#and now a chunk of one of my teeth came out while flossing

[somethingusefulfromflorida]

[giantologist]

Hello, Professor! Have you ever been in a giant's mouth?

Good morning!

Ah, yes, I've been waiting for this question. The innate fear of consumption by larger beings that dwells within us all is often the first thing that surfaces when first meeting a giant, i.e. the stereotypical pleading not to be eaten, despite it not being mentioned beforehand. Your question, therefore, is one I've anticipated for a while!

My first encounter with a giant's mouth was when I was visiting a village tucked away in the mountains, as they had a village giant. His name was Ochre, a gentleman of 85ft tall. I introduced myself and my profession to the elderman of the village, only for him to immediately lead me to their giant, who I was told had a very bad toothache. As it seemed I had been mistaken for a physician of giants, I resolved to utilise the opportunity.

Apparently none of the villagers trusted that they wouldn't come to harm, as most of them looked upon me with awe as I tethered a rope to my middle and was taken up into Ochre's hand with hopefully well-disguised anticipation. He assured my safety, to which I thanked him, though my reply may have trailed off as his jaws opened wide.

The problem was visible to me almost immediately, a large chunk of wood slotted between two molars and embedded in his gums, just out of reach of his tongue. There I paused in thought. A few moments more pain for my 'patient' while I studied his mouth seemed slightly unethical, but it was a spur of the moment decision.

[image taken from my journal]

I remember being unable to stop staring, my blood cold, my heart fluttering, my hair on end. It had been everything I had imagined, like peering into a cathedral dedicated to some lord of the aether realm. My emotions soon made way for scientific observation, my eyes immediately drawn to his teeth. The central incisors were between pre-canines rather than lateral incisors, indicating less of a need for shearing food, which I attributed to the fact that most food simply fit into his mouth without the need to be bitten. Most likely due to enormous bite strength, the molars were wide and flat, the surface seeming more like a rocky path than a deep mountainous cleft. Though the diets of giants now are known, seeing a complete set of teeth that I didn't have to dig for gave me many theories as to the food of ancient colossi. I did make a point, however, to advise him to get some better flossing habits.

Ochre's tongue, broad and flat, filled his lower jaw, and I attempted not to view it as a red carpet as my shoes sank into its give, saliva pooling around my ankles as I ducked into the scorching miasma of stale breath. I hoped that in my awed stupor I hadn't dawdled, but I was informed later that most assumed it to be hesitation.

I had a task, however, and the wood came away with only a few attempts to gain purchase on it. In his pain and relief, a loud groan rumbled around me, thundering my ribcage as the budded flesh beneath me lurched, and the halo of light filtering through his enamel was briefly cut off. It was in that fleeting moment of inky blackness that I felt a liminal stillness. The precipice before the fall. The foot poised to kick the hanging stool. A single movement is all it would take to seal my fate, and I clutched the wooden spike with a rushing sensation of pure thrill.

After clenching his teeth for a moment, light seared my eyes as Ochre opened his mouth, revealing the aghast faces of the villagers, and the comforting stretch of his waiting palm. I appreciated him not simply swilling and spitting me, as it left me with a moment more to appreciate my fleeting venture. I cast a last look at the archway of his throat, guarded by that fleshy hanging sentinel that swayed with his breath. I couldn't help imagining holding desperately to it as I dangled over infinity, the last hope one would have before endless nothingness. I then gazed at my exit, still amazed that the ruby red room in which I resided was nothing more than this gentleman's mouth. How I wanted to linger, to settle back against the pillowy flesh and write all I could see. Too soon the needs of convention gripped me, and I stepped into the relative cold of the summer air, my skin damp with condensation, my shoes squelching, my eyes wide and full of wonderment.

Ochre thanked me for my help, and the villagers were relieved that some poor visiting soul was able to do their terrifying work for them.

In payment, I only asked for an evening's interview with Ochre, who was more than happy to give me an abridged version of his life, from mountain whelp to protector of his village.

I left with a spring in my step, still riding the high of my first venture into a giant’s maw. Thankfully it was by no means the last!

Cordially,

Professor J. Finch

[pumpkinpot]

A/N: So I wear a corset on a near daily basis. No its not to synch my waist, but I am a full time writer and frequent time traveler and I love it for both insolation and posture.

CW: Suggestive. Fluffy. AFAB reader.  

Synopsis: Hawks explores a corset for the first time. 

.

You tug your outer layer from around your shoulder folding it over your forarm once before tossing it aside. Within your reflection keigo watches with peaked interest. 

“I’ve heard those hurt,” he says, nodding to the lace up your spine.  

You pinch the structure along your waist feeling the slight bend of the bones inside their channels. “nah," you say, "but it is warm.” 

With that in mind, you decide to take off the rest of your accessories before reaching for the frontal clasps. Your corset was a loose rendition of an eighteen nineties over bust corset. You’d taken good care to season it over the span of years and its structure seemed to nearly breathe with you as a result. 

Slinking the last of your necklaces from around your neck, Keigo inches up behind you, twisting a ring on his index finger. A tic you've found he does when nervous.

“Go ahead,” you say, turning towards him, lifting your arms.

He cups your hips, squeezing lightly feeling the skeleton of your armor. he knocks on a channel with a hollow thump. 

“This would be really good in the field, I think,” he says fingering the hem. “it could help with impact damage.” 

You’d had an arsenal of information about their functionality but watching him enjoy just exploring the fabric and the flossing near its bones end. He muttered about its resemblance to a breast plate and asked how much you could do physically in it. 

After a while you turned around to escape his consistent gaze. “I think its time to get out of this and slip into some fuzzies.” 

The back, in which he hadn’t yet investigated pulled a whole new fascination for him. “Can I take it off of you?” He asks, pulling you flush against his chest.

“you want to undo it from the back?” you asks, shifting a glance to the much more accessible clasps at the front.

He twirls the ends of your laces around a finger, with a golden retriever grin. You could always tell when he was genuinely excited about something because a patch of feathers on his right side will twitch. It did now with every nod of his head. 

You take a step forward knowing it will take you at least and hour of YouTube tutorials to learn to relace it, but giving Keigo his night in shining armor fantasy seemed worth it. “Go ahead,” you repeat.  

He waists no time undoing the bow of four strings letting them fall down your back. he pauses a moment picking up two of the four eying the other two. “what are the other two for?” 

“For the bottom set of lace.”

He pulls the strings in his hand synching your chest so tight you have to grab the counter in front of you. He stops dropping to stings tugging the panels apart. 

“Sorry,” he mumbles.

After you can breathe again he resets his mission. He loops a finger through the first cross hatch of your stays unlacing it with a pop. after the first two rows he begins unwrapping you like a present, switching which hand untwines your thread to the other messaging the skin coming from the splitting panels. 

He takes a step forward for the bottom ties, kissing behind your ear, with a satisficed huff. 

“Are you enjoying yourself?” you ask leaning your temple against his lips. He nods with another twitch of his wings. 

He traces his lips down the back of your neck letting the corset fall around your feet. Left in only your slip he messages your sides. He continues down your spine until his kneels behind you, cupping one of your butt cheeks in his palm. He squeezes hard, taking a chunk of skin between his teeth. 

You sway with his movements, until they come to a full stop. you peak around you to his face staring down at your corset now in a puzzle of string and two walls. 

“It came apart in the front?” he says under reddening cheeks. 

The next morning you wake to an empty bed, keigo’s discarded leather vest he decided to throw on during sex thrown over the back of a chair. 

After much apologizing and your comforting lie that you definitely knew how to re lace it he accepts the answer slipping back into his Victorian fantasy. 

.

He would make one hell of a nerd yet. 

You look over the side of the bed for your corset knowing at some point in the day you’d have to put it back together, but it wasn’t where you left it. 

You looked around the room but its nowhere. wrapping yourself in Keigo’s vest you venture out of the room. 

You hear the faint chatter of a woman's voice and pause your steps just before the corner to the kitchen. 

sitting at the kitchen table Keigo leans over a playing zoom call to Mirkou your corset in hand. with a strained ear you hear her explaining how to re lace your corset. 

.

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[rogue-durin-16]

THINGS NEVER GO AS PLANNED (Part V/VII)

"the perfect excuse"

Summary: After Fred's death, George and Y/n lean on each other to carry on. This wasn't the most brilliant idea, though; George was pretty much in love with the girl, and Y/n— well, she had been dating Fred prior to the Battle of Hogwarts.

Pairing: George Weasley x Reader

Genre: angst mostly

Tags:

Suggested by: @crispykittywitch

Things never go as planned: @sarcasticallywitty15 @beautyschoo1dropout @s1ut4georgeweasley @sunshineandshadowss @missmulti @weasleywh0r3s @andreaareynoso @georgeweasley19 @dianarte

Permanent taglist: @elia-the-bibliophile @randomparanoid @karlthecat15722 @thebutchersdaughtersblog @amourtentiaa

Warnings: language, drinking, makeout getting spicy

A/N: idk what happened here, this was not planned I'm just horny ig??? Anyway have this part that was definitely not meant to unfold like this but hey, I'm not mad, so enjoy <3

Prologue: the aftermath

Part I: sleepless nights

Part II: candy floss

Part III: shock therapy

Part IV: wrong name

Part VI: the downfall

Part VII: apart

Epilogue: I still love you

Rogue-durin-16 masterlist

I checked myself in the mirror one last time before heading to the kitchen. There was no actual need of dressing up nicely, since we both would be spending New Year's Eve at the flat, but since Ginny, Ron, Harry and Hermione were coming, we decided to clean up for our guests.

"Hmm, smells good." I leaned on the doorframe, observing George finishing cooking.

"These past five months' messes paid off." He joked, grabbing a kitchen rag to clean his hands. "Can you keep an eye on it while I go get read..." He trailed off automatically when his gaze landed on me. "Woah— okay." He cleared his throat, eyes slightly widened at my outfit, and I couldn't help but enjoy a bit too much his attention. "You look really good— is that the new blouse?"

"Yup." I replied, a coy smile dancing on my lips as I stepped to him and picked the kitchen rag myself. "C'mon, go clean up nice for our guests."

It only took him a couple of minutes, since he might have had his suit ready.

"Mind lending a hand with the tie, love?" He requested, stepping into the kitchen with his attention on the shirt's cuffs which he was buttoning up.

Damn, he looked so good; it wasn't even fair.

"Y/n?" He chuckled, finally looking up.

"Uh— yeah! Sure." I threw the rag over the counter and led my hands to the tie, taking my time to make the knot; maybe I wanted an excuse to have my hands on him.

We stayed in silence until I was finished; it wasn't an awkward silence, but it wasn't comfortable either— it was, in fact, stifling.

"There you go." I more like whispered instead of talking, sliding my hands down his chest briefly. His eyebrows were knitted, trying to decipher my demeanor; his hands caught one of mines before they fell limply on my sides, and for a second, I thought he was about to do something really stupid —something I had wanted to do for the last three months—, but then the bell rang and we stepped away from each other, going to receive Ron and Hermione as if that moment hadn't happened at all.

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

GINNY'S P. O. V.

I took a sip of my brandy as we laughed at Ron's joke, my eyes drifting to Hermione and then to Y/n's lap, where Teddy rested, giggling and blabbering nonsense at George's hand movements and funny faces.

George had confided me quite ashamed that he fancied Y/n about two years ago, but I knew the looks he gave her were of something more than a little crush, if you may.

Had I not known Y/n, I would be worried she was projecting Fred onto the younger twin, but the girl knew better than that, so when we got to experience how their domestic life unfolded during New Year's Eve, I felt nothing but happiness at the way Y/n laughed at my brother's jokes, or how she stared at him in pure adoration as he played with Tonks's and Lupin's baby.

"You're getting him waaay too exited, mate." Harry chuckled, extending his arms for Y/n to hand him the toddler. "He needs to go to sleep."

Teddy, who we had put to sleep in Y/n's room shortly after dinner, had woken up right before the New Year came to us, and, since he refused to go back to sleep, Y/n took on the task of entertaining him. George joined as soon as he witnessed Teddy's hair going rainbow-like at Y/n's actions.

"Actually, I think we all need to go to sleep." I said, leaving the glass on the table.

"Boo, you're supposed to be the youngest!" Y/n whined, earning a laughter from the rest.

"Ginny's right, though." Ron stood up and all of us followed his lead. "It's really late and I don't want mum to see us drunk when she wakes up."

"Not a good impression to make on your future mother-in-law, oi, Granger?" George's tease made Hermione's cheeks flush, murmuring an 'idiot' before giving him a hug. "Take care, all of you." He added after he and Y/n had hugged everyone goodbye.

The five of us exited the flat and apparated in the Burrow's yard in silence until Harry asked, "are they together now?"

"We don't know." I confessed with a grimace.

"Well, together or not, they're definitely fucking."

"Ronald!" Hermione exclaimed, slapping her boyfriend's arm.

"I just said what everyone else's thinking." He defended himself, and none of us could deny it.

READER'S P. O. V.

We began to pick up the dirty plates, glasses and cutlery in order to take them to the sink and leave them there to wash them tomorrow.

"Oi, look what I found." George wiggled a firewhiskey bottle at me from the living room.

Without thinking twice, I grabbed the half empty ice cream tub I had just left over the counter, a couple of clean glasses, and I made my way to George.

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

"—and that was only in our... Third- no- fourth! year?" He finished the story, joining me in the giggling; I didn't doubt the story was funny, but I was sure it seemed ten times funnier because of the alcohol. "Wait- where were you back then?" He knitted his brows in confusion.

"A year below you." I laughed.

He snorted. "Below me," he took a look at his empty glass before reaching for the bottle with a laugh "hell, I wish."

I couldn't help but laugh too. "Sure you do." I wouldn't have laughed if I were sober, but then again I highly doubted he would have said that if he were sober. "Y'know- you can have me below you anytime you want, Georgie." I replied between lazy giggles, leaning on him so he would pour more firewhiskey into my glass too.

A loud snort left George, triggering one of my own. "Sure, darling." He loosened his tie and tossed it to the floor. "Why's it so hot in here?"

"Mmm... Must be 'cause of you." I threw my head back to stare at the ceiling. "Or... maybe's just the alcohol." I groaned at the feeling of my head spinning, and sat upright again to chunk the now full glass in one go. "I'm hot too."

"Oh darling... You can't even imagine how much— I mean... Every day— but tonight you look partic... particular...ly? Dashing." George was leaning back against the armchair's feet, his eyes closed, his cheeks flushed and an amused smile dancing on his lips. "Why must you be so bloody perfect?" I found myself staring a bit too much at the ginger. "There's still a conscious part of my brain that knows I shouldn't be saying this shit." An idle chuckle left his chest and one of his eyes peeked open. "I'm gonna blame the alcohol, aight?"

Right, the alcohol —The perfect excuse.

I laid my glass on the floor and got up, stumbling towards him. "Oi, careful— you don't wanna trip and fall." He laughed, steadying me with his hands as I plopped down on my knees besides him. "We won't make it to St. Mungo—" With one hand on his shoulder and one on his cheek, I went for it, cutting him mid-sentece in the process.

It was one hell of a sloppy kiss, and I was so concentrated on doing it right that I didn't even hear the moan I sent into his mouth.

What the hell are you doing?, My mind screamed.

I attempted to pull away, but I felt George's hands on my sides, clutching my clothes in his fists to tug me flush against him. I took the cue and did my best to climb onto his lap and straddle his legs without losing balance.

What we were doing felt terribly wrong, and, the morning after, we would regret this little slip so much, but in that exact moment I could only think that his lips tasted like fire whiskey, strawberry and chocolate, and that the quiet moans slipping through them between the kisses were loud enough to quiet down everything in my head.

I stopped to take a breath, resting my forehead against his; our eyes locked, pupils blown out.

Heavy pants left our lungs, as if we had just run a marathon. It felt like the kiss had made a bomb go off, one that we had unconsciously been building up those past months.

It took an instant of looking at each other to know we thought the same; we wouldn't get this opportunity ever again, so at that point, we might as well carry on and pray for it not to be too bad in the morning.

This time it was George who smashed his lips against mines, teeth clashing and tongues going in each other's mouths. The situation was escalating quick; a tad too quick, I daresay.

He cursed and mumbled something about too many clothes, proceeding to pull his shirt over his head with my help, given that he could only do so much with that amount of alcohol in his sistem.

I could do even less, though. It was proven when I first attempted to get rid of my blouse.

I struggled to unbutton it, an awkward, dizzy silence falling among us before his hands travelled to mines "Wait... Lemme..." He frowned, finding that simple task as frustratingly difficult as I did. "Bloody..." A browned off grunt left his swollen lips.

"Tear it." I mumbled, letting my hands roam over his chest.

"You sure?"

I hummed, somehow impatient. "We'll fix it tomorrow." I captured his lips once more.

We'd fix it tomorrow.

I felt his hands fisting my shirt by the cleavage before giving it a firm tug, making my gasp; I wasn't expecting all the buttons to come off in one go, given his drunken state.

I didn't even have time to discard the piece of clothing before his lips attacked my neck, shutting my brain off instantly due to the sensation.

"You want this?" He whispered in my ear, his hands going up from my thighs to my back until they reached the clasp of my bra.

Not trusting my voice, I nodded vigorously, making the world shake around me so hard that I had to shut my eyes.

I felt a feather kiss on my shoulder and his fingers unfastening the bra; he was doing his best to be smooth, which wasn't a lot, but I could tell he was trying hard.

"You're so sweet." I blurted out as his fingertips ghosted over my skin while he removed the top from my body.

He tried to reply something, but articulating kept getting harder and harder as we went deeper into it, so he gave up on words and so did I; at least until his fingers slid between my legs and started to tease me through the fabric of my remaining clothes.

"Bed." I whimpered, unconsciously rocking my hips against George's hand whilst my own travelled to his crotch, feeling his erection and consequently earning a moan from him.

"D'you think we'll make it?" He inquired, already retreating his hand briefly so we could stand up.

Soon enough we were stumbling to my room, hands all over each other, bumping against the furniture and walls due to not being able to stand upright.

When we fell on the bed and tossed the rest of our clothes to the floor, it began to dawn on me how bad this was going to be.

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

GEORGE'S P. O. V.

My head was pounding violently in my skull; that's most likely the reason why I woke up. It took a moment for the blurry memories of the previous night to flash into my mind.

"You feel... so good..."

"Fuck- George— faster, please..."

"Y/n— I'm-"

"No." I shoot up, not acknowledging that Y/n was still asleep by my side. "Fuck no. Nononono." I ignored the terrible headache caused by the hungover and, grabbing my clothes, I exited the room. "No fucking way." I kept mumbling to myself, stalking to my dorm to throw on some fresh clothes.

I sat on my bed, my hands running through my locks, bringing back the memories of Y/n's tugs on them in the process.

"What the fuck did I do." I almost choked on the sentence.

[mattzerella-sticks]

Kick Ball Change (a Destiel fic inspired by 15x10 “The Heroes’ Journey”)

Dean has the Bunker to himself at a time after he and Sam regain their supernatural abilities. With nothing needing his attention, he decides taking time for himself wouldn't hurt. But the usual fare leaves him bored and tired.

So he tries something new. Something he wanted to try, but wasn't sure he would be good at. Dean starts off strong, but doing it on your own can only be so fun. Get you so far. Luckily a partner happens by and truly allows Dean to enjoy a part of himself he knew was there, but didn't want to share.

           He leans forward, studying the laptop screen intently. Frowning, eyes flicking left and right while counting along with the instructor. His finger clicks on the trackpad and then pulls back. Restarts the video for the umpteenth time. When Dean feels confident, he pauses the video at the two-minute mark.

           Distancing himself from the table, Dean’s stare dips down towards his feet. Watches them repeat the steps. Slowly, like if he were walking on a wintry lake where the ice thinly covered the surface. Imagines the clicks with each soft tap of his heel or a scratchy swoosh when he dragged his toes across the floor.

           Through repetition, his skill improves. Instead of the jerky movements from which he began Dean moves with a touch of grace. Soon, he tears his gaze away and trusts that his feet will lead him through the routine without having to watch. Panting, beads of sweat dripping through his hairline, Dean dances the mini-routine at least ten more times. Then he stops and slumps over to the laptop again.

           Two minutes. Out of thirty.

           “Son of a…” he runs a tired hand through his hair, ignoring the aches in his joints and hits play.

           There was only so much time he had anyway.

           “I’m heading out.”

           Dean glanced up from a magazine, Sam standing a few feet away with his duffel packed. “Where you going?”

           “Jody’s,” he said, walking to the stairs, “she called about issues with a wolf pack and wanted some help. By the time her, Donna, and Claire make it there they’ve picked up and moved on.”

           Nodding, he marked his page and stood. “Give me a couple of minutes and I’ll be ready –“

           “Actually,” Sam coughed, blushing, “I was planning on driving over there alone.”

           Stunned, Dean allowed a beat to pass before asking. “Oh?” brow raised, “You sick of me already? Alaska to Kansas too long being stuck in a car with your brother.” It’s only been a day since they returned, but it’s all the difference. Dean and Sam felt more like themselves after their luck returned. Being average was an interesting experience, one Dean never wanted to go through again. He would go mad if it became his reality. “Because I’ll tell you,” he continued, “it wasn’t me stinking up the cabin with those Gas-n-Sip burrito farts.”

           Sam’s lips pursed and then thinned. “No,” he said, “you were too busy puking into a plastic bag after eating Bess’s grilled cheeses… again.”

           Dean shrugged, neck heating up at the memory. “What? They were good.”

           “You were lactose intolerant!”

           “I call bullshit on that,” he argued, “Cavities, I get. Skills getting rusty, sure. But me gushing chunks after so much as a cheese stick? No – that makes no sense. Chuck was just being a dick with that one… keeping me from cheese.” Dean huffed, crossing his arms, “At least that’s not the case anymore, right? Me and cheese are friends again.” Sam’s bitchiness intensified. “Anyway… why’re you leaving me behind?”

           As if Dean stabbed a pin into his balloon, Sam’s irritation deflated into a shyness. His shoe scuffed against the floor. “Well… I wasn’t the first person Jody called.”

           “Right, you mentioned Donna –“

           “Because, well… because Eileen is still en route.”

           The clouds parted. Light streams through and brightened Dean’s face, his grin stretching wide until his cheeks hurt. “Oh,” he said, “that’s why –“

           “Dean…”

           “You don’t want me crashing your little date,” he chuckled, delighting in Sam’s scowl. “What? Afraid I’d embarrass you in front of her… like she didn’t see enough when she was haunting our home like Casper.”

           “Dean –“

           “You already kissed her Sam, and she’s still kicking,” Dean said, slapping the magazine across his knee. Aware of how close Sam was to having a meltdown, he pumped the brakes. “Go. Have fun with your girlfriend hunting weres,” he sighed, “I’ll watch the fort… alone… with nothing but my hand for company.”

           Sam huffed, a smile threatening the dark corners of his lips. “You can always call Cas.”

           “He’s busy,��� Dean told him, mirth draining from his voice. “On his way back from Heaven he found a case in Southern California.” He wrung the magazine in his hands, wrinkling the pages. “You’ll probably be back before him.”

           After exchanging quick goodbyes, Sam left. Seconds passed after the front door’s heavy slam, Dean wasting no time to sneak away towards the kitchen. Using his first night to revel in all the shameful acts Sam would cast a judgmental stare at. Like piling meats and cheeses – no vegetables – onto toasted bread. Paired with as many different fries he could find in the freezer and empty onto the baking tray. Enjoyed his meal alongside a very adult film, one Sam would make him watch hidden in his room. Where the grunts and moans were contained. They echoed in the War Room, mixed with Dean’s own laughter.

           Except porn can only be so interesting.

           He lost interest rather quickly without someone being there, around to possibly walk in. Catch him in the act and then admonish him. Loneliness softened the edges of thrilling danger. By the fifth movie, Dean tied his robe shut and waddled off towards the showers to clean up.

           All throughout the shower, Dean wondered what he should do next. Pranking Sam felt too pointless, knowing his brother would return with a goofy smile and good mood that would be difficult to ruin. If he wanted any chance his energies were better saved coming up with over-invasive questions to pester him with.

           Outside the washroom, Dean turned and wondered about the shooting range. The idea fit like an old shirt. Familiar, but ineffective. Dean outgrowing the need to blast bullet holes in his problems. Especially boredom.

           He kept thinking while in the shower, lathering his body on autopilot. Not realizing he finished until he saw his reflection. Towel wrapped around his hair, eyes tinged red from where shampoo must have fallen in, and a piece of floss hanging from his mouth.

           “I want you to promise me you’ll floss from now on,” Garth said, shoving the plastic cartridge into his hand.

           Lips pursed, he tried handing it back. “If Alaska’s what you promised, I doubt I’ll need to worry about my teeth again.”

           Garth fought, forcing his fingers around it with the supernatural strength he reminded Dean at every chance during this encounter. The pressure around his wrist sent sparks firing up his spine like fireworks. “It don’t matter,” he growled. “Luck is temporary. Good teeth are forever.”

           His gums tingled with minty freshness, but it wasn’t too horrible. Better than the cavities, or the process it went to fill them.

           “But that laughing gas…”

           He propped himself up on the sink, remembering the insane choreography his mind dreamed up during that affected state. Inspired by some Ginger Rodgers-flick he must’ve caught late at night when he couldn’t sleep. And after flipping through channels, stumbling upon her spinning in Fred Astaire’s arms and marveling at the ease with which they both glided through the number made the late hours pass in a blink until Sam knocked on his door, inviting him for breakfast.

           It looked supernatural, but Fred and Ginger weren’t blessed like Sam and Dean. Their talent came from hard work, and not a boost from God.

           “But anyone can be a good dancer,” he mumbled, “I bet, with time, I could…”

           Resolved, Dean tore the floss from his mouth and hurried to get changed. A simple hoodie and sweats, easy to move in. Hurried to his laptop left in the war room, frozen in ecstasy, and began the search.

           The first few websites he tried were articles. They detailed what Dean needed to start and the different types of dancing he could try. A few looked rather impossible for a beginner like him, and others required two participants. An hour in, he found one written by a former tap dancer detailing the history of the style and their experience in the last twenty years. He sat, captivated, learning how it was more than just simple clickity-clacking. How tap mixed together a variety of cultural styles and grew in popularity. Transitioning from minstrel shows to vaudeville acts and jazz. Booming from the late Eighteen hundreds into its height of the twenties and thirties, slowly falling out of the spotlight after that.

           “Each class I took I felt a little bit happier with myself,” the author wrote, “I didn’t really have much to be proud of… some days it was like I passed through the day. Existing, but doing nothing with my life. Watching myself dance in the mirror and complete a complicated routine and thinking ‘I did that’ it… it gave me the energy to make it into the next day.”

           At the bottom of the article, a few links auto-populated to tap dancing videos. Dean clicked on the first and spiraled.

           He’s hungry, skipping lunch and dinner to dance. It’s probably nighttime, except Dean won’t check his phone. All Dean knows is that there is a minute left of the video, his ankles hurt, and he has only a few more steps to go until putting it all together.

           “Okay,” he says, dragging the button to the very start, “let’s give this a try.”

           Dean waits for the music to play, nerves twisting together and strangling his heart. He ignores them in favor of focusing on the instructor counting him in. His foot slides to the side and lightly taps the floor. Gentle smack mixing with the jazzy piano and clack from the professional tap shoes. Repeats the process with the other foot.

           And then he’s dancing.

           It’s not the greatest, Dean stumbling a few times. But he powers through. Does as he read and keeps moving onto the next step.

           Halfway through he finds the pain in the lower half of his body overpowered by the ache in his face from smiling too wide, for too long. Exhaustion fades as Dean allows the joy of dance to flood in. Stops thinking and blacks out, coming to when the video ends.

           Silent save for the singular clapping from nearby.

           Dean whirls around, startled. He trips over himself, snapping the laptop closed. Fire crawls up his shirt and tints his neck, Dean glad the hood hides most of it.

           Castiel arches a brow at the display, hands paused on the downswing in a mock prayer. “That was wonderful Dean,” he says, “I didn’t know you could dance.”

           Tongue heavy, he tries his best. “I don’t. I mean… not really. Not professionally and, usually, not at all. But I… I had the time, and I thought I could do it. Figured, while I was on my own, I’d see if I could do it.” Dean folds his arms over his chest, huffing a deep breath. Painfully aware of the sweat stains soaking his fists while they hide in his armpits. “Just started doing it a couple of minutes ago actually.”

           “Really?”

           “Yeah.”

           He hums, drifting closer. Castiel drags his fingers across the map until he reaches the laptop. Hand hovering over Dean’s, almost touching it. Radiating heat and electricity that leaves him jumpy and frozen to the ground.

           “You’re really talented,” he says, “and you never did this before?” Dean shakes his head, too afraid his voice would break if he were to use it. “Amazing… do you think –“ Castiel chuckles, gaze darting to the side and away from Dean. “Do you think I could join you?”

           “You… what?”

           “I might not be any good,” he continues, “but you were enjoying yourself, and I could…”

           His expression shifts, crinkles of delight smoothing around his eyes into a somber reflection. Dean frowns, “Hey. You could what?”

           “I could…” He breathes deeply, “I could use the distraction. Things haven’t been going my way the past couple of days…”

           “The hunt?”

           Castiel draws into himself, Dean following until his fingers hit the edge of the laptop. “I wasn’t all that needed,” he says, “When I got there, it was in time to group up with another pair of hunters who already taken down the shifter in its nest. Barely spent an hour in town…”

           “Well,” he shrugs, “at least the monster was taken care of.”

           “Still,” Castiel wryly smirks, “I can’t help the selfish feeling of wanting to be the one to solve the case. To come back home with some sort of accomplishment under my belt.”

           Dean understands where his angel’s mind is. Replays their last conversation, where Castiel told Dean that none of the angels left in Heaven had an inkling of where Chuck might have gone. If he hung around their plane of existence or moseyed on to greener pastures. How disappointed he felt. “Another failure –“

           “Don’t say that,” he mumbled, turning away from Sam so the other man couldn’t hear him. Wouldn’t if he kept his head buried in his book. “You got the Leviathan blossom, remember?”

           “And look how well that went.”

           There wasn’t any other option. So, when he opens the laptop and clicks on the next video, he guides Castiel to where he stood when practicing. “Let me know when you want me to pause it,” he says, “and don’t be afraid to ask me to play it back if you need to. Oh,” he tugs on the trench coat’s lapels, “You might want to lighten your wardrobe. Probably be more difficult dancing with all this on.”

           Castiel nods, slipping free from his armor. Allows Dean to hang both coat and suit jacket on a nearby chair, tossing his tie after unwrapping it. He finishes rolling up his sleeves when the first video begins. “Thank you, Dean.”

           “It’s literally nothing Cas. Now pay attention, it’s… dammit, she already started. Hold on let me go back.”

           Dean tries his best. But dancing becomes increasingly difficult with the addition to his class. Every so often Castiel’s elbow knocks into his and the entire routine falls apart. Lucky that he didn’t own tap shoes to start with, so mistakes went unnoticed. Castiel’s heavy brow furrowed while he pieces together the steps.

           “I think I’m getting the hang of it,” Castiel says, foot flapping on the floor like a dying fish. Laughing, hopping between left and right. “I like this.”

           Dean giggles alongside him, dizzy from either the lack of food or air. His friend stealing all of it from his lungs. “Yeah. Dancing’s fun.”

           “Why don’t we do this more often.”

           “Well, uh…” Dean scratches his chin, “I mean, men aren’t… men don’t dance, all that much. At least we’re not supposed to.”

           “Who said?”

           “…Society?”

           Castiel nods. He pauses the video, never breaking his stare with Dean. “I see… that’s why you were doing this when neither Sam nor I were here, then?” Dean shrugs his answer. “Society’s rules are stupid,” Castiel continues, smiling, “and you’re a lovely dancer. You shouldn’t be ashamed of it.”

           “I’m not,” he rushes to defend. Wincing when Castiel’s brow arches at him. “I wouldn’t be… if I knew I was good. I hadn’t done all that much dancing before now.”

           “And after?”

           “After what?”

           “After today,” Castiel asks, “Will you continue dancing?”

           His face burns hotter. “I don’t know,” Dean says. Pouts and hides his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. “It’s fun, but at my age… all this is kind of a killer on the body. I might not be able to kick for about a month.”

           He hums again. “Well,” Castiel turns to the video, “what you chose to do can be… intense. Are there any other styles of dance you’re interested in exploring?”

           Dean didn’t think he would agree so readily. And after explaining how it would work, figured Castiel would respectfully decline. Instead he asked Dean what song would best fit the style. Hung close while Dean typed into the search bar, hip pressed tight to his shoulder. Devil nowhere in sight because the presence of his angel shone too bright.

           “So,” he says, soft music playing in the background, “we kind of… leave our hands like this.” Dean places one of Castiel’s on his shoulder, the other floating for a long beat until, taking too long, Castiel twines their fingers together. “What –“

           “I’ve seen some people do this,” Castiel says, “Is that not right?”

           “No, no you’re right. It’s just…” Very intimate. A loaded gesture. Not an act he ever would have pictured escaping his dreams and becoming reality. People like Garth and Bess could enjoy it… Sam and Eileen if they worked through their issues… but him and Cas? “It’s fine,” he says, “really.”

           “You’re sure –“

           “Dammit Cas, shut up and sway.” Dean ends their conversation, coaxing the other man into a rhythm so he wouldn’t have to talk any longer. Calmed when he joins and relinquishes the fight. He dives headfirst into the gentle waves of guitar strings. A soothing country melody the soundtrack to their first dance.

           Dean peeks at Castiel’s profile and tamps down the awed sigh exploding in his chest. Only a glimpse needed to see the whole picture. Fills in the blank canvas with an unviable future. Maybe Dean wears something fancier than the hoodie with holes in random places from countless moth bites. A sleek black tuxedo tailored to show every curve and angle. Or pure white, so radiant and shining he personifies Heaven. Shiny wingtips that would capture the reflection of the happiest day his life could produce.

           All the fancy window dressing for him wouldn’t fit Castiel. He would wear his armor like always, Dean holding tight to the trench coat as they circled the floor. Dean stares at it where it rests now. Hides his smile in Castiel’s shoulder, giving nothing away.

           “Dean?”

           Humming, Dean squeezes and grips Castiel’s shirt tight in his fist. “Yeah?”

           “I don’t think this is appropriate…” Wings clipped, Dean hurdles to Earth. His feet stumble over each other in his rush to stop, and suddenly his angel’s touch turns cloying. Before he can say anything, though, Castiel continues. “Aren’t we supposed to go fast when the music picks up?”

           “What?”

           “The song’s over,” Castiel says, lips quirking at the ends. Dean tunes into his surroundings to find the music changed to a mid-tempo rock song that, while not too speedy, definitely put their earlier moves out of place. He blushes, stepping away from Castiel. “Wait,” he says, closing in around Dean’s wrist. Keeping him close. “are we done dancing?”

           Hope glitters in Castiel’s eyes, blinding Dean from escape. “No,” Dean tells him, “We can still dance.”

           “How does one dance to a song like this?”

           “…Watch.”

           Dean spins on his heel, startling Castiel. Wastes no time in shedding the sludge of his overreaction, shaking it off with each wild bounce of his limbs. Hops from left to right, grinning like he was sixteen again. Slammed between punks in the middle of a crowded room while a band blasted his eardrums deaf.

           “What are you doing?” Castiel asks, laughing.

           Dean bounds close and snags Castiel’s hand, dragging him forward. “I’m dancing!”

           “This is dancing?”

           “Yeah!” He won’t release him until the other man joins him. Holding Castiel hostage, demanding a ransom of stupidity and silliness. His angel reluctantly allows his shoulders to shrug in time. From how horribly he schools his features, though, Dean knows not an ounce of disdain lives within. “Come on, Cas. You wanted to dance? It’s not all sweeping ballrooms or planned directions. Sometimes it’s frantic. It’s crazy. It’s the first thing that comes to mind!”

           “The first thing that comes to mind?”

           Dean reigns in his excitement at the deviousness peppering Castiel’s grin. Lessens his jumps to tiny hops. “What are you -?”

           Castiel spins him off. Sends Dean flying with a strength that nearly has him kissing the floor. Instead he slides to a stop and spends a beat regaining his balance. Confident in his ability to stand straight, Dean whirls to face Castiel. The comment locked into the barrel of his mouth misfires and leaves his jaw hanging.

           His angel mirrored him, slightly. Jumps tinged with caution, hesitation etched into the lines of his smile. Arms arcing to and from, fists raised high above his head until slamming down. “Like this?” he asks.

           Nodding, Dean hisses a low whistle. “Beautiful.”

           “...Dean?”

           “Yeah?”

           “Are you going to watch me or are you going to dance?”

           He chuckles, “What I do Cas… you can’t just call dancing.”

           When listening to music, Dean always paid attention to when it began and ended. Learned how to tell when one song bled into another. Differentiate between the minutia, varying chords played or notes sung in the arrangement. Could identify a song in the first few seconds of air time.

           However, with Castiel, Dean cannot believe one song can last into eternity. Loses himself in the moment and lets everything else fade into static. Nothing more important than seeing how wide Castiel’s lips can stretch until they rip in half. Dean goads his good humor with ridiculousness after ridiculousness. He shimmies hips and drags his fingers across his eyes, Castiel smirks. Kicking a chair, collapsing into it and pretending to drop a bucket of water over his body makes his angel chuckle. Laughter erupts when Dean tries to teach Castiel how to do the macarena.

           They’ve devolved in their movements. Exhaustion cutting the wires above Dean’s elbows and wrists. His panting overpowers the music.

           Dean shuffles backwards to sit on the edge of the war table. Castiel joins, bracketing him in on either side with his arms. Accidentally closing the laptop with a drunken slap from his hand. “Oops.”

           “Cas,” Dean sighs, lightly shoving his chest, “serious party foul.”

           “My bad,” he says, tilting his head in the familiar way that causes Dean’s hear to beat double-time. “Although… I doubt this party would have lasted any longer.”

           “What makes you say that?”

           “The fact you can barely keep your eyes open for less than a minute…” Castiel’s hand traces Dean’s arm, crawling up it and leaving fire in its wake. It settles on his cheek, thumb brushing against the stubble there. “Dean…”

           He fights against the molasses slowly pouring down his face and covering his eyes. “Yeah?”

           “Dean, I –“

           Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap.

           Castiel slaps his face. He doesn’t, but the speed with which his hand tears itself away from Dean stings like a slap. Both turn and stare above at Sam, the taller man clapping from the balcony.

           “Wow,” he says, stomping down the nearby staircase, “you two were good. I didn’t know either of you had the skills… but I guess that’s on me, isn’t it?”

           “Sam,” Castiel says, pouting, “How long have you been…”

           “Not long.” He shrugs off his duffle, dumping the bag at his feet. “I caught the grand finale… a nice welcome home. Although you didn’t have to. I could’ve enjoyed it at breakfast instead of three in the morning.”

           “Three in the morning?” Dean asks, fumbling for his phone. Blinking on, the curved number mocks him. “That long…”

           A throat clears from nearby. He looks from his phone to Castiel, his angel fiddling with his hands. “I didn’t realize,” Castiel says, gathering his jackets, “it’s late… I should probably let you two rest. Sam. Dean…” One meaningful gaze that leaves Dean feeling exposed and raw later, Castiel exits.

           Something rocks into his side, knocking him to the left. Sam smirks, sitting too close to him on the table. Eyebrow cocked in brotherly mischief. Dean scowls, “Seriously?”

           “What?”

           “You’re a jerk, you know that.”

           Sam laughs, “I think I was within my rights.”

           “I could’ve been so much worse to you, y’know,” Dean says, “I almost cut holes in all your underwear.”

           “Glad to hear you didn’t.” He claps Dean’s leg, pushing off the table and snatching his duffle. “Cas is right. We need our rest…” Sam walks as far as the doorjamb, stopping underneath to round on him. “By the way… remember what I was talking about? About Cas’s staring? That’s what I meant.”

           Dean fumes in his wake. “Oh yeah? Well… at least he stares at me!” His brother’s obnoxious laughter was the worst music he heard that night. Too wired to follow the others to their respective bases, Dean instead opens his laptop again and hits play.

           It’s not the same, but it’s a reminder. A possibility. Hope.

[itsagoodluckkiss]

Someone To Stay

Request by anon: “Can you please write a fanfic about Jake and MC’s relationship from Jake’s POV from the moment they met, till her “death”? 

So, because I got a lot of requests about the fall, I decided to write a three part fanfic about it (that’s why I haven’t posted anything in so long lol). The first part is about this request (I hope you’ll like that, nonny, I worked really hard for this). 

In this, I have written their most significant moments, from Jake’s POV. I didn’t write scenes I thought I wouldn’t do justice to. Excuse my English, it’s not my first language. The title is from the song “Someone To Stay” by Vancouver Sleep Clinic, a song I used to write the night before the MASADA scene (all in all, listen to it when you get there). I’ve also added some extra things in some scenes, completely out of my headcanons. 

Pairings: Jake x F!MC

Warnings: Swearing (I mean, it’s Jake guys), NSFW (not a lot, actually almost none existant but I’m gonna throw it in there), thoughts of desperation or sadness, implied depression (more like thoughts of a depressed person), death.

Part Two

“Excuse me, it’s Jake, right? Weren’t we supposed to have landed by now… Wait, are you asleep?!”

Her voice woke me up. Thinking “another annoying college girl”, I turned and noticed her staring at me, part shock and part amusement in her eyes. I was immediately drawn to her but managed to pull myself together quickly. 

“Listen, Princess, don’tcha know it’s rude to wake someone who’s taking a nap?”

“Princess?”

“What can I say? I give nicknames to people who annoy me.”

“In that case, I’m calling you Top Gun.”

What?! She just gave me a nickname? That quick? How was that even possible?

“Top Gun?! Hang on, you can’t be giving nicknames. That’s my thing!”

“I dunno. I like it. Might keep doing it.”

She smiled at me with a hint of mischief on her face and I couldn’t help but smile back.

“You ain’t clever enough to keep’em coming. Takes work to be as good as me.”

It was the first time I noticed her. The first time she walked into my cockpit was the first time I laid my eyes on her.

“So it’s cool if I join you?”

She wanted to come with me to control tower? Why? I didn’t think she would actually want to join me. Keep it cool, McKenzie.

“You ask permission for everything? Come on, Princess.”

We walked up the rusty stairs. They gave off an eerie vibe. I was here just a few days ago. Were they this rusty before?

“This place is gorgeous. Do you fly out here a lot, Top Gun?”

She observed the forest before us, her eyes gazing the horizon. Sure, up here you have a good view of the island. The view I had next to me though was more captivating than anything I had even seen.

“Here and every other privately owned resort island in the Caribbean. The favored vacation spots of the young and the privileged.”

“You don’t sound like you like it much.”

“Hey, it pays the bar tab.”

“So, Jake, what did you do before this?”

Why was she asking so many questions about me? Why did she even care? Annoyance was visible on my face by now.

“Hey, what is this, anyway?! Twenty Questions?!”

“Sorry.”

I noticed her cheeks blush slightly from embarrassment. Damn, I was being an ass. For some weird reason, I actually wanted to tell her. It took me a minute to answer her.

“Fighter pilot. Navy. I was good at it too. Best in my class. Until I got discharged.”

“What happened?”

“Punched my commanding officer in the jaw.”

“… I’m sure he deserved it.”

“… Yeah. He did.”

We talked more. She thought living my life is lonely. She asked if I wanted more, if I needed someone to actually be here for me. I teased her, smirking while asking if she was offering. She blushed even more, mumbling that she was talking in general and I couldn’t help but laugh. Suddenly, the step she was standing on broke in two and she screamed my name. My reflexes kicked in and I caught her, bringing her close to me. She stared down in horror while clutching me, as the fragments of the step plunge to the ground.

“I think you just saved my life.”

“Now you owe me one. Come on.”

I let her go and we finally reached the top of the tower. I pushed the door open, already yelling at Carlos, only to find the room empty. What the fuck? MC dragged her fingers across the desk and they came up dusty.

“Are you sure they still use this airstrip?”

“Of course I’m sure. I was just here a few days ago, and I’m damn sure…”

I looked out the window, an outlandish show in front of me, making me forget what I wanted to say. Strange lights were moving on the sky above the island. I moved closer to the window and touched the glass. MC was next to me a moment later, staring at the weird sight in the atmosphere as well. I felt her small hand in mine and I laced our fingers without thinking.

“Jake… what is this?”

“I… I don’t know.”

She was closer to me and her gaze met mine. The colors reflected in her eyes, making her look more ethereal. In that moment, I felt a connection, I felt like I somehow knew her before. In that moment, I knew she would be someone I wouldn’t be able to forget.

I saw smoke rising from the hangar. I immediately run toward it, me and Sean opening the doors quickly, only to find my plane covered in flames. Desperation filled me as I watched Delilah burn. It was my last possession. The last thing that was actually mine. The last fragment of how I am. Of who I was. I put everything in her, only to watch her destroyed like that.

I didn’t see her plunging into the thick smoke, through the flames until it was too late to stop her. She was already in, picking up something from the ground. Then, I saw the gasoline line toward my plane catching fire and looked at her with pure terror in my eyes. Not her, too. I screamed her name and dived for her, tackling us out of the way just as my plane exploded.

My only thought was that I had to protect her with everything I had. I shielded her and her arms wrapped around me as she buried her face into the crook of my neck. I felt her rapid heartbeat and knew she was gonna be okay. Knowing I managed to save her almost eased my despair. When the explosion passed, I glanced down at her and our eyes met.

“You still with me?”

“Jake… you could’ve gotten yourself killed. Why’d you save me?”

“Think you can leave me alone with this crowd? Guess again, Princess.”

I got up and helped her as well, still holding her close to me, still looking into her eyes. I couldn’t say it to her like that but I needed her to know I care for her more than anything, more than anyone else, more than I care about myself. It was that moment that I knew I would do anything for her.

“I ain’t leaving this island without you, understand?”

“Mind if I join you? It’s a little cold.”

I looked away from the starry sky and lifted my gaze to her. I smiled and laughed a bit.

“You wimp.”

I scooted over for her to lie down next to me. We were side by side, stargazing. So many stars were lighting up the sky, creating weird constellations I had never seen before, but nevertheless I couldn’t take my eyes off them.

“Wow. Back home, you definitely can’t see that many.”

“Yeah. In the city, it’s easy to forget they’re even there. It’s a big sky, but we just block it out… make our own lights.”

I turned my head and stared at her glancing in the sky, her beautiful face aglow by the moonlight. After a moment she looked at me too.

“You can get closer. I don’t bite.”

“You sure about that?”

“I guess it depends what you’re into.”

She laughed softly and came closer to me, her head resting on my shoulder and I wrapped an arm around her.

“Better?”

“Much better.”

She was still gazing up at the sky, her eyes wandering.

“You know that some stars actually travel across the universe? Like, they are not bound to one galaxy, they just go everywhere and it makes me wonder sometimes…”

“… What?”

“… If one star is strong enough to actually leave a whole galaxy behind, why can’t we, here on earth, just get over whatever makes us feel like we can’t continue? Why don’t we try to find what we’re looking for?“

”… Wow, you just fucked me up, princess. Now I gotta rethink every single decision I’ve ever made in my whole life.“

“Well, maybe you should.”

“You surely stargaze a lot, princess.”

“Stop teasing me, I’m just thinking about… stuff.”

“You’re adorable.”

She was blushing a bit, her eyes close, her face on my chest and one arm wrapped around me. I glanced down at her and laughed a bit, brushing away a lock of hair off her cheek and couldn’t help but give a quick kiss there, only to notice more color rising.

“Alright, sweet dreams, kid. Don’t drool on my shoulder.”

“I’ll try.”

I chuckled, smiling down at her and watched her slowly drifting to sleep. She had me exactly where she wanted me and I was not complaining. How could I? The most precious person in my life was sleeping in my arms. It was the first time I realized I was in love with that girl.

“Jake! Do it! Shoot!”

Cap managed to get the bomb into that monster’s teeth. It was my turn. I had to make that shot. Our lives depended on it. Her life did. I calmed down, focusing on my target. I squeezed one eye close.

“Don’t forget to floss, asshole.”

BOOM!

The Semtex detonated, tearing off the chunk of that bastard’s jaw. The thing wailed in pain before it sank down to the depths. The three of us looked at each other, not believing what had just happened. It worked.

“We did it! WE DID IT!”

“We… we did.”

“That actually worked… Huh.”

I looked at Sean for a moment before I smiled and fist-bumped him. If it wasn’t for that son of a bitch, we would be dead! I would have screamed Well Done Bro, That Was Fucking Awesome but that wasn’t an option.

“Damn, flyboy, that was some good shooting.”

“Couldn’t have done it without that power arm, Q.B.”

“Can we seriously take a moment to appreciate that we just blasted the hell out of a sea monster?!”

We heard our friends cheering for us back at the shore. I glanced at MC, who smiled like crazy. I would have kissed her right then and there if I haven’t seen that white light coming from the sea while the water started rumbling underneath our boat.

“What’s happening?!”

“I don’t kn-”

The light surged toward us in a pillar of white. It shot up through the water and hurled our boat into the air. The last thing I heard before I hit the water hard was her scream.

As I sank down in the depths, I tried to push myself up to the surface but I couldn’t. It was like something was dragging me down. I wasn’t able to hold my breath properly like I usually could inside the water. No, not like this.

I looked around, trying to think of a way out as I saw a figure swimming close to me. It was her. My mind stopped thinking of anything else as I wrapped my arms around her, our bodies touching, our faces close. I saw the fear in her eyes and felt the despair overwhelming me. I never got the chance to tell her. That was the last time I would hold her close to me. I couldn’t do anything to save her.

We looked into each other’s eyes and she leaned in, bringing our lips together. I cupped her face with one arm, kissing her as we sank deeper into the sea. I didn’t want our first kiss to be our last. I’m sorry I couldn’t save you.

I woke up lying on a shore, feeling the sun on my face. I was alive. The memories of what had happened came to me. The explosion. The kiss… was that a dream? A hallucination? None of these mattered as I heard a soft coughing not far away from me. I got to my feet quickly as I ran to her, screaming her name.

“Help ya with something, princess?”

“Just seeing what you’re up to.”

“Trying to see if we’ve got any good whiskey left. You?”

“Not a whole lot. Just wondering if… maybe you wanted to come with me to my room?”

I froze for a second, then turned my head to look into her eyes. Was she… ? A memory came to me, that memory of us, kissing as we sank into the depths and the regret I felt because I would never be able to hold her again.

“… Yeah. Yeah, I do.”

A while later, we were lying in her bed, side by side, feeling the warmth of our bodies pressed together.

“That was… something else.”

I rolled over to my side, looking at her as she brushed a lock of hair out of my face.

“You’re something else.”

“The gruff, no-nonsense Jake McKenzie acting sentimental? Now I’ve seen everything.”

“What can I say, princess? You’ve got that effect on me.”

I stroked her face with the back of my hand, only for her to kiss it tenderly. I smiled and leaned in, kissing her lips once more.

“Think we’re gonna make it through this thing? Get off this island and go back home?”

My smile faded and I turned onto my back, staring up at the ceiling. Home. I didn’t have a home anymore. The thought I wouldn’t be able to be a part of her life hit me hard, and a sudden wave of melancholy came to me.

“Make it through this? Probably. Get off this island? Hope so. But if there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that I’m never going back home.”

“What? Why not?!”

I gazed into her eyes, thinking if I should tell her the truth. But she deserved to know. It was too late for me to hide from her. I let out a sigh and told her everything. About the Navy. Mike. Lundgren. The trap. Mike’s death. She wrapped an arm around my chest, holding me close to her, but I was too numb to move as I remembered all these.

“Oh Jake… that’s terrible…”

“Yeah, well, I didn’t have time to mourn. I was stranded behind enemy lines, being hunted by government forces. It took me a week to get back to the base. And when I did, Lundgren was waiting. Along with a pair of M.P.s.”

“Military police…”

“He’d doctored the records, made it look like Mike and I were the traitors. They came to arrest me. I punched Lundgren in his worthless face, dove out the window, and ran like hell. I’ve been running ever since. Hiding out in Costa Rica.”

“Jake… I’m so sorry about your friend.”

“Not gonna lie, it still hurts. After that, I figured, well, that’s what I deserve for letting someone get close to me. I wasn’t going to make that mistake again. I wasn’t going to let anyone else in.”

I turned onto my side again, my hand moving to her chest, above her heart, my face close to hers. I was ready to admit everything to her, all the things she had triggered inside me. I was falling hard, and I couldn’t stop. I gazed into her eyes.

“Then I met you.”

“Jake… what’s wrong?”

This was a disaster. I thought there would be enough parachutes for us to escape but I was wrong. I glanced at her guiltily, trying to avoid her eyes.

“… We don’t have enough chutes for everyone.”

I tried to think of a way out but I couldn’t. Not all of us would manage to leave this rooftop in time. Sean put a pack in MC’s hands, deciding he was going to stay back. Craig did the same. I knew that was the right move but I couldn’t help but protest.

“Shut up, you idiots! Now’s not the time to act all noble.”

“Jake… it’s exactly the time.”

“… Goddammit. Fine. Guess I’m staying back too.”

“No! No one’s getting left behind! A lot of us have only known each other a short time… but we’ve been through so much together. We’re all we can count on in this crazy place. So we’re not going to abandon each other now.”

She had a fierce look in her eyes while saying all these. We all looked at each other, determination setting in. We were going to stick together and the decision had been made. While the others were talking, I noticed her being deep in thought.

“Man, I do not wanna go out like this. I just wanna close my eyes and wake up when it’s all over.”, Diego stated with a panicked voice.

She mumbled something under her breath, her eyebrows furrowed in thought. Then her face lit up. She came close to me and grabbed that strange gun behind my waistband. Of course!

“We’ll use this!”

“It won’t work, MC. There are too many of them. You can’t shoot them all quickly enough.”, Sean mentioned. But he hadn’t figured out what she meant.

“Who said anything about shooting them?”

There was some protest but it was the only way out for all of us. Our group came together in a big hug around her and she aimed the gun at her feet. While the others were expressing their last thoughts, I couldn’t stop staring at her. She was my last thought, after all. As she was about to shoot, I stopped her.

“Hang on a second, Princess…”

I leaned down at her, connecting our lips one last time. I kissed her deeply for just a mere moment, then broke away and smiled.

“Alright, I can die happy now.”

She smiled back at me and pulled the trigger. A white light expanded around us. The last thing I heard before it engulfed me was her, screaming Diego’s name.

When the light died down, all of us were back at the rooftop of The Celestial. All of us except…

“Wait… MC… where’s Diego?”, Craig asked.

She was trembling now, her face full of panic and grief, her eyes filled with unshed tears. I knew that feeling. That was the worst thing that could happen to her.

“They… took him… pulled him out…”

I wrapped an arm around her gently, bringing her close to me before she would burst. She lied her head in the crook of my neck and tried to speak between the sobs that were now leaving her body.

“They… they would have… pulled me out too… and he let go and… I… I couldn’t hold him… I couldn’t save him… This is my fault, I couldn’t save him!”

“It’s not your fault, Princess. He did it to save you. He loved you too much to keep on holding.”

And it was true. Diego was like Mike. They did everything to save their best friends, their family, even if it meant that they wouldn’t survive. I brushed her hair as she cried, a tear falling down my face as well.

A while later, I found myself in the bar. I had to clear my thoughts somehow and a glass of whiskey sounded like the only solution to that. I went behind the bar and started rummaging for that damn bottle while already holding a glass, too absorbed into my work to hear someone coming in.

“Uh, Jake?”

Smack!

My head hit the wooden board above hard, causing me to drop the glass, which shattered into pieces.

“Ow, damn, that hurt.”

“You okay back there?!”

I stood up to see her, while trying to ease the pain by rubbing my head.

“Yeah, just about gave myself a concussion bumping my head, but I’m great.”

“That’s what happens when you get a big head about everything.”

“What can I say? My ego is a gift and a curse, Princess.”

She laughed softly but I noticed her eyes were a bit red from crying and a sudden need to cheer her up more came to me. I noticed her changing of clothes and smirked.

“Hey, lookie here. Didn’t realize I was in the middle of a supermodel’s photo shoot. Should I get outta the way?”

“Oh, shut up.”

“Fair warning, don’t think you’ll be able to post to pictagram. Cell service has been a biiiit spotty.”

She was now beaming and I couldn’t help but smile too. Our eyes met for a second, then I looked back at the bar.

“What are you doing behind the bar, anyway? I thought we were looking for clues to where the Watchers took Diego.”

“Yeah. I think they left their address at the bottom of one of these bottles. Only one way to find out which one.”

I gave her a smile and a wink but I couldn’t meet her eyes. It hurt to think of her. That she lost her best friend. I lost my best friend and couldn’t do anything about it back then. Now, instead of helping her, here I was, trying to get away. Guilt filled me up. Why was I so pathetic?

“Jake…”

“Ya know, did somebody steal some of the booze? Used to be this bottle of Raleigh DeWitt Gold whiskey sittin’ here. Been sayin’ I was savin’ it for when things really went down the crapper-”

“Jake-”

“-and, well, I think it’s about time. But look, somebody guzzled the whole thing! It’s empty-”

“Jake!”

I shut up, staring at the floor, a feeling of desperation overwhelming me. Look at yourself McKenzie, you’re just plain sad. I closed my eyes and took a breath. She came closer to me.

“I’m worried about him too. But I’m here for you Jake, no matter what.”

“I know you are, Princess. That’s the damn problem. You’re all… ‘here for me’.”

I sighed and sat on the floor behind the bar, running a hand through my hair and closing my eyes. A few seconds passed and I felt her sitting down next to me, her eyes glued at me. I would really like to push her away but I couldn’t do it. I was only trouble for her but she kept getting closer to me, and I didn’t complain. I needed her. The words fell from my mouth without much thinking.

“I ain’t given a damn about people in a long time, Princess. Then you came along and pretty much blew that whole plan straight to hell. Anyway, thanks to you, I’m finding myself all torn up inside over your gang of Little Rascals. And it’s all your fault.”

“My fault? How do you figure that?”

I chuckled and turned my head to look at her, leaning just a bit to bring our faces close. Some strands of my hair fell across my eyes but I couldn’t care less. All that I was focused in that moment were her eyes.

“Not sure if you noticed last night, but you kinda blew my mind.”

“Hah… I definitely noticed.”

Our faces were now closer, our noses touching. She closed the gap between us, bringing our lips together for only a mere moment. We pulled apart just for a second and I gazed into her eyes before kissing her again, more passionately this time, my arms around her as I picked her up with me and put her at the edge of the bar. Our bodies pressed together and I could feel her heartbeat rising as the kiss started getting more needy. Our lips moved together perfectly as she yanked off my jacket while I fumbled with her shirt, finally managing to get it off.

“Does this mean we’re-”

“-Yeah.”

“And it’s not like-”

“-No.”

“Cool.”

I kissed her neck, slowly moving to her now exposed collarbones and chest when we heard Zahra calling for us to go and see something. I couldn’t help but groan, irritated.

“Zahra must hate me, She must really really hate me.”

“I’m sure she does. Come on, we should see what’s up.”

I let her down off the bar and gave her back her shirt. I wore my jacket again and we started walking to our friends. I took her hand in mine and gave it a gently squeeze, noticing her smile slightly. I couldn’t tell if this was going to last but I knew she was the only person I’d ever want to be with.

Sneaking past the Watchers wasn’t an easy part but we managed. The statue of the reclining woman stood tall in front of the monument. The ring on its hand caught my attention for a moment. Its arms were crossed too tightly to get a hold of it. The ring was tarnished but it was easy to figure out that it was made of gold. A wedding ring.

I gazed at MC while she sized up the statue. I wondered how she would look with a ring like that, in its former glory, on her finger. I wondered if I could actually give her something like that someday. I sighted slightly then saw her inspecting the carvings on the pyramid and went to stand beside her. The carvings depicted a crowd around a woman with covered face.

“I think the statue is of the same woman as the one in this carving. Only the statue isn’t wearing a mask.”

“You making any sense of this?”

“The Watchers seem to revere this place, but the people depicted in the carvings are in modern clothes.”

“Tuxes and evening gowns, yeah. Looks like a costume part for the well-to-douche.”

She looked back at the statue, noticing the ring as well.

“It looks really old, but I think… it’s a wedding ring?”

“If we want that ring, I think we’re gonna have to play Indiana Jones.”

“There has to be some way to free it from the statue…”

She thought for a moment while staring at the statue persistently, then covered the statue’s face with a torn up veil. Something clicked and the statue’s arm moved, allowing the ring to slide off and fall on the ground in front of us. I smirked and ruffled her hair fondly and she chuckled.

“Now I’m gonna have to start calling you Genius.”

Without thinking, I kneeled down before her, recovering the ring and looking back up. Our eyes met and I offered her the ring. I could make the slightest hint of her blushing.

“Oh… are you proposing?”

“Ha. You want me to?”

She took it and put it on her ring finger with a smile on her face. I noticed her looking at it with what I thought was… longing. I stood up and took a step closer to her, wrapping my arms around the small of her back and she turned her gaze on me. I never would have thought I’d meet someone that made me feel like she did. I wanted to be with her, to stay with her. I leaned in and kissed her softly. This was more than a kiss. It was a promise.

“Just hold on to me, and don’t let go.”

We dived into the water to find the cave entrance. Swimming deeper, we found it and went in there while holding hands, our fingers entwined. I smiled at her and then continue through the winding tunnel. Hues shined into the water from ahead. A few minutes later, the tunnel widened and the water started getting warmer. We came to the surface and found a magnificent sight. The cavern was full of colorful, shimmering crystals, their light reflecting onto the water of the shallow lake we were now in. There was a small island with a chest there.

“Oh, wow…”

“You ain’t kiddin’.”

“This place is a giant jacuzzi! What kind of Niagara Falls honeymoon suite did we just swim into?”

She slipped off her mask and we stopped swimming, both of us enjoying the jets, the hot water against my skin made my muscles relax.

“It must be a natural hot spring. This feels amazing.”

“No argument here.”

I closed my eyes and tried to relax more, the past few days being too much of a hellhole for me to handle that easy. After a moment I felt her eyes on me and I smirked, my eyes still closed.

“You just gonna stare at me all day? Not that I mind.”

I felt her coming my way quietly, then leaning in for a small kiss, our lips barely touching. I opened my eyes and looked into hers.

“… Well, hello there.”

“Hey.”

“Got any more where that came from?”

“I might.”

My hands already wrapped around her back, I brought her close to me. She took a quick breath before I crashed my lips to hers, kissing her intensely, her lips soft against mine. Her hands moved up from my chest, finally resting on my shoulders while one of my hands rubbed circles across the small of her back and the other entwined with her hair. A while later we broke away, my forehead resting onto hers. The chest in the island caught her attention and we headed that way. My attention however quickly went elsewhere. I swam to a deeper part of the lake where light danced across the bottom in a colorful show.

“It’s beautiful over here… Come check it out with me?”

“You bet.”

I dived first into the water, her following me soon after, both of us coming together in the depths, watching the reef in amazement. I looked at her and she came closer, falling into my arms, me holding her tightly. I kissed her again and, instinctively, I stripped her off her remaining clothes and she did the same, our need to feel each other greater than anything else. We rose to the surface and went to the shore of one side of the lake.

I touched her everywhere and bit her neck tenderly, the feeling of her underneath me made my skin tingle, our bodies moving in perfect tandem. I gazed into her eyes while moving against her, intoxicated by her soft moans. The colors of the crystals reflecting in her eyes and the look of pure desire and love she gave me sent shivers down my spine and I couldn’t keep my eyes off hers. It felt like we were alone in the world and I wish it’d stay that way.

A while later, we were laying on the sand, our bodies entwined, nuzzling and kissing.

“Every time… fireworks. How do you do that anyway?”

“I don’t think it’s me. It’s us.”

She looked up at the cavern wall of the cave in surprise, a ray of sunlight coming from there caught my attention too.

“You seein’ what I’m seein’?”

“Sunlight! Maybe there’s a way in for the others!”

“Almost forgot all about the Odd Squad.”

I gave her one last kiss before we got dressed and went to find the way for our friends to get in.

Our journey toward the MASADA facility had been a cold ass bitch so far and it was getting harder to even see where we were going because of the heavy snowfall. Traveling through the island’s frozen landscape was more difficult than we thought but at the very least all of us were properly dressed up for the cold. I walked beside MC, holding hands, me lost in my thoughts. If that gate in the facility would work, everyone could go home. Everyone but me. I would have to leave her and I didn’t know how I would bring myself to do it. To tell her. My thoughts were interrupted by her voice.

“Huh? What’s wrong, little guy?”

She was talking to Furball, who had stopped running around in the snow and was looking at something in the distance.

“Someone’s there.”

Estela was now scanning the landscape, her eyes falling into a lone figure in the white haze.

“Uh, hello?”

No response.

“Who’s there?!”

A small red circle lighted up close to the figure’s face, then a wisp of smoke rose. As we got closer to him, all it took from me to recognize him was a look. My jaw clenched and suddenly I couldn’t breathe. My muscles tensed up, blood started boiling inside me.

“Lundgren.”

“Jacob. How long’s it been?”

“Not enough you miserable-”

“Your family’s disappointed in you, McKenzie. First you sold American arms to a Kharzistan dictator, then you resisted arrest and took yourself off the grid.”

I froze. He touched my family? My sister? My mum? My fingertips buried in the palm of my hand, my whole body started trembling in pure hatred and… fear. I felt her hand squeezing mine tightly and I took a short breath.

“What do you want, Lundgren?”

“You, McKenzie. I’m here to bring you in. Had to break the news to your mama myself. ‘Sorry, ma’am. Your son betrayed his country and endangered his fellow soldiers.’ And then I held her as she cried hysterically. Least I could do.”

He snickered and I felt every nerve of my body ready to burst, pure hatred burned into my eyes.

“Don’t. You. Dare.”

“That all you got, boy? Lyin’ around in a hammock’s made you soft.”

“We both know what happened, Lundgren. What you did. You killed him!”

“Jacob, while I’d love to catch up on old times, I’m gonna need you to come with me if you don’t want your new friends to get hurt.”

“MC, we should be able to take him if he’s on his own-”,  Estela said but she couldn’t end her sentence.

“Arachnid! Into position!”

Hummers full of armored soldiers suddenly surrounded us, the soldiers getting out of the vehicles, pointing their guns at as. Panic flood over me. I couldn’t let them get hurt because of me. They had to get out of here. She couldn’t be close to me at this moment. I was supposed to protect all of them, especially her. They had to run, away from them and me.

“Princess, it’s me he wants! Take the others and get out of here!”

“Jake, I can’t just-”

“Are we really doing this right now?!”, Michelle screamed.

MC looked straight into my eyes, wild anger and determination in her gaze, a fierce look on her face, angry tears filling her own eyes. She had taken her decision and I wouldn’t like it.

“Jake, I’m not leaving you!”

Many feelings came through me. Fear, anger, worry, but most of all… love. I loved her. She loved me too. She loved me too much to leave me behind. And that could be her death.

“Dammit, Princess… Why you gotta make me feel weak at a time like this?”

The first New Year’s Eve I wasn’t alone in years. It was strange to be surrounded by people who actually enjoyed my presence. Even before the navy, celebrations were never really my thing. But right now, I felt welcomed. Me, being here with these kids, with her… it felt right. I looked at the stars from the rooftop we gathered, wishing this night would last a little longer and we wouldn’t have to be in danger anymore.

“Mind if I join you?”

I turned my gaze to her and smiled. She was radiant tonight, with that dress. I wrapped an arm around her waist and brought her close.

“Was hoping you’d say that.”

They say you should wish what you want the New Year to bring you the seconds before it changes. The past few years I wouldn’t find the meaning in it. But now, I did.

“Ten… nine…”

I wish for them to be safe.

“Eight… seven…”

I wish for all of them to return home.

“Six… five…”

I wish there was a way for me to return so I could give her what she deserves.

“Four… three…”

I wish for her to be happy.

“Two… one…”

We all wished for a happy new year.

“Come here.”

I cupped her face and kissed her intensely. I wanted to cherish our moments together, to stow my love for her, because after all of this would be over, I would have to leave her. We wouldn’t last. I brushed her cheek with my thumb, looked into her eyes and smiled to myself. But this isn’t over yet.

“Happy New Year, Princess.”

“Happy New Year, Top Gun.”

A while later, we found ourselves in a beautiful bedroom, kissing in front of its fireplace. I held her as tightly as I could, thinking about everything that could go wrong if I let her go. Her hands moved from my arms up my shoulders.

“You seem tense. Here.”

She sat us both on the bed then moved behind me to massage my shoulders and I felt my muscles relax a bit.

“Hot damn, Princess, you’re a miracle worker.”

“Are you worried about your new team showing up?”

I stared at the fire for a second. I was terrified. Not about me. I couldn’t care less about me. It was all about her. If something happened to anyone from this group and especially her, I wouldn’t be able to handle it. But I had to reassure her everything would be alright. I turned to look at her with my usual grin.

“Not exactly a happy reunion. But like I said, I’ll handle them. That’s a promise.”

She chuckled and smiled back at me.

“A Jake McKenzie Guarantee?”

“At the very least, if I go down, I’m taking the lot of them with me.”

She froze for just a second then moved to sit on my lap. Her hands grabbed my shoulders firmly, a serious expression on her face as she fixed her eyes on me.

“Stay alive, Jake. For me. I mean it. Don’t do anything stupid.”

“I won’t-”

“Jake.”

I kept silent for a moment, studying her face. There was worry, concern and fondness in her gaze. It was new to me for somebody to stare at me like that. Only a few people have cared about me so much. It was also strange to see her so worried. Usually she was the strong one, the one who kept the group together and calmed everyone else down. Seeing her in this unusual state made me want to never leave her side again, to soothe her about anything. She was worth dying for but she was worth living for more. I smiled softly and kissed her lips reassuringly.

“… Alright. I won’t. That’s a Jake McKenzie Guarantee too.”

Lying next to each other, bodies pressed together, me hugging her tightly, her head on my shoulder. I stared up at the night sky through the window in the tent’s flap, my mind running wild. Tomorrow I would have to say goodbye. To everyone. To her. It felt like a crushing weight on my chest, like I was suffocated. How was I supposed to leave her now? 

She was more important to me than the air I breathed. My body needed her body heat. My soul needed her soul. Everything would be meaningless without her. She was the only one I could imagine myself with, her voice the only sound I wanted to fall asleep too, her eyes the only sight I wanted to wake up to. I wanted to stay here with her forever. I wish I could. 

But I had to keep her safe even if that meant my heart would broke. I couldn’t let her get hurt because of me. She had a life out of this hellhole. I couldn’t give her what she deserved and she deserved the world. I would leave her without a sound if that meant she would live a full life.

“Something bothering you?”

She was on her side now, resting her head on her hand, looking at me but I kept staring at the stars. I couldn’t meet her eyes. How would I say to her that what we had is over? But I had to be honest with her, I had to. She deserved to know. I closed my eyes just to stop the tears from falling and spoke in a quiet voice.

“Listen… there’s something I have to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“Tomorrow, when we go to that facility… if that portal works…”

“We’ll go home!”

“Yeah. And I can’t go with you.”

“What?!”

She stared at me in shock and fear, her mouth slightly agape, her lips slightly quivering. It hurt to see her looking at me like that. But I had no place with her. I’m nothing but trouble and danger.

“I’m a wanted man in the States, MC. And if we all just show up through some crazy-ass portal, there’s going to be a whole lot of publicity. The rest of you get to go home to your families, to your lives. I get to go straight to a cold, hard cell.”

“So what are you going to do?”

“I’m going to stay behind after you all go through. And then I’m going to open my own portal to somewhere Lundgen will never find me. Santiago, maybe. Madagascar. The Maldives. Somewhere with warm beaches and cold beers and no super-soldier squad hunting me down.”

“But…”

“I don’t want to do this, Princess. But it’s my only choice. I don’t have a future anywhere else.”

I kept staring up, one look at her and I would break down. I had lost so many things because of that bastard and now I would lose more. I would lose the most important person in my life. But I couldn’t go back to the States. I couldn’t face what was waiting for me there. And it wasn’t just Lundgren.

“No. It’s not. You can’t let Lundgren win.”

I chuckled bitterly at her remark.

“I’m on the run and he’s got an army. I’d say he’s already won.”

“Come on Jake. I know you better than that. You never back down, and you never let the bad guy win. Lundgren killed Mike, and God knows how many other people. He has to be held accountable for his actions. He has to be stopped. And you… you are the man to do it.”

“How the hell am I supposed to do that?”

“Come back with us. Testify. Tell the world your story. Expose Lundgren for the traitor that he is, and make him pay for what he did!”

“Wish it were that simple…”

“Why not?”

I bit my lip, thinking. All the people I had left behind these years. The fact that I had to explain everything that happened. The shame I felt. His parents. She was looking at me, waiting for an answer I didn’t know I was ready to give.

“Because… Because it’s not just about Lundgren.”

“What do you mean?”

I closed my eyes again, taking in a shaky breath, trying to keep my tears from falling.

“If I go back to the States… I have to face everyone again. I have to face Mike’s parents.”

“Oh… Jake…”

“I didn’t kill Mike. But I promised them I’d keep him safe. I promised them I’d bring their boy home. He died on my watch. He died because of me. And I can’t… I… I can’t…”

Remembering the crash of the plane and Mike’s last words, how I was responsible for this, how I should have protected my friend, tears I couldn’t keep flooded my eyes and ran down my face. I felt her hands wiping my face and then she wrapped her arms around my body, holding me tightly, her presence the only thing that calmed me down just a bit.

“I know it’s not easy, Jake. I know you carry a lot of guilt. But you can do this. We can do this!”

I turned my gaze on her. She was crying too, staring at me with a look no one had ever given me. A look of affection, a look of love I had never experienced before. And somehow this reassured me. For the first time is so many years, I felt the slightest hint of hope.

“You think so?”

“I do.”

“Ah, to hell with it. I love you, MC.”

Maybe this was rushed but it was the most honest thing I had said all these years. She beamed at me through her tears and cupped my cheek, gazing right into my eyes.

“I love you, Jacob Lucas McKenzie. There is nothing in this world or the next we can’t face together.”

Both on our sides, my hand traveled at the back of her neck, gently pulling her face closer, connecting our lips. I kissed her like my life depended on it. Because it did. I could taste our shared breath, feel the thud of our combined heartbeat, my fingers carding through her hair, her hands cupping both sides of my face.

Warmth consumed me. All these years I was helpless, carrying a burden alone. I didn’t expect to find someone to stay, someone who would reassure me when I’d doubt myself, who would take away my pain, who would hold me close, who would love me most. And I would do the same for her. I would keep her safe, I would hold her close, I would love her most.

“Looks like we’re gonna have to find our own way over.”

“We’ve seen choppers coming and going. Jake, would you know how to fly one of these?”

I could barely hear them talking. I stared down the cliff, my best friend staring up at me like I was nothing, like he stared into the void. I couldn’t bear that look. I gazed up at the horizon, my mind blank, a sudden feeling of nausea rushing over me. I couldn’t comprehend how I was still standing on my own two feet.

“Did… did you see what Lundgren did to him?”

“Jake, can you fly one of those Arachnid helicopters or what?”

Were they talking to me? I didn’t know. My eyes filled with tears. I felt cold rushing into my core. Maybe I was shaking too. It felt like my lungs would give up on me any second now, like I couldn’t breathe. I was mumbling nonsense to myself.

“Anybody got a flask on them? I could use a drink-”

I felt two hands grabbing my shoulders, giving me a light shake. I stared down at her. What would she say to me now? I was useless anyway.

“Jake, listen to me. I know how bad it hurts to see Mike like that, but it’s not too late.”

“Not too late for what?”

“To save him. To bring him back. That… that thing that attacked us? That’s not your friend. But he’s still in there somewhere, I know it. And we’ll get him out.”

“… You think so, huh?”

“Absolutely. But we can’t do it if we don’t survive today.”

It was hard for me to believe her. After all of the things I had seen and done in my life, believing her in this was one of the hardest. But I had to. At the very least, even if I couldn’t save Mike, I had to get everyone else out of here. I had to get her to safety. I wouldn’t bear losing her too. I gave her a tight hug and she hugged me back, holding me close. I took a deep breath and let her go.

“Yeah. Yeah, okay. I can fly us outta here in whatever you put me in.”

On the way back to the facility, Zahra activated a system to blow the whole building up. As we continue running toward the MASADA’s aerial hangar, alarms started blaring. We saw the military chopper in the distance. We ran toward it, but I noticed it was flickering and wavering in the light. That couldn’t be good.

“Whoa, whoa… what the hell? Is it a hologram?”

“No way… It’s…”

Zahra reached out to it and her hand passed through the chopper’s hull.

“It’s phase shifting.”

“What?!”

“You mean, like, it’s moving between dimensions?!”

“Or timelines.”

“So in one version of events, it’s here, and in another, it’s not… and we’re seeing both? Why?!”, I said, frustrated.

“The island is basically one big faultline in the space-time continuum.”

“We could be on the verge of making some decision that could decide whether or not the chopper’s even here in the first place…”

“You mean… if Arachnid’s even here in the first place.”

Realization hit me. The only way to escape this place… was through me. A pained look flashed over my face as I took my decision.

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that Arachnid came here for me. Somehow, they knew I was here… And I think I just realized who told them.”

Reaching into MC’s bag, I took the crystal transponder.

“Jake… it was you. It was you the whole time.”

“Wait, what?!”

“Jake, what are you doing?! You’re gonna tell Lundgren your position, back in time?”, Sean asked me, enraged.

“But wait, if you don’t, maybe they’ll all vanish!”

“You can’t stop him, Craig. He already did it. That’s why they’re here. If he doesn’t now, it’s a paradox. He always turned himself in.”

“Besides, even if they did vanish, then we’re trapped here with no way out. I can’t risk that.”

I glanced at her briefly and she looked at me with an inconsolable expression.

“I can’t risk you, Princess. The chopper’s our one ticket off this rock. And there’s only one way to make sure Lundgren comes here for me.”

I wrote the sending position into the device, then lifted its microphone to my head.

“You want Jake McKenzie? Come get him. June 1st. 15 degrees, 11 minutes, 17 seconds North, 73 degrees, 20 minutes, 16 seconds West.”

I turned it off and looked at her.

“Well? Did that do it?”

She went close to the now steady helicopter and touched the solid hull.

“It’s here. It’s real now.”

“Then what do you say we get the hell off this rock?”

We all climbed abroad and I sat in the pilot’s sit, doing the only thing I was good at. It felt familiar, being in this kind of chopper. It almost felt… good.

“Hurry up! We’ve got two minutes!”

“Copy.”

Suddenly, Arachnid troops came into the hangar, aiming their weapons at the chopper, shooting at us.

“I need more time to get us off the ground!”

“This is an attack helicopter! Let’s fight back!”

“Use the chain gun, Craig! That’ll send them running!”

“Now you’re talking my language!”

Drax got behind the chain gun, aiming it at the troops.

“Don’t call it a comeback.”

Craig fired the chain gun, spraying bullets across the hangar, destroying their cover. The troops ran for cover as he bellowed “Get some!” maniacally. This kid was almost too funny. I finally managed to lift the chopper and move it away from the base. As we cheered Craig, the facility’s processing towers combusted and collapsed into the sea. And on the cliffside, there was that bastard. I saluted Lundgren in a victory smile.

“Adios, amigo!”

Bad move! Lundgren jumped and landed on the nose of the chopper, his exoskeleton supporting him.

“Aw, gimme a break.”

He climbed over to the side, pulling the door off its rack.

“Holy crap, that exoskeleton’s unstoppable!”

“MC, what do we do?”

“We have to shock him! His strength is all in that exoskeleton! If we can short-circuit it somehow, he’s a pushover!”

“Great idea! Love it… Now how exactly do we do that?!”

“Leave that to me.”

Zahra ripped open the compartment above the copilot’s sit and stripped the wires, causing the controls to malfunction.

“Careful with that! My instruments are going crazy!”

“I’m gonna go crazy if you don’t shut up!”

Whatever she was doing, she had to hurry. Lundgren managed to rip the door, tossing it into the void.

“I’ve got you now.”

“Is that so, Sparky?”

“ ‘Sparky’? Guess the bad nicknames have been rubbing off on you.”

With a smile, Zahra jammed two exposed wires into his exoskeleton, frying the bastard. Seeing him getting electrocuted was the most satisfying thing.

“Who said anything about a nickname?”

But as he was falling into the void he managed to grab Zahra.

“Hey! Get off!”

“Z, I’ve got you!”

Craig lunged for her but couldn’t catch her in time. She was pulled down with Lundgren, falling into the sea. Why did this have to happen?

“Jake! Turn around! We’ve gotta go back for her!”

“Okay, okay, I’ll- Whoa!”

Thanks to the alert, I barely missed a streaking missile hitting us. Someone was shooting us! Lundgren’s minion, Tetra.

“Go! He’s shooting again!”

“What about Zahra?”

“Go!”

I avoided another rocket but the alarm sounded once more. I wasn’t gonna make it.

“I can’t shake him!”

“QUINN NO!”

Quinn’s eyes flashed green and she floated out of the chopper, in front of the rocket’s way. We lost her too. A second later, it detonated twenty feet from the chopper, the blast strong enough to destroy its tail rotor. We were falling!

I heard her screaming Quinn’s name into the void, hanging from a handhold. I was ready to tell her to get inside the chopper when the handhold popped loose and she went sliding across the door. No! Without thinking, I jumped from my seat, diving for her. I wasn’t going to lose her too. She managed to grab the landing skid but her hold wasn’t gonna last. She screamed, a panicked look on her face as I reached out for her.

“Come on, Princess! You can do it! Give me your hand!”

She stretched out her other hand but I still couldn’t reach her. Lying on my stomach, I was almost out of the chopper too. I couldn’t let her die on me.

“Jake… I’m slipping!”

“No, you’re not! You’re fine! I can almost reach…”

I was almost ready to catch her hand, our fingers grazed each others. I could do it. Grab her, McKenzie! As I was going to take her hand in mine, her hold on the landing skid let loose, her hand slipped and I froze in terror. She fell into the void.

I screamed her name, ready to jump out too as hands grabbed me and brought me inside the chopper. I kicked and screamed to them to let me go as angry tears ran down my face. This is your fault. She’s dead because of you. This is your fault. They are all dead because of you. This is your fault. You should have grabbed her. This is your fault. You lost her. You are alone.

[yaminerua]

2 (sidewalk) and ritsu+shou or 56 (important) and iyami?

I did a bit for both but I’m not sure how well I did haha;;;

Hope you like~

2. Ritsu and Shou - Sidewalk

Ritsu had told himself many times that he oughtto be used to the random unpredictability of Shou’s appearances by now. Heshould practically expect him to come leaping out of the bushes or tomaterialise in front of him at any given moment. It should be expected. Italways is. And yet…

“Hey, Ritsu!” a voice yelled suddenlyinto his ear, warm breath ghosting over his skin without warning, too close forcomfort, and despite everything - despite knowing it was coming andtelling himself he’d be ready for it - Ritsu Kageyama jumped with surpriseanyway, heartbeat stuttering embarrassingly in his chest and heat rushing topool in his cheeks.

Hearty laughter from the right filled the air anda firm hand slapped his shoulder playfully as a flash of fiery red hair finallycame into view beside him, freckled face beaming broadly, bright blue eyessparkling with mischief. “Man, that never gets old,” Shou said,giving him another friendly thump on the shoulder. “You’re so jumpy!”

Ritsu simply rolled his eyes and directed hisglare towards the ground, willing the heat in his cheeks to recede. It wasembarrassing that he still got caught off-guard like that and even worse toknow that Shou was doing this simply for the sake of making him reactthis way. One day he swore he’d be so ready for it that he’d be able to meethis next surprise appearance with a deadpan. One day but evidently not today…

They fell immediately into step together, Shouyammering on about how he’d forgotten that Ritsu had student council duties toattend to and had spent the better part of half an hour waiting bored out ofhis mind outside the gates to Salt Middle School for him to show up in order tostartle him. Ritsu suppressed a chuckle at that, shaking his head and yieldingto the slight smile that was tugging up the corners of his mouth. “Iliterally told you I had a meeting today,” he said. “How couldyou just forget?”

“I thought you meant before school,not after!” was Shou’s reply, stated as if it was the most obvious thingin the world. “And anyway why did it have to take so long? What do youguys even talk about in there?”

Ritsu gave a simple shrug and answered with,“I dunno. School stuff - like dealing with bullies, preventing litteringand”-he shot a wry smile in Shou’s direction-“stopping suspiciouspeople from loitering around the gates.”

Shou met his remark with a snort. “Veryfunny,” he said sarcastically, crossing his arms smugly over his chest.“They wouldn’t have been able to see me anyway, genius.”

He drifted closed to Ritsu’s side letting someteens in another school’s uniform pass them on the sidewalk but once the spacehad opened up again he neglected to re-establish the gap between them. Ritsudidn’t complain - not until he had a faceful of red hair tickling his nose asShou promptly dropped his head down onto Ritsu’s shoulder with a sigh andleaned heavily against him.

“Suzuki…” he groaned, stumbling alittle as he shoved him off. “What are you doing?”

“I’m bored,” came Shou’s simple answerbut when this was met with Ritsu’s unimpressed expression he then elaboratedwith, “And hungry. I didn’t think you were gonna take so long so I figuredI’d just wait and get a bite to eat when you were done but - oh! Ice cream!Let’s get some ice cream or something!”

Ritsu feigned exasperation and sighed but hecouldn’t fight the smile that had formed across his face again. It was alwayslike this with Shou. Even if he got irritated at him the feeling never lingeredlong. It was as fleeting as the moments that caused it in the first place,there one minute and then gone the next. They were never really worth dwellingon anyway. Mostly.

Besides, Ritsu had to admit that he couldn’tresist the lure of having something cool and sweet right about now, especiallyafter a long day at school. And Shou clearly knew this too if that knowing grinon his face was anything to go by.

Clearing his throat awkwardly, trying not to comeacross as too eager, Ritsu simply offered a hum of agreement and a nod inresponse but Shou could see right through him, a fond utterance of “C'mon,Sweet Tooth,” falling from his lips as he grinned broadly, grabbing him bythe arm and tugging him in the direction of the ice cream parlour. Ritsu didn’treally do much to resist the pull, his own lips twitching upwards into a fullsmile as the rhythm of his footfalls evened out into a steady run alongsideShou’s.

They got a couple of double-scoops, Shou’s achocolate and mint mix showered with sprinkles and Ritsu’s a strawberry andvanilla with a light drizzle of sauce on top.

They sat together on the edge of the sidewalk ona quiet side street, looking up at the puffy blue clouds drifting across thesky. Shou whined at the sight of them, declaring that now he just wanted candyfloss too and Ritsu shook his head and laughed lightly at him.

They were shoulder to shoulder on the curb, kneestouching comfortably and, just like always, Shou was leaning a little intoRitsu’s side, blue eyes peering over at him, watching him carefully as he madehis way through his ice cream at a pace that made him wish he hadn’t scarfedhis own one down so fast.

“Hey,” he said after a while, nudgingRitsu gently. “What are you doing after this?”

Ritsu hummed as he shrugged, swallowing the bitof wafer he’d been eating before replying. “Heading home, probably. I’vegot stuff to do for tomorrow.”

Shou made a small noise of acknowledgement andnodded against Ritsu’s shoulder, watching him dip the remaining bit of waferinto the ice cream to scoop out a chunk. When it was held out towards himinstead of being eaten, Shou simply blinked in momentary confusion.

“You keep looking at my ice cream like ahungry dog so here,” Ritsu explained, holding the bit of wafer outfurther.

There was a beat in which Shou acknowledged theoffer and another in which he considered taking it but as his fingers twitchedto reach out he had a very last-minute change of mind.

Wrapping his aura around the ice cream cone inRitsu’s hands, he plucked it from his grasp with one swift, unexpected pull andtook off, shooting up from the sidewalk in a blur of green and red and burstinginto a sprint, laughing wildly as he ran off with his prize.

Ritsu only took a second or so to process whathad happened but the moment he had he was on his feet and hot on Shou’s heels,chasing him down the street and inwardly cursing himself for being so careless.

“Damn it, Suzuki! If you eat that you’rebuying me another one!”

56. Iyami - Important

It’s a strange feeling watching those who oncestood in your shadow bask in the glow of a limelight that used to centre onyou. Even now Iyami doesn’t really know how exactly he feels on the matter…

There’s bitterness in there, of course, and angerand sadness too but mostly what he has is probably a feeling of longing, ofdesperation to return to days that have long since met their end. He supposesit was inevitable. It happens to all stars eventually but that doesn’t meanhe’s happy about it - especially when those who have ‘replaced’ him are aclumsy lot of boys that never quite finished growing up. It’s disgraceful…

Still, as he sits bathed in the warm glow of apaper lantern, gazing forlornly into the bubbling golden broth before him hecan’t help but feel that at least not all is lost.

He takes a long swig from the glass in his hands,hiccupping into it as he pulls it away from his mouth, and then he sighsdramatically and slumps lower where he’s sat, not even caring when his teethmeet the wood of the counter. “Hey, Chibita…” he says slowly, hiswords a clumsy drunken mess. “Do you ever miss the good old days?”

There’s a snort from the other side of the cart.“Good old days?” the shorter man’s voice echoes incredulously.“What was so good about them? Nothin’ as far as I’m concerned…”

Iyami continues as if he didn’t even hear him,fingers tracing the rim of his empty cup absentmindedly. “I miss the goodold days… I used to be relevant. Popular.” He lowers his hand andclenches it tightly into a fist, face crumpling into something bitter and sad.“Important… I used to be important… Me, Iyami, the star of the show…Now what am I? Just some washed up forgotten loser…”

Silence descends upon the two of them, settlinglike a dark cloud, heavy and thick. Chibita doesn’t really know what to say. Hedoesn’t know if there’s anything he even could say.

Instead, he sighs and takes Iyami’s cup away,rinsing it out and filling it up with water, cool and clear, before hoppingdown off his stood and walking round to join his old friend on the other sideof the cart.

“I know it’s not much of a consolation ornothin’ but… at the very least you’re important to me.” He sets theglass down and places a sympathetic palm on Iyami’s shoulders, pattinggingerly. “Now drink up, idjit. Don’t have me worryin’ about you.”

[somethingusefulfromflorida]

You ever have one of those periods where everything goes wrong all at once? First my phone glitched out and hasn't been able to connect to wifi all month, unbeknownst to me until a few days ago (it's been using data the whole time, and none of the software fixes work, so it must be a hardware problem which means I probably need a new phone). Then my driverside windshield wiper broke off so I can't drive my car in the rain. Now a chunk of one of my teeth came out while I was flossing, and it's black on the inside so I'm probably gonna need a root canal or else have the whole thing pulled, but I have no dental insurance. I wonder what's gonna happen next? I'm not even shocked, this is just the way things go. I got dealt a shit hand this month. If it weren't for bad luck, I would have no luck at all.