#cause they gotta get up early for work ya know? and my anxiety already makes me hate being here even though they invited me

[samwisefamgee]

my tooth hurts so bad I can’t sleep

[sapphosthoughtsandwritings]

if it’s not too much to ask please please please could you write more avengers x teen!reader? I adore the one with fear of the dark and was wondering if you could do something similar? Like either the avengers comforting the reader or just something with lots of hugs and cuddles? Thank you!! <3

Stage Fright - Avengers x anxious!teen!Reader

Summary: When your presentation for class goes terribly wrong, your team mates come to rescue you and take you home.

Warnings: depictions of anxiety, panic attack, a few cuss words

Type: angst, ends with fluff

Word Count: ~2.5k

A/N: MY FIRST REQUEST, very exciting!! I am so so glad you liked my work, and I hope you enjoy this one as well!! <3 I also have quite a few more ideas for teen!Reader fics, so this definitely won't be the last piece like this!

(Y/l/n) = your last name

(f/d) = favorite drink

You’d been dreading this day for weeks now. Clutching the straps of your backpack, you let out a deep sigh, walking up to the doors of your school. You didn’t like school to begin with, but the building seemed much more intimidating today. Making your way through the halls, you were grateful that you got to school early, you hated pushing through crowds of people.

“Hey, hey (Y/n)!”, a voice called from down the hall. You recognized it almost immediately. “Hi Peter, what’s up?”. You were happy to see him, maybe talking out your nervousness would help. “Oh, you know, just the same old stuff. Sure am tired though”. “Well, if you don’t sleep then you will be tired”. “Like you’re one to talk (Y/l/n)”. You only rolled your eyes and stuck out your tongue at him, evoking a chuckle from him. “How about you? How are you doing?”. “Ugh, not great. I have to present that project today. Not particularly looking forward to it”, you huffed, looking down to the ground as your anxiety increased at the thought of presenting alone. “Hey, I’m sure you’ll do great. Most people don’t pay attention to presentations anyways”, he assured you. You popped your knuckles, still feeling just as nervous. You knew he was right, but that didn’t stop the fear surging through you. “Yeah, I know. I just don’t want to do it. Maybe if I wait long enough, there won’t be any class time left for me to present”, that was your hope, and your only plan to get out of this without panicking in front of the whole class. “Maybe, well regardless, I hope it goes well”, he offered you a sincere smile. “Yeah, I hope so too”. “Well, I should probably head to class, see you at lunch!”. “Right back at ya, Parker”, you waved gently to him as he disappeared down a hallway.

You made your way to your first class, deciding to read a bit before class started. Nothing you did eased the gnawing anxiety in the back of your mind though. Your first two classes were easy enough, but it was hard to focus, your mind racing with intrusive thoughts. ‘What if my voice gives out? What happens if I start crying in front of everyone? God, the whole school will hear about it. Everyone will stare at me, whisper about me every time I pass by them. I can’t do this, I just can’t’. By your third class, you’d bitten your nails down to blood, your lips suffering the same fate, cracked and split open. You almost considered skipping, but you’d worked hard on this project, you couldn’t let that go to waste. So, taking your seat in the back of the class, you tried breathing techniques, anything to help calm your senses. Your leg bounced so much, you swore the floor would give out under your foot.

The teacher turned out the lights, letting people present their projects voluntarily. You calmed the tiniest bit. If someone randomly kept volunteering to present, the class time was sure to run out before you even got the chance to stand up. Throughout the class, you were on edge, chanting silent prayers in your head. You weren’t very fortunate though, as everyone presented quickly, making it apparent that you were going to have to present no matter what. “Alright, who hasn’t gone up yet?”, your teacher called out, looking at her grading sheet. ‘Oh my god, please don’t see my name. Please tell me I don’t exist. Let me just disappear. I can’t do this’. “Oh! (Y/n) still hasn’t presented, come on over and I’ll pull up your project”, your teacher chirped.

Your heart pounded painfully hard in your chest, slowly standing up on jelly legs, keeping your gaze down as you walked to the whiteboard. You couldn’t possibly do this. You were going to die. Every mission you’d ever gone on seemed so miniscule in this moment, as you looked out to your peers. It was too dark to see most of their faces, which only made your situation worse. Your teacher pulled up the project on the projector, gesturing to you to start presenting, as she clicked her pen, ready to write down every mistake you made.

Letting out a jittery breath, you clasped your sweaty hands together and began talking. You were shaking so badly, it was like an earthquake had erupted inside of your body. You could feel the tears threatening to spill past your eyes, leaving a hard pain in your throat. Your chest hurt, and your breathing was becoming more erratic. But you had to finish, you had to get this over with. Just as you were on one of the last slides, a voice called from somewhere in the class, “Hey, pipsqueak! Speak up, would ya? We can’t hear you back here!”. The comment elicited a few snickers, which your teacher hushed quietly, but the damage was already done. The room was suddenly shrinking around you, as your chest tightened even further. You bit your lip, trying your best to compose yourself, attempting to push down your anxiety, but it only pushed back up more violently. “(Y/n)? You still have a few slides left”, your teacher said, but you didn’t hear her. Instead, your fight or flight instincts took over, and you raced out of the classroom, tears now breaking free, streaming down your face. You headed to the nearest bathroom, locking yourself in a stall, your whole world crumbling beneath you.

Leaning against the door, you slid down, breath caught in your throat, fighting to get out, but to no avail. Instinctively, you brought your knees up to your chest, clutching at the seams of your pants, letting out choked sobs and broken coughs. There was only one thing you could think of that might help you, and that was your teammates. You pulled your phone out of your pocket, continuing to shake violently, as you clicked the emergency contacts, thumb pressed to the first person, which just so happened to be Bucky. You lifted the phone to your ear, barely hearing the ring, despite your call volume being all the way up.

Bucky saw your name pop up on his phone, panic surging through him. You never called, it made you too anxious. He answered instantly, “(Y/n)? (Y/n), sweetheart, are you okay?”. His sudden panic mixed with your name caused both Steve and Sam to stand by him, all of them mentally preparing for an emergency. You wanted to reply, but all that came out was a squeak, as your fist collided with the tiled floor, your oxygen levels becoming more scarce by the second. Bucky put his phone on speaker, letting all three of them talk to you. “(Y/n), doll, you gotta breathe okay? Through your nose, count on your fingers”, Bucky stated, trying to keep his voice steady for you. “Yep, deep breaths (Y/n), you’ve got this. You’re gonna be okay”, Steve reassured you. After about 10 minutes of the three of them gently coaxing you out of your panic attack, you calmed slightly, leaving you crying quietly.

“We’re almost back at the compound, we’ll come and pick you up in about 20 minutes, okay?”, Steve said, giving no room for protests, although at this point you weren’t going to object. You wanted to go home. “Okay, I guess I should get back to class then”, you murmured, realizing that you’d probably been gone for over 15 minutes now. It was weird no one came to look for you, but you weren’t complaining. “If you aren’t ready to go back kid, that’s fine. We can stay on the call as long as you need”, Sam mentioned, his voice sounded beyond concerned. You had a bad habit of not taking care of yourself, especially in times of crisis. “No, I’ll be fine, gotta go back to get my stuff anyways”, you were dreading going back. The whole class would be focused on you for sure, not to mention the faux sympathy from your teacher, something that would surely cause another flood of tears. You just wanted to go unnoticed, for everyone to ignore your presence. “Alright, if you’re sure”. “I’m sure, I’ll see you guys soon”, you weren’t sure, but you had to convince them, you knew too well that they’d cause a scene at the school if things got worse. “Okay, stay safe sweetheart, we’ll be there as soon as possible”, Steve stated, before Bucky reluctantly hung up the phone.

Letting out a deep sigh, you pushed yourself up, groaning slightly as you forced your stiff body to move. You stepped out of the stall, silently thanking the universe for not letting anyone walk in during your breakdown. You looked to one of the mirrors, finding a disheveled figure staring back at you. You grabbed a paper towel, dampening it in the sink, and gently washing the dried tears off your face. You fixed your clothing and washed your hands, before making the godawful trip back to class. There was only 5 minutes left for the class, but that was more than enough time for shit to go wrong. You stood outside the door for a minute, taking a moment to compose yourself.

Turning the handle slowly, you eased your way past the door, the lights now on. Just as you expected, all eyes turned on you, but most turned away quickly, looking back to their friend or their phone. That lifted your nervousness a bit, as you started to head back to your desk, but your teacher had other plans, as she cleared her throat, motioning for you to go and talk to her. You cussed quietly to yourself, could this day get any worse? You dragged your feet over to her desk, biting your now scabbed lip. “So, your project was very good, therefore, I’m going to give you a 90, but I have to dock 10 points for your presentation”, she spoke quietly and sternly. Your face grew hot with her words, tears swelling in your eyes again. She was taking points off for something that you couldn’t control? It pissed you off to say the least. You only looked away from her desk, nodding slightly, knowing better than to open your mouth. “Alright then, you can go and pack up your things”. You walked quickly back to your desk, putting the few things you had taken out back into your backpack, before the bell rang for lunch. Dashing out of the class, you headed straight for the front of the school, more than ready for the day to be over. You’d email your 4th period teacher later on what work you missed out on. On your way, you made sure to text Peter, letting him know everything that happened, and that you wouldn’t be there for lunch.

You only had to wait for a few minutes, as Sam walked through the doors, spotting you quickly and walking over to you. “You alright kid?”. “Yeah, I’ll be fine, jus’ want this day to be done already”. He nodded, following you to the front office, signing everything to excuse you for the day. He kept a close eye on you the whole time, a protective hand placed on your shoulder. Stepping out of the building, he led you to the car where Bucky and Steve awaited. You got into the back seat, Sam sitting in the seat next to you.

“Hey doll, you feeling alright?”, Bucky quizzed, angling his body to look at you. “Yeah, ‘m glad you guys offered to pick me up though. Don’t really think I could’ve lasted another class”, you fidgeted with your hands, you knew your nerves wouldn’t calm for a while, but at least it was manageable now. “We’re always here for you, kid, no matter what”, Sam assured you, patting your shoulder softly. “Mhm, you can always come to us, even if we’re on a mission. Our job can always wait, your well being is more important than anything”, Steve added, looking briefly to you in the rearview mirror. “Thank you for that, you guys are the best”, you smiled bashfully. “No need to thank us, jus’ doing what’s right”, Bucky stated. “So, whatcha feel like doing when we get back?”, Sam asked. You thought for a moment, doing anything social sounded horrible at the moment, and the weighted blanket in your room was calling your name. “How ‘bout a pizza and movie night?”, you inquired, knowing they’d all like the idea, hell the whole team would probably join in. “Sounds good to me”, Steve mused, he always liked time for the team to bond. “Me too”. “Me as well, I’m starving dude”, Sam quipped, causing all of you to chuckle.

It didn’t take long to get back to the tower, all of you heading inside, you going to your room to set your stuff down and to change into something more comfy. After changing, you grabbed your weighted blanket, wrapping it around you, heading back down to the common room. Word must’ve spread fast, cause the whole team was gathered there, everyone sitting in a designated spot, except for Tony, who was currently ordering pizza over the phone. “Hey, there they are, rough day at school?”, Natasha asked, giving you a warm smile. “Yeah, not the greatest”, you huffed out a small laugh. “Well, in that case, you get to choose the first movie draga”, Pietro looked up at you from his spot on the floor. You hummed in response, before placing your decision on one of your favorite comfort movies. Clint started to look it up on the various streaming services, finding it almost instantly. “This one, right?”. You nodded happily, making your way over to sit between Steve and Wanda. “Hey, kiddo, you want a drink? And I’m guessing you want some extra garlic breadsticks too, right?”, Tony asked, holding his phone away from his mouth slightly. “Uhh, I’ll have a (f/d), and duh, of course I want garlic breadsticks”. “Yeah, what type of question is that?”, Pietro chimed in. Tony scoffed at him, rolling his eyes, but continued placing the order.

Wanda opened her arms next to you, allowing you to curl into her side as her arms wrapped softly around you. You stretched your legs out, Steve placed them on his lap, gently rubbing his thumb over your calf. Your nerves were finally winding down, as Clint pressed play on the movie. Wanda kept an arm wrapped around your back, her other hand resting gently on the side of your head, making sure to keep you close. The pizza arrived shortly after the movie had started, and you grabbed as much food as you wanted. You deserved it after the day you had. After the first movie finished, and the team voted on a new movie to watch, you felt yourself begin to drift off. You couldn’t have imagined a more perfect setting, comfort and warmth surrounding you. You didn’t make it far into the second movie before you fell asleep, listening to the sound of Wanda’s heart beating, the events from earlier that day flooding away, leaving you to sleep peacefully, knowing that you were safe and sound.

[melo-yello]

📚School Struggles📚 w/ 💥🪨KiriBaku💥🪨 HeadCanons

Pairings: KiriBaku X Black!Reader

Summary: College AU! Reader falls behind in course work, and won’t tell anybody. But Kirishima and Bakugou find out.

A/n: I’m an adult who went most of my life with undiagnosed learning disabilities so this would just be comforting to me. Lil angst! Lots of fluff. Implied ADHD and Dyslexia.

📕🖊 First tests are handed back in four of your eight classes.You’ve failed all but one which you barely passed. You are asked stay back as yet another professor suggests you find a tutor

📕🖊You’re lowkey offended. You’ve never needed a tutor before. Up until recently your performance in other areas compensated for your less than stellar academics. You were in gifted courses all your life. You would just hafta try harder

📕🖊 Kiri and Baku are saving a spot in line for you by the time you meet them at the cafe when you shove the thoughts of failure out of your brain and perk up to your usual self

📕🖊 Kiri’s face lights up as soon as he spots you. “Over here, Babe!” He beams flagging you down. Like it was hard to make out the giant red head in a crowd. Especially with the large lean, continuously pissed blonde scowling at everyone right by his side.

📕🖊 “Hey,Dumbass.” Baku smiles slightly and pulls a hand from his pocket to offer you a hug and a kiss on the temple

📕🖊 Kiri pulls you by your waist into his torso kissing your forehead “What took you so long?” He asks letting you free from the vice grip he had on your curvy hips

📕🖊 “I got a lil turned around again.” You lie pulling Bakugou’s free hand into yours then lean into his shoulder. There’s something very comforting about how warm he is all the time. You wanted to snuggle into his back but PDA really isn’t his thing and you are already pushing it

📕🖊 “It’s a big campus, Teddy, you just have to get used to it. You just transferred. Me and Eiji can take turns walking you from class to class until you get the hang of it, you know?” Baku says trying to read your eyes. He could just feel something is off. Your box braids and the angle itself saves you from any further scrutiny.

📕🖊“You guys, gotta be pretty sprung to do that for me, ya know.” You quip smirking up at him then over to Kiri. “Fuck you too, Teddy Bear.” Baku huffs smirking *maybe he was wrong, unlikely* “Yea basically, Pebs. Liking who you date is super manly.” Kirishima laughs grabbing his tray.

📕🖊 You three finally sit in a small wrap around booth. Bakugou taking the middle spot today. You do your best to not zone out and hyper fixate on your test scores by making sure to laugh at Kiri’s jokes and nod along with Baku’s venting

📕🖊 You slide your fork in and out of your picked over food as you strategize how to fix your current problem without alerting your boyfriends. Before you knew it your table is quiet with two crimson gazes fixed on you

📕🖊 “You’re quiet today, L/n.” Bakugou says fixing you with a deeply fierce gaze which was his way of looking concerned. Sharpness of your actual name drew you from your thoughts in a instant. “Hmmm I think Kats has a point, L/n Y/n.” Kirishima says in between slurps of his smoothie. His red eyes practically dripping with curious concern

📕🖊 You make a quick split decision between the truth and charm. “Wow, my government. I must be in real big trouble.” You pout trying to flirt your way out of a more serious conversation. You poke out your plush bottom at Kiri while slipping a hand onto Baku’s inner thigh and gently squeezing before hitting him with the same seductive pout

📕🖊 Big Mistake!😳 Bakugou’s vermillion eyes widen before becoming instantly stern as he grips your wrist tight enough to hurt. “The fuck are you doing?!! I was being serious, Y/n! And in public?!! You’re fucking priceless!” The ash blonde hisses with angry pink cheeks. Guilt washes over you when you snatch your wrist back. “I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to...talk about it.” You mumble. “Then use your fucking words!” 😤 Bakugou kisses his teeth and stands so Kiri lets him out. “He’s just a little embarrassed, Pebble. I needa talk him down. You can find your next class right?” He sighs watching Baku storm out

📕🖊 “Yea. I’m sorry. Tell him, Kiri. Please.” You squeak sheepishly grabbing your stuff. “He knows but I will. He’s mad about other stuff.” He nods following after Bakugou

📕🖊 It’s intimidating to compete with their history at times. You couldn’t bring yourself to just dump all your issues on them

📕🖊 You’ve only been dating since summer and Kiri and Baku have been dating since their senior year in high school year. You guys are starting your junior year and are still learning each other.

📕🖊 You get lost a couple times before finding the right building. The noise in your head going nearly at light speed to wrap all the problems you’re having. The professor passes the test you’d spent majority of last night and early morning studying for. You felt confident until it was in your hands.

📕🖊 You chew the pen top trying to finish up the last 7 short answer questions when then alarm for 5 minutes left is given. You panic not even having started the true false section on the last page. You scribble down answers just as time up is announced across the classroom

📕🖊 Defeat washes over while you shuffle out the door. You reach in your pocket to dig out the card for Student Accomidation Services your World Civ professor gave you. Maybe this was something simple as a “processing problem” as she had explained when you visited her during office hours

📕🖊 A throat clearing pulls you from your thoughts. You jump stuffing both hands into your jeans card and all. Bakugou stood unreadable propped up on a wall only a few steps away from you. “Eiji, thinks we need to talk about the cafe. Plus he doesn’t get out of lab til 3:45, so you’re kinda stuck with me.” Bakugou mumbles offering his palm as an olive branch.

📕🖊 “He’s probably right. I don’t mind just you, Tuff Guy. I really am sorry though, Katsuki.” You sigh interlocking your fingers with his. “I know, Teddy. I wasn’t really mad about that anyways.” Baku concedes as you two stroll down the hall. “I didn’t hurt your wrist earlier, did I?” Baku asks softly opening the door and meeting your eyes with gentle concern. “Nah, You didn’t, King Explosion Murder.” You laugh giving his hand a firm squeeze before kissing it

📕🖊 The walk to your dorm is quiet and peaceful. He lets you settle your school bag before speaking again “I just feel like you’re still trying to hide parts of yourself from us, especially me,” He says looking into your eyes now, “Like you’ve been pulling back. Eijirou thinks I’m looking too deep, but I doubt it. I know I can be a little rough and mean sometimes...well a lot of the times. I’m not easy to get along with. But you know you can talk to us when you’re upset or if something bothering you... if I’m bothering you. I don’t like you feeling like you have to pretend to be ok if you’re not.” Baku finishes crossing his arms tightly across your chest.

📕🖊 You dig your nails into your palms mercilessly. You open your mouth to reply and reassure him but the words won’t come. Baku notices what you’re doing to your hands and steps closer to take them into his. He rubs slow circles into the backs of them. Hot tears pool at the corners of your eyes as you try to find your voice. “Kats, I’m...I didn’t me...I...Of course you’re not what’s bothering me.” you croak out just as tears roll down your face and Baku pulls you to his chest.

📕🖊 Your breathing hitches and you just let yourself be disappointed, confused, frustrated, and upset about the last month and a half of struggling and wondering why you couldn’t tell anybody and why no one was even noticing. But He did. Baku had noticed. He rocks gently as you tremble in his arms rubbing firm circles in your lower back.

📕🖊 You two stay like that for what seems forever. Once your breathing evens out Baku’s hold relaxes. He kisses both your temples.You reluctantly let go , so you can pull wrinkled failing test pages from your backpack. “Please don’t laugh at me, Suki.” You peep placing the cause of your meltdown in his hands not attempting to have your puffy eyes met his red ones. Lifting your chin so you’re looking him in the eyes. “Come on, Teddy Bear. I wouldn’t dare.” He nods with the most serious face

📕🖊 Bakugou is quiet for a while as he leafs through the exam papers. “Why didn’t finish any of them?” He asks “Time. I’m a slow reader.” You mutter back. “I’ve seen you doing homework for two of these courses and passing those, what’s happening?” Baku says staring in disbelief at the scores at the top of each exam.

📕🖊 You swallow the lingering fear of judgement. You place a hand at your temple to remind yourself of Baku’s earlier tenderness. “I get anxious. It gets so much harder to read when I’m that worked up, and I can barely focus once I start forgetting answers...I know it’s just a test. I guess...That sounds dumb, doesn’t it?” You sigh shrug off your own explanation.

📕🖊 “Nope. Not dumb at all. Sounds like test anxiety to me. I struggled with that in high school . I didn’t know you were a slow reader, Teddy.” Baku says pulling your hand before you can dig your nails into it. “Yea. One of my professors thinks I have dyslexia and ADHD...but I’m not stupid sooo.” You hum rocking on your heels “That is not what either of those words mean, and I know you know that, L/n.” Bakugou growls he absolutely hates when you or Kirishima talk down on yourselves. “Yea but it feels like it though.” You sigh biting your lips

📕🖊 Before Baku can say a word, Kiri swings the door open. “Babes! Have you two hotties missed me?” The red head shouts coming through the door way smiling until he sees your puffy eyes and tense posture. “Bakugou Katsuki, I know you fucking didn’t?!!” Kiri questions suspiciously leaning down to rest his chin on your shoulder and wrapping a protective hold around your waist.

📕🖊 “The Absolute fuc-” Baku’s defensive rant is cut short as you kiss the hand holding yours to quiet him as you answer Kiri “No Eiji, he didn’t. I’m flunking like half my classes.” You huff meeting his eyes with quivering lips trying your best not to cry all over again

📕🖊 Kiri is stunted into complete silence. The only thing he can think to say is an apology to his boyfriend for jumping to conclusions. Last time he checked your GPA’s a lot more impressive that his. “How the fuck is that even possible? You transferred into the honor courses.” Kiri says completely baffled moving to where he could see your face.

📕🖊 You explain to your boyfriends all the things that have been tripping you up and confusing you. You detail how hard studying has been as far as staying focused and actually understanding lengthy test questions

📕🖊 Kiri has a million questions at first but stops half way through after Baku grabs your overnight bag and leads you out the door. “You’re gonna freak her out all over again, Shitty Hair, if you keep going at her like that.” He could tell you were getting overwhelmed, and might cry again “My bad, Pebs.” Kiri says kissing your cheek as he follows behind

📕🖊 Once you get back to their apartment and Baku askes for your help making dinner. He has you read the directions and ingredients to him. You stumble through most of it, but that doesn’t stop him from praising you as soon as you finish. He has since learned you and Kiri do best when told how well you’re doing vs his typical shouting method

📕🖊 The three of you set an assessment time with the Student Disability Services on campus that doesn’t conflict with the Boys’ schedules, because they insisted that they’d both be there to support their baby and wouldn’t take your bullshit excuses for an actual reason to miss it

📕🖊 Kiri helps you make flash cards for your next test. If he remembers nothing else from Baku’s tutoring sessions the importance of repetition is drilled into him...among other things. Each time you ask him how that went he’ll just shudder. “It was the most intensely terrifying experience of my high school career, and we fought villains pretty regularly.” Kiri deadpans before grinning like the Cheshire Cat and covering his head. “You’re full of fucking shit, Shark Week! I’m the best tutor you assholes could hope for.” Baku yells pushing Kiri’s face into his pages of notes.

📕🖊 The night before your disability assessment you find yourself tossing and turning at like 4:45 in the morning. Kiri repositions pinning you in place so you face Baku’s back. You trace soft shapes into him just before he flips meeting your eyes. “Lil early isn’t it, Babygirl?” He whispers brushing away a few stray box braids covering your face. You don’t bother answering and instead offer him your palm and he takes it without hesitation interlocking your fingers with his. “Nervous?” He hums when he feels the steady trembling of your hand.

📕🖊 “Katsuki, what if there’s nothing wrong with me? What if it’s just me? What if I’m just...” you trail off not sure if you want him to hear how much this subject shakes your confidence. Bakugou moves close enough for your foreheads to touch. “If you’re just not smart? Not even possible. Whatever it is me and Kiri will help you go beyond. I know this is scary, but every first usually is.” Bakugou smiles softly

📕🖊 “Bbbbbuuut maybe I’m just du-” You attempt to argue until a sharp nip on the side of your neck where Kiri was peacefully nuzzled quiets you. “Nope. Not a chance. Pebble, don’t talk shit about my girlfriend again.” He mumbles in a gravelly half sleep voice. He settles again and snakes an arm around hips as he tugs Baku into you with the other. You open mouth your more to defend yourself but KatSuki just bops your nose as he closes his eyes, “You heard, the sexy ass red mountain. You’re fucking smart. Go back to sleep, Kay?”

📕🖊 “Kay.” You sigh digging your face into the crook of Baku’s neck. You lay there out argued but feeling overwhelming loved, so you chose to let them win the debate. The boys hardly agree on most things so they were totally probably right about this one anyways.

📕🖊 You are on a very very short list of people who Bakugou Katsuki repeats himself for. Like boy lets you “huh?” the fuck out of him. He will often cup your face or hold your hands if he needs tell you something important b/c he understands you’re a tactical learner

📕🖊 Best believe that all your future successes in classes big and small will be celebrated you getting taken out for icecream and if it’s a graded paper they’ll put on the fridge like you’re in grade school. You find it a little embarrassing but it really makes you feel like you’re making progress

📕🖊 Kiri brings your favorite snacks for study sessions so he can reward you for right answers and staying on task. You call it “childish” at first until he shrugs “Oh my bad we can try something els-” about to put them away. “Noooooo no those are my favorites.” You nearly jump over the table. Kiri has a shit eating grin the rest of the study session

📕🖊 When giving directions from the passenger seat both Kiri and Baku typically do a good job of remembering you need them to point left and right

📕🖊 If you’ve had long day in tutoring and homework and you guys are watching anime Bakugou will read the subs to you. Sometimes if he’s in a particularly good mood he might even imitate a voice or two

📕🖊 Kiri would politely let you ramble about one of your niche interests and will help you get back to your point when you get lost in a tangent

📕🖊 Don’t let these two hear you call yourself “dumb” or “stupid” Kiri will just act like he can’t comprehend what you’re saying like deadass “Pebs, speak English please. Nope not catching that, Babygirl. Did you say you were a smarticle particle? An intelligent ass motherfucker?! Oh, of course you are!” While Baku is more like “Sorry what was that? I thought I heard a very accomplished and creative thinking ass bitch say something? A incredibly capable ass bitch say something?A smart ass bitch say something?” Your only response is yes and then you get a forehead kiss

[trashcanfanfics]

May I request a Husk before working at hazbin hotel and a (Nonbinary) reader that is a bartender at a club and everytime he comes in to get shitfaced drunk they bring home after their shift and he eventually gets attached?

(Optinonal: some creepy guy hits on reader and how husk reacts when the guy takes it to far?) Have a lovely day/night and stay healthy! 💕

My first request for Husk!! I love that kitty!

You stay healthy and enjoy your day/night!! <3

This is your favorite time of night. When a certain avian cat would come in and drink at the bar where you worked. You had developed a soft spot for the drunkard, talking with him everytime he'd come in. He'd always comment on how this was where the best alcohol was and how no other place was as good. Currently, he was sitting on a stool in front of you, and it looks like you're going to have to take him home again. That's fine, though, you don't mind, in fact you have a spare key to his apartment now because of how often you throw him in the backseat of your car and drag him up the stairs to his apartment.

"And! That bastard just smiles with a shit eating grin, tellin' me that he already did it!" Husk takes a swig of the bottle. "Fuckin' dick." You hummed in response. Truth be told, you had been only half listening to this drunken story slash rant he was slurring out. Something about an Alastor. He usually complains or vents about this guy and you have yet to meet him. Husk said that that's a good thing, though. He continues on this topic, occasionally forgetting where he left off, leaving you to remind him, and him getting fluffed up at the reminder of thie "Alastor".

"If he pisses you off that much, maybe bring him in here and I could give him a piece of my mind." You placed you chin on your hand, leaning slightly over the bar. Husk's angry rambling came to an abrupt stop and he looked at you with total seriousness.

"I would never let him come near you. Never." Those words made your dead heart beat faster. That's another thing about Husk, he'd recently become very protective of you. His excuse was that you were the only good bartender on this side of the Pentagram. You blinked slowly in shock making him look away and take another long gulp of his bottle. Before you could respond, another slightly tipsy demon slid onto the stool next to Husk.

"Hey, pretty thing, when are you off work?" You recoiled away from the disgusting individual. Noticing Husk stiffen and his tail flicking back and forth caused you to also be on alert.

"That's none of your business." Your cold reply made the unnamed man chuckle darkly. It made your skin crawl and fear to pool in your gut. The look this creep was giving you set off alarms in your head. Stay away, they said. Danger.

"I'll just wait outside for you then." That eased your anxiety a bit, you didn't need to leave the bar to get to your apartment above it. Then you looked at the drunk Husk and your blood went cold, remembering that you have to take him home. "And besides, I can continue to talk to you here 'n' now, gorgeous." The wink he sent you was uncoordinated and unsettling. Your mouth twisted into an uncomfortable frown.

"Too bad yer voice is annoying." The creep's and your attention was brought to Husk, who was sipping on his drink, looking a bit more sober than the last time you glanced at him. "Maybe you should get fuckin' lost, bub." The creep didn't like this and snarled at him.

"Maybe you should mind ya fuckin' business, shithead," the creep snarled. You felt your blood boil. People were creeps all the time to you, you could handle it, but something about him talking to Husk that way pissed you off.

"I think you talkin' like that to my significant other is my business." You watched in shock as Husk casually, yet meaningfully, took the last swig of his booze. The creep frowned and then sneered.

"A cat, babe you can do better than that." This guy was just not getting it, was he? Before you could retort with a nasty comment about his appearance, Husk takes the empty bottle and smashes it into the offender's face, knocking him off his stool. No one else even flinched at the scene, going about their conversations. It was Hell, no one gave a shit. The man got up, holding his face.

"I'll just wait outside for both of you, then! I'll bring my crew! You'll be fucked, one of you literally." He sent one last dark smile before leaving the bar. You let out a breath you didn't know you were holding and turned back to Husk.

"Thank you," You said. No other words were needed, though you wanted to say more. To say how you appreciate him being there and standing up for you, protecting you, but you kept quiet. You knew he just did it so you would be able to take him home.

"Don't mention it..." He looked down as you set another beer bottle in front of him. He took it and looked at it for a second before popping the top. "Ya need an escort home tonight?" His question surprised you. You smiled.

"Ha, no, I, uh, live upstairs, actually. But thanks." You pointed up to emphasize your sentence. Husk hummed and gulped down half the bottle. "Got too sobered up for that, huh?" Your attempt at a joke made him chuckle with a half smile.

"Yeah, maybe I shouldn't continue if I gotta walk home, though." He looked away and around the bar. You raised an eyebrow and glanced at his wings. He doesn't fly, he told you that once when you asked. Too much effort, he said.

"What makes you think you're walking home?" You asked, hand on your hip. He looked back at you in suspicious confusion.

"Ya ain't going out there with those assholes waitin' for ya." His voice was stern, like a father almost. You briefly wondered if he had kids before shaking your head.

"Then neither are you, they're waiting for you too, ya know." You crossed your arms. The both of you stared into each other's eyes for a minute before he sighed and took another swig.

"Well, then what am I gonna do? Sleep behind the bar?" The mental image of him sleeping on the floor behind the bar, clutching a bottle of whiskey brought a smile to your face.

"Wouldn't be the first time," he snorted at that, "but I was thinking that you could sleep on my couch." His eyes met yours again.

"What?"

"You heard me." You looked at the clock on the wall by the dart board. "It's closing time anyways." He followed your gaze to the clock and squinted.

"No it ain't. You don't close for another few hours." He looked back to you with an eyebrow raised. You smirked back.

"I'm the owner, I can close anytime I want." You rounded the bar and made your way over to the few occupied tables. "Help me get the drunks outta here and we'll head up." Husk gulped down the rest of the booze and stood up. You turned from him to politely tell the still sober occupants to leave as you were closing early today. They grumbled but complied.

The next table was handled by Husk, as he told the ones splayed out in their chairs that they had to leave. They blew raspberries at him, causing him to growl back. You went over and put your hand on Husk's back, between his wings. His tail started flicking at the tip.

"You heard him, guys, time to go." Your voice made them groan and get up, wobbling and stumbling to the exit. You let out a breath with a smile and shook your head. The rest of the tables seemed to understand thet they had to go too and left, leaving you and Husk alone. You walked over to the doors and locked them before heading to the employee's only door, Husk behind you.

You both walked through the kitchen to another door next to the pantry, leading to a hallway. Passing by the breakroom and bathroom, you pulled out your keys. The stairway at the end of the hall squeaked and complained as you both wallked up to the little landing where your door was. Keys jangled as you unlocked and opened the door.

"Home sweet trashy home." You moved aside to let him in. He looked around as you closed the door and locked it. His ear flicked back at the sound for a moment before turning back forwards.

"'S nicer than my place."

"I know." You smiled and made your way to the kitchen. "You hungry?" He grumbled out a ''I could eat" and plopped down on your couch. You set to work on some mac 'n' cheese.

"Ya know, this couch is pretty comfy," Husk calls from the livingroom. You snort at his attempt at a casual conversation.

"Don't force yerself, there. You know you don't have to talk if you don't want to." You chuckled again. You pulled out the milk and butter, setting them down on the counter. Husk doesn't answer back and you assume he's just taking in his surroundings.

The mac 'n' cheese is finished when you add some bacon bits to it. Smiling at your work, you pulled out two bowls and scooped out servings. The spoons made a clatter as they were placed into the bowls. Stopping by the fridge, you balanced the bowls on one arm before grabbing out a soda for you, and a can of beer for Husk.

In the livingroom, you see Husk hasn't moved from the couch but does look more relaxed and comfortable. You handed him a bowl and his beer. He took them with a mumbled "thanks" before he set the beer on a coaster and dug into the cheap pasta.

"This is really good." The comment made you smile as you dug into your own bowl. You swallowed and looked at him.

"Thanks, it's the bacon bits." You take another bite and swallow. "Makes it taste like you put effort into it." Husk smiled slightly as he continued eating.

This was perfect, you thought, just spending time with Husk, outside the bar. Aside from taking his mumbling, drunk ass home, you hadn't really ever spent time with him casually. You loved Husk, you knew that. Even with how rough his exterior is (figuratively, you had felt how soft that fur is), you couldn't get enough of his company.

"Yer starin', bud." You blinked and quickly looked away, chewing on the bite of food you put in your mouth. He huffed in amusement. swallowing hard, you noticed you didn't have any food left and set the bowl on the coffee table before picking up your drink.

"Well, can you blame me? You over here looking cute and all that." You hide your blush behind the soda can as you take a sip. Husk whipped his head towards you. You decide to roll with this. "What your significant other can't tell you that you look cute?" Your callback to what he had called you earlier made him almost choke on his beer.

"Hh-what?" His response was full of shock and confusion. You shrugged, enjoying this newfound confidence. Maybe you accidentally grabbed yourself some liquid courage.

"I wouldn't mind being your real significant other." You shifted your gaze to look at him from the corner of your eye. His pupils were blown and he looked at you like you had hung the moon. It made your heart thud harshly in your chest.

"I wouldn't mind either..." His response shocked you, you had expected to be rejected and then just blow your statement off as a joke. You blinked slowly at him in shock again. He slowly blinked back. You made a mental side note to look up cat behavior later to see what the fuck that meant but for now, you just leaned over and kissed him. He kissed back, putting down his drink and pulling you closer. A purr rumbled out of his chest as you raked your fingers through his facial fur to the bcak of his head.

This was perfect, you thought.

[acreativeme]

Mobster’s Daughter

Mobster’s Daughter

Kenny Crobsy x Reader

Y/N was not used to working with a team. She spent most of her career as a UC with the Organized Crime Unit. After nearly ten years, Y/N put in a transfer to the fugitive recovery unit. She wanted something new, something that didn’t remind her of her childhood. She knew that working with a team meant forming close bonds with people, but she didn’t expect to fall in love. When she meant Kenny Crosby, the communication specialist with anger issues, it was like the world stilled. It was almost like how the wolves in Twilight describe imprinting. 

They had started dating only three months after she joined the team, and disclosed it to their unit chief. Jess just said that they needed to keep it professional at work, or he was going to have to transfer one of them. Y/N had spoken with him privately, telling him if anything happens to transfer her not Kenny. That had surprised him, but he agreed.

She had been with the unit for almost a year, when her old unit chief called her--- needing her for a very important case. Her father’s case..Y/N’s father had walked out on her and her mother when she was 4 years old to run the Russo Crime Family. Though Y/N’s mother, Ivy, was embarrassed and hurt, she never lied to Y/N about who her father was. He would send money for her schooling and presents on her birthday, and Christmas, but he didn’t know anything about her or her future. He didn’t know that she had joined the FBI as she had changed her last name to her mother’s maiden name. 

Things were getting out of control with the Russo Family, so she needed to stop them. She just didn’t know how to tell Kenny, so she took the easy way out and broke up with him.

Y/N paced in front of his door, waiting for him to open up. “...I’m sorry, but I can’t do this anymore..” she muttered, trying to find the proper words. 

She jumped as the door opened, “Kenny!” she squealed, clenching her chest.

He laughed, leaning against the door frame. “You musta been thinking really hard.”

She shot him a glare. “Are you going to let me in?” She pushed his chest playfully, hoping that she was playing off her anxiety. 

He grinned, stepping aside so that she could come in. Y/N looked around, noticing that he was probably using his day off to clean his apartment. “Do you want anything to drink?” He asked, shutting the door. 

Y/N shook her head, “No, I am good. I can’t stay for long, gotta meet my mom for lunch. I just stopped by to see if my gray cardigan was here, I can’t seem to find it..” She chickened out. She couldn’t break up with him. 

Kenny look around, noticing it hanging off the back of his recliner. “Here you go,” he picked it up, “but you are going to have to work for it.” He held it above her head. 

She rolled her eyes, moving to give him a kiss. As he leaned down, Y/N jabbed him in the stomach-- which caused him to double over. She pulled it from his grasp, quickly pecking his cheek. “Nice try.” She whispered in his ear, quickly turning to leave.

He gasped, “Not so fast.” He wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her off the ground.

Y/N squealed, disregarding the cardigan. “Kenny!”

He laughed loudly, spinning her around. “That was so underhanded! I didn’t think that you had it in you.” He spun her around in his arms so that he could look into her eyes.

She smirked. “There is a lot about me that you don’t know.” She leaned down to kiss him, forgetting the real reason for her visit.

He wrapped her legs around his waist, pressing her against his chest. She knotted her fingers with his hair, trying to memorize his lips. “Are you sure that you have to go to lunch with your mom?” He asks, pressing kisses to her neck.

She bit back a moan, nodding. “Yes, I haven’t seen her for ages.” 

He nodded sadly, sitting her back on the ground. “Fine,” he rolled his eyes playfully, “but we are still going running tomorrow, right?”

She looked down at the cardigan, not wanting him to see the pain in her eyes. “Of course! It’s not safe for attractive men, like you, to be running by yourself, so I gotta be there to protect you.” She looked up at him with a cheeky smirk. 

He rolled his eyes at her again, moving to tickle her. “So cheeky.” He walked her to the door with a loving grin on his face. “I will be at yours at 6AM, is that okay?”

She sighed. “Yeah, I guess.” She bit her lip, trying to hide her smile.

He leaned down and briefly kissed her as he showed her out. “I will see you tomorrow.”

She bumped her nose against him. “See ya tomorrow.” She walked away, tears rolling down her cheeks. 

...The Next Morning…

Y/N’s POV 

Y/N sat at the counter of the now empty kitchen, a piece of paper and pen in front of her. She had decided to leave him a letter, knowing that was not going to be able to lie to his face. 

Kenny,

I can’t do it anymore. Please forgive me.. 

Don’t look for me…

Y/N 

Tears stained the paper as she laid the pen down. She couldn’t write anymore without breaking down and telling him the truth. She grabbed her duffle bag and walked out of the one place that felt like home. 

Kenny’s POV

He raced up the stairs to Y/N’s apartment, not wanting to bother with the elevator and wanting to warm up his muscles. He had decided to skip out of coffee in favor of downing two glasses of orange juice. He glanced down at his watch as he stepped out onto her floor, 5:50AM. He’s early. He sighed, slowly walking towards her apartment. It took him a moment to realize that her door was cracked, which scared him.

He slowly pushed the door open, calling out her name. “Y/N?” No response. He dialed her number, hoping that she had just left it cracked for him. He pressed the phone to his ear, hearing it ring twice. 

“We are sorry. The number that you are trying to reach is out of service. Please hang up and try again later.” 

Kenny looked around the apartment, taking in the emptiness. After exploring the abandoned apartment, he found the note on the counter. 

Kenny,

I can’t do it anymore. Please forgive me..

Don’t look for me…

Y/N

He read those words over and over, knowing that something wasn’t right. He couldn’t bring himself to believe that she would just up and leave him like this, like that they hadn’t been talking about their future just yesterday. 

He slid down the wall, to sit on the floor and cry. 

6 months later…

Y/N’s POV

Slipping back into her ripped jeans, Y/N looked down at the henchman that her father had guarding her. A henchman that also happened to be his right hand man. She had seduced him, which made her feel as if she had cheated on Kenny, to get access to her father’s computer. She hadn’t actually slept with him. She had fixed him a drink, laced with a strong sedative, and made out with him. 

She snuck out of her bedroom, tiptoeing down the hallway to his office. Anyone that lives or had been invited to stay the night had been in bed for hours, so she didn’t really have to worry about anyone catching her. Her father’s office was on the first floor near the kitchen, as he always had to be near food. With the amount he eats, Y/N was surprised that he was still in great shape… 

She made a pit stop as she passed the kitchen to grab the container of cookies that she made as an excuse to be in her father’s office. She had hid them in her cabinet, which her father had given her as soon as he welcomed her into his home. He had sat her down in his office and they talked for hours. He had shared that he had missed her, and her mother, and that he wanted them to get to know each other. She had to remind herself that he was a bad guy, that had murdered a bunch of people and broken a lot of other laws. 

Her father had given her a key to his office, for emergencies, so she didn’t need to pick the lock. She crept over to his computer, knowing that she didn’t need to turn it on as he never turns it off. She pulled out a cloning device and plugged it into the main port. She typed in his password, quickly scanning through his emails and internet history. She then scanned through all of the other documents on his computer, finding spreadsheets that explained where he was hiding the money. She pulled up his calendar, which he seemed to use to keep track of his special shipments. She made sure to clone that and mirror it to her phone. Using a USB, Y/n downloaded a keystroke logger on his computer. She was going to use her computer to keep track of his computer usage. She had already cloned his phone and bugged each of his cars, using her scrunchies, which he happily keeps in his cars as reminders of his daughter. 

She looked up as she heard footsteps coming towards, so she quickly finished what she was doing. Y/N slipped the cloning device and USB into her pocket, moving the cookies so that they were sitting in front of his keyboard.The door opened, revealing her father in his pajamas.

“Y/N? What are you doing in here, love?” He rubbed his eyes, having just woken up.

She gulped, nerves bubbling in her stomach. “Well, it’s your birthday pop. I wanted to surprise you, but I guess the cat is out of the bag.” She held up the container of cookies, double chocolate with white chocolate chips.

He grinned, walking towards his desk. “How’d you know that these were my favorite?” 

She opened the container for him. “They are my favorite too!”

He took one, taking a large bite out of it. “These are so yummy.” He did a little happy dance as he shoved the rest of it into his mouth.

She forced a smile. “I am glad that you enjoy it.” She passed over the container, “I am going to make some breakfast, would you like some?”

3 months later…

With the help of the cook, Y/N put together a wide spread of food for her father and his group of elite members. She had planned this evening as a way for her team to arrest all major players of the Russo Crime family without any of them going into hiding. Y/N worked out with her handler that she would also be taken into custody. 

She and Mariana, the cook, set the table and placed each dish around the table to make it look appealing to the people eating. Once everything was set, Y/N called everyone in to eat. Her father grinned at the spread, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. “It looks great, doll.” He kissed her head, moving towards the head of the table. 

She took her spot next to him, feeling a pit in her stomach. “Thank you, dad!” 

Everyone followed suit and took their seats. Her father said grace and started dishing out his portion of food. He passed it to Y/N, so gave herself a little bit and passed it along. She felt too nervous, so she wasn’t going to be able to eat much. Everyone was chatting aimlessly as they made up their plates. Y/N knew that no business would be brought up until everyone was digging in.

“This brisket is so delicious, Y/N. You’ll have to give me your recipe.” Gina, Rickie’s wife, stated from her spot down the table. 

Y/N smiled, “Thank you, it’s my grans recipe. I think she’d come back and kill me if I share it.” The whole table laughed, muttering that their gran would do the same thing. 

Y/N zoned out as she moved the food around her plate, taking tiny bites. Her father called attention as he began talking about the plans for the coming week. The women focused on their food as the men talked about shipments of drugs and weapons. As they were talking about times and locations, Y/N reacted into her pocket and clicked her pen-- which signaled her team to come in. 

She counted to 15 in her head, taking a long sip of her wine. She was sitting down the glass as the FBI swat team broke down the front and back doors.

“FBI swat!! Put your hands up!” A strong confident voice screamed, as several other officers surrounded them. 

Y/N jumped, pretending to be frightened. She looked at her dad, panic in her eyes. “Daddy? What’s going on?”

He took an aggravated breath. “I am not sure, but everything will be alright.”

An officer pulled roughly at her chair. “Get up. You are under arrest.” He pretended to get rough with her to draw a reaction out of her father.

He jumped out of his chair, the force knocking it over. “Do not touch her! She has nothing to do with this.” 

The officer that stood behind her, pushed him back. “Stay back. We will determine whether she played a role or not.” 

Y/N’s captain stepped into the dining room, a bulletproof vest over a white button down shirt. “Vincent Russo. You and everyone in here are under arrest.” 

3 months later… 

Y/N stood outside of Kenny’s apartment, nervous to see him for the first time in a year. She had just finished up her father’s case and everything that was related to him. In the end, he told her to snitch on him to avoid any prison time. He told her that he would do anything to protect her, so he wanted her to testify against him. He had instructed all of his men that he could that he wanted her to testify against him, so they were too not go after her. She told him that the FBI wanted her to work for them as a consultant, or she would spend time in prison-- no matter her role in the organization. That hurt him, but he told her to do it- which surprised her. 

After he was put away, she returned home. She had talked with Jess LaCriox about the mission that she had been sent on and how she wanted to return to the team. He talked with her captain and let her return to the team. The only stipulation was that she had to talk with Kenny, who had taken her leaving extremely hard. 

Taking a deep breath, Y/N knocked on his front door. It took him a moment to answer, and she shook with nerves the whole time. 

“How can I--” Kenny stopped mid sentence, surprise evident on his face. 

Shoving her hands in her pockets, Y/N smiled. “Hey, Kenny…”

Without thinking, Kenny pulled her into his arms. He held her to him, not wanting to let her go. “Where did you go? Why did you leave?” He whispered into her hair. 

She squeezed him tightly. “I think that it would be best to tell you inside your apartment.” 

He picked her up, not wanting to let her go. They sat down on the couch and held each other as she explained that she had been called in to take down her father. She had to do some things that were against her morals, but it had to be done-- which is why she had to end things with him. Kenny just sat back and listened to her as she talked, glad that she was home safe. 

“I don’t care what you did, Y/N. It was work, we’ve all had to do things we wouldn't do for work.

I am just glad that you made it home safe.” He stated, understanding where she was coming from. 

She kissed him, not being able to hold back any longer. “I love you, Kenny. I didn’t tell you before I left.” Tears were now rolling down her cheeks.

He wiped them away, caressing her cheek. “I love you. I’ve loved you for the last two years and I plan on loving you for many more years.”

[starshiningsirius]

Dr. Jerkyll and Mr. Hyde (Yandere Leech twins x reader)

An au idea I had came to mind based off @yandere-wishes Victorian twst story and @yandere-romanticaa 's Extraterrestrial story.

I love these two eels and I'm late on their birthday but it's still their birthday for me.

The clear moonlit sky shown brightly over the waters of the ocean. As yet another scream echoed within the streets of a supposedly vacant city.

The detective woke up with a start but not from the scream, but from the ringing of her phone. A report she had been writing stuck to her face from the humid atmosphere. She picked it up getting a few details from Idia, who was panicking on the other side of the line. Considering he worked in the criminal department at the desk and didn't have to see any bodies whatsoever you would think he'd be calm when trying to say what happened.

"Calm down Idia. Tell me what happened?" Her voice was gentle since yelling wouldn't help his nerves.

"Therewasanothermurder! Theyclaimedanothervictim!" He spoke so fast that his words wouldn't be understood by most but she was used to this with him and every word was caught by the detective's ears.

"Where's the crime scene?"

"In front of Sam's shop on Crystal Road, Ms. Y/n L/n." The voice of Idia's younger sibling popped up a contrasting his older brother's cowardly behavior.

He wanted to be just like his older brother so he spent his days in the office with him. Though there were times when Idia tapped out and his brother had to step in.

"Thank you both. I'll head their now." She hung up after hearing a farewell from both brothers.

The candle was long out and she grabbed her gun, notebook, and pen within the darkness, before venturing out the confines of her home.

When she got there a crowd had surrounded one spot in particular.

Cater was already there taking photos of the scene as it was his job being a forensic photographer.

"Hey, hey! Y/n's here, make way!" The crowd parted for her as soon as he announced her presence.

Whispers were muttered as she passed through into the middle of the crime scene. Mostly about how she hadn't caught this killer yet. She ignored them though and went on to meet with her coworker.

"It never ceases to amaze me how your always here first Cater, if anything you should be a suspect." She started off saying to her compatriot.

"Can't help it if I want to stay informed dectective, I just want to stay informed before anyone else." His smile on his face was out of place as he took another photo of the corpse.

"Who was it this time?"

"Such a poor fate to befall dear Monsieur Heart." A new voice joined in the conversation.

"Rook, I see you've arrived but can I get their name please?" The detective said sighing at the theatrics of her friend.

"His name was Ace Trappola, I can't imagine how Monsieur Spade must be feeling about this tragedy." Rook feigned a sorrowful look.

"Oh yeah A-Deuce kun were inseparable, I feel sorry for him. Think he knows already?"

"If there as inseparable as you say Cater then I suppose not, he isn't here yet otherwise I'm sure he'd cause a scene." She noted.

"That doesn't make him a suspect though right? I mean sure he's been a suspect in many crimes before, but Deuce kun far too soft!" Cater was a bit frantic at the thought alone.

"No, I doubt it was him he wouldn't want to disappoint his mother with something as vulgar as murder, he cares for her far too much to do that." That calmed his worries.

"You know I've heard Monsieur Heart have many laments on how his delivery to Roi d' Rose-" Cater didn't let Rook finish.

"RIDDLE?! No way he did this! Have you seen how strict his mother is? Just waltzing in their office and so much as suspecting her son is a one way ticket to hearing her screams! Besides I doubt his mother would even let him out this late anyway, he's always about following the rules set in place for him." Cater says with an imaginary sweat that could have formed to express his fear and anxiety.

"True, and I can't afford another headache from that lady, but we could get some valuable intel from him about Trappola's demeanor the past few days seeing as it may be a pattern in the serial killers motives."

"What about Sam? He's gotta know something considering the murder occurred in front of his shop." Cater's gaze went toward the shop to the right of them.

"Ah the shop keep, a wonderfully eccentric man with many secrets." Rook stated his opinion of him from what he gathered on his own free time.

"Says the French man whose got info on everyone from stalking them on the street." The detective says shaking her head at the strange man next to her who happily smiled at her statement.

"I wouldn't call it that more so getting to know my prey more personally." She sighed hearing his reply.

"A crime analyst such as yourself is such a good cover up!" Cater's response made her sigh once again.

She shook her head toward her coworkers. They took their job in a mild manner but beyond that they did do well to get it done. Even though the means of how they did it were very much questionable in her eyes.

She looked toward the ground seeing the body of the former male right on the cusp of adulthood. His orange hair was a bit disheveled and the looks of shock on his face petrified in time.

"Ah, the dectective is already using those perceptive eyes of hers." Cater's words fell on deaf ears as she was examining the crime scene closely.

"As expected of Reine de la déduction, such dedication in her work. Très bien!"

Their bones were disfigured, just like the last person. No one has this type of strength it didn't make any sense. The only lead that was given but she noticed a glowing substance in his mouth.

"Cater, Rook, I need some confirmation. Out of all the other times these cases have been appearing there weren't any liquid substances to be found beside the occasional blood right?"

"You are correct."

"Yeah, nothing else to be found from what I could see." They both confirmed her suspicion.

She had to go talk to Jade again, but first thing tomorrow she had to interrogate Sam, as well as Riddle Rosenhearts which was sure to be headache on her part.

* * *

His mother was an agitation to say the least. During her entry into his mother's office and upon stating the reason for her entry, Riddle's mother had already hated her the moment she finished speaking. Yelling and hollering about how her son would never commit such a crime even though the dectective never stated he was a suspect in the slightest.

She only asked to question the behavior of Mr.Trappola as of late before he met his end. He was under no suspicion whatsoever but she wasn't having that and kept screeching until her son had to calm her down.

It was much more pleasant afterwards but the headache Y/n had in the early morning just listening to her screeching didn't disappear throughout the whole endeavour.

Just before she bid him farewell he apologized deeply for his mother's behavior with a red face of complete embarrassment. To which she replied it was alright and thanked him for his time. Unfortunately though she had to bear that burden on her own as Rook and Cater had their own jobs to partake in analyzing the other crimes and investigating the trend within the series of murders. It was unfair but that was life. By the time she exited their establishment it was already in the afternoon a little after lunch.

Next was to venture to Sam's shop which was right where the crime had taken place. The body was already removed and taken to forensics, so the only thing left was a broken street lamp.

"Ah, well if isn't the dectective, I believe I already know the pleasure of seeing you here on this fine day," He tipped his hat to her with a smile on his face.

"Afternoon to you too Sam. I would like to acquire any information you have on the murder of Ace Trappola that occurred last night, in front of your establishment."

"Such a shame the little demon, was too young to have bite the dust. But you know as well as I my information comes with a price."

"A thousand madols should suffice a description of what you saw right?" She questioned handing a stack of the paper currency to which he smiled at.

"All I know is that last night was certainly something else. I heard a smash of a lamppost outside my window, up on the second floor. Shop was already closed though. When I looked down I saw what looked to be two silhouettes outside the window. One way taller than the other though, I recognized of Trappola on the ground and something glowed within the hands of the killer, a vial of sorts. He poured it down the throat of the little demon, but Trappola put up a good fight before it was over."

"Over? Can you specify?"

"As in he was left on the ground for dead, it looked like he was choking on whatever was consumed. The killer held him tightly after he realized he was choking. It was similar to a hug but one that was more deadly than a normal one. After he dropped him to the ground and walked away laughing hysterically at who he squeezed."

"And you weren't going to go to the police to inform that you had witnessed the murderer of a serial killer!" Her voice had raised a bit in volume as her agrevated state didn't alleviate since earlier in the day.

"I'm not one to get involved in others private life, Dectective. I've got a business to run." She understood his point though exhaling a sigh through her nose.

"Right. If you want to keep your life you keep your mouth shut. Alright I thank you for the intel." The dectective closed her notebook after writing down many notes on the case.

"Pleasure doing business with ya, Dectective! Best of luck to you as well! You'll be needing it more than anyone." She was only able to hear the first part of it not when his cheery demeanor went away.

She walked out to her final destination of the day, a close friend of hers. His name was Jade Leech, a smart man that excelled in pharmaceuticals just as did Riddle's mother but in a more different sense. His potions were revolutionary with in the subject of alchemy and his botany skills and knowledge made his fame and fortune.

He's helped her on countless cases before, with his expertise in potions it aided in knowing key components to solving head bangers such as this.

As she reached the door of his manor she knocked before waiting a moment or two to see his smile.

"Dectective, how pleasant it is to see you today." He flashed his signature smile toward me, with pearly teeth straight and white.

"It's nice to see you too Jade. May I come in?"

"Your always welcome here, though I must say you do look exhausted how about I put on some tea?" He made way for me to step in.

"You don't have to Jade."

"I insist, naturally I should show good hospitality to all my visitors. Your free to take a seat wherever you like."

"So how are your mushrooms doing?" She said starting up conversation on a favorable topic for him. He was in the kitchen that connected to the empty dining room, that opened the way to the living room where she sat.

"I imagine you didn't come here just to speak on how my mushrooms are doing alone?" He spoke it in the form of a question but he already knew the answer with a knowing smile on his face that she couldn't see but knew he had.

"You are right, my apologies, I actually require your aid with a substance that could be the key in solving the recent serial killings." She watched as he walked in with two plates in hand.

"It's fine, I'm glad you can come to me for help." He served the two plates, one in front of her and the other in front of himself.

They had pasta on both of them with the mushrooms I mentioned. It smelled heavenly. Her stomach growled loudly which caused Jade to laugh lightly.

"I'm assuming you haven't eaten much of anything have you?"

"No I had too much work to do today." She blushed looking away from him.

He sighed making a small 'tsk' noise.

"You have got to take better care of yourself, that dedication of yours is admirable but otherwise you'll drive yourself into an early grave with that sort of work ethic." He chastised.

"Ah, I just don't have the time these days, I'm sorry for all the trouble you have to go through for me." Her eyes traveled toward the food with a slight guilty feeling.

"You speak as if your some sort of burden on me, quite the contrary I worry for your safety and yours alone. You may be a skilled dectective but, I care for your well being first."

Her face grew to an intolerable temperature that would make people think she was sick. She was very much surprised by his words. The first time anyone has ever said anything that endearing to her in a while.

So to ignore the feeling of her heart racing she picked up her plate kept her eyes trained on it. Her expression looked to resemble pouting.

"L -let's just eat then shall we?" She stumbled on her first word internally cursing as she heard Jade's laughter.

. . .

After they had eaten Y/n had spent some time explaining to Jade the situation with Trappola's murder and handed him the vile of the substance found at the crime scene.

He listened attentively and chimed in few times for clarity. He said he would have the analysis of the substance done within two days. Soon enough she was on her way out the door even though he had offered her to stay the night she had declined politely. It wasn't weird since they were close friends with one another anyway. Not to mention there were times where she would fall asleep while waiting for Jade to finish his analysis and he would be nice enough to place her in a room.

"Thank you Jade, I would have loved to spend more time with you, but I've been really busy as of late with all these murders." She thought for a moment and then looked up at him. He was a bit tall, scratch that he was tall, of course so she got on the tips of her toes and placed a kiss on his cheek to show him her gratitude.

Jade's face lit a flame, cheeks flushed as he touched where her lips made contact.

"I'll see you later." Was all she said before walking away briskly passed the gates of his house not looking back.

She would've heard the glass breaking inside the male's house in which indicated another presense inside.

. . .

Two days had passed and the dectective was trying to piece together what was the link between these series of murders.

She had to go check with Lilia who is the pathologist that had completed an autopsy on all the bodies of the victims. As eccentric as he was he was more tolerable than the combo of intricacies that are her co workers. Then again everyone in this office was weird in their own way.

"Ah, dectective what great weather we're having today, is it not?" He said with a smile on his face.

Unlike Jade he was significantly shorter than him so she had to look down a little to see him or stand a few feet away.

"It is indeed, Lilia. You seem to be in a good mood today."

"That is because I have made a breakthrough on today, while working through the night." His smile grew and the magenta eyes affirmed his happiness toward the news he had to share.

"On Mr. Trappola's body, I have found something strange but interesting nevertheless! A scale and not only that, but there is something you should see for yourself!" He brought her over to said man's corpse luckily the bottom half of his body is covered and the top half as well up to his shoulders.

Lilia grabbed one of his tools for dissection and beckoned her to come closer as she showed her what he had found. That's when she saw it.

Lilia had a small knife and maneuvered it to a small spot itself, lifting up a small piece of skin that was already slit and based on the size of the knife and similarity to another a butter knife it wouldn't have been able to cut the skin.

"There are two more like this on this side of his neck and three on the other side. So it seems like they're gills.

"What about the other bodies?"

"I spent the night examining those as well and they all have the same gills but Trappola here is the only one who had a few scales."

"So maybe the substance has something to do with these oddities on him. Trappola probably ingested some."

"It's quite possible that whoever this murderer is trying to test the substance on the person instead of themselves but based on Trappola's few scales being the latest attempt it seems they are making improvement for whatever the elixir's use is. These strange characteristics it reminds me of some fairytale I heard some time ago." He drifted off sounding like an old man reminiscing.

"Enlgihten me then Lilia." Knowing just how Lilia liked to ramble on about myths and legends like he'd seen them and lived through their stories.

"Well if you insist but this one involves merfolk certainly you've heard of mermaids and such right these scales on legs don't they remind you of those types of things. Gills on their necks so that half people half fish would gain the ability to breath underwater."

"Ah right but this is reality. Seeing is believing though right? Who knows though maybe they could help with the case." She was skeptic hearing about a bunch of lore that could just be coincidental but she knew better than that. Coincidents were more than just preordained.

. . .

Now back at Jade's manor the dectective was contemplating what in the world such a myth could play a factor in a murder scene. It just didn't make any sense as to why the person would need such a potion. What type of person would you have to be to go that f-

She couldn't finish that thought since Jade had opened the door.

"Ah, Jade good day to you-" the dectective looked up toward him to see the tall man staring at her for a bit longer than a few seconds. She did notice the strand of black hair usually on his right was on the left.

Unconsciously she reached up and was about to grab it before her hand was grabbed.

"Just what are you doing little dectective?" His voice got a bit darker towards the end sending shivers down her spine for a second before she saw his eyes in front of her and thought to herself for a second.

'Was his gold eye always on the right?'

A slight tighter squeeze on her hand woke her up form her head. She was reminded of the situation again. She could feel his breath closer to her face, she was internally malfunctioning and was losing her train of focus.

"Ah, I was, I was just trying to flip your black strand of hair." She stuttered and didn't internally curse herself this time since the proximity was still a factor in her brain turning to mush.

Jade suddenly smiled a wide one at that. Usually it'd be small and polite even when teasing he'd have a signature closed eyed smile keeping the adorable image of his flustered dectective in his head. But that wasn't the case this time. This smile was more menacing and sent bad news toward all who saw it.

Jade towered over her a bit more leaning to the right a bit toward her ear.

"Dectective do you know what you remind me of?" He questioned with a wide smile on his face.

He leaned in too close for comfort his breath could be felt on her right ear, while his hand on her shoulder kept her still.

"An adorable little shrimp! I could just eat you up!" He said it slow to build up suspense but it sounded serious and at the same time.

She pushed him away feeling her face heat up tremendously like an oven.

"J -Jade!" She couldn't find the words to describe what she just heard feeling beyond embarrassed and having her heart pound loudly that she swore he could hear.

"I -I have to go, thank you for your time!" She frantically stated about to run off but before she could Jade had grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

"Aww can't I get a kiss too, little shrimp? Besides aren't you forgetting something?" She was too put off by the request to understand the sentence, but her mind did process part of the sentence and she remembered why she came here.

He held up a folded up sheet of paper in his hands toying with her holding it out of her reach.

How could he say that in such a cool voice? Her nerves couldn't handle so much teasing, it wasn't unlike him but it seemed he had gone over his usual gentlemanly behavior.

She hurriedly kissed him on the cheek in which he hadn't expected such a quick response to his question with a blush on his face becoming apparent and his frozen stature. She took the opportunity to jump up for the paper and ran from near the doorstep bidding farewell with the sheet of paper she had took in hand leaving a blushing male to watch her run out. His smile grew as he saw her frantic behavior, excitement bubbling within him.

He ran outside to the backyard of the mansion to go share his newfound happiness.

. . .

"Jade! Shrimpy is really cute!" The one male spoke to Jade in a tone of voice that was different than that of a few minutes, one that would have made him believe he was Jade himself.

There appearances were so similar, cept for the eyes and voice they were twins after all. With a little makeup and easy voice tone change one could hardly tell the difference anyway.

"I'd thought you'd understand if you saw her up close, Floyd." Jade was actually outside tending to his mushrooms in the garden while his look alike was entertaining the female detective that had left in a hurry. Though knowing his brother he could already assume how it must have went. Thinking of his little dectective being so flustered indefinitely brought out his sadistic side a bit.

"Can we keep her?" Floyd was so fond of her seeing her turn red, hearing her heart beating loudly, when she stuttered and that kiss on the cheek pretty much sealed the deal for him. She was so full of life and it brought excitement for him since he had to stay within the manor and avoid everyone. His behavior would be brash and scare many in the public eye not only that but his strength was inhuman which could cause problems for the person on the receiving end. Especially if you were trying to blend in.

They only came from the sea to see the lives of humans and unlike one of their friends who started a business in this day and age. Jade could survive on land with the ability to easily fool others with a facade whereas Floyd couldn't do that all the time and would probably squeeze someone for no reason other than boredom.

He didn't like being confined but after seeing the dectective sleeping on the couch once, he became curious as to who she was and why Jade spent so much time helping her. He knew for a fact his brother was not at all kind or generous. He was beginning to finally understand.

"We are but you have to be patient, you did give her both sheets of paper before she ran off correct?" His brother inquired finally seeing the hunger in his brother's eyes.

"Yup, she gave me a kiss just so she could distract me and take it. Shrimpy is so cunning she makes me want to squeeze her and pay her back for catching me off guard like that." The thought alone sounded enticing to Floyd, he couldn't wait to wrap his tail around her.

"I need you to go on another 'outing' tonight we have to perfect this first if we want to have any shot at having her to ourselves." Jade's words did nothing to damper his mood as his excitement reached a new level at the thought of showing his little Shrimpy off to everyone.

They were trying to get make a potion in which a human could become a sea creature, though it was easy for Jade to make one for himself and Floyd to come on land. The same can't be said for a person that's been human and has not a single gene that ties them to the ocean. Altering genetics is difficult and delicate and one mistake and their dear little detective could end up just like those poor unfortunate souls that were test subjects. Jade would never risk bringing her with them under the sea if he wasn't sure she'd make it.

"Okay~ Jade!" He said eagerly!

Now that Floyd was on board as well he would be more motivated and inclined to help, making it more easier for Jade as he wouldn't bother and complain so much about being on land longer.

. . .

She barely slept a wink after what had occurred. Every time she thought about her encounter with Jade she'd blush and bury her face into a pillow with frustration.

She tried before to get some of her work done before that, but that didn't work out too well as her mind drifted back to the same situation.

How close he was, the warmth of his breath against her ear, it was enough to make her brain stop functioning as if he were there again.

He seemed far more clingy than usual and she didn't know how to describe it other than strange. The notes from the alchemist were neat and precise and confirmed what Lilia and her examined on the bodies earlier in the day. But that wasn't the only thing that fell from the folded piece of paper. It was another small piece with neat cursive that matched the analytics on the other page.

'Would you like to spend your day off with me?'

Yet another reason she wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight.

. . .

After getting off from work she mentioned to her coworkers how Jade had offered her to spend her day off with him. Well they asked what she was gonna do with her day off since it was a rarity. First Cater asked her if she said yes to him yet. She said no and he understood from the get go that she was way too flustered to even respond to him. So he offered to go respond to him on her phone.

Rook congratulated her and went on a rant about love even though she tried to get through his head it wasn't a date. He asked what she would wear and she had no actual clue, in which Rook took that as an invitation to lend his aid and expertise.

He brought her to one of his friend's businesses. Cater said this place was highly recommended and that anyone whose anyone came to the place for a makeover. Specifically called Vil's beauty salon and boutique. She didn't understand how a person could have both but he seemed to be managing it fine. The said shop owner gave her one look and shook his head at her appearance.

His words were, "What a poor excuse for a girl to go on date with such a potato face such as that, it's shameful for not only you but the guy as well."

He had her try on clothes and by the end of it all, she felt different. Her head hurt from all the pulling around of her hair. She had put on enough clothes that she believed she was playing dress up. The outfit settled upon was different from her usual style and she had on makeup for the first time in her life.

Rook and Cater applauded Vil's work new appearance. The dectective had to admit that when she looked in the mirror she understood why Vil had such a reputation that Cater reccomended him highly.

She had to buy all of it of course and thanked Vil immensely for his efforts. There was actually a discount considering Rook brought her and she looked so 'pathetic'. He had a victoriously smug smile on his face and complimented his own efforts before waving the trio off. She thanked her two coworkers and bid them farewell, looking forward to the her first day off in a millennia.

When she met Jade the next day at his door he was plenty surprised by her appearance. He blushed with his eyes widened in astonishment at the change. Not to mention on the side of the manor Floyd could see just how beautiful she had dressed. It was going to be a long day especially with the heels she was wearing and trying her hardest to walk in.

. . .

The two friends went to Clover's bakery where Jade offered to pay for any sweets she wanted but it seemed they were terribly busy today and the line was a bit long not mention the place was packed inside so there weren't any tables to sit in.

Trey said it was nice to see her out and about for once not on dectective business for once. He said hello to Jade as they were all friends though she only knew Trey from Jade who introduced me. On rare occasions she would go to his bakery for something sweet. He handed them two cupcakes for free but also asked for a favor for him.

"Can you give deliever Riddle this tart please? His mother isn't home and he rarely ever gets anything sweet. I usually have Ace do it but-" He looks away for a moment.

"It's fine, Jade do you-"

"It's no trouble at all, we'd be happy to." He says with an enchanting smile on his face.

Trey handed over the box containing the tart to them and they made their way over to the clinic where Riddle resided.

On the way Jade and her conversed. She asked him why he agreed so quickly and he responded with his own unique answer.

"I know it's in your nature to help others. Yet another fond trait of yours."

It's more embarrassing hearing it for the first time and out loud no less. She could feel her face heat up again.

"Then there's when you turn into a cherry, one of my favorite traits." He said in a teasing tone with a smile toward her making the dectective flush even more and look away biting into her cupcake. To ignore the laughter emitting from her friend alongside her. Now this is the Jade she knows.

. . .

To be completely honest both of them enjoyed their time today with one another. They had delivered Riddle's tart which was almost a complete disaster.

Considering she asked Jade to be lookout in case his mother came back. Long story short she did arrive earlier than expected. After she and Riddle heard her voice outside the walls right near the entrance gate, the dectective told Riddle to go before she found him with the tart. Riddle was far more worried about her but the dectective told him she'd be fine.

By fine she meant ducking in the rose bushes for cover, there weren't any thorns surprisingly all been cut off. She waited for Riddle's mother to enter the house and had to scale the wall that was located next to an alleyway. Climbing up was the easy part but getting down was the hard part. She was wearing heels and that drop looked like she would possibly break a bone if she landed the wrong way.

She came to a decision to take a leap of fate and let her heels drop to the ground. One thought passed about Vil being pissed about her ruining them. She shook her head though and pushed herself off.

Before she could land someone else caught her. Looking up at her savior she saw the two colored eyes of Jade. Who smiled happily at making it on time.

"Ah look at that, my assumption was right. I thought you'd take this route out their place. It would've been such a shame if you were to get injured."

"Thank you Jade, can you put me down now please?"

"I don't think so I'd rather hold you like this until we get to the resturant for everyone to see." He playfully said watching her face heat up.

"Wha-? N -no I can walk on my own!"

"But you might have hurt something besides someone who can't get their words out is akin to a child so they must be coddled correct?" His teasing was endless today.

. . .

After leaving the Monstro Lounge a business run by one of Jade's friends, Azul Ashengrotto, the sun had already long set.

"Let me accompany you to your apartment, Y/n it's supposedly dangerous to be out after dark correct? Or you can just spend the night again?" He offered.

"I have to decline besides I've already used enough of your generosity I don't want to take it for granted. It's been such a great day thanks to you Jade, wish we could do these more often cept for the fact I have work tomorrow." She said in a relaxed tone.

Despite all the teasing she really did enjoy herself with the man. Having her heart beating loudly all day and having her brain short circuit was all too amusing to the man beside her, but out of everyone else even his own brother she made him feel strangely different. He couldn't explain the feeling itself, but he knew for a fact he'd never do all of this for someone he would use.

"You wish to spend more time with me? I can grant that you know." Jade had said that so simply and out of the blue but in a calm tone as well.

"There's no way you can do something like that but I appreciate the thought. It's fine though you've done enough already. I'd rather not burden you with a simple wish." She said with content.

Before he could respond to that statement fast footsteps hurried over to them both and made the pair turn around.

"I saw the killer it was Mr.Leech! He ran away from the scene!" His hair was a light green, eyes full of life and the loud tone of his voice was distinct.

"Sebek what do you mean you saw Jade kill someone he was with me the entire time!We just left the Monstro Lounge Azul saw us leave!" The dectective was defensive pertaining to justice being served, not to mention her friend was being accused and she had been with him the entirely of the day.

"No it was him I saw him Felmier was killed by him!"

"Felmier was killed?! You should've started with that! Take me to the body did you make sure he was dead?!"

. . .

Sebek had spread all about the town that Jade was the murderer even though the people who had seen us together throughout the day vouched. Trey, Riddle, Azul, Rook, and Cater even Vil had seen them together. Some actually took Sebek's words in and started to distrust Jade even so.

Vil and Rook two friends of Felmier had paid for the funeral costs as Epel's family was struggling. It was admirable to see the young man take on the vicious job as Vil's protégé. It really was a shame. Vil actually kept up a face and Rook though he looked upon the casket with blank like expression it was easy to tell he was out for blood. Jade did show up to pay his respects even though some glared at him and were suspicious.

Vil came up to dectecrive during the repass and told her to make that fool pay dearly. She would of course no argument there. Epel had been a good kid and may have been a bit brash but still good nonetheless. So was Ace.

And thus a good day ended on a sour note.

The dectective would have more sleepless nights. Lilia performed an autopsy on Epel's body with Vil standing by his side to make sure he didn't damage it. Even he was shocked to see more and more scales near his legs and gills that were more prominent.

These people were getting even more closer to there goal it seemed and she couldn't do a thing. She was so frustrated at that fact alone. Jade's analysis did help some though. Looking through shops though that sold what would be the components of the elixir nothing suspicious could be found in any of the people who had brought those items. Not to mention those who did didn't have all the items brought from another store, there was no reoccurring name in sales.

Speaking of Jade though she had begun to think back to Sebek. He wasn't the type to lie not on the name of the mysterious nobleman Malleus Draconia that he served would he ever embarrass himself to stain his name even slightly. That's what Lilia told her at least.

He said Jade had did the deed. But he was with her the entire time. Come to think Sam's description had also matched Jade's strange behavior before he gave her the analysis, but it didn't make sense. Jade was one person he couldn't be in two places at once!

Maybe someone was trying to frame him and to that extent she went to go question if he had any enemies of the sort. His response was that he didn't have any as far as he knew. That could have been a good lead.

With no others she sighed looking extremely worn out and Jade had a frown seeing her state. He insisted she stay the night and she denied saying she had to finish this case even more so now. He at least offered her a meal in which he put slipped some sleeping pills that made her fall asleep after eating.

Both pairs of two colored eyes gazed at her peaceful state not liking how she'd exhaust herself with so much work. Only for the sake of others and waste time and effort for people that isn't them. It was annoying to Floyd and agitated Jade more than he liked to admit. She did say she wanted to spend more time with them right?? If only she didn't have that stupid job. Even more a reason to push the date up to the next few days.

. . .

About a week and a half had passed and the dectective had no other leads still. It was killing her to say the least. All those unfortunate victims and those families and friends that mourned definitely weighed on her shoulders, guilt eating at her insides. Such a shame too within the end of the day she was at home taking an evening nap on her day off in which she didn't even go out today. Her phone buzzed waking her up from her slumber.

A text from Jade. It had been awhile since they last talked seeing as she fell asleep at his manor again even though she didn't intend to.

Rubbing her eyes she read the text from her bright phone screen.

'Meet me at the dock at 10 today.'

She wasn't as flustered as last time in fact she considered not going as this case took top priority. But this was Jade, her closest friend, and she hadn't taken much of a break as her nap was only 30 mintues probably the only amount of sleep she would get today if she was being honest with herself.

She reluctantly sighed and decided to get ready an hour before meeting him and walk there a bit early to have some time to her own thoughts. She thought about going to Vil's shop to buy another outfit but it would have been a waste if they were only meeting for a short time. Not to mention she didn't want Vil to come to the conclusion she was slacking off with Jade even though the bags around her eyes were very much proof.

As she sat at the edge of the dock admiring the stars the waves hitting the edge of the pier calmed her head. It was nice to say the least.

She wondered what Jade would have to talk about. She looked at her phone and saw it was 10:05, Jade being late was a surprise, hopefully if she waited a bit longer her worry would ease. That atmosphere could not have lasted any longer.

A slight wind blew and during that exact moment something pulled her under by her feet into the cold ocean waters below. She managed to hold her breath and open her eyes to see nothing but darkness even with the moon behind the clouds right about now only endless shadows were there.

She could barely hear but she could have sworn something swam by her. Arms touched her waist which almost made her scream for a moment though that was something suicidal. It touch the sides of her stomach and stayed there for a moment.

Even though she tried to struggle it was fruitless when the thing that held her tickled her sides making her open her mouth and succumb to breathing in water then choking soon after. That wasn't the only thing to occur since the next second lips were on hers and a fluid trickled down her throat along with the water that she was trying to swallow. The tongue of said thing dipped inside her mouth and would have made her gag if they hadn't pulled away.

She regretted it the moment they did cause she still could breath and with her mouth open she thought she would take her final breath. Both or what she assumes were two people backed off letting her go to meet her demise with her slowly closing her eyes. She didn't notice the glow of what transpired around her lower half of her body. She could finally take in some much needed breaths except her neck for some reason felt sore and she could no longer move her legs separately to try and swim up for air.

Looking down she saw the horrid image of a long tail with a fin on the end where her legs were supposed to be. The pain form her neck was from three newly formed slits on either side of her neck. Her fingers traced over them finding this whole situation unbelievable. When she finally came to her senses she found herself hearing voices as well.

"Shrimpy's still here! It worked, Jade!" A cheerful voice could be heard in the cold waters that surrounded her.

Something slimy wrapped about her new found lower half. Pulling her closer to be within someone's arms. They held her a bit too tight like all the air, water in her lungs could have been? Did she still even have those anymore she wondered? Even still the amount of pressure put on her by the creature hugging her was able to be felt.

He was laughing happily spinning around in circles with the former human female getting dizzy by the second.

"I can see that Floyd. How wonderful, but do take it down a notch she only was just turned after all." That voice was all too familiar. She couldn't help but say it aloud, but that couldn't be true.

"Jade?" Her voice was a whisper but of course he still heard it.

"Yes, my dear angelfish what is it?" He responded in an endearing tone that was calm despite the situation she was just put through.

She glanced toward the voice to see what appeared to be a creature similar to that of an eel by the tail. Her eyes trailed up to the sight of his face. It was him no doubt about it. The eyes were exact and so was the hair the only difference was the body and skin.

"Aw Shrimpy why'd you acknowledge him first? I'm here too." A voice whined in a more child like tone directly in her ear. It brought a shiver down her spine.

'Shrimpy?' That was unmistakably the nickname Jade gave her when he acted weird.

She turned toward his way and saw a sharp toothed grin on his face when she looked at him.

"Floyd you haven't even introduced yourself." Jade sounded like his normal self and this Floyd person was just the complete opposite of him.

"Oh right Shrimpy I'm Floyd, Jade's brother and your going to be with us in the sea from now on! Isn't that great? I can't wait to show you all my favorite places you'll love it!" He sounded so excited while dread built up in the mermaid.

"What do you mean stay here?! What have you done to me? Who, what even are you two?!" She said those words with malice laced into them having them both chuckle in response.

Jade had also wrapped his tail about her upper half restraining her further. He brought himself closer to her face, a smirk etched on to it.

"My, my, Y/n you did say you wanted to spend more time with me, isn't this what you wanted?" He tilted her chin up showing a sadistic smile on his face that only built up even more dread than what his brother had already.

"I didn't realize or expected anything like this and you know that! Why would you do this?! You! You-" She thought for a second processing all that had occurred the past couple of weeks.

"You killed them you gave them that exlixir that ended their lives. Every single one of them." This time it was the other brother's turn to speak.

"There's our little dectective she's so smart!~" Floyd just made her completely uncomfortable with how he would call her that nickname and whisper words in her ear.

"Why? Why would you do this?" She became defeated knowing turf like this was theirs and she stood no chance against them in the first place.

"Eh why? Is Shrimpy really that blind Jade?" Floyd mocked her with no remorse as tears streamed down the dectective's eyes at the thought of letting so many people down.

"Why? My dear angelfish haven't you noticed? We've become quite enamored with you. Hm no better word to put it is obsessed, at first it was just me but with Floyd's impatience I just had to get him in on understanding why we didn't go back home already. As for those people they were necessary for testing the elixir for this very moment. We couldn't have you dying on us afterall." He said with absolute calmness evoking rage within the mermaid.

She clenched her fists.

"So many were sacrificed, I should've died, instead." She murmured the last half but both the twin eels heard it.

There expressions turned dark and their tails gripped the female tighter startling her from her state of guilt.

"Eh, why would you say that Shrimpy, we can't have you leaving us. We finally got you all to ourselves and I haven't had much time with you, and yet you say you want to leave." Floyd's arms contracted her more than Jade's tail already, now she understood what it must have felt like for Trappola.

"He is right Y/n dear, we only want what's best for you and having you say that only makes our blood boil so please understand." Jade gripped her chin with a scary amount of strength. This was the first time he ever seemed so much more intimidating to her.

"Don't ever say something like that again am I clear?"

From that point on she was stuck between the twin eels who loved her so. She only wished she could have been able to listen to Sebek when he said the truth. Mr. Leech did do it just not the one she thought.

[lavaffair]

Just Admit It

Inukag Fluff Week Prompts: Touch and Pining

Ao3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/33211216

Having a crush on someone can be wonderful, but also incredibly unfair. The hours spent daydreaming about the person who gives your stomach butterflies seem to be more fun than having the actual crush. Experiencing this vulnerable feeling because of a person is actually quite terrifying and painful. Most of the time, crushes lead to heartbreak and letting go of the person who never gave you a chance.

Being in love with a person can be extremely intense, almost obsessive, and beautiful if done right. When someone’s feelings reach this level, it begins to cut deeper beyond the surface, into dangerous and uncharted territory. Especially if the person you are in love with has absolutely no idea of your true feelings towards them.

For Kagome Higurashi, her feelings towards her best friend Inuyasha Taisho went way beyond a crush. She was in love with her best friend, so in love that it hurt her, and she was too afraid to ever tell him about them.

The risk of ruining her lifelong friendship of 16 years was too scary to think about. Kagome could never think of her life without Inuyasha, he was always there to annoy her, get her angry, protect her, and support her whenever and wherever. When he yelled at the bigger kids for making fun of her name when they were five, or afterward when she pushed someone away from him when they pulled on his ears, they made a pack to back each other up. The friendship just blossomed after that.

Of course, they made more friends along the way, which included Sango and Miroku; whom they met in middle school, but their friendship never changed. They knew each other better than anyone else, and they have had the uncomfortable and awkward conversations that come up between teenagers, and so they have seen it all.

They have been there for each other when their hearts have been broken, when they had fights with others, and when they have personal issues. The bond between them was so strong that even the idea of it breaking caused Kagome a ton of stress. She could not do it and would not do it. At the end of the day, they will be in each other’s friend zone and they will die in the friend zone.

She was convinced that Inuyasha had zero feelings for her. He has seen her at her worst, and probably only looks at her like a sister. There was no way he could feel anything more for her.

This is why seeing him flustered and awkward about having to share a bed together did not raise any suspicions. It was obvious he was just a bit uncomfortable with the situation since it has been years since they have shared a bed with each other. They are both in their early twenties now, and sharing a bed was very intimate at this age compared to at 13.

“Yash, I could go downstairs right now and ask for another room. You look like you’re going to have a heart attack.” Kagome grinned at him, trying her best to suppress her shyness.

“Tch. We tried that already! That old hag wasn’t budgin’. This is the last time we let Miroku make hotel reservations.” He anxiously paced around the room.

“I can’t believe they don’t have any rooms with two beds. It’s not like it’s a special weekend or anything, it’s not even that busy this time of year.” She could not help but bite her bottom lip while watching him pace the room. His anxiety was getting to her.

“Well. We’re stuck here now, I tried all of my tricks but that lady wouldn't budge. We just gotta figure this out.”

He disappeared into the closet and pulled out an extra blanket provided by the hotel and placed it on the ground beside the huge bed. It was soft and fluffy enough to provide some comfort, but Kagome knew his back was going to hurt tomorrow and beyond that. They are staying at this hotel for the next few days, and until they can find a new room, they will have to make due.

“Inuyasha, we can just share the bed.” She tried speaking logic into him.

Inuyasha hoped she missed the way his body jolted at her offer because it was an intense one. Share a bed? With his best friend, whom he also harbored feelings for? Not a chance. Not when it was hard for him to even look at her without thinking about all the ways he could hold her.

He was down bad, he just refused to make it obvious. Instead, he played off his feelings for her by being extra rude sometimes. It helped mask his feelings and it was believable because he was naturally a huge jerk. Of course, he has gotten softer because of Kagome, but he turns it on when he needs it. Right now, he was too flustered to even pretend to act like a cocky bastard.

He and Kagome have not shared a bed since they were pre-teens, and that was before puberty kicked in. It took him a while to notice it at first, but when Inuyasha realized he had developed feelings for his best friend, he knew he had to shut it down immediately. He saw the changes she went through, and how she went from this annoying, loud, bossy little girl into this independent and beautiful woman. It was too much for him, and it happened overnight. He sucks at handling his feelings, he is not the best with women, and thus concludes him knowing he is not good for her.

Kagome deserved better, she deserved more than him. Some guy who can talk about his feelings and does not want to punch almost every frustrating person in the face. He was in love with her, so in love, he would sacrifice his chance of happiness just to see her happy with someone else. He will support her from the sidelines, like any good best friend, while his heart tears away at the idea of a love that did not get a chance.

Her friendship was enough for him. That is what he told himself every day.

“No.” He replied flatly. “You probably still kick in your sleep.”

“I do not kick!” He heard her shout.

He laughed, “Tell that to my legs. I think they’re still bruised.”

Of course, he did not miss the way she scoffed as she got the bed ready to sleep in. He could hear her breathing from across the room, her sweet, natural scent filling the space every time she moved around and it was intoxicating.

“Don’t be such a big baby!” She padded the pillows for extra fluff. “You’re a demon, my kicks don’t even hurt you.”

He poked his head out from the closet, looking for anything extra to put on his makeshift bed other than bath towels. “Half demon,” he corrected. “And yes they do.”

She blew out some air from her lungs and padded over towards him, her little feet tip-tapping on the carpet floor. “Inuyashaaaa,” she whined. “If I promise to not kick you, will you please sleep on the bed?”

He swallowed hard, his nerves getting the best of him as he cleared his throat. It took him a second to compose himself before exploding, and then he put on his best face. He raised an eyebrow at her, a smirk playing on his lips with a little fang poking out.

“So you admit that you do kick now. huh?”

Kagome rolled her eyes, immediately walking away from him with her arms crossed against her chest. “You’re impossible!”

After a few seconds of comfortable silence, he heard her zip and unzip her luggage and heave a sigh. “I’m going to change really quickly. I’ll be right back.”

He grunted in return and quickly changed into some sweats and a loose-fit tee shirt. His makeshift bed was as good as it was going to get, the fluffy comforter folded on the ground providing some back support. There were no more extra blankets, but Kagome always brought an extra for traveling, so he would just use hers to sleep in.

Little sounds were coming out from the bathroom and he knew she was doing her nightly routine of skincare and hair brushing. Out of all the women he has ever met, Kagome was the one always on top of her routines. He knew she had one in the morning and one at night, and the only reason why she was not taking her nightly shower was because of how tired she was after a long travel day.

The sound of clothes coming off and then rustling back on her skin was extremely distracting, so he decided to focus on the interesting floor lamp in the corner of the room. It had a rustic-colored body, with a cream-colored lampshade over the light bulb, and it was as boring as any other floor lamp in existence.

The door to the bathroom clicked open, and the sweet scent that was Kagome hit his nose instantly. It was never enough for him and he was so selfish he always wished for more. The citrusy scent mixed with vanilla was expected after she stayed in the bathroom for so long, but he did not expect his heart to skip a beat when he laid eyes on her in her pajamas. To anyone else, it would just be plain sleepwear, but seeing her in a pink tee-shirt and shorts set was driving him insane. There were little white stars decorating the entire ensemble, and Inuyasha could not believe Kagome could get any cuter.

“Nice PJs, what are you, five?” He teased, if only she knew he was dying inside.

She glared at him in return, “At least my pajamas are more fun. You’re in the same thing you always wear.”

“Kagome, you never see me when I’m going to bed.” He was trying really hard to stop himself from stuttering.

“You’re right, but I see you in the mornings when you’re a grump. You don’t change out of them unless you have somewhere to go.”

“I didn’t come here to get chastised for my taste in sweatpants, Kags.”

She giggled and it sent a jolt of electricity into his system. “That may be true, but when we get back home I’m buying you new pajamas. I’ll get some cute ones for you.”

The half-demon narrowed his amber eyes at her, “You’re gonna get matching onesies ain't ya?”

Shrugging her shoulders and shooting him a cheeky little smile, she skipped to her giant bed and left his question unanswered. Choosing to turn off the lights instead, and leaving the duo in the dark.

Cheeky wench he thought.

There was nothing else for either of them to do but get comfortable in bed to sleep. Everyone in the group had had a long day, and he was sure Sango and Miroku were already asleep in the room across from theirs. He was thankful the universe spared him from having to listen to anything that was not snoring.

“What time do you think we’ll all be up by tomorrow?” He heard Kagome ask from above him.

As he made himself comfortable on the floor with the fluffy pillow Kagome had given him he answered, “Hopefully not at noon. I’ll push you off the bed and bang on their door until yer all awake.”

She laughed, “You’ll get us kicked out if you do that.”

“Yeah?” Well, maybe we can find a hotel that has rooms with two beds.” He grumbled.

“Sharing a bed is not a big deal!” Kagome lied, because to her it would definitely be a big deal.

To the blushing half-demon sleeping on the ground, it was also a very big deal. “Goodnight Kagome.”

Kagome pouted, thankful that he could not see the disappointment on her face. “Fine, don’t be extra grumpy when your back hurts tomorrow.”

They flipped on their sides facing away from each other and attempted to sleep. Kagome was doing well, the giant bed was super comfortable and it would bring her to sleep in no time. Except, she could listen to Inuyasha shuffling over on the floor knowing he was trying to find a comfortable position.

A frustrated grunt had her fluttering her eyes open and groggy from sleep. She wondered how long she had been out, and she would ask Inuyasha but he was still tossing and turning on the floor. She rubbed her eyes and let out a tiny yawn before scooting over to the side to look at him.

At the moment, he was fighting with Kagome’s blanket and was one minute closer to taking the car keys and sleeping inside the car.

“Inuyasha?” he heard her ask. Her voice was soft and sounded small, she looked tired and in much need of sleep.

“Kags? Hey, sorry for waking you.” He said apologetically.

She shook her head with a little smile to show him she felt no animosity towards him. “Yash, you’re uncomfortable. Please come to bed.”

“You say that like it’s easy..” he muttered over his beating heart. She was so tired, and yet here she was still concerned over him and putting his needs before her own.

“It’s not easy.” She replied sleepily.

“What?” He sat up from his floor bed and looked at her. Her eyes were glossed over, and a little smile was painted on her face. “Kags, what do you mean?”

She shrugged awkwardly in her laying down position and yawned again. “I like you, so, it’s not easy for me to tell you that.. but you can’t sleep on the floor.”

Inuyasha’s face heated up instantly, a blush so red and deep that he could make tomatoes jealous of its color. There was no way she was telling him the truth. There was absolutely no way she was reciprocating his feelings right now, because this all seems too good to be true, and nothing this amazing ever happens to him. He was already lucky enough to call her his best friend, but for her to like him back when he had never told her was more than he could have asked for.

Her words processed rather quickly, and Kagome shot up from the bed. suddenly wide awake. There was absolutely no way she just said that to him. Every second that passed caused her to overthink everything, and she felt like her friendship with him was slipping out of her fingers the more time passed.

“I- I mean! Um.. no? Uh. I didn’t say that! Forget what I said!” She laughed nervously, “Haha funny joke!”

Her stuttering was going through one fluffy ear and out of the other because he was still trying to process what she said. He could see her better than she could see him, and her blushing face did not match the denial she was spewing at him.

“Would you laugh too if I told you I felt the same way?” His voice wavered during his confession while his stomach made flips.

“You…” Kagome paused and took a deep breath in a failed attempt to get herself to relax. “You like me too?”

“Yep.”

“..For how long?”

“Since I turned 13 and saw you in that one blue dress at the school dance.” There was no going back for him now.

She remembered that day pretty easily because it was one of her most cherished memories. It was the middle school dance, and everyone was super excited to find someone to go with. Naturally Kagome went with Inuyasha since they were so inseparable, and she wanted to surprise him and go in her new blue dress. That whole night Inuyasha was acting weirder than usual, but she thought it was because of the school dance, not because of her or her blue dress.

“What about you?” His question dragged her out of her thoughts.

“Around the same time as you, except it was after the dance. Yura cut off some of my hair because she was kinda obsessed with it, and mama had to even it out afterward. It was so short, and I hated it! But you came up to me when I was crying and told me I was pretty with my short hair, and then you yelled at Yura the next day.

“That’s when I sort of figured I liked you more than just as my best friend.” She admitted.

The two best friends stared at each other in bewilderment due to their confessions. The words they shared are still floating above them like small clouds. The fear of their feelings staying one-sided was nothing but a fluke now, because their feelings were reciprocated.

“Do you um..” Kagome coughed, “Wanna get off the floor and talk about it some more?” She padded the mattress for emphasis.

He was sure he looked like an idiot with how fast he got up from the carpet. Maybe she did not see it that way, but he sure did feel that way. He felt like he was floating even with his body now firmly on the large bed. He left a small space between them, on the off chance that he was reading into it too much.

It was quiet between them and sleep was still creeping onto them like a predator watching its prey.

“You know I expected my confession to you to be kinda dramatic.” Kagome laughed, “Like, we have a huge fight and we’re yelling at each other from across the room and then you say something stupid and I just kinda scream it out.”

The half-demon raised a brow at her in amusement. “You watch way too many movies, Kagome.”

She pushed on his shoulder in mock offense, “Don’t pretend like you don’t sit there and watch them with me!”

“That’s because you force me to watch them with you. How many times have we seen the Notebook? I lost count!”

“Okay, okay, first of all, we haven’t seen the Notebook since high school. I’ll admit we saw it too often, but not recently!”

“Yeah?” He grinned at her, his fang poking out only adding to the effect he has on her. “Doesn’t mean we haven’t seen similar movies.”

She huffed, “I’m a sucker for romance. You can’t blame me for that.”

Inuyasha watched as her lips turned out into a little pout and she puffed out her chest. Those same lips he has always caught himself staring too hard at, the ones he thought about kissing everyday but knew he never could. Well, here was his chance; and she was sitting right in front of him.

Before he could back out of it, he leaned in closer to her face and stared directly into her dark brown eyes. Her breath caught in her throat and the little gasp she let out echoed his ears. Her breath fawned over his lips as she realized how close they were to touching. Her eyes flicked from his golden ones to his lips, and then back to his eyes again.

“Can I kiss you?” He asked her breathlessly. He was totally enthralled by her and her full, parted lips.

She nodded in anticipation knowing that her voice would fail her if she tried to speak.

His lips were on hers instantly as he drank her in like water. They were as soft and plush as he expected them to be but they were also even more than that. Their lips molded against each other so easily it was strange to think about why he waited so long to do this in the first place. The kiss they shared was sweet and cautious but still electrifying. He did not want to scare her away in case she backed out of it, but little did he know she was savoring this moment between them.

Slowly, they parted ways as they tried to catch their breath. Inuyasha noted how cute she looked with pink-tinted cheeks, kiss swollen lips, and sparkling eyes as she looked at him. He could not stop the grin from showing up on his face after finally being able to kiss the girl of his dreams, the same girl that was a bit too far from him at the moment.

“Come ‘ere.” He slurred, his voice deep and rich with admiration. He extended his arms to her and beckoned her towards him with a blush still on his cheeks.

Without saying a word she crawled over to him and broke the remaining space they had between them. She fit into his lap so perfectly and she never wanted to live a life where she could not do this again. The butterflies in her stomach were eating her alive but she powered through the feeling and laid her head on his shoulder. His strong arms embraced her small figure and pressed her into him while he fought the nerves in his body to relax. This was still extremely new to the both of them, but suddenly they wanted to be as close to each other as possible.

They sat together like this for a few minutes until Inuyasha noticed that Kagome was starting to drift away into sleep again. Even the excitement of a love confession was not strong enough against the pull of sleep.

“Kags,” he whispered. “Let’s lay down. You need to sleep more comfortably.”

She protested, “But I’m comfy here.”

Before she could say anything more he quickly changed their position and laid down on the bed. With one arm still holding Kagome snuggly on him, he used the other to bring up the giant comforter to cover the both of them. He was glad they both decided to leave the lights off during the entire ordeal they had earlier so he did not have to get up and ruin her comfortable position.

Kagome was thankful for the lights staying off too because she was not going to let Inuyasha go even for a second. Miroku and Sango might be extremely confused tomorrow morning when they notice the change in dynamic but that will be tackled when they get to it. Right now, she is way more content with her head on his chest and his hand on her back.

Before she officially dozed off into slumber, she kissed his chin and snuggled into him. With her head on his chest, she could hear the erratic beating of his heart after her surprise kiss. He said nothing as he listened to her breathing steadily with every minute that passed until her grip on his arm went slack.

Inuyasha had not expected so much to happen between them in a span of a few hours. Their dynamic now changed forever. He was aware that they still had more to talk about, but for now, he was going to cherish this moment with her. He kissed her forehead one more time out of pure need and desire before settling in to catch some sleep.

He would never deny sharing the bed with her ever again.

[heximagines]

Ambrose | Choose Your Own Adventure | 1B

{INTRO}

YOU LEFT THE GUN

As you retreat back into your cab to grab a pair of boots and pull them on over your bare feet you eye your gun. Part of you wants to keep it close by just in case but you’d scared the poor guy enough already. After a moment you decide to leave the gun, you think he can be trusted. You grab your backpack and shove your phone, charger, and a fresh bag of jerky in there. You think you’re all set so you grab your keys and begin to lock up the truck but just as you’re about to leave one last item catches your eye. You grab it and shove it into your bag before slamming the door shut and jogging up to the strange man’s truck. When you climb in he seemed relieved that you’re unarmed. “It should only take about 10 er 15 minutes to get there.” You give him a shy smile and nod. “Okay sounds good. I’m y/n by the way. Sorry I usually make it a habit to introduce myself before ya know, pointing a gun at someone.” He chuckles at that and smiles back at you. “I’m Lester. You don’t worry about it none. I’m sure you weren’t expecting to be woken up like that.” “Well it’s nice to meet you Lester, I appreciate your help.” Lester throws the truck in drive and sets off back up the road you’d been going down earlier. Your eyes peer out into the dark of the surrounding woods and you struggle to see anything past the tree line. Meanwhile Lester chews his lip nervously and begins to fiddle with the radio trying to get a signal to come in, finally the staticky signal clears up just enough to hear the twang of a country artist. “Oh!” Lester cranked it up. “Ya like Hank Williams Jr?” You laugh and nod. “Of course I do! Hey good lookin’, whatcha got cookin’? How’s about cookin’ somethin’ up with me,” you sing along to the muffled voice on the radio. “Yeah! That’s it!” Lester bangs his hand against the steering wheel to the beat before joining along. “I’m free and ready, so we can go steady, how’s about savin’ all your time for me?” You and Lester sing along to the radio up until the signal cuts out completely. As it does the glimmer of a street light lit up the road making you sit up in your seat. As the truck passes under it the cab is illuminated for just a moment and you turned to look at Lester. He still sports a little smile on his face and you’re thankful for the good company. It seemed like no time had passed when you roll past a big sign. ‘Welcome to Ambrose, Visit Trudy’s World Famous House of Wax!’ “World famous House of Wax huh?” Lester shifts uncomfortably and he gets an odd look on his face. “Yeah, nothin’ too special.” You giggle to yourself. “Not too special? It’s world famous!” Lester cracked a smile and laughed. “Well, I suppose you got me there.”

Once you drive a bit into town you’re greeted by a small gas station with a garage attached. Lester puts the truck in park before checking the time on the truck stereo. It’s 4:30am. You had a nice ride and aren’t looking forward to going back to sleep in your own truck, but it looks like that’s going to be the plan until the station opens. You both climb out and Lester goes about lowering your truck off of the tow. You wrap your arms around yourself as you watch, trying to keep the now early morning chill from your skin when suddenly you’re startled by a loud voice just behind you. “Lester! What do ya think yer doin’ lettin’ yer friend freeze out here without a jacket?” Lester’s head shoots up and his eyes are blown wide. You turn around to see a handsome tall man approaching. He’s dressed casually in jeans, a T-shirt, and a thick flannel. “Oh, hey Bo. I wasn’t expectin’ ya to be up this early.” The man, Bo, pays Lester no mind as he approaches you, taking off his flannel he holds it out to you. “Oh, no I’m okay really. I have a hoodie in my truck. Thank you though.” “Now, now no need to be shy. Go on.” He presses the shirt into your hands as Lester approaches. His eyes are darting between the two of you and if you were paying more attention you would have noticed the panic in them. Finally you slip the warm material over your shoulders and pul it around yourself. “Thanks. I appreciate it.” Bo nods before looking to Lester. “What’s the problem?” A slight frown twists your lips and you have to bite your tongue. “Uh,” Lester looked back down at you “You said it was yer starter right?” You simply nod, deciding not to butt in despite it being your truck. “Well that shouldn’t be no big deal. C’mon sweetheart. Let’s get you inside and I’ll fix your truck up.” The mechanic turns his back to you and starts walking towards the station, expecting you to follow.

Lester gives you a wavering smile and grabs your bag from the ground, handing it off to you. “Do you, uh, you want me to stay?” You take your bag and sling it over your shoulder before shaking your head. “You’ve done so much for me already. I’ll be all good and on the road soon thanks to you.” You lean in to wrap your arms around Lester’s slim torso in a tight hug. The smell of his sweat stained shirt makes you want to wrinkle your nose but you brush it aside. Lester seems to hesitate for a moment before hugging back, giving your shoulder an awkward pat. “You really don’t gotta thank me...” You slowly pull away and beam up at him. “Don’t be silly. Have a good morning Lester.” Finally you turn to the station and jog to catch up with the mechanic who’s holding the door open with a mildly annoyed expression. Lester exhales through his nose as he get back into the truck. Before he pulls off he looked back to watch you disappear into the station and for the first time in a long time guilt settles heavily in his chest. Lester throws the truck into drive and takes off. You turn your head just in time to watch him drive off in the direction you’d come from.

Your fingers fiddle with your backpack straps as you entered the shop. It’s cleaner than you’d expected. Almost as if it’s been mostly untouched. Bo closes the glass door and turns the lock. The click makes you jump a bit and you turn back to look at him. “Still closed technically, if I don’t lock up people will just barge in expectin’ service. Ya know?” You snort and roll your eyes. “Yeah people sure do like to make demands.” Bo flashes you a grin, “Exactly. Here how about you come to the garage with me and I’ll find ya a place to sit while I get to work.” Your back is sore from being tossed around your cab and the thought of sitting down and resting sounds very enticing. “That’d be great.” With a kind smile Bo gestures to a door. As you follow behind him into the dark garage you feel your anxiety spike, causing a tightness in your chest. However the feeling eases once he flips on the lights to reveal a perfectly average looking workspace. A little nervous laugh bubbles up past your lips and Bo arches a brow. “What’s so funny?” You cover your mouth with your hand and shrug. “I-I don’t know. I just had kind of a long night.” “Well then,” Bo smirks “how about you just relax.” He pulls up a comfortable enough looking chair, placing it right by the door to the shop. Gladly you drop your bag to your feet and collapse into the chair with a sigh. “Thank you.” “No problem.”

You didn’t know when you dozed off but when you open your eyes your surroundings are different. You gasp and sit up straight, head whipping around the room to take in as much as you can. The edges of your vision blur and your head swims with panic. Where the fuck are you? You jump from your seat and stumble just barely catching yourself on the arm of the chair, or rather contraption. You turn and back away slowly to take it in. It was like something you’d see in a prison or asylum. A metal chair, cushioned with cracked leather and straps designed to hold down your arms and legs. You’re just glad you hadn’t been strapped down. You have to get out of here. Not daring to pause and take in any more detail you dash for the nearest door. When you rip it open you’re met with a set of stairs. You take a moment to calm your breathing before getting down on your hands and knees. Cautiously you crawl up the wooden stairs stopping short of the top. You peek through the posts of the railing and you can see Bo on the opposite side of the garage, tearing through shelves like he was looking for something. You need to get to your truck and grab your gun. “God fucking damn it!” Bo slams his hands against the shelf, making it rock. You jump but quickly seize the opportunity to make a little noise. Scrambling up the steps you make a break for your truck, but as you run you realize in horror your keys are no longer in your pocket. But you’re in luck, you’d forgotten to lock the door last night. You grab for the handle and tear the door open before diving inside. “Hey!” Bo’s voice cuts the air like a whip. You watch as he launches himself over a bench and comes running for you. You slam down the driver’s side lock just as Bo is reaching for the handle, then scramble backwards to grab the passenger side as well. Bo retreats and you take the opportunity to grab your shotgun in shaky hands. When you look back up Bo is returning with a heavy looking wrench in hand. With all the force he can muster he slammed the tool into the driver’s side window, a large crack appearing in the center. You steady your hands to aim your gun at the man’s head. “I’ll fucking kill you! I swear I’ll fucking kill you!” Bo hesitates and you scoot back until you’re pressed against the passenger side door. Through the cracked glass you can see the look of pure rage written over his features, but he doesn’t move. You unlock the door and step out carefully. Bo’s gaze is so intense it takes everything in you to not look away. Aim still steady, you walk backwards towards the door where your bag sat waiting for you. You pause for only a moment before leaning down to grab it. The second you do you hear Bo’s rapid footsteps as he runs at you. You grab your bag and make a break for the door but he’s hot on your heels. When you exit out into the shop you’re already prepared for what you have to do. You aim your gun and shoot at the door, once cracks the glass, twice breaks through. You jump through the opening you made and the sharp edges of the glass catch at your limbs but you don’t dare stop. You run without looking back and when you reach the road you pick a direction.

GO LEFT

Towards town to find help

GO RIGHT

The same way Lester drove off

[knightofameris]

hot chai tea — kita shinsuke

𝚐𝚎���𝚍𝚎𝚛: neutral 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚜: reader has a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝: 1.3𝚔 𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚜' 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜: okay I was trying to not include any notes for these but I had to for this! After writing (well, partially into writing it) this I found that I enjoyed it enough that I wanted to submit it for @agaassi​‘s 4k celebration 🥺 It’s not a cafe AU, but I call it the “cafe au but make it boba” I’ll include a bit more of some notes at the end so uhmmm catch ya in a bit! 

𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍: hot chai tea 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 ChaTime  𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚍𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚔!

⇽ 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚘 ◜𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚜' 𝚋𝚘𝚋𝚊 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚙 𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚞◞ 

Everything that could go wrong, went wrong. 

First you woke up late, you didn’t even have time to eat, the campus bus left you as you were running towards it which made you late to your last 8AM (with an attendance policy) class of the semester. Then, you realized you brought the wrong notebook for your 8AM class for the review session since finals was next week and you forgot your laptop so you resorted to taking notes on your goddamn phone. Ah, but then your phone died and you forgot to bring a charger and a portable. Because of that, you lost track of time while studying that you were late to work. 

You only made it into work 10 minutes late but it was in the midst of a rush and you messed up the first three orders terribly. So badly that your coworkers and manager just put you in the back to sort some things instead. 

That’s how you found yourself scowling as you carried boxes back and forth, organizing cups and food items in the fridge. This is it, this was your villain origin story. Forced to the back after a shitty day and—

A strict, yet soft, voice called out to you. 

You felt a shiver run down your spine, stopping you in your tracks, and slowly turned towards the voice of your manager. 

Kita Shinsuke.

Honestly, you weren’t usually scared of him. He’s a nice guy, kinda robotic at times, but he has an aura that commandeers respect. He says it like it is, but he cares a lot. Always on time, always working efficiently, always able to handle the Miya twins when needed. 

It’s just that... He’s never had a reason to use that voice on you. 

“Ah, Kita-san, what’s up?” You asked, trying to put on a smile. 

His intense eyes stared straight into yours and you immediately looked away, feeling a bit too vulnerable under his gaze. 

“Is there some reason why you’re not performing like you usually do?” 

Right, Kita was always someone who could do his job no matter what happens. Performing anxiety was nonexistent to him. Or any anxiety for that matter. 

“I, uh,” you debated between telling him a lie but you had a feeling he’d read right through you. Maybe being honest was the better choice here. “Just had a bad day.” 

Kita doesn’t say anything. Instead, choosing to wait. So you set down the box with a sigh and began explaining everything that happened. And he listens, fully and wholeheartedly. He doesn’t say anything, nor is he thinking of what to say until you finish. By the time you’re done going over the events that transpired that eventful day you find that you’re choking back tears. 

“I want you to take a deep breath,” he instructed. He walked up to you as you did so and set his hands on your shoulders. “With finals next week, you should go home and rest so it doesn’t impact your exams. Your immune system is weakest when you’re stressed and you should take care of your body-”

“Wait, Kita-san—” It’s already too late, he had you turned around and began pushing you towards the exit in the back. 

“-Eat some dinner and sleep early tonight. Then make sure to get plenty of breaks as you study.” 

“Wait, but Kita, I need to work,” you pleaded, dropping the honorific. Although, that caused you more of a fright than himself as you scampered to try to fix your mistake but Kita just holds up a hand. He didn’t really mind the fact that you dropped it. 

“Do you need the money?” 

You blinked then stare down at your feet with a soft murmur of ‘yes’ and begin to explain, “I work the exact hour of shifts needed to pay for rent before the end of the month. Financial aid only covers tuition and just enough for groceries so...” 

Kita’s quiet for a few moments before he lets out a sigh, “You should still go home.” 

“Wha-? But-!”

“If you need to work an extra shift, I can work one in for you. After finals which is before the end of the month and before your next paycheck.” You frown, weighing your options and as you do so, Kita leaves to go towards the front. Which was confusing as you’re left standing there in the back. You were surprised that none of your coworkers came by but you suppose it’s because they didn’t want to fall under Kita’s wrath with poor word choices. 

It wasn’t until a few moments later that his figure comes into view and in his hand was the standard ChaTime cup that always held warm drinks. Kita holds out the drink towards you and you hesitantly grabbed it. 

“It’s chai tea, not too caffeinated so you’ll be able to rest easy tonight but just enough energy to get you back home,” he told you. You can’t help the few tears that escape your eyes but Kita’s face doesn’t change, no pity and no anger. Just a softness you couldn’t place. It makes your cheeks heat up. You hope you can blame it on you crying, even if it wasn’t much.

“Thank you, Kita-san,” you hesitantly take the cup out of his hands after wiping away the stray tears. “I’ll be sure to rest up tonight.” 

He gives you a curt nod and you’re already on your way to clock out and on the train back to your apartment. You finish the drink by the time you get back to your apartment and do everything that would make Kita proud. Eat dinner, drink water, and rest for the rest of the night. Maybe do a little face mask and watch a bit of Sailor Moon. 

For the first time that day, you were content. 

***

The next time you walk into work is long after finals week finished. There was a bit of a dance in each step you had as you strolled through the boba shop for the morning shift. But that soon came to a halt when you heard someone clear their voice. 

“Oh, Kita-san,” you laughed sheepishly. You could’ve sworn there was a slight smile on his face but that was the least of your worries once you noticed he had two cups in his hand. 

“Here, I hope your finals went well,” he handed you the warm drink and you immediately knew it was chai tea. 

You stared at Kita as he drank his own drink, maneuvering through the shop. You noticed that for this shift, it was just the two of you working. You also noticed that Kita must have been here for a while, the floors were mopped, the teas and toppings were all prepped and ready, monitors had all the drinks, and he prepped both of you a drink. 

He must have gone out of his way to make your shift a little easier. As you drank your tea, the corners of your lips turned upwards ever so slightly. Kita may definitely seem cold at times, blunt even, but he truly looked out for others. 

“Hey, Kita-san,” you called out, walking towards the front where he was standing. He looked up, staring at you as he waited. “You wouldn’t happen to know why my landlord said I could pay my rent late with no fees, would you?” 

Kita hummed, returning his gaze out the window where people were walking and took a sip of his drink. 

“No,” he replied. An uncharastic smirk made its way onto his face that you barely noticed as he took another sip. 

You chuckled, shaking your head. Staring down at the cup in your hands, your fingers playing with the cup sleeve, you struggled to find the right words only to resort for something simple. 

“Thank you.” 

Kita’s brown eyes glanced towards your figure, happy that you seem more well rested. He takes another sip from his cup before speaking up.

“You’re welcome.”

𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚢, 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚍𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗!

𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚜' 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜: okay hi again lmao. I guess this kinda exposes which anon i am and which college i go to WHOOPS LOL and iykyk lol (to anyone else reading that’s not ae ra). I was going to submit my atsumu one for the 4k writing challenge but I’ve gotta admit, I do not have a plot for his fic yet (as of the moment I’m writing this). And like I said before, I really enjoyed writing Kita’s sm that I wanted to use this one to submit for the writing challenge plus as i started i already had begun to write this in mind for the challenge. (i was also debating submitting Akaashi’s but then I realized I had posted that one already askdhkjf) 🥺🥺 though, this was definitely me being a bit more “risky” (?) since this is the first i’ve written for kita so I’m still trying to understand his character hnng. but i hope you enjoyed reading it! 👉👈 

I haven’t been able to write many things that are over like 3k lately so hopefully this short little fic suffices 🥺🥺 And I’ve only recently been motivated/inspired to write these boba fics, otherwise I would’ve done something else entirely! But it’s been a hot minute since I’ve done a writing challenge and I wanted to celebrate yours and i love love love writing challenges. 

Anywyayyayay, I’ve always enjoyed your writing but I really hope you’re taking your time to take care of yourself! Remember to write for you, get your sleep, eat and drink water (please don’t drink just milk tea omg), study hard, and uhhhhhhhhh make sure to relax!!

[novantinuum]

Tides of Renewal (SU one-shot)

Fandom: Steven Universe

Rating: T (Mild TW for vague allusions to past suicidal thoughts.)

Words: 2500~

Summary: Now twenty years old and living on the other side of the country, Steven spends his morning relaxing on the beach, musing about his past, and having a chat with his dad.

Hi folks! This is actually my two-months-late “Happy Birthday, Steven” fic, ahah- amusingly, posted two months late to the day. I’m quite happy with how this short turned out.

If you read this and enjoy, I’d greatly appreciate your support through reblogs here, or kudos/comments on AO3 as well. AO3 link will be provided in the reblogs. Thank you! <3

____

Tides of Renewal

Steven rises alongside the sun, but not by choice.

As he abruptly stirs, jerking onto his side under his tangled blanket, he soon realizes that he has little lingering memory of the nightmare that shook him from his slumber. Nevertheless, his heart pounds so hard it feels like it’s hanging in his throat. There’s feelings, faint impressions— someone’s blood (his, or hers?), Connie’s screams, a bubble of terror boiling from within— but that’s all he’s left with. The young man clutches at his sheets, struggling to catch his breath as is the norm most mornings. Dim light sneaks in between the edges of the curtains, offering a rough estimate of the time.

Once it’s clear his chances of sleeping in have become null and void, he entices himself out of bed with the promise of buying himself a muffin at the local coffee shop later today, a birthday treat. His routine is sluggish, but precise. He uses the bathroom, throws on his swim trunks and a thin cotton shirt, downs the pills he forgot to take last night with a quick swig of water, carefully runs his fingers through his long curls to work out the tangles, and slips his feet into the flip flops he always leaves lying right at the foot of his bed.

The young adult only takes his guitar, phone, and keys with him as he walks the mile distance from his humble studio apartment to the public beach. Around him, the world is at peace. The only sound intermingling with the gentle ebb and flow of the Pacific at this hour of the morning is the chattering of puffins that nest on the large rock outcroppings in the tide pools nearby. The edge of his lip quirks up when he finally crosses that sacred boundary— the sidewalk meeting the shore— and removes his sandals, reveling in the satisfying, grainy texture of sand squishing between his toes. Hah... the beach. Funny, that. All his traveling these past years, from mountains, to prairies, to sprawling suburbs to wooded forest towns, and it only succeeded in deepening his childhood love for the familiarity of saltwater air and tourist-filled boardwalks. Still, the secluded, rustic charm of Haystack Cove is a far cry from the Beach City he grew up in. Different people, different sights, different types of seafood sold at the markets. This place feels like a home all his own, appropriately distant from the Gem influenced settlement he’d left behind.

He crosses the fine grained sands towards his favorite sitting spot, a hefty stone jutting out from the ground, its surface buffed to a glossy finish over the years by the high tides. The water’s still distant this early in the morning, glimmers of sunlight sparkling off of the foam and spray. Yawning, he plops himself down on the stone and lifts his guitar into his lap. He strums a few random chords as a warm-up before settling into an experimental melodic sequence.

As he plays, the early morning breeze teases at the ends of his shoulder-length hair, untied and let free in all its curly splendor. It’s still quite chilly, but with the sun peaking over the horizon behind him and not a cloud in sight, the air’s bound to heat up in no time. Steven inhales deeply, soaking in the salt and light and pushing away the shadows lurking at the periphery of his mind, that twitching, exhausting anxiety that never quite seems to leave him alone these days. Unfortunately, functional does not mean carefree. While far fewer in number then when he was a teen, he still runs into plenty of moments where he’s struck blind by particularly painful reminders of his past, his gem snapping into overdrive in an instant. He’s a bit better at coping in these moments now, and walking himself down from panic attacks, but deep-rooted traumas don’t simply melt away. With that in mind, at this point he suspects he’ll likely have to deal with a mixture of therapy and meds for the rest of his life. That’s fine, though. If that’s what it takes to be at peace. He’s thankfully reached a point in his recovery where he’s more than willing to work for it.

Startling him out of his roaming thoughts, his phone chimes to life, touting the same cheery ring tone he had as a kid. He gently sets his guitar down in the sand and fishes his cell phone out of his pocket, a silent bet as to who’s calling rising within his mind. Sure enough, his dad’s contact photo proudly greets him. Hah— he called it. Steven stifles a giggle as he hits accept and lifts the phone to his ear.

“Hey, Dad!”

“Hey, Schtu-ball!” his father chimes from the other side of the country, three hours ahead. He hears a faint shuffle over the line, and then the beginnings of guitar accompaniment as the man begins to sing:

“Happy birthday to you~!”

Dad ends the line with a resounding vibrato, and a few extra jazzy chords for good measure.

“Heh heh, thanks,” he says, bashfully blushing at the attention, and gazing across the loose sands as if ensuring the secret of his birth hasn’t swelled into a nauseatingly public affair like half of his birthdays had since the start of Era 3. “Gotta say, the impromptu guitar solo pushed that to a whole new level. You just get up?”

“Yep! Bright and early. Garnet said you’d probably be awake by now, so I figured I’d call and give ya’ a good greeting to start the day. Lemme guess, you’re down there at the beach already? I think I heard waves.”

Steven’s glance lifts to admire the slowly rising tides, and the promise of each tomorrow that lies beyond. “Hah, you know me,” he says softly, taking a deep lungful of that precious salt-touched air he’s always adored. “I live for the water. Might force myself to go for a swim later before all of you come. Not sure yet,” he says, shrugging as he turns and squints in the wake of the steadily rising sun. “But my therapist said I should probably keep as active as po—“

“It’s your birthday. You do whatever makes you happy, bud,” his dad promptly reminds him, slight concern sticking to his voice. And yes, it’s practically a father’s job to worry, but his chest tightens with lingering guilt for pressing that upon him anyways. Ugh, this is because he said ‘force myself,’ isn’t it?

“Doing my best to,” he lamely offers, hoping it’ll at least end that segment of conversation. He twirls a stray strand of hair around his finger as he scours his memory for something new to offer. Thankfully, his mind quickly lands on the exciting email he received last night. He grins, knowing for sure his dad’ll love this. “Oh, uh- topic change, but I got that last job I applied for, by the way.”

“Oh? The taffy shop one?”

“Yeah! I start on Tuesday.”

“Wow, that’s- that’s awesome! They responded fast, then.”

“Yup,” Steven nods, popping the ‘p.’ “Honestly, it’s nothing much, just stocking and working the register, but it’ll give me some cash to work with.”

Some cash to finally pay for his own food instead of continuously bumming money off his dad. There’s no way he can handle full month’s rent on his own with this minimum wage job, (who on Earth could in this economy), but it might be enough to cover the smaller things. Groceries, electricity, internet. That sorta stuff. Fidgeting on the edge of the stone outcropping, his bare toes dig narrow lines in the sand. He hasn’t really had this discussion with Dad yet, but the mere concept of being wholly reliant on other people steers his mind uncomfortably close to the I’m a Burden Zone. He’d far prefer to feel like he has a stake in the game.

“I know you said you don’t mind supporting me,” he continues in a hesitant tone, twirling his finger through one of his curls, “but I still feel kinda bad—“

“Don’t. I’d rather you not have to stress yourself to the bone about money like I did when I was your age.”

The line shakes for a second. He’s pretty sure he hears the faint clink of a bowl meeting the counter from his dad’s side.

“Dad...?”

“Sorry, bud. Just putting ya’ on speaker. Figured I’d make myself some instant oatmeal,” he says, his voice sounding a bit further away from the microphone. “Goodness, though. Twenty years. That still boggles the mind.”

He gives a soft laugh. “You’re telling me. Could’ve sworn I was twelve just yesterday. And to be honest, it’s... it’s kinda weird sometimes, you know?”

“What is?”

“Being another year older. ‘Cause... well, uh...”

Steven grits his teeth, searching for the most delicate manner in which he can discuss these emotions. The feelings of his past are a really hard topic to dwell on sometimes, even in therapy, and even though he and his dad have long since had scattered discussions about what a poor mental state he was in then, he doesn’t wanna upset him too much.

“There were definitely days I assumed I wouldn’t have a future, or didn’t want one to begin with,” he continues, throat thick. “Back during all the conflict, before Homeworld reformed. And even after that, when I was... you know. And things are better, now, they’re definitely a lot better. But the idea of a ‘future’... even if I’ve got a job, a home, a girlfriend... it’s still weird to think about, I guess.“

There’s a brief silence on the line as this vulnerable admission sinks in.

“Yeah,” Dad replies eventually, clear sorrow in his voice despite how careful he thought he was in phrasing these matters. “I hear ya’.”

With a quick nervous laugh, he scratches at the nape of his neck, fingertips brushing against the thin, wispy strands of hair growing back there. “Geeze, sorry for bringing the mood down so quick. Didn’t even know I had all that on my mind until it spilled right out.”

“No, no! No need for apologies, I’m always here to listen. And in any case, I’m glad you’re in a better place now.”

Steven nods his head to himself in full agreement (momentarily forgetting that his dad isn’t actually here in the flesh to see this response). Sixteen and seventeen really, really weren’t good years for him. And even though he’s put lot of work into himself since then, he can’t help but constantly fear the possibility of relapse. His therapist told him a few sessions ago when he expressed this worry that... relapses into old thinking patterns can be common for people living with C-PSTD, and that it’s important for him to be cognizant of any unusual changes in his patterns and routines so he can quickly intervene with his box of healthy coping tactics, but... geeze. The dark, traumatic destinations his wandering thoughts end up stagnating in when the concept of relapse brushes his mind aren’t fun to acknowledge. It makes him yearn with deafening hunger for a simple switch he could flip, some magic cure-all for his brain that would stop him from having to deal with any of this awful shit in the first place— but of course, cruel universe this can be at times, those don’t exist.

“Speaking of that,” Dad speaks up again after clearing his throat, “how are those new meds treating you? You said last call your doctor was gonna change them, yes?”

“Nah, not change. There’s no need to change types,” he shrugs. “It’s just a dosage shift. And it’s fine, I think. I’ve been on ‘em for a few days, and there’s no problems so far. Brain's been treating me a little better.”

Nightmares aren’t quite as bad.

His energy isn’t totally zapped by noon.

The whirling, panicked trajectory of his thought patterns is a little easier to wrest control of.

All in all, nothing’s perfect, but he certainly feels a good deal more stable than before. Now, if only he can remember to consistently take his meds before he goes to bed like he’s supposed to instead of totally forgetting like he did last night and having to scarf it down when he sees that forsaken capsule in his pill box the next morning. Tsk, tsk.

“That’s real good to hear,” his dad responds to his news.

He flexes his knuckles against his lap, gaze reflexively drifting back towards the welcomed distraction of the tides. “Yeah.”

“Anyways, I, uh...”

“So, party logistics,” he cuts in with an overly cheery tone, changing the topic from his boring mental health crap entirely. “We should probably hash this out now. I know Connie’s planning on dropping around about noon. What’s your guys’ plan? She can probably send Lion to you after she gets here, if you want.”

“Yeah, that’d be best. Pearl said there weren’t any convenient warps nearby. Well, there’s one- but apparently it empties out into an active lava tube. And that’s not exactly Dad-friendly.”

“Aww, you mean you’re not filled with the intense desire to dip your hand into molten lava and shlorp it up like it’s soup?” Steven retorts, only barely holding back his laughter as he thinks of this absurd text thread he had going with Connie a few weeks back, wherein she sent him a video of some volcanic flows and told him, verbatim, that 'despite all logic and reason sometimes I can’t help but look at super viscous lava and think... forbidden s o u p, mmmm.’

“Not particularly, no,” his dad says, sounding thoroughly confused. “I’m- why are you laughing? Is this some sort of weird internet thing I’m not familiar with again?”

He wipes tears from his eyes as he tries to catch his breath. “You, ah- you kinda had to be there, sorry. Anyways, yeah. I’ll have Connie send Lion. I’ll text you right before, how’s that?”

“Sounds great! Can’t wait to see ya’, bud. I’m gonna let you go, now, okay? I can talk your ears off later. Go enjoy your morning. Love you.”

“Love you too, Dad,” he says, grinning. “Bye.”

“Buh-bye.”

Once his dad hangs up he sets his phone beside him on the rock and takes a deep, steady breath, trying to capture the full nuance of each diverse scent in the air. He may just be imagining it, but he swears he’s able to pick out the faint scent of taffy intermingling with the ocean saltiness and the hint of cedar from the nearby state forest. In the end though, whether it’s real or not it’s a welcomed reminder of all the possibility the future holds for him.

He’s twenty now. It’s a brand new decade of life. He’s got a new job lined up, a stable and loving relationship, a supportive family, and plenty of courage in facing the shadows of his past. Sure, so maybe he’ll never know with certainty what will happen— maybe he’ll relapse a little, maybe he’ll still have some bad days sprinkled amongst the good ones— but as he watches the tides flow in to greet him, he smiles... and resolves to just take this year as a renewal of his vow to care for himself as best he can.

[devine-star]

Left For Dead

Fandom: The Last Of Us 2

Jesse x Male Reader! 

Warnings: F slur is used, Homophobic character. 

Nothing else! Enjoy! 

Y/n rolled over groaning at the sound of knocking at the door "wake up lazy!" a kid's voice called. "Im comin..." he grumbled getting out of bed and opening the door to see the 13 year old girl smiling at him "We're on kitchen duty today Bugs!"

Y/n smiled at the nickname and ruffled her short hair "alright kid, let me get dressed." he closed the door and rubbed his eyes as he walked over to the closet; grabbing a pair of jeans, socks, a t-shirt and his jacket that was resting on the chair.

After a quick look over in the mirror, he headed outside to see June playing in the dirt "Come on ya rat," he said playfully causing her to jump up with a smile.

The walkthrough town was filled with greeting from everyone and chatter with June. "Look," she nudged Y/n "there's your boyfriend" she sang teasingly as she pointed to Jesse who was in a tank top and jeans helping unload some logs from a truck.

Y/n blushed and gently shoved the girl "shut up! He isn't my boyfriend" "You wish he was thouuuugh" she sang pushing her way into the cafeteria.

Y/n let their eyes linger on Jesse's arms and the sweat dripping down his back in the summer heat before blushing harder and making his way inside.  

"Bugs!" Seth greeted as Y/n walked into the kitchen "sup boss," he replied with a smile as he grabbed an apron off the hook and slid it over his head tying behind his back.

"Here, cut up these vegetables for me," Seth stepped away from the cutting board and bell peppers and other various vegetables "hey! I could do that!" June said happily.

"Not yet kid," Seth gruffed as he patted her on the shoulder "you're gonna wash the fruits and vegetables as they come in," June pouted "You always get the fun stuff," she hit Y/n's shoulder gently before stomping over to the sink.

In the midst of cutting and cooking the vegetables, Y/n got hot. He slid his jacket off and tossed it to the side before getting back to work; "hey Junnie! Turn some music on will ya?" he said over his shoulder.

After a while, Y/n began dancing a bit while he cut the vegetables and singing to himself. He pushed aside the carrots and grabbed some tomatoes and began cutting but soon stopped with a loud curse "fuck!" he held his finger close to his chest while hissing in pain, he cut himself.

"You always do that," a familiar voice came from behind him, he turned around and saw a very sweaty Jesse.

"Let me see," he said coming closer and holding out his hands, Y/n slowly placed his hurt hand into the hands of his crush with a slight blush.

He then followed Jesse over to the sink and watched as Jesse cleaned his wound with a focus on his face. "I could have cleaned it.." Y/n said softly looking down at the small slice in his finger.

"Yeah but you probably would have hurt yourself, even more, God of Destruction," he teased with a smirk before grabbing a clean stray towel and drying Y/n's hand.

"I am not THAT clumsy," he argued looking down at his hand once Jesse let go of it, "You aren't allowed on runs because Marie is scared you'll DIE" he laughed a bit before plucking up a carrot and popping it into his mouth.

"Hey! Your hands are dirty! Stop!" Y/n said taking the towel from his apron and slapping Jesse on the shoulder a few times. Jesse laughed and raised his hands "Alright alright," he chuckled shaking his head a bit.

"Oh hey, Jesse!" June said popping her head up over the ordering window with a goofy smile "Sup Junnie," he greeted with a wave.

Seth looked through the door "If you aren't assigned here son, ya gotta go," he scolded nodding his head towards the door.

"Fine fine, I'm out." Jesse turned to leave before turning back and winking at Y/n "See you at the bonfire tonight," Y/n blushed and went back to work after putting a bandaid on his finger, his mind running with possibilities of how the bonfire could go.

Later that night, Y/n was leaning against a building, beer in hand, watching the kids run around and the adults all laugh and have fun. "You wanna play tag with us Bugs?" June asked running up to him with a group of kids behind her "Nah you go ahead this time Junnie," he waved off causing her to shrug and run off after slapping a boy called Ian "Tag!"

About 2 hours into the bonfire, Y/n hadn't seen Jesse not one bit he asked around a few times and no one has seen him. Anxiety grew slightly as he realized Jesse was out on the River Route; He was careful but there was always a chance.

Y/n had made his way closer to the fire and was sitting on a bucket bitting his thumb as he stared into the fire with nothing but bad thoughts running through his head. Nothing but images of Jesse being bitten and him turning into a runner or a clicker...

"Fuck!" Y/n called out of fear as a hand was slapped on his shoulder scaring the shit out of him. He snapped his head up and there stood Jesse, hands on his hips with a smirk "Hey Buggie" he said

Y/n jumped up and hugged him tightly "my anxiety.." he mumbled as he buried his face in Jesse's neck.

"Woah...Woah.." Jesse chuckled a bit hugging Y/n tightly before frowning as he felt his neck get wet "A-are you crying?" he pulled away and looked at Y/n with shock "Hey..Hey, I'm okay!" he said calmly with a smile before glancing around "let's get you outta here...Too many people for your anxiety,"

Y/n stumbled his way out of the bonfire, his vision going blurry and black every now and then as a full-blown anxiety attack racked his body. He didn't know where Jesse was taking him or what Jesse was trying to say to calm him down all he knew was that it was hard to breathe and felt like the summer heat was suffocating him.

Y/n was pulled into a building and sat on a couch, the sound of an A/C turning on was noted in his mind as he began tearing his clothes off himself. First his jacket, then his shirt and as he began to remove his pants, two hands stopped him "stop, stop, you dont need to take everything off," Jesse said calmly.

He sat next to Y/n before kind of laying against the side of the couch and pulling Y/n into his chest and pressing his head against his chest.

Y/n gripped onto Jesse as hard as he could as he tried to even his breathing, and focus on Jesse playing with his head and humming softly to him.

About an hour passed before Y/n was calm enough to stop crying and to breathe evenly with small little huffs every now and then.

"What caused that..." Jesse asked softly looking down at him with worry in his eyes. "I thought...I thought you were dead...or got bitten.." he explained closing his eyes tightly "my mind wouldn't stop playing the image of you being bitten and turning and-and" he began shaking his head as tears returned.

"Hey! Stop!" Jesse sat up and held Y/n's head in his hands "look at me, look at me in my eyes!" Y/n opened his eyes slowly before looking up at Jesse, his eyes meeting and seeing nothing but fear and worry reflect back at him.

"I'm okay! Not bitten, I'm here with you!" Jesse said sternly as he gently rubbed his thumbs over Y/n's cheeks. "I'm here with you.." he said softer this time with a gentle smile.

Y/n took a stuttering breath and sighed before smiling gently. "I..I'm sorry," he mumbled searching Jesse's face for any sort of annoyance.

"It's okay, You're one of my best friends, I..I would have reacted the same way.." Jesse said finally letting go of Y/n's face once he realized how close their faces were.

Y/n leaned back trying to ignore the blush that was on his face before taking notice of the one on Jesse's and choosing to ignore it.

"Yeah...We gotta look out for each other.." Y/n mumbled wiping away a fear stray tears before looking towards the clock on his bedside "it's midnight," he noted out loud "Don't you have patrol tomorrow?"

He looked back at Jesse to find him already staring at him when he didn't answer right away, Y/n snapped his fingers "hey," Jesse jumped a bit and blinked a few times "huh?" he looked towards the clock "oh, yeah I do...That's another reason I came to find you tonight."

Y/n narrowed his brows and tilted his head a bit "What?" "Maria wants you to go on route tomorrow with Thomas," he said scratching the back of his neck before sighing "She wouldn't allow you to come with me, says we'd be too distracted..."

Y/n nodded a bit "Oh..Okay.." he slowly stood and stretched his muscles "Thanks for letting me know," "You arent scared?" Jesse asked standing up.

"No, Before I came here, I dealt with millions of those fuckers" Y/n said with a shrug "I'm a good shot," he shook his head a bit before looking over at Jesse. "I may be a bit rusty, but I'll do it," he crossed his arms.

Jesse walked closer and placed his hands on Y/n's shoulders "be careful...I.." he stopped before looking away "care about you," he finished patting Y/n's shoulders and heading out the door.

Y/n couldn't stop his heart as his heart fluttered as Jesse walked out the door, "he cares for me..." he mumbled with a small smile, he hadn't heard Jesse say that much but every time he doe, it drives him crazy.

The next morning Y/n wiped the sweat from his brow as he made his way to the stables, it was early but still, it was hot already. "Morning Bugs"

He looked over his shoulder as June came jogging down the street after him, he slowed a bit so she could catch up. "Hey June," he said sleepily "What are you doing up so early?" She asked.

"I could ask you the same thing kid," he gently bumped shoulders with the surprisingly tall girl. "I got called for stable duty, you?" "Im on route duty,"

June burst into laughter before hitting his shoulder "No! Seriously!" "I was! Why do you think I have my pack with me?" He asked jutting a thumb over his shoulder to the pack on his back.

June stopped with a look of fear "Youre serious?"

For as long as the two have known each other, Y/n hadn't been called for Route duty, but now that he has; June was scared.

"Don't worry JuneBug, We're the two Bugs! can't be separated!" He ruffled her hair as they approached the stables to see all the routes people there.

"Hey Y/n," Thomas said gruffly, he was a man in his mid-30s, never really liked Y/n. "Hey, I'm your route partner today!" he said trying to sound cheerful, "So I've been told," he said rolling his eyes "Pat's in there," he nodded his head towards the stable.

"Wow, grumpy," June said following Y/n into the stables "Yeah, ever since we met he hasn't liked me," Y/n shrugged "Just always tried to be nice but, guess he isn't willing to do the same."

Y/n smiled as Pat came into view, his horse he saved from infected a long time ago. "Hey girl!" he said happily as she snorted and stomped feet at the sight of her owner.

Once everyone was gathered at the gate Jesse began his briefing "Follow your routes, take out infected if you come into contact with anything you can't handle," he glanced Y/n's way "come back,"

The gates opened and everyone was off their own ways, Jesse glancing over his over to catch a glimpse of Y/n trying to make conversation with Thomas as they left "be safe Buggie..." he mumbled before heading off.

Pat clipped and clopped as she walked through the river with Y/n on her back, he wiped sweat from his face with a rag as him and Thomas road into the city.

The sound of infected coming from a nearby building caught his attention "Tom," he called holding out a hand then bringing a finger to his lips. He dismounted his horse and made his way towards a grocery store and peering into a boarded window "infected inside," he mumbled looking back at Thomas.

He stepped back and sighed "Let's get in the-" "You don't call me that," Y/n looked back at Thomas confused "what?" "You call me Thomas, I ain't Tom to you," he glared "Oh okay, sorry, I just figured-" "Figured you could use it cause Tommy lets you call him that?" he rolled his eyes "Call me Thomas or nothin at all,"

Y/n nodded before shaking his head and beginning to search for a way in, "Thomas, over here," he called before pulling himself into a broken window and jumping inside.

He quickly hid behind an overturned vending machine as he heard the infected. Thomas hopped in and hid next to him before he moved to take out a nearby infected.

Y/n did the same taking out the knife Jesse gave him and attacking a clicker from behind. Once done he noticed a half-open door, "over here," he said moving towards it and climbing under it and shimmying through.

He noticed all the infected in the room and quickly turned back and quietly said "come on Thomas, Ill lift this and you crawl through."

But he didn't see Thomas behind him "Thomas?" he whisper-yelled. He then had to quickly move out of the way as he saw a makeshift noise bomb come through the whole. He stumbled to the side as fear raised in his chest "Thomas!" He yelled in surprise.

The bomb went off alerting all the infected of Y/n's position "Good luck getting out faggot!" Thomas yelled laughing before covering the door with the vending machine.

"No! Help me!" Y/n yelled in fear before he began to fight off the infected. This had to be a whole hoard lured into the grocery store by someone or something.

"Fuck!" He cried as he pulled out his gun and began shooting infected one by one, soon running out of bullets. He took out his knife and ran, hiding every now and then.

He let out a loud yell as he was attacked from behind, he stumbled, fell before reaching around and pushing off the infected and stabbing it on the throat.

Y/n fought for his life for around 2 hours before collapsing exhausted.

The silence in the room rung his ears, pain from scratches after being thrown to the ground and shoved against shelves. And he had even accidentally cut his own hand trying to stab an infected in the throat.

Tears streamed his face as he stumbled around collecting what little supplies there was before pushing open a door revealing what looked to be a worn-down hold-up area. It had a bed and a few crates of stuff.

He collapsed onto the bed and groaned in pain, 'why would Thomas do that?' he thought to himself. The last words were spoken to him ringing in his head before he finally caught what the last word was "faggot" Thomas hated him because he was...bi? Gay? Hell y/n didn't know what he was...

But before he could contemplate what his sexuality was, blackness overcomes his senses and he passed out.

Thomas climbed back out of the building hear Y/n scream for help, ignoring it he made his way back over to the horses and unclipped Pat's saddle and pulling it off "get outta!" he called spooking the horse and it ran a few feet before looking back, she didn't wanna leave without Y/n.

Thomas rolled his eyes at the white and black spotted horse before hiding the saddle in the trunk of an abandoned car and sighing.

He then took his knife out and began ripping his own clothes and wincing as he cut himself up and smeared blood all over himself, "that'll do," he grumbled climbing on his horse and heading off towards Jackson once again.

Once he got close to Jackson, he started fake crying, if he wanted people to buy the fact that he and Y/n were actually attacked by a hoard; he had to fake it well.

Once at the Eastside gate he started yelling to open the gate, once inside he got off his horse while fake crying "Y/n was mauled!" he cried out catching Jesse's attention from the stables.

Jesse ran from the stables over to Thomas "What? What happened?!" Thomas looked at him and clung to him "I tried to save him, Jesse! The hoard! I couldn't save him or his body!" he cried.

Jesse pushed off Thomas as he felt his heartbreak "You said you would keep him safe!" he yelled as tears began to run down his face. "I tried!" Thomas yelled back, obviously lying.

"I have to go get him!" Jesse cried rushing to his horse "Jesse stop!" it was Tommy and Maire "he's dead meat out there!" Tommy grabbed Jesse before he could get onto his horse and held him back.

"What's going on? Where's Y/n?" Jesse looked over to see June "June.." he said softly "No...You're lying!" she cried, immediately knowing what was happening. Jesse pulled his arms from Tommy and made his way to June, pulling her into a tight hug "Im sorry June... it was a hoard.." she pushed him away.

"Y/n was a good shot! Always careful! Something must have happened!"

Later that night Jesse sat on the porch of Y/n's house, he was flipping through his sketchbook with tears in his eyes. Something must have happened...Y/n was always careful, he may have been one clumsy son of a bitch but he was careful whenever outside the gates...

Determination filled Jesse's body, he stood grabbing his bag and slinging it on his shoulders and storming off to the stables, he was going to get Y/n.

When Y/n woke it was dark outside, his body was on fire as he slowly sat up. Memories of what happened flooded back and he sighed before standing. But his legs didn't hold him up, he fell to the ground of pain filled his stomach; hunger.

Y/n didn't eat that morning or the night before and Thomas had the route food. He looked around and got on his hands and knees he didn't know what to do...

Jesse gripped the reins of his horse as he looked back and forth with his flashlight, he didn't see or hear any infected. If there were a hoard he would have heard them by now.

He stopped and jumped out of fear as he saw a flash of black and white run across the road by the grocery store up the road. He looked around with the flashlight before slowly moving forward and dismounting his horse once close enough.

He slowly made his way closer to the grocery store then yelled in fear as the white and black spotted horse reared its legs and whined loudly "Pat!" he yelled "Woah girl! Woah Girl!" he called out calming her down and whistling for his horse to come closer.

"What are you doing girl? Where is your saddle?" he asked eyeing the horse who whined and scratched the ground with her head looking towards the boarded-up store.

Jesse looked at her then back at the store and nodded a bit patting her nose gently.

He then climbed inside the same window Y/n had and quietly listened, he heard a body fall to the ground with a thud and moan; infected. He searched the room he was in the noticed the vending machine in front of the door; he pushed it out of the way as quietly as possible and noticed the opening.

Crawling through the opening was kind of hard, once through he pushed the cabinet out of the way and opened the door fully in case he needed a quick escape.

The flashlight shown across the room showed nothing but dead bodies, no live ones. He then noticed an open door on the other side of the room, 'clear it and look for supplies' he thought to himself.

Once inside the room he noticed it was an old holdup, he looked around the room; empty. He walked further into the room then gasped as someone attacked him from behind "hey!" he called out struggling with the person.

Y/n was flipped over the shoulders of the intruder and had a gun pointed at their face. They used one hand to shield the light from the flashlight attached to the person's backpack "Please dont.." he whimpered.

"Y/n?!" he looked closer after the light was turned down "Jesse?" he asked hopefully hoping this wasn't some pain and hunger-induced hallucination.

"You're alive!" Jesse cried pulling him close and hugging him for dear life.

Y/n hugged back tears coming down in streams "you came for me," he whimpered "of course I did, when Thomas came back all cut up and fake crying, I knew something happened..." he said pulling away and holding Y/n's face in his hands again.

"He did this.."Y/n whispered closing his eyes and leaning into his touch "what?" "Once I got through the door to clear the infected, he threw a noise bomb, told me 'good luck getting out faggot' and he ran," Y/n said sobbing softly.

Jesse's anger was almost overflowing but for now, he needed to get Y/n back to Jackson. "Think you can walk? Pat is still outside," Y/n nodded and they slowly made their way outside.

"Where is her saddle?" Y/n asked leaning against Jesse for support. "I don't know, but you can ride with me, I'll lead her back home."

The arrival back to Jackson was filled with rushing to get Y/n medical attention and yelling. Jesse waving a gun in Thomas' face yelling at him for leaving Y/n the way he did.

Once things calmed down, Jesse visited Y/n at home, his injuries weren't serious so he was fed and sent home.

Jesse knocked on the door, that next morning. A soft "come in," prompted him to open the door and peek his head in before going in.

"How you doin Bug?" he asked sitting next to Y/n on the bed. "I'm okay, better now that I'm fed," he chuckled setting down the book he was reading and looking over at Jesse.

"Thomas is being kicked from the town," Jesse said flat out "I.."Y/n looked away with his eyebrows crunched "because of me?"

"Hey, he left you to die," Jesse used his hand to bring Y/n's face to look at him "He might as well have murdered you himself, that goes against all our town rules and morals Y/n"

Y/n nodded gently and sighed looking up at Jesse "Thank you.." he whispered "For looking for me," Jesse smiled a bit and shrugged "I couldn't leave you to die, I.." he bit his lip and looked away.

Y/n felt annoyance fill him, he shifted until he sat up "you what?" he said, he's tired of Jesse doing this "Care for you," he said looking back.

"You always do that..." he said shaking his head and picking up his book again "do what?"

Y/n looked at him before dropping the book back onto the bed and getting out of it limping away from Jesse "You always go 'I...care about you,' like you don't mean it or something, it annoying"

"I do care for you!" Jesse argued, standing and following behind him "Then prove it!" Y/n said turning around and throwing his hands in the air "I just saved your life!" Jesse shouted moving closer.

"That's...that not what I meant.." Y/n said with a cold laugh and crossed his arms leaning against his desk.

"After all these years Jesse...After years of flirting with you..you still don't get it, do you?" Jesse furrowed his brow and crossed his arms and slowly moved forward.

"What do you mean?" he asked stopping in front of Y/n, who refused to look at him. "Look at me," Y/n refused "Look at me" Jesse grabbed Y/n's chin and made him look up and in his eyes.

Y/n couldn't help himself, he lunged forward pressing his lips against Jesse's and wrapping his arms around his neck. He poured his heart and soul out into that kiss hoping that Jesse would understand what he was trying to say.

He slowly pulled away and stared at Jesse's shocked face "Get it now?" his voice was soft and filled with anxiety, hoping he didn't just ruin a wonderful friendship.

Jesse nodded before leaning over and capturing Y/n's lips in another kiss, this time it was fast and needy. Teeth clashed and hands were in hair, Jesse lifted Y/n up onto the desk and moved closer to him, soft grunts leaving the two men in the process.

A knock on the door interrupted them. They pulled away panting for air "Y/n!!" a voice yelled from outside the door, June.

Jesse stepped away and Y/n stepped off the desk, he then limped over to the door and opened it.

June lunged at him hugging him tightly causing him to fall to the floor unexpectedly. "Woah! June!" Y/n laughed and Jesse rushed forward and pulled June off of Y/n "Careful June, he's still sore,"

June looked towards Jesse then back at Y/n, noting their messy hair and flushed faces "And what were you two doing in here?" She giggled smirking a bit "Shut up," Jesse blushed and playfully kicked her from her spot on the floor.

[is0gild]

Ice Cream and Fire Oven Pizza - Chapter 24

Pairing: Elsa x Lea/Axel || Side Pairing: Riku x OC

Summary: Modern AU. She's an introvert ball of nerves who works at Ice Palace, a mall food court ice cream shop. He's the outgoing, sassy goofball who works at the Pizza Planet across the way. Hilarity, snark, and fluffy romcom hijinks ensue.

Word Count: 7,564

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

Credit for super friggin’ cute and super friggin’ amazing cover art goes to the super friggin’ talented ky-jane here on tumblr!

When I awoke, Mother was gone. It made sense, seeing as how daylight was streaming in through the bedroom window now and I could hardly have expected her to stay all night with me. She'd probably left not too long after I'd nodded off.

Part of me wondered if she had ever really been there in the first place or if I had simply dreamed the whole thing up. It'd all just been so weird. Mother hadn't been that… well, motherly towards me in over a decade. It was a long lost part of our relationship that I'd dearly missed, so I wouldn't have put it past my subconscious mind to cook something like that up while I was dreaming especially now that I was back in my childhood bedroom where such old memories could be sparked. But no, I was still in my dress I'd worn for dinner yesterday evening and I wouldn't have gone to bed without changing first, not unless Mother had actually been here.

But that still begged the question: why her sudden and unexpected change in behavior after all this time?

Maybe… it had something to do with the wedding? Maybe me running out on it and disappearing for weeks without a word had taken its toll on her even more so than I'd ever realized? If so, then her little visit last night had probably just been a… a moment of weakness, and a fleeting one at that. Why else would she have waited until we were away from Father's and Grandfather's prying eyes? Once we were back around them, not to mention the rest of the family, her usual mask would probably be firmly back in place again. She would be prim and proper, cold and reserved, just like she'd been for years now and it would be like those precious few moments last night had never happened.

...or maybe I was being overly pessimistic. Maybe now I had an ally in Mother where I'd previously thought to have had none. Maybe The Talk™ tomorrow wouldn't be as bad as I feared, not if I had her and Anna on my side.

But honestly, who knew? Who ever knew anything really when it came to my family? I certainly didn't. Not anymore. Not for a long time.

All I could do was wait and see and hope the anxiety didn't murder me in the meantime.

I climbed out of bed, grimacing at my reflection in the vanity mirror, at what a rumpled mess my dress had become overnight. This was the second time this week I'd slept in a garment that wasn't meant to be slept in. This was dangerously on the verge of forming into a habit. I really needed to stop. Sighing, I started walking towards my luggage so I could dig out something fresh to wear. However, I was halted in my tracks by a knock at my door.

I hesitated in answering it, giving my appearance another once over in the mirror.

This time, my reflection responded with a wrinkle of her nose.

Ugh, everyone's a critic.

Ah well, there was nothing for it. No amount of hand smoothing would make this dress fit to be seen and I wasn't about to make whoever it was wait for me to change. Tossing my frazzled braid back over my shoulder, I moved towards the door and opened it just wide enough for me to poke a head out.

"Mornin', El!" Lea beamed down at me, looking far more presentable than I on day two of his whole rebel-without-a-cause aesthetic he had going on.

I smiled back with a soft, "Good morning."

Dipping into a bow, he swept a hand out to one side, "I've come to escort thee to breakfast forthwith, m'lady."

"My my, we'll make a gentleman out of you yet," I hummed a chuckle.

He scoffed with a big theatrical sniff. "My word, I say, perish the fucking thought!"

"Shoot, you were this close," I snorted with a shake of my head. "Just give me a quick minute to change."

Before I could shut the door however, he stopped me with his hand lightly snagging mine. "But why? You already look as gorgeous as ever this morning."

I stubbornly ignored the tiny flutter I felt inside my ribcage. Didn't he realize it was a bit silly to be pulling the whole googly-eyed boyfriend routine when it was just the two of us? Maybe he was just getting into character early before we went down into the dining room. I rolled my eyes, "Oh yeah, gorgeous enough to make Mother pale, Father choke, and Grandfather faint."

Smirking, Lea said, "All I'm hearing are a ton of pros and a whole lotta nada for the cons column."

My eyelids drooped but before I could reply, there was a sudden shout from down the hall, "Ah-ha! There you are!" A blur zoomed towards us, attaching itself to Lea's arm.

Or rather, herself, seeing as how it was Anna.

So… the prodigal sister had at last graced me with her presence.

"I thought I might find you here," she grinned up at Lea, who just blinked down at her in response. Then she directed that grin my way, "Hi, Sis! Bye, Sis! Alright, big guy, let's go!" She charged off once more, dragging Lea with her. Or rather… she tried to anyway. But I imagine Lea could be quite the anchor when he didn't want to move, so instead the hold she had on his elbow ended up snapping her back like a rubberband.

I quirked an eyebrow at her. "What's the rush, Anna?"

"Yeah, short stuff, where's the fire?" Lea asked.

"We gotta get you ready!" Again, she gave another tug of his arm.

Again, he didn't budge. "For…?"

"For a beautiful day out on the water," she stated as if it were obvious. We both stared at her blankly and she huffed. "We're going yachting!"

Both eyebrows shot up Lea's forehead. "We? As in you and me?"

"And Elsa," she added, stomping over to Lea's other side and pressing her shoulder into his arm, trying to shove him into moving. It was kind of like watching a chihuahua attempt to out muscle a great dane. Just as effective too. Panting from the exertion, she tacked on, "And Maren and Ryder too."

"Oh, okay," Lea nodded, then frowned. "...and Maren and Ryder would be?"

"Our cousins," I said before furrowing my brow at Anna. "Wait, they're here? Since when?"

"Since an hour ago," she grunted, still pushing all her weight against Lea and getting nowhere, her feet sliding and scraping against the carpet. "Auntie Yelena showed up early with them. Now Mom and Dad want to shoo us young'uns out of the house so we won't be in the way while this whole place is turned upside down by party prep chaos. So," she paused, red-faced and puffing for breath before brightening, "figured we could take Daddy's yacht out for a lil spin!"

Lea cocked his head, "Still don't get why you're trying t- oof, hey now!" David (aka Anna) had managed to catch Goliath (aka Lea) off guard by ramming her shoulder into his side, forcing him to stagger a step. "-why you're trynta kidnap me," he finished in a grumble.

Stepping back from him, she crossed her arms and fixed him with a dull stare. "...did you pack swim shorts?"

"Well no, but I didn't know we were gonna-"

"Exactly!" she cried triumphantly, latching onto his elbow once more. "So we're gonna go borrow you some from Ryder!"

"You coulda just said that in the firs-" his words were swallowed in a yelp as she suddenly bolted, this time managing to haul Lea tripping and stumbling behind her.

"Be ready to go in fifteen minutes, Sis! Meet us in the driveway! See ya there!" Anna's voice echoed down the corridor back towards me in their wake.

I called after her, "But breakfast-"

"We'll pick something up on the way!"

...she was still acting so very strange.

Sure, she was always a ball of energy, but normally she'd let me talk more than that before making a break for it. It'd almost felt like she couldn't get away from me fast enough. I knew she'd been in a hurry, but getting Lea seaworthy hardly called for the state of emergency she was making it out to be.

Now more than ever, I was determined to get to the bottom of her odd behavior. Luckily for me, Anna had slipped up and made the error of trapping us on a boat together for the next several hours. And even if said boat was a yacht, there still weren't exactly a lot of places for her to hide from me on it.

She couldn't possibly keep avoiding me there.

My mistake.

Anna very well could keep avoiding me here and in fact had been doing so successfully for the past hour. It was not a matter of whether or not she had places to hide so much as she just never seemed to stay still for more than ten seconds. She'd always kind of been the cartoon Tasmanian Devil given human form, but now she was that on friggin' steroids. Just a constant whirl of chaos that was always on the move.

"I'm flying, Jack!"

Then, of course, there was the fact that I had to put up with this dork.

I hung my head with a sigh from my position behind Lea, my hands gingerly holding his hips as he stood proudly at the bow of the yacht with his arms spread out wide to either side of him. "You know, this wasn't exactly what I had pictured when you said you wanted to reenact that one scene from Titanic."

He glanced over his shoulder at me with a toothy grin. "You wanna swapsies? I can let you be Rose for a bit!"

"...I'm good, thanks."

"Suit yourself! You're seriously missing out though," he shrugged, stepping down off the raised rim of the boat and onto the cushioned bench seating, using it like a staircase to get himself to the floor. The salty breeze played with his shirt on his way down - a very loose short-sleeved button-up that only had one button fastened in the middle, so peeks at his muscled torso were not uncommon and could be rather, hrm… distracting. The swim trunks he'd borrowed from my cousin were just shy of his knees and were a deep red with black silhouettes like palm trees at sunset.

His flip-flops hit the deck and he spun around, offering me a hand to help me down as well. Smiling my thanks, I gripped the wide brim of my beach hat with one hand while the other took his. My strappy sandals landed on the hardwood beside him, careful not to step on the hem of my long, strapless cover-up dress made of a thin, billowy white fabric that barely hinted at the blue two-piece I wore underneath it. It was a beachwear ensemble I'd left behind at my parents' home years ago. A good thing too since like Lea, I hadn't exactly planned for a yacht outing when packing my bags for this weekend.

"So," Lea chirped as he released my hand, "now that we've gotten that important and thoroughly pressing bit o' business outta the way, what's next on our lil agenda?"

My lips pursed to one side before I decided, "Let's try and find Anna."

Though there was really no try about it. Finding her wasn't the hard part. Getting her to stay and actually talk to me was. Still, I was on a mission!

Mission Make Anna Open Up About Whatever The Heck Her Problem With Me Is.

...I really needed to get better at naming these things.

As I turned to give a quick glance around the yacht, first person I spotted was Maren - short for Honeymaren, but she hated the name with a bloody passion and did her best to bury that info in the hopes that it would never again see the light of day. She stood not far off next to the ship's mini bar under the shade of the awning. Her dark hair was pulled back into a braid and she was sporting a purple swimsuit with a matching sarong.

The thing that stood out most however were the cheap, plastic star-shaped sunglasses currently perched on the bridge of her nose. They were particularly eye catching given that, one, she hadn't had them on a moment ago and, two, they were probably just about the last things one would expect to see her wearing. She seemed just as surprised to discover them on her face as I was, given the way she removed and squinted at them with a bemused smirk.

I could hear Lea's flip-flopping footsteps following behind me as I walked towards her. Arching an eyebrow, I pointed at the things, "Where'd those come from?"

"Ask Lil Miss Sunglasses Fairy over there," she laughed, popping them back on before jerking a thumb over her shoulder towards the helm. There Ryder stood manning the steering wheel in his yellow, turtle-print trunks, the sunlight gleaming off his short black hair. It looked like he too had recently received a visit from this so-called Sunglasses Fairy, for he was now (quite bewilderedly) modeling a pair of shades with big, cartoony red lips for frames.

Ah, and here the Sunglasses Fairy herself came now, her auburn pigtail braids flapping wildly about as she skipped towards us in her bright green bikini and boyshorts. Not to be left out of the latest fashion trend of her own making, Anna had on a pair herself shaped like flowers. And in her hands were-

"For you, oh dearest Sis of mine, I've saved the best for last!" she happily declared, sliding the shades with neon pink heart lenses onto my nose.

Joy.

Lea looked down at me and snerked, biting back a grin.

Boy didn't know how close he was to getting his arm pinched for such impudence.

Anna gave a small pout, "Sorry, Lea, but I only have four."

"No problemo. El and I can just share," he chuckled, stealing mine and donning them himself, waggling his eyebrows at me as he leaned back and propped his elbows against the boat railing.

Ugh, I wasn't sure what was more annoying: that he actually looked pretty good in them or the fact that he knew it and was being smug about it.

"Charming," I deadpanned before looking back at Anna. "Where'd you even get these silly things from?"

"Oh, I bought them all ages ago from one of those shack shops by the dock," she tossed a hand back towards the shoreline. "I've been keeping them hidden away for a special occasion."

My head tipped to one side. "...and that special occasion would be?"

She tapped a finger to her chin, "Hmm… Ah! National Fun In The Sun Day, of course!"

I gave her a flat look. "That is neither national nor an actual holiday."

"Is too!" Her chest puffed up as she planted her fists on her hips, "I'm the captain of this here dinghy and what the captain says, goes!"

"You can't just make up holidays, that's not how captains work," I crossed my arms.

"Yeah-huh! I'm the captain and I say so!"

"But-" I stopped myself, pinching the bridge of my nose. Just let it go, Elsa, otherwise we'll just keep going around in circles like this all day. "Nevermind. I was hoping, Captain, that maybe you and I could have a minute to-"

"Move over, Ryder! It's my turn to steer!"

Annnnd off she zipped again.

I had half a mind to chase after her but with the way things were going, I feared she might swan dive off the side of the yacht just to get away from me.

"What's wrong, El?" Lea frowned before taking off the heart shades and offering them to me. "Want these back? I hear rose-colored glasses make everything better."

I mustered a weak smile at that, arms hugging myself as I leaned back against the metal rail beside him and muttered, "Thanks but no thanks."

Perching the sunglasses atop his head now, he asked, "Seriously, why the long face?"

"...it's Anna," I grimaced, reaching for a tendril of my ponytail to twist between my fingers as I watched Ryder join his sister at the mini bar. They were just barely out of earshot so I couldn't hear whatever they were laughing and shaking their heads over. "She's mad at me or… something, I don't know. All I know is she won't talk to me, not really. Every time I try, something always comes up and she runs off."

Lea glanced towards where Anna stood valiantly at the helm, one hand holding the steering wheel steady while the other shielded her eyes against the sun. "Huh… now that ya mention it, it does seem like she's been avoiding you, doesn't it?"

"You've noticed it too?" So it wasn't all just in my head. Not sure if that made me feel better or worse.

"Maybe a lil," he nodded. Pushing himself off the rail, he turned to stand in front of me now. "But mad? Nah, I don't think so. She seems far too chipper for that." Lea rubbed a curled finger to his chin, "Maybe she's actually sad about something but doesn't wanna worry you so is just… trying to put on a brave front? Or she could have something important she wants to talk to you about but is too scared?"

"But that's ridiculous, Anna knows she can always talk to me about anyth-"

"Hard to starboard!" came a sudden shout from my sister before she jerked the wheel into a spin.

The yacht whipped around in a sharp turn, throwing Lea into a stumble towards me. I gasped, bringing up a hand to stop him while turning my head away and squeezing my eyes shut, waiting for impact.

But it never came.

Cracking open one eyelid then the other, I discovered he'd managed to catch himself by grabbing the railing to either side of me.

"Whew!" he grinned, looming mere inches over me, "That was close!"

...wait… my hand was still raised… and touching… something…

I slowly, reluctantly lowered my gaze towards it.

Only to have my face all but burst into flames and practically blast steam out of my ears.

For behold! There, my hand, in all its brazen glory, had found its way into Lea's unbuttoned shirt and that was without a doubt a big, heaping helping of man boob it was groping right now.

...very nice, delightfully sculpted man boob. Firm yet… soft, somehow? No, soft wasn't the right word… ah, supple! Yes, that was what I-

Now was not the time to be debating word choice!

Not while my friggin' hand was still on his bare friggin' chest.

Gah, what was wrong with me?! I really needed to stop sexually harassing the guy who had zero interest in dating at the moment!

Okay, remain calm, Elsa. Maybe he hasn't even noticed it yet. Maybe if I just discreetly removed it, he'd never even have to know it'd been there in the first place. Alright, easy does it… careful now, just take it one small step at a time… first lift the palm off… okay, good! Now the thumb… perfect. And up goes the pinky… then the next one… and the next… just the index finger to go-

Oh. My. God. Did I just goddamn trail my fingertip down his skin?! Pretty sure I'd trailed it. No, not trailed, I'd caressed! Caressed! Great. Just dandy! If he hadn't realized where my hand was before, he sure as hell knew now!

My eyes shifted about desperately.

Oh, this was uncomfortable. Quick! Do something to make it less awkward!

I looked him dead in the eye, brought up my hand and poked him in the nose with a tiny, "Boop!"

Nailed it.

Lea blinked. Then he gave a little snort, one corner of his lips curling up. "What was that?"

A clever and artful distraction, duh. One that was clearly working too, so ha!

"What do you mean, what was that?" I mumbled, hitching my chin and averting my gaze. "It was a nose boop, what else?"

His grin twitched wider. "Well, yeah, I could see that. What I meant was why?"

I couldn't help but notice he was still really close. That he still hadn't let go of the railing yet, keeping me trapped between his body and it. Clearing my throat, I said defensively, "You just have a very… boopable nose, is all."

"...is that so?" he murmured, eyes crinkling as he pressed his forehead to mine.

Dear lord, his rent-a-boyfriend act would be the death of me.

"Yo! Elsa!"

Thank goodness! Cousins to the rescue!

Closing his eyes, Lea exhaled softly before spinning around and shifting over to rest back against the steel rails beside me once more just as the two of them approached us. "Is it true?" Ryder asked excitedly, eyes bright behind the lip-glasses he'd yet to take off as he stirred his mimosa. "Do you really sell mall ice cream now?"

I winced slightly. "Oh… you know about that?"

"Avast ye landlubbers!" Anna's voice rang out again as she continued to pilot the yacht. "Weigh anchor and hoist the mizzen!"

"You kidding?" Maren snerked, taking a sip of her bloody mary and ignoring my sister. "Once the Duke found out, the whole family found out. You know how that old coot loves to run his mouth to anyone who'll listen."

"So it is true!" Ryder beamed. "At an Ice Palace, right? The place with that kickass reindeer mascot?"

"Um…" I furrowed my brow. He seemed oddly enthusiastic about this. "...yes?"

He pumped a fist, "Awesome! Love the place! Their ice cream is so good and all their commercials are hilarious! Have you seen their new one with all the reindeer singing a frigging rock ballad?"

Even with the star-shades, Maren's eye roll was plain as day. "You and your strange obsession with reindeer."

"What? They're cute!"

"Whatever, I just can't with you right now," she held up a hand in his face as she took a sip from her drink, looking at me again. "Seriously though, you ran out on your wedding, on your whole sweet cushy life… just so you could sell ice cream?"

"Land ho! Thar she blows!" Anna again.

Holding onto my hat so it wouldn't blow away as the wind picked up, I frowned. "Well… that wasn't exactly why I left…"

"But that's what you did," she insisted, eyebrows lifting with her tiny grin. "Do you even know about all the chaos that erupted after you turned up missing?"

I swallowed hard. I could feel Lea's fingers fiddling with a lock of my ponytail, but I hardly noticed it as I bit down on my bottom lip and shook my head. "Was it bad?"

"Aw man, the whole place went nuts after you pulled your vanishing act! You shoulda been there!" Ryder laughed before squinting skyward. "Although… I guess if you had been there, none of it would have happened." He shrugged, taking a big swig of his mimosa. "Anyway, it was wild! Our family was yelling, his family was yelling, a flower girl was bawling, the giant ice swan sculpture got knocked over and shattered into a bajillion pieces, a bridesmaid punched a groomsman, the-"

"Wait," I interrupted him, my eyebrows knit together as my gaze shifted over to Maren. Besides Anna, who'd been my maid of honor… "Weren't you my only bridesmaid?"

She smirked, lazily lifting a shoulder before letting it fall. "What can I say? I live for anarchy."

"Batten down the hatches! Swab the deck or it's straight to Davy Jones' locker with the lot of you!" It seemed Anna was really getting into character now.

"The butterflies," Ryder eagerly jumped back into the conversation right where he'd left off, "were released on accident at the same time the doves somehow got free as well and, oh man, the carnage! It was epic!"

My hands were fidgeting with each other. I had no idea when they'd started. My chest was beginning to burn and constrict.

"I still can't believe it," Maren wrinkled her nose in glee, chewing on her straw. "You ditching a guy at the altar. You, of all people. You've always been such a goody-goody. So well-behaved, so polite, so disgustingly perfect. Just goes to show you, I guess… it's always the sweet, innocent, quiet ones who'll surprise you."

Fidget, fidget, fidget.

It was getting harder to breathe.

"A total bloodbath!" Ryder was still going. "I mean, did you even know doves ate butterflies? Cuz I didn't! But those poor little guys never even stood a chance! Tiny insect guts were flying everywhere! Seriously... Best. Wedding. Ever."

"Heh-hey!" Lea suddenly piped up. "Are all these swimsuits just for show or we gonna," he clicked his tongue, jerking a thumb towards the water, "dive on in?"

He was taking the attention off me. I shot him a grateful if somewhat shaky smile. His arm slipped around my shoulders, giving them a small, reassuring squeeze as he rested his cheek against my hair.

"Please," Maren sniggered, "like we'd actually swim in the lake."

"Watch and learn, dude," Ryder grinned as he moved over to the plush seating that circled the edge of the ship's bow and pushed a button on a panel behind its backrest. The massive, seemingly decorative circle that was etched into the center of the foredeck began to hum and slide under the rest of the floor, revealing the hot tub underneath. Striking up a finger, Ryder then pushed a second button, this one turning on the jets.

"Ooo," Lea nodded in appreciation, "a jacuzzi that appears as if by magic. My my, how the other half lives." Then he huffed out a snort through his nose, "Leave it to the rich to find a way to take a soak in the middle of a lake without actually having to get in the lake."

Ryder scrunched up his face, "Lake water's gross."

Pointing at the hot tub, Lea said, "You do realize the more people get in that thing, the more it's just a boiling vat of human juices, right?"

"Thanks for that," Maren gave a mock gag before tossing her chin towards the edge of the boat. "What're you waiting for then? Lake's right there and all yours, Stretch."

"No thanks," leaving my side, Lea walked over to the ledge of the jacuzzi to dip a toe in. "Bring on the person stew! 'Sides, not every day I get to hop into a yacht hot tub. Wouldn't wanna miss out."

Setting his now empty glass down, Ryder said, "Not every day you get to steer the yacht either. Whaddya say, my man, want to give it a go?" He pointed towards the helm.

As if on cue, Anna bellowed, "Ready the cannons, ye scallywags, lest we be dead in the water!"

Lea gave me a quick glance and I shrugged. He scratched the back of his head, "Uh… sure! Why not? Be right back, boo!" He planted a swift peck to my forehead before transferring his pink sunglasses back to my nose. "If ya need me, just shoot me the heart-eyes with these and me n' my boopable nose'll come running."

I huffed and shoved his shoulder, "Just try not to crash us into anything." Fighting the upward tug I felt at one side of my mouth, I added more quietly, "Have fun."

"Always do," he winked before turning to follow Ryder towards the stairs that lead to the upper deck.

"Shall we?" Maren then asked, tossing her sarong to the bench as she stepped down into the hot tub.

I hesitated, glancing over my shoulder. Normally, I wasn't self-conscious about being seen in my swimsuit. But then, normally only people who were related to me ever saw me in it. The one exception there of course being my ex, but I'd never been awkward about it in front of him either. I'd never really been… anything about it. But now, oddly the idea of Lea seeing me in my swimsuit, it just… well, I don't know… did weird things to my pulse and made my skin tingle. It wasn't a bad feeling, per se… I wasn't quite sure what it was really.

In any case, the boys looked to be engrossed in a heated debate with Anna currently. It seemed the self-proclaimed captain wasn't quite ready to give up her post at the wheel yet. None of those three were even looking this way.

"...alright," I said at last, slipping out of my cover-up and letting it fall to the deck. Putting my hat down on top of the small pile of fabric as well, I lowered one foot in into the water, followed by the other before hastily taking a seat, letting the bubbling warmth engulf me up to my shoulders.

Stretching and luxuriating in the jacuzzi, Maren's glass dangled between her fingertips as she idly swirled about what was left of her bloody mary inside it. "I can see why you did it."

A crease formed between my eyebrows as I gave her a sideward glance. "Did what?"

"Got the hell outta Dodge before the first note of Here Comes the Bride could even chime out the organ," she smirked, sticking the straw into the corner of her mouth.

My lips pinched. "I thought you'd already established it was to sell ice cream," I grumbled, lifting the sunglasses to sit atop my hair now since the absurd heart lenses were already fogging over from all the steam.

She gave an amused scoff, setting her empty glass down on the rim of the hot tub. "I said that's what you did, but we both know that wasn't why. Not unless ice cream is roughly six foot seven, has green eyes to die for, and is rocking a smokin' hot bod."

"Oh…" I cleared my throat. Was my face turning red? Psh, that was just the jacuzzi. I think heat was cranked up a little too high in here, in fact. Yeah, that had to be it. I laughed nervously, "What can say I? He just, er… stole my heart."

Atta girl, way to sell the lie.

...that... was a lie… right?

What am I saying, of course it was! All I had was a crush. A simple, meaningless crush, nothing more.

Anna had finally retreated to the mini bar where she was sulking as she mixed herself a drink, so Ryder had set Lea up at the wheel, who was nodding at everything he was told. Maren removed her star-shades, gently biting down on one of the earpieces as her eyes drifted towards the helm. I wasn't particularly a fan of that sly little curve to her lips as she watched him. "Mmm, I bet that's not all he stole."

A small, incredulous splutter escaped me. "Maren," I scolded, splashing some water at her.

She snerked. "All I'm saying is I don't blame you. I myself would've given up a Prince Charming fiancé worth his weight in gold and risked any claim to my family fortune, all for one steamy summer fling with that hunky pizza boy over there."

Okay fine, no use denying it anymore. This thing my face was doing? Definitely a blush. "Don't you have a girlfriend?" I muttered, eyes darting about.

"Sure do and she is my world, my moon and my stars, my everything!" she beamed. Then her eyebrows bounced, "Still… doesn't mean I can't admire the view every once and awhile."

"Well stop admiring," I harrumphed, narrowing my gaze down at the frothy water.

"That's adorable! You really do like this one, don't you," she cooed, pinching my cheek. I just rolled my eyes and swat her hand away. "Hope you weren't too attached to your hat, by the way."

"My…?" I blinked. "Why?"

She pointed, "Cuz there it goes."

Sure enough, a gust of wind had come along to scoop it up and carry it off, only to let it plummet once it'd escaped the confines of the yacht.

"Cap overboard!" Ryder called out, cupping a hand to his mouth.

"I'll get it!" Lea grinned, already kicking off his flip-flops. Before any of us could react, he took off running, launching himself up onto the guard rail and diving into the waters below.

I inhaled sharply as I shot up to my feet. "Your boy is crazy!" Ryder was cackling as he steadied the abandoned steering wheel and shut off the ship engine. Maren whooped and clapped while a giggling Anna rushed to the edge, leaning over the metal bars to look for him.

I just hoped that big dummy didn't get knocked unconscious by the rudder cracking his skull open or something! All over a stupid sun hat, no less!

Thankfully, it wasn't long before Anna was throwing up her hands and cheering, which I took to be a good sign as I released the breath I'd been holding. Next thing I knew, Lea came rising up the ladder attached to the side of the boat, wet hair slicked back and the brim of my cap between his teeth so his hands were free for climbing. Clearing the last few rungs, he hopped onto the deck and grabbed the hat out of his mouth, hissing, "Shit, that water's cold! Brr, nearly froze my ass off!"

...or at least, I think he'd said something like that.

It was hard to be sure really. My eardrums seemed to be on the fritz while all my focus now directed itself towards his shirt. His sopping, soaking wet shirt. It was clinging to the chiseled contours of his abs in a way that was rather, ah… fascinating. Not to mention see-through. Yes, very, very much so. It was actually kind of beautiful, in a way. Majestic, really. Quite the sight to behold and-

-and fudge, I was staring.

Staring at him, who was staring at me.

Me, who was still standing in the jacuzzi and flaunting my two-piece like I was the friggin' star of Baywatch.

I sat back down so fast, water splashed over onto the deck behind me. Yes, oh blessed jacuzzi bubbles, cloak me in your warm, protective embrace. Face heated and eyes not quite able to meet his, I stammered out a quick, "Th-thank you."

"Of… of course! Happy to!" Lea said brightly. Huh… was he getting a bit of a sunburn? He started to walk forward with a goofy, lopsided grin, holding the hat out towards me, "Here ya g-"

Apparently misjudging where the ledge of the hot tub was, he stumbled head first into it with us. I jolted in my seat and Maren half shrieked, half laughed as water exploded everywhere. As soon as he resurfaced and was coughing up water, I asked, "Are you okay?!"

"Fine! Nothing bruised 'cept my pride. Wanna smooch it all better?" he snickered, leaning in close and making loud kissy noises. Eyelids drooping, I just put my hand on his face and shoved him away. Still chuckling, he once more offered me my now thoroughly drenched hat. "Believe this is yours, m'lady?"

I hid a smile behind my fingers. "My hero," I said dryly, taking it from him and setting it aside on the hardwood once more. Surely it was too waterlogged at this point to fly off again.

"Yoink," he plucked the heart-shades off me so he could wear them himself once more. "Mind if I join you gals?" he chirped, standing up in the jacuzzi to remove his soggy shirt. I did my best not to ogle him this time.

The same couldn't be said for Maren as she smirked up at him. "Would seem you already have, Slim."

He cocked an eyebrow at her as he took a seat at my side. Then he was bending towards me, muttering in a low voice, "Uh… should I be nervous about the way your cousin is looking at me?"

I snorted, turning and leaning in close so I could return the whisper into his ear, "Ignore her." Lea seemed to give a small shiver, but that wouldn't make sense. It was very hot in this jacuzzi, so I must have been mistaken. "She has a girlfriend."

"Did, uh…" he cleared his throat, "did anyone tell her that?"

"Don't worry. Apparently she's just admiring the view," I said, one corner of my mouth twitching up.

His eyes crinkled behind those pink lenses. "Good. Woulda hated to break her heart otherwise, seeing as how I'm already deliriously happy in a loving, committed relationship with the bewitching creature sitting next to me," he slipped one arm to rest along the edge of the hot tub behind me while taking my hand in his other one so he could bring it up out of the water and press his lips to my knuckles.

Click!

I glanced up at the sound to see Anna crouching down next to the jacuzzi, holding her phone up with the camera pointed towards us. "D'aww, what a great picture! You two are such cuties!" she squealed, looking down at her screen as her fingers swiped across it.

Lea had lowered our hands back down to rest underwater once more, his fingers interweaved with mine now. Which was a little silly, come to think of it, as no one could possibly be seeing us holding hands through all these bubbles. Perhaps he didn't realize that. Then again, I wasn't exactly rushing to take my hand back either.

Anna was still gushing, "Seriously, I'm becoming diabetic from sweetness overload h-"

"Cannonball!"

Maren's head shot up and she snarled, "Ryder, no! This is a hot tub, not a-"

Suddenly a big blur was hitting the water, sending a huge blast of water in all directions for the second time. Anna yelped, shielding her mobile with her body while the rest of us just did our best to block the mini tidal wave with our hands. It was amazing that there was any liquid still left in here with us by now.

"Wahoo!" Ryder cried out as he popped back up, bouncing with his hands high over his head in triumph. It was short lived however as his sister punched him in the gut and he doubled over with a grunt.

"Bonehead!" she scowled at him as she relaxed back into her seat. "You could've broken your dumb neck."

"And my phone!" Anna added as she gave said device a careful lookover.

"Whatever, you're all just jelly cuz you didn't think to do it yourselves first." He fished around in the water for his lip-shades that had fallen off before perching them on his head and taking a seat as he looked to Lea, "Hella cool, am I right? Up top!" He held up his hand. Lea just shrugged and obliged him with a high-five.

Maren sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Boys. Ugh."

Seemingly satisfied that no damage had come to her phone, Anna plopped down onto the ledge of the jacuzzi now and let her feet dangle in the water. "Pic of my fave cousin," she singsonged, snapping a shot of Maren tipping her sunglasses down and holding two fingers up in the peace sign. "And one of my idiot cousin," she deadpanned, pointing it at Ryder now who just crossed his eyes and razzed his tongue at her. Giggling, she then turned the phone camera back towards Lea and me. "I want a couple more of you guys! Go on, smoosh in, you two!"

...who me?

Awkward penguin, nervous wreck, ball of raw friggin' nerves me? "Smoosh" in with a guy? While we were both only in swimsuits and thus at least a good seventy-five percent naked? Smoosh?! I didn't even know how to smoosh! I'd never smooshed a day in my life!

Did my sister know me but at all?

She did remember Lea and I were only pretend dating, right?

I narrowed my gaze one her. "...excuse me?"

"You heard me," she said sweetly, a wicked gleam in her eyes as she tipped her head forward, smirking over those flower-glasses. "Snuggle in, Sis."

Oh-ho, that evil brat knew exactly what she was doing.

Fine. If I gave her this and let her have her fun, maybe she'd finally open up to me about whatever it was that'd been bothering her.

So I scooched an inch over towards Lea.

"Closer," Anna said, staring at her phone screen as she pointed the camera at us again and waved me over with her free hand.

A tiny huff in my throat and another inch over. My knee was brushing against his now.

Anna groaned, "Come on, closer! You two like each other, right?!"

Lea gave a sheepish laugh, scratching his cheek and whispering, "El, forget it, you don't hafta-"

"It's fine," I muttered under my breath, hard eyes still on Anna as I reached over my shoulder and closed my fingers around Lea's wrist resting behind my head there. Hesitating briefly as my face began to warm uncomfortably and the thudding in my ears grew louder, I finally tugged the arm down to wrap around my bare shoulders and leaned into his chest slightly.

"Ugh, closer!"

One of my eyes ticked. "Anna, any closer and I'll be sitting in his lap. Is that what you want?"

She smiled impishly, "I mean, if you think it'll help…"

Lea's hushed voice came to me again, "El, really, this isn't-"

"Lea, really, it's fine," I insisted through grit teeth.

Alright, Anna, you want closer? I'll give you closer, you little...

I twisted in my seat, hugged my arms around his neck and yanked him down, pressing our cheeks together. Not to mention our chests. Our very wet, scantily-to-not-at-all clad chests. But I tried not to think about that part. My cheeks were frying enough as it was already. His whole body went rigid against mine before slowly relaxing as I felt his arms tighten around me. "Here, Anna," I snapped, "take the stupid picture!"

Hold this pose any longer and my heart might just shatter a rib with the way it was thundering.

Still there was no click. She frowned, "Aw, c'mon, Sis, give us a smile! You're in wub, after all!"

...that's it, I was going to throttle her.

"Gotcha covered!" Lea announced. I'd barely even had a chance to register his words before he'd removed his cheek from mine only to replace it with his lips and blow a loud raspberry. All my tension immediately banished and a surprised laugh erupted out of me as I tried to wriggle free, but not before-

Click!

"Perfect!" Anna bit back a grin as she eyed the photo on her phone.

Lea had a cheeky grin of his own that he was shooting my way. Though my eyes glared, my lips smiled as I gave his arm a shove, which did nothing to erase his smug look. Before I could retract my hand however, he'd snatched it up in his so he could lace our fingers together once more. At least this time it was above the water for everyone to see.

Now that that bit of nonsense was over and done with, perhaps Anna would give me a minute to talk to her while she was still distracted by riding her photography high. I saw Maren poking a finger into her brother's cheek as she teased him about something, so our cousins probably wouldn't miss us if we slipped away for a second or two. Sitting up straighter and taking a deep breath, I began, "Anna, perhaps now you and I could have a-"

"Oopsie, looks like I need a refill!" she trilled, swiping up her glass from where it sat on the deck beside her.

I squinted at it. "...it's still mostly full."

"Check again." She downed the whole thing in one big gulp before puffing out a satisfied, "Ha! Be right back!"

Whoosh!

Gone again.

With a long, drawn out sigh, I slouched so low into the jacuzzi now, the foamy surface brushed against my chin. I could see Lea frowning at me out of my peripheral, but he remained quiet, probably just as much at a loss with this whole mystery situation with my sister as I was.

My eyes gradually drifted over to the mini bar where I could see her mixing up some new concoction. However, instead of the upbeat glow she usually had about her, I noticed her shoulders sagging a little. She was worrying her lower lip between her teeth, the corners of her mouth turned down. I couldn't see her eyes behind the sunglasses, but her brow was wrinkled, seemingly lost in thought as she hung her head.

Huh… that didn't look like someone who was mad.

Maybe Lea was right. Maybe there really was something that had her sad or scared.

But what could it possibly be?

And why wouldn't she just tell me?

Author's Note: Yay for some yacht fun! Cuz that's just what rich people do I suppose xD Again, since I'm not sure if all of ya'll have seen Frozen 2, the new characters introduced this chapter (including the briefly mentioned Yelena) were all from that movie as a buncha people called the Northuldra who live in an enchanted forest. Since in F2 it was revealed Elsa's mom was Northuldra, there is a VERY real possibility that Honeymaren and Ryder really are all canonically related to Elsa and Anna in some way, so I figured hey, why not turn them into her cousins in this? Now if only Ryder had gotten to see Kristoff's talking reindeer Sven plushie routine, I think Ryder would have positively exploded with happiness xD Real talk tho, boys and girls... don't pull a Ryder: do NOT cannonball into a jacuzzi.

Alright, we now have Saturday morning out of the way, but still have plenty of The Weekend to go yet! Next chapter, what will the rest of the day hold for Elsa? Will she ever find out what seems to have her baby sis so down? Not to mention Gramps' bday palooza is looming ever nearer on the horizon, what potential new "fun" could that lil party bring? And seriously, how WAS there any water left in that lil hot tub after those couple o' knuckleheads (intentionally or not) crashed hard into that thing? Stay tuned!

Thanks for reading, I super duper appreciate it! And an extra BIG thank you to those of you who’ve liked, reblogged, and followed so far, seeing those lil notifications always brings the biggest, goofiest smile to my face!

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

[dorkzilla-exe]

Zim, Dib, and Seven Smeets

A ZaDr series: Ep 1, Hatching Day

Dib: Zim, will you come down.

Zim: *sitting on top of the fridge* DO NOT DISTURB ME WHILE I'M IN MY PANIC SPOT!

Dib: Im just-

Zim: *crying* DIBBERSON, JUST LEAVE ME ALONE, I'LL BE DOWN IN A MINUTE!

Dib: you said that an hour ago, I've got everything set up for the celebration, so at least be down before 3, ok?

Zim: wait, you did the decorating? You did EVERYTHING?! ON YOUR OWN?!

Dib: *smiles sinisterly* yes, yes I did, all on my own, probably made some mistakes in color arrangement-

Zim: LET ME SEE! YOU BETTER NOT HAVE MESSED ANYTHING UP!! *jumps down from the fridge and scurries into the living room*

Dib: works every time...

Zim: Dib, you didn't actually mess any of the decorations!?

Dib: I studied hard when you were decorating for Gaz's birthday, so I applied your decoration tactics to this room and... well... ta-daa!

Zim: you really are amazing, Dib. You know that, right?

Dib: I got the hint the day you gave me a ring-pop and asked for my hand in marriage.

Zim: I swear I didn't know it was candy, the person who sold it to me said it was worth 5,000$ and would sell it to me for 4,900...

Dib: I really didn't care about being proposed to with a candy ring, a ring is a ring to me, wether it's candy or not. Although, it is very concerning how someone managed to sell you a ring-pop for that much.

Zim: don't remind me...

Dib: would you believe me when I say I still have it?

Zim: no, I actually wouldn't.

Dib: well I do, I had it dipped in resin so it wouldn't deteriorate.

Zim: wow, how have I not noticed it?

Dib: remember that box I where keep stuff like pendants and pins? That's where the ring is.

Zim: that's sweet.

Dib: wait a minute, I just remembered we've got one more thing to do...

Zim: The Smeet's play-pen! We've gotta decorate that! Get the streamers! I've got some decorating to do!

[About an hour later]

Dib: alright, living room decorated, snacks and cake ready, little gift bags customized for every guest, flowers and other table decorations, and Zim's in the play-pen with the eggs. We are ready for the guests to arrive and it isn't even-

[Knocking from the front door]

Dib: right on cue, must be dad cause he's been early to ever other party. *answers the door* hey- uh...

Tallest Red: hello there, you must be Dib

Tallest Purple: How has Zim been? We haven't heard too much from him since he layed the eggs.

Dib: uhhhh... Hi I'm Dib Membrane, Zim's husband. Zim's been doing wonderfully, aside from the random anxiety attacks and his weekends of depression. Please come in! We have plenty of Irken friendly food and drinks ready, but remember to save some for the other guests. You two apparently aren't the only alien guests on our list.

Tallest Red: Thank you Mr. Membrane, we appreciate your hospitality. *enters with Tallest Purple*

Zim: My Tallest! I didn't expect you to be here until 10 minutes later.

Tallest Purple: see, I told you we were too early!

Tallest Red: EUGH, we could've brought the little ones Paks...

Dib: actually, we already thought of that. My Dad works at Membrane labs and designed him "Membrane Paks". They are designed to make it easier for them to identify us in a crowd, immediately begin healing if injured, ward off any diseases and illnesses, higher pain tolerance, and give them a longer life.

Zim: the only major differences are the Designs and application process. Instead of implanting electonics in abruptly, we will apply them more delicately, carefully and less painfully.

Tallest Red: hmm, I see, it would also be much easier to identify them if they ever decided to work for the Irken Empire.

Zim: i mean, you're not wrong. But I also invited here to ask for permission to retire.

Tallest Purple: retire?

Tallest Red: eumm... sure? Why not?

[1 hour later]

Dib: Dad, Gaz, the tallest, Skoodge, Tak, Tenn, Keef, Z, Zita, Clembrane, Prisinor 777 and his kids.

Dib: that seems to be about everyone, all we're missing are-

Anne: *annoyingly beating on Dib's Door* DIBDIBDIBDIBDIBDIBDIBDIBDIB!

Dib: Anne and Flish...

Dib: *opens the door, making Anne fall into the house*

Anne: Crikey, you've grown! You're 'bout as tall as Flishey now!

Flish: howdy, Dib. Sorry we couldn't make it to yer wedding last year.

Dib: it's ok, come on in you two.

Tallest Purple: oh yeah... we banished HER here too...

Tallest Red: I feel like Zim isn't our biggest concern anymore.

Anne: My Tallest! It's been YEARS! how've ya been!

Tallest Purple: good~

Anne: *gasp* OH MY GOSH! The eggs! Aw, they're absolutely precious! Zim, you oughta call yourself lucky! 'Lotta Irkens can't lay eggs y'know.

Zim: eheh, I know. Which is why I didn't fully expect it.

Dib: you should've seen him, he cried his eyes out the whole time and more.

Flish: Heha! sounds like Zim a'right. But don'cha get all concerned and stuff. It's completely normal to cry during egg laying. Er, from what I've heard at least.

Dib: it's official, everyone's here.

Tallest Purple: great!... Now what?

Dib: Um, we talk.

Tallest Purple: sounds boring.

Gaz: I have Videogames.

Tallest Purple: Ooo, sounds intriguing! What do you do?

Professor Membrane: son, may I speak with you for a moment?

Dib: sure.

Professor Membrane: let's go into the other room, ok.

Dib: *nods and walks into the bedroom*

Professor Membrane: something is wrong and I can tell.

Dib: *walks over to the bad, grabs a pillow, and screams in it*

Professor Membrane: I know your stressed, but everything will be just fine. I'm sure you and Zim will be great-

Dib: But what if we arent?! I work weekends at a coffee shop and Zim works at a clothing store in a mall. We can't provide for SEVEN babies! It took a lot of saving to get this party set up! I rarely get any tips and the one tip I got last weekend was from Gaz and it was a penny.

Professor Membrane: Ok, now that's just sad.

Dib: I don't know what to do! It's hard for me to get a different job, a barista was the closest I could do because I apparently make really good lattes. *sob*

Professor Membrane: have you ever considered working with me in the labs? You already know everyone there and know the place well. Plus, I could adjust your schedule so you don't have to come every day and you get paid just for being there.

Dib: you'd do that for me?

Professor Membrane: of course! You really do need the money, I could have you work as a lab assistant, but that's a little dangerous. I could put you in the mailing room? Or-

Dib: what about food service? I can cook, I can make coffee, tea, and plenty of different desserts.

Professor Membrane: that's a wonderful idea! I could make you work down at the cafeteria so your talent isn't wasted on Lattes!

Dib: Consider me hired! Ill be there tomorrow evening-

Professor Membrane: no no, you should stay home for a few days.

Dib: but dad, I-

Professor Membrane: Dibberson, I know you want to help out as soon as you can, but right now, Zim and your children need you here. Besides, it's hard to bond with a child while you're away, right?

Dib: I guess it is.

Anne: *Bursts through the door* Dib! It's about to happen! One of the eggs moved!

Dib: bwha?! Already?! I didn't think it would be this early! *runs to the living room*

Zim: Dib! There you are! Hurry over here, you don't want to miss this!

Dib: *looks over the pen* which one moved?

Zim: This one right here. *puts egg in lap*

Dib: When will they-

Zim: any moment now...

Dib: *puts hand on egg, feeling for any movement*

Zim: Dib, can I admit something before they hatch?

Dib: go ahead.

Zim: I knew about the eggs since the first day they began developing.

Dib: wanna know something? The 4 months before I helped you with the eggs, I was suspicious that you might've been pregnant. I was kinda right.

Zim: yes, yes you were. AH! DIB, IT'S HATCHING!

Dib: *removes hand, watching both the eggs hatch and his family grow before his eyes*

Zim: thank you, Dib

Dib: hm?

Zim: thank you for everything. I'll love you forever and on.

Dib: *pure panic* wait, you dont die after the eggs hatch, do you?

Zim: No, no I don't, but I'll love you longer than you'll ever know. And that's a promise.

From then and on, Zib and Dib lived a happy and eventful life with 7 beautiful Human-Irken Smeets.

The End

Zim: Or is it?

Dib: Not really, but for now, yes.

[imaginesfubu]

Write a story about Mammon celebrating his first pay check with his gal!! If ya know what I mean

@tehwalkingpoptart Idk what you mean, cuz Mammon would have already spent his first check before calling up his girlfriend for some quality time. 💀😭 I hope it's okay if this story is fluff, because I'm actually at work while writing this. You're my second ask, but you did request something else before...So still my first ask...? Idk, but I hope you enjoy!

Payday: Fem!Reader x Mammon

Out of all the days you had to work, your coworker just had to quit at the very last minute. You hated that you got called in to Hedonist Cleaners, your part-time job that you picked up while living in the Devildom on your day off. You knew that you didn't necessarily have to work while living with Mammon and his brothers, but you insisted because you wanted to repay the demon brothers' kindness for allowing you to live with them during the exchange program.

Two hours. Two painfully long and boring hours before closing time. You looked at the clock impatiently, wishing you had the power to make time go by faster. It wouldn't have been so bad if you had another coworker to talk to, but since you didn't it made it all the more dull for you at the front counter.

Just when you were about to call your manager to ask if you could close the store early, you got a text message from your boyfriend Mammon.

"Hey, babe! Guess who just got PAID?"

Smiling to yourself at your boyfriend's text, you decided to humor him.

"I don't know, who?"

"Your first and only, ME the Great Mammon!"

"Lol, haha"

"So, I was thinkin' if maybe ya wanna go out when ya get off work tonight?"

You paused. You'd love to go, but you didn't bring a change of clothes. There's something about going out in your work uniform before or after hours that irritates you. Mainly it's because you don't want to represent your job when you're off the clock. A small portion of you found it lame even, but sometimes it can't be helped. But if it can...

"Sure, but I didn't bring a change of clothes...what did you have in mind?"

"It's a secret! 😋 Ah, n don't worry about wearin' ya work uniform, my human looks sexy in anythin' 😘"

A warm smile formed on your lips. Even though you and Mammon had been dating for about six months, you still get butterflies in your stomach; your heart still skips beats whenever Mammon shows you affection, and you always feel a happiness that is almost childlike whenever and wherever you spend time with your demon boyfriend.

"Anyway, I'll see ya at 8, babe! 😎"

You marked the text as "read," and went back into work mode the moment a customer walked into the store.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

"So, where are we going?" You asked as you buckled your seatbelt in Mammon's car.

"[Y/N], babe, I said it was a secret. C'mon, can't I be a good boyfriend and keep just one lil secret?" Mammon smirked teasingly, causing you to blush and giggle.

"Okay, okay," you gave in with a laugh.

"Yes! Thanks, babe, ya won't regret it!"

As Mammon started up the car and pulled out of the driveway, worry and nervousness glazed over his features. Why? Because it was something out of their normal routine as a couple. Whenever you and Mammon went out for dates, it was either to the movies, eating at fancy restaurants where he was always short on cash, making you foot the remainder if not pay entirely, or simply getting in his sports car and go wherever the road takes them.

This idea of a date was a change of pace, but he didn't know if you would like it.

Mammon made a right turn onto a dirt road, away from the House of Lamentation. Now you were both very confused and very alert as you don't recognize the new path, leading deeper and deeper into the woods.

"Uh, hey, babe? Where exactly are we going?" You asked, trying not to allow your voice to falter.

Tried as you might, Mammon could sense your anxiety, but never took his eyes off the road. The Devildom's wilderness is unsettling to say the least at night to a human, but he knew where he was going. He was determined to protect you. Nothing was going to ruin what he had planned out.

"I love hearin the sound of ya voice, [Y/N], but we gotta stay quiet in this part of the woods," Mammon whispered with a serious tone his voice. It's a tone that you've never heard before coming from him, so you simply nodded and stayed quiet.

"See, if we make too much noise," Mammon whispered, "we'll be attracting danger to ourselves. Trust me, ya don't wanna know what lives out here and I don't feel like makin a mess here, ya know?"

You nodded again, with fear glimmering in your eyes. Mammon leaned over to the passenger side and gave you a quick peck on your cheek, refocusing his attention on the road.

Several minutes went by in tense silence, the only noise being the soft hum from the car engine. You looked up from your D.D.D and noticed you two were heading toward a clearing with a perfect view of the night sky, overlooking the palace of the Devildom, RAD, and other businesses and homes within the city.

As Mammon parked the car on the lookout, he turned to look at you, with a small blush appearing on his face.

"I know this ain't what we usually do for our dates, but I wanted us ta have a nice change of pace, y'know?" Mammon's blush deepened, with your own face reddening as your mind shamelessly wondered about the different scenarios lookout points usually end up. You mentally fought off your dirty thoughts as you focused on the Avatar of Greed, as he continued to stumble on his words.

"So-so, ta show that ya mean a lot ta me, I wanted our date here. 'Cause I wanted ya to know that all a this is yours when... when you're with me."

Mammon's blush deepened. "So, since I got paid, I wanna ask ya something. Come with me, please, [Y/N]," Mammon said nervously, as he unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the car door. You did the same, and followed him to the edge of the cliff.

Before you knew it, Mammon went into his pants pockets and pulled out a small black box as he knelt down on one knee.

Your eyes widened as your placed both hands over your mouth, eyes threatening to create a waterfall.

"Babe no way, no way!" You shrieked in pure joy.

There, resting snugly in the ring's box was a beautiful silver engagement ring, with a medium-sized yellow diamond laying in a bed of small white diamonds.

"I think this is how you lowly humans propose ta each other. So uh, [Y/N], I really and truly love ya with everythin' I have. I don't get as greedy when I'm around ya; I'm only greedy for you and your love. Took me way too long to realize it for myself, but-"

"Ya damn right it took you forever, Mammon! And yes, I'll marry you!" You exclaimed with a laugh, stretching your right arm down toward Mammon as he slid the ring on your right ring finger.

You jumped into his arms the moment he stood upright, hugging and kissing each other passionately.

"I love ya, Mammon," you said softly as you parted from his lips, staying in his embrace.

"I love ya too, [Y/N]...For a lowly human."

You sucked your teeth and playfully hit him on his arm, laughing.

"So, uh...ya like these dates then?" Mammon asked sheepishly.

"Fine time of asking me now after all this! But yes, I don't mind being out here looking out over Devildom, so long as it's with you."

The two of you leaned back against the hood of the car, viewing the beautifully whimsical sky of the Devildom.

Karasu then flew overhead, shouting his congratulations to you while simultaneously clowning on Mammon and all that he stood for in his signature Karasu loving way.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Thanks for reading! Sorry this is so late, but I hope you like it! Between work and figuring out if I'm going back on campus took up most of my time, so I finally finished up while at work. Posting from my cell phone, please forgive me for any grammatical errors!

[foreverwayward]

“Wayward Hearts Season 3 Chapter 5: Red Sky at Morning

Summary: After the Devil’s Gate had been opened that fateful night in the graveyard, the hunters are forced to face a new war. Countless demons now run rampant, hungry for blood and power. It’ll take everything the three have to survive when darkness once again knocks on their door. But, with only a year before Dean’s deal comes due, Sam and Riley will stop at nothing to save him; to save their family.

Masterlist

Word Count: 8512

Content Warning: language and violence

DISCLAIMER: any words or phrases in bold in the story are not my own and are credited to the writers of Supernatural.

**GIFS ARE NOT MY OWN**

Maple Springs was left in the rearview mirror as the three drove into the dark highway that night. Dean’s foot seemed heavier on the gas as Baby roared down the road. 

With Riley in the back seat and Sam in the front, there was a cloud that sat over them all in the silence of the ride. There was no music coming from the stereo and Dean had stayed quiet long enough.

“So, I've been waiting since Maple Springs. One of you got something to tell me?”

Sam played dumb and answered almost in a question. “It's not your birthday…”

“No.”

“...happy Purim?” The younger brother laughed. “Dude, I don't know. I have no idea what you're talking about--”

Cutting Sam off mid-sentence, Dean went firm. “There's a bullet missing from the Colt. You want to tell me how that happened?” 

His eyes went to the mirror to look at Riley and she didn’t acknowledge his glance. 

“I know it wasn't me. So, unless one of you were shooting at some incredibly evil cans...”

“Dean…”

“You went after her, didn’t you? The Crossroads Demon. After I told you not to.”

Riley sighed before joining the conversation with her eyes shut, “it wasn’t just him, Dean.”

Dean practically rolled his eyes. “Are you fucking kidding me? You both could have gotten yourself killed!”

“But we didn’t!”

“And you shot her.”

“Hell ya I did,” Sam replied. “She was a smartass!”

After taking a beat, Dean asked the one question that flooded his mind. “So, what? Does that--does that mean I'm out of my deal?”

“Don't you think I might have mentioned that little fact, Dean? No. Someone else holds the contract. She wouldn’t say who.”

“Well, we should find out who. Of course, our best lead would be the Crossroads Demon. Oh, wait a minute…”

Riley softly shook her head as Dean peered back at her again. “That’s not funny, Dean.”

“No, it's not!” he barked back. “It was a stupid fucking risk and you shouldn't have done it.”

Finally meeting his stern look, Riley stared back incredulously. “We shouldn’t have done it? Are you kidding me?”

“She’s right, Dean. This is bullshit,” Sam agreed. “You’re my brother; Riley loves you. And no matter what you do, we’re gonna try and save you. And we’re sure as hell not gonna apologize for it, alright?”

Silence fell over the Impala once again. Riley leaned back with her arms folded and Sam sighed heavily in exasperation. Dean’s stare continued down the road with nothing left to say to either of them.

“Sam,” Riley called to him with her abilities. “Please don’t tell him.” She saw her brother's large shoulders tense at her voice. Sam was still angry with Riley over her trying to make a deal for Dean’s soul. “Sam…?”

“I wouldn’t do that…” Sam thought. “It would kill him.”

------

Impersonating officers of the law to interview a witness, Riley and the Winchesters stood in the home of the witness to their newest case. Her finely decorated house sat right at the edge of the bay. 

The witness’ name was Gertrude Case, an elegant and well-groomed woman in her early 70’s. She held a picture of her beloved, now deceased niece.

“But I don't understand. I already went over all this with the other detectives.”

“Right, yes. But, see...” Dean began their cover story. “We're with the Sheriff's Department, not the police department--different departments.”

Sam went straight to business. “So, Mrs. Case…”

“Please,” the woman cooed as she looked intently at Sam. “Ms. Case.”

“Okay. Um, Ms. Case, uh--you were the one who found your niece, correct?”

“I came home, she was in the shower. The coroner said she drowned. Now, you tell me, how can someone drown in the shower?”

Riley jumped in, trying to ignore the intense sexual thoughts and emotions that dripped from Mrs. Case. She cleared her throat. “Was Sheila acting strangely in any way in the days before she died? Did she seem scared or possibly say anything out of character…?”

“Wait a minute,” Gertrude paused. “You're working with Alex, aren't you?”

“Alex?” Riley asked before nodding her head in a lie. “Oh, sure. Yeah, Alex has been a huge help.”

“Why didn't you say so? Alex has been such a comfort. But, I’m sorry, I thought the case was solved.”

Sam leaned onto his right foot to shift his weight before replying, “Uh...well, no. No, not yet.”

“I see.”

“So, anyway, we were talking about your niece.”

“Well, yes. Sheila mentioned something quite strange before she died. She said she saw a boat.”

“A boat?” Dean asked.

“Yes. One minute it was there, then it was gone. It just disappeared right before her eyes. You think it could be a...ghost ship? Alex thinks it could be a ghost ship.” Every word she said seemed to be only directed at Sam. Gertrude’s eyes sat on him with hunger.

Thrown off by her intense regard, Sam answered awkwardly, “well, um...could be.”

“Well, you let me know if there's anything else I can do for you.” Coming closer to Sam, she slowly ran a finger along Sam’s hand. 

He looked beyond uncomfortable while Dean and Riley tried not to laugh. 

“Anything at all.”

------

The three moseyed along the dock, the gentle sound of lapping water touching the shore. The ocean port was crowded with pristine, rather large boats owned by the obviously wealthy.

“What a crazy old broad,” Dean joked.

“Why?” Sam asked. “Because she believes in ghosts?”

Dean laughed. “Look at you, sticking up for your girlfriend. You cougar hound.”

“Bite me.”

Nibbling her lip as a laugh tried to force its way out, Riley couldn’t help the urge to tease her brother. “She might bite you first, Sam.” He glared at her and she chuckled to herself. “So, do we know an Alex? Another hunter maybe?”

“Maybe, maybe not. Doesn't change our job.”

“And it looks like we’re dealing with some kind of ghost ship.”

“Yeah. It's not the first one sighted around here, either. Every 37 years, like clockwork, reports of a vanishing, three-mast clipper ship out in the bay. And every 37 years, a rash of weirdo, dry-land drownings.”

Dean glanced down at the wood at his feet before looking back up. “So, whatever's happening is just getting started. What's the lore?”

“Well,” Riley interjected. “Apparitions of shipwrecks are sighted all over the world. The Griffin, the S.S. Violet, the Flying Dutchman--and all of them? Death omens.”

“So, what happens? You see the ship and then a few hours later, you pucker up and kiss your ass goodbye?”

“Looks like.”

“What's the next step?”

“Sam I.D.’s the boat.”

The younger brother scoffed through a laugh. “Oh, sure. I’m gonna do that.”

“Yup,” she smiled. “‘Cause you just love me so much.”

“Uh-huh,” Sam teased. “Sure. I mean, there’s only over a hundred and fifty three-mast clipper ships that have wrecked of the coast.”

“Wow,” Dean added. “Well, shit.”

“Mhm.”

They quickly went up the concrete steps that took them to the main street level. The air was salty with the breeze that blew through with seagulls crying close by. 

As they reached the road, the three approached an empty parking space. Dean looked around confused.

“This is where we parked the car, right?”

“I thought so,” Sam answered as he watched Dean walk into the spot.

Dean’s body language changed as he grew more and more tense. “Where's my car?”

“Did you feed the meter?”

With his voice starting to rise in panic, Dean’s anxiety grew. “Yes, I fed the meter. Sam, where's my car? Somebody stole my car?!” he shouted.

Riley could feel his legitimate worry and fear that he had possibly lost Baby. She saw him double over and ran to him. “Hey, Dean, you gotta calm down.”

“I am calmed down! Somebody stole my ca--” the Winchester began to hyperventilate and bent over, clutching his knees to calm himself.

At his gasping, Riley and Sam both tried to talk him down. “Take it easy, Dean. It’ll be alright.”

A deep voice with a British accent spoke out from ahead. They all stood up only to see Richard sauntering in their direction. He took off his sunglasses to look at the three hunters. “The '67 Impala? Was that yours?”

“Richard,” Riley sighed in exasperation.

“I'm sorry. I had that car towed.”

“You what?!” Dean barked at him.

“Well, it was in a tow-away zone.”

“No, it fucking wasn't, you douchebag!”

Richard leaned in with a pleased grin. “It was when I finished with it.”

“Why?” Riley asked in a frustrated, but drained tone. Her hands found her hips as she glared at him. “Just--why are you here?”

“A little yachting,” he replied flippantly.

“You're Alex,” Sam scoffed. “You're working with that old lady.”

“Gert's a dear old friend. A bit grabby, but a sweet lady nonetheless.”

“Yeah, right. What's your angle?”

“There's no angle. There's a lot of lovely old women like Gert up and down the eastern seaboard. I sell them charms, perform séances so they can commune with their dead cats.”

Dean’s face scrunched in disgust. “Yeah, I’m sure you perform all kinds of helpful services. Ugh. And you’re conning them--none of it’s real.”

“The comfort I provide them is very real.”

“How do you sleep at night?” Sam asked.

“On silk sheets, rolling naked in money.” Richard’s eyes landed on Riley with a strong sexual tension in them. Dean noticed and immediately grit his teeth. “Really, Sam. I'd expect the attitude from Dean, but you?”

“You fucking shot me!”

“I barely grazed you,” Lewis mocked. “Good, god, Sam. About time you toughened up, don’t you think?”

It took all of Sam’s strength not to clock Richard across his face. His jaw clenched and his nostrils flared with rage.

Riley had so much disdain for Lewis that his mere presence was enough to irritate her. She was sickened by the way he eyed her like a piece of meat. “So, I’m assuming that you know what’s going on around here. The whole ‘ghost-ship’ story is real.”

“I'm aware. Thanks for telling Gert the case wasn't solved, by the way.”

“It isn't,” Dean added with a scowl on his face.

“She didn't know that. Now the old bag's stopped payment and she's demanding some real answers. Look...just stay out of my way before you cause any more trouble. And I'd get to that car if I were you...before they find the arsenal in the trunk.” With a cocky smile, Richard put his sunglasses back on before winking at Riley. “See you around, Munroe.” He turned to leave and straightened his well-tailored coat as he walked off.

“Can I shoot him?” Dean seethed.

“Not in public,” Sam and Riley answered in unison.

------

The next day, Riley and the Winchesters had gone to another house of yet another mysterious drowning. The entire property had become a crime scene. Police officers had taped off the home and their radios could be heard throughout.

Ahead, Riley spotted Richard talking to the victim’s brother. She tossed her head back and groaned. “I’ll ask again...why?” she whined.

The brother of the victim was still shaken and obviously reeling from the earlier events. 

Richard was interviewing him, posed as a reporter. He was using a fake American accent and really playing into his role. “I am so sorry for your loss, Mr. Warren. Now, if you could just tell me one more time about the ship your brother saw.”

Riley, Sam, and Dean pulled out their badges to flash them before shoving them back away. They all looked irritated and Dean stared Lewis down. “I think this man's been through quite enough. You should go.”

Still holding his recording device, Richard told them coolly, “I just have a few more questions.”

“No, you don't,” Sam told him firmly.

Richard shot the brothers daggers with his eyes before feigning respect for Mr. Warren. “Thank you for your time.” As he walked past Riley, his hand brushed up against hers purposefully and he shot her a playful look.

“Sorry you had to deal with that,” the older Winchester told the grieving brother. “They're like roaches.” Dean raised his voice so that Richard could hear him. 

He turned back to glare at the hunter and Dean shot him a harsh leer before Lewis scoffed and left. 

“Did he touch you?” he asked Riley quietly.

“I’m fine, Dean,” she replied. “Don’t let him get to you.”

“Pfft. He’s not getting to me. I just--wanna kill him is all.”

Sam had already pulled Mr. Warren to the side to talk as Riley and Dean joined them. “So, it’s Peter, right? Peter Warren? We heard you say your brother saw a ship.”

“Yeah, that's right.”

“Did he tell you what it looked like?” Dean asked.

“It was, uh--like the old Yankee clippers. A smuggling vessel. The rakish topsail, a barkentine rigging--angel figurehead on the bow.”

Riley looked at the man curiously. “Wow. That’s pretty specific detail for a ship you didn’t even see.”

“My brother and I were night diving. I saw the ship, too.”

The three shared a knowing look of worry before Sam turned to notice Richard. He was talking to officers and pointing to Riley and the brothers’ direction. 

Sam nudged Dean and he quickly wrapped things up.

“Alright. Well, we'll be in touch. Thank you for your time.”

------

Later that afternoon, the family of three loaded their shotguns at the trunk of the Impala in the nearby woods. It didn’t take long before they were joined once again by an unwelcome voice that approached them from behind.

“I see you got your car back.”

Dean had to briefly shut his eyes to contain his frustration before replying, “you really want to come near me when I got a loaded gun in my hands?”

“Now, now. Mind your blood pressure, Dean. Why are you even still here? You have enough to I.D. the boat.”

As Riley snapped the gun back into place she stared Richard down. “The brother? He saw the ship.” 

Dean closed the trunk as they all turned to face Lewis.

“Yeah? And?”

“...and he’s gonna die. So, now we gotta save him.”

Richard found slight humor in the comment and smirked with a soft chuckle. “Oh, Riley. How sweet. Always ready to run into the fray. Though I’ll admit, one of the many reasons I’ve always found you so interesting,” he added with a sly look.

Sam butt into the conversation with a scoff, “dude, back the hell off. And what? You think this whole thing is funny?

“He's cannon fodder. He can't be saved in time and you know it.”

“Hmm. Yeah, well, see, we have souls, so…” Sam said plainly as they all went to get in the car. “...we're gonna try.”

“Yeah, well, I'm actually going to find the ship and put an end to this. But you have fun.”

Sam, Dean, and Riley looked at each other, exasperated before Dean marched over to the smug visitor. “Hey, Dick, how'd you get like this, huh? What, did daddy not give you enough hugs or something?”

Lewis fought not to let his face show how offended he was. “I don't know. Your daddy give you enough?” 

The two men shared an obvious moment of desire to fight. 

Riley could feel the tensions rising and a part of her hoped Dean would hit Richard. 

“Don't you dare look down your nose at me,” Richard told him. “You're not better than I am.”

“We help people.”

With a scoff, Richard went on. “Come on. You do this out of vengeance and obsession. You're a stone's throw from being a serial killer. Whereas I, on the other hand, I get paid to do a job and I do it. So, you tell me--which is healthier?”

“Richard,” Sam interrupted. “Why don't you just leave? We've got work to do.”

“Yeah. You're 0 for 2. Bang-up job so far.”

As he left, the others sighed as Riley ran a hand through her hair. “I’m starting to think shooting him in public isn’t such a bad idea.”

------

When night had fallen, Riley and the boys sat in front of the Mr. Warren’s large house. Back in their day to day clothes, they had decided to stake-out the place in hopes of catching whatever was going to come after the man. 

Riley had her feet up as she lounged in the back seat finishing her candy bar. As Sam went over his findings on the Warren brothers, Dean’s eyes sat on Peter in the window.

“I don’t get it. I mean, both brothers are Duke University grads--no criminal record. I mean, a few speeding tickets. They inherited their father's real estate fortune six years ago.”

“How much?” Dean asked.

“$112 million.”

Riley whistled in response. “Real estate, huh? I’m in the wrong business obviously.”

“Yeah. I mean, nice, clean, aboveboard. So, why did they see the ship? Why Sheila, too? What do they all have in common?”

“Maybe nothing,” Dean added.

“No. There's always something.”

Peter had spotted them through his window and came out of the house toward them. Stopping at the security gate, he shouted, “hey, you!”

“Think we’ve been made, boys.” Riley was the first to get out of the car as the Winchesters followed.

“What are you guys doing?! You watching me?”

As they neared the panicked man, Sam tried to reason with him. “Sir, calm down. Please.”

“You guys aren't cops! Not dressed like that. Not--not in that shitty car.”

Dean was taken back and chuckled. “Whoa, hey. No need to get nasty.”

Hoping she could appeal to Peter, Riley gently put her hands up as a soft surrender. “We are cops, sir. We’re just undercover. We think you might be in danger, Mr. Warren.”

“From who?!”

“We can talk about this. Let’s all just calm down.”

“Look, you guys just stay away from me!” Peter demanded as he ran to his own car to get in.

At the gate, Dean yelled, “hey, dumbass! We’re trying to help you!” 

Peter’s Mercedes approached the opposite side of the entryway and the car shuddered before coughing and dying. 

“That can't be good,” Dean stated.

“No. Get the salt gun,” Sam told his brother as he and Riley hopped the short fence. Together, went into a full sprint across the property.

Inside Peter’s car, a spirit dressed in the clothes of an old seaman sat in his backseat. He wore a navy coat, his long hair soaking wet and dripping into his eyes with his right hand missing. 

Mr. Warren peered back to look, but the spirit was gone. As he turned, the spirit was sitting in the passenger seat. The ghost glared at Peter and reached out to touch his cheek.

The man immediately began to convulse, choking on cold, salty water that spilled out of his mouth as he fought for air. He scrambled for the door, which locked itself and Peter finally slumped over the steering wheel.

Sam got to the car as the Winchester shouted into the driver’s window, “Peter!”

When Riley reached the passenger side, she gasped at the spirit staring her down. There was so much rage exploding from the ghost that she shuddered at the feeling.

Across the way, Dean hollered as he rushed in their direction, “guys! Get down!” 

The two ducked down as Dean fired his shotgun into the window. It shattered at the salt round’s impact as the spirit disappeared.

Riley quickly stood and reached through the broken glass to unlock the car door. Sam yanked the driver-side door open and pulled Peter back against his seat; water still pouring from his mouth with his eyes wide open. The hunter checked for a pulse, but after a few seconds, his shoulder slumped and he sighed in defeat. Sam shook his head at the others and Riley groaned putting her hands in her hair. 

As the thunder in the distance rumbled, Dean kicked the car door in frustration. 

Against their best efforts, they were too late.

------

Lights from around them flickered through the windows of Baby as Dean drove her down the local highway. The radio was going with an announcer discussing the weather.

“With what started out as a mild breezy night, a severe weather front is headed in from the Northwest. Expect heavy lightning and thunder, with sudden rainfall--”

Dean shut off the radio with his eyes never leaving the road. “Do either of you wanna say it or should I?”

“What?” Sam asked.

“You can't save everybody”

Riley scoffed under her breath. “Right. So, does saying that make you feel better?”

“No, not really.”

“This isn’t even about us not being able to save Peter, is it?”

With a heavy sigh, Dean replied, “you gotta understa--”

Immediately cutting his brother off, Sam’s face fell flat with both sadness and defeat. “It’s just lately, I feel like I can't save anybody.”

The car fell silent with Sam, Dean, and Riley lost in their own thoughts. 

Reaching out to her brother, Riley solemnly spoke through her abilities. “Me too, Sam.”

------

An abandoned and worn Victorian style home sat on the corner of a quiet street. The windows had been boarded up; the yard was a mess and wildly overgrown. It was the perfect place for the hunters to stay while they worked the case.

As Sam sat at a table reading about shipwrecks, Riley gently strummed her guitar as she tuned it. Dean was mindlessly playing a game on his phone off to the side of the room. The only time he seemed to look up was to sneak a glance at the woman in front of him with a soft smile.

When there was a knock at the door, Dean got up to check it out. A small, rusted and squeaky door opened as a peephole. Dean opened it and rolled his eyes seeing Richard staring back at him. The Winchester closed the tiny door before sharing a long look with Riley and Sam. 

Reluctantly, he opened the door and Richard waltzed in wearing a high-end suit, carrying a leather portfolio.

“Dear...god,” he muttered as he looked around the house. “Are you actually squatting? ...charming.” Lewis walked further inside to join the others. “So. how'd things go last night with Peter?” When no one responded, he asked, “that well, huh?”

Dean’s jaw slightly clenched and Richard turned in his direction. “If you say 'I told you so', I swear to God I'll start fuckin’ swinging.”

“Look, I think the four of us should have a heart-to-heart.”

“That's assuming that you have a heart,” Dean snarked.

“Dean, please...I'm sorry about what I said before, okay? I come bearing gifts. I've ID'd the ship.” Richard unzipped his portfolio to pull out his findings as Dean sat next to Riley. “It's the Espírito Santo, a merchant sailing vessel--quite a colorful history. In 1859, a sailor was accused of treason. He was tried aboard ship in a kangaroo court and hanged. He was 37.”

Sam immediately added, “which would explain the 37-year cycle.”

“Aren't you a sharp tack? There's a photo of him somewhere…” Lewis took a beat as he flipped through the paperwork. “Here...” 

As the three studied at the photo, they quickly shared a knowing look. Riley pointed at one of the men in the picture before saying, “isn’t that the guy from last night?”

“You saw him?”

“That’s definitely him. I looked him right in the eyes. But...he was missing a hand.”

“His right hand?” Riley nodded at Richard’s question and he went on. “The sailor's body was cremated, but not before they cut off his hand to make a hand of glory.”

“A hand of glory?” Dean smirked. “I think I got one of those recently.” The older brother chuckled with a quick glance towards Riley. She met his gaze with a firm look and he cleared his throat realizing he had overstepped.

“Dean,” Sam started with exasperation. “The right hand of a hanged man is a serious occult object. It's very powerful.”

“And it qualifies as actual remains.” Riley picked up the photo to look at the man closer. “But how is he choosing his victims? It doesn’t make sense.”

Richard leaned onto the table and stared into her eyes. “I'll tell you why. Who cares? Find the hand, burn it, and stop the bloody thing.”

“Why are you even helping us, Richard? Why tell us all of this?”

“Because I know exactly where the hand is--the Sea Pines Museum. It's a macabre bit of maritime history. But I need help.”

“What kind of help?” Sam asked giving Lewis a skeptical look.

Richard said nothing, only to turn to Riley with a smirk.

------

That evening, the house was filled with lit candles as the electricity hadn’t worked for years. 

Dean and Richard waited in the living room with no one else around. Richard was in a tux with Dean was in nice slacks with a white button-up shirt, and a bowtie with a matching vest.

Dean tugged at the tie at his neck. “I don’t get it. Why the fuck do I have to go undercover as a waiter? Why can’t you or Sam do it?”

“Because I need Sam to keep Gertrude busy, I’m on the list with a plus one, and you…” Richard paused and sized him up. “Well, you’ll fit right in with the help.”

Feigning a sarcastic and annoyed laugh, Dean mocked him. “Douchebag…” he muttered under his breath.

Just then, movement on the stairs caught both of their attention. Dean and Richard’s eyes shot up to the staircase to see Riley coming down. She was in a black evening gown that had straps that nearly hung off her shoulders. It had a plunging neckline and a slit up her right leg. Riley’s hair was curled in large, loose rings as it fell over her shoulders. She was even wearing a diamond necklace that Richard had loaned her to play the part.

Dean felt his jaw fall slightly agape as she reached the bottom of the stairs and turned to him. She was stunning. He could have stared at her all night with the candles flickering on her face. Dean had never seen her dressed up like that and nearly went weak in the knees.

 The smile that grew on his face was so genuine, he practically beamed. “Wow…” Dean nearly whispered. “You look…”

Before he could finish, Richard jumped in with a grin. “Incredible. Riley, I’ll be the most envied man in the room tonight.”

It was obvious that Dean was uncomfortable with Lewis being with Riley that night. But, it wasn’t her he didn’t trust, it was him.

Riley half-smiled at him only to walk towards Dean. Her heels clicked on the floor and he gulped hard as she got closer. The hunter was in awe of her and it was obvious. 

“You look so good…” Riley flirted as she fixed his bowtie with a smile.

“You…” Dean stammered. “Sweetheart, there aren’t words.”

A mischievous look grew on her face as she looked up at Dean. “Think you can show me then, later tonight?”

“God, yes…” he nearly growled as his hand went to her waist. Dean kissed her gently as Richard rolled his eyes. When Dean peered up after their kiss, he looked smug and pleased with himself knowing how jealous Richard was. “Alright, let’s get this show on the road.”

------

Outside the museum, the three got out of Richard’s elegant, two-door sports car. He straightened his jacket as he buttoned it up and a parking attendant helped Riley out of the car. 

Dean was in the small backseat and struggled to push one of the chairs forward to get out. He grunted shoving it over it over as the leather squeaked. 

Richard leaned in to push a lever that brought the seat up and smiled trying to hide his humor over the hunter’s embarrassment.

“You know, Dean,” Richard said as he went to Riley’s side. “I believe the staff goes in through the back.”

Riley could see the anger in Dean’s face and she spoke to him telepathically. “It’ll be okay. Remember, he’s not the one I’m going home with.” Her tone was teasing and Dean couldn’t help but smile.

“Shall we?” Lewis asked as he put out his arm for Riley to take it. 

Dean felt himself boil just watching the man he hated touch her as the two walked in the front door. With a groan of frustration, he walked around to the back.

Once inside, Richard gave the doorman their invitation. Everyone was in formal black-tie attire as cultivated music played through the air through the murmurs of conversation.

With Riley’s hand on his arm, Richard placed his on top of hers. She tried to hide her desire to pull away and took a deep breath as they walked inside. Guests had congregated at the bar and throughout the museum as they socialized and admired the displays.

Sam hurried to Richard and Riley from across the room, leaving Gertrude waiting. He looked uncomfortable and jumpy in his black tux. “Exactly how long do you expect me to entertain my date?”

“As long as it takes,” Richard grinned.

Riley could feel how frustrated Sam was and leaned into him. “There’s security everywhere, Sam. Without Gert and Richard’s invitations, this party is un-crashable.”

Holding a silver tray of hors d’oeuvres, Dean reluctantly joined them, his face flat. “This is fucking ridiculous. They got me serving crab cakes.”

Richard reached out to take one. “Don’t mind if I do.” He ate the appetizer and softly moaned. “Delicious. Thank you.” Reaching behind them to the bar, Lewis grabbed two flutes of champagne before handing one to Riley. “Excuse us…” Richard teased as he took Riley’s arm once again and walked them off.

She turned around to mouth, “I’m sorry,” before they disappeared into the crowd.

Dean was practically seething. “I seriously hate that fucking guy.”

“Yeah, join the club.” Sam groaned as Gertrude showed up next to him with their own glasses of champagne. Her eyes sat on Sam with hunger and desire as he took the drink. 

Sam didn’t hesitate before downing the entire glass. He turned to Dean one more time to utter, “let’s get the hand and get the fuck outta here, alright?”

“Pfft. You read my mind.”

With a tight smile, Sam went off with Ms. Case as Dean placed his platter onto the counter. As he went to leave, Dean quickly rushed back to grab three crab cakes from the tray and scurried away while shoving one in his mouth.

------

In a less crowded room, Riley and Richard looked around. There were men in uniforms standing at every door and in front of the staircase. They both spoke in undertones to each other as they tried to blend in.

“Private security?” Richard asked her.

“No...I don’t think so. Check out how they’re standing--definitely professionals. Maybe state troopers on a night job.”

“Posted to every door, too.”

Riley casually glanced around. “Pretty sure they’re not just gonna let us upstairs.”

“Well, I have a thought.”

“I’m all ears.”

“...faint,” he whispered.

“What?”

“Faint.”

The hunter groaned frailly and fell into Richard’s arms toward the floor. Holding her, Richard knelt down next to her. “Darling? Darling, are you alright?” He looked around and called to over to a man that passed them. “Waiter! My wife, she has a terrible peanut allergy. Please tell me you weren’t serving anything with peanuts.”

“No, sir.”

A guard approached as Richard scooped Riley up into his arms. “What seems to be the trouble?”

“My wife, she’s not well. Possibly one too many glasses of champagne. Is there somewhere I can lie her down until she is back on her feet?”

The suited guard looked up the staircase. “Follow me.”

Still holding Riley close to his chest with ease, he thanked the gentleman. “Come on, darling. Let’s get you somewhere quiet.” 

Riley could feel Richard’s hand squeeze at her just a bit and she had to fight not to reach up and smack him across the face. 

He carried her up the stairs as they were led into a private room. Gently, he placed her down on a red leather couch.

“Thank you so much,” he told the guard at the door as he slipped him some money. As Richard shut the door behind him, Riley sat up.

“Getting a little grabby there, Richard.”

He chuckled under his breath. “As I recall, you weren’t opposed to me being ‘grabby’.”

“Yeah,” Riley scoffed as she fixed her hair. “Three years ago. Let it go.”

“As if you’re so easy to forget, Ms. Munroe.” Richard’s eyes locked onto her with desire and she could hear some of his lewd thoughts. She couldn’t let him know she could read his mind and instead just rolled her eyes as she stood. “Room 235. It’s in a locked glass case wired for alarm, I’m sure that won’t be a problem for you.” Lewis pushed the hair away from her face with his hand lingering.

“Cool. Thanks,” she added with a condescending pat to his chest as she turned to leave the room. 

Gently closing the door behind her, Riley began to make her way to the room. She jumped when Dean quickly turned the corner in front of her. “Ugh. You scared me.”

“Yeah, well I’m sure you’re date is a lot scarier.”

Riley giggled to herself before grabbing Dean by the coat he had stolen and kissed him. Breaking away, she kept hold of her grasp and drug him along. 

A playful look grew on Dean’s face, enjoying her show of control.

Down the hall, Riley pointed to the door marked 235. Dean checked the handle to find it unlocked and they crept inside.

In the room were several glass cases with high-tech security on each one. The hand of glory sat to the right in its case and the couple went in its direction. It took several minutes as Dean worked to bypass the security, but when he finally did, the case was easy to remove.

“Very James Bond of you, Dean,” Riley flirted.

Dean stood with a smug look and a hooked eyebrow as he took the hand before tucking it into the jacket pocket. Turning to her he bit his lip as he looked her over. “The name’s Winchester,” he said dramatically as if quoting the famous spy.

She laughed in return and kissed him. “Let’s go.”

The two hurried back to the room they had left Richard in and closed the door behind them. “Ah, Dean. So glad you could join us.” He gave the hunter a judgmental look before asking, “And the hand?” 

Pulling out a shriveled, almost mummified, human hand out of his pocket, Dean showed Richard their prize.  

Lewis approached with his hand open. “May I?”

“Nope,” Dean told him sternly as he pulled it away from him. He pulled a handkerchief from the jacket’s front pocket and wrapped it.

Riley glanced up at Dean. “Wanna put it in my purse? Might be easier to hide.”

He scratched his nose, using their signal for her to read his mind. “And give Dick over here another chance to grope at you so he can get it? I don’t think so.”

She softly shook her head at his ridiculous thought, but dropped the subject.

------

Back downstairs, Gertrude and Sam swayed to a song played by the quartet. She leaned into the Winchester’s chest. Clutching an empty champagne flute, Ms. Case’s other gripped Sam’s tightly. Her eyes were shut as she brushed herself up against the hunter; the liquor that began to hit her only making her bolder.

“Man, this is one long song,” Sam uttered,

Breathing him in deeply, Gertrude cooed, “I hope it never ends.” She paused to gaze up at Sam who looked deeply pained. “How's the investigation going?”

“These things take time.”

“People are talking about the Warren brothers’ deaths. Strange. Do you think it’s connected to Shelia's?”

“Yeah,” Sam nodded. “Yeah, we think so.”

“I think they had it coming.” Gertrude went back to her comfortable spot on the hunter’s warm chest. “You know--in a Biblical sort of way.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know about their father?” When Sam shook his head in response, she said, “Come here, I'll whisper it to you.” Taking the sides of his head, Gertrude seductively pulled him close to speak in his ear. Sam tried to contain his groan in discomfort. “People say that the old man didn't die of natural causes.”

Sam grimaced. “Then how?”

Caressing him, she continued to whisper and blow in his ear. “Rumor is the boys did it. Nothing was ever proved, but, uh--people still whisper.”

“Okay, okay, okay.” He winced as he pulled himself away. “Um, uh--so did--did Sheila have any connection to them?”

“Well, none that I know of.”

“Did Sheila have any kind of tragedy in her life?”

Gertrude thought to herself. “Yes. As a matter of fact, there was a...car accident when she was a teenager. Her car flipped over. She was okay but her cousin Brian was killed. Why, is that important?”

“Uh…”

Dean, Richard, and Riley approached and Richard just grinned. “Having a nice time, Gert?” he asked.

“He's delightful!” Gertrude chuckled somewhat drunkenly. She spoke low to Lewis in almost a whisper. “He wants me!”

With a look of surprise, Dean turned to Sam who appeared completely abashed. Riley could feel the embarrassment Sam was drowning in and how badly he wanted to get out of there.

“Gert,” Richard started as he took her hand onto his arm. “I think it’s time we get you home. You might need a cold shower.”

“Great idea,” Sam practically groaned in disgust.

Looking over his shoulder, Richard playfully winked at Riley. “See you at the cemetery.”

After watching the two leave, Dean turned to his brother. “You stink like sex.” 

Riley nearly chortled at the comment and tightened her lips together to avoid bursting into laughter.

------

Once outside the museum, the three walked through the parking lot. Riley, Sam, and Dean got into the Impala as they all sighed with relief that the night was over.

Sam pulled at his bowtie, nearly ripping it off with anxiety in the backseat. “You got it, right? Tell me I didn't get groped all night by Mrs. Havisham for nothing.”

“I got it...Mrs. Who?”

“Dean, would it kill you to open a book?” the young Winchester snarked. “Never mind. Just let me see it.” Pulling something out of his pocket, Dean began to unwrap something from a cloth. His face changed with a sense of panic as he unraveled it faster. “What?”

Dean held up a small ship in a bottle that Richard had replaced the hand with as his anger grew. “I'm gonna kill him.”

“I’m down,” Riley shrugged.

------

Back in more comfortable attire, the hunters sat in the candle-lit house once again. Dean examined the ship more closely by the light of a small flickering flame.

“You know what? I'm not gonna kill him. I think slow torture's the way to go.”

“Dean,” Riley said sweetly. “I keep telling you not to let him get under your skin. You gotta relax.”

“Relax! Oh, yeah, yeah, I'll relax. I can't believe the son of a bitch got another one over on us!”

Sam looked up at his brother. “Actually...he got one over on you--not us.”

Pausing with frustration, Dean shouted, “thank you, Sam. Very helpful.”

There was a rapid knock at the door before a deep voice called to them. “Hello? Could you open up?” They all went together to open the door to see Richard looking back at them. “Just let me explain.” 

Sam, Dean, and Riley were pissed...and it showed.

A short while later, Richard was sitting at the table with Dean leaning down to glare at him. Sam sat backward in his chair while Riley leaned against the mantle with her arms crossed.

“I sold it,” Richard admitted. “I had a buyer lined up as soon as I knew it existed.”

Furious, Dean walked behind him. He made a shooting motion with his fingers, imagining a bullet going into the guy’s head.

“So, the whole reason for us going to the charity ball was...?” Sam asked.

“I needed a cover. You were convenient.”

Riley exhaled in exasperation. “You sold it. Go buy it back.”

“It's halfway across the ocean. I can't get it back in time.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, do you have plans?”

Lewis ran a hand over his face taking a long pause to answer to her snarky question. “I saw the ship.”

“You what?” Dean questioned with a soft and surprised tone as he began to pace. “Wow, you know, I--I knew you were an immoral thieving con artist piece of shit, but just when I thought my opinion of you couldn't get any lower--”

“What are you talking about?”

“We figured out the spirit’s motive,” Sam added as he showed Richard an old photograph. “This is the captain of our ship--the one who hung our ghost boy.”

“So?”

Taking a few steps forward, Riley leaned onto the table. “They were brothers. It was all very Cain and Abel. Now, because of how he died, he’s got a very specific target--people who have killed someone in their own family.” Richard looked stunned as she went on. “Sheila? She killed her cousin in a car accident. The Warren brothers? They murdered their father for his inheritance. And now you apparently.”

“Oh, my God,” he said under his breath.

“So, who was it, Dick? Hmm?” Dean hovered behind Lewis hoping to intimidate him. “Who'd you kill? Was it mommy? Your little sis--?”

Softly, he replied, “it's none of your business.”

“No? Right. Well, have a nice life--you know, whatever’s left of it.” Dean slapped him on the back before grabbing his jacket and going for the door. “Guys, let’s go.”

“You can't just leave me here.”

“Watch us.”

Reluctantly, Richard admitted, “I need your help.”

“Our help?” the older brother scoffed. “You call us serial killers, get handsy with my girlfriend…”

“Okay, that was a bit harsh and rude, I admit it...but it doesn't warrant a death sentence.”

Sam stood with his arms crossed as he told him softly, “that's not why you’re gonna die. What'd you do, Richard?”

“You wouldn't understand. No one did.” Richard cleared his throat and slicked back his hair. “Never mind. I'll just do what I've always done, I'll deal with it myself.”

As he turned to leave, Riley spoke out. “You know...you just sold the only thing that could save your life, Richard.”

“I'm aware.”

“Well…” Sam sighed. “Maybe not the only thing.”

------

Richard had gone along with the hunters to a local graveyard. Sam was setting up a ritual circle: five candles, a pentagram, and a bowl into which he poured a jar of red liquid. Another jar was on the opposite side of the circle with what appeared to be herbs in it.

Huddling into his coat from the cold, Richard shuddered slightly. “Do you really think this is going to work?”

Dean was leaning on a tombstone with his shotgun rested on his shoulder. “Almost definitely not.”

Thunder suddenly crashed and the wind whistled before rain began to pour over them. Sam and Dean zipped up their jackets and braced for the storm. Tugging the hood of her sweater out from under her leather jacket, Riley pulled it over her head.

“Well…” she practically shouted over the rain. “Hope those aren’t your good shoes, Richard!” Riley turned to the young Winchester. “Sammy! Time to read, bro!”

“Aziel, Castiel, Lamisniel, Rabam. Ehrley, et balam, ego vos conuro, per deum verum, per deum vivum cuivos,” Sam had to yell over the storm that drenched them. “Cuiaves eos supermontes et per eum, qui adam, et avum formovit. Et per eum...” As he went on, the wind grew fierce and the rain felt as though the skies had completely opened.

“Riley!” Dean called. “Stay close.”

Before she could get to him, Riley could see the phantom approaching Dean. “Behind you!”

Grabbing Dean, the ghost threw him through the air. He hit a headstone with a painful thud before his gun went off. 

Sam looked up and continued to read in Latin as the spirit reached out to Richard and placed a hand on his face. Lewis immediately began to cough up water as the phantom watched him fall to his knees. 

Riley quickly spun to see Dean across the way as he staggered up. Knowing he was okay, she threw herself next to Richard and held him to support him as he continued to heave water.

“Read faster, Sammy!” Dean bellowed as he stumbled over to Riley and Lewis.

Richard continued to cough when the rain suddenly died down. His coughing went on but seemed to have calmed down. 

There was a creaking sound nearby and the ghost turned toward the source of the noise only to see his brother standing before him.

“You...hanged me!”

“I'm sorry,” the spirit pleaded to his brother.

“Your own brother!”

“I'm so sorry!”

The ghost charged with rage into his brother’s spirit. When they collided, the two dissolved into screams and a splash of water that seemed to almost explode.

Richard gasped for air, no longer coughing up water, as Riley and Dean helped him to stand. 

The spirits were both gone with their unfinished business finally at rest.

------

The next day, the family packed, getting ready to leave the home they had been staying in. A sound came from outside before the door opened and Richard walked in, dressed in a dress shirt, tie, slacks, and shining shoes.

“You know, you really should lock your doors. Anyone could just barge in.”

“Anyone just did,” Sam replied as he continued to put his things into their rightful place. “Did you come to say goodbye or thank you?”

“I've come to settle affairs. Giving the spirit what he really wanted, his own brother--very clever, Sam. So here.” Richard pulled out three packets of money and tossed one to each of them. “That’s fifteen thousand--should cover it. I don't like being in anyone’s debt.”

“So, ponying up fifteen grand is easier for you than a simple thank you?” Dean asked. Lewis smiled faintly and the hunter shook his head with a scoff. “You're so fucking damaged.”

Richard’s smile broadened. “Takes one to know one.” His eyes landed on Riley, only a little less suggestive than usual. “I’ll see you around, kid.”

“Hopefully not too soon,” she teased with a playful smile. 

With a slight nod, Lewis turned and left, closing the door behind him.

Sam flipped through his money and then looked back up to his partners. “He’s got style. You gotta give him that.”

With his own cash in hand, Dean dismissed the thought. “Whatever. He’s still a douche.”

“Guys,” Riley started as the three huddled together. “Should we even take this? I mean who the hell knows where this money’s been?”

“No, but I know where it's going…” Dean said with a smile before planting a peck on Riley’s lips and going to get his things. “A-HA HA!”

------

That night, the Impala drove on, still covered in drops of rain. Riley sat in the front seat as she went over a map and Sam leaned forward to look over her shoulder.

“Seriously? Atlantic City?” Sam asked in disbelief.

“Hell yeah! Play some roulette--always bet on black.” Dean paused and his tone changed. “Hey listen, I've been doing some thinking. Um...I want you both to know I understand why you did it. I understand why you went after the crossroads demon.” Still unwilling to make eye contact, the others sighed feeling the air of the car change. “You know, situation was reversed, I guess I'd have done the same thing for either of you. I mean I'm not blind, I see what you guys are going through with this whole deal--me going away and all that. But, you're gonna be okay--both of you.”

“You think so…” Sam said tonelessly.

“Yeah, you'll keep hunting, y'know--you live your lives. You’re stronger than me. You both are and you know it. You'll get over it. But, I want you to know I'm sorry--I’m sorry for...putting you through all this, I am.”

Tears ached at Riley’s eyes. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“What?”

“We’re just supposed to ‘get over it’-- ‘move on’?” When Dean didn’t respond, Riley went on even though the lump in her throat that was actually causing her pain. “You really expect me to move on? That I can just be without you?”

“Sweetheart, when this is all over...I want you to move on. Build a life with someone if that’s what you want, or hunt with Sam...or both. I just want you to be happy.”

“Happy?!” she almost yelled. “You want me to have a life with someone that isn’t you? How could you even say that?”

“Because you have to, Rye! You gotta let me go.”

Sam couldn’t take it any longer and barked at his brother. “You know what, Dean? Go fuck yourself. We don’t want an apology from you! And by the way, we can take care of ourselves--we’re adults.”

“Oh, well, excuse me.”

The younger brother’s voice continued to rise as Riley rushed to wipe the tears from her face. “You have to give a damn, Dean. You have to fight! I want you to give a shit that you’re dying! Stop trying to plan our futures for us and help us fucking save you!” Dean said nothing in return to Sam, but smirked annoyingly. “So, that's it? Nothing else to say for you?”

Dean stared off down the road, his mind leaving the conversation. He was quiet before changing the subject with a smile. “I think maybe I'll play craps.”

Outraged at his response, Sam leered at his brother. He shook his head and sighed in exasperation. Riley turned to Dean and tears streamed down her face without a sound as Dean’s smile faded. 

As they drove on, Riley reached out telepathically for the man she loved, desperate to get in his head. She couldn’t find a single thought in the older brother and realized he had shut her out. Wondering if she could break the wall, Riley fought with all her might to get through to him.

“Dean...please…” she felt herself practically scream in her own head begging for him to feel her. When there was nothing, Riley sulked into her seat and stared out the window.

Dean wasn’t even gone yet, but Sam and Riley knew, he was already saying his goodbyes.

------

S3 Chapter 6: Fresh Blood

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[boogiewrites]

A Girl Walks Into A Bar 7

Characters: Declan Harp x Bella Fiore (OFC)

Word Count: 5300+

Summary: Modern Declan harp AU. Bella gets bad news and wants to drown her sorrows. She finds herself with Declan at the bar, and they decide to push the boundaries of their friendship with partnerships and spending more time together. Bella gets wasted and Declan gets to see a side of her he hasn't before. And he likes what he sees.

Warnings/Tags: Language. Drinking. Talk of violence. 

Click on my screen name then go to Mobile Masterlist in my bio for my other works and chapters. (Had to do this since Tumblr killed links, sorry.)

You'd fallen asleep in the afternoon after a shower and running errands. You hadn't meant to but apparently your body had known you'd need it. You wake up to the insistent buzzing of your phone. You grunt and wipe your eyes, answering without looking to see who was responsible for waking you up.

"Yeah?" you mumble.

"So you've been asleep?" you hear the familiar voice of Charlotte on the other end.

"Yeah, I fell asleep. Didn't mean to. What's up?" you groan and pull yourself upright.

"Your mom has been trying to call you." her voice falls rather flat and your brow lowers at the change of tone.

"Something wrong?" your gruff out.

"Not wrong but... are you still sitting down? Are you awake enough to process something important?" she says seriously.

"Yeah. I'm sittin' up in bed. What is it?" you rub your forehead.

"Your mom found out from Rita at the hospital that Richie's been released." she says softly as if her delivery might make the news any easier to take.

You don't respond at first, your heart dropping into your stomach. Charlotte expects this and lets you process. "That all she told her?"

"They cleared him again. Somehow." she sighs loudly. "It had been years."

"Never long enough." you say weakly and let and take a deep breath.

"He's in an outpatient program now, getting set up with some government housing. I figure he'll still have to have visits and stuff like that after he's out. And you're in a new place, new city..." she tries to sound comforting.

"Yeah," you say quietly. "All my social media is set to private already so.." you shrug even though no one is around. Which you are now painfully aware of.

"You'll be fine. And if you're not you're always welcome to stay here. Okay?" she says in a motherly tone that came more naturally to her these days.

"I... I'm gonna call mom." you mutter.

"She's been worried. I'll text you later to check in on you okay?"

"Yeah, I'll... I just gotta process it. I'll be... it'll be okay." you get out.

"Better work on sounding more convincing before you call Gale." she says with a more light-hearted tone that you appreciated.

"Yeah. I will." you clear your throat and throw your legs over the side of the bed.

You hang up and dial your mom after seeing the multiple missed calls from her.

"Are you okay? Why weren't you answering?" she blurts out in her subtle Irish accent. Worn down by years of being in America and living around your Italian father's side of the family.

"I'm fine. I was napping." you assure her.

"Oi I was close to havin' a heart attack. Did Charlotte wake ya?" she asks.

"Yeah she told me." you say solemnly.

"Are ya okay? You need to come over to the house? You know we've got plenty of room." her voice is still rushed and worried.

"No, no. I'll be fine here. Really. I've got the security system and the locks and friends close by if I need them."

"Ya sure? You know it wouldn't be any trouble." her tone stays the same.

"I know. I will if I need to but I can't hide away the rest of my life." you say in a less confident voice.

"Well... I'm just a call away you know." a slight plead to her voice.

"I know, ma." you smile. "I'll text you more often alright? So you know I'm good. But I'm in a new place and I haven't made it easy for anyone to find me so..." you trail off, nodding your head.

"You're a smart girl, I know. I just worry."

"I know you do. But if I need anything I won't hesitate to let you know okay? Let's not worry until we have to."

"I'm not making any promises." you can hear the smile in her words.

"I love you. I'll be okay." you try to convince her and yourself. Trying to let your reasonable self overpower the want to freak out that your anxiety born from trauma was trying to cause.

"I love you more blue bell." she says in a patronizing tone. "You call me. Okay? Don't kill me off so soon with worry."

"I won't. Love you. If dad knows, tell him the same. Love you guys."

"Love you, sweetheart. Be careful."

You stand in front of your mirror, looking to Robbie who was curled up on a pile of clean laundry on your bed. You wish you could be so peaceful. You feel old habits pulling at you, unhealthy coping mechanisms wanting to be indulged in. You didn't think you were strong enough to fight them off today. But you knew just the place to indulge in them.

You get yourself ready, nothing special, just your usual jeans, boots and an old band t-shirt. You text Declan, asking if he's working tonight since it's a Sunday. He says he is. You ask if it would be too much trouble for him to be your DD, that you'd had a rough day and you wanted to get college kid wasted. He asks if you're okay first and an involuntary pout comes across your face. Ugh, he was such a nice guy. It kept catching you off guard. You tell him you had some things you wanted to forget, honestly. You wanted to do it in a safe place and knew he'd get you home safe. The same look comes across his face as he reads, feeling touched you felt safe with him. It wasn't something he was used to being said in regards to him. It was usually the opposite.

Being the good man he is, he comes and picks you up, saying you shouldn't leave your truck overnight at the bar and he didn't mind getting out of the bar for a few extra minutes. You don't even let him get to your door, you wait until he stops and step out the house, locking it all up well before you left. He stands with a tilted head, watching you curiously as you shuffled to the passenger side door. You both settle back in and he looks you up and down.

"You sure you're alright?" he asks with a voice that shows his concern.

"Yeah I just wanted to get out of the house." you nod and take a deep breath, warming your hands on the vents.

He pulls out and waits until you're on a straight to inquire further. "You're not in trouble or something are you?" he asks, eyes darting over to you but hands steady on the wheel. He could read people, he could tell something was bothering you, not just the mild annoyance you usually carried around.

"No." you sigh out and shake your head, fingers running through your hair. "I just..." your lips purse and your shrug. You weren't going to tell him what was really wrong. "I'll be fine. I don't want to talk about it, I just want to forget about it. Hence the plan to get sloppy tonight." you turn with wide eyes, the corner of your mouth pulled back in an attempt at a smile.

"You're a terrible liar, Bells." he says with a deep, knowing voice. He nods his chin your way, "But I'll indulge you this time." he gives a warm, soft smile your way and it makes things better somehow.

Inside the bar, he lines up two shots and orders a pizza. It's a Tuesday and there's hardly anyone inside. Which is how you'd like it. You down the shots and decide to tell CeeCee you won't be in tomorrow. When she calls you instead of texting you back you groan, but accept the call.

"Yeah?" you say, looking at the reflection of yourself in the bar back mirror, your mouth open and your nose scrunched up.

"Figured I'd call to tell you in person. Well, kinda...anyway I got good news. I was gonna tell you when you came in tomorrow but seems you've got other plans?" she asked as if it were a question, but you'd already told her it was personal, said sorry for the short notice and that you'd be unreachable for the night.

"Yeah something's come up." you grumble into the phone, eyes mindlessly looking over the bottles that were stacked on the bar.

"You okay?" Man were you tired of people asking you that today.

"Yeah I'll be fine." you mumble. "What's good news?" you ask, resting your chin in your hand.

"We got some sponsored stuff in the mail today and one of the companies sent us two tickets to that rock festival down in Columbus. I don't remember the name...I don't have them in front of me." she mutters to herself. "There's a camping spot, tickets for early access Wednesday to the finale on Sunday night, the camping spots are good until that Monday morning. Food and drink vouchers, coupons...there's merch in here too." you hear her ruffling through a PR box of things.

"You wanting to go?" you ask with a tilt of your head, you would love to go but going with her wasn't ideal. Not that you didn't like her, just being around anyone for that many days straight in a small space would be a bit much to handle.

"I do but I can't. This has been sitting at the post office for a while, so it's next week." she says regretfully.

"Oh." you with pouted lips, feeling the warm fuzz from the shots.

"You want the tickets? Anyone you know of that could go with you?"

Your eyes move over to Declan instinctually. You watch him and Mike shove each other and laugh, sharing one of the new brews to come in. "Yeah, I'll take them. I think I know someone that'll go with me." you bit your lip in thought. "If not I can find someone else to give them to. Or sell them or something." you shrug and motion for Declan to come back to you, he'd given you some privacy when you said it was your business partner.

"Really?" she says her voice inflecting upward. "That's... surprising." she chuckles. "You aren't taking off for some hot lovers rendezvous are you?" she jokes.

"No I am not. Far from it." you burst her bubble. "But I'll be in Thursday and I'll have an answer for you."

"Sounds good. You be safe or... careful or... whatever." she says lightheartedly.

"I will." you hang up and Declan rests on his elbows, bent over the bar.

"You will what?" he says playfully.

You take a deep breath and consider if asking him is a good idea. Normally you would still trust your judgment after only two shots but the little thrill of excitement that sat in you made you question yourself. Did you want to go with him? Would you be able to stand being around him that long? Did you know him well enough to ask him? You'd known him for months now, hung out with him alone on multiple occasions and he had yet to piss you off, which was saying a lot. So you decide to take another big step. You said you needed new friends. And this would certainly make or break your friendship with him.

"I've got a proposal for you." you begin, leaning in and resting your chin on your fist.

"Bella... I had no idea." he puts his hand dramatically to his chest and it makes you chuckle and roll your eyes.

"In your dreams, pal." you snort and give him a cheesy smile. "I have a real one. A question with weighted significance." you say with a dramatic flair.

"I'm listenin'." he says leaning in closer, his chin low and heavy brow guarding his bright eyes as they stared into yours.

"I just found out that we... at the studio..." You motion with your hand. "Got tickets to the music festival down in Columbus next week. It's got a pass for the whole thing, food and drink vouchers, bracelets, the whole nine yards." you shake your head as you elaborate. You pause, tilting your head and narrowing your eyes at him. "Would you wanna go?" you ask without giving away your hesitation for such a question.

"With you and your coworkers?" his chin raises in inquiry.

"No, no. There's just two tickets. It'd be you and me." you explain, your guarded facade dropping slightly.

"Really?" he gives you an impressed look and it surprises you.

"Well... uh... yeah." you nod and continue to stare at him.

He studies you for a moment. He was the first person you'd asked. "How many days? And when is it?" he says with a more friendly tone.

"We'd have to get down there Wednesday night, find a spot, then it closes out Sunday night, but the camping spot is good until that Monday morning."

"So in a week basically?" he says, looking over to Mike.

"Right." you nod and follow his eyes.

"That's enough of a heads up I think." he says without turning back to you. "MIKE?! How much of a heads up do we have to give the temp service again?"

"Uh... a week. Why?" he asks, walking over to join in.

"Well the very generous Bella has just told me she's come upon some VIP sort've package deal tickets for a music festival down in Ohio, so I'm wondering if you could cover for me next week if I get some temp help in here." he gives him a big grin.

"Oh you had to take him over the weekend didn't ya?" Mike says with no real malice in his voice as he smiles. The thought of getting Declan out and also with you in particular made him happy.

"'Fraid so." you shrug and give him a frown.

"Yeah. I can live with that. I'll be glad to breathe without ya big arse hovering over me all the time." he says as he walks away.

"You call 'em in?"

"Yeah. Fuckin' helpless." he laughs and grumbles.

"So that a yes?" you say with too much hopefulness to your voice.

"That's a fuck yes." he flashes a charming smile your way.

"I guess I'll need to see about renting an RV." you say with a pout, opening your phone back up.

"Nah, nah I can handle it. I got some boys I camp with, I can hit them up."

"You sure?" you ask, your eyes wide as they swing up to meet his from the phone.

"Yeah. It's no problem at all. Or shouldn't be... usually isn't." he shrugs and gets out his phone. "So this isn't a pop-country festival I'm assuming?" he grins as he texts.

"No, it's rock. Lemme look it up." you mumble. "Sonic Temple. Yeah." you nod.

"Oh shit that's a legit festival." he laughs.

"Oh yeah, they sent a whole PR package." you nod enthusiastically.

"Who's playin'?" he asks, eyes back to his phone.

"Foo Fighter. Fuck yes. Joan Jett, HELL fuckin' yes. Distillers Ugh, be still my beating heart." you roll your eyes and put your hand to your chest and laugh. "Action Bronson too. They've got all kinds of acts." you say impressed, losing yourself in the poster.

"Who?"

"Oh Declan... the playlist for the drive down there is going to blow your fucking mind." you chuckle and move your thumbs over to Spotify fast.

"We can't all know everything about music like you do."

"I don't know everything. About music." you add with a cheeky snort.

"Okay we'll need the van Wednesday to Monday." he mumbles.

"Van?" you ask, face rising up to look at him.

"Yeah it's the one we use to go camping." he shakes his head. "If it can hold me, another grown ass man and a big ass dog in it, it'll fit me and little 'ol you. Don't worry." his chuckle shakes his shoulders. "He's got solar panels to power shit and a sink and a hot plate and it's legit. Promise. Not gonna take you down there in a murder van for almost a week." he glances up and grins at you.

"I appreciate that." you give him a warmer smile back. You felt the excitement of uncertainty rise in you. You were really doing this.

"He and his wife take it when they go out camping or road tripping so it's nice."

"In other words, it's decorated and not bare and a tetanus threat that men threw together?" you smirk.

"Exactly." he nods his head proudly.

"Good. I'd hate to be uncomfortable for that long. The bed good?"

"Why you askin'?" he raises a brow and you roll your eyes, rubbing your temple to hide the flush in your cheeks the look gave you.

"Shut up." you spit out fast. "I'll be sleeping on it for almost a week, I don't want to be out in the sun all day and come back to an uncomfortable bed."

"It's a real mattress, it's nice." his deep chuckle soothes your worry. "Trust me, a princess like Laura wouldn't sleep on it if it weren't comfy." he raises his eyebrows.

"So it has a whole makeup vanity in it too?" you tease.

"There's a light up mirror that like... snakes out of the wall if that counts." he offers.

"Oh, shit really?" you laugh. "Okay worries are gone. That sounds legit as hell."

"I wouldn't steer you wrong Bells." he says in a sincere soft voice. "And looks like we've got it." she says sitting his phone back down.

"Done and done." you give a stern nod.

"And a shot to celebrate."

"You keep this up and we won't have problems getting along." you say before knocking back a shot with him. He can hear the relief in your voice and he knows you mean it.

After sharing a pizza with the boys and a few more shots, you're sitting pretty. Well, that's what you tell yourself. You are in fact, drunk. But you're happy and Declan can't bring himself to mind it. You wander off to the bathroom and he gets caught up in a conversation while you're gone. As you exit the bathroom, you look to your left, seeing the empty room that had caught your attention before. "Declan!" you yell out, leaning against the wall.

"Yeah?" he asks, moving down the bar.

"What's in here?" you say with a perky attitude, hips swaying wide as you move towards the doorway. He flips on a light and as you've only seen a few feet into the room before, the dim lighting in the bar from led's in the corner of the ceiling, neon signs and the ancient stained glass lamps that dot the booths and bar, you couldn't be more surprised at what you find.

The room illuminates, a buzzing and flickering light overhead reveals a large room and an old wooden stage.

"Holy shit." you say loudly, walking with outstretched arms towards it. "Why did you not tell me this was HERE?" you ask loudly, turning fast to see him but he's already close and you stumble slightly at his sudden appearance.

"Didn't know you'd care?" he shrugs.

"It's a fuckin' stage. Of course I care!" you say before turning to see what's behind the stacks of hold chairs and a very dusty curtain that makes you sneeze. "Oh!" you say as you see a karaoke machine tucked away. "Why aren't you using this?"

"The boys here don't really care for it. Got it when another bar shut down, never really hooked it up."

"I'm gonna hook it up." you declare, rolling up your sleeves and sneezing at the dust.

"You uhh... you sure you can?" he says through laughter at your drunken self-assuredness.

"If you knew how many of these I got extra money for fixing after my sets at bars you'd know how needless that statement was." you say with your hands on your hips.

He holds his hands up in surrender. "Have at it. Just don't hurt yourself." he says with a shake of his head.

You're emersed and he watches you for a few moments, dirt already on your hands, digging into the space between the wall and stage with a confidence that comes with being drunk. Once he hears you mumbling to yourself about cords he leaves you to it, heading back into the other wing of the bar.

An hour passes quickly for him, looking at his phone and realizing he hadn't heard much besides a stray swear or exclamation from you the whole time. He heads back into the room, a mirrored wall with a mounted bar top against the far right wall. A blank, patched dirty green wall in the middle of that leading to the side of the room with the stage. You'd pushed the chairs out of the way, and he sees a few lights mounted on the metal racks across the top of the stage. Old, ripped and dusty curtains are pulled out, allowing you access to the sides and back. You'd established the machine wasn't that old and found enough extension cords to piece together an almost functioning rudimentary stage set up.

"Uh... Bella?" you hear Declan's voice as you're dusting off an amp you'd found shoved into the crawlspace.

You walk out onto the stage, setting the amp at the edge and sitting next to it. "You've got so much shit back there, Declan." you say scratching your head.

"I haven't looked back there since we bought the place." he walks towards you.

"This place was a bar before you bought it?"

"Yeah." he says, moving to check out the amp.

"That would explain all the old shit." you say, patting the amp. "But that machine is less than five years old." you point the karaoke machine that was now lit up and blinking. "You've even got a small projection screen but there's not stand for it." you look over the pile of equipment you'd gathered against the wall. "You got some bare bones that could be the base for a decent set up you know?"

"I did not." he shakes his head, impressed with what you'd managed to throw together. A single spotlight, a mic stand, and a stool sit on the stage.

"If you dropped some money on a decent sound system, some lights and a good control desk... wouldn't take much in this small of a space, you could host some bands here."

"I'll take your word for it, I don't know anything about that." he shrugs. "Never even crossed my mind, sounds like a lot of work. A lot of money too."

"Well I mean yeah but this part of town doesn't have any decent live venues. You've got a raised stage, room for speakers and space to accommodate like, 100 people give or take." you motion to the big, mostly empty room. "You do a music cover charge for any non-regulars and that's a thousand bucks, plus the drinks they buy. There's money to be made if it's done right." you nod and look at him with clear eyes and he knows you're serious.

"You think a place like this could get people to come to it for music?"

"Yeah. With the right marketing. Places like this are rare, everything's been cleaned up and gentrified. Crowds still want some grit with their music, especially with rock. And if you hosted a karaoke night with THIS sort of stage? You'd make a killing." you say with a stern nod.

"At the expense of my hearing." he chuckles.

"True. But hey, money's money." you raise your brows.

"Is this... I mean..." he scratches his head. "Is this something you could help me with? You clearly know more about it and I'd trust your opinion."

"Are you seriously interested in doing it?" you ask with a no-nonsense face.

"If you think it could bring more money in... yeah. Could we stick to rock music though? If I had to listen to any pop country I think I might burn the place down for the insurance money." he laughs.

"It's your bar. You can do whatever you want." you say, hopping down from the stage. "We've got some equipment at the studio I can loan you, I'll make a few calls to some owners, see if anyone's selling anything, what acts are pulling numbers but aren't too expensive. That kinda thing." you nod and walks back towards the bar and he follows, his head moving fast with the possibilities you were laying before him.

"I can pay you for all this, you know." he states as you sit at the end of the bar. "You are an expert after all. I'm not gonna be greedy with you." he smiles and moves to grab a bottle of whiskey to pour you a shot.

"If you don't charge me to come in, and let me drink free for anything that isn't hard liquor I'll take it as payment. I've never got to build something like this." you shrug. "I'd actually really like to." you nod earnestly.

"How about you drink free if this is successful?" he grins. "But these are on me?" he gives you a friendly nod, pouring three shots in front of you.

"If only all business was so easy," you say with a sigh. "Here." you slide one towards him. "Let's toast." you offer, holding up the glass shot glass. "Here's to making some beautiful music together." you let out a laugh.

"Cheers." he says, clinking them together as you both knock back the shots.

It's approaching midnight and you're back to being floaty and happy, drawing out diagrams on napkins to show Declan about setting things up, happily hunched together as you get to share your knowledge with someone who actually wants to hear it. Once again you have to pee, as is the nature of the beast. Already thinking about the stage again, as you pass it you're drawn to it like a moth to a flame. You get the old acoustic you found, tuning it and humming to yourself. Declan has once again become sidetracked by another conversation with Mike, telling him about what you'd been explaining all night.

"Is she actually any good?" Mike asks, skeptical as was his nature.

They hear the mic hook up, a squeal as it heats up and begins to work again. The other few men in the bar look in its direction as well. You sit alone, guitar perched on your knee on the wooden bar stool you'd sat on stage. As you usually did when you were drunk, you went for some of the songs you could play in your sleep. You were in a great mood, the cause of coming out tonight behind you for now and you were feeling hopeful and confident and playful. A combination that was rare these days. The sound of you clearing your throat comes of the simple speakers in the room, drawing the men to want to check out the source.

"Looks like you'll get to see yourself." Declan answers Mike's worries as he moves to the wide archway to watch you.

"This is a song... for the ladies." you say with a drunken giggle that makes him beam at you. Your nose wrinkling as you fingers find their place on the guitar. "But fella's... listen closely." you coo into the mic. Declan knows immediately the song you're about to sing and snorts. Of course, you would know Tenacious D. The dumb shit from his teen years come back to him, listening to the albums, watching The Pick of Destiny. "You don't always have to fuck her hard..." you begin with an angelic soft voice that doesn't fit the words and he feels a feeling in his stomach that he hasn't in years. He was getting to see you in rare form, a goofy side to you that you hid from everyone and he was getting to see it. You were putting it out on display for him and he felt lucky to be chosen to see what was behind the curtain.

You sing the dirty, swear ridden song softly, playing it and singing with your eyes closed, showing you'd done it so many times it came as second nature. You giggle and smile between lines and you really let yourself go. You belt out the loud notes, shaking your head and slumping over in your enthusiasm. The other men all stand, some grabbing the dirty chairs and laughing, knocking each other's shoulders at the pretty woman cursing and singing, talking about fucking hard. You end with a huge smile on your face, opening your eyes to find everyone watching you, light applause, Declan being the loudest and most enthusiastic and you laugh, your shoulders shaking as he wolf whistles at you.

"Fuckin' tear it up, Bells!" he shouts, laughing and grabbing a chair too.

"You like the D?" you ask with a smile that stays on your

"You fuckin' know I do." he says proudly.

"Knew you were cool." you nod approvingly. "Okay. So... another one then?" you ask with a tilt of your head. One of the men claps loudly and approves. "You caught me in a good mood. Alright." you snort into the mic as you bump it with your nose. You clear your throat. This is called Master Exploder... and if I fuck it up, forgive me. I only have the balls to sing it when I'm wasted." you laugh and begin hard and sing your guts out.

Declan sits in awe. His brows high and his lips parted slightly as he listens to you belt out the songs.

"Dude." Mike says, knocking his arm with his arm. "Go get your guitar from upstairs."

"Shit. Yeah." he nods. "Wait, you go get it." he says with a bossy tone.

"Don't wanna miss anything huh?" Mike wiggles his brows at him.

"No I don't." he sass's back and shoves him out of the room.

You finish the song and Mike hands you a beer and an electric guitar, a small amp under his arm.

"Oh bless you," you mumble out, taking a drink. "That one will shred your throat." you set the beer down and take the other guitar. "Plug it in for me?" you ask politely. "It tuned?" you ask before strumming it. "Oh fuck no." you laugh and take a few minutes to fix it.

"Okay. You're making demands by giving me an electric." you give a smug smile. "Ya'll want me to show off? That what this means?"

"Of course we bloody do!" Mike says, taking a seat by Declan. "Better entertainment than I've seen in years." he says sincerely, leaning into his mesmerized friends arm.

"Flattery will get you where you wanna go." you point at him and laugh, falling into your old alter ego like ways when you were on stage, the booze certainly helping. "Okay... let's take it back it '75, Dreamboat Annie. Some of my favorite female guitar and vocal work." you say, straightening your back. "You'll know this one." you say as you start the fast-paced finger work for Crazy On You.

"Alright." Mike nods. "Yeah she's good." he says quietly to Declan.

"Told you." he grumbles defensively.

"Never thought her grumpy ass would be capable of this." he huffs out a laugh. "Lass is full of surprises innit she?" Declan sits and stares. "Or I'm bettin' ya hope so." he snarks.

"Shut up I wanna hear her." he bites back.

"Imaginin' her sayin' that to you big boy?" he knocks him with his elbow, only half joking.

And dammit if that wasn't exactly what he was doing.

@vale0413 @littledeadgirlwalking @jaegeeeeer