#do you have someone shining a flashlight in your eyes every 30 minutes?

[ansburg]

white people who have never interacted with the justice system shut up about how you think your experiences are comparable to prisoners' challenge

[aesterblaster]

The Facility: Chapter One

Ok ok so you know that idea I had about a horror version of blue lock? If you don't then here is where I first put the idea, its second to last on the list. There are going to be some changes from cannon/twists since this is an au but yeah enjoy!

Summary: Isagi and 299 other kids enter blue lock expecting a soccer camp. But the elimination process is more gruesome than they bargained for.

TWs: Blood and injury mention, general horror also an animal attack

Isagi watched with wide eyes as the man on stage finished his speech. "There will be an intense elimination. But the last 30 standing will get a chance to progress and show what they have. That's all for the details. You can leave if you like, but as soon as you go through that door you are unlocking the chance to be the best striker in the world!"

The others around Isagi buzzed with excitement, what could he say. This Ego guy had a way with words. He had never heard of this philosophy, leaving your teammates behind and scoring your own goals? It was crazy! So crazy it just might work. Suddenly a hand raised.

"Hey! Sorry, but I can't agree with what you just said."

It was Kira, the only one here Isagi knew. The other teens stepped back from him as if his bravery was contagious. Ego's eyes narrowed as the star player began attacking the facility. A few people agreed with him. Nodding and shouting out their concerns. Ego only scratched his head, "I see, all of you are really fucked in the head. Then leave."

His harsh words and critiques quickly whipped all the naysayers into shape. But Kira still looked doubtful. The doors whirred open and all 300 kids ran through, including Isagi. What choice did they really have?

If only they knew what was waiting for them, maybe they wouldn't have been so eager.

. . . . 35 minutes later . . . .

Isagi walked through the hall, examining his new uniform. It was sleek but there were a lot of pockets and a chain like wrist band with a red dot. A tracker? Before he could think about it Kira poked his head out a "Team Z" door and waved to him. "Hey there! You're in the same room as me."

"Oh cool." At least there was a familiar face. Isagi scanned the other kids sitting around the room. It was surprisingly dark and there was one big screen on the wall that lit up with the Blue Lock logo after he closed the door. He'd be lying if he said there wasn't a pang of disappointment in his chest at the fact he couldn't socialize before it started. Get to know everyone's strengths and weaknesses.

"Hello everyone. The people around you right now are your team and will be your team for the foreseeable future. This first part is about survival." That wasn't Ego's voice. A shiver went down Isagi's spine. It sounded like a robot and the screen showed no face, only the logo. "Whoever gets injured will not see the next phase."

"What's going on!? I thought we'd be playing soccer, not fucking around playing caveman!" one boy with short hair and eyeliner said, a vein bulging in his forehead. The voice carried on, if it heard him it made no sign.

"Yeah I want to go back home!"

"This is weird, but I think we should listen. Maybe we can get a grip on what's happening.." a player with spiky orange hair muttered. At least there was someone who was being reasonable. Isagi sighed with relief.

"Step one of this phase is water. There is a map in one of the pockets of your suits. Marked in blue are the places with water and marked in black are the places with buckets for the water. The lights will come on after this message is over and you will have to store away as much of it as you can. You never know when the tap will shut off."

There was a sickening laugh from the robotic voice. "If you haven't guessed it already, this isn't Ego or his little assistant. Please only refer to me as Quill. The only way to escape is major injury since the fences and exit doors are wired with electrocution. Showers will happen every other day, but you are not allowed to bring any buckets with you or fight. The discussion on food will happen later. The doors will only be locked when it's time to sleep and trust me you'll need it."

"Good luck."

"What the fuck." Isagi whispered. The lights turned on.

A boy with blue hair already had his map out and spread on the floor. Most of the others were still in shock. "There are buckets near us, someone should go get those."

"Are you seriously going through with this?" Kira shouted. "This is hacked! We have to find some way out. Not play some little death game."

"Do you have any better ideas? He said he'd turn off the water soon right? Oh great Buddha have mercy!" someone whimpered.

"Come on, this is a high tech place." the blue haired one continued. "They'll fix the hacker soon enough and everything will be back to normal. For now let's just go along and not get hurt."

"And introduce ourselves? He said we're going to be together for the foreseeable future right?" it was the guy with spiky hair again.

"Yeah." Isagi spoke up. "Let's do that, it'll help with our nerves."

"Well, I'm going to go get water." someone with long red hair stood up and opened the door. Walking out without another word. The group went around and introduced themselves when he came back with three buckets full. The only one who didn't talk was someone who was asleep on the floor. More of the group went out and soon the corner of the dim room was crowded with buckets of fresh water

"We have water right? We should be stable for now." Iemon reasoned slumping against the wall. "Anyone have any games to pass the time?"

. . . . 22 minutes later . . . .

The more the boys talked with each other the more they relaxed. The guy who was asleep eventually woke up and introduced himself as Bachira. "I heard the whole thing, don't worry." he said with a nervous laugh as he twisted some of his hair around his finger.

The games continued, but there was this nagging sense that disaster would strike any moment. And it did. "You mean there's no fucking water left?" a voice outside Team Z's door boomed. Everyone froze as it got quiet again. Whoever was speaking had others with him because now there were talking in whispers. In deep discussion about what to do probably.

"Maybe we should barricade the door." Naruhaya said quietly.

"Hell no, we should go out there and help them!" Kira, ever the hero, argued.

"Agreed. We have more than enough for us." Kunigami added. No one else spoke up. Isagi wanted too, but it was best to stay put in this situation right? And Kunigami and Kira could handle any negotiations just fine. He'd only be dead weight in that situation.

"What is wrong with you? I can't believe you don't think they deserve help too." Kira adressed the whole room but it felt as if he was staring at Isagi.

"No it's not that it-" Gagumaru couldn't finish before both him and Kunigami left. The whole room waited for them to come back. The silence combined with the terrible lighting covered the room like a thick blanket. There was a scream and some muffled shouting. Was that a dog barking? Ten minutes went by. Kuon convinced everyone to stay put.

"There could be a hundred people out there for all we know! Think logically, those screams could be someone else!" He was right, and the unknown was terrifying. But a pit of guilt still sat in everyone's stomach. Two minutes passed. Fifteen. Twenty. Thirt-

Kunigami opened the door and closed it abruptly, Kiras arm was hoisted over his shoulders and he was groaning in pain. "What happened out there?" Isagi asked tentatively.

"There are other people out there. They look terrible. I think they've been here for weeks. I'll explain more in a second just, get Kira some rest, something. He's badly hurt."

The boys rushed to make a pillow out of the maps in their suits. Kira was laid down gently and quickly passed out. "I have a flashlight in my suit." Imamura said. He took it out and shined the beam on Kira. The arm of his suit was ripped off and his skin had three bite marks that broke the skin.

There was that thick, thick blanket of silence again. Chigiri threw up.

"What the fuck did that!?" Raichi whispered. "What happened?"

"We found a couple of people close to our door who had no water. We started to talk to them and they introduced themselves as Okawa and Niko. Then we heard that fucking voice again, the Quill guy. I dunno how he saw we were in the hallway but he said we weren't supposed to meet each other yet." There was a pause.

"Then he sicked a dog on us, it came bowling through the hallways like it's tail was on fire. Those two ran away but Kira thought it was a hologram or something. It wasn't." He stopped there. There was a mass gasp and cry of shock

"You're telling me Quill has bodyguard dogs?" Bachira asked.

"I guess we shouldn't get on his bad side. That's all. We'll be fine."

"Kira isn't! He's fucking bleeding out what are we gonna do?"

"Maybe he wouldn't be if you didn't go out there? Huh? We could be playing charades right now!"

Igaguri started praying. An argument broke out. Isagi wish he could see who was fighting but they flashed in and out of view. Where was that flashlight anyway? It was a mess.

"Everyone shut the fuck up! Kira is dead!" It was Kuon who spoke up. "I checked his pulse. He's dead. Shock and blood loss I think." Whatever fight was happening stopped as Isagi felt tears well up in his eyes. This couldn't be happening. Everything was moving too fast. Just an hour ago, just an hour ago he had just won the local tournament. And yet here he was, his arm a mangled mess of blood and tattered mesh.

The screen turned on again.

end of chapter one

[ilooklikeaburntchickenugget]

Stalker

A/N: I got another random idea, so I wrote it! Pairing: Gerard Way x F!Guitarist!Reader Word count: 2,499 Warnings: Stalking, attempted kidnapping/assault, swearing

Every band member had their own identity that fans knew. Gerard was the frontman, Frank was crazy, Ray was known for his hair, and Mikey was known for being shy and behind the scenes.

But you had a pre-established identity being the only woman in MCR, which made you not only more identifiable but made fans love you more and more. There were lots of pros to that including the overwhelming amount of support you got from all the fans who were girls.

But that separation from the rest of the band through that identity brought its negatives too. Take for example how often your body was shamed online because you weren’t all that tiny. Or how some associated your personality with being a “closeted mean girl” when anyone who knew you personally would say just the opposite. There was always a label that had to be stamped on your forehead as a woman to remain relevant, and none of the guys had to deal with that, making it harder sometimes to deal with. But you had eventually learned to take everything with a grain of salt and brush it off.

But as soon as the band became a world wide phenomenon, things escalated for everyone, usually in a positive manner. For you it did too, that was until the worst of the worst happened.

The first time anything actually did happen was a stormy night, perfect setting for everything to go wrong. It was around 4 am and you were awoken by a flash of light outside your window. You brushed it off assuming it was just some lightning, closing your eyes again and trying to go back to sleep. But the light flashed a second time, this time remaining to stay through your window. You groaned, getting up from your sleepy state and putting on your slippers so your feet wouldn’t freeze.

You had a gut feeling, a bad one, so you crouched under the bedroom window where the light flashed through only letting your forehead and eyes look over it. Down below on the first floor was a figure you saw. You crouched back down again, your breath quickening. Maybe you were just seeing things, you thought. You looked back up and the figure became more apparent. It seemed to be a tall man judging by the build and short hair, in a long coat with a flashlight, the light that had shined in the window. You looked around briefly, seeing something in their hand that you could’ve sworn was a knife. Your breath stopped as you crouched down again and grabbed your phone, dialing 911 in the case anything worse happened.

You sat on the floor next to your bed for a few more seconds, clutching the device close to your chest. Then, the doorbell rang. Your eyes went wide as you took a deep breath, remembering that you had installed security. Checking the app on your phone, you saw the man in all black, but you couldn’t identify anything on his face, probably due to the ski mask, freaking you out even more. This time you knew it, there was a knife in his hand.

You went back to your phone app, this time actually calling the police. You stayed on the line with the operator in the case anything happened, but by the time the cops arrived the man was gone, leaving no trace behind. Only the security footage you had.

They only asked you a few questions, saying they would open a case since the person was armed. Then they requested you call someone to come pick you up while they investigated around the property and you agreed.

The first person you called was the most obvious. Your boyfriend of four months, Gerard (aka lead singer, obviously). You nervously put the phone up to your ear, he picked up at the second ring despite it being 4:30 in the morning.

“Y/N/N?” He asked through his groggy voice, “What’s wrong?” You took a deep breath.

“I’m, um, this is going to sound fucking crazy, I know.” You sighed, “Basically I need you to come pick me up. I’m at my house but the cops are here and-” “The cops?” He asked, this time obviously completely awake, “What the fuck happened? Are you okay?” “Yes, Gerard, I’m fine, just a little shaken up.” You admitted, “A guy came by the house with a knife and tried to get in. The cops scared him off but they have to look around the property and all.” “I’ll be there in 5.” And he didn’t lie, it literally took him 5 minutes to get to your house despite the fact you knew it was probably a 15 minutes drive. He rushed in, passing the police, as you gave them the clear that he was okay.

He grabbed you in a large hug, squeezing you tight as you hugged him back. “Are you okay?” He asked, looking you up and down as concern and fear was painted on his face.

“Yeah, just a little shaken.” You admitted, as he pulled you into another hug.

“Sorry to interrupt,” One of the police men came over to you two, “Do you have any idea what any motive could’ve been? A crazy ex maybe?” You shook your head.

“No, none of my exes would do that.” You admitted, when a lightbulb went off in your head that seemed to freak you out even more. Gerard seemed to notice.

“What?” He looked down and asked you.

“Both of us are in a pretty big band,” You explained to the officer, “So maybe it could’ve had something to do with that?” “Like a fan, you’re thinking?” He asked and you nodded, “It’s very possible. Most celebrities have had pretty bad encounters when it comes to stalker fans.” You nodded having heard other stories. Gerard’s eyes went wide. “I would suggest you stay out of the house for at least the next week to two, so if anyone does come back it’s empty. And here’s my card with my cell, so if you see anything weird just ring me up. We’ll have an officer patrol around the area 24/7 for the next few weeks so they’ll be there if anything happens.” He handed you the card which you graciously accepted, “May I ask what band you’re in?” “It’s called My Chemical Romance.” You began, “I’m one of the guitarists, and he’s the lead singer.” You looked to Gerard who smiled lightly.

“Oh, I’ve heard of you guys.” He said and you two nodded. “Well we’ll definitely keep an eye out, alright?” He said and you nodded.

“Thank you so much, officer.” You lightly smiled and he did the same back.

“No problem.”

You went back to Gerard’s place as it was now 5:30 am. “Are you tired, still?” He asked you, as you two walked in. You shook your head. “I’m not either, I’ll make us some coffee, okay? You just go sit back and relax. You’ve been through enough shit this morning.” He kissed the top of your head and you lightly laughed, walking over to sit on his couch. Gerard’s house was much bigger than yours, with 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. Granted you recorded a lot of your music there so the extra space was needed.

Your boyfriend came back a few minutes later with two mugs, putting one down in front of you and sitting besides you on the large couch. “Do you want to talk about it? It may help.” He suggested and you lightly nodded. You went through everything, like you had given to the police earlier. Talking about how you saw the knife, and the bad gut feeling, all of that. At this point you couldn’t tell who was more scared, you or Gerard. “What if it is a crazy fan?” You asked, “How would they have even gotten my address? I thought we all worked so hard to keep all of that super private.” “I don’t know.” He admitted with a sigh, “It could also just be a weird person. Or someone who may have mistaken that house for someone else’s.” You nodded understanding. “Why don’t we take the day off, okay? I can call the guys and let them know not to come over-” You shook your head.

“I think working will help get my mind off of it.” You admitted, “I appreciate your idea, but I need to distract myself. “Alright.” He nodded, “Well if you need a break, just let me know, okay?” You nodded.

You hadn’t heard anything for a week, but you stayed with Gerard for that time. Partially because you wanted to, but also because he insisted you do so for your safety.

That was until one night at 3 am your phone went off. You groaned, getting up and checking it only to see it was your security app. Your eyes went wide and you grabbed your glasses. You checked and there, again, was the person. “Shit.” You muttered, finding the card with the officer from the previous weeks number written on it.

“Honey?” You heard Gerard groan, moving towards you. “What’s wrong?” He was still half asleep.

“He’s there, again.” You sighed, typing the the numbers. Your boyfriend shot up immediately as you were speaking to the officer, and he promised that he had units on their way, though you clarified that you weren’t at the house.

Your emotions were a jumbled mess. Part of you was freaking out because your stalker was back, but you also felt safe because you were not there and with Gerard. Another part of you felt angry that this could happen, while hope seemed to run through your veins thinking about how you would finally figure out why you were being stalked.

The two of you were just sitting in his bed, duvet still covering you in anticipation as you waited for a call back. When you heard the ring you immediately answered. “Hello?”

“Ms. Y/L/N, we caught the suspect.” The officer spoke and you took a deep sigh of relief, “We’re going to update you actively on this, but first we need to interview him. My advice from here on out would be to contact your attorney, if you have one, and get a restraining order immediately. It can be done within the next day so if we have to release him on bond he can’t come near you or your home.” “Okay, thank you.” You sighed again, planning on calling your lawyer first thing when you woke up.

“If you have any other questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to reach out to me, alright?” “Yes, thank you so much.” You two hung up and you looked over to Gerard. “They got him.” You said, and he lightly sighed as well in relief. “The officer advised me that I contact our attorneys tomorrow to get an emergency restraining order, for obvious reasons.” “Sounds good.” Gerard admitted, rubbing your back a bit. “Let’s try to go back to sleep, okay? We’ll deal with all this in the morning.” You nodded, falling back under the covers with him, tucked under your arm.

-A brief time skip, as in like 8 hours later or something-

“He what?” You asked your attorney as you and Gerard were suited in her office.

“According to the police report, which I just received this morning, your stalker, James Horrow, thought in his mind that you two were married.” Your mouth was open, your eyes squinted in both confusion and shock as Gerard leaned back in his chair, wiping his hand over his face.

“Jeez,” He sighed, “So he’s crazy?” Your attorney nodded.

“Seems like it.” She sighed, “As much as I hate to say it, this happens pretty often with celebrities. What is most shocking though is he was armed and was planning on kidnapping you.” This time you leaned back in your chair, closing your eyes to let everything soak in.

“So he’s crazy. And violent.” Gerard added.

“We’re putting in an emergency motion today for a restraining order against him. He doesn’t come from any wealthy family and doesn’t seem to be very financially stable so there’s a good chance that if he’s offered bond by the judge he won’t be able to pay it, but you can never be sure.” You nodded in agreement. “However, there should be no reason the judge shouldn’t sign this. I’ve had a few cases in front of her. She’s very fair and good at her job, so I don’t foresee her not granting us the motion. But in the meantime, you two stay safe and probably at Gerard’s house. I’ll give you a call when I have any news.”

“Thank you so much, Patricia.” You smiled and she smiled back.

“Of course.” She shook both yours and Gerard’s hand before you two walked out of her office.

You got into your car, Gerard taking the driver’s seat and you taking the passenger, slumping down into the leather, sighing. “You alright?” Gerard asked turning to you.

“Oh yeah, I’m totally fine with the fact that a psycho dude managed to figure out my private address and showed up to my house with a knife to kidnap me because I’m his imaginary wife.” Gerard sighed, grabbing your hand and squeezing it. “I’m gonna have to get a full fucking security team at the house now because I don’t know how many people now know my address.” You closed your eyes for a few moments letting your internal anger radiate out of your body.

“Or you could just move in with me.” Gerard said next, and you looked at him strangely.

“Don’t make me move in with you out of pity.” You rolled your eyes.

“This isn’t out of pity.” He admitted, “I genuinely want you to move in, have for a while now, actually since like a week after we started dating.” He lightly laughed, “I mean, it’s ultimately up to you. But I know I would feel a hell of a lot better if you were with me so if this happens again at least you’re not alone. And if you feel the need to get some form of additional security besides just the cameras, we can do that too.” He gave your hand another reassuring squeeze.

“You sure you’d be okay with that?” You asked and he nodded.

“Positive.”

“Fine,” You lightly smiled back, “I’ll move in with you.” “Great.” He smiled, beginning to reverse out of the parking spot.

“Now will you redo your damn kitchen?” You asked him. He lightly laughed.

“It isn’t that bad-” “Gerard it’s atrocious!” You sat up defensively, “It’s a monstrosity to anyone who knows how to cook!” “Hey I can cook!” He defended himself.

“You made pancakes one, and they burnt. They were literally black.” He rolled his eyes, “It’s okay, I’ll teach you more. After we completely redo the kitchen.”

[were-all-idjits-here]

Still Alive, Part III: Now We Hunt

Summary: While watching the season 7 finale of Supernatural, you’re zapped from your world to a world where everything that happened in the show is real. Sam’s real. Dean’s real. Monsters are real. And so is Purgatory–where Dean’s currently trapped, unbeknownst to Sam. Frustrated by Sam’s lack of trust and motivation, you decide to take matters into your own hands.

Pairing: Dean x Reader

Warnings: angst, cursing

A/N: the final part of this series. Thank you guys for your patience while I wrote this. Been recovering from burnout due to a toxic work environment, so that’s been making this a bit difficult writing-wise. But hope you all enjoy!

~~Read here on AO3~~

Birds trilled in the trees overhead. The breeze caused the evening light to dance through the forest as you stared at an unassuming spot on the ground. This was where Dean would emerge—whenever he emerged. But who knew how long that would take? You had already wasted a full day and night going to Target and stocking your new backpack full of supplies, getting a full night’s sleep (if things went bad, who knew when you’d have a chance to be well rested again?) and finding transportation all the way from the motel near Amelia and Sam’s to this specific spot. Then nearly another full day to get here. You’d tried to be careful and took out as much cash from Sam’s credit card as you could, but who knew how fast he would track you down?

You sighed and shouldered your backpack full of supplies as you trudged back to the motel you were staying at. It was nearing dark and you didn’t want to be caught out here after the sun set. Plus, you had to figure out a way to contact Dean so you knew how close he was to escaping Purgatory. About 30 minutes later, you let your backpack fall to the floor with a thud, pulling out your new laptop and opening your browser. The library in both towns you’d stayed in weren’t very helpful in figuring out how to astral project without being on top of old lingering magics. The second night you’d stayed at the first motel unfortunately didn’t render anymore visions of Dean. But after some Googling, you had found a YouTube link reading “Astral Projection Music *VERY STRONG*” that would hopefully at least point you in the right direction.

You settled onto your bed and took a deep breath before clicking the link. Ambient music with some strange undertones you couldn’t describe engulfed the motel room. You leaned back against the pillows and closed your eyes. You weren’t sure how long it took, but you felt yourself falling asleep. Your last thought before succumbing was a sinking feeling of disappointment as you realized this music would probably give you the best night of sleep of your life at best.

“Son of a bitch!” a rough voice barked in your ear.

You jumped and snapped upright to smack right into someone’s forehead. “Ow,” you muttered, rubbing at the spot that was sure to bruise later. You jumped as you saw Dean’s face just inches from yours doing the same. “Shit, it worked.”

“You sure you’re not a witch?” Dean asked. He was sprawled out on the ground next to you on top of his jacket, eyes bleary and hair sticking up every which way. You’d have laughed if you weren’t in Purgatory. The sky was darker than the first time you’d visited and the campfire was slowly dwindling. It looked to be a different clearing than last time; this time, he was near a stream, with two other jackets spread out around the fire.

“Um, no,” you replied. “Would’ve given a lot of assholes back home a good scare if I was. Did you find Cas and Benny?”

Dean groaned as he sat up. “Yeah. Benny’s hunting and Cas went further down the river to see if he could figure out which way this portal is.”

“You’ve got the spell ready for Benny?”

“Yep.”

“You found them fast. It’s only been a few days.”

Dean shrugged. “Benny wasn’t too far behind you. Or maybe you showing up changed things. He says he’s gonna take us to the portal tomorrow.”

“Good. What time?”

“No idea. We’re gonna start out first thing in the morning and get there as fast as we can. But make sure you tell Sam—”

You cleared your throat and looked away awkwardly, picking some dirt out from underneath your fingernails. You sighed and steeled yourself. Better to just rip the band-aid off quickly. “I’m alone, Dean.”

Dean stared at you with a blank expression for several moments.

Before he could cut in, you continued, “He won’t be catching up to me, either. He still doesn’t believe me and dumped my situation onto another hunter that was supposed to show up at the old motel I was staying at.” You inhaled deeply. You didn’t like telling him this, but better he knew everything upfront. As big of a fan of the show as you were, you knew how he reacted to secrets. “He…seems pretty convinced you’re dead and there’s no bringing you back this time.”

Dean shifted his still blank gaze to the dying flames. “What about Kevin?”

“I don’t think he and Sam have been in contact. From what I know of the show and judging by Sam’s reaction when I brought it up, Kevin’s been trying to get a hold of him and Sam just hasn’t been answering.”

“What?” Dean looked angry now and you bit your lip, unsure how to continue. You spread your hands in an irritated gesture instead. “You’re 100% positive about all this?”

“Yes.”

“How—”

A loud crashing noise broke you out of your sleep and you cursed under your breath. You glanced around the room—now shrouded in darkness—to see that your backpack had fallen off the end table from where you’d precariously balanced it just before nodding off. The astral projection music no longer played and your laptop screen was dark, making it impossible to know how long ago it had stopped. You wiggled your mouse to see the clock read six in the morning. You weren’t sure how early Dean, Benny and Cas were planning on starting out, or if time even flowed the same in Purgatory. You quickly shot up, stuffed all your spilled belongings and laptop back into your backpack and made your way out of the safety of the motel and into the woods.

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

You sighed as you plopped down on the ground in the very same spot you’d stood at earlier, wondering how in the fuck you had even gotten yourself here. The campers who had originally been here in the show—and subsequently been scared shitless by Dean—trudged off in the distance, grumbling distantly as the bob of their flashlight receded further into the woods. You felt bad for pulling all the asshole-ery you did to make them move, but this really was the best spot to look out for Dean. The sky was beginning to get lighter and the sounds of the breeze and waking birds made you want to nod off again. You did your best to resist, but as the minutes ticked by with no sign of Dean, you felt your eyes grow heavier and heavier.

You hadn’t even realized you’d fallen asleep until you were jolted awake by a loud bang and a blinding white light that forced you to close your eyes again. You breathed a sigh of relief upon opening them and realizing you were still in the woods and not back in your living room. You scrambled to your feet as the figure in front of you did the same, holding your knife out in front of you awkwardly. You stared wide-eyed at the tall, green eyes and dirty face of Dean Winchester. He seemed frozen with his gun pointed at you. You scrambled for something to say but came up short, feeling equally stuck with your knife out in front of you.

“Holy shit, you’re real,” you both muttered at the same time.

You heard the safety of Dean’s gun click as he slowly lowered it, tucking it into the waistband of his pants. He looked around, his shoulders just barely slumping as he realized you really were alone. He turned his attention back to you and raised an eyebrow. “Did you help me escape Purgatory just to shank me as soon as I got out?”

“What?” You felt some of the tension leave your body and realized you were still holding your knife out in front of you. “Oh, sorry.” You tucked it back into the sheath that was attached to your pants leg, noting for the first time the glowing blue light shining from Dean’s forearm.

He followed your eyes before making his way past you. “Wait here,” he mumbled, squeezing your shoulder as he went by. You felt a small thrill go through you at the contact before plopping back down next to your backpack. You watched as he disappeared through the foliage, knowing Benny was waiting for freedom. You sat and watched the sun come up through the trees and breathed a sigh. Even sitting in these woods with no home, no job, not even a guarantee that you’d be alive this time next month, felt better than the despair that had constantly engulfed you in your shitty apartment. You felt like you were finally where you were meant to be. Just being around Dean gave you more of a feeling of home than you’d ever had. You rested your head on your knees, hoping what came next was three days of sleep. You were mentally exhausted after everything that had happened.

A hand gently shook your shoulder and looked up to see Dean crouched next to you, his arm now bandaged. You hadn’t even heard him coming. “Thanks, kid,” he said, looking just as tired as you felt. “You got a motel room near here?”

“Yeah,” you replied, gathering your legs under you. Dean stood, offering his hand. Another small thrill ran through you as you took it and Dean seemed surprised as well. You stood and stared at each other for a minute, hands still clasped. Although he looked worse for wear, you knew he’d been through worse. His green eyes weren’t as intense as before and all the energy seemed to bleed out of him as he sighed, closing his eyes before giving your hand a final squeeze. Your trance broke and you let go, leading him through the woods to your motel room.

Once away from any prying eyes, you ordered food while he showered. Although you hadn’t done anything to warrant a shower, hot water sounded divine and felt even better. You emerged from the bathroom and sighed in contentment, laughing when you noticed Dean scarfing down a hamburger while trying to fit several fries in his mouth at once. “You’re gonna choke.”

“Ihf hambuwgew ih how Ah go, ih how Ah go,” he replied around a mouthful of food, several morsels of hamburger meat falling out of his mouth in the process. He made an “mm” of surprise, quickly picking them back off his shirt and plopping them back in his still-full mouth.

You shook your head and smiled as you sat down across from him. “Is mine still there—oh, wow, it is.”

“Ah diden loof all my manners in Puwgatowy.”

You gave him a look. “You didn’t have manners before Purgatory.”

“Ey! Littlew shit.”

You laughed and although Dean’s mouth was far too full of food to smile, his green eyes danced with mirth for what was likely the first time since Purgatory. You sat in companionable silence as you dug into your own burger, just enjoying the quiet. It was suddenly interrupted by a loud GULP from Dean and you burst out laughing. “I wish I was getting you on video right now.”

“I’m glad you’re not. Okay, but listen, I’ve got something serious to say—buuuuuuurrrrrppppp.”

You threw your head back and cackled, feeling tears start to leak from your eyes.

“Shut up, kid, I’m starving!”

“I can tell,” you laughed, meeting Dean’s eyes once again. Despite the sternness in his tone, he was smiling as well. You should’ve felt nervous—you had always had a bit of a crush on Dean, although you liked Sam well enough—but everything just felt easy with the older Winchester.

“But seriously,” Dean continued as both your smiles and laughter faded, “thank you. Benny got out and Cas…um…” He went quiet, his face going solemn and his hand squeezing into a fist on the table.

“I watch the show,” you replied just as quietly. “I know. You don’t have to say anything.”

Dean nodded his thanks and you gently covered his fist to squeeze his hand. He uncurled his fingers and linked them through yours to give another quick squeeze. To your surprise, he didn’t let go and if he didn’t want to, who were you to leave him hanging? You glanced up to find him staring at you, both of you quickly looking away. Your fingers were still entwined and only separated at a series of loud, sharp knocks on the door.

Dean’s face quickly morphed in the same anger you’d seen on the show many times during hunts. “You expecting anyone?” he asked lowly.

“No,” you replied. The two of you quietly got up in tandem and without even speaking, you drew your knife and hid behind the door as Dean pulled his gun from his waistband. The click of the safety sounded deafening in the silence as the knocking continued. You held your breath as Dean slowly unlocked the door before throwing it open with his gun pointed at the intruder.

“Y/N—” you recognized Sam’s angry voice which was suddenly cut short as he saw who stood in the doorway. From behind the door, you saw water suddenly splash onto Dean’s face. He blinked and pursed his lips before wiping the water away from his eyes.

“Hiya, Sammy,” he said, his face a mixture of relief, warmth and resentment. He stepped away from the door to let his brother in.

Sam stared at Dean in shock as he closed the door behind him. The sound of your knife going back into the sheath drew his attention to you, the look on his face making it impossible to tell if he was more annoyed you’d disobeyed orders or impressed that you’d brought Dean back by yourself.

You glanced between the two brothers for a moment before gesturing to the door. “I’ll give you two a minute.” You slipped out and made your way to the vending machine near your room. After scouring the snacks had bored you, you pulled out your phone to look through your meagre contact list. Mainly supervisors, coworkers and a few acquaintances who wouldn’t miss you. The feeling was mutual. You couldn’t deny the satisfaction that ran through you as you deleted everyone’s number but Sam’s. Hopefully, Dean’s would soon be added to the list. You perked up at the thought.

You looked up at the sound of footsteps. Sam Winchester slumped towards you, complete with hands in his pockets and a sheepish look on his face. “Hey, Y/N.”

“Hey, Sam,” you said, not bothering to keep the annoyance out of your tone.

“Look, um…” he scratched at the back of his neck. “I’m really sorry. I should’ve at least looked into it more.”

You sighed. “Well, he’s here now, so…guess that’s all that matters.”

“Yeah…” He sighed. “Dean said he’s gonna train you to be a hunter. You’re 100% sure this is what you want? Lee said he can still get you back home if you want.”

“I’m 110% sure, Sam. I’m not going back there. It was never home for me.”

Sam exhaled sharply once more, glancing over at the now busy street.

“You’re setting a world record for sighing,” you said. “Trust me. This is what I want. If I get myself killed, I’ll only haunt you a little bit, I promise.”

Sam chuckled before nodded. “All right, then. I have to go home to Amelia. I think she’s starting to suspect that something’s up. But Dean’s still in there,” he gestured to the hotel, “and I’ll be seeing you around.”

“What are you gonna tell her?”

“I don’t know. Hopefully I will know by the time I get back home—and thank you for saving my brother.”

You nodded. “Stay safe.”

“Yeah, you too. You still have my number if you need anything?”

“Yeah. I’ll text you, keep you updated on where I am.”

Sam smiled, pulling you into a quick hug. “Welcome to the life.”

You snorted. “Thanks.”

Sam gave you a half smile and waved as he trudged back to the Impala. Dean emerged from the room and made his way over to Sam, holding his hand out. Sam dropped Baby’s keys in his brother’s hand as what you assumed was an uber pulled into the parking lot, idling in front of Sam. Sam and Dean stared at each other for a moment before embracing one last time. Once Sam climbed in, the uber sped off and you made your way back over to Dean. He gently caressed Baby’s paint before turning to you.

“What now?” you asked.

He smirked. “Now, we hunt.”

Tag list: @totallyluciferr @dr7girl @pillowjj

[sadistic-second]

I posted 216 times in 2021

13 posts created (6%)

203 posts reblogged (94%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 15.6 posts.

I added 43 tags in 2021

#ivory-paragon - 13 posts

#thread; tbd - 8 posts

#thread; dentist date - 5 posts

#meme - 5 posts

#just asher things - 4 posts

#terrible first meeting starters - 2 posts

#send in 📜 and i’ll use this incorrect quotes generator using your muse and my muse. - 2 posts

#send “pain is weakness leaving the body” and i will randomly generate how your muse will find mine - 2 posts

#how . . . how long have i neglected my asks? - 1 posts

#who knows - 1 posts

Longest Tag: 98 characters

#send “pain is weakness leaving the body” and i will randomly generate how your muse will find mine

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

"I got popits. Wanna put them under the toilet seats in the mens room?"

To say that the voice suddenly sounding from the doorway scared him wouldn't have been that far off. It certainly startled him into dropping what he was holding in his hand. That poor bottle of soda skyrocketed its contents into the air, drenching the poor Turk in front of the newest addition to the office.

"If you'll let me change clothes first, sure. Seems like a better start to the day than this."

3 notes • Posted 2021-08-05 12:30:44 GMT

#4

“Stop shining that flashlight on me! I’m not a damn ghost!”

There was no storm. There was no logical reason for the power in the building to have gone out. But there he stood in pitch-black darkness, staring ahead into the void. The flashlight dangled in one hand, his phone up to his ear in the other.

"Are you absolutely su-"

"Do your job. Search the building. Stop whining."

Just a little 'click' and he was groaning. Grumbling escaped him as he properly held the flashlight, flicking it on. The beam illuminated the long hallway. Somehow, it looked even more dangerous. Just to be safe, his EMR slowly came out of his pocket and rested in his other hand.

Two floors cleared, this was the stupidest game of hide and seek he had ever played. Anyone with enough intelligence over him would have snuck past him. Might even be chilling near the entrance just to taunt him.

Just as he was about to give up, he heard something. A small shuffle. Like someone had been peeking out at him and too quickly moved to hide again. Eyes narrowing, he devised a plan to circle back around, give them a false sense of security. A couple minutes later, flashlight off so he wouldn't be seen, he snuck up on the other.

And when he was right up on them, shined the flashlight in their face.

"Got you, you little punk."

“Stop shining that flashlight on me! I’m not a damn ghost!”

"Shut the fuck up. Maybe if you didn't run off and hide, this wouldn't have been a problem. Come on, let's go."

3 notes • Posted 2021-06-24 15:00:49 GMT

#3

Forbidden Fruit

There was a dim light bleeding in through slits in the curtain. The only other source of light in the room was the faint glow of a cigarette. In the distance, perhaps in another room, there was an obscure hum of music playing. Were it at any other volume, it might have been considered loud. Obnoxious. What was it that had been said about the kind of music he liked to listen to? It’s not his fault that metal was the only kind that drowned out all the ghosts of his past.

Outside the storm raged on, the pitter-patter of raindrops hitting the window. A flash of lightning overwhelmed the lamp and bled through the cracks in the curtain. Ever so briefly, a man was illuminated. Flaming red hair. Black suit. White shirt. Darkness fell upon him again. Another flash of lightning revealed more about him. Bandages across his nose, one on his cheek. Wrapped around his chest, his forearm. No more worse for wear than usual.

A deep inhale brightened the cancer stick betwixt his fingers. An exhale later and a billow of smoke covered his face. A small cough followed suit before a groan escaped. Eyes closed, his mind began to wonder. What had brought him here on a night like this? Painful memories and a need to forget.

Leather creaked as the body began to shift, the free hand reaching for something. A small device was produced and a thump began to navigate through the different apps and screens. Eventually, he found what he was looking for and opened a text message, addressing it to a particular person. But this was where he hesitated. What was he going to say?

[txt]: Do you remember the night when we first met?

There was a moment of hesitation, thumb hovering over send. A sigh escaped him and his phone was placed on his knee. Did he want to send that? Was it even worth it? A small ten minute argument was had with himself. The message was sent and he sat there, waiting. The recipient was probably asleep anyway. Not like he would get a response.

The redhead shifted in his seat, sinking further into it. His eyes slowly fell shut, sleep beginning to take him at last. However, his body jolted awake at the sound of a gunshot. The only reason he didn't draw his own was the vibration on his knee. A response? This late at night? Interesting.

[txt]: Idiot, do you know what time it is?

Eyes darted over to the clock on the wall. In the darkness, he couldn't see. A flash of lightning two minutes later told him it was somewhere around three in the morning. Why he didn't just look at his phone? Probably because he was too busy thinking of other things.

[txt]: I still remember the taste of you on my lips.

It seemed far too risky to be talking like this. So why? The man could just blame it on being drunk. Figured that would be the retort that he got back. But after five minutes he figured he was being ignored. Not a surprise. Not even in the slightest.

"Should have known better than to send that. Fuck, what are you thinking, Reno?"

That's just it that. He wasn't thinking. Instinct had kicked in at this point. His fingers were moving mechanically on their own. Maybe he should just take a shower. Get clean, get himself into bed. A good night's rest should put him back on track.

His phone was on the coffee table. The Turk had finally managed to stand up, stretch. His bones, joints, popped and ached. Maybe, just maybe, he should stop getting into street fights in Wall Market when he was feeling destructive. There had to be a better way of dealing with his frustrations.

[txt]: Is this why you aren't sleeping? You're reminiscing?

That. That wasn't the response he expected. Stunned, his brain scrambled around in an attempt to figure out what to say. His voice stammered as if he could be heard. What, what was he supposed to say?

[txt]: You've never known the feelings you brought out in me. You opened up my cage and set my spirit free.

Stop. These were personal thoughts. Private feelings. Things to be kept secret, never to see the light of day. If anyone were to learn of these things, they could be used against him. So why . . .

[txt]: Are you suggesting that I put you back into it? Perhaps some time locked in a cage will set you right.

Heh. Of course, they would say that. Why wouldn't they say that? That had to be the most appropriate thing said or done all night.

[txt]: I just wish I could go back to the place and time.

Relive that night over and over again. Do some things differently. Maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't be spending the night alone if he had changed even a slight thing. But it hadn't been anything to do with that night. It had been events that had transpired afterward. Those were the things that he wished he could change the most.

[txt]: And do what?

As if that idiot didn't know. Ugh. Reno would have preferred a verbal conversation now. The ability to speak without thinking would have been great. Damn the consequences at that point. This whole text conversation made him have to analyze every little thing he wanted to say and it was digging at him the entire time.

[txt]: Watch the way you move under the neon lights.

Not the riskiest thing he had ever sent. But it was pretty high up there. Wouldn't have doubted the recipient wasn't the only one reading these. What must they be talking about? What were the chances they were even alone right now?

[txt]: Is that right? Is that all?

If he didn't get a pink slip in the morning for this alone, he would be surprised. Thumbs idled just above the screen. What was he supposed to do now?

[txt]: I still think of you when I'm alone at night.

Take that however one willed it. Here he was, sitting in the dark of his apartment during a thunderstorm, smoking. No alcohol. Just some quiet time alone with his thoughts. If he'd been drunk, maybe he would have gone right to sleep and bypassed all of this. Then no one would have to know of his one weakness.

A response arrived, but not how he figured it would come. A name and picture flashed on his screen, a loud gunshot ringing through his living room. His eyes merely stared at the vibrating device until it stopped. "One Missed Call" flashed on the screen. A couple of seconds later, a text message popped up.

[txt]: Answer your phone. I won't call again if you ignore it.

A few seconds later, it rang again. He answered it before the gunshot even had time to cock.

"Hello."

"If I make a dinner reservation for tonight around 8pm, do you think you can show up in one piece?"

"S-sure. Where we going, Boss?"

"Just meet me in my office. That's all you have to do."

"Alright, yeah. Yeah, I can do that."

"Now get some sleep, Reno. I won't forgive you if you fall asleep on me during our meal."

There was an audible click from the call hanging up. There was a small smile creeping along his lips as he shook his head.

"Heh. Of course, Boss. Whatever you want. Your wish is my command."

Leaving his phone to charge on his nightstand, the Turk decided a shower before bed wasn't such a bad idea after all.

//

Guess who, it's me. Ya boy. Back with another short inspired by a song I've been listening to. Forbidden Fruit by Hallway Swimmers. It felt really good to be writing something again.

5 notes • Posted 2021-06-23 16:01:37 GMT

#2

What's up everyone? Asher here.

You might have noticed the overwhelming lack of activity from me over the last few months. Been quietly dealing with medical problems and family stuff.

I've mostly just been trying to feel better in my own little ways. Quite honestly though, I miss being here and writing with and talking to everyone. I'm not quite out of the woods just yet, but I will be soon.

Just wanted to let everyone know that I am okay. I plan on getting back to things and the like soon.

Hope you all have good days and nights and all that good stuff. You're always welcome to talk to me here or on discord.

See you guys soon.

6 notes • Posted 2021-05-20 13:00:57 GMT

#1

Hey Bitches, I Lived

So ya boy ended up having to get emergency surgery. Turns out my gallbladder was a lot worse off than previously thought and it needed to come out now.

So I’ve been recovering the last couple days. I’d say that I’m mostly recovered. Just some minor lingering pain. Other than that, I’m pretty good.

So hopefully now that I’m now no longer potentially actually dying, I can get to everyone/everything again.

So hit me up with asks or threads or tag me in shit. Or let me know and I'll tag you in shit. Just whatever works. I'm eager to kick start my recovery.

7 notes • Posted 2021-07-12 16:01:33 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[guccybangtan]

begin again - hwang hyunjin

pairing: hyunjin x reader; best friends to lovers au

word count: 2264

warnings: arguing ig

req: y | n (req by anon a loooonnnnnnggggg time ago so sorry :( )

an: while I like this story I feel like it kind of sucks so sorry in advance

listen to: 3:00 AM - Finding Hope, I Love You - Billie Eilish

You always thought having someone around when you were doing homework would help you accomplish your tasks because it kept you accountable. Today, you had Hyunjin, your best friend, at your house while you were working hard to prepare for your AP exams. Hyunjin knew how important these were for you so he was content with relaxing on your bed while you worked at your desk.

Since it was Saturday, Hyunjin had appeared in the morning and the two of you made a light brunch since neither of you had eaten yet.

What  had started out civil, quickly turned into a battle of dominance with your weapons of choice being your dry goods.

“You got it in my hair!” Hyunjin screeched, throwing the entire bag of flour at your head.

It hit right on the mark and you went from Y/N to Casper the Ghost in .2 seconds.

“Hyunjin, you’re such a priss!’’ You laughed, doing your best to shake the flour from your person.

To no avail, the flour seemed to stick to you like glue.

“Am not! I spend an hour doing my hair.’’ He pouted, crossing his arms.

“That’s your own fault dude! You don’t have to get all pretty to come see me.’’ You spoke, grabbing at one of his hands so he’d uncross his arms and stop pouting.

He could be such a big baby sometimes, but he was your big baby.

Letting you pull his hand free he said:”You’re always pretty so I have to match you.’’

You forced out a giggle as you turned away to hide the blush that was flushing your cheeks.

“Let’s get back to work.’’

After cleaning yourselves up and finishing your food, you decided to settle in to get to work on your studying.

For the first few hours everything was going well. You were making great progress on your English and eventually decided to move to your math since you struggled in that area more.

Hyunjin was still kicking it on your bed. There was a period of time around five o’clock that he disappeared, but he returned a short 30 minutes later with more food for dinner.

It was then that things started to get a bit rough.

When Hyunjin placed your favorite fast food order next to you, he truly expected you to stop what you were doing and converse with him while you ate.

When all you did was hum in acknowledgement, he felt irritation bubble up inside of him.

Swallowing it, he ate his meal in silence, eyes flicking over to your hunched form every few minutes.

For the next twenty minutes, he let you sit there while your food got cold. It was ten minutes to six when he finally snapped.

“Are you gonna eat? Or do you plan on studying to death?”

Huffing, you set your pencil down.

Spinning around in your chair so you were facing Hyunjin, you said: “Not until death, but until I know enough that I won't get these problems wrong. You know how important these exams are Jin. Let me be.’’

Immediately turning back around, any response Hyunjin had died in his throat.

Usually, the two of you could make semi-snide comments like that without the other getting offended but for some reason today was different. What you said had really hurt his feelings.

It went on like this until it was nearly ten.

Hyunjin sat mostly in silence on your bed, every so often making a comment about how you were working too hard, and you would immediately quip back with a response about how you weren’t working hard enough.

Eventually you were fed up.

“Can you just sit there and not be annoying for five minutes?” You shouted as you slammed your pencil down.

Regret filled your body.

Sighing, you ran your fingers through your hair.

You couldn’t see it yet, but the look on Hyunjin’s face would have shattered your heart.

As you turned around to apologize for being so brash, you could see the hurt in Hyunjin’s eyes.

He was already up and making his way out the door.

“If I’m so annoying I’ll just go. Don’t worry about me ever bothering you again.’’

“Hyunjin-”

The sound of the door slamming cut you off.

‘What am I gonna do now..’ you thought to yourself.

Sighing once more, you continued to work on your studies.

You couldn’t seem to focus now that Hyunjin was gone. Shaking your head, you tried to gather your thoughts in order so you could keep going.

Looking to your left, you noticed the bag of now cold food sitting on your desk.

You had screwed up. Big time.

Without thinking you ran to your front door with your keys in hand as you shouted at your parents that you would be going to Hyunjins.

Turning the key in the ignition, you pulled out your phone and dialled Hyunjin’s number.

It went straight to voicemail.

You tried a few more times before deciding it would be better just to head to his house.

Pulling out of your driveway, you made the short journey to your destination.

You walked up to the front door and knocked instead of just heading in the side door like you normally did.

When Mrs. Hwang opened the door, she seemed startled to see you.

“What can I do for you, sweetheart?” she asked.

“I’m here to see Hyunjin,’’ you said as you fiddled with your keys,” we had an argument earlier and I came to apologize.”

“Well I’m sorry to say he’s not here. We were under the impression that he was still at your house and that he’d be staying like he normally does when it gets this late.’’

Late? Checking your phone you saw that it was nearly 11.

“Thank you, Mrs. Hwang, I’ll let you know when I find him! He’s probably just with Lix.’’ You told her.

You knew he wasn’t with Felix though, but you didn’t want Hyunjin’s parents to spend the whole night worrying about him.

Felix was the moderator of your friend group, and he was always the one to help solve any issues that came up. Usually you and Hyunjin would work things out on your own, but what Hyunjin’s parents didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them.

As you got back into your car, you rubbed your hands over your face. If he wasn’t here where was he?

You tried calling him again, but it still went to voicemail.

Letting your head fall against the steering wheel, you cried out in frustration.

Where was he! It was unlike Hyunjin to just disappear like this. Even though he was upset, he never just ran off. He would normally go home, or to one of your other friend’s places.

The more you thought about it the more you realized that Hyunjin had been acting weird lately.

At first he spent a lot of time dodging your calls and making up excuses as to why he couldn't hang out that day, but when you finally called him on his crap, he admitted he was just in a weird place, and things sort of fixed themselves.

Except they didn’t.

Even though you had your best friend with you again, it still felt like he wasn’t there all the way.

He was just being plain awkward.’

He would get weird if you asked to cuddle him during movies, or if you’d ask to hold his hand when you were walking around the mall, but he would usually let you do these things without question.

Shaking your head, you decided to head to the park where the two of you used to hang out when you were just beginning high school.

You parked your car and popped the trunk, grabbing the bag you kept in there for spontaneous trips like this.

It had snacks, a blanket, UNO, and a flashlight for emergencies.

At this specific park there was a small plastic children's house situated on the edge of the playground, and that was where you spent the entirety of your freshman year.

It couldn’t have been bigger than a five by five square but you all made it work.

You approached the building without caution because no one really used it anymore, so you didn’t expect anyone to be in there.

It wasn’t until you were nearly inside that you about jumped out of your skin.

Ripping the flashlight out of the bag you quickly turned it on and shined it inside.

What you found definitely surprised you.

“Hyunjin!?” You exclaimed, crawling all the way into the house, dropping the bag in the process.

Without thinking you threw yourself at him, and wrapped your arms around his neck.

“I thought something bad happened to you! Why weren’t you answering your phone?” You said pulling away.

He hadn’t reciprocated your hug, so you took the signal and retreated to your side of the house.

Pulling the blanket out of the bag, you draped it over his arms that were resting on his knees, which he had pulled into his chest.

“You should wrap up, it’s freezing.’’

Mimicking his position, you sat in your corner looking at him.

Hyunin had yet to meet your eyes.

“So are we just gonna-’’

“I thought you said I annoyed you.’’ Hyunjin finally spoke, looking up at you with bleary tearstained eyes. “I don’t know why you would look for someone you found so irritating.’’

He pushed the blanket off of himself.

“I didn’t mean what I said, Jinnie.’’ You sighed, replacing the blanket to its original place.

He didn’t remove the blanket this time. Instead he just continued to stare, as if waiting for you to continue.

So you did.

“These tests are just really important for college, and I know it’s not something you have to worry about because you’re so much smarter than me, but I really have to do well on these tests so I can to my first choice school.’’ You shrugged,” I didn’t mean to take my frustrations out on you bubba.’’

Hyunjin just looked at you. Then he beckoned you over.

Cocking your head, you furrowed your brows at him.

“You were just mad at me and now you want me to come over there?”

“You’re shivering, you doof.’’ He said, reaching over and pulling you in between his legs.

Taking the blanket that you had placed on his knees, he opened it and wrapped it around your shoulders. Once it was securely around you, you leaned into his chest, hoping that he wouldn’t push you away.

And he didn’t.

“I was only being so bothersome because I worry about you. You mean a lot to me.’’ You could feel the vibrations in Hyunjin’s chest as he spoke.’

“You mean a lot to me too Jinnie,’’ You answered, “you know that.’’

He sighed, shaking his head. “You don’t get it.’’

“What don’t I get?” You asked, leaning up off his chest.

“I like you.’’

“I like you too, dude. Have you not noticed you’re my best friend?”

“No Y/N, I mean I like you.’’

The look of fondness in his eyes did everything to confirm his words.

“Oh.’’ You said sitting up straighter.

“I shouldn’t have said anything.’’ Hyunjin said, immediately trying to squirm away at the sight of your tense figure. He was afraid of the rejection that he was sure was coming his way.

The sight of Hyunjin trying to wiggle his way out of a five by five with you sitting right in front of him as well as him being a tree was enough to have you laughing so hard your stomach hurt.

You let yourself fall back into the wood chips that made up the floor of the house.

“Why are you laughing at me? I just confessed my love to you and you rejected me!” Hyunjin pouted.

Taking a deep breath, you sat up and pulled yourself together.

“I did no such thing.’’

“You didn't do anything.’’ Hyunjin’s eyes were so wide you almost started laughing again.

“I like you too, you big baby.’’ You shook your head, wrapping your arms around his neck.

Hyunjin wrapped his arms around your waist in turn and buried his face in the nape of your neck and just held you.

“We could have avoided all of this you know.” He mumbled into your neck.

“I suppose.’’ You ran your fingers through his hair, “but had we avoided this would you have told me how you felt?”

“Probably not..’’

“Then it was a good enough reason.’’

The two of you remained in the little house for a bit longer, just holding each other.

As it got colder, the more it affected you so when you suggested you go back to your house Hyunjin didn’t object.

As you were walking back to your car you felt Hyunjin lace his fingers with yours.

Hyunjin opened the door for you before moving over to his side of the car to get in.

With the heater on full blast you could feel your extremities again.

Hyunjin leaned over and pressed a kiss to the top of your head.

“Let’s go home.’’ he said softly, grabbing your hand again.

Neither of you needed to say anything to know what the other wanted to convey. It was one of the perks of knowing each other so well.

Looking over at your best friend, you smiled.

Technically, he wasn’t your best friend anymore, but you knew he’d be yours forever, and that was all you could ask for.

[leobashi]

Haunted house and ghost haunted au crossover?

Okay this is big brain because these two are some of my favorite AUs I’ve made! And spirit stuff?? It’s almost perfect timing too because @suitcasesquid recently updated the Haunted House story here too! It’s a choose your own adventure type of story so go comment what Jackie should do next!!

I’d imagine GH Chase scouted this place out because someone in chat suggested it and it has a very strange history. After just a little bit of research, Chase is convinced that it is haunted.

There were three specific owners who played a part in the strange history. Any other owners couldn’t last a week before moving out. These three owners were normal before they had moved into the house. During their months living there, each one had been reported to have developed strange behavior and after their death, every one of which was apparent suicide, it was confirmed that they had killed people in that very house. The original owner was a suspected witch and many people have theorized that he might’ve been the one to summon some otherworldly being to the house. What’s even weirder is that the house already looks old and dilapidated despite the latest owner only passing about a year or two ago.

It was also reported a few months ago that a boy had gone missing here. He meant to explore the place with some friends and he was assumed to have arrived a little earlier than the others, but although his car, phone and bag were found on the grounds, the boy himself was missing. 

It’s 8:14 pm when Chase tells Henrik, Jackie, and chat this inside the house as they start the investigation and live stream at dusk. Chase had four cameras set up beside his own that he carried around with him. One was in the living room where two owners committed suicide, one in the basement where the other owner committed suicide, one in the attic where the rituals supposedly took place, and one outside with a full view of the front of the house.

But soon their flashlights flicker. They light up again and it seemed to have been a strange coincidence. Well, it would’ve been if it wasn’t in a supposedly haunted house. Suddenly, Chase’s camera battery drains to zero. He’s confused and scared, but does his best to replace it with his spare. He knows he charged it, but it was drained as well. His live stream was cut off. He checks his phone, but it’s dead and won’t turn on. So are Henrik’s and Jackie’s

Anti tells them that time and space is being warped. He can feel it. But he doesn’t know what‘s being changed. Henrik pulls up his sleeve to read his analog watch. 8:24 pm

They decide to go to the car to get more batteries and recharge, but the door doesn’t budge. It’s a few minutes more when the sun sets completely outside and they are plunged into darkness with only their flashlights to guide their way. They try to pry the boards off of the windows. They don’t budge or break either. They are stuck in the house.

They go to check the other cameras around the house. Their batteries have been drained as well. They don’t know about the one outside. They have no way of contacting anyone outside the house.

Chase starts to panic. He never thought that he would die to a demon. He’s considered it of course, he’s been on many investigations in many sketchy places, why wouldn’t he consider it? But he’s never truly believed he would die to a demon one day. He starts hyperventilating, but Jackie helps him get a grip on himself. It’s best if they all stay calm.

One by one, they meet the spirits as well.

It’s 8:48 pm on Henrik’s watch when they meet the first spirit. It looks like Chase. The only difference was that the spirit had blood and tears running down its face and a gaping bullet wound on the side of its head. When the spirit looks up, Chase looks it in the eye. Unlike Chase’s own eyes, the spirit's irises are completely black and unreflecting. They were swirling pools of darkness. Not a drop of light shined through. “What are you doing here?” it asked in a distorted, but all too familiar voice. “What do you want?” It took a step forward and the three of them took five steps back. It’s face started to morph from sadness to anger. “What do you want from me?!”

The spirit lunged at them. They all backed up against each other and Chase who was at the forefront threw his arms up in cowering defense. It phased through them and disappeared.

They meet the second spirit around 9:30 pm. It looked like Henrik. Just like the first, its eyes were a dark void. Unlike Henrik, the spirit was covered in lacerations and a wide, terrible grin. It didn’t lunge at them, it took slow careful steps right up to Henrik. “Do you have an appointment?” it asked and tilted its head. Henrik stares it in the eyes and hated how similar they were right down to the height, the voice, the accent, and the walk. “Oh how I would love to cut you up and see what you hold inside!” Suddenly, it pulled a scalpel out of nowhere. Startled, Henrik stumbles back, but the spirit disappears right before their eyes.

The third spirit they met at 10:45 pm. It looked like Jamie. They ran into him suddenly when they returned to the living room and its body hung from the balcony. Its body was unmoving, but its dark eyes follow them across the room. The dripping of its blood from its hands was the only sound they heard as they passed it in scared silence. When they turn back, it’s gone.

Henrik is confused because spirits usually appear to him like regular people, not constantly phasing in and out of reality. They can’t do that since that can only attach to stuff, not hide in object like demons who posses or infest things. Jackie and Anti are also wary. They’ve never seen this before.

They make their way to one of the front windows in an attempt to escape again. Jackie brings out his staff and starts to pry at the boards. Henrik and Anti keep watch as suddenly, they start to hear glass shattering. Chase does his best to keep the flashlights on as they start to flicker. They hear a low hum, but they can’t discern from where it’s coming from. All they know it that it’s getting louder. Chase screams at Jackie to hurry and drops the blinking flashlights in favor of helping him get the boards off. Anti’s form starts to solidify and his face starts to warp. He floats down closer to the ground and holds his arms out around Henrik, ready to defend if need be.

As the humming got louder, they start to realize that it was no hum, it was a giggle, a laugh. It got louder and closer along with whatever was making the sound. The darkness around them starts to seep in from outside, closer and closer to them, until a board breaks under one of Jackie’s strike and light seeps through.

He starts to rip at the boards around it and suddenly, they come off easy. The rest of the boards are kicked off and Chase is the first one out the window. Jackie lets Henrik go before him and then he jumps after them. They scramble to their feet and away from the house.

As soon as they had passed the window sill, the laughter cut out and all they heard was the wind. They were breathing heavy as they looked up and at the sky. The sun was still out, just about to set. Chase’s phone buzzes in his pocket. He pulls it out and his phone says it’s 8:18 pm. Henrik checks his watch and it says 11 pm.

Chase had gotten several notifications from the chat who were still watching the stream from the camera that was left outside. The other cameras had cut out for them, but according to the notifications, they just turned back on again. Chase looks back at the house. He was curious about his other cameras, but he wasn’t about to just waltz back in there.

Henrik had already made his way to the car and was leaning heavily against it. He made up his mind. He wasn’t going back in there. Anti was staring into the house through the window they had escaped through. He could’ve sworn he saw something just as they left. A pair of glowing green eyes in the darkness before it conglomerated into a single silhouette. It looked like a person with a cape on. 

Jackie had backed away from the house, but he glanced back, looking for the spirits. There was no hint of them anywhere, no movement in the windows, no creaking of the boards, no spirits detectable at all. Suddenly, something moves in his peripherals. He turns his head on high alert and for a moment, he sees himself, a younger version, reaching out to him with a desperate look on his face and mouth wide open in a silent scream. The apparition is gone as soon as it had appeared.

They leave. Chase grabbed the camera outside the house, but left the others there. None of them were wiling to step back into that house in the dark. Chase and Jackie decide to come back for them tomorrow noon. When Chase reviews the footage, there really was just a few minutes between the time when they stepped into the house and the time when they jump out the window. It had felt like hours to them. It was hours, Henrik’s watch had proved it. And although there was nothing in the footage, Chase’s fans had gotten screen recordings and screen shots of something in the window left behind when they stumbled out. It looked like two glowing eyes of a dark silhouette before it disappeared.

[amour-salvatore]

all is fair in love and war

Part 3

The days from there on went by fast and even though you didn’t get to see Dele for two days, he made sure you’re still thinking of him, by writing your text messages at night because he’s in training the whole day. So when you’re laying in bed, scrolling through your phone you’d see a message from Dele pop up.

“Hi, love 😚” 

He always begins his texts like that or sends you some funny meme you would laugh about hours later. He really knew how to keep your mind busy with him.

“Hey” 

“How was your day?” 

You sigh, lot of work for uni, you think to yourself.

“Boring stuff, yours?”

“I’m sore from training. A massage would be perfect right now.”

You can feel him smirking at his phone just by reading that. He thinks he’s so smooth but in real life, he isn’t. He’s used to girls chasing after him when he just looks their way, and somehow it’s not even his fault.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll find a volunteer”

“But I have someone particular in mind.” 

You read the message again your cheeks blushing, you know what lets play along, get him hot and bothered.

“I doubt you could satisfy her needs in return”

The answer came seconds after.

“I can go 90 minutes without stopping, babe 😏.”

You roll your eyes, such a Dele answer. Basically feeling his smug smile through the phone.

You wanted to reply as a new text popped up. “I’m kidding Y/N, I’m more than just pickup lines and incredibly good looks.”

“How much more.” You reply.

“About six inches.” 

You felt like your eyes would fall out any minute, mouth hanging open. He did not just say that. 

“Okay, good night Dele.” Deciding it’s enough for one night, mentally facepalming yourself, he’s such a cocky asshole.

The days went by in a blur until it was the day you’d go to his game. Thankfully your brother wouldn’t come along since he’s away for work so no need to sneak around. You feel bad enough but in a few weeks, it’s over. 

The sun is shining and the weather is still cold but not as much as it used to be. 

You’re a little nervous walking into the big stadium Dele told you to go to the VIP area where all celebrities watch the game. He got you a seat in the front row, making you smile a little. Y/N that means nothing, that’s all part of the game, you have to remind yourself.

The game starts and you watch attentively. It’s nearly half time and the opponent team has 1 goal. On top of that, it’s a pretty important game, if they lose this one they’re not in the next game for the champions league.

You have to admit you’re a little stressed out, praying they make it. After the half time, they come back stronger. They just need one goal to be in the next round, gosh. Your heart is beating fast after all Tottenham is your favourite club and if Dele can be the one to win this for us, so be it.

89 minutes and you’re giving up hope, the atmosphere is bummed out. Mentally preparing to comfort Dele afterwards but in a split second, Harry Winks passes the ball to Dele and he scores, making him run to his teammates celebrating. You watch him look in your direction your heart beating fast obviously, he just sees a dot in the crowd but he knows you’re watching. Your heart feels heavy everyone is cheering and you’re as well. The energy overwhelming you. Getting your stuff you walk towards the exit, hoping Dele will come out quickly. After nearly 30 minutes the stadium is empty when you spot him, walking towards you. Without thinking you run towards him still the adrenaline in your veins, he catches you in his arms. His arms tight behind your back. “You played incredible Dele.” You whisper in his ear. He holds you for a moment when you finally pull your head back and he lets you down slowly, stopping when your face and his, are at the same hight, gazing down at your lips, he lets you down slowly, his hands tight on your waist. 

He raps his voice. “Then let’s go and celebrate.” 

Dele takes your hand in his and you don’t complain, you blame it on the high you’re both feeling from the incredible win that just happened minutes ago.

You love how he’s smiling all the time, it’s contagious. He told you that he would go back home to change and then you two would head out to celebrate. Dele parks his car in front of his huge mansion and you exit the car as well. You’ve known him for a long time but you’ve never been at his before.

Walking behind him it’s pretty windy, the trees around you follow the wind, losing leaves.

“Welcome Y/N.” Dele puts his keys on a counter and walks up the stairs. “Make yourself at home. I’ll just shower and change then I’m all yours. Unless you want to join me?”  He winks.

“You wish.” Sitting down on the big couch you look around. It’s really modernly decorated, everything held in white.

While you’re waiting, you turn the tv on, it’s dark already and the wind outside is screeching against the window. The telly is on some news programme, talking about the win today, showing Dele’s goal, you somehow feel proud of that boy. “After the great news, unfortunately, we have some bad news as well. It is highly recommended for residents in the area of London to stay inside and don’t leave the house since a big storm is announced.”

Shit, you think to yourself, you can’t leave the house?

While the reporter is still talking Dele comes downstairs dressed in jeans and in the middle of pulling his shirt over his head, his abs on display for you to see. Wow.

His gaze goes to the tv, learning the same news as you. “What the fuck?” 

“They’re probably just being over cautious, the weather will calm down any minute.” You tell him, hoping it’s true.

But just at that moment, all the lights go out. 

“Y/N are you good.” You hear Deles voice in the dark it’s pitch black. Taking your phone you put the flashlight on. “Yes, I'm good. Dele we need candles.”

The next twenty minutes are spent with you and Dele putting candles all over his place so you can at least see. The heaters are off as well so it’s getting pretty cold so Dele gave you one of his sweaters.

“What should we do now?” You ask sitting down on the couch again, holding your knees.

“Wanna play truth or dare?” 

“You like playing games, don’t you?” You raise an eyebrow, chuckling.

“If I have a worthy opponent, why not?” He brings a bottle of vodka and two shot glasses. Pouring you some in and taking one himself.

You roll your eyes, “Truth or Dare?”

Looking at him, you realize he’s wearing the necklace you’re about to own in a month. He follows your gaze, smiling. “It won’t change owners soon.”

Oh, it will, but you keep your mouth shut.

“Truth.” He watches you his body turned towards you.

“Have you slept with anyone since we did the bet?” 

“No.” nearly 2 weeks of not having sex for Dele is a big deal, he must be really committed.

“Now you, Truth or Dare?”

“Truth.”

“Pussy.” He mumbles. “Why did you and your ex break up ?” His voice is serious, you didn’t expect him to ask something like that. Dele had met him a few times, one reason, because your ex was a big football fan and getting a photo with Dele, is a dream for him. You take your shot and answer. “He cheated.” You shrug, you’re over it, one toxic person less in your life.

Dele tenses up, muttering asshole under his breath.

You played for what felt like hours, laughing and learning new things about each other. By now you’re both drunk, the questions getting worse and worse. It’s your turn so Dele asks again.

“Truth or Dare, babe?” He rests his arm on the head of the couch, his body turned towards you.

“Dare.” You answer feeling the alcohol getting to your head. It’s the first time you had chosen Dare and by Deles eyes you can tell that it was a mistake.

“Dance for me.” He leans forward a wicked smile on his lips, his gaze testing you, he thinks you won’t do it.

“I need music” you whisper back, hoping he’s joking. Dele goes on Spotify and hands you his phone. You share a look and you know what, Fuck it. You won’t remember half of it tomorrow anyway, taking his phone, you put Rocket by Beyoncé on.

You stand up your head a little dizzy but the alcohol gives you confidence, Deles tired eyes watch you hungrily. A little smile playing on his lips as he’s listening to the song lyric. You turn around slowly swaying your hips while taking his sweater off, Dele sits up on the couch all his attention on you. Now your left in your tight top, showing your cleavage and tight skinny jeans. His eyes are watching your every movement. Your hands travel up your body, through your hair, closing your eyes, playing with your top, pulling it up like your taking it off. You listen to the music gaining confidence by it and Deles dark eyes. Slowly you walk towards him making him gulp hard. You walk around him running your hand from his head all the way down his thigh. Standing in front of him again you push against his shoulder for him to lean back, taking his glass out of his hand and placing it on the table. You gently straddle his lap facing him as you make eye contact and start moving your hips in circles slowly, resting your arms on his shoulder. His eyes wander over your body, not saying a word as if fearing anything could make him wake up form this dream. You know it’s driving him crazy his hands about to grab your waist but you stop him, pulling his chin up so he’s looking at you again, leaning down to his lips you feel his breath sharpen, he’s getting hard. He lifts his face up, ready for your lips to finally touch his but instead you whisper against his mouth “Dare completed.” And get off his lap

He lets out a sigh, as if he knew it was too good to be true.

“You’re a hell of a tease Y/N.” his voice sounds raspy, his eyes filled with lust. 

“You asked for it.”

“You’re difficult but not impossible to get into bed.” He looks over to you, adjusting his pants. “But revenge is bittersweet remember that.” He once told you he could have you begging for him and by now you're pretty sure he’s capable of doing that.

He stands up. “You can sleep in my bed. I’ll take the guestroom. Can’t drive you home in that weather.” 

You follow him to his room, hearing the shower running for at least 30 minutes.

@evie-pr @savingprivatecass

[fangirlshrewt97]

The Old Guard Fanfic - Second Star to the Right

Author(s): Fangirlshrewt97

Fandom: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)

Pairing: Andy & Nile

Characters: Nile Freeman, Andy|Andromache the Scynthian

Rating: General

Warnings: None

Additional Tags:  Family Bonding, Fluff, Family Feels, Vacation, Soft, Family Bonding, Team as Family, soft, Stargazing, andy and nile chat under an open sky, Peter Pan References, Constellations, Stories hidden in the stars, Existential Angst, Mostly Andy talking about how living for 6000 years is not that great, idk guys, there's nothing like looking up at the stars to make one feel small, but that isn't always a bad or scary thing

Summary:

She looked at the stars again. “I like coming to places like this because they make me feel not so old. They are pockets in time, inside of which time hasn’t really passed.” Nile twisted to lay on her back again, looking at the sky. “I feel old when I look at you all, and now without my immortality? I am not scared, but I feel like time is going too quickly. I used to be worshipped as a goddess, as someone not from this world. But I am of this world. So firmly of this world. And looking at these hills, these stars? It makes me feel small.” In a voice that was steadier than it was all evening, she added. “So little makes me feel small anymore. But these stars? They have been here since I was born. And they will still shine long after I am gone. To them, I am as transient as any other human that has walked the Earth. And that is a comfort very few places on the planet can offer me anymore.”

Basically, Andy and Nile share a night under a sky filled with stars and the stories written in them.

Link to A03: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25692349

                                                          ///

They had just finished a bloody mission that left even the immortals feeling worse for the wear. So Andy had told Copley to give them one week off, and hauled them all back into a van, telling them unceremoniously they were going camping. Joe and Nicky had merely slumped against each other, too sore and tired to argue. Nile had sighed, said a very firm “Fine, but we are getting actual food, I am not eating bunnies for dinner.” and fallen asleep in her seat.

Andy woke them up when they reached Lancaster, stopping to eat lunch.

When they got back into the car, Joe curled up against Nicky again, falling asleep quickly. He had been on watch when their mission had gone sideways, and been up for nearly 48 hours. Nicky pulled him more comfortably into his side. Nile curled up in the front seat, plugging her earphones in, and closing her eyes. They were back on the highway quickly.

“Where are we going Andy?” Nile ventured to ask as she saw the city melt into buildings, the skies the peculiar shade of gray she had only seen in the UK.  

“Scottish Highlands.”

Nile paused. Her geography was still not great, but wasn’t Scotland at the opposite end on the island?  “From Surrey? Why are we driving so far?”

“Because I want to be away from people.”

That had shut Nile up. She gave Andy a through once over, noticing the tension in her shoulders, the tight grip she had on the steering wheel, her eyes darting to the side mirrors every few seconds. She looked haunted.

Nicky tightened his grip on Joe and tucked his face into familiar curls in the back seat. Nile settled deeper into the seat, letting Andy drive them.

Agreeing to Nile’s request, Andy had stopped at the last town before they drove into the Scottish Highlands, allowing her family to refuel and buy any food they may need. The two boys had disappeared into a store, saying they were going to buy actual cooking gear for camping.

“Andy, not that I don’t miss the days of spearing innocent forest creatures on sticks and eating, why should we when we can cook them using actual pots and a stove? Look at this, it is specifically made for when people sleep outdoors.” Joe had said, holding up a camping stove with a delighted grin.

Andy had grimaced but held her tongue, just grabbing chocolate and granola bars before returning to the car.

Nicky had nudged Joe to buy the rest of their supplies while Nile was tasked with buying the tents and sleeping bags.

The rest of the drive was peaceful. They had set out in the late morning from Copley’s place, and reached the Highlands by evening, the streetlights thinning out as the sunset painted the sky a beautiful shade of purple and orange. Nile had gasped when they entered the Highlands proper, pressing her face to the window, uncaring that she probably looked every bit the child the others saw her as.

She was all of 26 years old, a woman for others, but painfully young for them. So much curiosity, so much hope, and none of the jaded vision that they other three of them shared.

“Beautiful isn’t it Nile?” Nicky asked.

“I don’t think I have ever seen something so beautiful. Or green.” she said, wonder plain in her voice.

“Used to be, anywhere you walked, green was the easiest colour you could find.” Andy quipped, making Nile look at her. She noted that the tension in Andy’s shoulders from before was slowly decreasing with every mile they drove.

Andy drove them until they hadn’t seen a house for a couple miles, pulling the car out of the road into the Highlands proper, parking it a little distance from the river.

The family of four got out, breathing in air that was so fresh and cool, Nile felt overwhelmed. The only time Chicago air was so clear was in the dead of winter, but even then, the smell of industrialization was inescapable. Being in places like this, still largely untouched by modern civilization, it brought their pasts closer. Joe inhaled deeply before slamming the door, even that loud noise seeming quiet in this place.

“So Nile,” Joe started, making her look at him. “Do you know how to set up a tent?”

///

Nile woke with a start for no discernible reason. She squinted at the pitch black darkness that surrounds her, just flips onto her back and breathes until she feels her heart rate return to normal.

Dinner had been fun, Nicky teaching her the kinds of sticks to use to build a fire, and then showing her how to light it using flint. It had taken her way too many tries, but at least the others had been kind enough to keep their laughter to themselves. Setting up the tents had also been an adventure, but at least that one she had only messed up once before hammering the stakes deeper into the ground.

She took stock of her surroundings, already knowing she was not going to be returning to sleep soon. The chill in the air seems to have soaked into her skin as she slept, her thin nightshirt not enough to warm her. Turning her head, she saw Andy’s sleeping bag exactly as she had laid it out. Their leader had not come to sleep at all.

Reaching her hand out, she felt around for a bit before she stumbled upon the small flashlight she had remembered to buy. Turning it on now, she had to squint at the sudden influx of light in the dark tent. She sat up on her elbows, and saw that there was a small opening at the edge where it was not fully closed.

She sighed. Sitting up properly, she reached for her bag, using the flashlight to grab her hoodie, pulling it over her head. She debated quietly between shoes or going barefoot before shrugging. The possibility of being attacked here without the others knowing was nigh impossible. Barefoot it was. She also grabbed her phone, checking the time out of habit, and seeing it was 3:30 in the morning.

Keeping her flashlight in hand, she unzipped the tent and stepped out. The grass beneath her feet was not yet wet. Moving quietly, not wanting to startle her other two companions, Nile left their small campsite, their fire pit made of ashes and a few red embers.

She turned off her flashlight when she realized it was actually quiet bright, and turned her head to the sky, only to feel as though she had exhaled all at once. There in the sky, an almost full moon shone brightly, so clear Nile could make out a few of it’s craters eve without binoculars. But besides the moon. Besides the moon was a sky so chock full of stars, Nile nearly fell over. As far as she could see, the navy blue ceiling was painted with a million, no, a billion pin pricks of lights, all crowding one another she could barely pick them apart.

Taking a deep breath, she tore her gaze from the sky, setting her gaze to the ground once again so she could find Andy.

The grass was rustling gently, and the hills rose like mountains in the moonlight. Nile walked away from the camp and the car, following the river in the direction where the grass was flatter, as though it had been tread on. After five minutes, she found her target.

Andy was lying on her back on her blanket, one arm tucked her head as the other lay on her stomach. One of her legs was bent at the knee while the other one was flat, and Nile noticed the elder woman was barefoot, shoes set to the sides. When she was less than 10 meters away from her, Andy turned her head to look at her.

“Couldn’t sleep kid?”

Nile shook her head. “Couldn’t stay asleep.”

“Hmm.” Andy hummed before turned back.

Nile took that as a cue and sat next to Andy’s head, closing her eyes. The wind was chilly but she was Chicago born and bred, if the wind didn’t slice through your skin, you just walked on.

“This place looks like its out of a fairy tale or something.”

Andy huffed next to her.

“No seriously. When my mom or dad read fairy tales to me, and they mentioned characters walking for days through valleys, I always imagined places like this.”

When Nile looked at Andy, she saw the woman had her eyes open, a small smile in place. She suddenly felt her breath catch when she realized she couldn’t recall if she had ever seen her look so relaxed before.

“What about you. Couldn’t sleep?” Nile asked after a few minutes.

Andy shook her head once. “Didn’t want to.”

“Why not?”

Andy took a deep breath, letting her eyes fall closed and her bent leg to drop. When she opened them, Nile could see her eyes were slightly glazed, and bit her tongue for making Andy upset again. She had been with her new family for about a year now, and while she liked to think she had gotten a hand of things, these people had had nearly 900 years together. There was so much she did not know about them. Andy most of all.

“I’m sorry Andy.”

“No. I am not. I didn’t want to sleep because we don’t come to places like this often.”

“Places…like this? Like places away from people.”

Andy huffed again, her eyes looking less glazed and more fond. “Open fields, green things that stretch as far as the eye can see.”

“Oh.”

“My home, the place I come from, it was similar to this. Open fields that seemed to reach the horizon. Where you could rise a horse all day and all day, and still not be any closer to the sun. Cities, hell, the world nowadays. It is large and filled with people, gray and metallic. You can’t hear the sound of grass rustling, or run in a straight line for as long as you want.” She paused. “You also definitely don’t get a night sky like this anymore.”

Nile exhaled with an agreeing huff.

“I don’t think I have ever seen such a clear sky, not even in Afghanistan.”

“Lie back, it’ll be easier to see without giving you a neck ache.”

Nile smirked before moving forward and lying back, landing on her back with her knees bent and hands folded over her stomach.

The dazzling array was just as stunning, and Nile thought it was a vision she wouldn’t forget for a long time.

She squinted for a minute before smiling as she identified a familiar set of three stars in the sky. “Andy look, Orion’s belt!”

Andy glanced at her before following her hand. “Hmm. Three stars in a straight line.”

“Yeah, it was the first one my dad taught me.” Nile said, smile fading to the familiar mixture of wonder and sadness that was becoming a friend to her in her immortality.

“Your dad taught you constellations?”

Nile nodded her head as best she could. “Me and my brother both. He bought this telescope that he set out in our yard. Mom was so mad at him cause it was so expensive but he just waved her off, telling her it was well worth the prize to show the universe to his kids. Said he was going to help us find Neverland.”

“Neverland?” Andy asked.

“It’s, yeah,” Nile laughed. “Peter Pan. Um, the book, and then the movie, it was my favorite for a long time. The thought of this magical being coming to call me for an adventure in a land far far away? Plus, the directions to Neverland were ‘Second star to the right, and straight on till the morning’. I remember, the first time we watched the movie, I stayed up that night trying to find which star was supposed to be the second star.”

“I’ve not read that book.”

“I’m not sure how much you’d like it. But it is about a boy who has all these other younger boys he takes care of while fighting off the evil Captain Hook, and he has a fairy friend called Tinkerbell.”

“How…charming.”

Nile snorted. “It’s cheesy as hell. And dark too, cause when you read it after you grow up, it kind of implies that Peter doesn’t let the boys go even when they want to leave, forcing them to be young boys forever. Or something like that, it has been forever since I read it.”

“Hmm.” Andy said. “Second star to the right of what?”

“I have no clue!” Nile said, genuine frustration coloring her voice, and Andy can almost imagine an even younger Nile pouting and stomping her foot with indignation. It makes her laugh.

“Neverland sounds magical.”

“I used to dream for a long time for a way to escape there. Especially after my dad passed. The world doesn’t touch Neverland, and if I stayed the same age as when we first received the news he was missing in action, then maybe he could stay missing forever. Rather than dead.”

A stray tear surprised her by making its way down her cheek. Reaching up, she quickly wiped it away.

Andy was quiet, letting Nile compose herself. “He sounds like a good father.”

Nile replied through a lump in her throat. “The best.”

Andy looked back at the sky. “The first thing I remember my father teaching me was to put a saddle on a horse.”

The unexpectedness and absurdity of the statement startled a laugh out of Nile. She turns to her side, tucking her knees in and using her arm as a pillow as she faced Andy. “What?”

Andy smirked. “My people. We were nomads. Our lands stretched over most of today’s Western Asia. We used to travel far and wide. We didn’t have a settlement, a permanent place to call home. Our home was our tribe, those we travelled with.”

Nile felt like she could barely breathe, so scared of breaking this spell. “That is lovely.”

Andy’s smile dimmed. “Yeah. Until all your people die, and you have to either leave them or risk putting them in even more danger.”

“Andy…”

“Nile, I was revered as a goddess by my people. And by some of the others I crossed during my earliest travels. It,” Andy swallowed, “When you are revered, you are held at a distance, you can be welcomed by people, but you will never be one of them.”

Nile stayed silent. What could you say to that?

“When I started dreaming of Quynh, I cried in relief. Finding her, she saved me in so many ways. She brought me back to the ground, gave me someone who would always consider me one of her people.” Andy trailed off, her eyes looking suspiciously glazed while her voice sounded close to tears. “We were just the two of us for so long, and then we had Lykon, then we didn’t, then we got Joe and Nicky. But then I lost her.”

“How did you stay sane Andy?” Nile asks before she can bite back the question.

Andy gave a wet chuckle as a single tear made it’s way down her cheek. She did not bother to wipe it away. “Some days I wonder if I did.”  

The two stayed quiet them, succumbing to unspoken grief. But Nile felt like she was going to suffocate, and she’d be damned if she let Andy do the same. “Did your dad teach you constellations too?”

Andy blinked before twisting her head.

Nile stared straight back at her.

Andy smiled a small smile. It was enough of a victory for Nile.

“He taught me constellations you wouldn’t know.”

“I don’t know that many constellations to be honest.”

Andy let out an actual laugh. “No Nile. He taught me constellations that have been lost to time.

She let out a big exhale, settling back to her position. “In those years when I travelled alone, I started feeling like nothing in this world was significant. Quynh and I travelled to Egypt, we saw Giza before the pyramids were built.”

And shit, statements like that still blew Nile’s mind, because what?

“What?”

Andy chuckled. “Yeah, I remember going while they were clearing out the place for them. Without Quynh, you are all so young to me. Even Nicky and Joe. I have seen the great wonders of the world be built, be new and enchanting, and also seen them grow old and worn. When you have lived a life like mine, things stop feeling significant in some ways.”

Nile didn’t voice how terrifying she found that idea.

“Andy, just because you have seen all the wonders doesn’t mean new wonders cannot still be appreciated.”

“That’s not what I mean Nile.” She held up a hand, and Nile stared at it before tentatively placing her hand in it. Andy squeezed it briefly.

“When you live as long as we do, we see the world change in a way that is different than the change observed over a single lifetime. I have gone from a world where the only way to get around were horses and believing the world was flat to learning to fly and seeing a man walk on the moon.”

“Oh, that’s a story I want to hear.” Nile said, eyes sparkling.

Andy laughed again. “Perhaps another day. Joe tells it best anyways. But what I am trying to say is that the world changes so quickly, that the thing you take for fact now may soon reveal themselves to be falsehoods and myths, and people younger to you,” and here Andy squeezed her hand again, “will take the piss at you for not knowing something that is obvious to them.”

“Booker?”

“Booker.”

She looked at the stars again. “I like coming to places like this because they make me feel not so old. They are pockets in time, inside of which time hasn’t really passed.”

Nile twisted to lay on her back again, looking at the sky.

“I feel old when I look at you all, and now without my immortality? I am not scared, but I feel like time is going too quickly. I used to be worshipped as a goddess, as someone not from this world. But I am of this world. So firmly of this world. And looking at these hills, these stars? It makes me feel small.” In a voice that was steadier than it was all evening, she added. “So little makes me feel small anymore. But these stars? They have been here since I was born. And they will still shine long after I am gone. To them, I am as transient as any other human that has walked the Earth. And that is a comfort very few places on the planet can offer me anymore.”

“Tell me a story.”

Andy blinked at her. Nile gave her an encouraging smile.

“A…story?” Andy asked, as though the word was new to her.

“Of one of the constellations your dad taught you. So there is one other person who will know about them.”

Andy’s breath hitched. Nile was so young, even by normal human lifespans. Too young to have already died. But so kind, so hopeful, Andy sometimes froze with how much life there was in Nile. But she had meant every word that she had said in Merrick’s penthouse, because Nile did remind her of her time being invincible. But she also reminded her of how precious life is.

“A trade. I tell you the constellations my father taught me, if you tell me yours?”

Nile laughed. “Sure, but I only know the big ones.”

“Doesn’t matter.”

Nile shook her head even as she used the hand still holding Andy’s for a sideway handshake. “Deal.”

She looked at the sky, trying to imagine the sky to be about 70% less crowded. The longer she stared, the more she was able to distinguish. “Ok well, since we found Orion’s belt, we can also find the rest of Orion. And then close to Orion, we can see the Big Dipper, which means, uhhh,” Nile said as she waved her hand before finding her target. “There. That’s the Small Dipper. Um, what else, oh there, on top of Orion, that’s Gemini, and nearby Taurus, oh wow, you know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen all the stars for it at once? One or two would always be too faded in Chicago.”

“You can find all the Zodiac constellations?” Andy asked.

“I know what they look like, but I’ve never seen them all in the sky.”

Andy hummed. “Those 12 constellations. That pattern is seen everywhere in the world, so almost every culture that uses the stars and draws in them finds them.” she explained. “All the Zodiac signs fall in a line that follows the Sun’s path. So if you can find Gemini and Taurus, then you can find the others. Look, follow my finger ok?”

Nile nodded.

“You see that star?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s the first star of Cancer. So, those five stars make up Cancer. Then keep following them that way, you see those two stars, they are part of the head of the lion.”

“Leo.”

“Correct, so you will see one star to that side, and then follow it down, that’s the neck, and then these six stars,” She drew a imaginary line between then several times, “Those six make up the body.”

Andy showed her the rest of the constellations, and then to test her, made Nile draw them all out for her.

“Satisfied?” Nile asked as she finished drawing Pisces.

“What others do you know?”

“Um, the Northern cross.” Nile said, searching the sky. Andy grabbed her hand and pointed it towards one section of the sky, letting Nile focus and “Found it!”

“Where is the North star?”

“The last star of the Small Dipper.”

“Very good.”

Both women lay back down, enjoying the wind rustling gently through the trees as they watched the heavens above. Nile felt the warmth from before grow into a comfortable hearth.

“Thank you for the Astronomy lesson.”

“You’re welcome. There may come a time when your fancy GPS, or even a reliable compass won’t work, but you can always trust the stars to guide you in the right direction.”

Nile turned to look at Andy. “Your turn to show me your constellations. We made a deal.”

Taking a deep breath, Andy let her eyes scan the stars above before finding a forgotten constellation. “Do you see those two stars?” Andy pointed.

Nile followed her gaze.

Nile let Andy show her constellations from her childhood, feeling both a bitter pang of nostalgia for her brother and her dad. But also a curl of warmth in this foreign sea of grass that warmed her better than the fire pit had.

Even if most of the stars they perceived had actually died a long long time ago, they still shone bright, and Nile would make sure these stories Andy was telling her would live on. Just as much as Andy’s own.

She may have stopped searching for Neverland, but she thinks she might have found it anyways. After all, what did Peter Pan and his lost boys have on a 6000-year-old badass woman and two star-crossed Crusaders in love?

Nile settled on the grass, letting Andy make sense of the twinkling tapestry above them.

[peggysousfan]

Captain America: The First Super Soldiers

So this is only Chapter 1, but it is SUPER long. I am watching the movie and written the scenes as they go along. I did add a lot of new ones to fit and establish relationship developments. This was requested by peggysousoversteggy and it is a series version of the One shot where Steve Rogers and Daniel Sousa both receive the Super Soldier Serum. Enjoy!!:)

Year 2012:

Two men in large suits, used for warmth, open the frozen door. The discovery of a large object in ice has just been discovered, and the government needed to see what was inside. As the scientist climb down the rope, they explore the interior. Then one stops, gets down on his knee, and brushes away some of the ice on a shining abject.

"Lieutenant! What is it?" Asks the first man

"My God. Base, get me a line to the Colonel. "Says the second, standing over the first with a flashlight.

"Its 3:00 am sir,"

"I don't care what time it is. This one's waited long enough."

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Year 1943:

There in the night sky; the dark clouds loomed over the small village. Hydra has invaded this peaceful place, all on the orders of their leader. Johann Schmitt and his follower were on a quest, a quest to win the war. Down the doors to the temple go, ruble strewn everywhere, killing one of the keepers. The second keeper stands his ground and refuses to give up what his opponent seeks, but alas, he looks to its hiding place and gives it away. Schmidt walks to the wall and moves his hand along the snake and tree engraved in the stone. As the secret chamber door opens, the Tesseract glows in all its power.

"You have not seen this, have you?" Schmidt asks.

"It is not for the eyes of ordinary men" The old keeper exclaims

"Exactly" He takes tesseract and walks away. "Give the order of fire."

"Fool! You cannot control the power you hold. You will burn!"

"I already have," and with that, Schmidt takes out his gun and bang!  hes shot down. . 'Now' he thinks, 'I can win this war!'

America, 1943:

In a room filled with chairs, men stand and sit, waiting for their names to be called; all of them waiting to be enlisted into the army. As another name is caller, he walks to the register, his chest bare, ready for enlistment. The doctor gives a small glance, and isn't impressed with what he sees.

"Rogers..."The 'man' before him looks like that of a scrawny boy, nothing but flesh and bone; and no taller than most of the woman there. "What'd your father die of?"

"Mustard gas, "He replies immediately, as if rehearsing and expecting this question. "He was in the 107th infantry. I was hoping I could be assigned-

"Mother?"The doctor has no interest in what he wants.

"She was a nurse, in a TB ward. Got hit. Couldn't shake it."

"Sorry, son." The doctor looks through is long list of physical health problems.

"C'mon just give me a chance."

"You'd be ineligible on your asthma alone."

"Is there anything you can do?" Rogers ask, not wanting to give up.

"I'm doing it," He takes the stamp and Steve Rogers is denied again, with a 4F. "I'm saving your life." And with that Rogers gets dressed, and leaves.

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Europe, 1943:

There stood a woman, tall and brunette, holding a firearm, aiming at her target.

"Hold." Instructed the sergeant. "Aim" She sets her sights right in between the eyes of the dummy dressed in uniform; the band of Hitler on his arm is unmistakable." Fire!" She releases the trigger and it hits dead center where she aimed. She smirks to herself as her instructor walks by. "Good work, Carter. Perfect shot."

"Thank you, sir." She addresses.

"In 30 minutes I want to see you in my office. Is that clear."

"Sir, yes sir." Confused, she takes another aim at her target, this time in the heart, and fires again. Before she knew it, the thirty minutes had passed and she made her way to the sergeant's office. She knocks on the door and he says enter.

"Sir? You wanted to see me." As she says this and walks inside, she sees another man in the room; a colonial.

"Have a seat, Carter." She does as shes told and glances between them.

"My name is Colonial Chester Philips of the U.S Army. And I'm here to make you a job offer." Her eyes get wide as he continues to speak. "According to your sergeant, you're the best damn shot in this building. You've accelerated at every combat form and have surpassed even the most difficult courses in training. You have a high intellectual level of code breaking and integration methods. And we can use that." She furrows her brow at this. "How would you like to come to the United States and work as an Agent of the Strategic Scientific Reserve?" Her jaw drops, momentarily, before she composes herself.

"It would be my honor, Colonial." She stands and they shake hands.

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America 1943:

Soldiers roamed around the field, Officers and drill sergeants were barking around orders, and rovers and trucks engines could be heard driving and stopping as supplies were loaded and unloaded. The air was filled with dust and the men were covered in filth and sweat. Among these men was someone special in particular, someone the government had plans for. As he loaded a back of rations from the truck his name was called.

"Lieutenant Sousa!" At the sound of his name he turns around, with a sack heaved on his back. Theres someone here to see you."

"Who?" he asks as he places the bag in the cart.

"I don't know, some Colonial or something. Said he needed to have a word with you." Sousa nods his head, and follows his comrade to the tent. As they walk inside, the man in question stands facing a map. The messenger leaves the tent, and the two men are left alone.

"Sir? I was told you wanted to have a word?"

"Yes I do, Lieutenant." He turns around to face the soldier, his hands held behind his back."How do you like you position here at camp?" he starts to pace slowly. Sousa furrows his brows.

"Uh, Sir?"

"Your position. Your work here at camp. How do you like it?" He asks again.

"Well enough. I'm just doing my part to win this war, sir." The Colonial hums in response, then stops pacing and faces him.

"Son, I have an opportunity for you that may be better than this here camp. You interested?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good." He steps forward and outstretches his hand. Daniel takes it and they shake. Then hes given a form from the table and signs his name; at the top he notices the title, Project Rebirth. As they finish up, the Colonial starts to leave.

"Wait, Colonial. What exactly am I doing? And who are you?" He gives a dry chuckle and answers.

"Names Colonial Chester Philips, and you now work for me at the Strategic Scientific Reserve." Daniel looks away. "Be up by dawn and meet me back at this tent. Then we'll leave."

"Where?"

"Jersey." And with that, hes gone.

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New York 1943:

The cinema was filled with viewers for the cartoon. Before the film played, however, there was a tribute to the fallen soldiers and a commercial to encourage men to join in and help win the war.

"Who cares! Just play the movie already!" a man from the audience yelled.

"Hey, you wanna show some respect," Whispered Steve.

"Let's Go! Get on with it!"He yells again. "Just start the cartoon!"

"Hey, Do you wanna shut up?" Steve leans over and says.

"What did you just say to me?"

"Jim, not here, please." Says the girl beside him.

"Alright, lets take this outside" and they do. Steve gets punched around and continues to fall down. No matter how many times he gets back up, hes punched again. He grabs a lid from a bin and tries to protect himself. Jim snatches it and continues to punch. "You just don't know when to give up do ya?"

"I can do this all day," He says out of breath. Before Jim gets in another swing and hits him again. Before he can land another hit, a soldier appears and kicks him. Hey pick on someone your own size. The man swings at the soldier, but is punched instead and then kicked, so he runs off. "Sometimes I think you liked getting punched." The two friends leave the alley and go on a double date.

"Hey Bucky!" A girl calls out.

"What'd you tell her about me?"

"Only the good stuff, Barnes replies. The four of them go to a show and watch Howard Stark present his invention, the flying car. Steve reaches over the girls shoulder and offers her some peanuts, but she looks at him in disgust. After the show, Steve walks away from his friend and the tow girls and tries to enlist again. Bucky notices Steve has slipped away and confronts him.

"C'mon you're kind of missing the whole point of the double date think. We're taking the girls dancing."

"Nah, I'll catch up." Bucky looks at him in dismay and shakes his head.

"You really gonna do this again? Lie on another form as Steve from Ohio?They'll catch you, or worse actually take you. This isn't a back alley Steve this is a war." As the two men argue, an onlooker watches them.

"I know its a war, I gotta help. I got no right sitting on the side lines while other men are throwing down their lives. This isn't about me."

"Right. Cause you got nothin' to prove."He shakes his head, hugs his friend, and joins the girls for a dance. As the argument ends, the man watching steps away. When Rogers is in his tent waiting on his for, the man reappears and approves him form.

"So, you want to go over seas. Kill some Nazis." He stretches out his hand and the two shake. "I am Dr. Abraham Erskine and I represent the Strategic Scientific Reserve." "Steve Rogers".The two talk and Dr. Erskine tests Roger, Test him on his Morales and honor. He doesn't want to kill anyone, he just doesn't like bullies. Rogers is given his passing form and a chance to join the war.

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Mountains 1943:

Hidden deep with in a frozen, rocky tundra. Johann Schmidt and Dr. Zola are in a laboratory testing the power of the tesseract.

"Are you ready Dr.Zola? Are you certain that those conductors of yours can withstand the energy surge long enough for transference?"

"My machine requires the most delicate collaboration. Forgive me if I seem overcautious." He tweaks a  few more things. "With this artifact, I am certain of nothing., and I fear it may not work at all." Schmidt takes out the tesserect and places it in the machine, as the power rises and energy surges, the transfer fills the room with electric, and the is complete. "The exchange is stable! Amazing. This could power all of my designs... This could will change the War.

"Dr. Zola. This will change the World!"

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Jersey 1943 Boot camp:

The camp is similar to that of the one Daniel Sousa had previously left. But instead on focusing on supplies and trenches, he was focusing on training. Soldiers running in line in one beat, as one person, trucks with more supplies, and tents and supply storage's, and the recruits all standing in line waiting for instructions. They all start to loose their cool when they see a woman, dressed in uniform with perfectly coiled hair and deep red lips.

"Recruits attention!" She starts to walk in front of them. "Gentleman I'm Agent Carter. I supervise all operations for this division" Daniel is stunned by her beauty, but Rogers doesn't pay her any mind; he just sees another officer at camp.

"Must be the accent Queen Victoria." Peggy stops in her tracks and faces the man. "I thought I was signing up for the U.S. Army." Daniel whips his head around to see the man who just insulted her and thinks 'what an ass'. Rogers just glances at him; and Peggy, she gives him a deadly glare.

"Whats your name, soldier?"

"Gilmore Hodge, Your majesty." Daniel continues to glare, but watches his footing. He doesn't want to get into trouble for stepping out of line.

"Step forward, Hodge." He does as hes told, with a little side glance at the others. "Put your right foot forward." She instructs calmly.

"Mmm, We gonna wrassle?"She hands him a clip board. "Cause I got a few moves I know you'll like," He winks. She lands a solid right hook to his face, and down he falls to the ground. The others laugh.

"Looks like the only moves you got are on your ass." Daniel couldn't help himself. The others laugh harder. Peggy looks over at him, and their eyes meet. Shes taken back for a moment, and she smiles at him.

"Agent Carter!" It takes her a moment to turns around; shes still not use to her name starting with Agent.

"Colonel Philips." She solutes him.

"I can see that you are breaking in the candidates. Thats good!" He praises her and glares at Hodge. "Get your ass up out of that dirt and stand in that line at attention till somebody comes up and tells you what to do." Hodge hurriedly stands up and sniffles, his nose is broken. As the Colonel gives his speech the all continue to listen. He explains that they are tasked to create the best army in history, and that every army starts with one man. That man will be selected to start the new breed of super soldiers. They will go though rigorous testing and training, and at the end, they will choose that man. After the speech they are dismissed and shown to their tent. Agent Carter was on her way to grab a few things while the men unpacked, and she ran into Daniel Sousa.

"Oof" They exclaimed. "Sorry." The say at the same time. They look up and at each other, and once more their eyes meet.  They both start to blush.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Its fine, it was my fault, really, I wasn't watching where I was going." She explained. He nods his head and the silence is awkward.

"Oh, uh.. That was amazing what you did earlier." She looks at him confused and he laughs nervously. "Uh, with Hodge. Wh-when you hit him. I-It was uh, funny." I closes his mouth and glances away, fearing he was embarrassing himself. At first shes quiet, and then laughs.

"I don't take too kindly to men who thinks its amusing to taught or harass woman."

"I agree. He was being a real ass, and he had no right to do that." she squints her eyes at him as if looking for ulterior motives.

"If you knew it was so wrong why didn't you speak up and  try and defend me..?" She questions.

"I figured you were a strong enough woman to handle your own without someone else interfering." he says, hoping it was the right response. she smiles once more and so does he.

"Well, you're not wrong. So thank you." He nods again, they stare at each other as if in a trance.

"'Scues me" someone walks passed them. They shuffle away from the door, and brush against one another.

"Right, well I should be going." she says as she comes back to reality.

"Oh, uh yeah, sure. I'll see you in training, Agent Carter."

"You too soldier." She smiles and walks away.

Weeks go by and the candidates continue to train. The run courses, climb ropes,and rope webs, and crawl through mud while handling riffles. Rogers walls off the rope and gets caught in the web. Sousa helps him when he can, once by getting Steve's feet uncaught from the rope. Rogers pushes him off.

"I got it, I don't need your help." Daniel raises his hands in the air and backs off; and Peggy witnesses the entire thing. 'Well that was uncalled for,' she thinks, 'he was only trying to help...' Another incident was when Hodge had kicked the stump from the ground while they were all crawling under barb wire and carrying rifles. The sergeant yelled at Rogers to get the gun out of the mud, so Sousa hurried and crawled to pick up the stump; freeing Rogers. "I said I don't need your help." and he continued to crawl away. Daniel breaths a sigh and thinks 'Ya try to be a nice guy, geez'. The third incident was when they were doing the 2 mile run. Each soldier was given a chance to try and get to a flag hanging from a slippery pole. Daniel was in the crowd with them as they all tried to climb. He notices a pin and bolt at the bottom and looks back at Rogers, then smiles to himself. As the others try and climb and hurry to take turns, Daniel undoes the bolt at the bottom and falls in line after being called.

"Rogers! I said fall in!" He walks up to the pole, pulls out the pin, and gets the flag once the pole falls. Daniel thinks no one noticed, but he was wrong. As Rogers makes his way to the jeep, Peggy smiles. He thinks its at him, but in fact it was meant for the man behind him; the man that should have been in the truck with her.

It isn't until weeks later when she confronts him. The candidate that is meant to be the first super soldier is being chosen soon. Everyone is eating their rations outside, and she walks over to Daniel as he sits on the bed of a jeep.

"Hello." She says. He looks up, a cheek full of food, and he gulps nervously.

"Uh, Hey-hi. uh... Hi" She laughs softly.

"Is this seat taken?" She gestures to the spot next to him.

"Uh.. no. Here." He moves his bag and she sits down. At first it is awkward silence and then she chuckles.

"I'm going to say something, and I hope you don't take it the wrong way." He nods his head for her to continue. "I've been watching you-" He starts to laugh. "What?"

"-Nothing nothin'" She tilts her head and lifts a brow. He smiles again. "Its just...isn't that your job? To watch us and 'supervise all operations in this division'?" She laughs at his statement.

"Yes. That is true. However I have been... shall we say, keeping a close eye on you, specifically."

"You have?" She nods."Why? Did I do something wrong?" She hesitates for a few moments, as if thinking of what to say.

"Not wrong..just..." She looks away, thinks, and looks back at him. "You do know how to take a hint, yes? And that this is a competition?"

"Take a hint? What do you mean? And yeah, I know its a competition. We're here to be selected for the first super soldier trial."

"If you know all of this then why do you help your competitors?" Shes not angry, nor is she accusing; shes simply confused.

"I don't..." I squints his eyes at her.

"Yes you do. I've seen it, several times." He shakes his head as if he disagrees. She sighs and explains. "First it was the webbed rope, and you helped a fellow competitor de-tangle himself." He starts to blush."Then in the mud, during the crawling exercises. You crawled all the way back to help Rogers and he got angry with you. Both times." He takes a deep breath and looks away from her. "And then theres the one time he doesn't even know about." "Whens that?"

"The flag." She states. He slumps his shoulders and holds onto the bed or the truck. She places a hand on his back. "I'm not here to reprimand you for your actions. I just want to know why."

"Its just...." He sighs. "Its just a force of habit." Peggy listens tentatively. "I have nieces and nephews and siblings that I care about, and for. I'm so use to looking out for others, its just a habit to help." At this she says nothing, instead she smiles and shakes her head. "What?"

"I hope you're chosen for the trial." And with that, she leaves.

Days go by and its the week of final training, the candidates are being ranked on their tests, intellect, and guts. As the soldiers are on their hands and feet listening to Agent Carters instructions, the Colonel and Dr. Erskine watch. The Doctor wants to choose Steve Rogers for the first trial, but Philips doesn't agree.

"Faster ladies, c'mon. My grandmother has more life in her, God rest her soul. Move it! "They continue to do push ups and jumping jacks. "C'mon girls." Peggy teases. As they continue to train, Colonel Philip throws a grenade and shouts. Everyone runs away, everyone except Steve Rogers and Daniel Sousa. Rogers runs to jump on the grenade, while Sousa runs to the truck, grabs a lid from a bin, and tries to cover it. But Rogers already threw himself on it. Peggy, in shock runs to kick it, then she sees Rogers and Sousa; knowing who made the better strategic choice, she smiles at Daniel. Soon enough they realize it was a dummy grenade and the day goes on as normal.

As Dr. Erskine talks to Rogers about being the one selected for the program, Peggy goes in search of Daniel.

"Sousa!" she calls out. He turns around and smiles.

"Agent Carter, hi. Is something wrong?"

"Well, not as you think." He sees the frown on her face and automatically knows.

"Rogers got the spot. Didn't he." He glances down at the ground and puts on a smile for her.

"I'm afraid so."

"I knew what I signed up for. I knew there was a chance I wasn't gonna get it. Its okay."

"That doesn't make it right.. It should be you going up there, not him." For a moment the night is filled with silence."

"Its not like anything can be done now. Only one person can be chosen. I'm okay with it Agent Carter, it doesn't bother me."She looks at him up and down and chuckles.

"You're being modest,"she says crossing her arms.

"Maybe..., but Agent Carter, theres nothing that can be done. If it works, then I got another shot at it." At this she thinks for a moment.

"Peggy."

"What?"

"My names, its Peggy." Hes confused for a second until she explains. "I hear Agent Carter more than I hear my own name. You can call me Peggy." He smiles at the ground.

"Okay...Peggy." She smiles in return, as bright as the sun.

"And as for nothing being able to be done... I have my ways of making things happen." He furrows his brow. "I'll talk to Philips and put in a good word for you. Perhaps there could be two tests done instead of one. They can use Rogers, but hes no normal sized man AND has a lot of health issues. The serum may not work on him because of it."

"But if they test it on two completely different people..."

"Then they could get different results." She finishes the sentence. They laugh.

"Thats a great idea!"

"I'm not the only one who thought of it, soldier," she teases. He reaches out his hand and she looks confused.

"You can call me Daniel. Like you, no one really says my name anymore, and I kind of miss that."

"Alright, ...Daniel." They smile and shake hands, and enjoy the rest of the night talking.

[transcriptroopers]

Hello, I was wondering about information regarding military training, etc.. that abuses the trainees, either physically or psychologically. I'm writing some kind of fictional military but want to refer to how far trainees can be pushed during training at the army. Thank you very much for all your work!

hi there!

Something I really wish I could get across to people is that abuse can sometimes be very hard to identify in the moment. This is especially true if it’s not what we consider “traditional” abuse, or if the abuse is community endorsed.

This is why I think so many soldiers don’t really fully process their trauma until they’ve fully left the military. I certainly didn’t when I first started this blog. 

There are a lot of ways I could describe army abusive behavior, and I hope to add more info to this post later, but right now I’ll focus on a non-traditional form of abuse that is widespread and considered benign:Sleep DeprivationThe army purposely sleep deprives its soldiers, not just during training but throughout their whole career. And in some cases, the higher in rank, the more likely you are to lose sleep. It’s common knowledge that the military wakes its personnel up very early to conduct P.T., or physical training. Every morning around 6:00 we gathered in formation and receive five to ten minutes of information. Then ten minutes of stretches, followed by thirty to forty minutes of intense exercise, followed by ten minutes of stretches, and probably a five to ten minute debrief. 

For those unfortunate enough to live off-base, this could mean waking up at 4:00 every morning, because you’re expected to arrive to PT not just clean, (if not showered) but clean-shaven. Furthermore, if a formation is at 6:00, the leadership will probably be there by 5:30, and you should be there by 5:45 to avoid a lecture.When our workday doesn’t begin until 9:00, there’s really no reason soldiers should be made to wake up at five in the morning, let alone why they should be showered and clean-shaven before exercising. It’s not even fair to say that it’s to prepare us for deployment, because we kept doing PT during deployment, every morning. It’s a routine and a tradition, but mostly I think the army hopes that all the extra exercise will keep its soldiers trim, because its personnel are the fattest they’ve ever been, including Tricare’s own report that “the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the MHS population is similar to their prevalence in the civilian population,” that is to say about two-thirds. 

This is to say nothing of drill sergeants in training, which I suppose was your original question. Sometimes they enter the barracks with pots and slammed them together. Others they start blinking all the lights on and off while yelling “WAKE UP” through a megaphone. They might shine a flashlight in your eyes, or sneak next to someone sleeping and screaming cuss words in their face. And unless they felt very kind, most nights after the training was done they’d keep everyone standing idly in formation for hours until very late, doing nothing, serving no purpose, and when let go even if we went to bed right away (which we could not; we would be filthy and need to wait our turns with the showers) we would be lucky to snag five hours before being woken for PT. So many nights we’d stand there in the dark just wanting to go to bed.

Finally, keeping us on “Fire Guard.” Officially, it meant that you were standing watch for a fire. Basically, it was another method of depriving us of sleep disguised as training. Every night, two of us would stand watch for an hour, in the hallways of the barracks where we slept. Sometimes we were expected to do some cleaning during this hour, which of course causes noise which of course keeps us awake. Plus, nothing more infuriating than being woken up for a Fire Guard shift that was not your own because they couldn’t find the original person in the darkness and woke you on accident. Edit: oh yes, and we were expected to count everyone in bed during the start of each shift and the end of each shift, so I suppose it counted as another method of surveillance on us too. Huh. 

Drill sergeants patrol during the night, (thus sleep depriving themselves) to make sure we’re Fire Guarding. If someone is caught asleep on shift, a bad-tempered drill sergeant would wake everyone in the unit up: if we were lucky they would just announce the wrong-doing and let us back to sleep, but we might have to stand watch with them until the end of their shift, or the very worst: they’d take us all outside and start “smoking” us, i.e. yelling at us and having us perform exercise to muscle exhaustion. As you can imagine, collective punishment like this causes soldiers to turn on each other, which actually reinforces the authority of the drill sergeants. We say and do some cruel things to each other when we’re exhausted, which is always.And after we exit training, Fire Guard turns to C.Q., or “charge of quarters,” where an NCO and an enlisted soldier remain at a desk for 24 hours just to “keep watch” over the building. The roster varies; expect a shift one to three times a month. When I was in a unit with very few NCOs, some of them had it five times a month.I realize this is very long now so I’ll stop here for today. A couple years ago I don’t think I would have considered sleep deprivation among the list of abuses soldiers endure, even though long-term sleep deprivation is linked to numerous illnesses including an increased risk for stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, a suppressed immune system and weight gain (thinkemoji.jpg???). But it’s worth remembering that the U.N. considers sleep deprivation torture and sleep deprivation has been used by the CIA to brainwash victims.

- Kingsley

[irwintry]

Garden Guru

Warnings: swearing

Author’s Note: i should rly work on some new stuff

Word Count: 6k

You didn't understand your mother's love for Gerber daisies. Personally, you were a petunia gal yourself. The yard had plenty of each, along with a million other flowers that had been purchased in spurts throughout the year. Ever since you could remember, the garage of your family home never housed cars, but pots and planters instead to contribute to your mother's love for gardening.

This "love" spread elsewhere by the time you were fourteen. She'd gathered enough money to buy out the old abandoned fresh food market on Locust Ave, and in under a year, the final renovations revealed a spectacular flower shop made with all kinds of love. The porch was filled with annuals and perennials, even succulents that you talked her into ordering. She asked you to paint the great big sign that would dangle from the entrance, and even though you've never been much of an artist, you complied. Betty Bloom Florals was now open.

While you were away at college, your mother ran the shop all by herself. She felt thankful for summers especially; sales were out the wazoo and you were there right by her side. When she wasn't managing Betty Bloom, she was offering herself off as a gardener for anyone willing to pay the fees. Her background in landscape landed her roles through the Parks and Recreation department of the town, which made it harder for her to "be the boss". Though she didn't necessarily sell Betty Bloom, it opened under new management. Now, she owned but never operated.

The yard of your childhood home was your favorite landscape design of all time. The patch of green by the back fence housed a willow with a tire swing younger Y/N used to love. To its left, a fairly large greenhouse (for a backyard, at least) sat, filled to the brim with flowers, fruits, and veggies. Just off of the porch, a stone path hugged by two ginormous flower gardens led back to the greenhouse.

The garden your mother created was the love of your life. When she couldn't tend to it, you took charge. She wasn't picky per se, but often, she'd tell you what she would have preferred. Nonetheless, she never complained. It wasn't just her garden; it was yours as well.

It was the summer before your senior year. Working was going to be the same as every year had been since you started high school, but those plans fell short when your mother asked you to help out with landscaping instead. You jumped at the opportunity; however, that meant more days cooped up at home in her office while the two of you tried to agree on many, many decisions.

You loved being the daughter of a florist/ gardener because most of the time, life felt so simple.

"Y/N?"

You hummed, stirring in your sleep as you dreamt about what you would be doing now if you had gone to Hogwarts. Would you be an Auror? Okay, maybe not. They're, like, the elite... You've got to be really good.

"Y/N!" That voice was no longer a whisper, and you were no longer thinking about wandering through the Ministry of Magic and glaring at the certain wizards you disliked.

"Hmm?" You blinked your eyes open, but they had nothing to adjust to. It was still pitch dark in your room. Maybe you were hearing things. You closed your eyes again.

"Y/N." It was your mother's voice. "I think there are kids in our backyard."

"Mmm kay."

"Y/N."

"What?"

"There are kids in our backyard," she repeated.

Your eyes shot back open, and you nearly sprung out of bed to take ahold of her arms. "The flowers!"

"Yeah, the flowers," she mocked, folding her arms meanwhile freeing herself from your tight grip. She glanced toward the window that faced the backyard and nodded towards it. "Maybe you can open your window and listen in."

"Won't they hear me?" you asked. Your stomach began to hurt; you had gotten up way too fast.

She shrugged. "Yeah, and? I think they're drunk. And, they're ruining our garden."

You liked that she said our garden, even though most of the gardening had been done by her before you came back from school. You huffed and stomped over to the window, kneeling down so you could get a good angle to open the window. You tried your best to keep quiet as you did so, but apparently, they hadn't heard a thing.

"Have you fucking found any?" one asked after a long moment of rustling.

"I can't see jack shit, Luke," another replied. "Get off my butt."

You looked back to your mother, even though she was barely a visible silhouette. The kids below had flashlights – off of their phones most likely, and they were shining all over the place. There looked to be about five or six separate people darting around the yard.

"I think I found so– Nah, sorry, it was an actual weed."

Behind you, your mother huffed. "I don't have weeds."

That was when it hit you. They didn't happen upon your yard randomly while trying to sneak out somewhere, they were trying to find pot. That was also something your mother didn't have (to the extent of your knowledge), so naturally, these drunk boys were trespassing for no real reason at all.

"That's what they want," you whispered.

"What?"

"They're looking for weed," you said. "Not weeds." You shut the window slowly and began in the direction of the stairs to the first floor. "You don't happen to grow pot, do you?"

Your mother gasped as she followed you. "Oh my gosh, you're kidding me! That's what they're looking for?"

"Yep."

You opened the sliding glass door with a loud bang, and immediately a bunch of distressed swears followed. A second later, you had switched on the light. Both you and your mom stood with your arms crossed, but when the light illuminated your backyard, only one perpetrator could be found. The tall blond boy was staring at the two of you, his eyes wide and watery, his mouth hung wide open. His hands were shaky as he held them up, meanwhile shining you right in the eye with his flashlight.

"I-I-I'm– I'm s-so– "

"What's your name, sweetie?" your mother questioned slowly, her tone sharp yet calm.

He swallowed, hardly moving anything but his mouth or head. "L-Luke."

"Ah," you chuckled. "You're Luke. Did you get off of that guy's butt?"

It would have been a better joke if Luke hadn't looked so damn terrified. A part of you wanted to shrug and tell him to get the hell out; he looked too scared to be guilty of anything. But then, you took a look at the garden. Your mother seemed to be on the same page, for she had to sit down on a patio chair to keep her heart from racing too hard.

"We're calling the police," you said, trying your best to sound stern. In reality, you wanted to go back to bed. You wanted to curl up under your sheets and go back to dreaming about live in the wizarding world, but now you were having to deal with a cute trespasser with drunk intentions just to find weed.

He began shaking his head, and even from far away, you could see his lip trembling. "Please, I'll– I'll do anything."

"I'm sorry, but– "

"Anything?" your mother asked. The question itself sounded as sketchy as it was written. She uncrossed her legs before standing up, her arms still folded while she stared this Luke guy down.

He nodded. He still hadn't moved otherwise.

"You've torn my garden to shreds for what– weed?" She had a way of scaring people without yelling, something you realized early on when you were a child. It was her discipline tactic. "Gardens don't take minutes to plant and grow, so my proposition for you is– "

"Anything," he said. "Promise." This poor Luke needed a break.

"I'll give you the tools, and you fix my garden back up just the way I had designed it." Your mom walked back to the sliding door. "Come back here tomorrow at nine in the morning. You're pulling everything."

"I-I... I don't know how to garden."

She shrugged. "Y/N will show you."

You had been nodding along, and the sentence almost escaped you. Your eyes widened as your head snapped in her direction. "What? No. This is all his fault." And his other friends' of course, but if you knew guys any better, you knew that there was no way he'd be able to get his other friends to help. They weren't in the kind of trouble he was. Surely, he was going to be pissed at them.

"You work for me, so I'm asking you to help him out," she whispered to you. "Look at those eyes. Maybe you'll fall for the felon."

You sighed and glanced back at Luke. His arms were starting to lower back to his sides, but his sad eyes were as large as Jupiter. You didn't want to admit that your mother made a convincing argument; now that you'd gotten a better look at him, he was as cute as a button. And, he was so freakin' tall. How on earth a normal human could look like the embodiment of Gumby, you had no idea.

You glanced around at the stirred-up hell he and his friends created, the anger bubbling in your stomach at the thought of the hard work you and your mom put into the garden. Now, you had to do it all over again, this time with a stranger that caused it all. But, your mom was right; you work for her.

"Fine," you said. "Nine tomorrow. Bring money. We've got a lot of shit to buy because of you."

He nodded, holding back a gulp as your mother prepared to head back inside. "Thank you." His voice had strained confidence in it, almost as if he was now trying to sound less-wimpy.

Truly, you didn't think he was a wimp. If you had been in his shoes, you would be terrified of getting arrested as well. The thing was, you liked the fact that he was scared. He deserved it for the mess he made.

You gave him a smile. "Don't thank us yet, Gumby."

-

You half-expected this kid to show up twenty minutes early (mostly because he looked so damn scared the night prior, so you figured he'd do anything to make it up to the both of you), but when he arrived at 9:30 in a flannel and jeans, you couldn't help but laugh. This was what you had to work with, someone who showed up late and in inappropriate clothing for the job.

"Are we going to like, Lowes or something?" Luke asked as he approached you on the front porch. He looked hungover and exhausted, but he was no longer in shock like he had been last night.

You slung your small backpack over your shoulder and brushed passed him without a second glance. "Sammi's Greenhouse. I hope you got a nice dandy playlist for the hour-long drive."

"Hour?" he questioned. He hadn't moved from his spot on the path to your house while you were now getting in the driver's seat of your car. "What the fu– "

You shut the door and turned on the ignition. When you looked back at him, he was rolling his eyes and finally making his way to the car. So, what? He was annoyed? You were dreading this now, and you were definitely going to text your mother a super long message once you arrived at Sammi's. By this rate, you were sure this garden would take the entire summer to manage. It would be too late by then.

"What are we going that far fo'?" he asked as he slid in the passenger seat. He made a face as he took in the interior of your car. Sure, it was somewhat messy, but Betsy had been through hell and back with you. "It's gonna take us all fuckin' day to get this dumb garden fixed."

"Listen, Gumby– " You took a breath as you began backing out of the driveway. "Clearly, you don't know shit about gardening, so how 'bout you start off by not speaking at all. Okay? You're damn lucky we're not reporting you. Suck it up and follow everything I do. You're already a pain in my ass and we haven't even left the neighborhood."

"Jesus... fine," he whispered as he began playing with the rings on his fingers.

"And, I hate to break it to you bud, but this dumb garden is going to take a little longer than one stupid day to fix," you continued. You were trying not to make your nerves known through your tone.

"What?"

Your eyes widened; his "what" had been so high and loud, you nearly slammed your foot on the brakes.

"How long's this gonna fuckin' take?" Meanwhile, as he spoke, he slipped on a pair of sunglasses that looked way too expensive to be worn in a car like Betsy. In fact, he looked way too expensive for Betsy. It made you wonder why he was scavenging around your garden for weed when he could most likely get as many grams as his dumbass wanted.

"Well," you said with a sigh, "to plant... maybe a week. Which, in all honesty, is the minimum approximate time I can give you. It's a big garden, and everything needs to be perfect to satisfy my mom. If one marigold is where a petunia should be, then I wouldn't be surprised if she threatened the police on you again. I mean, hell, Gumby, you all fucking dug up almost the entire garden."

"How do you know I didn't work alone?" he questioned, surprise lacing his tone. "Also, why do you keep calling me that?"

"What? Gumby?" you asked innocently. "You know Gumby, right?"

"That clay dude?"

"Yeah, you look like him," you said. You turned down Locust Ave.

"I do not."

"Hm, kinda do."

"No, fuck you, I– "

"Anyway, my mom and I heard you all from my bedroom." You didn't want to bicker with him at this early in the morning. "You guys weren't necessarily trying to be quiet."

"We were drunk." Luke had his entire body facing away from you as he watched the buildings go by outside. His fingers were drumming along the side while he spoke.

You chuckled. "Yeah, we know, dumbass." You took a short pause before continuing on with your previous thoughts. "But... not only are you going to help plant the garden, but I'm assuming my mom wants you to help tend to it too so you can count on being at my house a lot more than just a week, that's for sure."

"What the fuck," he muttered under his breath.

"Get some tunes ready, sweetie," you said. You certainly didn't like being around Luke, but you hoped to at least get along with him eventually. "It's gonna be a long road ahead."

Luke groaned but pulled out his phone nevertheless.

"So..."

"So?"

"You got a Pokey, Gumby?" You couldn't stop smiling.

He huffed. "Fuck off."

-

You knew the flowers your mother liked to plant off the top of your head, but apparently, it would have been helpful if you had written things down. On your own, shopping would have been fine; however, you were with Luke who had no idea how to tell the difference between hydrangeas and dahlias (which, quite honestly, you weren't that peeved about considering the fact that they were placed right next to each other in the greenhouse and the blooms were the same color).

"What do you think of these?" you asked as you glanced around at the pansies. It had already been about an hour since you arrived, and Luke was certainly having the time of his life as you took ten minutes picking out which flowers you deemed perfect. "My mom is kind of lenient sometimes when it comes to the flowers I prefer. Orange or blue?"

"Look, I literally don't– "

"Orange or blue?" you repeated, now agitated. He had been pissy ever since you arrived – well, he had been pissy all damn day technically.

"Blue," he replied. "How much is this all gonna be anyway? I don't need my bank callin' and askin' why I purchased a thousand dollars' worth of fucking flowers."

You shrugged. "Maybe they'll just assume you've actually found a passion for once in your life."

Luke clearly did not like your response. Not only had you avoided his question about the price, but you had also insulted his personality in a way. Granted, you knew nothing about him, so it was rude to assume he had no passions. Maybe he wanted to be an astronaut. He'd have to behave a bit better to get there.

"I'm in a band," he seethed. "I'd honestly rather be in jail right now than be here with you."

You laughed, but it stung. Laughter was your coping mechanism. Humor – in general – made you pretend to feel better about a lot of things. "'m sure bail is much more than this garden will ever cost, sweetie."

"Okay, don't call me that," he said. "Again, how much is this going to be?"

You tried to think back to previous years while you eyed the impatiens. According to your mother's garden plan, you needed a lot of those. You hadn't gone shopping with her since before college, and now you were nearly about to start your last year. Her garden designs had certainly changed since then, but you couldn't imagine the prices being too terribly different.

"A few hundred," you answered honestly. "Not more than five, I believe."

You couldn't tell if he believed you, but he stayed silent for the first time since the two of you met completely sober this morning. Luke rubbed his eyes and pushed the cart closer to you so you could begin loading a few plastic pots. Poor old Betsy would not be able to handle this load, so, like in years past, you would have to get Peter to transport a few as well.

Peter was a friend of your family's. He had been working at Sammi's for as long as you could remember, and ever since you and your mom became garden goddesses, he had been helping you out. Most often, he'd take the heavy load of flowers or bushes in his pick-up, and then you'd give him a generous tip at the end. Even though Luke was paying for the whole purchase, you were going to give Peter the tip for personal reasons.

"'m not sure this is even legal," Luke mumbled after a few quiet minutes.

You winced; you had been hoping for more silence. "What?"

"You should've taken me to court," he said, "and then you could've given the judge an alternative. According to the law, 'm not sure you and your mum can make the rules."

"You scratch our back, we'll scratch yours."

"Don't think that's the case, darlin'," he replied, and he even cracked a smile. That was the first time he had given you a genuine smile that wasn't a fake or mean laugh of some sorts.

You put one foot up onto the cart and began pushing with the other so you could ride with it. The weight of the many flowers kept the whole thing from tipping over with you. Behind you, Luke muttered a "Jesus" under his breath, but he laughed anyway.

"You do it, too, Gumby." You nodded towards his own cart – also full of flowers. It was most likely time to start loading the car before coming back for more. "Make fun of this escapade."

He simply shook his head as he unbuttoned his flannel one or two times. "There's nothing fun about this escapade. I wouldn't even call it an escapade. And, dunno if ridin' a damn cart like a four-year-old will make it any better."

You shrugged again. "Not with that attitude." You were kind of surprised with how well you and Luke got along, despite the fact that it appeared you two disliked each other strongly. Truthfully, you were starting to like bantering with him, and you could tell he was lying about not having fun. At least you were having fun. "Hey, can I ask ya somethin'?" You sped down an aisle, kicking the concrete as if you were riding a scooter.

Luke trailed slowly behind you as he said, "you just did."

You rolled your eyes. "Okay, stupid. Whatever. Why were you and your friends in our yard anyway? Why did you think we had weed?"

"Someone pranked us, I think," he answered and pulled his cart up next to you. "Need geraniums?"

"Yes, thank you." You eyed the many colors and began picking the pots up one-by-one.

"Mhm."

"Pranked you?" you asked, picking up a pot of lavender-colored geraniums and putting them into your very full cart. "How so?"

Luke let out a cough. It sounded like he was clearing his throat, but it came out much louder than he probably suspected. "We were tryin' to find some at this party because my friend Cal's dealer didn't show, and this one dude gave us the address to your house because he said the owner's – you and your mum – grew some. Think he just knew you both loved gardening 'n shit. I do feel terrible."

"'s quite a story," you said. "Ya looked fucking guilty last night, so I get you're sorry. Sorry you have to endure all of this with me."

He chuckled softly. "You're all right, I guess. I just don't know shit about gardening."

You set one last geranium into your cart and turned to Luke with a great big grin. "I'm the garden guru, sweetie. Just wait, by the end of this summer, you'll know everything there is to know about gardening."

"Again, don't call me sweetie."

You sent him a wink. "Let's get ready for round two, sweetie. Time to buy some bulbs."

-

The first week went better than you had imagined it to. Luke finally knew how to dress appropriate for gardening and hot weather, and the two of you no longer sent each other glares when the other said something wrong. At least, by this point, you both knew what not to say.

You were glad a portion of the garden had been salvageable. Some of the perennials were still a-okay, so you didn't have to buy as many bulbs as you did with buying pots of annuals. However, you did have to buy a shit ton of soil because your mother insisted that the other was soiled. She joked about it, but you were somewhat annoyed because that was more work than needed.

So, the garden was looking... better.

Luke could only work in the mornings due to his actual job in the afternoon, which meant that not a lot would get done. On the days he was late, his presence felt pointless. It took over a week to actually get one thing planted. He and his friends had unrooted nearly everything (aside from that one portion), plus the greenhouse was a fucking disaster.

As a token of your mother's gratitude, she offered you up to make Luke lunch on the days he was working. While you weren't happy about it, you did it nevertheless. He hadn't put up a fight since the proposal was offered the night he trespassed. His attitude surely sucked sometimes, but he did want to make it up to the both of you. The least you could do was feed him.

He met your dog Bubbles on a Tuesday. Your dog was nervous around people, so it was a slow introduction that ended in Luke being attacked with kisses. It shocked you at first. In all of your years of owning Bubbles, he had never once been fond of any of your friends. You hoped he liked Luke solely because you weren't friends.

"Why do you have animal crackers?" he asked on a Friday morning. It had been two weeks since he began helping to fix the garden. A lot of things had been planted, and the next plan was to figure out where to get replica items for your mother's old fairy garden. "And, what are Whales?" Luke tossed you the box of Cheez-It's you had asked him to reach for you since he was standing, and the food was in the top cupboard. "Why do you need these many crackers?"

"Stop being mean," you whined with a pout. "Those are the frosted animal crackers, and they're good. And, you have to try Whales. They're like better Cheez-It's."

"Then why are you eating Cheez-It's?"

"Shut it, Gumby."

Luke mocked your tone with incoherent words but he still opened the box of Whales. You watched as he took a few in his mouth, and you waited for his reaction after he finished chewing.

He hummed. "Not bad. Not better than the white cheddar Cheez-It's though."

"Oh no," you gasped. "You like white cheddar? Have fun in jail."

"Ha-ha." Luke turned to the fridge, but before he opened it, he examined the magnets and pictures on the front. "Is this you?"

"Hm?"

He held up the picture of a little girl – you – holding up two lollipops with a cute grin on your face. You were always told that you wore your happiness well as a child. You had been so excited to win lollies in school that your mother actually kept the picture.

"I won a spelling bee," you said. "Got two lollipops as a reward."

"Huh, cool."

"The final word was knives," you chuckled. "I don't know why I remember that, but I also remember feeling confused as to why the other kid didn't know how to spell it."

Luke set the picture back under a magnet and opened the fridge. "You were cute," he said as he pulled out a yogurt. "Can I have this?"

You nodded. "Did you just compliment me, Gumby?" You pretended to be shocked, even faked a gasp, but you actually were kind of surprised he had said that.

"I said were, darlin'," he replied with a smirk. "Why would I compliment someone who calls me Gumby?"

"It's endearing."

"Not one bit, Pokey."

You let out another gasp, except this time, this one was as real as climate change (which is very, very real). "I'm your Pokey? I'm so honored."

Luke rolled his eyes as he peeled the film lid off of the yogurt. He didn't reply, but he smiled. To you, that said enough.

-

You started noticing your feelings right when the two of you were finishing up planting. The garden wasn't flourishing as of yet, but for the most part, the dirty work had been done. Now, all Luke had to do was visit in the mornings to water. You honestly believed that he enjoyed this work now. He no longer complained, nor did he whine or groan when he had to bend over. He even stayed longer into the afternoon even though you were positive he had another job.

He laughed at your jokes. Your dry, corny humor couldn't please a child, but he laughed, and it felt genuine. His eyes would crinkle, and the harder the laugh, the higher the pitch. It made your heart swell. It was because of his laughter that you were able to recognize the feelings it gave you. And, it sucked.

Most of all, it sucked because your mother was right.

You were falling for the stupid felon.

"Did you ever tell your friends off for leaving you that night?" you asked. You were nibbling on a granola bar while Luke was turning on the hose. "If my friends did that to me, I'd probably– "

"No," he said sharply. He began watering right away, his hand tight against the handle of the spray nozzle he had been forced to purchase. Somehow, someone had snapped the handle on the old one the night of the trespassing. "'m not very good at talking to people about stuff that upsets me."

"Does that upset you?"

"What, that I can't talk to people about what they did wrong?" he questioned.

You nodded.

Luke shrugged as he wandered over to the bushes by the fence. "I guess."

"Well, there ya go!" you exclaimed. You set down the granola bar wrapper on the table nearby, and afterward, you nearly tripped on his glorious stonework on your way over to him. "'s solved. Now you can address it."

He sent you a playful glare, and you could tell it was playful because of the small smirk that had adorned his face. He had a beautiful smile, you had to admit. It was accompanied by a damn good pair of lips as well. You especially liked making him smile.

"'m not good at anything, really," he mumbled. "Singing... I guess. Shit at gardening and shit at feelings."

"Okay, first of all," you started, "you were shit at gardening. You had me so you're pretty damn good now, I would say. I can officially give myself a pat on the back for that one." You were beaming. Talking to him made you happier than you wanted it to.

Luke pushed his curls back from his forehead, giving you a perfect glance at his ring-clad fingers. He even had his nails painted a dull red. The color had started to chip, but it suited him nonetheless. "You givin' me a compliment?"

"Oh, no," you said, shaking your head. "I'm giving myself a compliment."

Luke shook his own head as he started to cackle quietly. Suddenly, he had the hose turned on you, and you began to shriek as his laughter became the cute squealy laughter that made your insides burn.

"Fuck, fuck!" You started to run around, but Luke was hot on your tail as he changed the settings on the nozzle. What had been the shower setting was now the jet setting, and you were being pelted. "Ow, you dummy!"

His giggles only got louder as he hit you with the cone setting, and at least the water on that one hurt less than the fucking jet. "Slow down!" he shouted after you. "I've missed a spot on your ass." He cornered you by the greenhouse, and just as he thought he had gotten you good, you were able to grab the hose from his slippery grip. Luckily, the hose was long enough to reach this far back in the yard.

"Payback, bitch," you said with a grin as you sprayed him. You expected him to run away as you had done, but instead, he stepped closer to you.

His laughter died down only slightly, yet you hardly noticed the change before he closed the space between the two of you. The water hit him directly in the stomach as his hand found the back of your neck to pull you into him. Your lips met in a sloppy yet comforting kiss, the kind of first kiss that people talked about for years. It was like kissing in the rain, but also completely different at the same time.

He pulled away almost as fast as he had initiated the kiss. His hair was hanging in his eyes, the strands dripping wet as he wiped the water off of his nose. That only caused you to aim the water at his face as another fit of giggles erupted through your body.

"Gonna fuckin' get you for this," he muttered, taking you by the waist and hoisting you over his shoulder.

"No, no, no!" you shrieked, hitting his back and spraying his butt with the jet setting.

"Hey, that's inappropriate," he whispered into your ear.

You lifted the hose again, hitting him in the face once more. "Eat my butt, Gumby."

You did not mind falling for the felon one bit.

-

You saw Luke less after that. It was partially due to the fact that the garden had been finished, and all he needed to do was stop by and water them. But, he never stayed to talk. This not only crushed you but made you resent letting yourself open up in the first place. The steady banter had been comfortable, and you should have kept it that way. You let yourself fall for someone who wasn't ready for anything in the first place.

You wanted to believe that you spoke too soon the day he pecked your lips goodbye. He made sure to wink and wave on his way out, yet somehow, your heart fell deep into your chest. Someone who didn't want to give you everything wasn't worth your time. Luke said had a tendency to avoid talking about things that upset him, but you weren't going to let yourself do the same.

"Hey, Gumby," you said, your tone a little too harsh as you approached him one morning.

He had taken his shirt off due to the incredulous heat index of the day, and it was only ten in the morning. He turned as soon as he heard your voice. "Hm?"

"Do you have feelings for me?" you questioned. You weren't going to sugarcoat anything. You wanted the answers as straightforward as possible.

Luke released his grip on the handle of the nozzle. "What?" His eyes had widened slightly, and if he hadn't already been red due to the heat, you would have assumed the question made him blush.

"Do you like me? Are you into me? Would you fuck me? Just let me know."

He blinked rapidly. "Why are you asking all of this?"

You shrugged, but you knew why you were asking all of this. You let out a laugh before you continued. "Because you fucking kissed me, you dumbfuck. You kissed me twice, and that was it! You've hardly talked to me since. Were you just doing it because you knew I liked you? Or do you actually fucking like me back?"

Luke dropped the hose and ambled towards you, his long legs taking him to you in under a second. Both of his hands grabbed hold of your cheeks as he pressed his lips to yours. The kiss grew heated in a matter of milliseconds. His tongue slipped in between your lips before you could register what had even happened. You felt warm all over, and it wasn't because of the hot air.

His lips left yours a moment later, slipping away with a filthy pop before he began kissing along your cheeks and forehead.

"What does this mean?" you whispered lowly and gripped his wrists loosely.

Luke retracted, looking right into your eyes so he could say exactly what he wanted. "It means I like you back," he responded. He swallowed thickly and pressed another quick kiss to your lips. "And, I'm bad at feelings," he whispered, "so I'm sorry I did that to you. 'm really sorry."

His hands found your waist as he started kissing you again. You wound your fingers in his long blond curls, not even worrying about how sweaty they might be. You couldn't find it in yourself to worry about anything but how well you were kissing him. Your lips were numb as he pulled away again, and you found yourself glancing down at his exposed chest so you wouldn't have to look into his eyes.

You were too giddy, but looking at the hairs on his chest was not helping your case one bit.

Suddenly, Luke was bending over and reaching for the hose, quickly turning it back on and spraying you like had done a week or two prior. His loud giggles filled the air, and even though you were screaming for dear life, you had never felt happier.

[regdaran]

The Day Hell Came to Earth. Chapter one: The Shift.

Chapters: | 1 |  |       

Carth had always thought Joan was the laziest of the group, But skipping out on the first day of the new semester was an entirely new level of slacker. The bus pulled into place along the sidewalk. The three of them all boarded and waved their student passes at the driver. Of course Dominic and Hiela had to come along with him. The second he asked Hiela to take extra notes for class, she had grown suspicious. Hiela then in turn asked Dominic to take extra notes for their shared classes, this brought him into the ever continuing domino line. All of which led here, to the three of them trying to find Joan through his cell signal, finding he had boarded a bus at 6:30 in the damn morning, and then the three of them boarding a bus at 8:00 going the same direction.

"And you're sure that he's still right there?"  Dominic poked at Hiela's phone, the display flickering and cutting in and out.

"HEY! Watch what your doing! Ah! What did you do to my phone? Did you break it?"   Hiela was shaking her phone, despite knowing full well that wouldn't stabilize the screen.

"It's not just yours, mines on the fritz too."   Carth picked up his phone and showed the static that was displayed on the screen. All of their phones had been acting strangely for the last few days. According to the message boards on campus, it was caused by some error in the last big software update.

"To answer your question Dominic, I'm not sure. All I know is thats where his phone was the last two times I pinged it."  Hiela was a savant when it came to tech but with their phones problems effectively running interference, she was limited in what she could do. Honestly Carth was amazed that her phone was working at all.

     "What is he even doing at a construction site?"  asked Dominic as he adjusted his coat so he could sit down. The thing was a tall as he was, with so many pockets inside he could hold half his room in there. "I don't know."  Replied Hiela as she straightened her back pack. They weren't going to make it to class today, why in the world did she bring it? "Did he get a job or something? Why didn't he tell us?"  Dominic kept asking question after question. All of which were answered by "I don't know."  or "Why don't you ask HIM that when we get there?"  Carth could feel the rising irritation from the small woman next to him. He decided to intervene before Hiela killed Dominic. "Let's just focus on what we know for sure. We know he asked me to take note for him yesterday, so he had to have planned this. Aside from that, what do we know?"  Carth looked around at his friends, he really hoped that they weren't as clueless as he was. "I heard..." Dominic said. "That place is haunted. Actually, I think Joan is the one who told me about it."  Now that was lead. "He kept sayin somethin' about demons, or maybe it was monsters. Ya know, urban legends and stuff."  Both Carth and Hiela let out a pair of long, suffering sighs. All three of them had dealt with Joan's little obsession before. "What kind of fun does he find in chasing down these rumors anyway?"  

      The bus bounced as it hit something. There was a 'pop' and the driver was having to work hard to make sure that bus didn't tip over. The sound of metal scraping on asphalt was deafening. "HOLD ON!"  the driver yelled as the bus went into the sidewalk. The sound of rending metal and splintering plastics could be heard as it ground into the concrete next to the road. The bus ever so slowly came to a stop halfway off the road. "Shit! Is everyone okay?"  Dominic helped Carth get back to his feet. "What did we hit? A bear trap?"  Hiela dusted herself off and stepped out of the bus. "There she goes again. Come on Dominic."  The pair of friends followed Hiela out of the beached wreck that was once a bus. "Oh God!"  What they saw was horrific, a red smear led from  the bus to a lump of meat and bones. It was about the size of large dog and it was covered in bony protrusions. Carth was walking over to it before he knew what was going on.

"I-Is it dead?"  he heard Dominic ask.

     "I don't know, but I plan to find out. Hiela, call animal control. If this thi-"  Carth didn't finish his sentence for one very important reason. The thing that they hit had started to move. It got up and started to limp toward the bus. It looked even worse moving, like the love child of the chupacabra and a hyena. It was covered in a wrinkly mottled red hide. It was also almost completely bald, except for a stripe of brown fur down the middle of its head. That same head had twin horns pointing Carth. It's eyes fixed on him, and it started charging. "Oh CRAP!"  Halfway through it's charge. Its front legs gave out and it crashed into the ground in front of him. Dominic and Hiela came running beside Carth. Dominic reached into his coat and pulled out a knife of all things. The blade was nearly half a foot long, and one edge was serrated. Just as the thing was getting up again, there was a loud BANG, and its head caved in as the bullet passed through it. Everyone looked behind them to see the bus driver, still holding a handgun. "What? It was obviously rabid, just don't tell the cops that I had this thing alright. I'm getting out of here. They don't pay me enough to deal with crazy animals."  With that the driver and the few other people who were in the bus all walked toward the small building that served as a bus stop.

     "What the hell is this thing?"  Carth was crouched next to the dog like thing. "I don't know, but man is it nasty."  Dominic was poking at its side with his knife. "Are we going to talk about the fact you pulled out a weapon from your coat?"  Hiela was about 5 feet away from the pair of idiots who were messing with the monstrous thing. "Do you mean to tell me, that in that massive bag you take everywhere, you don't carry anything to defend yourself with?"  Dominic sounded absolutely confused. "Well, I have pepper spray."   Hiela said indignantly. Both Carth and Dominic looked at her in a way that said 'really?'. "Carth isn't carrying anything!"  In response Carth reached into his boots and pulled out a pair of 3 inch blades. "You were saying?" Hiela looked away out of embarrassment, she saw the people from the buss sitting down at the stop. "We should probably go, having to wait around for hours answering the police wouldn't be the most productive use of out time." That was something Carth definitely agreed with.  "Hiela, how far away are we from Joan?"  This time she was the one giving a look. "Wha- Oh. You can't be- Fine!"  Carth couldn't believe she was being a stickler on this! "How far are we from his phone?"  Hiela pulled out her phone and started swiping through one of the apps she had on it. "According to this ping, we are about a mile away... guess we should start walking..."  

      20 minutes and a lot of complaining from Dominic later, they arrived at the construction site. A concrete building, nearly four stories high, loomed before the group. There was trash all over the place as they entered. Old bottles of every shape, size, and color, were strewn about. Some had been smashed and sharp glass littered the floor in many places. There were signs that people had been living here, bed rolls and cardboard boxes were gathered in various corners on the first floor. Despite the lack of work done on the inside, the building was nearly finished. Though, the work of years had given the place a worn down feeling. "Hey Carth, why was this place abandoned again? It looks like solid construction, hell it's better than half the stuff on campus."  Carth set down the red stained cloth he had picked up. "I don't know, but I heard it was something about public outrage at where it was being built. I think the city council tore down a church or something to build this place."  Hiela rummaged through her backpack and pulled out a flashlight. Shining it at the two of them, she said. "Are you guys going to spout trivia all day, or are we going to find Joan? Come on, my phone says his phone is up."  With that she made for the stair well. When she opened the door, she was greeted by pile of bones high enough to mostly block the stairs. There where femers, tibia, hips, and skulls. All of which Carth recognised from his Anatomy classes. They were all human bones. There was a long silence before "Jesus Christ!"  came out of Dominic, who then singed the holy cross on his body. "Nope."  Hiela closed the door, turned around, and started for the fire escape that sat on the out side of the building. "Nope. Nu uh. Not today."  She climbed out the broken window next to the stairwell and then reached for the chain that connected to the pull ladder. Carth and Dominic joined her shortly, "Having a bit of trouble there shortstop?"  Hiela hatted being reminded of her height, or lack there of, And both Carth and Dominic knew it. The attempt at a joke seemed to highlight the horror of what they had just seen, instead of distracting from it. Then Dominic, in all his 6 feet of glory, pulled the chain and ladder down with one hand.

   The three of them were climbing the ladders and stairs that comprised the fire escape when they heard a blood curdling scream. Suddenly the whole building shook as an earthquake hit the area. A blast of lightning hit the roof of the building just as they were reaching the top of the final ladder. When any of them could see again, what they saw would stick with them for the rest of their lives. There was tear in the air, light was bending around the edge of it and a red barren landscape could be seen through it. They also saw Joan, holding a long bone dagger. Said dagger was also sticking out of the skull of someone belt over an object on the other side of the roof.

"What the HELL IS GOING ON!"  Yelled Dominic once again.

Joan turned around. "Oh crap! I can explain later. Right now I need your help killing this guy."  

[psycho-slytherin]

Strangers ch. 30

Yoongi can’t find you.

Pairing: Yoongi x (female) Reader

Word count: 1.7k

Genre: fluff, angst

|mlist|

<–– Prev   Next ––>

Yoongi taps impatiently against the tinted window as the driver takes him to the hospital. He glances at his phone and bites his lip nervously– he’d much rather y/n be sleeping than deliberately ignoring him.

Yoongi: Y/n I’m sorry for being so accusatory [10:09]

Yoongi: Did you fall asleep? [10:23]

Yoongi: I’m just worried about you, I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I did [11:16]

Yoongi: Can I visit you? [11:37]

Minutes later, the car pulls up to the hospital. Pulling on the hat and face mask he usually wears out in public, Yoongi glances around the empty street before hopping out and thanking the driver.

The bright-eyed receptionist inside looks far too awake for the time of night.

“How can I help you?” She asks.

“Ah, I’m here to see l/n y/n in room 246?”

“Sorry,” she informs him. “Visiting hours are over.”

Yoongi grits his teeth beneath the mask. He didn’t want to have to do this, but the lobby is otherwise empty and if nothing else, he knows it will work.

Taking a deep breath, he pulls down his mask and flashes the receptionist a gummy smile. “Maybe you can make an exception?”

She lets out a shriek and claps her hand over her mouth. “S-Suga? Oh my god, wait, can you sign–” She scrambles for a notebook and pen, eventually holding both out, breathless, cheeks flushed red. “Oh my god. Can we take a photo together too? Please?”

“I’ll give you an autograph,” Yoongi says, laughing– no matter what, fans like these make him certain that his career choice was the best one. “But no pictures. I’m not supposed to be here– it’s a secret, okay?” He adds with a wink as he pulls his mask up.

“Okay,” the receptionist whispers, looking faint.

“Now, as for y/n?”

“Oh! Yes, right. You said room 246?” She taps the keyboard in front of her, until her face falls. “I’m sorry, looks like the patient was discharged a few hours ago.”

“Ah.” Y/n went home without telling him? Yoongi thought she’d ask him for a ride– she probably got one from Lisa, or took a taxi. Sighing, he goes back outside to call for the car, but he doesn’t walk more than half a block before stepping on something hard.

“Ow!” Lifting his shoe to inspect the damage, Yoongi’s heart drops into his knees. He didn’t step on a stone– lying on the cold pavement is a Starry Night charm, not unlike the one he gave y/n. Very much like the one he gave her, in fact. Was she so angry at him that she took off the necklace? But where’s the chain?

He turns on his phone flashlight and examines the ground nearby, straining his eyes until several meters away he sees a flash of silver. He picks up the abandoned chain and notices that she didn’t simply unclasp it– the chain itself is broken.

Yoongi feels a pit of dread in his stomach– where is she? He tries calling her one more time, to no avail. The gravel around the chain is kicked up, and even though he knows y/n’s probably asleep at home, Yoongi can’t help but feel a terrible uneasiness.

Maybe he should go visit her apartment. Would that be overstepping his bounds? Easing into creep territory? He’s been to her place before, although not under such adverse circumstances.

Still, finding the necklace strewn haphazardly on the asphalt makes him nervous. Y/n’s always wearing it when he sees her– honestly, it makes him every kind of happy that she does.

I’ll just visit, he decides, pocketing the glassy pendant and chain. The worst that can happen is that she tells him to leave. Or yells in his face. Or– and the thought makes his heart ache– she simply ignores him.

Yoongi texts his driver that he’ll be later than expected– y/n’s apartment isn’t too far away, he’ll make better time if he walks. Swinging his phone flashlight lazily, he heads towards her place. It’s cold, and he hopes she didn’t walk as well– her immune system must already be compromised after her collapse.

Red. What? Barely downriver from where he spotted the chain, Yoongi’s eyes catch a splash of red, bright red, painting the slanted cement wall on his side of the river. A flower? A balloon? Simply his imagination? Or... He nears the river’s edge, focusing his light on the cement edge, and gasps. Paint. No... it’s not drying in the way that paint does. It’s barely drying at all– the vertical splotch of color looks fresh, and only surrounds a sharp rock which juts out of the cement wall.

Yeah, okay. That might, just might be blood. The thought makes him queasy, and his uneasiness returns in spades. He hopes no one’s fallen in the river– why doesn’t it have railings on the side to prevent accidents?

“Hello?” He calls quietly, squinting at the rushing water in the dim light. While he should really get going to y/n’s, some annoyingly righteous part of his conscience doesn’t want to leave anyone behind. If someone’s fallen in the river, or gotten injured, they could freeze to death. He doesn’t hear any noise, but when his flashlight shines on a familiar-looking lump stuck in the river, his heart jolts. Isn’t that... isn’t that y/n’s coat?

Y/n hasn’t been answering her phone. Then the necklace. The blood. Her coat. Yoongi can hear his heart pounding in his chest as the pieces fall into place and the terrible realization crashes over him like a tsunami. Has y/n fallen into the river? Is she...?

Barely aware of his surroundings, Yoongi climbs down to the small platform by the river’s edge, the closest he can get without hopping into the water himself. Which is, if y/n were in there, something he might be tempted into doing.

It’s definitely y/n’s coat. It’s still got a black paint stain on the sleeve from when that asshole ex-boyfriend of hers got careless– Yoongi remembers her complaining about that some months ago. He looks around desperately for... what? A body? Movement is impossible to spot– the water looks black under the night sky, but what if she’s in there? Trapped, injured, worse... should he call the police? But then he’d have to explain why he, BTS’s Suga, was out at night, which would get everyone in trouble.

Y/n, y/n, y/n... what is this feeling, this terror, this ache in his chest as he stares frantically at the rushing river, so unsure of himself and of every action– Y/n, where are you?

“Y/n!” He calls desperately. “Y/n, are you there?”

No answer. Of course not. Why would there be? If she’s hurt, if she’s... worse, she wouldn’t be able to answer anyways. With a grunt he climbs back up to the midnight street, pulls out his phone, sets his number to anonymous, and calls the police.

“Seoul emergency services, what is your emergency?”

What is his emergency? Yoongi raises his voice above the running water and lowers his mask to be heard. “I think someone’s been hurt, I’m by a hospital–”

“You’re worried someone is injured...in a hospital?”

Yoongi narrows his eyes at the bored tone in the operator’s voice. “They were just outside the hospital.”

“Are you with this person?”

“No, I can’t find her.”

“So are you trying to file a Missing Persons case, sir?”

“Well, I don’t know if she’s missing.” It’s not like Yoongi can talk to y/n’s friends or family. He’s Suga.

“What is the emergency, then?”

“I found her coat in a river, and there’s something that looks like blood–”

“Are you certain it’s her coat, and that what you’ve seen is blood, sir?”

“I mean, I’m pretty sure...”

The operator sighs. “Unfortunately, if you’re not willing to report a person injured or missing, if you have no proof or witness to a wrongdoing, or even a confirmation as to who it is you believe has been hurt, there’s very little I can do, sir. What you have reported does not constitute an emergency.”

“But–” Yoongi gnashes his teeth in frustration. “I think something’s wrong- I don’t know where she is and she’s not answering her phone!”

“Perhaps due to the time of night, sir. Goodbye.”

Click.

“Son of a bitch!” Yoongi fights the urge to throw his phone in the river. “Fuck. Fuck!” Where is she? God, what if she’s... and the last interaction Yoongi had with her was an argument. The thought feels like a blade piercing his heart.

Yoongi can’t breathe for fear of what’s happened to y/n. He really can’t breathe, he can’t breathe... his heart feels like thunder in his chest and despite the cold he’s sweating, and when he falls to his knees he can’t feel the pavement below him because it feels like he’s still falling, falling forever, the walls of the world are closing in on him and it’s his fault, his fault, all his fault, if only he weren’t an idol, if only he weren’t Suga–

The tears fall before he notices they’re there, and the streaks of cold on his cheeks shock him. His phone rings and Yoongi answers with a trembling hand. It’s his driver, asking for his location.

“Don’t pick me up,” Yoongi croaks, his chest still heaving– it’s been too long since his last panic attack to let him recover so easily, and still he’s shaking, still his psyche feels shattered by the barrage of fear, of self-loathing. “Don’t pick me up. I’ll be home later. Don’t worry about me.”

The necklace feels heavy in his pocket and the wind worms its way through even his thick coat, but for all he notices, Yoongi might as well be numb already. Standing, he pulls his mask back up, wipes away his tears, takes a deep breath, and walks in the direction of all he has left of y/n.

[pixieungerstories]

Housemates 15

Kogan was waiting on a park bench.  He was wishing he smoked.  If he had a cigarette, the campus security guard wouldn’t be watching him so intently.  He would have a reason to be here.  As it was he was just lottering.  That wasn’t as socially acceptable as a cigarette break.

He snorted quietly to himself.  Yeah.  If he was out here getting lung cancer and sharing that opportunity with everyone who walked passed, he would be fine.  As it was not bothering anyone was going to get him in trouble.

The library was closed.  The campus coffee shop was closed.  He was a big scary orc, lurking in the dark, waiting to pick up a co-ed.  He stood up and went into the building.  He could waste some time if he found a bathroom and took a piss.  Maybe.  Vinny’s class was supposed to be over five minutes ago.  He didn’t want to miss her if she came out while he was hiding from security.  Part of the deal was someone to walk her home from these-

“Sir!  Can I see some ID?”

Shit.  Well, at least it was ‘sir’ and not ‘Hey! You!’  He knew this song and dance.  He turned and faced the man in his twenties, who was armed, but mostly holding a big flash light like a billy club.  “It’s in the inside pocket of my jacket.” He explained, moving slowly as he unzipped his coat.

“I bet you don’t have a student ID,” the kid snarked.

“Nope.  But I can show you my Veterans ID if it helps.”  Kogan handed the kid his drivers license.  The brat didn’t even look at it, but kept shining the light in Kogan’s eyes.

“Can you tell me your business on campus tonight, sir?”

“One of the people in my building is taking a Chem lab here tonight.  If you notice my address is right across the park.  She asked me to walk her home rather than have to cross campus alone in the dark.”

“Night labs were over ten minutes ago, sir.  Can you be more specific about which student or which class?”

“Chem 403, and her name -”

“Ah!” he interrupted with sudden understanding.  “Yeah.  Dr Gilchrist always goes at least ten - fifteen minutes long on these things.”  He tossed the wallet back at Kogan without more than glancing at the ID.  “Are you walking her home on Wednesday and Friday too?”

Kogan narrowed his eyes, “She said the lab was only Monday and Wednesday, but yeah, either me or someone from the building will be walking her home.”

“Kogan!  Hey, Stu!”

The security guy finally pointed his flashlight at the ground, “Vinny?  I thought you lived with your mom.”

“Yeah, well, I have Math in the morning and you know how it is.”

“If you are living just across the park, you can always call one of us to walk you home,” Stu offered.

“Nah, safe walks aren’t a priority and I don’t want to get stuck on campus for an extra hour if you are called out to something more exciting.  You giving Kogan a hard time?”

Without the light shining in his eyes, Kogan could read the security guard's ID, Stuart Johnstone.  He made a point of memorizing the employee number as well.

“Uh, yeah.  He’s lurking on campus, after dark, wearing a biker jacket.”

Vinny gave Stu an easy grin, “Well, no one is going to try anything when I have him walking me home.”

“Are you sure you want to leave with this guy, Vinny?”

“Absolutely.  He’s been driving me to church every Sunday all summer. Anyway, I have Math at 8AM, so we are going to head out.  Unless you want to card me too.”

Stu pretended to consider it.  “Nah.  Have a good night, Vinny,” and in a much cooler tone he added, “Kogan.”

Vinny looped her hand over Kogan’s elbow as she led him away.  That was new.  They were well into the park before she spoke.  “I am so sorry about Stuart.  I think he’s on nights so he doesn’t have to interact with people.”

Kogan just snorted. “Derick says I need to make you go to sleep because class tomorrow is early.”

Vinny nodded. “Straight home, brush my teeth, off to sleep. As soon as I just finish up a few notes.”

Two hours later, Kogan gave up on the pointed looks. He brought Thea into Vinny’s room. He walked over to the desk, closed her books and said, “You have a full day of classes tomorrow. You only have six hours to sleep. Now. Are you going to go to bed and stay there or do I need to make Thea tie you to the bed frame.

Vinny stared at him. Thea looked appalled. Kogan kept talking. “I mean it. Brush your teeth then go to sleep and since we’ve already had this conversation four times, what do you expect me to do to make it stick?  If you aren’t getting more sleep than you would at your Mom’s she isn’t going to let you stay here.”

Vinny scuttled off, brushed her teeth and put on her jammies in the bathroom then was back in her room and under the covers in a flash. Kogan was still watching.  Thea was still looking awkward.

“Right!” He announced.  Then he crawled into her bed with her. “Thea, you take the other side. And poke me if I snore.”  The drider looked decidedly uncomfortable with the idea, but rested his arachnoid half on the floor so that he could rest it humanoid half over the bed.  Vinny gave him a sleepy smile and pulled Thea’s arm around her as she let Kogan spoon her.

The kid was more tired than Kogan had guessed because it only took a few moments before her body went slack and her breathing slowed.  Thea tried to ease away from her.

“Don’t you dare!” Kogan hissed.  Thea froze.  “She could have asked you to leave.  If you really want to go, fine.  But this is your chance to get used to the idea of being close to her without sticking your foot in your mouth.”

Thea nodded and settled back onto the bed.

-----

Vinny woke with a curse when her alarm went off.  She knew she wasn’t running with Derick on Tuesdays and Thursdays now that classes had started, but it was still a jolt thinking she was late.  She wiggled away from Thea, crawled over a snoring Kogan, grabbed her clothes and headed to her bathroom to get ready.  It was surprisingly cool that morning.  She made a note to find some slippers and make sure the curtains were closed before bed.

As she bounced into the kitchen and headed to the industrial grade coffee pot,  She waved at Derick eating his supper before bed.  Tristan threw another bagel into the toaster for her.

“Supper tonight will be a little early.  I’m making stew so that everyone one can help themselves when they are ready.”

Bazur nodded as he read the paper.  “What is on that you need to be out of here early?”

Vinny made her coffee and carried it to the table.  “Today I have two classes from eight until eleven, homework from noon until three, then shopping and cooking so that I can be at work at the coffee shop from seven to ten.  Then I come home and start all over.”

“When do you sleep?” Bazur asked.

Vinny blinked as she sipped her coffee.  “From eleven until six, then running before breakfast and back to class.  Monday, Wednesday and Friday I have three classes, 9am, 10am and 12pm. Then homework, grocery shopping, and cooking dinner before my Monday/Wednesday lab from 7:30 to 10:30.”

“Closer to 10:45,” Kogan rumbled from the stairs.  “Then homework until almost 1am or I threaten you to make you sleep. And you are working 8-4 on the weekend. This doesn’t seem sustainable.”

“It’ll be fine.  I don’t have the party lifestyle.  Trust me, I’ve been managing for the last three years.  I got this.”

Tristan cleared his throat, “I bet that your mom has been taking care of groceries and cooking for the last three years.”

“Yeah, but I also had a hour bus ride to and from campus everyday.”  The guys around the table shared a look.  “What?” she asked.

It was Dren that cleared his throat.  “You could study on the bus.  The time you are working for us is coming out of your sleep time isn’t it?”

Vinny looked a little guilty. “It will be fine,” she repeated.  “I only have a year left.  It will be fine.”

No one said anything.

It took less than two weeks for it to become apparent that it wasn’t fine.  The second Sunday after classes started she fell asleep on the bus on her way to work.  She missed the start of her shift and had to get a cab from the end of the bus line to the cafe.  The cab fare ate up most of the income for the day. She also got a lecture from her boss not to make a habit of it.  Her concentration was shot.  She was making mistakes in customer orders and her penmanship deteriorated to the point where she was having a hard time reading her notes.

She came home and while the chickens were roasting, tried to figure out her budget to see if she could give up the weekday shifts at the cafe.  There was lots of muttered curses at the computer.

Kevin was watching from the shadows, “Why don’t you get a loan?”  Vinny froze.  “Lots students have loans,” he continued.

“I can’t.”

“I know it would suck, but it would only be one year, not four.”

“No.  I really can’t.  My father makes too much money for me to qualify for an official student loan and I can’t get a line of credit without a co-signer.  Ma’s credit is still shot from the divorce so she can’t.”

“And your dad won’t co-sign for you?”  It was the wrong thing to say.  Kevin could tell as soon as it was out.  There wasn’t away to take it back.

“My father is busy with his new family and his younger wife out west.  We haven’t had so much as a Christmas card from eight years.  I did call to ask when I first got into school.  He told me to figure it out.  Said it would help me build character.”  Vinny closed her laptop with a snap and went upstairs to her room.  

Kevin kept an eye on the chicken.  When Vinny didn’t come back downstairs, he was the one to turn off the oven when the timer beeped.

[smolboiseavey]

Untitled // a horror story about Why Don’t We

**the only people included are Jack, Jonah, Daniel, Corbyn and Christina. This story was originally written for my creative writing class, and when I was writing it I couldn’t fit Zach in. Their personalities are also slightly different because of this. Also, sorry in advanced for the weird spacing. Tumblr is being stupid.

Taglist: @jackshappiness @katie-avery @grace-nadine-limelight @softavery

Summary: the group decides to explore an abandoned hospital for Halloween. Their adventure takes a dark turn for the worse.

2556 words

~~~

“So what are the plans for Halloween this year?” Daniel asks over the loud buzz of students, sitting down next to Christina. It was currently last period, and like every day during October, Jonah and his friends were talking about Halloween.

Jonah shrugs, moving his dark hair out of his face for possibly the hundredth time today. “I was just going to stay home again this year,” he says, “you guys know I never really had an interest in Halloween stuff.”

“What, you scared or somethin’?” Jack scoffs, pulling his varsity bomber jacket around himself. “No, it’s actually the complete opposite,” Jonah explains, “All the horror stuff isn’t scary at all to me.”

“Yeah, Jonah’s never been scared of anything.” Corbyn agrees next to him, reaching over and stealing one of Jack’s chips. “Okay, but that doesn’t answer my question guys! Halloween is literally tomorrow and we still haven’t figured out what we’re going to do.” Daniel complains, exasperated. “Ooh! How about we go explore that abandoned hospital that’s like 10 minutes away from my house?” Jack suggests, “That would be pretty fun.”

“I dunno, it seems kind of dangerous.” Christina says worriedly, “Didn’t you see the news?”

“Wait, what happened?” Corbyn asks. Christina sighs, showing him her phone. On the bright LCD display was an article from the local news. “Oh gosh…” He trails off, reading further into the article. His eyes widen with shock. “There’s a murderer on the loose. In this area.” He says, “it's way too dangerous to go out there at night. Let’s just skip out on going somewhere and stay home.”

“Come on, man, don’t be like that! I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Jack says, hitting his arm playfully. Corbyn sits for a minute, thinking. Christina rolls her eyes at his comment, turning back down to the story. Daniel bounces up in his seat, his eyes lighting up. “Going to an abandoned hospital sounds like tons of fun! I wonder what we’ll find there…” he says, smiling. “Yeah, I guess I’ll tag along.” Corbyn announces finally, “as long as Christina goes too.” Christina stares at him with disbelief. “Seriously?” He nods vigorously.

“Ugh! Fine, whatever. But if anything bad happens, I’m leaving.” she sighs. “What about you, Jonah?” Jack asks.

“I guess I could go too.” Jonah replies, shrugging. “Awesome! So are we meeting up at Jack’s house tomorrow night?” Daniel asks, jumping up. “Yeah. Well there we go, we have plans for Halloween!” Jack says as the bell rings. They rise from our seats, gathering their things. Everyone goes their separate ways, as it’s the end of the school day. Jonah starts walking to his car, only to be stopped by someone tapping his shoulder. He turns to find Christina, a worried look on her face. “Are you okay?” she asks.

“Yeah, I’m fine. You should know by now, I don’t get scared or anything by those sort of things.” Jonah replies, giving her a smile. She sighs, returning the smile.

“If you say so,” she says with a chuckle, “I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

“Christina, I’m fine, seriously. You don’t have to act like my mom all the time. Go worry about your man, he needs you to hover over him at all times.” Jonah says.

“Corbyn is not my man-” she gasps, “you know what, whatever, you’re right. Just remember you don’t have to follow them around if you don’t want to.” Jonah grins, unlocking his car. “I could give you the same advice.” he says, “Just relax. Have fun Tina.” She rolls her eyes at her nickname, a smile creeping onto her lips. “I’ll try.” Christina says, “Well cya tomorrow night, I’m going to go find Corbyn now.” She walks off, leaving Jonah alone in the school parking lot once more.

~~~

“Psst! Corbyn!”

Jack throws the tenth rock at Corbyn’s window, getting up from his spot in the grass. The window screeches open, revealing the sleepy boy.

“What do you want Jack? It’s literally one a.m.” he says with a yawn, rubbing his eye gently. “I have an idea for tomorrow. Come downstairs.” Jack replies, playing with a small stone in his right hand. Corbyn sighs, closing the window shut. A few moments later he trudges outside, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. “Oh dang, the glasses are on.” Jack says jokingly.

“Shut it, will you? I didn’t feel like putting in my contacts.” Corbyn replies with a small laugh. “Now, what did you want? Couldn’t you have just texted me?”

“Yeah I guess, but I already went out and told everyone else. Plus, your house is literally across from mine.” Jack says in defense. “Anyway, do you want to hear what I have to say or not?”

“Yeah yeah, go ahead.”

“We’re going to scare Jonah.”

“What?”

“Yep! We’re making it happen.” Jack declares with a smile.

“Seriously?” Corbyn sighs, “Don’t get your hopes up. He doesn’t get scared.”

“Come on, Corbs, I’m sure we could scare him eventually. Especially in that abandoned hospital!”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Corbyn says, “So what are we doing to scare him?”

“I already told everyone else but we’re all posing as possibly the scariest things ever, and we’re going to lure him deep into the abandoned hospital and like, scare him.” Jack explains, a smile creeping onto his face. “I have a fake axe and mask ready for you at my house.”

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Corbyn asks, “Especially in an abandoned hospital? Someone could get hurt.”

“Come on, it’ll be okay!” Jack replied coolly, “No one will get hurt or whatever.”

“Okay okay, fine. I’ll help.” Corbyn lets out another sigh.

“Awesome! See you tonight!”

~~~

The day everyone had been anticipating had finally come. It was around sunset on Halloween. The sound of trick-or-treaters going from house to house echoed in the usually quiet town. Children’s laughter could be heard for miles. Jack, Daniel, Christina and Corbyn were busy getting the pranks ready, putting the final touches on multiple traps and costumes. Jonah sat in his room, as he did for most of the day, reading. “So um...how are we going to meet up with Jonah? We’re kind of uh…” Christina gestured to the special effects makeup on her face, making it seem as though her throat was slit. “Well, we look like we’re dead. We can’t just approach him.”

“I already texted him to meet us there at 6:30.” Jack replies, “Don’t worry about a thing, I have everything under control.” Corbyn tucks a strand of his icy blond hair behind his mask.

“Awesome! Are we going to the hospital now?” Daniel asks excitedly. “Yep! Go ahead and hop in the truck, I need to grab something.” Jack says, unlocking his truck with his key. As his friends gather in the vehicle Jack walks inside, grabbing an aged, rusted knife from his kitchen. He prances back to the truck, hiding the knife in a compartment in the truck bed.

“Ready?” He asks, hopping onto the driver’s seat. A chorus of agreements fill the compartment as Jack pulls out of the driveway. They make the quick journey to the abandoned hospital and set up all the pranks they had prepared during the day. The sun had sunk deeper below the horizon, casting the building in dark ominous shadows. Jack met up with Jonah at the entrance, while the others hid in various locations inside the hospital.

“So are you excited?” Jack says, handing Jonah a flashlight.

“I guess.” Jonah replies, giving him a shrug. “It’s better than babysitting again.” Jack pries open the broken glass doors and walks in, Jonah right behind him. Wooden boards were pinned unevenly over windows, the tile floor was broken and patchy. The main room was dark, other than a few flickering lights here and there. The smell of mold and decaying wood got stronger as they ventured further in, passing what seemed like a reception desk. The two continued past rows of plastic chairs, their bright rainbow colors faded and the plastic cracked and worn in. Rusted needles and metal tools lay scattered on the floor. Jack took the lead and walked further down the empty hall, shining his flashlight around. “Let’s go in here.” He says, stopping in front of a door. He walks in, a bored Jonah right behind. “Yep, just what I expected. Normal hospital bed, normal chairs, normal everything. Can we continue?” Jonah says in a monotone voice, shining a light on the furniture in the room. “Way to ruin the mood, Jo.” Jack groans. All of a sudden, a dark figure pops up from behind the blood-stained hospital bed. Deafening screeches filled the room, making Jack jump. Jonah looks up at the person.

“Oh, hey Christina.” He says with a smile. She lets out a laugh, peeling the gory mask from her face.

“How’d you know?” Jack asks, confused.

“Her nails. The rainbow holo is kind of hard to miss.” Jonah replies, chuckling.

“I told you it wouldn’t work! I even scared you!” She exclaims.

Jack sighs, walking out of the room, stepping around shards of broken glass. “Whatever. Let’s just go.” The trio continues deeper into the abandoned hospital, guided by Jack and the small light of his flashlight. They take a left and continue down the narrow hall, avoiding various dangers.

“Ooh! Let’s go here!” Jack says suddenly, taking a sharp turn into another room.

Christina and Jonah follow shortly after, Jack scouting ahead like he had before.

“Woah look at this!” Jack points to a wooden table in the corner, covered in dried blood. It had multiple scratches and deep cuts, as if it had been struck by a blade multiple times. “Why would they have that in a modern hospital??” Christina asks suspiciously, shining her flashlight on it.Just as Jonah walked up to it, a large, rusted metal axe slams down on the aged table, almost splitting it in half. Jack yelps, jumping back. Christina runs behind Jonah, getting away from the weapon in front of them. Jonah just stands there, unphased. A person appears from the shadows, a mask covering their face also. A small tuft of blond peaked out from behind the disguise. “Oh, you were in on it too. Hello, Corbyn.”

“Darn, I totally thought that would work on you.” Corbyn replies, his words dripping in sarcasm. He takes off the mask, a sly smiles on his face. “Corbyn! You didn’t have to slam the axe that hard!” Christina exclaims, hitting his arm.

“Okay okay, I’m sorry Tina, I didn’t mean to scare you too.” he says with a laugh.

“You’re so going to pay for that-”

“Wait, Jonah didn’t get scared?” Jack says, interrupting the couple abruptly.

“Nope.” Jonah replies, moving his dark hair out of his face. “Can we just continue before Christina murders Corb?”

“Ugh! Fine, whatever. Let’s keep going.” he storms off, walking out of the room. “I tried to tell him.” Corbyn says with a shrug as the trio proceeds to follow their friend. Christina pulls her long, dark brown hair into a ponytail.

“You should know by now Jack is way too stubborn to listen.” She replies.

“Why is he doing all this anyway?” Jonah asks.

“He’s determined to scare you. Like, seriously determined.” Christina says, looking up at the moldy wooden beams on the ceiling. “Weird, but not really. I guess he thought he was up to the challenge.” He says with a chuckle. “Too bad it’s not gonna work.” By now, Jack was nowhere to be seen, but no one paid any mind to that. The group decided to go back to the main lobby, taking a different path. Jonah now took the lead, Corbyn and Christina right behind him. They walked down the lengthy pathway, Jonah going slightly ahead. He comes up to a fork in the hall.

“Boo!” Daniel pops out from behind a wall on the right, making two out of the three jump. “Hi Daniel, glad you could join us.” Jonah says with a laugh. Daniel joins in on the laughter, turning on his flashlight. “Darn, I still didn’t scare you! I don’t know how you do it, Jo.”

“I’m sure you’ll get me eventually.” he replies, ruffling the boy’s hair playfully. “God, I wish! You’re impossible.” Daniel states, shoving his arm away with a smile.

“Well I’m glad we finally found you! I was starting to get worried.” Christina says from behind them.“What?” Corbyn makes the turn and joins them. “Oh, hey Daniel!”

The four friends pick their way through the labyrinth of halls, finally making it back to the main lobby. Everyone was relieved, finally out of the dangerous hospital, but something was off. The lobby looked like a normal lobby, a drastic change from its former run-down state. A few of the fluorescent lights on the ceiling even flickered here and there. “Well that’s kind of odd.”

“Kind of odd?!?!” Christina screams dramatically, “This is terrifying! Someone else is here!”

“Christina.”

“What if they know we’re here?? What if they’re stalking us?!”

“Tina!”

“What if it’s that m-murderer that’s on the loose?! I told you guys this was a bad idea!! We’re so dead-”

“Christina Marie Harris! Calm down.” Corbyn yells, shaking her. “Take a deep breath. It’s going to be okay.” She stands there silent for a few seconds, taking deep breaths. “I think I’m okay now.”

Jonah turns to Daniel, who has been oddly quiet on the journey back.

“Are you okay?” He asks the small brunette, concern laced in his tone. His usually bright blue eyes dark up to meet his hazel ones.

“Jack isn’t here.”

His eyes widen with realization, running a hand through his hair. “You’re right.”

“Guys, have you seen Jack anywhere?” Daniel asks, confused and scared.

“No, not since he stormed off earlier.” Corbyn replies.

“Oh. I thought he was with you guys.” The four now stood in a circle, right in the middle of the lobby. A small hole in the ceiling above them let in small slivers of moonlight. “Maybe we should call him or something.” Jonah suggests. “Wait, but we left our phones back in the truck.” Daniel sighs, distressed. Jonah pulls out his phone, pressing the power button. A small battery symbol flashes on the screen, indicating that the device is dead. “Welp, there goes that.”

“Maybe we should go look for him. We could retrace our steps and try to find him or-”

“Miss me?” A deep voice rumbles through the room, cutting Corbyn off.

“What was that??” Daniel whisper yells, huddling closer to Christina. Jonah sighs, shaking his head. “Seriously guys? That wasn’t even that scary. Nothing to worry about, I bet Jack is just pranking us-”

His eyes go wide with shock. A knife thrust through his heart to the other side, revealing itself to his friends. A scream leaves someone’s mouth. Corbyn pushes the two remaining behind him, shoving them to safety. The now dirty knife is taken out of Jonah’s lifeless corpse, which falls to the ground with a thump. His hazel eyes still open, still shining with fear. He lay on the ground, dead.

Jack steps out from behind them, a menacing grin on his chapped lips.

“Now, who’s next?”

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