#anyway good job rust you FLUSTERED her

[akuzeisms]

@pessimistics sent:

😳

"Oh... Uhm--" Well, that wasn't something she expected to hear. Not that she didn't believe him, but...

"I uh... thanks. I--you're, uh..." pretty too? No, pretty wasn't the right word. "...handsome yourself."

[swanqueeneverafter]

The Once & Future Queen Pt.16

Camelot. Tournament Grounds. (Lancelot rides a practice joust. He catches the decorated ring and the crowd cheers. Guinevere sits in the royal box with Agravaine. Lancelot rides to the box and Guinevere steps down to take the ring off of his lance with a smile. He smiles back. The tournament continues in much the same fashion, Sir Bedivere catches his ring and Guinevere accepting it gracefully.) Guinevere: “Thank you very much.” (Bedivere rides off smiling. Guinevere sits back down happily. Trumpets announce another rider.) Lancelot: “Who on earth is that?” Sir Gwaine: “No idea.” (The rider runs the practice joust and catches the ring. The crowd cheers and Guinevere politely applauds the stranger. She steps down and takes the decorated ring with a furrowed brow. The knight pulls off his helmet to reveal Arthur Pendragon. Guinevere is visibly disturbed by this. Lancelot charges towards him but is outmaneuvered as Arthur sidesteps him and sweeps the leg, causing Lancelot to fall to the ground. The crowd are stunned but begin cheering when Arthur turns and waves to them.)

Storybrooke. The Dragon's Lair. (With Maria dozing in her carrier on the bar, Regina and Emma are spending the day together.) Emma: "Wasn't Ella supposed to start today?" Regina: "She was, but with Robin and Zelena travelling to Oz, there's no one left to show Ella how things are done around here." Emma: "Well, you could show her." Regina: "I could, but then Ella would have to leave early anyway for her date with Henry. So I told her to start tomorrow." Emma: "Good thinking." Regina: "Plus, I've already got my hands full training you." Emma: (Scoffs:) "It's serving drinks at a bar, how difficult can it be?" Regina: (Winks:) "You'll see." (Emma watches Regina closely while she sets up the bar before asking the question that's been playing on her mind.) Emma: "So, back in the Enchanted Forest..." Regina: (Smirks:) "Here we go." Emma: (Chuckles:) "What?" Regina: "You want to talk about the fact that you were... my first." Emma: "How could you not tell me you and Daniel never slept together?" Regina: "Well I don't know how things were like in Juvie..." Emma: "Hey!" Regina: (Continues:) "But the way I was raised, young women my age didn't sleep around. Especially before marriage." Emma: (Smiles:) "Don't get defensive. I was just surprised is all. I think it's sweet." Regina: "Thank you." Emma: "Not as sweet as the fact that I was your first, but sweet nonetheless." Regina: (Chuckles:) "Well not to burst your bubble, but that doesn't mean you were my only." Emma: "Yeah, I know. I get that there were others. But, you know what they say..." Regina: (Nods:) "You never forget your first." Emma: "Yep!" Regina: "Okay, well gloat all you want. At least now I can put the blame for all those times we've been caught in compromising positions squarely on your shoulders." Emma: "And how do you figure that?" Regina: "Clearly I've been corrupted by the sexual deviancy of the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. I never stood a chance." Emma: "Uh huh. You had plenty of deviancy yourself back then. I mean that thing you did with your pinkie finger-" Regina: "Hey, I said I was a virgin. I never said I didn't have plenty of practice." Camelot. Dining Hall. (The Round Table members sit at a rectangular one. Arthur at the head of the table, Guinevere on his right, Lancelot observing at the other end.) Arthur: “I fear I remember very little as to how I happen to be back among the living. My story will not be as illuminating as I would like.” Guinevere: “We’re just amazed to see you.” Lancelot: “Although to say pleased would be pushing it.” Arthur: (Smiles:) “I deserve that. After everything I put you through, I am humbled by your hospitality. (To Guinevere:) Despite it all, when I returned, I knew I had to see you. To make things right between us.”

Lancelot: “Things were fine between all of us, just as they were.” Agravaine: “Oh come now, Lancelot. Do you not see the miracle that sits among us? Camelot’s former King has returned from the other side to dine with us. Surely the time is right to put the past aside?” Arthur: (Sigh:) “Thank you. It is, indeed, good to see you once again. I would like to propose a toast. (He stands:) To the people I hold most dear. To Camelot.” (They all raise their glasses.) All: “To Camelot.” Lancelot: “To Camelot.” (Arthur smiles and drinks. Guinevere watches him, clearly still unsettled.) The Land of Oz. Past. (Walking arm in arm, Zelena helps Stanum onto the podium as they find what they’ve been searching for.) Stanum: (Zelena opens the box:) “The Crimson Heart. So, what now?” Zelena: “There's only one way to find out. Ready?”

Stanum: “Yes. (Zelena takes the heart out of the box and holds it in her outstretched hand. Suddenly, the heart begins to glow and appears to be drawing from Zelena’s powers. Quickly placing the heart back in the box, Zelena breathes heavily:) What's wrong?” Zelena: “That thing... it was draining my magic.” Stanum: “What? Why?” Zelena: “Because there's no magic in that heart. It's just a worthless piece of glass. For it to work, it needs someone else's magic. My magic. (Glowers at him:) You knew about this.” Stanum: (Shaking his head:) “Zelena, I swear I had no idea.” Zelena: “You're lying. Who put you up to this? Was it Dorothy? I never should have let that gingham-clad Goody-Two-shoes go back to her wretched little farm.” Stanum: “I don't know anyone named Dorothy, and I promise you, I-I would never trick you like that. (Groans in pain:) You want to know how to find what it is you're searching for? This is it.” Zelena: “What are you talking about?!” Stanum: “It's what I was trying to tell you before the lion attack. You don't need a time-travel spell so you won't be alone. You just need some friends.” Zelena: (Laughs:) “Let me guess, like you? Do you actually think I would give up my magic to save you?” Stanum: “So you could have a friend that would accept you when no one else did? Yes.” (He groans again as the curse consumes him.) Zelena: “No. Weren't you the one who told me magic made me special?” Stanum: “Magic isn't what made you special. Your willingness to use it for good is. (More and more of his body turns to tin:) If you leave me here to rust, you might walk away from here with your power, but you'll be alone a very long time.” Zelena: “That's a risk I'll just have to take. (The curse consumes Stanum completely, leaving him as a tin statue:) Sorry, Stanum. You're wrong. Magic is what made me special. (Voice breaking:) And I won't give it up.” Stanum: (Muffled voice:) “Zelena. (Zelena picks up the Crimson Heart and walks away:) Zelena.” Zelena: “Enjoy life as a statue. Maybe Dorothy will come back and save you.” Forest. Present. Night. (Agravaine rides through the woods and dismounts. He walks slowly, searching for someone. Morgana appears behind him.) Morgana: “I’m keen to hear your news.” Agravaine: “I’m sure you’d be very proud, my lady. Lancelot naturally had his reservations, but the knights were completely taken in.” Morgana: “And Guin? This must be the last thing she hoped for." Agravaine: “If she was flustered, she certainly didn’t show it. I fear she truly does love Lancelot. Any feelings she had for Arthur are in the past.” Morgana: “I had considered that eventuality. (Agravaine is confused. Morgana pulls out a bracelet. She begins to enchant it:) Beclyppe þinne idese þæt heo hine lyste! (Morgana’s eyes glow and the bracelet shines unnaturally for a moment:) I think it’s time to reawaken those feelings.” (Morgana smirks as Agravaine takes the bracelet.)

Storybrooke. Rollin' Bayou. (Will stands watching Tiana take the beignets out of the fryer and place them on the cooling tray.) Will: "I thought that was Alice's job?" Tiana: "Yeah, well, it turns out our girl was born to do sales. (Will looks over to see Alice hand over a huge tray of orders to a satisfied looking customer:) She had the brilliant idea of handing out samples, and the customers love her.” Will: “And why wouldn’t they? She’s a Scarlett.” Alice: (Joining them:) “They all know my name now.” Will: “As well they should.” Tiana: “So, what brings you out here, Will?” Will: “Does a man need a reason to visit his two favourite girls? (Alice and Tiana exchange looks:) All right, here it is. Ever since I got back from Wonderland and then Robin’s sacrifice and that business with Morgana, I’ve been trying to take things a little easier. So, after doing a little light reading in the self-help section, I sat back and thought about what’s really important in my life. Well, for me, the answer to that is simple. It’s you two.” TIana: “It took reading a book for you to figure that out?” Will: (While Alice giggles:) “No, but it did remind me of all the little things I should be doing to show my appreciation once in awhile. So that’s what I’m doing. I’m taking my two best girls out to dinner and you know what? I’m even gonna bloody pay for it. Now you can’t say fairer than that, can ya?” Alice: (Smiles:) “Sounds great.” Tiana: “Mm. Well I have one last batch of beignets to sell then we can close up for the night. Do you think the Scarlett siblings can sell them all while I close up?” Will: “Oh I think we’re up to the challenge, right Alice?” Alice: (Beams:) “Consider it done.” Flynn’s Barcade. (Henry and Ella are on their date and Henry is failing miserably... at the game of space invaders he is currently playing.) Ella: “I've got to be honest, watching you get crushed playing that game isn’t my idea of being wooed.” Henry: “Yeah, I'm sorry. Enough mashing buttons, let’s go eat some hot wings.” Ella: “Ugh, finally. I’m starving.” Henry: “Hey you were the one who didn’t want to go to a restaurant.”

Ella: (Taking a seat at the bar:) “I know, but I think this is exactly where I needed to be tonight.” Henry: “Yeah, me too. I mean, tonight's our last night of freedom, right? You've got a job waiting for you at the Lair and I've got my taxi service..." Ella: "Hm. I think we need some drinks." Henry: "Definitely." Some Drinks Later. Ella: (Slurring her words slightly:) “You know what we need right now is a way to test fate.” Henry: (Swaying a little:) “Okay.” Ella: (Stands:) “Wait here.” Henry: “You got it.” (Ella walks to the end of the bar, while Henry tries to stay upright on his stool.) Two Minutes Later. (Henry looks at an empty beer glass at the opposite end of the bar.) Henry: “That's an impossible shot. Nobody can make that.” Ella: “Well, that's the whole point. You and I both know that going back to our steady jobs is the sensible thing to do, but you sinking in this token... is truly a million to one. (Henry gives her a quizzical look:) Mm-hmm.” Henry: “All right, so, if it lands in the mug, then we go for it. One last big adventure, you and me.” Ella: (Holds up the token:) “Good luck, my prince.” Henry: (Takes the token:) “All right.” (Henry stands and readies himself.) Ella: “Okay.” (Chuckles nervously.) Henry: (Takes a deep breath:) “Phew. (Henry flips the coin and it sails across the bar. Unfortunately, at the very last second, the barman clears away the glass:) Did it... Did he just? Did you- Did you just see?” Ella: (Sighs:) “Settled that once and for all. (Kisses his cheek:) Come on, your Mom just texted, she wants us to pick up Maria on our way home.” Henry: “All right.” (Henry gazes longingly at the place the coin landed before turning and following Ella out of the barcade.)

The Dragon's Lair. (It's past closing time and Regina and Emma have successfully emptied the bar of patrons. All except one.) Emma: "Come on Leroy, closing time was ten minutes ago." (Leroy mutters something unintelligible.) Regina: "All right, Grumpy, out!" Leroy: "I'm going, I'm going. (He slides from his bar stool and staggers to the door before turning back:) Word on the street says there's someone out there who can stop Morgana." Emma: "Yeah, and you're looking at 'em." Leroy: (Gives a patronising grin:) "Seriously sister, if you two haven't dealt with Ms. Doom and Gloom by now, then something's up." Regina: "Nothing is up, Leroy, we just don't go around using our magic to blast people out of existence because you're feeling a little scared." Leroy: "Scared ain't the word for what I am, Madam Mayor. Morgana tore a hole in the earth and let the spirits of the dead roam among us. Other than a God, who else has powers like that?" Emma: "The void has already been sealed and the last time we saw Morgana, she was in no shape to bother anyone." Leroy: "For now. What about the next time she tries something? Are you two just gonna let her go again? You know you have an obligation to-" Regina: (Cutting in, her voice raised:) "I am obligated to tell you that if you don't leave in the next five seconds, you'll be seeing spirits again." Emma: (Folding her arms:) "Only this time as one of them." Leroy: "Fine. But the word's out, ladies. Merlin's the one fated to destroy Morgana, right? (Both women look uncomfortable:) Well maybe you should consider busting him out of his tree again before Morgana does something you can't come back from. (He reaches the door:) And by the way, if you do decide to free Merlin, why don't you do something about Dopey while you're at it." (Leroy leaves and Regina locks the door behind him with a flick of her wrist.) Emma: "Well, news sure travels fast." Regina: "Drizella. I bet she spoke to that new Reporter your mother hired at the paper." Emma: (Sighs:) "Great. Do you really think we'll have to release Merlin?" Regina: "If we do, it won't be tonight. Now come on, sooner we get started, the sooner we can get out of here." (Standing back to back, Regina and Emma use their magic to clear away the debris, stack chairs and sweep the floors.) Emma: "All done." Regina: "And in record time, too." Emma: "You know was going to ask you something earlier and then I forgot about it, but I've just remembered." Regina: "All right..." Emma: (Smiles:) "Well I was thinking of asking whether you've ever done it on a bar before but then I sorta did the math in my head." Regina: "Oh yeah?" Emma: "Well, despite the numerous people you claim to have slept with between your first lover - me - and your wife - also me, I figured there's no way you could have." Regina: "What makes you so sure?" Emma: "The only bars in the Enchanted Forest were to be found in taverns and there's no chance the Evil Queen would ever lower herself to such behaviour." Regina: "Hm. You're forgetting that I found you in a tavern." Emma: "Actually you found me outside one, but fair point. So...?" Regina: "So, what?" Emma: "Have you ever done it on a bar?!" Regina: "You think you're so clever." Emma: (Smiling:) "Answer the question." Regina: (Bites her lip:) "Oh shut up and take your pants off." Emma: "Way ahead of you." (Emma quickly unbuttons her jeans and hops up onto the bar while Regina uses her magic to close the blinds.) The Land of Oz. Past. (Zelena strides through the double doors of her palace carrying the Crimson Heart. Placing it on the table, she lifts the cloche on her dinner and returns to her seat. After a moment's quiet reflection, Zelena realises what a terrible mistake she's made.)

[cutiecrates]

Cutie Reviews: Doki Doki March 19

Things seem to be taking a turn for the worst again, now there’s drama with our neighbor and we’re thinking maybe our land owner wasn’t lying when he claimed it was their complaints that resulted in his decision... It’s become a frustrating ordeal by now, and we’ve been cleaning up more than usual for pretty much no reason- since we’ll be moving anyway, I’m still convinced.

Also, my missing TokyoTreat finally showed up. For anyone who read my previous review.

“Pack up and get ready to go on a trip with this month’s theme, “Fantasyland Adventure”. We have curated items that are handy on a journey and evocative of a magical fantasyland. These cute tools will you have equipped and ready for any adventure!“

Before we begin, I wanted to show you guys that beginning with this month, the comics featuring Tomomi and her friends were pretty much removed/lessened. They started putting in other features, and for this month we got a cute quiz. If you enlarge the pic you can probably see the answers better.

This determined which creature you are based on how you answer; for example these are what I chose for each question:

1. A - because I always bring video games with me on trips or long periods away from the home. It’s a necessity for me.

2. B - I really enjoy all seasons except for summer, but winter is always the first one that comes to my mind when asked. 

3. B or C - I have a lot of trouble with this one <3< wolves are really cool too though...

4. D - I would never want flight because I hate heights. Shapeshifting and mind reading seem cool but how fun would it be to have a whole dark army~ the book never said they had to be an evil army.

5. C - I feel flustered to say that~

6. C - I don’t like beans but if they are magic...

7. B or C again. I’d rather befriend it to gain another partner or person who can be helpful further down the line.

So based on my answers, I’m kind of a cross between the Kitsune and Unicorn. The kitsune is clever, elegant, and outgoing, while the Unicorn is Youthful, kind, and imaginative according to the booklet. For any Tanuki’s or dragons, you are Loyal, diligent, and funny, or Brave, fierce, and deft. 

Suteki Crate

As you can see by this, the box is going to be very Sanrio, pastel, magical unicorn themed. So now, let’s take a look at the items ;3

My Melody Case

Our first item is this sweet little Case themed after My Melody’s iconic baby blue and pink color scheme. It has a removable carrying piece, meaning that not only can you attach it to various items, but you can also remove it and put other things through the loop its on. The exterior is very hard to protect the items stored inside from various elements. This is worth/costs 10 points

The inside has plenty of room for a variety of items, like makeup, health care, electronic, etc. It also has a mesh band on the one side to help keep things orderly.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

Besides just looking adorable, I think this would be an extremely handy and practical item. As soon as I saw it I thought “This is great! I can use this right away!“ and I’m very excited to begin using it. I love how sturdy it feels and I came to the decision that I will most-likely use it in my bedside table, which despite organizing/cleaning monthly, always gets very disorganized and messy again. I have several small items that I’ll be able to find easier in it.

Also, I really like how it reminds me of my old DS “briefcase“ and my 3DS carrier. I still have them but the one I don’t use anymore since its so old and kind of rusted now, while the other one holds my DS and my 3DS stuff has been put into a Hello Kitty thing I got a couple years ago.

Kokeshi Nail Clipper

Our next functional and sweet little item is this pair of nail clippers inspired by a Kokeshi doll. This was available in a few different colors, but besides mine I’ve only seen one other one pictured. These are small-medium sized clippers and it includes a very small metal file.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

I was a little concerned about the quality of these, because I’m so used to using a larger pair of clippers. We got several of them in various sizes but those are the ones I like better because I feel like they just do a better job. But, I also feel like smaller ones are more precise if you’re not having to trim a large amount of nail off.

These are also easier to use than most I’ve tried, didn’t require much pressure at all. I do wish the file part was a little bigger than what it is though.

My Melody Rotating Hook

Next up is our last My Melody piece of the box, an adorably sweet hook piece for hanging up things like clothing or holding various items. As you can see its advertised as a baby carriage-type item, but you can use it in various other locations as well. The smaller hook rotates, so it can be moved in 3 different spots and face both up and down. It can also be collapsed whenever you’re not using it.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

Initially I had my doubts over this one. Like I can see its practicality and it’s pretty cute, but I wasn’t actually sure I would have much use for it. But the more I figured out its uses, the more I came to the decision that yeah, I’ll probably use it. Maybe not right now, but maybe after we move I’ll be able to discover its appropriate use for me.

Little Twin Stars Tooth Brush Stand

This is our final Sanrio item of the box, a toothbrush stand that is perfect for travel. Not only can it hold multiple brushes, but you can also unscrew the bottom and put various things in it for storing; like hair accessories, toiletries, etc.

It features a pretty translucent pink base and adorable pastel images of Kiki and Lala.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

I think toothbrush stands are pretty useful, but at the same time, I’m the only one who uses a toothbrush in my bathroom. We have two of them, and I share it with my dad (who has false teeth). Not only that, but my toothbrush is electronic and thus too big for it. But I do have some other teeth items and brushes that would fit in it, and if I did have to travel I can think of all sorts of items I could put into the base; like eye drops, hair bands or clips, ear cleaners, cotton balls... even more outlandish things like nail polish and gum!

Unicorn Hairbrush & Unicorn Plush

It only made sense to include the last 2 items together; and as a side note I had no idea that rhymed :D Hairbrush plush~

I’ve always loved unicorns, so I’ve been pretty satisfied as of late due to their popularity. These are two cutie items I was looking forward to pulling out for review~

First up is our Unicorn Hairbrush, featured a dreamy unicorn and various pastel designs. On the corner you can see it even has a little metallic star charm for that added, magical touch.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

As much as I love how it looks... I did have some concerns. This brush seems similar to my usual brush, but I noticed it still hurts a lot when I try to use it when I have knots in my hair, in comparison to my other brush.

Also, the booklet says this is perfect for packing, but I kept mine in my box this whole time and upon pulling it out, I discovered the bristles are super bent and out of shape... and it hasn’t traveled or been touched besides my initial look at it. So I’m not sure how it would actually handle during travel, but I assume it’d be fine as long as it wasn’t pushed against something else. 

--------

Our last item is this kawaii little unicorn plush, featuring pretty white skin with a pastel mane and tail, a silk ribbon, blushed cheeks, and a pearl necklace. I definitely got the one I’d have wanted, and I decided to name her Lala. Besides mine, there is also one with yellow hair, purple ribbon, and a green necklace, and a blue haired one with purple necklace and yellow ribbon.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

The plush is very soft and squishy, filled with a spongy-like cotton. It’s very sweet looking and in terms of a plush it seems to be really nice quality. But I did notice that because its fuzzy, it attracts stray hairs like crazy. Not really a big deal for me, but I know it might bother some people.

♥ Cutie Ranking ♥

Content - 5 out of 5. I like all of the items and the quality seems to be pretty good. I didn’t really have any complaints this time around or much to say on the items. I feel like they all did their job and were pretty self-explanatory.

Theme: 5 out of 5. With a wide range for a name, this box gave me 2 sort of mini-themes in 1 central theme. By this I mean, the Fantasyland part would imply fantasy, sweet pastels, unicorns, which the box did a great job of including. I don’t really think of fantasy when I see My Melody, but at the same time I can kind of see it? The other part Adventure and the description implies the theme is practical for travel, which the box definitely did keep in mind. The Suteki Crate is also a perfect match for this one!

Total Rank: 10 out of 10 Cuties. I probably don’t make it sound amazing or anything, but I think this would be a great box to pick up if given the chance. Plus they also add a whole pinch load of cuteness~

♥ Cutie Scale ♥

1. Unicorn Plush - I can’t help it, it’s so sweet and huggable x3 I love its shiny pearl necklace and blushed cheeks. I’ll make sure to put it near my bed~

2. My Melody Case - The colors are so sweet~ I’m really excited about using this one just as soon as I return to my bed. The only problem is deciding what items to pop inside~

3. Unicorn Hairbrush - When my hair is a horrible knotted mess, it brushes through it just fine. I love the little charm and colors, but I sort of feel like a few of the designs on the Unicorn weren’t necessary, as cute as it is. 

4. Kokeshi Nail Clipper - It’s very cute looking, but I prefer bigger nail clippers. I even have my own set from another box, so I’m not sure how often I’ll actually think to use these...

5. Toothbrush Stand - I love how it looks, it’ll make a really cute decoration when I’m not using it. I also like how I can put things in the base, so it’ll come in handy.

6. Rotating Hook - It’s really cute and I love its pink color, but I feel like it’s the item I’ll use the least in this set.

[sethrine-writes]

Come What May - Ch. 3

Pairing:  Captain America/Steve Rogers x F!Reader

Words:  2685

Warnings:  Violence

Summary: There’s quite a few coincidences that happen throughout anyone’s lifetime. It just so happens that you’re experiencing far too many in a short span of time to be considered mere coincidence - and others are also beginning to take notice. Just how many times can Captain America actually save you before things take a turn for the worst?

A/N:  Three days in a row? How lovely! I’m far from a consistent updater, however, so daily updates won’t be a normal. I just have a pretty good backlog of chapters, and I’m eager to keep the story rolling!! Remember, you can suggest a one-word or small phrased prompt, or even an idea for a future chapter!

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Chapter 3 - Déjà Vu

A little over a week had gone by since the incident at the bank, and everything had seemingly gone back to normal. Well, mostly normal.

You refused to stop into a bank for the time being, choosing, instead, to do online transactions until you regained some comfort in being inside one. Andrew, at least, was happy with this decision.

Just as you had suspected, Jennet was more than understanding and had given you three days off, of which you attempted to argue was too much, but there was no changing the woman’s mind. The break was good for you, as it allowed you to feel comfortable in your own skin once more, but you sure were ready to get back to work.

As it was, you were on your lunch break on a Friday, deciding to pop into the little family-owned and operated sandwich shop just down the street from your place of employment. It was a good place, one you would easily recommend anyone who asked, and the owners were just the best. They took the time to know their customers on a personal level, of which made the place feel like home.

First thing you stepped into the shop, you were instantly greeted with warm smiles and a happy call of your name. If anyone noticed the slight yellowing of a bruise against your cheekbone, no one called attention to it.

“Ah, it’s so nice to see you again! The usual?”

“Sounds good, Maury.”

You chatted with the man as he and his wife set about preparing your order, finding out that his daughter was pregnant with her first child, the third grandchild out of their four kids. Business was good, as you suspected, their car had finally been paid off, and Jesse said hello and wanted to know if you were still single, of which you answered honestly, but had to kindly decline any sort of courtship.

“It’s okay, we understand,” Cathleen assured you with a wave of her hand. “He’s a no-good noodle, anyway, stubborn and hardheaded, like a brick.”

By the time you were out the door, you had been coerced into taking a small cup of soup along with your sandwich of choice, free of charge. You were thoroughly flustered, though you were happy with all the new information and well wishes thrown your way.

The rest of your day was filled with good vibes, and by the time you signed out of the network and gathered your things, you were in a grand mood. Maybe you’d grab a bottle of wine on your way home, have a nice bath and watch bad crime videos to end such a lovely day.

The closest convenience store was just right around the corner from your apartment, and they just so happened to carry your preferred choice of wine. You made your way there with a little bounce in your step, entering with a smile and a polite wave to the cashier on duty. He looked bored to be there, but at least he was attentive to the other shoppers when they approached him.

Your attention turned to the aisles as you made your way toward the back area where beer and other alcoholic beverages were stored. You scanned the selection of wines, face lighting up when you saw a full stock of your favorite brand on the second shelf. It was a bit on the pricey side, even for a convenience store, but it was good, and after such a delightful day (and a previously hellish one over a week ago), you deserved a good bottle.

With wine in-hand, you made your way to the checkout counter, having been caught behind three others, the woman checking out holding a fussy looking baby. As she made to swipe her card, the baby let out a startling cry, causing the man in front of you to step back in surprise, and you, in turn, doing the same.

By accident, you bumped into someone behind you, unaware that there had been someone there.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t…mean…oh.”

When you turned with your apology quick on your tongue, you were met with a familiar, scowling face, though his eyes were much more amused than seething, this time around. Faintly, you could feel your still-bruised cheek give a dull pang in remembrance.

Well, shit.

This was not the sort of déjà vu you ever wanted to experience.

“Hello there, sugar. Why don’t me ‘n you take a walk?”

“I’d rather not, but thanks.”

“You don’t got a choice, I’m afraid,” he said liltingly, pulling out a gun from his coat pocket.

Well, at least he learned to keep a hold of it, this time. Not that doing so was helping you any in this situation, but good on him. He was learning. Just as you would probably soon learn never to go into any building ever again, lest you wanted to have a gun pointed at you.

With a shaky breath, you gripped the bottle in your hand tightly and followed your captor’s movement, his gun pressed firmly to your back as he led you with it to the exit. Just as you opened the door, the cashier called out to you, annoyance apparent in his words.

“Ma’am, you have to pay for that. Please, don’t make me call the cops.”

“Let’s not do that, now,” your captor replied with a wicked smile, grabbing your arm firmly as he positioned the gun on the cashier and shot. Screams of terror rang throughout the store as other customers ducked down, making themselves as small as possible. You looked on in horror at the splatter of blood against the wall, hoping beyond all hope that the man wasn’t dead.

“Anyone else have a problem with the lady leaving?” your captor called out, pointing his gun at the others in the vicinity. “No? Good, then we’ll be on our merry way.”

The gun was pressed once again to your back as the man led you out of the store and into the chilly night.

“Alright, sugar, keep moving,” he ordered as he all but shoved the barrel against you, the hard press of metal a clear reminder that you were one of the unluckiest ladies in the city at that moment. Oh, and you were probably going to die this time.

“You didn’t have to shoot that man,” you spoke up, but not too loudly. You had already almost been shot once by this man due to your snarky mouth, and you weren’t planning on pushing him over the edge.

“He was bein’ mouthy, wastin’ my time, and I got somewhere to be.”

“Surely it’s nowhere I need to be,” you said almost hopefully, though the following laughter was enough to stop all wishful thinking.

“On the contrary, you were personally requested to attend. As much as I’d love to pay ya back for that fuck-up you caused me and my crew at the bank, orders are orders. Now, keep your mouth shut. I may not get to kill ya myself, but I ain’t afraid to hurt ya.”

You did as he said, keeping quiet for the remainder of the trip to wherever he was leading you. As you walked, you contemplated all the information you had gotten from him.

He wasn’t the leader, after all, just another lackey in control of even lesser ones and following orders from someone higher up. Whoever it was, they knew who you were and wanted you alive, apparently. Probably so they could kill you on their own for messing up whatever job they had their men attempting to execute.

Your captor led you on in silence for another two blocks, turning from a semi-busy street down a dark alley. He stopped you with a firm jerk to your arm before a rusted metal door that looked like the back entrance to what you could only assume to be some sort of club, judging by the dull thumping of base from beyond the brick walling. He gave the door three firm hits with his fist and waited.

No one answered.

“Fuck, those idiots! Where the hell are they?”

He gave three more hits to the door and waited, once again facing the same outcome. He was quickly becoming angry.

“Why the fuck do I need to be here if they ain’t gonna show?”

His fist made contact with the door harshly, the metal denting slightly with the effort put behind the hit. The sound caused you to jump back, the bottle of wine in your hand almost slipping from your grasp.

“Whelp, looks like there’s a change of plans,” he said suddenly, forcing you to turn and face him. There was a joyful glimmer in his eyes as he pointed the gun at your face, your eyes widening at the turn of events.

“Since no one wants to show, guess I get to do what I wanted to, in the first place. Any last words, sugar?”

Oh, shit, this was it. You were going to die. You were going to die after such a good day, all because of a messed-up day you had at the bank over a week ago. This man, whoever he was, however he got out of whatever imprisonment he was being held in, had somehow found you and was now going to kill you over a stupid, clumsy moment you had.

Well, might as well die with some sort of dignity.

You swallowed thickly as you shook your head, eyes on the verge of closing so you wouldn’t have to see the flash of the barrel.

Something moved from behind your captor, a large, tall something on two legs, moving towards you slowly, almost cautiously.

“S-someone’s behind you,” you muttered quietly, your words breaking as your lips trembled with pent-up fear. The man before you scoffed, clearly not caring for your words.

“Not fallin’ for that one again, sugar. Ain’t anyone around to save you this ti-“

“Hey, you, what’s going on?”

Your captor turned to glance at the source of the voice, his arm lowering the gun a fraction to hide it from view. He was distracted, clearly not in the mood for company, but if you didn’t do something quick, the other guy would possibly be dead, too.

In a fit of courage, bravery, possibly stupidity, you called out to the other man.

“Get out of here, he’s got a gun!”

Your captor turned to you and gave an angry grunt as he turned to face the other man obscured in the shadows of the alley, gun poised to shoot.

“Sorry, buddy, no witnesses allowed!”

Before your captor even had a moment to think about pulling the trigger, you wrapped both hands around the neck of the wine bottle you’d been holding and swung with all your might, the glass connecting with the side of his head and shattering as it sent him crashing into the wall. The contact was enough to knock him out, his gun falling from his limp hand with a clatter against the grimy cement and gravel.

“Oh God, oh my God,” you began chanting as you nearly collapsed from the rush of adrenaline leaving your body, instead leaning heavily against the brick wall of the nearest building. The man who had found himself upon this unfortunate situation quickly rushed to your side, a warm hand gently taking hold of your upper arm to steady your swaying form.

“Are you alright, ma’am? Did he hurt you?”

You looked up at the man, at the sound of a familiar voice, and couldn’t help but laugh at the concerned and very surprised blue eyes staring down at you.

Wow, this really was déjà vu, wasn’t it?

“I’m fine, Captain,” you said, side-eyeing the unconscious man lying on the ground. “He didn’t hurt me, but…there’s a convenience store clerk who he shot, about three or four blocks back on 35th and Archwell. God, I hope he made it.”

“Alright, give me a moment,” he said, pulling out his cell and calling the police, giving the locations of both the convenience store and the alleyway you both stood in, making sure they knew that a medic would be required for both locations. When he replaced his phone, his gaze was back on you.

“Are you sure you’re fine? I can take you to the nearest hospital, or we can wait until the police show.”

“No, I’m fine, promise. I just…wow, this has been the scariest and strangest two weeks of my life, let me tell you.”

You let out a long breath you hadn’t realized you were holding, your eyes shifting to that of the gun, glinting ever so slightly from the lights at the end of the alley. You turned to the good Captain then, eyes roaming over him in concern.

“Are you okay? He didn’t shoot you, did he? It was so stupid what I did, I know, but I didn’t want him to hurt you, too. And I figured, hey, I guess I could waste a perfectly good bottle of wine against his head-”

“He didn’t shoot me,” he assured with a small smile stopping your ramblings. “I guess you saved my life this time.”

“I did say I owed you one,” you blurted out without really thinking, a moment of silence passing between you before you let out a chuckle, the man before you doing the same.

A sudden shift from your unconscious captor had you shooting up from the wall and right into the arms of your blue-eyed savior, his hands securely latching themselves around your waist as he shifted between you and the dangerous man. Your captor moved a bit more, but did not wake from the slumber you sent him into, his mind possibly too deep in shock from the good smacking it received.

You gave a relieved chuckle as you leaned your forehead against the muscular chest before you, finding comfort in the small contact.

There was a sudden flashing of red and blue light coming from the entrance of the alley, signaling that the police had arrived. They were quick to apprehend your captor while having a medic view him before a stretcher was issued to carry him away, most likely to the hospital until he regained consciousness. All the while, the good Captain held you close, ensuring the medics that you were fine, just shaken up.

As the police began wrapping up the happenings, asking the Captain brief questions about the incident, he looked to you with mild apprehension.

“Is there anything you need, anything I can do for you?”

“I just…I would really like to go home, now.”

“Of course. Do you mind if I…escort you back, then? I think I’d feel better knowing you got home safely. Or if you’d rather an officer, I could-”

“Please do,” you answered before he could finish his sentence, pulling away, save for your arms around one of his, as he led you out of the alley.

He was a complete gentleman the whole way, asking light questions to get your mind off what had just occurred, something of which you were grateful for. It felt like no time at all when you both turned on your street and entered the building that housed your apartment, catching the elevator to the third floor where you guided him to the last door on the right.

He stayed until the very last second, wishing you a good night and waiting until you had your door shut and locked before leaving. With his exit, he left behind a peace of mind you had lost over an hour ago.

After a long, hot shower and two shots of cinnamon whiskey your brother had gotten you last Christmas, you were more than ready for bed. As soon as your head hit the pillow, you were out like a light, dreams easy and plagued by only a kind smile and lovely blue eyes.

The next morning, you found out on the news that the convenience store clerk was going to be okay.

------

Tag List:  @just4muggles, @achishisha, @pinnedandneedled

[nerdie-faerie]

The Scars of the Pandorica - Prologue.

Another day of school, another day of being human. The whole process fascinated her. An institution specifically designed for training the future generations. Incredible.

She was about to tug her school shirt over shoulders, eager for another day of learning, when something caught her eye in the mirror. Her arms went limp at her sides as she crept towards the mirror, her shirt trailing from her arms.

There on her shoulder was a perfectly healed silvery scar that reminded her of a cracked wall. Her finger trailed the mark curiously. She yelped and wrenched her hand back as she looked at her now pink flesh. It'd burnt her.

"Sarah-Jane!" She called through the house, her voice sounding panicked to her own ears. New experiences usually excited her, but for some reason she was filled with dread.

The woman in question stepped through the door looking flustered at the sudden summon.

"What is it, Sky?"

"Look!" She pointed sharply at the sudden addition to her shoulder.

"It's a scar. Where did you get that?" Her hand immediately outstretched as if hypnotised.

"No, don-" It was too late.

Sarah-Jane hissed as the scar burnt her too.

"What is it?" Sky asked in a trembling voice.

"I don't know."

-=-=-=-

She woke to find the rising sun shining directly into her eyes and with crick in her neck. Looks like she'd fallen asleep at her desk again without closing any blinds. She sighs, but reluctantly pulls herself up, her joints cracking as she does so. Her eyes flicker over the pictures of her and husband as she stands, unwilling to linger but unable to let go.

By the time she's walked to the bathroom the ache in her neck is gone, she supposed there were some advantages to her improved healing. She ruffles her golden locks with a yawn and sets about brushing her teeth.

As she lifts her head she notices something peaking out of the strap of her vest. Her eyebrows furrow as she pushed the strap out of the way and brushes her hair over her shoulder to take a closer look. But even after two centuries her enhanced eye sight has not diminished and she should know better than to question herself by now. But there it is. A scar etched into her right shoulder, puckered and pale but by no means new. And she knows for a fact it wasn't there last night. Two fingers trace the edge of the scar, as thoughts whirl through her brain. What was it? Why hadn't it healed? Where had it come from? Her train of thought is cut abruptly off when her fingers come away burnt.

She stares down at the reddened skin and then back to the reflection of the scar.

"What the hell are you?"

The scar stares back but provides no answers.

-=-=-=-

The six year old stared resolutely at his drawing determined to make it perfect, he had his mother's stubbornness and his father's need to prove people wrong. The navy blue made grand sweeping strokes across the paper as his left hand came up to scratch at his shoulder. He whimpered as the pain persisted.

He dropped his pencil as he continued to rub at his shoulder. He could hear his father working on the car from the garage and his mother pottering around preparing lunch in the kitchen.

"Mummy!"

"What is it, Malcom sweetie?" She strolled into the living room, her walk unhurried but her eyes darting around trying to find the cause of his distress.

"My shoulder hurts." He pouts.

She smiles kindly.

"Let me see. Which one is it?"

He points at the offended shoulder as she crouches down to take a look. She rolls up his t-shirt sleeve to see a thin scar about two inches long nestled against the crook of his shoulder. Her expression immediately betrays her concern years of medical training suddenly winning out. She presses a finger gently against the skin but is shocked when it burns her.

Malcom looks between his mother and his shoulder worried. She smiles reassuringly at him.

"Wait here a second."

She walks into the kitchen and opens the back door.

"Mickey!"

The man jogs into the kitchen moments later a sense of urgency in his step and streaks of motor oil streaking his face.

"What's wrong babe?" He asks cleaning his hands in a rag.

She whispers to him, far too quietly for Malcom to hear, but they're eyes flicker to him occasionally. Once she quiets his dad steps towards him to look at his son's shoulder for himself. He sighs and rubs at his brow, streaking more oil across his face.

"Where's the Doctor when you need him?"

-=-=-=-

Astrid Peth could think of far more glamorous jobs than pulling pints in a grimy pub, but it put food on the table even if it wasn't much.

She pulled off her apron and signalled to her boss to let him know she was taking her break, he nodded in affirmation and she slipped into the back room. She splashed cold water on her face in an attempt to wash away the feel of lingering eyes, as usual it did nothing. Sighing she grabbed one of the rough paper towel provided and started to dry her hands when she noticed in the cracked and rusted mirror that the water had soaked into part of her thin white shirt.

Sighing once more she began to dab at the fabric but pulled away when it felt far too warm. Confusion etched into her face she pulled down the collar of her shirt to see an unfamiliar scar carved into the flesh there. She felt panic spike through at the perfectly healed mark that hadn't been there this morning. She gulped as a wave of foreboding crashed into her. Something was very, very wrong.

-=-=-=-

Doctor Owen Harper questions his life choices on the regular. Among those where the decision to wrack up an enormous student debt for the sake of becoming a doctor. Things he doesn't regret, include the blonde he took home last night when drunk off his ass, that now lays slumbering in his bed.

He pads into the kitchen to make breakfast. The bacon was sizzling in the pan when he turns to the fridge to grab some eggs. He almost ignores the reflection of his nude body in the fridge's shiny surface, the littering of love bites was nothing new but the pale scar that decorated his right shoulder was.

Years of medical training flew out the window as he poked at the offending area in shock. The burn he received came as an additional shock.

"What the fuck did I do last night?" Be muttered to himself in the empty kitchen, suddenly questioning his bed partner.

-=-=-=-

A run always did wonders for her mood first thing in the morning, it helped set the tone for the whole day or some philosophical shit like that. But she'd promised her sister they'd go see a movie today and she was nowhere near ready in her current state. Determined to be on time for once, she hopped into the shower letting the slewth of cool water calm her frantic heart from a good day's running.

Towel clad, she stepped back into her room moments later to get dressed. Jeans, underwear and a tank top later and she was ready. As she pulled down her tank top however, her figures grazed against her shoulder causing her to yelp in pain.

"What the...." She rushed to her bathroom and cleared the fogged up glass trying to see the cause of her pain.

She prodded blindly at her slowly warming skin and when she jabbed at the raised, jagged skin it burned. Looking away from the blurry image left in the mirror she looked down at her shoulder and felt her stomach drop.

"Tessa what's taking you so long?" Her sister grumbled as she stepped into the room.

She turned away from the mirror slowly, her face pale and drawn. Whatever complaint her sister had prepared fizzled out as she took her expression in.

"What is it?"

She pushed her tank top strap completely out of the way so it was no longer blocking her view.

"Is this a joke?"

"It burns Gabbie." She turned back to the mirror. "But..... But it looks just like...." She trailed off but it didn't need saying, not really.

Her sister looked panicked and resigned but she took the words that hung between them and said them anyway.

"My tattoo." She took a deep breath, as if in preparation, her next words were barely a croak. "It looks like my tattoo."

A/N: I hope you know I hate you for this @michelangelo-the-metamorphmagus . I do not need more WIPs. Anyway this was inspired by a lil conversation on tumblr with Michael and if I have to suffer so do you guys. Sky is Sarah-Jane's adopted alien daughter from the Sarah-Jane adventures. And Owen is from the Torchwood spin off.

Also I'm probably gonna draw inspiration for my OCs from people in the hp rp community so if that makes you uncomfortable let me know.

[boarix]

Wraith in the Ruins: A Fallout 4 Story Part IV

Concussive Fracture

Trigger warnings: canon violence, language, gun & drug use. Suggestive/mature content

Game spoilers!

Bloody Mess Warning!

 Nick Valentine was hyperventilating. Catching sight of his former body, coupled with the intense, overwhelming emotions that permeated the room, he found the simple act of breathing to be immeasurably difficult. He would have fallen as soon as he stood up from the memory lounger had Hancock not caught him. Wraith produced a paper bag, seemingly from nowhere and passed it to them with instructions to, “just breathe”.

Nearly everyone in the room was crying: Wraith, Hancock, Ellie and even Valentine himself. Clearly uncomfortable Dr. Amari excused herself politely.

Standing against the wall, Deacon and MacCready remained dry-eyed. The former merc called out his congratulations, even though the whole affair was rather unsettling to him. Seeing as how the crying, hugging and all around back slapping didn’t seem to be winding down, he found a chair to plop in and tried not to look too impatient. The angle afforded him a rare look at Deacon’s eyes and he was surprised to see the high level of anxiety they held. The fact that he was directing it all straight at Wraith made MacCready’s hackles rise. Something was wrong.

Before MacCready could raise a fuss Hancock waved his arms to gain everyone’s attention and began trying to herd the group to the stairs. He had a special dinner planned in honor of Valentines first ever meal and was obviously excited. As they passed him, MacCready could see that Valentine and Ellie were holding hands. Fingers interlocked, it appeared very intimate. Deciding to let it go for now, he afforded them a smile and gave the detective a pat on the back of his own.

Sniffling, Wraith stopped in front of Deacon and gave him a grateful smile, “Thank you for this. Really. I know what it involves… what this means.”

“Hang back a second.” Deacon’s tone was all business.

Giving Deacon a dirty look, Hancock was inclined to tell him to piss off but moved on when Wraith gently touched his shoulder. As he passed MacCready he hooked an arm through one of his, “C’mon, little brother, the spooks need a whisper session.”

“Your guy did an amazing job on Val’s face. It still looks like him, but with… ya know, more skin.”

“If anyone is deserving, it’s good ol’ Synth Nick.” Deacon’s smile abruptly vanished and he removed his sunglasses, “I have to talk to you about the Gunners. You know that they started to recruit raiders to pad their numbers? Well, it’s beginning to back-fire on them. You have been destroying their leadership and things are… chaotic to say the least.”

“Not to sound narcissistic, but I’ve been doing that on purpose. I figure if things get bad enough they might want to play nice and try and see if the grass is greener on the Minutemen side of things.”

“Oh, things are bad that’s for sure! They’re running low on ammo, food… everything but chems. They can’t raid your settlements without being annihilated thanks to Daddy Danse and all his baby dragons… Uh, let’s agree that I never said ‘Daddy Danse’.”

“Ha! Not a chance! And it’s ‘Dragoon’ not ‘dragon’.”

“Right, ‘Drag Race Danse’, got it. All joking aside, the place is a powder keg. Clans are beginning to form and they are doing a lot of in-fighting and cannibalizing.” He shuddered in revulsion.  

“How is it you are so well informed?” Her eyes grew wide as the realization hit her, “Wait… don’t tell me you went to the Plaza? Deacon! You can’t do that! You are far too important to the Railroad to be running interference for me. Not that I don’t appreciate the information and warning. Well… maybe I’ll go and drop in; be the lit match, so to speak.”

“No!” Deacon reached out and grabbed her arms; driven by his urgency to make uncharacteristic physical contact, “You are the one thing they all agree on!” Giving her a little shake, he tried to drive his point home, “The clan that claims your head will establish itself as the leader. Your death has become the priority of the entire Gunner nation!”  

“So what else is new?”

“This isn’t like it was before… the Gunners… had rules and followed orders. They wouldn’t have come at you without measuring acceptable loss. Now, it’s a free-for-all.”

“What would you have me do?”

“Stay here. Stay in Goodneighbor.” He gripped her arms tighter as she shook her head, “Hancock can protect you here. Hell, you know he would love to have you and MacCready all to himself.”

She gently but firmly removed herself from his grasp, “You want me to hide. No, I’m sorry but I can’t just abandon my settlements like that. I have so many projects going… Plus, Shaun is still in Sanctuary and I really should spend more time with him.”

“You have Codsworth, Curie, Dogmeat and Danse all there with him. Strong, Cait and th’ Hounds are at the Rocket… you know Shaun will be safe. You know the further he is from you the safer he is!”

Wraith let her pride and anger override any amount of self-preservation, “Let them come at me! I’ll rip them to pieces and feed em to Strong!” Her eyes burned with a berserker’s fire and she flexed her hands menacingly, “I’m not going to hide from them and I won’t let them destroy everything I’ve built.”

“The general doesn’t FIGHT ON THE FRONT LINES!” Spittle flew as panic drove him to anger. Feeling the blood burning in his cheeks, he knew he had to be as red as Wraith was. He realized yelling at her would never work, so after several deep breaths, Deacon tried one last time to appeal to her sense of reason, “That’s part of it; you are the sole reason the Commonwealth is on an up-swing. If you were to be killed now…”

Waving her hand dismissively, Wraith cut him off, “I have already considered that and have contingencies in place in the event of my death. There is a whole file cabinet in Sanctuary filled with plans and ideas, resource allocation… a will if you will.” She tried a smile out on him for the sake of the play on words, but apparently he wasn’t up for smiles, “Everything will move forward just fine if I buy it. It won’t matter in the grand scheme of things.”

Deacon put his sunglasses back on and motioned for her to precede him up the stairs. Then softly, almost whispering, “It’ll matter to me.”

 A few days later Hancock, MacCready and Wraith were all jogging to Sanctuary via Graygarden. Someone had alerted the Minuteman to a potential attack by the Rust Devils and Wraith had agreed to look into it. Although lacking a unit from the Heavy Dragoons, Graygarden was positively bristling with turrets of various lethalities. She found it unlikely that the Devils would be that stupid, but still, a threat was a threat.

The addition of Hancock was a surprise and Wraith suspected that there had been a, “Keep Wraith Alive in Spite of Herself” meeting between her friends. She didn’t mind as it was rare the three of them got to spend this much time together. She enjoyed listening to the two men’s easy banter and especially loved it when Hancock would try to fluster the younger man with his innuendo and blatant flirting. MacCready’s reactions varied on his moods and he would sometimes flirt back. On those occasions Wraith was left feeling… warm.  

As the trio moved along and the conversation lapsed into comfortable silence, she found herself watching how the two men moved: MacCready had an easy, loping gait that reminded her of a lanky wolf and Hancock had the smooth grace of a hunting cat. Both men had incredible endurance and she knew for a fact that Mac could run the entire length of the Commonwealth without breaking stride, (as long as it wasn’t raining). Her thoughts took a slight deviation as she imagined other ways their endurance might benefit her.

Stop it, Wraith. Imagine how red your face is right now… god forbid Hancock asks me… or looks at me… Just, stop it.

Once in Graygarden, Supervisor White seemed surprised by the offer of aid, “There have been no Devils skulking around here Daaarrrrling!”

Unconvinced, Wraith and her boys hung out snacking on mutfruit for a time. Finally giving up, they left with only an hour or so of daylight left. MacCready grumbled about running through the night but Wraith only smiled blithely at him.

As if the weather had read Wraith’s earlier thoughts, storm clouds began building just as the sun lowered on the horizon. MacCready’s standard “rain whine” kicked in, “… and we’ll be even more miserable…”

“Christ, little brother! Are you a cat or what?”

“It’s fine, guys. It’s dark anyway so let’s just find a place to stop.”

The two men exchanged a look, “Are you sure that’s wise, sister? There isn’t much out here at the moment.”

Wraith waved his concerns away, “There’s an armored truck just on the other side of this ridge. It’ll be cozy but should do the trick.”

After a cold dinner Hancock volunteered to take first watch but Wraith objected, “You guys never wake me up for my shift!”

“Ok, I’ll make you a deal. If you actually fall asleep, I promise I’ll wake MacCready up for his shift. But you are on three, you feel me?”

Putting her hand on MacCready’s chest and looking him right in the eye, Wraith made sure there could be no misunderstanding, “You wake me up.”

The closeness and physical contact sent a flutter of butterflies through MacCready’s guts, “Yeah. Sure.” The fluttering intensified as she gave his chest a pat before climbing into her bed-roll.

Hancock watched the interaction with a wolf-like grin.

 The night passed uneventfully with the rain stopping around midnight. MacCready dutifully if not reluctantly woke Wraith for the third watch. Exiting the truck she found the cool, pre-dawn air to be more refreshing than the fitful sleep she had.

Just as the first light of the sun was casting a pink glow to the sky, she felt eyes on her. She tried to tell herself that it was just Deacon’s infectious paranoia, especially since there wasn’t anything showing up on her Pip-Boy.

It might be radstag or one of those unfortunate-looking crows….

Deciding to trust her instinct rather than technology she reentered the truck to wake the boys. She placed a gentle hand on Hancock’s shoulder and he was instantly awake, “It’s okay, I just have a bad feeling is all. Wake Mac up I’m going back outside.”

If she had meant gently she didn’t specify so Hancock smacked him across the face with his bed-roll.

“The shit?!”

“Awwww! You did a swear! I’m tellin’.”

“Nice… real mature.”

“Hot damn, MacCready! Is that for me? You really shouldn’t have.”

“Well, who sez it’s for you?”

“As the sexiest individual in the truck…”

“Ha!”

As much as she was enjoying their back-and-forth, she was also prickling with ominous foreboding, which caused her to shush them more harshly than she meant to, “Quiet! Hancock, go do a wide sweep. Mac, you stay by the truck and both of you stay low.”

As Hancock crept off through the tall grass and scrub, Wraith pulled MacCready to her to whisper in his ear, “I’m going hunting. You stay in cover! You hear me? I don’t know how many there are, so stay the fuck down!”

With her hand on the back of his neck and mouth just brushing his cheek, despite the danger they were in, MacCready felt the flicker of heat growing in his stomach, “Okay boss, I’m in the grass.” As she melted away into the early dawn gloom, he whispered to himself, “Goddamn she’s scary.”

 Hancock encountered them first, south of the ridge. Had the Gunners sniped him from the high-ground they might have had a chance. As it was, the 5 person group, equipped mainly for melee, would find themselves staggeringly deficient against the ghoul.

At least one of them had a powerfist…

Hancock rushed the powerfist wielder, who surprised by how quickly the ghoul closed the distance, took a step backward, placing all his weight on one leg. At the last second Hancock dropped and with one hand, drove the heel of his palm into the Gunner’s locked knee buckling it. As the Gunner fell forward Hancock’s other hand reached for his throat, crushing it easily. Smoothly using his opponent’s momentum, he popped the dying man’s body up and over his own, throwing it onto one of his comrades.

Spinning away to his left, Hancock’s right arm flicked out and a small throwing knife suddenly bloomed from a 3rd Gunner’s throat. Appearing to have almost precognitive reflexes, Hancock easily caught the baseball bat as his 4th opponent swung for his head. Trapping the bat under his arm he then drove his palm into the Gunner’s locked elbow, causing it to bend in the opposite direction that nature intended. A quick knife flash across the throat ended her agonized scream.

A shot rang out and Hancock imagined he could feel the rush of air as the bullet narrowly missed his face. He threw yet another knife as a distraction as he rushed her, twisting her arm down and pushing a knife through her hand, pinning it to her own haunch. Picking up her dropped pipe-pistol he shot her point blank in the face.

All this before the last Gunner even got out from under his dead companion’s body. The last thing he saw was Hancock’s smiling face.

 MacCready heard the reverberating crack of the pistol, “Hancock…” He very much disliked how he couldn’t see either of his two best friends. Then, higher up the hill to the north he saw a brief flash of light: the sun reflecting off of a scope.

Wraith had 3 kills of her own at this time, all in total silence. However, her 4th target somehow perceived her at the last second and the two rose out of cover, grappling.

Wraith didn’t see the sniper. Wraith was going to be shot. Wraith was going to die.

“No…”

What happened next appeared to Wraith as though in slow motion, as if she had taken a hit of Jet.

MacCready rose from cover, his focus trained solely on the threat to Wraith. Pulling his trigger, he killed the sniper. At the same moment, to his left, an unseen Gunner assassin rose from cover and shot the young man in the head from only 6 feet away. As his head snapped back, a spray of blood fountained through the air like a nightmare rainbow. Then MacCready’s body crumpled into the grass.

“NOOOOGGGGAAAAARRRRGGHHHHHHHHAAAAA!”

 Hancock was retrieving his knives and grumbling aloud how hard it was to, “find good dance partners these days…” when he heard Wraith’s agonized scream. It ripped through him and left him clutching his chest above his heart, “No. No. No. No!”

 Wraith was beating someone to death with a human arm. Most likely it was the arm’s former owner. Covered head to toe in blood and worse, she was roaring incoherently. Hancock rushed to her side yelling her name. She turned and raised her macabre club above her head, preparing to swing it at him.

Recognition flashed across her berserk maddened face and she began sobbing and gesturing with the limb as if it were a pointer, “He was right here! I saw him! Where is he?”

Taking the arm from her, Hancock flung it away, “Wraith, is any of this your blood?”

“I can’t find him. He was just here!”

“Sister, are you hurt? Where the fuck is MacCready?” In his fear and panic he grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her none too gently.

She looked up at him with a face so lost in child-like fear it broke his heart, “They shot him, John. I saw him die. But now… now I can’t find… his body.”

Hancock stood in complete shock, “You can’t… his…?”

“He fell right here. Oh… oh God…”

Letting go of her shoulders, Hancock closed his eyes. He didn’t want to look for MacCready’s dead body.

If there’s no… then he can’t be gone.

“Wraith, if he was… if he was dead he would be here. The dead don’t move themselves around and you’ve ripped apart everyone else here that could have moved him, right?” Hancock took a deep shuddering breath, “He must have gotten up and went for better cover; it probably wasn’t a kill-shot.” He saw a faint glimmer of hope spark in her eyes.

Oh please, please let me be right!

Calling his name, they each went in opposite directions. Wraith found his hat and was disheartened by how blood-soaked it was. The two rifle bullets he kept in the brim were missing and she was overcome by a completely irrational need to find them. Palming through the tall grass she almost didn’t hear Hancock calling for her. Gripping his hat to her chest she ran to the ghoul’s waving form, terrified at what she might see.

MacCready was walking north. His steps where stumbling and feral-like. The entire left side of his face and head was covered in blood and it was running freely down his neck. Dragging his rifle behind him, his arm was bent at a weird angle. He looked like a zombie.

Unlike a zombie, and somehow even more disturbing than his appearance, was his halting and rambling running commentary, “Save… her. Not this time. NooooOOOOOO!”

Chocking back sobs, Wraith ran and stood in front of him. Grabbing him by the shoulders she tried to get him to halt his march. He tried to side-step around her and would have fallen, but once again Hancock was there to catch a dear friend.

MacCready continued to push against Wraith with surprising strength and was almost dragging Hancock behind him, talking the entire time, “I can’t… not again… ALONE! Noooooo. I’m not going to let her die this time. I’ll fuCKING KILL ALLL YOU MOTHER FUCKING SONS OF COCKS!”

Hancock was unwilling to throw him bodily to the ground but was finding it impossible to stop him gently. It was as if he had developed super mutant strength, “What the hell is wrong with him?!”

“He’s concussed… it looks like the bullet ricocheted… I can’t see! We have to get him to sit down.”

“Hey, little brother, it’s okay…”

“No! I have to sAVE WRAITH! FUCK YOU!”

“I’m right here, Mac! You saved me.”

Bringing his rifle to bear, he was actively fighting them now, “Nooooo. She can’t die! Not again. She don’t see…”

Letting go Wraith took a deep breath in and in her loudest “momma” voice told him off, “Robert Joseph MacCready! Sit your MOTHER FUCKING ASS DOWN!”

MacCready dropped to his knees like a stone. Looking up at her with a shocked, hurt expression his lip quivered, “You yelled at me.” He turned to Hancock, “she said ‘fuck’!”

“She sure did, little brother. She means business, so you better mind her.”

“Well, okay.”

Pulling his matted, blood-soaked hair away from the wound, she could see a significant gash, down to bone, just above his ear. “I’ll treat the laceration and stop the bleeding, but we need to get him back to Goodneighbor; back to Dr. Amari. I don’t know the first thing about brain injury.”

MacCready was staring at Hancock with a confused look, “Hey, you look just like Hancock used to.”

“Is that right?”

“Yeah. He’s like, my favorite guy. He’s so good but he doesn’t think so. He’s always helping annoying people. If it wasn’t for him giving me a chance when no one else would I’d never met Wraith. She saved my son. I love her, but I’m pretty sure she’s in love with Hancock.”

Blushing furiously, Wraith refused to look at Hancock, “He’s still moving around too much. Would you hold him please?”

“Sure thing, sister.” Easing MacCready back onto his butt, Hancock wrapped his arms around him from his right side, “Hold still, little brother.”

Sighing, MacCready leaned his head back onto Hancock’s chest, which put his head at a perfect angle to Wraith, “Hancock calls me that too. Sometimes it pisses me off but then I like it sometimes. This is really nice. You know, you remind me a lot of Hancock.”

“So I’ve been told.”

“I miss Lucy,” MacCready’s cerulean eyes filled with tears, “she was my wife before she died.” Suddenly very still, his eyes locked onto Wraith’s light green ones with such intensity that she stopped her work and leaned back from him, “Lucy?” His arms shot up out of Hancock’s embrace and he cradled Wraith’s face in his hands. He pulled her to him in a deeply passionate kiss.  

Hancock made a strange sound, as if he’d been hit in the stomach with a powerfist.

Pulling away, Wraith was as red as a tato, “No, Mac. I’m Wraith, not Lucy.” Standing up she turned her back to the two men, trying to get herself under control, “We should go. We need to get him to Amari fast. We can take turns carrying him and we need to keep him awake.”

“I’ve got him.” Hancock’s tone was annoyed, “C’mon, little brother, time for a piggy-back ride.”

“Oh cool! Fun!”

“Now I know yer concussed…”

Wraith was repacking her field med kit, “Okay, you can have first turn, but I assure you I can carry him. Plus I have Buffout if I need it.”

“I said I’ve got him!” Hancock snapped at her, “It’s bad enough you took him in the first place.”

 The trip back to Goodneighbor was awkward to say the least. Wraith couldn’t understand Hancock’s sudden mood change. He had never been the jealous type before.

It’s not like there is really anything to be jealous of, is there? Who is he mad about? Is he mad that Mac kissed me? Clearly he’s not in his right mind! What the fuck does he mean by me ‘taking him’? He thinks I stole Mac?

They did their best to keep MacCready awake by asking him questions about whatever confused and random events he was babbling on about. He kept combining Lucy and Wraith into one person. Worse still was when he would actively fight against Hancock so he could return to save Wraith.

In desperation, she turned on the radio and suggested that MacCready sing along. It wasn’t working until Hancock started to sing, Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall, then, MacCready immediately stopped struggling and was listening with rapt attention to the ghoul’s voice.

 Amari seemed optimistic, “There is nothing I can give him, but I believe with proper rest he will be himself again. I would strongly suggest he stays here under observation for the next few days, however.”

Hancock told Wraith to go and clean the gore off of herself in Irma’s shower, “You’ll freak him out if he wakes up, I mean really wakes up, and sees you looking like a mutant’s meat bag.”

Irma was more than happy to lend Wraith her shower as well as a (surprisingly tame) dress to change into. As she stepped off the landing, she could see Hancock had just finished getting MacCready changed. Lacking any real hospital gowns, he had put him in a pair of pajama bottoms and a bathrobe.

The silence was leaden and uncomfortable. Hancock felt compelled to do what he felt was necessary, but it would be one of the hardest things he had ever done.

Jesus; look at her! She’s fucking adorable in a dress! She looks so tired and sad… It’s best though. It’s best for them. I’m… I’m in their way.

“Well, I hope you’re happy.” He could see her confusion and that his words had already hurt her, “Deacon tried to warn you. He told you and yet, here we are.”

“I’m sorry, Hancock. I thought I had it under control. I guess I’ve been feeling invincible lately.”

“You may be but what about the rest of us?” He drew his hand through the air above MacCready’s unconscious form like he was showing off a new car, “How about the kid here? Does he look invincible to you?”

Fight back, Wraith.

Sniffling she hung her head, abashed, “You’re right. I should have seen through the false Graygarden report. They knew exactly where we would be… I should have left him here with you in Goodneighbor.”

Fight back, Wraith.

Hancock snorted, “You would have been killed. This idiot clearly is in love with you; what would your death do to him?”

Fight back… please…

“Do you care what the consequences of your actions are? Do you give a fuck about any of us?!”

That did it.

“What the fuck!?” She stabbed a finger at his chest, forcing him a step backward, “How could you even fucking ask me that? All that I’ve done has been for all of you!” Throwing her hands out wide she gestured emphatically, “I’ve practically rebuilt the entire fucking Commonwealth for you!”

“Yes, that’s right, Queen Fucking Wraith.” He turned away from her and headed for the stairs, “Well I’m done. I’m not going to follow you around, watching you killing yourself and anyone dumb enough to be with you!”

She followed him to the landing, hands out palms up, her body asking questions that she couldn’t articulate, “Are you running from me, John McDonough?”

Hancock stopped for a second on the first floor landing. With his back to her, Wraith couldn’t see how much pain he was in. Then, squaring his shoulders, he left her standing in the stairwell, tears on her cheeks.

“Wraith?” Whipping around she could see MacCready standing in the basement doorway. Arms out to either side, he was using the doorframe to hold himself upright. He had removed the bathrobe and was shivering. “What happened to me? I feel really sick. Where’s Hancock?”

“Oh, Mac, you shouldn’t be standing.” Wiping her face hurriedly, she ducked under his arm and led him back to the clinic bed. “You got shot saving my stupid ass.”

“Oh… yeah?” He was reluctant to let her go, wrapping both his arms around her. “You’re so tiny without all your stuff on. You smell good. Are you wearing a dress? You look so cute!”

“Thanks, kid.” She carefully disentangled herself from his hug and eased him down on the bed, “And you… you are still loopy. Don’t move too fast or you’ll barf.”

“Ugh! Why do you call me ‘kid’ all the time? I’m adult! And I have a freaking kid of my own!”

“I imagine it’s for the same reason that Hancock calls you ‘little brother’.”

“Where is he?” MacCready straightened up in alarm and winced at the sudden movement.

“He’s fine. He will… be back before you know it.” The lie was easier at that moment. She would tell him everything later.

Well… maybe not everything…

Even back under the blanket, MacCready was still shivering, “It’s kinda cold down here.”

“It’s because you took the robe off.” She went and picked it up off the floor and offered it back to him.

He shook his head, wincing, “I don’t like the way it wraps around my legs.”

“I’ll see if I can find another blanket.”

MacCready caught her hand as she moved away, “Would you… lay down with me?”

Wraith’s mind was a swirling mass of emotions as MacCready snuggled up to her.

“This is nice. I should get shot more often. You smell nice.”

“So I’ve been told.”

         Thank you for reading! Like what you read? Looking for more? Please see the master-link in my tags: Wraith in the Ruins. I’ll also be reblogging it from time to time. As always any questions/comments/concerns my ask is open. =^..^=

[artificialqueens]

hollywoof hills [vet au] - chapter 3 - akita

A/N: this took a lot longer than expected, but hey, i got it done! i dont think any triggers apply really except one case of misgendering someone. theres a little bit of set up in this chapter for later events

It was a quiet day today. There weren’t many appointments booked, and all the calls so far had been to book things in later that week. The phone wasn’t even ringing much, and while you’d think that would be a nice thing for the two on reception, it was not. Since they didn’t have anything to do, they’d both been asked to sort the Pet Health Plan monthly flea treatments. It was a lot of checking info, labelling, and putting  things in packets. Farrah looked frustrated and restless, and Manila looked like she was ready to end it.

“Why can’t the nurses do this?” The pink haired girl mewled, “They all have to sign them off anyway.” “I know! We have other things to do.” “Like what?” Adore barked, having been sat at her desk, “I don’t see you handling any animals, or having to do a fuckload of paperwork.” “You wouldn’t have a ‘fuckload of paperwork’ if you filled it in when you got it,” Manila cockily returned, and yelped when a pen lid hit her neck, “Oi! Don’t throw things. I’ll tell on you.” “You’ll tell on me? Good luck, Jinkx loves me and Max can’t touch me.” “Go back to your paperwork, Delano.”

They fell into a quiet again, making small talk over the crinkle of plastic packets. Then, a moment of salvation - the door alarm rung as someone came through. It was Brutus, his saggy lips slobbering, and his bald belly swinging. For someone who’d had a major bowel op, he was looking pretty happy. “There’s our hedgehog eater!” Farrah cooed as she stood up, before glancing up at the person walking him. She didn’t recognise them at all, having only ever seen this dog with a middle aged woman, but she noticed that they were much prettier than the typical owner, and definitely younger. “What’re you looking at?” They said with a biting tone, though their face followed it with a smirk. “Sorry, I’ve only seen him with your… mum?” “Yeah, she made me bring him in today.”

There was a brief pause, Farrah still getting a grip on herself. They were quite cute, and though they were coming off a little brusque, she wanted to know more. However, she did need to do her job, and eventually asked, “Can you just put him on the scales?” “Why? He’s not gonna have lost weight since yesterday.” “I don’t know, but I’m told I have to ask anyone who comes in with a dog to get their weight.” After pulling a face, they put the canine up on the scales, calling over, “84.5 kilos, the fat fuck.” They affectionately pet his side, “What was he yesterday?” “He was 84.5 kilos.” She returned. “Told you.” “Take a seat, Miss Kween.” “Ew, don’t. Call me Aja.” With that, they wandered off to the chairs, large dog lumbering after.

When Farrah turned back to Manila, she caught her sniggering at her. Pulling a face, she tried to go back to sorting the flea treatment, but there was a fluster on her face, and she kept glimpsing up at the person sat on the chairs, pretty chilled out, fussing the dog and telling him how handsome and brave he was. When Jinkx came out to call them through into the consult, they greeted them pleasantly, like they knew each other. As soon as that door closed, the dark haired receptionist started on Farrah.

“Look at you getting all nervous!” “Fuck all the way off.” She was quick to snap, “So what? I didn’t expect to see anyone my age, or cute, this morning.” “You think they’re cute?” “I don’t not think that, leave me alone,” Whining, she threw one of the empty flea treatment boxes at her. “Why is everyone chucking things at me?” “We wouldn’t if you weren’t annoying,” Adore chimed, getting up to join Jinkx in the consult, realising she was meant to follow. Once she was gone, Farrah mumbled, “Even if I do think sh-” “They.” “-They’re cute, they’re a client, I’m not really gonna get a chance.” “You never know.” She smirked, “We’ll see what happens when they come back out.”

-

Max was a very polite woman. Politeness was something she’d prided herself on, particularly in this line of work, where you sometimes did have difficult clients. This pre-op check, however, was testing her a little bit. The cat was fine, it was a young male, 5 months old, in for a castrate. He was the right weight for the operation, so that wasn’t an issue. He was looking healthy and happy - or at least, as happy as a Persian could look. In fact, he would be the perfect pet to operate on, until she noticed that in his fur, there was some cat food.

It was necessary to ask anyway, though it was now a lot more important to do it. “Has he had any breakfast?” “I had to give him something, he kept meowing for food.” “So he has eaten this morning?” “Yes.” The owner seemed a little irate at the questioning. Max took a deep breath, trying not to show the annoyance she felt, “Unfortunately, we won’t be able to operate today. When you booked him in, you were informed that he must have food withdrawn the night before, at 8pm.” “But I can’t just not feed him! It’s cruel!”

For a moment, she considered getting someone else into the room. She considered seeing if Jinkx was free, because they were a more seasoned vet, and they must have dealt with this before. But Max couldn’t always go running for help, and after a moment’s consideration, she re-explained the exact risks she’d listed for the owner three days ago when the cat was booked in. “The anaesthetic can make the cat feel poorly, and it can make them vomit. Because of that, we need them to come in on an empty stomach so that they don’t vomit while unconscious on the table, as they can then end up choking, and in many cases, it can kill them. We can rebook you in for later this week, but please, you must not feed him after 8pm the night before the operation.” “Fine. I better not have to pay for this waste of time appointment.” “The pre-op check is free.” Putting the cat back in the basket, she saw the owner off. Milk quickly slipped into the room, saying a quick goodbye to the client.

As soon as the door was shut, Max pulled a face in the direction of where the owner exited. Perhaps it was immature, but it got a light laugh from her nurse, who sprayed down the table and scales with disinfectant. It wasn’t much, but it saved the vet the hassle of wiping things down before another appointment. “The dog for its dental’s here, you want me to start setting up in prep for him?” “I’d say yes but I don’t know yet if his owner knows how to follow instructions.” “I’ll do it anyway,” Milk laughed, “Try not to get too stressed out, if anything, it gives us essentially a free break to catch up on stuff.”

-

Not long after the cat went, and the dog came through, Aja left the consult room, slobbering Brutus lumbering behind them, elizabethan collar clanging loudly on the doorframe on the way out to reception. He was healing well, and they’d been instructed to just keep a close eye on him, and to bring him back again the next day. As they came up to book in again, Farrah near scurried out from the vet’s desk area, where she’d been meaninglessly flipping through worming packets, trying to actually manifest some confidence.

“How’s he doing?” She cooed, sitting in her chair and leaning forward on the wood. “Well, his insides are still in him, so that’s good. And he’s not too inflamed around them or anything. They said I’ve gotta bring him back tomorrow?” “Of course,” she opened to book an appointment, “Is 9.40 tomorrow okay?” “Should be fine, yeah.” After a pause, punctuated by taking one of the business cards, they asked, “You working tomorrow?” “Yeah - Monday, Wednesday, Thursday are my days.” “Guess I’ll see you in the morning then.” With a smirk, Aja waved with their free hand as they headed outside.

When they’d walked out, Farrah turned toward Manila with an incredulous expression. She didn’t want to be getting her hopes up, but there was something promising about the way they asked about her shifts. It could have been just pleasant conversation, but that wasn’t what she wanted it to be. There wasn’t much time for chatting about it though, as the phones were quick to provide an interruption. The black haired receptionist picked up, leaving the other to turn to speak with a bored Adore, who was now on the couch, cuddling a dozy Major.

“Did you finish the paperwork?” “Fuck no,” She snorted, “I have to get Jinkx to double check like all of it as well.” “How much you got left?” “Not a lot but it’s all stuff to be signed off. I’ve filed a few things away though.” “You’ve only got 2 appointments and they’re both after 5, so you have to go clean the groomer’s room out.” She grinned as soon as the woman groaned. “How many appointments Jinkx got?” Moving off the couch, she looked over Farrah’s chair, chin resting on the back of it, “Oh they’ve got like a free morning. They’re helping me now then.”

-

This room was full of just any old garbage. There were rusted dog crates, a broken cat basket, half a broken computer chair, a fold away table  that was for some reason not folded away, and several boxes and bags of decorations. A couple of boxes in the corner, it turned out much to Jinkx’s delight, was full of leashes and collars, clearly put here as spares, which were quite needed. They had a couple of slip leads on the hangers by prep, but they were worn through, and several of them had just disappeared.

Adore was currently focused on the unopened packages with ‘VET BED’ scrawled over them in scruffy writing. This room had clearly been meant for storing things they needed, but most of it had gotten completely forgotten about. Opening the box, it was full of the soft wooly bedding, which she decided she would suggest to Chad to use in replacement of the old, overwashed strips of it they were using. There was a lot of the new stuff, so much so that she checked it was from their own order, and not for the groomer. It was delivered a year ago.

“There’s a lot of good stuff in here,” Jinkx mused, “but there’s also a whole lot of… junk?” “You’re free for ages, and Max just has one op, should we take some of this shit out to the dump?” “Why not? It’ll probably take until lunch, so I guess it’s McDonalds today.” “Fuck yeah! We offering to anyone else to pitch in for it or are we just getting it for us?” “I’ll go ask them now, you start moving stuff nearer the door so we can get it out quicker.”

As Jinkx left, she focused quite intently on rearranging the room. This wasn’t Adore’s favourite type of job, tidying up was boring and exhausting and she’d rather be doing something more productive, but the promise of food was good incentive. Plus, she absolutely loved going in the car with Jinkx, as silly as it sounded, because it was always fun. Even if they were going on the worst home visit, the car ride was light and entertaining. Dragging the broken chair to be beside the door, she hoped this wouldn’t take too long, now excited to get out. When Jinkx was back, they helped drag everything toward the door. Once they’d sorted what was going in the tip, they encouraged Adore to help load the car.

-

Sat on the floor in front of one of the kennels, Max was doing the fun job of hand feeding a dog wet food. She’d been warned by the owner that he would wolf it down, so to try and prevent him from aspirating it, she elected not to just leave a bowl of food in his crate, as was the usual protocol. Originally, she’d offered it on a spoon, but he was clanking his gums off it and whining, so the best option was feeding him by hand. Sure, she had a rubber glove on, but she didn’t find it any less disgusting. Milk slumped down beside her, greeting the greedy yorkie with a polite hello.

“For someone whose hands have been inside of animals, you’d think I could manage this without feeling ill.” “Well, animal insides aren’t usually cold.” Nudging her elbow, she offered, “I’ll feed him, if you want.” “No, it’s fine, I’m getting used to it.” Max smiled a little towards her, before focusing again on the dog. After a pause, Milk asked, “How long you been working here? 4 months now?” “I think so, it’s gone by fast…” “Chad was really proud of you, you know. You’ve come on quick for someone so new.” “It wasn’t really a choice, I couldn’t be bad at it, or I’d be out of a job.” “Take the secondhand compliment.”

When the dog was fed, they both decided to hang around the in the room, mostly to make sure the little canine kept his food down. Max had brought her laptop in, and was sat at the prep table, making notes on the yorkie’s file. Milk was now restocking the syringe cupboard, having noticed when prepping the pup that they were running low of 1mls.

“We aren’t shifted for tomorrow, right?” “We never work thursdays, but we have to come in at lunch for a meeting.” “That’s enough time to recover - you want to go out for drinks tonight?” Max raised a brow, “I suppose, who else is going?” “Adore, Farrah, some girls I know from outside of here.” “Alright, sure.”

-

At closing up time, everyone was more than ready to go. Adore had hurt her wrist in moving things out of the car, but had got by her day alright, and was still planning on going on the night out. There was a stray dog handed in, which was reunited last minute, and the owner was kind enough to put a donation in the Guide Dogs box. Farrah was making her last Pet Health Plan call for the day, and when the phone clicked down into place, she cried a loud hurrah, pushing away from the desk to go and pet Major.

“Your turn to cash up tonight ‘Nila!” The door swung open, and in walked Raja. With a snidy tone, Manila turned to the girl on the couch, “Joke’s on you, my ride’s here.” “Didn’t realise I was your Uber driver now, as well as your personal shopper and all around slave.” “You knew what you were getting into when you asked me to get with you, that’s all I’m saying.”

As she gathered her bag and coat, she pointed to the til, “I cleared it with Chad that I could leave early, so this is actually your problem now. See you tomorrow at 12!” When Manila and her partner left, Farrah flipped her off, returning to the desk, but calling the dog with her. If she was going to have to tediously count money, she was having a canine friend to help her. She would have asked Adore, but she was even worse at getting the cashing up done. Knowing she’d be having a miserable time, and done writing up their notes, Jinkx came to sit with her.

“You count the notes, I’ll count the change.” “Thanks Jinkxy!” Now that the ginger was here, the dog had abandoned her to sit by his owner. With the two of them doing the job, it was a lot quicker, and it also meant she didn’t have to wait around for someone to sign off on the amount. “So, I seen you talking to Aja, do you know them?” “No, I’d only seen their mum here. Do you know them?” “They come to the group I run in the art centre, they’ve been coming for about a year.” “Really?” Farrah tilted her head, “What’re they like?” “When they let down the front, they’re sweet. But they like to come off… I wouldn’t say tough, but you get what I mean?” Nodding, Farrah closed the envelope, signing it, and pushing it over to Jinkx, who did the same. It was then put in the locked draw.

“What night does your group run again?” “It’s on Fridays, from 8pm to 10pm, and also Saturday, from 4pm til 8pm.” The group Jinkx hosted in the art centre was an LGBTQ+ support group, mostly for people to make friends, and get advice. They also hosted fundraisers from time to time, and it was something they’d become proud of. It had been running for 6 years now, and they’d been running it since the start. “I might start coming again.” Farrah used to go; that was a leading factor in her getting this job. She’d met Jinkx there 3 years ago, and attended the group for a year. In that time, she’d lost her original job, and they let her know almost as soon as they found out that there was a vacancy for a receptionist position. She’d been here ever since. She only stopped going to the group when she’d started a night class.

When everyone was ready to leave, all having changed into their non-work clothes, the going out girls converged into a group outside as Farrah locked up. A sweet routine that had started was that before Jinkx put him into the car, Major would go around to everyone who’d finished so he could get a fuss before he left. As Jinkx drove away, they would wave out the window, and Major would jump up at the the back seat windows, looking out with a dropped jaw and a happy face. Once the vet’s car out of sight, the girls hit the pub.  

[jaeminlore]

Chrysanthemums // Moon Taeil

-

the prompt: could I maybe get a taeil one where he’s the gardener of her kingdom and he’s always thought the princess was the prettiest in the land but he knows she’ll never like him back but he’s come to terms with it but he still likes to make her smile so he gives her a flower every week with a fact about the flower and the meaning of the flower?

words: 1655

category: fluff(!!!)

author note: haha jokes on you anon, she likes him back. also pls give love to my eldest son taeil, he’s so precious and deserves the stars.

- destinee

-

Taeil always smelled like flowers. Some women around the castle liked to say that his mother birthed him in a garden.

His mother was the best gardener in the kingdom. Her green thumb impressed many, including the king himself. Of course, her talent was passed down to her only son, Taeil, who was offered a job as the castle’s official gardener and landscaper.

It was hard work for the boy. He was often sweaty and tired, with aching muscles and an empty stomach by the time his work was all done. Not only did he plant beautiful flowers, he also picked weeds and roots, made beautfiul arrangements, and trimmed the bushes and trees that littered the palace courtyard.

But his favorite thing was flowers. He loved everything about the small plants. Especially the way each flower meant something. Each flower had a different color and meaning to it, and that had always fascinated Taeil. He could tell you what every flower meant in his sleep, if he wanted to.

-

When Taeil first saw you, he was sixteen years old. It was his first year as the palace gardener and he was surprised to see something that actually threatened the beauty of his flowers.

You were a youthful type of pretty, with full, rosy cheeks and curious eyes.

When you spotted him one morning, raking the leaves that had fallen outside your window, you called out to him. “Taeil?”

He dropped his rake. He couldn’t believe you knew his name, let alone were addressing him by it.

The flustered boy picked up the rake and turned his gaze towards you, cheeks red. “Yes, Your Highness?”

“Do you think you could plant some rhododendrons outside my window?”

Taeil snorted before composing himself. “Yes, Your Highness. I’ll plant them tomorrow.”

Your eyebrows furrowed, “What’s so funny?”

“Well,” Taeil leaned on his rake and gestured to your window, “Rhododendrons mean beware, and it’s just ironic that you want them outside your window. It’s kind of like a no trespassing sign.”

“I didn’t know flowers had meanings.” You shrugged lightly. “Anyway, thanks Taeil.”

“No problem,” he said quietly, as you had already shut the window.

-

Taeil wasn’t a dumb man. He knew there was no way you would ever like a gardener. You were a princess. Princesses wear flowers in their hair. They don’t fall in love with men who plant them.

So he was content, as the years went by, to simply sit back and watch you grow up from a youthful teenager to a beautiful lady.

-

It was your twentieth birthday. You were practicing your speech in the courtyard, when you noticed Taeil walking towards you.

Through the years, you two had been good acquaintances. You greeted each other when you passed and occasionally talked about current events.

“What are you doing here?”

He sat down on the bench beside you and handed you a small bouquet. “Here.”

“What is this?” You hesitantly sniffed the flowers.

Taeil pointed to each flower in turn, “These are casablancas; they mean celebration. The purple tulips mean royalty. The black-eyes susan means encouragement.”

“How do you know all that?” You asked, staring up at the boy.

He shrugged, “It’s just an instinct. My mother used to tell me the meanings of flowers and I guess I just memorized them.”

“They’re beautiful.” You sniffed them again. “Thank you, Taeil.”

“Happy birthday, Your Highness.”

“Oh,” you stopped him before he could get up, your hand latching onto his wrists. “Call me Y/n.”

You’re smile was so radiant, so lovely that Taeil felt the selfish need to see it again.

“Happy birthday, Y/n.”

-

The next week, Taeil found you on the same bench, reading.

“Hello, Y/n.” He bowed politely before handing you a single flower.

“What does this one mean?” You asked, a smile growing on your face.

“It’s an aster. It means contentment.”

“I wish I was contented right now,” you said quietly. Taeil caught it anyway, and his eyebrows furrowed as he sat beside you.

“What happened?”

You sighed, “I didn’t know all of the responsibilities that came with my coming of age ceremony. I’m learning three different languages right now, just so I can speak with the different ambassadors.”

“Can’t you just get a translator?”

You rolled your eyes, “Mother says that it’s safer to get information directly from the source, without a middle man.”

“She’s not wrong, I suppose.” Taeil looked at your upset face. “But hey, at least it isn’t four languages.”

You let out a small laugh, “You’re right. I should be thankful. Are there any flowers for that?”

“Hmm…” Taeil tapped his chin in thought. “Pink carnations stand for gratitude.”

“You should plant some pink carnations outside my window, so I’ll remember to be thankful.”

“Consider it done,” Taeil said, standing up to return to his work. “See you.”

“Goodbye.” You watched him go, your heart beating just a small bit faster than before.

-

“How did I know you’d come see me?” You asked, smiling as Taeil sat down.

Of course he would come see you. The two of you had kept the rusting up for many months, so that it was now a permanent part of your week.

He seemed out of breath, and beads of sweat littered his forehead. He pushed his hair back off his forehead and sighed, “I almost forgot. I was trimming the bushes across the palace when I remembered.”

“What flower did you bring me this time?” You asked.

He placed a flower into your eager hold, “It’s a bachelor button. It represents anticipation. I heard you’ll be crowned queen soon, since your twenty-first birthday is coming up.”

You sighed. The flower fell limp against your lap as you avoided Taeil’s gaze. “Can I tell you something? Something I shouldn’t say and you should never repeat?”

“Of course,” Taeil assured you.

“I don’t want to be queen,” you whispered. A flood of relief washed through you as you confessed. “But I don’t know how to tell my mother that. I mean, my little sister can take the throne. She’s more fit for it anyway.”

“Well what do you want to do?”

You laughed at the irony, “I think I’ve fallen in love with the languages I learned. I want to perfect them and be an official translator for the palace. That way, my family doesn’t have to worry about being fed wrong information. I’ve thought about it a lot and I think it’s what I really want to do.”

Taeil smiled, reaching out to touch the flower in your hand. His fingers brushed over your palm slightly. “Than anticipate good results.”

“Thanks, Taeil. You always know what to say.”

“I don’t say much.” He laughed, obviously flustered.

You felt a thrumming in your heart. “Everything you say makes me happy. Thank you.”

He caught your smile out of the corner of his eye. “Then you’re welcome, I guess.”

-

“A whole bouquet?” You laughed, accepting the flowers. “What did I do this time?”

“Are you kidding?” Taeil asked. “The queen officially announced that you wouldn’t be taking the throne. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Oh,” you smiled shyly. “I wanted it to be a surprise.”

Taeil scooted closer to you. You could smell the flowers and dirt on him and realized that it had become a comforting smell over the whole year you had spent with him. Taeil had become a comforting presence, other than the fact that he sometime caused your heart to stop beating.

“What do these mean?”

Taeil’s face turned a soft shade of pink. “I don’t know. I just decided to match the colors today. No meaning. I’ve got to go now.”

“O-Okay,” you stuttered as he left as quickly as he had come in. “Bye, I guess.”

-

You decided to find Taeil’s mom and ask about the bouquet.

Taeil worked diligently on his bouquets, and there was no way he put this one together on accident.

You entered the quaint flower shop at the other end of the kingdom. “Hello, Mrs. Moon.”

“Oh, hello, Your Highness.” Taeil’s mom had the same smile as her son. The thought made you happy. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“I was wondering if you could tell me what the meaning behind this bouquet is?” You handed her the bunch of flowers.

“Oh,” she smiled fondly as he examined the flowers. “That’s a yellow chrysanthemum. It stands for a secret admirer. This one is a delphinium, meaning boldness. The lilacs here mean first love. Pansies stand for loving thoughts, and the red tulips mean a declaration of love. Who gave this to you?”

Before you could answer, the door to the flower shop opened, and in walked Taeil. “Hello, Mo–”

As soon as he saw you and the bouquet, he turned around and left the shop.

“Not so fast!” You grabbed the bouquet and ran after him, into the warm streets. Taeil stopped, but his pride kept him from facing you. He knew it was a stupid decision to give you that bouquet. He should’ve known you were smart enough to figure it out. Now he had to suffer the humiliation of being rejected by the princess herself.

However, you simply handed the bouquet back to him.

Taeil took it, and stared at it. This was you rejecting his feelings. This was you telling him you didn’t like him.

“I understand,” he started. “I hope this doesn’t make our friendship awkward.”

You rolled your eyes, “Why do you think I’m giving it back, Taeil? I’m returning your feelings!”

Taeil’s head snapped up, a bright smile pouring into his face. “Really?”

“Yes, really.” You said. “I like you, Moon Taeil. I might even love you. I just know that I never want to be apart from you.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes!” You laughed. You attacked him in a hug, inhaling his flowery scent. “I love you, Taeil.”

~the end~

[teenycabb]

Dismantled

Summary: No one said joining a new crew was going to be an easy adjustment for anyone. And unfortunately for Kanan, Hera’s droid seems to taking it worse than anyone expected.

Words: 1,743

FF.net / Ao3

The first few weeks after he joined Hera aboard her ship was a hell of an adjustment period. First of all, it was a dry ship. Hera had made it perfectly clear, and punctuated it with a finger upon his chest, that there would absolutely be no alcohol aboard her ship. And while Kanan knew it would cause a good deal of headaches in the short term, if he was going to be a part of her crew for any length of time, it would be best if he was sober.

Second, it wasn’t just him and Hera. As pleasant and Hera was to be around, the astromech droid he met after coming aboard the Ghost was not. Hera said his name was Chopper. And Kanan couldn’t find a more appropriate name for the orange terror.

The droid had greeted him by whacking him in the shin with one of his manipulator arms before warbling his disapproval at Kanan’s addition as he rolled away.

Hera scolded the droid as Kanan attempted to placate her. Kanan was a stranger to the ship, it would probably take the droid some time to adjust to Kanan’s presence. He would come around eventually. Hera pursed her lips, but continued to give him the tour of what would be his new home.

As it turned out, Chopper was not adjusting to Kanan’s presence. At least not in the way Hera and Kanan had hoped for. The first week after Kanan joined them, Chopper went out of his way to ignore Kanan in everything he did. The droid made no move to avoid running over Kanan’s feet as he rolled past. They were covered in varying shades of bruises by the end of the first week.

Hera was quick to stop that particular action. Unfortunately, it did nothing to curb any of the other things the droid did in the coming weeks. The climate controls in Kanan’s bunk often went on the fritz, being too hot and humid one minute before emanating the temperature of space outside the hull. Suddenly changing the temperature of the water when Kanan was washing up in the fresher. And stealing some of the few possessions that Kanan had to misplace throughout the ship.

All of which was extremely irritating, but Kanan figured that Hera would take great offense of he dismantled her droid. So, he lived with the torment. There wasn’t much he could do against the droid in the first place.

Until the day Hera was the one to catch Chopper in the act.

It had been one of their better jobs. There hadn’t been any serious injuries despite the heavy firefight, and they got the goods they had been after. In comparison to other jobs they managed to pull off before, coming out coated head to toe with dirt was a mere nuisance rather than a problem.

After securing the crates in the cargo bay, Hera graciously allowed Kanan to utilize the refresher first. Kanan was grateful; his scalp was beginning to itch. As he went to wash the dirt from, well, everywhere, Hera went up to the cockpit to plot their jump and to get in touch with her contact.

The water running over his skin was a relief when compared to the dirt that had made its way between his skin and his clothing. Even better was the fact that Chopper seemed to be uninterested with interfering with Kanan’s shower, because the water stayed warm. Kanan laughed at the small victory. Perhaps the droid was finally realizing that Kanan wasn’t going to leave if he was annoyed enough.

Kanan stayed under the water for a few more minutes longer than what he would normally have done, but he kept the shower reasonably short. There was a limited supply of water aboard the Ghost, and while the reclamation processor was one of the best available, it would be best if he didn’t indulge too much.

Turning the water off, Kanan blindly reached out for the towel he had set near his clothes to dry off. Only to find it wasn’t where he had left it. Wiping his face clear of any water, Kanan looked out to see where his towel could have gotten too.

It wasn’t in the refresher.

And neither were any of his clothes that he had brought in with him.

Kanan’s first thought was that he had misremembered and hadn’t brought any of it in with him in the first place. That thought was quickly dismissed because Kanan remembered moving some of the toiletries to set down his clothing before getting in the shower.

He didn’t remember the door opening while he was in the shower, but it was possible he was distracted enough that someone could have slipped in and out with his things before he noticed.

“Chopper,” he growled.

That was why the shower wasn’t cold. Not because Hera had finally gotten control of her droid, but because the droid was planning something completely different. And Kanan was too distracted by the rare occurrence of warm water to be mindful of his surrounds.

He was going to dismantle that droid this time. Kanan looked around the room to see if there was anything that preserve his modesty as he made a hasty dash back to his bunk for his only other pair of clothes. They weren’t exactly clean, but he needed something to wear if he was going to dismantle a droid. Unfortunately, the only thing that was nearest to helpful was a small hand towel. It wouldn’t cover even half of what he wanted to cover, but the important bits could get some shelter while he made the hasty dash through the Ghost.

Holding the towel with one hand around his hips, Kanan poked his head out of the refresher and looked for Hera. Optimistically, she would still be in the cockpit speaking to her contact, but Kanan wasn’t feeling all too optimistic at the moment.

Still he had to make a break for it.

Kanan’s flight from the refresher to his bunk was nearly a clean run. He had made it to the final leg, the hall behind the cockpit where the crew’s bunks were, and was just about to think that he was going to make it to his bunk without running into Hera when the door to the cockpit opened.

Kanan stopped short a few feet from his door. He wasn’t sure who was more embarrassed, him or Hera. Because while he could feel the beginnings of a blush on his face, he was positive that it was pale in comparison to the color that flooded Hera’s face.

Had Kanan not been so surprised and flustered himself, he probably could have come up with some witty line that could’ve defused the tension. But he found that his stockpile of lines he had learned through the years in bars and other seedy places dried up and his mouth simply gaped open like a fish.

Hera was the one to speak first.  

“Why…why are you naked?” Her voice had taken a different tone, one that Kanan had never heard from her before. Her green eyes were wide as they ran down to his hand towel before darting back up to his face.

“You see…I…um…” Kanan’s tongue failed to make any coherent sounds.

A warbled laugh echoed in the hall behind Kanan. Tightening his grip on the two ends of his towel, Kanan spun around to see Chopper standing there with his clothes and towel held above his head. The droid’s head wobbled from one side to the other as his laughter continued.

“Chopper,” Kanan growled. He was about to take a step towards the rust-bucket when a hand on his chest stopped him from moving.

Kanan’s heart seemed to stop for a moment. He looked down to see Hera’s hand, still gloved, on his chest as she stepped closer to her droid. Although it may have been a tactic to keep Kanan from launching at the droid himself. Hera glared down at the astromech. Chopper’s laughter stopped short and he rolled on his struts with uneasiness. Kanan could sympathize. Hera was not someone you wanted to make angry.

“Chopper.”

Hera’s hand left Kanan’s chest as she stepped forward, and for a fleeting moment Kanan wished her hand would come back. Kanan brushed the thought away.

Chopper protested quickly in binary. Kanan only caught about every third word or so. Chopper was saying something about finding the clothes abandoned and returning them to their proper place.

Hera hummed with disbelief.

“And where did you find those things ‘abandoned?’”

More protests on the droid’s part.

“’None of my business?’ As the captain of this freighter, I daresay that everything that goes on in my ship is a part of my business. Don’t think you’ll be getting away with all of those pranks you’ve been pulling since Kanan joined us any longer. Yes, I know about those,” she added when Chopper interjected with his question. “Now, are you going to return Kanan’s clothes, or am I going to have to do something?”

Chopper wobbled on his struts for a moment, before he dropped Kanan’s clothes on the ground in front of him and wheeled himself off to another part of the ship.

Kanan sighed and went to grab his things. Hera’s hand returned to his chest and stopped him from going forward. He looked over at the twi’lek woman to see her bright green eyes watching him in turn.

“I’ll take care of them. They need to go in the wash anyway. Why don’t you go get dressed and I’ll take care of this?” Hera’s lekku swung behind her head as she gestured towards the pile of clothes. “I was about to start washing the rest of the clothes anyway.”

Kanan agreed and quickly took the few steps to enter his bunk. Once the automatic door shut behind him, he leaned against it. The metal was cold against his back. In a turn of events, the coolness was comfortable against the hot flush of his embarrassment. He rested there a few moments before rummaging through the drawer where he kept his clothes. Only to find it was empty. Kanan checked another drawer. Then another. Nothing.

A sudden racket, followed by a familiar droid’s laughter and Hera’s exasperated voice told him all he needed to know.

He was going to dismantle that droid. With or without pants.

[spookylip-blog]

DATE POSTED: July 2016 SYNOPSIS: V. STABILIZE ME: PART THREE // YOUNG ADULT. These paras are about Lip’s entire life basically flashing before his eyes during a coma. OTHER NOTES: this series made me so sad I couldn’t even finish it I gotta get this shit finished. TRIGGER WARNINGS: mentions of death, children. a deep sadness.

“Who is Sutton?” A confused voice asked, a soft laugh coming from the other side of the room as Phillip quickly sat up in his bed, of course his forehead hitting the top bunk hard and fast. “shit,” the blond whispered as he now rubbed his forehead. He didn’t even realize he fell asleep, let alone that his dorm-mate made his way back home without even making a peep. That was strange, normally… He was so LOUD. Like a bat out of hell, crashing into things and knocking them over. Phillip was actually… Proud of him. That was, until Phillip noticed his girlfriend sitting there, snooping through his journal.

“Oi, what are you doing?” Phillip asked, a bit abruptly and with a slightly harsh tone, now getting up from his seat and snatching the journal from her dainty fingers. The girl’s gaze slowly lifted to lock on him, and he felt as if she were looking right through him.

    “Exploring your mind a bit while you slept. It was the least you could let me do, considering we’ve been sat here listening to you moan sutton in your sleep.”

“I don’t even know who that is…” Phillip stated, honestly, though the name sounded incredibly familiar. He took his lesser lip between his teeth, studying the girl closely. Her hair didn’t look brushed, her clothes far too large for her slender frame. She had large doe eyes, and a cunning smile to tie it all up in this strangely seductive bow. “In fact, I don’t know who you are either.” He bit, brows knitting together as he watched her with a close eye. But the petite didn’t seem even the slightest bit flustered by his attempt to seem big and bad.

    “Taz, you can call me Taz, hey I was looking through your stuff, obviously, and there was a piece in there I really liked.” She’s reaching for his journal again, this time, he doesn’t even try to stop her. Her words already catching his interest. Someone actually… Liked his work? He wasn’t even sure that was possible. “This one,” she gestured toward the piece he did during well, his first stoned adventure. He stole a joint from his brother after one of his big ‘ragers’ at the house and hid alone in his room. He could remember it like it was just yesterday.

“Really? That’s the one you like, out of everything?” He asked, almost a bit taken back. honestly it looked a bit rough, almost too trippy. He just let himself go, allowed the pen to flow over the page and create whatever the high was guiding him to. in this case it was a space ship, rusted and worn resting in a bed of flowers. As if it were common trash. A soft smile tugged at his features as he slowly reached for the book. “I mean, it’s nice I guess.” His tone gentle as the eighteen year old moved to sit on his bed once more. “Do you want it?”

     “Want it? Like, for keeps? Keep it? Forever? You’d let me?”

“I-… Yeah, why not?”

     “Because this should be hanging up in some sort of museum.” The girl stated, her eyes glued to the drawing he had passed time and time again. Strange, looking at something he saw as just another useless thing through another perspective. The longer he gazed the more charming he found it. It’s little mistakes fading away as the overall meaning to the photo began to almost speak to him. “I want to be able to show it to everyone, all the time. Every day… But I can’t carry it everywhere, it’ll get ruined.” The petite rambled, before finally she stopped, a look of awe and pride washing over her features.

      “COME WITH ME.” She demanded, and for some reason the blond nodded, following her lead out the door which was beaming this blinding white light. He didn’t question it, though. Because as Taz gripped his hand the flooding warmth of a sister flooded his veins and he knew he would follow her anywhere. He knew she’d only and always have his best interests in mind.

Stepping through the door, he stepped into Chaz’s parlor as if it were nothing. Taz of course, not in sight. The smell of tobacco filled his nostrils as he scrunched it slightly. He was already getting that buzz, but he had to restrain. He just got into work. Immediately he scorned himself for not taking the long way to work just so he’d be able to smoke an entire stick. He’d have to wait until ten thirty now, seeing as though being ‘bitch boy’ didn’t come with literally any perks. A quiet groan falling from his lips as he dropped his bag down on the couch in the back lounge. Chaz sat at the desk with a frown pressed on his lips.

“What happened now?” The blond murmured, lifting himself up to sit on the counter as he watched the man begin to grow irritated.

    “This girl came in the other day, think you were on lunch. She said she wanted a tattoo and I just had no idea what the fuck she was trying to get. She said she wanted the stars, she wanted to have the stars on her arms.” The man griped, it was obvious he was approaching that point where… Well, he shouldn’t be making tattoos for twenty-something year olds anymore. Pushing himself off the counter, the blond moved leaning on the table, eyeballing the piece.

“Why don’t you let me try this one, Chaz? I got this. I think I have a good idea.” He nodded before gesturing for the other to move out of the way. He didn’t really expect Chaz to get up as quickly as he had, but it was almost as if he were expecting Lip to ask for that seat. To take over on the job. As if… This was something that he has been waiting for. But rather than making a comment he pressed his pencil to the paper and began to draw.

His vision became a bit distorted as the white from the paper began to spill out of it’s square shape. Melting into the desk, dripping to the floor and splashing, everything it touched caused another splash, and each puddle expanding. Eating away at his surroundings. Slowly lifting his head he looked to Chaz who was the only one standing there as the world around them filled with warmth. Confusion pressed on his features as he eyeballed the man’s features becoming more and more distinguished before his very eyes as the parlor seemed to be wiped clean. That’s when the realization struck him directly in the gut.

“You died.” He said, aloud – “You died, I- I remember it. I remember getting the call from… Martin, he was…” Lip’s voice fading off now as tears welled up in his eyes. “Man, I didn’t even get to say goodbye to you. I was…” The memories weren’t coming to him. It was like he was only able to unlock this one small piece of the very elaborate puzzle that laid before him. That at certain times he was gifted with knowledge then robbed of it. His head began to pulse as he fell to his knees, gripping his head. The sirens exploding within his thoughts once more. He almost forgot them, they were almost gone. But they came back and he FORGOT how loud they actually were.

“Fucking Christ– What’s HAPPENING. Chaz what’s– what’s going on.” He pleaded, and the feeling of the man’s hand on his shoulder silenced all the noise.

    “Phillip, you need to wake up.” His father’s voice whispered through Chaz’s lips. The man speaking so warm and welcoming, but the true holder of the voice would never speak to him with such ease. “There’s so much we were never able to talk about. So much I was never able to tell you, so many things you NEED TO KNOW. I know I should have been a better father to you. And now I know that you’re a much better man than me, and you always have been.”

        tears began rolling down the young man’s features as he gazed.

    “Your family needs you now. They need you to wake up. They haven’t stopped crying since it happened, Phillip please wake up.”

“I don’t know HOW.”

    “We need you to wake up. Quinn needs you to wake up, sutton needs you to wake up.”

“Sutton?”

    “What?” The slender, chestnut girl smirked looking over her shoulder at him. As if him demanding her attention like that was strange. “You need something, Tulip?” She almost cooed, but it was obvious she was just TORTURING him. Of course, he loved every single second of it. His smile only strengthening as the warmth bubbled in the pit of his stomach.

“Nothing, just wondering if you’re coming out with us tonight.” US, his gaze falling to the slender blonde who was clinging to his side. Juniper.

      “Lip I thought it was just going to be us tonight. You know, the movie?” She asked, squeezing him a bit tighter and suddenly, he felt like an idiot. A frown pulled across his features as his gaze lifted to lock on the girl who stood there, looking so lonely despite how hard she tried to look STRONG.

   “No it’s okay, didn’t want to anyway. Besides, I’ve got other things to do, people to see.” She’s trying to be casual, and it pains Lip to know that he can see right through that facade. He felt his brows knit together as he watched her turn on her heels to leave. He almost felt like something within him was being tugged on, just barely but enough to leave an impact. He’s taking a slight step backwards and this only causes the tightness in his chest to worsen. The hold on him growing more angry and gripping even TIGHTER on his heart.

So he takes a step forward, the pain stops, he stops, the pain begins. Take a step, no pain, stop, pain. His confusion only strengthens as he watches Sutton get farther and farther from him. The path she went down growing more dark with every loud clank of heel-to-pavement. So he follows, every step he made made the tightness loosen, before he was finally able to breathe easy again. His hand reaching for Sutton’s as if it were natural. But as he felt her fingertips slowly lace around his… the sirens.

      “Lip, you alright?” June’s voice squeaked, her fingertips wrapping around his as she tugged at his arm slightly. “You’re pretty focused on the movie.” She whispered lazily, her locks still smelling of hair color. She just did it, brought it back to black which could only mean that an inevitable break up was on it’s way. He searched her features for a smile but nothing came. She almost… Knew something, something he didn’t want her to know. “When were you gonna tell me?” She asked, licking her lesser lip. “Don’t you think this would have been a good time? You knew she was pregnant.”

“What?”

     “You knew she was pregnant now, when we were watching Inception. Right here on this couch you weren’t distracted by the movie, were you?” She was getting too deep, what was happening? Lip’s entire body froze as June shifted away from him, her anger boiling over as her words seemed to lash out. “YOU AND I had the plan to do this, we were going to have children together. it was SUPPOSE to be us. But you picked her. You CHEATED on me, with her, and then SHE WON. How is that fair?”

“june,-”

“NO LIP.” She’s yelling, but his confusion is just becoming more intense the more she speaks. “You waited how many years? Five right? So, five more years of this, us pretending that we’re eachother’s happily ever afters. Was it worth it, Lip? Huh? Was it worth it losing me? You could have told me right here.” She’s just repeating herself now, and tears… Oh god the tears began rolling down her cheeks as she got up and escaped the room.

“June- Come back, I don’t.” what the fuck was she talking about. His eyes followed her as she left the room and once she was gone he lifted himself from the couch and followed her. But he felt like he was being deterred by something. That his shoes were melting to the floor because every step was harder than the last. His body using every single ounce of strength it had to reach for that door handle. To just, grab it. To get to her. But before he can, a child grabbed the back of his shirt.

  “DADDY!”                                 “quinn?”