#but also i was staring at paul with the gloves on for a little too long too

[guardian-angle22]

911 lone star fashion -> every paul outfit

↳ 4.14

[enquiringangel]

Bad Influence

A silly fic inspired by a chat in the notes from a post from @themarginalthinker . The Boys have potty mouths; Laddie picks up on this. Also on AO3

-x-

Paul was the best at scoring the good shit, so the rest of them parked up outside the arcade while he ventured inside to see what was on offer. Dwayne could see him from here chatting to a boy waiting in line for a turn at Pac-Man, an arm around his shoulders.

The rest of them had parked up outside while they waited for him, Marko chewing at a loose thread on one of his gloves as he watched Paul cozy up to the dealer. David and Star were sharing a cigarette, David taking a pull and then holding it up to her lips. Dwayne drummed his fingers on the handlebars of his bike, watching Laddie play pinball.

The pinball machine was sci-fi themed, with green bulb-headed aliens and little disc-shaped spaceships that lit up and chimed and made pew pew noises every time the ball bounced off one of them. Green lights flashed frantically as Laddie mashed at the buttons, but as the ball fell between the flippers, the aliens’ eyes blared red and the machine made a flatulent blat of disappointment.

Laddie scowled at the machine and slapped the console in disappointment. “Fuck,” he said in his childish voice.

At first Dwayne thought that his enhanced hearing had failed him, but the sound of chuckling erupting from behind him and Star’s sharp exclamation of, “Laddie!” put paid to that.

The little guy looked over at Star innocently. “What?”

“You mustn’t say that,” Star scolded him.

“Why not?” Laddie protested. “You guys say it all the time.” A smile tugged at his mouth, a haven’t-I-been-naughty-and-isn’t-it-fun kind of look. His face had lit up at his older brothers’ obvious amusement.

“You’re nine years old,” she said, glaring disapprovingly at the boys for encouraging him. Marko screwed up his face in an exaggerated impression of her scowl, which made David let out an honest to god snort. “Swearing is a sign of a limited vocabulary,” she added, turning away from her companion huffily.

“I’ll have you know my vocabulary is extensive,” Marko protested. “I can call someone a cunt in five languages.”

Laddie immediately perked up. “What’s a—”

“It’s a word Marko will keep out of his goddamn mouth if he doesn’t want me to ram a bar of soap down his throat hard enough for it to shoot out of his ass,” Dwayne declared, eyeing the other boy with a forbidding expression. Age made vampires stronger, but the gap had to be a century or two before it started to matter. Marko might be older, but he could and would end him if he didn’t buck his ideas up, and he had no issue with broadcasting this thought into the other vampire’s mind.

“Whoa, chill.” Marko held up his hands in the universal sign of surrender, no longer laughing.

“Star’s right little man,” Dwayne said now, looking at Laddie seriously. “You shouldn’t be swearing. You have to be at least twelve before you can say words like that,” he added, missing the way Star’s approving look at his support melted into an expression of exasperation.

Laddie scuffed the toe of his shoe against the ground, face sulky. “Sorry.”

“It’s cool,” Dwayne said immediately. “And it’s our fault anyway. We’ve all got to cut back on the cursing.” Laddie was just a kid, and way too impressionable. They were meant to be taking care of him, not messing him up.

“Yup and while we’re at it we’re all going to church this Sunday,” David snarked. “I better dig out a suit.”

Dwayne ignored the remark. “Every time someone swears around Laddie it’s ten bucks in the swear jar.”

“The swear jar? For fuck’s sake, Dwayne—”

Wordlessly, Dwayne turned to face his leader and held out his palm. For a moment the two of them stared one another down, thoughts streaming between their minds. Dwayne’s were heavy with memories of another little boy he’d been responsible for, a little boy who was buried in another state in an unmarked grave. He didn’t mean to be maudlin, but it had the desired effect.

David sighed quietly and dug into his pocket for a roll of bank notes, peeling off a ten and slapping it down into Dwayne’s palm.

Dwayne tucked it away in his jacket, satisfied.

At that moment, Paul came back out of the arcade with a grin on his face. “We got some molly bitches. Let’s get shitfaced tonight motherfuckers!”

Marko clicked his tongue. “Such foul language, Paul. You should be ashamed.”

“Extremely ashamed,” David said, shaking his head. “Give Dwayne thirty bucks right now.”

“What the fuck for?”

“Forty bucks. For the swear jar.”

“Swear jar?” Paul echoed, looking at them both in obvious bafflement. “What fucking swear jar?”

“Fifty,” Star counted, resting her chin on David’s shoulder, arms loosely encircling his middle.

“We’re setting a good example,” Dwayne explained, nodding his head towards Laddie. “Now.” He held out his hand.

“Pay up.”

[literaryfandomangel]

The Promise - Chapter Fifteen

Paul had frozen, blue eyes staring off into space through his shock. I nervously bit at my chapped lips, wanting them to say something. No one dared to speak a word. It was like we were all afraid of bursting the bubble all five of us were in, frozen in time while we contemplated our actions of the past few moments. 

My heart was racing in my chest. It felt like a hummingbird was trapped beneath my breast, beating against my sternum. Like it was being held captive and furiously flapping to get free. I felt dizzy like I was going to pass out from the situation. 

"Aww," Marko was the one to speak first. His voice sounded whiny as he crept closer to me. I could feel those familiar tingles burning a hole in my side at his proximity. "Can't I get a kiss, too?"

"Marko!" I breathed, the hummingbird in my breastbone evaporating into nervous chuckles. Marko pouted his lips in my direction, and my breath caught. I was captivated by Marko's lips pouting for a kiss, which I hadn't noticed when Paul's hand slid to his jawline. Paul's hand trembled at the rush of endorphins rushing through his veins at the feeling. He felt like he had been stung by a dozen wasps where my lips touched. 

Marko's antics entertained me, so I didn't see the envious looks on Dwayne's and David's faces. Marko didn't want me to feel guilty or obligated to give kisses to anyone I didn't want to. He knew it stung; hell, he felt the sting in his chest, but none could coerce such an innocent being as their mate. 

"Come on, baby," Marko crooned, angling his face down to my height. Even though Marko was the shortest of the group, he still towered over my frame by about five inches. I sighed, cheeks blushing bright red in embarrassment. It took me a second, but I finally catered to his suggestive movements. I pressed a kiss to his soft cheek, lips as fleeting as the brush of a butterfly. "Thank you, mia cara. I feel much better now."

I flushed, the red trailing down my neck. David's keen blue eyes watched as the blood pooled all the way to the neckline of my shirt. He wanted to reach out and trail his tongue to where the red ended, knowing it went further than the collar of the shirt I wore. He smirked, saliva pooling in his mouth as the scent of my blood grew more intense, enveloping them in a cloud of heaven. 

"Are you done, princess?" Dwayne's deep voice broke the silence. I was grateful that he spoke, no longer needing to shift from foot to foot, wondering what to do now. I felt awkward, glancing up at the two men through my lashes. 

"Yes," I gazed longingly around the shop, only having explored probably a tenth. I knew I would return later to peruse more shelves, hoping to find that diamond in the rough. I reached out to take the books from Dwayne's hold, but he just pulled them out of my reach. 

I took a deep breath, knowing it was futile to try to protest. Neither Dwayne nor any of the other boys didn't back down regarding their actions. I just rolled my eyes, handing the Native American man the books I had taken from Paul - the catalyst of the past five minutes. Dwayne accepted the book, setting it on top of the pile. He held the books with one hand, the other pressed to my lower back as we walked towards the counter. The cashier greeted Dwayne with shocking familiarity, but it made sense as he was also an avid reader. 

The total for the thirteen books came to a little over five dollars. I reached out with the ten-dollar bill I fished from my back pocket, only to find that Dwayne already had the money in the cashier's hand. I tried to protest and hand him my ten, but David's gloved hands pulled me away. 

The three boys dragged me onto the crowded Boardwalk, lights aglow in the night atmosphere. Marko snagged the ten from my hand, tucking it back into my back pocket. His hand lingered longer than absolutely necessary, causing me to whirl around. Marko giggled, jumping backward with both hands held up in mock innocence. I frowned at the curly imp, only for Dwayne to come into sight. 

"Thank you," I told the quieter man with a shake. He had the plastic bag looped around his large wrists. "You didn't have to pay for my books."

"I wanted to, Princess," Dwayne smirked, leaning down to press a kiss to my nose. I wrinkled my nose, feeling effervescence in my nasal cavity from his touch. It felt like when you've drank too much soda and the bubbles come up your nose. 

"Have you eaten tonight?" David's cool voice whispered near my ear. I shook my head, knowing that I had to keep up appearances. David's lips curled upwards into his signature smug smile as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I let him steer me through the crowd. 

It was evident that the guys knew where they were going. Paul and Marko were bouncing behind us, but they usually had a pep in their step. I gazed back at the funloving guys who grinned crazily in my direction once they noticed I was looking at them. I flushed, turning to face forward again. Just in time to see the sign for the diner David wanted to eat at. 

I felt the panic bubbling beneath my skin at the thought of entering that diner. If I entered the restaurant, the societal expectation would be to eat something. I couldn't bring myself to eat anything, especially not at a diner. Restaurants loved to cook with fats, oils, and other non-safe foods to make it appetizing. 

But I couldn't deny David's invitation. He had asked if I had eaten, and stupidly, I told him I hadn't. If I tried to backtrack now, they would know something was amiss. I internally laughed at myself as if they didn't know when I took off my clothes back at the cave. The four guys had to see that I didn't like to eat.  Chapter Sixteen

[6lostgirl6]

Hello again! I’m the anon from yesterday. May I request another Bill (totally good with Bill from any of the films. Alex Winter is just a cutie honestly) or Marko fic with an arty partner please? Just the thought of either of them casually posing like a catalogue model in the hopes their partner will draw them is endlessly amusing to me.

Also, I don’t feel like I’ve thanked you properly for the fic you wrote me so would you like a picture in return? Bill and Ted and The Lost Boys are usually my thing but if there’s anyone else you’d like me to draw, let me know.

Omg! I enjoyed writing this for you! You don't have to draw me anything!If you're sure, I would like the lost boys if that's okay? (●u●)

Muse

Marko x Artistic!Reader

TW: None

You were leaning against your large pile of pillows, the slightly worn blankets surrounding you like a protective cocoon. Whenever you felt artistic, you would always retreat to your nest and sketch whatever it was that your mind conjured. Sometimes you needed some alone time whenever you felt like drawing, being able to concentrate in your own private space helped you with your creativity. Your nest was practically your own art studio.

Often times, Marko would join you when he was also in a mood for sketching. Unlike Paul, who needed music to help him concentrate, Marko enjoyed the silence. Therefore, the both of you decided that you would draw together weekly as a little stay at home date. Just being in each other's presence was enough to put you both in a creative mindset, shoulders touching and lingering gazes and draw whatever came to your minds.

Unfortunately, Marko and the boys were due for a feeding tonight. Therefore, Marko wouldn't be able to join you this week for your little date night filled with flirtation and art projects.

_________

It has been a few hours and while Marko was full from feeding earlier, he was hungry for something else. He craved the presence of his precious mate. Earlier, he was a little upset that he had to cancel his date with you. However, him and the boys haven't fed in a while and they knew they couldn't postpone any longer lest they wanted to feel weak.

However, he was going to make it up to you. Rather than staying out all night like usual, he got on his bike and arrived earlier than expected. He just missed you so much.

He walked into the cave and headed towards your slightly concealed nest that was surrounded by shimmery-curtains. Sometimes, whenever Marko would visit your nest, he felt like he was walking upon royalty. That's what you were to him. His mate. Someone priceless.

Uncharacteristically quiet, Marko pulled back the curtain and stared as he watched you continue with your sketch. You were humming to yourself, not noticing the new presence that has joined you. He continued to watch you, smirking to himself while the leather of his fingerless gloves.

God, you were so perfect and completely his.

Depite Marko being quiet, he will always find ways to create a little mischief. He devised a plan and quickly put it into action.

Silent as a mouse, he rushed towards the bed, swan diving and belly-flopping onto the bed. "Hey, baby!" He greeted loudly, wrapping his arms around your waist and giving you a squeeze.

You gasped in freight from the scare and turned towards him with a playful glare. "Don't do that!" You scolded, lightly bonking his head with the end of your pencil.

He laughed, rubbing your sides as he nuzzled into your lower back. "Sorry baby, you're just so easy to scare." He placed a kiss into your back before continuing his nuzzling.

You felt your face grow a little warm. "Shush. What are you doing back so early?" You asked, curiously.

Marko sighed before pushing himself up, moving to where he was sitting next to you and leaned against your shoulder. "Mmm, missed you is all." He said, looking up at you with a smirk.

You smiled and turned, giving him a small kiss which he quickly reciprocated. "I missed you too. Are you gonna draw with me?" You asked.

Marko chuckled mischievously. "I was thinking," he turned around, propping himself on his elbows and bending one of his legs, leaning his head back so his long curls caressed your sheets, "I could be your muse tonight."

You watched him in amusement as he continued to hold his pose. However, seeing him like that was very attractive. His jacket was starting to slip down his shoulders and his white crop top was pulled up slightly, exposing his tummy. He reminded you of those ancient Greek statues.

"How could I not draw such a handsome man?" You flirted, flicking through your journal to start a fresh page.

He smiled, lifting his head to look at you better. "After this, it'll be my turn to draw such a gorgeous being."

"Am I your muse or something?" You chuckled, leaning forward to fix his curl that hanged in the middle of his forehead.

His smile turned devious, "You've always been." He gripped your hand before you could pull away. "And I am yours." He gave it a squeeze.

You giggled, returning the squeeze. "Being each other's muses, how romantic."

"Course it is." He roughly pulled you close, gripping the back of your head and giving you a deep kiss, which you happily returned.

Pulling away slightly, he liked his lips before randomly flopping onto his back. "Now Hurry up, babe! I'm not getting any younger here!"

You laughed before shaking your head at him. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

[seancekitsch]

dark greetings of the night, fellow smut peddler

picture it: Sicily, 1922

Santa Carla, 1987. David X HalfVampire!Reader. The girl he kidnapped before Star. Maybe they were together before he got turned, IDK.

Him: swears they're soulmates

Her: hates (/wants/still loves) him

Her: constantly trying to escape and/or kill the head vampire; flat-out refusing to make her first kill

Him: offering increasingly bloody temptations, forcing her to channel her bloodlust into lust-lust so she doesn't give in

Rough. Angry. Bloody. Like the beach massacre. But sexier.

okay smut did not call for me with this prompt but i did a lot of SOMETHING it’s romance, it’s angst, it’s something!!! it’s my first time writing for david, it inspired me if not like strictly to what you asked but like. it’s fun???? i hope it’s good david is new for me to focus on.

David takes his gloves off to grab a gold plated necklace; the only expensive thing in the cave and the only thing he holds dear. He hasn’t held this necklace in years, never intended to touch it again. He full hoped he’d lose it or Paul would steal it. He remembers the night he gave it to you.

“We’re soulmates.”

“Soulmates? Thats fucking rich.”

You glare the whole time, but you still wrap your arms around him on the back of his bike and let him take you to god knows where. Every night is the same, every night is riding and hunting. Except for you. It was all fine at first, and then you knew better. You flatten yourself against him, your back going rigid for the perfect angle to let the wind rush against your face and tangle your hair. You love this part. It’s now that you love David, before the carnage and before the arguing. It’s you and David and the night and he’s sweet as pie even though you’re so sour, and it makes you want to break and give in and be sweet back. It never lasts but you wish it would.

Maybe it would if you just fed, you think sometimes. If you just join the family maybe he’ll be sweet always and you don’t have to fight him.

But maybe it would last too if you just fucking killed Max, you also think. You know it’s his fault. The only reason you’re in this mess is because Max took you on as a secretary after your dad disappeared. Maybe if Max was dead you and David could run away from all this and make something good of yourselves.

And maybe, just maybe, the wind will kiss you better than he ever could and you’ll just fade away.

The bike stops sooner than you thought it would, and you notice pretty much immediately that the other boys have fallen back so far they can’t even be seen.

“David? What is this?” you ask, gently dismounting the bike.

“I wanted to do something nice for you,” he starts, also dismounting and following you to the end of the pier, “I want to show you how much I love you.”

You watch him apprehensively, but your shoulders un-tense themselves.

“How?”

“I got you a gift, like what those boys going steady do for their best girls,” He smirks, and the charm almost has you melting, almost. He drops to both his knees in front of you, and pulls out a box.

“David this better not be—“

“It’s not, I know you better than that.”

You would have outright rejected any proposal. It’s rare he even gets a kiss from you, despite the fact that you know he catches you staring and wishing you could just give in.

He reveals a necklace, a simple gold plated chain with the tiniest little red stone hanging from it, so simple and delicate. It’s the most beautiful piece of jewelry you’ve ever seen, even prettier than your family’s diamond they brought over from your dad’s old country at the turn of the century.

“Oh David… You shouldn’t have.”

“I had to, honey. It reminded me of you.”

He can be so fucking romantic sometimes, it makes you want to apologize to him and give into anything he wants.

“David, get up,” you command, all smiles, “Put it on me!”

He obeys immediately, almost scrambling to get behind you and clasp it.

The chain is tiny and cold around you neck, your fingers immediately rubbing against where the stone rests above your sternum.

“Stunning,” David gasps as he turns you to look at him. You don’t even flinch at his touch this time, even actively leaning into where his hand connects with you.

“Take me back home?” you ask.

“Are you sure? The night is young…”

“I’m sure you’ll like what I have planned.”

You don’t have to say anything else before he’s pulling you back on the bike to go home. That was the best night.

He remembers the first time you ripped it off your neck.

“I don’t want to do this anymore!” you snap, and the boys immediately know to give you and David some space. You’re their sister and they love you, but they have no business in this conversation.

“Do this? You aren’t doing anything!” It’s rare to hear David’s voice leave it’s even tone, but tonight it does. You’ve been here since ‘56 and you haven’t even tried to feed. You’ve been his pretty little arm candy and snarled at him for almost a decade now. He can’t believe you haven’t just caved and fed yet. You almost have, twice. The most recent being earlier this week, where he offered you a half dead man that had tried to grope you. He deserved to die on all accounts, and he could see you almost end him. That little sparkle in your eyes was there, the hunger. But instead you jumped his bones like the world was ending, letting him fuck you right then and there on the beach.

“I’ll do something alright,” you shriek, rounding what used to be the check in desk.

“Oh yeah?” that coolness back in his voice.

“I’m going to end all of this. I’m going straight to the source!”

David follows you around the edge of the desk, cornering you.

“Don’t make a choice you’ll regret,” he warns.

“I’m ending this, or I’m ending us.”

“You won’t.”

“If I kill Max,” you start, your voice dropping to a whisper, “We can leave. We don’t have to stay and listen to him. You can do what you want.”

Your eyes are so full of hope; that same sparkle he thought was hunger shining in them, at him this time. He wants to agree with you, he wants to run away with you. Anything with you, he almost agrees.

But then he straightens his back, his normal scowl returning to his face. He knows he can’t.

You face contorts into a similar frown, before a tear escapes your eye.

“Coward,” you spit, and you yank the delicate little chain from around your neck, not caring that the tiny stone you love so much went flying to the ground. You hop over the counter and leave the cave.

He doesn’t know when you come back.

David painstakingly repaired it and you ended up happily returning it to its place around you neck only three nights later. You kissed him all over his face as a thank you.

He remembers the moment he ripped it off your neck.

“I’m doing this FOR US,” you shout, your voice angry and ugly in a way David’s never heard before; but even then all he wants to do is kiss you. You’re lunging at Max with a stake in your hands, where you got it is as good as any guess; waving it clumsily like you don’t know what to do with it. David realizes you’ve never held a weapon before.

“David,” Max calls, and a switch flips for David. His father needs him.

“David, I think you made an error in your judgement with her.”

He must have. Blinded by her body and her love and everything they had for the past twenty years. He was selfish for wanting her over seeing the better picture. All this time and she never even made a kill. She never wanted this life, just him. Just to take him away from this.

“David, I love you,” you plead with him, “We can all leave if he’s gone! Think about your brothers! About me!”

And he does. You got along so well with them. You belonged with them. They belonged with you. They’d be heartbroken if you left. You are as much a part of the family as any of them. David would do anything to keep you all safe.

“David,” Max warns, “All of this goes away if I do. I protect you.”

It’s over in seconds, the way he crosses the room. A push backwards, slash of a stake against his arm, a crying apology, a desperate bite on his shoulder, nails digging into his coat, and then a crunch.

And then just another meal.

And then he rips the chain from a limp neck, a bad call of judgement.

Someone he’ll always miss.

“Star?” David calls, “I have a gift for you.”

He fully intends on letting her keep your necklace. He won’t lose her the way he lost you.

[two-red-lungs]

I haven't watched lost boys in 100 years but as a kid I had dreams about Alex winters character and his beautiful hair. Do you have any headcanons for him?

I LITERALLY HAVE SO MANY MARKO HEADCANONS YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW OKAY LISTEN HERE THEY ARE

TLB Marko Headcanons (SFW):

Just like all the other gang members, he's a psychopathic adrenaline junkie with impulse issues but that surprises literally nobody

WAY more feral/animalistic than his blood-brothers. He'll bite people even when he doesn't need to feed. He just likes doing it for funsies and to see their reaction and fear/upset

Loves to catch/control things. People for hunting, but animals for fun

By this mean I mean he literally GRABS pigeons and crows and rats just to watch them squirm before letting them go. One time he caught an owl and ran into the lobby with this great big flapping nightmare in his hands, scratching the shit out of him, to show it off

The boys enjoy a good hunt. But Marko and Dwayne extra enjoy it. Like, too much

He cackles. Over everything. This isn't a man this is a hyena

For such a defensive, quick-to-anger, competitive, fucked-up little guy, he has a surprisingly dependable and amical relationship w/ Paul. Like, they are best best friends. If push comes to shove it's them against the world

He's Italian. I'll fucking DIE on this hill. A bit of a brat, and a beauty, always used to getting what he wants? This dude was a highly sought-after High Renaissance model in Florence (esp. considering the beauty standard in art at that time was youthful athleticism)

CAN and WILL cuss you out in Italian like a little blonde mobster, even while he's getting hauled away by Paul for Starting Shit

Short fuse. Bad temper. Again, brat.

He won't stop putting stuff in his mouth. Remember the biting thing? It doesn't just extend to people who annoy him. He'll bite on coins, the hems of his gloves, his nails. Bottlecaps and chopsticks, too

Is similar to Paul in the sense that he's gross. Real nasty man. He dropped a piece of orange chicken on the sandy boardwalk? Oh yeah. That's getting eating 100%

Marko comes off as the most overtly inhuman. In the animalistic way he moves, his little feral grins, the way he very obviously eyes people up. His aura is... weird. It's good that the other boys are there honestly bc alone he'd creep people out

That jacket is literally the prized piece of his collection. It reeks and he wears it every night: he's been adding shit onto it since he got it in the 50s, and by "adding shit" I mean "asking Dwayne to do it" because he's shit with a needle

His favorite places on the boardwalk itself: The arcade w/ Paul, the rollercoaster (he likes to stare at the people in front of him and make them uneasy), and the crowded beach (he roams between the bonfires, flirting and being a menacing little shit in equal portions)

Enjoys being a center of focus/attention, but often doesn't get to do it because he's part of a pack now, and David leads

Speaking of David, if anyone else told him to do something??? Marko would be like "literally fucking bite me, I'm not doing that" but if David tells him to jump he'll say "how high?"

I think he views David as the reason why he has brotherhood (and also looks up to the collected, dark, casual aura David has because he's got such a short fuse himself)

Real talk??? Genuinely??? Probably the vampire you would LEAST want to run into alone. You'd die. Probably with the others, too, but with him there is zero chance to negotiate. He will not listen.

If he has a target, he hunts it, and nothing you can say will change his mind.

I hope these resonate with you guys, I think about Marko all the time (✿◠‿◠) he is a terrible little lad. If anyone wants headcanons for the other boys lemme know and I'll write them!

[a-supernatural-writer]

Painting Their Nails

Poly Lost Boys, Michael and Star x Gender neutral reader

You want to paint all their nails because why not? An imagine where the reader is doing their nails and decides to get everybody involved.

Warnings: swearing? cursing? (not really?)

Masterlist

Every few weeks, sometimes twice a month, you would break out your collection of nail polish and paint your nails whatever color you wanted. Whether or not the previous nail polish was still fully on, or even chipping away, you always had a habit of changing it no matter what.

This time you decided to go with your favorite color, and as you were painting them, your partners sneak a peek as they pass by your area of the cave. They’ve seen you do your nails many times before and know that disturbing you during this task could end badly. Marko still can’t the green nail polish that you threw at him off of one of his crop tops, nor will he ever.

When you finished letting your nails dry, you still had the desire to continue painting and that's when it hit you. You had six other hands in the cave just waiting for your attack. First on your list was surprisingly Michael. You always caught him staring at your hands and would even sometimes help you pick colors when you needed new ones, so you thought he would be the best to start with.

You dragged him over to your nest, everyone watching as you pick the simplest color that you could start Michael off with; black. Hey, it’s the 80's and the majority of the bands and singers nowadays, despite gender, wear black nail polish. Or any color really.

Michael just chuckles at your excitement when he gives you the okay to actually paint them. Again, the boy likes trying new things. You have to remember that Michael literally pierced his ear and got a leather jacket to fit in with the others. He’s not above changing his look or doing things that aren’t normal for a guy.

He followed your instructions, trying to be as still as possible as you applied the layers of black paint on his nails. You didn’t bother with any glitter or designs as this was the first time doing his nails and you wanted to ease him into it.

When you were done, you shooed him off to let his nails dry, telling him to be careful and not to really touch anything. Poor boy took it seriously and didn’t touch ANYTHING. He just sat down and moved his hands away if any of the others tried to grab his hands.

Dwayne was next, walking up to you, wordlessly taking a seat next to you and putting out his hands for you. With a giddy smile, you painted his nails too. You knew black was going to be the color for all your boys and you were thankful that you bought two bottles of black nail polish.

Dwayne was silent the entire time, watching your hands work, not only painting his nails, but also cleaning them up a bit to make them look nicer. When you finish his nails, he walks off, looking down at them with a small smile. He even went over to Michael to show how well you did.

The second that Dwayne left, BOTH Marko and Paul bounded over to you. Marko took off his gloves so you could easily paint his nails while Paul actually pulled out a bottle of transparent black glitter nail polish.

You went with Marko first because he just wanted plain black. Getting him to not express himself through hand movements as he conversed with you and Paul was tough. You had to keep a firm grip on his fingers, occasionally telling him to stay still.

Not only did you have to deal with Marko’s fidgeting but Paul was much worse, you had to slap his hand away from opening up nail polish bottles when you were trying you damn hardest to do Marko’s.

With a little bit of hard work, you were able to finish Marko’s nails. He was very happy with them, kissing you as a thanks and swapping places with Paul, waiting for his nails to dry while Paul got his done. Plus, you wanted Marko to stay close to stop him from biting his nail out of habit.

Paul was probably the hardest to do out of all of them. Not in the sense of wanting a couple of his black nails to have glitter on them, but because this boy cannot sit still for shit. You thought doing his makeup was hard, this is much worse.

He’s a very fidgety boy so you had to keep an iron grip on his hands so you wouldn’t slip up. Which was easier said than done.

Once you started putting the glitter on a few of his nails, he smiled so brightly that your heart felt like it was gonna melt. He looked so happy with the way it was looking. Again, for some odd reason I feel like this boy loves glitter for some odd reason. It excites him to no end.

You finished his nails and told both him and Marko to be careful because you were not gonna do them again if they fucked them up. That got them to be somewhat careful about whatever they were doing around the cave.

Second to last was David. He pulled off his leather gloves and somehow he has like the best natural nails out of all of them? They’re not too long or short, the cuticles are healthy and dear lord they were smooth as hell. You just chalked it up to him wearing gloves all the time so no dirt or anything could actually damage them.

Of course you went with black, it was probably the only color that David would ever do, but you weren’t complaining. You were just happy that he was allowing it. But you reminded yourself that he only let you because he could easily hide them in public with his gloves.

Despite that, you continued to paint his nails. He was like Dwayne and Michael. He was patient and just watched you work. He was still and when you occasionally looked up to look at his face, you would become a little flustered when you saw that he soon started staring at your face instead of your hands.

After you finished his nails, you held onto his leather gloves so he wouldn’t put them back on out of habit and told him that if wanted to smoke, he just had to be careful. Let’s just say the image of David sitting on his wheelchair with black painted nails and smoking was a sight to see and it had your insides turning in a very good way.

Last but not least was Star. You and her had the most fun with her own nails because she didn’t want black, she wanted colors. So, the two of you spent around ten minutes picking out what color or colors that she wanted.

She went with a simple red that matched her lipstick. She promised that next time she’ll do a different color but for now she just wanted it simple. Who were you to argue?

The two of you conversed about different color combinations that you could do in the future or even designs that you could try out.

Star’s nails were very easy to paint. Her nails were just as nice as David’s and that was from taking care of her nails in her free time by herself. There were a few times that her long hair did get in her face so you had to pause and push it behind her ears. In return, she would kiss your cheeks every single time.

You finished her nails and she happily showed them to Michael, who’s nails were finally dry and complimented them. All of them looked really good with painted nails and you hoped that you could do them again once they’ve all fully chipped off or if they asked you to do them.

When all was said and done, they did keep on coming back for you to do their nails. Paul always added a little bit of glitter in his nails, trying out some new colors here and there.

Marko let you try colors that would fit with his jacket, sometimes theming them after a certain tapestry that was on his clothing. Both Marko and Paul were the ones that would ask you the most to change their designs.

Both Dwayne and David kept it black. Dwayne would usually ask you to redo his nails if they were mostly chipped away. He didn’t want you using all your black that quickly.

On the other hand, David actually kept up with his nails. Asking if you could fix them even if only one nail had chipped away. He did surprise you some nights on the boardwalk and didn’t wear his leather gloves to show his nails to the world. It was rare but it made you very happy when he did. But other than that, when you two are alone, those nails are only shown for you to see.

Michael and Star were the ones that redid them once a month. Star would usually try new colors with you, but most of the time she kept her bright red. Michael sort of stayed with the black as well. Though there were a few times that he asked for color or a little bit of glitter.

Overall, it was a new thing that they all didn’t know that they would enjoy, especially if you were the one that always did it for them. If you aren’t doing their nails, nobody is.

[221bsunsettowers]

In Which Eddie Finds Out About the Flaming Car Driven by a Dog, and the 126 Find Out About Buck and Eddie

Buck is completely confused by why T.K. and Marjan would think he was hitting on them. Eddie is not happy to learn Buck was almost hit by a car on fire. Hen cannot stop laughing. Some important things are cleared up for the 126.

Pure fluff with some worried Eddie after the fact. Set right after T.K. tells Buck he has a pretty serious boyfriend during the crossover episode.

Thanks to everyone for being so encouraging when I posted about this idea, you all inspired me to write this! I hope you enjoy!

Can also be read on Ao3

"I already have a boyfriend and it's pretty serious," TK says, making sure he smiles at Buck to take what (he thinks is) the sting out of the words.

Buck's facial expression is one of complete confusion as Eddie comes around the back of the truck and within Buck's view. Barely registering the pat TK gives him as he passes, Eddie immediately turns around to follow Buck as he in turn follows TK towards where the 126 has gathered to wait until they are officially dismissed.

"I meant as friends," Buck blurts out, shaking his head as the group stares at him. "I wasn't hitting on you, T.K." Hen, who has followed her friends, snorts loudly, doubling over with laughter as she pulls out her phone and hits record.

"I've got to get this for Chimney," she gasps out between laughs, swiveling the phone between a puzzled Buck, a frowning Eddie, and an apologetic T.K.

"Hey man, I'm sorry," T.K. says sincerely. "Usually my radar is way better than that."

"No, it's not that-" Buck starts, but Marjan has begun talking as well.

"Were you hitting on me then?" she asks bluntly, "because I noticed you staring, and you seemed pretty unhappy when Eddie went in the ATV with me."

"No, I definitely wasn't hitting on you!" Buck exclaims, rubbing his hands over his face. "This shouldn't be this hard." Hen is laughing so hard at this point she can barely breathe, immediately moving her phone to capture Eddie's glare and crossed arms.

Buck turns helplessly towrds her, gesturing wildly. "Hen, you were always saying how obvious it was!"

"It was, is, and forever will be!" Hen cackles, shaking her head in utter disbelief.

"I was staring at you because I've seen you on Instagram and you're a total badass!" Buck says to Marjan, throwing his hands up in the air before turning to T.K. "And you pushed me out of the way of a freaking flaming car, so-Shit." Growing quiet, Buck hangs his head, sighing loudly as Hen pats him with one hand on the back.

"Should have left that part out, Buckaroo," Hen says sympathetically, as Buck turns to Eddie, whose eyes are wide and terror stricken as he stares at Buck before quickly lunging forward.

"Baby, I'm fine," Buck insists as Eddie runs his hands up Buck's torso and arms, crouching down to check for injuries on Buck's legs before ending with his hands cradling Buck's face. "I promise. I didn't want to say anything because I'm fine and I knew you'd worry."

"Baby?" Mateo mouths, and Hen angles her phone for a wide shot.

"Does it help that a dog was driving?" Buck tries, and Eddie shakes his head, a soft smile spreading across his face.

"Only you, sweetheart, only you," Eddie sighs, resting his forehead against Buck's. "You promise me you're okay?"

"I'll let Hen check me out if it makes you feel better," Buck promises, interlacing his and Eddie's fingers, "but I am completely okay." Raising their hands, Eddie brushes his lips across Buck's ash-covered knuckles before leaning in to meet him for a deep kiss.

"This could go on for a while," Hen says with a teasing sigh, settling down next to the 126.

"So hitting on absolutely nobody then?" Judd asks with a laugh, and the laughter spreads through the 126, both T.K. and Marjan good naturedly shaking their heads.

"Definitely not," Buck assures them, his smile sincere as he and Eddie join the group.

"I mean, just look at the way they sit!" Hen exclaims, gesturing to where Eddie and Buck's sides are pressed tightly together from shoulder to thigh. "They've been like that since before they even admitted they loved each other. Think about dealing with that sexual tension for almost three years!"

"T.K. and Carlos are still in the honeymoon stage, and it is absolutely nauseating," Paul teases, and Hen nods sympathetically, T.K. rolling his eyes but unable to stop himself from grinning.

"Sorry man, we didn't mean to assume anything," T.K. says, and Buck shrugs, smiling as he reaches over for a fist bump. Before Buck can lean back again, T.K. is pointing at Buck's finger, letting out a laugh. "In my defense, gloves definitely cover that."

The rest of the 126 leans forward, and Marjan laughs too as Eddie extends his hand. "Agreed, I'm blaming the gloves," she adds. "Tattoo wedding rings are pretty ingenious, I have to say. No switching them out or taking them off during shifts."

"Exactly what we were thinking," Eddie says with a soft smile, lacing his and Buck's fingers back together. "Our son helped design them."

"I'm particularly partial to the three little stick figures holding hands," Buck grins, and then he and Eddie are bringing out their phones, the 126 exclaiming over the pictures of Christopher as Buck and Eddie trade off telling the stories behind each photo.

Hen simply smiles, sending the video to Chimney before rejoining the group, who can't stop laughing as Buck recounts the story of Eddie trying to scramble eggs, Eddie grinning even as he blushes.

@buddie-buddie @kit-aislinn @awkwardlonerkid @ordinaryxgirl @justsmilestuffhappens @chrrlees @starsinthepavement @agentsofwhat

[monsterfuneral]

just peachy | the lost boys

Relationship: Poly!The Lost Boys x Gender Neutral!Reader

Request:  Can I send in a request because your writing is *chef's kiss*? I'm just having a rough day and I'm tired of having a stupid accent. I'm from Georgia and my friends always tease me about saying certain words. Could you maybe write something about the boys' so is tired of them teasing her but she doesn't say anything because she doesn't want to seem weak or something. But she starts teaching herself how to talk "correctly" and then the boys realize her accent is basically gone and then try to make her feel better? 💛

Words: 2.1k

Warnings/Tags: Angst with a happy ending, changing yourself in order to satisfy your partner(s), insecurity, *Bo Burnham voice* prolonged eye contact, and some sexual tension for absolutely no reason

Author’s Note: Ah finally, someone else in this fandom that also lives in this hell state (I’m assuming you mean the USA Georgia). As someone who literally did this as a child, thus resulting in me not having an accent anymore unless I jokingly put one on, I felt like this request so hard. 

I’m sorry you’re having such a hard time right now dude, and I’m sorry it took me this long to write out but I wanted to make it as good as possible for you <3

Also thank you so much for the compliment on my writing that truly means so much.

Anywho I’ll shut up now, I hope this turned out okay and you enjoy the story! 

REQUESTS OPEN

(please read my “I do NOT write” section before sending in anything <3)

---

You moved to Santa Carla at the beginning of spring, focusing on better job opportunities and using it as an excuse to explore a new place away from the south. Living in Georgia could be tiring, seeing the same thing over and over again, looking at the same buildings, driving through the same towns. Sure it was where you grew up, but it was slowly feeling less like a home. So the second you saw the opportunity to leave and live somewhere else, you took it. There were things to do, people to meet, interesting jobs that actually appealed to you. 

It was nearing winter now. Sure you missed the yellowing leaves and crisp fall air that could hang around until noon. That was a sacrifice you were willing to make though, if it meant you could continue to work on the boardwalk right next to the beach. Where it was lively and something new was happening every night, keeping you interested. 

You leaned over the railing, looking out at the sparkling water and over to the live concert that had packed the beach for the night. Your shift at the boardwalk’s thrift store had just ended, giving you time to catch the last song that the opening band was playing. 

Arms encircled around your waist, making you snap out of your music induced daze. “Hey there sweet thing.” Paul muttered against the shell of your ear before nuzzling his nose against your neck. 

The rest of the boys slowly joined, caging both you and Paul in as they looked down at the beach to the show that was still going on. David leaned his back against the railing and looked at you, winking with a cigarette burning between his lips where one corner of his lips turned upwards in a smirk. You gave him a sweet smile, pulling Paul’s arms tighter around your waist. 

“Y’all are a little late tonight.” You mused, looking at Marko who leaned forward against the railing with his arms. Paul squeezed you a little tighter with a soft chuckle brushing against your ear. The boys all had a smile on their lips when they heard you talk.

You had met the boys not even a week after you had touched down in the bustling city. The four bikers, clad in leather with cocky attitudes radiating off of them staring you down. They could probably tell you were new in town, seeing how your doe eyes would stare at the boardwalk attractions in amazement. After all, the only times you had actually been any amusement parks in Georgia was when they’d open up seasonally. Even then it was rare since at the time you had a busy job to keep up with and sometimes it would get too humid to bother going anyway. Your innocent curiosity of a new location drew them in, putting up a front that they could show you around some time. After all, it was uncommon for a southerner to grace Santa Carla with their presence, so color them curious. 

The boys had always assumed that people from the south tended to keep to themselves in their small towns, going to church, and gripping their racial biases tight. Plus, it had also been well over four decades since they’d been to the south, their last visit being less than stellar. So when they first met you they were weary, not knowing exactly what was in store and what direction the conversation was going to go, and if you would end up being food by the end of the night. 

Luckily for all of you the conversation had actually gone very well, and the thrift store slowly started to become a spot they would drop by more frequently. They found you adorable, the accent and the way you talked, it was all just so different from what they were used to. Not long into knowing you, they started inviting you out with them, wanting to actually get to know you past where you were from and where you worked. From there your relationship blossomed into what it was now. 

“Had to get a little snack before dropping by.” Marko smirked, poking Paul’s bicep “Someone had the stomach rumbles bad.” 

“Ugh stop.” Paul groaned “I was hungry.”

“Well maybe you should have eaten more last night.” Dwayne chuckled softly, bumping his shoulder with Paul’s teasingly. 

“I tried!” Paul argued “Michael was being a total blood hog!” All the boys collectively sent a silencing ‘shut up’ glare to the rowdy blonde. 

You chuckled softly “Well next time you just gotta butt his ass out of the way.” 

It was a whole two months into knowing the boys before their little fanged secret was revealed. Granted it was by accident but whatever. 

It had been getting close to nightfall by the time you walked into the cave unannounced, planning on surprising them. But they were nowhere to be found so you decided to wait it out on the couch, mindlessly flipping through an old comic from Marko’s stash. When the sun had finally dropped behind the water, the boys all came flying out of a hole at the top of the cave flying in circles around the ceiling whooping and hollering, playfully chasing each other before hearing you gasp. 

The conversation you all had after that lasted all night. David tried insisting that you had to turn now that you knew, while Dwayne and Marko protested, knowing that they no longer had to enforce that rule with Max being dead. Either way, six months later and it was safe to say you knew pretty much everything when it came to their lives as vampires. 

From then on things had been pretty smooth sailing. 

Well until recently. 

Of course you knew the boys weren’t perfect, they did in fact kill people for food, so you weren’t exactly expecting to have boyfriend’s sent down from god himself. But by being with them it made you notice some things about yourself that you never really did before. Sure you knew they probably meant well, but picking at the way you said things made you feel a little insecure, in fact you were growing to dislike your accent because of it. And as a result you started to change your speech and the way you talked. The lingering thought of ‘maybe they’ll be happier like this’ in the back of your head just kept chewing away, and as a way to not come off as weak, you remained silent about the problem you had with their teasing. 

If they noticed they never said anything. Not commenting on the way your speech smoothed out into something you assumed they would find more tolerable. At first you had done it just as an experiment to see if you could even do it without them noticing. Which, to you, had seemed to be the case. 

Seemed to be.

Little did you know they were a lot more observant than you gave them credit for. Especially David. He had been the first to notice how you were using some words less and less, you had seemed closed off from them in general. The other boys slowly started to realize it too, noticing the almost subtle way your accent seemed to just go away after months of them hearing it. It was confusing to say the least. 

Some of them- mainly Paul- had chalked it up to being around them for so long, but they knew that wasn’t the case. If it were, Dwayne’s own accent would have been long gone by now. 

“Is something wrong?” David chimed out of nowhere, blowing smoke towards the stars. All eyes turned to him and you furrowed your brows in, confused. “You’re suppressing your accent. Why?” 

You felt your cheeks heat up, not having expected this conversation so soon “Um… I don’t know what you’re talking about?” You tried playing dumb, hoping he would just drop the subject. But this was David and you knew that was very unlikely. 

He let out a deep chuckle before sliding himself in front of you, blocking out your view of the show on the beach, and trapping you between himself and Paul. He lifted your chin with his thumb and index finger, the leather of his glove brushing against your bottom lip softly, keeping your head in place so he could look into your eyes. You felt like he was staring into your soul, reading you, attempting to pry the secrets from your brain.

“Don’t lie sweetheart.” He tilted his head, challenging you to argue back “I’ve been around for a long, long time. It’s not hard to notice a change as simple as an accent. Especially when it comes to our mate.” 

Mate. This was the first time you heard him actually use the word himself. It made your heart pick up pace in your chest, and you were sure they could all hear it. He brought himself closer, not exactly caring about the public’s prying eyes at your current predicament. He cupped your jaw and brought his face closer to yours, your noses brushing against each other before he teasingly kissed the corner of your mouth. He was toying with you, making you drop your guard.

“Answer the question baby.” Paul whispered against the shell of your ear, making you shiver.

Marko and Dwayne were both leaning on the railing on either side of the three of you, looking out at the ocean as if this wasn’t even happening. Well, with the occasional side eye in your direction.

David pulled away, and you subconsciously chased after him, seeking more contact. You let out a quiet whine, glaring at him as he took yet another drag from his cigarette. 

“Well?” 

“Fuck- Okay fine.” You mutter in defeat, no longer seeing a use in trying to fight them when they already suspected the truth. “I didn’t want to say anythin’, I mean it’s really not anything to get worked up over. It’s just that I’m tired of being teased for how I say stuff.” The accent slowly melded into your words, slight slip ups that had been harder to tame with the little time you’ve been training yourself to speak more ‘correctly’. “So uh- I thought I’d try and talk a little more normally.” 

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Dwayne asked, his attention now fully on you. 

You shrugged, slightly embarrassed “I don’t know. I mean it wasn’t your problem, and I thought it might be a little less annoying to hear me talk, y’know like-” 

“Like Paul?” Marko interrupted, receiving a punch in the shoulder from the wild haired blonde. 

Paul shook his head softly like a disappointed parent “No cool man.” 

A laugh left your lips, glad that they were being at least a little light hearted about it. “No. I guess I just kinda assumed you guys didn’t like it. So I just thought- well you know.” 

The conversation went silent, all of them staring at you before looking at each other. Dwayne was the first to crack from his stony expression and smile at you, his cool hand coming to smooth over your warm cheek. He caressed your skin gently with his thumb, silently admiring you for a second. 

“All you had to do was talk to us. I could’ve told Paul and Marko to shut the hell up for you.” He joked, making you smile with him before laughing. “You don’t have to change yourself to please us. That’s not something we expect from you.” 

Paul let go of you, spinning you around and catching you before you tripped over your own feet. “Yeah! You could have totally said something! You’re not gonna hurt our feelings or anything babe.” He brought you to his chest, giving your cheek an overly wet kiss, trying his best to lighten your mood. David’s hand smoothed up from your shoulder blade to your shoulder, the cool leather welcome against the heat on your neck. He brought himself closer, trapping you against himself and Paul once again, if not bringing himself closer this time. 

Marko smirked at the way your eyes clouded over slightly, “Yeah I mean… If anything I think it’s kinda hot.” He said, tracing the lapel of the leather jacket you wore, twirling the dark purple squid lures he had gifted you around his index finger. His eyes were lidded when he looked at you, a cocky smirk on his lips. 

You wanted so badly to tell him to fuck off, but oddly enough the reassurance did help. Realizing that you in fact did not have to change in order to please them, and that’s not what they wanted from you was like a breath of fresh air. It lifted a weight from your shoulders and you were thankful for it, leaving you wishing you had said something sooner. You loved them, and while being in Santa Carla was a huge change in your life, you wouldn’t want to experience it with anyone else other than them.

[one-boring-person]

Hi, how're you? Sorry, but your writing is so great, I couldn't resist lol. And I want to say thank you you make some of my days very well with your stories! Anyway, I watched Cruella and I'm in love for her! I've been thinking about a reader like her. She arriving on her bike on the boardwalk and gets attention of the lost boys. She super stylish, with her hair black and white and fancy oufits. Having the same crazy and sarcastic humor, causing trouble and being a old friend of Star.

Thank you so much! I hope you like this!😊💛

Trouble.

The Lost Boys x reader

Warnings: none

Masterlist

It's not often that other bikers come to the Boardwalk, so it's only natural when the boys get cagey at the sound of a new one approaching. They stand from their own bikes, looking around the crowds for the newcomer, scowls in place on their faces even as Star joins them. She looks a little confused, glancing up at David as he stalks forwards, head moving to try and discern the direction of the motorbike engines, which cut out a second later. 

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" She questions, worried that something has gone wrong with them.

"Not now, Star." The leader brushes her off, finally seeming to figure out where the noise is coming from.

Turning towards it, he has to suppress a growl of annoyance as he notices a crowd forming around a nearby shop front, voices sounding excited and curious as the people gathered point and gesture at whatever they're looking at. Behind him, David can hear Paul asking Marko what's going on, the latter unable to provide an answer as they walk over to the group of people, only to stop still when the throng suddenly splits apart, revealing the figure they were trying to get at.

The vampires are left (if that were possible) breathless at the sight of the woman on the motorbike, her undeniable beauty striking and obvious as she elegantly plays to the audience, grinning and almost leering as she does so. Her smile is wide and bright, lips painted a vivid crimson to compliment the stark make-up she's wearing, her features accentuated flawlessly by the carefully made markings around her eyes. Curls of black and white hair frame her face, each lock held in place almost lazily by hairpins with varying different stones set into them, the style very clearly not something one would normally wear when out on a motorbike. 

As she climbs off, the boys can only stare in awe at the sight of the outfit she's wearing, totally enraptured by it. A white leather jacket hugs her curves perfectly, the material decorated with black racing flames up the sleeves and along the lapels, the high collar only just missing her jawline where it is, the open neck revealing a dark shirt beneath the coat. Her trousers are also white, with similar flames crawling up her calves, matching boots adorning her feet, only with the colours inverted now, flawlessly blending into the rest of the outfit. As the boys watch, the woman blows a kiss at the audience and removes her gloves, holding the supple leather in one hand as she gazes round at the beaming faces. 

She looks round, clearly searching for someone, eventually finding exactly who it is she's looking for.

With a bright grin, the woman rushes towards the boys, drawing a surprised sound from Paul, who has been staring with his mouth open for the last minute. The others all take a step back, confused by this sudden turn of events, only for this to increase as Star steps forwards and embraces her.

With broad grins and giggles of happiness, the two girls hold each other tightly, ignoring the crowd now as they grumble and move off, the boys simply watching in confusion. This newcomer must be a friend of Star's, though she's never mentioned anything before - she never does speak about her friends, in all fairness. 

"It's been way too long, Star! It's so good to see you!" The biker girl beams, pulling apart from the brunette.

"It's so good to see you, too!" Star replies, grinning brightly.

"I didn't realize you carried eye-candy around with you nowadays. I would've dressed up more." The girl smirks as she turns to the four vampires, "Who might you be?"

It takes David a moment to realize that she's talking to them, his brain running half a beat behind his eyes.

"I'm David. That's Paul, Marko and Dwayne." He introduces them all, gesturing to them each in turn.

"Oh, that makes sense. I remember you writing about them now." She shoots a lifelong glance at Star, "Nice to meet you. I'm (Y/n)." 

The boys shake her hand, Paul cheekily lifting her knuckles to his lips as he grins at her, clearly hoping to get lucky with the beautiful woman.

"Hey, steady there Hairy, this isn't the fifteenth century any more." (Y/n) comments, winking playfully at the blonde vampire.

"Nothing like good old fashioned gallantry." He chuckles, David casting him a mildly surprised glance at the knowledge of the word "gallantry", only to remember that Dwayne had tried teaching him the concept a couple of weeks back.

"I can't disagree with that." The biker relents, hooking an arm around Star's neck, "So what are we gonna do?"

"Err, what do you wanna do?" Star inquires, looking at her friend curiously.

(Y/n) grins broadly, a hint of mischief in her eyes.

"I want to cause trouble."

[since0202]

Taking Time —Six

Set out the welcome mat..

Word count: 4,761

Content warning: Slow burn, fake dating (not with Paul)

Whenever I had the dream, I always felt like I could remember everything. I remember the trees and the wind and the smell of pine and red alder trees. The wet loamy earth was like stepping on pillows. I always know where to go to get to the cliff. And I always know that the wolf will be waiting. Each time I’d reach the tree line that opened out onto the jutted edge of rock that formed the cliff, I’d hesitate, thinking: Maybe this time I won’t walk through or Maybe this time the wolf won’t be there and I’ll be alone up here. I never make the decision to walk out onto the cliff. I'm suddenly just there, and the wolf is always there before me, it’s dark chocolate eyes sizing me up. I take another step forward and reach my hand out as if to touch him but I’m still too far away…

The drive to Third Beach trailhead took about 15 minutes from Maya’s home. At first, the drive was very quiet. Paul stared straight ahead out the windshield, intent on keeping his eyes only on the road. Maya shifted in her seat and preemptively pulled on her gloves.

“Are you cold? I can turn up the heat,” Paul said gently reaching for the vent controls.

“No, I’m okay,” Maya said looking at him now.

“I run pretty hot, so I don’t really notice the cold,” he explained. Maya watched his mouth as he spoke and then trained her gaze out the windshield.

“You’re the second person to say that,” she said with a light laugh. Paul raised an eyebrow and Maya answered his unspoken question, “Jeremy said the same thing.”

“Oh, right,” he said.

“Speaking of,” Maya took a chance, casting a sideways glance at Paul. His gaze darted from her to the road curiously. “What’s with all the favors?”

“What do you mean?” he said, clearly confused. For a hot second, Maya thought that Jeremy might actually have been playing her.

“Jeremy..checking on me. He said he was doing it for you?” Maya said tentatively, a blush slowly forming on her cheeks. If she was wrong about this she was going to be so embarrassed.

“Oh, that,” Paul said, a sly smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. She thought for a minute he might apologize but after a brief pause he just shrugged and said, “This imprint thing can be intense, so I wanted to give you some space. But I’m also not that great at space.”

At least he was honest, she thought.

“I see..well for the future, you can just check on me yourself. I like Jeremy, but having him glued to me 24/7 is kind of suffocating,” she had no idea where all this honesty was coming from. Maya was very confident when talking to people, but she was also very considerate of others feelings, which meant she would generally keep things to herself if she felt like it might hurt their feelings or come off too strong. But with Paul, she didn’t feel the need to hold back.

“Noted,” he said with a warm smile in her direction. “Anywhere outside of school, I’ll take care of myself.” Maya rolled her eyes at this. He was basically telling her that Jeremy was still going to keep an eye on her in school without explicitly saying so.

They made it to the trailhead and Maya hopped out of Paul’s white forerunner and pulled up the hood of her raincoat. It had started to drizzle.

“You sure you’re not going to need a coat?” she said skeptically to Paul. The rain was already starting to make his hair slick.

“Nah, I’ll be fine. Let’s go, I want to show you something,” he said motioning toward the forest with his head.

They started down the path together walking side by side. Conversation came easily, she noticed. He asked her about her plans for college, her friends, what she liked to do on the weekends, even her favorite color. Maya buzzed with warmth, and the close proximity to Paul also made her stomach flip. Whenever he stole a glance at her, or stood behind her as she climbed over a fallen log, she couldn’t help but feel a little lightheaded. Dizzy even.

As they trudged up the path, Maya interjected, “Okay, you’ve asked me a million questions, I want to ask you some.” She saw his jaw clench but he tried to seem open and nodded anyway.

“Shoot,” he said. Maya paused for a minute, every question flitted out of her head.

“I actually can’t think of any now,” Maya admitted, blushing. Paul let out a barking laugh and glanced at her.

“Fair enough,” he said. “It’s up here.” Continuing up through the trees, Maya could see a clearing up ahead. She hadn’t really been paying attention to her surroundings, but now as she followed the narrow path Paul cut ahead for them, she got a crushing sense of deja vu.

As Paul pushed through the trees, Maya gasped. Her eyes roamed around the clearing and she realized that she was standing on the same cliff that she found herself in in her dreams. The same cliff with the wolf. Paul walked ahead of her and out onto the narrow jutting rock that hung over the edge of the cliff. The dark, roiling waves churned below. Maya was frozen to the spot. Paul turned to look back at her and again she was plagued with that overwhelming feeling of deja vu. Paul stood in the same place that the tan wolf always stood. The sky behind him mimicked the off color one that tinged the daylight with blue in her dreams.

“I come here a lot,” he said suddenly, looking at her intensely. Maya still hadn’t moved, her feet firmly planted to the ground. “It’s actually kind of peaceful.” He looked back out over the waves and then back to her, noticing that she was still glued to the treeline. His eyes were suddenly etched with worry. “Oh shit, I didn’t even ask if you were afraid of heights. Are you?”

Maya couldn’t find it in her to answer, her voice had been melted away by the shock so instead she just shook her head slowly.

“You okay?” he said, taking a step toward her. She swallowed hard and yelled at herself to pull it together.

“Ye-yeah, sorry,” she managed. Maya took one step forward and then stopped. Paul’s eyes darted down to her feet.

“You sure?” he asked skeptically and taking a couple steps toward her again. Maya nodded. “Come look,” he offered his hand out to her and she felt a rush move through her body. In the dream, she’d never gotten this far and for some reason, it felt like a huge moment to take this step in real life. She scanned her eyes up to connect with his, feeling that familiar anchoring sensation ground down through her and then she reached her hand out to connect with his. He clasped it firmly in his and pulled her forward toward the edge of the cliff.

His palm was searing with heat and she could feel it radiate through her woolen gloves. As she peered out over the edge, she let out an excited squeal followed by a huff of breath. “Wow!” she said. They were much higher up than she had anticipated and just the thought of the sheer drop to the ocean below sent a thrill through her. Paul looked pleased.

“Pretty cool huh?” He still held onto her hand tightly and pointed to some landmarks that ran along the beach edge that they could see from the cliffs. They stood out on the cliffs for a long time until Maya startled sniffling and Paul thought they should head back to the warm car. He let go of her hand once they were safely back in the treeline. She wondered what it would feel like to hold his hand without the interference of her gloves. To feel his skin on hers. The thought of it sent a wave of excitement through her and settled in her belly.

They talked all the way back to Maya’s house and when he pulled up into her driveway, Maya was a little disappointed to have arrived back so soon. Wanting just a little more time, she turned in her seat and looked at him.

“Paul?” she said tentatively.

“Maya.” he replied warmly.

“I thought of a question to ask you,” she said. He nodded for her to go ahead, “Chief Black said that the imprint defines the relationship. Do you think that’s true?”

Not expecting this question, Paul opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before saying, “Yes. You get to decide what the role of this bond is, not me. The imprint is based on protection, meaning it’s meant to make me want to protect you and as an extension, the tribe. Not that I need an incentive…” he trailed off and then suddenly realized what he had said when Maya’s face fell. “No, I didn’t mean..fuck,” he said. “Maya, you’re more than an incentive for me.”

She nodded, still not completely sold. “Okay. I’ve been thinking about it. And it would be really great if we could just be...friends.” Maya bit her lower lip in anticipation. Would he be angry? He couldn’t be if he believed that the imprint sets the relationship. The look on his face was unreadable, it was just as if he was considering what she said. “Is….is that okay?”

“Yeah, of course. Whatever you want,” he said. She nodded and satisfied with his answer, she popped open her door and jumped down.

“Thanks for today,” she said, turning back to him. He was still looking at her with that completely stone-faced look.

“Anytime” he said shortly before she gave him one last smile before shutting the door and hurrying up the porch steps. He stayed until she made it inside and she gave him one last wave before she closed the front door.

Once shut, Maya leaned against the front door and let out a sigh. She was so relieved that he had agreed to just be friends as part of their imprint, but at the same time, even as she asked it, a gnawing sensation had started in her belly. Maya pushed that feeling down, hung up her raincoat, and bolted upstairs to call Keye and Becks to report back.

“F-F-F-F-FRIEND ZONED!” Keye yelled on the other end of the line. Becks was laughing and Maya covered her mouth to stifle some giggles.

“Jeez Maya, you’re fast. First solo hangout and you set the record straight. Respect.” Becks joined in.

“Oh my god, it wasn’t even like that. It was clear we were just going to be friends from the start. As if he would be interested in me,” Maya said somewhat subconsciously.

“Okay, first of all. That’s a weird thing to say. Second of all, you’re his fucking imprint. Doesn’t that mean that you can just flip the switch whenever you want and then he’s like...on his knees for you?” Keye said.

“Well when you put it like that,” Maya cringed. “No, I don’t think Paul is like that. When we were hiking, I got the distinct feeling that he’s the kind of person who is very much in control of his shit. Like he doesn’t seem like the type to be wishy washy. So telling him what I want now is a good thing. It feels like we’re not dancing around each other. We’re just friends and now we can move on and this imprint thing can just be a little blip. I just gained a new...intense friend,” Maya concluded.

“So since you’re just friends now, does that mean that Jeremy won’t be required to hang all over you at school?” Becks inquired. Maya wasn’t sure. Paul had implied that Jeremy would still be around to keep an eye on her, but that was before she had asked to just be friends, so maybe not?

“Mmm, I don’t know. Probably not.” Maya said, although she didn’t feel too sure about that. She would make it a point to tell Jeremy that her and Paul were just friends so he didn’t have to be her security detail anymore.

“Glad you figured it out! Now, can we pleeeease find a time to hit up that club? My parents are going to be out of town in February, so I think that’s the best time to do it. We can say we’re staying at mine and then have the whole night free!” Keye said excited.

“Sounds good to me,” Maya thumbed through her planner and jotted down a reminder for February.

“I’m in,” Becks responded. Keye hooted in joy.

The next week at school was dull. Maya was getting into the groove of balancing school work, helping her mom organize some upcoming events for the community, and participating in student council. She was the vice president to Beck’s presidency.

By the end of the week, Maya was surprised that Paul hadn’t texted her. Jeremy was still hanging around, but she hadn’t gotten up the courage to tell him that he didn’t need to be around anymore. She liked his company and she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Plus, it was kind of nice not to have guys jostle her in the hallways anymore for the sake of teasing or scoring a date. Jeremy was like her own personal hall guard.

During their passing period to lunch, Maya threaded her arm through Jeremy’s. It had almost become a habit at this point.

“Hey so..” she started. Jeremy looked down at her, the tone of her voice gave her away too soon. “I told Paul a couple of weeks ago that I just wanted to be friends with the whole imprint thing, so you don’t have to keep an eye on me anymore.”

“What do you mean?” he quirked an eyebrow and gave her a smirk.

“I mean...if you wanted to drop the whole charade we got going on and pursue something real with, I don’t know, Katie Seraff, that would be totally okay. I know how to get to my classes without a bodyguard,” she joked nudging into him.

“Ooooh, you think I like Katie Seraff,” he said not addressing her main point, “I’m actually more into Sarah Littlesea. I’m surprised you didn’t pick up on that.”

“Jeremy,” Maya fixed him with a serious stare. “For real, we don’t have to do this anymore.” She pulled her arm out of his.

“Aahh, but I kind of do,” he said pulling her into him, and wrapping his arm back through hers.

“Noooo, you don’t,” Maya said, pulling her arm out again.

“Listen, I know about the whole friend-zoned imprint thing. But my original orders are still in place. Plus, I like having you as my fake girlfriend. It’s really chart topped me as the guy most wanted in our grade,” he gave her a lazy smile and Maya was speechless for a moment, “What?” he asked at her expression.

“I don’t understand, Paul and I are just friends so there’s no need for you to play protector anymore. I’m not spoken for so if a guy wants to ask me out, he can.” Maya said firmly. It’s not that she particularly wanted anyone to ask her out, she just wanted the option. She thought things with Paul were sorted, but apparently she missed something.

“Ah, you’re gonna have to talk to him about that. I don’t think he’d like it if you were getting asked out by dudes, even if your friends or not,” Jeremy said.

“That makes no sense,” Maya said as they made their way to their lunch table. Jeremy finally released her when they sat down.

“Take it up with the boss,” he said to confused looks from Keye and Becks.

Oh, Maya would. If he ever talked to her again.

It was two weeks exactly from when Maya last heard and saw Paul that a text message lit up her phone. She was sprawled out on her bed, half asleep and knee deep in a paper about Socrates when the buzzing brought her back to life.

Paul: Hey.

Maya snorted. ‘Hey’? After two weeks, all she got was a ‘Hey’? This imprinting thing was total bullshit. Maya set her phone down and turned back to her textbooks. If he waited two whole weeks to text her, she could make him wait at least ten minutes for a text back. She didn’t have to wait long though.

P: Sorry I’ve been MIA. If you want, you can come over and study at my house. I’m usually out working in my workshop, so you’d have the place to yourself. There’s plenty of food, and it would help me out and get the council off my back if we started having more face to face time.

Maya looked at the text reading it over and over again. Was the council bothering him about her? Maya suddenly remembered Chief Black’s words the first day she was told about the imprint. There must be a relationship of some kind.

That was pretty much nonexistent at this point. If the council had found out, maybe they weren’t happy with the friend thing. Maya chafed at this. As she poised her fingers over the keys, she saw the three dots pop up again.

P: No pressure.

Maya smiled at that. She let out a breath and immediately texted him back.

M: I could do that. When works for you?

P: You can come over any day you want, after school, the weekends. I don’t mind.

M: K. I’ll have Jeremy drop me off Monday after school. I get out around 2:30.

P: See you then. And thanks.

M: Whatever helps.

Maya closed her phone and fell back against her pillows. Zero to a hundred seemed like their style now.

Maya had been tapping her foot impatiently all day waiting for school to get out on Monday. She didn’t know why, but she was excited to see where he lived. Maya thought it might give her better insight into who Paul was and she’d get a chance to see him in his natural element.

When Jeremy dropped her off, Maya was immediately enamoured with the small blue house. It didn’t look like any of the other houses on the reservation—a stone wall adorned the front right side of the house. Ivy laced the brick in intricate patterns. When she hopped down from Jeremy’s jeep and waved goodbye, she took a minute to smooth out her blue suede mini skirt and retuck her black ribbed turtleneck. She wore sheer black tights with her knee high black suede boots. Her hair was pulled half up out of her face and fell around her shoulders in massive waves. She took a minute to take in the front of the house, noticing the beach just under the haze of the clouds. The house sat up on the side of a hill and overlooked the ocean but Maya could see a clear path that had been carved in the brush that led down to the beach.

She realized her heart was hammering in her chest as she made her way to the front door. As she knocked gently, she looked over her shoulder, uncertain. Paul pulled open the door and she was winded by the sight of him. Her reactions to him were almost involuntary and she always seemed to have to scramble to compose the look on her face.

“Hey,” he said, clearly pleased to see her. That exhaling feeling melted through Maya’s body.

“Hey.” her face pulled up in an automatic smile. She saw him glance her up and down quickly and then trying to recover, moved out of the door so she could come in. The house emanated warmth.

There was a wide long window off the kitchen set with a low bench seat and lots of comfortable pillows that looked out over the ocean. The cozy living room was in that same area and a dark leather couch was draped with thick knitted blankets. She saw a study just off the living room and a staircase that she assumed led to his bedroom. Maya took her time letting her eyes dance around the room and Paul watched her carefully.

She turned to fix him with a smile. “This is really nice. I’ve never seen a house like this before.”

“Oh, well that makes sense. I built it,” he said casually. She rolled her eyes playfully and smacked her forehead.

“Oh of course!” she let out a light laugh and his eyes flitted to the sound. That unreadable expression was back and Maya was determined to figure out what was behind it. “So, uh, where do you want me?” she said. Paul’s mouth dropped open and then he tilted his head, unsure of how to answer her question. Maya blushed bright red and quickly corrected herself stammering, “I-I mean wh-where should I do my homework?”

“Right,” he said flashing her surprising smile. “Uh, anywhere you feel comfortable. The kitchen table has a lot of room, or my study is right through there...it doesn’t have a desk though. I don’t have a desk,” he said, suddenly realizing that she might need one.

“Kitchen table looks good,” she peered down the open hallway. As she said this, Maya leaned down and zipped open the side of her suede boots, slipping them off easily and setting them next to the couch. His eyes were glued to her and when she turned to walk down the hallway, Paul let out a relieved sigh and followed her. She deposited her book bag on the kitchen table and pulled out her books.

“So...My workshop is just out there.” he pointed out the double french doors that led to the side of the house. She could see the open front of his workshop that faced the house and the tools and wood laid out in there. “If you need anything, just let me know..Otherwise….make yourself at home,” he said awkwardly. Maya gave him a reassuring smile and sat down on the soft wooden bench.

He watched her for just a minute more and then made his way down to his workshop. Maya had a good view of him as he worked from her spot at the kitchen table. She was eager to take a solo look around his house but her massive pile of work won out this time. Plus, if she was going to make this a regular thing, she’d have plenty of time to snoop.

Maya got sucked into her homework and before she knew it Paul came in through the back double doors, wiping at his hands with a dirtied rag. It had grown dark outside without her realizing. He looked at her with a quizzical look and said: “Have you eaten?”

Maya shook her head, somewhat distracted and he moved over into the kitchen, pulling things out of the fridge. As she finished up her paper, Maya heard the sizzle of oil in a pan. It smelled amazing. She hopped up off the bench and crossed the short distance to stand next to him.

“Need any help?” she said. He glanced in her direction and said “Sure. Cut up some bread.”

She pulled the loaf of french bread from a wooden bread box on his counter and cut two thick slices. “Do you have anything to drink?” she asked, suddenly realizing how thirsty she was. He pointed with the wooden spatula toward the fridge.

“Help yourself.”

Maya pulled open the fridge, biting her lower lip, feeling completely out of place and settled on some sparkling water.

She carried the bread to the table as he draped some noodles on a plate and poured some of the sauteed vegetables on top. He set the plate down in front of her and said “Eat.”

“You’re very bossy, you know?” She replied. “Thank you,” Maya gestured to the plate and unfolded her napkin in her lap. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

He fixed himself a plate and sat across from her buttering some bread and plopping a piece on her plate before getting one himself. She watched him over bites of food and tilted her head. She was sure he noticed her watching him right away but he let her. Then he let out a laugh and finally said, “What are you looking at me like that for?”

“Like what?” she prodded.

“Like you have something you wanna say, but it’s a secret,” he replied looking at her, amusement glittering in his dark eyes.

“That’s just how my face looks,” she retorted jokingly. He laughed and took another bite.

“I like it,” he replied. Maya’s stomach did a somersault.

“Is the council really bugging you?” she said without thinking. Maya was surprised at herself. She never just came out and said things like that. Paul leaned back in his chair to look at her.

“They seem to be under the impression that we are ‘resisting’ the imprint,” he said, disdain laced in his voice. Maya went wide eyed, her fork hovering just outside of her mouth.

“What?! Why?” she was genuinely thrown off by this. Paul shook his head.

“You got me.” he replied genuinely.

“Do they want us to put on a show or something?” she asked, spearing a pepper a little too aggressively. Paul watched her with a familiarity that made her shiver.

“I don’t know, but if word gets out that you’re hanging out over here, maybe that will help them settle down.”

“Are they okay with the ‘just friends’ thing?” Maya probed.

“I wouldn’t know, I didn’t tell them,” he said, not meeting her eyes. It sounded like he really didn’t want to talk about this.

“Why not?” Maya said a little annoyed. Paul’s eyes shot up to look at her seriously now and the breath caught in her throat.

“It’s none of their business what goes on between me and you,” he said, defensively. Maya watched him, stunned. He held her eyes there and she saw the fire burning again.

After dinner, Maya insisted on helping wash the dishes. Paul stood next to her drying the plates, pots, and pans she handed him. She was very much aware of the closeness of their bodies. More than once, Paul reached behind her to grab a dish towel, open and close a drawer, or grab something that didn’t seem wholly necessary. Each time he moved around her, she felt the gentle brush of his hand on her lower back or her arm, whether he meant to or not. Every time his hand brushed her, it sent an sizzle of electricity through her.

When he dropped her off, Maya saw the curtains flutter in her living room window. It was most definitely her mother. Maya let out a small groan and unbuckled her seatbelt. While Paul may have thought it wasn’t the council’s business what went on between them, Maya got the distinct feeling that that didn’t apply when it came to her mother.

“Text me if you want to come over again this week,” Paul said hurriedly as she opened the door. Maya looked over her shoulder at him.

“Do you want me to come over again this week?” She said suddenly confused. Maya was under the impression that this was a once-a-week kind of thing.

“If you want,” he said. Maya fixed him with a look and Paul stared right back.

“But do you want me to? I’m not going to wear out my welcome for the council’s sake if you think once a week is enough,” she said defiantly. Paul gripped the steering wheel tighter.

“Yes, I want you to,” he admitted. Maya’s heart fluttered involuntarily. She saw the pulse of the muscle clench in his jaw.

“Okay,” she said, still confused. Why was it that his words said one thing but his body said something completely different? It was like he had to will himself to say yes. Maya walked up to her front door, feeling Paul’s eyes on her still. She didn’t look back this time when she walked through and instead shut the door quickly behind her.

He’s kind of jerk. Maya thought to herself.

Next > >

[jobrookekarev]

One Step Forward and Three Steps Back: Chapter Three

Chapter Three of Six

Words: 3060

Chapter Summary: Jo is taking to the hospital and the reality of what happened sinks in for Alex and Stephanie.

Summary: Jo wants to marry Alex more than anything, there’s just a few hoops she has to jump through before she can make that a reality. When she finally takes the plunge to free herself from her past, it all comes back to haunt her.

Fandom: Grey’s Anatomy.

Relationship: Alex Karev/Jo Wilson, Jo Wilson/Paul Stadler (Past).

Characters: Alex Karev, Jo Wilson, Stephanie Edwards, Paul Stadler, Meredith Grey, Miranda Bailey, Ben Warren.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences,

Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Physical Abuse, Domestic Abuse, Assault. Medical, Hospital, and ER. 

Read at AO3

Read at FFN

……………………………………………………………………

Stephanie left to lead the paramedics into the building and listed off Jo’s stats to Kevin and Nicole as they came into the Loft with the gurney. 

“Is this the guy that attacked her?” Kevin said, looking at him with disdain as he leaned down to check him over.

“Yeah,” Stephanie mumbled, looking back at Jo as Nicole knelt down beside her. 

“Okay, let's take her first. The second ambulance should be here soon. Are you two okay riding with?” Nicole asked, looking over at them as she grabbed the board. 

Alex and Stephanie both nodded as they helped Nicole get Jo up and onto the gurney. Another ambulance came for him, Stephanie wasn’t sure what to call him. Jo never said his name, not that he deserved one. She spared him one last glance before she helped Nicole and Alex push Jo’s gurney and out of the loft.

The ambulance ride was quiet. Nicole gave Jo some pain meds and other drugs that knocked her out, and she attached a bag to the end of Jo’s tube. Alex tucked the blanket around her and held her hand. Stephanie saw a few tears escape his eyes as she fought back tears of her own. 

They arrived at Grey-Sloan in a matter of minutes and Cross and another resident met them in the ambulance bay. 

“Oh my God, what happened,” Cross asked, pausing as he looked down at Jo on the stretcher, despite how Nicole was listing off Jo's stats and injuries.

They wheeled her into trauma room one, and Stephanie and Alex reached for a fresh pair of gloves as they began to work on Jo and ordered the interns around. “Let's get x-rays in a portable ultrasound to check the blood flow in the carotid arteries on the left and the right. Page Avery and Amelia, I don’t want whoever's on call for Neuro. Jo deserves the best.”

“Oh my God, what happened,” Warren said as he and Bailey walked into the room, pausing at the end of the bed. 

“Possible collapsed trachea as well as other crush injuries to the spine, and possible compromised blood flow to the left carotid artery,” Stephanie said as she attached the monitors to Jo's chest. 

“Okay, both you and Karev need to step away from her right now,” Bailey said, walking up the side of the stretcher and putting her hand on Alex's arm.

“No, I'm not sitting on the sidelines, it's Jo!” Alex insisted, gripping the railing of Jo's bed not taking his eyes off of her.

“I can see that, Alex, and I can also see that you are in no state to be here,” Bailey said back, putting his hand on his chest. “We are going to take good care of Jo.”

“Listen to Dr. Bailey,” Warren said, backing her up and looking over at Alex. “Jo’s stable and her vital signs are good. She's in good hands and we will update you as often as we can.” 

“Dr. Bailey, we have another patient. Should I take them to trauma room two?” One of the nurses asked as Stephanie watched the gurney with Jo's abusive husband roll by. 

“Yes, and page whoever's on call,” Bailey said as the nurse left. “Cross get him out of here.”

Alex reluctantly let Cross push him out of the room, his eyes never leaving Jo until the door slide close in front of him. 

“Edwards, I need you next door to assess the patient that just came in,” Bailey said as she looked over Jo.

“No.” 

Stephanie looked down at Jo's neck, seeing her unconscious in front of her with the black and blue bruising that he caused. She knew she'd kill him in anger if she went next door, despite her vow to do no harm.

“No,” Bailey said, outraged that one of her doctors defined her orders. 

“That's the asshole that did this to her.” 

“Okay,” Bailey said, nodding at her before she gave Warren and Cross the order to go next door.

……………………………………………………………………

Alex stood outside in the hall, staring at the trauma room where Cross pushed him out. They had drawn the curtains around it so that he couldn’t see anything. Alex couldn't move. He just stood there in the middle of the ER. He stumbled back into another nurse who gave him a strange look and politely told him to move out of the way. Alex walked over to the hall between the trauma rooms. It was a little quieter there than in the middle of the ER and he still stared at the room where Jo was. 

He walked until his back was pressed against the wall and his knees gave out as he slid down to sit on the floor. The weight of the night and the realization of what had happened finally dawned upon him as he had nothing to keep his mind or his hands occupied. Sitting there in the hall, everything that just happened replayed in his mind. The image of Jo on the floor with his hands around her neck was frozen behind his eyelids. It was the most frightening thing Alex had ever seen. The thought that he could lose her finally hits him. 

There was a tightness in his chest and he could barely breathe. All he could think about was Jo. He knew she was stable. He knew she was alive, but he was a doctor, and he knew how things could change in an instant. Before he even realized it, heavy tears fell down his cheeks as he started crying. Heavy sobs shook his shoulders as he put a hand over his face and cried.

He cried harder than he had in a long time, and his tears streaked down his cheeks in hot angry rivers. If he hadn't been there. If he hadn't come back. He doesn't want to think about what would have happened to Jo or to Stephanie if he hadn't been there. If that guy, that asshole had shown up. All because of what? Because he wanted Jo to marry him, because he wouldn't take her no for an answer, because he thought getting married was more important than just being with her. Looking back now, it all seemed so insignificant compared to the thought of losing her, truly losing her. 

His hands formed into fists as his anger ran hot again. Anger at himself for what he had said to her that morning, for leaving her alone, and for thinking about never coming back. His hands hurt for the first time in hours as he looked down at them to see the bruising on his knuckles. He had reacted out of pure instinct as he ran over and punched the guy. His only thought was of getting him off of Jo as quickly as possible. 

He let his anger fuel him, and at first, he thought he was doing it just so the guy would stay down, but he kept punching long after the man's eyes had swelled closed and he had grown limp in Alex's hands. Stephanie had to scream at him to get his attention, and as he looked back, he realized he left Jo gasping for air. He should have helped her, but instead, he kept punching, and he was lucky Jo didn’t asphyxiate. 

He let his rage feel him. He left Jo to die and chose to go after her attacker rather than help her. That scared him. The same anger that had filled him now was the same anger he had when he was standing over his father's at sixteen-year-old. Alex could have killed his father then, and he could have killed this man now. If that guy ever dared look at Jo again, he knew he wouldn't hesitate too, because even though Alex didn't know the full story, he knew he had to protect Jo. There was both Justice and Injustice in those actions, revenge for the hands they had laid upon others and to the extreme that others had to pull him away had not been for Stephanie tonight. Had it had not been for his mother screaming at him when he was sixteen, who knows how long he would have kept going. 

Alex knew that somehow this man knew Jo and that there was a reason behind why he attacked her, but Alex didn't care. Jo didn't deserve that. Nobody did, but he couldn't get answers until Stephanie stepped out of the room. Alex wouldn't drag her away from Jo, not when she needed her. Jo needed someone looking after her, someone who loved her, and if it couldn’t be him, he was glad that it was Stephanie.

Alex couldn't sit there in that hallway alone anymore, so he pulled out his phone. He had grabbed it before they left and put it in his back pocket. Meredith's number was the only one he thought of and she answered within a few rings.

“Hey, Alex. What's up?” Meredith asked in a happy tone, sound the upbeat wedding music in the background. 

“It's Jo,” That was all Alex was able to say before he started sobbing again, mumbling to Meredith through his tears. “There was a guy in the loft. I woke up because I heard the plant fall over. I thought that Jo or Stephanie had tripped over it, but there was this guy, and he was on top of her. I didn't even think about it, I, I just went at him…”

“Alex, slow down, slow down, slow down. Take a breath.” Meredith said as Alex did as she instructed despite the lump in his throat. “What happened to Jo?”

“I woke up, and there was a man in our Loft on top of her. He was choking her. I just punched him. I had to get him off of her.” Alex shook his head. He should have just punched him once and then helped Jo. “But she wasn't breathing, Meredith, she couldn't breathe. Stephanie had to intubate her. We're at the hospital now, and Jo’s stable, but she wasn't breathing, Mer.”

“Okay, I'm on my way,” Meredith said and he could hear her moving around. “I'll bring Rigs with me and we will take care of Jo, okay.”

Alex could only nod, but he knew Meredith understood.

“Okay, I'm going to hang up now, but I'll be there soon.”

Alex nodded again, and she hung up, but he still held the phone against his ear. He watched the trauma room and watched Avery enter. Everything was just muffled voices, and he couldn't make out what anyone was saying, but still, he watched the room for any sign that Jo was okay or not.

……………………………………………………………………

“I'm here,” Jackson said, walking into the room and approaching the bed. “Is that Jo? What the hell?”

“Looks like tracheal occlusion injuries with compression of both carotid arteries. She was conscious and alert at the scene and was breathing on her own despite how Dr. Edwards was forced to intubate her. Neuro has been by and has signed off. We’re keeping an eye on the injuries to her carotid artery. The blood flow wasn't too compromised, but we're keeping an eye on the crush injuries to her chest. She’s got two broken ribs, the 3rd and 4th on the left. Neuro said there were no spinal fractures on the x-rays, but we're still waiting for a head and neck CT and MRI,” Bailey said, ever steady as she held the Carotid doppler and double checked the blood flow to Jo’s left carotid artery. 

Jackson seemed taken aback, but nonetheless, he continued with his examination as he looked over the x-rays. “I want those scans as soon as possible. X-rays look good, with no damage or perforations to the lungs, but there’s a lot of swelling in her neck. Do we have labs?”

“Not yet,” Bailey answered, setting the doppler down and carefully cleaning the jell off of Jo’s neck.

“Okay, well, she appears stable for now, but I’d like to do a bronchoscopy and maybe an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, but let's see what the labs and scans say,” Jackson said as he looked up to check Jo’s oxygenation levels. “Who did this?” 

Stephanie could feel his eyes on her and she just looked down at Jo. She looked so peaceful. Stephanie had cleaned up the little scratches on her neck, but they were insignificant compared to the bruising that colored the skin of her neck and chest. The rest of her face and body was unmarked, but she was unconscious and intubated, unable to breathe without the tube that might be permanent. 

“The guy next door,” Stephanie said, not taking her eyes off of Jo. Even though she was stable for now, Stephanie couldn't take her eyes off of her unconscious friend.

“The guy in the next trauma room. The guy whose face I just fixed, the guy who I'm about to operate on as well. He did this to Jo?”

“Yes.” 

“You were there. What happened?” Jackson asked as both he and Bailey looked at Stephanie.

“He attacked her. I don't know how he got into the Loft, I just woke up, and he was on top of her. Alex, he got him off, but Jo couldn't breathe. She kept scratching at her neck and gasping for air.” 

Stephanie had seen a lot of things in life, but nothing like this, nothing like the act of violence she had witnessed against her best friend. The image of Jo on the floor of the Loft and the way she sounded as she gasped for air, like the wind through a haunted house, replayed in her mind. 

They had a girl's night and watched the horror movie just a few days ago. The two of them had curled up on the couch in the Loft with pizza and beer. Jo had curled into her side and hid her face in Stephanie’s shoulder at every jump scare. Meanwhile, Stephanie had made fun of the way the characters has screamed as the wind shifted through the house like a howling wolf. Little did she know that that sound would haunt her now. She sat down and trailed her fingers down Jo’s cheek, brushing her hair out of her face. 

“Make sure that you keep him as far away from her as possible. I’ll call the police and have security cuff him to the bed. As soon as we get her labs back, see if you need to have her transferred up to the OR for the bronchoscopy, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and have cardo on standby for anything else. I'm going to go page security Stephanie, can you stay with her until another general surgeon gets here?” Bailey asked, stripping off her gloves.

Stephanie didn't know how she could be so steady in a situation like this, but she was glad someone was in charge and knew what to do.

“I'm not going anywhere,” Stephanie said, staring down at Jo as she grabbed her hand and sat down at her bedside.

Jackson nodded, and Bailey gave Jo one last glance. A look of concern crossed her face, but only for a moment before she schooled her features and walked out. Stephanie reached out and put her hand on Jo's cheek, her skin was warm and soft, and she was alive.

“Stephanie,” Jackson said in his affectionate tone that he still had for her. Over the years, they had become friends again, but Stephanie didn't want his affection now. 

“I should change her into a gown. Can you step out and go get Alex? He's out in the hall. He’ll want to see her and get an update,” Stephanie said quickly as she stripped off her gloves and wiped her face. She turned away from Jo, for the first time reaching around to the drawer where they kept the hospital gowns.

“Yeah,” Jackson said, before he left, the sound of the doors opening and closing was the only thing Stephanie heard signaling his departure. 

There wasn't much to take off, just the blanket they had put around Jo’s legs, and the shirt she was wearing that was still open so they could keep an eye on her heart and lungs. Stephanie still remembered how his knee pushed into Jo’s chest, and she was careful not to cause Jo any more pain as she undressed her. Stephanie cut the shirt off and put the gown on Jo before she cut off her bralette before bragging the blanket. Jackson and Alex appeared in the doorway as Jackson gave Alex a rundown of Jo’s status and her plan of care. 

“I didn't want to roll her over to tie the gown,” Stephanie said as she brought the blanket back up and tucked it around Jo’s stomach and legs. 

Alex nodded as he perched on the stool on the other side of the bed. He grabbed Jo’s hand, holding it close to his lips. Stephanie looked up and she could tell that he had been crying as the tears were still there on his cheeks. 

“I need to go check her labs and have an OR on stand by. I should probably check on April too. Are you two okay here?”

They both only nodded as they stared down at Jo, and Jackson left again, leaving them alone. Stephanie looked up at Alex, and she knew he had a million questions for her, but he just looked down at Jo. He put his hand on her cheek and brushed away the streaks of her mascara with his thumb as he also held her hand close to his chest. He was completely focused on Jo. The questions would have to wait. 

Things grew quiet as the only sound in the room was the beeping of the heart monitors above them and the other machine that was breathing for her. The monitors were strangely comforting. Stephanie had gotten used to them as a doctor. Watching over patience and staring at the monitors until it was all she could hear when she closed her eyes. The sounds of the monitors meant that Jo’s heart was beating and she was breathing. With each passing moment, she healed. So, for now, the two of them held her hands and watched over her.

[tweetracer]

Hi! I love your writing, and completely understand if you don't feel like writing this. Could you do something where the reader loves Halloween and dresses up as a vampire as a joke to surprise the boys at the boardwalk or at a Halloween party in the cave. You can decide what to do with the story, I just thought that would be cute.

LOST BOYS  x  S/O HALLOWEEN COSTUME

DAVID

When you jumped out from behind a display at Max’s video store, fully decked out in a Dracula-esque cape and plastic fangs, David thought it was the cutest thing in the entire world.

Not like he’d ever tell you that, though.

He only rolled his eyes, trying to hide the little pull of a smile on his lips by pinching the bridge of his nose and letting out a long-suffering sigh.

“This is borderline offensive, kitten”

Despite all his fussing he still stuck his arm out to you, pressing a kiss to your temple and letting you lead him around towards the various attractions and food stalls- all decorated for Halloween.

The whole night he was staring at you, expression turning exasperated anytime you made eye contact while he scrambled to cover up the adoration in his gaze.

When you’d finally dragged him up into the ferris wheel (”Kitten I can fly. This is like going paragliding with a pigeon”) he quieted down, opting to lean back into his seat and watch you watch the crowd below.

That stupid cape hung loose off your shoulders, the faux fangs long since abandoned after getting stuck in a candy apple. Your hair was a tangled mess from all the rides and the festival lights cast a halo around you.

God he was whipped.

Just as the little cart you were in came to a rocking halt at the top of the wheel he extended his hand to you, pulling you close and pressing an unusually tender kiss to your lips. His hands held either side of your face, foreheads together as he pulled back to look at you, gaze soft before a mischievous grin pulled at his lips.

“You know, kitten. If you really wanted to be a vampire all ‘ya had to do was ask”

PAUL

"Doll you should totally be a vamp for Halloween”

When Paul had suggested it and offered to buy steal a costume for you, you were all too happy to have someone equally willing to have fun on your favorite holiday.

And the fact that you were going as a vampire-  with an actual vampire? So cool- the coolest. It was going to be a hilarious inside joke for just the two of you (and also the other vamps of course.. and also probably the Frog Brothers).

When Paul strolled up ten minutes before you needed to meet the other boys at the boardwalk with something that could only loosely be called clothing, let alone a costume, you were disappointed but not surprised.

The skimpy leather shorts, the straps along the chest and the despicably studded ‘cape’ combined with a set of fake plastic fangs read less as ‘vampire’ and more ‘vampire-themed lingerie’.

You stared, slack-jawed at the revealing outfit, not entirely sure if Paul’s insistence of “Babydoll you’re gonna look so good in this-” was actually encouraging you or not. Short on time and low on shame (after all, it was Halloween- most people are going to be either too wasted to notice or wearing even less than you) you quickly geared up.

Paul was all wolf-whistles and flirty pick-up line, his hand inching just a bit too high remain PG before you’d swat it away.

When you finally arrived at the boardwalk Paul’s mood quickly went downhill.

Like.... he knew people were going to look at you- after all you were totally smokin’ in that vampire getup. But... well he didn’t expect so many people to actually have the balls to come up and flirt with you. Especially when he was right there.

The whole night he was snappy and frustrated, progressing from just wrapping his arm around your waist to practically hanging off of you while the two of you listened to the loud music from the Halloween concert.

Finally he’d had it when some dude in a shitty store-bought wolfman mask groped your ass.

Paul went full vamp, snarling and growling as he decked the guy in the face, picked you up like you weighed nothing, and climbed up and over the crowd- charging till the two of you were alone at the beach.

He was still growling and clung to you like a lifeline while you tried not to laugh, burrowing his still vamped-out face against your neck and mumbling bitterly.

You rolled your eyes and let yourself be held, running your hands through his hair and pressing chaste kisses to his cheek when he finally sat back- giving his face a little squeeze.

“You wanna go home?” you offered gently, letting him run a hand down your back- feeling his calloused palm stop at the hem of those obscenely short shorts.

His gaze went from pouting to mischievous when he glanced up at you, all fangs and yellow eyes. You could see something formulating in his mind when he finally spoke up.

“Hey babe”

“Yeah?”

“You make a fang-tastic vampire”

DWAYNE

Dwayne stared at you for about twenty seconds, expression impossible to read before he covers his face with his hands, the tiniest hint of redness creeping up on his cheeks behind his fingers.

You laughed as he stood there, having a genuine conniption because oh god this is so adorable, before finally threading your arm through his and dragging him off to wander around the boardwalk.

Your nights were usually a balance of silence and conversation, easily drifting between enjoying each other’s company to chatting about whatever came to mind. Tonight, however, he was almost dead silent- following behind you while he held your hand, giving that tiny little smile that he only shared with you as you bounced from one carnival game to another. 

The two of you wandered around the boardwalk, toting an absurd amount of stuffed toys from the games all the while still squeezing Dwayne’s hand as he followed behind you.

With the concert’s blaring music in the distant background he watched as you hung on the edge of the railing, cape falling around your shoulders as you peered down below at the slowly rising tide.

Gripped with emotion he wrapped his arms around your waist, squeezing you into his chest till you turned and he could press a tender kiss to your lips.

He picked you up, grabbing the back of your thighs to wrap around his hips and holding you as tightly as he could. With a step, Dwayne floated up to stand with impossibly skilled balance on the rickety arm rail. His laugh was low and rumbling where you were pressed against his chest. 

You held on tighter to him as he fell forwards, the two of you dangling upside-down on the bottom of the boardwalk and the ends of your cape getting wet from the gently churning water below.

Despite your slight dizziness you laughed, pressing your face against his chest and holding on for dear life even though you knew he’d never drop you.

Hanging here, wrapped in his arms and feeling the occasional ocean spray on your cheeks was better than any ride.

MARKO

Marko was a whirlwind of energy on a normal day- but on Halloween? The coolest holiday of the year? Where he could wander around fully vamped out and not have a single person look at him weird?

He was unstoppable.

The two of you were dressed to the nines in ‘classic vampire’ costumes, Marko’s bright leather jacket and boots exchanged for a truly dashing three-piece suit with a long sleek black cape and his wild mane of curls braided elegantly along his back.

Frankly? He looked hot as hell. And he seemed to share the opinion, the whole night he had an arm around your waist- baring fangs at anyone who got a little too close or stared a little too long. You two were the power couple of the boardwalk.

Brain addled with the adrenaline of walking around vamped-out and an obscene amount of sugary candy, Marko was practically bouncing off the walls.

He dragged you towards every ride and event, hollering at the top of his lungs and swinging you into the air if you were going to slow- laughing how you’d yelp and scream every time.

Things were going great until some guy in a Robin Hood outfit tried to get a little handsy with you- a palm inching up against the bare skin of your back as attempted to corral you away from the contortionist you were watching.

One second Mr. Robin Hood was on his feet attempting to pull you away from the crowd and the next thing you knew he was on the floor, jaw almost certainly broken with Marko standing over him, blonde hair coming loose from its braid to fan out around him dramatically.

The scary music, the sharp fangs, the long cape billowing in that Santa Carla breeze.... Marko looked like a vision of death as he snarled, eyes yellow and fist raising to give another hard blow to the man’s face.

While you would’ve been content to watch your Gorgeous Boyfriend rip this guy a new one, the sound of police sirens getting closer told you it was time to get going.

“Let’s dash, babe” Marko’s voice was a low breathy rumble. He grabbed you by the hand and charged back towards his bike, leaving the chaos behind as you laughed your asses off.

The two of you collapsed on the sands of the beach, laying side by side and laughing at the full moon- tears streaming down your cheeks as the height of the moment began to fade.

Your silly cape was scrunched beneath you and you could feel sand start to slip into your boots and under your shirt.

The moment was perfect.

A gloved hand slipped into yours and you felt Marko scoot closer, flipping onto his stomach to watch you through lidded eyes.

When you turned to look at him a red blush was patched across his face, his lips were open as he watched you, moving slow to lean in and kiss your cheek, hovering there a moment before he began peppering your face in soft kisses.

When he finally kissed you on the lips you swore there were fireworks going off behind your eyes. His lips were chapped and soft, the hand that ran delicately over your cheek was cool to the touch as he pressed himself impossibly closer to you.

He tasted like sugar.

When he pulled back he was still staring at you with that pure, unadulterated adoration that made your face go red and your heart do that silly little flip-flop.

Reveling in your embarrassment, he pressed another series of soft kisses down your chin, giving your collar bone a rough bite that made you gasp in surprise, your hand flying up to rest on his chest.

You could feel his pleased hum vibrate against your neck when he mumbled out a sultry

“Trick or treat...”

[socheckitout-mikey]

you can totally make hc if you want!!!! i'd eat that shit up like breakfast ngl. in my opinion david is joe (kind of obvious) dwayne would be sal, marko would be murr and that makes paul q <3333

omfg yes! i had way too much fun doing these. i know they're a little shitty, but i tried istg! - mae

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

The Lost Boys Pranking Each Other Like Impractical Jokers Hc's:

° I JUST KEEP IMAGINING DWAYNE AS SAL RUMMAGING THROUGH TRASH FOR HIS BIKE KEYS AND THEM LEAVING HIM DHDHDHR OR THAT TIME SAL HAD TO DIG THROUGH ELEPHANT CRAP TO GET HIS PHONE, ONLY ITS DWAYNE'S KEYS AND ALL OF A SUDDEN MARKO GOES "EH BUDDY LOOKIE ERE!" AND HE'S DANGLING HIS KEYS IN THE AIR "I'M GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU GUYS!" SHDHFJFJF

° Paul is deadass one of the most ruthless out of all of them when it comes to prank wars. He's targeting everyone with ridiculous pranks, but they always bite him in the ass later on when he wakes up the following night with his hair dyed a luminous green. He rocks it but he totally had a nervous breakdown over it bc "THAT'S MY FUCKING HAIR MAN!"

° "Maybe you shouldn't have thrown my keys into that gross guys hotdog stand-" David drawls nonchalantly, flicking cigarette ashes at Paul's green goblin looking head.

° There was this one time that Marko attempted to prank David, and I say attempt bc it went absolutely atrociously... Maybe it was because Paul was trying to get him back and gave his buddy too much of that good green stuff. Marko's plan to train his pigeons to crap all over David had ended up with him waking up the next morning covered in pigeon shit. "Serves you right, you yutz-"

° "Man, we need to drown you in the tub." Dwayne snorts.

° "DON'T BRING THAT SHIT UP-" Paul screams from the other end of the Cave.

° "Right... But it's not like we're adding a dog into the mix..." Marko muttered under his breath, using a crumpled old napkin to clean the literal crap off of his face.

° "I SAID SHUT UP!"

° Paul thought it'd be a good idea to drop rice to bug David, but it ended up with all of them counting the fallen grains of rice lmaoo. He kept losing count and everyone got different numbers.

° Honestly, the best one's at pranking people are Dwayne and David as they're very patient and thoughtful.

° David schemes like an asshole cat, striking when you least expect it. It leaves Paul and Marko on edge for months, just waiting for David to pull a prank on them.

° "C'mon man! Just prank us already!" Paul pleads, paranoia finally driving him up the walls.

° "Yeah, we're livin' in fear here!" Marko agreed suddenly.

° "You know, you just reminded me about that..." David's just kidding, though the other two don't know that. David forget something? Not a chance. This guy is on that Petty Train™ and it's going straight to Saltyville!

° Dwayne can take years to strike with his pay back. He's got patience that even David doesn't have, and honestly, Dwayne's pranks are really intense. He'll scare the shit out of the others so much so that they don't prank him for good long while. Paul's the one who never seems to learn lmaoo.

° Well, unless he's in the mood for being playful that is...

° Like I'm talking about the fact that after digging through elephant crap in the local zoo after hours for his bike keys, he not only chased down all of them, but he kinda tied Paul and Marko up and may've just let the sun rise a little... he's waiting for an apology- he's salty now and won't care if they burn... but once he get's that apology he's been wanting to here, he's pulled them into the shadows.

° "Ahhhhh! Dwayne, man, c'mon! The suns rising!" Paul screams, thrashing around in the sturdy chains he's been bound by the wrists at.

° Dwayne responds with an expression of total anger, but it's cool and collected. He's patient. He can wait a little longer. He's in no hurry.

° Whereas David's lounging on one of the dusty old couches in the shadows. He had given Dwayne what he wanted, whether his apology was half assed or not. He still said it with some meaning, right?

° "David didn't even mean that piece of garbage he called an apology!" Marko spat out, eye cracking a vivid yellow whilst he stared directly into David's blue amused eyes.

° "Well at least I had the courage to swallow my idiotic pride~" David sing-songed joyously, folding his nimble gloved hands behind his spikes of bleach blond hair. "And it worked wonders, didn't it? I'm not the one about to be fried into ashes..."

° "Man, we're sorry alright?! We won't fuck with your bike or your keys again!" They both screamed in unison, shutting their eyes tightly as the sun began to rapidly crawl into the open space of the Cave. It's golden rays beginning to spark the ends of their blond locks alight! That was precisely what Dwayne wanted to hear, and without little thought, yanks them down and watches them scurry into a deep crack in the wall. That'd teach them from fucking with his shit ever again.

° "Fuck, my hair! It's all burnt on the ends!" Paul wails, swatting the frizzy ends rapidly to put out the sparks.

° "That's literally the least of your worries, Paul." David retorted into the air, gathering himself up from the couch and towards his own nest.

° "Yeah, we almost got fucking fried you sack of shit! This is the last time I listen to your ideas-" Marko rambles on angrily.

° Yes, they did sleep curled up together in the crack in the wall. They genuinely held each other tightly, Paul waking up from nightmares! Poor baby :'(

° Marko definitely does listen to his ideas after that lmaoo.

° Also it's very true, these guys compete to embarrass each other out in public, so much so that they've pretty much become a star attraction.

° That is until that one time Marko drop kicked Paul off the Pier and cracked his skull open... Yeah, they got into a lot of trouble for that one...

° These guys are chaotic dumbasses and their prank wars a cynical as hell. Like it get's so intense, but it's hilarious! Star and Laddie are kept entertained for ages!

° They be pranking Laddie too, but it's all in good fun. He's a kid after all! They're not gonna be excessively mean to him. That is until he fucks with their shit...

° Then you've got Paul and Marko holding him up by the scruff of his jacket, demanding where their Playboy mags, bike keys, their specific wrench is, that Deff Leppard Tape... boy you name it! They'll interrogate him good cop bad cop style lmaoo.

° Dwayne's heart kinda warms up whenever Laddie pranks him. He ruffles his hair, even if it makes him mad as hell. Laddie is his weak spot tbh.

° David just gives Laddie a pointed look and goes, "This better not become a common occurrence, otherwise I'll have to shave your head."

° Lmaoo the absolute sass that he receives from Laddie after that djkgdsghjsd-

° Sometimes David allows Paul and Marko to get away with their stupid pranks on him. Although it's incredibly annoying, he also finds it endearing how happy getting away with some of the simpler ones makes them. Paul thinks he's literally gotten away with it, but Marko knows.

° Paul deems himself to be the Prank King™ and honestly he is, but you know what? He's usually quite good natured and even though he does overstep boundaries, he'll always make things up to everyone if it really bugs them. He's out to have fun, not get murdered or cause tears. Most of the time...

° He ropes Laddie in on the pranks and loves it! Paul is a great big brother! He also enjoys pranking Star quite a bit, and she can be quite mean when returning the favor.

° Marko however, plays the dirtiest! He's pretty cynical himself, so his sadistic nature comes out full throttle. The lines within him are blurred. He's genuinely good natured usually, but once someone does something that pisses him the hell off... They best be prepared for hell to arrive at their feet.

° Like this one time, Marko cock blocked Paul for several weeks lmaoo then he ate the person Paul had the hots for. He dropped them at his feet in the Cave like, "Whoopsie!" He got into so much shit from Max bc that person was like hella important, I'm talking celebrity status sfjdshfhjsdfnbds

° David's just cynical as hell and he's always got something witty to say during or after it. Definitely mocks them dsjgdsjfds David's just an asshole cat istg! I mean, not even Star is safe from his pranks, but he kinda has a sisterly soft spot for her. He likes to dig deep under her skin and bug her. She's quite fiery honestly.

° Pranks with the Lost Boys is incredibly chaotic to round it off.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

please like, reblog and follow for more!

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[shirtlesssammy]

4x17: It's a Terrible Life

How have we not recapped this yet? Man, this one holds a special place in Boris’s heart -- even if it’s a Cas-less episode. (Natasha: I LITERALLY said the same thing.)

Then:

This is just gratuitous

Now:

Okay, by this point we know the premise of this episode. I’m just going to list all the Well Respected Man things Dean Smith does. 

He wakes up at 6:00am to an iPod. 

He steams his rice milk.

He wears suspenders and cufflinks. 

He drives a Prius.

He turns off the hard rock for NPR. 

Dean Smith is the Director of Sales and Marketing at Sandover Bridge and Iron. 

He types memos in Word.

He uses a headset to talk on the phone. 

He plays office mini-golf while schmoozing on said headset. 

He watches Project Runway (Ok, Dean Winchester totally watches that too, lbr.)

HE EATS SALAD.

He says the word ‘vis-a-vis’.

His boss Mr. Adler is very impressed with him. Good stuff!

He works late.

He is thinking of doing the Master Cleanse. 

He leaves at 5:30 (or really a couple minutes before, rebel!)

On the elevator ride out of the building, another passenger asks if he knows Dean. Dean, focused on his Blackberry, does not recognize the dude. The other dude won’t let it go and Dean tells him to “save it for the health club” before leaving. 

Sam Wesson works in the Tech Support section of Sandover. He mainly tells people to turn it off and back on again. Works every time! Sam and another buddy, Ian, head for coffee. They ask Paul, another worker, if he wants to join them. He’s busy working! Okay, okay, wait one moment. Paul got caught surfing porn on company computers and he still has a job!? WOW. 

Ian grabs some office pencils in the break room. (And we get a nice little intro shot from within the microwave….very nice easter egg for us second (and beyond) viewers.) He then asks Sam about the dreams he’s been having. Sam tells Ian that he dreamed that he saved a grim reaper named Tessa from demons. Ian finds that HILARIOUS. 

At his clown car sized cubicle later, Sam drifts off, only to have vivid visions of murder and monsters --and Dean’s in them. He bolts awake, and looks around disconcerted. 

Sam takes a walk and ends up in the same elevator as Dean again. They eye each other warily. Sam asks Dean what he thinks of ghosts. TOTALLY NORMAL ELEVATOR TALK. Dean hasn’t really given them much thought. Vampires either. Sam decides now is a good time to corner a perfect stranger and tell him about his CRAZY dreams. That’s what a journal is for, Sam! Dean dismisses this crazy man and exits the elevator. 

Sam starts researching (AW BABY) the monsters he’s been dreaming about. Ian interrupts him and tells him that he got an email telling him to report to HR. He’s not too worried as he heads off to his fate. Sam then hears Paul freaking out because he just lost a whole day’s work. 

Paul stays way past closing time trying to find his lost files to no avail. His breath puffs. They must turn the temp down after hours at Sandover. He heads to the breakroom, sticks a plastic fork in the door of the microwave and sticks his head in the microwave, and hits cook. GOOD STUFF. 

The next day, as Paul’s body gets carted away, the entire office looks on, including Sam Wesson and Dean Smith. Dean thinks there’s something weird going on. He looks up Paul’s personnel file (um, like whoa, how did he get access to that?) and learns that he was set to retire in two weeks. Curious. 

Sam is curious as well, but Ian is too busy working to engage. Dean calls Ian up to his office. Dean points out that there were just a few errors in a form he filled out yesterday. Ian is very remorseful. Dean doesn’t think it’s that big of a deal. He just wants him to fix the errors. Very un-Ian-like, Ian starts freaking out over his mistakes. Ian runs to the bathroom and Dean follows. He finds Ian staring at himself in the mirror. His breath frosts just before all the water and soap turn on. He insists Ian leave with him. Ian turns to look at Dean, and stabs himself with a pencil. GUH. Dean sees the reflection of an old man in the bathroom stall door as Ian dies. Dean calls for help. 

Dean is relaying the events to the authorities when he sees Sam looking on. Later, he calls Sam to his office. 

For Thirst Science:

Sam and Dean learn that they both started working at Sandover three weeks prior. (Dean! You picked a hell of a week to start the Master Cleanse!) Sam asks Dean if he saw something when Ian died. Dean doesn’t quite admit it but he saw a ghost! Sam wonders about the suicides. “What if these suicides aren't suicides? I mean, what if they're something not natural?” 

Sam brings up his dreams again. “So you're telling me that your dreams are special visions and you're some kind of psychic?” Lololololol. No, OF COURSE NOT. Sam shows Dean emails that Ian and Paul got that sent them to HR on the 14th floor --the HR office is on the 7th floor. Hmm. They decide to head to the 14th floor and room 1444. 

Mr. Blandface McBlanderson heads there first. It’s an old storage room. The air gets frosty, electronics buzz on. Sam and Dean rush down the hallway after hearing the man’s cries. The door is locked but Sam Fucking Wesson just busts it open. Dean is duly impressed. Sam is too. 

The ghost old man attacks Sam and Dean but Dean smashes him away with a wrench (an IRON wrench).

Decompressing back at Dean’s place, Sam longs for beer. “I’m on a cleanse,” Dean explains as he gets him a water. “I got rid of all the carbs in the house.” Oh DEAN.

At the end of this cleanse you chalk a pentagram on the floor, light a black candle, and barter your soul to get rid of those last five pounds

They compliment each other on their ghost fighting prowess. Sam “Boy Wonder” Wesson briefly tells Dean about how he feels out of place in his life. That’s SO MUCH oversharing, Sam! They decide to hit the research track. Dean finds………..the GHOSTFACERS. 

We montage our way through Smith & Wesson’s research, interspersed with Ghostfacer tips. A guy named Sandover turns out to be the ghost - a workaholic who lived for his company. Turns out he’ll kill for it too. They trace a number of historical deaths to Sandover employees. It turns out that the room with the ghost attack was Sandover’s office. 

The Ghostfacers continue to educate Sam and Dean on the finer points of ghost hunting: SALT. IRON. GUN.

Dean absorbs this, then wonders where one might even purchase a gun. Isn’t there a waiting period? Oh, sweet summer child. This here is the United States of America and it’s far too easy to get a gun. The Ghostfacers lesson continues...

Ed: The aforementioned super-annoying Winchester douchenozzles also taught us this one other thing. You have to burn the remains.

Harry: Okay, this next part gets a little gross. Sometimes you might have to dig up the body. Sorry.

Ed: It's illegal in some states.

Harry: All states.

Ed: Possibly all states.

Smith and Wesson return to the office to search for pieces of non-cremated Sandover. Sam gets cornered by a baby-faced security guard, leaving Dean alone to continue the hunt. In Sam’s elevator, electronics start to glitch. It’s probably nothing! The guard pries open the elevator door and crawls out onto the next floor.

The elevator slips and the guard falls victim to the blood cannon. Sam adds this incident to his list of Terrible Things That Happen in Elevators.

Sam and Dean reconnect by a historical display which includes Sandover’s gloves. Those gloves seem like likely candidates for remnant DNA...and in short order the ghost proves them right. Old Man Sandover zaps in as they break the glass. They fight!

Sandover looks like he’s got the upper hand, lowering his brain-zapping fingers to Dean, when Sam lights the gloves on fire. Sandover goes up like a torch.

Smith and Wesson are amped up after the fight! Sam wants to hunt ghosts full time. Dean scoffs at this. “How would we get by? Stolen credit cards, eating diner food drenched in saturated fats, sharing a crap motel room every night...You don’t want to go fighting ghosts without any health insurance!” Wise words. 

For Look at this Well-Prepared Sunshine Science:

Sam confesses that his hunting dreams featured Dean as well. “What if that’s who we really are?” Sam wonders. 

Dean defends the reality of his life. HE WENT TO STANFORD. His father’s name is Bob, his mother’s name is Ellen, and his sister is Jo. Excuse me. I’m just going to….stand outside my door and HOWL MOURNFULLY about this with the local coyotes. 

“We’re supposed to be someone else.” Sam tells Dean that he started at Sandover because he broke up with Madison - but now her number leads to an animal hospital. (I swear to god, I’m gonna chew off my own arm at this show.) Sam says that Dean’s more than just a corporate suit. Dean shoos Sam from his office. 

The next morning, Sam’s back at the daily grind. He steps back from his phone and then swings a crowbar at it, Office Space style. 

Upstairs, Zachariah smarms his way into Dean’s office and clucks that he looks tired. He’s heard good things about Dean and offers him a generous bonus.

Zachariah hints that a big promotion could happen in 8-10 short years of constant work and sacrifice. The joy in Dean’s eyes fades. Dean turns it down and tells Zachariah that he plans to quit. “I have some other work I have to do,” Dean tells him. “This - it’s not who I’m supposed to be.” Zachariah smiles and zaps Dean’s brain. The camera desaturates.

“My god am I hungry,” a confused Dean observes as Zachariah chuckles. (Stop reading Goop, Dean! Get off that cleanse!) Zachariah explains that he’s Castiel’s boss, and he’s on Earth to ensure that the Winchesters fulfill their destiny - as hunters! 

“You’re a hunter,” Zachariah explains. It’s in Dean’s blood. (I hiss at this.) And if Dean works hard enough, he’ll do everything he’s “destined to do. All of it.” GUH. Zachariah urges Dean to embrace his life. It could be worse, after all!

Semi-quote Kinda Life, Baby:

Good stuff

Did you try turning it off and then on? 

Look, man, I don't know you, okay? But I'm gonna do a public service and let you know that you overshare

How the hell did you know that ghosts are scared of wrenches?

I don’t believe in destiny. I believe in dealing with what’s right in front of us 

Most folks live and die without moving anything more than the dirt it takes to bury them. You get to change things

 Want to read more? Check out our Recap Archive!

[marjansmarwani]

would’ve loved you for a lifetime

Tarlos || 7.6k || ao3

Prompt: Characters are secretly married and one of them is hurt at work 

-----

The story of how TK and Carlos came together, and how they almost missed out on their future before it even got a chance to start.

For the wonderful @acejuddryder on her birthday! I hope you enjoy this AC and that you have a day as good as you deserve 💕

I came across this prompt a while ago and @bellakitse encouraged me to write it and I am so glad she did! I have been wanting to do a non-linear narrative for a while, and this worked perfectly for that. Shoutouts to both @officereyes and @firefighterstrand for helping me with bits and editing for me, you’re champs 🥰

--------

Judd watched as TK went about repacking the first aid kit with a smile on his face, humming to himself. This had been going on for the majority of their 24-hour shift now and in hour 23, Judd’s patience was finally up. 

“Okay kid, what gives? You’ve been grinning like the butcher’s dog all shift.” 

TK glanced up from his work, startled, “I have not.” 

“Yeah, you have dude,” Marjan informed him as she tossed him more supplies, “want to fill us in?” 

“It’s not just today either,” Paul noted, coming around from the other side of the engine, “you’ve been suspiciously chipper for a few days now.” 

“Can’t a guy just be happy without getting the third degree? Jeez.” 

“There’s happy, and then there’s this.” 

“You too Mateo, really? I thought you had my back, man.” 

“Don’t guilt-trip the probie,” Paul admonished, throwing his polishing rag at TK for emphasis, “just tell us what’s up.” 

TK was saved the trouble of dodging the question by the sound of his phone ringing in his pocket. 

“Saved by the bell,” he declared as he fished it out of his pocket and stepped to the back of the rig for some semblance of privacy. 

“Don’t count on it lasting,” Judd called after him, “we’re getting right back into this as soon as you are done.” 

The others returned to their tasks, eager to finish with the end of their shift in sight. Their focus was soon broken by the sound of a gasp and a clattering sound from where TK stood. They all looked over to see TK, standing on the other side of the engine bay, expression stricken and body trembling. 

“TK?” Paul asked hesitantly but got no response. Not even an indication that their teammate had heard him. They crossed over as a group but Judd got there first and reached down to grab the abandoned phone. The call was still going. He watched as Marjan approached TK, comforting hands reaching for his and Paul reminded him to breathe in his even, calming voice as he lifted the abandoned phone to his ear.

“Hello?” 

“Mr. Strand?” 

“No, this is his friend. He seems to be...a little out of sorts right now.” 

The voice on the other end sighed, “that’s understandable. Would you please just inform him that his husband should be heading into surgery shortly and that he should check in upon his arrival so that the doctor can give him an update?” 

Husband? Judd was so stuck on that word he almost missed the rest of the sentence. He managed to unfreeze his brain long enough to answer, “Of course, I’ll make sure he gets there. What hospital?” 

“St. David’s.” 

“Thank you.” 

Judd hung up the phone and stared at it for a moment. He felt the eyes of the team on him but he took a steadying breath before he looked up. When he did he ignored the curious gazes of the others and looked directly at TK, “they said I should tell you that your husband should be heading into surgery shortly, and that you should check-in when you get there so a doctor can update you.” 

TK nodded, but said nothing else. No explanation, no objection that they were wrong; that he didn’t have a husband. 

Because as far as Judd had known as of a few minutes ago, he didn’t. 

“I need to go,” TK finally said and his voice was so pained it almost hurt to hear, “I need to get there.” 

“I hate to break it to you man,” Paul said gently, “but you are in no shape to drive right now.” 

“I’ll take him.” 

The words were out of his mouth before he had even fully processed them. But when the eyes of the team fell to him, he repeated them: “I’ll take him. Clear it with Cap?” 

The others nodded and he hoped they had picked up on what was left unsaid: tell Owen that he apparently has a son-in-law he doesn’t know about; tell the Captain that TK is a wreck but that Judd had him. 

“There’s only a bit of shift left, we should be able to hold down the fort. Go, and keep us updated.” 

Judd nodded at Paul and the others before reaching out a hand to put on TK’s shoulder, “C’mon kid, let’s go.” 

His voice and guiding hand were gentle, and TK barely nodded before allowing himself to be led out of the station and to Judd’s truck. He climbed into the passenger seat silently and didn’t utter a word for the whole drive. All Judd could do was shoot him concerned glances and try to push back all the unanswered questions in his mind. Now was not the time for answers —his one and only concern was making sure TK was okay. The rest could come later. 

----------

They started on a Tuesday. 

As things went it wasn’t a particularly notable day for a beginning, but there wasn’t much notable about their start. 

They were two people colliding; contrasting desires meeting in the in between, in the common ground. They wanted different ends but the means suited them both just fine. It was hot and heavy; it was rough and quick. It was needy and physical and everything they wanted (if only for a moment). 

Then eventually, it was more. 

Not at first —it wasn’t more for a long time. For months it was just blowing off steam, just mind blowing sex. There were a few dates of varying success, but they continued their dance around each other and the feelings they both had. Then TK got shot and they both watched their potential future teetering on the edge, ready to topple over with the weight of uncertainty. Eventually TK woke up to the chaos of adjusting to life again and a solar storm, and in the quiet that followed the chaos they found themselves in each other. 

From there it was simple: after the start they had it couldn’t be anything but. In all that time they had gotten to know each without really meaning to and now they found themselves fitting together like a pair of gloves; fine on their own, but infinitely better together. They slipped into rhythms like they did embraces, and they were happy. 

They dedicated time to getting to know what they were without an audience and without really realizing it, they had become a secret. A badly kept one, but a secret none-the-less. They existed in the peripherals, their life together a separate entity from their lives as seen by the rest of the world. 

From the outskirts they became TK and Carlos and as time went on, there was less and less space between their bodies, their names, and their hearts. 

And with each passing Tuesday, they grew closer. 

---------

Judd kept stealing glances at TK. 

They were in the waiting room of the hospital, and TK had spent every moment since they sat down anxiously bouncing his leg while he fiddled with the necklace he always wore. 

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay.” 

“You don’t know that Judd.”

His voice was strained and quiet, so unlike the TK Judd was used to. He followed his gaze to the door the nurse had informed them the doctor would be coming through to give TK an update. That was nearly 10 minutes ago and TK’s eyes hadn’t left the door once. 

Judd had so many questions but wasn’t sure how to broach the topic. How do you ask your friend about a spouse you didn’t know they had when they are full of fear of losing them? 

He was saved the trouble of trying when TK spoke beside him, “I know what you’re thinking, just go ahead and ask.” 

His voice was resigned and Judd felt bad for even thinking about the question, but he did need to know. 

“You have a husband. Is it...someone we know?” 

TK pulled his glance away from the door long enough to glance at Judd. After a moment, he nodded: “Carlos.” 

“How long?” 

“Not long.” 

“Are you…” he began, but trailed off. He wasn’t sure what to ask. He had been leaning towards “happy,” but that seemed wrong in this context.  He didn’t know what the right thing to say was;  he had no idea how to approach this situation. He wished Grace was here. She was so much better at this kind of stuff.

They were quiet again until TK spoke, “I love him Judd.” 

The admission was made quietly, TK’s voice low and sad. Judd turned to look at him and TK met his eyes as he continued, “I need him in my life. I don’t know what I’d do without him. I can’t lose him, Judd.” 

Judd swallowed as he studied TK’s expression. It was full of a familiar fear; one that he had felt anytime he thought about the mere idea of losing Grace. He reached out a hand and gave TK’s shoulder a comforting squeeze. He knew better to promise that it would be alright — they had no way of knowing that. Instead he settled on a truth he knew. 

“You’ll get through this,” he told TK firmly, “and you won’t be alone.” 

--------

Time passed and they began to learn the mysteries of each other past the physical. Before TK knew just the spot to kiss to make Carlos moan each and every time, now he could tell you the name of his childhood dog and that when he was 5, he had wanted to be an astronaut. 

Carlos still knew all the ways to make TK melt under his touch but now he also knew how TK had pushed himself in the fire academy so he could feel worthy of the legacy of being the legendary Owen Strand’s son. Their secrets emerged from the shadows into open hearts, more and more revealing themselves with each passing day.

Stolen hours became endless evenings and frantic hookups became languid movie nights. Time passed and they began to feel at home with each other. Soon it became normal for TK to show up at Carlos’s home at the end of his shift as it slowly became more of a home to him. But, then again, the person who lived there was starting to feel an awful lot like home too. 

Their connection was generally known; they weren’t trying to sneak around. But while seeing them dancing at the bar or grabbing lunch at a food truck became more and more commonplace, the depth of their relationship was still a secret from most —including them, for a time. Michelle likely knew, Paul surely suspected; but the fact that they were falling more and more in love each passing day was a surprise to even them. 

It was TK who said it first; in a casual moment without a second thought. Carlos nearly tripped over his own feet when he heard it, but it had been like a dam breaking and soon it became commonplace, almost like breathing for them both. 

Time went on and their love grew. Time went on and they grew together —learning each other's edges and finding out where they fit. They were a puzzle, slowly coming together until the right piece was found. From there, it was a quick solve before the final picture revealed itself. 

And what a picture it was, Carlos thought to himself as he lay in his bed, watching TK sleeping soundly beside him. There were times he had to stop himself from reaching out to touch him, to make sure he was real. Sleep didn’t come easily to the other man and once it was found it was easily lost, so Carlos refrained, allowing his gaze to do the work for him. After everything he could scarcely believe they were here, after everything he couldn’t believe that they had found each other.  

These were his favorite nights, he decided. The ones where he got to fall asleep to the sight of TK beside him, the nights he was lulled to sleep by the sound of his breathing. He knew he wanted more nights like this — really, he wanted every night to be like this. 

But it was too soon for that, so for now he would savor the nights they had.

[continue reading on ao3]