#and maybe this in turn makes it harder for her to see the blood jackie tries to hide

[laceratedlamiaceae]

For the fic writing ask prompt- Favorite ship you don't write that much, but want to write more of: #'s 3, 31, 32, 40, 45

(Five Sentence Prompts)

ooh okay, I'm gonna go with bellhands for these! And because I apparently love to make things hard for myself, I decided to make them all into one story.

#40: //eye contact across a crowded room//

Izzy had to do a double-take at first, convinced he was seeing a ghost--Sam had died years ago after all, and even if he hadn't Jackie'z had never been his sort of establishment. Nevertheless, there he was in flesh and blood, making small talk with Jackie at the bar. Izzy stood there transfixed until Sam turned and locked eyes with him. The sea of people standing between them parted as Sam made his way across the crowded room, never once looking away from Izzy. Without thinking too much about it, Izzy threw himself forward and into Sam's arms.

#32: “do you ever regret it?”

Later, after they had caught up and Sam explained his miraculous reappearance, he asked the question--"do you ever regret it?".

There was no need to specify what he meant by 'it'; they both knew he was asking about Edward. The day Izzy had chosen Ed over Sam had been the last time they saw each other--the last time Izzy had thought he would ever see Sam, after news of his supposed death spread.

"Every fucking day," Izzy replied, taking a big swig of his drink. "If I had just left with you..."

#3: “Stop being a fucking prick.” 

"The fuck are you smiling at?" Izzy asked, cut off from his melancholic pondering of what could have been by the look on Sam's face.

Sam, smiling broadly, put an arm around Izzy and said, "You missed me!"

"Shut up," Izzy said, leaning away and trying his best to hide his blush.

"I knew you were a--how did Rackham put it?"--Sam paused to ask, before remembering--"a sentimental bastard."

"Stop being a fucking prick," Izzy said, blushing even harder.

#31: "what makes you think i need a partner to be happy?”

Later still, Sam had made a passing mention of Izzy leaving with him, which, after some questioning, revealed a host of other assumptions he'd made.

"What makes you think I need a partner to be happy?" Izzy asked. "I was with Edward for decades and I sure as fuck wasn't happy for most of it."

"But..." Sam began, at a loss for words, "this is me."

"Maybe someday," Izzy said softly, "but I have things I need to see to first."

#45: //defending them, even when they’re not there to witness it//

"Why were you even here with Jackie in the first place?" Izzy asked, as they were both preparing to leave.

"You sure you're thinking of the right guy?" Jackie had asked, somewhat incredulously, after Sam had told her that he was trying to find Izzy, his long lost lover.

"I'll have you know that he's an incredibly loyal, devoted, handsome man," Sam had said in Izzy's defense.

Jackie had simply shrugged, which was good enough for Sam.

"For you," Sam said, and left it at that.

[everlarkficexchange]

the song of my heart (plays in you)

Written by: @thelettersfromnoone

Prompt 108: Everlark fall for one another over a blood transfusion. It happens not once, but twice. His blood runs through her veins, and now hers runs through his. What are the odds they would save each other’s lives? [submitted by @mandelion82]

Rated: Teen and up; mentions of: car wrecks, physical and mental trauma, amputation.

Tags: One-shot, Soulmates, Time Jump(s), Blood-Oaths.

Word count: 2342.

Notes: Unbetaed. All mistakes are my own. Thanks to @javistg and @xerxia31 for being amazing hosts for this exchange ❤️

“The blood [of the covenant] is thicker than [the] water [of the womb].”

“Mama, tell the story again?” Grey eyes peek up shyly through dark eyelashes, fingers curling the folds of her mother’s nightgown. “ ‘bout the dream-people?”

“It’s late, darlin’,” Mama murmurs with a soft smile. She presses a kiss to her daughter’s brow. “Papa will tell the long version tomorrow, hm?”

The girl’s lower lip pops out in a pout- papa is the better storyteller, but she wants to hear the story tonight. She snuggles against her mama’s belly, whispering a ‘night-night’ to the baby they say is growing in there.

“There once was a boy who was called to war, to fight for a king in a land far from home. Though he survived many times in battle, one day, an enemy struck him, and he was hurt, something terrible. At death’s door, his friends brought him to a healer’s house, who saved his life. As he recovered, he grew to love the healer’s daughter, and she grew to love him. In time, when he was recovered, his king came calling on him again. Before he left, the boy and the healer’s daughter made a blood-oath. They drew their own blood, and held their wounds against one another. They vowed that, from that moment until they met again, the song of their blood would call out for one another, no matter how far.”

Her little hand reaches over to mama’s, pressing their palms flush. “Like this?”

“Mhm,” Mama interlaces their fingers, kissing her daughter’s knuckles. “Just like this. Every night, while he was away, all they needed to do was close their eyes, and they could feel one another’s feelings, and see through one another’s eyes.”

“Till forever?” The little girl’s eyes are growing heavy, a yawn coming in spite of her best efforts. “Mama, it’s til’ forever, right?”

Mama doesn’t answer straight away. When she does, it’s soft as a butterfly’s flight; “Till forever, until they found each other again.”

The little girl’s breathing evens out, eyes slipping shut. 

(She’s always wanting a happy ending.)

She’s twelve and using the computer unsupervised the first time she looks it up on a whim. She is meant to be researching poetry, but that quickly becomes dull. 

Instead, the rabbit hole of the web sucks her in.

According to the internet page that comes up, a Blood-Oath Soulmate is defined as a myth, steeped in legend: a couple who, when faced with separation, make a blood-oath that allows them to see, hear, and feel one another across the thousands of miles. 

The origin, exactly, is unclear. It’s a myth with several cultural variants- in her own region, Twelve, and in the northern regions of Åtta, Tio, and Tretton, the war is won, and the boy returns to the healer’s daughter. By contrast, in the southwest, they say the boy earned a glorious warrior’s death, and the girl grieves but honors his memory. In almost all the other regions, the myth is drawn out, many side-adventures and evils hinder the boy’s path home, and by the time the boy finds his way back to his love, amidst a continent of misery, they both are old and grey. It’s not clear where the myth started, some say it’s a retelling of an old Sumerian tale; others, that it comes from Viking oral lore. Some, still, argue that they all are true, that the same fate spreads itself throughout time, throughout the world, in different ways. 

All modern experts, essentially, concur on the matter of the story’s implausibility. The human body replenishes its blood count within weeks, one discussion board points out.

It was just a myth to make humans feel their love could be impermeable, or withstand the tests of distance and challenges, claims another. Or, one user with a profane avatar states, the modern meaning is just guess-work and the cultural context and any kernels of truth will forever be lost.

And everyone knows there’s no such thing as a soulmate.

Kat feels her stomach clench as she quickly exits the browser, lonely in the wake of her father’s death, and her mother’s subsequent depressive episode, and still clinging to her mother’s hushed telling of a love that is palpable down to the bone.

(She can’t decide if knowing it’s ‘just a story’ hurts or helps more. The veneer of childhood is always treasured for a reason.)

She is seventeen when it happens. 

A flash of a medical room. Harsh fluorescent lights. Thick, strong hands trying to block the light out. Starched sheets, scratching skin. A pinch of a needle and stifled shout- 

She wakes covered in sweat. 

Something is wrong, niggles at the back of her mind. Her pounding heart beats out wrong, wrong, wrong. She pushes it away, presses the thought down. She manages to lull herself back to sleep, a deep, imageless thing, but the wrongness sticks with her. 

The next night is nearly identical, except the stranger’s hands are tearing off the bedsheets. A stump of a knee rests where a leg should extend. A panicking voice, a nurse, shouts for help as the struggling and screaming begins-

“Where’s my fucking leg?!”

Kat wakes with a jolt, strangled gasps as she pushes her own blankets off, hands grasping at her limbs, the phantom terror and horror bringing bile up her throat. 

What was that?

A dreamless sleep doesn’t find her again, her eyes bruising with nights of nightmares and days of exhaustion. The hospital, the scratchy sheets, the nurses and medications and injections. 

One week, then another.

She’s in Civics class when it occurs to her. 

The blood drive, at the beginning of May. She’d turned seventeen, and finally weighed enough to donate blood.

Could it be…?

She sleeps in, one Saturday morning, when they are fitting a prosthetic on her stranger; crutches and halting steps as those beefy hands grip support bars.

“Just a step further,” a voice encourages. 

Shame and frustration, and a deep, croaking voice lashes out of the throat-

“I can’t!”

You can, you can, you can, she tries to will the stranger her confidence.

The figure stills, and for a moment, she thinks they can hear her. 

“I’m done,” they say, and in spite of the disappointment on the nurse’s face, a man in a white lab coat agrees, and helps them back into a wheelchair.

Kat feels the sinking failure, the desperate yearning to help this person, this stranger. There are only nurses and doctors, in her dreams. She knows what it means to be lonely, even when there are people around; what it means when you wake up in emotional pain, but have no one to share it with.

She wants to tell her stranger it will all be all right, but the weeks pass and she can only confide her secret to herself. They wouldn’t believe her, even if she could say it in person.

Where is your family? she tries to ask.

They never seem to hear her.

(Waking becomes harder, but she can’t confide in anyone that she wakes wishing she could live in her dreams without them thinking she’s gone mad.)

They are kneading dough, seated at a wood table in a cluttered kitchen. The prosthetic is fitting to the leg, tender today but not sore, exactly. She can smell the flour and feel the silky-smooth texture between her fingers. Smoothe jazz music is playing, from a radio over on the counter. She feels a hand squeezing her stranger’s shoulder.

“Looks good, Pete.” It’s a gruff voice, but not unkind.

“Needs to rise,” her stranger- ‘Pete’!- retorts. They don’t look up, but she can feel a flush on her ‘Pete’s’ cheeks.

“We got some coursework from the school, then.”

(She doesn’t realize this is the last she will dream of her stranger.)

The dreams evaporate, after eight weeks, as abruptly as they had begun.

In the aftermath of her first dreamless night in over a month, she wakes to the dawn breaking with no images from her stranger. 

‘Pete’. 

She tries to will herself back to sleep, compel visions back from the brink. It’s the first night she thinks to try and remember the names of the doctors and nurses, or the location of the hospital. The nametags are foggy in her memories, a nurse Jackie or Jenny and a last name they had abbreviated to, ‘A.’ 

The internet doesn’t help her any more than her own mind can. ‘An amputee named ‘Pete’ who likes to knead dough and is doing high school coursework at home’ doesn’t do much in a White Pages search. 

She writes it all down, then, each snippet and sound she can recall. She keeps the journal under her mattress, knowing her mother won’t bother, and her baby sister wouldn’t dare to look. 

Like a madwoman, she rereads her own accounts, adds notes to it every morning, hoping the dreams will start again. But every morning, the dreams seem more as if they were fantasies, and her journal reads like fiction.

A year passes. 

Her dreams now are either blank, or memories of ‘Pete’.

She could blame it on her family friend, and his stupid insistance that she attend Prom; or maybe the girlfriends she eats lunch with, who guilt her by saying that everyone needs a life outside of school, and after-school jobs.

Kat had only driven into town because she needed a damn dress. Two weeks later, and she would have been exhausted from Prom as she crossed the school stage, collecting her high school diploma.

Nothing pans out the way she imagines it will, though.

She’s alone in the car when a truck in the oncoming lane overturns at a curve in the road.

Pain bursts on her head. Flames against her skin. Crushed metal, and broken glass. In the distant fog of wailing sirens, she can hear first responders attempting to call out to her. 

The only thing she remembers seeing clearly, between the accident and the hospital, is smoke rising into a blue, cloudless sky, through a shattered windshield.

“You lost a lot of blood, Kat,” the doctor says, tone not unsympathetic. “We had to do a transfusion.”

“Oh.”

She blinks, a haze of morphling in her preventing her from fully comprehending. Some broken bones. A neck brace. Burns on her face and arms, but not as bad as they first had thought- she won’t need skin grafts.

All small mercies.

Her sister and mama are there, balloons and flowers and hugs a-plenty. Get-well-soon cards from several classmates and family friends.

“You’re lucky to be alive,” her mama murmurs, as the doctor leaves.

“Okay.”

Mama runs her fingers through Kat’s knotted hair, while her sister clings and tells her how much she loves her.

She’s not numb, not beneath the morphling. But she’s so damn tired and her skin itches under the bandages. 

(She can’t comfort her family while they try their hand at comforting her.)

She is washing her hands in the hospital room sink, when she feels a jolt, a compulsion; a chill down her spine and gooseflesh down her arms. She looks in the mirror, and feels in awe, feels a foreign elation. A burst of affection, a warmth. 

She can’t reckon with it, can’t justify it. 

It’s just… her own face. Sloppily braided dark hair. Healing stitches on her cheek, and forehead. Silver eyes, surrounded by a bruise, set in a narrow face. She gulps, leaning in closer, and trying to grasp the sensation. Out-of-body, might be the right term- dissociative, she’d read about once, for Health and Wellness. 

There’s a knock on her door, the nurse doing a check, and as Kat turns, the warmth dissipates.

The nurse comes in not long after, checks her vitals and asks a series of questions.

“My name is Katniss Everdeen.”

That warmth in her chest is back, the hair at the base of her neck stands straight.

She scrubs her hands over her face, focusing on the simple questions the nurse is asking.

“I’m eighteen years old. I’m graduating from PPH12 in Sommen in one week. I’m at Merchant Memorial Hospital.”

In the bathroom that night, she stares at her own reflection, and wonders if maybe that feeling of someone looking over her shoulder- more like looking through her eyes- if maybe….

She fogs up the mirror, and writes her room number. She stares at it, for a time, before scoffing at own ridiculousness, and wiping it away with her towel.

She only has one day left before being discharged, though she’ll miss graduation and the parties that would entail. She can’t say she is particularly disappointed; she’s never been a party person.

She’s awake when the door to her shared hospital room opens. She pays it little mind. The curtain around her bed is pulled taught, her roommate jabbering away on their phone about the food service as if this were fine dining, rather than a hospital. Kat is reading a get well card, this one signed by the whole senior class and class advisors.

There’s a thrumming in her veins, but that might be them weaning her off of the morphling.

Curtain rings scrape against metal, and she barely glances up, the nurse rounds due any minute now. Normally, though, the bubbly nurse who does the day-shift is already bustling with an overwhelming enthusiasm that makes Kat question how exhausted the nurse is at the end of the day.

Maybe it’s a different nurse or a doctor or mama, or- 

The blue eyes that are boring into hers are ones she has only seen in her dreams; she can finally see blonde curls framing them, familiar thick, strong hands brushing through the curls. 

“Pete?” she croaks, certain she’s finally lost her damn mind.

His eyes widen at the sound of his name, lips parting. 

“I found you.” 

A tone of surprise, as if he’d driven all this way, but in expectation of disappointment.

“Peeta,” he introduces himself, edging closer. His hand carefully takes hold of her own. “And… I’ve waited a long time to meet you, Katniss.”

(Her name has never been spoken as sweetly, and her heart has never felt so full.)

[alleycat97]

Hang In There

Notes: Chapter 10/11 Open Heart. THATS RIGHT OPEN HEART. I’ve never wrote anything for this book and I’m kinda nervous but I wanna take an extra spin on these last two chapter. I changed a few things plus I added alittle backstory to my Mc. I hope this isn’t too terrible...

Pairing: Bryce x MC(Carson Kennedy)

I started out romancing Jackie but my god Bryce in this book...the chemistry is uncanny.

...

You never thought being a doctor would come to this. Saving lives was one thing, but in a hostage situation, an assassanation attempt? This was next level stuff.

But you regret nothing, your life choices and career decisions have led you here and if by miracle you pull out of this, you can save a few more.

You stare blankly ahead trying to calm Travis down who’s about to unleash some unknown substance. You explain that it’s over, whatever happened to his brother is done and killing the Senator won’t change that. Bobby the security guard backs you up and demands the fugitive place the canister on the ground.

But as Bobby steps forward, Travis has no sympathy as he releases the substance wildly hitting Bobby directly in the face sending him to the ground choking.

You notice Rafael charging after Travis and his mystery can dousing the entire room and all in it. Danny and Rafael getting the blunt of it. You manage to get a dose on you and notice the Senator fleeing before he got a lethal dose. Your only thought later would be, ‘I wish it was just gun’ because you had no idea what pain was in store.

Bobby went into cardiac arrest immediately and Danny was soon following him. You and Rafael locked down the room and vent to keep the toxin from spreading.

It didn’t take long to stir up commotion, everyone was rushing to find out what was happening.

After explaining to the group and Ethan, you check back on Bobby who’s pulse has slowed way down, there was no way he was going to make it. The feds showed up and the CDC who locked down the room and took Bobby, Danny and Travis away.

Whatever was in that can, it was very potent. Bobby had passed and Danny was close. The FBI took Travis to a special room where they could interrogate him and observe him.

It was very tight lipped and everyone was worried. Rafael took a turn for the worst and you could feel it inside you to.

You love your friends because although they are extremely worried, they kept working to find a solution. The diagnostics team would have to earn their pay on this one. Countless test and blood samples had to be taken and they were against the clock.

Night fell and you couldn’t sleep. The diagnostics team kept you hooked up to monitors to track progress on you and Rafael. His heart rate slowed dangerously and he listed endless symptoms he had that you would keep in mind as you only got worse.

You thanked him for being a good friend and had a true heart to heart before his heart rate stopped completely and he faded away. Doctors rushed him away and it was then you learned that Danny and Travis both passed and now for the moment, Raf had too. It was just a matter of time now.

You catch Bryce looking on helpless. Once he had heard about the attack you were his priority. He left Kyra in good hands to come be by your side. Everyone was there for you, but all they could do was watch.

“Rafael said his iced drink felt hot, by the way.” Carson spoke laying back in her bed.

“Sensitivity reversal? Metallic taste, itching and loose feeling teeth?” June questioned out loud.

“You have something doctor?” Ethan asked.

“It’s just a hunch. Carson? I’ll need one more blood sample.”

...

Some time passed and the diagnostics team entered into the quarantined room.

“My hunch was right. The chemical expelled from the canister was a Maitotoxin.”

That was an excellent hunch but the only issue was,

“There is no known antidote for Maitotoxin.” Carson spoke realizing this was truely it.

“Danny’s body still had remnants on his skin, I’m afraid Carson, that it’s going to get worse.” Ethan said looking dim.

Her conditions had accelerated, she felt dizzy, her vision was blurry and the cramps, her abdomen was going to explode. She was literally dying from within.

“We will find an antidote Carson.” Ethan spoke up walking away with Tobias who pledged himself to help her.

“Well If this is my last night....so be it.” Carson spoke.

“Wow? Just like that? You’re ready to just give up?” Jackie spoke through the glass.

“I lived a good life. I did what I loved and I have no regrets.” She spoke softly, crawling into bed with her back to the window so the others couldn’t see her cry.

In truth, Carson was afraid. She wasn’t ready to die but it was excruciating knowing that she had to suffer until the reaper came, who by the looks of her. Wasn’t long.

Bryce couldn’t let her suffer, not if he could help it. Once everyone went away he slipped on one of the suits and rushed to Carson’s side.

“Bryce!? What are you doing in here?”

“I just couldn’t stay out there and not do anything.”

“Well I’m not sure there’s much you can do in here...”

Bryce placed his hand on Carson’s cheek and gently stroked it, “Maybe not, but I’m here regardless.”

And for the first time all day, Carson smiled that megawatt smile that only Bryce could get her to do.

“Hold me?” Carson spoke softly.

Bryce climbed onto the tiny bed for one and wrapped a strong arm over Carson.

“I want to kiss you.” Carson revealed embracing the warmth Bryce provided.

“Yeah that’s kinda hard to do Kennedy.”

“I know. But I still want to. I want to feel your skin on mine, I want to run my hands through you hair, I want to be with you.”

“I’m here Carson. I’m not going anywhere and the guys are gonna get that antidote and you’ll be as good as new.”

“Bryce I’m glad you came in here. I didn’t want to be alone especially if this is my last night on Earth. I just wanted to say I love you, and I have for awhile now.”

Bryce couldn’t find the words. It wasn’t fair, it wasn’t right. Carson couldn’t die, not now. “I love you too. You’re a fighter, just hang in there.”

Bryce squeezed harder trying to savor this moment for what it was worth. He could feel how soft Carson was and how cold she was. It wasn’t looking good. Bryce managed to fall asleep but Carson wouldn’t let herself. She had to fight it. Anytime she closed her eyes she saw nothing but evil images, death was near but she wouldn’t succumb to it.

All she could do is savor and reflect on her time at Edenbrook, the friends she’s made, the people she’s met and the lives she saved. It was ironic in the end, no matter how many lives she could save, she couldn’t save her own and that’s what was getting her the most. She blamed it on her family curse. The longline of Kennedy’s who died tragically at an early age.

Yes she was apart of those Kennedy’s. JFK was her grandfather and we know the story about his tragic death. It just started with him and now, death had found Carson. The thought kept her up all night.

The next morning came slowly and no antidote was found yet. Her vision turned to near blindness and her abdomen was tearing her apart. Bryce woke up and cradled Carson too help soothe her as her time approached. The sound of her heart monitor slowed almost to a stop and it was time. Both couldn’t stop crying at the fact, and began to kiss eachother goodbye.

Carson’s efforts slowed to a stop and her body paled and shook violently before falling limp. The heart monitor verified the moment and Carson was appeared to be gone. Her friends and coworkers looked on shedding tears and sympathy. No one could believe THE Carson Kennedy was gone. She was the glue, the rock. She was the it girl. She was the doctor everyone wanted to be and yet, she was just like everyone else, death showed no mercy.

Ethan and June busted down the door seconds later, both looking exhausted but holding a syringe with the antidote. Bryce steadied Carson’s arm while Ethan administered the vile,

“Please work.” Bryce cried desperately.

[mylittlemarston]

Hi, I have a request! I’d love to read Arthur x f!reader with #79, 65 and/or 4 from that prompt list. I just think all three of those lines go well together, so I’d be happy with just one of them or all of them ;) Thank you so much, keep up the good work!!

Thank you so much!!!

I’m sorry that this took me so long to write, but I really enjoyed doing it and I even went back and spaced out the speech lines so that it’s (hopefully haha) easier to read !! I really hope you enjoy!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Arthur Morgan x female reader

Warnings: gore, violence, swearing, torture, abuse  

Summary: After reader goes missing, Arthur starts worrying about her whereabouts, despite being told everything was fine. 

word count: 3063

_______________________________________________________________

          Those damn O’Driscoll’s

     June 16th, 1899

18:17

       “All right Jackie. You ready for me to get ya back to mama?” I ask Jack. I took him into Valentine today to let him get out of camp for a while and get him a few things, my treat. Poor kid needs to get out every now and then.

 “Yeah! Thanks aunt y/n!” He says with a big smile, hugging my waist. I rest my hand on top of his head, rubbing it gently.

 “No problem kiddo. Come on.” I say, getting on top of my horse, cooing at him. I hold my arm out for Jack and pull him up, putting him behind me. 

“Ride fast aunt y/n!” He cheers.

 “Hold on tight!” I say speeding up. 

-------------------------

      “Thank you so much, y/n. He really needed it. I appreciate you even offerin’ to take him out. I would’ve but-“

 “Abigail, it’s fine.” I say. “Anytime. I love that boy like he’s my own, you know that. If you ever need anyone to watch him, you know I’m here. I needed to get out anyways.” I tell her with a smile. She smiles back and takes Jack by the hand.

 “Did you have fun with Miss y/n?” She asks him.

 “We had a lot of fun Mama!” 

I smile, kicking my foot around in the dirt for a short moment before heading over to Arthur to let him know I’m leaving. “Hey Arthur. I just wanted to say goodbye.” I say, heading into his tent.

 “Well where  you goin’?” He asks me, walking closer with his brown hair shining gold in the faint evening sun. 

“Just gotta do a few things. I’ll be back soon.” I tell him, walking out of the tent. Getting on my horse, I head out of camp.

 “Be safe y/n.” John says, guarding the camp.

 “I always am John.” 

-------------------

I ride for a few minutes when a man on a horse charges into mine, knocking me off and onto the ground. “What the hell! Watch where you’re goin’, you son of a bitch!” I stand up, wiping the dirt off of my knees.

 “I wouldn’t talk that way missy.” The man says getting close to me. Before I can do anything, he pulls out a revolver and hits me with it, knocking me unconscious. 

      June 17th 

03:17

            “Wake up, bitch!” A man yells, his voice deep and heavy. He kicks my side, forcing me to cough. I cry out in pain, and the man just laughs.

 “What do you want from me?” I ask, my voice angry.

 “We want Dutch. Your leader. Whatever the hell you call him.” He says. I try to move, but realize I’m tied up with rope and reinforced by heavy chains. They’re as tight as they can go around my wrists and ankles, every subtle movement causing me to wince. He gets closer to me and I try to back up but am greeted by a cold wall.

 “You’ll never get a damn word outta me! They’re my family!” I say, anger growing within me at the thought of whoever these people are scarring poor Jack and hurting anyone within the camp. The man doesn’t take no for an answer, and I’m greeted by a hard smack on my cheek. I forget about being tied up and try to lunge at him, the rope digging into my wrists. I feel something wet drip down from them, and when I look back behind me, I see blood on the rope and my wrists cut to shit. Tears start to fall down my cheeks, dripping onto my shirt that has been torn and dirtied. I try to ignore all the pain I feel in my body, but it’s too unbearable.

 “Let’s try this again, girlie.” I wince at the pet name, wanting so badly to kill this pile of shit.

 “I already told you. I’m not tellin’ you a goddamn thing! You can keep me here forever and I wouldn’t tell you!” I fire back at him, my voice going hoarse from all the yelling. The man gives me a cold smirk before grabbing me by the throat and squeezing down hard on it.

 “We’ll just have to do this the hard way then.” He says. “Boys! The boss said we can do what we want to her. Get the knife.” He lets me go, and I cough while trying to catch my breath. Another man walks up to me with a knife while two more men stand on either side of me, the original man who kidnapped me undoing his belt.

 “What are you doing?!! Stop! Get away from me!” I thrash around, the rope digging deeper and deeper into my skin as I scream and kick with all my might. Tears are flowing down my face, my throat sore and my head pounding. The man with the knife holds it to my throat, putting a little bit of pressure down onto it. Just enough to draw blood, but not enough to make me bleed out. While trying to pull away, I slam my head against the wall, making everything fade to black. The last thing I saw was the two men standing beside me undressing me. 

09:32

      I wake up in more pain than I was before; my eye swollen, lips bloody, stomach and legs bruised, and an ache in my lower abdomen. Another man walks up to me, forcing my head up to look at him. His thumb brushes over my lips, the cuts on them burning as he does.

 “Good mornin’ sweetheart. Hope you got yourself a full nights rest. We got a lot of fun things to do to ya.”

 “Who the fuck are you? Why do you have me here?” My voice is a little hoarse, but nothing I can’t handle.

 He flashes a cold smile as he licks his lips greedily. I look away, thoroughly repulsed. “I’m Colm O’Driscoll. I’m guessin’ you  know who I am?” 

I meet his eyes again, tensing at his name. I make as much distance between us as I can but am not very successful. His face is inches from mine, his hot breath laced with alcohol and tobacco.

 “Yes, I do. But why do you have me here? If you’re gonna kill me, just do it already.” He chuckles, stepping back.

 “I don’t wanna kill ya, honey. I want Dutch to come find you.” It was my turn to laugh at him.

 “Then what. He and the boys  kill you? You don’t stand a chance.” I say, laughing a bit harder than before. Colm’s eyes go dark and cold, his face showing pure anger. 

“I won’t stand a chance… if they come for you. If they don’t… well…” anger pools inside of me again. 

“You hurt anyone in that camp, I’ll find you and kill you myself! Don’t you go anywhere near it!” I smirk at him, realizing what I said. “Oh wait. You can’t. You need me alive to tell you where it is, right? So you wouldn’t kill me anyways.” He gets close to me again, his hand going across my face with a hard slap. 

“You’ll tell me where he is. Trust me.” He turns and walks away, grabbing a gun and vanishing into the shadows. I drop my head down, tears stinging my eyes. Maybe he’s right. What if they don’t come for me?

14:48

Arthur’s pov

      “What if she’s in trouble, Dutch?” Arthur asks, his voice gruff.

 “It’s only been less than a day, Arthur. We’ll wait another day or so and go from there.” Dutch says, lighting a cigar and taking a puff from it. Arthur walks away from him, going to sit on a log by the fire. He rubs his face, his mind only producing thoughts of you and your safety. John joins him on the log, sighing.

 “Arthur, what’s wrong?” He asks, sitting up and examining Arthur’s slouched position. 

“It’s y/n. I’m really worried about her. What if she’s in danger? With the amount of people after us, anything could’ve happened.” He sits up, staring into the dancing flames.

 “She’s strong. You know that. She won’t deal with our bullshit, let alone anyone else’s.” John tells him, chuckling. Arthur chuckles too, loosening up. 

“Yeah, you’re right. Dutch said to wait a little longer and if she doesn’t show up, we’ll go find her.” John nods, patting Arthur on the back.

 “She will. And if she don’t, I’ll go with you.” He says standing up. Arthur nods, staying on the log and sighing. What if she really isn’t okay…? He asks himself, the anxiety only growing within him.

June 18th

07:53

      I can barely lift my head up from yesterday’s torture. I don’t know how much longer I can put up with this. I try to swallow, my throat in so much pain from screaming. My eye is even more swollen than before, forcing a wince from me when I try to look up. I lick my dry lips, greeted with the taste of blood. There’s no telling if it’s from my mouth or my nose at this point. I can’t imagine what I must look like; bruised and battered to hell. If only Arthur could see me… he’d kill every one of these monsters. I smile weakly at the thought, even though it hurts. I force my head up, leaning it against the cold stone wall. A heavy door swings open and a silhouette approaches me. “Colm.” I can’t be bothered to try to look at him as I say his name.

 “We found the camp. Turns out we didn’t need you after all.” I forget about the pain and take every ounce of energy and might that I have to look at him.

 “Don’t you dare…” I say angrily.

 “Calm down girlie. We’re only givin’ ‘em a warning. No harm from a warning, right?” He sneers.

 “From you, who knows. Anythin’ could happen. They’ll kill you in a heartbeat and you know it.” I say. He chuckles, getting close to my face and caressing my cheek. I try to pull away but can’t.

 “Let’s just see how that goes, hm?” He walks away.

 “Let’s see…” I say quietly. 

19:23

Arthur’s pov

      Arthur finished his bowl of Pearson’s stew, setting it down on the ground and walking to his tent.

 “Arthur,” Hosea calls out for him. “we need to find her.” He tells him while Arthur rummages through his things, throwing a bag together. 

“Yeah we do.” He says, turning to the older man. 

“There’s no telling where she is. But we need to look.” Hosea tells Arthur solemnly. Arthur nods. They head out of the tent and into Dutch’s for a game plan.

 “What are we gonna do, Dutch? We can’t just sit around while she’s out god-knows-where with god-knows-who, getting hurt or lost or whatever the hell she’s going through.” Arthur says angrily. 

“I know, son. We’re leaving first thing after we come up with a plan and get everyone who’s goin’ with us together.” Dutch says, clearly exasperated. Arthur rubs his face again as he tries not to let his emotions get the best of him. He’s truly worried about you. Just the thought of someone ‘having their way with you’ vexed him. How could someone so monstrous harm such a fragile, delicate flower such as you? His mind raced with thoughts as the other men conversed in front of him about what they’re next move will be. Suddenly, Miss Grimshaw rushes into the tent.

 “Dutch! It’s those damn O’Driscolls! They’re here!” She whisper-yells. 

His face flushed red with rage and he storms out, everyone in camp forming a line with the men in the front. Colm walks up to them, three men of his own behind him with their guns out. 

“Van der Linde.” He says, leering.

 “O’Driscoll…” Dutch says, his hands moving to his hips. The only sound between them is the wind blowing between the trees, rustling the leaves on them this warm summer night. The smell of firewood and thick atmosphere that made it hard to breathe.

20:37

I woke up peacefully from a painful nap, having only terrible nightmares of what might happen if I never make it out of here. I lift  my head up slowly as to not bring myself more pain then I’m already experiencing, but it’s no use. I groan, letting my head gently hit the wall behind me. I hear the door open again. That goddamn dreaded sound of a creak and heavy footsteps. It’ll take a while to not hear them in my mind at night when I close my eyes. I whimper and try to get as far back as I can before my body meets with the wall. The man who entered mumbles under his breath angrily about something, quickly taking the shotgun by the door and practically running out of the room again. Even when I’m not talking, my throat is in agonizing pain. God what I would give for a hot bath right now. Then again, I would give anything just to get the hell out of here. There’s audible yelling outside followed by a couple of gunshots. There's footsteps above me, and I can’t help but hope that Arthur came for me. That they all did. Then I hear it. That familiar gruff voice that only seems to soften when near me. 

“Where is she?!”

 It’s muffled, but I know that voice from anywhere. I lift my head up too quickly for my liking, groaning at the discomfort. “Arthur…” I try to croak out, but it forms into a whisper. I hear another gunshot from where I heard his voice before, along with heavy footsteps headed towards the door. I sit up straight, tears welling up in my eyes. “Arthur!” I say louder, this time making it audible for him to hear. 

He busts the door down, looking at me while he slowly and gently places his gun in his holster. “Y/n…” He says softly, freezing up as he looks at me with sorry eyes and a mournful expression. 

“Please… Arthur please get me out of here… I wanna go home…”

He rushes over to me, freeing me from the restraints that held me to the wall. 

“Don’t worry sweetheart, I’m gonna getchu outta here. You’re safe now, I’ve got you.” He says with his voice as sweet as honey wine and as soft as silk. Oh how I missed it. He picks me up and slings me over his shoulder, retrieving his gun from his holster once more and holding it to his side. He opens the door, walking up the stairs. I grunt at the subtle movements that make my pain even worse. “Shh… You’re alright… You’re with me now.” 

I can’t help but start to cry softly at his sweet words. I hold onto his shirt, missing the way his eyes lit up and the faint flush that rose to his cheeks. 

Arthur’s pov

How could he not feel sorry for you? How could he not freeze up when he entered the room where you sat with dull eyes and blood on multiple wounds on skin that was once clean and soft. Lips that he so badly wanted to kiss that were now bloodied and chapped. The image of you with Jack while inside of camp and the way you would play with him. The kind, loving smile you would give him when you spotted him across camp that made his day a hundred times better. You had held onto his shirt as you cried onto it, and he had never felt so protective of anything or anyone before. He swung the door that led outside open, looking around for many O’Driscoll’s. Thankfully there weren’t  any, thanks to the rest of the gang that had tagged along. Dutch and John rush up to the both of you, John turning his head away when he sees your face. 

“Christ… we need to get her back to camp immediately. You two go on ahead. We’ll meet you back there.” Dutch says with eyes locked on you. Eyes of guilt.

----------------back to reader----------------

The ride back to camp was anything but enjoyable. Everything hurt. Arthur laid me down in the medical tent, fetching a bucket of water while I changed into the clothes he brought me from my tent. He came back with the bucket and a rag, smiling at me  sadly as I tried to sit myself up on the cot. He brought the bucket next to me, sitting in the chair that was next to the cot. He dunked the rag in the water, squeezing it and gently placing it to my busted lip. 

“You can’t keep doing this.” He says after minutes of silence. 

“What’s that?” I ask him, a whisper being the loudest I could speak. 

“You can’t keep getting yourself into trouble like this. I worried about you so much. You really scared the shit out of me, y/n.”

A weak smile spreads across my lips as I fidget with the blanket laid on top of me. “I’m sorry. But goin’ through all this made me realize… Never mind. Forget I said that.”

Arthur pulls the rag away from my face, laying a gentle hand on my forearm. 

“Y/n, what is it? Talk to me. You can tell me anything.” 

I smile down at the blanket, watching my fingers play with the soft pelt. “It’s a silly thought, really. I don’t know why I even thought I could say it out loud… it only makes sense in my mind.” He takes a gentle hand and turns my head to look at him. My heart feels like it’s beating out of my chest and my cheeks feel red. I shift so that my face is just mere inches from his. I put my hand on his cheek, looking deeply into his blue eyes that shine like the ocean on a midsummer day. I lean forward and place a kiss on his lips ever so gently. He very carefully wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me into a sweet embrace. I bury my face in his neck, smiling against his skin as he places a gentle kiss on my neck.

/////fin~/////

Sorry if this isn’t lined up either haha I tried

[artificialqueens]

Duality, Chapter 2 (Crygi) - Metaluna

Chapter summary: Reflecting on an interesting day at work, Gigi goes to the bar with absolutely no intention of seeing a certain human.

A/N: Hi everyone! So I’m really bad at submitting on here, but feel free to read it on ao3 where i’m a few chapters ahead. tw for smut and light bloodplay.

thank you to Juno for beta reading and to crygijankiedoll-rps for making sure that my smut wasn’t too awkward since it was my first time writing it :’)

A few days later, Gigi sat in her office deep in her thoughts which were rushing through her head all at once to the point that she could barely keep up with them. The same string of thoughts were replaying themselves. The thoughts didn’t lead to Crystal, or any of the events from the night at the bar. They all led back to her humanity.

When Gigi was first turned, Nicky would constantly mock her for her sympathy toward humans. The first time she had to feed, she sobbed for two days, and starved herself for a week, only able to think about the look of fear in the woman’s eyes as the life faded from her body. Sometime in the past few decades, the empathy she held toward humans faded away entirely.

The more she thought about it, the more Gigi realized, it wasn’t that her humanity went away on its own, she forced it down deep inside of herself. There was no way she could be a killer if she maintained her sense of empathy that she had as a human, was there?

Why now, after nearly a century were all these emotions bubbling back up to the surface?

She knew the answer.

Crystal.

There was something about Crystal that made Gigi think of humans as more than an annoyance or a food source. She wasn’t sure what it was about the girl that had Gigi so intrigued, but she didn’t like it, just like she didn’t like thinking about her humanity.

Maybe she could attempt to be more human. As human as a 115 year old vampire could be, anyway.

There was a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

Jackie walked into Gigi’s office nervously.

“Do you need something, Jackie?”

Jackie looked away. “Can you please do me a favor?”

“Maybe?”

“So, you know how I have a hard time with the visitations of kids and teenagers…?” Jackie trailed off.

Gigi groaned.

“I’ll do your filing for a week.”

“I’ll do it,” Gigi replied instantly.

“I’ll do your filing if… and only if, the family doesn’t request that I come in instead. So you better be on your best behavior.”

“I’ll be nothing short of a saint,” Gigi promised.

If nothing else, this could help Gigi practice her empathy toward humans.

By the time Gigi went inside the visitation room, the casket had already been moved into place. The girl had died of an overdose that the family swore was accidental. Gigi, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure. Humans would much rather be in denial than to admit the truth. The mother even went on a tangent about how her daughter had been having a hard time in school before quickly changing the subject to the color of the floral arrangements.

Humans liked to claim that their loved ones looked like they were sleeping when they saw them in an open casket. This annoyed Gigi. Nothing about this girl looked like she was asleep. No matter how good Gigi was at what she did, the corpses were dead. They looked dead. Not asleep.

Whenever there was a sixteen-year-old girl, Gigi couldn’t help thinking about her sister. Even if this girl’s appearance was the opposite of her Nora’s. As she set boxes of tissues on the chairs lining the room, she began thinking about Nora’s sixteenth birthday.

Somehow she still remembered the day perfectly.

Gigi was so deep in her thoughts, she didn’t see the first person arrive. It was a girl, who looked to be a few years older than the body who Gigi assumed was her sister. The resemblance between her and the pictures Gigi was given was striking. The girl was dressed in an oversized flannel and jeans, with her hair in a messy bun.

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t hear you enter,” Gigi said.

“It’s okay,” the girl’s voice cracked. “I’m sorry I’m early. I just wanted to see her before anyone else.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Quickly, Gigi looked at the sign to see what the girl’s name was. Rarely did she remember. Nia.

“Are you Nia’s sister?” Gigi asked, walking over to the girl.

The girl nodded. “I’m Olivia.”

“Gigi.”

The girl stepped up to the casket. “Can you like… stand next to me? I’ve never seen a dead body, and this is weird. Especially because it’s her…”

“Of course.”

Off to a good start. Maybe this would be easier than she thought.  

“Thank you. It’s so weird, like… I was always told that they look like they’re sleeping… Mom said she’d look like she’s sleeping. She doesn’t look like she’s sleeping. There’s something too still, I think that’s the problem. I don’t know… But she looks good though. You took good care of her.”

“Thank you.”

As the girl gently stroked her sister’s hair, Olivia started crying. No, not crying, sobbing. Normally, this is the point Gigi took a step back. Instead, she stayed by her side and handed her a box of tissues.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Just as it seemed as though Olivia was calming down, she started crying harder than before. Gigi comfortingly rubbed the girl’s back. In response, the girl hugged Gigi. She didn’t hug Olivia back, but simply stood as the girl got tears on her favorite shirt.

“Sorry,” Olivia mumbled as she pulled away.

“It’s okay.”

“I can’t believe my baby sister is gone,” Olivia whispered.

Gigi could only take so much in one day, and by now wasn’t sure how to comfort the girl, other than with honesty. As she led Olivia to a chair she said, “I’m sorry. This is horrible, but it gets easier, the grief you’re feeling. Soon, you’ll be able to think about the good memories, instead of seeing her like this.”

“Really?”

Gigi nodded. The two of them sat together wordlessly until others started to file in the room.

“Thank you for listening to me,” Olivia said, hugging Gigi once more.

Gigi hugged back this time. “Of course.”

With the visitation well under way, Gigi took her spot in the back corner as she watched the family interact with one another. Nia’s loved ones were overcome with grief. Somehow, the entire time, Olivia managed to not only remain calm, but also was able to calm down her family members.

Right as Gigi was watching Olivia and another girl her age talk, Gigi felt the familiar urge to feed. She shut her eyes and clenched her first, desperately trying to ground herself.

Not now.

Somehow, Olivia noticed and came over. “Gigi? Are you okay?”

Gigi nodded. “Just ate something bad at lunch, I guess. Give me a minute?”

She walked off before waiting for a response. Once she made it into the prep room, she swirled the blood like a glass of wine. The thought of drinking the blood of someone who she knew something about made it almost difficult to drink. Almost.

The rest of the visitation was uneventful, but the entire time, Gigi kept watch over Olivia, making sure that she was okay.

Before she left, Olivia approached Gigi. “Thank you again. For everything.”

Gigi smiled as the girl walked away, not realizing Jackie was watching.

“Wow, you didn’t get a single complaint! Also, I could tell you were really good to that girl.”

“I just hate filing. That’s all,” Gigi said coolly as she walked away.

Even though Gigi knew that she had a lot of work to do, she sat at her desk, thinking. Absentmindedly tapping her pen against her desk, all she could do was think about the the past few hours.

Gigi knocked on the door of Jackie’s office. “Would you like to go home early? I have plans.”

Jackie raised an eyebrow. “You? Plans?”

“Do you want to go home or not?” Gigi snapped.

Jackie laughed. “Yes. It’s date night.”

“Every night with you and your wife is date night.”

“Come over for dinner sometime. Jan loves to cook and always makes way too much.”

Usually on the nights that Gigi had to hunt, she didn’t get ready as soon as she got home. Tonight was different, and she hated that it was because the thought of seeing Crystal excited her. She didn’t even know if Crystal would be there. For all she knew, she was getting her hopes up for nothing.

Normally, she did her makeup similarly to how she would do the makeup on a body of someone her age. It was natural and simple, but with some added eyeliner. Tonight she decided to do something new. Gigi hadn’t worn elaborate makeup since the 1980’s when she had her Madonna phase. As she opened the single eyeshadow palette in her possession, she realized she had no idea how to do makeup the way girls did in this decade.

Thank God for the Internet. Three and a half makeup tutorials later, Gigi was well-versed in cut creases and halo eyes.

Watching the makeup tutorials passed the time. By the time she finished, she was right on schedule. Staring into her closet, Gigi realized she suddenly hated every article of clothing she owned, eventually settling on a fitted leather jacket over a tank top.

Just as she always did, she took her same spot at the bar as she watched the patrons interact with one another. After silently judging the passerby, she found her mark, an athletically-built man who was a few years older than Gigi’s physical age.

Just as she was about to make her move, she felt a tap on the shoulder. Gigi was pleased to see Crystal standing in front of her. Taking her in from head to toe, Gigi saw how beautiful she looked, and appreciated her bravery in outfits and makeup.

“Hey!” Crystal greeted. “You’re out again.”

“So are you.”

“What happened the other night?”

Gigi shrugged. “Sorry about that. I realized that I had to go feed my cat, and now that I’m saying that, I’m hearing just how pathetic that sounds.”

Crystal laughed. “Your cat caused you to run away directly after making out with me and then biting down on my neck like a fucking vampire?”

Gigi stared at Crystal.

“I’m kidding.”

Gigi forced a laugh as she sat on a barstool. “I know.”

Crystal took the stool next to hers. “I’m glad it wasn’t me that made you run away.”

It was 100 percent you.

“Of course it wasn’t!”

“Good,” Crystal smiled.

After an awkward silence, Gigi asked, “Do you want a drink?”

“Sure.”

“What do you drink?”

“Jack and coke.”

Gigi waved the bartender down. “Two Jack and cokes please.”

Alcohol had absolutely no effect on a vampire. In fact, it tasted disgusting as most human food did. She’d only drank it a handful of times for appearance sake. Normally it was champagne or wine, she’d never had whiskey before, or Coke the way it was now. The thought of things being sweetened with corn instead of sugar was disturbing to Gigi.

The bartender set the two drinks on the bar as Gigi set a twenty on the table. Money accumulated when one had unlimited time and a high-paying job.

“Keep the change,” Gigi instructed.

“You tip so generously. You must be in the service industry.”

“Kind of,” Gigi said as she tentatively took a sip of the drink. Gigi had no idea what to expect, but she fully didn’t expect it to taste like fizzy paint thinner. As much as she tried, she couldn’t hide her facial expression.

“Not a whisky person?”

“Not quite.”

“You didn’t have to order what I ordered,” Crystal laughed.

“I’m not a big drinker. I never know what to order.”

“Got it. Also, how do you kind of work in the service industry?”

Gigi tapped the rim of the glass. “I’m a funeral director.”

“I mean, you’re servicing dead people.” Crystal realized how her words sounded. “Oh, shit. I mean. Uh…”

This made Gigi laugh. “I know what you mean.”

“Excuse me, I have to go walk off a cliff.”

Never had Gigi met a human she actually liked, even Jackie she merely tolerated. But, for some reason there was something about Crystal that drew her like a moth to a flame. Between that, and her attempt to be less callous, she was interested in continuing the conversation.

“No, don’t do that, you’re far too interesting.”

“You’re pretty interesting yourself,” Crystal said as she took a sip.

“You think so?”

Gigi had been called many things over the past century, but “interesting” was never one.

“Well, first of all, you work at a funeral home, which is cool as hell, second, you’re probably the baddest bitch here, and it’s like you don’t even know it.”

Yes I do.

“What do you do for work?” Gigi asked, not knowing quite how to respond to Crystal’s compliment.

“I’m an art curator.”

“You look like you work at an art museum,” GIgi said.

“Is that a good thing?”

“Yes.” Gigi had no idea what possessed her to ask the next question that came out of her mouth. “Do you want to get out of here?”

“Promise you won’t run away for your cat?”

Gigi smiled, slinging her handbag over her shoulder. “If we’re at my apartment, you can meet my cat.”

“I do love cats… Let’s go.”

The drive to Gigi’s apartment was mainly silent. Halfway through, Crystal placed her hand on Gigi’s thigh and continued to move her hand upward, rubbing deliberate circles with her thumb.

“You’re so cold,” Crystal mused.

“I’m always cold.”

“Just like your bodies.”

Gigi couldn’t help but smile at the offhand comment. “Something like that.”

Crystal continued rubbing small circles as Gigi shifted in her seat. While Gigi had sex in the past, it had been roughly two decades. The thought of possibly having sex soon made her nervous, which was a rare emotion. Why was she thinking about sex? For all she knew, nothing was going to happen… But what if it did?

Before she could think about it for too long, they arrived at Gigi’s apartment.

Gigi had just barely shut the door before Crystal started kissing her, the force behind Crystal’s kisses surprised her. Gigi blindly led them to her bedroom as she took off Crystal’s dress, tossing it aside, admiring her full breasts as she began gently playing with her nipples, focusing her attention on the one that was pierced, the silver jewelry glinting in the light filtering in from the window. As she guided Crystal onto her back, beginning a trail of kisses starting on Crystal’s neck, she felt her fangs protrude.

Fuck.

Thankfully, Gigi managed to retract them as she pulled away.

“Everything okay?” Crystal asked breathily.

Gigi nodded in response.

Crystal bit her lip. “Can I make a request?”

“Yes.”

“Rougher. Make me fucking hurt. Make mebleed.”

“That can certainly be arranged.” The look in Gigi’s eye had become that of a predator eyeing its prey.

Immediately, Gigi pinned Crystal against the bed, who tried to fight back. Crystal’s fighting was in vain, a human’s strength paled in comparison to that of a vampire’s. Gigi had such a tight grip on Crystal’s wrists, she’d cut off the circulation if she maintained the pressure too long. The power imbalance excited Gigi, who returned her attention back to the inviting column of Crystal’s neck.

“You like kissing necks, don’t you?” The question was innocent, a mere observation .

“I like biting necks.”

Gigi knew her next move was a risk, but she bared her fangs. If nothing else, she could glamour the girl and it would be like nothing ever happened. The thought of glamouring Crystal wasn’t appealing, but if she had to do so to keep the girl from panicking, she would do it without a second thought.

Crystal sat up, completely fixated “What… Are those ?”

“Remember when you said I bit your neck like a vampire?”

Crystal only nodded in response, unable to look away from Gigi’s fangs.

“You’re taking this rather calmly,” Gigi mused.

Crystal’s face flushed. “I may have a few… fetishes.”

“Do you now, darling?”

Crystal nodded again.

Gigi raised an eyebrow, lips pouting seductively, making sure her fangs were on full display . “Do you want me to keep going?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want me to bite you?”

Crystal took a moment to reply. “Yes. I think so.”

“You think so?” This was not a good enough answer for Gigi.

“I want you to.”

“Are you absolutely certain?” Crystal didn’t respond, the silence lingered between them before Gigi spoke again. “You need to use your words, darling.”

“Do it. Please.”

Regardless of what Crystal replied, Gigi knew she wasn’t completely sure what she was consenting to. It had always been a desire of Gigi to fuck a girl while drinking from her. Nicky always told her how incredible it was, but Gigi had never become close enough to a human to do so.

Crystal had closed her eyes in anticipation for what was to come. At first, Gigi was going to bite Crystal’s neck, the spot in which she was fixated earlier but then she got another idea. She stroked Crystal’s thighs as Crystal opened them in eagerly as she arched her back, lifting her hips to make it easier for Gigi to remove her thong.

Remembering Crystal’s request, Gigi ripped the delicate lace thong as if it were made of paper and threw the remains on the hardwood floor. Gigi started kissing Crystal’s inner thigh, lightly running her fangs up and down, licking the small droplets of blood left behind, stopping just before Crystal’s entrance, which she teased with her fingertips, feeling just how wet she was.

“Oh, darling is all of this for me?” Gigi licked at her fingers, savoring the taste, only imagining how incredible her sweet blood would taste.

“Just do it,” Crystal moaned.

“As you wish.”

Gigi sank her fangs into Crystal’s thigh as she entered Crystal with three fingers with no resistance, Crystal’s euphoric moan was music to Gigi’s ears as her blood flowed steadily into her mouth. Although she took more than she initially planned, Gigi ensured Crystal wouldn’t die of blood loss as she paused her drinking to murmur to the writhing girl below her.

“Oh, you have no idea what that moaning does to me.”

It didn’t take Crystal long to finish, between the euphoria of her blood being drank, in addition to Gigi’s skillful fingers building her up to her climax, Gigi didn’t have time to use her tongue, much to her disappointment. As much as Gigi wanted Crystal to fuck her, between the blood loss and the intensity of her orgasm, Crystal instantly fell into a deep sleep, her body drained from everything it had endured.

God, I missed sex, Gigi thought as she covered Crystal with the blankets and lightly shut the bedroom door.

[lilacyennefer]

Hurricane — Part 9

A/N: So, I've tried something new in this chapter, you'll see what, and I'm really insecure about it so feedback is appreciated <3

TW: language, blood, mention of death

“I’m gonna be in the hospital for late night, I have some surgeries to do and a bunch of paperwork.” You tell Jax as you pour yourself a cup of coffee. 

“Do you want me to give you a lift?” Jax asks you.

“Maybe. I probably will be really tired.”

“Okay, what time I should pick you up?”

“Uggh, around 11pm, I think.” you say as you take a sip from your coffee. You walk behind Jax and you wrap your free hand around his neck, hugging him and kissing his forehead. Jax turns his face towards yours to kiss you on your mouth, and you both smile into the kiss. Despite the arguments and the violence what happened in the last few days after you got back from Vegas, both of you were in your happy bubble because of your marriage.

“You take care of yourself today.” you mutter against Jax’s lips before you place several small kisses on his lips until both of your smiles grow bigger.

“I will, I promise.” he replies. You drink the rest of your coffee and kiss Jax on the mouth before you head to work.

It’s almost 11pm when you finally finished with the paperwork and you’re stepping out of the building. You stop, look up at the dark sky and close your eyes while you take a deep breath. You’ve been in the building for more than 12 hours, not having any time to have a bigger break. You skim your eyes across the parking lot and see Jax leaning on his bike, smoking a cigarette as he waits for you. He noticed you standing at the door and you feel yourself smiling, he probably can’t see it, but you’re so happy to see him and you finally can wrap your arms around him and kiss him. You start slowly walking towards him when a black car stops in front of you and a man jumps out. His face is covered, but he wears a cut what you would recognise anywhere. He jumps out of the car and you feel a sharp pain under your left breast, and before you could do anything, or react in some way, the man is back in the car and drives away. You hit the floor and the whole world is spinning and the last thing you see and hear is Jax calling your name and running towards you.

Jax’s POV

I’m standing in this fucking corridor since hours and no one came out of the operating room yet to tell us anything. After the car left and Tate fell on the floor, heavily bleeding and barely being alive, I rushed back to the hospital with her in my arms, yelling for help, begging someone to help her. After they took her to the operating room, I called her brother and told him to come here, alone, and don’t tell anyone what happened. We don’t know who wanted to see my wife dead, and until we know things certainly, I don’t want anyone else to know this.

“How is she?” Daniel asked me when he arrived at the hospital.

“I don’t know, no one is fucking telling me anything!” I say angrily, I didn’t care who hears it.

“What the fuck happened exactly?” Dan asked again and I told him what I saw.

“Retaliation?” he whispers. I shake my head.

“The beefs we had are all sorted out. And honestly, who knew about her? I tried to keep her away from all this shit exactly because of this.” I say and I feel tears filling my eyes. “If anything happens to her, I will never forgive this to myself.” Dan places a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it.

“She’s strong as fuck. Nothing will happen, she will be fine.” he says, trying to calm both of us. 

“I feel like this is personal.” I start “If it was aimed at the club, someone else would be here and not Tate. This has to be personal, and whoever did this, I’m gonna find them and kill them myself.” I say angrily and see Dan shift his weight from one leg to his other, hesitating whether he should say what he wants, or not.

“What is it?” I ask him and step closer to him.

“What if it was Clay?” he whispers and I look at him confused, and he continues “It’s not a secret he doesn’t like Tate. He doesn’t like her since she’s here and you two got close, you constantly question his decisions and try to take SAMCRO out of the gun business, and he knows that Tate is behind all of this. And now with you marrying her behind your mother’s back-” he says, but I stop him.

“My mother has nothing to do with this!” I say firmly, and try to be confident, but the truth is, Dan made me think. What if it really was Clay and my mother who did this? 

“Jax, all I’m saying is, someone wanted to see my sister, your wife, dead, and only these people had the reasons for that. Just think about it. With Tate being gone, you’d get angry and the only thing you’d have left is the club, so Clay would get what he wanted. And your mom? We all know that she will never get over this whole wedding thing.” I take a deep breath to calm myself down, but tears are still in my eyes and my heart is racing with fear and anger.

“If it really was Clay, we have to be smart.” I start, but stop when a doctor approached us.

“Mr, Teller?” 

“Yes, that’s me. How’s my wife?” I ask nervously.

“The bullet damaged her heart a bit, we did everything we could, and now we wait for her to recover. If nothing will happen in the next 48 hours, then she’ll make it, so will the baby.” He says and I felt myself relax a bit, but when he says the last words I freeze.

“Baby?” I ask “What baby?”

“Your wife is 5 weeks pregant. You didn’t know it?” the doctor says. Pregnant? Tate is pregnant? Did she know it? My head keeps spinning with questions, and I have to sit down for the first time since hours.

“No.” I mutter, and I hear Dan thank the doctor and ask if we can see her, and he says only one of us can, then he leaves.

“Jax.” Dan calling my name snapped me out of my thoughts. “You okay, man?”

I shake my head “I didn’t know she was pregnant.” I whisper. I feel Dan’s hand on my shoulder, squeezing it.

“Go and see her.” he says and I look up at him.

“Are you sure?” I ask, but he just nods.

“You need this more than I do. I know her, and I know how strong she is, besides, she’s pregnant with your child.” The words ‘pregnant’ and ‘child’ keep echoing in my mind. I get up from the chair and nod, and I start walking towards the room where Tate is. When I step in, I can’t help, but start crying as I see her laying there, looking really weak and hooked on all these machines what keeping her alive right now. I sit down on the chair what’s next to her bed, and I take her small hand in mine gently, lacing our fingers together. I place a kiss on it gently, and her hand is so cold, so different from her usual warm skin. I keep crying as I look at her, feeling sad, angry, worried, and guilty at the same time. I can’t stop thinking about that I should’ve gone to the door and wait for her there, if I was there, maybe I could see who did this, or it wouldn’t happen at all. I keep thinking that it’s all my fault, and I’m the reason why my love and my unborn child is laying here, fighting for their life. I can’t lose her, she’s my everything. This last almost 2 years has been my happiest, best years of my life. At first I wasn’t expecting to love her this much, but the more time I spent with her and I got to know her, I kept falling for her harder and harder, until I can’t exist without her, I feel like nothing makes sense when she’s not next to me. I feel like I never actually told her how much she means to me, sure I always told her I love her and she means a lot to me, but I never knew how to show her how much she actually means to me. And now she’s here fighting for her life, and our baby's life. Baby. A child. We’re gonna have a baby. I have so many questions about this, I wonder if Tate knew, or if she wants this child. If we were in any other situation, I would panic and freak out, not sure I’d want to be a dad yet, but right here, right now, I want my wife and child to be fine, I want to raise this baby with my wife, the love of my life. 

“Please forgive me.” I mutter against her soft hand. “I’ll try to do a better job at keeping you and the baby safe, just please, don’t leave me.” I cry against her hand, and place a soft kiss on it. Dan and I spend the night at the hospital, next to Tate.

“Do you have any plan?” Dan asks me. I shake my head.

“We will wait until she wakes up, maybe she remembers something.” I answer. 24 hours have passed since Tate got into the hospital, and things have been okay, she’s stable, so we only can hope that she’ll stay like this in the next 24 hours. Dan and I never left her side, which earned angry phone calls from Clay and other club members, but none of us cared at the moment. Even my mother called me to ask what’s going on, but I told her to leave me alone right now. Not long after some phone calls, Dan and I see Chibs and Opie heading towards us. 

“What the hell are you guys doing here?” Chibs asks. Dan and I look at each other, silently discussing if we should tell them what happened. If anyone else who I trust now that’s Chibs and Opie, so I start talking. 

“I need you guys to promise me that, what we’re about to say, stays between us. No one can know it.” I say firmly and they both nod, so I continue “Tate got shot last night. Right here in front of the hospital. A black van passed in front of her before she fell on the floor, almost dead. We don’t know who did this, but we have a good tip.”

“Shit, Jackie. How’s she?” Chibs asks.

“Still critical. We still have the next 24 hours to see if she and the baby will be fine.”

“Baby?” Opie and Chibs ask at the same time. I nod, a small smile tugging at the corner of my lips, but it fades quickly when I remember they both can be gone anytime.

“Just figured she’s pregnant, the doctor told us after the surgeries.”

“Shit. I hope both of them will be fine, man.” Opie says and I nod, and say ‘thank you’. 

“So, who do you think did it?” Chibs whispers as he steps closer to me.

“We want to wait until Tate wakes up, to make sure we’re right, but we have a good guess that it was Clay.” Both have a shocked expression on their face with a bit of doubt. 

“You guys know exactly how fed up Clay was with me, and it’s Tate who stood behind this. This wasn’t retaliation, it was personal.” 

“It would make sense.” Chibs says, quietly. We keep standing there, none of us says a word, but I can see Chibs and Opie thinking about what I said. 

“Jackie.” Chibs breaks the silence “You stay with her. Opie and I will make sure that Clay will leave you alone until Tate wakes up. The same goes to you, Dan.”

“Thank you.” I say gratefully.

“We have never been here. Never found the two of you.” Opie agrees with Chibs.

“By the way, how did you guys found us?” Dan asks.

“The bikes.” Chibs points out.

“Right.” I nod. Chibs and Opie left a little bit later, meanwhile Dan and I stayed next to Tate, hoping for the best.

Tag list: @innerpaperexpertcloud @lady-evans @agirllovespasta @claudiahxrdy @mheart27 @oldstuffnewstuff (message me, comment, or send an ask if you want to get tagged)

[julia-highstorms]

About Love (Bryce x Rei (F!MC))

Summary: It's the beginning of the second year and Rei and Bryce steal little time together.

Author’s note: Open Heart is back which means more Bryce x Rei! Plus, Marina's new song for To All The Boys - P.S.: I Still Love You is just perfect for Rei. This piece takes place in Open Heart Book 2 Chapter 1. Find more about these two on my masterlist

Song: About Love - MARINA

Disclaimer: Characters and dialogues belong to Pixelberry Studios.

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Bryce x F!MC (Rei Sato)

Word count: 2K

Rei Sato couldn't believe it. She had made it to second year of Edenbrook.

The young doctor knew things wouldn't be easy, but she didn't expect it would be that challenging. But what mattered was that everything turned out okay. Great, even. She learned so much and did what she had proposed herself to do: help people, save people, cure people. One way and another.

And she met all types of people - among doctors and patients - and the most amazing and brilliant people during her first year journey. 

And of course that included Bryce Lahela.

She hadn't expected she would meet someone like him. Much less that she would get so whipped by him in a such short time.

But she got. She fell in love with that scalpel jockey during the course of that year.

"So? What are you up to, Sato?" - Jackie asked her. They were in the middle of the Donahue's, deciding on what they were going to do. Bryce had proposed them to explore the city. Jackie was starving and ready for a midnight snack. Sienna and Elijah were heading home, both tired by the events of the day. 

Rei wasn't ready to go home yet. She looked at the young surgeon direction.

"A walk with my favorite surgeon resident sounds… perfect." - and blushed slightly.

"Lucky me." - Bryce winked at her, making the young medical resident blush harder.

Neither of her roommates was surprised by her answer. It was pretty obvious, actually. Everyone knew there was something going on between them, even though they had never told anyone what exactly it was.

My head gets messy when I try to hide

The things I love about you in my mind

"Just don't stay out too late… Aurora's dropping off the rest of her stuff before work tomorrow." - Sienna reminded her as Rei followed Bryce outside the bar. Together, they walked down the quiet street side by side. 

"So Aurora's moving in… how are you feeling about it? I know you guys didn't have a good start." 

"It's going to be… interesting, for sure. But she does seem to be grateful that we proposed to her to live with us. I'm not expecting much, just letting it be, you know? Plus, we didn't have much choice. We were desperately in need of another roommate, that apartment's rent isn't cheap. We couldn't afford it just the four of us."

If Bryce didn't like his own place so much, it was more than obvious that Rei would have invited him to live with her and their friends. But she knew the young surgeon well enough to know that he liked having his personal space all to himself. 

He had a lot of secrets. Bryce Lahela was a mysterious guy.

And that was part of why Rei had never told her friends what she exactly had with Bryce. Because she herself didn't know exactly what they had. If it was just a fling or if they were dating. 

Although to her it had never been a fling and Bryce himself knew that fact and said that it wasn't to him either. They got attached to each other since their first day as interns at Edenbrook. It had been practically a year. But either way, they had never defined what they were having. Rei wasn't sure if they were exclusive either. He obviously was to her. She wasn't one to crush easily and… well, Bryce got all her attention since that very start. 

But yes. They had never talked about them. She had even had that conversation with Dr. Ramsey. With the Dr. Ethan Ramsey, her mentor. Oh God, just thinking about it made her cringe. He was her attendant the previous year and, somehow, started caring about her differently than he cared about all the other interns. But for her, Ethan was and would always be a mentor. Maybe a friend, even. But that was it.

But she and Bryce… they had never had the talk. And probably wouldn't have too soon.

Rei Sato knew she loved that scalpel jockey. She wouldn’t know when exactly she fell in love with him. And yet, she knew exactly when she fell in love with him. 

I don't really know a lot about love

A lot about love, a lot about love

One day, they were just good friends. Who liked to make out and, hmm, hook up occasionally. And then, poof! She was thinking to herself, “you know, if I would have to choose a partner, I’d pick one just like him”. And then, the thought of being someone “like him” turned into just “him”. “I would like it to be him”.

They always talked to each other. Texted each other. It was something ordinary. But then, at some point, it became extraordinary to her. She would feel in the clouds whenever he talked to her first. She would feel like the luckiest and happiest being on Earth. A cheeky smile would be on her face all day long after just bumping into him down the hospital corridors. 

And those little moments they shared. Whenever he made her laugh. Especially when she absolutely mustn’t laugh. Whenever he shared his chocolate bar with her between patients. All those times he just patiently listened to her while she ranted and whined about something. How he always helped and been there for her. Supported her. 

Whenever she had time to rest a little, it was his face that would come up to her mind. "What's Bryce doing now? I hope he's okay", these type of thoughts would occupy her head. 

Yes, she loved him that much.

But you're in my head, you're in my blood

And it feels so good, it hurts so much

Rei noticed that they had reached the Charles River Esplanade.

"So, what are we really doing?"

"What do you mean? This." - the surgeon gestured to the calm and silent park around them.

"What? Party god Bryce Lahela has no late-night adventure planned? No crazy underground club nobody's ever heard to take me to?" - she teasingly asked him, but the surprise was real on her face. He chuckled softly.

"Is it so strange for me to just want a pleasant walk with you?" - he watched a coy smile forming on her lips. 

"A little, yeah."

Bryce grinned at the medical resident fully, his smile reaching his eyes, as dazzling as ever. 

"'Party god Bryce Lahela' is completely wiped from work." - Rei noticed for the first time that night the dark circles around his eyes. She knew he had been working non-stop, but that was the first time she genuinely saw Bryce tired. Just a bit. - "But he's not ready to go home just yet." - he winked at her. 

"Well, I'm glad. It's nice to finally get you alone." - although Rei turned her face down, Bryce noticed her cheeks getting a shade pink as the words left her mouth. - "You haven't been around as much lately, with all your surgeries." - she also put a strand of her long dark hair behind her ear, like she would always do whenever she felt a bit shy. He had always noticed those cute little gestures of her, since that first day.

"It's hard being so in demand, but it's a burden I'm willing to bear."

"So… have you gotten to see your family at all?"

That confident smirk of his vanished from his face right away. The young surgeon hesitated a bit, before shrugging off.

"Nah." - Rei knew that was a delicate topic - she didn't exactly know why, but it was -, but she asked anyway.

"You didn't go home for the holidays, either." 

For someone as close to her family as Rei was, being away from them during the holidays felt like a punishment to her. She practically had to beg Ethan to let her get a few days off from the hospital to see her family. "Just because you're our #1 intern", was all he said when he finally agreed. Rei then took the first flight back to Oregon and spent both Christmas and the New Year with her parents, grandparents, uncles and cousins. She even got to meet her little cousin-practically-brother Tomoichi's adorable girlfriend, Julia.

But Bryce… he spent the holidays in Boston, working almost everyday. Although people avoided scheduling surgeries during that period.

"You keeping tabs on me?" - Bryce grinned, changing the topic. Rei knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't tell her anything about his family. Just not yet.

She smiled back at him.

"Just casually noticing certain trends."

"Think I get lonely without you?" - that was so typical of him. Taking any chance to flirt with her.

Not that she minded. Not at all. 

"Maybe…" - he watched that silly smile of hers spreading on her face. 

They walked in peaceful silence together under the moonlight. She glanced down at his hand before shyly slipping her hand into his. Bryce didn't look down, but she saw the corners of his mouth turning up into a smile, as his strong fingers laced hers. His hand was warm. 

They kept walking along the riverbank of the Charles, watching the moonlight shimmer on the placid surface. Bryce suddenly stopped, gazing out at it, a smirk growing on his face. 

"What are you thinking about? I see those gears of yours turning." - he faced her.

"I know I said I just wanted to walk with you, but I just had an idea." - his eyes were sparkling, and he grinned mischievously. - "Feel like a midnight swim?"

"In the Charles?" - he nodded.

"It is the cleanest city river in the country. And the temperature won't stay this warm for much longer." - Bryce started reasoning with her, like only him was able to do. 

"Okay, okay… but only if you strip first." - there was much of spontaneity that Rei would do, but taking her clothes off alone right in the middle of the night was too much. He would have to do it first as a precaution.

"Of course. It's the gentlemanly thing to do." - Bryce turned to her, peeling his sweater and shirt over his head, confidently revealing his chiseled torso. - "You're gonna come in with me, right? You're not gonna steal my clothes and make me walk home in my underwear?" - she burst out laughing.

"Don't tempt me."  

"Oh, I'm definitely trying to tempt you."

Rei rolled her eyes as the surgeon dived off of the embankment like an Olympic swimmer, slipping beneath the surface.

"Such a show off." - she thought to herself. Bryce emerged a moment later, slick and wet, smoothing his hair back out of his face. - "Oh God, he looks like a God."

"Well? You coming or not?"

The resident glanced around the empty riverwalk to check if it was really empty and quickly stripped down too.

"Look out below!" - she jumped right after him, the water cool and refreshing, and the surface of the river glittering in the moonlight. - "It's a little chilly." - Bryce rolled his eyes.

"Wimp." - but he swayed closer, bringing her into his arms, holding Rei close in his warmth. They floated together, staring into each other's eyes, fond smiles on their faces. 

Letting herself go, she pressed her lips to his, her eyes fluttering closed. Bryce kissed her back, and she sank into his kiss, letting the cool void of the river embrace them both.

At long last, they pulled back.

"Now, look who's spontaneous." - Bryce murmured, grinning at her, his eyes shining.

"Come on, you orchastrated that from the start."

"I'll never talk. My lips are sealed." - Rei giggled softly.

"Oh yeah? We'll see about that."

And she leaned in and kissed him once more… And more and more...

I don't really know a lot about love

A lot about love, a lot about love

When it started getting too cold, the young residents got out of the river and quickly dried themselves, before putting back on their clothes.

Bryce accompanied her to her home, even though he lived the other way. It was those little things, those simple gestures he shared with her that Rei Sato loved about Bryce Lahela so much.

"Good night, Rei. And happy New Year." - he whispered to her and leaned in for a last kiss, before she closed the door of her asleep apartment.

But you're in my head, you're in my blood

And it feels so good, it hurts so much

Tagging: @brightpinkpeppercorn @pixelburied @nyastarlight @endlessflame @awkwardalbatros @choicesarehard @strangelycami @stillafictosexual @queen-among-writers @indiacater @worldofchoices @radlovedreamer @fairydustandsarcasm @choicesthot @blackreddish @lilyofchoices @fluffywhitehair @weaving-in-words @eileendannie @hellooliviaolivia @professorortegasstudent @bucket-harrington @god-save-the-keen @choices97 @brycelahellyeah @sawyer0akleyscowboyhat @thequeenchoices @hellomynameisdevi @dreaming-of-movies @maria-lahela @zodiacsign1 @omgjasminesimone @miss-raleigh-carrera @awkwardalbatros (if you would like to be tagged in upcoming Bryce x MC fanfics, tell me!)

[imalwaysaslutfordrag]

My love, my brightest star, my Macie, I came to ask for more of Jan/Jackie Detective AU, because it's my new definition of happiness and I need it to breathe. Could that be arranged?

I had no intention of continuing this verse, but after brainstorming with you the other day and getting such lovely responses, I couldn’t very well say no. Especially not to you, my love.

So here’s a bit more from the Jan/Jackie Detective AU. This drabble takes place right after the last one.

Crystal coughed after about a minute of tense silence, “You two know each other?” She asked, innocently, ignorant of the connotations with how Jan and Jackie met.

“No.”

“Yes.”

Jan and Jackie both said at the same time.

Crystal just looked between them and figured, rightly so, that it was probably best to not go there just yet. “Anyway...” She tried to steer the conversation away, turning to address Jan, “you’re gonna wanna see page six of the weekend report.”

Jan, who was doing her part not to let the mixture of shock and irritation at seeing Jackie again affect her, flipped through the folder to page six. 

She skimmed the report, violence with their local group again. The bank heist from the previous week still fresh in Jan’s mind, she flipped the page over and her jaw dropped of its own accord. 

“Nicolette wants to meet with you.”

“Yes, I have eyes, Crystal,” Jan snapped, she glanced up at Jackie to see her reaction. The older woman just smirked to herself.

“Sorry, ma’am,” Crystal spoke softly.

Jan couldn’t help but wonder aloud, mind racing with possibilities, “Why the hell now? We’ve been trailing her father for nearly six years.”

“Because I reached out to her,” Jackie called from her seated position in Jan’s chair at Jan’s desk. The arrogance with which Jackie spoke was far too much for Jan’s taste. The way Jackie had propped her feet up, no mind paid to who’s feathers she was rustling, and how she leaned back so cavalierly, made Jan’s blood boil. 

Jan knew she was being hypocritical, just a few nights ago all that ego and confidence had been downright addicting. 

Now it was just irritating. And maybe a tiny bit sexy still.

The unadulterated rage that pooled in Jan’s gut was immediate. “You did what now?”

Jackie stood up from Jan’s desk and swaggered over to the other two women, “Sent her a letter offering immunity for her to snitch, which I’m surprised you hadn’t tried before.”

Jackie’s tone was, smug, callous, arrogant, grating on Jan’s last damn nerve. 

She was so angry she couldn’t speak properly. “You can’t just- who the hell- why would you-”

“Well it worked, didn’t it?” Jackie smiled smugly to herself. “She’s agreed to meet with us later this week at some remote location. I’ll text you the details.”

Crystal made the mistake of opening her mouth, “She has your number-”

“Crystal!” Jan cut her off.

“Crystal,” Jackie addressed the young trainee, “would you like to come with us to the meeting?”

“M-me?”

Jackie raised one eyebrow as if to say ‘are you really going to make me repeat myself?’

Crystal looked to Jan for permission, but the younger agent was too busy glaring at Jackie.

“Y-Yes, I would.”

“Lovely,” Jackie said, closing the issue. She looked to Jan who was still glaring at her and shot her a wink, causing Jan to glare even harder if that was possible. Crystal stood there for an uncomfortable amount of time before Jackie turned to address her, “Is there something you’re meant to be doing?” She said by way of dismissal. 

Crystal nodded and scurried out of the office.

Not a second after the door had closed, Jan was up in Jackie’s face. “I don’t know who you think you are-”

Jackie cut her off, commanding tone and smooth syllables demanding Jan’s attention, “I was the woman that had you on your back not three nights ago begging for release.”

Jan opened her mouth to argue, ignoring the flare of arousal in her gut for now, in favor of tearing Jackie to pieces, but the older woman interrupted her, “I also happen to be your partner on this case, so I suggest not getting on my bad side this early on, darling.”

Jackie was dangerous. Jan knew it. Knew it from the moment they met and still, she had run right to it. 

So maybe Jan had a thing for danger. She also had a thing for power, and she would be damned if some bottom level agent would come into her case and start calling the shots. No matter how good she was in bed. 

“I’d recommend the same.”

[twelverose]

till the sun comes shining through (1/?)

It's a life of working hard and playing harder. Rose is the daughter of an old family trying to keep up with modern times. James is the boy of a family who left for easier living. It was natural for them to collide. Rodeos and events keep them on their toes, pushing them closer. All they know is they have a life to lead and it's better with two.

Rating: Teen (Some sexual implications, mild violence)

Pairing: Twelve/Rose

WC: 2.9K

TW: Mild violence, drinking.

A/N: It’s a cowboy au bc i love writing about things inspired by my own life babey. yeehaw.

Song: Cause I Love You - Johnny Cash (Title) and What Was I Thinkin’ -  Dierks Bentley (Chapter)

Read on Ao3

Chapter One: Come and Get Me Grin

What was I thinkin'

Oh, I knew there'd be hell to pay

But that crossed my mind a little too late

_______________________

Rose Tyler was the most beautiful girl James had ever seen. He decided that years ago. He was a year older but the same class as her in high school. Keeping at least an acquaintance with her for the first two years. Before their junior year where they really got to talk at a party. He’d been chasing her ever since. And she had fun leading him.

Her family bought the old McCrimmon ranch before she was born.  Her father was a cowboy legend. Raised to ride bulls and that he did. Winning enough by riding in the PBR to be able to invest in more land at the age of twenty. They raised cattle and trained horses. Her mother was a champion of her own. Training and riding horses in world class events. Rose stayed humble though. She was carefree. No restraint in her friendliness or attitude. It was a warm welcome in James’s life.

His family wasn’t a fan of the friendship. Especially once they sold their farm.

When she told him to meet her at the front gate of her property, he stumbled over his okay. It was a given. He wasn’t one of the idiots to say no to her. Or maybe he was the idiot to say yes. There was a rumor that Pete Tyler was more than a bull rider. Something to do with another guy and Jackie. James never asked about it. It was just something that came back around whenever word got around that Rose was going on a date in high school. 

But they weren’t in high school anymore. And he was glad that he wouldn’t have to hear it again. Especially since his nerves were already on fire, sitting at the edge of the Tyler property.

When she climbed over the gate, he knew he was in trouble. But didn’t really think about what it meant.

“You might wanna drive,” She said as she hopped into his passenger seat, “I think dad heard me.”

“What?”

“Wait another minute or two and you’ll see why.”

So he did. Not sure if it was because he felt the need to prove himself or to see if the rumors about her dad were true. Maybe it was both. But the sound of a shotgun made him kick the truck into drive,

“What the fuck?”

She shrugged and smiled, “It was an actual warning, y’know?”

Rose was wearing a tank top that belonged in an early 2000s horror movie. It was a size too small and showed off her midriff. He wasn’t complaining. Especially when she made an obvious move to sit in the middle seat to change the radio station. James found himself clenching his jaw. Just to make sure none of the stupid thoughts going through his mind came out. Not that there were many there at all. 

During the commercials between songs, they caught up. They hadn’t really spoken like they used to since graduating. Both of them falling into work. James was a farmhand at several ranches. Rose was working with her mom and dad. Taking care of cattle and training horses.

She talked about a new horse until she realized what road they were on. He didn’t even realize. Until her entire mood shifted slightly. Into something that made his cheeks turn red.

“What have you got planned for us tonight?” She asked, batting her eyes.

“Oh, the Amber Tree is doing somethin’ tonight. I think a band is playing? I’m really not that sure.” He tried to sound cool and confident. 

She smirked at him, “Who told you that?”

“What d’you mean?”

“I know how you boys work. You talk to each other to figure out the hottest spot. Who’d you talk to?”

He pretended to be offended, slapping his hand over his heart and glancing at her with a sigh, “You think I’m boring? Let me show you a bit of fun tonight then.”

She laughed, “You think I would’ve asked you out if I thought you were going to be boring?”

He pressed down further on the gas and grinned at her, “I sure hope not.”

The highway they had turned onto went through a forest until a railroad crossing. The music echoed back at them through the tunnel of trees. She seemed to know every song on the radio. Unlike him, he could only pick out a few. She didn’t seem to notice. Singing to him or out the window, grabbing his arm to get him to look at her. 

He tried to keep his eyes on the road. Luckily he knew it like the back of his hand. Because she was determined to make him look and keep him looking.

Once they got past the train tracks, she hung out the side window for a bit, whooping at the moon. He laughed and whooped with her. It was all so natural. It was fun. The most fun he’s had in months. It made some type of warmth pump through his veins. And all he wanted was more of it.

  And that he got. 

When they crossed the county line, blue and red lights flashed behind him. Rose slid back in with a wide smile and looked at him like she was saying, “Well, prove what you got.” So he did. Changing the gear and swiftly pulled off into a field. The wind whipped through her hair, wisps of it stinging his face. She kept looking behind them, telling him how far behind the cop was. He wasn’t worried. He hoped he’d remember to tell her that he’d done this a few times. And his best story of one of those times.

He really did try to avoid the crops. Although he heard at least one stock of corn get caught underneath him. The other side of the field was a dirt road, which he tore out onto. 

“Why don’t you go faster, cowboy?”

If he had to give an excuse or reason to go faster, he would’ve had to blame the testosterone spike those words caused. And usually, he’d try to keep in line. But if she was asking, then James would just have to do it.

The smile he got in response was worth it. A tongue-touched grin. James decided that he’d probably do anything for another smile like that.

It was another five minutes of loud music and speeding before they made it to the bar. It was already busy. Nine at night would do that to places like these in small towns. Especially when there was a promise of live music and fights. Although, fights weren’t on the posters.

He wiped his palms on his jeans and looked back at her, “Ready?”

“As long as you can keep up.”

They were both technically underage. Technically because the bar didn’t care nor did it really have enough staff to do so. The bar itself was full of old timers. The ones who were found there every night and knew everyone and their father. They were the first ones to ask what Rose was doing there.

“Does your father know?” He tilted up his hat.

Rose shook her head,  “And I hope he doesn’t find out.”

The man chuckled and went back to who he was talking to originally. James felt a wave of anxiety go through him. Afraid of what that conversation would lead to for him.

“He’s not gonna tell him, right?” James asked while he paid for their beers.

“You better hope he doesn’t. You’re already in trouble.”

Her wink told him that she was more of the trouble than her dad. Even if he knew the more trouble he got into with her meant only more from her dad.

He didn’t let that stop them from dancing though. It was a honky-tonk band. It was hot and sweaty in the middle of the room. He knew that. But he didn’t know when he lost the button down he was wearing over his t-shirt. He didn’t care. She was so focused on him that he had no choice but to return it. 

They were close. A lot closer than they’ve been when they danced at parties. Her chest against his. Her hands running up and down his back. This time, there wasn’t one of her friends to pull her away because she was busted. Or one of his to tell him he better lay off or he was in deep shit. They did what they’d been waiting to do. And she knew the perfect way to do it.

He was on fire. Because that’s what she did to him. Made him red and wild. So, he was just about to finally kiss her when someone shoved him back from her.

James knew who that someone was. They saw each other when he walked into the bar. They both realized what could happen. James figured it would. They both had a reputation that was in due time for testing.

Jimmy Stone was older. He was probably what made Pete Tyler the protective father he is. Once again, if the rumors were true, no one could really shame him for acting the way he did.  There was no question in what Jimmy was capable of, that was given to James. He was fit. He had to be for what he did. But he wasn’t much compared to Jimmy.

“Will you fuck off, Stone?” Rose shouted at him.

He shushed her, “This isn’t about you. Well, it doesn’t have to involve you.”

James took a step forward, “You can stop talkin’ to her like that.”

He saw the fist coming and he let it land. To prove he was just as tough as Jimmy. That’s what he would say tomorrow when he was at work. But right now, he would be stupid to say it didn’t hurt. He could feel the bruise forming when he stood back up straight. He felt the blood from his split lip run down his chin.

“You afraid to fight, pretty boy?”

If it were a movie, he’d probably pop his neck. But instead, he flicked the baseball hat off Jimmy’s head. Dodging the next punch, James managed a land to the middle of the other guy’s gut. But he took the one to his ribcage. Jimmy laughed when James took a step back and groaned.

There was a crowd around them now. He saw someone step out in the corner of his eye. Then felt Rose’s hand on his elbow but he shook it off. He wasn’t one to lose a fight without good reason.

“You ready to regret coming out tonight, Stone?” 

He was cocky. Maybe it was the fact that he hadn’t fallen yet or that Rose was on his side. Then a surge of anger rushed through him. He wasn’t sure where exactly it came from but it slipped out of his mouth with the taste of blood. And the hardest swing he thinks he’s ever thrown.

The crowd around him gasped. Jimmy fell flat on his ass. James laughed, then he spotted the tooth on the ground and grabbed Rose’s hand. Taking off out of the bar. 

As he slid into the driver’s side and started the truck, she slid over the hood. His heart started beating a little faster. When she jumped in, she landed in the middle seat- almost in his lap. That’s when he stopped breathing. 

She gave him a kiss. One that he had been dreaming about for a while now. It was sloppy and deep and warm. It was probably a lot shorter than what it felt. Only stopping when they heard a commotion at the front door.

She slipped away from him with a breathy “Thank you.”

They tore out of the gravel parking lot. He didn’t try to speed on the way home. Wanting to keep her this close for as long as possible. But he got a glimpse of the time and worried about what would be waiting. 

She reminded him that maybe it would be worth it. Distracting him with another kiss when he stopped at the first sign of the night. And then telling him to pull off the road just for a second. Which led to a little more than he expected. 

He had a little more than one bruise now. The rest were a lot sweeter than the first. And his shirt was just as high on his stomach as hers. Hair probably is just as messy too. Though, he didn’t quite pull it off as well as her. Given she laughed at him when he pulled back. 

“You’re a mess.” She laughed, running her thumb over his bottom lip. Focusing on the cut he got in the fight.

“Your fault,” He mumbled, leaning into her hand, “What else am I supposed to do?”

He tried to kiss her again, but she giggled against his lips. Giving him a chaste one before patting his thigh.

“Better get me home before my father decides you’re the next hide on the wall.”

He cursed under his breath. Moving back to his seat and putting the truck in drive. Trying to ignore the feeling of Rose’s hand in his hair and her humming. Those things would probably be the last thing he needed to be thinking about when pulling into her drive.

Which he was against. But she coaxed him into doing it by playing the right cards. The ones he fell sucker to almost every time, especially for her.

Pete Tyler was sitting in the driveway. James knew he was in for it by the look he got when he put it in park. Instead of flying out of the drive like any other person, he got out with Rose. Grabbing her hand. 

Which was arguably the stupidest decision he made all night. Grabbing her hand in front of her father like this wasn’t doing anything for him. Pete just glared at him harder.

Rose gave him a reassuring squeeze. He hoped that her showing fondness for him would save him some skin. The instinct deep in him doubted it would.

Pete glanced down between them, “Did y’all have a good night?”

It wasn’t a pleasantry. But James treated it as one, “Yes sir.”

The two words came out as if he should’ve given them with a salute. He held back the impulse to do so sarcastically.

“You should’ve talked to me beforehand.” He said thickly.

James suddenly felt like he should’ve at least tried to sharpen up  a bit. He felt a bit bare in his untucked shirt, messy hair, and jeans tucked into boots. He held his head high still. There wasn’t any use in putting it down at this point. He would rather be caught looking scared in front of Jimmy Stone.

Rose pulled her hand from his and walked over to her dad. He didn’t fall for her scheme like James, “Rose. Get inside.”

“Why should I?” She tested him, trying to hide her grin.

“It’s nearly 3 am, you still live in my house, and you might as well and go ahead and get your trouble with your mother over with.”

Rose sighed and took a few steps behind Pete but didn’t go inside. He didn’t take his eyes off James. He had the same challenging look that Rose did earlier. James understood what it meant to inherit looks in that moment. Even if they meant different things.

“Your daughter is amazing, sir. I was lucky to get to hang out with her tonight.”

“You sure are. Where’d you get that bruise?”

James struggled for his words, “Uh, Jimmy Stone.”

“Where’d you go to run into him and get that?”

“He’s worse,” That was his attempt in defending himself, “And I’m sure you’ve got another way to find out besides me.”

Pete laughed and shook his head. James let a small smile come to his face. This was the opposite way of doing things for a first date. You meet and talk with the parents first. Not after. He didn’t really mind. Nothing really came smoothly for him. And he liked it that way.

Especially because their conversation ended with a little less of a glare. 

“I’ll let y’all say goodnight. But you better watch what you do, Smith.”

He nodded and Pete walked inside. Silhouette taking a stance by the window. Rose glanced back and tried to shoo it away. But eventually walked back towards him when it didn’t move an inch.

She took his hands, “I had fun tonight.”

“I hope so.” He felt awkward suddenly. Unsure of what could happen next.

“Sorry about Jimmy. And my dad.”

James shrugged, “I wouldn’t ask for anything else. Another great story to tell.”

“You wanna make another great story?”

He couldn’t get out his “What?” before she kissed him. Right there. In front of her dad in the window. Once again he felt like he was on fire. Every nerve in his body was ringing. He was careful to kiss her back, not that he wanted to be.

He was shaking slightly when she stood on her toes to whisper, “It’s okay, he likes you.”

James stood there for a second. Watching her skip back inside. Excited for whatever would come next.

[hollenka99]

The One Where Jackie Nearly Dies

Summary: Chapter 2. Anti has another victim but may need to improvise with his methods.

Warnings: Attempted murder, blood, kidnapping, knives

@badlypostedeverything @bupine

A young man reluctantly stands by as the serial killer lures his next victim. He witnesses their conversation, safely out of their view. As they disappear towards Anti's vehicle, the observer forms a portal. On the other side, he steps into a house full of chatter. Raucous laughter can be heard coming from the living room. The culprits are four men, all planning on getting progressively drunk over the course of the night. The host is the one due to celebrate his 34th birthday the following week. Fortunately for Joel, the evening has only recently gotten under way. The hero he is searching for will have barely affected his blood alcohol levels. Henrik is taken aback when he spots him. The collective surprise leads to Marvin turning his head to check what the fuss was about. "Joel? Way to crash a party, dude." The teleporter stands behind Marvin. Hands on his friend's shoulders, he leans close to his ear. "Go home and suit up. It's Anti." "Are you fucking kidding me? Can that prick not let me have one night to hang out with friends? Fine. Can you get me home?" Marvin mutters back. "Of course." Chase initially protests the departure, claiming no supermarket would ask an employee to work a shift with no prior notice, let alone do so after 8pm. Marvin insists he really does have to leave the party early. As easily as walking through a door, the duo finds themselves in Marvin's flat. Rapid changes have become a mastered skill for the superhero. He tucks all his curls out of his face, kept hidden by the top of his costume. One of these days, he'll stop reminding himself at the most inconvenient time to get a more practical haircut and actually do it. His companion hops back from Ontario in a hoodie and jogging bottoms. Hop may not be the right verb. It looks moments away from being closer to 'stumbles' or 'trips'. Still, Joel keeps his composure and gives Marvin a thumbs up. He's right. Time doubting Joel is simply time wasted. He hasn't let him down in the past. In the appropriate attire, the Magnificent Cat and Warper set off into action. ---- The door won't budge. All attempts to escape prove fruitless. This is where having powers would really come in handy. Jackie would kill for- Okay, maybe he should pick a better choice of phrase. Either way, having enhanced strength would be highly appreciated right now. He won't stop fighting against the locked car door. "Could you please cut that out? If you break something, I'm the one footing the bill." "Good. Should have thought about that before kidnapping someone." "Listen, it's nothing personal. You're just a random guy, you know. The only people who will realise you've vanished are me and possibly that superhero." "That's not as reassuring as you probably think." His head was really suffering now. It kept throbbing severely, causing him to suppress a groan. "Why does my head hurt so much? All you did was trick me." "Ah, yeah, sorry about that. Side effect for people not used to my power when I focus it on them." "I'm about to be killed by a shapeshifter?" "Shapeshifter." The driver clearly finds this humourous. "That's where the police go wrong. I respect their efforts but I can't help but laugh at them. Trust me, I can do so much more than make myself look different. Do you have any powers? Clearly not anything strength-related." Jackie refuses to answer. Anti takes this as legitimate response and continues driving. Anything that most people would likely see as a landmark was lost on him. The most he would be able to comment if he somehow managed to call for help was 'I think it was right at the Sainsbury's and we passed a church sometime after that'. However they get to the office building, Jackie wishes this was where the journey could end. He'd happily walk all the way back to his spot near the high street if it meant keeping his life. With encouragements such as 'I'm sure you would prefer this to be private', Jackie is lead inside. Several floors up, Anti disables security by simply looking at them. Okay, maybe a bit more than a non-shapeshifter then. The killer faces him. "Listen, I'm usually a reasonable guy, you know? I have a job and have a bunch of good interpersonal relationships. But sometimes shit happens. Unfortunately, not everything in life can go smoothly. Everyone has their release. I can smell that you use cigarettes as your method. And me? Well, for some fucking reason, this. Don't ask. Even I'm not entirely sure why I feel so accomplished afterwards." Anti will have to try harder to get a reaction other than a scowl out of him. "Have you ever had someone cheat on you? Because that is probably the one of the shittiest things someone can do to their partner, second only to well, actually abusing them. You ever been through that?" Okay, he has to admit, that threw him off guard. "Uh..." "No, don't deny it. I can see it on your face." Anti smiles. "You stuck around after finding out, didn't you? Wow, I gotta say, I admire you for not confronting her ass the first chance you got." "My personal life is none of your business." "No. No, you're right. I'm sorry. Still..." The murderer admires the knife in his hand. "You seem to have drawn numerous short straws lately. I'll do you the courtesy of not beating around the bush any longer." The trajectory of the knife appears to directed at Jackie's chest. He dodges it enough so the blade only slices his arm. He gets no time to reflect. Anti kicks him in the chest. Stumbling back, Jackie loses his footing and falls to the floor. There's the knife again. Scrambling to rise isn't performed quick enough. Hand around his throat to help secure him, Anti makes the first blow. The knife twists upon departure. The killer acts as if he struggles to retrieve it. All to accentuate the agony. The sequel follows swiftly. With it, the process is repeated. All the while, Jackie's biggest distraction is making himself focus on anything but Anti's hovering face. Then he sits. Nothing more, nothing less. Jackie convinces himself he has a chance of escape. Any attempt he makes to leave is squashed. Pushing his protesting body up with his arms results in a sharp jab of a foot. His second attempt fails with more aggression. Okay, he gets the message. Fuck moving then, except for curling in on himself. He doesn't even notice his face getting damp. "Shh, it's okay. I'll speed things up in a few minutes. Promise. Even get your own stone that I painted myself." Anti stays there, sitting, waiting, observing. He watches as his latest victim steadily grows closer to a point of no return. Something unforeseen halts this activity. Jackie swears he spots a pot plant ignite. A face he's seen before appears. The stranger begins helping him to his feet before promptly abandoning him. Another person lends him their hand in the chaotic midst of a battle. His gratefulness ends as soon as he's upright. A left arm wraps around his front. It pins Jackie's arms to his body and keeps him pressed against Anti. He does his best to focus on how awkward he'd feel this physically close to a stranger in any other situation. Anything to distract from the fact the killer's other arm is busy aiming a knife at his throat. Cat directs a forceful gust at multiple panes of glass. Some shatter from this attack. Threats to introduce fire to Anti's clothes are heard. Anti laughs as he calls the superhero's bluff. As if he was willing to purposefully endanger one life, let alone two. A branch reaches out to the criminal and his hostage. The knife is easily stolen. Anti counts his losses and lets Jackie fall unceremoniously to the floor. "There's an exit there. You should get out if you can." He hears Cat declare as he recovers, pointing the way. Jackie could have sworn he and Anti entered from the other side of the room. However, a lot had occurred in the time since. He hobbles towards the door while grasping his wounds. A hand against the wall assists in guiding him to his destination. The illusion breaks and reforms in such quick succession, it flickers like sunlight while driving past a fence. In the span of a blink the world corrects itself. There's that door again. The heroes are busy. He'll help them out by giving them less to worry about. Anti somehow causes the vigilante duo to stop attacking him. He approaches Jackie, standing a little too close for comfort. Not that there was anything comforting about a serial killer. Please just stop tormenting him. The remaining shards of glass poke him in the back. If he leans back any more, he may receive a third stab wound. The man determined to see him die tonight grips him by the top. Grinning at the two heroes, he tells them "Catch him if you can." and... And oh fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. There is nothing surrounding him expect air. No amount of flailing is going to conjure a last minute object he can grab to save his life. He's really done for now. During all those times he worried if he wouldn't see 25, he hadn't planned for this to be how. He shuts his eyes. What else can he do? Heights have never particularly fazed him. Watching the street grow closer, however, would make anyone fearful. He guesses he should be grateful it's ending like this. This is certainly a faster and less painful method than he expects some people he knew got. He tries to imagine the reunion. Just one of them saying "Slept with the wrong person", to which he'd reply "Got thrown off a building with stab wounds" before they'd all shrug and agree "Well, that's life. What are you gonna do?" He makes impact. It's more dizzying than he thought. The ground groans beneath him. After a few moments of catching their breath, the person below him speaks. Arms have been embracing Jackie since landing. "You hanging in there? Things are going to be alright now." A pause as a head turns. "Of course he'd send us here. Should probably sort out those wounds before anything else. Better go grab my first aid kit." "'M fine. Not the first time I've been attacked." "Buddy, you were stabbed and thrown off a building. Like hell I'm going to let you bleed out in my home. Wait here." Jackie is gently pushed off of Cat and positioned to sit with his back against the wall. The hero is careful not to treat his friend's wounds incorrectly. Jackie doesn't pay much attention as bandages are applied to his arm and torso. His face occasionally gets splashed with water to keep him alert. He's certainly brought back to the here and now whenever Cat applies disinfectant and stitches. "Alright, I get that after all that's happened tonight, you might be wary of me. Do you want me to do the 'say something only you'd know' bit? I'm fine with that." "If you want." "We first met when I offered you a sandwich. Ham, right? Wait no, hang on, that's too generic. Um..." Cat ponders for a second. "How about the time you told me... about your little brother Spencer? He was learning to read the last time you saw him, right?" "Yes." He rewards Cat with a weary thumbs up. He guesses Anti wouldn't know about that. Anti stalking Jackie for weeks seemed doubtful. Cat sighs with a hint of exhaustion escaping unmasked. "There's also the fact I trust you with my secret." He removes the mask to reveal a man with familiar curly brown hair. "Hey, Jackie. Congrats on becoming the 3rd person to know." The two of them sit on the floor, backs against the wall. Tonight had been eventful and they needed a moment. A grey cat missing one of its front legs heads towards them. Marvin's face lights up as he holds his hand out to the cat. "Well, hello there madam. Finally decided to grace us with your presence?" He laughs. "You have a cat?" "Yep. Indie, this is Jackie. He's going to be staying with us for a while. Please be nice to him, okay?" "St- Sorry, staying with you? No, I can't. I-" "I insist. You just went from being on the streets to nearly being murdered. This place has two bedrooms and I'd rather the spare room gets used the way it was meant to. Right now it's just somewhere for dumping clutter or for Joel to crash when he wants to annoy me. All I need to do is change the covers which will take 10 minutes maximum. How long has it even been since you last slept in an actual bed?" "Alright, if you really want me to then thank you, I appreciate it." A hand carefully places itself of Jackie's shoulder. "No problem. I'll get right on that then. Help yourself to water or squash while you wait." Marvin disappears, still wearing his blood stained Magnificent Cat outfit. It is now that Jackie realises how foreign a bed seems after almost 2 months without one. He'd sleep well tonight. If only Marvin had stronger painkillers than Ibuprofen.

[my-brothers-corrupted]

My Brothers, Corrupted

Chapter 2 : Section 7 : Runaways

The outburst of Blue’s power, too strong to be hidden beneath Anti’s careful, means they are no longer secure in their hiding place at the height of the mountain, and Anti no longer cares about making sure his curse is safe before using it. Dapper is breaking down, Red and Blue are on the chopping block for the choice they made, and Anti is struggling desperately to maintain control as he takes his puppets and flees to the north.

Trigger warnings for some of the most severe abuse yet, including manipulation, abuse between brothers, and abuse of a character having a psychotic episode.  I’m telling you right now, this chapter bites. Please be careful.

Find Chapter One here.

Find Chapter Two here.

 Section Seven of Chapter Two: Runaways

Anonymous asked: Trick, Dok, Genesis, anyone? Are you guys okay?

When the signal comes back, your camera seems to be vibrating.

Thud thud thudding rapidly as colors and lights fly by. Mounted on the ledge of a car window, pointing back in towards the other side.

Trick is the only one who looks up at the faint beeping, his eyes wide. He glances towards the front of the car and gives you no answer, stroking his twin’s hair. Dok is sitting on the floor at his feet with the weighted blanket over his shoulders, his forehead pressed against Trick’s thigh so you can’t see his face. Dapper sits beside Trick, his knees drawn up to his chest, his big, teary eyes fixed on the floor. He’s holding his fluffy white bear to his chest, and, from his crooked nose all the way back to his right ear, there is one huge bruise, bright purple and deep black.

They’re traveling somewhere.

Above the driver’s seat, you can see the plastic antlers of Blue’s Christmas gift mask.

Anonymous asked: Just let her go, Chase. She’s got a family just like you do. It’ll alright, love.

Trick turns his face away from you, holding Doktor closer against his thigh. Dapper stares over at you, his mouth in a deep frown and tears slinking down his cheeks. Eventually he shifts, snuffling, and lets you see the golden hilt of that beautiful knife, returned to him now and cleaned of Genesis’s blood.

The car pulls over and stops.

“Okay,” says a flat voice from the front. “Wait here. I’ll get gas.”

Anti’s car door opens and shuts. Nobody moves.

pixie-in-trebleland asked: Where's Red and Blue, guys?

“Front,” mumbles Trick.

Red turns back to you just for a second. His body shakes and no one has bandaged his cuts. He wears that black muzzle on his face - you can tell what it is beneath a thick scarf. He is handcuffed to the car door. You can recognize, by now, the way that guilt looks on him, and you can recognize, by instinct, the look of a man haunted.

Anonymous asked: Still wearing our boy, Anti?

Blue’s palms are a vivid red, not the flaking skin he had before, but burned. They must be painful. Anti sets them to the handle of the filthy gas nozzle and starts loading up the clean little car - stolen more likely than rented, but it hardly matters now.

“I can’t trust him right now,” he says, his voice dark. He seems to take none of his usual joy in it and his eyes are fixed blankly on the nozzle. “But I… I will… I’ll… fix it. Too much power for him.”

He sighs deep and runs his hand through Blue’s hair, singed black on one side. “Mmh… need to put the others back, too. Should I focus on Red or Dap, do you think? None of the medicine seems to be working on my little one, which makes him harder to reign in… but Red was so far off the fucking rails last night… maybe Red, maybe Red…”

Anonymous asked: personally bro I think you should focus on why it is that your whole schtick keeps tanking cuz I think there's some fundamental imbalances here that need to be addressed that you're refusing to acknowledge. or something.

Anti chews on his lip, staring at the gas nozzle.

“Should I… I just… I didn’t expect five to be so much harder than four!”

He pulls at his hair, distressed. “I thought I had taught Red better than that. Maybe I should just go back to four and keep a closer eye on all of them. Maybe I should just kill Trick and be done with it, reset them all and just… I think I could manage that, right? I used to manage Red and Trick and Dok and Dapper so well, they were just sad, and I wanted Blue to change that… but Dok would be a good twin to Dap, wouldn’t he? And Red and Blue would still be able to guard like Trick does. Maybe I should just give up on having the full set like I always wanted. Ship Trick’s body back to Jack and make him cry. I hate… I know he did this just to make it harder for me!”

Anti breaths in and then shakes his head at himself, pulling the nozzle out of the car. “No, no, no. Once I cull Blue’s power off I won’t have to be so worried about hiding them all the time and I can put all five of them back in their neat little lines. I can still do this. I just need to keep them away from the magical orders. If the Lapwings couldn’t protect Marvin from me, the Ravens won’t be able to help them either. I just need to do what I came to this country to do and then we can go again, and no one will take my pets from me.”

Anonymous asked: You read one book and suddenly you're able to take on who-knows-how-many magicians? You barely handled blue back in Norway and he hardly know what he was doing. What are you going to do against people that are actually trained?

Anti growls at you. “You are underestimating, first of all, what a goddamn little powerhouse this stupid brat is. Hardly knew what he was doing? He was one of the most accomplished magicians in the UK, you dumb fucks. Anyway, he would have been easy to kill - it’s just that I didn’t want my new pet dead.”

He snarls down at the gas nozzle and shoves it back into the tower. The electric little screen reading “S/.116.030″ glitches and the number disappears.

“These little thieves who are trying to take what belongs to me have no such guarantee. I will slaughter anyone who comes near them.”

nikkilbook asked: Yes, because literally the only possibly reason Jack could have created them all was exclusively to annoy you. No other reason. Not like they’re people, have been people, always will be people, and people don’t exist for only reason and especially not just out of spite. No, it’s definitely just to annoy you.

“He made that stupid little Jameson just to save him! That stupid doctor because he could feel me growing and knew he would need a healer! Jackie to protect him, Marvin to hide him, Chase to laugh while he cried! You’ll forgive me if I don’t believe him to be a selfless man - you’ll recall, after all, that I was only ever created to fucking entertain you!”

Anonymous asked: you're ignoring that there's actually six of you. you can't even handle yourself, bro. it IS an option to just like. let the boys do whatever they want. love is a stronger bond than fear, you saw that firsthand last night my dude.

“But then they’d go!” Anti clutches his burned hands into fists so hard he makes welts burst, and blood and clear puss come running down his wrists. “And they can’t! They can’t go! They’re mine, I’m owed them! They belong to me now! Better than being with Jack! Better than being with Jack!”

Anonymous asked: ok I would like your logic on why they were sad and if it doesn't include somewhere the phrase "being held against their will by a volatile puppetmaster and stripped of essential human freedoms" i'd kindly ask you to reword yourself

“Maybe they deserve to be sad sometimes,” Anti snarls, gritting his teeth. “Maybe they deserve everything I’ve ever done to them.”

Anonymous asked: bruhhhh if they loved you enough they'd never go. that's the reason we can't get Blue to up and skedaddle. he loves his brothers way more than he fears you.

“But they don’t love me,” says Anti. “And no one does without my control. So there’s no point to you trying to convince me. I know what I am. I only pretend not to be a monster around them, you know. I don’t try to tell myself any different. I never have. Not since I was little.”

bupine asked: what is it that you came to this country to do, anti? we never did find that out. is it something you're gonna be cryptic about or can you tell us?

“You never asked,” he says. And then: “There are parts of the world that are more magical than others. And I have a spell to cast.”

immabethehero asked: Hey Anti, here's a wild idea. let them run around for like a week with no chains and then they'll be happy.

“Haha! Oh, fuck, are you joking? They’d fall apart and never come back to me. Bet you a thousand sols at least one of them would die. Most of them would come running back to me. Hey, have you guys ever read Life of Pi?”

He glances at you like he expects an answer, but doesn’t actually check for one.

“He talks about, like… people like to go ‘oh, the poor animals in the zoo, all locked away!’ But the animals in the zoo aren’t actually unhappy. They’re glad they’re in the zoo. They’ve got space and food and routine. And if you shoved a family of people out of their house and you went ‘go, be free!’ they wouldn’t actually be free and they wouldn’t want to leave. They’d want to go back into the house. They’d want to go back into the house aggressively. They’d force you to let them go back into the house.”

He shrugs. “My boys belong in the house. Being let out wouldn’t be real freedom. Especially seeing as most of them would be caught and put in jail for life! Red and Dapper certainly, probably Dok too, maybe Trick if they could convict him. No, no, better off with me. The outside world is a scary place without master to look after you. I guarantee - I fucking promise - soon enough, they’d miss me.”

Anonymous asked: I’m sorry, but you don’t get the benefit of the doubt. Maybe it’s time for you to move on to better things, y’know? Find some other...hobby or whatever. They’ll never stop breaking out of what ever the hell you’ve put them under, and soon they’ll be too strong for you to ever get them back under. They are so much more than puppets and once you realize that it’ll be far too late for you.

“I didn’t ask you for the benefit of the doubt and I don’t care what you think. And if you’re so convinced that they’ll never stop? They’ll never give up, they’ll never stop trying to be free?”

He turns to you with black eyes.

“I swear I will match every second of their determination, and bring them back under my control. Every. Single. Time. If I have to struggle for the rest of my fucking life. So be it. So be it.”

bupine asked: anti, my dude, look at urself. ur stressed the fuck out and the boys are scared and hurt and remembering again. you can't take care of all of this urself, u just fucking can't. u can't keep wiping their memories and torturing and gaslighting and burning urself out. i know ur not gonna listen to this at all and ur probably just gonna give some sarcastic response but fucking hell u know u can't keep doing this. something has to change here, and that something is u, i'm gonna be honest.

“I’ll do this as many times as I have to!” he screams.

It’s a good thing this gas station lot is mostly empty. He’s starting to look stressed.

“I’ll do whatever I have to! As long as I have to! Forever! I’m not letting anyone go! They’re mine! They’re mine! They’re mine!”

Anonymous asked: That doesn’t sound like a way to live

“Better than the alternative!” screams Anti. “Better than being - I’m not going back to - I’m not letting them go!”

immabethehero asked: You're stressed, Anti. It really shows

“Thank you for your stunning analysis, PsyD,” he snarls.

Anonymous asked: whatever you say, pal. just trying to make your life easier.

Anti growls and turns away from you. “None of you understand anything.”

dancing-anon asked: So, Anti, what's the deal with you and Sean? Why do you hate him?

“Don’t say that fucking name. We’re not talking about this. All of you be quiet.”

musical-in-theory asked: Anti you are a textbook control freak who’s just now learning that they have so very little control. Poor little thing, your strings are becoming quite frayed...

“Bit the strings off myself,” he mumbles. “No connections left to him now.”

Anonymous asked: Dapper this is not your fault, please do not blame yourself, love.

Dapper looks up at you, weakly clutching his bear to his chest, and tries to nod. Trick reaches over to rub his shoulder, but Dapper draws away, hiding his face in his bear.

dancing-anon asked: Okay now I just wanna know more about Anti and Sean-

Anti laughs hysterically. “I know you do! Everyone did! Because that’s all I ever was! A storyline! Yes, I know, you want to know all about me, don’t you? Want to see me a hundred times over! I’m a fun toy to play with, aren’t I? A fun video to rewatch? Oh, do you still shiver when he draws the little toy knife to his throat? Did JJJJ scare you? And when you finally saw me with the others, all of us lined up just the way Jack wanted, in his little costumes and accents and special effects, didn’t it just make your month! Leave me the fuck alone. I’m not a goddamn prop.”

Anonymous asked: “Gotta love how you don't even try to be better. 'Oh, poor me, made to be a monster' well fucking change that, then. If you hate your Jack so much because of what he made you, then stop doing exactly what he made you to do. And you want to be loved by these five who you admit to hating so much? I don't even know where to begin with that. You’re so obsessed with every ounce of control, that you can't even settle for being as in control as you clearly already are. That's sad." - I!A

“There’s no changing anything now. There never was any changing anything. I just realized late.”

Anonymous asked: Why are you so afraid of being on your own?

“I’m not afraid,” hisses Anti.

Glitches warp the gas station tower screen.

“I’m not afraid.”

immabethehero asked: Are you still in Mexico, drama queen?

“I’ve never been in fucking Mexico! Why did you think Mexico? Because they speak Spanish here?”

Anonymous asked: dapper, are you all right? any symptoms hurting you too much? i know what it's like... some of the stuff you're dealing with... and i'm sorry medication hasn't been helping you. you're doing a great job hanging in there

“I can’t tell what’s going on,” moans Dapper, barely taking his hands off his bear to sign to you. “N-nobody looks right, and everyone’s acting weird, and my face hurts, and I’m scared, I’m scared, I don’t know what’s happening, I want to go home.”

“He’s having bad delusions,” mumbles Trick, still just stroking Dok’s hair, for hours, for hours. His twin stopped responding some time ago.

immabethehero asked: YOU'RE IN SPAIN

“NO, I’M NOT. HOW MANY SPANISH-SPEAKING COUNTRIES DO YOU THINK THERE ARE?”

Anonymous asked: Columbia, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru?

“Don’t care to tell you,” Anti simpers, looking a little calmer now. He knows and you don’t.

Anonymous asked: Brazil. Got it.

“Oh, haha, are you pleased with yourself? No. I let you see plenty of hints so you figure it out.”

immabethehero asked: Puerto Rico?

“Leave me alone.”

Anonymous asked: I figured it was Brazil, smartass. Ever heard of confirmation?

“It’s not Brazil. Ever heard of being wrong?”

Anonymous asked: It’s Ecuador.

“I told you, I’m done talking.”

Anonymous asked: My mistake, Ecuador, right? They speak Portuguese in Brazil, pardon.

“They do speak Portuguese in Brazil, yes. A lot of you are Americans, huh? We’re done talking about this. I’ll ignore the rest of you, do you understand?”

Anonymous asked: Well damn, you certainly wanted to be far away from Jack then, huh?

Anti chuckles. “We’ve been all over. Dap and I were in Japan for a while. Just wanted to see what it was like. I love it there, actually. If I could stay somewhere, it would probably be Japan.”

Anonymous asked: Maybe the medicine is working too well, Dap...

“No,” says Trick, looking a little grumpy at this. “You saw him when the medicine was working. You were with us in Norway. He got a little confused, sometimes, but for the most part he was able to function just fine. It’s when he doesn’t have his medicine right that things get to be hard for him.”

Dap stares over at Trick, a little hope coming back to him. “It’s just medicine problems, C-love? It’s just confusion? Will I remember once we fix it?”

“Yeah, sweetie, yeah.” Trick reaches over to stroke his hair, and this time, Dap allows it. “I’m sure you’re just confused, honey. We’re trying really hard to make it work, okay?”

Anonymous asked: Hey Red, just want you to know you did the right thing. Don't lose faith.

Red doesn’t turn back to you.

But you see him shaking his head, just a little, his shoulders heaving.

immabethehero asked: Trick, is Doc okay?

“Um…”

Trick glances down at Dok, running his fingers through his hair.

“I… he… there’s just a lot going on right now. Once we’re safe, everything will be a-okay, a-okay. Anti’s taking us somewhere safe! To make up for fucking Red and Blue…”

nikkilbook asked: Red, I know this is probably cold comfort, but I think you made the right decision in helping Blue up the mountain. You did a good job, you were a good brother. I’m really proud of you. And I think Blue is, too.

Red slams his head back against the car headrest, panting. Trick lets out a grim laugh, looking shaken.

“Blue’s not anything, right now.”

nikkilbook asked: If you’re not a prop, stop acting like it. A prop is defined exclusively by its purpose within a scene, how it’s used and who uses it. A good actor can give the illusion that it’s always existed, but ultimately it is defined from curtain to curtain. A person is defined by a hundred thousand billion things, their relationships and interactions and wants and desires and flaws and struggles and emotions. All you’ve ever shown us is that you are doing these things to thumb your nose at him, prop.

“This is me being more than a prop. When was the last time you saw a scenic armchair kidnap five characters and drag them away from the storywriter?”

bupine asked: we know you're not a prop, anti. we just want you to leave the boys alone, which we know you won't do cause you're quite frankly just a stubborn, attention seeking asshole. like yeah we know you've got abandonment issues but fuck stop making that everyone else's problem fdhfghjhdg

“Yep, sounds about right,” he taunts you.

bupine asked: so what were the boys like before you had them, anti? tell us about that

Anti pauses, staring out at the sky.

“I remember… the fear in Jameson’s eyes, but also the determination, stabbing at my hands when I tried to take him away. And he was scared to swear but when he saw things he would hiss and spit at them until the paranoia made him break down, cause there was also something fearless to him.”

Anti opens his mouth and then pauses, maybe regretting his sentimentalizing.

“I don’t know. Jackie was loud and he hunted me well, I’ll give him that much. Marvin was this cocky, powerful thing, always flashing with jewelry - I always liked the way he shone. Henrik was tireless, Chase was a survivor. They had become, like I had, their own people.”

nikkilbook asked: Dap, I don’t think we ever asked, sorry—who are the ghosts? I remember seeing you having a puppet show with one, about Bro Average, but no one ever explained what was going on? And you don’t have to explain this if you don’t want to, but... who’s the red man?

Dapper sits back in his chair, a slightly glazed look coming over his eyes.

“Oh, I can see so many ghosts. Sometimes they’re scary but sometimes they’re nice. Look!” 

He points over at Doktor. Trick nervously holds his twin against him.

“It’s H-healing! His hair’s all green and he’s in Jack’s silly doctor costume. He keeps making jokes about fake surgeries and he’s so loud! He’ll bring me medicine if I get sick, but he’s still a ghost, he just doesn’t know it.”

Anonymous asked: Ah yes this again, because Jack is actually capable of love and you wanna daddy to love you, too, right?

Anti stares into the distance.

“Well, I guess that’s the other thing I remember,” he says. “That they all really loved each other. Always kind of… fucking hated that. And they’d all be smiling…”

Blue’s lips curl up into a sneer.

Anonymous asked: Ruined five perfectly good people, is what you did. Look at them, they've got anxiety.

“Glad we agree they’re ruined. Okay, let’s wrap this up, idiots, we gotta keep moving and I hope you know I’m not talking to you in the car.”

musical-in-theory asked: Why the fuck do you think that they deserve any of this???

“Please,” snaps Anti. “Assholes. Stupid - with their fucking house all together and all their goddamn ranting about ‘oh, we’re all brothers, we’re all family!’ Here’s what I think of your brotherhood - I can cut you into pairs and make you obsess over each other. Annoying fuckers. And Jack always looking at them with his goddamn - and they look - they look fucking just like him, and not in a way like I look like him, no matter how much I look like him, because they’re - they’re - they’re like him and - ”

Anti cuts himself off, turning away from you, panting.

Anonymous asked: Please see sense, Anti. Something about your methods has to change. It's not Blue's power or Dap's medicine that's the real problem. They will always rebel if your first instinct is to muzzle and collar and torture them.

“I’ll squash every rebellion, then.”

pixie-in-trebleland asked: Anti, who are you to decide what they deserve and what they don't? Even if they are your brothers, you should all be included and loved equally

“Okay, Mother Theresa, thanks for your words of wisdom. What about me makes you think I give a damn, and how do I correct that perception?”

Anonymous asked: Hes a scaredycat aw

“Shut the fuck up!” screams Anti. “Shut the fuck up!”

bupine asked: did you used to believe you weren't a monster?

“No, of course I did! I - you think you can look like a thing like me and not - you think - as if I wasn’t born with blood all over my hands, like - I know what I am! Why does the past matter?”

Anonymous asked: Why are you so hell-bent on keeping them?

“They’re mine, they’re mine, they’re mine!” screams Anti, shrieking like a seagull and glitching like a virus. “If I can’t have Jack I’ll take every fucking part of him! They belong to me, he owes them to me, he can’t them, he’s mine! I’m the master, I am, I am! Shut the fuck up! Shut the fuck up!”

the-weirdest-fan asked: Do you ever regret making them your puppets, Anti? I know you probably dont feel bad for them, but do you miss the collection process? Surely that was pretty fun, right? Are you ever tempted to just say the hell with it, and kill them?

“I always used to dream about killing them,” says Anti, in a voice shaking with fervor, his eyes too wide. Blood is welling up against his shirt. “Sometimes I just want to see them all stop breathing. I could d-drive all six of us off a cliff and that would be it, that would be it, that would be it. Miss collection, miss collection, no, no, no, I like having them with me. Everything was so much safer once I had my little boy. Everything was promised, everything is okay when my little boy is working right. I just have to put him back together and cast my spell and go and everything is fine, everything is fine, everything is fine…”

Anonymous asked: You must be really scared then, Anti, being away from your own master and all.

Anti freezes stiff, his face turned away from you.

The wind brushes through his hair and the sun glows down on him. Blue’s deer mask fills up with light, and for just a second, Anti stands in it, and you see the light dusting of freckles along Blue’s arms, and the burned hairs of his beard, and the strong, proud curve of that back.

Eventually Anti turns around again and limps towards the car like he’s been punched in the stomach, taking you with him. His trembling hands turn the camera off, and you are plunged back into darkness as you lose your connection to the car.

Anonymous asked: I know a lot has happened and were in a real transitional mess once again...but I have to know: How is Noodle the cat?

Your sound comes back before your video.

A car door slams shut and then another opens, and someone gives a small gasp. There is a fumbling bumping noise as the camera is pressed into someone’s hands.

“So I can keep an eye on you all.” Anti’s voice is simmering water. There is a small click and Trick’s face appears above you, looking pale and scared. “I’m going to go get you something to eat. Keep your brothers in line.”

The door shuts and Anti is gone.

For a long moment, the car is silent.

Trick puts you back up on the ledge of the window so you can see everyone, smiling weakly. Dok is sitting beside him now, with Dapper on the floor instead. Red, in the passenger’s seat, might be asleep, and you can hear him breathing steady and deep.

“Noodle,” says Trick, trying to keep his voice light. “Is great! He’s the best boy in the world and I’ve got him right here.”

He reaches down to scoop the little cat up, presenting him to you with a shaking grin. Noodle mewls softly and paws at his hands, and suddenly Trick, without knowing why, is on the verge of tears.

“Yeah, you’re a good boy, huh?” he whispers, kissing his cat’s head. “You’re my good boy. Everything’s okay. Everything’s okay.”

Anonymous asked: They're in Peru. (or were, depending on when we reconnect). What are your thoughts on the Nazca Lines?

“Oh, uh,” Trick pauses, laughing nervously. “I didn’t know where we were. I, uh. Don’t know what those are. I’m sorry. I didn’t leave the house much… in fact, I haven’t in… weeks… well, not farther than the mountainside. I haven’t seen the city since we got off the plane. So, not much sight-seeing, you know? Those sound cool, though, whatever they are.”

“Carvings in the desert,” mumbles Dok, his head resting against the cool glass of the car window. “Far south of us.”

Relief washes down Trick’s face and he turns to grab his shoulder, beaming at him. “Hey, buddy, you with me again?”

Dok breathes slowly in. He seems to be making an effort to turn his head back towards Trick, to open his mouth and answer him, but eventually he just takes a shuddering breath and sinks down onto Trick’s shoulder, burying his face against him.

Trick squishes him into a hug, pressing their heads close together.

 “We’re okay. We’re okay. Everything’s going to be okay. I got you, don’t I? So everything’s going to be just fine.”

Anonymous asked: They’ll come, Marvin, just wait. It’s gonna be okay. Take it slow.

Dapper stares up at you, distress beginning to fill up his face again. You hear Trick give a deep sigh.

“Who’s coming? Where are we, where are we going? Why is nobody acting like themselves? I don’t want the bad men to come. There are people coming to get us and hurt us and eat us.”

“Dap! Nobody’s going to eat us!”

“Where’s Marvin? What is he waiting for? I want Marvin, I want Marvin!”

“Dapper, please, all you’ve been doing for hours is crying! Can you cut it out for two minutes, please!”

“We’re going somewhere bad! We’re going somewhere bad! Everything is shaking with power and it gets worse the closer we are. Too much magic, too much magic. I want Marvin. I’m hungry.”

“Anti went to get food, Dap.”

“Anti?”

Dapper falls quiet, rocking himself on the floor of the car.

Trick sighs and turns back to you. “And that’s something to thank God for, let me tell you. I was starting to get worried we were just going to keep driving and driving.”

“Blue’s not here to take care of us,” whispers Dok. “So he almost forgot we needed to eat.”

Trick sobers, staring down at the floor.

“They’re coming to get us,” Dapper complains, his eyes closed and his head pushed against the back of Red’s seat. “Scared, scared, scared. Ghosts! Ghosts! My stomach hurts, I hate this new medicine, I want my brain to work again!”

Trick runs his hand down his face, tugs Dok closer to his shoulder, and checks again on Red’s heartbeat, beginning to feel more than a little overwhelmed. Noodle sits purring on his lap.

pixie-in-trebleland asked: How long have you guys been on the road?

“Hours, I guess,” sighs Trick, staring out his window. “Clock on the car is digital, so it just keeps glitching. Sun’s high now. We left in the dead of night. We stopped for a bathroom like, twice, but that’s all. I hope Anti gets us something good. Pizza or hamburgers - or - fried chicken or something so fatty and American it just about kills me on the spot.” His face is lit up. “Dok, what would you go for if you could have anything in the world right now?”

Dok lets out a short sigh, trying to think. “Mh… bacon sandwich…”

Laughter bubbles out of Trick like a fountain. “Bacon sandwich?”

“Bacon sandwich,” whispers Dok, grinning frailly up at him. His eyes may as well be lit from the inside, and heated, too, with warmth like that. “Toasty bacon sandwich… with… tomato.”

“Oh, here he comes!”

Anti returns to the car and pulls open Trick’s door. “Look edible, pup?”

Trick startles. “Oh - me?”

“Yeah? Aren’t you hungry?”

He can’t remember the last time Anti called him puppy! A burst of schadenfreude joy lights up in Trick’s chest and he resists the urge to give Dapper a smirk, instead reaching eagerly out to accept the brown take-out bag from Anti’s hands. Inside, sandwiches gleam brighter than silver inside of crinkling aluminum foil.

“Fuck, you got so many,” gasps Trick. “And - mashed potatoes too, and green beans!”

“I need to make sure you all get a good meal. Things might be… rough for a while. We might have to fight soon, Trick.”

Trick looks up, afraid. “Those people… they’re really going to catch up with us. Aren’t they, master?”

Anti sighs. For a second, he doesn’t look angry, or cruel, or biting - he just looks sad.

“Yeah, Tricks, I think so.”

“Anti?” asks Dok. “Can we get out of the car for a while?”

“Yeah, come on. Get Dap and Red out too. Stretch and sit down and eat. I think we need to… talk about some things before anything happens.”

A cold light gleams in his eyes again. “And maybe I need to reinforce a couple old lessons.”

bupine asked: shit, anti, can you not leave them alone for two minutes?

Anti seats himself at a little park table as his boys gather themselves together and start helping each other out of the car - well, mostly Trick, though Dok keeps turning around to check that Dapper is close at hand. Noodle paces around a tree on a little cat leash fashioned lovingly, carefully, out of cheap string.

Anti hums, feeling a breeze brush over Blue’s hair. He holds himself strangely, slumped over the table but not allowing his chest to touch the wood. He keeps shifting his hands and readjusting the mask on his pale face.

“Look,” he says. “What would be the point of any of this if I left them alone? If they sat here happily on this bench eating their green beans and giving Dapper little kisses on the cheek til his boo-boos are gone? If I let Blue go and him and Red got to cuddle for a while and feed each other roast beef? Please.”

Anti shifts, massaging at his chest, a little winded.

“Besides, then none of them would learn their lesson. The way Red, Blue, and Dapper acted last night is the most unacceptable thing I’ve seen since the night Jackie tried to run away with Dapper. No, he has to learn his lesson again, like he did now. And let’s stop lying to each other - you’re going to love every aching second of it.”

He smirks and adjusts the camera so you can see the expanse of the little rest stop lawn, some privacy provided between him and the convenience store where he bought the sandwiches by a few thin but determined trees.

“In fact,” he says. “Seeing as you were a part of what happened last night, I think you should be a part of this too, don’t you think?

“Red and Dapper need to be punished, and it has to happen before those fucking magicians catch up with us. Blue will get what he deserves when we get where we’re going. But we have a couple options and I think we should be entertained by it, don’t you? So you can pick.

“I can hypnotize one of them and spar with the other - you choose which of each, it doesn’t matter to me. Or I can make them both spar with each other, and the winner can beat the other one into a goddamn pulp.”

Anti leans back, Blue’s eyes glittering black in his stolen face.

“Decide. We both know you want to. You can do it without even telling us who you are… are you already thinking about it? Wouldn’t it be fun to see Dap hypnotized? Or Red? To spare one of them the pain of a real punishment, and let him sink back into my power again? Or wouldn’t you like to find out which one of them would win in a real fight? Come on. Don’t pretend. Decide.”

pixie-in-trebleland asked: How about none of the above? Let them be who they are, Anti.

“Boring,” sings Anti. “You can be more creative than that, can’t you? I’ll let you have some time to decide, but I expect an answer.”

He sits back as his boys approach, Trick chattering to Dok about everything and nothing, re-invigorated by affection and food. He sits himself right down next to Anti - a bold move - and starts pulling out food for his brothers. Dok sits wearily down beside him, pulling open his sandwich with tentative eyes, like he expects something to jump out and sting him. Dapper stares down at his sandwich, unenthused.

Red, for his part, is still standing by the car, looking panicked and ill, afraid of what Anti is planning for him - and he knows it must be something. Trick did not help him to the table and Dok and Dapper are not well enough to care for anyone right now.

“Um, Anti,” begins Dok softly.

“Yes, sweetheart?”

Dok’s mouth opens and closes again. He’s looking at Blue’s thin frame. After a moment he shakes his head and sits back again, glancing nervously over at you for help as Anti picks boredly at the wood of the table, not even glancing at the food and water.

bupine asked: anti, is your chest hurt? also, when did red and dapper try to run away, was that is norway? unrelated to both of these questions but how about no one fights! i feel like the trauma of last night is punishment enough, but i know you won't agree

“Oh, no,” says Anti. He reaches over and rubs at Dapper’s back, pulling on his overgrown curls. Dapper doesn’t seem to know how to react. “That was back in… yeah, we were still near home then. I brought Dapper to lure the hero in. He came almost right away. I broke him in pretty well, but after about a month he had a moment of weakness and he took Dap and ran. My poor little boy was too sick to even protest, just followed after the hero.”

His voice stiffens as he rereads your question. “Blue’s chest is… it’s fine, don’t worry about it.”

Doktor sinks down on the other side of the table, picking nervously at his bread.

Anonymous asked: dok is something wrong? are you worried about something?

Dok glances over at you and touches his stomach, looking back at Blue.

Anonymous asked: Hey Anti, it might be a good idea to let Blue eat. He’s probably starving after all that energy he used. He’ll get sick if he doesn’t. Anonymous asked: Anti, you should eat something. Blue’s body is starving like this. Bupine asked: anti, you need to eat too. For blue, obviously. He’s human too man. Anonymous said: anti, you’re going to seriously hurt blue if you don’t eat and drink. If you want to have an easier time managing them, you might want to prevent him from becoming severely ill

“Oh.” Anti blinks and sits up, scowling. “I forgot about that. I’ll eat later. Hate that fucking… swallowing and the way the stomach moves… and if I’m being honest, Blue doesn’t fit very well. He kind of - ”

Anti flinches suddenly, eyes wide, and his hands clench together.

“Stings,” he hisses, waving them through the air. “But maybe that’s the… burns…”

“Anti,” whispers Dok.

“What, darling?”

When Dok doesn’t answer right away, Anti looks up at him.

His face is bloodlessly pale and his hands folded gently in his lap. Downcast eyebrows and a pinched, sorrowful mouth make him look about as pathetic as Anti has ever seen him.

Usually Anti would laugh at him for begging, or pet and flatter him and enjoy the moment of weakness, but suddenly he doesn’t think that Dok is begging or acting at all. Not like Dapper learned to do when he was small. Dok has never done that. Dok is too straight-forward. Dok is a rod and always has been.

“I would like you please to eat,” he says softly. “Please.”

Blue’s mouth falls slightly open as he stares at him.

Then he shuts it again with a deep sigh, trying to banish old memories of a spit-fire doctor with a scalpel in his hand and Chase under his arm, yelling and refusing to be hypnotized, kicking when he was taken out of his cell…

“You never cause me any trouble, do you, Dok?”

Dok’s mouth smiles, but it never reaches his eyes.

“Try not to, master.”

Anti stares at him. Memorizes his face, in all the ways it is different from the others - the streaks of grey in his hair, the imprints of the carefully clean glasses, the way he holds himself, still proud after all these years…

“When we get where we’re going,” he says. “You’re going to watch over your little brothers and keep them hidden. You’re going to be tough and not break down and stop talking again. You’re going to keep Dapper safe and away from the fighting. Okay?”

“Yes, Anti,” whispers Dok. “Whatever you ask.”

Anti nods shortly, a small blush on his cheek, no longer able to meet Doktor’s eyes.

“Good boy,” he says shortly, and reaches for a sandwich.

Anonymous asked: Hey Dap, why don’t you take the camera over to Red and see if we can get him to come to the table to eat, yeah?

“Who’s Red?” whimpers Dap, curling in on himself. “Why is everyone acting so wrong? Why does Marvin burn like that? He is radiating black and blue. That’s not the right kind of light. That’s how you get burned. Bad magic. Good magic. Doesn’t it sting? Why is everyone acting so wrong?”

nikkilbook asked: Red? How’re you feeling, buddy? You weren’t doing so great the last time I talked to you, but then it looked like you at least got some sleep. Will Anti let you eat, or no? At the very least, you should go sit with Noodle. I bet playing with a little kitty will help.

Red is shaky and white. He glances over at you on the car window, his face contorted with pain. After a moment, you see his hands reach up to touch the muzzle on his face - and then fall again - and then rise again - he crumples back against the car door, panting through his nose and clutching at his hair.

“Hungry,” he signs. “But bad. Punishment. Afraid.”

pixie-in-trebleland asked: Dap? How much of the truth are you remembering?

“I can’t tell what’s real,” wheezes Dapper with shaking hands, growing more and more upset, though a hand on his shoulder from Dok helps to calm him a little. “I can see a thousand pasts. I can’t see a single future. I want to go home but don’t remember where it is.”

“Dapper,” warns Anti softly, his eyes flickering up to him. Be cautious.

immabethehero asked: Dapper, Anti'll be furious if he hears you call Marvin by his real name. The others too. Marvin is Blue. That's who Anti is possessing right now. Jackie is Red. Chase is Trick. Henrik is Doktor. Use those names and don't let Anti know about this! He might do something awful!

Dapper rubs at his teary face, distressed. “No, none of them are my brothers! They’re all Anti! I can feel him! I can see ghosts! I can see their ghosts! Anti killed my brothers!”

nikkilbook asked: Red’s the name Glitchy McGee gave J-happy.

“Happy, happy,” whisper Dapper’s hands. “Joy.”

He breathes in and out deeply. You can almost see him forcing himself to calm down, staring over at Red by the car, his eyes wide. After a moment, he rises to his feet and heads towards Red.

Anti allows it, chewing on his sandwich. Trick and Dok exchange anxious looks, but they’re splitting a cup of mashed potatoes as quickly as they can, like they’re afraid the food will disappear.

“Here, here,” signs Dap, approaching. “It’s okay, Joy.”

Red’s eyes are like a horse caught in a barn fire. He throws his head, his hands reaching up, scared to unclasp the muzzle.

It’s like Blue said. You can always untie the rope, or tear out the stake, or unclasp the mask, but you never know what might come afterwards.

Dapper reaches gently up and undoes the clasp, pulling it away from Red’s face. It has dug dark purple bruises into his face and his mouth is white without enough blood moving through it, but it doesn’t seem to matter. His eyes are fixed on Dapper.

“Come on.” Dapper reaches out a hand. Red takes it and lets himself be pulled carefully towards the table and the food.

immabethehero asked: Dapper. Anti's brainwashed all your brothers. They're not dead. Just brainwashed.

“Oh, please, stop playing with him,” sighs Anti, rolling his eyes. “You can’t make sense to him when he’s all fucking crazy like this. Just leave him alone. I bet I can make him play baby again if I fuss over him for a little while, or wake up Carver if I shove him around a little. He’s fine. He just has… days. It’s a confused day, that’s all.”

Anonymous asked: maybe some other kinds of medication could help dap, not just with his hallucinations, but also with his paranoia? maybe anxiety medication could help?

“Haven’t had time to try anything like that,” mumbles Dok, rubbing at his face. Oh, his bones are so tired. “Barely got him off the Risperdal - he had to have it all out of his system before I could start him on anything new. And then the last one I tried made him really sick and moody and weepy, so I’m just getting him off that one too so we can try something else. Maybe some combinations would be a good idea. I’m afraid nothing is ever going to work as well as the Haldol did. But sometimes our bodies get too used to medicines and we just have to work around it now. Soon as we settle down safe again, I’ll find something that works, I promise.”

Anonymous asked: Thank you, Dap.

He gives you a big, nervous smile, his face twitching.

immabethehero asked: Why do you have so many nicknames for Dapper? Are they his own egos? (No pun intended i swear)

Anti blinks, assessing his youngest from the other side of the table.

“Mostly it was just me being fond of him. Pet names and what not. Carver is a compliment, it means he’s like me. But as I began to spend time with him and saw the ways his mental state could change from day to day, I did notice a difference, and at some point, I started to think of the more violent days as Carver’s, and the sweeter ones as Dapper’s. And, when he’s very, very quiet, and very deep in his own head, and can’t even get his limbs to move, and his magic is beyond his control, that is Monochroma. But I haven’t seen Monochroma since his snap. No, though, he doesn’t have alters or anything like that. It’s just me organizing his moods.”

nikkilbook asked: Anti said something about having you and Dapper fight. He wasn’t sure if he was going to possess one of you or just have you fight until one of you’s beat into the ground. We’re trying to make him change his mind, but... I don’t know if we’ll be able to. I’m sorry. Be safe, okay? And please, go see if they’ll let you eat. No sense letting yourself starve. Abirbable and pixie-in-trebleland sent similar asks and were added.

Red’s face contorts for a second at the first message, but he’s too hungry to focus on it. He reaches anxiously out for a sandwich and Dok presses it into his hand.

Red sinks away from the table and begins scarfing it down, his eyes flickering all around, waiting for the attack he knows is coming. He can’t get himself to calm down and even the brightness of the afternoon seems painful when he’s this overwhelmed. He feels a little more comfortable with Dapper at his side, at least.

He scoots in front of his little brother, relieved to have him behind him.

Anonymous asked: Dok don’t stress out, you’re all doing your best and that’s all that matters, alright? You’re taking care of Dapper and everyone else very well.

“Yeah!” Trick beams at his twin and presses a bottle of water into his hand. “Everything’s okay, Dok-Dok, see?”

Dok smiles wearily at both of you, his eyes ringed in dark circles.

“Guess for now I can just eat, huh?”

“Exactly,” soothes Trick, squeezing his hand. “Exactly. We’re okay. Anti’s got everything under control. Right, Anti?”

“Course, baby.”

Trick glows with affection, simpering at Anti, who giggles just to see that dopey, over-enthused smile. He reaches out to put his hand on Trick’s, massaging his palm, and Trick about melts.

“Listen, love,” says Anti. “I need to talk to you for a second.”

“Oh, yes, Anti, okay.”

“Red and Blue can’t be trusted right now. You know that.”

“Yes, Anti. They’re the ones that caused this. We’d be safe if they hadn’t done that.”

“There’s my good boy. You have been listening, huh? I’m worried the magicians maybe even got into their heads.”

Trick’s eyes are wide. “Really?”

“Yes. So you can’t listen to anyone but me now, right? Me and Dok. Those magicians might try and get in your head too. They might promise you things. Hell, even these fuckers in the camera might promise you things.”

Trick shoots you an irritable look.

“But I need to be able to finish this project with Blue. While I’m doing that, I can’t be interrupted. Do you understand?”

“Oh, yes. And you can’t trust Red to watch your back.”

“Exactly. Dok isn’t a fighter and Dapper isn’t well right now. That means you, Trick - you have to protect them while I do what I need to do.”

Trick has puffed up like a lion, his back straight. “Of course. I’ll keep them both safe. I won’t listen to anyone who tells me to go or to let anything bad happen. Anti, I’ll be really, really good.”

Anti smiles warmly at him and Trick’s cheeks rush with blood.

“You keep Dapper and Doktor safe from the magicians when they come,” he says. “And you and your twin can have anything you want in the next place we stay. Okay?”

“Yes, Anti. Yes.”

“Promise me.”

“I swear, Anti. I swear.”

“Good boy.”

nikkilbook asked: You had a scarf, right? To hide the muzzle? Try pulling that over your head to filter out some of the light.

Red likes that. All he wants to sense right now is the taste of his food and Dapper’s library book smell. He lies down in the grass and tugs his scarf over his eyes, breathing out a sigh of relief and running his hands over the patchy yellow grass.

abirbable asked: This may sound weird, but maybe try some breathing exercises, Red. That always calms me down. Or even listening to someone else’s pulse (as long as it’s steady).

Red breathes in.

Breathes out.

Breathes in -

Oh, shaky on that one.

Breathes out.

Trying not to cry.

“Want Blue,” he whispers.

spicydanhowell asked: trick you fucking bootlicker istg

Doktor barks out a laugh and immediately covers his mouth with his hands. Trick blushes bright red, a sudden terror in his eyes. Doktor looks guilty the second their eyes meet across the table.

“Sorry!” He tells him hastily, reaching out to pat Trick’s hand. “Wasn’t agreeing! Just surprised me.”

His twin draws away, trying to swallow.

Then Anti giggles too.

Trying to breathe, Trick chokes out something about checking on his cat and hurries over to Noodle before he can start crying, turning his back to the table and sitting quickly down with him in his lap. He pets rapidly at Noodle’s head, hugging him to his chest.

“You’re such a good boy,” he croaks, kissing his cat. “You’re good, you’re good, you’re good. You’re just trying to be good, it’s okay, I love you.”

Anonymous asked: hey dap, i know how scared and alone you must feel right now. we’re going to play a quick little game, okay? I want you to name five little things you can see around you, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. can you do that for me?

Dapper claps his hands together, a slightly over-bright light in his eyes, beginning to get his manic, confused enthusiasm back as his mood shifts again.

“I see - a deer covered in flowers. A pretty golden cat. I see bruises down this face and burns hiding on that one. I see my mustache!”

He pouts out his lips to bring it into his eyesight and grins at you. The smile is a little crooked.

“I can touch… warm grass. Black sweatshirt. Clean white dress shirt, except that my nose bled all over it. Bruise on my face. Stings. Stings. Master kicked me.”

The smile is very crooked.

“I can hear him breathing a little too fast next to me. I can hear him crying over by the trees. I can hear the wind.”

“I smell… forest magic. Black magic. Not a good combination, you see. We’re getting closer and closer and closer to a place very powerful. This, I think, is bad.”

He nods sagely and pops a bit of sandwich into his mouth.

“And I can taste roast beef! That was fun!”

Abirbable asked: I have a great idea for a third option! How about a fuckiNG V I B E C H E C K to the face?! Spicydanhowell asked: I don’t want to see them hypnotized. Ughhfbdshgdfn. Anonymous asked: Seriously? We can’t do that to them, Anti. Anonymous asked: uhhhhhhhh no. Anonymous asked: You know you can’t force down reality forever, right? They’re still the same people deep down, no matter how many spells you cast or minds you destroy. I get that maybe all you want is to be loved, but training your brothers to be your hound dogs that fight for scraps isn’t really the way to truly achieve that. Leave them be.

“You five,” says Anti, pointing at the camera. “Are the boring ones.”

He gets to his feet. Dok looks up at him, surprised, finishing off his second sandwich.

“Are we going, Anti?”

“In a moment. But first, why don’t we play a game, huh, Dok-Dok?”

immabethehero asked: WHo needs Anti's love, Trick? You've got the love of Dok and Red and Blue and Dap, and us! We're annoying as fuck but we don't constantly abuse you and take our daddy issues out on you

“I don’t want to talk,” whispers Trick, hiding his face in Noodle’s fur. He meows, valiantly licking at Trick’s fingers.

Anonymous asked: why don't you fight one of them, glitch bitch?

“Now we’re talking,” grins Anti, his eyes filling up with a wild light.

Anonymous asked: I really don’t like the sound of that.

“Check that. You six are the boring ones.”

Anonymous asked: Dap, do you know where you guys are headed?

“Some place much too powerful,” mumble Dapper’s hands, beginning to get a little sloppy with his signing. “A place for bad spells and bad people.”

“Dap, Red,” calls Anti. “Get up, boys.”

Anonymous asked: Would you fight with Marvin on though?

“Oh, of course, my darlings. That’s half the fun of it. Especially if you pick my dear Red.”

pixie-in-trebleland asked: Iiiii think Dap should be hypno'ed and Red to spar with? He has some pent up anger.

“Ahh,” breathes Anti, smiling wide. “Thank you, my friend. I knew someone would decide. I quite like that idea.”

Anonymous asked: Are you sure? I think seeing Carver would be interesting.

“Oh? Seeing Carver fight? We have an objection in the court. What would you all prefer? I’m quite impartial.”

spicydanhowell asked: NO DO NOT HYPNOTIZE DAP

“Oh, you don’t want your darling boy anymore confused than he already is, hm? I could do Red instead… or pit the two of them against each other…”

abirbable asked: One day you’re gonna break one or more of them beyond repair, Anti. You have NO idea what being a human is like nor the emotional trauma you’re continually causing them.

“Oh, please. You should have seen the time Doktor forgot the difference between a scalpel and a band-aid. Screaming for three days straight. Babbling in German no matter how much Trick tried to calm him down. But eventually he came back to himself. Eventually they all come back to themselves. I’ll handle it.”

Anonymous asked: Would this be Marvin’s punishment then? Getting beat to a pulp by his brothers?

“Oh, no. I have something much more important in mind. Blue will need his strength tonight. I expect we’ll be there in a few hours.”

nikkilbook asked: Carver versus you. Red’s punishment would be not being able to prevent either of his brothers from being hurt or hurting each other. Give what he risked today and why he risked it, seems like that would cut pretty deep.

“Intriguing. I like the way you think. But I can’t just let him be. He needs to be under my control one way or another - physical punishment or hypnotism.”

Anonymous asked: And one day they won’t be fixable and then you’ll be yelling at us like the whinny bitch you are. You made your bed, have fun sleeping in it.

“I will, thanks - wait a second, whinny? I think that’s a horse noise.”

spicydanhowell asked: just.... them against each other.... i know they won't kill each other..... Bupine asked: if I really, really had to choose? Pit them against each other, no hypnotism. Fair fight. Anonymous asked: Red v. Dapper? That’d be a very emotional fight.

“Ah, and now we’ve had all three options proposed! I knew you’d all make choices when it came down to it. How will we decide…?”

Interesting! I’ll make posts for each option and then compare the notes on them soon. Whichever has the most notes, I’ll write - and then, when that’s done, we’ll be at the final scene of the chapter tomorrow. Thanks, guys. Wasn’t sure you’d play along… but hey! I had to try out something new! Audience participation and all that.

Post 1: Dapper and Red should fight each other.

Post 2: Dapper should be hypnotized and Anti should fight Red.

Post 3: Red should be hypnotized and Anti should fight Dapper.

nikkilbook asked: Dap, could you do me a favor? Without touching J-happy’s skin, could you squish him as tight as you can? Like, put a bunch of pressure on his shoulders. He hasn’t had that in a while, and he’s having a really hard time right now.

Dapper and Red watch as Anti discusses with one of the cameras.

He holds in his hand a large silver knife, swinging it around with shining eyes as he demands and manipulates, searching for a decision to be made - but about what, they don’t know.

Dapper blinks over at you and then looks up at Red, seeing his big brother shaking hard, his face drawn and guilty and resigned. He has not been bandaged or cared for since last night and there is still blood on his face, deep bruises from the muzzle, and scoring cuts from the plants with which his twin’s power consumed him.

He looks so overwhelmed he could shatter. Red is an Atlas and always has been.

Dapper tugs gently on his sleeve, smiling up at him, and Red turns wearily towards him, softening a little for the look on his face. Dapper holds out his arms cautiously, beckoning for Red to let himself be held.

Red wipes at his face and sniffles. Nobody’s supposed to see him in pain. Nobody’s supposed to see him needing comfort. Least of all his youngest brother, clever, wild little Dapper. Well, not so little, really - standing beside him now, Red can see that Dapper is exactly his height.

Oh, he’s so tired.

He puts his head down on Dapper’s shoulder.

Dapper wraps his arms around him and squishes him tight, tight, tight, just like you wanted to, a string of soothing, soft, meaningless clicks chirping from his mouth, the warmest reassurance in the world.

“Okay,” says Anti, turning towards them. “Are you two ready?”

Dapper and Red should fight each other.

“Do you remember,” begins Anti, pacing towards them. “When you two used to spar all the time?”

Dapper and Red look at each other.

“I guess you probably don’t, do you, Red? And maybe Dapper, you’re a little confused.”

“No,” Dapper interrupts. “No, I remember.”

His hands are clenched into fists.

“Oh, good. Well, I love it when you do. We haven’t in a long time because first Red was rather badly off, and there was Blue to deal with, and then Dapper! You got stabbed! Wasn’t that silly! So you were on bed rest. But now - well, look at the two of you, standing tall.”

Red wipes at the blood on his cheeks, trembling. Dapper frowns and it makes his broken nose hurt.

“It’s really good practice for you both, seeing as you’re my strongest fighters and all that. My right-hand soldier, my Red, fighting like a guardian, refusing to be moved, refusing to let anything get past him, waiting for the right moment to get a good strike in. And the sly little pet that sleeps beneath my throne… my violent, dirty, sudden little fighter, Dapper who never seems to feel any pain. Of course when I let him use his powers he always crushes you into pulp, Red - he can see your every move coming. But that won’t work now… Dapper’s having a little trouble getting it up.”

Dapper’s face rushes with blush and he stares down at his feet.

“You wouldn’t cast when I told you to, would you, Dapper?”

He doesn’t have an answer.

“Why?”

“Please, master, I’m so - I don’t know what you’re talking about, I can’t - there was just fire, and I couldn’t - I don’t - I can’t find the right past and I - ”

“Shut up, shut up,” snarls Anti, annoyed. “I don’t want fucking excuses.”

He creeps forward, stepping right into Dapper’s space. For a moment, he stares at him.

“Dapper,” he murmurs, leaning down, so Blue’s mouth brushes by his ear. “Reverse this. Reverse all this and go back to before Blue gave himself up on the mountainside, and I will stop all of this, and you won’t be punished.”

Watery eyes stare up at Anti from above an open, desperate mouth. “Reverse?” stammer Dapper’s hands. “B-but I don’t… I don’t know what Blue giving himself up means?”

“Before the fire last night, Dap! Before Blue and Red snuck off up the mountainside to cast spells!”

Dapper shakes his head, choking.

“Change it back!” screams Anti, grabbing his wrists. “Change it back, I don’t care how much energy it takes! I know you’ve turned back a whole day before. I know you can! Change it back and you won’t get hurt, do you understand me? Why won’t you listen to me? Why did you suddenly disobey? Are you so out of your fucking mind that you can’t - ”

“Anti!”

A hand is suddenly clutching at Anti’s shoulder and he turns, panting, to see Red grabbing at his shirt. Pain spikes across the untreated burns that coat Blue’s chest, leaving Anti wheezing, sparks in his vision. Something is stinging throughout his whole body, like he’s gotten the wrong blood transfusion, and his hands are beginning to ache horribly, though he does not know why.

“Please,” cries Red. “Look at him. You’re going to make him snap again!”

There is a faint silver light in Dapper’s eyes and panic in his face. Anti turns to him, fear rising on the back of his neck.

“He’s lost track of the timeline. You’ve seen him do this before. If you push him past that, if you push him to reverse anyway, he won’t be able to go back safely and time will start to tear around us. Everything will blur together and we could all get lost or hurt or killed.”

“How do you know this?” whispers Anti.

For all that he’s angry at Red, the memory of Jameson’s snap is enough to halt him in his tracks.

“You were reset after that. You shouldn’t remember.”

“I don’t,” says Red faintly. “That was Blue’s speculation. He always wanted to know what you meant by a snap. He was sure it was more than a psychotic episode, or you wouldn’t talk about it the way that you do. Judging by your reaction… he was right.”

Anti turns to sneer at him, making Blue’s face ugly, and Red’s heart twists. “Fine,” he spits. “Your little baby doesn’t have to turn anything back since he can’t keep his head on straight. But you still have to have your practice for the day, my darlings.”

“Anti,” whispers Red. “Please. I don’t think you even want to do this, do you?”

“I want things to go back to the way they were!” screams Anti, backing away from him. “Just yesterday, we were so close to safety, Red! But you and Blue fucking ruined it, and Dapper refuses to fix your mistake! So, yes, I do want to see you two beating each other into the ground, like the wild, stupid animals you are. You’ll be broken in again as many times as it takes, and tonight, when I call upon you, you will fight for me.”

“I’m tired of beating my brothers around!” screams Red. “Look how scared he is, how scared he is of me! I’m done slapping them and yelling at them and grabbing them when they do something wrong! I’m - ”

“Oh, don’t fucking start,” snarls Anti. “Your stupid act.”

“No! This isn’t who I want to be anymore! I don’t want to do this!”

Anti’s voice raises in volume and pitch. “If you won’t fight the little brat, I will, and I promise you, I won’t stop til he can’t breathe through the blood in his face.”

“Please, just punish me, it’s not his fault!”

Anti stalks towards Dapper, raising the knife.

“No!” Red steps in front of him. Anti stares up at him. The hatred in his eyes - in Blue’s eyes - is so powerful Red could faint, and suddenly, all his courage is gone, and he is afraid.

“You’ll do it, then?” asks Anti coolly.

Red can feel Dapper shivering behind him.

“I’ll do it. I’ll do it.”

Over by the bench, Trick and Dok are standing so close to each other they could be Siamese, clutching Noodle between them. For a second, they look at each other, and see in the other’s eyes a question silently asked: should we do something?

But the other only answers, what can we do? What have we ever been able to do?

And they do not act.

Anti shoves Dapper towards Red and they regard each other uncertainly. In his impatience, Anti ends up striking Dapper three times on his own before Red is spurred into action, and begins to drive his little brother back, striking with sudden, harsh blows and following no matter how much Dapper tried to back away, confused and terrified. It’s a boring, aching sort of fight, and Dapper is upset and Red is hurting himself worse than he’s hurting Dapper, and then, after one badly-planned blow that ends up smashing hard against Dapper’s already blackened nose -

Dapper changes.

Red’s eyes widen as his little brother’s posture shifts entirely, his shoulders drawing back and his feet planting themselves steady on the earth, lifting him up on the pads of his feet. Suddenly Dapper’s befuddled distress looks more like a wild sort of fury.

He bares his teeth like a dog and begins forward, a hiss falling out of his mouth.

“There’s my Carver,” purrs Anti, sitting back on the park table, popping green beans into his mouth. “There’s my ferocious little pet.”

“Dapper,” calls Red, gently. “Dap, it’s okay. We’re just sparring, bud. It’s just me. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Hit,” snarl Carver’s hands. “Hit me. Slap. Red man. Bad.”

“Dapper - Dapper - ”

“I want my brother!” screams Carver. “I want my brother! But you are not him! You are not him! Jackie would never hit me! Anti has killed him! Anti has killed him, and you are the monster that remains!”

Carver tears forward like a jungle cat, teeth flashing.

From then on, Anti is laughing the whole fight long.

  “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

You can hear him sobbing it from the front of the car. Blood is flowing from his nose and he is curled in on himself, crying.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I won’t do it again, I’ll never do it again, I’ll never disobey you again!”

Anti flickers through radio channels, humming.

“I was bad, I was bad, I was bad! I’m sorry!”

“Holy shit!” laughs Anti. “Are they playing this? Why? Haha, in Peru? That’s hilarious.”

‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’ blares out of the radio speaker. Anti sits back, drumming Blue’s fingers against the wheel and humming.

Behind him, Doktor and Trick are no longer sitting one on the ground and one on the seat of the car, but both curled into a single chair, hiding in each other’s arms. Noodle sits on the ground beneath them, gone silent, staring at Carver, who writhes in the other chair, screaming without sound.

He and Red are hand-cuffed together, Red’s arm reaching back from the front of the car, and Dapper’s reaching forward. Carver’s had his other hand tied down to the armrest too since he wouldn’t stop trying to lash out at himself or the twins.

“Now, Red,” purrs Anti. “You’re going to watch over Dapper really well once we get to the equator, right?”

“Yes, Anti, yes, Anti, yes, Anti, I am, I am, I am.”

Carver hisses and kicks at the seat in front of him, sobbing. He drags his hand up to draw a finger across his throat, and no one knows if he’s calling for Anti or making threats.

“You’re going to keep your little brother very safe?”

“Yes, Anti, won’t let anything happen to him, won’t go with the magicians, won’t listen to anyone but you, yes, yes, yes.”

“Dap, would you tire yourself out already back there? Goddamn. Country roads, take my home, to the place, I belong!” Anti bursts into giggles and the glitches on the radio laugh with him.

“Tomorrow all will be well,” he purrs, speaking to someone no one else can see. “Tomorrow, my darling, I will strip the magic out of your traitorous little chest in one of the most powerful places in the world, just to be sure nothing remains inside of you, and put it into my own instead. Your power will hide beneath mine and you will never be able to betray me again.”

He can hear something inside his head screaming out, just like it was while Red and Dapper fought, watching his brothers bite and strike and beat each other, until at last, Red surrendered.

“West Virginia,” sings Anti. “Mountain mama! Take me home, country roads.”

I’m going to fucking kill you one day, shouts Marvin, inside his own head. I’m going to fucking kill you for what you’ve done to my family.

Anti bursts into laughter and turns the radio up.

 End Section Seven of Chapter Two.

Find the final section here.

[dontdietwd]

Day 62, part 2

Sunscreen was probably still needed in the apocalypse. The unforgiving sun rays did not stop burning unprotected skin only because society had come to an end. Our little only females group down at the quarry felt it clearly, burning hot skin coated in sweat. Every few minutes, one of us would splash a handful of water on our faces to refresh a little. Piles of clothing lay next to them, washed and to be washed. I had not given my clothes to the other women to laundry. I hated the idea of making them take care of my personal hygiene. I planned to do it later, alone, so nobody would even offer to help. Now, I was there with them, rifle in hand – although it had only six bullets in the magazine – guarding their left side. Close to there, a sparse patch of trees blocked any view of possible incoming walkers.

On our right and a bit behind, by the end of the dirt path that connects the camp to the water, Ed was also taking guard, smoking one cigarette after another, a ridiculously big sweat stains under his armpits, sulking and complaining in low groans about being down there under the sun.

A little bit farther, Shane was playing in the water with Carl, pretending to try and catch frogs, entertaining the child. I observed them for a moment. I knew why Shane was doing that; Carl had been worried about his dad going back to Atlanta after having only found him the day before, miraculously returning from the dead, and Shane was distracting him from worries a child should not need to have. I didn’t really like Shane very much, but this was nice of him.

“Can someone explain to me how the women end up doing all the Hattie McDaniel work?” Jackie asked, eyeing Shane as he laughed and had fun like a child.

As she twisted a piece of cloth, sitting on a rock, Amy completed smiling, “The world ended, didn’t you get the memo?”

“It’s just the way it is,” Carol accepted, after looking back at Ed, in a small voice. “But I do miss my Maytag.”

“I miss my Benz,” Andrea added after a moment of thought. “My sat nav…”

“I miss my coffeemaker,” Jackie joined, “with that dual-drip filter and built-in grinder, honey!”

Amy also added, “My computer… And texting.”

“Parkour,” I pitched in. “Jumping up walls and rails and the flips. Having my legs up in the air…”

There was a moment of silence until Jackie’s sassy tone completed, “I do miss having my legs up in the air!”

Andrea and I laughed, while Amy lowered her head with a shy smirk.

“I miss my vibrator…” Andrea mused.

Carol looked around one more time, checking her husband was far enough away and admitted “Me too.”

We all roared with laughter now – except for Carol, who despite not laughing aloud, did have a big smile and was poking her tongue out at the others. As she laughed, I noticed that that was actually the first time I was seeing Carol smile. She looked so much prettier smiling, it was a terrible shame she didn’t often have reasons to do so.

“What’s so funny?”

Ed had approached, flicking away his cigarette, his reek following close. The laughter died instantly and I took two or three steps closer to the women, just in case.

“Just swapping war stories, Ed,” Andrea answered; the energy around turning heavy from one second to another.

He stood there, behind the four women, not saying anything else. They were sitting down by the edge of the water, all of them turning their heads to look at him hovering there, bothered. A few feet away, Lori was approaching Shane and Carl, unaware of their little situation.

“Anything you need, Ed?” I asked as I approached even more.

“Nothing that concerns you,” he snapped turning his head just enough to speak in my general direction, and then looked down at the others again. “And you outta focus on your work. This ain’t no comedy club.”

He lit up another cigarette as Andrea got up to her feet, challenging demeanor, barefoot on the dirt and a wet, twisted shirt in hand. “Ed, tell you what. You don’t like how your laundry is done, you are welcome to pitch in and do it yourself,” she advised. “Here!” and she tossed it for him to catch. He did and in one single motion, threw it back strongly at her, hitting her on the chest.

“Ain’t my job, missy.”

“Andrea, don’t,” Amy tried also standing. It was clear she knew her older sister well.

“The fuck is your job then, Ed?” I interrupted. “Don’t see you doing anything useful here other than smoke and sit on your ass.”

“Well, it sure as hell ain’t listening to some uppity, smart-mouthed bitch,” he looked at me but pointed at Andrea. “Tell you what, come on, let’s go!” he ordered, looking down at Carol, who jumped to her feet instantly.

Andrea raised her voice, “Carol, you don’t have to –”

I took one more step and stood between Carol and Ed. “She don’t need to go anywhere with you.”

“That’s none of your business!” he spat. “Come on now, you heard me.”

Andrea and I turned to Carol at the same time, Andrea pleading, “Carol, don’t…”

“No, please,” Carol cried in an almost whisper. “It doesn’t matter, I should…”

“Hey!” Ed shouted and we turned to him again. “Don’t think I won’t knock you on your ass just ‘cause you’re a girl, all right?” he pointed a fat finger at me. “I had enough outta you already. You stay the fuck away from my wife! Now come on now or you’re gonna regret it later.”

“So she can wander around with new bruises tonight? We’ve all seen them, you fuckin’ coward!”

“Stay out of this! Now come on!”

Andrea and I – and I never really got along with Andrea, but at this moment she was my partner – had all but made a barrier between Carol and Ed, who seemed to be fuming more by the second.

He spat a few more insults at us before reaching out and grabbing his wife’s arm strongly, starting to pull her away.

“Ed, please!” she sobbed.

“You don’t say a word!” he yelled at her face. “You don’t tell me what, I tell you what!”

As if in slow motion, I watched helpless as Ed raised his hand and slapped his wife across the face, the loud noise deafening me to anything else. Voices got muffled, the edges of my sight turned red. Before I knew it, I had grabbed Ed’s wrist, pressing my thumb strongly to his pulse point, my fingertip sinking into his nerves. His hand opened automatically and Carol’s arm slipped away. I knew there still was a confrontation around and that Ed had turned to me, but the seconds seemed to stretch as he soundlessly yelled and spit down at me even as his arm rose above his head once again and started descending towards my face. The heel of my hand reached his nose from bottom up before.

I saw him clutch his nose and scream at a normal speed once again, taking a few unsteady steps backwards, spitting blood and insults.

“Oh, wow!” I heard some of the women say, but didn’t recognize who it was. I could also hear Carol crying, asking if Ed was alright and saying she was sorry. Carol didn’t know, but she was making me even angrier, making me understand just how under Ed’s hold Carol really was, how much he had been hurting not only her body, but also her spirit.

“You fuckin’ bitch!” he yelled and I remembered clearly when only two months ago I had hit a man just like that and he had yelled the same. Maybe men should get a bit more creative than trying to insult someone. I smiled at the thought and Ed’s face went even redder, not only from the blood that oozed out of his nose, but from pure rage.

“I’m gonna swipe that fuckin’ smile right off of ya!” Hand curled into a tight fist, he plunged at me, missing my face by inches as I turned to my right and avoided it and didn’t miss another second to throw my own right arm over his, his forearm suddenly secure under my armpit. As I put my whole body weight over his limb, Ed bent his knees, groaning. The other women would tell me later that they didn’t even see it happening. I threw my leg over his arm as I kept tight hold of his hand, making him nearly hit the ground. With one more strong push, Ed rolled over his own body, falling heavily with his back onto the ground, my legs now around his left arm and over his chest.

“Alright!” I told him a bit breathless and pulled his arm even tighter against my own chest. “Now you and I are gonna have a little chat!”

He groaned wordlessly as he tried to escape, but I didn’t worry. I knew with the training I had that escaping an arm lock was nearly impossible. Not two steps away, Andrea and Jackie held Carol, who tried to go help her husband – although they held her carefully and as gently as possible under the circumstances.

“I say your days as a woman beater are gone,” I kept talking. “I say ya never gonna lay a hand on her again. I say ya even give her a cross look and ya gonna have to deal with me! Do ya hear me?”

“Fuck you!!”

“A-ah, wrong answer!” Left hand still holding his, I raised the left and lowered it solidly straight onto his already broken nose.

He yelled out loudly in pain, the sound echoed by Carol’s cries.

“Guess ya not listening to me! I got all day, ya know? Nothing else to do and I’ll tell ya something, I’m not as uncomfortable as it looks right now. Can stay here for a long time, believe me.” I stretching the “o’s”. “Only thing that will make me let you go is if you apologize.”

“Wha’? Lemme go, fuckin’ tramp!”

“Little more respect with the fuckin’ tramp, alright? Bit more force and I’ll break your arm. But I’m sure you’ve figured it out already, huh?” And to make a stronger point, I pulled his arm even harder.

He screamed, “No! No, stop, stop!!”

“Alright, since you asked. Now, you apologize or we’ll stay here. And ya gonna get yourself a fracture,” and I added in a conversational tone, “an you imagine what a fuckin’ arm fracture would be like these days? No doctors, no x-rays, no cast, no pain meds?”

“No, don’t! Stop it, ya cunt!”

“Cunt?” I asked. “Hell, not gonna let ya call me that!” I punched his nose once again, making him groan in pain nearly continuously now.

“Just make sure he can still breathe,” Shane’s voice called my attention. He was now standing with the other women, a worried look on his face, even though he didn’t approach to try and make me stop. “Ya know? All this blood in his airways?”

“Got it,” I told him and stole a look from Carol, who was crying, but had stopped trying to get away and help. “Now, Ed, where were we? Oh, right, I think you were about to tell your wife you’re sorry, ain’t that right?”

“Fuck you!”

“Wrong answer!” there was one more punch. “Ya making all sorts of wrong choices here, Mr. Peletier. Now, that woman over there, your loyal wife, she deserves better. She puts up with all your crap, with you berating and beating her, and she’s still there, by your side and taking care of your useless ass. The woman is a saint, you know that? Me? I’d have killed you. You hear me? I’d of kill you the first time you raised a hand at me. So don’t even for a second doubt that I will break your fuckin’ arm and leave you to bleed out and feed the walkers!”

He screamed when I forced his arm again, now to the point where if I forced it just a bit more, the bone would snap. “Alright, alright! No, please, don’t! Please!”

“Are we making progress here, Ed?”

“I’m sorry!”

I looked up at the others, my own eyebrows raised, especially at Carol, who among the tears and desperation, had a look of pure perplexity.

“She’ll need more, Ed. Elaborate!”

“I’m sorry!”

“I’m sorry, who?”

“Carol! I’m sorry, Carol!”

“I’m sorry, Carol, for what?”

“Just – please!”

“Wrong!”

“No!!”

“Again! I’m sorry, Carol, for what?”

“For hitting –”

“Na-ah! Full sentence! I’m sorry, Carol, for what?”

He hesitated for a moment, ragged breathing, and I raised my hand again, preparing for one more punch. “No, no, no!” he was able to flinch even under the arm lock. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry, Carol, for hitting you!”

There was a moment of silence. Shane crossed his arms with a triumphant smile, even though he tried to contain it. Carol restarted crying, looking down as Andrea let go of her arm and paced around, hands on her head, breathing heavily just an instant before she laughed. Jackie and Amy had stunned expressions and didn’t react much to Ed’s declaration.

“Alright. There ya go. Not so hard, was it?”

“Lemme go!”

“Yeah, we did have a deal. Just one more thing though!” I punched his nose once more, “This is for calling me ‘bitch’, ‘tramp’, ‘cunt’, whatever the fuckin’ else you’ve called me. And this!” I did once more and he screamed. “Is just because I hate your guts.”

I let him go and was up in a second, his round, bleeding form clutching his arm on the ground. I breathed heavily, hands resting on my hips. “I want you to remember, Ed,” I told him in a low, dangerous voice, bending down a little. He turned his head back to look up at me, and I whispered, “That you’ve just been beaten up by a pregnant girl.”

Nobody else heard. Ed’s nose was bleeding, puffed, and swelling, almost reaching his widened eyes. Carol reached him then, taking hold of his uninjured arm and decidedly avoiding looking at me. Her face was wet with tears, but she wasn’t crying anymore. “Are you okay?” she asked her husband, her voice cold. “Come on, I’ll help you up.”

He said nothing as he allowed her to carry his weight up the dirt path.

Andrea reached me as I stood there, observing Carol hoisting him away, followed closely by her young sister and by Jackie. “You ok?” Andrea asked me.

I snorted out a laugh, “Never better!” and made a wrist movement, joint popping loudly. “Hand hurts a bit, but it’s nothing.”

“That was…” Amy started hesitantly, making the others look at her. “Incredible!”

“You, my dear, did what all of us wished we were able to do,” Jackie smiled. “Thank you.”

“You’ll have to teach us,” Andrea took hold of my shoulder and motioned me to start walking up the path, the others following. “How did you know how to do that?”

Laundry all but forgotten by the water, they heard me tell them about the self-defense classes I had been taking for years and that yes, I promised after the sisters asking a couple more times, I could teach them. I took the better part of the next hour to be able to get rid of them. They had pulled Lori and Miranda closer to tell them what had just happened, I had been cheered a bit more – although Lori suppressed a few comments that were written all over her face, and I recognized she did not approve of the violence. When I finally convinced the others that I had something to do, no specifying what, I went back to my tent and zipped myself in.

It felt like a furnace inside, the early afternoon sun turning the small, synthetic covered space into a dry steam room; impossible to stay in for too long. I needed it, though. Bending down, resting hand on my knees, I groaned in distress, emptying my lungs. I felt dirty for having to lay my hands on someone, for it to have been something necessary to do. I had never wished that, but the moment I saw Ed raising his hand at Carol, I knew I would never be able to control it. I saw myself doing the defensive movement once again in my mind, saw myself falling heavily on my back on the hard, dirt ground, and I hated herself. My right hand let go of my knee to curl around my stomach.

“Sorry… I’m sorry… Please be okay, I’m sorry…”

 * * *

“Hey, Shane?” I found him sitting alone close to the unlit fire in the center of camp. “A word?”

“Shoot,” he said lowering his head again to whatever it was he was doing, not moving as I approached rapidly.

“Mind telling me why Jim’s tied up to a tree?”

“Mind telling me where the fuck you were when he was making himself get tied up to a tree?” He said it without looking up at me, nearly unmoving, tense, his voice even.

I took one step closer and crossed her arms. “If there was a situation that needed me, you should’ve sent someone to get me. Doesn’t matter what I was doing, it’s personal.”

“Was beating up some defenseless male ‘round here personal?”

I couldn’t believe he had actually said such a thing and had all kinds of answers on the tip of my tongue, but when he looked up at me, he had an amused smile on his face. Relieved, I barked a quick laugh. “Shit, I thought you were serious for a moment.”

“He had it coming,” Shane said and got up. “I’d’ve done it but you was faster.”

“Yeah, I thought it would be more meaningful if he got beat by a girl.”

“Spot on,” he stopped looking at me, his smile purposefully charming, head a little bent down, eyebrows up, eyes fixed on mine.

Ok, nope.

“Shane?” I asked and he only lifted his eyebrows more, wetting his lips with the tip of his tongue. “Jim?”

“Oh, right,” he shook his head, looking away, coming back to his senses, I guess. “He was hallucinating or something. Too much 12 o’clock sun; got dehydrated… Started digging holes in the ground, frantic, wouldn’t stop, the kids got scared. He’d of pass out right there if he kept going, so I had to force him to stop.”

Arms still crossed and brow furred, I nodded slowly. “Did he drink some water after?”

“Couple of sips, didn’t want more.”

“M’kay. Alright, thanks,” and I turned around to go uphill to check on him.

“Hey, Samantha?” Shane called and I turned around at the strange name, frowning curiously. He had the look back on his face. “That was badass. Really, I didn’t want to admit it, but… You’re – damn girl – wouldn’t want to be on your bad side.”

I crooked a smile, chin going up, and turned away again. “My name is not Samantha!” I called out aloud, waving a hand at him.

“No? What is it then?”

“Just Sam!”

 * * *

 I knew mine was not the only mind that was away from there, the camp and the group around the fire. Lori kept letting her gaze slide to the entrance of the camp every ten seconds or so, Carl by her side following her gaze every now and then.

They should have been back by now. Rick, Glenn, T-Dog… And Daryl, bringing Merle with him, with probably even more hatred in his heart towards the members of the group. It was going to be a lot of work when he returned, but it was work I wanted. I wished they’d come back soon… They had been gone all day, something must have happened. Damn, Daryl had promised me he wouldn’t die, but does anyone have a choice these days?

Just like Lori, I got distracted from the worry when Carol approached the group, Sofia holding her hand. She looked around looking for a place to sit and I gladly scooched over. I smiled at her, genuinely happy to see her there, welcoming her to sit among the rest of the group for the first time since we all have gathered. Ed was nowhere to be seen, and Carol did not seem worried about it. Sofia sat by her side and accepted a plate of fried fish – Andrea and Amy had spent hours on Dale’s small boat down at the water, and had returned with a least a dozen of them. Carol gave me a little, restrained smile, but it was enough for me to feel my heart grow lighter.

Minutes later, Shane also joined, followed by Jim, now free from his tree restraint. Jim smiled uncomfortably at us, an apology on his gaze, and he also received a serving of fried fish. The air seemed to unwind a bit then, with Jim acting normal again and Carol finally socializing with the others. For a moment, it all seemed fine, part of the group simply away temporarily, not in danger, about to come back at any moment. Food passing around, the fire lit, conversation rolling calmly. Somebody had asked Dale about his watch – which he winded religiously every night, and he explained serenely.

“A father said to a son when he gave him a watch that had been handed down through generations… He said ‘I give you the mausoleum of all hope and desire, which will for your individual need, no better than it did mine or my father’s before me… I give it to you, not that you may remember time, but that you may forget it for a moment, now and then, and not spend all your breath trying to conquer it’.”

Silence followed his little speech, people nodding ceremoniously, as if absorbing the words.

“Dude, I didn’t get a word you just said,” I broke the silence and was followed by laughs from the others.

Carol smiled, shoulder shaking a bit, and looked at me for just a moment.

“It’s Faulkner,” Dale smiled. “William Faulkner. Maybe it’s my bad paraphrasing.”

 * * *

 For a long time to come after that night, most of the people of the group would wonder if different decisions would have brought us a different outcome. Andrea would always think about how life would have been if Amy had not needed to get up and go to the RV to use the toilet, or if there was toilet paper there, not forcing her to come out again when the walkers attacked. I would wonder how Ed would behave in the group after the correction I gave him if he had not been alone in the tent at the moment.

Right then and there, though, there was no time for anybody to think about anything at all. Amy was screaming at the door of the RV, one walker with its jaw attached to her arm, groaning even as it chewed on her flesh. The kids screamed for their moms just as every single person got up, reaching for weapons, more walkers emerging from the trees. Shane was the first to shoot, followed closely by myself.

“Get the kids, get down!” Shane was shouting and Lori, Carol and Miranda gathered the four children.

Six rounds. There’re six rounds on the rifle, I reminded myself, four on one gun, the second is empty. Ax hanging from the belt, I thought, even as I shot the first walker in the forehead.

Screams all around mingled with walkers’ groans.

Two, I hit one just above its ear. Three, the walker who had been making its way to the women and children fell. Four, five, both who were above Amy’s fallen body slumped. Six, the female close to the tents’ head literally blew off.

The empty rifle was all but thrown to the ground. As I struggled to get the revolver from the shoulder holster, Jim hit away a walker who had been getting dangerously close to my back with a bat. No time for thanks, I unlocked the gun and kept on shooting.

One. I looked around to locate my people. Shane was close to the children and their mothers.

“Shane, take them to the RV!”, I shouted as loudly as I could. Two. “Stay together!” Three. “Andrea, behind you!” I wasn’t heard. Andrea was falling to her knees next to Amy, desperation blinding her to anything else. Four. The empty gun also fell to the floor.

I ran to join the others who were slowly and as one single body approaching the RV, and I took the ax out of my belt, burying it into the softened skull of the closest walker. There were no more gunshots, no more bullets to be fired, and yet at least twenty walkers approached the group. Jim and Morales had bats, I had an axe and a knife, Shane would probably have one too.

Not enough. Not even closely enough.

“What do we do?! What do we do?!” Lori was chanting within the crowd.

A new gunshot turned all the heads to the entrance of camp, by the cars. It was dark over there, but the shots kept coming, the walkers falling one by one. I had never believed in princes rescuing damsels in distress, but it sure as hell felt like it was happening right now as I saw Daryl appear into the light and shoot walkers on and off with a whole new rifle, among the other men. Fuck, my heart.

Never ceasing to fire, he made his way up the clearing, eyes scanning the group to find me. I dropped the axe into one more dead skull as I ran towards him, meeting him halfway. He threw me the weapon he had been using, at the same time sliding another one from his back. Turning my back to his, I started shooting, the number of walkers thinning, the desperate screams turning into scared, mournful sobs.

It took no more than a minute for silence to fall over camp. No more shots. No more walkers. Carl ran towards Rick, crying into his arms, Lori’s expression shocked.

“You alright?” Daryl turned to me in a swift motion.

“I’m okay! You?!”

“Fine. Who’d they get?”

“Amy.”

Nobody talked anymore. Andrea’s desperation muted any word that could have been said now. Amy was gone, blood loss from a neck bite draining her life quickly. Jim’s dismayed whisper “I remember my dream now… Why I dug the holes…” was the only sound for long minutes. Children cried into their mother’s arms, most of the group still keeping their guarded stance, looking around, ready for any stray walker. None came, though.

Sensing the danger had passes, I started shaking and bent to rest my hands on my knees after resting the rifle on the ground, breathing heavily. What if – and I knew thinking of what ifs wouldn’t help at all, but I couldn’t help it – they all had not arrived back just then?

“Merle…” I whispered next to Daryl and straightened up. “Daryl, where’s Merle?”

Biting angrily into his lip, Daryl turned to me, icy eyes and ragged breath. “Gone.”

“What? How?” I gripped his upper arm to impede him from walking away, even though he didn’t even try.

“Found his hand there. He chopped it off and left.”

My hand slid from his arm and he turned away, disappearing into the trees. I stood there for countless minutes, mouth hanging open, my mind a mess of thoughts, fears and guilt.

[assassin-in-a-hoodie]

Brooklyn’s Here: Part 3

   A/N: thanks to @trekkiehood be reading through my mess or words I call writing and being an amazing person

      No. Not Jack. Anyone, dear God please let this not be real. Because it can't be real. This isn't real. This can't be real. I close my eyes, praying for a different human on the ground in front of me bleeding. Anyone. Just….Anyone else. Pick someone else. 

But when I open my eyes. It's still Jack.

 “....Spot.” Jack coughs then groans in pain. 

“Don’t cough.” What do I do?

“Spot….”

“Don't speak either.” I've heard that. I saw a little boy get run over by a car once. The man who helped him told him not to speak. But he had a broken leg. Jack has a knife stuck into him. In one of his most important organs. 

“Spot…”

“Jack. Not another word.” My voice is thin, just louder than a whisper. It doesn't even sound like my own. How long have I been kneeling here? A few minutes?An hour? A day?

My left knee is wet. Wet from the puddle of Jack's blood. The stuff slips through my fingers no matter how hard I push to keep it in.  

 “Take….it...Out.” Jack wheezes out, a pitiful noise. A noise I've only heard come from a dying dog. 

No. No. Don't even think about that word. Don’t even think about it. But I can't think.  

“Spot.” 

“Jack if I move my hands you's be leaking like a busted fire hydrant.”

 “Spot, please. Get it out of me!” Jack whimpers. I look from my hands to Jack’s face. He's crying. And very very pale. It's the pain in his eyes that snaps me back into my own mind. 

”Jack. It is fine. Jack, you look at me, you’re fine! You’re just fine.” I look into his green eyes for a second before looking back down at the knife. It's not a small swiss army knife blade. But some short handle knives but it has a thick wide blade that seems to have a curve in it. A straight blade is dangerous. But a curved blade…

I don’t know what to do. 

What do I use to stop the blood? A hat? His vest? 

 “Jack. I need your vest off.” I wasn't even gentle about it. I just ripped the thing off of him and balled it up pressing it around the knife. He hisses and tries to move away. 

 “Have to press hard Jacky or you’ll bleed out. Can’t have that now can we Jack?” 

Jack’s head bobs up and down. He’s breaths turn from gasping into heaving. From pain or blood loss, I have no idea. How long does it take for someone to bleed out? How big does a puddle of blood have to get before it's too late?

 How am I going to make Jack walk back home?

 “Okay,” I press the vest harder around the knife. 

 “Spot.” Jack shutters. 

 “Shut up Kelly.” 

 Think. Think of something. You've been here before. I've seen kids get stabbed before. In the hand, leg, even throat in one case. But this is Jack. I'm still trying to get the two to come into the same world. That it's really his blood on my hands. Jack had been stabbed. There is a knife. Inside Jack. My hands start shaking. I'm losing it. I'm going to lose it if I don't think.

Deep breath. Make a plan. Follow the plan. Step one: help. 

I can't leave Jack to go get someone. I can carry Jack, but he's got almost a foot on me. Not impossible but it will hurt him more than me. 

 Who could I even go to for help? Winnie's is full of Drunk men and Winnie won't leave his Bar 'till everyone is gone, and he won’t will he kick everyone out. It's not the first time I've tried asking for help from him. 

 Emily. I can trust Emily. I can only imagine how that conversation would go. Hi Emily. I was wondering how to ask your father to ask you out. But first, my friend might die. 

“Jack,” I shake him ‘till his eyes crack open, “eyes on me, keep ’em open. You hear me? Eyes open.” Jack's eyes just crack open. Just. 

  I look at the vest which is quickly getting more and more soaked with Jack's blood with every breath. 

 Think. Think of anything. And fast. Now. I look into Jack's eyes. 

"I don't know how to carry you.” my voice cracks and wobbles. I can not cry. I can not break. I will not break. 

It takes two shaking breaths but Jack says, “I've been stabbed. I can't- I can't breathe .” 

“I know. I know. Don't think- ” 

“I can’t breathe- I can't breathe. There's a  knife in me. He-e stabbed me.” 

A plan finally clicks into motion. I need to move. Now. 

 “Jack we are going to move.” 

With one hand I'm still pressing his vest around the knife. I have to press my fingers on either side of the blade to keep it from moving, cutting Jack even more.  I grab his arm and throw it around my shoulders.

”Jack. Jack we are going to stand up. Stand up now!” I push from the squat and pull Jack up. He turns a sick color of white as he stumbled to his feet and luckily kept upright. 

“We are going to walk.” I command Jack. I pull him up higher and squeeze him closer to me. I will not fall, I will not drop Jack.

"I don't think-” Jack starts panting hard from the effort to keep upright.

“Yes you can. It's not that far. Just back to Winnie’s but not Winnie’s. You can and will walk that far Kelly. On three.” I lock my knees and tighten my back for the lift. Jack could weigh more than me, except he's more just skin and bones. 

“Kelly. On three. Got it.” I shake him. 

Jack doesn't respond. 

"One. Two. Three.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~

Emily saw us coming. I was five steps away from the door and suddenly the door yanked open. Emily looked at me. Then Jack. Then the knife. Back to me. Then the knife. The soft pink in her cheeks drains from her face. Jack was just barely here, he was just dead weight in my arms

"I need help.” I was preparing to battle for any form of help,  but Emily steps out of the door and gets under Jack's arm. 

When I first saw Emily I thought she was 5’3 maybe a soft 5’4. Emily must stand on a stool behind the counter of sweets. She just comes to Jack's armpit. A pitiful 5-foot shorty. 

“In the back.” Is all she says before dragging Jack and I through the storefront. We leave a trail of small spots of blood on the floor to the back. Emily leads us through a side room at the back. The kitchen. The smell of sweet sugar and blood and sweat almost makes sick right there and then. 

“There is a bed in the back. We will lay him there”. Emily said, groaning from Jack's dead weight. I pull more of Jack's weight onto me so that there is less on her. She weaves us through racks of donuts and tables of cookies to a small bed at the back door. It's threadbare and seems to be stuffed with straw, but it's somewhere Jack can rest. I lay Jack down and Emily grabs his feet gently lifting them onto the bed. 

    ”We have a first aid box.” Emily turns and rushes off to find a box. 

     ”Jack Kelly, you're still here.” I ask Jack, shaking his shoulder. His eyes are shut tight, teeth grit so tight it hurts just looking at him. If there’s a shade lighter than white, that’s Jack's face. 

 “Grunt if you're still here kelly.” 

A long low grunt from Jack. 

 ”Good. Oh Good. That's good.” I nervously pat him on the shoulder. 

Emily comes running back with a very small tin white box with a red X on the front. It looks more like a sewing kit than something that will save Jack. 

”I hope you have a miracle in there.” 

Emily says nothing as she pushes the small tin box into my bloody hands. I open the box. There is a small roll of bandages, burn cream, scissors, and a few gauze dressings. Better than nothing. 

“What's his name?” Emily asks me, examining Jack's knife. It's Jack’s knife now. Does he want to keep the knife after this is all over?  It's a nice knife, I might ask him if I can keep it. 

“Spot.” Emily's voice is no longer the sweet tone I knew, it's hard and cold and demands a response. 

”Jack.” I answer her. 

She nods at me, then turns back to Jack shaking his shoulder a bit. 

”Jack. My name is Emily.” Emily says to Jack, then she slowly moves away Jack's ruined vest getting a better look at the injury. 

”Scissors.” I look into the box and hand her the small pair of silver scissors. 

“Jack. I’m cutting your shirt so I can get a better look. I’ll buy you one later.” She says as she quickly starts cutting around the knife. 

The shirt was hiding the problem and once it was gone, my onion rings started to bubble up again for a re-taste.  I’ve been around some knife wounds. Most just trickle of blood if you leave the blade in. 

 The blade is curved inside Jack so I knew it would be more blood. But not as much as Jack has been bleeding. The knife wound is also a slash and just from looking at it I know it’s deep, bone-deep. It’s like the man who cut him both stuck him and dragged the knife down a good inch a half. It's not bleeding like a broken pipe, but he's still bleeding. 

“ We should.” Emily's voice shakes, her whole body starts to shake, “We need-” Emily closes her eyes, seeming to ground herself for a moment. She clears her throat, opens her eyes, then grabs the gauze from the box. “We need to get the knife out.” 

“No,” I said. It will open the flood gates. 

 “He will bleed out if we don’t. We don’t even know how long the knife-“ 

 “He will bleed out faster if we pull it out-.” 

 “Did you check to see if the knife hit his lung?.” 

 “Of course I did!” 

“The walk could have nicked it or somethin’.  Jack!” 

 A weight drops into my stomach. What if the knife punctured his lung? Why didn't I pull it out!? He was saying he couldn't breathe. He said he couldn't breathe but I thought- 

 “Jack, open your eyes!” I shake him all gentle like. Jack's eyes slowly open. Wheezing he turns to me and says, “Spot-” then he coughs. And blood trickles on his lip. 

 “Why didn't I-” I squeeze my eyes shut and almost just break down right there. I've killed him. I've all and done him in.

 “He would have bled out cuz you would have had nothing to pack him with,” Emily says. Pack? Oh, we are not. 

“I can’t do that-” 

“He might die!” Emily shouts getting into my face. I know that, but it's going to hurt. It hurt so bad that you have to hold the person down and take every weapon away from them kind of pain. And jack… he won’t understand what we're doing to him no matter how long I yell at him. Where are Crutchie and Racer when ya need them? 

“We need to get the knife out first,” I say. 

“We need to get him on the floor first,” Emily says dragging his feet before I can even tell Jack what is happening. 

“Jack we need to put you on the floor,” I say grabbing him under the arms and do my best to lay him gently on the brick floor. 

“You hold him down. And I'll get the knife out and pack the wound.” she nods at me to position the few gauze pads she has in that pathetic first aid kit. I brace my hands on his shoulders. 

 “Jack?” I bend my head down next to him so he can hear me, but he doesn't say a word, maybe he passed out. “Jack, we are going to pull the knife out then pack it okay? You're going to be just fine, Jacky.” I rub his shoulders and give him a small squeeze before putting all my weight on him. 

“You can do this right?” I ask Emily. She turns to me and nods. 

“Yes,” Emily says and starts to grab the knife but then gasps and leaps to her feet. My heart leaps into my throat. 

 “What! What's wrong!” I look at Jack's bleeding chest. Is the knife sinking into his chest? Is his lung falling out? 

“I forgot to wash my hands!” she takes off running again to a sink. 

My heart nearly stops, I slowly release the breath I was holding. I sit back on my heels. Waiting. 

 “Jack… just hang in there jack.” Jack still says nothing. 

 Emily comes back after a minute, her hands are a bright red, she kneels back down and checks over everything again. 

“Okay. Okay. I'm ready now. Should I  pull it out slowly or just pull it out quickly?” 

“Just get it out,” I say. 

Emily nods at me again and grabs the knife between her small thin fingers and slowly starts pulling it out. 

  Jack’s eyes snap open and he bucks hard against me and screams. 

“Jack don’t move!” I bellow at him holding him down. 

“Stop!” Jack screams at me, tears streaming down his face, blood bubbling out of his mouth. He thrashes, kicking at the floor, his arms slap at my face trying to push me away. I put my knees on his shoulders and grab his arms, holding him down. Emily almost has it out. 

“Kelly, don't move!” I scream. What if he moves around too much and Emily stabs him in the heart or something. 

“It's out!” Emily shouts over Jack, throwing the knife in a corner of the kitchen. With the knife gone, blood flows freely from Jack's chest.

 “Packing it!” Emily says. I watch her grab a gauze and stick it inside Jack's chest. Jack howls in pain. Bucking off the floor. Kicking on the floor. Trying to getaway. 

 “Stop!” He screams so loud my ears pop from the sound. Blood sprays from his mouth and into my face. There is so much blood. 

 I can’t respond. I don't yell at him to not move. All that escapes me is, “I'm sorry. I’m sorry. I'm sorry.” over and over again still Jack’s eyes roll into the back of his head. The fight leaves him. 

Emily has to shake me off of Jack. 

“I’m done.” She says. Her face is almost as white as Jack’s. I slowly get off of Jack and help her wrap a bandage around Jack's chest and lay him back into the bed. I want a clean shirt to put on him but Emily doesn't have anything. His blue shirt is cut and stained with his blood. His vest was thrown away. 

  Home. I need to get him home. Home is an hour's walk away. The knife is gone. I don't have to worry about him bleeding too much now that he has cotton inside, nested between his ribs. I am drained, but I need to get him home to be stitched up.  

 “I need to get him home,” I say. 

“What?” Emily’s brown eyebrows crunch up.

“I need to get him home.” 

“Where does he live?” She asks, wringing her hands together. She has fidget hands. Kinda funny how those hands just pulled a knife out of my brother. 

 “Manhattan.” 

“There is no way you are going to walk that far. Especially at night!” 

The setting sun now. No more in fifteen minutes left of sunlight now. I need to send someone to let Crutchie and Race know what's up, those boys are probably worried sick.

 “No, I’m taking him home with me. I'll figure out what to do in the morning.” I say scooping an arm under Jack's legs and chest. I pick him up. He's really wheezing now. It could just be me, but he feels smaller and lighter in my arms. Or maybe I'm not as short as I think, or… Jack’s not that much bigger than me.  

“You have a back door?” I ask. Emily just knows and leads me to a small wooden door that opens up to an ally away. 

 “You live far away from here?” 

 “No.” I lie. 

 “Okay, umm, come by or send someone to give me an update, okay?” 

 I give her a nod. And turn down the alleyway and start the long walk home. 

  “Hang on Jack.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    My arms are shaking so bad I'm afraid I'll drop Jack once I step over the threshold. Anyone who I passed on the streets who gave me a look on the trek back home I gave them a look that would curdle milk. Its night now. Just the moonlight to.see by. As we near the lodging house I could see the lights from candles and lanterns flickering in the poor cracked or broken windows. The house is probably just settling in for the night. But some of the Brooklyn boys never really sleep, we have some boys that stay up all night just for the kicks of it. 

When I kicked in the door, all eyes turn to me and Jack. The whole house inhales, then exploded.  Playing cards flu, chairs are toppled over, and drinks are spilled all over the floor. Everyone is in my face with questions in a matter of seconds. 

     ”Shut it!” I shout at them. Every wagging jaw snaps shuts. 

      ”Mutter!” I call out making my way to the stairs to the small bunk room on the second floor. Mutter appears, weaving through the crowd of boys. His eyes go big marbles as he holds out his hands to help, but I keep Jack close to me. 

           “I need stuff to stitch him up with, clean pants and shirt. I need someone to go on a run.” I turn and pick a boy out of the crowd. A small boy with dusty blond hair and a red sleeveless shirt. 

“You. Take a run. Tell Race and Crutchie to get up here as fast as they can.” 

       “But it’s a three hour-” the boy starts to whine. 

       “You will get there in an hour and a half even if it kills you. Go now.” 

      The boy's mouth opens to say something smart, I cut him off. 

        “Go now or I leave this house forever.” I would never kick a boy out. But tonight with Jack's limp body, and his pleading screams telling me to stop hurting him still echoing fresh in my mind's ear. I just can’t. I'm done. 

 The boy turns and takes off running. I continue toward the staircase and start down the hall. 

      ”The rest of ya whos is awake, Hit all the gambling places, sell your shoes, don’t care if you have to steal. We need money.” 

        Everyone stands around, looking at me as if I’ve lost my mind. 

          “NOW!” I snap at them. They scramble around like rats for a second before all squeezing out the front door. 

      I carry Jack into the bunk room and sit him down on my bed. Soft snores echo off the walls from the small figures in the dimly-lit room. How can they sleep at a time like this? 

 Mutter is already there holding a lit candle and our small medical kit.  

I gently lay Jack down one last time, on my bed to just rest. To just sleep. I want to sleep. 

“I've got this. Clean yourself up.” Mutter whispered. I wanted to stay, but when I look down at my blood crusted fingers and the blood on my shirt from Jack, I think better of it. 

“I’ll come back with clean clothes,” I say turning to the small washroom. 

I grab the small bar of lye soap and a scrub brush. I scrub at the lines in my palms and run one fingernail under the other fingernails to get Jack's blood out. 

What if infection sets in? Or his lung collapses, do we even have anything to relieve the presser? What if he's bleeding from the inside and I don't know it? What if Jack doesn't stop bleeding. What if...what if Jack dies?

My hands are red from the harsh scrub brush. 

”Stop.” I tell myself, ”Jack is going to be fine. Jack is going to be fine.” I put down the brush and dry off my hands. I take off my red shirt and scrub the blood out the best I can. There plenty of bloodstains on my shirt, what is one more going to hurt.. I hang it over a chair. An older boy come by and give me a clean blue shirt and brown pants for Jack. 

I get back to Jack's side when Mutter was just getting the last stitches put in. twelve perfect stitches are now line Jack's ribs. It will leave a big scar. 

Mutter helps me put the clean shirt onto Jack's sleeping body. I pulled the blanket up to Jack's chin making sure he was warm. Mutter grabs the medkit and reaches out to give my shoulder a reasserting squeeze. But I slap his hand away. I don't need comforting. Mutter gives me a hurt look before walking away to sleep or stay awake, either way, I didn't care. I  just don’t care.

I pulled up a chair next to jack keeping a watchful eye on him. 

I didn't sleep. 

[thdorkmagnet]

Light of the Sun and Stars Chapter 20: The Bodyguard

Summary: His whole life Marco Diaz has been raised by monsters, living under the cruel rule of their leader, Toffee. But one day Marco escapes into Mewni where he meets a magical princess and Mewman like himself, who begins teaching him all about her world. Together they will learn about life, love, and the lights within each of them, as they change their world forever.

Chapter Synopsis: Star assigns Marco a bodyguard, growing paranoids about her boyfriend’s safety. Marco reluctantly agrees and accepts but soon finds out that he and this new guard don’t exactly get along. 

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Index

Disclaimer: Star vs and all its characters are owned by Daron Nefcy and Disney. All rights go to them.

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Marco felt like there might be something wrong with his feet. It was an odd thing to wonder, admittedly, but Marco couldn't seem to push the thought out. He had just been going about his morning, humming happily to himself on his way to visit Star that lovely morning, wanting to surprise her at whatever meeting she was in with her parents (she had been in those a lot lately), when he realized that his footsteps seemed... louder than usual. Much louder. Noticeably louder, in fact, and he began to ponder to himself what it was that could have changed about his feet overnight.

He looked down at them as he walked, frowning as he tried to make sense of the noticeable echo he heard ringing off of the brightly lit hallways of Butterfly Castle. He didn't get it, they looked the same as always, no different than any other day as far as he could tell. He studied them closer, trying to see if there was something else he was missing. He was wearing the same shoes he wore everyday, his favorite pair of brown sneakers, so that couldn't be the reason. He wasn't walking faster or stepping any harder than usual, just his normal pace and walk.

Marco was stumped, unable to think of anything that could be causing them to make more noise than usual. And yet he could still hear the loud footfall stepping in time to his. If he didn't know any better, he would swear it almost sounded like there was a second set of footsteps following along in time to his.

He wondered if he was just being paranoid, still on edge from everything that had happened over the last couple of days. He certainly wouldn't be the only one.

It was a few days since the Blood Moon Ball, but the effect the night had had still had a strong hold on many people. Luckily, no one outside of Butterfly Castle (expect for Tom) was aware of what had transpired that night, the king and the queen able to keep the neighboring kingdoms in the dark about what had happened and General Skullnick forbidding any of her knights from speaking so much as a word about the assassin's successful infiltration into the heart of Mewni's stronghold.

Things had been rather chaotic for the first few days as River and Moon tried desperately to locate their daughter's assailant, but with no apparent luck. The Monster could have escaped away to any dimension in the universe and they were too numerous to even count or keep track of. Finding Rasticore was like finding a needle in a galaxy-wide haystack, it was essentially impossible. And without any real leads or clues as to where the Monster could be hiding, the monarchs only choices were to just blindly search any dimension they could in hopes of getting lucky... or waiting until Rasticore decided to inevitably strike again, though neither of them would dare allow that option to come to pass, hoping that the assassin's promise to return would somehow fall flat. And so the search parties continued their meaningless task as they indiscreetly scoured the known universe, while everyone else did their best to hide their dishonesty from the public's knowledge.

Finally, though, things had seemed to calm down some, as the panic wore off and life in Butterfly Castle returned to normal. Or what seemed to be normal, as everyone in the castle still seemed noticeably off, as they all seemed to be trying to deal with the situation in their own way. Star had been stuck in meeting after meeting with her parents as they tried to decide on the best course of action regarding the rest of the Monsters moving forward, Skullnick and her knights seemed downright paranoid, Jackie had been out skateboarding in her make-shift training ground for days straight, explaining to Marco that skating was her stress relief and even Janna had been keeping to herself more than usual, acting more cryptic and guarded, even for her.

And now it seemed the stress had finally gotten to Marco, too, as he was now hearing extra footsteps as he walked. He came to a stop, wanting to see if the sound would continue on without him, but to his surprise the echoing footsteps ceased as well. He took a few more steps forward, before stopping again, listening intensely as the hallway went quiet again. He did this a few more times, experimenting with different amounts of footsteps each time, but always with the same result. He looked thoughtfully down at his feet again as he rubbed his chin, humming quizzically to himself.

He did a quick survey of the room, to see if maybe he missed something and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw a teenage girl standing a short distance away. Marco could tell that she had been following him, the girl keeping at a close, but respectful distance at all times and he knew at once that she had to be culprit of the noisy footsteps.

She had a mop of short red hair, with large green eyes and a face full of freckles, as well as a pair of purple Fleur-de-lis on her cheeks. She wore what appeared to be a knight's uniform, complete with a blue tunic which was held to her frame by a red belt, pale red shoulder blades with a spike sticking out of the top, and red boots over her white pants. Her arms were also wrapped in some sort of yellow armbands that stretched from her hands to her elbows. She stood at full attention, trying to look relaxed and at ease, but Marco could tell from her solid stance and stony stare that she was ready to pounce on the first thing that moved, which was quite intimidating to the awkward and shy Marco. And to make matters worse for him, she was keeping a narrowed gaze on his form, watching him like a hawk. He did notice, though, a slight twitch above her eye, as if she was fighting back raising an eyebrow at the boy and to Marco's horror, he realized that she must have seen him staring at his feet earlier, taking weird steps forward before stopping randomly.

And with this realization the hoodie-wearing boy felt his cheeks pool with blood, looking away from the girl in embarrassment. He continued forward, making sure to keep his head down as he walked, wanting to just get to Star as quickly as he could without embarrassing himself any further. He silently begged the girl to please turn the other way and leave him alone, but unfortunately for him, he heard the steady footfall behind him as the redhead just followed silently behind. He picked up his pace even more, feeling the girl's stare burning into the back of his head, practically rushing to find his Star, in hopes she could save him from this situation.

…

Star stepped out of the castle's meeting room, letting out the first deep breath since being trapped in the suffocating space, glad to finally be freed from her claustrophobia and able to get some fresh air for the first time in hours. She sucked in a deep breath, letting all her stress and tension melt off of her. She had felt like the meeting would never end, the intense discussion a bit more than she wanted to take first thing in the morning. She stretched for a minute, her back sore from sitting for so long in the extremely uncomfortable chairs.

But as her muscles finally began to relax, her mind started reeling with questions and worries. Things in the meeting hadn't exactly gone as planned, to say the least, and she couldn't help but wonder if her and her parents were up to the task of fixing Mewni. Sure, at first it had seemed doable but now there seemed to be new complications every day, as if the universe was intent of foiling Star's peaceful vision. There was still so much that needed to be done and now she was feeling even more pressured to fix things as fast as she could. She was free, for now, but she still had a lot to think about and figure out, many points brought up in the meeting sticking to her mind and making her feel anxious.

And to make matters worse, she could swear she was forgetting something, as it seemed through all the chaos of the last couple days (and that morning alone to be honest), she had neglected to do something. She bit her lip, as she tried to recall what exactly it was that had slipped her mind, only to draw a blank every time. “I was supposed to tell someone something, wasn't I?” she asked herself, aloud. “Yeah I think that was it,” she replied to her own question, cocking her head to the side as she continued to ponder the forgotten task. “But what was it?” She was really starting to feel concerned, as it seemed now her stress was making her forgetful on top of everything else.

But she didn't have long to dwell on this, as her burning thoughts were interrupted and quickly disregarded as she heard a shout further down the hallway, Star overjoyed as she recognized the familiar call of her hoodie-wearing bestie, her heart swelling as he screamed her name. “Star!”

Star turned to Marco with a smile as he raced quickly over, opening her arms wide for the hug that was inevitably coming. This was just what Star needed on that stress-filled morning, Star unable to think of anything else that could brighten her spirits more than spending some time with her adorable bestie. But once the boy got close enough, rather than hug her, he quickly grabbed onto her arm, looking nervous and flustered, his face a deep red that rivaled that of his hoodie. “Marco, what's wrong?” Star questioned, unsure what was causing the boy so much distress.

“Is she gone?!” he replied, in a loud whisper, his eyes looking everywhere but behind him.

“Is who gone?” Star asked.

“There's this girl who's been following me around all morning,” he quickly explained. “She just keeps staring at me and it's really freaking me out!”

“Good morning, Your Majesty,” came the sudden, formal reply from the redhead, who had closed the distance between the two during their conversation. Marco released a high-pitched scream, jumping a full foot before looking at the girl in shock and surprise, backing away some, now leaning against Star. The redhead did her best to keep a blank face at the boy's girlish yell as she addressed her ruler, bowing in respect to the blond royal. “I am here to inform you that the first objective of my mission has been successful. As you can see, the target has been safely delivered to you with zero complications,” she said in a loud, strong tone. But her voice faltered a bit, as she added in a bit more skeptical a voice, “Though it has been noted that the target does display a strange fascination with feet.”

Marco blushed at the comment, though he understood little else of what she was saying, most of it sounding like gibberish to him. Target, objective, mission? What did any of that have to do with her following him around all morning. He turned to Star with a look of total confusion hoping she would understand what was going on. “Star, what is she talking about?” Marco asked, cupping a hand over his mouth to help him relay his question without being heard by the other girl, but in reality, it was easily picked up by the still bowing redhead.

“Oh right,” Star said, snapping her fingers as she finally remembered this is what she had been planning on telling Marco. She couldn't believe she had forgotten, she had spent several days arranging this for him, wanting it to be a surprise. But judging from his reaction she was starting to think maybe that wasn't the best idea. For the record, she had actually been planning on telling him that morning, trying to specifically avoid springing it on him like this, knowing he would react this way, but had become distracted by the early morning meeting. Oh well, not much she could do about it now, she would just have to deal with it as is.

So, Star put an arm around the hooded teen as she explained, “Marco, this is Higgs, your new bodyguard.”

“Bodyguard?” Marco repeated in confusion.

“That's right,” Star said, with a smile. “She's going to be keeping an eye on you for a while, to make sure you're kept safe.”

Higgs finally stood, just watching the boy intensely, which was only making him feel even more anxious.

“But I didn't ask for a bodyguard,” Marco pointed out.

“No, that's because I assigned her to you,” Star explained. “And I picked a good one, too, if I do say so myself. She came highly recommended, actually. She passed her squire training with flying colors and is one of the youngest knights in Mewni's history. At this rate, she's sure to be one of the best knights in this dimension, possibly the whole galaxy! If anyone can keep you safe, she can,” Star finished reassuringly, giving the boy a quick pat on the shoulders.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Higgs said, with a slight bow.

“Yeah but, I mean, is all this fuss really necessary for me,” Marco said, his humble/self-conscious side showing through, making Star mentally gush over his sweetness. “Don't you think she'd be better served watching someone more important?”

“Nonsense, Marco,” Star said, waving off his concern with a quick hug. “You're my boyfriend so you deserve the very best.” She followed this up with a peck on the cheek that caused Marco to flush.

Marco smiled shyly, putting a hand to his blushing cheek, but it quickly turned to a frown as he asked, “Not that I'm not grateful or anything, but do you really think I need a bodyguard?”

Star hesitated before answering, turning to Higgs and asking, “Could you please give us a minute?”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” Higgs responded with a grand bow, before walking further down the hallway, giving the royal and her boyfriend their space. Star turned back to Marco, seeing the doubt on his face and couldn't help but feel a little silly about all the fuss, herself. She knew she was probably being paranoid assigning Marco a bodyguard, but she couldn't help but worry about his safety. She still had flashes of Marco's capture by Toffee, how helpless and powerless she had been to protect him, first when Marco had willingly gone with the lizard to save her and then when she had allowed Marco to literally slip out of her grasp and right into Toffee's. She had come so close to losing Marco, only sheer luck allowing her to harness the power of the wand to save him and there was still a part of her that hated her past self's actions that day, mentally chastising her every move and mistake as she replayed the events over and over again in her mind. She could have easily prevented the near disaster, but instead she nearly caused the death of the boy she lov- erh, cared sooo much about.

And just a few days ago, that fear had resurfaced tenfold. Rasticore had been targeting her, but Marco had once again nearly paid the price. If Janna hadn't shown up, Star wasn't sure if she could have protected him and Rasticore had not seemed willing to spare the boy, his threat to make Marco suffer the same fate sending chills down Star's spine, even now. So maybe it was paranoia egging her on, but she couldn't help and feel the need to make sure Marco was as safe as could be. Especially with Rasticore still out there. And assigning the best of the best to watch over him, gave her some sense of relief in that matter.

“Look,” Star finally said, trying to find the best way to word all this to her naïve bestie. “I just... I would... feel much better if you did.”

Marco merely nodded, not wanting to upset Star, but still feeling unsure about having someone following him around everywhere, his eyebrows pinched together in a tight frown as he self-consciously wrapped an arm around himself. “I'm just... not really sure, Star,” he muttered, looking sheepishly at her.

Star nodded, understanding his hesitation, Higgs could come across too strong at times and she knew too well how awkward and shy Marco could be around strangers, reminded of their first meeting and how he had run away when she had caught him spying on her. She mentally chuckled at the memory, before adding, “Just... try this for a few days, okay.” She wrapped her hands around one of his, ignoring how soft and warm and right it felt. “For me.”

Marco just looked deep into her eyes for a second, reading her expression easily, seeing her need shining in her stunning pupils as he thought it over. And as he did, he had that same bizarre sensation from the other night as he felt a second heartbeat inside his chest, nearly jumping at the unexpected pulse. But that was all it took, as just like that, he wanted to agree, Star's peace of mind more important to him than a little discomfort on his part, right?

But before giving her his answer he needed to know something first, so he went ahead and asked, “And... if it doesn't work out?”

“Then, that's it,” Star reassured. “No more guards, I promise.” The royal raised a hand in the air to show she was telling the truth.

Marco took a deep breath, before finally agreeing with a nod, “Okay then, I'll give it a try. For you Star.”

“Great!” Star said pleasantly, a bright smile on her face, as she lead her boyfriend closer to his new guard, the boy at once going stiff with worry. “Then let me introduce you two properly.”

Before Marco could argue or run, he found himself facing in front of the stern redhead, her piercing green gaze still unnerving to the hooded teen. “Okay, so Marco has agreed to give this thing a try, Higgs, to see if he feels comfortable with having someone guarding him 24/7,” Star said cheerfully.

“That sounds excellent, Your Majesty,” Higgs replied, her voice never losing its formality. Marco just smiled awkwardly, trying to fight back the blush he kept feeling trying to surface on his cheeks. The moment, stretched out for a bit too long, the silence nearly driving Marco insane.

“So then, do you two, maybe, I don't know, want to try talking to each other, instead of just staring at each other,” Star pushed, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

Marco tried to obey the wishes of his bestie as he opened his mouth to say something, but Higgs suddenly thrust her hand out to the boy, causing him to flinch. He did accept the offer though, shaking her hand gingerly, as if afraid it would break. Higgs didn't seem to notice this, though, as she said, “I am happy to be given the pleasure of working for you, Marco.”

“R-Right,” Marco stuttered, giving her an awkward smile.

As the two continued to shake hands, Star optimistically supplied, “I know you two are gonna get along just fine.”

“I'm certain we will,” Higgs said, with a kind smile, but something felt off about it to Marco, almost fake.

But Star didn't seem to notice this, as she clapped her hands together, saying in a sweet, but commanding tone, “So then, why don't you please escort Marco to the dining hall, Higgs. I'm sure he must be starving by now.”

“Wait, you're not coming?” Marco asked, disappointed.

“I'm just going to get changed,” Star said, gesturing down to her princess dress. “I'll just meet up with you later, okay?”

“Okay,” Marco said, giving her a quick kiss on the lips, before walking off down the hall, waving back to his girlfriend as he did.

Higgs started to follow, but was stopped as Star put a hand on her shoulder, quickly saying, “Wait just a second, please, Higgs. There's something I need to tell you.”

“Yes, what is it, Princess Star?” Higgs asked.

“I've been really worried about Marco's safety lately...” Star admitted, her sky blue eyes filling with fear for a few seconds, before she let out a breath, composing herself once again. “So I really appreciate you be willing to watch over him for me.”

Higgs seemed surprised by this, but she replied in a strong, sure tone, “Of course, Your Majesty. I will do my very best to protect him.”

“I know you will,” Star said with a soft smile. “But... Marco is a little bit shy sometimes and I'm afraid he's a little put-off by the idea of being followed around all day by someone he doesn't know. And from what I've heard you can be a bit more...” Star paused, looking for the right word to use. “...direct than others. So please try and give him as much space as you can. If you do, I promise he will open up on his own.”

Higgs nodded, giving Star a smile that showed she understood. “Don't worry, My Princess,” Higgs said, reassuringly. “I understand completely.”

“Good,” Star said, with a curt nod, finally removing her hands from the girl's shoulder plates and allowing her to follow after the hooded boy. “Then I will leave you to it.”

Higgs did one final bow, before turning on her heels and following steadily after the boy. Star watched her go for a few seconds before heading down the other end of the hallway herself, feeling good about the two's situation, knowing Marco would be safe in Higgs' capable hands.

But if she had been paying closer attention, she would have noticed that Higg's smile had dropped, replaced instead with a very concerning frown, one that was focused entirely on Marco's unguarded back.

…

Marco was almost to the dining room, already able to smell the delicious aroma of freshly cooked bacon, when he was grabbed from behind and shoved into the nearest wall. The boy squeaked in surprise, as his back collided with the wall, though it was more startling than painful, as Marco looked up to see Higgs right in his face, a look of almost anger in her eyes, making the hooded boy shrink into himself.

“Wh-What are you-” Marco started, but he was cut off, as Higgs spoke in a harsh voice.

“Okay, listen here, pipsqueak,” she said, the change in her tone unnerving Marco. “I don't care if you are the princesses boyfriend or not, but you are not going to ruin my one big chance to win the princesses favor. I need it if I'm going to continue rising to the top. I have worked long and hard to get here and I'm not gonna give it up just because the person they assigned me to is a little bit shy.” Marco felt embarrassment as she mockingly said the last bit, rolling her eyes.

“And I've heard all about your reputation, too,” she continued, ignoring the boy's flushing cheeks.

“I-I'm not sure what you mean,” Marco muttered in confusion, not sure what 'reputation' she was talking about.

“Oh don't give me that,” Higgs scoffed. “I've heard all the rumors and I don't have time to deal with any of that right now. Princess Star has entrusted me with your safety and I can't afford any mistakes, which means there are going to be some major changes starting right now.”

Marco tried to speak up, but only squeaked again as she stabbed a finger into his chest. “So here is how this is going to go. From now on, you are gonna do exactly as I say, when I say it, no questions asked. Got it?”

Marco nodded, wide-eyed, not daring to open his mouth again.

“Good,” she said, backing away finally and giving the boy some space to breath, as her smile returned. “Glad we got that settled. Now let's get you something to eat.”

With that she walked off, leaving a very confused Marco behind, as he continued to ponder what it was that Higgs had heard that was so bad about him.

…

Jackie and Janna were already eating as Marco and Higgs entered into the dining room, chatting amongst themselves as they ate the delicious breakfast. Once they heard the door open, though, they both turned to Marco with a smile, Jackie greeting him cheerfully, “Sup, dude!”

Marco's frown instantly switched to one of his bright smiles as he spotted his two friends and gave them a quick wave. “Hey Jacks! Hey Jan! Good morning!” Both girls did note though, that it seemed less enthusiastic than usual, still both deciding to ignore it for now, figuring the boy was still waking up.

“So where's Star?” Jackie asked as Marco approached the large table. “She still in her meeting?”

“Nah, she just finished up, she'll be here soon,” Marco responded, as he slid into his usual seat.

“Well it's nice to see you joining us,” Janna replied teasingly, before passing the boy a napkin, as he was already drooling over his breakfast. He quickly took it, laying it out on his lap. But Janna's face quickly switched to one of shock and suspicion as Higgs took her place beside Marco's chair. “And I see you are joining us, as well,” she said to Higgs, raising an eyebrow at the stranger. Next to her, Jackie also seemed equally surprised as one of the unfamiliar castle servants hung so close to her hoodie-wearing friend. Janna eyed the redheads uniform up and down for a second. “Uhhh, squire I'm guessing.”

“Knight actually,” Higgs said proudly, just a hint of superiority in her tone, clearly trying to show off.

“Aren't you a little young to be a knight?” Jackie asked.

“I got promoted early,” she explained, lifting her head up enough so that she was looking down at them, with a condescending grin on her face, as if the two were jealous of that fact.

“Rigggghhht,” Janna said, raising an eyebrow at the girl, not at all envious of the girl's high position. There was an awkward tension for a few seconds as they waited for the strange redhead to introduce herself, but Higgs seemed content to just silently judge the both of them and they could tell by the way she was looking at them that she clearly did not like what she was seeing.

So instead, Jackie turned to the very hungry Marco, who was busy cutting his food with his knife, giving him a long look, before clearing her throat, trying to get his attention. “Marco, do you maybe want to introduce us?” Jackie asked, finally pulling Marco's focus away from the delicious food on his plate... well, mostly.

“Huh? Oh yeah, this is Higgs, my new bodyguard,” he said absentmindedly, his eyes still lingering on the steaming food that sat temptingly on his plate, though Jackie could tell he was purposefully avoiding looking in Higgs' direction.

“Bodyguard? Since when do you need a bodyguard?” Janna asked, skeptically.

“Since Princess Star assigned me to him,” Higgs explained.

“And when did this happen?” Janna asked.

“Just late last night,” Higgs retorted. “My official duties began this morning.”

“And you're okay with this,” Jackie asked Marco, the boy finally looking deep into her eyes, giving her a tight smile.

“Yeah, no, it's fine,” he said, though he seemed anything but okay with it, his fingers now fiddling with his silverware.

His two friends shared a look, before Janna asked, “You sure?”

“Well, Star thinks it's a good idea and she's usually not wrong about these things,” he muttered quietly.

“And I assure you, she isn't,” Higgs spoke up. “I am more than capable of protecting Marco.”

Janna leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. “And what makes you qualified for that, exactly.”

“Basically everything,” Higgs countered, her tone becoming harder. “I'm actually pretty famous around here. Most people are aware of my talents and don't typically question them.”

“Funny, I've never heard of you before,” Janna said, her smirky tone becoming more sharp than usual. “So I guess I'm questioning them.”

“That is rather funny, because y'know I've heard a lot about you, Janna,” Higgs shot back, putting her hands on the table. “And I am also questioning what kind of an influence you are having on Star Butterfly's boyfriend.”

“How so?” Janna asked, a smile spreading across her face, letting Jackie and Marco know she was now enjoying herself, unbeknownst to the very upset Higgs.

“Well, you do have a bit of a record around here: stealing, sneaking about, scaring the diplomats when they come around, general disregard for authority, and last, but not least, are the supposed culprit of several fires on the castle grounds.” Higgs gave Janna a long glare, as she finished listing off the heinous crimes, waiting for Janna to react to being called out on her trouble-making ways.

But Janna just continued to smirk, taking a bite of her meal and ignoring the lingering gaze on her. “Ohhh good someone finally caught on,” Janna replied. “Maybe you aren't completely hopeless after all.”

Higgs didn't know how to react to this, finally lifting herself up off the table and just giving the creepy girl a very confused look, which she was trying to keep firm. All she said was, “Yeah, well, I'm watching you,” though it sounded very halfhearted compared to everything else she had said to the girl. “And I won't be letting you get away with anything else on my watch.”

“Good, I like a challenge,” Janna said, leaning her head against her arm with a taunting gaze.

Jackie just rolled her eyes at her roommates behavior. “Jan,” she said, giving the creepy girl's arm a light smack. “Can't you at least pretend to be sorry for causing so much trouble.”

“I think you know better than that, Jacks,” Janna replied unapologetically.

Marco, glad the attention was finally off himself, went to take a bite of his food, stabbing his fork into the freshly cooked eggs, the yolk running out over his plate as he did, creating a delectable scent that made his stomach growl like crazy. He raised the fork, bringing the food closer and closer to his open and waiting mouth.

Until suddenly, out of nowhere, the fork was smacked out of his hand, making the boy cry out in surprise. “Don't eat that!” Marco heard Higgs cry in a panic. But Marco didn't process the urgency or fear laced in her tone, all he could do was watch with growing sadness as the utensil tumbled to the floor, ruining a perfectly good bite of food.

“My breakfast,” he mumbled in heartbreak, reaching a hand out toward the discarded fork.

“Geez, what was that about?” Janna asked, her and Jackie giving the knight a glare.

“Yeah, seriously, look what you did to poor Marco,” Jackie said, gesturing to the boy, who was rubbing at the hand Higgs had smacked, awkwardly.

But Higgs didn't seem bothered by this, as she gave an exasperated sigh, before explaining to them, “Well, obviously, I can't let Marco eat any food before it's been tested first for poison.”

“What?” Jackie questioned in disbelief. “That's ridiculous. Why would someone in the castle try and poison Marco?”

“Not that I have to explain myself to you civilians, but it's better to be safe than sorry,” the young knight defended herself.

“Uhh, hate to break it to you, but we've been eating the food this whole time and we're just fine,” Janna pointed out.

“Yeah, but that also means that the food has been left here unguarded with you two this whole time,” Higgs said, pointing an accusing finger at them.

Janna rose up from her seat. “Whoa wait, hang on. You aren't seriously saying we would try and poison our best friend, now would you?” Janna said with a glare.

“Well if the shoe fits,” Higgs replied, crossing her arms. “I certainty wouldn't put it past you.”

“Okay, stealing and stuff is one thing, but I would never hurt Marco,” Janna shot back, sounding genuinely insulted at the very idea of it.

“Yeah, Marco's our friend, we care about him,” Jackie added, also rising from her chair.

“And I certainty wouldn't stoop to poisoning him of all things, that's just unimaginative,” Janna said with disgust.

Jackie was silent for a moment, a look of annoyance on her face. “Jan,” Jackie finally muttered, giving her a deadpanned stare. “You're not helping us.”

Meanwhile, Marco slowly lowered himself more in his seat, until he was practically hiding beneath the table, his face set in a grimace. He didn't want his friends to be arguing with his new bodyguard, knowing how badly Star wanted this to work. He looked to the doors, knowing Star could come through them any minute. He needed to find a way to make this better.

“Guys,” Marco interrupted, drawing all three girl's attention onto him. He gave his two friends a halfhearted smile. “Look, it's okay. Higgs is just trying to be careful, I'm sure she doesn't really think you'd try and poison me. So why don't we just have someone test the food so I can eat,” he suggested.

Jackie and Janna stared at Marco in shock for a second, looking like they were on the verge of saying something, but Higgs clapped her hands together, drawing all eyes onto her, as she said, “Excellent idea, Marco! Glad you see it my way!” She started heading for the door, saying, “I will go find someone for the job, right away!”

Jackie and Janna waited until the door was closed and Higgs was gone before turning back to Marco with concerned looks, the hooded boy keeping his eyes on his plate. Even then, he could still feel their stares burning into his skin. “Marco, what's was that?” Jackie asked, taking her seat again.

“It's nothing don't worry about,” Marco muttered.

“Nothing,” Janna retorted. “You acted like her hitting that fork out of your hand was a normal thing.”

Marco was silent for a second, before he finally looked at them with a pleading glance. “Look, it's only for a few days, okay? Just until Star's more at ease about all of this. She's been worrying about me a lot lately and if this helps her, then I need to at least try and put up with it. So, until then, can you guys just try and support me on this, please?” he asked.

As always, Marco's begging face weakened their resolve, until Jackie just sighed and said, “Of course we will, Marco. If that's what you think is best.”

Marco breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you,” he said to her.

Janna just plopped back down in her seat, crossing her arms. “Well, will you at least let me play a prank on her or something for saying I would try and kill you,” she asked, seriously.

“Uh, didn't you scare Marco into thinking you were gonna kill him when you first met?” Jackie reminded her.

Janna scoffed. “That was a joke, obviously,” the creepy girl said with a roll of her eyes.

“I didn't think it was very funny,” Marco pointed out.

“Yeah, exactly,” Janna replied. “I was helping you expand your humor a little. This is different. And I think it's only fair for me to get back at her for what she said. In fact, I've already got a few ideas in mind,” she added, a playful, yet somehow disturbing smile spreading on her face, showing off her fangs, as she seemed to be thinking over whatever no doubt bad thing she had in mind for the young knight.  

“No,” Marco replied, instantly shooting down any kind of retaliation his creepy friend had planned. “No doing anything to Higgs.”

Janna just leaned her head against her hand once more, sighing in depression, as she said, “You're no fun.”

…

Breakfast passed by quickly, Higgs having one of the guards test the food, not allowing Marco to eat any of his meal until the Mewman confirmed it was safe. Once Marco did get to eat though, he found that his food was now cold, but not wanting to make a fuss he didn't say anything, just eating his food in silence. Besides, hot or not, it was still delicious, the new cook continuing to outdo himself.

Star did eventually show up, sitting down next to Marco, giving her friends a sheepish smile. “Hey guys, sorry I'm late,” she apologized as she unfolded her napkin.

“No problem,” Jackie said, giving the young royal a smile.

“And I see you two already met Higgs, huh?” Star commented, looking at the freckled girl who stood at attention at Marco's side. Both Jackie and Janna looked like they wanted to speak up about their true feelings toward Marco's new bodyguard, but a quick, pleading look from Marco silenced anything they could have said against the idea.

“Yeah, and it was quite the introduction,” Janna said, successfully hiding the venom in her tone, but her choice of words caused Star to raise an eyebrow.

“How so?” Star asked. Marco coughed once, drawing his friend's attention, as he gave the creepy girl a knowing look.

Jackie quickly interrupted before Janna could explain, saying, “Just that her credentials left quite the impression on us, is all. She certainly knows her stuff.”

“Well thank you, Miss Lynn-Thomas,” Higgs said graciously, even giving a small, humble bow in her direction, her holier-than-thou attitude from before replaced with the stiff, formal persona of a typical knight. This massive change, didn't go unnoticed by either Jackie or Janna, as they just gave her empty stares, letting her know that they knew she was faking and they weren't buying it, which Higgs simply ignored. “I am always happy to be of service,” she added, with a voice just dripping of syrup and Janna nearly gagged at how fake and forced the line was. She did however roll her eyes, shaking her head in disbelief.

Star just nodded, seemingly unaware of the intense little struggle going on at the table. “Oh well, that's good,” she said, in reaction to what Jackie had said. “Glad you all are getting along.” She turned to look at Marco, who was feeling quite relieved that things had gone smoothly so far. “So Marco, what are your plans for the day?” Star asked, laying a hand on his and giving it a small squeeze.

“Oh well, um,” Marco said not sure how to answer. In truth, he had been planning on visiting Buff Frog and the other Monsters, but had a feeling Higgs probably wouldn't go for that. Still, he had been really hoping his frog father would be able to tell him more about his parents, as well as get some much needed attention from his family that he craved. The last he had spoken to any of them was right after the ball, when Buff Frog had called up to check up on him and ask how the ball had gone, Marco recalling the conversation perfectly.

…

“It was amazing, Buff Frog!” Marco had exclaimed, his joy and energy seeping through the cellphone as he spoke, literally shaking with excitement and enthusiasm. “You should have seen it! One minute everything was normal and the next, me and Star's whole bodies were lit up red! And she looked so beautiful! And it felt so weird, but not like a bad weird, like a good weird, like a really good weird!” Marco sighed dreamily, as he recalled the magical moment, feeling his suns burning, probably from his blush. “And afterwards, we danced together out in the castle garden. And Star even sang while we did. She has a beautiful singing voice, I kinda hope she'll sing to me more often.” Marco rubbed at his blushing cheek, chuckling awkwardly at what he had just blurted out.

“Sounds like you two had good time,” Buff Frog had replied, sounding equally delighted for the boy's successful first date.

“Yeah we did, It was perfect,” Marco said, his tone a joyful whisper.

“I so proud and happy for you, my boy,” Buff Frog added, which caused the hooded boy's heart to swell. “And so would be parents.”

Marco froze at these words, reminded of what he had been wanting to talk to Buff Frog about in the first place. “Um, about that,” Marco said, already feeling anxious about wording this to his dad without worrying him, not sure if he should bring up the lizard assassin's attack and attempted kidnapping to his overprotective father.

“Someone at the ball... c-called me Marco Diaz.” He sucked in a breath, as he awaited his frog father's reply. For a few intense seconds, there was no response from the other end of the phone, Marco afraid Buff Frog had just hung up on him. “Dad?” Marco questioned, biting his lip.

“I... I see,” Buff Frog replied, sounding quite shell-shocked. “And who was this?”

“Umm, I don't remember,” Marco lied. “But is it true,” he quickly blurted, his heart aching for the answer. “Is my last name Diaz?”

“Da, is true,” had come the reply, causing Marco to release the breath he had been holding in. “Your parents name was Diaz.” This conformation had made Marco feel giddy, smiling like crazy.

Of course, once one question had been answered he had followed it up with a million more, as question after question poured out of the boy with no sign of stopping, asking everything he could think of or had ever wondered before without even pausing to take a breath, hungry for the answers Toffee had purposely kept from him growing up. “Did you know them? What did they look like? How did they first meet? When did they get married? Did they know the other Monsters, too? How was I born? Why did-”

Finally, Buff Frog had interrupted the boy from his bombardment of questions, saying, “Marco.”

The boy finally stopped, listening to his father over the phone. “Yeah, dad?” he asked, so Buff Frog knew he was listening.

“I know you have million questions and I promise I tell you everything, but right now it is late and you need your sleep.”

Marco had known the Monster was right, but he still had at least needed to know how soon Buff Frog would finally give him the full story. “Okay, but when? When will you tell me?”

There was silence from the other end of the phone for a second, but to Marco it had felt like an eternity. “In few days,” came the reply. Marco felt his heart sink.

“A few days,” Marco repeated, his throat tight. “Why so long?”

“I sorry, my boy.” Marco could hear the regret and guilt in his father's tone, even through the phone. “We so busy right now, I don't have time.”

Marco sighed, before trying to make his voice as cheerful as he could, as he had said, “That's okay, I understand. I know things are crazy right now. Honestly, it's probably for the best, there's been... a lot going on over here, too.”

“Thank you for understanding, Marco,” Buff Frog said. “You good boy.”

“Thanks, dad,” Marco had replied, blinking back the tears he felt welling up in his eyes, unsure if they were from being praised by his adopted father or from the fact that he knew he had to wait several days before finding out the truth about his flesh and blood.

“Goodnight, Marco,” Buff Frog had said.

“Goodnight,” the boy replied, before hanging up.

…

Luckily, the boy didn't dwell on this too much after, the next couple of days passing by in such a hectic blur that Marco had barely even thought about the conversation... much, too distracted by everyone's panicking to think of anything else. But now that things had settled down, the thoughts had returned fresh to his inquisitive mind. Buff Frog still hadn't shown up and Marco was starting to grow impatient. Which was why he had come up with the idea that maybe if he visited Buff Frog himself that would get the frog to open up in the matter. But now, he had a new problem to deal with, having a feeling convincing his new bodyguard wouldn't be an easy task, considering their conversation back in the hallway.

Besides, he reasoned with himself, Buff Frog is probably too busy right now to really be able to tell me the whole story, anyways. Plus, he wasn't sure bringing around the suspicious Higgs to his Monster family would go well.

“Guess I don't really have any plans for the day,” Marco finally replied with a shrug. “I'll just do whatever Higgs thinks is best for now.”

Higgs didn't hesitate to speak up at that, quickly cutting in, “Well, in that case, Marco can just spend the day with me, Your Highness. That way I can keep a better eye on him... and hopefully get to know him a little better, too.”

“Well that sounds like a great idea,” Star said enthusiastically, before looking to her hooded boyfriend. “What do you think, Marco?”

Marco nodded, reminding himself to remain open to the idea, as he said, “Yeah, okay. That sounds good.” It could be a good thing, after all, spending the day with Higgs. Maybe if he got to know her a little better, he wouldn't feel so intimidated and maybe the two of them could even become friends.

…

An hour later, Marco was already regretting agreeing to spend some one-on-one time with Higgs. As he quickly found out, the young knight was suspicious of everyone, not allowing a single soul to come anywhere near them, giving every servant who they passed a suspicious glare. One poor soul even made the horrible mistake of greeting the boy directly.

“Hey there, Marco!” the Mewman greeted cheerfully, looking happy and carefree as he went to give the boy a high five.

But before Marco could even return the pleasant gesture, Higgs grabbed the poor man by the wrist and threw him out the nearest window, the man screaming in horror on his way down. “But it's my birthday!”

Marco just gazed in horror at the window for a moment, before turning back to Higgs. “Why did you do that? He just wanted to give me a high five?” he asked, pointing to his still-waiting palm.

“Yeah and then he could have stabbed you in the back with a knife right afterwards,” Higgs snappily replied, as if throwing an innocent civilian out a window was a completely normal thing to do. “Honestly, the evidence was all right there, Marco, I'm surprised you didn't see it.” After getting a blank look from Marco she quickly explained. “Think about it. Some strange guy just randomly showed up in the castle all of a sudden and greets you as if he's know you his whole life.” She reiterated this point by taking the time to scold Marco for his lack of thinking, “In fact, if anything you need to be more careful about who you interact with. You have to be more guarded around total strangers.”

“But he wasn't a stranger,” Marco argued. “He's worked here for like ten years.”

Higgs froze, in total shock over this knowledge and looking at a loss for words of what to say next. The moment stretched on for far too long, before Marco finally spoke up in a sad voice, rubbing at his arm, “I didn't know his name but I think he was the castle decorator or something like that.”

Higgs finally seemed to recover as she quickly waved off her actions like they were nothing. “Oh well, I'm sure he's fine,” she said, before continuing through the castle, Marco following hesitantly behind her.

And that seemed to just be a typical reaction from Higgs, critical of everyone, with no regrets towards her actions, even if they were wrong. Still Marco did his very best to remain positive, hoping maybe the two of them could do a fun activity together to help them bond a bit. And after about an hour of just uncomfortably shuffling through Butterfly Castle he figured anything would be better than this. “So, uh, Higgs what do you like to do for fun?” Marco asked, hoping to find something they had in common.

She stopped walking, turning to him, before replying, “Train.”

“Well, okay, other than that,” Marco tried. “What do you like to do when your not, y'know, training?”

“Kill Monsters,” came Higgs dry reply and Marco's eyes widened.

“O-Okay, um,” Marco said, completely flustered by the response. “Going back to the first thing then,” he nervously added, trying desperately to change the subject. He thought for a moment, before hesitantly saying, “Maybe I could... train with you or something?”

Higgs looked at Marco blankly for a second, before outright laughing at the suggestion, not even bothering to hide it, as she held onto her stomach, chuckling out of control. Marco, being Marco, didn't understand what it was that had caused such a sporadic laugh attack. “What? What did I say?” he asked in cute confusion.

“You... training...” Higgs managed to gasp out between gasps for breath. She finally managed to gain some control over herself as her laughter faded to a mild chuckle, wiping the tears that had welled up in her eyes and groaning a bit from her stomach ache, as she managed to say in a much more clear tone, “Yeah right, you would be dead within the first minute, loser.”

Marco looked offended at the edition of loser, but argued (rather firmly for him), “I could handle myself.”

A critical eyebrow raised as she looked at the scrawny toothpick in front of her, adding with a scoff, “Really, I highly doubt that.”

“It's true. Just give me a chance.”

“Look it's nothing personal. But I'm a professional, you wouldn't even be able to keep up with someone like me.”

“Well, I tend to pick up on things pretty quickly.” Higgs still looked unconvinced so Marco added, “At least let me try.”

Higgs was silent for a second as she thought it over, rubbing a finger on her chin and Marco became concerned that maybe he had taken things too far, but finally she agreed, “Okay, you know what, fine. Let's see what you got, squirt.”

“Yeah!” Marco cheered in victory, pumping a fist into the air, pleased at the chance to get to prove himself. But he was caught off guard, as suddenly Higgs slammed a hand into his back, knocking him to the ground, causing him to release a very girly scream.

“First rule of knight training: anything goes,” she explained to the fallen boy with a small smile on her face as she stood over him.

“That doesn't make any sense,” Marco groaned from the ground. “Why even bother having any rules then?”

…

Once Marco had recovered he silently followed Higgs into the large courtyard just outside of Butterfly Castle. He figured that was probably as good a place to train as any, but to his surprise the freckled knight pulled out a pair of dimensional scissors and opened a portal before them. “Wait, where are we going?” Marco asked in confusion. “I thought we were going to train.”

“We are, but not here,” Higgs replied. “You want to experience a real knight's training, then that's exactly what you are going to get, pipsqueak.”

Marco didn't argue, as he instead stepped through the glowing vortex and into a whole new world. Marco, still new to dimensional travel, took a moment to get his bearings, as he found himself in a darkly lit world. They were on some kind of cliffside, overlooking a canyon filled with glowing crystals of all shapes and sizes and colors. Marco was mesmerized by them for a moment, before he turned back to the path before them, which curved around the mountainside lit by glowing green torches set up.

“Where are we?” Marco asked his bodyguard curiously, with pure awe in his voice.

“You'll see,” Higgs answered mysteriously, gesturing with a sweeping hand toward the path, indicating to let him go first and Marco obeyed, traveling down the path with his bodyguard following close behind.

After a while the two seemed to reach their destination, a large building built on the edge of a cliff. It was a fairly grand structure laying just outside of the castle grounds, lit up as well by the green torches, which gave it an almost ominous look as they approached. Though if that wasn't a tip off point enough, there was also the signs that read things like: “Beware!” and “Go away!” and the not at all threatening message of, “Strangers will be killed!” which was causing Marco's stomach to flip uncontrollably. The building as well, though big, had seen better days, the wood scarred and covered in holes as if someone had been punching holes into the building's frame. On top of that, the whole place looked unsturdy and if it was ready to collapse at any moment and the fact that it rested on what seemed to be an unstable cliff was not exactly inviting much either. Needless to say Marco was not feeling too good about entering into the deathtrap of a building.

“So, uh, what is this place, exactly?” Marco asked in concern.

“This is where we knights go to train and hang out, when we want to get away from it all,” Higgs explained. “We call it 'Valhalla'.”

“Huh?” Marco said, looking back up at the structure again. “But don't you have other places to train on Mewni?”

Higgs scoffed at the statement, saying matter-of-factly, “Yeah, but this place is where the real training happens. This dimension is abandoned and the only ones who know how to get to it are those trusted enough to be told. This place is basically the elite circle for the best of the best Mewni's knights have to offer.”

Marco looked to one of the signs which had a very lazily drawn picture of a skull on it, asking, “Umm, are you sure it's okay for me to be here then?”

“Don't worry about it,” Higgs said, shrugging the hooded boy's concern off. “Your getting a special pass, since you're with me.”

“Greeeaaat,” Marco said, trying to sound enthusiastic, but unsuccessful in hiding the squeak in his voice, as he stared up at the ominous building in fear, this seeming to confirm to him that trying to bond with Higgs had been a terrible idea.

…

Marco flinched, as Higgs violently kicked open the doors to the old building, causing one of them to break and fall over, Higgs muttering, “We should probably fix that.”

But the hooded boy wasn't paying attention to that, as he gingerly walked into the hallowed hall (still partially afraid the ground beneath him would cave at any second), his startled senses shocked as he was overwhelmed with a strong scent of body odor and sweat. He looked around the room, taking in his surroundings. The inside was just as torn up as the outside, possibly more so, every inch of the room covered in either scrapes or holes. There was little décor in the room, most of the place empty and barren, with a little bar for the knights to get a drink and some equipment which Marco assumed was for training. The most impressive part of the room was the far wall, which was coated top to bottom with weapon, some of which he had no idea what they were or what they did. All in all, the place did seem like a haven for knights and Marco was a bit in awe of it all.

“Wooowww,” Marco breathed, a small smile on his face. There were a few men and women in the building, as well, all of them decked out in knights gear like Higgs and they turned to see the hooded boy, all of them with looks ranging from confusion to outright hostility.

“Who's your friend, Higgs?” one of them asked, after a moment of intense staring.

“This is my new charge, I've been assigned as his bodyguard by the princess,” Higgs explained instantly with a cocky and boastful smile, putting extra emphasis on the word 'princess'. This did seem to get their attention, as they all looked at the boy, sizing him up, causing Marco's confidence to crumble, feeling the need to hide behind Higgs to escape from their penetrative stares, but was unable to due to his feet being frozen in place. And he had thought being around Higgs was intimidating, that had nothing on these guys.

“General Skullnick would be furious if she found out you brought a stranger here,” one of them pointed out with a warning tone.

“Yeah, well she isn't here and she's not gonna know, she's too busy trying to find that assassin to worry about coming here, so we're good,” Higgs said, quickly waving off his concern. Marco looked at her with concern for a moment, he thought she had said it was okay for him to be here, but clearly she had been lying.

“Well, why'd you even bring him here, in the first place?” another asked, crossing his arms with a raised eyebrow.

“He wanted to try training with me,” she explained, giving the boy a pat on the shoulder, not even noticing that he had gone completely stiff. “So I figured I'd show him the ropes.”

“Ha, this pipsqueak,” one of the lady knights chuckled. “Be careful, Higgs, he might break in half if your not careful.”

The others all laughed at that as well, which would normally cause Marco's face to flush a deep red, but he was too distracted by something that had caught his eye. Above their heads, hanging upside down from one of the rafters was a familiar purple bat. It was just watching him with knowing brown eyes and as it seemed to notice it had been spotted by him, shot him a cryptic smirk that could not be mistaken for anyone but Janna. She stood out like a sore thumb and he was honestly surprised no one had spotted her yet, though he did at least give her credit for taking off her beanie so she wasn't so conspicuous.

Marco would lie and say he was surprised to see her there, but in all honesty, he wasn't. If anyone could have successfully snuck into the Mewnian knight's most secret and well hidden bases it was Janna. Though, whatever she was doing there, however, was the bigger question and concern Marco had.

“Hey, don't I know you from somewhere?” One of the other knights asked, pulling Marco out of his thoughts, as the large muscular man gave him a long, quizzical stare.

“Um, w-well I don't-” Marco managed to stammer out, his voice growing softer with every word, not enjoying this intense interrogation from one of the knights.

“Come on, kid, spit it out!” the man said in a gruff voice that caused Marco to jump and freeze up even more.

“I-I-I-”

“Hey! Back off, you're freaking him out,” Higgs thankfully interjected, pushing the knight away from her charge, Marco finally releasing his held breath.

“I was just asking him a question,” the man grumbled in annoyance.

“Yeah well, you probably scarred him for life, having to look at that ugly mug of yours,” one of the other knights said jokingly and the others all laughed heartily at that.

The humiliated knight growled in anger, “Shut up!” while punching his fellow knight in the face. The knight crashed into another, which caused both of them to angrily retaliate, hitting him as one. One thing led to another and soon every single knight except for Higgs had joined in on the scuffle all of them engaged in an angry fist fight, while Marco just watched in shock and disturbance, using Higgs as a shield for himself. “What is happening?” Marco asked, not sure what to think of the sudden situation.

“Oh this happens all the time,” Higgs replied, nonchalantly, not even fazed as the group of grown Mewmans needlessly fought amongst themselves.

“Well, what should we do?” Marco asked his bodyguard, unsure.

“You hang back, I'll take care of it,” she said confidently, giving Marco a push toward the door,  before she strolled over to the brawling group. “Hey idiots, knock it off!” she yelled, before punching one of them herself. The Mewman growled before lunging toward her, Higgs dodging out of the way, kicking the knight square in the stomach, sending him flying back and into one of the others. But before she could recover she was tackled by one of the other knights, knocking her to the ground, as she screamed in a strained tone, “Hey get off of me!”  

Marco just watched on as the freckled redhead managed to squirm her way out of their grasp and then proceeded to take on three burly knights twice her own size, quickly joining in on the scuffle. But Marco's attention was diverted as he heard a fluttering noise beside him, looking over to see Bat-Jan flying next to him, right at eye level. “So enjoying the show?” she asked sarcastically.

Marco checked to see if the others had noticed, but they were still too preoccupied with their fighting to notice anything else. “Janna, what are you doing here?” Marco asked in a whisper, just in case the knights somehow heard him over the loud ruckus they were making.

Bat-Jan seemed to shrug, before explaining, “Well, we were still getting bad vibes about that Higgs girl so we decided it would be best if kept an eye on the two of you.”

“So you're just here spying on my bodyguard,” Marco said, with a suspicious undertone in his voice, as one of his eyebrows slowly raising.

“Yep,” Janna replied, not seeming to pick on the extra meaning of what he was asking.

“And nothing else,” Marco continued, with the same knowing hint in his tone. “You're not going to play any pranks on her or anything?”

“Well, now that you mention it...” Bat-Jan started mischievously, Marco able to see her inner troublemaker surfacing in her eyes.

“Jan, you promised,” Marco reminded her with a hiss.

“I'm just kidding, Marco,” Janna immediately said, shrugging off her previous behavior, giving him an overly sweet smile. “Jeez, you really need to learn to take a joke.”

Marco gave her a disbelieving stare, before sighing in exasperation. “Fine, look you can stay, but please, please, don't do anything. I really need her to like me and I think she's starting to come around a bit.”

“You got it,” Janna agreed, flashing him a toothy grin. “You won't even know I'm here.” With that she flew back up toward the cracked ceiling, leaving Marco alone again.

This was when Marco noticed that the room was now silent and looked over to see that the knights had worn themselves out, with no clear victor in sight, all of them just laying on the floor, groaning in pain. Marco was about to check on them when they all started laughing and joking with each other as if the previous fight had never happened, rising off the floor and playfully punching each other in the gut.

Higgs, as well, stood and brushed herself off, one of the knights saying to her, “Good fight, Higgs! You really know how to pack a punch.”

“Yeah I do,” she replied smugly, before going over to join her hooded charge. “Okay, now we can train,” she said to him super nonchalantly.

“But, what just happened?” Marco asked, still in shock from the bizarre and sporadic changes in attitude from the elite knights.

“That?” she asked, pointing behind her. “That was nothing. Like I said, happens all the time.”

“But one minute you guys were fighting and then you were fine,” Marco continued as his head spun trying to understand it all. “I don't-”

“Look, Marco,” Higgs interrupted. “That just happens around here. Better get used to it.”

Marco opened his mouth to reply, only to be interrupted by another voice. “Wait, Marco,” the same burly knight from before said as realization struck him, the boy's name finally striking the right cord in his brain. “I know who you are now. Your the princess's boyfriend, aren't ya?”

“Um, yes,” Marco said hesitantly. With that the other knights began all talking at once, making it impossible to tell what they were saying.

“So your Marco, huh? Never really got a chance to meet you before, off fighting in the war and all,” a lady knight said, draping an arm around the boy's small frame.

“Uh, haha, yeah,” Marco responded awkwardly, not sure what else to say.

“Then your the kid that was raised by Monsters, right?” she asked, her tone becoming far less friendly and more hard.

“Yeah, that's right,” Marco responded immediately, not picking up on the slight hostility in her tone. But out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bat-Jan face-palm with one of her clawed wings, shaking her furry head in disbelief.

The room grew eerily quiet as they all just glared at the boy, Marco gulping against his will. “W-What?”

“Well isn't that just great, the kid who was raised by the very Monsters we spent the last decade or so fighting, just comes waltzing in here,” one of the other knights said, with a deep hatred in his voice.

“But the Monsters aren't bad?” Marco defended weakly. “They were just following Toffee's orders.”

“Yeah, well those orders got a lot of us killed,” the lady knight said, with an intense glare. “And did they show any remorse for us, no.”

The other knights all grumbled their agreements, Marco quickly becoming more and more uncomfortable by the second.

“I lost a leg to one of the Monsters!” one of them yelled, gesturing to the wooden leg he had.

“I lost an eye!” one of them shouted, pointing at his eyepatch.

“Oh yeah, well I lost a whole hand!” he said, taking off his glove to show off his wooden hand replacement.

“No you didn't?” the lady knight reminded him. “You lost that during a training accident.”

“Oh right,” the one handed knight said. “Well... I still hate those stupid Monsters.”

The others all shouted their agreement, while Marco just stood there awkwardly not sure what to say.

“If you weren't the princess's boyfriend,” the lady knight said, stabbing a finger into Marco's chest, giving him a hated glare. “Then I would kick your butt for siding with those freaks.”

“I-I-I-” Marco started not sure what to say.

Luckily, Higgs quickly saved him from trying to find an answer, as she pulled him away from them, saying with a hiss in her tone, “Yeah well, he is the princess's boyfriend and my charge. So like it or not, you guys are just gonna have to get over it or answer to me.”

The others all quickly, dropped the subject after that, moving away from the two teens and going back about their business, though they did keep flashing dirty looks at the hooded boy every so often. “Thanks,” Marco said, breathing a sigh of relief. He honestly couldn't believe how quickly the knights had all turned on him just by being associated with the Monsters.

Higgs didn't respond, releasing her hold on the boy as she just quickly said, “Let's just start with the training already?”

Marco paused for a moment, before finally saying, “Okay, sounds good.” He nodded, trying to let the intense moment slide, instead focusing his attention on the far wall, looking over the large array of weapons before him, trying to select the best and least deadly one. There were so many to choose from, he didn't even know where to begin and they all looked extremely unsafe too, swords, daggers, spears, shields, scythes, even some kind of gun looking thing with a hook on the end of it which Marco had no idea what that could be used for. None of them really looked super appealing to the boy.

“Um, what are you doing?” Marco turned away from the deadly selection to see Higgs giving him a skeptical stare.

“I was just... picking out a weapon,” he explained hesitantly. “Isn't that what you are supposed to do?”

“Maybe for experienced knights, but not you. You are not ready for any of those things,” Higgs explained and Marco breathed a mental sigh of relief, glad he didn't have to handle any dangerous weapons again, his mind for just a second flashing back to his fight with Toffee.

“So then what are we gonna use?” Marco asked.

“Here,” Higgs said, handing Marco a small wooden sword. “We will be using these for now. Wouldn't want to explain to the princess how I got her boyfriend's head accidentally cut off, now would I?”

Marco gulped, taking the sword. “No,” he said in a fearful whisper.

Higgs had a wooden sword herself, holding it out in front of her in a confident stance, which Marco did his best to mimic. “Ready?” she asked, as her face drained of any emotion as she just stared forward with a serious stare.

“R-Ready, I guess,” Marco replied, trying to keep his hands from shaking, her burning stare far too intense for him to handle. “This is my first time, though, so maybe take it easy on me a little bit?” he asked, but she gave him no indication of agreeing to that.

Instead she charged him, Marco trying to block the sword swing, but it was easily knocked out of his inexperienced hands. Her wooden sword then made contact with his stomach, propelled him back, where Marco landing hard on his butt. “Ow,” he groaned, as pain shot through his stomach.

“In a real battle, your opponent isn't going to take things easy on you,” Higgs explained, as she expertly twirled her sword around her hand, before lightly tapping him on the head with it. “And in this case, you'd be dead,” she said with a smirk.

Marco didn't say anything as he rubbed at the small bump on his head. But as he looked up, he saw Janna, still in bat form, giving the redhead an intense glare and Marco became afraid she would retaliate, giving her a pleading look, which Higgs noticed.

“What are you looking at?” she asked, turning in the direction of his stare, Bat-Jan quickly flying behind one of the beams and out of sight.

“Uh, nothing, my mistake,” Marco quickly said, jumping back to his feet. “Let's just go again.” He held his sword out in the same stance. “I'm ready this time.”

“Acting confident, huh?” Higgs said with a superior smirk. “Then let's see how ready you are?” she added, the smirk never once leaving her face.

For the next several minutes, Marco was on the defensive as Higgs mercilessly wailed on him with the surprisingly hard stick, every short fight resulting in Marco losing his balance and falling hard to the floor, where Higgs would tap his head with the sword, claiming him dead. Marco put everything he had into holding his own, trying his very best to counter her. Sometimes it would pay off, as his hands would happen to land in the right place and block her swing, which Marco would then exclaim in victory, but before he would even try and counter, it was always followed up with another move from Higgs, which often ended the fight right there. Even with his Trait, Higgs was just too skilled for him. He had no chance of beating her.

After a while though, Marco began to notice that Higgs seemed to be getting frustrated with him for some reason. Her hits grew more and more intense, not giving him any chances to attack or even counter her, and her calm smirk changed to one of barely suppressed anger. Marco had no idea what he had done to offender her, but it seemed he clearly had, as she knocked him down for the hundredth time that day. As he looked up at her, he could see the venom in her eyes. Still, he forced himself to stand, his body groaning in protest. “Ugh, why do you keep getting up?” she growled. “Just stay down already.”

“Wait, what's wrong? Why are you getting so mad? I-I thought we were having fun,” Marco asked in innocent confusion.

This seemed to be the wrong thing to say though as Higgs glared at him, hard. “Fun!” she hissed. “This isn't fun for me, this is my whole life!” She threw another wild swing at him, which Marco somehow managed to block.

“Whoa, wait! I never said it wasn't! I was just doing this so we could spend some time together, I wasn't trying to offend you or anything,” he said, sheepishly.

“Well you did!” Higgs shouted, as she pushed back on the sword, causing Marco to stumble.

Once he managed to recover, he asked with a lost look, “But, w-what did I do to make you so mad at me?”

“Oh gee, let me think,” Higgs said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. “How about acting like a total moron and still managing to get the attention of the princess.” She grunted as she slammed her sword down with all her might, Marco getting pushed back once again as he blocked. “Constantly messing up and getting yourself in trouble only to have your precious girlfriend save you and then give you whatever you want!” She hit his sword again, this time completely knocking it out of his hands, his back colliding with the wall behind him. “And then even managing to get credit for helping Princess Star beat Toffee... which seriously, how? Look at you, you can't even keep a good hold of your sword.” She glared at him, pointing at him with her own sword, as he rubbed at his aching wrist with a sad look on his face. “Anyone of us here would have killed to get an opportunity to stop Toffee and end the war. But no, instead it was you who got that chance.”

Marco opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the angered redhead, as she continued her rant, now right in his face, her green eyes filled with fire and venom. “Meanwhile, I have had to work and fight and sweat to get to where I am now. And you have done nothing, so tell me, Marco, why you? What have you done to deserve any of the great things you've gotten?”

Higgs glared daggers at him as she waited for him to answer and as Marco took a quick look around the room he saw that the other knights were all staring at him, as well, the hate in their eyes telling him that they felt the exact same way. Marco paused for a long time, trying to hold back the tears he felt welling up. “I-I don't know,” he finally replied, his gaze dropping sadly to the floor.

Higgs scoffed. “Whatever,” she grumbled finally backing away and giving the boy his space. “Don't give me that act. I'm not buying it.” She turned away from the boy, crossing her arms, the other knights refusing to even look in his direction and Marco felt his heart ache, feeling lost and alone. He couldn't think of one reason for all the good things that had happened to him, either. He felt something warm and soft rub up against him and was surprised to fine Bat-Jan wrapped around his arm in a make-shift hug.

Suddenly, there was a loud yell from the entrance to the room as a familiar gruff voice yelled, “Which one of you idiots broke this door?!” Every head turned to see General Skullnick looking as angry as ever in the doorway. Marco was caught off guard as Bat-Jan quickly launched herself off his arm, hiding in the depths of his hood for safety.

No knight spoke a word, as she glared at each and every one of them, until her eyes landed on the small hooded boy hiding in the corner, looking shocked to see him for about half a second, Marco knowing he was caught. Then, her gaze slowly narrowed on his form and he felt his stomach drop. “Marco?!” she screamed, causing the boy to jump.

“Y-Yes, General Skullnick,” Marco managed to stutter out, giving her a small, halfhearted grin.

She finally pulled her focus away from him and back to her knights, who were all looking quite unnerved. “What is the princess's boyfriend doing here?!” she rumbled in pure anger.

She looked at all the sheepish faces around her, adding with a growl, “He shouldn't be here. Which one of you idiots let him in?!

Marco, as well, was examining the faces of all the clearly disturbed knights, but noticed Higgs looking extra freaked out, her face the picture of guilt and worry, her hand twitching at her side, as she just stared at her feet. He knew how important her position was, how big a deal being a knight was for her and Marco didn't wish to see her get in trouble and possibly losing her standing as the youngest knight in Mewman history.

So he sucked in a deep breath, saying in the strongest voice he could muster, “Nobody let me in, General Skullnick.” Every knight turned to him with surprise as he walked toward the angered troll, Higgs especially in shock by what was happening, none able to believe the cowering child was facing their terrifying leader alone. “I found a portal open and without really thinking about it just walked through it,” he lied. “I knew I shouldn't have but I got curious and eventually found this place here. The others were just asking me to leave actually when you showed up. Sorry for causing any trouble.”

Skullnick stared at the boy for a long intense minute, before looking at the rest of them. “Is this true?”

They all nodded and Skullnick actually looked convinced. She looked down at Marco with a scolding, but far less angry stare. “Well in that case, I'm letting you off easy this time, Marco,” she said, sounding more like a parent than an angry general. “But don't let me catch you in here again, understood?”

Marco nodded and she quickly whipped back around to the other knights as she shouted. “Now would one of you please escort Marco back to Mewni.”

“I will, general,” Higgs volunteered, doing a salute.

“Good, then as for the rest of you...” Her voice returned to a raised yell once again, as she shouted at the top of her lungs, “GET BACK OUT THERE AND LOOK FOR THAT STUPID ASSASSIN!!”

Every knight scrambled out of the building, Higgs just leading Marco out with a hand on his shoulder. Once they were outside again and out of earshot of the general, Higgs asked him, “Why did you do that?” Several other knights all turned to him, wanting to hear his answer.

“Because I knew how important it is to you being a knight and I didn't want to jeopardize that,” Marco replied. “I didn't want to see you get in trouble. General Skullnick might have taken away your knighthood if you had gotten caught,” Marco said honestly. He hesitated for a moment, his eyes filling with pain, as they slowly lowered to the ground in shame, before he added softly, “Besides what you said was true. I don't deserve all the great things that have happened to me, I was just lucky enough to have people like Star who cared about me and helped me to get to where I am. But I don't feel like I've done anything to earn them being so nice to me...”

Finally, he looked up, his gaze locking with Higgs and  the young knight couldn't help but get the sense that they were on equal levels for the first time since they met. “That's why I'm trying so hard to help the Monsters make peace, to create a world where both sides, Monster and Mewmans, can be treated fairly and not have to fight each other ever again, it's my way of repaying everyone for their kindness.”

Once the boy was finished with his speech, Higgs just stared at him for a long time with a blank, empty stare, but Marco's gaze never faltered as he kept his eyes level with Higgs. Then, to Marco's surprise, the young knight smiled back, giving him the first genuine smile Marco had seen on her. “You know what you're all right, Marco,” she said, giving him a friendly punch in the shoulder. “Terrible with a sword,” she added, with a small roll of her eyes. “But still pretty alright.”

“Thank you,” Marco answered, slightly unsure by the small insult she had thrown in there. Still it was nice to finally be acknowledged by the young knight in any positive light,  feeling a bit of pride fill his chest at the positive reinforcement.

“Hey kid.” Marco turned in shock, to see the same lady knight from before giving him an intense stare, the others mimicking the look and the boy grew nervous once again.

“Y-Yes,” Marco stuttered, his voice a tight squeak.

“What you did back there,” the lady knight continued, stepping closer to the boy, Marco became fearful of what she was about to do to him. But as she looked down at him, her gaze softened into a smile. “That took guts kid,” she said, sounding quite impressed with the boy and Marco's mouth nearly dropped open in shock. “You stood up for one of our own back there and I respect that.”

“O-Oh w-well I... i-it was really nothing,” Marco muttered, as his cheeks began pooling with blood. He was caught off guard as she suddenly patted his shoulder, not realizing that she nearly knocked the boy down with how hard she hit it as she laughed heartily at his blushing.

“You may not be so bad after all, kid,” the lady knight continued. “In fact, from now on you have my trust.” She smiled as she pointed behind her. “And that goes for the rest of these idiots, too.”

“Oh, wow, th-thank you,” Marco said in awe, unable to believe he had just gained the favor of the same elite knights who had been ready to tear him apart not an hour ago.

The lady knight finally released her hold of the boy's shoulder, saying, “Well we better be off, before old Skullsy sees us.” She turned to Higgs pounding a hand to her chest in salute. “Till next time, Higgs!” the knight boomed.

“Likewise!” Higgs said in the same loud tone, as she saluted back. With that, the other knights all pulled out their scissors, each cutting open their own portal, all giving a salute before stepping through. Higgs and Marco did the same, the hooded boy waved to the last of the knights as he stepped through, leaving behind an empty world, save for the one troll general.

…

Marco and Higgs stepped through the portal, now back in the same courtyard they had left from, Marco blinking as he returned to a world of bright colors again, rubbing at his shell-shocked eyes for a moment, as they struggled to adjust. “You don't really dimension hop all that much, do you?” Higgs asked, smirking at the boy.

“No, not really,” the boy laughed, still rubbing at his eyes, as they finally began to readjust to the brightness. Once they had, he and Higgs headed back inside the castle, the girl holding the door open for her young charge, Marco thanking her, glad to be back home once again.

Higgs said nothing, just walking beside him silently, as she seemed to be contemplating on saying something, not looking toward the boy as she tried to hide the slight embarrassment on her face. Finally, she looked back over to him, saying in the most sincere tone she could manage,“Hey, I just wanted to say thanks by the way. For, y'know, helping me keep my job or whatever.”

Marco looked at her in shock for a second, before smiling saying, “No problem.”

“And maybe I was a little... harsh before,” she added, in a soft tone, one Marco almost didn't catch.

“I-It's fine,” Marco answered, not sure how else to put it.

Higgs cleared her throat, again, trying to hide her embarrassment from the boy, not used to being nice to other people. “So, for that, I'm gonna cut you a deal,” Higgs said, her tone becoming more serious once more.

“Huh, what do you mean?” Marco asked in confusion.

Higgs just crossed her arms and responded, “Look, I know you don't really want me or anybody as a bodyguard...” Marco looked away from her, rubbing guiltily at his arm. “And truth is I would much rather have a different assignment than being stuck babysitting you all day. No offense.”

Marco did take slight offense to the comment, but he decided not to say anything, letting her continue. “The only problem is, you can't really take care of yourself, like at all,” Higgs explained, rather matter-of-factly.

Marco cringed, looking sheepish, a slight blush forming on his cheeks.

“I mean, you did manage to get yourself kidnapped by Toffee, twice, and from what the princess told me she just barely got in there in time to save you before that stupid lizard killed you.” Marco absentmindedly put a hand to his neck, a ghost of an ache forming in his tight throat, his gaze far away and his eyes wide with fear. “Of course you did manage to take off his hand and make him capable of being killed, props by the way, but you were literally unconscious for the rest of the fight.”

Marco looked at the ground in shame, realizing how pathetic he was, always needing rescuing from someone it seemed. But Higgs ignored the sad look, unable to stop herself as the rant continued,“And then, just a few days ago you nearly got taken again by a different Monster.” Higgs did finally take notice of the boy's distraught behavior, coughing into her hand, before mercifully saying n a much nicer tone,“So I guess what I'm trying to say is, you tend to attract some pretty bad people as enemies and right now you're just too weak to handle them on your own.”

Marco looked deflated, his whole body slumped over in sadness, his hands buried deep in his pockets, even his cheek marks had lost their shine, turning into gray storm clouds, as he asked in a depressed tone, “So, you think I still need protection?”

“Yes, but I think I have a better solution. Instead of the constant twenty-four surveillance, how about I give you some lessons in self-defense, just the basics, so you won't be totally helpless next time you get yourself in trouble.”

Marco looked at her in surprise, not sure if he had heard her right. “You... would really do that for me?” Marco asked, sounding chocked up, which instantly set off Higgs.

“Whoa, whoa, wait,” Higgs said waving her arms. “Don't get me wrong, I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this so I don't have to be stuck dealing with you for forever.”

Marco smiled, knowing if she really felt that way she could have just waited a week or so when Marco told Star he no longer needed a bodyguard anymore. Instead, she had willingly agreed to spend continuous time with him in the foreseeable future and without even demanding he brag about her to Star in exchange. “Okay, I accept,” Marco eagerly agreed. But he held up a finger before adding, “But on one condition.”

“What's that?” Higgs asked, raising an eyebrow at him and crossing her arms.

“You have to promise to take it easy on me, okay? I still have a ton of bruises from today,” Marco said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Higgs rolled her eyes. “Fine, I guess I can be a little easier from now on. I forget how weak you are. But, be warned, I'm not gonna hold your hand or baby you the whole time.”

Marco nodded, “Okay.” Then he surprised her by pulling her into a hug, the girl's freckled face blushing, as she becoming trapped in the young boy's warmth, not sure what to think about the sudden burst of affection from the little idiot. Though, in truth, she had grown a bit fond of the adorkable innocent, finally starting to understand what everybody found so charming about him. He did have a way of forcing his way into your heart. “Thanks, Higgs,” he whispered into her ear.

A small smile began to form on her face, but quickly realizing this, she stopped herself in the act, pushing the boy off of her, clearing her throat and hiding her blush from his view. “Okay first rule of this new agreement: No hugs,” she snapped, pretending to be annoyed by the hug, she did still have a reputation to think of afterall.

Marco nodded, before apologizing, “Right sorry.”

“Well looks like you two are getting along,” a voice said out of nowhere, the two turning to see they were being watched by the smiling faces of Star, Jackie, and wait...

“Janna!” Marco exclaimed, earning him a quizzical stare from Higgs, who had no idea what had suddenly gotten into the boy.

“Uh, yeaaahh,” Janna said, in mock confusion, the look in her eyes trying to subtly remind him of their secret. But Marco didn't notice this, as he quickly began feeling the back of his hood, shocked he hadn't even realized that his half-Monster friend had somehow exited it without him knowing. “When did you- How did you- I thought you were-” Marco stuttered, the boy sometimes forgetting how scary good his best friend could be... and sometimes how just plain scary she could be, too.

“Oh Marco,” Janna said, playing off his odd behavior as she wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “Did you fall and hit your head again?” She jokingly put a hand to his forehead as if checking for a bump, which did seem to at least semi-convince Higgs, as she looked a bit less skeptical than before.

Star, meanwhile, ignored her boyfriend's weird confusion as she walked over and kissed him on the cheek, which silenced all doubt or confusion in the boy, as his whole face turned bright red. “So, Marco, did you and Higgs have fun?” she asked, looking lovingly in his eyes.

Marco just stared at Star for second, lost in her dazzling gaze, before he realized the question she asked, quickly blurting, “Huh? Uh yeah, yeah it was a lot of fun!” Marco giggled shyly and Star nearly cooed over how adorable and precious her boyfriend was.

“Good,” she said instead. But as her gaze shifted to Janna, the look they shared instantly told Marco that Janna and Jackie had told her what had happened. All of what had happened, most likely. And it was at that moment that he remembered back at Valhalla that Janna had specifically said, 'we' when explaining why she was there keeping an eye on Marco and his new bodyguard and Marco couldn't help but wonder who's idea it had actually been to send Janna to spy on them. And from the look the royal was giving him he had a feeling that whoever it was blond and was named after bodies of celestial lights in the sky. The boy shot both Jackie and Janna a glare, silently scolding, You promised. To which they merely shrugged in unison, the look on their faces telling him all he needed to know: Sorry, she pried it out of us.

Which she totally had, as it seemed Star hadn't been nearly as absentminded during the meal as they had thought, picking up on the subtle little glares and awkward atmosphere that had consumed the table, and of course, knowing her bestie as well as she did, had instantly realized that something was off with the cheerful boy. “So everything... okay?” she asked slowly, careful with her wording to prevent Higgs from picking up on the deeper meaning, but making sure Marco did. Luckily, the hooded boy could see the message hidden behind the royal's sky blue irises, Did you and Higgs work things out? and he gave her a reassuring smile.

“Yep, all good,” he said with a cute nod, while trying to convey through his own eyes, Yeah, we did, actually. We're friends now... I think.

Star smiled back and pulled him into a tight hug. “Good,” she muttered into his ear, as she buried her head in his shoulder, Jackie soon joining in on the hug, too, as she squeezed her two crushing friends tight.

Meanwhile, all Higgs could think was, Wow, these guys hug way too much, as she fought back the eyeroll she felt tugging at the edges of her eyelids. But all of a sudden, she got the sense that the five of them were not the only ones there, her training allowing her to sense the new presences slowly coming up behind them in the cramped hallway. “Hey Marco!” Lobster Claws called out to the young boy, giving the teens a friendly wave, Beard Deer and Bearicorn standing right beside him with equally relaxed smiles. This, of course, drew everyone's attention as Star, Marco, and Jackie pulled out of their hug to smile at Marco's extended family.

Unfortunately, as Higgs turned to see the three strange creatures sharing the same hallway as her, her instincts took over as she screamed, “Intruders!”

All three Monsters jumped at her sudden shout, Lobster Claws even looking around him asking in sudden fear, “What where?!” But rather than answer him, the young knight gritted her teeth and lashed out, kicking him right in the face, causing him to fall back and crash into his other two friends.

The Monsters were all powerless to stop the young knight, as she continued to attack them, her moves quick and precise and impossible to dodge in the limited space of the hallway, Star, Marco, Jackie, and Janna just watching in horror as the three strong Monsters were easily taken down by the young girl.

Higgs grabbed Lobster Claw's arm, jerking him toward her, before expertly kicking his legs out from under him, sending him crashing to the ground, following it up with a finishing punch to his gut on his way down. Beard Deer and Bearicorn didn't even have time to react as she attacked the both of them at once, closing the distance, before slamming an opened palm into the dear Monsters face, his back colliding with the wall, while at the same time the fiery redhead jabbed her elbow into Bearicorn's side, causing him to stumble back.

As Beard Deer bounced off the wall, Higgs used his momentum to easily flip him over her shoulder where he landed on the groaning Lobster Claws, leaving only the recovering bear Monster on his feet. The redhead wasted no time in her assault, as she pressed one foot against the far wall and used it to launch herself into the air and to push herself forward at an incredible speed, as she flipped in mid-air, landing on the Monster and simultaneously slamming him into the ground.

In just the span of mere seconds, all three Monsters were completely down for the count, as they lay in a bruised and groaning heap on the floor. “Higgs, stop!” Marco cut in with a worried shout, as he finally recovered from his initial shock, rushing over to grab the girl's raised fist before she could start punching the furry intruder, who was covering his face with his paws and yelling, “Not the face! Not the face!” Her look of anger switched to one of confusion as she turned to the hooded boy, asking, “What, why?”

“Because they aren't intruders, they're my family!” Marco explained via yell.

There was a beat as Higgs seemed to be soaking in the new information, before finally saying in a calm tone, “Oh.” Marco released her arm, giving her a quizzical look as the girl acted as if nothing had just happened, rising up off of the frightened Bearicorn, who sighed in relief, collapsing against the ground. “My bad, force of habit,” she said to the boy with a shrug. She then merely began nonchalantly dusting the dirt off her uniform, while Marco simply sighed and went over to help Bearicorn to his feet, Star and Jackie doing the same with Beard Deer and Lobster Claws.

“Uh, sorry about Higgs, guys, she didn't know any better, she thought you were intruders,” he apologized for the girl, knowing she wouldn't on her own.

“Hey that's okay, Marco,” Bearicorn said in the lightest tone he could, considering the amount of pain he was in, as he used the boy for support to stand. “No harm, no- ow!” He quickly grabbed his side, as a sharp pain shot through it, nearly falling back down, Marco quickly trying to grab onto him to hold him steady.

Janna, on the other hand, just smiled down at the sight of Beard Deer laying on top of Lobster Claws, tapping a finger thoughtfully to her chin, as she smugly stated, “Huh, Beard Deer getting beat up by a girl. This is giving me a strong feeling of deju vu for some reason.”

“Oh, shut up, brat!” Beard Deer snapped, giving the beanie-wearing girl above him a look of anger, as he rose up off of his underling with the help of Jackie and Star, though it didn't seem nearly as venom filled as some of his other comebacks.

Marco couldn't help but cringe though, wondering if the two were about to go at it again, knowing from experience that that could last a while. Since the war had ended and peace was formed between the two races, Beard Deer and Janna had formed a bit of a... complicated relationship. While they were no longer enemies and wouldn't indulge in any kind of physical violence with one another, considering the fact that both knew Marco cared for the other greatly, they instead would constantly tease and harass each other any time they were in contact. Insult after insult would be flung back and forth between each other whenever they got the chance. Sometimes, it could even last for hours, until either one of them was the winner (which was never the case) or until they were interrupted by something, otherwise Marco felt like the Monster and Impure could just continue slandering one another for eternity.

Marco figured that it was Beard Deer's way for getting back at Janna, knowing his pride had been hurt after losing to her twice, and Janna was... well, she was Janna. But if Marco didn't know any better he would swear they both enjoyed it, well Janna obviously did, but sometimes he could swear through Beard Deer's gritted teeth he saw the hint of a grin on his face, as if constantly putting each other down was just their friendly way of interacting with one another. Marco honestly didn't understand it one bit. He had even asked Star about it one time and she had just shrugged and said that sometimes that was just how friends talked, which Marco then pointed out that he liked how they talked much better, which had caused Star to smile and give him a tight hug and quick kiss on the cheek, agreeing with his statement.

Luckily, the two didn't continue their insult game, as the Mewmans just continued to help the Monsters to their feet. Once they were all standing again, Star asked, “So what are you guys doing here, anyways?”

“Ow, Buff Frog sent us,” Lobster Claws said, before groaning using his claw to rub the top of his aching head.

This instantly gained Marco's attention as he turned to them with a hopeful look. “Wait, Buff Frog?” Marco asked, as he stepped closer to the crustacean.

“Yeah, he was still pretty busy with everything, so he asked us to come get you,” Beard Deer explained.

Marco felt his heart begin to pound, though he didn't know if it was in fear or joy, a bright smile instantly lighting up his face as he asked them eagerly, “Did he say why?”

Beard Deer smiled down at the young boy, putting a hand on his shoulder, as he said the words Marco had been waiting to hear all his life, “He said it's time he told you about your parents.”

[writingmilo]

Maya: Chapter 11

Part 3 of Flipped AU

Masterpost

TRIGGER WARNINGS: ANIMAL DEATH, DARK MAGIC

Everyone learned of Henrik’s outbreak as they returned to the house throughout the day, however no one was able to reprimand him for it until evening, as he spent the majority of the day trying to “fix” Maya.

Eventually, after the others had eaten a very tense dinner, Henrik emerged, tired and annoyed, but safe. 

“She’ll live.” He declared, before turning to leave the room.

“You do not get off that easy Henrik, you know this. I don’t care that you fixed her, if you hadn’t, we would have lost the only reason that Anti is coming here.”

“Yes, yes I understand. Get it over with.” Everyone stood, and formed a line around Henrik. Jackie, the eldest, threw the first punch, before leaving to sit down again.

The order followed down their ages, Marvin, Chase then finally Jameson. As Jameson sat back down, Henrik left the room, going to find some food before he went to bed. He didn’t care if Maya woke, or even if she was in pain: it was her fault this had happened.

Surprisingly, Chase had given in to Kenna’s pleas, and allowed her to see Maya. Maya had been half awake when Kenna had entered, and she had made sure to let her know that if she needed anything, to wake her. Not that she slept. She spent the whole night too scared to even doze. Every night she had been there had been plagued with nightmares, and Maya holding her was the only thing that would help to ward them off. But now, with Maya in the hospital bed, she couldn’t hold her, and Kenna couldn’t sleep for nightmares. 

As well as this, Maya woke frequently in the night, almost like a clock, every three hours when one set of her painkillers had worn off. Really she should have been on a drip, but Kenna didn’t want to say anything, knowing that Henrik had done this to her. So, when Maya woke her up, she would give her painkillers, and help her get back to sleep, often clutching her hand.

Kenna woke up in bed, Maya nowhere to be found. It took her a moment before she remembered that she was in the hospital. But she had been there with her, who had moved her? She didn’t remember falling asleep, but maybe she had. She glanced at the clock, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. It was almost midday! She jumped out of bed, swapping her pyjamas for clothes and rushed to the door. Wait, she had never put pyjamas on last night. A shudder ran through her as she thought of one of Maya’s uncles changing her, but she tried to suppress it; she wanted to get back to Maya. She turned the door handle and tugged, but it wouldn’t budge. Pulling harder, she started to panic. Someone had locked her in! 

“Let me out!” She banged on the door, making as much noise as she could. Eventually it opened, a tired looking Marvin on the other side.

“Look, just shut up okay. Nobody got any sleep last night, just because you did, doesn’t mean you can start causing a scene.”

“I…” Marvin’s abruptness startled her somewhat. “I just want to see May.”

“Later, okay? She’s asleep and we want her to stay that way; she kicked up a real fuss after you went to bed, bust all her stitches, and didn’t let any of us sleep. She needs to calm down on her own.”

“Okay.” Kenna went to move around Marvin and out of the room, but he continued to block the door. “Can I get some breakfast?” 

“No, to make sure you don’t disturb her, we’re going to keep you here today. We’ll bring you food when we eat, but that’s it.” Before Kenna could argue, Marvin had shut the door, and she heard the lock click. 

Meanwhile, the rest of the uncles were sat in the kitchen, discussing Maya. 

“We know Anti is coming; he could show up any second, so we need Maya to be ready.” Jameson said. “And right now, she isn’t.” Everyone nodded.

“There is nothing more I can do for her, it will take time for her to heal.” Henrik spoke, defensive over his earlier outburst.

“We know, but Anti can’t show up with her like this, otherwise he could just take her away. We need her on her feet and fighting for us.” Now Chase was almost yelling: they didn’t understand the importance of this.

“Look,” Jackie spoke, “I’ll talk to Marvin, see if he can help speed up the process and what the cost would be.”

“Good, go and do that, sooner rather than later.” Jackie stood from the table, and left to find Marvin.

“Hey Marvin,” Jackie waved awkwardly as he walked towards him.

“What do you want?”

“Well, Anti is going to be here by the end of the week, and Maya isn’t going to be ready by then. We were wondering if you could maybe sort that for us?” He laughed nervously.

“You want me to heal her? Is she still that bad?”

“Yeah, she’s still completely out of it. Henrik said she died twice when he tried to save her. She’s really lucky to be alive, but we need her fighting in a few days.”

“It’s a powerful spell, you know, so it will be costly.”

“And what will it cost?”

“A life. An animal should do, like a dog or a cat. On second thoughts, best keep it a dog.”

“How soon can you do it?” Jackie was hesitant, the idea of killing a dog mildly upsetting him. “How soon can you get me a dog?” Marvin smirked, and Jackie left.

A few hours later Jackie returned, half dragging a dog behind him. It was so old it could barely walk, and the shelter had been days away from putting it down.

“So this is what you brought me?” Marvin smirked.

“Look, it was going to get put down in a few days anyway, and it’s a living breathing dog, so it will work, right? What’s the difference?”

“Nothing, nothing at all. It’s just strange seeing you so compassionate.”

“Shut the fuck up.” Marvin cut off his laughter, trying to keep a straight face as Jackie covered the dog’s ears and kissed it’s head.

“Alright, help me get him up the stairs and I’ll leave you alone.”

The spell started, and Marvin took some of the blood in his hands, lifting it above a candle before letting it drip into the flame. He muttered some words, drawing symbols, before the dog disappeared, and he felt a surge of power rush through him. It wouldn’t last long, these forces were out for what they could get. He rushed through to Maya’s bedside, and chanted some more words, watching as the pallor of her face softened, before letting Henrik check that the wounds were fully healed. They were.

@the-yandere-kitsune @kate807 @bloodygoldensam @unsuredoodles @septicuniverse @atomicsepticeye @maybekatie @simsepticfan @theluckoftheclaws @thelunarmasquerade @friezzzboiii @widdendream5 @honestlyitsjustkenna @goldenoceanaart @septicart-appreciation @the-rampaige @a-faithful-fanartist @galiacolanna @novelistgeek @garlicgladiator

[artificialqueens]

i do like you. [Gigi/Nicky + Jan/Jackie] - pinkgrapefruit

A/N - I wanted to try and figure out these characters and I thought this was the best forward! let me know what you think! betad by the wonderful frey <3

*

And I don’t like it when you’re never home

And I don’t like it when I’m sleeping alone

And I pick up the phone just to call you again

You never say never but you never say when

Gigi tosses and turns in the double bed that feels so empty, now that she’s its only inhabitant. New York City sunrise is filtering through the blinds in thick, warm stripes, making it harder and harder to forget that she is alone. She rolls onto her back, smoothing the covers on her body where they have become ruched during the night, and stares at the crack in the ceiling, reminiscing about the time Nicky tried to replace the light fitting, but ended up creating web-like fractures in the paintwork. She allows herself to exhale a chuckle at the memory of her normally poised girlfriend covered in plaster dust, waving a screwdriver.

Gigi flops onto her front so she can scroll through her messages, finds the good morning text Nicky sent when she woke up four hours ago, and fires back a response. Makes it sweet, but not saccharine, wanting, but not needy. She toes the line of ‘I love you’ without being overbearing, because she knows how hard it is to want someone, but not be able to hold them close and breathe in honeysuckle and lavender from their hair.

It’s only seven when she drags herself out of bed, tossing the comforter in a way she hopes will make it look clean, without being bothered with the arduous task of pulling the sheets taut. Jan and Jackie’s room faces west, so there is no light seeping from under the door, so she busies herself with feeding their cat and putting last night’s dishes away. Two plates, two bowls, one mug, as she fills the other with lemon and ginger tea. By the time Jan wakes up, Nicky is on her two o’clock lunch break, and Gigi is whispering broken French down the line to try and feel connected. It’s the twentieth of March, which, by the countdown on the wall, means there are only sixty-three days until they breathe the same air again. If she catches Jan staring wistfully at it too - she doesn’t mention it.

She ends the call with a promise to call again and she knows they will try. They always try.

But I do, and I do like you

And I do, and I do like you

Nicky sets down the phone with a sigh and looks over the quad. Parsons is beautiful in Paris, but she manages to miss the feeling of New York. She’s taken the prestigious offer of a semester abroad to be able to see family and experience the culture she’d missed so very much, but looking around it all now, she feels like maybe she misjudged it. Yes, she had been missing family, but now she misses the family she created in the States. It took a year to cement her roots firmly in the US soil, to build friendships and relationships, and find a woman who melts her heart, and now she is five hours out of the loop.

She lets her chin fall onto her hand as her other fumbles to unlock her phone, firing off a text to Jackie, who she knows must be feeling it too. It will be almost six p.m. over there,  and - doing the time conversions in her head - Jan will have just woken up.

Paying quickly, she grabs her bag and starts to walk back to the apartment she is leasing. It’s strangely uncomfortable to be back in a country you left. She feels like a foreigner, even though her blood runs clearer here than it ever did in New York. She can breathe more, see the stars if she tries, but she is tied to the floor like a lead balloon.

She sends Gigi a text wishing her a good day, and then buries her phone in her bag, turning back towards the city. She needs cake.

And I don’t like it when you call me out

And I don’t like it when you’re putting me down

Just picking me up on a Saturday night

All ‘cause you had to, had to be right

Jackie responds to Nicky under the table. Her fingers deftly type out condolences and words of wisdom as the rest of her body stays focused on the meal in front of her. She’s having dinner with her host family from her high school exchange trip and she is pretending to be anyone other than herself.

They’re lovely people, they really are, but in a country as famously homophobic as Iran, nowhere is safe. So she tugs on her Hijab and goes back to eating.

By the time dinner is finished, it is almost half-past ten, and Jackie finds herself begging for one of the older sons to escort her across the suburbs of Tehran to her apartment. She arrives home face flushed and completely exhausted, thanking the son in Farsi before triple locking the door and removing the Hijab. She leans back against the wall, hand reaching into a hidden pocket to find her phone - looking forward to the way it will light up with Jan’s face when she turns it on.

She’s not disappointed as texts flood through, ranging from what she had for breakfast to the weather in New York City. It’s a huge comfort for them both to text their random thoughts. It’s a level of connectivity they didn’t think they could experience on different sides of the planet.

Jackie hums to herself quietly as she flicks through her old voice messages, finding one from their freshman year and pressing play. She listens to Jan sing through twenty minutes of the Mean Girls Soundtrack while she removes her subtle makeup and changes into a pair of men’s baseball shorts and an oversized t-shirt for sleep. When it hits half-eleven, she calls Jan, knowing that she’ll be done with classes for the day and heading to their favourite smoothie place. She falls asleep to gossip about the performance movement coach.

And I do, and I do like you

And I do, and I do like you

Jan listens to the quiet, even breaths of her girlfriend halfway across the world. She closes her eyes sometimes, when the work she’s trying to complete feels a little too arduous, and tries to imagine that Jackie is laying in bed next to her. She can roll over and see the glow of their alarm clock send shadows over the gentle curves and ridges of her face. The way her baby hairs flatten on her forehead in a way that makes her look younger than twenty-one.

She’s taken out of her daydream by a server trying to clear her smoothie away and she smiles apologetically, gathering her laptop and leaving a dollar on the table. She checks the time on her dad’s old watch between running across roads and down alleys, before finally arriving at the worn down little cabaret theatre being rented out for the latest show. It’s her first off-broadway show, and as she watches the posters go up outside - her name under the lead character - she feels a pang of longing. She wishes so deeply to not be alone in this moment - the taste bitter under her tongue, a raspberry seed stuck between her teeth.

But Jackie is not there, so she enters through the side door and gets to work, rehearsing the final scenes.

It’s eleven p.m. when she slides into bed in New York, firing off a good morning text to Jackie, as her early riser of a girlfriend sends a good night text from across the ocean. She sends a photo of herself tucked in and receives a bleary-eyed photo back of Jackie, comforter pulled up to her nose.

She can almost picture them in the same bed, and it leaves her to fall asleep with a smile on her face.

Why does the street get louder when it gets dark?

Why do I feel that sound in the pounding in the shape of my heart?

Oooh, oooh, oooh

Facetime is not a substitute for the way your hand fits in mine, Gigi thinks, as she sinks further into her couch. The calling tone burns her ears as she waits for Nicky to just pick up the phone. It’s been more and more like this - harder and harder to hold onto the notion that she’ll be home in just a few more weeks. She’s just not sure Nicky will recognise this as home when she finally returns.

Nicky picks up on what she is sure would be the last ring, and the noise sends floods of relief through the American, who tries to sit up straight. She tries to look less overjoyed to see her girlfriend’s tired eyes, feel less warmed by the quiet, but faintly affectionate tone with which she drawls the two-syllable name to make it four.

They exchange ‘I miss yous’ and hold the ‘i love yous’ on the tips of their tongues for a time when togetherness will feel more like togetherness, and less like loneliness. Then they let the silence hang.

“Do you want to come home?” Gigi asks, and maybe it’s not quite how she meant it, but the tone borders on accusatory, and she’s too tired of censorship and questions that go nowhere, but she looks into Nicky’s pixelated eyes and realises maybe she’s made a mistake.

“Why would you ask that?” Nicky replies, hurt and offended. “Why would you act like that?” She’s referring to the petulant lip, the time between texts that’s been dragging on of late, and the way she refuses to look at her, really look at her. But Gigi cannot read minds.

“Look like what?! Look like what, Nick, like I miss you? Like I really fuckin’ miss you?” If the connection was better, Nicky might have seen the tear in the corner of her eye. She might have heard her voice was cracking in a way that wasn’t static.

“I do miss you. I do want to come home,” Nicky finally responds. And she sounds defeated and tired and like the twenty-three days left are out of her control - which they are. She worries her bottom lip with her teeth, fingers finding the bottom of the Vintage t-shirt she stole from Gigi before she left.

Gigi runs her fingers through the front of her hair, letting the dark brown locks fall in front of her face in a moment of frustration.

“I don’t want to end this call angry,” she states, her tone measured and closed off.

Nicky nods. “Twenty-three days, baby.”

“Twenty-three days.”

And I don’t like it when I feel I’ve been had

And I don’t like it when I go to bed mad

Just to wake up again in the middle of the night

Why do you leave, baby, why do we fight?

“Baby!” Jan squeals across the phone as Jackie picks up with a wide smile and a melting heart.

“Baby,” Jackie repeats, mirroring the happiness in tone and the twinkle in the eyes. Jan scrunches her nose at the term of endearment and it makes Jackie chuckles with mirth. “How’s the show going?” She enquires, knowing that’s why Jan called - not that she needed a reason, but judging by the time, she’s just finished a show, and she looks like she’s glowing, so all things considered…

“I GOT SCOUTED!” Jan screams in a way that makes Jackie worry for her neighbours. She hears something hit the wall in their apartment and assumes it’s Gigi’s way of telling the blonde to please shut up. Still, she can’t stop herself from welling up with pride.

“You deserve this, love. I am so proud of you,” she gushes, one hand running over her eyes to try and stop the tears threatening to escape. Jan is openly crying on the other end of the connection, and one of them needs to stay strong. “I love you, baby.” She repeats because it’s all she can say or do to stop herself from booking an early flight home just to give her a massive hug.

“We are gonna damn celebrate when you get home,” Jan tries to assert, but she’s laughing and crying at the same time, so it’s not very effective. “Twenty-three days.”

“I’m expecting a full welcome committee,” Jackie jibes, smiling still.

“Will me and Gigi do?” Jan giggles, snot dripping from her nose as she tries to hide it from Jackie, who just lets out a quiet snort of laughter.

“That sounds perfect. Go to bed, baby. I love you and I’m proud of you.”

“Good morning Jackie, love you,” Jan says like it’s a promise.

“Good night Jan.”

But I do, and I do like you

And I do, and I do like you

Gigi’s been pacing for twenty minutes when Jan finally throws a cushion at her. She cradles her coffee while sitting on the sofa and her eyes keep flicking to the clock - watching it tick through the minutes. They have half an hour before they need to leave, but it feels like months.

“Bitch, you’re making me feel seasick,” she states, looking disapproving as the taller girl picks up a piece of toast before setting it down again. Too excited to eat.

“How are you so calm?” Gigi enquires, eyes narrowing in mock suspicion as Jan continues to sip her coffee instead of letting it go cold. Peanut - the apartment cat - is curled around her feet.

“Unlike you, I told my girlfriend I loved her a year and a bit ago, and am therefore very secure in my relationship.” She pauses, running her fingers through her hair, “I’ve not had to tiptoe around it since she’s been gone.” Gigi gulps, eyes flicking around the room. She’s well aware that’s what’s been going on  - they all are - but that doesn’t mean Jan’s bluntness didn’t hurt a little bit. Jan and Jackie got together a month before she and Nicky finally did, and they’re all approaching two years together. Gigi and Nicky are just a little bit - very - emotionally cautious.

“Fine,” she relents. “But you’re driving.” Jan laughs, dislodging herself from the cat and grabbing the keys to the rental car off the countertop.

“Sounds right.”

Why does the street get louder when it gets dark?

Why do I feel that sound in the pounding in the shape of my heart?

Oooh, oooh, oooh

Nicky’s flight comes in first and as the plane prepares to land, she shifts nervously in her seat. She’s excited, maybe a little anxious, and all of her nails on her left hand have been bitten down to stubs. She taps her right-hand nails on the arm of her seat until the businessman next to her gives her a scathing look. She knows from his interactions with the air hostesses that he’s French, so she drops a cursory ‘Pardon’ before she resumes watching New York spiral below her.

She lets her head fall back onto the headrest as the plane comes to a stop on the runway. Nicky pulls out her phone to check her long blonde hair as she pulls it out from her customary travel low ponytail. She’s dressed in a simple pair of light grey jogging bottoms and a white t-shirt tied at the waist, Parson’s hoodie tied around her carry-on.

Gigi had told her they’d meet her in Baggage Claim before they go to Jackie’s terminal, so she walks through the archway into the luggage carousel expectantly. Her smile soon drops, though, when she realises they aren’t there. Her hand curls into a fist, nails digging into the soft skin of her palm as her teeth worry the inside of her cheek.

She jumps at the feeling of two hands on her hips and turns with a start, before suddenly flinging herself onto Gigi’s waiting body. She lets herself relax into the hold of the taller girl, feeling more grounded than she has in months, safe and at home. Nicky doesn’t even realise she is crying until she pulls slightly out of the embrace just to map Gigi’s face. It’s only been four months, but she looks older, the bags under her eyes are a little more prominent - she has a new acne scar on her chin and a couple more freckles on the apples of her cheeks, but she looks perfect. She puts a hand on each cheek and kisses her in a way that connects them deeper than just skin. It’s full of tears and longing, but she needs it more than oxygen, and she only pulls away when she realises that last statement was undoubtedly false, taking in a deep breath while Gigi just studies her. She lets the brunette press her lips to her forehead and smiles at the thought that Gigi didn’t think she missed this.

Nicky feels Gigi’s lips move on her forehead and she doesn’t need to ask to know what it means.

“Me too,” she whispers, “I love you too.”

The spell is broken as Jan coughs behind them. She’s got one hand on Nicky’s giant suitcase and the other on her hip, as she hollers about how this is a lovely reunion, but only one of them has really tried to keep Nicky’s goddamn cat alive, and Nicky slips out of her girlfriends grasp to say a long-awaited hello to one of her best friends.

And I go away, but when I come home again

We’ll find a way to go back and rebegin

Jackie stretches her legs out in the seat, feeling one of her knees crack as she straightens it. After just over eighteen hours travelling - including two connections - she’s finally about to touch down in New York, and she’s beyond happy. The thought of standing in a busy street and just breathing in cool air makes her heart flutter. The idea of the neon lights and the smell of her favourite bodega and a blueberry muffin, god, she could swoon. And Jan.

The smell of her perfume has long since faded on the old Varsity t-shirt she stole back in January, but she can still imagine the shea and sea salt infused blend. She cannot wait to bury her face in her hair and hold her hand and sleep with their legs intertwined under the covers.

She steps off the plane with a sigh of relief, and she feels like she is home. As welcoming as Tehran was - as much as it wormed its way into her heart, New York is where she feels her soul relax.

Back way to the stars

Back into our hearts

We can win

Jackie’s barely stepped into arrivals before she’s jumped on by a short blonde woman, tears streaked down her face in seconds. Jan silently thanks the gods that she kept up her strength training in Tehran, regretful that she’d not even considered the outcome where she’d have knocked her girlfriend to the floor.

Luckily, Jackie can hold her petite love up, legs wrapped around her waist and face buried in the crook of her neck. Nicky hurries over to grab her bags and takes them back to Gigi, while Jackie just focuses on getting them both back to the relative safety of their friends, without walking into any suitcases or unsuspecting humans.

“I missed you so fucking much,” she hears Jan whisper into her neck and she smiles, twisting her head to press a chaste kiss to her hair. Jan drops her legs, sliding down til she’s standing with her arms wrapped tightly around Jackie’s waist, head pressed into her chest while the brunette burrows her face into her hair, chasing the shea and sea salt, and the smell of her grapefruit shampoo.

She looks up at the other couple briefly to wink at them, and they smile in understanding.

Why does the street get louder when it gets dark?

Why do I feel that sound in the pounding in the shape of my heart?

Nicky places her head on Gigi’s naked collarbone, fingers tracing patterns onto her sternum as they both relish in the way the room feels like a vintage polaroid. It’s warm and comfortable and so full of love it’s almost choking. The covers pool around their legs as Gigi uses one finger to lift the blonde’s chin up to meet her - lips connecting as Nicky’s back arches in the moonlight. Her hair cascades over one shoulder and Gigi’s knee rises between the other girl’s legs.

Jackie rests her cheek on Jan’s hip, smiling gently as the blonde runs her fingers through her hair. She places a soft kiss on her navel before she pulls herself up to the top of the bed, laying on her back so Jan can curl around her like a cat. “That felt like a good celebration,” Jan whispers into her favourite point on her neck, and Jackie hums in response. The moonlight falls through the window leaving a pattern of shadows on their intertwined legs.

“G’NIGHT,” Nicky yells and the entire apartment bursts into laughter.

Oooh, oooh, oooh

*