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beatnicksellar · 3 years

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Marda Loophole: TPB: Issues #7-12

Issue #7 – The Exodus Then: Mada opened her eyes to the inhuman sights and sounds of war Half-men strewn about Bramshott the RCAMC tent soaked in red gore Through the horror she saw her scarecrow the one she treated before Minus a leg he was alive and that was enough to lift her off of the floor Now: Mada opens her eyes to the fuzzy sight of 4 purple children overhead Siphoning energy from a radiant boulder their chant stirs her from the dead A tingle in her toes and sour taste in her mouth the Hole is as Dennis said He labours nearby as the kids stitch Mada together with amethyst thread With the dulling drone done the rock bathes everyone in its immortal hue The old wendigo’s cell unlocks in the uproar allowing her to slip through Before Mada’s blurry eyes the frailest child’s torn from the circuit and slew She can hear the rapacious wendigo sob as she reluctantly continues to chew The plaster walls of the outbuilding begin to buckle from the stone’s potency Suddenly Pope enters the Hole and descends the staircase with much urgency The doctor’s met mid-way by the limping wendigo who embraces him completely Mesmerising him with her wildfire eyes she gladly detaches his loins from his body Dennis returns to find the Hole in shambles with Dot eaten and Dr. Pope screaming He disconnects the kids and requests that Mada give the boys’ lives a new meaning One of the boys grabs a ledger while the other two grip Mada and they begin fleeing Dennis and the wendigo clash by the emitting mound soon buried under the ceiling South Calgary is silent for the first time since the 33 soldiers were secretly dosed But without the hum to calm them they thrashed 33 Avenue like a whipping post Possessed troops overturned the streetcar and chard the theater like it was toast Stiff pedestrians and sate scavengers guide Mada back to her husband Marc’s ghost She mourns over his blood-spattered prosthesis as one boy reads a shard of glass His brothers study the ledger as he peers into the sliver to see what’ll comes to pass ‘We’ll return when the streetcar does’ the scrying boy points to the upturned mass With crazed GIs loose Mada and her boys depart while a curious crow tails her ass… Issue #8 – The Wild Boys ♬♪♩♬♪♩♫♪♩♫♩♬♪♩♫♬♪♩♬♩♫♪♩♫♩♬♪♬♪♩♬♪♩ A gayageum plays notes from the concerto called Dorothea The ribbon of rhythm writhes on the airstreams over Korea Baroque tones stir the ancient visage which inspired its idea Eddying over the ocean to hover above a 33rd avenue pizzeria ♬♪♩♬♪♩♫♪♩♫♩♬♪♩♫♬♪♩♬♩♫♪♩♫♩♬♪♬♪♩♬♪♩♫ The melody meanders up 20th street pausing at its composer Three long-haired boys that look 10 but are very much older Standing before Currie Barracks Condo they are of one mourner The unrelated triplets commiserate over their deceased sister ‘I cannot feel her in there’ John the empath of the family confirms ‘I cannot reach her’ Robert retorts ‘all I hear is Dennis and worms’ Scryer James perceives future events but cannot grasp their terms ‘All I see is that the stone has been scattering its ill will like germs’ Treating the condo as if a gravestone they pay respect to her spirit With unkempt heads down the trinity are subdued for a moment Each recalls Dot, the Hole, the old woman then all begin to fidget John pulls a music sheet out of his shorts and whistles a snippet ♬♪♩♬♪♩♫♪♩♫♩♬♪♩♫♬♪♩♬♩♫♪♩♫♩♬♪♬♪♩♬♪♩♫♪♬ James and Robert join him in his performance of Dorothea No. 4 When done John tosses the concerto down onto the sewer floor As they skate through the Loop Mada’s name hangs in every store Coffee shops hum with anticipation over the 70-year-old folklore Around the corner of 35th avenue is where a hungry entity stalks A hefty shadow cast from a vacant lot that limps wherever it walks The boys are too distracted to notice the relic from Pandora’s Box Because a fireball is about to knock’em out of their graphic socksIssue #9 – The Vacant LotYellow barricades protect the rich soil within the vacant lotThough ideal for growth it’s contaminated by junkyard rot Comparable to the toxin that comprises Hausis’ blood clot An

inherit gift from her father and the affects it has wrought Over a century old she has been scarred twice by the stoneAs well Hausis has been forced out of more than one homeFrom her log cabin to that school and finally the catacomb A hole she fled full of a plum, revenge and astral syndrome Dark energy leached into her, those boys and the headless one Wendigo mixed with indigo and once again she was on the run But on the Rez her spirits calmed; she even adopted a grandson It was the last time she felt love as the Sixties Scoop had begun Hungry and hateful she hid her mercy and fed on colonial fears Hitchhiking Highway 16 in the 1970s she traded entrails for tears Retribution for her surrogate sisters who had began to disappear When the stone summoned her home she returned with souvenirs She settled in South Calgary and became a landlord to tasty tenants Bones buried in the vacant lot next-door while lying to their parents A cane sword to assist her limp and cutback on the slaying minutes Serrated steel dentures to masticate and absorb her preys’ essence A century old entity at last content with her damned life up until TONIGHT When her plums return assured and still ripe enough to enjoy a quick biteWhen her bone yard is deemed aseptic and police investigation is in sightHausis lunges at the wild boys only to be repelled by a nimbus of starlight… Issue #10 – The Above People CREEEAK! The tactless teenager forcefully opens the oxidized attic door In search of a white wig for her cosplay getup she stomps across the floor Rummaging through containers she finds something unusual in a drawer A thirteen-year-old letter that when opened clarifies exactly who it is for ‘Aline: It’s with regret and sadness that I write this letter to my daughter’ ‘I had to go to a dangerous place so I left you to be raised by your father’ ‘I never stopped loving you or dreaming of the day we would be together’ ‘When you are ready to meet amass juniper twigs and a magpie feather’ Elated to see her mislaid mother Aline flees the loft in her space-opera costume She sprints across 35 Avenue towards a vacant lot shrouded by juniper in bloom Ripping off a bouquet Aline is unaware that just beyond bodies are being exhumed She spots a pudgy magpie perched on the yellow barricade and plucks at its plume Clutching the vital items the Big Dipper shaped beauty marks on her right arm glows FWOOOOM! A blinding white light descends from overhead lifting her off of her toes Aline suddenly finds herself in a melancholy landscape of stars, clouds and shadows Before her sit 2 enormous Above People who enquire as to her odd-looking clothes ‘It’s for Comic-con’ she roars removing the wig ‘who’re you and where’s my mom’ Sun God laughs as Moon Goddess speaks: ‘We see that you were raise with aplomb’ The electric entities sizzle and pop as they struggle to alleviate Aline’s many qualms ‘Your father fell in love with our granddaughter: the Morning Star he wished upon’ ‘But she had to return to Sky-Country to rid it of the evil her mother had let loose’ Mother Moon details how Feather Woman disobeyed and iniquity was introduced ‘She moved the giant turnip that which protects our portal because she was obtuse’ Mother Moon adds she encased the dummy in indigo stone and made her vamoose That is the past but the portal remains open for dark matter to infest Sky-Country The same stuff brought down with the stone when it crashed in the 19th century Aline accuses her great-grandparents of killing her kin and for spreading villainy The Gods giggle at the allegation clarifying Feather Woman merely has an injury More gen is traded and a deal is struck: if Aline fixes the portal all will be forgiven Above People will help find the Morning Star and teach Aline of her nuclear fusion KRA-KOOM! A fiery comet crashes and Aline emerges from impact like a magician Gazing at the wild boys she states ‘You dudes are my gran and we have a mission’… Issue #11 – The Penultimate Sequential squares spread over an infinitude of glittering stars Panels parted by gutters spanning

centuries between the bars A billboard advertises Marc and Mada’s forthcoming memoirs Christened Marda; Loop denotes the superannuated streetcar Inset in the ad is a shot of Magpie gnawing on a decayed thumb bone Balanced on the sign she spots a bird below who was once well known Magpie cries: ‘Ain’t seen you since you left with THAT there veiled crone’ Alit next to Magpie Crow recalls his ghastly exploits beyond the stone ‘It was Hell’ he croaks ‘The screaming, the silence, the suicide attempts’ ‘It took HER forever to bond with THOSE boys and get over her regrets’ ‘Once she did’ Crow pauses ‘she spearheaded some tantalizing events’ Led by the ledger and scryed images they tracked the fiery GIs’ contempt While 7 indigo infected ones enlisted for Korea 26 settled in Forest City An innocuous epithet for somewhere death stalked the streets regularly Enclosed by thickets it’s where butchers would conceal a mutilated body ‘The Serial Killer Capital’ Crow yelps ‘We lured them out during the 1960s’ Crow clarifies that when the GIs moved there each become a major player: Mad Slasher, Bedroom Strangler, Balcony Killer + the Chambermaid Slayer Mada the bait, Crow the lookout, and 3 wild boys unified became the healer ‘In the forest we’d draw out the purple poison leaving the mortals tamer’ Mada’s nursing background afforded them a home and a baby-grand piano She worked while under pseudonyms the boys penned novels & concertos ‘Forest City was safe and we had obtained almost all of that fugitive indigo’ ‘Almost’ Crow echoed ‘We left for Korea in ‘81 on a plane from Toronto’ Magpie squawks sceptically: ‘And then miraculously back for the 70th Anniversary’ {Had it been that long?} the crone ponders {Why did they whitewash my tragedy?} The veiled woman below the advert grimaces then utters anachronistic profanity Stalwart in stance she shudders when the #7 rolls by renewed for the pageantry… Issue #12 – Giant-Size Finale The fixed indigo stone pulsates expelling the remnants of its space toxin Pumped into the faucets of 22 occupants of the new condo atop its coffin Dragging fingers thru mauve hair they’re rapt by the stone’s dim doctrine They riot inside the structure while outside Mada and her wild boys lock in ‘Try it again’ the costumed Aline guides from inside the infinite sealed loop She has juniper and feather in hand yet something is off within their group ‘That thing’s teeing me off’ Mada breaks from the ring and sits on the stoop The rebuilt #7 streetcar gleams in the parking lot next to an effigy of troops Suddenly…a service door opens and the old wendigo limps out of the edifice ‘You’ Hausis growls at Aline ‘You’re relations with that Metis bastard Dennis’ Mada perks up at the name of the man who inadvertently made her endless ‘Are you?’ Mada asks ‘She sure is’ Hausis sniffs ‘and it’s making me ravenous’ Incensed Mada bares the jagged indigo scar spanning the length of her collar ‘Dennis did this’ she states ‘and orchestrated the 1950 South Calgary slaughter’ Aline has entirely no clue as to what occurred because of her great-grandfather And before Mada can educate her the group is spotted by a police helicopter ‘Freeze Ms. Cranmer’ a voice booms as a squad car pulls up with guns drawn Hausis has been hiding since police uncovered the bodies she had feasted on Clotheslined and cuffed the 145-year-old Cree woman is beaten with a baton Aline, Mada and wild boys watch in horror as Hausis is tenderized like carrion The wild child named Robert tugs at Aline’s skirt pointing at the departing cop car ‘Dot’ the 80-year-old kid chirps ‘The hungry lady has carried our sister’s soul so far’ Mada is not their 4th because it is the frail child Hausis mauled like a chocolate bar ‘We need that granny back’ Aline barks at Mada who turns away rubbing her scar Aline suggests they take the idle #7 and propel it with a trick she has just learned ‘Can I borrow a feather from your crow?’ she asks of Mada who still feels scorned Crow leaves Magpie atop the streetlamp landing beside Aline his feathers formed ‘I am not getting on that ’

Mada repeats just as the crazed tenants emerge armed KRA-KOOM! The refurbished #7 streetcar rockets down 20th street like a fireball Crow and Magpie try to slow the tenants’ progress to the 33rd avenue mini-mall Meanwhile the #7 zips down the parade route until it hits the cruiser then a wall Everyone on the #7 is unscathed and so too is Hausis who’s eating a cop’s eyeball Magpie and Crow flutter in to warn everyone of the approaching horde of tenants The wild boys jump into action with a hand out for Hausis who sees it as penance ‘Doesn’t make me a plum’ she gripes grasping John’s hand as if she is pregnant As the 4 siblings unite clouds appear and a powerful deluge forms within minutes The first drop hits as the vicious throng reaches Marda Loop then the sky cries The drenched tenants lose their momentum as the mauve washes over their eyes The rain relents as does the horde but Mada’s inner ire cannot be overemphasized The wild boys embrace Hausis and in turn Dot whose soul has now been reprisedOnlookers have gathered at the site sad to see there’s no anniversary to reminisce Crow and Magpie peck at the injured police officers as Aline stares into the abyss She apologizes to Mada for her relative’s actions but asks for her not to be remiss ‘We cannot change the past’ she points out ‘But if you help us now we can fix this’The wendigo, the crone, the wild boys, the star-child and the scavengers all return Loitering outside of the Currie Barracks condo building hashing out their concerns Hausis has subsisted with the stone while in exile so she knows where it’s interned In the bowels of the sub-basement they find the ancient rock fading in a slow burn John, James and Robert the perpetual 10-year-olds encircle Aline and embrace her Hausis jeers as the boys kiss their kin then whisper in Mada’s ear: Goodbye Mother The siblings start siphoning the stone’s essence back; Aline waves Magpie’s feather Hausis and the boys convert to stardust they swirl around the stone and then enter Aline and Mada escape the building as the boulder flies backwards thru the nexus Its trajectory bearing straight for Sky-Country where it will rid the land of sepsis The portal is sealed and The Above People welcome Feather Woman and Hausis Back in South Calgary Mada stands in the quiet rubble no longer feeling headless ‘Wanna meet my dad?’ Aline asks of her lithe friend who nods producing a smile Mada calls Crow but he and Magpie are stardust in a constellation of their profile Unveiled Mada and neophyte Aline walk towards a rainbow after their long trial As both fade over the hill stardust diffuses and floats to somewhere worthwhile An End

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stayextrafrosty · 4 years

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I am Your Future, I am Your Past: Chapter 8

A Roswell New Mexico Soulmate AU

Note: Please don’t be mad at me at the end of this. Also, two weeks into classes and my free time for writing has gone down considerably.

Read On AO3 // Chapter 1

Michael sat with Isabel at a red light. The information they got was useful but still only surface level. What was that work he was still doing for the military? Something about it felt wrong and he wasn’t sure he wanted to learn the answer. For Alex’s sake.

“Hey cowboy, back to earth.” He jumped when Isabel poked him. Zoning out had become a regular part of his day.

“Sorry,” he mumbled. She shook her head.

“I swear you’re like a lovestruck teenager. I was just saying that we should go pick up your truck and clear out that bunker.” He shot a glare at her that she didn’t see. She tapped her fingers along to whatever was on the radio and he turned back to look out the window.

Everyone they talked to seemed to have nothing but good things to say about Forrest. How could Michael even begin to measure up? He used to be known as the town drunk. He sold old parts from the auto shop for extra money. Not to mention literally pushing Alex away on the first day he told him about the curse.

He glanced down at his scarred and busted hand. All that history and it was almost nothing but pain. And even now that’s all their relationship was about. Pain. He wished it could be different. He wanted to touch him gently. Say everything was going to be fine and mean it.

Images of the two lovers from the journal flashed through his mind. The two of them running. Holding each other. Touching…

Michael shook his head. He couldn’t get lost in that world. There were too many other things he needed to take care of.

Isabel pulled into the Evans’ drive. He hopped out before waiting for her to stop completely triggering a worried yelp that made him grin. He’d been doing that ever since she started driving. Waiting just long enough so he wouldn’t get hurt but still enough to startle her.

“One day you’re going to misjudge and I’m going to run you over,” she scolded. Michael laughed as he shut her door.

Hopping into his own truck he pulled out and followed Isabel back to Sanders Auto. His radio refused to play anything clearly. Certain sounds came through but nothing for very long. He tried changing the station but it was all the same.

Coming… this time… need help… the last… chance…

He shook his head and settled for just turning it off. He’d have to take a look at it later. The sun beat down on the steering wheel, making it difficult to hold. It seemed brighter than usual. Michael picked up his sunglasses that he almost never wore. Could this day get any weirder?

The houses spread out until they were nonexistent at the edge of town. Tumbleweeds blew about the cactus, dust kicking up behind cars. They turned off the main road onto the dirt and gravel path up to the junkyard.

Michael could see Sanders sitting in a lawn chair, watching over the place. Or maybe watching him pull in. He hadn’t exactly been the best worker the last week. He couldn’t even explain why. There were other mechanics he could call but part of his deal was that he could park there as long as he worked regularly. He pulled up next to his Airstream. Sanders stood from the chair slowly.

“Been missin’ ya boy. You wanna hang around, you gotta fix some’a these guys for me,” He said. Michael had heard the threats before but Sanders rarely followed through. Didn’t mean he wanted to test how far he could push him.

“I’ll get on it as soon as I finish cleaning some stuff up in the bunker, promise.” He narrowed his one eyebrow that was visible. He scratched his nose then turned to go inside his office trailer.

“It’s wonderful to see you Mr. Sanders,” Isabel called after him in her sweetest voice. He waved as he tried to hide the small smile that always snuck out when she was around. Michael didn’t understand why she made a better impression than he did but at least the old guy might be in a good mood.

Isabel followed him over to the lever on the back of his trailer. It groaned as it moved to uncover the top of the bunker. He pulled the lid open.

“Watch your step. Probably should have told you to wear more sensible shoes,” he said, gesturing to her boots with the four-inch heel. He moved down the ladder first. Figuring he’d be more help if she slipped. She just rolled her eyes at him.

“I think you forget who you’re talking to, Michael. I could probably kick your ass in shoes higher than this,” she taunted. Isabel followed him quickly. He sighed heavily, not knowing how to respond.

He left her to handle the rest of it by herself. He felt around for the light. He hadn’t spent much time here since he had shown it to Alex. Sure, he came to water the plants but the experiment seemed to have failed.

Michael found the switch that was farther in than it probably should have been and he flipped it on. The lights flickered a few times before dimly lighting the space. He walked over to his planters, examining the wilted leaves. He cursed under his breath. He would need to experiment with the dirt and fertilizer again.

“What are you even doing in here,” Isabel asked skeptically.

“Trying to make plants grow in harsh conditions. Make it easier to grow crops.” Isabel exhaled softly as she stared in awe.

Michael picked up the dying plants on one of the far tables, moving the planters to a different table on the other side of the bunker. He didn’t have anywhere to keep this stuff for now. Maybe he’d ask Liz if there was any extra lab space she knew about. The best he could do was move his experiments to one side of the room.

“Didn’t your mother used to work with this kind of stuff?” He paused in his movements. He hadn’t thought about her in a while.

“Yea. Found some of her old notes. That’s what I’m working off of,” he said, pretending like it didn’t hurt to think about. He couldn’t remember her in detail anymore. He had a picture of his parents but their voices were lost to time. Neither of them had been the recording type so there weren’t any videos.

“I’m sorry, Michael,” she said gently. Her hand rested on his shoulder.

“It was a long time ago now.” He shook her hand off and continued moving the planters around. She didn’t push the topic further.

The silence stretched as one side of the bunker began to look like... well... a bunker again. The light coming through the hole where the door was dimmed, sun setting. The summer was at its end and there wasn’t nearly enough light in the day anymore. He glanced at his phone. Not even seven thirty.

“Hey Iz, wanna pick up some food?” He looked over at her and watched as she made a face at some bug that she stomped on with her heel. Michael tried not to laugh as she did it again.

“Don’t laugh! Why don’t these things fucking die?” Michael raised an eyebrow and walked over to where she was standing. A scorpion ran around the leg of the table, surviving another assault from Isabel’s shoe.

Michael shook his head and grabbed her arm gently, pulling her away. These things would only die if you burned them. Or at least crushed them with a steel weight. Maria was never a fan of how many of them popped up around here either.

He grabbed an empty planter cup and set it in front of the bug. He waited patiently for it to crawl in before trapping it with a second one. It would be pissed when he let it go but he should be able to toss it somewhere it wouldn’t come back for revenge.

“Grab that tape, would you? Keep it sealed until I get outside.” Isabel hurried over to the table where they had moved a handful of things and pulled a long piece of tape from the dispenser.

“I will never understand why you always saved these things. There’s more than enough in the world,” she said, wrapping her arms around herself after handing him the tape.

He never really understood it either. And it wasn’t consistent. He’d kill certain spiders but save scorpions. Save snakes but kill mice. Maybe he should start just saving them all? As a child he always thought that maybe they were just misunderstood.

Michael wrapped the tape around the seam of the two cups. He could feel the thing moving around, probably looking for a way out.

“Alright, alright, just chill,” he mumbled to the scorpion. Weirdly enough, it stopped moving. “I’ll be right back,” he said to Isabel.

Climbing up the ladder was harder with only one hand. The extra strain on his arm made him flinch. The bullet wound had actually closed much faster than normal, though it still hurt.

Michael pulled himself out of the hole and stood slowly, wiping the dirt from his hands on his pants. He walked to a space behind the trailer, looking out at the expanse of desert. He just needed a rock or something this thing could dig under.

“You know. I’d really like to climb under a rock sometimes, too. Maybe we aren’t so different,” he said to the bug that had begun to crawl again.

He laughed at himself and walked out to a cactus about fifty feet away from the trailer. He pulled the tape off and opened the two cups slowly, trying to figure out which one it was in. He crouched down and dumped it as close to the plant as possible without poking himself.

The black scorpion hit the ground and curled into a ball. Once it was sure nothing was going to touch it, it opened up and buried its way under the edge of the plant. He stood and wandered back to the trailer.

He was about to start the climb back down when a strong wind whipped through the yard. He stumbled back and grabbed his hat, holding it in place. They hadn’t called for dust storms. So what was going on?

Michael looked around. The dust continued to spin and cover everything. He struggled just to stay standing. He needed to get back inside.

He crouched down but the wind picked up more, knocking him to the ground. He stayed curled up, waiting for the gusts to pass. He thought he heard Isabel call for him but he couldn’t open his mouth to speak.

Unsecured chairs blew across the yard like tumbleweeds. Papers were ripped off the bulletin boards. Michael squeezed his eyes shut. Dust storms were common. But there’s usually some kind of warning.

He nearly jumped out of his skin as lightning cracked. It could have been right next to him. Had there even been clouds? His ears rang.

If this was the apocalypse then he had a few choice words for whoever he met when he died. Most of them probably about how they screwed him out of the best thing he couldn’t have.

Then it stopped.

Dust fell back to the ground.

Wind slowing to a gentle breeze.

“Michael!” Isabel called to him from the bunker. He could hear her scrambling up the ladder.

Cracking his eyes open, a blurry figure stood in front of him. He coughed and brushed dirt and dust from his face. A pair of hands landed on his shoulder.

“Oh my god, are you ok? I heard the wind and the lightning and—” Whatever she was saying cut off. Michael pulled himself up, shaking his head to get some of the dust out of it. He looked up at her but she just looked over him. He turned slowly, heart racing.

A girl stood there. A plain t-shirt and black jeans. Black hair not as long as the picture he had seen. She just stood there and watched the two of them. That bad omen. The angel of death.

It was Tessa.

His heart pounded as she turned toward the sun. It was slowly dipping closer to the horizon. A smile found its way onto her face as she closed her eyes.

“The thing I always miss the most is the warmth of the sun. My celestial body doesn’t let me feel much of anything.”

This couldn’t be her. Everything in his body screamed to deny it. She wasn’t real. That was his first thought.

His second was Alex. She had saved him once, but he figured that wouldn’t happen again. Should he even tell him she appeared? He needed to keep her away from him but he also deserved to know that she was alive.

“Michael… she’s…” Isabel couldn’t finish her thought. He had shown the picture to both her and Max, making them promise to warn him if she ever showed up.

Tessa turned back toward them taking lazy steps closer until she stood an arm’s length away. She offered her hand to him. He flinched at the sudden movement.

“Sorry, was the wind and lightning too much? I’d always wanted to make a dramatic entrance like that but the others always said ‘no.’ But fuck ‘em right?” Was she really trying to pretend that this was somehow a regular occurrence? Her hand was still extended.

Michael shook his head and jumped up, recovering from the shock of her being in front of him. Isabel held onto his arm, fingers digging into the muscle.

“What are you doing here,” he demanded. She tilted her head and frowned.

“Really? No ‘who are you’ first?” She shrugged and scratched her head. When Michael didn’t say anything more, she sighed. “Fine. Guess I have to do everything myself. I’m Tessa, short for Theresa. I was there when the original curse was cast.”

Michael balled his hands into fists. What was the point of her telling them this? He knew she brought death with her so why would she bother trying to be friends?

“You’re an angel of death. Excuse me for being a bit hostile,” he snapped. Her nose scrunched and she crossed her arms, pouting.

“Why is it always ‘angel of death’ and not ‘well-meaning Nephilim who gets screwed over by her parent’s whims?’ I know how it looks but seriously, I’m here to help.” She looked around the yard, confusion settling on her face. “Where’s Alex? I missed him.”

“So it’s true. That was you in his platoon.” She smiled fondly and nodded.

“Told me all about this guy he could come home to,” she said, looking him up and down. “I only want him to be happy. Both of you actually.” Her face turned serious as she looked back at the setting sun. “This has gone on long enough.”

Alex talked about him? Why? He had pushed him away so much Alex didn’t even say goodbye. He supposed he didn’t exactly go find him either. They had seen each other a couple times after he left. But Michael had figured that second time would have been the last.

Banging on the door of his airstream forced Michael awake. He groaned and pulled himself up just enough to check his phone for the time. Almost noon. It was probably Sanders ready to scold him about how he needed to pull his weight.

His head pounded and he willed the banging on the door to stop. It did for a second but then it started back up again. Whoever it was, was going to get an earful. He pulled on a wrinkled white shirt he had on yesterday and stumbled over to the door.

He pulled it open, squinting at the sun that poured in through the opening. He blinked a few times and ran a hand over his face. He took in the green and tan camo uniform and followed it up to the face with the brown eyes he hadn’t seen in over a year.

“Alex.” He held himself back from pulling him close, not sure if that was what he wanted.

“Hey, Michael.” His heart flipped in his chest. Looking around, he didn’t see anyone else but this hardly seemed like a casual visit.

“When’d you get back?” Michael stepped out of the trailer, forcing Alex to take a few steps backward to maintain a professional distance.

“A few hours ago.” An awkward silence stretched between them. Michael sighed and opened the trailer door again. He signaled with his hand, inviting him inside.

“It’s too hot to just be standing out here,” Michael said. “If you need to talk to me, we can do it inside.” Alex finally met his gaze and nodded following him through the door. Michael leaned against the counter and watch as Alex looked around, fiddling with his hands.

“I um… just wanted to make sure you were doing ok,” Alex mumbled. He tried not to laugh but a small chuckle escaped him. This boy was going to be the death of him.

“Manes, when have I ever not been ok?” His eyes flickered down to his hand. It had been nearly three years and he still blamed himself. Michael shook his head and stepped up to him. “If you don’t want to go home, you can stay here,” he said quietly.

Alex sucked in a breath. Michael leaned forward slowly. He wanted it to be Alex who kissed him. Give him some confirmation that he still wanted this.

“Stay,” he whispered, pressing his forehead against his. Alex’s hands came to rest on his face. They stood like that, breathing in time with each other, for who knows how long.

Then Alex was kissing him. Or maybe he was kissing Alex. He couldn’t be sure. Michael grabbed at his waist, pulling him closer. Alex pushed him back against the counter, trapping him there.

Michael nipped at him, pulling a soft moan from his lips. He threaded his fingers in his curls, tugging gently. Michael ran his hands all over him, wishing he could just toss his uniform to the floor and have him all to himself.

Alex pulled away sooner than he wanted. Both of them trying to catch their breath but still brushing lips against each other.

“Michael… I… I want to stay. But I can’t. I’m leaving and… I don’t think I’m coming back.” He froze, the weight of the words setting in. It was as though a ball of lead had been dropped in his gut.

He lifted his hands to his chest, pushing Alex back gently. Why would he even bother coming? Giving him this hope that maybe they wouldn’t have to say goodbye anymore, then just ripping it away.

“Michael—”

“Just stop Alex. If you’re going to leave, then leave.” He turned away from him, hiding the tears that had built in his eyes.

“Please listen to me,” Alex pleaded, voice cracking.

“No. I’m not going to listen to you say goodbye anymore. Don’t bother coming to see me if you just want to be cruel.” Michael dug his nails into his palms, stopping himself from grabbing Alex and holding onto him so he couldn’t go anywhere ever again. “Just go!” He knew Alex would jump from the yelling.

Michael’s throat burned. He didn’t deserve that. Playing on his trauma.

Before he could apologize, the door to the airstream opened and slammed shut. And he never saw him again.

“So how exactly do you plan to be of any help,” Isabel asked? Michael blinked out of the memory, surprised to hear Isabel’s voice. Tessa straitened her shoulders and smiled.

“You must be from a side branch. Well, I can’t get in the way of the trials but I can give you a heads up. Tip one: they usually happen in pairs. One happens and within a week the second will happen.” Michael and Isabel shared a skeptical look.

Neither of them had time to respond as a car skidded to a stop next to his. Alex jumped out of the car, fear covering his face.

“Michael,” he called to him, voice breaking. His heart skipped a beat at his name. He shook himself free of Isabel and ran over to him. Alex pulled him into a tight hug. He stumbled forward a bit in surprise. They hadn’t hugged since that last time seven years ago.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Are you ok,” he asked gently? What was scary enough to send Alex running into his arms like this?

“Me? It was you, damnit. I could feel everything. The fear and then the pain… Fuck, I thought you were dying!” Alex pushed him back and looked over him, running his fingers gently over the injury on his arm.

“Not quite,” he said. Having Alex’s full attention made his heart race. He knew he would feel it too but he didn’t care. The concern on his face ignited the spark of hope that Michael had shoved away for the last seven years.

Alex sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He looked at Michael and raised his eyebrows.

“So what happened to basically give me a heart attack,” he asked.

“Alex? That you?” Every emotion drained from his face as his eyes shifted over Michael’s shoulder. He kept his eyes trained on his face, making sure he was ok.

“Tessa?”

It was as though his brain couldn’t pick an emotion. Should he be happy? She was his best friend. Should he be relived? At least she wasn’t dead. Should he be scared? Because she may very well be an angel of death sent to destroy him and Michael.

“I’m sorry about the vague note. I was being watched.” Alex opened his mouth to say something but no words came out. He glanced over at Michael, watching his eyebrows draw together.

“What note? You didn’t tell me about anything like that.” Alex shook his head.

“I didn’t think it was important.” Michael snorted.

“There you go lying to me. Jesus Manes, you have to come to me with shit like that,” he scolded.

“This is not the time, Guerin,” he snapped back, refocusing on Tessa. She just watched them with amusement. She shook her head, chuckling.

“Just like them…” she muttered to herself. Isabel appeared next to Michael, grabbing his arm gently. She leaned in to whisper something he couldn’t hear. He thought she glanced over at him but with the sky getting darker, it was hard to tell.

Alex took a cautious step towards Tessa. Was this really the person he had come to know in Iraq? She seemed so different now. Physically she seemed taller? And there was this glow. Maybe it was because she wasn’t covered in dirt and blood anymore. But it felt like it was more than that.

He had known she had heterochromia, but it was so much more obvious now. One eye a deep brown while the other a pale blue. She smiled sweetly at him. He wanted nothing more than to hug her. Fall into her arms and thank her for what she’s done for him.

He wanted to trust her.

“So if it’s really you, why’d you disappear? I thought you had died.” His voice shook, unsure if it was from fear or anger. She sighed.

“I’m sorry. When that bomb went off, I needed to save the others too. I couldn’t do that with you there because you would have been able to see it. And after that, I visited you while you were asleep. Acted as your guardian angel. Until that mark showed up.” He touched the spot over his heart, feeling an echo of Michael’s heartbeat.

“See what? How did you save the rest of the platoon,” he asked?

“Remember the barn?” Alex’s eyes shot over to Michael’s. Of course he did.

“So you’re saying that weird slowing of time was you?” Michael sounded almost amazed. Alex’s mouth hung open slightly. She had that much power?

“Why can Michael and I see it?” She raised an eyebrow, looking between the three of them. Was the answer supposed to be obvious?

“You seriously don’t know,” she asked incredulously? Alex shook his head slowly and glanced over at Michael again. Had he left something out of their little history lessons? But he and Isabel seemed to be just as lost as he was. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “Well this is going to be annoying. I don’t have the energy to reteach your history right now. Let’s pick this up tomorrow yea?”

None of them had time to argue. A gust of wind and quick flash of light disoriented them and she was gone. As though she had never been there. The three of them stood in silence for a moment, staring at the place she had been standing.

“So tell me you guys saw that, too,” Isabel said. Alex and Michael both nodded. What did she mean ‘reteach history?’

The last of the orange faded from the sky. Stars suddenly appearing as the dark blue slowly took over. Alex stared at the sky, looking for some cosmic sign to tell him what to do.

He searched the starts for Pisces, just like Rosa used to make him do when he, Liz, Maria, and her all hung out. ‘It looks like an arrow’ is what she always said. Maybe one day it’d point him in the direction of the rest of his life.

He followed the path down, mostly out of curiosity. He never really took that astrology stuff seriously. He jumped when he looked down and found Michael standing in front of him, arms crossed. Guess the stars had a weird sense of humor.

“Whatcha looking for, captain?” He shook his head, letting out a soft chuckle.

“Waiting for the stars to tell me what to do,” he half joked. A small grin snuck onto Michael’s face.

“They seem to enjoy shoving us together from what I can tell. We’re cosmic, Manes,” he said, laughing. His heart skipped a beat and his stomach flipped. Damn him for saying stuff like that. Alex couldn’t deny it though. Isabel materialized next to them.

“Well I’m going to head out. I’ll update Max on the situation.” Michael nodded and saluted her. She looked over at Alex and smiled, resting a hand on his arm as she walked past.

They watched as she climbed into her car after complaining about how she had just gotten it washed. He chuckled at her annoyance. Keeping cars clean in the middle of a desert was an impossible task. She pulled away, a cloud of dust following her.

“Help me make a fire before it gets too dark,” Michael said. He turned to follow him but didn’t realized he hadn’t moved yet. Alex ran into him, hands shooting out to grab his arms for support. Michael’s arms wrapped around his waist, steadying him.

Alex felt the heat rush to his face. He was thankful the sun had set, hiding his embarrassment. He was close enough to watch a lazy smile settle on Michael’s face. The smell of rain was assaulting his senses. And his hands on his waist was not helping.

“At least buy me a drink first,” he teased. Alex looked away, stepping out of his arms. The warmth of him vanished. He felt cold even though it was probably still ninety degrees.

“Sorry. You said something about a fire,” he asked? Michael nodded, turning away from him.

“Yea. Otherwise we won’t be able to see.” He followed him to the pile of wood on the rack near his trailer. They carried a few pieces to get started. Michael offered him the one chair that had gotten caught on the fire pit. He jogged away to grab one of the others. Alex sat, watching the small twigs at the bottom catch fire.

He watched it slowly lick up the sides of the logs, growing brighter with every inch. Shadows played on the side of the trailer and walls of the workshop. When was the last time he was here at night?

Michael returned with a plastic folding chair and set it down, just out of arms reach from where Alex was sitting.

“How was your date,” he asked quietly? He hardly registered the question. He hadn’t even thought about Forrest since he came rushing over here. Where Michael was involved, it was the only thing he could think about.

“Fine,” he said, not really wanting to go into detail. He didn’t ask more about it.

“Listen Manes, we need to talk about some things.” Alex looked over at him. He expected him to be watching the fire but no, his eyes looked right at him. They didn’t even waver. Heat that wasn’t from the fire burned on his cheeks again.

“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything about the note. It was a weird day and I was exhausted and I didn’t think you wanted to see me after I walked out.” Michael stayed silent. The things that had been said that day stuck with him. The dream they shared refused to leave him alone.

“So I found a journal,” he began. Completely ignoring what happened at the hospital. “I think it’s from one of the early incarnations of the curse.” Alex’s eyebrows drew together.

“Didn’t you say there were a handful of them?”

“Yea but this one’s different. The couple is a pair named Samuel and Thomas.” The two names made him sit up, resting his arms on his legs. The same names from the vision he had. “The journal belonged to Thomas. And I don’t know how but—”

“Wait,” Alex cut him off. “I thought all the incarnations had been guy/girl pairings? That we were the weird ones in all this?” Michael shrugged.

“I don’t know. But that was the only explanation I could come up with.” Michael ran a hand through his hair. “Also, I think the journal triggered a vision.” So he had one too.

“Let me guess. Really old timey. Candles? Log cabin like? Forest surrounding the grounds?” It was his turn to look confused.

“Exactly… but how did you know that?” He took a deep breath. He wasn’t sure why he was so nervous about telling him these things. Probably because of the nature of the feelings he felt while in the vision.

“I had a vision, too. The day I got the note. Came out of nowhere really. And Samuel looked just like you,” he said. Michael looked away from him, running a hand over his jaw.

“We gotta tell each other everything, Alex. That’s the only way we’re going to figure this out. It’s the only way I can protect you.” His heart fluttered again. It was tugging him toward Michael.

He was the one that needed to protect him. He wasn’t the one who was going to be hurt if he got into a car accident or kidnapped and tortured. He clenched his fists and stood from his chair, ignoring the complaint from his leg with the prosthetic.

“You keep saying that. But maybe it’s supposed to be the other way around.” He stood slowly, watching him with curiosity. Alex stepped forward and lifted a hand to rest on his chest gently. “I know you feel me, Guerin. You know that if anything were to happen to you because of me, I would be destroyed.” Michael lifted his hand to cover his, holding it against his chest.

They stood there. Alex stared at their entwined fingers over Michael’s t-shirt. As much as he hated to admit it, Michael had become his whole life too.

He cursed himself. He shouldn’t be here anymore. It was too much. Everything he was feeling was getting mixed up with Michael. His head was so full of him that even as he tried to think of Forrest, he just didn’t care.

He mumbled that he should leave but couldn’t bring himself to pull away. In fact he only found himself closer. Breathing the same air. His eyes traced his face, hesitating on his mouth.

No!

He scolded himself. He couldn’t do that to Maria. He couldn’t do that to Forrest. Everything about them was wrong but so was everything else. The world only made sense when they were together.

He pulled his hand away from Michael, turning to leave. He didn’t get very far. Michael grabbed him, pulling him against him. His hands found their place on Alex’s face, forcing him to look in his eyes.

“Stay.”

#malex fanfiction #soulmates au #malex soulmate au #malex fic #malex #roswell new mexico fic #michael guerin #alex manes #michael guerin/alex manes #feedback always appreciated

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justlightlysedated · 5 years

Text

the future is in the hand that you hold

for @vlamito 💖💖

The piece of the alien spaceship wasn’t the only thing that Jim left behind for Alex to find.

.sanders' auto.

Michael walks out of the Airstream and then stops right at the last step and stares.

Alex is standing several feet away from the firepit, looking at a piece of paper in his hand and then staring up at the sign for Sander's Auto.

Michael hasn't seen Alex for weeks bordering on months. Their last conversation, if you could call it that, was at the Wild Pony, where Alex gave him all the fireworks and pyrotechnics he wanted out of a breakup, and gave Maria all the answers she needed to tell Michael that they could never be more than friends.

Michael has had to deal with Kyle if there is anything that involves Project Shepherd that they need to know, and anytime Alex answers a call from him he ignores any of Michael's friendly overtures to keep things as professional as possible.

Lately though, Michael can hear the thawing in his voice, can hear the smile that stretches his face when Michael says something completely ridiculous just to get him to drop the soldier jargon.

Michael hadn’t realized just how different, and open Alex was with him, until Alex just completely shut him out.

Alex takes several steps back, hitting one of the lawn chairs, and it knocks into the fire pit, making a loud clattering noise, that makes Alex look around wildly to see if anyone heard him.

Michael sees how his gaze skips over Michael before he does a double take.

Michael raises an eyebrow as soon as Alex makes eye contact, and Michael notices that he's holding a shovel and his other eyebrow goes up as he drops down from the last step and walks towards Alex.

"You know, if you need help burying a body I can do it without the need of a shovel."

Alex rolls his eyes, his lips twitching, but he looks away from Michael and back to the sign with a pondering look on his face.

"What exactly are you doing?"

Alex turns back to him pursing his mouth, and gives him a look like he doesn’t actually want to tell Michael what he’s doing.

But then he inhales deeply, and gives Michael a sort of sad look.

"When we were kids, Kyle and I, my dad used to make us do dangerous obstacle courses designed of course to make me fail, trying to toughen me up, I guess. But Jim gave us puzzles and made us go on scavenger hunts every Easter."

He looks like he's fond of those memories, and Michael would ask him what this has to do with anything, but this is the first time in weeks that Alex is talking about something other than sharing information Project Shepherd related.

"I found a clue at the cabin," he says, "And it led me here, but I'm beginning to think that this is more of a scavenger hunt than a puzzle."

Michael licks his lips and feels a jolt going down his spine when Alex's eyes drop to his mouth before he hurriedly looks away.

"And you think this is Project Shepherd related?"

Alex nods his head sharply, giving Michael a brief look.

"You think there's a clue that will tell you where to go next somewhere around here?"

Alex nods his head again and looks back to the sign.

"I can help," Michael offers, and Alex’s gaze snaps back to him. “I know this place better than anyone.”

Alex raises an eyebrow at him. “Aren’t you supposed to be working today?”

Michael gives him a look back. “When has that ever stopped me before?”

Alex rolls his eyes, and then he’s propping the shovel on the firepit and walking closer to Michael, his hand extended, the piece of paper blowing lightly in the cool morning breeze.

Michael closes the distance between them and grabs the paper, looking at Alex, who is staring at him with his unfathomable, dark eyes.

Michael tugs the paper out of his hold.

“So you’re going to leave Sanders all on his own today?” Alex asks as Michael studies the piece of paper in his hands.

“No, he’s visiting his niece, so he won’t be here either. I was supposed to be opening the shop today on my own,” he says almost absently as he stares at the symbols scratched into the paper, and Alex’s neat handwriting right above it, spelling out the words ‘sanders auto’ and ‘sign.’

Alex makes a low sound, and sighs before Michael hears him walking away.

He looks up and sees him heading towards the entrance.

“Where are you going?” he asks following after him, the piece of paper crushed in one hand.

Alex turns back to look at him once before he says. “Making sure that you still have a job when Sanders comes back.”

Michael furrows his brow in confusion. “It’s not like he’s going to fire me. I do most of the work around here.”

Alex doesn’t respond to that, but Michael can feel him rolling his eyes.

Alex walks faster than him on a bad day, and he’s already at the door to the office by the time Michael makes it there.

He goes to pull the key out of his pocket, when the door swings open, and Alex turns to him and holds up the lockpicker in his hand giving Michael a smug look.

Michael just raises an eyebrow back, impressed, but refusing to acknowledge it. “And you called me a criminal.”

Alex scoffs and rolls his eyes. “Are you ever going to let that go?”

Michael gives him a face, and shakes his head a little.

Alex just rolls his eyes one more time and walks into the dark office.

Michael walks in behind him, flipping on the light switch as Alex ducks behind the counter and starts going through the file drawers muttering under his breath about baby boomers who despised technological advances.

Michael leans against the counter and is about to ask Alex what he’s doing but Alex makes a triumphant noise and pulls out one of the binders, setting it on top of the open drawer and going through it.

Michael turns around and leans back against the counter, crossing his legs in front of him and looking out of the window.

He tilts his head and frowns thoughtfully as he stares at the decals and menus and brochures he’s got taped to the window, most peeling with old age.

Alex makes a small triumphant sound and it drags Michael's gaze back to him. He's doing something on his phone, typing fast with his thumbs and then he sends Michael a grin and closes the binder putting it away.

"What did you just do?" Michael asks, furrowing his brow.

"Transferred the average amount you'd make today to Sanders' account."

Michael's face clears and he looks at Alex mutinously. "You really don't have to do that."

Alex gives him an exasperated look back. "You're going to be ignoring your job to help me do something that isn't even that-"

"You've been avoiding me for months," Michael says interrupting him, and Alex stops speaking, mouth closing with a snap. "You wouldn't be here if you didn't think it was important."

Alex exhales roughly looking away from Michael briefly before he turns to look back at him. "It hasn't been months."

Michael doesn't say anything, just continues to look at Alex.

Alex looks back at him.

"It's already done," he says, waving his phone in the air. "And there's more important things to worry about, like whatever that clue means."

He points towards the piece of paper in Michael's hands.

Michael looks down at it and then back at the window remembering.

He points towards the window, "Doesn't it look like the sign is pointing towards that menu right there?"

He points it out, and Alex moves around the counter to lean back against the counter right next to Michael, pressing their sides close together, and Michael’s breath hitches as he realizes that this is the closest they have been in months.

Michael turns his head towards him and inhales, and he can smell Alex. The subtle scent of his cologne and the smell of fire on his clothes and the piney-woody smell that comes from living in a cabin, and the damp wet smell that means he’s been spending some time in a bunker.

Alex inhales sharply and turns to Michael, and they both freeze, just staring at each other for a long second. Alex’s eyes drop to his mouth again, and Michael feels it like a physical touch.

He inhales shakily, and Alex blinks a few times before he turns slowly back towards the window.

“The Crashdown,” he says, swallowing hard. “That’s where we’ll find the next clue.”

Michael nods his head, pushing down the feeling of disappointment, and clearing his throat. "That's what it looks like."

"Then let's go," Alex says, pushing away from the counter and heading out of the office.

Michael inhales deeply, trying to gather as much patience and self control as he can. It's going to take all of it for him not to grab Alex and kiss him like he really wants to.

Michael exhales roughly and laughs weakly, who is he even kidding. He just pushes away from the counter and walks out, locking the door behind him, hoping that if he does break and kisses Alex, that Alex won't punch him in the face.

.the crashdown.

Alex walks into the diner before him, calling out for Arturo who looks so happy to see him that Michael just stares as he greets Alex like a long lost son and doesn’t notice when Liz pops up next to him.

“You’re hanging out with Alex?” she asks, making Michael jump up and turn to her in surprise.

She’s looking at how Arturo hugs Alex with a soft smile on her face as he makes a comment, probably about how skinny Alex is and hustles him into the kitchen.

"Not exactly," he says and then scrambles for something to tell her, since Alex doesn't want anyone else to know what he's doing until he's figured out whether this is an actual scavenger hunt or a wild goose chase. "We're just-"

Liz gasps a little and when Michael looks away from where he can see Alex laughing at something Arturo says, it's to see that she has delighted, if slightly incredulous look on her face.

"Are you on a date right now?"

Michael feels the words hit him right in the stomach. He wishes they were on a date right now, and was about to open his mouth to deny it when Alex walks out of the kitchen and Michael's attention snaps to him like they're magnetized.

Alex inclines his head towards one of the booths, and Michael nods slightly.

"You are!" She exclaims, and Michael's gaze snaps back to her and the wide smile on her face.

Before Michael can do or say anything else, she’s pushing him towards the booth Alex just sat down at.

“I’ll be right with you,” she says, and Michael can see her sneakily trying to pull her phone out of the pocket of her apron, and he just sighs resigned to the fact that for the next couple of days he’s going to be fielding calls from everyone about whether or not he and Alex are trying to date again.

He slides into the seat across from Alex, and Alex gives him a slight smile.

“Arturo says that Jim used to sit here all of the time.”

Michael leans forward a little and tries not to fidget with the utensils or the napkin as he looks at Alex, “And you think you’ll find the clue from here?”

Alex’s smile widens a little while he nods. “Yeah, Arturo says that he and Jim didn’t really talk much, but he would always order the same thing on Friday afternoons and sit down in this spot.”

Before Michael can make a comment, Liz is back, dropping a single milkshake between the two of them with two straws, and a plate of fries with a wink and then she disappears again.

Alex looks at the milkshake with a furrowed brow and Michael takes a deep breath, calming breath before speaking.

“She thinks we’re on a date,” Michael says, and Alex’s gaze snaps to his, eyes wide and startled.

“Why would she-?” he starts, and Michael just shrugs cutting him off.

“You said not to tell anyone anything, and she jumped to her own conclusion before I could come up with an excuse. It’s not my fault that you’ve been basically MIA and that there hasn’t been a serious problem in weeks so you have no reason to actually be here with me.”

Alex sighs and pushes the milkshake towards Michael.

Michael licks his lips and looks at the milkshake, staring as the water droplets from the condensation slide down the side of the glass.

"I know that you probably hate me," Michael starts and stops when Alex laughs.

He gives him a look, and Alex is shaking his head and looking up at the ceiling before he looks back at Michael, who is trying not to look as hurt as he feels.

Alex’s gaze softens a little bit.

“I don’t hate you,” he says. “I wish that I did. It would’ve made things easier, but I don’t. I could never hate you.”

Michael swallows hard and looks back to the milkshake dragging it closer to his side, and playing with the straw absently. “I figured that you did. And that’s why you avoided me for so long.”

Alex sighs again.

“Guerin,” he says, and Michael hears him move until there is a hand on his forearm.

Michael inhales deeply before he looks up at him.

“I don’t hate you,” he repeats looking at Michael seriously. “Avoiding you is easy. A habit that is easy to fall into and hard to break without proper incentive.”

“You told me that we were family, and then left me alone when I needed you the most,” Michael says trying to sound unbothered and not accusing, but Alex reads right through that and moves his hand away from Michael, clenching his jaw while he looks away.

“I’m sorry about that,” he says. “I have no real excuse other than the fact that it hurt too much to see you.”

Michael feels his gut twist into knots and like there is a knife lodged in his throat. “I’m sorry-”

“No,” Alex says shaking his head. “You don’t have to apologize for choosing something else, someone else who you didn’t have to fight so hard just to be with. I understood where you were coming from the whole time.”

Michael swallows hard, and Alex shakes his head again and looks down at the table, staring at his hands splayed on the glossy wood.

“But just because I understood, didn’t mean that it didn’t hurt,” he says to the table, and Michael stares at the top of his head, willing Alex to look up at him.

“You broke my heart, Guerin,” he says, voice low, like he doesn’t want Michael to actually hear him, but Michael does and it feels like a punch to the throat. “And I know that between the two of us I have the monopoly on breaking things, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.”

Michael continues to stare at Alex, but Alex doesn’t look at him, and when he doesn’t say anything else. Michael exhales roughly and tries to figure out something to say.

“It was never my intention to hurt you,” Michael starts after a few more minutes of loaded silence. Alex jumps a little and looks up at him, finally, with wide and wet dark eyes.

“I know that,” Alex says looking at him earnestly. “And I didn’t mean any of the things that I yelled at you that day, we were both in a bad place, and I know that it was worse for you, but I thought that I was giving you what you wanted, not making things worse.”

Michael opens his mouth to speak when Alex looks over his shoulder and narrows his eyes.

Music spills out through the diner coming from the jukebox, and Michael turns back towards it to see Liz there sending him a thumb’s up as the song plays about a man standing in front of his love asking them to give him another chance.

Michael turns back to Alex to see that he’s still looking over at the jukebox, but not at Liz.

He gets up from his seat, and Michael follows after him.

He turns and smiles at Michael pointing out map of Roswell that's taped to the side of the jukebox. There is a spiral right on top of where Michael knows the Wild Pony is located, and he gives Alex a look that does nothing to temper Alex's excitement.

"You know the Pony will be closed right now, right?"

Alex just rolls his eyes, "Come on, let's go!"

He grabs Michael's hand and tugs him out through the doors, only letting him go when they get to his car.

Michael flexes his fingers trying to get rid of the tingly warm feeling, and gets into the car.

.the wild pony.

Alex walks into the Wild Pony without knocking and Michael hears Maria's delighted shout before the door closes and cuts the noise off.

He inhales deeply and tries to center himself again.

Doing yoga with Isobel and Liz went a long way to help him when he feels like things are going out of his control. But he still feels like he's going to enter a minefield if he steps in through the doors.

The last time that he'd been in there with both Alex and Maria present, Alex had told him that he never wanted to see Michael again, and Maria had told him that they were better off as friends.

He exhales slowly, and repeats the process five times before the door opens and Maria is dragging him inside.

Michael stumbles when she lets him go, and gapes at her while she raises an eyebrow at him.

"Were you going to just stay out there the whole time?"

Michael gives her a look and tries not to project how he's actually feeling about the situation, but Maria figures him out immediately rolling her eyes hard and hitting him on the shoulder with the back of her hand.

"Trust me when I say that it will take a lot more than both of us falling for the same guy to break us apart," she tells him and then turns towards the bar, waving a hand over to where Alex is walking around one of the pool tables.

As Michael turns to look at him, Alex drops on the floor and rolls beneath one of the tables.

He hears Maria snort in laughter and walks over to the table, crouching down and looking at Alex.

"You okay down there?"

Alex rolls his eyes, "You should be down here with me. You said you would help."

Michael sighs and then ducks down beside Alex.

"This is a first," Michael says thoughtfully, looking beneath the table with a furrowed brow.

He feels Alex turn to face him, and his voice sounds amused when he speaks. "You've never been laid out on the floor of the Wild Pony?"

Michael turns to him and he feels his heart skipping a beat when he notices how close they are. He swallows hard.

"Not sober," he says, voice barely a whisper.

Alex huffs out a small breathless laugh and his eyes drop down to Michael's mouth, before he licks his bottom lip and looks away.

"Or with company," Michael continues, and smiles when Alex rolls his eyes.

"I was afraid that I'd ruined your friendship with Maria," Michael admits while Alex just looks up, not really searching for anything.

Alex inhales sharply, and then exhales slowly.

Michael continues to look at him.

"We worked our shit out weeks ago," Alex says. "Almost as soon as she broke things off with you. I said some not nice things and she said some not nice things and then we got drunk and cried and apologized to each other and then it was all good."

Michael stares at him and comes to a realization, "That's why Liz was so surprised to see us together. Because I'm the only one you've been avoiding."

Alex sighs. "It's more like, they haven't been avoiding me, if I'm being honest. Maria just came over one night with Liz in tow and now it's a weekly thing."

Before Michael can come up with something to say to that, Maria is crouching down beside the table.

They both turn towards her.

“Jim didn’t exactly spend a lot of time passed out on the floors of this bar,” she says helpfully.

Alex sighs, and opens his mouth to say something when Michael notices something tucked in between the wooden planks that make up the sides of the table. He reaches up cutting Alex off unintentionally, and pulls the piece of paper out.

Alex makes a noise and moves closer, pressing his face to Michael’s shoulder as Michael unfolds the paper.

It’s a brochure for places to go visit in Roswell, and that same spiral from before was marked right next to the words The UFO Emporium, and one of the UFO saucers was circled in red.

Maria makes a highly amused look at the back of her throat, and Michael looks at her, and she’s biting her lip down on a smile.

Alex huffs out a breath, like he can’t believe it, and rolls out from beneath the table before Michael can turn to him.

Maria straightens up and walks around the table to Alex, “Looks like Jim is trying to tell you something from beyond the grave.”

“Yeah,” Alex answers as Michael rolls out from beneath the table and to his feet. “That he has a tragic sense of humor.”

Michael folds the brochure in half and tucks it into his back pocket.

“How about a drink for the road?” Michael asks feeling like he’s going to need a lot more than a shot of liquid courage to walk into the UFO Emporium, especially in the company of Alex.

Maria takes one look at him, and nods her head. “One drink only,” she says giving him a look, and Michael raises his hands in defense giving her a smile.

She turns towards the bar, and Alex turns towards him raising an eyebrow. Michael rolls his eyes lightly, “We’re working on my sobriety.”

Alex just inclines his head and then heads towards the bar.

Michael follows behind at a slower pace and gets there just as Maria slides one shot to Alex and sets the other one in the seat in front of the seat next to him.

Michael grabs his shot and Maria raises hers in the air. “To you guys, finally getting your shit together.”

Michael gives her a look, and she rolls her eyes at them. “Liz called me. I think it’s a little weird that you’re on a scavenger hunt for your first date, but I guess you guys have never done anything normal in your lives.”

Alex looks at Michael raising an eyebrow, and Michael just rolls his eyes looking back at Maria before knocking their glasses together and taking the shot without a word.

.the ufo emporium.

There are tourists in the Emporium when they finally get there.

Alex ignores everyone and heads right to where the UFO models with their kitschy aliens waving, are hanging from the ceiling.

Michael walks behind him in a more sedate pace feeling like he’s having a highschool flashback.

He remembers how nervous he’d been when he’d followed Alex in here, and how giddy that nervousness turned when Alex kissed him back.

Alex stops right in front of the display, and Michael very nearly bumps into his back.

Alex inhales shakily and then turns around to face Michael, taking a step back and very nearly hitting the UFO when he sees how close Michael is.

Alex swallows hard and his gaze drops to Michael’s mouth and then darts around the whole room, to take in the people walking around the room before he looks back at Michael with a determined expression.

“I want this to be a date,” he says, and Michael feels his heart stutter in his chest. “But I’m also afraid that if I let you in again, we’ll just hurt each other.”

Michael steps forward shaking his head, but Alex raises a hand to stop him.

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, about everything, but especially about us, and you know what I figured out?”

Michael shakes his head.

“That I love you so much,” he says, looking into Michael’s eyes, his own bright with unshed tears. “But it’s not enough when I’m constantly tied to things that hurt you.”

Michael reaches for him again shaking his head, and Alex grabs his left hand, fingers cool against his skin, and Michael stops.

This is the first time since Max healed him that Alex has touched his left hand.

Michael stares as Alex lifts his hand to his face, and presses a kiss to the back of it.

Michael jolts looking around at the people that aren’t paying any attention to them, but still.

“I was trying to let you go,” Alex says, and Michael’s gaze snaps back to him. “But it’s almost impossible to do that when you’re such a huge part of me, and when in reality, I don’t want to.”

“I don’t want to let you go, either,” Michael says voice hoarse and just staring as Alex presses another kiss to his hand.

“I don’t want to keep living in the past, Guerin,” he says, and Michael freezes, breath catching painfully in his throat. “I want to move forward, preferably with you, but I can try to do it without you.”

“I want that too,” Michael says moving closer. “I want all of it, but I’m scared too.”

Alex nods, eyes closing and Michael watches as the tears leak out of the corners.

“Scared that you’ll walk away again.”

Alex shakes his head and presses Michael’s hand to his cheek.

“But I don’t want to keep living in the past either,” he breathes and stares at Alex until he blinks his eyes open and looks back at him. "I want to start over, but I don't want to just be friends."

Alex huffs out a small laugh, and gives Michael a look and Michael really wants to kiss him.

Alex makes a low noise at the back of his throat, and his gaze drops to Michael's mouth.

Michael gathers at the vestiges of his self control and looks away, eyes darting to the nearest thing besides Alex, and spots a weird dip on one of the UFO saucers.

Alex lets his hand go and Michael points towards the UFO, "I think whatever it is we're looking for is right there."

Alex turns towards the UFO. "Makes sense. He would have put it somewhere that even if it was moved around, it wouldn't be found accidentally."

While Alex studies the UFO and tries to figure out where the clue could be hidden, Michael looks at the second UFO trying to see if there are any differences between the two that could help them out.

He notes almost immediately that one of the lights on top of the one Alex is studying is moved, just slightly enough to offend the pattern.

Alex makes an annoyed sound at the back of his throat, and Michael bites down on his lip before he moves around Alex, and reaches for the light that is out of place, sliding it back into place with a soft clicking sound.

A panel from beneath to UFO opens and something falls to the floor.

Alex bends down to get it while Michael closes the panel shut and sees how the light moves out of position again.

Alex straightens up and he’s holding a small turquoise still embedded into a piece of stone in one hand and a folded piece of paper in the other. He tucks the stone away in the front pocket of his jeans and unfolds the paper.

It’s a hand drawn map covered in the same alien symbols that the first message was written in, and Michael feels a jolt deep in his gut as he recognizes some of the landmarks.

Alex studies the map. “I think this is at the-”

“The Turquoise Mines,” Michael finishes for him inhaling deeply.

Alex turns to him, and Michael pulls his bottom lip into his mouth before he exhales roughly.

“I think I know exactly where we need to go next.”

Alex stares at him for a long moment before he nods his head sharply and folds the map back up, sticking it into his pocket alongside the stone.

“Then let’s go,” he says holding his hand out.

Michael looks at his hand for a beat and then grabs it, wrapping their fingers together before he’s walking out of the Emporium tugging Alex along behind him.

.the turquoise mines.

Michael waits patiently while Alex matches the landmarks on the map to the ones right in front of him, and then gives Alex a guileless smile when he looks at Michael with narrowed eyes.

“What exactly are you hiding out here?” he asks, folding the map back up.

“It’s not like I was the one to send you on this scavenger hunt,” Michael protests lightly.

Alex just sighs and then nods his head as he moves forward decisively, passing Michael and walking down the path that leads to the entrance of the cave.

Michael follows behind him, taking care of the wooden planks covering the entrance, with a wave of his hand.

Alex turns to him raising an eyebrow, but Michael just shrugs and puts his hands into his pockets.

Alex walks in, and Michael hesitates at the entrance taking a deep breath before he follows in after Alex.

Alex is standing right in the middle of the cavern just gaping at the pods, and he turns towards Michael when he realizes that Michael is standing behind him.

“These are your pods, aren’t they?” he asks in a hushed voice as though he’s afraid of disturbing the peace and quiet.

Michael nods his head and walks forward, pointing at the one towards the left. “That ones mine, specifically.”

Alex makes a small sound in the back of his throat and Michael turns to look back at him.

He’s staring at Michael’s pod with wide, wet eyes.

“You think this is what he wanted you to find?”

Alex blinks slightly and his eyes focus on Michael, staring at him blankly for a second before he seems to understand what Michael is asking.

“Maybe,” he pulls his phone out and turns on his flashlight before he starts looking into the corners where the soft pulsing light from the pods doesn’t illuminate. “There must be something else.”

Michael watches him as he walks around the cavern, getting distracted by the pods more often than not.

“If it’s a piece of the spaceship, I found it years ago.”

Alex shakes his head absently. “No, not that. I found the piece that he had months ago. I meant like another note, or a symbol to show that this is what he-”

“What do you mean you found the piece he had months ago?” Michael asks furrowing his brow.

Alex turns to face him, and gives him a significant look, and Michael blinks rapidly several times in realization.

“It was you,” he says a little breathlessly. “You left me the last piece of the spaceship.”

Alex inclines his head slightly. “I was trying to let you go,” he repeats the words he said before. “I knew if I saw you, I would never be able to go through with it, so I left it for you to find.”

Michael swallows hard and shakes his head. He should’ve been able to figure that out if he’s being honest. No one else but Max would’ve known that Michael was missing a piece like that.

“You should’ve said something,” Michael says looking back at Alex who is back to checking the corners of the cavern.

Alex ignores him to step forward closer to the wall, and Michael looks at the spot that he’s illuminating to see the same spiral from before. Michael doesn’t know exactly how he missed it all of these years, but it probably has to do with the fact that whenever he was down here he was more interested in getting the pods than the surroundings.

Alex passes his fingertips over the symbol, and Michael sees the way the stone lodged into the wall, looking like a growth formation to the naked eye, moves as he touches it.

Alex puts his phone back into his pocket, and tugs at the stone, grunting with the effort before he manages to get it unstuck.

He sticks his fingers into the space left behind, and pulls out another piece of paper.

Michael sees him turn towards his pod while he unfolds the paper, using the lights to read the words.

He huffs out a small laugh, and looks at Michael with a wry look on his face. “It seems like Maria is right, and Jim is trying to tell me something from beyond the grave.”

Michael makes a face and steps over to Alex who reaches out to hand him the piece of paper.

Michael takes it, and looks at the words written.

Congratulations Alex, you’ve found my biggest secret. Please guard them well. Your father can never find out about them. Love, Jim.

“He’s talking about the pods,” Michael says, looking back up at Alex, and Alex gives him a smile.

“Sure, but he’s also talking about you. I think he must’ve known that there were aliens living among us. And he must’ve known that I would’ve figured it out.”

Michael shakes his head a little. “I don’t need you to protect me. I can protect myself just fine.”

Alex licks his lips and gives Michael a look. “I’ve been trying to protect you what feels like half of my life, Guerin. And finding out the truth about you just made that instinct worse.”

He takes the note from Michael’s hand and folds it back up reverently before stuffing it into the front pocket of his jeans with the map.

“Hey,” Michael says, reaching out, and stopping Alex who starts to move towards the entrance of the cave. Alex looks at him with a furrowed brow. “I meant what I said at the Emporium.”

Alex’s face clears, and his lips twitch into a small smile before he bites down on his bottom lip.

“Me too,” he says. “And I was thinking that maybe we should go have some lunch at the Crashdown since we left without eating our food earlier, but first we have to figure out a better way to hide the entrance down here because obviously, a wooden plank isn’t going to stop someone determined enough-”

Michael tugs Alex in close, and wraps his fingers around the back of his neck, pulling him in for a kiss.

Alex pushes into the kiss immediately, kissing him back hard and a little desperate before he pulls back, hands pressed to Michael’s chest to keep him away when Michael tries to move in closer.

“Wait,” he says, sounding a little out of it, his gaze on Michael’s mouth. “No kisses until the third date.”

Michael makes a scoffing noise at the back of his throat. “That’s no sex until the third date actually.”

Alex flushes a little and glares at Michael. “No, it’s no sex until the fifth date.”

Michael gives him an incredulous look, and Alex glares back mutinously.

“Okay,” he says. “Fine, we’ll do this your way, but first-”

He tugs Alex back in hard, and crushes their mouths together, kissing him for all that he’s worth, until Alex is wrapping his fingers in Michael’s hair and pressing in close, moaning low in the back of his throat.

Michael lets him go, and Alex’s eyes flutter open slowly.

Michael licks his lips for show, and feels a pulse of pure satisfaction when Alex’s gaze goes heavy as he stares.

“No more kissing until the third date,” he says when Alex goes to lean in.

Alex glares at him, and pulls him in for another kiss, biting against Michael’s mouth until he stops smiling and kisses Alex back.

#cosmicloveexchange #malex fic #set sometime in the future #in a hopeless dream of mine #where they let them all get over their pain and trauma before heaping more traumatic events on them #i just wanted to write you something where you can see them coming back together #and that they both took the time to heal for a little bit #and i love scavenger hunts #and i listened to hand that you hold and the scene from the emporium popped up in my head #hope you like it 💖💖💖

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ilovecrzybear · 5 years

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There You Are- Ash Williams x Reader

[Warnings: Smut, ABO dynamics]

Shopping wasn't exactly where you expected to come upon a battle of three people with weapons and two undead creatures cursing like it was casual, but here you were caught in the thick of it.

Your claws grew instinctively as danger approached your isle in the store. But there was a distinct scent that overpowered your nose; it smelt like a woodsy leather musk. It was an alpha.

Fuck.

"Pablo!" Ash called out to his friend who had the shotgun.

"Ash catch!" Pablo threw the gun across a display of chips. Ash swiftly grabbed it to give the final head blow on the deadite. He loaded his gun and caught the whiff of a soothing lavender smell. Under his breath he uttered, "There you are."

Ash rushed over to help Kelly and Pablo deal with their speedy deadite.

"Come here bastard!" Kelly yelled ready to swing a baseball bat.

"Aw poor Kelly can't keep up, well boo fucking h-" before the deadite could finish Ash had blew its head clean off.

"Less talkie, more action," Ash teased Kelly who gave a sigh of relief. Ash holstered his shotgun, "If you guys will excuse me for a minute I have a scent to track."

"A fucking what?" Kelly called out confusingly.

You could hear the alpha getting closer; you wanted to move with all your might but you were paralyzed with the curiosity. No one's scent has ever stuck out to you like his.

"Hello babydoll," he cooed, "I'm sorry about that mess. But you can put those daggers back," he noticed your claws.

"Oh sorry," you nervously giggled retracting your claws. An alpha knew better to approach an omega who felt threatened.

"The name's Ash. Your's?" Ash asked as he slowly sauntered over to you.

"I'm Y/N. You're an alpha, aren't you?" You questioned. Ash chuckled and winked, "You got that right baby, the only one around. You're not used to seeing other were’s are you?"

You nodded, "yea, we're rare here in a small town." As you spoke you felt a rise in your temperature, he was right in front of you and his musk was driving you up the wall. You hoped the inevitable wouldn’t happen.

Mate.

"Tell you what, instead of staying in this dump of a town you can come with us. Pablo and Kelly aren't like us but it's never been an issue so far," Ash gave a cocky grin and motioned with his metal hand for you to join them. You had a lot of questions running through your mind but he was right, he had been the only werewolf to come through ever since you moved here. And you always wanted the safety of a traveling pack.

"Well, I like trying new things," you claimed and you took Ash's lead out of the market. Walking past the blood splattered displays you felt a twinge of instinct tell you it was fine to trust the alpha, he could protect his family.

You walked up to the Delta with a metal airstream trailer attached.

"This here is baby," Ash tapped the roof of the dirty Oldsmobile and walked over to tap the trailer, "And here is my home on wheels. Want a drink? Or maybe even a joint if alcohol isn't your thing."

"I could definitely go for either right now," you answered following him yet again. You felt like a lost puppy.

Ash quickly knocked on the trailer’s door and Kelly welcomed you both, "Ah, nice to see you back Ash and now what, you've dragged an innocent along."

A low growl rumbled from Ash as he walked past Kelly to grab a whiskey glass. You nervously smirked in response and sat down . Pablo silently laughed, "Jefe is pissed."

"C'mon Pablo we're going to leave these two kids at it," Kelly grabbed her jacket and Pablo's arm and left.

As soon as the two left you couldn't hide what was really happening, "Is it hot in here or is it just me?" You sounded panicky. Ash pulled you over to his bed and grabbed a glass of water, "This is what I was afraid was gonna happen doll."

This is all my fau-" before you could finish Ash interrupted, "Nothing's your fault. It's the fact that you're rarely around wolves, so me being there sent you into a heat. And well it's going to cause me-" Ash walked away from the bed, "I'll go in a rut. But it can be prevented if I just left. I don’t want to pull you into something you don’t want to be committed to," Ash said as he already felt the need to adjust his pants.

"Whatever you do, please don't leave me. This is all happening so fast," you groaned, "do you have any suppressants?"

"Oh no baby, I don't let chemicals alter what nature intended to happen," he sounded proud of the fact. You've never had to worry about being induced into a heat until now, so you never ritually took any pills. And your yearly heats were bearable with toys.

Ash stepped back to the bed, "Anything for you baby. Now before anything freaky happens, how about we smoke."

---

You awoke the next morning to see no Ash, in fact no one was in the trailer. And that in between that time you had gathered up Ash’s shirts, pants, and blankets to rearrange them into your perfect idea of a round nest. You’ve wished that this day would come, that you would get to handle an alpha’s belongings and share his bed. It felt right, meeting Ash out of the blue, you played with the imagination that he was your one and only.

You were startled up from bed when you heard angry yelling outside; it sounded a lot like Ash. Hearing his voice gave you the familiar twinge of arousal. Ash opened the door quickly and slammed it behind him. “Oh you’re up, here let me make you something to eat,” He panted.

“What was that about?” You asked

“Oh, nothing babycakes,” He said so casually like the yelling match didn’t happen.

“Ok Ash, but we need our stuff,” Kelly pleaded, as she banged on the door. “She’s right jefe,” Pablo was heard agreeing. “Just because you’re not telling us what’s happening-” Kelly was silenced when Ash yelled, “I’ll give your crap back in a while alright. I’d be fucking ecstatic if you both left right now it's not the best time.” He was met with sighs and the two sounded like they took their leave.

Ash brought over a Poptart slightly warmed for you and offered a bottle of heat suppressants. You took the Poptart but looked into Ash’s brown eyes, “I’m not taking those. I’m fine.”

“Doll please think about this, nobody needs to be with me, a big nobody who jump started the apocalypse. You have so many opportunities out there and killing deadites is not one of them,” Ash’s mood changed in an instance to angry to depressing and the only explanation was the big chemical imbalance that happened rapidly.

“No,” you placed your hand on his chest to assure him, “I think I’m right where I need to be. Maybe your-”

“No, no, no baby I’m not cut out to be anyone’s person of choice but I can’t deny the connection we had last night,” Ash grabbed your hand, “It’s been a long time since I felt like this. Just a little rusty. But you’re completely ok with us both, ya know?”

“I think it’s fate,” you gave a flirtatious smirk. A switch flipped in his mind; Ash’s feral growl awoke your wolf and before you knew it he was on top of you.

“I can’t tell you how long I’ve been waiting for you little ‘mega,” Ash unbuttoned his shirt in a daze, and leaned down to kiss your neck, “I’m going to make you all mine, you’d like that?”

At this point your body was in bliss, “Yes alpha, please.”

Mine. Mate. Claim. Soft.

Ash’s mind raced with the primal voice and need to claim. Unbuckling his pants, you took the opportunity to strip away your shirt, giving full access to your scent glands. “You know,” Ash whispered, “I wanted to ravage you right there in the store. Bending you over and making you scream for more.” Your body could no longer wait so you moved out from under his grasp and stripped the rest of your clothing. You positioned yourself on your fours in front of the alpha and cooed for pleasure.

"Right to the point, I like that about you babydoll," Ash took a handful of your ass and circled your slick entrance with his head, "all mine." An involuntary moan escaped your lips and you pressed back into him to slowly take his cock.

Ash gave a whimper at the sudden pleasure, "Not one for talk are ya?" He plunged the rest of himself into you and started slowly thrusting, allowing time for you to adjust.

Before you knew it, he pulled out and pulled your body upright against his, "You've made a nice nest for us. I've been ready to do this the moment I smelled your calming aroma, my day, hell my whole year had been nothing but crap, but seeing you changed it all in a second," all the while he spoke his metal fingers traced the area on your shoulder where he was to cement the bond.

"I thought all those years ago when I was cursed by that Kandarian demon to live the rest of my mortal life as a lycan, my life would turn to shit. But damn it, you're the best thing to happen so far," Ash kissed your neck before whispering, "forgive me if this hurts." A sharp sting followed by a pleasurable heat radiated from the bite; the sensation was almost enough to make you climax.

You were pushed back down and Ash led himself back into you to finish. Loud moans, primal growls and howls could be heard clearly on the outside of the airstream, but neither one of you cared at that point. This was more important.

Each rocking thrust you could feel the girth's base swell, the fun was about to be over. A guttural moan came from Ash before the knot popped. As you felt the increasing fullness, your orgasm flooded your body, and you gave one final cry of release before settling down.

Two minutes later the knot unties you both. "Woah, so that happened," Ash smirked as he brought you closer. "It's official," you giddily whispered feeling the sensitive area with your finger tips. "I wouldn't want it any other way babydoll," Ash whispered.

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davidpowellpoet-blog · 5 years

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Gentrified

The Patels have moved on...so has Jamaican John. And those smells that quelled my hungry tum as they hung in the air are gone.

Pimento, nutmeg, chillies, roasting meat on fire drums. Jerk chicken cooked a thousand ways amazed when we were young.

Each Saturday at Imran’s house the cardamon, cumin, ginger, coriander, chives and his mum’s supplies of spice would linger.

A rainbow scent on airstreams on the streets we knew and loved, took all of us to other worlds these smells from heaven above.

And fascinating locals from far lands we couldn’t spell, would doff their trim fedoras revealing skin of caramel.

Our ears would ring as maracas clacked, flamenco players strummed and clapped, next door in Reggie’s music shack, the bass of dub boomed out of stacks.

People from a world we never thought we’d ever know, bought culture love and colour to our dark and dingy homes.

And as I wander down memory lane to Reggie’s music shack, that way back in the 90′s got turned into trendy flats, instead of cumin, cardamon and ginger with bay leaves, all I smell and breath for miles are fresh roasted coffee beans.

The characters are bland at best trendy students badly dressed, no fedoras or stay pressed slacks no dub beats played on giant stacks.

Instead a sea of hipsters wearing clothes that don’t quite fit, men’s torsos bulging out tight tops like bras that can’t hold tits.

Odd socks, trousers short, it’s like their seamstress got excited, ankles having parties but their trousers aren’t invited.

And where I once got a tea and bun and chat for 90p, a fiver gets a latte, croissant and attitude for free.

Jamaican John’s house sold for thirty times beyond its means, he went back home to Kingston with his wife to live their dreams.

I bet he misses the bustle of the streets where we grew up, the hustling, playing dominoes and black jack in the pub.

Imran didn’t go so far his dad’s house sold too soon, before Waitrose and M&S made housing prices boom.

He’s happy though in Dagenham cos agents say it’s next, a coffee shop just opened up they’ve even got a Next!

But I’m still here with brexiteers and white liberal minded folk, breweries and trendy shops whose prices are a joke.

The streets are grey and every day we lose a bit more colour, families once here for years are forced out of the borough, popping back just now and then to check on their grandmothers, the days of missing cultural ways has definitely suffered.

As I sit back and reminisce about how life used to be, when curry powder and Dragon Stout were as exotic as Omar Sharif, I pinch myself and think of John and Imran and the street, the sound of ska at Perry’s bar that made our earholes bleed, and how the right to live a life where neighbours of all shades, pulled together side by side at the Jubilee parades.

Now social cleansing’s taken hold I’m stuck with this rich lot who seem to own my old friends’ homes and every bleedin’ shop. I guess mine’s next but while I’ve still got breath inside of me, I won’t stop banging on about how good life used to be.

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sohannabarberaesque · 6 years

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Money quote:

While the likes of Archie Comics is happy to reinvent their characters in a variety of forms aimed at adult audiences, from raw horror, to teen sex drama, and spawning the likes of the Riverdale and Sabrina TV series, Warner Bros has decided that’s not the direction they want for the Hanna-Barbera intellectual properties.

Whether that also means canning of DC Comics’ all-ages Where Are You Scooby Doo? comic which they continue to publish, I don’t know. But odds are good.

But where ever they end up in the future, expect a more classic approach. Maybe the folks at American Mythology who publish the Pink Panther comics in just that style may want to make a bid?

Maybe they should have just stuck with Future Quest…

Personally, and speaking as a Hanna-Barberian blogger, I like sticking to the traditional canon established by Bill and Joe ... with a few tweaks to make especially its Funtastic stable all the more fresh and fascinating, as witness the Moth Monday, Postcards from Snagglepuss and Fanfic Friday components. Not to mention some other interesting tweaks to the backstories of many of the characters such as:

Ruff and Reddy being fond of the Cushman scooter and rebuilding such, even going around on Cushman Club rallies.

Huckleberry Hound finally finding his Clementine ... and having her as a companion of sorts.

Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy just taking stock of the simple things in life, while having a little whimsy thrown in.

Top Cat, in essentially a continuance of Top Cat and the Beverly Hills Cats, now residing around Hollywood and Vine, ever proud to pose for tourist selfies and selling deli raffle tickets instead of the old Maps to the Stars’ Homes ... as well as taking an occasional weekend on Catalina Island, with a few girlfriends and diving companions in Avalon.

Granny Sweets being fond of collecting kitschy tableware and kitchenware (Oven King and Pyrex in particular) at rummage sales.

Peter Potamus ditching his Magic Balloon for a Magic Zeppelin.

Dick Dastardly and Muttley--in the latter instance, still the annoyance to his owner, but tending to the flatulent and the sex-crazy.

The Banana Splits continuing to be musical comedy cut-ups in their own way ... and Snorky being fond of theater organ music on the side, even to playing The Mighty Wurlitzer on occasion. (Oh, yes, and “Dear Drooper.”)

In the illustrious company of numerous Hollywood and Nashville celebrities, the Cattanooga Cats have now lent their name and cachet to a Gatlinburg coffee house and craft roastery, replete with some of the kitschiest lighting and furnishings via the thrift-shop circuit. (Gatlinburg, know, having been chosen by virtue of its tradition as the Queen Mother of Tourist Traps.)

Mildew Wolf’s now driving an awful hybrid of an Airstream travel trailer grafted unto a 1969 Oldsmobile Toronado--perhaps the dumbest attempt at an ur-motorhome known.

The Hair Bear Bunch, essentially released (as it were) from Wonderland Zoo after Zookeepers Botch and Peevly essentially drove it to seed, can now be found roaming on that Invisible Motorcycle around the place ... or spending time hitting the waves at their Secret Surf Spot near Malibu just to relax and recharge.

Sis and Honey (if you still recall The Hanna-Barbera Happy Hour) now travelling the country with a motorhome replete with a pop-up shortwave radio station broadcasting during Character Convocations. Or when the typical shortwave DX’er least expects it.

The crew of Heyyy, It’s The King! managing to be their cool selves, even with Big H going into competitive eating and Yukka-Yukka still fond of the classic practical jokes (especially joy buzzers, fake vomitus, whoopee cushions and garlic chewing gum).

After all these years of Scrappy-Doo getting the short end of things, I like picturing him as a deus ex machina deflating awful magic and horror shows and films when least expected.

Kwicky Koala having a food truck selling such Aussie snack staples as SAO, Jatz, Twisties, Custard Cremes, Shortbread Cremes, TimTams, ANZAC Biscuits, Minties, Kool Mints, Bushell’s and Nerada teas--and, lest we forget, Vegemite.

Crazy Claws now resident in Wisconsin Dells, originally as guide on the legendary Original Wisconsin Ducks (milking the corny narration for all its worth) but more recently as commentator on the Dells scene and as a guide to the Waterpark Capital for fellow Hanna-Barbera Funtastics (even to the legendary Bare-Arse Beach just below the Lower Dells).

Trollkindom, more in line with classical Scandinavian troll lore, being all the closer to Nature in all aspects of their trollsperience, yet still being a little whimsical about it (especially when you have dives with mertrolls in obscure little springs and a fondness for backpacking and hot springs ... not to mention being rather direct and open about sexual matters, seeing in sexuality a perfectly natural trollsperience which doesn’t need crude pornography just to amplify the inner need).

In any respect, I trust such respect for canon, mixed with some fresh tweaks, is found worthwhile and as much funtastic. Your comments are always welcomed.

@warnerarchive @boomerang-cn @hanna-barbera-land

#hannabarberaforever

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customairstream · 1 year

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Airstream Pop-Up shops are the game changer for any business. If you want to customize your own airstream for your business, visit our website now!

#airstream pop-up #airstream pop up shops #airstream trailer #airstream #trailer

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nevillehousegardendistrict · 2 years

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Sip & Shop Pop-Up at Monroe Garden District’s Neville House

Come enjoy an incredible evening of abstract art, unique finds, fun fashions, home baked goods and fresh florals — all at historic Neville House (217 Hudson Lane in the Monroe Garden District), Thursday, April 7 from 5pm-9pm. In conjunction with the Downtown Gallery Crawl, we’ve invited some of our favorite local artists, artisans and entrepreneurs to pop up so you can shop their latest wares and creations while we set up the perfect evening to enjoy each other’s company on the beautiful Neville House grounds. We will be serving up sips & small bites in a hip, historic setting. Bring your friends along, find a spot outside on the porch or lawn, meander through the interior spaces filled with art creating our unique Stay-with-Art experience, and just soak up the spring night.

Neville House serves the NELA community as an Airbnb, art gallery and collective for workshops and pop-ups. Throughout the year, Neville House also participates in the Downtown Gallery Crawl.

We are so excited to bring together Louisiana artist Caroline Youngblood, the Traveling Chic Boutique vintage Airstream and Woodstock Home and Gift for this custom-curated shopping experience you won’t want to miss along with the sweet & savory treats from Carmalita Castle’s Baked on 2nd and fresh florals from Studio Roo Floral Design.

Artist Caroline Youngblood will have her newest paintings and custom pillows (above) from her stunning Magnolia series available for sale.

The Magnolia paintings are Caroline’s most in-demand abstracts yet! We’re excited to see she is expanding her color palette, perfecting glowing colors that have us swooning. Come see for yourself the glow up Caroline has captured with her latest works.

Here’s a sneak peek of a few fave items that will be available at Thursday’s pop-up:

(Above and below) The Traveling Chic Boutique vintage Airstream is coming to Neville House overflowing with the trendiest spring apparel and accessories!

Our friends from the Traveling Chic Boutique (TCB) and Woodstock Home and Gift will set up their fantastic fashion and home & gift items, and of course, we will have the TCB vintage Airstream wanderlust vibe going full on out on the front lawn.

(Above and below) We love these tile mats that you can customize with your very own message or seasonal expression to suit. Available from Woodstock Home and Gift.

On the front patio, you’ll find the latest and greatest baked goods (think big a*s muffins!) where Baked on 2nd’s table will be bursting with flavor. You can brighten up your day or space with hand curated bundles of fresh spring flowers (paper wrapped) and mixed arrangements by Studio Roo Floral Design.

Baked on 2nd’s made-from-scratch Satsuma orange muffins (above) will be available along with even more amazing flavors. (Below) Studio Roo Floral Design will offer both fresh mixed spring flower arrangements and paper wrapped floral bundles.

Most of all, this will be an evening for our community to come together, enjoy each other’s company, and support local. Neville House aspires to be your art house as well as a go-to destination for staycations or as a home away from home for your out-of-town guests. You can book your #StaywithArt experience on Airbnb here. Be sure to follow Neville House where you can keep track of gatherings throughout the year and for more pop-up events like this, where our friends and neighbors can come, relax and stay a while.

Spring Pop-Up

Thursday, April 7 | 5:00pm - 9:00pm

(in conjunction with The Downtown Gallery Crawl)

Location

Neville House

217 Hudson Lane | Corner of Hudson & N. 3rd

Monroe Garden District | Monroe, LA

Hosted by:

Rebekah Lawrence, Neville House

Caroline Youngblood, Caroline Youngblood Fine Art

Christy Bolton, Woodstock Home and Gift

Courtney Riley, Traveling Chic Boutique

Carmelita Castle, Baked on 2nd

Harley Price, Studio Roo Floral Design

Contact:

Rebekah Lawrence, proprietor/curator/host, Neville House

318.348.6045 | [email protected]

@neville_house_garden_district

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livinginlandmarketing · 3 years

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Abel Gobea has a dream gig, he’s a head chef cultivating the Central Valley’s abundant harvest into culinary cuisine for guests. And, there’s one other big perk to his job.

Though he’s hours from the ocean and has never paddled out into salt-water waves, he regularly surfs just steps from his kitchen.

“It took me a long time to get up and actually ride a wave,” he said of the year it took him after being hired in 2018 at the Surf Ranch, an exclusive surf spot near Fresno, to muster the courage to even try the machine-generated waves. “It’s amazing. To me, I’d describe it like walking on water.”

Even more surfers who have never ridden an ocean wave may be popping up at a man-made wave near you – and sooner than you think.

RELATED: Reporter’s Notebook: What’s it like to ride waves at the mysterious Surf Ranch?

The waves of the future are here, some at existing surf pools and others planned for the Coachella Valley, just a few hours away from the Southern California coast.

Sure, there’s plenty of purists who refuse to pay for waves and prefer the ocean as their playground, but with more wave pool options on the way, many surfers can’t help but be curious about the novel waves to come.

A new wave

The North Shore of wave pools is coming to the Palm Springs area.

That’s how Chris Kluesener, managing partner of Surf Park Central, describes the developments in the pipeline in Southern California.

The group held its first Surf Park Summit in Laguna Beach back in 2013, when only a few wave pools were being designed and plenty of skeptics shrugged off the idea that machines could actually mimic the ocean. Attempts had been made for decades, but mostly they turned out like rivers, rushing water toward a surfer.

The same two-day conference on Oct. 4 and 5 will bring together investors, developers, suppliers and the curious public to learn about technology advances and regulations as wave pools are pop up here and around the world.

Surf Park Central’s goal is to be the hub for artificial-wave advancement, to help people navigate uncharted waters, but also to help set standards in the industry for everything from safety to environmental footprints.

There are currently seven main technologies in use around the globe, ranging from what pro surfer Kelly Slater’s team came up with for the Surf Ranch in Lemoore, to Wavegarden, which has four locations in Europe and one each in South Korea, Brazil and Australia. Each wave technology has it’s own style and the waves are unique to their designs.

“We’re very optimistic,” ” Kluesener said of the popularity of wave pools. “But the bottom line is there are still some wild west elements of surf parks.”

Surf Ranch, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars to rent out for a day, has rides that last nearly a minute. It offers a destination element, with surfing guides, airstreams people can stay in and Gobea’s farm-to-table cuisine.

Robbie Smith, of Venice, shows off his headstand moves while riding a wave at the Surf Ranch, a man-made wave created by 11-time world champion Kelly Slater, set in Lemoore, California, on Aug. 26, 2021.(Photo courtesy of Matt Kolo/WSL)

Chelsea Woody, of Textured Waves, navigates the Surf Ranch, a man-made wave in Lemoore, CA, on Aug. 26, 2021. (Photo courtesy of Matt Kolo/WSL)

San Clemente surfer Malia Ward, who was recently featured on the reality show Ultimate Surfer, rides a wave at the Surf Ranch, a man-made wave created by 11-time world champion Kelly Slater, set in Lemoore, California, on Aug. 26, 2021.(Photo courtesy of Matt Kolo/WSL)

Danielle Black Lyons, of Oceanside, rides a wave at the Surf Ranch, a man-made wave created by 11-time world champion Kelly Slater, set in Lemoore, California, on Aug. 26, 2021.(Photo courtesy of Matt Kolo/WSL)

San Clemente surfer Malia Ward, a contestant on the reality show Ultimate Surfer, shows how to navigate the Surf Ranch, a man-made wave in Lemoore, California. (Photo by Laylan Connelly/SCNG)

Woodie White, of Los Angeles, rides a wave at the Surf Ranch, a man-made wave created by 11-time world champion Kelly Slater, set in Lemoore, California, on Aug. 26, 2021.(Photo courtesy of Matt Kolo/WSL)

The Surf Ranch offers barrel rides during a 45-second wave, with three settings surfers can chose from. The Surf Ranch is a man-made wave in Lemoore, CA, on Aug. 26, 2021. (Photo courtesy of Matt Kolo/WSL)

Domonique Miller, of Textured Waves, rides a wave at the Surf Ranch, a man-made wave created by 11-time world champion Kelly Slater, set in Lemoore, California, on Aug. 26, 2021.(Photo courtesy of Matt Kolo/WSL)

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In Waco, Texas, people can nab a one-hour session for $80, but rides are closer to 15 seconds and it’s more of a “minimalist experience” with not much for on-site food or entertainment or guidance riding the waves, Kluesener said.

Most likely, as more technologies and waves are built, the economies of scale and competition will drive prices down, he said.

“Not that it’s bad to have a really expensive wave,” Kluesener said. “But it’s not a wave accessible to everyone.”

A wave of the future

The Thermal Beach Club, planned for 240 acres of unincorporated area in Thermal, south of Indio, plans to use PerfectSwell technology from American Wave Machines, similar to what’s currently operating in Waco at BSR, a popular place that Southern California surfers have recently flocked to as an alternative to surf travel destinations still grappling with coronavirus.

In Palm Desert, DSRT SURF will boast the Wavegarden Cove technology, which will have “consistent rights and lefts, barrels, walls and turn sections for experienced surfers” and “gentle inside sections for cruising, learning and sharing with family and friends,” its website says.

The DSRT SURF project is planned for 17-acres within the Desert Willow Golf Resort, city-owned land developed in 1998. The surf lagoon will be on 5.5 acres. The “surf center” will have a surf academy, restaurants, a bar and retail shops. The hotel will have 92 rooms and suites, and there will be 83 residential villas.

Plans are underway to create an adventure getaway called DSRT SURF, a resort-style destination in Palm Desert that will feature a man-made wave as a surfing destination. (Artist rendition courtesy of DSRT SURF)

Coral Mountain planned in La Quinta will be using the same technology as the Surf Ranch, and another in the works is the Palm Springs Surf Club, recycling an old waterpark facility, that will use SurfLoch technology, also just announced for a new development in Australia.

“Each one of those is a different technology. Each might target a different type of user,” Kluesener said, comparing it to how a skier would chose between powder or groomed runs, black diamond or bunny slopes.

The new wave pools means the region could open up a new hub for surf tourism.

“People don’t come to Palm Desert for surfing right now, but they will,” Kluesener said. “Mostly, Canadian retirees are coming – now they are going to have Canadian retirees and adventure tourism.”

Woodie White, who lives in Los Angeles but is originally from Chicago, might be part of the target market. White recently caught his first-ever wave at the Surf Ranch.

He often hikes with groups down to the Topanga Beach near Malibu, but has never braved the waves.

“This is amazing. I get it. I would like to be a park surfer, not an ocean surfer,” he said. “It’s not the water, it’s not drowning or going under or anything. It’s the creatures below. It’s too much ‘Shark Week,’ ‘Jaws,’ all the movies terrified me.”

But that doesn’t mean there’s no risk. Safety is a key aspect wave pool developers need to consider, Kluesener said of the need for industry standards when it comes to everything from lifeguards to water cleanliness.

But, there’s also the risk of too much regulation, he said. Surfing anywhere, ocean or pool, comes with inherent wipeout and injury risks.

“It shouldn’t shut down if someone dings their board or falls,” Kluesener said. “There is a customer education component that is important.”

There’s also the environmental impacts to consider. One of the three partners at Surf Park Central runs a “Stoked Certified” program that looks at surfing destinations, both ocean and surf parks, to give sustainability rankings based on considerations such as drought conditions, reducing environmental footprints and plastic consumption.

“It’s a question of choosing a site where the geography is appealing and the local community wants to have a surf park there for tourism,” Kluesener said. “It shouldn’t be built in a place where it would jeopardize agriculture. Site selection is absolutely critical.”

Becoming part of the community fabric is also important. DSRT Surf is looking at sponsoring a local surf club at the nearby high school.

“That’s exactly the thing we want to see, the local community involved, getting people who don’t surf into it,” Kluesener said. “I think there would be challenges to creating an elite surfing experience that never allows the community to partake.”

Michael Schwab is one of the investors and now a licensee of the Kelly Slater Wave Company who is teaming with Meriwether Companies on a project in Coral Mountain. The wave basin in the planning there will use the same technology as found in Lemoore, though it will have larger bays to allow for more surfers.

“I would say there is no comparison to catching and riding a perfect wave in the ocean, but it’s elusive and unpredictable,” he said in an email. “The idea of pushing a button and creating a 6-to-8-foot barreling wave is the vision Kelly Slater showed me in 2010.”

Three years later, he agreed to invest.

Current plans for the 400-acre Coral Mountain property include 600 homes and a boutique hotel with up to 150-rooms. The pool itself will be 12 acres, according to Cheri Flores, planning manager for the city of La Quinta.

The project is expected to go before the Planning Commission by the end of the year, she said.

The future is here

While the Surf Ranch can be a costly adventure, more and more surfers are figuring out how to ride the wave as the operator begins to open up programming for more groups.

Friends are getting together to split the cost to get a taste of the waves. Corporations are holding team-building sessions for employees. Nonprofits are renting it out for fundraisers, a creative way for people to give back but also get a Surf Ranch experience.

Surf Ranch operators won’t release pricing, saying sessions are based on groups’ specific needs.

A Walk on Water, a Malibu-based nonprofit that serves children with special needs, hosted its second fundraiser at the Surf Ranch on Sept. 21.

Work to stabilize railroad on OC coast underway while commuters scramble to find rides

Metrolink and Amtrak service shuts down south of Laguna Niguel to Oceanside because of ground movement

Shark sighting pauses World Surf League finals at Lower Trestles

Check out these ‘epic’ images from that surprise lightning storm

Video: Here’s what 200 dolphins in a ‘stampede’ looks like

The cost was $5,500 for each of the 16 surfers, who shared a pair of hour-long sessions with only four other people in the water, said Scott Desiderio, the AWOW organizer.

“It’s obviously a once-in-a-lifetime experience to go surf the Kelly Slater wave pool, which is amazing in itself, but at the same time it’s a chance for an incredible opportunity to give back to an organization that helps kids with special needs,” Desiderio said.

Whether or not wave pools will pop up along coastal California is unknown, though Kluesener said he’s heard of no less than half a dozen discussed.

Look out at any crowded lineup dotted with surfers for an indication on how a wave park would do in surf-rich areas, he said.

“You can see,” he said. “There’s plenty of demand.”

For more info or tickets for the Surf Park Summit go to surfparkcentral.com

-on September 24, 2021 at 04:32AM by Laylan Connelly

#riversidenews

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lovemohamadus · 5 years

Text

HOW TO TRAVEL WITH CATS?

25 ESSENTIAL TIPS FOR TRAVELING WITH CATS

1. confirm they need A MICROCHIP We adopted our two orange tabby boys from a shelter so that they have already been chipped. If yours doesn’t, confirm you get one implanted. We already had a scare on day one among our trip where one among them ran out of the car into the woods. If somebody else were to possess found him and took him to a vet, they might have our contact info. A collar with a telephone number tag also helps, but our cats have breakaway collars that they often get out of.

2. START WITH SHORT RIDES This will get your cat won't to all the new sensations of riding within the car. You’ll also determine how he/she handles travel and whether motion sickness is going to be a problem. Some cats even get hyperactive (they’ll be everywhere the place), which may make it difficult and dangerous for you.

3. START WITH A CRATE Our cats don’t enjoy the tiny spaces (they cry a lot!), but it's an honest thanks to starting. Cats typically feel easier during space they're conversant in. Some people believe that cats should be during a crate during a car for his or her safety. Ours tend to act more like dogs and wish to roam a touch with wind on their faces. For our very first car ride, though, I allow them to sit on my lap.

4. ask YOUR VET Depending on how your cat handles being on the road, your vet could also be ready to help. Though we probably wouldn’t sedate our cats (and luckily we didn’t need to), some may suggest you sedate them or give them medication for kinetosis. There also are pheromone sprays to assist calm your cat in stressful situations.

5. PLAN PIT STOPS Give your cat an opportunity every 2-3 hours. It’s also an honest time to allow them to use the litter without the car traveling.

6. PACK EXTRA SUPPLIES You never know where you’ll be and you don’t want to be stuck somewhere without supplies you would like for your cat. Also, pack extra portions for any special food or medicines your cat will need.

7. FEED YOUR CAT EARLY Give your cat 3-4 hours to let their food settle before hitting the road. Otherwise, you'll get a gift during your drive.

8. KEEP THEM HYDRATED. Make sure you've got water for your cat along the way. We wish to use this collapsible camping cup for his or her water, both within the car and within the trailer since it packs away nicely.

9. REWARD THEM Have treats handy so you'll allow them to know they're doing an honest job. a bit like any behavior, giving them treats helps reinforce positive behavior. you'll not think it’s possible to coach a cat, but ours can sit, shake, and we’re within the process of leash training them.

10. PET-FRIENDLY HOTELS If you or your pets need an opportunity from the road, search for pet-friendly hotels. There are more of them out there than you think! confirm your call and ask if they permit both dogs and cats.

THINGS which will MAKE TRAVELING together with your CATS EASIER 11. PUPPY PADS These are great for any accidents they could have within the car. If it’s been a short time, we sometimes forget certain minute behaviors they exhibit once they need something. We’ve had a couple of times where they got sick and got diarrhea or threw up everywhere the car. Now we always keep some puppy pads handy. We’ll place them under their sitting areas and also stash several of them near the front so we will grab them once they get sick.

12. EXTRA TRASH BAGS You need to stay around extra trash bags for an equivalent reason as above. You never know when they’ll have an accident. We wish to devour the doggie poop bags available at the most rest areas.

13. U-PET We mostly use this to move them to the vet and therefore the vets love this thing! once we move them from the trailer to the car and the other way around, we just carry them in our arms, but otherwise, we transport them with the U-pet. We’ve taken Mika on shorter hikes, but we’re hoping to require him on some longer ones. We’ll allow you to skills it goes!

Tips for Traveling with Cats // localadventurer.comTips for Traveling with Cats // localadventurer.com 14. THUNDER SHIRT Mika isn’t bothered by car rides or changing environments. the sole thing he hates is being confined during a small space. With Sebastian, not so much! During our trip, we picked up a Thunder Shirt. He felt immobilized initially (it was hilarious and cute) but eventually got won't have a cozy shirt around him. We usually put it on him right before our drives to our next camping spot.

Tips for Traveling Long Distance with Cats // localadventurer.com 15. HARNESS + LEASH For us, the limited space just meant we spent the maximum amount of time as possible outdoors. For the cats, it meant that once they got hyper, they’d run back and forth 23 ft at a time. That’s one of The explanations why we wanted to leash train them so that they might also spend time outdoors too. If you’re trying to leash train your cats, get a harness that matches snug around the neck and chest (you should be ready to fit two of your fingers within the neck portion). a number of them work better than others. With the primary one we bought, one night, Sebastian popped out of it and saw the woods. We were checking out him within the dark for half an hour and thought we lost him! this is often the one we currently use, and it's worked the simplest for us. We still need to monitor them carefully, since cats are slippery and may manage to back out of things. Mika is more easily manageable, but on Sebastian, we use the harness and therefore the thunder shirt over the harness. He’s not getting out of both.

Tips for Traveling with Cats // localadventurer.com 16. FELINE PINE Since we are in such a small space, we decided to vary from our usual clumping litter to pine. It masks the odor far better and doesn’t get everywhere the floors. They still get pine out of their box, but it’s much easier to select up. We usually put their litter box right by the door, so that we will sweep it up right there.

17. PORTABLE LITTER BOX / OUR MAKESHIFT LITTER BOX Instead of buying a litter box, we decided to shop for an enormous plastic container with a lid. This has worked best for us since we are transporting it from the trailer to the car almost every other day. We’ve been traveling a lot! If you are feeling just like the box needs replacing, it’s also really affordable. thus far ours has lasted 2 months, and it doesn’t get to get replaced yet. Also, the lid helps trap the odor inside after they are doing their deed on a car ride. We even considered getting this disposable one that lasts fortnight (has anyone tried these yet? does one like it?).

18. FOLDABLE CUP We use these for his or her water (and food for the car). It folds into itself, and you'll pack them away easily. space for storing is restricted, so anything that compresses into something smaller is great! we've got an Airstream tray that we use for his or her food, but if we didn’t have that, we might have picked up an outsized collapsible bowl to use for his or her food.

19. FURMINATOR Our cats shed a lot! Especially within the heat. It wasn’t as noticeable during a larger space, but in an RV or car, you want to stop the maximum amount of the shedding as possible. We fulminate them once every week to stay the fur around our place minimized. If they’re home and we’re close to taking them on an extended trip, we confirm we terminate them before we go too.

20. POOP SCOOP This is a requirement for cats during any scenario (unless you’re lucky enough to bathroom train them – we were halfway there once we lived in a house with quite one bathroom). We picked up an inexpensive one and velcroed a Ziploc bag to the side of our litter box where we keep it.

21. DUST PAN + BRUSH We bought two sets, one for the trailer and one for the car. We use it a day to comb up any of the litter that gets of our the box and it helps to wash up the other dust or particles too.

22. WATERLESS CAT BATH FOAM Not sure how you are doing it, but we've never been ready to give our cats a correct bath without being clawed at. Most healthy indoor cats can keep themselves clean and don’t require a shower, but our boys wish to get messy! Some people say it'd be their dog-like personalities that also make them care less about their hygiene. once we fulminate them once every week, we also use the waterless bath foam on them too. they appear to love this far better than the spray.

23. LINT ROLLER Unless you don’t mind being covered in fur (why is it whenever you wear black they need to be extra affectionate?), you ought to probably get a lint roller. If you’re a pet owner, I’m guessing you have already got one. :)

24. FLEA MEDS If you are doing allow your cats out, make certain they need their flea meds! For now, we allow them to enjoy the outside from our trailer window, but we are still hoping to completely leash train them both!

25. DRAMAMINE OR PRESCRIPTION kinetosis MEDICATION Mika doesn’t mind rides within the car, but once we started driving on mountainous and curvy roads, it gave him motion sickness. We tried Dramamine and got another prescription drug to undertake from a vet, but neither worked. We attempt to let him sit on the middle console so he can anticipate, but he always insists on searching the edges and at the bottom. Such a stubborn cat (Jacob likes to joke that he gets that from me)! Hopefully, we’ll be out of the mountains soon for his sake! thus far, we haven’t found out the simplest solution for this.

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