#also id like to imagine that his empty sleeve is just shoved into his pocket for fun

[superfruitland]

i uh... found this abandoned one off comic thing i never posted but i rly like it so you guys can have it

[maybedefinitely404]

Day 17: Royality

@tsshipmonth2020 (does this still count so late?)

What’s that? Ly creating content? Unbelievable. (I have writer’s block, leave me alooone /j)

Thanks to @marshymoop for suggestions and encouragment when making this bad boy! Love ya <3

Day 17 - Everyone has heterochromia, one eye is your natural color the other is your soulmate’s natural color. Once you meet all eyes return to natural color. 

Content warnings: food/drink mention, alcohol, mentions of hangover, vampires, referring to drinking blood as “eating”, non-explicit blood drinking, being chased. 

Word count: 6.9k

THE CITY OF DEWMORE WELCOMES YOU

Patton tapped his fingers on the steering wheel excitedly, nearly vibrating as he passed the weathered sign. Beyond it, beckoning him forward, stood a forest more densely packed and darker than he’d ever had the pleasure of exploring, the achingly tall pine trees swaying minutely in the breeze, their tips barely visible through the blanket of fog. Just imagining what could be held within those depths made his leg bounce; forgotten, moss-drenched stone paths, broken stumps of fallen trees that hadn’t made a sound upon impact, patches of mushrooms scattered in the shadows, and whispering creeks. It was the perfect way to spend his spring break, and one his photography teacher had wholeheartedly encouraged him to take. If he hadn’t had so many midterms to mark, Patton was almost sure the man would have tried to join him. 

Almost an anxious tic at this point, he ran his free hand over the photography bag in his passenger seat, as if to make sure it hadn’t disappeared in the three minutes since he’d last checked. The thing was his prized possession, given to him by the very same photography professor at his university. It had been the elder’s own, before he got his newest camera, and gifted the whole set to his favorite (but don’t tell the others) students. It was full of perfectly kept lenses and two miniature tripods, extra batteries and memory cards, speedlights, and most importantly, the camera tucked safely into the biggest pouch. It was more expensive than Patton would ever have dreamt to buy, so it was truly a gift he’d never forget. Now it was up to him to finally take some shots worthy of the thing. 

The forests continued to grow denser and thicker until, in almost a shocking snap, they disappeared to reveal a quaint city that he hadn’t quite expected. The first few buildings he passed looked like they may have stood there for hundreds of years, weather worn and faded. Their signs were either scratched to nothingness or blaringly new, shining metal names standing out against an ancient backdrop. He was looking for a motel, figuring there had to be one, even in a town of less than two thousand people. His backup plan was to just sleep in his car. He’d brought his sleeping back and extra blankets, so it wasn’t a huge concern, but he’d still prefer a bed. But whenever he’d tried finding anything online, he’d come up blank. 

A fog still covered the town, and though it created an air of calm and mystery that Patton was itching to capture, he also knew the area was surrounded by towering mountains that he also desired so badly. To his right, the buildings stopped abruptly, revealing a grey beach, all rocks and no sand, criss crossed with logs, opening to a dark lake. The other side wasn’t visible through the mist. 

The further he drove, he realized the buildings weren’t improving in their modernity, just giving way to more and more old infrastructure. One stood out, a grocery store, it’s lights piercing through the evening dim. Patton didn’t get a look inside before he passed, once again surrounded antique houses and shops, a post office to his left, and a tavern just across from that. A sign above the door read “Vacancy” in peeling white letters, and that was all the enticing Patton needed to pull his car into the gravel parking lot in front of the building. There was only one other vehicle there, a matte red pickup truck that he parked next to, and what appeared to only be three more parking spots. From the high placed windows, a soft orange light bled, and a round of raucous laughter filtered through the cracked open door. Patton smiled. The photographer inside him was going to have a field day here. 

He stepped up the concrete steps and ruffled his hair with one hand so it covered his eye, heaving a sigh in hopes to calm his nervous butterflies, and pulled the door open. 

All at once, the chatter inside died, and Patton internally shrank as every face in the tavern turned to look at the newcomer. There was a moment of tense silence as he tried his best for a smile and met the gaze of the men scrutinizing him, drinks forgotten on high wooden tables, jubilance halted. Patton waited with baited breath, for someone to do something, why were they all just staring, when a voice spoke from behind the bar.

“Don’t worry about them, sweetheart. We don’t get a lot of new people around here.”

And the lull was broken as suddenly as it started, the men now ignoring him in favor of joking over mugs of fizzing ale. Patton swallowed thickly and turned to the voice, shoving his quivering hands into his pockets and shaking his head again to assure the curls were safely covering his eye. As usual. 

The man standing before him, leaning on the bar with an easy smile, was almost enough to take Patton’s breath away. If he were a religious man, he’d go so far as to call him heavenly. Eyes as dark as the depths of the surrounding forests, auburn hair pushed back from his face in what he could only think to describe as an intentional bedhead. His skin was too flawless, teeth just a couple shades too white, everything perfect in a way that was almost…

Patton couldn’t put his finger on it. 

“What can I get you, newbie?”

“Uhm-” Patton took a cleansing breath and sat at one of the barstools, all of them empty seeing as the crowd seemed more drawn to the tables in the center of the room, “I don’t come to bars that often. I don’t know.”

The bartender hummed, pushing up his already rolled up white sleeves and giving Patton a once over, almost investigating him. “You drink?”

“I… I guess.”

“Been on the road for a while, tired?”

“Do I look that exhausted?” Patton breathed a laugh, suddenly aching to pop his spine. He’d been driving since before dawn for the past three days, barely hunkering down for a decent sleep before he was off again. He’d been really excited to get here, plus he didn’t want to waste more of his meager break driving. 

“I got just what you need, darling.” With a wink, the bartender straightened up and pulled down a series of bottles, cracking his knuckles with flourish before measuring them into a silver canister. “So what brings you to Dewmore?”

“I’m a photographer,” Patton said, “Or, a photography student. Down in Florida.”

The man whistled as he shoveled ice cubes into the mix, “Long drive for some pictures.”

“I’m… dedicated,” Patton laughed, scratching at his neck nervously. “My prof recommended it, said it might be a nice place to spend my break.”

“I assume you’re looking for a place to stay then, as well?” He plopped a cap on the canister and began to shake it above his shoulder, grinning widely, “These guys are always just like, ‘Gimme a beer’ this, ‘Gimme a beer’ that. It’s great to actually make fun drinks again.” With hands flying too fast for Patton to process, he grabbed a glass, popped the lid of the shaker, and poured the deep orange drink, tossing on a green sprig and sliding the drink over. “Enjoy.”

Patton took a cautious sip of the drink and had to fight not to sigh, the refreshing taste a welcome relief after three days of gas station Gatorade and hotel sink water. He could barely taste any alcohol, more focused on the ice cold sweet tartness at the back of his tongue. The bartender looked pleased, huffing a satisfied laugh and beginning to put away his bottles. He was taking another sip, satisfied with the backdrop of joyous chatter and clinking glasses, when he remembered why he’d come in. 

“Yes, I am. Uhm, looking for a place to stay, that is.”

The bartender looked at him over his shoulder, “We haven’t had visitors in… a while, at least. You’ve pretty much got your pick of the rooms.”

“Do you have anything facing the water?” He took another sip, the photo possibilities already flowing through his mind. One through the window, just far back enough to catch the flow of the curtains and the chipped wood of the window ledge, a monochromatic lakeshore in the bottom third, a barely visible mountain looming ahead… 

“Sure thing, sweetheart. Let me just finish this up, and I’ll get you on the ledger.”

“Patton.” He downed the rest of the drink and rested his elbow on the counter, chin in his palm, an easy smile playing on his lips. 

“Hm?”

“My name’s Patton.” 

“I’m Roman.” Tossing the towel over his shoulder, Roman gave him another wink before disappearing into the back room, coming back moments later with a thick black book. He was already thumbing through the pages, finally landing on the one he wanted, and spun a pen between his fingers.

“What’s your last name, sweetheart?” 

Patton spelled it out for him, and was surprised when the man clapped the book shut after the final letter. “That’s all you need?”

“Yup.”

“No… ID, or anything?” It was at that moment when it occurred to Patton that, although he was legal, his baby face often prompted bouncers and servers back home to ask for identification. Roman hadn’t even blinked before serving him.

“Got anything to hide?” 

“Uhm… no, I-”

“Good enough for me. It’s not like we’re a high traffic tourist spot. I don’t think we’ve had anyone take a room in, like, two years, and who knows how many before that. Frankly, I wouldn’t care if you were on the run for murder. Don’t kill me, and we’re solid.”

Patton blanched, unable to tell if the man was being sarcastic. Finally his expression cracked into a smirk and he brandished a key towards Patton, dangling it by the ring. “I’m messing with you. I mean, don’t kill me, that’s legit. Here you go, cutie. Let me know if you need anything.”

With that, he sashayed away with a tray of beers (when on Earth had he filled those?), and the men whooped loudly, startling Patton. 

“Easy, boys,” Roman purred, beginning to round the tables, and Patton hopped off the bar stool to get his things from his car. He couldn’t wait to pass out in bed with the knowledge that he could sleep in however late he wanted. 

-0-0-0-

But apparently sleep didn’t have the same ideas as him, because even after he was in comfortable clothes and tucked into the covers, he continued to toss and turn. Maybe it was the concept of being alone in a strange town, or the full moon shining through the thin curtains, or just plain excitement, but he suddenly felt wider awake then he had since he started this trip. 

There was a soft rattling somewhere across the room and, with begrudging acceptance that he wasn’t going to sleep any time soon, fumbled his glasses on to search for the offending sound. With a grumble, he threw off the blankets and padded across the room to the window and tossed back the curtains, giving the moon a scalding glare for shining so darn brightly. It was the window, fitted loosely in its frame, being shook by the gentle wind that was causing the noise. Patton gave it an experimental tug, followed by a more forceful yank, and found it didn’t budge down at all. Instead, it continued to rattle mockingly, in what sounded almost like whispered giggles as he crossed his arms across his chest. 

Fine. He turned his attention to the scenic view before him, letting out a minute shudder as a small gust of wind blew through his thin pajama shirt. Moonlit waves crashed against the rocky shore, tossing up silver spray against the dark backdrop of the forest. Patton took a breath, feeling an overwhelming sense of peace just staring at the silent town, the stone spires rising above the forest-

Wait, what?

Patton blinked sharply a couple times, leaning forward until his nose bumped the window and squinting through the glass. Those… things... definitely looked like manmade objects- the shape made it impossible for them to be natural- but you’d think he’d remember something that looked like a castle directly outside his window. In fact, he’d spent a significant amount of time upon first entering the room just admiring the view, and a castle one hundred percent would have been on his radar. Oh, if the thing was abandoned, imagine the photo opportunities, and even if it wasn’t he could totally just get some of the outside-

Yeah, there was no way he was sleeping now.

Before he’d even processed what he was doing, he’d slipped out of his pajamas and hurriedly pulled on the outfit he’d laid out on the desk chair, because there was no way he was digging through his suitcase to scrounge out more clothes. He threw a beige sweater over his white shirt, however, remembering the chill the night had brought and, after he’d adequate tucked them into his slacks, he threw his camera bag over his shoulder and trotted down the stairs.

Unsurprisingly, the first floor tavern was empty of all customers, overhead lights traded for softer electric lamps on the walls and the illuminated sign above the bar, where Roman was wiping down the counter, seemingly unbothered by the late hour. 

“Can’t sleep, sweetheart?” The bartender called out without turning around, tossing his rag across the counter and into a full soapy bucket behind the bar. 

“Uh, yeah, something like that,” Patton responded, shaking his bangs so they covered his eye. “I think I’m just too excited to start getting shots.”

“Mmm, you and me both.” He waggled his eyebrows and pulled a bottle of what looked like whiskey off the shelf. “What’s your poison?”

Patton snorted but shook his head, patting his camera bag, “I want to go out, and it’s probably not smart to drink before going out in a strange town at night.”

Roman shrugged before pouring himself a shot and downing it in one smooth motion.

“You’re allowed to drink on the job?”

The bartender hummed, replacing the bottle and locking the cabinet presumably for the night, “Once my tavern is empty, I consider myself off the clock. And I’m my own boss, so I hereby give myself the night off. I have a coffee machine in the back room, one of those Keurigs, if you want something fancy. Hasn’t been used in ages, but I’m sure if you wanted something, I-”

“No, it’s okay. Really.” Patton ducked his head and messed with his shirt, making sure the white collar stood above the neck of his sweater. He made his way over to the bar and took the same stool as before, leaning on the counter as Roman dumped out the dirty cleaning water into the sink. The clock above the bar, barely illuminated enough to see, revealed it was just after midnight. “Are there any old structures, like churches or anything, in the forest?”

Roman tilted his head, giving Patton a look over his shoulder he couldn’t quite understand. 

“There’s nothing there besides wolves and ticks, sweetheart,” he said slowly with an almost condescending smile, “Why? Hoping the little town in the middle of nowhere has a mystery?” He rinsed out the bucket and placed it in the cabinet under the sink.

Patton shrugged, scratching at his temple, “I saw something outside of my window.”

“Like a tree?” The rag was rinsed as well and draped over the faucet.

“No, definitely not.” He tried not to feel too offended that Roman was clearly teasing him, but he was certain what he’d seen hadn’t been a tree. They were too tall, too angular, and too symmetrically placed for that.

“Pattycake, I grew up hunting with my dad and partying in those woods, and I would know if something were there.” 

“Are you sure?” Patton implored, “There’s definitely something man made, could it be, like, an old castle, or something?”

There was a moment of silence between the two as Roman continued to look at Patton like he was crazy, the barest hints of an impish grin tugging at his lips, before he sucked in a sharp breath; as if he realized something. 

On a dime, Roman’s expression contorted into one of anger, eyes alight with fury as he leaned into Patton’s space. As he spoke, his voice almost reverberated, like a choir speaking in unison.

“There is nothing in those woods, Patton. Understand? Don’t go wandering into places you don’t belong, or you won’t like what you find.”

Patton reared back from the forceful words, hand coming up subconsciously to readjust the hair on his face. Roman leaned just a tad closer, growling out a warning, “Got it, sweetheart?” The electric lamps on the walls, once creating such a homey, soft environment, suddenly flickered and Patton flinched, whipping around to face the large room as it seemed to strobe under the malfunctioning lights. Goosebumps spread across his arms as the flashing grew faster and his hand clamped over the back of his neck when a shiver raced up his spine.

“What’s going on? Why are-”

And then the lights went out completely, an eerie quiet settling over the tavern. Roman was silent. Was he even still in the room? Could he have left so quickly? The only sound in the empty room were Patton’s shaky breaths, in through the nose and out through the mouth, as he fought down a scream. He wasn’t a fan of the dark.

A single street light barely shone through the window, too dim to even light up the tables near the glass, and Patton turned to focus on it. In through the nose, out through the mouth. In… out… in… out-

A silhouette appeared in the window. 

The lights were back to their original gleam before he could even open his mouth to scream, filling the room with a dull hum as if nothing had even happened. Blinking rapidly, Patton took a calming breath (it’s just old lights, it’s just old lights, relax) and swiveled back in his chair to find that Roman was smiling at him innocently, cleaning out a glass with a rag.

“Everything alright, sweetheart?”

“Didn’t you see that?” Patton asked incredulously.

“See what?”  The bartender placed the glass into the last space in a row of them, giving Patton that same condescending grin as before. 

Patton sighed and lifted his glasses to rub his eyes tiredly, shaking his head. “I think travelling for so long has me seeing things.” Careful as ever, in the same fashion he’d so masterfully perfected in elementary school, he shook his head to cover his eye- his stupid, left, ‘soulmate’ eye- before removing his hands and letting his glasses fall back into place. 

Other kids won’t like it, sweetie. I don’t think the teachers will either.

I know you can’t help it, my love. If I could take this burden from you, I would. But this is yours to handle until… well, you know.

I don’t know why, Patton. You’ll find them someday. And then you’ll understand. 

“Why do you do your hair like that?”

“Hmm?” Patton blinked.

Roman smirked, leaning casually on the counter in front of Patton, “Covering half of your face like that. You shouldn’t, you know. You’re a stunner.” With that, he reached forward, intent on moving that hair out of his face.

No.

“NO!” Patton yelled, stumbling off the barstool just as Roman’s hand made contact with his face. He ducked his head, roughly scraping his hair back in place with shaking hands, but the damage was done. A single cute guy compliments him and he forgets the habit he’s built up for years? How could he be so stupid-

“Everything alright? I’m sorry for scaring you, sweetheart.”

Was it possible he hadn’t seen it? Maybe Patton had moved fast enough, maybe the bartender had been too surprised to get a good look, maybe everything was fine. Roman didn’t seem horrified, or at all perturbed. Instead, he just looked… worried. 

Either way, after that reaction, Patton was aching to be left alone to stew in his embarrassment. His rented room held nothing for him that he wanted, and sleep felt farther than ever, so his only choice was outside. The promises of a maybe-crumbling ancient building, illuminated by a full moon, were far more tempting than anything inside had to offer. 

“Actually,” Patton said nervously, “A coffee would be great.”

Roman squinted at him, biting on the inside of his cheek before huffing a breathy laugh through his nose. “Alright, darling. Give me just a second to dust off the Keurig.”

The moment he disappeared behind the door to the backroom, Patton tightened his hold on the camera bag and sprinted from the tavern, into the grips of the cool night.

-0-0-0-

What would he say when he got back to the tavern? Would Roman make him leave the inn? Had he crossed a line he hadn’t known existed; would he have to cut his trip early because he couldn’t help his curiosity? Was bothering the only innkeeper in town really the smartest decision to make?

All wonderful questions that Patton wished he’d considered before running.

But if he did have to leave, and if this was his last night in this delightful and equally terrifying little town, he was going to make the most of it. At least, that’s what he’d thought he would do as he’d left the few city lights behind and treading deeper into the forest. He had a flashlight with him, thank goodness, so he wasn’t completely screwed, and he’d already gotten a few great shots. He stayed in the areas that the full moon could still shine through the trees, and some of the clouds had rolled away, so he was having the time of his life working with silhouettes against the star filled sky (thanks to the little to no light pollution Dewmore offered). 

The more prominent thought in his mind, however, were the spires steadily growing closer above the treeline. He couldn’t understand what Roman had been talking about. How could anyone living in this town not see whatever he was walking towards? 

(Admittedly, curiosity was also a huge reason he was chasing something he’d been warned to avoid. He’d never been that great at impulse control.)

It had to be nearly two in the morning when he came to an incline; a steep path constructed entirely of rocks fist-sized and larger. At the top, Patton could just barely see what looked to be the back of the castle, and he bounced slightly on his toes in excitement. He couldn’t tell from this distance the state it was in, or if it was possible anyone still lived there, but dang it if he wasn’t going to give it a go before he left. He’d walked all this way, after all.

The first few steps up the hill were the loudest thing he’d heard since he’d started his midnight adventure, and he cringed as they dropped away under his feet, knocking against each other as they fell to the ground.

“You shouldn’t be here.”

Patton spun around, his flashlight slipping out of his hands. It rolled down between the rocks, casting split second light beams in every direction as it bounced towards the source of the voice, and stopped dead in the middle between the two of them. It settled on an indent created by Patton’s steps, aimed at the newcomer. Patton breathed a sigh of relief.

“Roman, goodness gracious! You scared the bejesus out of me,” Patton laid a hand on his chest and let out a huge gust of air. Roman didn’t move, and for the first time he noticed the absolute glare the bartender was giving him. He cleared his throat awkwardly. “Uhm… sorry about the… leaving. Thing. Are you mad?”

“You shouldn’t be here.”

Well, apparently they weren’t going to talk about it. “Oh- I’m sorry, is this private property? I didn’t see any signs, I’m- Wait, but look, Roman! See, that’s what I was talking-”

“You. Shouldn’t. Be. Here.”

Patton blinked at the harshness in his words, taken aback. How was this the same easy going bartender that he’d met earlier tonight? Whatever was beyond this hill, though, Roman obviously wasn’t going to allow Patton to see. Maybe it was dangerous, or something? Either way, he couldn’t deny his disappointment.  “Yeah. I’m sorry, I’ll leave-”          

“How did you get here?”

“I… um, walked?”

“No!” Roman hissed, finally stepping forward and plucking up the flashlight from the ground, “You shouldn’t be able to see the castle, or go near it, how the hell did you get here?!”

Before he could answer, the other man froze, whipping around as if he’d heard a noise from his left. And then Patton blinked, and Roman was in front of him, pulling him back down to solid ground. He dragged him by the arm to a fallen tree that was propped up against its own splintered stump, leaving it angled just a few feet off the ground.

“How did you- You were just over there, how-”

“Get down!”

“What?”

“Get. Down!” Roman shoved his shoulders and Patton had no choice but to collapse, blending into a pile of ferns beneath the bend of the tree. “Take off the backpack, put it in front of you. It blends in better than you do.” He yanked off the dark green camera bag as he spoke, situating it in front of Patton. “Don’t move, don’t make a sound, don’t fucking breathe, Patton, I swear.” The flashlight flicked off and thumped to the ground as Roman walked away, leaving him standing in the pale moonlight. Patton debated reaching for the flashlight, but that would mean exposing himself from the foliage he was tucked in and under, and Roman had seemed really scared. 

There was a rustle in the underbrush in front of Roman, and the photographer shoved his fist into his mouth before he could gasp. 

“Roman, it’s so nice to see you back home. It’s been far too long.”

“It’s been hardly a month, mother.”

The woman that emerged from the tree’s shadows wore a black cloak, nearly blending into the forest around her as the fabric swirled hypnotically by her ankles with each step. Silver embroidery made up the tight bodice and strung together the corset front, meeting at the bottom in an intricate knot and trailing almost down to the earth in two strands. How her intricate updo had stayed intact through a walk in the forest, Patton couldn’t understand. 

However, if this was Roman’s mother, he did understand where he got his looks. The only word that came to his mind was ethereal; all smooth pale skin, those same impossibly dark eyes, red lips curved in a constant, easy smile. She was beautiful, but she was terrifying, and Patton backed up more into his fern hiding spot. 

She lifted her flared sleeves towards Roman as she stepped into the moonlit opening and he pulled her hands towards himself, kissing both of her cheeks before releasing her. 

“A month is too long, darling,” She purred, letting the back of her hand trail down his cheek. “I don’t understand why you find it necessary to stay amongst those humans when you could be with your family.”

“Because I want more than just… lounging, and talking with my brothers. Do you have to bring this up every time I visit?” Despite his slightly aggravated tone, he leaned into her touch. 

“When you’re older, you’ll look back at these choices with embarrassment and resentment.”

“Maybe.” 

“I just don’t want you to blame me when you do.”

“I could never, I promise.”

She sighed heavily, “They miss you, Roman. We all do.”

“Which is why I’m here, mom. You act as if I’ve been gone a millenia.” 

“Worrying is what a mother does best,” She smiled fondly, tapping his cheek with her finger, “You’re home, darling. Drop the glamor? It must be tiring keeping it up constantly.”

There was a moment of hesitation, where Patton couldn’t help but tense up along with the man in front of him. Then the air shifted, like it had been holding a breath it could finally let out, and though there was nothing different that Patton could see from Roman’s back, a certain jolt of fear hit him out of nowhere. 

“There’s my boy.” The woman drew him in for a proper hug, one hand reaching around his back to rest on his head. She pressed a kiss to his hair when he wrapped his arms around her in turn. Suddenly her nose wrinkled and she pulled away, holding his shoulders at arm’s length. “Dearest, you smell like humans again.”

Roman chuckled, but there was a new quiver in his voice. “The only flaw in being surrounded by them so often. Let me change, and I’ll come meet you for dinner.”

She didn’t move, eyes narrowing as she watched his face. “No… it’s not you.”

“What? What else could it possibly-”

“There’s a human here.” Her voice was utterly calm, but she pushed Roman behind her resolutely. “There must be.”

“What?!” 

A low growl filled the air, and it took Patton a few moments to realize the sound was originating from her. She stepped past Roman, her dress flowing soundlessly along with her as she glared into the woods around them. 

Her eyes flashed red.

Once again, Patton shoved his fist into his mouth to hide a scream. That same alien jolt of fear returned as she moved closer to him, seemingly zeroing in on his location. 

“Mother, come now. You’re being silly. Humans can't even come near here, remember? You made sure of that yourself!”

Patton tore his eyes away from the advancing woman and his breath caught in his throat. Roman had followed his mother, trying to placate her gently with a hand on her arm, and in doing so, had turned towards Patton’s hiding spot.

When Patton opened his eyes shortly after being born, he was taken away from his mother, despite his parent’s strong objections and his wails. He was returned hours later, much to their relief. On his birth certificate, his right eye was labeled blue. His left eye, the side usually taken by the natural color of his soulmate’s, was labeled ‘Defective’.

When he was set to start school at six years old, his mother sat him down on his bed and taught him how to properly cover his left eye with his hair. They’d grown it out enough to do so. Patton had asked why it was necessary, and subsequently learned the truth that not all people were as accepting and loving as his parents. 

When he was ten, he returned home from school crying. He dropped into his mother’s arms and she held him until his sobs turned to sniffles, until he could explain between sharp breaths that a bully at school had revealed Patton’s eye while trying to force him into a fight, and… well, his classmates hadn’t taken it well. Those who weren’t downright afraid of him, refused to eat or sit with him anymore. But it wasn’t fair. He couldn’t help it!

His eye was labeled ‘Defective’, because never before had the doctor’s seen a child born with a red eye. Not the pale color that came with pinkeye, or an allergic reaction, but the iris itself was such a bold, blood red color that it had left the team scrambling for any record of such an incident. They were left with more questions than answers. But the world had yet to understand how soulmates worked in the first place, so they chalked it up to another universal mystery.

Every day for as long as he could remember, Patton had stared into a mirror first thing in the morning, greeted with calm, airy blue on one side, and fiery, almost electric red on the other. 

So it was jarring to see such a sight, yet reversed, on another person. But as Roman tugged again on his mother’s arm, there was no denying it; the man’s own color was a gleaming ruby, and the other was Patton’s very own blue. 

“Mother, look,” Roman blurted out, scooping up the discarded flashlight from the forest floor, “This is a human tool. I’m sure this is what you’re smelling.”

She ripped the device from his hand, shaking it in his face, “That is still far too close to home, Roman! Humans have been here, and I guarantee they are still nearby.”

“And you don’t know how many there are, Mom!” Roman insisted, taking her hands. “It doesn’t matter how they got here, or why they did,” A slow grin spread across his face, highlighting a pair of glinting fangs, “Why don’t you gather the family, and we can find them together? I can’t even remember the last time I really ate.”

The woman was satiated by this answer, though she still cast the forest cautious looks. “Stay put, Roman. We’ll be back shortly.” Her nose wrinkled again. “Along with a change of clothes for you.”

And then she was gone, the only remaining trace being the tiny cloud of dust she’d left behind. Roman was calm for a moment, making sure she was really gone, before his demeanor dropped. The cocky smirk was gone, and he no longer held the confidence he’d had, either as a bartender or in the presence of his mother. 

“We don’t have a lot of time, c’mon! Let’s go!” He crouched before the log, extending his hand to Patton.

“What the hell are you?!” Patton shrieked. Interesting, that those were the first words from his jumble of thoughts that came out.

“Oh, come on, do you really need to ask? I’m pretty sure you already know!” 

And yeah, Patton was pretty sure he knew. He wasn’t an idiot. He’d had a teen Twilight phase, so of course the obvious answer was there. It just… it wasn’t possible. His brain was scrambling for any kind of other solution, anything that made sense, but it all kept circling to the same answer. 

The cute bartender at the inn was a vampire. 

… 

Okay then.

Next problem.

“I… yeah. I think I got it.”

“Good! Now let’s go!” Roman grabbed Patton’s hand and yanked, effectively pulling him from his hiding place and nearly tearing the arm from it’s socket. Patton stumbled from the sudden movement and tripped on his camera bag, yelping as he crashed into Roman’s chest. 

The vampire’s hands instantly wrapped around his waist, steadying him as he found his footing. 

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m all good, I just-”

Roman was much taller than he’d thought; that was the initial thought that came to mind as he looked up at the man holding him. The second was, well, the fact that his jaw had dropped open upon seeing Patton’s eyes, and for the first time since they’d met, the guy was completely speechless. 

Patton felt his left eye began to tingle as they shifted into its own natural color. He ignored it.

“You really didn’t see it? At the bar?” Patton whispered.

“No, you moved too fast,” Roman murmured, bringing a hand up to Patton’s cheek. “You… you’re my-”

He must have sensed something, or heard something that was too quiet for Patton’s ears, because his head whipped towards the castle. 

“We need to go. Now.” Roman intertwined their fingers and pulled him into a run towards the town.

“Wait, no! My bag!” He tugged hard to try and get his hand free, but he was truly no match for Roman.

“Not important right now, sweetheart!”

 Without the aid of his flashlight, and enveloped by the darkness of the forest, Patton was totally blind, relying only on Roman’s grip to keep him from falling. Branches hit his face and roots reached up to trip him, but every time he stumbled, the hand tightened and pulled him back upright. 

A howl cut through the air. 

“What now, werewolves?!” Patton shrieked.

“Don’t be ridiculous, werewolves aren’t real!” Roman scoffed, “They’re normal wolves! What, you think just because we’re vampires, we’re unable to have pets?”

“Is this really a conversation we should be having at this exact moment?!” Patton shot back.

“You’re right, you’re right, okay.”

The howls were growing closer, and it was clear by Roman’s increased pace that this wasn’t about to be a friendly reunion.

“Can we outrun them?!”

“I take it you’ve never met a wolf!” 

Patton looked up at him desperately, already struggling to keep up the conversation and keep up with Roman. 

“I thought vampires had… like, super speed!”

“I wouldn’t be able to go for long, especially carrying you. Jump!”

Patton leapt blindly, feeling the side of a fallen log scrape the toes of his shoes. The landing was rough, sparks of pain shooting up his legs, but he was quickly pulled back upright. 

“I don’t have the energy! I haven’t eaten in months!”

There were more yowls, definitely closer this time, followed by the sound of multiple animals fighting, barely louder than a voice shouting (presumably) at the racket. Whether it was the wolves having a spat, or a prey animal that had gotten in the way of the hunt, Patton didn’t know. It drew out a small whimper from him either way.

He didn’t want to be next. 

“Do you trust me?” Roman suddenly gasped, holding his hand firmer. 

“What?!”

“Do. You. Trust. Me?!”

Patton didn’t exactly think he had a choice right now. His feet were aching, his lungs were burning, and he wasn’t sure he could run another minute without his legs giving out. “I- Yeah! Sure!”

“Good enough,” Roman grunted bitterly, screeching to a halt, and using his grip on the other’s arm to stop him too. Before Patton could even bring himself to complain, or scream at him, or just incoherently yell, the vampire was drawing him to his chest, puppeting his arms so they were around his shoulders.

“Hold on.”

Obediently, Patton tightened the grip. “Why-”

And then there was a sharp pain in his neck, and his eyes widened. The sting almost immediately morphed into a pleasant warmth, the distant howling being replaced by a faint humming, the buzzing of his own mind calming, becoming numb until the only thought in his head was Roman, Roman, Roman- 

He could feel Roman’s hand on his head, not restricting it, but cupping the back of it so he could lean against him as he stared up at the night sky, the full moon, and the slow blurring of the tops of the pine trees. His other arm was wrapped around his waist tightly, holding him up, and Patton was beyond grateful for the support as his legs began to turn to jelly. The last thing Patton felt was the vampire scooping up his legs and his head being cradled against the soft material of Roman’s shirt. 

Then everything went dark. 

-0-0-0-

Patton woke up slowly, squinting against the harsh sunlight streaming through his window. He dropped an arm across his eyes lazily, letting out a low groan at his pounding headache. There were voices downstairs in the tavern, and what sounded like dishes clanging, and he wondered if somehow this place was also a restaurant. How on earth could anybody run an establishment like that? It’s like the place never slept-

A wave of nausea pooled in his gut due to the speed of which he sat up but that wasn’t important, not right now. He flung his blankets back and… oh. He was dressed in his pajamas. Last he could remember, in the woods, running with Roman, he’d been in day clothes, in the sweater and shirt that was now draped on a chair across the room. His camera bag was... on the desk. His shoes were by the door, dirt free.

He raised his finger tips to his neck, expecting to feel a raised scab, or scar, any sign that he’d been bitten. There was nothing. 

He swung his legs over the sides of the beds and immediately shut his eyes, fighting off an explosion of dizziness induced sparks that shot across his vision. It sure felt as if he’d lost some blood. As much as he didn’t want to believe he had a hangover from one drink, that could also be an explanation. He’d always been a bit of a lightweight.

A dream. Was it all just… a dream?

A feeling of disappointment washed over him and he sighed, running his hands up through his hair. Something soft snagged on his fingers and he carefully detangled it from the curls, pulling it out curiously. He blinked at the fern leaf between his finger tips. That definitely hadn’t happened between his car, the tavern, or the room... So- 

He sucked in a breath sharply as his eyes locked with the mirror’s reflection in front of him, every thought coming to a halt.

Because staring back, for the first time ever, were two perfectly blue eyes.

I have a bunch of world building ideas that weren’t included in this fic, shoot me an ask if you have any lore questions!

General taglist:

@max-is-tired

@private-snippers

@joylessnightsky

[crystalwillow]

That’s Dr.Valentine To You

[Ethan x MC] (18+ only)

A/N: This imagine includes mature scenes and as the writer I recommend this to the 18+ fandom members. I will be working on a more younger age rated one soon. The theme is Late Valentine’s Celebrations. Also, I know I’m posting this one late but it wasn’t finished as I crashed super early on V-Day and ended up having like 9-11 hours of sleep 😅. But I hope you guys enjoy this one ❤️

It was Valentine’s Day and Casey arrived at work with 2 of her best friends Sienna and Bryce. They walked through the doors holding coffee cups and cookies whilst laughing at a story Bryce was telling them from his high school days. “.... and then out of nowhere he ran out onto the pitch, stark naked and done the full dance. He didn’t know until after that it was on national TV” he laughs as he finishes telling his story, whilst they all clock in and finish their coffees. As they binned their cups and turned to go and get changed a stern voice shouted out from behind them “Valentine. You’re late!” It echoed through the almost empty lobby. They all knew who it was. Dr.Ramsey, and if Casey wasn’t dating him he would definitely sound more harsh right now. They all turned around, Casey digging through her bag as Bryce and Sienna smiled at him as he came to a stop in front of them. “Good morning Dr.Ramsey” Sienna beamed, “Sup dude?” Asked Bryce. Ethan gave them a friendly smile in return and turned to Casey. “Care to explain why you’re late?” He asked. “Uuhhhh yeah. 1 second, it’s in here somewhere........ ah-ha!” She said victoriously and handed him his glasses “you forgot these, the toilet clogged again and the line at the coffee shop was out the door. A down fall of having a 9am start here I suppose.” Casey smiled at him, “oh! I also brought you this” she put her hand in her bag and pulled out one of his favourite cookies and handed it to him “now. I don’t know about you but I have patients to see to and other work to do. See you around Dr.Ramsey” Casey said as she pressed a quick kiss to his cheek and rushed off to get changed and start her day. “he’s whipped” Bryce snickered quietly to Sienna before slinking off to get ready for his shift. Leaving Sienna and Ethan to go their separate ways.

2 hours into her shift Casey was rushing through the hallway flicking through a chart as she was on her way to her next patient, when she walked right into someone. “Oh! I’m so sorry” she said quickly catching her stethoscope as it fell from her neck and carried on towards her next room. “But Case-“ Ethan said calling after her softly. But she was gone round the corner before he could say anymore. Saddened he made his way to the nurses station she was at and left his gift there before getting back to work. Later on she returned to the station and was given the gift by another, older nurse who was just about to leave off for the day, “here love. Dr.Ramsey left this here for you. Said you were in a rush earlier” she smiled and pat Casey shoulder softly before leaving the room. Setting her clipboard down Casey get a better grip on the box and opened in carefully. Inside was a shiny new charm in the shape of a the letter ‘C’ for her bracelet she always wore when she was off duty, she smiled as she wiped a tear from her cheek with a sniffle. “I thought you’d like it” she froze in place as she heard Ethan’s gentle voice behind her. She placed the box on the side and threw her arms around his neck “I love it. Thank you” she said happily as he hugged her back tightly. “Ahem... Dr.Valentine?” A nurse spoke from behind them, they broke their hug and turned around. “You’re needed in room 462” the nurse informed her and rushed off. Casey turned back to Ethan and kissed his lips sweetly “I’ll see you later” she said as she pulled away and waved as she rushed away. Ethan smiled, waved back and put her box away in her pigeon hole at the desk then headed back to work.

A few hours later Bryce and Casey were eating lunch in the cafeteria when Ethan entered and got his own lunch & sat at a table. “So... you’re telling me he’s actually got a soft side for real?” Bryce questioned as Casey ate her cheese salad sandwich. “Mhm” she nodded as she swallowed he food “underneath the gruff exterior, is a really kind, sweet and caring man” she answered and took another bite of her food. “And he replaced your charm you broke literally just 3 weeks ago?” Bryce questioned further and again got a nod as a response. “Wow” he commented and Casey giggled. Soon they were clearing away their rubbish and about to get back to work when Bryce spotted Ethan sitting alone looking rather glum and zoned out feeling sorry for him. “Okay let’s go. ... Bryce?... Helloooo? Earth to Lahela. ..... BRYCE!” Casey shouted and got his attention “huh? Yeah, they’re real cute” he said startled and Casey burst out laughing “what???!” She asked “Pandas. They’re cute. I answered your question” he replied, “I didn’t ask what you thought of pandas. I said let’s go.” She chuckled. “Oh. I guess seeing people glum is more of a distraction than I thought” he blushed as he pointed toward Ethan as Casey looks at him quizzically. “Oh... um.. I’ll be 5 minutes. If you see Ines, could you tell her I’m a bit tangled up?” Casey asked, Bryce nodded and headed back to work as Casey walked over to Ethan’s table and sat opposite him. “Hey sweetie” she chirped but Ethan didn’t say a word, just poked at his food. “Come on. Your morning can’t have been that bad could it?” She continued as she out her hand over his and smiled softly as he looked up and met her eye. One look told her all she needed to know. He’d lost a patient. She squeezed his hand tightly and he responded in kind and Ethan let out a rough sight “I just-“ he started but the stopped as he choked on a sob and his eyes welled with tears. “Do you need some air?” Casey asked, after a moment he nodded and the two made their way outside. They crossed the street and sat on the bench just opposite the hospital. “He was doing fine Casey. Everything was brilliant. He was healthy and recovering. Then boom. Just like that... he... he’s gone” Ethan rambled and he slumped forwards putting his head in his hands and sobbing. “Hey... hey it’s going to be alright. I’m here for you” Casey cooed lovingly as she pulled his broad frame closer to her. They sat there for about 10 minutes while Ethan sobbed. Casey felt sorry for him, she had never seen the man she loved so broken, in such a mess like this and it broke her heart. “Hey. You know what would cheer you up?” She asked as Ethan sat up sniffling “what?” He asked dabbing at his eyes with his coat sleeve. “This” Casey stated as she handed him a card and a couple of tissues. He took them and blew his nose before looking at her curiously “go on. Open it” she said pointing to the card in his hands. When he opened it, the most sincere smile spread across his face at the photo on the front. A picture of them together at the baseball game where they saved a Baseball players life. He opened it and some papers fell out. “What’s this?” He asked as he removed the elastic band and flicked through them “one free hug. A free pep talk, workplace only. Kiss me, Please, I need it.” He chuckled at the next one “that is highly inappropriate for the work place Casey Valentine” he smiled at her devilishly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about Dr.Ramsey” she replied innocently as she stood up and held out her hand. “Come on. We need to get back. Keep the coupons in your pocket and page me if you want to redeem one” she smiled as he took her hand and they headed back inside.

“Finally! There you are!” Zaid shouted as they entered sharing a kiss “Valentine you’re needed in a meeting in room 521, IMMEDIATELY!” He demanded and Casey rushed off “Love you!” She called back to Ethan as she got in the elevator. “And you were needed in operating theatre 5, almost 45 minutes ago!” Zaid continued ranting as he got closer the Ethan’s face. “DO NOT. Get any closer Zaid.” Ethan spoke authoritatively and Zaid backed off. Later in the day, around 6pm Casey was sitting at the nurses station balancing pencils on her nose. As she was about to successfully add the 5th pencil she jumped at the sudden sound of her pager bleeping. She collected herself and checked who needed her and where, she then grabbed her stethoscope, pen, ID badge and clipped her pager the her trousers and hurried towards the first place she was needed. As she rushed through a hallway a small rectangular box was held out at her, she grabbed it before she bumped into the arm holding it and looked back before she rounded the corner. A small smile playing on her lips as Ethan stood there and mouthed a quick “I love you” before turning round and returning to his work. The rest of Casey’s shift went past in a blur of checking up on patients and running back and forth from the blood lab.

Towards the end of her shift she was walking back from the blood lab to get changed when suddenly she gasped loudly with a small scream, as was pulled into a side room and heard the door lock behind her and then things shoved into place to bolt it shut. Terrified she had a stalker and was about to be killed she cautiously grabbed her stethoscope from her neck making it a loop and started to turn slowly. A low and amused but familiar chuckle sounded as she turned and relief immediately ran through her as she relax a little as she came face to face with Ethan. “You know I’m impressed you grabbed that thing. Anyone else would have just assumed it to be their lover” he said with a certain darkness to his tone, Casey chuckled a little “Well I’m not anyone, Ethan. You know that.” She replied as she placed her stethoscope on the side. “Now what do you wa-“ she started but was interrupted “To redeem this” he replied with urgency as he held one of her hand made coupons out towards her. She took it to see which it was and laughed warmly “I thought this one was highly inappropriate for the workplace?” She said with a cocky look on her face. “Don’t care. I need you Casey. Right now. You’re all I’ve been thinking about the whole of my 20 hour shift. You drive me crazy and I just... I need you” he rambles looking at her with hunger and need. A need that’s hard to say no to “Alright. Qui-“ before she can even finish her sentence, Ethan’s pushed her up again the cabinet kissing her so ferociously she can taste his desperation. “Mmm. Babe” she said as she pulled away to catch her breath, he looked at her quizzically, waiting for her to continue. “One, I was going to say I need to clock out. I’ve actually just finished. And two, you have a condom right?” She asked. He gave her the sexiest most hot smirk she’s ever seen and she was so focused on him that she didn’t notice that her breath caught in her throat. “Am I ever not prepared?” He growled lowly in her ear as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the condom to show her. She smiled and he quickly continued his heated assault on her body. “Mmm, Ethan” she moaned softly as he slid his hand into her trousers, rubbing over her panties as his other hand cupped and entertained on of her breasts. Casey bit her lip as she watched him, seeing the concentration on his face. He removed his hands and she groaned in disappointment “Ethaaannnn” he smirked as he unbuckled his belt and dropped his trousers, revealing the thick outlines of his hardened dick causing Casey to automatically fall to her knees “oh god.” She whispered “you’re so hard for me already” she continued as she teasingly rubbed him through his boxers causing him to throw his head back with a low throaty moan. Casey quickly pulled down his boxers allowing his dick to spring free, another moan escaped his lips as she started stroking his hardened length before wrapping her lips around it and starting to suck. “Ohhhhhh. Mmmm fuck. Ahhhh yes.” Ethan moaned as Casey sucked and swirled her tongue around his dick whilst her hands gently massaged his balls. As soon as she pulled away from his dick, Ethan pulled her up by the arm and stripped her of her clothes, sitting her on a chair he dragged in with him and lowered himself to between her legs. “My turn” he said lowly, his eyes dark with hunger. As his mouth made contact Casey gasped and moaned with pleasure “mmmnnnn. Fuck yes.” She continued to let out little breathy moans as Ethan continued his pleasurable assault on her pussy. Not being able to hold off any longer Ethan grabs the condom, ripping open it’s packaging and sliding it on. Soon he’s lining himself up with Casey, looking deep into her eyes. They stare at each other for a moment before a gaspy moan escapes Casey’s lips as Ethan pushes himself inside and starts to thrust. Soon they’re both moaning, sweaty messes as Ethan pulls out and gives Casey a quick kiss, pulling her up and sitting on the chair. A smirk played onto Casey face as she stood over him lowering herself down onto his dick a starting to ride.

Both moaning as quietly as they could at the pleasure that ran through their bodies. A few hot and heavy moments later Ethan picked up his pace, causing Casey to let out a louder moan as how good it felt with her pocket vibrator held against her clit. “Oohhh fuck Ethan yes!” She screamed as her head rolled backwards. Soon he was pulling out and ripping the condom off and binning it, “You want my cum baby?” He asked smiling cockily, already knowing the answer as Casey fell to her knees “suck my cock” he demanded and Casey obeyed sucking harshly on his cock as he let out a string of hissed and whispered moans “oh yeah. Uuhhhhhh. Ssssss, just like that babygirl. Mmmm I’m gonna cum” he moaned lowly as Casey pulled back and opened her mouth, sticking her tongue out a little ready to catch his load “you look so pretty down there with flushed cheeks Casey. So pretty & so fucking sexy” he whispered as he closed his eyes moaning as he came into Casey’s mouth. She swallowed and collected what missed with her finger, swiping it into her mouth a swallowing before sucking his dick a little more and standing up to kiss him.

They stood there for a few moments catching their breath and enjoying each others presence. After a few moments Ethan started to quietly chuckle to himself, “what’s funny?” Casey asked quietly as she drew shapes on his chest “nothing. I just... I just had workplace sex for the first time. I showered a woman with gifts on Valentine’s Day, whilst we were both working. I have a beautiful girlfriend who means the world to me. And she gave me a card and some coupons that were hand-made, because she may or may not have known that she’s the only gift I need. She’s helping me open myself back up to the world and life. I’m opening my heart to her and that’s scary. But I feel.... I feel.... happy.” He says sweetly as he strokes Casey’s hair and she sniffles snd holds back tears at his sweetness. “Ethaaannn.” She whined “you’re gonna make me cry. What’s got you all so sentimental and mushy?” She continued to ask. “You have Casey. You came in here a year ago, caught my eye and drove me crazy for the entire year. In more ways than one and now where here. Standing in a supply cupboard as a couple, half naked after having sex. I only have one question” he said as he pulled his pants back up, zipping and buttoning them up before rebuckling his belt. “Shoot.” Casey replied as she picked up her bra. “What have you done to me Casey?” He asked as he moved close to her and fastened her bra hooks. “What do you mean?” She questioned as she slid her scrubs shirt back on over her head. “Well I’m now flocked by people and called friendly. Not a cold-hearted bastard” he explained and she sighed and he unbarricaded and unlocked the door whilst she tied her shoes. “You were never a cold-hearted bastard. You were just hurt & misunderstood. With many people unwilling to get to know the real you underneath that hurt. All I’ve done is brought the real you to the surface” she answered as they turned off the light and exited the cupboard and walked to the end of the corridor “well.. I’m this way” she said pointing left before running a hand through his sex-tousled hair, smoothing it out. “I’ll see you in a bit then Casey-poo” he smiled returning the gesture and resting his hand on her face. She leaned into his warm touch before reluctantly pulling away “yeah. In a bit” She said softly as she turned away, taking a few steps before stopping and turning back “Oh an um Dr.Ramsey!” She called out stopping him before he turned the corner. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow and she smiled mischievously “we’re in the workplace so that’s Dr.Valentine to you, sir” she shouted down the hall. He laughed and shook his head good naturedly before carrying on down the hall.

15 minutes later Casey exited the main hospital doors to a couple of whoops and cheers. “What?” She said to herself and turned around to see Bryce and Jackie sitting round the statue with a flushed Ethan looking at you apologetically and she knew they’d talked out of him what they had just done moments before. And to be completely honest, she wasn’t mad at him for telling them. I mean he was practically glowing, walking on clouds and grinning like a kid in a candy store. She swatted Ethan’s arm playfully and the four of them made their way home to the apartment block they lived in.

[pinkpunkdynamite]

FEBUWHUMP DAY 3: TAKEN

Febuwhump challenge by @spidersonangst

English is not my first language, so please do tell me about my mistakes.

Ann Halstead and Mike Llewelyn are main characters from my story "The Disappearance" that I abandoned at 3rd chapter, this is just bits and pieces that can't leave my head. This one's from Mike's POV.  (i also missed day 2 because i really had no idea what to do with that one, and that's the reason why this one is much bigger than the first one)

"So, what was it?" I ask, drowning the first shot. Ann questioningly stares back at me, playing with the shot glass. "What made you a cop?"

"Serious stuff, just like everyone else," she smirks, standing up, "I'll go get the next round".

I watch her walking to the bar, ordering some drinks she's into and getting a big tray for it. Ann is new at our precinct. Been here for the last six months and the only thing I know about her is that she's a hard nut to crack. Hardworking, loyal, lawful, haven't messed up a single case we've been signed up for. I don't actually think that the "hardworking" word relates to her all that much. Take the hardworking person, multiply by ten times, and then you'll get Ann Halstead. She's at work before sunrise, sometimes not even leaving the precinct. And I know that something is bothering her. Something makes her stay with all these missing persons cases all nights long. The lost ones, the closed ones, the cold cases. She's digging them up and down until she's falling asleep on the table.

"Whatcha thinking about?" she smiles, setting up a tray of twelve shots on the table. "Tequila."

I sigh, having been hoping for something simpler, when she notices my not so happy face.

"I've been thinking about getting absinthe, you know?"

I roll my eyes, and that makes her laugh.

"You want a reason, you get to drink." She points at the tray. "I ain't gonna talk until I have at least three of it."

I nod, taking my buzzing phone out of pocket, checking the caller ID - Amber, my fiancée. I press the green button and there she is, with the sweetest voice I've ever heard.

"Hey, are you at the bar yet?"

"Yeah, trying to get a word out of Halstead. Is everything alright?"

Ann is shoving two fingers in her mouth, faking being sick. I just squint at her in return.

"Tell her I said hi," Amber continues, "Just checking up on you. Forgot about your "loving fence" plan." She's laughing now.

"I'll get home when I'll finish with the weirdo," a small laugh escapes both Ann's and Amber's mouths, "Love you."

"Don't drink too much, love you too."

I'm putting the phone back in the pocket while shaking my head.

"You're a fucking kid, Halstead."

"I just finished my round," her speech is slightly slurred, "Your turn now."

Damn it. The girl sure knows how to make someone hate her. I empty the first three too fast for my liking, and stop for a second to take a couple of french fries.

"Pussy." Ann drops.

"Ain't, bitch." I drown the last three, not liking the fire pit in my mouth and stare at my partner. "So?"

She sobers up a little by my question, sitting up straighter than before and rolling the sleeves of her grey jacket to her elbows. I notice a couple of scars and a tattoo.

"I had a sister. Back when I was a kid, you know?" She nods mostly to herself, playing with the glass again and not looking at me. It's a hard thing to talk about it. "Emily." She shows the tattoo closer to her right elbow - two anatomically right hearts joined at the beginning, which somehow reminds me of lungs, with "Emily" written in child's cursive under them. It's in color and quite pretty.

"I was eight, she was twelve, we were just playing in the garden," she's shaking and tries not to cry, breathing loudly. "I don't even know what the hell happened."

I'm silent, trying not to interrupt her with a bunch of questions. She takes a deep breath, clanking with her teeth, and breathes out.

"I don't remember what happened. We were playing in the garden, and some assholes," she starts to get angry, "just came up behind us. Dad was.... Dad was at the work, dad was always at work, trying to get a promotion, and mom was busy doing something in the kitchen. I don't really know what she was doing." She blinks tears out of her eyes, wiping at her nose. "They took her first, pulling the cloth to her face, and then they came up to me... I didn't even run. I was so fucking scared. I just froze. Sometimes I think what would have had happened if I wasn't frozen. Would my scream save her? Save us?"

I catch her shaking hand with mine, moving closer to Ann. I consider giving her a hug, but all I can muster is a simple "I'm sorry." and "It's not your fault."

"I should have just screamed." She's fully crying now, ugly sobs leaving her shaking body. "I could have done something."

I'm speechless. Ann is tightly holding my hand like her whole life is depending on it. There's nothing else I can do much, so I stand up and take the tray with me. She gives a silent nod, tracing the name on her skin with her fingertips.

"Is your girlfriend alright?" asks the bartender, pouring another twelve shots.

"She's my partner," I show him the badge under my jacket, "Just clearing up some stuff."

"Kay."

"Here ya go," I set up the tray in front of Ann. "You can have it."

"Suck my ass, Mike. We gotta share." She cleaned herself up while I was busy, and now looks quite decent aside from the runny nose and the red brimmings of her eyes.

We do the shots fast and silent - I don't really want to mess with her already messed up mind. And I don't even want to imagine what it feels like to see your sister for the last time in your life. What it feels like to torture yourself for twenty goddamn years after it. Twenty fucking years. I can't even explain the range of emotions I feel at the moment.

"So," Ann sits up straight, playing with her knuckles, "To answer your question, I just want to find my sister. I really, really do."

"What happened back then?"

"The police didn't do shit. That's why I'm here."

"Shit..." I puff out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"They didn't even listened to me. I was there with her, you know? I remember the dark grey walls of an abandoned factory, the voices, the color of the eyes of those assholes, the names of children who were there... They didn't care."

...Fuck.

[samingtonwilson]

Return - Part 13 - Jim Kirk

Part 12

Summary: series following the events of loot– takes place during events of star trek beyond. in this chapter, jim doesn’t let you say it.

Warnings: language, violence (but it’s canon) 

A/N: the beginning of this chapter is all beyond but the SECOND reader comes in, y’all. i’m livin’. i love the reader character. also, this id definitely one of my favorite parts

Jim ducked under the partially agape doorway as he exited the crashed Franklin. He did his best to dodge any and all peaks of broken pavement tiles and ship shrapnel, immediately looking to the sky in the hopes that the atmospheric regulator had stopped its continuous spinning.

A sigh of discontent left his lips as he followed its motions with his eyes, his hands digging his communicator from his pocket. “Mr. Scott, why is that thing still on?”

He ran past the Starfleet officials that entered the Franklin with the intention to help the remainder of the crew, his shoulders bumping into the panicked pedestrians that seemed to not hear his racing breath and heavy, quick footsteps.

“We’re working on it, sir,” Scotty replied, his voice doing little to calm Jim. “But, as you can imagine, there’s a lot of safety protocols surrounding the thing that, you know, keeps everybody alive.”

The Starfleet officers leaving the maintenance tower seemed to understand Jim’s urgency, quickly moving from his path so as to let him pass. Jim wanted to smile at them in appreciation, but there was no smiling at a time like this, not when his chest felt so sore and empty and the panic forced his stomach to flip upside down.

“Figure something out,” he told Scotty, finally giving himself the time to catch his breath as he slid into an empty lift.

“Be careful, Captain. Gravity’s gonna get a bit screwy the closer you get to the center.”

Jim tapped the toe of his boot against the floor nervously as he felt the lift rise. He placed his hands on his hips and took several breaths.

He kept his mind blank as the lift continued to ascend, nodding to himself and jumping twice on nimble feet.

“Captain, you’ll be needing to take the stairs next. It’ll put you closer to the regulator’s controls.”

When the lift shook a bit and halted at the highest level it could reach, Jim ran through the metallic doors and to the stairs. He took the steps two at a time, his lungs contracting in his otherwise vacant chest as he reached the white doorway.

Entering the code that Scotty read out to him, Jim heard the door beep twice and shoved it open. He ignored the warning stickers plastered on both sides of the door and kept his eyes on the command gold tunic before him.

He held his phaser up and shot the figure once, Krall grunting as his more human-like form fell from the circular compartment he was attempting to crawl into.

“Stop!” Krall said in a wet voice harsh from pain. He struggled to stand upright again, holding the Abronath before him as he fell against the glass compartment barrier behind him. His breaths were quick, shallow.

Jim’s phaser was still raised. “What happened to you out there, Edison?”

Krall, his features resembling that of the man Jim had seen in the captain’s logs but scarred and less defined, seemed to perk up at the sound of his former name. “Edison,” he repeated. “I have to say, Kirk,” he met Jim’s eyes then, piercing brown finding a calmer blue, “I’ve missed being me.”

Jim swallowed. He never thought such an admission could be so menacing, so off-putting.

“We lost ourselves,” Krall continued, shouting, “but gained a purpose. A means to bring the galaxy back to the struggle that made humanity strong.”

“I think you underestimate humanity.”

“I fought for humanity!” as his volume increased, so did his height. He was able to stand a bit straighter, his hand still supporting him against the glass barrier. “Lost millions to the Xindi and Romulan Wars. And for what? For the Federation to sit me in a captain’s chair and break bread with the enemy,” Krall spat in disgust.

“We change. We have to. Or we spend the rest of our lives fighting the same battles.”

A blaring alarm punctuated Jim’s sentence, the sound of a door opening far above them drawing his attention from a bent Krall.

Suddenly, the Abronath met Jim’s hands and the phaser flew from his grip as Krall slipped through the circular doorway into the compartment, carried by the lack of gravity.

Jim followed, grabbing onto the man’s waist and climbing over his shoulders to take the ancient weapon.

Krall shoved Jim against the wall, straddling his waist as several punches were thrown and each caused another cut to Jim’s face.

Both men grunted as the fight ensued, each throwing a punch the other struggled to dodge, each getting hit more times than they would ever care to admit.

The gravity seemed to set back in and Krall rose to take several steps back. Upon noticing that, Jim stood and lunged at Krall, sending both men through the glass and into the gravity-free atmosphere that threw one left and the other right.

Jim shouted as he was thrown about by the wind, finally maneuvering himself in a way that he could grasp onto the narrow peak of a tower, holding onto the white border wall for dear life.

Krall took advantage of the wonky gravity and stood upon the white wall that formed the peak, turning his back to Jim and wiping the command gold sleeve against lips coated in saliva.

Jim attempted to stand as well, crawling with difficulty onto the same wall and staring ahead. “You lost! There’s no way you can make it back there. Give up!”

“What, like you did?” Krall turned and watched as Jim managed to stand. “I read your ship’s log, Captain James T. Kirk. At least I know what I am. I am a soldier.”

Jim, face littered with bleeding scars, bruises, and abrasions, stared at the man before him incredulously. “You won the war, Edison. You gave us peace.”

Krall did not meet Jim’s gaze, his eyes on something behind Jim, following it intently. “Peace is not what I was born into.”

Krall jumped off the wall then, launching himself into the same force that was guiding the shards of glass from the former barrier to propel himself forward.

Jim flipped his communicator open. “Scotty!”

“Captain, he’s using the gravitational slipstream to carry him back to the center.”

Jim shut his communicator and stuck it back into his belt, shaking his head at the sight before him. “Nah,” he sighed out, running and launching himself forward to soar across the skies that were once so far above him.

He screamed a bit as he flew to the black tile wall, grunting as his body connected with the hard surface and rolled. His hands struggled to find something he could grab onto for stability, eventually finding a pipe embedded in the building’s wall.

He climbed to the compartment in which he saw Krall, grunting as he took steps upwards and shouting, “No, no!” as he saw his most loathed artifact soar from Krall’s hands to the compartment above, nearing the processor.

A black smoke, opaque and organized in its chaos, surrounded the Abronath and Krall attempted to shut the doorway below it to prevent Jim from reaching it.

Krall’s hand found Jim’s neck as the latter pushed into the compartment. His back was shoved into the wall and a small smile found Krall’s lips.

Jim, baring his teeth and using all his strength, pushed off the wall and wrapped his hand around Krall’s neck instead. He squeezed with all his might and the part of him that could still see every bruise lining your neck enjoyed the sounds of struggle coming from Krall’s parted lips.

Scotty’s voice came through the speakers against each glass wall. “Captain, we have to stop the processor now or everything breathing in Yorktown is dead.”

Krall landed a backhanded punch to Jim’s jaw as Jim punched his stomach, both men groaning into the scuffle.

Jim then shoved Krall’s arm away and punched his ribs three times with enough strength to hear a crack, grabbing the yellow-sleeved wrist above him and twisting until he heard another— the part of him that could still hear your hisses as he wrapped your wrist with the sleeve of his uniform cheered in enjoyment. He went on to punch Krall’s temple, sending the man several feet away so he fell against the glass wall and onto the transparent floor.

“You can’t stop it,” Krall struggled to say, his back flat against the glass floor. His teeth and lips were the same shade of bloody red as he craned his neck to say, “You will die.”

“Better to die saving lives than to live with taking them. That’s what I was born into.”

Jim stepped away, flipping his communicator open again. “Scotty,” he said hoarsely.

“Captain, I think we can redirect it. There’s a sealed construction hatch that will let you vent the weapon into space.”

Jim began climbing up to the goal compartment as Scotty continued. “Now, we can override the locks from up here, but you will have to activate the hatch.”

“So I just have to hit a button,” Jim said as he soared through the circular entryway. 

He paused for a moment, though. The loud, sudden beating resetting and echoing in his chest forced him to grab onto something when he heard your disbelieving, humorless laugh.

“It’s not a button, Captain,” you said, your voice thick and shaky. “It’s a silver lever under a white panel.”

“You made it off the Franklin,” he said, still flying through the compartment and narrowly avoiding the black haze surrounding the artifact. There was relief in his voice. “You should’ve gone to medical first.”

“Captain, you need to focus. There are four levers.”

“Go to medical.”

“Jim!” you shouted, frustration sharpening your tone. “I’ll go to medical when that piece of shit artifact is launched into space.”

“Optimism?”

“Yeah, it seems to have come back,” you said, clearing your throat. “Listen, Scotty says once you’ve primed the hatch, you’ll have to exit the chamber immediately.”

“If the hatch is open when the processor cycles and you’re in it,” Scotty added and Jim couldn’t hide his disappointment as he pulled the first white panel open and flipped the lever, “you’re gonna get sucked into space.”

“What happens if the hatch isn’t open?”

“You’re gonna get sucked into a big fan, with the weapon, and we all die.”

“Damn it, Jim, you won’t make it out in time,” came Leonard’s voice from another channel.

Jim sighed loudly and flipped the second lever. “(Y/N), angel, could you pass Bones some of your optimism?”

“‘Angel’? You seem to still have the wrong idea about me,” you said, your voice thick again as he flipped the third lever.

“You have the wrong idea about you, angel.”

Jim was smiling a little as he soared to the final panel, pulling on it twice when horror set in.

It wouldn’t open.

“Scotty, the last panel won’t open!”

The loud hum of the artifact behind him and the alarm suddenly echoing through the compartment sent his heart into his flipping stomach, as did the radio silence from the other end of his communication line.

He continued to pull at it, loud grunts leaving his lips as he did so. “Scotty!”

“Work fast, Captain, time’s running out.” Jim could hear Scotty say in a softer voice, “He’s not gonna make it.”

“Jim,” your voice was calmer now, less imbued in the emotion that disturbed his chest just moments ago. You were placating his heart with your words this time. “Work faster. You can get it open, just hurry.”

Jim heard Krall grunt behind him and looked over his shoulder to see the man somehow floating just inches away with a shard of glass in his hands, poising it in a fashion that would allow him to jam it into Jim’s side easily. “You expect that thief to help you?” Krall asked, seemingly recognizing you by your voice. He laughed. “You’ve placed your trust in a no-good, common thief. Humanity is weaker than I thought.”

Jim kicked his foot back, connecting with Krall’s chest to send him into the black haze. “Sorry you had to hear that, angel.”

“Capt— Jim,” you sighed out, a disbelieving and sad laugh in your voice. “Jim, I l—”

“No!” Jim shouted, hearing the barrier below him slide open and watching Krall soar through it. He continued to struggle with the panel, finally pulling it open but fighting the suction forcing him out. “No last words, nothing ends here,” he shouted.

He nearly growled out as he struggled against the forceful suction, using all his strength to pull himself an inch up to finally flip the switch with the slap of his hand. The moment he released the panel door, though, he soared to the opening.

He grabbed onto the frame of the opening, holding himself there and shouting out his struggle as a computerized voice announced, “Manual override engaged.”

Jim, unable to hold on against the force pulling him any longer, shouted as his hands waved before him in an attempt to gain some sort of traction even as he soared through the sky. As he neared the opening to the vacuum of space Krall had just flown through, his only wish was that he would’ve let you say what you were going to, that he didn’t let foolish optimism get the best of him. He had an idea of what it was, he had a hope of what it was.

He had to imagine your voice saying it— I love you. As if any bit of his imagination could do justice to what your actual voice saying that would do to him.

Before he could drift through, a bee-like ship soared below him and his body slammed against the roof, his hands reached out again as a doorway opened atop the ship and a pale hand reached for him.

He took the clammy hand and grunted as he was pulled closer to the doorway of the ship by Spock, grasping onto anything he could.

When they finally fell through the opening and Jim’s back connected with pipes and lights, he shut his eyes.

“Whoo hoo!” he heard Leonard yell before the ship took off again.

Jim, his breathing coming out in the form of loud pants, leaned to support himself with his hands. His blonde hair had fallen over his half-lidded eyes, his jacket now uncomfortably hot. “What would I do without you, Spock?”

“Float into open space,” Leonard replied. “Not hear the person you love say they love you, miss out on the opportunity to say it back. List goes on, Jim.”

Spock’s lips quirked into the tiniest smile as he glanced at Leonard. “I concur, Doctor.”

PART 14

tagging (tell me if you’d like to be added or removed):  @outside-the-government@daughterofthebrowncoats @multifandom-slytherin @buckyy3s @cinema212 @caaptain @dani-fae  @wonders-of-the-enterprise @imaginesofdreams @the-witching-hours12-3 @kaitymccoy123 @anyakinamidala @vevsee @afluffykiwi @curiositywillbethedeathofme @arielsimaginess @captain-what-is-going-on@micheladakenzo@avengers-earths-mightiest-heroes @eufeme @buriedinfandomsandfeels@ididntmeantobutiaccidentally @avoidthoseeyes @emmkolenn @heartofdixie14 @thnk-you-fr-th-venom@captainveromendes@wickedsingularity@vadersdaycare@samaxraph99 @hiimangelique @boldlygo-ing@infinite-exist-ence@cinnamonrollwithit @pabegay1 @red-shirts-always-die4444 @artboysteve

[shercockadoodledoo]

Idk man but I'll give $20 and the naming rights of my first born if you wrote a one shot incorporating that one post about dating an actor and getting asked what have they been in so you can reply with ME. Imagine that but with nezushi

fic’s under the cut, anon, pay up. i accept US dollars only, no bill smaller than a five. please shove the cash at your screen and chant my url three times (or is it five? i can never remember the semantics of direct interweb cash transfers). your first born child will be named Pootato (that was not a spelling error i want it to be that exact combination of “poo” and “potato,” no negotiation). enjoy the fic you bastard

oh, and this is the post that the anon is referring to, if you’re curious

Afteronly three months at Shion’s new position as co-director of scientific researchat Tokyo’s Wildlife Conservation Facility, the organization held its annualcharity banquet, and Shion downed six flutes of champagne before Safu was grabbingthe sleeve of his suit.

           “Tell me those empty glasses aren’tyours,” she hissed, jerking Shion’s arm away from the seventh flute he was reachingfor.

           “Hm?” Shion asked, distracted,unsure why he was being pulled away from the champagne.

           “I go to the bathroom for fiveminutes, and you’re already swaying on your feet. You can’t get intoxicated atyour first corporate party! What has gotten into you?” Safu demanded, whileShion tried to focus because he was pretty sure Safu was accusing him of beingdrunk, which was incorrect.

           “That is incorrect,” Shion said,finding it more difficult to speak than usual, which was odd.

            “You can hardly drink a glass of wine withoutbreaking out in song, why would you do this?” Safu groaned, pulling Shionsuddenly. “Quickly, step this way, your co-director is nearby.”

           Shion stumbled but righted himself,feeling Safu’s arm wind around his waist and prop him up.

           “Safu,” he whispered, while Safucontinued to pull him somewhere – he had no idea where, and didn’t much mindone way or the other, as he was having fun, and that was the point of parties,he largely suspected.

           “What?” Safu snapped.

           Shion frowned and blinked so that hecould focus on his friend. She appeared to be unhappy. Not unhappy, exactly.Concerned? No, that wasn’t it. Or was it? The room seemed to be spinning, whichwas a strange phenomenon and rather distracting from his attempts to untanglehis friend’s expression.

           “This is a terrible impression togive your coworkers who after only three months are still forming impressionson you, Shion. Especially seeing as this is your first social corporate function,you should really be making wiser choices,” Safu lectured.

           Shion sighed and let Safu pull himto wherever she was pulling him, which happened to be a round table with awhite tablecloth.

           Safu sat Shion down, then occupied thechair beside his and scooched it closer, her fingers lifting his chin.

           Shion watched his friend’s eyesskating over his features.

           “What’s going on?” he asked mildly.

           “I’m trying to gage your intoxicationlevels to see if it is more or less prudent to allow you to attempt to conversewith your colleagues.”

           Shion sighed again – he felt verytired, suddenly – and rested his elbow on the table, his cheek in his palm. “Imiss Nezumi,” he mumbled.

           Safu stopped peering at him soclosely, straightening up and looking at Shion with some surprise. “Oh. Is thatwhy you got drunk?”

           Shion felt surprised as well. “I’mdrunk?”

           “Yes.”

           “Oh. Whoops,” Shion laughed. What aterrible idea, to get drunk at his first work party.

           “He’s only been filming for a month.And you’re flying out to see him next week, it’ll be fine.”

           “Well, yeah, I know it’ll be fiiiine,” Shion replied, stretching outthe word and almost falling off his palm onto the table, but he caught himselfin time and propped his chin back up onto his hand. His head felt heavier thanusual. “I don’t want fiiiine. I wantNezumi. Who is also fine,” Shion added, with the realization of the word’sdouble meaning, which made him laugh.

           He could be so funny. He wishedNezumi had been around to hear his joke.

           “I have to call him.”

           “What?” Safu asked, as Shion lookedaround the table for his phone.

           “Where’s my phone?”

           “Probably in your pocket. Shion, youshouldn’t call Nezumi. With the time zone difference, it has to be around threein the afternoon in LA, he’ll be in the middle of a shoot.”

           Shion fished around in his pocket,and there, indeed, was his phone. He wondered if Safu had x-ray vision to seeit there.

           He unlocked his phone, glad for thetouch ID unlocking function, as the numbers on his screen were swaying a little,and it might have been difficult to catch them under his fingertips to type inhis code.

           Clumsily, he managed to find Nezumi’sname, while Safu talked at him and said things he couldn’t be bothered to payattention to.

           Shion hummed along with the rings ashe placed his cell to his ear, and then there was Nezumi’s voice.

           “If it’s not an emergency, pretendit is so my director doesn’t kill me, he’s been pretty pissed today and myringing cell at the shoot doesn’t seem to be cheering him up, oddly enough.”

           Shion smiled on hearing Nezumi’svoice, pressed his phone harder to his face. “Hi,” he said happily.

           “Oh, you’re dying are you? Why, that’sterrible, hold on one second – Yeah, I’m gonna have to take this, I need fiveminutes – Hey, he’s dying, just giveme five – Fine! Yeah, go ahead, replace me with Bradley Pooper or whatever hisname is, I don’t give a shit! Asshole.” Nezumi muttered the last bit, and thenthere was a clattering sound, and then there was silence.

           “Uh, Nezumi?” Shion asked,uncertain.

           “Hey, the director wanted to take awater break anyway, I can talk. What’s up? Why does your voice sound weird? Holdon – Aren’t you at your fancy cocktail party for your new job? Should youreally be calling me right now?”

           “Is there really an actor namedBradley Poopy?” Shion asked, then started laughing at the idea. He didn’t knowmuch English, but he’d started picking up a bit of it after Nezumi startedshooting American movies, and he was fairly certain he remembered what the wordpoop meant.

           “Something like that, they’ve gotweird names here. I think it’s a fame tactic, you know, stage names and shit.You sound a little slurry, you’re not drunk, are you? Because that’d be areally terrible idea.”

           “I’m not drunk,” Shion agreed, thenstarted laughing again because if he remembered correctly, he was drunk.

           “Unbelievable. Is Safu there? Shouldn’tyou have someone chaperoning you? Why on earth would you go and get drunk?”

           Shion was so happy to hear Nezumi’svoice, but it hurt at the same time. All he’d gotten from Nezumi the past monthwas his voice. Sometimes an image over a screen if they Facetimed, but Nezumiwas exhausted most nights from filming, and Shion was taking on more work thanhe’d ever had before at his new job, and they were usually too tired with theirconflicting time zones to talk long.

           “If you were here, I’d kiss you,” hetold Nezumi, a promise, a temptation, maybe Nezumi would jump on a plane and comehere, travel back in time because LA was seventeen hours ahead, find Shionyesterday morning and kiss him before Shion had to start missing him so hard ithurt.

           Nezumi was quiet, and then, verysoftly, “I miss you too.”

           There was a shouting behind him, andShion looked over his shoulder before realizing the shouting was coming from thephone.

           “Ah, shit. I gotta go, okay? I’llcall at the usual time, go find Safu and drink water and stay away from anyoneimportant. And Shion, listen to me, this is very important – Do not threaten tobite anyone. Do you hear me? Promise you won’t.”

           “I promise,” Shion said, his eyesburning until he blinked the burning feeling away, and then there was Nezumi’svoice again.

           “Talk to you in the morning, YourMajesty,” Nezumi was saying, and then there was the click of him hanging up,and Shion took his phone from his ear, looked at it helplessly, wondering whyvoices could travel instantly but bodies could not, who invented that anyway,Shion would have given up the ability to hear Nezumi’s voice in order to touchthe man’s cheek in a heartbeat.

           “Who invented phones anyway?” hedemanded angrily to Safu, who was watching him in a wary way.

           “Maybe we should get you home. Youcan make some excuse to your colleagues later, say you got a stomach bug. Yes, Ithink that’s best. Come on, time to get up now,” Safu was saying in a rush,standing and reaching out, so Shion took her hand, remembering Nezumi tellinghim to go to Safu – so he would stick with Safu because he trusted Nezumi, morethan anything, he trusted Nezumi.  

           Halfway across the hall, Shion heardhis name called, and then Safu was cursing under her breath, and then they werenot walking anymore. Shion leaned on Safu because he felt a little drunk – oh yes,he was drunk, he’d forgotten but remembered and felt accomplished forremembering.

           “Shion – Are you all right?”

           Shion blinked at his coworker. Itwas not a woman he’d seen very often, but he knew they’d been introduced. Hetried to remember her name, thought most likely it was also the name of arodent, but no, that was Nezumi, he was thinking about Nezumi again, he triedto concentrate back on the nameless woman even though he would have ratherthought about Nezumi a little more, just a little.

           “What?” he asked, because he knewshe’d asked a question and was trying to appear coherent.

           “He’s fine,” Safu cut in quickly, “hejust – ”

           “Oh, but you’re not Nezumi. We’veall heard about him of course, company gossip,” the woman said, laughing. “Iwas so hoping we’d get to meet him today.”

           She had black hair curled at theends. She wore a red dress. Shion decided he would memorize these details abouther, catalogue them, use some formula to calculate her name in this way, thoughhe didn’t know what the formula was.

           Maybe Safu knew. She was smart. Shetended to know things.

           “Hey, Safu,” Shion whispered,elbowing her, and Safu elbowed him back, hard.

           “No, I’m not, Nezumi couldn’t makeit,” Safu said loudly, giving Shion a sharp look.

           “Oh, is it work, because rumor hasit, he’s – ”

           “Are you talking about Nezumi?”Shion blurted out, catching thread of the conversation. “He’s an actor,” Shiongushed, leaning forward and feeling Safu tug him back.

           The woman brightened. “So it istrue! Is he famous?”

           Shion nodded happily. “Very veryfamous. And beautiful. And talented. And beautiful.”

           “You said that already,” Safumuttered.

           “Oh? What’s he been in?” the womanasked, and Shion thought about it, couldn’t remember a name of any of hismovies or even the plays Nezumi did before he got into movies, but then heremembered that Nezumi was not only in films,he was in much more important things, or rather, one thing in particular thathe hadn’t been in for a month what with their new long distance stint, whichfrankly was getting on Shion’s nerves.

           “Me!” Shion shouted, and then he waslaughing at his own joke and nearly doubled over, felt Safu haul him back up, caughtsight of the woman who did not seem to understand, so he attempted to help herbecause humor, he knew, was not everyone’s strong suit. “You know. Sex,” Shion elaboratedslowly, miming with his fingers the act of it. “This is Nezumi,” Shioncontinued, holding up his forefinger, “and this is me,” he finished, indicatingthe hand where his forefinger and thumb made an “o.”

           “He’s very drunk, I’m so sorry,goodbye,” Safu was saying in a sudden and rushed way, pulling Shion so abruptlyaway that he stumbled over his feet and nearly fell into Safu.

           “Ow, oof, wait, did you hear myjoke? I just made a joke. Did you hear it?” Shion asked.

           “Yes,” Safu said, rather curtly,when she should have been laughing, which made Shion think she was lying abouthearing the joke, maybe to save him the time of having to say it again, butShion didn’t really mind saying it again.

           “So what happened is that lady askedwhat Nezumi did, and I said he was an actor, and she said, ‘Oh, what movies ishe – ’ No wait, that’s not how it went, I messed up the joke, she said – ”

           “Shion, please be quiet now,” Safuinsisted.

           “Nezumi would have liked the joke,”Shion said, sulking.

           Safu didn’t say anything, and thenshe laughed in a breathy, light way, pulling Shion out the banquet hall doorsand into the cool night air. “Yes, I suspect he would have.”

THEEND