed him onto the sand in the first place and threw himself up the climb. It appeared that his lot in life was to chase those he cared about. Scott knew how to throw a marathon when he didn’t want to talk. How the hell had he managed to end up dating his brother?

By dating his sister.

If his hands hadn’t been scrabbling over sharp basalt, it would have been a facepalm moment.

“It wasn’t your fault, Kay!”

“Yes, it was.” She was gaining distance, she was just too damn fast.

“No, it wasn’t.”

She stopped and turned towards him, anger in her eyes. “How was it not, Virgil? I let her die and I nearly got Alan killed.”

“It was shitty luck. Sometimes things just happen. You saved Alan. He is recovering.”

She stared at him, her lips thinning to almost non-existence.

And he saw it in her eyes. The fear, the horror and the anger, always the anger. He wanted to reach out and draw her into his arms, hold her tight and reassure her that it would be alright.

But it wasn’t alright. A woman had died.

Kay was out of reach.

And she turned away.

“Kay?”

“Leave me alone, Virgil.” She started climbing again.

“No.”

“Please.”

“No.” And he started clambering over rocks again.

She stopped and turned angrily again. “Why not? If you think being in a romantic relationship gives you the right to harass me, Virgil Tracy, think again.”

He straightened. “No, I care, Kay. That’s all. If you think I’m going to leave you out here to beat yourself up, you’re sorely mistaken.” A pause. “And if you think this is simply because of our current relationship, you’re obviously amnesiac.”

She glared at him as he continued to climb over the damn rocks. “You’re right. You’ve always been a pain in the ass.”

He chose to ignore that, and focussed on climbing without taking the skin off his palms.

Damn the sun was hot.

He could feel her eyes on him, but he refused to look up. Part of him was questioning his decision to come out here and butt in on her grief. Maybe she didn’t need him? Maybe she could handle herself. Maybe he was being an ass. But the thought of her suffering alone and berating herself, like he knew she was, for a twist of fate that would have burnt any of them...his heart just hurt.

So maybe he was being selfish. Maybe he was out here for his own reassurance that she was okay.

But goddamnit, he loved her and she shouldn’t have to face this alone.

“You’re bleeding.”

He couldn’t help it, he jumped. “How the hell do you do that?”

She was crouched on the rock just above him, her eyes scanning him up and down. A smirk appeared on her lips. “If I told you, I would have to kill you.” She nodded her head in the direction of his right hand. “You’re bleeding.”

“It’s just a scratch. I didn’t think to bring my gloves and climbing equipment.”

“You don’t need to follow me.”

“Yes, I do.” And he continued to climb until he was eye to eye with her.

“Why?” It was whispered.

“Because I love you.”

“You are going to use that as an excuse for everything, aren’t you.”

“Possibly.” He sat on the rock next to her and stared out at the ocean. “I remember a beautiful young girl hiding behind her father’s legs, staring out at the five of us. You had a bruise on your cheek and you were afraid to speak to any of us for days. Dad said you had fallen and hurt yourself.” He looked sideways at her. “But that is not what really happened is it?”

She was staring wide-eyed at him, fear in that beautiful green.

“Having the Hood as a member of your family couldn’t have been easy.”

“No.” It was forced from her, a rush of exhaled breath. “Virgil, don’t.”

He stopped. Every muscle in her body was wound like a spring. Flight or fight was on her face and he feared he had gone too far, touched topics that should never be touched.

“You’re not alone anymore, Kay.” He didn’t dare reach out, fearful that she would flee.

But she simply turned away, staring out at the ocean. “I know.” Whispered. “But I can’t afford...”

He waited.

She looked at him and the fear was back. “I can’t.”

He held out an arm, simply offering himself. “You don’t have to.”

Her eyes bounced from his to his arm, obviously assessing what was on offer. There was a battle in her gaze.

“Come here, love.”

The war flickered over her expression again. “You really are a pain in the ass.”

He dared to smile just a little. “But I’m your pain in the ass.”

“Yes, you are.” It was whispered as if it was a decision made. She dropped her legs over the edge of the rock and sidled up next to him.

He let his arm drop around her shoulders and drew her in gently. Just like he had wanted to do since he had set eyes on her. Leaning over he kissed her hair. “Love you.”

“I know.”

He just squeezed her tighter.

They sat there as the sun headed towards the horizon. No words said. At one point, she unwrapped his arm from around her and placed his hand in her lap, turning it over to expose the scratches on his palm. They were minor, but she glared at him anyway.

He shrugged.

She wrapped his hand in both of hers and kissed his knuckles.

He grinned.

“You idiot.”

“But I’m your idiot.”

She groaned and rolled her eyes.

But she didn’t let go.

-o-o-o-

FIN.

[obsydyan]

Chapter 2: And Away We Go!

I was all packed and ready to go. I was really anxious as to where Austin was taking me. I definitely trust him with all of my being, but I hate surprises.  I can be so impatient at times.

I said goodbye to my cat, Dusty, and walked out of my room and headed downstairs. All the while struggling to take down my suitcase and two duffle bags.

“Geez woman, how much stuff do you need!” Austin said while laughing at me, obviously enjoying watching me struggle down the stairs.

“Well, since someone won’t tell me where we are going I had no clue what to bring. Plus, a girl could never be too prepared.” I said smirking at him. “Now are you going to help me, or just stand there like an idiot?”

“Oh well sorry your highness!” he said, taking my suitcase and a duffle bag from my hands, and continuing down the stairs.

We put my stuff by the door and headed into the kitchen.

“What about you Austin? Don’t you need to pack?” I said while taking a seat on one of the kitchen stools.

“Oh don’t worry, that’s already taken cared of. All of my stuff is on the bus and ready to go.” he said absentmindedly while eating an apple he grabbed from our fruit basket.

“Bus?” I said confused. “I would like to know where I’m going! I can’t take this anymore, you know how impatient I am.”

“Okay, okay! If you must know I will ruin the surprise early for you. You are going on tour with me and the rest of Of Mice & Men.” he said beaming down at me, waiting for my reaction.

“No way!” I said excitingly, “Aren’t I going to be in the way though? And what about the rest of the guys, do they know?”

“You could never be in the way, and the guys already know about it. They are pretty excited, they’ve always liked you.” Austin said while nudging my shoulder. “Plus we’ll be keeping you busy.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Well, you’ll be working at our merch tent with Selena and Shane. You’ll love them, they are a lot of fun to be around and they are both super nice. So what do you say?”

“Yes, of course! Oh my god, I’m actually excited.” I said jumping up and down and then hugging Austin. “Thank you so much, I really need this. A nice distraction.”

“Don’t worry about it hun. You’re my little sister and I don’t want to ever see you in that much pain. Plus it gives us more time together.” Austin said when his phone buzzed. “Well that’s Aaron saying that they’re just down the street, shall we go outside?”

“Yes, we shall.” I said hopping off of the stool and gathering up my stuff.

- - -

“I’ll miss you mom, and make sure to take care of Dusty for me while I’m gone.” I said hugging my her goodbye.

“I will sweetheart, and make sure to call me while your gone, okay? It’s going to be lonely with you not here.” she said getting a little choked up.

“Aw mom, please don’t cry. I will be back before you know it, and don’t worry I will call you wherever I can.”

“I know, I know sweetheart. I’m just not used to you being gone for so long.” my mom stated while composing herself.

“I know mom, but I really must get going now.”

“Okay sweetheart, have fun! And Austin, make sure to look after her okay?” my mom said while hugging him and giving him a kiss.

“Yes ma’am, I will make sure nothing happens.” he said reassuringly.

“I love you Dakota!” my mom shouted as we exited the house.

“I love you too mom.”

We walked down my front pathway and opened up the gate to walk towards the tour bus that was parked outside my house. Austin opened up the bus door to let me walk in first, and then proceeded to grab my bags and walk up the steps of the bus.

“So, this is going to be our home for the next 8 weeks.” Austin said while walking in front of me and motioning for me to follow him.

“Wow, this is a pretty fancy bus.” I said in awe.

“Yeah, it definitely provides us with what we need.” he said scratching the back of his head. “And this will be your bunk, you are right under Phil. Good luck with that too, because he snores like a Grizzly Bear.”

“Oh great.” I said sarcastically.

Austin just laughed.

“Hey guys! Dakota is here! Stop being lazy and get your asses out here. This is no way to treat our guest.” Austin yelled across the bus.

The next thing I knew the door to the back lounge of the bus opened and out came Phil, Tino, Aaron, and Alan. Tino and Aaron were the first to come over to me and engulf me into a big hug.

“Hey there girly, how have ya been?” Phil said giving me a tight hug.

“I’ve been alright. Looking forward to getting away for a bit.” I said trying to not give out too much information.

I did trust the guys, I thought of them as my big brothers. But I just wasn’t ready to tell the world about what had happened with Josh.

“How about you Phil? I bet Anouk is going to miss you.”

“Yeah, we always miss each other while I’m away on tour but she understands that it is what I do.” he said, “But if I had known ahead of time that you were going to be here I would’ve brought her along so you would have a girl friend, and so you wouldn't be so bored.”

“Don’t worry about that Phil, I have her working our merch table with Selena and Shane, so she will be plenty busy.” Austin added, “Plus, how could she be bored when I’m here?”

“Don’t be so cocky now Carlile.” I said winking at him.

Then I felt a poke on my shoulder. I turned around and saw that it was Alan. God, was he just beautiful, or what? I’ve always had a thing for Alan ever since he joined the band and Austin introduced me to him. But I knew it was way too unrealistic. But since that day forward me and Alan have been super close.

“Hey there bestie!” Alan said, “I’ve missed you!”

“Alan!” I said basically jumping into his arms and giving him one of the biggest hugs ever, “I’ve missed you too!”

“How’s Josh?” Alan said nicely, but really uninterested.

“Oh, uhm…well, we broke up about a week ago.” I said whispering, trying to not let the thought of him in bed with that girl bother me too much.

“What!?” Alan basically yelled.

“Shh, shh! Look, I really don’t want to talk about it right now with the rest of the guys in here. I’ll fill you in later, okay?”

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry, this is just a shock. Does Austin know?” Alan asked.

“Yeah, he does.”

“And you didn't think to tell me?” Alan said, sounding hurt.

“I’m sorry Alan, but I had only told Austin today when he stopped by. I’ll tell you everything later.”

Alan nodded and proceeded to put his arm around me.

“Alright guys!” Aaron said, “we should start heading out now, we still need to stop for dinner and we have a long way to drive.”

And with that we were on our way. Oh boy, wasn’t this going to be an adventure.

[gumnut-logic]

A Little Distraction & A Little Too Much Attention (The End)

And here it is :D I hope you enjoy it. Many, many thanks to @scribbles97 for all her help with this ::hugs::

From here

-o-o-o-

“VIRGIL!”

Em’s voice had Scott spinning on the spot just in time to see his brother leap into the remains of the crowd and grab a man sporting a holocam.

Shit!

As he moved to follow, Gordon moved with him, his brother swearing under his breath.

Scott made it just in time to grab Virgil’s right arm on the back swing as his brother pinned the man to the ground. Gordon caught his other arm and together they wrenched him off the smirking reporter.

Virgil struggled, his fury fully focussed on the prone man. “How DARE you!” A guttural snarl and Scott found himself being dragged forward. Virgil was pure muscle, a truck, a freight train out of control. “Virgil, stop!”

Gordon lost his balance and their brother took a step forward.

“Goddamnit, Virgil!”

“C’mon, big boy, you’re not going to let these two stop me from getting the story of the decade, are you?”

Scott was bodily shifted forward as Virgil snarled again.

“Virgil, he’s not worth it.” Scott put himself between his brother and the asshole on the floor. “C’mon, Virg, you’re better than this.”

Brown eyes finally fastened on his, fury shifting to pain. Blood dribbled sluggishly from the scratches on his face. An egg of a bruise on his forehead was sketched out by his wayward hair.

“Why?” A whispered plea.

“Because you are.” Scott lifted one of his hands off his brother’s shoulders and, when the man didn’t take advantage, he reached up and cupped his jawline gently. “And Kayo needs you.”

Virgil’s eyes widened.

“Well, I can’t see what she sees in you, but, man, she is a sweet piece of ass, worth bedding a sister for.”

A blur of pissed off woman, a yelp, a grunt and the man was silenced by a lack of consciousness, Kayo stuck a knee in his back as she fastened a zip-tie around his wrists. “Problem solved.” But as she stood up, she wavered. Em swooped in and steadied her.

A hand to her head, Kayo swore under her breath.

“I want to examine both of you now.” Em’s voice brooked no argument.

Beneath Scott’s hands, Virgil deflated as if he had nothing left, his forehead dropping to his eldest brother’s shoulder. Scott’s hand cupped the back of his neck, the other wrapping around his back.

He held Virgil for a moment, letting him slow his breathing, letting him find his control again and force a trembling calm.

Whispered. “C’mon, Virg.” A breath as his own heartbeat began to temper down. “Let’s get you both somewhere safe.”

-o-o-o-

Security ushered them into a private room in a protected section of the airport. There were several chairs and a table, none particularly comfortable, but they did the job. Penelope and Parker had taken off to smooth ruffled feathers with the airport authorities. Alan and Gordon walked in either side of a glaring Kayo, both eyeing her as if she might collapse any minute, but too scared to touch her. Scott had his arm around Virgil’s shoulders. The younger man looked shattered.

Em accosted some of the airport officers and got her hands on a first aid kit. She directed Virgil and Kayo to take a seat next to each other and set about attending to their injuries.

She didn’t miss Kayo reaching out to take Virgil’s hand, her fingers curling around his non-responsive digits.

Em could not imagine what was going through the man’s mind. Kayo just looked angry, royally pissed. She had no doubt that when they made it back to Tracy Island the gym was going to have an abrupt and violent remodelling. But Virgil...

“Virgil?”

Tired brown eyes looked up at her.

“I hope you are not taking anything of what has been said today to heart. I hope you are not listening to those bloody assholes who are creating deliberate chaos in order to sell a few extra subscriptions.”

He didn’t respond, but looked away, staring down at his hands.

Em reached over and nudged his chin up with her finger. “You listen to me, young man. That is bullshit. You and Kayo have a beautiful thing. I’ve seen it. Don’t you dare let them mess with your head.”

Kayo leant over and, reaching up, drew him to her side, bringing his head down to kiss him gently. “Is my idiot being a bigger idiot than usual? Because if he is, I’m going to have to take him home and kick his ass.”

Those eyes darted to his lover and a small smile curved his lips. Voice hoarse. “I love it when you’re scary.”

Kayo grinned. “I know.” She kissed him again. “Now my head is pounding. I’m sure yours is, too. Let Em patch us up so we can go home.” She closed her eyes letting her head drop to his shoulder. Quiet. “Take me home, love.”

The slight plea was enough to snap Virgil into action. His arms wrapped around her and drew her close. He kissed her hair and cradled her against him.

Those sparkling brown eyes captured Em’s once more over the top of Kayo’s head and his lips curved up a little.

Em smiled and reached for the kit.

-o-o-o-

The flight back to Tracy Island was blissfully uneventful. Em had plastered bandaids all over Virgil after acquiring a pair of tweezers and removing a few stray pieces of glass. She wanted to run a scan when they got home as the injury to the back of his skull was still bleeding sluggishly and she was concerned there might be a hidden break. Kayo was dizzy at times, but other than a nasty developing black eye and associated bruising, she had escaped the worst of what a concussion could have given her. Both of them just needed rest.

Consequently, although it wasn’t a very long flight, it was long enough for Virgil to slip sideways in his seat, head falling to Kayo’s shoulder as he drifted into an exhausted sleep. The bandage around his head had his hair sticking up in all directions and, when combined with the bandaids, left the man looking a mess.

Kayo reached up, gently brushed that hair out of his eyes and kissed his injured forehead, before resting her head against his and closing her eyes.

A glance in Scott’s direction and she found him watching his brother and sister, a worried expression on his face.

Em stashed the aid kit back into its compartment and moved over to where Scott was sitting. Wrapping her arms around him, she kissed his hair and whispered low enough for only him to hear. “They’re okay, Scooter.”

He arched an eyebrow up at her as he reached an arm around her waist and tugged her close, resting his head beneath her chin. “Love you.” It was said quietly, but with emotion.

“Love you, too.” She held him that bit tighter.

-o-o-o-

Alan brought Tracy Two into an extremely soft landing, her VTOL letting them down so gently, Virgil didn’t stir at all. Kayo opened her eyes, immediately assessing the situation. She latched onto Em, who was resting against Scott, his arm loosely around her shoulders, and the doctor smiled at her. Scott continued to stare out the window.

It was odd that her eldest brother wasn’t piloting the plane. It was odd to see him uninjured and back here with the family at all. Alan was flying with Gordon as co-pilot. Scott had insisted.

As the plane taxied into the cliffside hanger, the sun was blotted out, dropping a shadow across her brother’s face. He blinked and turned to look at her.

She shot him a small smile.

He half returned it.

And she remembered exactly how this had all begun. An unprompted attempt to help Scott and Em escape the inevitable downside of celebrity. She stifled a sigh. Their failure had been pretty much complete. There was no way Em would go unnoticed now.

Kayo immediately began setting up strategies in her head on how to protect the woman when she made it home. How to save her as much grief as possible.

Tracy Two came to a complete halt in her parking bay, Thunderbird Two hulking beside her. Kayo didn’t bother to move. Virgil was still asleep and it was her policy to keep him in that state as much as possible, particularly when he was injured.

Scott got the message and quietly stood up, prepped the door and engaged the mobile stairway. No sooner had it settled into place, there was the sound of hurried footsteps clambering up the stairs.

Grandma burst into the cabin, her eyes tracking, looking for something or someone. She reached a hand up and squeezed Scott’s shoulder as she walked past, but it was soon obvious she was aiming for Virgil.

She caught Kayo’s eyes as she approached. The expression on her face could only be considered loving. She knelt beside Virgil, reaching out, but not quite touching him.

Her eyes darted to Kayo again and back to Virgil. Kayo frowned, unsure what she wanted, but it seemed that Virgil sensed her presence, because he suddenly snorted and snuffled awake with a groan.

“Virgil?”

“Grandma?”

Kayo brushed her fingers across his shoulders and let him sit up. Grandma grabbed his hands gently in hers, drawing them together and kissing both of them.

Virgil blinked, staring down at her. “Huh?”

“I am so proud of you.”

“Uh?” Virgil was obviously not quite online yet.

Kayo frowned. “Grandma?” What on Earth had they done to make her proud of them? The whole situation was a media disaster.

Their grandmother stared at her. “You haven’t seen?”

“Seen what?” This from Scott, helping Em into her ‘scoot.

“Oh, you have to see.” And with that Grandma clambered out of the plane, and nothing was left to do but follow her.

-o-o-o-

Virgil was as stiff as a board. Everything ached. He had no doubt that if he lifted up his shirt there would be bruise mottled skin all over his torso. That damned trolley had hit so hard.

He sighed and leant against the elevator wall.

Kay’s fingers squeezed his hand and he shot her a small smile. She looked as awful as he felt and the sight of her set his blood boiling again. A bruise spread up the side of her face and wrapped around her eye. The swelling wasn’t as bad as it could have been, mostly because Em had given her an icepack at the airport, but it still hurt to look at her.

There must have been something on his face because she leant in and kissed him gently. “Not your fault.”

He let his forehead drop to hers. “I’m so sorry.”

“Still not your fault.”

“Still hurts to see you hurt.”

She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer. He closed his eyes and just let himself feel her breathing beside him.

The elevator delivered them to the comms room and Virgil made his creaking way towards the couches wondering if he could get away with curling up and going to sleep on one of them.

His grandmother, his brothers, including a hovering holographic John, and Em were already arrayed around the sunken circle, but there was a couch spare and he took advantage of it, Kay sitting down beside him.

“So what did you want to show us, Grandma?” Scott appeared to be on his last nerve. Great. Between him and Kay, he’d be repairing gym equipment for the next month.

Grandma didn’t answer, she just activated the holoprojector. The news channel flared up. Virgil groaned. “Really, Grandma? Honestly, I’ve had enough...” He trailed off as the headline spun around the display.

True love conquers all...It’s a Tracy love story...Virgil Tracy, the most loving man, caught on camera...This is what true love looks like...

The headlines rolled on, all saying basically the same thing, and above them was a panning three-dimensional shot of Virgil holding an unconscious Kay in his arms, the expression on his face speaking volumes.

“Oh my god.” Every red blood cell in his body congregated in his face.

Kay gripped his hand hard enough to cause pain.

Phantom legs walked through and around the two figures in the holoprojection, echoes of the crowd at the airport that had so reviled him. A voice over started reporting the details of the day.

“Stoic after protestors first injured him, then mocked him, Virgil Tracy watched as his fiancé, Tanusha Kyrano, was knocked unconscious in front of him. Only then were his true feelings revealed. As you can see in this clip, the man embodies what we all wish we could feel for another.”

Virgil stared at the female reporter as her expression literally swooned over the video clip. His throat dried out and he found it hard to swallow.

“Virgil?”

He turned to his grandmother, her gentle smile embarrassing him even more. His eyes darted around the room seeking absolution, but found only his caring family.

“Virgil?” This time Kay reached up and turned his head to face her. Green eyes were glistening in the overhead lighting. His breath caught in his throat as she reached up and caught his lips with hers, her fingers climbing into his hair.

Oh.

Scott stood and walked over to their grandmother and politely asked for the remote and began flicking through channels.

Every. Single. Channel.

Every channel showing news had that one clip. People were raving. Claiming that this was true love, that Virgil was a real man, that this was what love was meant to be.

Virgil hid his face on Kay’s shoulder.

“What the hell happened?” It was Scott’s voice, but Virgil did not look up. Kay was rubbing circles into his back.

“I’m not sure.” Grandma. “The clip hit the newsfeeds and there has been nothing but positive chatter since.”

“How the hell?”

“I have no idea, but I’m not inclined to look a gift horse in the mouth.”

“Well, at least they are not abusing Virg anymore.” Alan.

“No, now he is some kind of love god.”

“Gordon, don’t.” Scott’s voice was firm.

“I wasn’t, honest.”

“In any case, I want to do that scan, and then both of you can get some rest.” Em, ever the voice of reason.

“C’mon, love.” Kay nudged him, urging him off the couch.

Whispered. “I love you.”

“I know.”

-o-o-o-

Far above Tracy Island, John bid his family well and cut the connection. Pushing off from the console he floated gently for a moment, arms crossed, his eyes tracking the camera as it followed its rail into the room.

“Is it finished?”

“Yes, John. File deletion and manipulation complete.”

“Did anyone catch you?”

“No. The virus was very efficient and what it didn’t catch, I followed up.”

“That was fast.”

The ring of lights blinked rhythmically. “I had to be. The news propaganda will be positive now. I will keep an eye on it.”

“Thank you, EOS.”

-o-o-o-

FIN

[gumnut-logic]

Her Idiot

Title: Her Idiot

Warm Rain Series

Author: Gumnut

5 - 7 Dec 2018

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS

Rating: Teen

Summary: He was a pain in the ass.

Word count: 2218

Spoilers & warnings: Virgil/Kayo

Timeline: Some time after ‘Love and Sacrifice’

Author’s note: I have no idea if this is any good. Kayo was as slippery as an eel and I had as much trouble as Virgil did. I hope you enjoy this anyway.

Author’s note: Disclaimer: Mine? You’ve got to be kidding. Money? Don’t have any, don’t bother.

-o-o-o-

He expected to find her in the gym.

But she wasn’t there. 

A quick search of her room and most of the rest of the house proved she wasn’t there either.

He bit his lip. If Kayo didn’t want to be found, his chances weren’t good.

The hangars also failed to reveal his girlfriend and an hour later he started to worry.

“John?”

“I’m sorry, Virgil. Don’t ask, she has already scarred me for life last time I told Gordon where to find her when she was upset.”

“Gordon?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, that explains the retaliation. What did she do?”

“I’m not going there. Trust me, you don’t want to either.”

“C’mon, John, I’m worried about her.”

There was silence at the other end of the line.

“Please, John, you can put all the blame on me. I just need to make sure she is all right.”

“You’ll fix my shower?”

“Your shower?”

“My shower.”

“When did it break?”

“Hasn’t broken yet, but I’m sure it will if I point you in the direction of a beach on the north-west side of the island.”

“Thanks, John.”

“I am hiding behind you, big brother. Your girl is scary.”

He smiled. “I know.”

“Hmph.”

Virgil signed off and, grabbing a hat and sunnies, set out for the northern side of the island.

It was late afternoon, but the sun was still at burning strength, so it wasn’t long before he was uncomfortably hot in his long shirt. So he shed it and tied it around his waist, leaving a thin tank top his only protection against the sea breeze.

it was wonderfully cool on his bare skin.

He made good time, jogging part of the way, keeping an eye out for their missing security specialist.

It hadn’t been a good day.

A cascade of poor luck had seen Alan, Kayo and a young woman trapped in a house during an aftershock in Japan. The ground beneath the house had fallen into the river that had undercut the foundations. Kayo had had to make a choice between saving her brother or saving the civilian.

She had tried for both.

Lost the civilian.

And only just managed to catch Alan, who had consequently swung into an exposed beam and gashed his leg open, severing an artery in the process.

It has been bad.

Her yell for help had torn at him, but he had been responsible for six other civilians at the time and had been unable to respond immediately.

Gordon had made it first on the scene. By the time Virgil had been able to make it to her side, she had shut off from the world, her expression ice as she held her wrenched shoulder.

She hadn’t said a word to anyone on the way to the hospital. Virgil stood beside her as Scott questioned the incident.

He sat beside her as they waited for Alan to get out of surgery.

And stood behind her as his little brother woke up.

Now, three days later, finally at home, his little brother was safe in bed in his room, and she had vanished.

He walked past the little cliff and beach they had dubbed ‘their beach’ and continued further around the island. The trail became rocky from that point onwards and he had to clamber over several spots where a path wasn’t really possible.

He still couldn’t find her.

“John?”

“If she breaks my furniture, you’re buying me all new.”

“John.” This had gone beyond a joke.

“Climb down to the beach, there is a small sea cave.”

“There is?” He clambered over jagged basalt, cursing under his breath as it scratched his palms.

“Haven’t you explored the island, Virgil?”

“Uh, been busy. And I don’t have the advantage of Tracymaps.com satellite view.”

“Perhaps you should come visit more often.”

“Yeah, sure, John.”

His brother’s vague snort answered that one fairly clearly. They both knew separating Virgil from Two was not a good idea, for anyone.

He hurdled over a last chunk of rock and his feet hit sand. The little beach was bleached coral white with a scattering of weathered basalt. The high tide line was sketched out with shell and debris from the last major storm, and in the cliff lining the shore the debris disappeared into a darkness where the cooling basalt had left a natural cave that the sea had since chewed on.

Virgil whispered into his comm. “John, is that cliff face stable?”

“Of course. Do you think I’d let our sister under it if it wasn’t?”

“Okay, I get it. Sorry, reflex thought.” A pause. “Does she come here often?”

“Virgil, I keep many secrets. It is my job. I’m already lined up for crucifixion having told you where she was, I’m not going to be drawn and quartered for extra fun.”

“A little over dramatic, don’t you think?”

“She’s your girlfriend, you tell me.”

“She’s your sister.”

“Exactly. I have no protection, despite those twenty-two thousand kilometres. Just remember that this is on your head. Thunderbird Five out.”

A mumble under his breath, “FAB.” And Virgil approached the cave.

It was small but deep. A handful of rough and weather-worn stalactites hung from the entrance like teeth.

“Kay?” His voice was eaten by the darkness, but there was a slight change in the shadows as her face turned to look at him. As his eyes adjusted, and he belatedly remembered to take off his sunnies, her figure, seated on a rock protrusion towards the back of the cave, became clear. “Honey?”

“I’m going to kill John.” It was muttered under her breath and he doubted he was supposed to hear it, but cave and acoustics did it for him.

“You do realise you have him terrified.”

“Obviously not terrified enough.”

“You can blame me. Leave him out of it.” It was firm, but it needed to be said.

She unfolded like a cat, her slim body straightening in the darkness. Her shorts hung low on her hips, her crop top leaving her belly bare. She’d obviously come out here for a run, but it hadn’t been enough. She stalked towards him. “Blame you?”

Despite himself, a spike of concern shot through him. She was half his size, but he knew she could take him on sheer skill alone. Sure he could pin her with his mass, but he doubted she would give him the opportunity.

But then this was Kay, the woman he loved.

“Blame me.”

The little cave blocked the sun and chilled his skin. He shivered.

She walked right up to him and barged into his personal space, simply looking up at him. Then simply stepped around and walked past without saying a word.

He turned to follow her and the sun blinded him for a crucial moment. He grabbed for his sunnies, but in that split second she was gone.

Damnit.

“Kay?” He stepped out onto the empty beach. “Kay!” How the hell had she done that? “For Christ’s sake, Kay, I’m worried about you!”

“You should be more worried about Alan.” Her voice was smooth as honey, from above and behind. He left a gouge in the sand as he spun, looking up to find her crouched on the cliff above the cave.

“Alan is fine.”

“Lucky boy.” She stood up, still cat-like and turning, began to climb further up the hill behind the beach.

“Kay, please!” He made for the rockfall that had allowed him onto the sand in the first place and threw himself up the climb. It appeared that his lot in life was to chase those he cared about. Scott knew how to throw a marathon when he didn’t want to talk. How the hell had he managed to end up dating his brother?

By dating his sister.

If his hands hadn’t been scrabbling over sharp basalt, it would have been a facepalm moment.

“It wasn’t your fault, Kay!”

“Yes, it was.” She was gaining distance, she was just too damn fast.

“No, it wasn’t.”

She stopped and turned towards him, anger in her eyes. “How was it not, Virgil? I let her die and I nearly got Alan killed.”

“It was shitty luck. Sometimes things just happen. You saved Alan. He is recovering.”

She stared at him, her lips thinning to almost non-existence.

And he saw it in her eyes. The fear, the horror and the anger, always the anger. He wanted to reach out and draw her into his arms, hold her tight and reassure her that it would be alright.

But it wasn’t alright. A woman had died.

Kay was out of reach.

And she turned away.

“Kay?”

“Leave me alone, Virgil.” She started climbing again.

“No.”

“Please.”

“No.” And he started clambering over rocks again.

She stopped and turned angrily again. “Why not? If you think being in a romantic relationship gives you the right to harass me, Virgil Tracy, think again.”

He straightened. “No, I care, Kay. That’s all. If you think I’m going to leave you out here to beat yourself up, you’re sorely mistaken.” A pause. “And if you think this is simply because of our current relationship, you’re obviously amnesiac.”

She glared at him as he continued to climb over the damn rocks. “You’re right. You’ve always been a pain in the ass.”

He chose to ignore that, and focussed on climbing without taking the skin off his palms.

Damn the sun was hot.

He could feel her eyes on him, but he refused to look up. Part of him was questioning his decision to come out here and butt in on her grief. Maybe she didn’t need him? Maybe she could handle herself. Maybe he was being an ass. But the thought of her suffering alone and berating herself, like he knew she was, for a twist of fate that would have burnt any of them...his heart just hurt.

So maybe he was being selfish. Maybe he was out here for his own reassurance that she was okay.

But goddamnit, he loved her and she shouldn’t have to face this alone.

“You’re bleeding.”

He couldn’t help it, he jumped. “How the hell do you do that?”

She was crouched on the rock just above him, her eyes scanning him up and down. A smirk appeared on her lips. “If I told you, I would have to kill you.” She nodded her head in the direction of his right hand. “You’re bleeding.”

“It’s just a scratch. I didn’t think to bring my gloves and climbing equipment.”

“You don’t need to follow me.”

“Yes, I do.” And he continued to climb until he was eye to eye with her.

“Why?” It was whispered.

“Because I love you.”

“You are going to use that as an excuse for everything, aren’t you.”

“Possibly.” He sat on the rock next to her and stared out at the ocean. “I remember a beautiful young girl hiding behind her father’s legs, staring out at the five of us. You had a bruise on your cheek and you were afraid to speak to any of us for days. Dad said you had fallen and hurt yourself.” He looked sideways at her. “But that is not what really happened is it?”

She was staring wide-eyed at him, fear in that beautiful green.

“Having the Hood as a member of your family couldn’t have been easy.”

“No.” It was forced from her, a rush of exhaled breath. “Virgil, don’t.”

He stopped. Every muscle in her body was wound like a spring. Flight or fight was on her face and he feared he had gone too far, touched topics that should never be touched.

“You’re not alone anymore, Kay.” He didn’t dare reach out, fearful that she would flee.

But she simply turned away, staring out at the ocean. “I know.” Whispered. “But I can’t afford...”

He waited.

She looked at him and the fear was back. “I can’t.”

He held out an arm, simply offering himself. “You don’t have to.”

Her eyes bounced from his to his arm, obviously assessing what was on offer. There was a battle in her gaze.

“Come here, love.”

The war flickered over her expression again. “You really are a pain in the ass.”

He dared to smile just a little. “But I’m your pain in the ass.”

“Yes, you are.” It was whispered as if it was a decision made. She dropped her legs over the edge of the rock and sidled up next to him.

He let his arm drop around her shoulders and drew her in gently. Just like he had wanted to do since he had set eyes on her. Leaning over he kissed her hair. “Love you.”

“I know.”

He just squeezed her tighter.

They sat there as the sun headed towards the horizon. No words said. At one point, she unwrapped his arm from around her and placed his hand in her lap, turning it over to expose the scratches on his palm. They were minor, but she glared at him anyway.

He shrugged.

She wrapped his hand in both of hers and kissed his knuckles.

He grinned.

“You idiot.”

“But I’m your idiot.”

She groaned and rolled her eyes.

But she didn’t let go.

-o-o-o-

FIN.