#found me out immediately cuz of the way i kept addressing her. i kept calling her name ''marianne''

[aria0fgold]

I had a dream with a pretty neat (yet messy cuz dreams are like that) story that featured yuri in the scale of "this girl is so in love with her boss but hides it in fear of her boss rejecting her so she's just content to be of service to her" and "the boss not knowing what to do with her own feelings towards the girl and also fearing of being rejected by her just kept calling her as "the best friend I've ever had" instead of being outright with it."

Somehow I ended up as an accidental wingman by disguising myself as the girl and when found out I was like: "Oh yeah and... if you're going to confess, can you actually like-- drop the "friend" thing? You're gonna end up in a deep misunderstanding cuz of that." Cuz during the time I was disguised as that girl, the boss was saying some INSANELY sweet things only to end it with "that's why I love you, as a Friend!"

[legends-live-in-memories]

Downtown Detour

ayo its ya boi back with more timari and ignoring my wips cuz im plagued with timari brainrot

written in the same au as: 

Rooftop Rendezvous and 

Alleyway Altercation (NSFW)

AO3 link to the series

Timari 2.2K words, no warnings other than references to intimate relations

Summary:

“Red Robin makes a breakthrough in his investigation of the new Gotham Rogue and goes to confront her about it.”

without further ado

Tim could not believe this. The new Rogue, Karma—Marinette Dupain-Cheng— had been spotted a total of three times since their last encounter by either his brothers or the cops and none have been able to subdue her for more than fleeting seconds. She was caught breaking into a politician’s house when the man was away on another one of his exotic hunting trips; another artefact was stolen from the museum after that, one they were unable to retrieve; and finally she was last seen escaping from Robin by the mayor’s office, only no one know what was taken from there. All three times she was spotted and nothing to show for it other than bruised egos and missing items. 

During his little investigation into her supposed civilian name, he came across a series of interesting police reports from Paris, France of all places. A penchant for grand theft auto since her teenage years as well as a series of vandalism and reports of stolen student records from her high school at the time. There was even a rescinded expulsion, a litany of suspensions and a plethora of unexcused absences. She was a cookie cutter criminal in the making. But for Tim, it didn’t make sense. While all the evidence points to a child delinquent grown into an adult criminal, something about the situation set Tim’s teeth on edge. There was something missing. Something she wanted Tim to find out, if her giving him her name was anything to go by. But what?

She had no local address on file and the last piece of legal information that had any traceable location was a one-way ticket to Shanghai from four years ago. Immediately after her high school graduation. All her social media was deleted around the same time. She had effectively gone off the grid up until her emergence as a part of Gotham less than stellar night life. But why?

A closer look at her time in Paris led him to discover an interesting trend but it wasn’t anything concrete. Starting about when Karma—Marinette— was thirteen, her unexcused absences lined up with some of their infamous akuma attacks. While at first it could be argued that many children had unexcused absences in the beginning, and she had less than perfect attendance even before then, her disappearances also coincided with attacks far from her school which was where she should have been at those times. Then there were reports filed by police who spoke with her parents about her sneaking out at night which also lined up with notable akuma attacks. Either she was an overzealous fan of the city’s temporary heroes, or she was constantly in the thick of the action and kept it a secret from people close to her, letting her reputation suffer for it.

‘Trust me, I know all about acting in the name of the greater good. The good-girl act got tiring after a few years,’ she had said. ‘Much more rewarding to give into your own self-interests,’ she continued. ‘Something you could try emulating.’

Her words echoed in his mind. He never thought much of them before, his mind preoccupied with other things her mouth was doing that night. It could also be chalked up to everyone being the hero of their own story and she had just coloured her own experiences. But just maybe… 

Before he could entertain that train of thinking, his phone alarm was alerting him of his scheduled patrol. Hopefully he could catch a hold of his current person of interest and get some more answers. And perhaps get a read on what her intentions are in this city. With him.

~~~~~~~~

The skyline was a welcoming sight as he flung himself from building to building. The wind beneath him carried him across the sky like an actual bird and the thrill of the freefall lit his nerves on fire. His route was quiet but his appearance should coax out a certain thief. Red Hood was investigating a weapons smuggling deal that was set to take place by the Gotham Harbour. Nightwing was back in Bludhaven with Signal, introducing him to nighttime patrol. Robin and Black Bat were tracking a drug deal that was rumoured to disrupt the balance of the Narrows. Spoiler was with Batman doing their regular routes and Batwoman was doing her own thing somewhere. Oracle, as always, was on standby on comms and monitoring everything. This was the perfect opportunity for Karma to strike so Red Robin just had to be patient. The night was young.

An hour into his sweep of the city and Oracle was patching him into a radio call about a break-in in some pawnshop back in the Fashion District. It wasn’t on his route tonight but Oracle figured that with their likely suspect, and his arrangement with her, he was their best shot at apprehending her. If only temporarily. 

He arrived at the pawnshop without fanfare and found the storefront window broken into. Further inspection led him face to face with the object of his affection. Karma was posed calmly behind the cashier counter rifling through an assortment of jewelry that was left on display in the glass cases. It was only the faint twitch in her eyebrow that indicated her awareness of his presence. Other than that he went completely ignored. That won’t do. Not tonight. He approached her slowly and stopped on the other side of the counter, leaning into her space. He could faintly smell her rose-scented perfume. Her strawberry shampoo. Even the cherry lip gloss she wears under the mask. He’s tasted it enough times to know how strong it was. For a vision clad in black she was rather fond of red flavours. 

“Can I help you, Tweety Bird?” her voice was soft, sprinkled with faux indifference, not wanting to disrupt the background noise of rings and necklaces clanking together. She hasn’t looked at him once.

“Breaking and entering and attempted theft are serious crimes, Karma.” He saw a faint twitch of amusement in her eyebrow but her posture was relaxed and non-assuming.

“That’s not why you’re here. That’s not why I’m here either.” Her eyes sweep up to him as she stops searching the jewelry. She’s staring intently at him as if he’s to understand the meaning behind the words she’s not saying. He does. They’ve played this back and forth before. Danced their little tango of push and pull. 

“You wanted to see me then? Thought this was the best way to get my attention, hmm?” He leaned in, pressing his weight more into the counter. She matched his advance and propped her face in the palm of her hand. Her finger tapped on her mask. He figured if the accessory wasn’t there she’d be biting that finger instead. 

“Well it worked. Didn’t it? You’re here after plenty of time to conduct a rather thorough investigation into who I am. Or was.” She took off the mask, finally, and he was right. Her lips were shining in the dim light of the night with the familiar hues of her lip gloss. He presses on to not let himself get distracted by the slight smile on her face.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, daughter of Tom Dupain and Sabine Cheng. Paris, born and raised. Above average student in terms of grades but a disciplinary streak about a hundred miles wide.” At this her head tilts in amusement. Her faint nod encourages him to divulge all the aspects of his research. “Absences and tardies more often than any recorded presences. About twelve suspensions in the span of three years and a rescinded expulsion when you were about fourteen. A couple run-ins with the police in regards to charges of theft and property destruction.” Her face scrunched in an adorable pout at that as if it were a reminder of an embarrassing moment and not outlines of criminal offenses.  

“Definitely not my finer moments, I assure, but keep going. You’re doing so well,” she interrupted him. She had shifted so that she could jump over the counter and sit atop it, her legs crossed and her arms bearing her weight behind her. Red Robin was temporarily silenced by the arch in her back and the lean lines of her exposed neck. He rose to his full height; just barely reaching her shoulder, due to her new vantage point. 

“You disappeared after your high school graduation, my investigation says you ran off to Shanghai but I believe there’s more to it than that.” She had uncrossed her legs to accommodate him between them and drew him closer by his shoulders. Acting on instinct, his arms found purchase on her waist and he was brushing the pad of his gloved thumb across the exposed skin. It was uncharacteristically soft but neither heeded mind to it.

“You think there’s more to me than that?” She leans in, almost breathing the same air as him. “You’d be the first,” she continued while snaking a hand up his neck to scratch lightly at his scalp. The touch sent shivers down his spine and had his toes curling in anticipation.

“So tell me then,” he licked his lips and stared at her through the film of his mask. “What is Paris’s Lady Luck doing here causing mischief in Gotham?” The question was a gamble and could upset the rapport he had with Karma. He was the team’s only lead on her, for better or worse, and he didn’t want to ruin whatever it was between them.

It was probably the right thing to say though, because she hasn’t left him yet but instead was staring at him with something indescribable in her eyes. Excitement? Approval? Affection? Red Robin wasn’t sure what to make of the glimmer of emotion in her eyes other than to take it as a good sign.

“You got this far in your investigation, Tweety Bird,” she leaned in closer, just a hair’s width away. “Why ruin the chase and tell you everything now?” Her lips were brushing against his as she spoke and the cherry flavour was almost distracting. His tongue peaked out to swipe a stronger taste. The arms around her waist tightened and he pulled her to the edge of the counter, her legs wrapping around him on instinct.

“Surely you could reward me for figuring out this much, right?” His voice was pitched so low if she wasn’t already breathing in his words he would have worried that she didn’t hear him. “After all, it’s not everyday someone discovers the identity of the allusive Ladybug.”

“The bird wants a reward, does he?” She finally sealed his lips with hers, stealing any half-baked retort he might have had. This kiss was different from the multitude they’ve exchanged in their times together, carrying over the unanswered emotions from their last encounter and introducing new ones into the mix. The air felt still and cool on his face and the fingers in his hair tightened even further. 

They were like that for what felt like hours but was merely a few minutes; just calmly exchanging kisses, nothing straying beyond that silently defined line. They didn’t need anymore for tonight. Karma had taken to progress this further by trailing her lips to the sharp cut of his jaw. She alternated between small kisses and even smaller bites as she made her way up to his ear. Her breath was warm against the shell of his ear and he leaned into the faint contact. A lick and a bite later, her lips were curled up into a smirk as her hand in his hair held him in place. 

They stayed like that for moments lost to time. Neither making the next move, nerves buzzing with anticipation. He felt an itch for more that only she could scratch and she was denying him that satisfaction. Despite that he made no inclination to instigate more, letting the ball stay in her court. After more silent minutes he felt rather than heard her chuckle against his ear. She jumped off the counter, pressing every curve of her body against his. Even then, he unconsciously tried to pull her closer, pressing her against his front and the tempered glass of the counter. Before he could do as he pleased with his new leverage, she wiggled out of his grasp and moved towards the broken storefront window, mask in hand. 

“It was great to see you tonight,” she throws a glance over her shoulder, readjusting the mask over the lower half of her face. “And I’m glad my assumptions of you were right.”

“What assumptions? What do you mean?” The confusion was almost palpable beneath the traces of cherries. He moved to reach for her, to keep her here for a bit longer. To explain herself. To not leave him. She evaded his grasp and leapt out the broken window. From outside the building she turned to him and aimed what was clearly Red Robin’s grappling hook out to the nearest building.

Instead of answering him she chuckled and tilted her head in amusement at his growing distress. 

“See you around, Tim.” Her parting words were lost to the air as she shot off with the grapple into the night. Red Robin stood frozen, rooted in place at the use of his civilian name. How did she know? Who exactly did he decide to get entangled with? Among the cacophony of new questions one thing was for certain.

He was utterly fucked.

[arvinsescape]

I have a request: Tom making a new movie, but no one knows he is making the movie (other than the reader and hus family). So when a behind the scenes pic got leaked, and it was a pic of him and his co-star kissing, people thought that he either was cheating or that they broke up. He couldn't tell them that it was for a movie, cuz of his contract, but he also didn't want any drama happening.

A/N: Hi! Sorry it took me a while to get back to you! I really liked this request because i feel like it explored the idea of reader being as supportive as they possibly can through a chaotic time!! Thank you so much for the request.

Warnings: Couple of swear words.

Tom was incredibly stressed out, he’d been cast in a new movie that was coming out and no one knew about it, it was being kept completely secret and only his close friends and family knew about it. The problem wasn’t keeping it quiet, Tom was contractually obliged to keep it quiet and he was doing well. However, someone had managed to catch a picture of him kissing his co-star, all completely innocent and part of filming.

He’d gotten up to see his social media having gone insane. Of course the internet now believed that he had been caught cheating on you or that you’d broken up. He was stressed because he couldn’t address it and it made his heart sink as he thought about all the hate you were going to get off the back of this. You were still asleep at this moment in time and he’d decided he was going to ring his agent as he made his way downstairs.

“Hey, any chance we can address this?” He got straight to the point.

“Tom.” She sighed. “I don’t know, your contract explicitly states that you can’t talk about this.”

“But the entire world now thinks I’ve either cheated on Y/N or broken up with her. What about her? My work should not affect her like this, it’s not fair.” He gritted out as he sighed and boiled the kettle.

“Look, I’ll call the director, hang tight and I’ll get back to you.” She said.

“Thanks, talk to you in abit.” He said as he put the phone down as you entered the kitchen, looking at him with furrowed brows as you took in his stressed demeaner.

“You okay?” You asked through a yawn as you stretched. You looked so content and Tom felt awful that he was about to ruin your morning.

“Have you been online today?” He asked carefully.

“No, I need caffeine before I deal with how much my phone is buzzing, why?” You said as you cuddled his side. “So warm.” You mumbled against the skin of his bicep and he moved his arms so he was holding you properly.

“There’s some pictures from yesterdays take.” He said and you hummed in response as you nuzzled your face into his chest, seeking his warmth, he really is like a human radiator. He sighed before he continued.

“So there’s the pictures of me kissing her and I can’t address it, so now the whole world thinks we’ve either split up or I’ve cheated on you.” He said as he kissed your head and squeezed you closer to him. He expected you to rip yourself from his grip but you didn’t.

“Okay, so what do we do?” You asked calmly.

“Wait, you’re not mad?” He asked as he pulled you back to look at him and you shrugged.

“I mean, it’s not a great feeling but this was always a possibility.” You said.

“I just don’t know what to do, I’m contractually obliged not to say anything about this film but I feel like I need to say something to defend you, you know.” He mumbled.

“I appreciate that Tom, really I do.” You sighed. “But this is your career, I suppose we just ride it out until the film comes out.”

“What? That’s ages away. I’m not having that, I am not having the world believe I’m a cheat and I’m not having them believe we broke up. I’m just gonna address it, fuck them.” He said as he picked his phone up and you instantly grabbed it off him.

“Tom, think about this. You’re excited for this, don’t go losing the role over this.” You said as you gave him a sad smile and he felt his anger bubble.

“Over what? A role? Y/N, I can get different roles, ones that don’t mean you get caught in the crossfire anymore than you already do.” He snapped and you sighed.

“Just, for once Tom, please don’t think about me. Think about you and how important this is. We can just lay low for a while and then when the film comes out you can explain then. But this isn’t just about me or you, this is about all the other people in the film.” You reasoned.

“It’s not worth it.” He sighed as he felt tears brim is eyes. “I’m waiting for my agent to call me back.” He said and you smiled.

“Okay, then see what she says.” You comforted and as if on que she called him back. You made your way out of the room so he could talk to her and went to get dressed.

“What did he say?” Tom asked straight away and she sighed.

“You’re not gonna like it but he wants you to say nothing, you have to stick to the contract.” She said and Tom felt his tears fall at that.

“So I just need to expect her to be okay with it?” Tom said. “I mean she’s okay now but what about in a month when things get bad online?” He said as he ran a hand through his hair.

“I don’t know Tom, I’m sorry but your only real option would be to pull out of production and even then you can’t address what people saw.” She sighed.

“Fuck.” He sighed. “Look, I’m gonna go, thank you for trying.”

“No problem. Tom, she’s supportive you know. She’ll stand by you with this.” She said as they both put the phone down.

You reappeared ten minutes later and found Tom crying on the couch, you immediately sat next to him as you pulled him into your chest.

“I can’t do anything.” He admitted in defeat.

“Tom, it’s okay. It’s only for a short time, I know the announcement is in four months and that seems like a long time but it’s okay, we can get through it.” You comforted him as you ran your hands through his hair and he sighed.

“That’s not the point though. It’s so fucking unfair.” He sobbed and your heart shattered at his turmoil.

“Look,” you sighed. “I’ll lay low, stay out of sight and not address it, I’ll stay off social media. Then in a few months we can address it then.” You said and he sniffled as he looked at you.

“So you’re saying that we don’t go out together for four months and let people think what they want?” He asked and you smiled sadly.

“Baby, I’ll always support you and this is part of it. You might not like it but people will know the truth eventually. It’s okay, I’m gonna support you and if that means we have to make a hard choice, so be it. Look, we know the truth and our families know the truth, that’s all that truly matters, yeah?” You said and he sniffled as he huffed.

“I still don’t like it but okay. Thank you baby, thank you for being as supportive you always are, I love you.” He said as he pulled you into a sweet kiss.

[shyneanon]

Been a while since I wrote a one-shot of my own inspiration! I had a bit of writer’s block, but I thought of something, and here it is! Just a little one-shot about Classic Sans that I wrote way too late at night.

---

Whenever Sans and Papyrus went to the grocery store, Sans would joke about sitting in the cart like a child. Paps’ frustrated responses were amusing.

But obviously such a thing wasn’t actually possible, so Sans had to stick with walking. It could be hard to keep up with his brother, so a lot of the time Papyrus just let him watch the cart while he strode around grabbing everything they needed. Goodness knew he was strong enough to.

This was one of those moments, so Sans lay his head on the handle to the cart, resting it. Man, it was cold near the dairy section. But his hoodie kept him warm, so he started to feel his consciousness slip away.

He noticed movement and his eyesockets instinctively blinked open. It was just a person; a girl, specifically, shopping nearby. Well, it was a distraction from falling asleep, and Paps got upset when he fell asleep, so he kept his eyes on you.

It looked like you weren’t used to this store; you were taking a while to find everything, and your eyelids would flutter in confusion as you glanced around the shelves.

You had long lashes….

Sans blinked, and attempted to shake the thought off. Random observation. It happens.

You grabbed something and gently brushed your hair out of your face so that you could read it. Your fingers looked really delicate…. And your hair looked so soft…. Sans watched it move as you unconsciously adjusted it. He found himself growing more awake as he watched, though he wasn’t sure why.

As you picked up something else and started reading it, you shifted your weight so that it was mostly resting on one leg. Sans’ gaze travelled down to your waist.

C… Curvy….

More messing with your hair. Sans… liked it when you did that….

You turned around, putting one of the items in your cart, and Sans got a proper look at you.

He didn’t notice when he mumbled, “Whoa.”

“SAAANS!”

He jumped, and looked over at his brother, who was glaring down at him. “What?”

“I SAID YOUR NAME AT LEAST FIVE TIMES, SANS!” He turned, following Sans’ previous gaze. “WHAT ARE YOU…”

He saw you and blinked. You were in the middle of checking your phone. You leaned forward a bit and your pose accentuated your curves; for some reason Sans suddenly felt very flustered and he glanced away. Was his face hot?

Papyrus gasped. “SANS! YOU’RE WATCHING A GIRL!” He grinned. “DO YOU LIKE HER?”

Well, if his face wasn’t hot before, it definitely was now. But he managed not to look alarmed. “Of course. You know me, Paps. Huge romantic.”

“DO NOT COVER THIS UP WITH JOKES! I, YOUR BROTHER, CAN SEE THAT YOU ARE CLEARLY ENAMORED WITH HER--”

Oh my God OK no. “Shhh!” Sans said.

“NO, I WILL NOT SHH!” He beamed. “COME ON, I HAVE AN IDEA TO HELP YOU TALK TO HER!”

He grabbed Sans’ arm and started pulling him in your direction. What is he doing? Sans legitimately considered shortcutting to escape, but that would upset Papyrus more deeply than intended. He’d noticed that Papyrus felt it was sort of selfish, using one’s abilities to just get yourself out of any situation you didn’t like.

Which it probably was.

“HELLO!” said Papyrus, and you looked up from your phone. Oh no I’m right in front of her. Why did he feel so nervous?

“Oh,” you said, smiling at Papyrus. “Hi.”

“WE NOTICED THAT YOU LOOKED LIKE YOU COULD USE SOME HELP!”

Now that he wasn’t being dragged at his brother’s much faster speed, Sans tucked his hands in his pockets, trying not to look nervous. What did looking… not-nervous look like, exactly?

“It’s not a big deal,” you said, looking embarrassed. “I’ve just never been here before.”

“WELL MY BROTHER SANS WOULD BE HAPPY TO HELP!”

Before Sans could do anything, he was shoved in your direction, albeit gently.

“HE IS A VERY HELPFUL PERSON WHEN HE WANTS TO BE!”

Your eyes went to him.

Wow, your eyes….

Sans raised one hand, smiling as casually as possible. “Hey.”

“Hi,” you said, smiling back. She’s smiling at me.... “Are you sure you wanna help?”

“Yeah, of course. My brother’s got us covered.”

“Thanks! You guys are so nice, if only everybody offered help to random people like this.”

“THANK YOU!” said Papyrus. “IT WAS SANS’ IDEA!”

Paps was lying? Paps never lied. Sans hadn’t realized that Paps would attempt to be his wingman in a situation like this. This is so embarrassing….

“I WILL SEE YOU OUTSIDE, SANS!” said Paps, and he went for their shopping cart.

Your attention went back to Sans and Sans felt his soul leap a little. Not sure what else to do, he held his hand out. “Hey. Nice to meetcha.”

“Nice to meet you too,” you said, and took his hand-- Why did I hold out my hand?! That had been a terrible mistake; your touch felt like a small jolt. Still, the two of you shook. “I’m (y/n).”

“Pretty name,” Sans said without thinking, then immediately felt his face get warm. Stop, stop blushing. C’mon. You act fine when you’re not all the time, this should be easy.

“Oh.” Was your face pink? “Thanks.” You looked at your phone again. “I’m shopping for my parents. We don’t need a lot, I… promise this won’t take up much of your time.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Thanks. Mm… we need cashews.”

Sans remembered a joke.

A joke. That would make him feel less awkward.

“Knock knock,” he said, not addressing what you’d said, and you blinked.

“Huh?”

“Knock knock.” He winked. “You’re supposed to say who’s there.”

When he winked he could swear he saw your face turning a soft rose color. It was so pretty.... But you smiled and said, “Who’s there?”

“Cash.”

“Cash who?”

Another wink. “No thanks, I prefer walnuts.”

You snorted and laughed a little. “That was horrible. I love it.”

Cute laugh…. Sans’ face got warm. “Yeah?”

“Yeah, I’ve got very low standards for humor.” You said it playfully.

“Well that’s great,” he replied with a grin, “cuz all my jokes suck.”

You thought a moment, then said, “I’ve got one.”

“Yeah?”

“Knock knock.”

“Who’s there?”

“Hatch.”

“Hatch who?”

“Oh, bless you.”

Sans let out a snort and a chuckle of his own. “Nice.”

“I have the feeling you know way more than I do,” you said, raising an eyebrow.

“You’re probably right.”

Your grin was so, so nice.

“C’mon, tell me more on the way there,” you said, and Sans’ soul leapt again.

“Sure,” he said, shrugging.

The rest of the shopping trip was mostly comprised of Sans leading you to various items while delivering terrible puns, and they made you laugh. Your laugh really was so cute.

Your face suddenly flushed red, and Sans blinked.

“What?” he said.

“Um… thank you.”

… Oh shit, did I say that out loud?

“Sorry,” he said, immediately trying to recover. “Did I say something weird?”

“N-- no,” you said, “it wasn’t weird, just… unexpected, hah.” You were still smiling, and your face was still pink. Had you liked the compliment…?

After a second, you looked back at him.

“I’m gonna miss you when this is over,” you said with a smile. You’d said it in a playful tone, but Sans still felt his face get hot. No, no, don’t blush in front of her, come on….

“Hey, me too. You seem cool.” He winked, and you turned pink.

“Stop doing that,” you said with a smile, “I’m trying to figure out if you’re flirting with me.”

“Do you want me to be?”

Your face got redder, but you shrugged. “Sure, I guess so.”

Sans’ soul felt like it was floating.

“Then I’m flirting with you,” he said, leaning on your shopping cart and giving you what he hoped was an attractive wink. You snickered. He wasn’t sure if that meant he’d looked stupid, but the reaction was a positive one regardless.

You looked back at your phone. “Um… oreo cookies.”

“Yum.” He thought, then said, “Those are on the other side of the store.”

“Ugh,” you said, but you were smiling. “I have to walk. It’s so much work.”

“Hey, I feel you.” He considered. “But…”

“... But?”

“I could get it faster.”

“How--”

Sans shortcutted to the aisle with the Oreo cookies, grabbed two boxes, and then shortcutted back to you. You looked bewildered-- probably wondering where he had gone and now wondering how he’d suddenly reappeared.

“What the heck?” you said.

For some reason, this made him feel really self-satisfied. “You wanted one or two boxes?”

You blinked. “How’d you do that? You… What did you even do?”

Sans shrugged. “I call it shortcutting.”

“So… it’s like… teleporting? You can teleport?”

Sans raised a finger to his teeth and winked. “Don’t tell anybody, kay? It was just for you.”

Your face lit up. Sans felt kind of dazed from looking at it. He couldn’t believe he was making you blush like that….

“Thanks,” you said softly. Looking a little embarrassed, you said, “We, um, only need one box though.”

“Cool,” said Sans, “I’ll just buy the other.”

You smiled as he put the single box in your cart.

By the time the two of you had left the store, Sans was almost halfway through with his box of cookies. Papyrus was, indeed, outside. Were the doors not automatic Sans assumed he’d probably be holding them open for every single person entering. And exiting.

“SANS!” he groaned. “OF COURSE YOU GOT SUGAR!”

“Sorry,” said Sans, grinning, “couldn’t help it.”

“YOUR TEETH ARE GOING TO GET ALL COVERED IN CHOCOLATE! YOU’LL NEED TO BRUSH THEM TWICE WHEN WE GET BACK!”

“Sure thing.”

You seemed amused. “You two are sweet.”

“THANK YOU!” said Papyrus. Sans just shrugged, feeling his face warm up again.

“... Hey.”

“Yeah?” said Sans.

Your face was pink. “Do you think… it would be OK if I gave you my number?”

... Really?

“Y… yeah,” Sans said, “of course.”

You held out your hand for his phone and he handed it to you, watching you as you typed it in. He couldn’t believe that… you… were giving him your number.

Wow.

He tucked his phone back in his pocket when it was handed back, and the two of you said, “Thanks” at the same time. Your smiles widened and you both blushed.

“See ya,” said Sans.

“See ya. Thanks for the help.”

“No problem.”

As you walked off, Sans felt like he was high on something. His soul was fluttering….

“YAY! YOU GOT HER NUMBER!”

Sans started. You weren’t out of earshot yet and Papyrus was already yelling.

“Yep,” he said, trying not to let it seem like a big deal.

“I AM SO PROUD OF YOU! YOU GOT A GIRL’S NUMBER!”

Sans’ face was hot all over again. He glanced over in your direction and saw that you were watching them with an endeared smile. Whyyyy?

But at the same time….

“It’s all thanks to you, Paps.” Sans smiled. “I never would’ve talked to her if you hadn’t forced me.” It was true. He would’ve been far too shy.

“OF COURSE! IT IS MY JOB AS YOUR BROTHER TO HELP YOU WHEN YOU NEED IT, AND YOU NEEDED HELP TALKING TO HER!”

“Thanks, bro.” He winked. “I’d say that I’d do the same for you, but the Great Papyrus won’t be nervous when he finds a girl he likes.”

“OF COURSE NOT! NYEH HEH HEH!”

The two of them headed for Papyrus’ car. As much as Sans joked with his brother, he wished he had the confidence Paps did.

But he was lucky that Paps was always there to help when he didn’t.

[calpalirwin]

See Through

Summary: Ashton gets in over his head.

A/N: Loosely based on See Through by the Band CAMINO.

Word Count: 1.6k

And away, and away we go!

__

I pushed my way into the studio, and immediately stopped in confusion. At the mixing board sat a woman, her back turned to me, a khaki colored messenger bag on the ground by her feet. “Um, excuse me?” I announced my presence. “But I think you might have the wrong room.

“Oh!” she said, jumping slightly before turning to face me. “You must be the band! Hi, I’m Y/N. Nice to meet you.” She took a few steps towards me, hand extended.

“Ashton,” I introduced myself, shaking her hand.

Y/N nodded knowingly. “So, we’re just waiting on the other three. Cool.” She stole a glance down at her watch. “Cool,” she repeated.

“Yeah… Um… sorry. Who are you?”

“I’m Y/N. You’re Ashton. Try to keep up, hon,” she smiled sweetly at me, and I detected the hint of a drawl in the way she called me “hon.”

I chuckled politely. “No, I’m aware of that. I meant… I was under the impression that it was just going to be me and my mates. So I’m a little confused by your presence.”

“Nobody told you that I’m the producer?”

“Nope, because we’re the producers. And the song writers. And the band. Because it’s our album.”

“Mmm. And how many albums have you produced, Ashton? Without outside help that is. Or, should I say songs, because every album you have you’ve worked with someone besides just your close-knit 4-some.”

“Sorry, I’m not trying to be disrespectful. But it’s not often our team gets shaken up. The people we’ve worked with, we’ve worked with them for years. So I’m trying to play catch up here.”

“No, I’m aware you’re not challenging me purposefully. I know I’m the new guy to figure out. So let’s do a brief overview. I’m Y/N, like I’ve said. I just relocated here to LA from Nashville.”

“And I’m assuming the time you spent in Nashville, you were producing?”

“Yes. I’ve been a producer for about five or six years now.”

“Mhm. And how much of that producing experience was with country artists versus primarily rock artists?”

“Don’t let my accent fool you. The Nashville music scene is a lot more than just country twang music these days,” Y/N said with a small laugh. “I’ve worked closely with Dan Swank. Who, if you’re not aware, does a lot of work with All Time Low. And various other artists. But I know you know who All Time Low is because you’ve also worked with them. So, we can continue to do this back and forth where you try to decide if I’m a producer worthy enough of your time. Which is a game I’m used to playing, so I assure you I play it well. Or, you could let me do my job, and my work will speak for itself. Personally, I would opt for the second choice, because things flow a lot more smoothly that way.”

My cheeks warmed in embarrassment. “Sorry… So you’re Y/N and you’re a producer from Nashville who’s relocated to LA. Cool. I’m Ashton. I’m primarily a drummer, who’s also relocated to LA.”

“Nice to meet you, Ashton,” she smiled with a small laugh, accepting my attempt at starting over.

~~~

“So,” I started as we walked out of the studio after the third day with Y/N. “You wanna go grab a coffee, or something?”

She raised an eyebrow, looking me up and down. “With you?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t drink coffee.”

“Hence the “or something” bit.”

“Okay-”

“Great! I’m parked over here. Or I can send you the address if you’d rather drive yourself.”

She sighed, shaking her head. “Okay,” she tried again. “Look, here’s the thing. I don’t make it a habit to go out with the artists I work with.”

“Saying you don’t make it a habit suggests that you have exceptions.”

“Oh, and let me guess. You think you’re the exception?”

I gave my best flirting laugh and charming look. “Honey,” I drawled out, leaning down slightly to be by her ear. “I’m always the exception.”

She sighed dreamily and I knew I had her. I bit back my smirk as her fingers danced across my bicep and onto my chest. She gave it a small pat. “Oh, Ashton… People don’t tell you ‘no’, do they?”

“As a general rule, no they don’t.” 

“Rules, like habits, have exceptions. And, darlin’, I’m also always the exception.” Then, she was moving away from me, across the parking lot, leaving me standing there, slack-jawed, wondering what the hell had just happened.

~~~

I watched as she paused mid-conversation to pull her phone from her pocket. She gave the contact information the smallest of glances, before slipping her phone back into her pocket, and then her voicemail message was sounding through my phone speaker.

I hit the end call button, pocketing my own phone, and trying to control my scowl. Nothing about this made sense to me. It wasn’t often I had a woman I couldn’t get off my mind who never seemed to spare a second thought about me in return. And it was never with a woman I was forced into close proximity with for an extended amount of time, like working on an album. And I absolutely hated that her attitude towards me only made me want her more. But seven months in, and I was just as lost with her as I had been on day one.

Replaying every interaction only drove me crazier, thinking about things I could have done differently. Thinking about what I would do next if I could get more than two words with her.

I mentally cursed myself as I instinctively sucked in my breath when I saw her walking my way. And I could have screamed at the way her shoulder brushed up against me, not even bothering to give me the slightest indication that she had bumped into me, as she kept walking by. Like she didn’t even see me. And I envied her ability to look right through me, because I knew I’d never be able to do the same when it came to her.

My vision blurred, and I felt my chest grow tight, and despite being outside, I needed to get fresh air. A minute to breathe and recompose myself. A minute I wouldn’t get where I was. So I left. Through the party of people, passed the rows of parked cars out front, mine included.

I kept walking, not sure where I was going, but knowing that each step made it easier to breathe, the cloud in my head thinning out until it was just her name bouncing around.

I slowed, looking around at street signs to orient myself, planning my next move. I didn’t want to go back to the party, but I didn’t want to necessarily go home either. I wanted to see her, and have her see me, too. So, stupidly, I pulled out my phone and tried to call her yet again. “C’mon,” I muttered as the phone started to ring. “Pick up, please. Pick up, pick up, pick u-”

“Hey, Ash. Where’d you disappear off to?”

“I- You answered…”

“Of course I answered.”

“Really?” I asked, unable to keep the bitter edge out of my voice, even if I was flooded with relief that she had answered my call this time. “Cuz you haven’t before.”

“Ash…”

“Save it, please. Whatever excuse you have. I shouldn’t have called. I should’ve learned by now.”

“Learned what by now?”

“That I’m not the exception. That sometimes I lose. That I shouldn’t want the girl who clearly doesn’t want me. Hell, you don’t even acknowledge I exist 90 percent of the time. You’re just not the one I get right, I guess. I was always a slow learner.”

“Okay. You wanna pause the pity party for a second, and listen to me?”

I wanted to say that, despite everything, I’d never pass up a chance to listen to her. What I ended up saying though was, “I’m listening.”

“I notice you, Ash. You make it impossible not to. But, I have a strong tendency to act unfazed as a defensive mechanism. I work in the music scene, Ash, same as you. You know the range of personality issues as well as I do. But the things I do, I do to protect myself. I never meant for those same things to hurt you. Because I know you’re not any of the things I need to protect myself from.”

“Glad we could clear that up…”

“I’m not finished. When I told you when we met that I don’t make it a habit to go out with people I work with, there was a reason for that.”

“Yeah, and I’m assuming that it has to do with things going poorly before, hence the having to make it a habit, and other protective measures.”

“You’re not very good at listening, are you?”

“I told you I was a slow learner.”

She let out a small half-sigh/half-chuckle. “Ashton. The album’s done. It’s out. We don’t work together anymore. Do you see where I’m going with this?”

I broke out in a run back towards the party. Towards her. I hoped I hadn’t wandered off too far, that she'd be around the next corner, waiting for me. “Stay where you are. I’m on my way. I gotta see you.”

“Not if I see you first,” was the reply first ten feet in front of me, then through my phone.

I slowed, a smile breaking out across my face as I found her staring at me, so close I could reach out and touch her, her phone pressed to her ear, a matching smile on her face. I slowed, but I didn’t stop until I closed the distance. And I didn’t care that my heart was about to leap from my chest, or that I couldn’t catch my breath, because I was seeing her, and she was seeing me. And I was ducking my head, and she was stretching up on her tiptoes, her lips meeting mine.

__

Tag List

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[skeezsbbygirl]

call me that too + kim seungmin

this one’s for anon who requested a seungmin scenario with a dash of oppa kink. i didn’t go too overboard hehe, just a sprinkle of a suggestive theme at the end (i’ll leave it to your imagination asdjhfrirgjgl cuz i can’t handle them feelssss ugh)

nonetheless, I hope you guys enjoy! oh and thank you for the love that you guys are showing for “peaches + bang chan” uwuuuu (ღ˘⌣˘ღ)

REQUEST BOX IS STILL OPEN. STREAM GOD’S MENU AND VOTE FOR OUR BOYS.

[5:12 p.m.] A yawn escaped your lips as you managed to go through all your assigned lectures for the day. You logged out from your university's portal and shut your laptop close, not wanting to stare at the bright screen any longer. You sauntered towards the kitchen and opened the drawer that contained all your caffeine-related pick-me-ups. As you were about to grab a mug, your actions were halted by your phone's ringtone, signalling a call as it rang on the coffee table from your apartment's living room. You managed to accept the call before it was dropped.

SeungMong <3

"Hey," you answered, sauntering back to the kitchen as you cradled your phone in between your right ear and shoulder to keep your hands free. "Baby, are you busy?" Seungmin asked. You shook your head but you mentally facepalmed as you remembered that the boy on the other line couldn't see you, "No. I just finished some school stuff. What's up?"

"Can you come over? Chan-hyung wants to take us out for dinner," Seungmin replied and you could faintly hear Jisung and Changbin screaming in the background -- something about Chan covering food expenses for the first time. You lightly chuckled and responded, "Yeah sure, I'll be there in twenty."

An hour passed and you were all gathered at the boys’ go-to restaurant, which was three blocks down from your university's dormitory.

"Am I dreaming?" Jisung teased as he hopped off Chan's car, Changbin and Jeongin not far behind him. “Somebody drive him back home,” Chan groaned to which the younger one giggled, jumping on his back in the process. “Hyung, come on. I was just poking fun at you,” Jisung cooed at the elder, earning him a light flick on the forehead from Chan.

You beamed at the sight of the boys playfully bickering. “Pay attention to me,” Seungmin whined and nudged your shoulder. You broke into a cheesy grin and gave his cheek a peck, “You always have my attention.”

Seungmin extended a hand towards you, to which you gladly complied, squeezing his hand three times as you intertwined your hand with his -- your silent way of saying ‘I love you’. 

Soon after, you guys were seated inside the restaurant and you fell into each of your own said conversations. 

“How was your day?” Seungmin asked as he adjusted his seat closer to yours. “Better now that I’m with you,” you said in a voice soft with affection. Seungmin chuckled, “Stop it.” You shook your head, leaning closer so that your forehead touched his. “You’re so cute,” you teased, which earned you a pout from the older male. “You do know that I’m a year older than you, right?” Seungmin bragged. You rolled your eyes, “Your point being?”

Seungmin sighed in defeat, opting to plant a kiss on your lips, but you were interrupted by multiple groans and a chorus of complains. “Get a room already!” Felix exclaimed with his hands covering his eyes, a poor attempt to discard the sight of yours and Seungmin’s “sickening” affection, as Minho described it. You stuck a tongue out at Felix, “Stop being so bitter.”

Felix faked sob and Jeongin joined in on his act, embracing the older male and patting his head.

Soon, your playful banter came to an end as your orders arrived. You guys were eating in silence, uttering a compliment here and there towards the dishes that you were served, until Hyunjin called for your attention.

“Oh, (y/n), before I forget,” the older male started, only stopping for a second to sip on his drink. “I found that outline you’ve been looking for,” he continued. “Please tell me you have it,” you pleaded, eager to finish the book review that your professor has quested upon your class a week ago. Hyunjin nodded, “The copy is in the car, I got you.”

You cheered as you reached out your hand to give him a high-five. “You’re the best, oppa.”

With your response, Hyunjin immediately side-eyed Seungmin’s reaction. He might have known something or at least sensed something, specifically when Seungmin blabbered -- well, more like ranted -- about you not calling him the said endearment you just used on Hyunjin a few seconds ago. 

Let’s rewind, shall we?

Hyunjin was an hour away from a deadline, and yes, he admits that he may have finished his project sooner, but a certain someone, who goes by the name of Jisung, decided that it would be more fun to play video games over at Felix and Changbin’s dorm. “That stupid project isn’t even due for another day. Chill out, dude,” Jisung claimed with burgeoning excitement. Instead of turning his friend down -- or better, kicking his tempting ass out of the dorm -- he caved in.

Hours later, he was cramming at least two days worth of work into an hour. Then comes your boyfriend, Seungmin. “Hyunjin!” the younger male called out from their dorm’s entrance. “In here!” Hyunjin hollered, his fingers still hot on his laptop’s keyboard, seven more questions and a descriptive about his said stand on the project, and he’ll be done -- both figuratively and literally, his brain’s slowly pan-frying itself to destruction. He mentally cursed Jisung.

“Procrastination at its finest,” Seungmin mocked as he entered Hyunjin’s room. “You can nag me later, bur right now I have to finish this and then kick Jisung’s ass,” Hyunjin said with firm persistence. The younger lad sighed and sat down on a bean bag at the corner of the room. “I don’t have the energy to nag,” Seungmin whispered, but Hyunjin still managed to catch his words. He jokingly rolled his eyes, finding slight amusement towards Seungmin’s puppy expression.

“You and (y/n), had a fight?” Hyunjin asked, his attention still on his laptop but he figured he needed Seungmin for a little background noise to keep him sane, plus the guy’s one of his best friends. “Not really,” Seungmin disagreed. “Then, what got you all gloomy?” Hyunjin insisted, but he was only met with silence.

“Seungmo, come on, spill.”

“She addresses you as an ‘oppa’,” Seungmin blurted out after a few seconds. “Who addresses me as what?” Hyunjin asked, his eyebrows contorted in confusion. “(y/n),” Seungmin answered as he buried his face in his arms. “Seungmo, you do know that she does that to everybody that’s older than her, right?” Hyunjin replied, “It’s called being polite.”

“Well, I call it being unfair.”

Hyunjin chuckled in amusement, “Please elaborate.”

“You and I are the same age, which means that I’m older than her too, but she doesn’t call me that,” Seungmin whined.

And that’s how Seungmin ended up being silent for the rest of the night. You, being unaware of the situation, shrugged it off, thinking that he was just exhausted from his vocal lessons. Until, Hyunjin decided to let you in on the puppy’s cause of gloominess.

“Here, now go ace that literature course,” Hyunjin handed you the outline he promised, giving your head a pat in the process. “Thank you, oppa.”

“One more thing, (y/n),” Hyunjin said as he leaned down and whispered, “Seungmin wants to be called that too.”

“Huh?” you turned to him in confusion, but Hyunjin just stared at you and decided that you would come into revelation in a few seconds. “Oh,” you gasped, eyes lighting up in the process. “That’s why he’s been acting weird,” you added. Hyunjin smiled in approval, “Do something and wipe that pout off his face.”

The car ride back to your dorm was silent. Seungmin kept his eyes on the road, no words were exchanged between the two of you and he clearly showed no effort of doing so any time soon. You’re slowly running out of time as your building came into view a few minutes later. Seungmin slowly stopped the car and got out, he jogged towards your side and opened the door for you.

Go time.

“I’ll text you when I get home,” Seungmin said. His expression was sad but he still managed to give you a kiss on the forehead. He was about to pull away but you prevented him from doing so by holding his face in your hands. You stared at him lovingly, thanking the universe for bringing this man into your life. 

“I love you, oppa,” you whispered, but loud enough for him to hear you. 

A soft gasp escaped from his lips as his eyes widened, “What did you just call me?”

“Oppa, why?” you giggled and gave his nose a kiss. “Don’t get me wrong, I feel like I’m on top of the world right now, but you never call me that,” Seungmin wondered, his arms now wrapped around your waist, allowing him to pull you closer. “Let’s just say, a little bird told me,” you teased.

“Hwang Hyunjin!”

You laughed, “Don’t get mad at him.”

“Listen,” you called back for his attention, “I don’t call you oppa because I use that on everybody who’s older than me, well close friends of course, but you know what I mean.”

“And you, Kim Seungmin, are not just anybody. You’re my person, my everything, my whole world. You’re special to me and you matter the most,” you explained, pouring your feelings out for the said man. You were about to say more in order to get rid of Seungmin’s doubt, but he cut you off with a kiss.

You guys were practically making out in your dormitory’s parking lot, but it’s the least of your worries right now.

You pulled away first as you tried to catch your breath. “I love you so much, (y/n),” Seungmin confessed, his expression now darker as you witnessed his eyes fill with desire. “And I’ll prove that to you.”

“What do you mean, oppa?”

Seungmin leaned down, his lips dangerously close to your ear. “Don’t test me, baby.”

You whimpered in response, “Do whatever you want. I’m all yours, oppa.”

[deepgentlemenchild]

Decided to post something I guess, a trashy bakudeku angst lol

Kirishima and Kacchan had started dating over the summer holidays and everyone had been overjoyed at the news. Everyone but Izuku. Under normal circumstances he would be thrilled that his classmates found love and comfort with one another. But these weren't normal circumstances and Izuku definitely wasn't thrilled. If anything Izuku was heartbroken, horrified and overwhelmingly resentful. Izuku wouldn't usually be so selfish, normally he would move on and let them be happy. But that's kinda hard when your so in love with someone that when you find out it's undoubtedly unrequited you contract the

hanahaki disease. If you don't know what hanahaki is it's a disease that suffocates your lungs by growing flowers in them and you can only get it if the person you love doesn't love you back. There is only three options to choose from once you contract the disease, option one is getting the flowers surgically removed, but it also removes all your memories of the person, so obviously not something Izuku can do considering he is who he is because of Katsuki.Option two is them loving you back, which is a no go with the whole Kirishima thing. The last option is probably the simplest, which is dying. Now Izuku doesn't necessarily want to die, but it's better than forgetting Kacchan, he loves Kacchan with his whole being and simply can't willingly choose to forget him, and there's no way of Kacchan loving him back so he really doesn't have any other options. All he can do is pretend to be happy for the new couple and hide his life threatening disease from everyone, can't be too hard.

So remember how Deku said it can't be too

hard to pretend to be happy for Kacchan and Kirishima whilst also pretending to not be dying. Yeah, well, he forgot to mention he and Kacchan had become best friends again and Kacchan spared no details when talking about Kirishima.One night while he had been coughing his lungs out Kaminari had walked passed his door and checked on him like the caring friend/classmate he is. "Hey Midobro, you alright in there?" He asked concerned after he knocked.A few seconds passed by before Izuku admitted defeat and let Kaminari in. "H-hey Kaminari-kun," he rasped with the ghost of a smile on his lips. Kaminari looked around the dorm room, seeing all the flower petals floating around. "Oh Mido," he said sadly as he pulled the boy into a bone crushing hug.

Weeks go by and Denks is still the only classmate who knows about Izukus condition, after Denks constant insistence Izuku finally told Aizawa sensei and his mum, but absolutely refused to tell any other peers. Denks and Izuku were doing everything together from walking to and from the classroom to hanging out whenever they had spare time. "Hey Deku," Kacchan started and Izuku nodded to show he listening "Do you wanna hang out tomorrow?" Before Kacchan had finished speaking Izuku was already shaking his head. "Sorry Kacchan, but me and Denks are going watch the new All Might movie tomorrow." Izuku apologizes.

"You're spending all your free time with that dumbass, when can we hang out again?" Kacchan asked irritably.

Izuku shrugged, "Maybe later, anyway I gotta get going me and Denks are having a sleepover." Izuku beamed and Kacchan rolled his eyes before going to sit with Kirishima on the common room couch. "ZUZU!!" Denks exclaimed excitedly. "You're hereeee."

Izuku giggled lightly. "Of course I'm here Denks, I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Except maybe for a certain "Kacchan" hmm?" Denks waggled his eyebrows.Izuku blushed and puffed his cheeks indignantly before bursting into a coughing fit. "Oh, shit. Sorry Zu." Denks looked upset with himself as he pet Izukus back lightly.

"No no. Don't apologize Denks, besides Kacchan asked to hangout tomorrow and I said no cuz we've already got plans," huffed

Izuku once he could open his mouth with flowers falling out.

"Gasp. The world truly is changing. But even

so it's only cuz it's to do with All Might." Denks retorted.

"Humph." Izuku pouted.

Denki laughed at the adorable display before turning on his switch so the could play Mario Cart. As the night dragged Izuku only had a total of two

coughing fits more and even won a few races. Denki had noticed a certain spikey haired blonde glaring at him when he was hanging out with Zuzu at school and in the dorms, but he couldn't figure it out. Maybe Bakubro was upset that Denki had stolen his best friend which wasn't unlikely, or something completely different. Denki decided not to confront Bakubro about or even ask Zuzu what he thought of it because he thought he was overthinking it and maybe Bakubro glaring at him was normal.

Izuku was sat on his bed without Denks for the first time in over two weeks and was really missing the comforting pats on the back as he coughed his lungs out staring at the stunning red petals that matched Kacchans eyes like nothing else. If it weren't for the fact that the flowers were killing him he would call them beautiful, but considering they were killing him he'd rather call them stunningly evil. Izukus coughs became horrid, each one making his whole body tremor and more and more tears fell out the corner of his eyes and dropped onto the petals littering his bed. "I'm so sorry Kacchan. I'm so sorry mum, Denki, All Might, Aizawa sensei. I'm so sorry everyone." Izuku whispered out into the night not knowing if he would last much longer.

The next day Izuku avoided Kacchan like the plague, even going as far as to swap seats with Kirishima so he could sit further away from him. Denks kept giving him pittying looks from where he sat, knowing his best bud didn't have much longer. Everyone in class knew something was wrong with Izuku but didn't mention it so as not to upset him. As the day went on Izuku found it harder and harder to keep his coughs in and even harder to stay away from Kacchan.

After almost coughing in class Izuku decided it was finally time he went to the nurses office. When Recovery Girl saw who it was she almost rolled her eyes. "What is it this time? Another broken bone?" She asked sarcastically. Izuku could only weakly shake his head before he started none stop coughing petals, but mainly whole flowers up. Recovery Girls eyes changed from annoyed to immense concern almost immediately. She quickly guided Izuku on a bed so he could sit down. After a couple of minutes Izuku finally stopped coughing and looked up at Recovery Girl sadly. "I-i don't think I have long left Recovery Girl." Izuku admitted as tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Oh you silly boy." She shook her heard remorsefully. "You can still do the surgery you know? As long as you do it in the next twenty four hours, otherwise you're a true goner."

"I-i can't do that to Kacchan." Izuku whispered.

"Ok then love, is there anyone you want me to call so you can go home." Recovery Girl asked.

Izuku shook his head, "Can you bring Denks though," he requested instead. He didn't want his mother seeing him like this, it would make her sad and he didn't want to see her sad. Recovery Girl nodded and went to Aizawas classroom to grab Denki.

When she got to the classroom she knocked softly on the door. "Yes? What is it?" Aizawa asked through the door. Recovery Girl opened the door before speaking. "Izuku asked me get someone named Denks," she announced.

As soon as Denki heard Izukus name he shot his head up and after hearing the rest of it he jumped out of his seat and quickly made his way to the nurses office. Everyone else in the class looked perplexed besides Aizawa and Bakugo. Aizawa looked solemn where as Bakugo looked angry.

"Denks you came," Izuku spoke softly yet excitedly once he saw Denki burst through the door.

"Zu, baby. Of course I came." Denks said seriously as tears gathered in his eyes. Izuku smiled at him, though not nearly as bright as before but still as contagious as Denki smiled back sadly. They stared at each other for a long while, no words could be spoken to lessen either of their pain. The silence was eventually broken by Denki, who carefully embraced Izuku "you know Zuzu, I love you. More than anything. Your my bestest friend and the last few weeks have been the happiest of my life." Denki exclaimed as he cried the hardest he's ever cried.

"Oh, Denki. I love you too and I couldn't be happier to have you as my best friend. But you need to move on, make a new best friend. Kiris really nice." Izuku replied even softer than before. Denki just shook his head and cried harder. "I'm calling Bakugo." He announced. Izuku shook his head.

"Denki, please don't. I don't want him to feel guilty." Izuku pleaded. Denki ignored him in favour of pulling out his phone and tapping on Bakugos contact. It rang a total of three time before Bakugo picked up. "Pikachu, what's wrong with Deku?" He asked immediately. Denki shook his head, these idiots. "He's in the nurses office, come quick." Denki answered urgently before hanging up.

"He does care about you, you know that right? He may not love you like you love him but he truly cares about you." Denki finally addressed Izuku. Izuku looked away from him with more tears gathering in his eyes. Less thank two minutes had passed before Bakugo burst through the door with a panicked look on his face. Once his eyes met Deku they instantly filled with tears. "Izuku." He said softly before hugging him tightly. He looked into Izukus as if questioning him. Asking him who? Izuku looked him straight in his beautiful red eyes before kissing him straight on the lips. All of 5 seconds passed before Kacchan reciprocated and another 5 before Izuku went limp in his arms. At least I finally kissed him. Izuku thought before leaving his body to moving towards the light as tears blocked his vision.

[uzumaki-rebellion]

“Stark’s New Intern” Chp. 17

Summary: Erik has to juggle a few things...

Maure Audience. NSFW. Smut.

"Can it be I stayed away too long Did I leave your mind when I was gone Well, it's not my thing trying to get back But this time let me tell you where I'm at

I want to, want to be where you are Anywhere you are I want to, want to be where you are Everywhere you are…"

Michael Jackson—"I Wanna Be Where You Are"

Pussy was Erik's kryptonite post-Naval Academy.

Busting a good nut had him off-kilter, so when Erik stood up to face Devika's unwanted visitor, his natural fighting instincts didn't kick in until the giant man had Erik pinned against a wall with his throat gripped in both of the man's powerful hands.

"Austin let him go!" Devika shrieked.

He couldn't breathe.

Oxygen was squeezed away from his brain cells and Erik felt faint before he felt the angry hard punch from a fist knocking the breath from his body. He fell to his knees and tried to protect his genitals as the man kicked at his balls.

Gasping for air, Erik punched up with his fists hoping to strike anything on the man's body but Austin was built like a brick wall and Erik's punches were like a toddler smacking a Pro wrestler. He lifted Erik up by his waist and slammed him on his knee making Erik holler in pain as he was tossed to the floor. A kick to Erik's right eye made the socket swell up tight crippling his vision.

"Fuck!" Erik yelled scrambling back on his legs while still trying to protect his dick from more injury.

Devika threw books from her bookshelf at Austin who deflected them and charged Erik once more.

"Shit!" Erik yelped hooking his fingers and immediately leaping to his feet and giving Austin a taste of Wakanda with his hands. It was hard for Erik to gage his accuracy because his eye was stinging like hell, but the grunts from Austin let him know the man was getting that work.

Keeping his body low, Erik knew he couldn't use his legs and feet too much because his dangly bits were flopping around dangerously exposed and throbbing with pain. His balls felt like they had swelled up to twice their size.

Devika got in his way trying to be helpful and he had to shove her aside to get at Austin. It took a head butt and a blur of fast fists into the man's stomach and sides to get him to back off. Erik swept his legs in a capoeira slice that would make his mother proud and Austin fell like a chopped tree onto the living room floor with a loud thud. The man groaned and grabbed for his ribs on the left side of his body. Erik felt like he had fractured a few. He held back from the full force of his blows. He didn't need any bones puncturing the man's lungs. Erik wasn't about to catch a murder rap over some pussy.

Erik crawled over to Devika's couch and rested his head on the cushion. He couldn't see anything out of his injured eye. Rolling over he rested his neck on the couch and stared at Austin who climbed to his feet with Devika's help.

"I can't believe you!" Devika shrieked striking Austin in his chest.

She grabbed her cell from her coffee table and stomped over to her front door flinging it open. She snatched a key from the outside keyhole.

"Don't come to my house again!"

"Devika—"

"Leave Austin."

"You are so wrong for this—"

"No one asked you to come here. I asked you for space and you disregard my privacy."

"Give me a chance—"

"Give you a chance, Austin?! Fuck! Just go! Don't make me call the cops."

Austin's eyes widened with surprise and his eyes swept over to Erik who peeped him with his one good eye.

"I might have some broken ribs—"

"Well, that's your goddamned fault."

Devika looked fierce standing naked with just her stilettos on with her hair bunched wildly around her face. If he wasn't in so much pain with a nut sack injury, Erik would be obliged to fuck her against the door just on general principle.

Shit. Looking that beautiful, he'd be open to another beat down just to see her like that again another time. She put that pussy on him like a G and he wasn't mad at Austin for going off on him because they both knew that bitch had that good-good poppin'.

Austin limped out of the condo and Devika slammed the door locking the bolts again. She bent down and picked up the food and wine Austin brought and put them on the coffee table. Kneeling down in front of him, she checked Erik's injuries. He hissed when she touched his privates. He didn't want to look down there to see how much damage there was. The good thing was, he didn't want any kids, so as long as his dick still worked, he could live without a ball or two.

Devika hastened over into her kitchen. She opened and closed her fridge and returned with saran wrap covering chunks of ice in both hands.

"Fuck!" he yelped as she placed the ice over his genitals. He held the ice in place as she put the other pack on his injured eye.

"Erik…I'm sorry…"

"Boyfriend?"

"Fiance."

"Damn. Got me in a serious triangle."

"We aren't together right now."

"Coulda fooled me."

"He used my spare key to come in here. I have it now, so he can't get inside again."

She touched his bruised waist and he ground his teeth huffing out air between his teeth.

"You feel like anything is broken?"

"Nah. My eye is fucked up and my balls hurt like shit."

"There's some swelling down there," she said looking under the pack he held on his nuts,

"Dick looks okay though."

He laughed and she started tittering herself.

"Oh shit...the look on his face when he came in. I didn't know what the fuck was happening," he said.

Devika laughed softly, but then her face grew serious.

"How are you going to go to work tomorrow?" she asked.

"I'll call in sick for a few more days."

"But you'll still have bruises healing on your face."

"Don't worry about."

He leaned forward and kissed her lips even with the pain he felt on his mouth.

"I'm sorry," she whispered caressing his face.

"Not your fault, Ma. It won't stop me from being around you. You still plan on marrying him?"

"We are on break for a reason—"

"On break ain't the same as broken up—"

"No. I don't want to be with him."

"Good, cuz when I heal up, I'm coming for you again."

"You are so reckless."

"But you like it."

"I do. I like you."

"Finally. I get my ass beat just to get the truth outcha mouth. I knew you were feeling me. Been frontin' all this time."

His eyes dragged over body.

"You so fuckin' sexy right now."

She helped him sit on her couch and he grunted when his balls shifted.

"If the swelling doesn't go down soon, I'll take you to urgent care," she said.

She opened the food that Austin brought.

"Chicken Alfredo. Hungry?"

They ate Austin's food and opened the expensive wine. Erik's scrotum didn't enlarge and the pain subsided. He kept icing his eye.

"You can stay here while you call out," she said.

He smiled. She wanted him with her.

Naked on the couch together, Devika stroked his scalp and when the last of the wine was sipped, Erik fingered her pussy until she came all over his hand.

###

Tony Stark stared at Erik's face in his office.

Erik fidgeted in his seat but kept direct eye contact.

Reaching into his desk drawer, Tony pulled out Devika's thong and placed it in front of Erik.

Fuck.

He thought he had shoved it deep into his own pocket safely when they left the office five days previous.

"Two things, Stevens. Devika is off-limits. Period."

Erik felt his lips press together tight. He flexed his fingers.

"Your focus needs to be on finishing this internship. Your other extracurricular activities are stirring up a little bit of dissension among your work peers. That is a no-no. Understand?"

"Yeah."

"I'm not going to ask about the shiner."

"Okay. You won't fire Devika, right?"

"She doesn't know I found these, and I will not mention to her that I know what went on in my office."

"Thanks."

"You can throw those away. No need to embarrass her. She's a good girl, Stevens. Impeccable. Let's keep it that way."

Good girl?

Erik didn't like the sound of that. It was too intimate and it was what Erik wanted her to be for him. He regarded Tony's face and thought of what Devika told him at the Expo about mixing business and pleasure. The two of them had something in the past. Was T blocking?

Tony glanced at his watch.

"Time for the intern meet up. Are you ready to discuss final schedules?"

"Can someone else do it?"

Erik's hand went up and touched his eye lightly.

"No. If you're worried about how your face looks, then you should've made better choices while you were out."

Erik cut his eyes away.

Tony stood and slipped on his suit jacket and buttoned it.

"Let's go."

Erik stood up and stuffed Devika's panties deep inside his pants pocket and zipped it up. They strode out of the office together and Erik let his eyes flicker over to Devika who was on the landline talking and swiping her laptop screen.

"Tony, Pepper needs you to give her access to the Rylex app."

"Will do."

Devika glanced at Erik and he was already wanting to stay behind and have lunch with her and shoot the shit just to be up in her face. He turned his head and followed Tony out.

"Please don't give Devika puppy dog eyes every time you see her," Tony whispered.

Erik rolled his eyes.

Six minutes later they entered the same cavernous hall that Erik sat in on his first day of the internship. He caught eyes taking notice of his face. Walking with Tony always made him stand out and he gave up being incognegro months ago. Stepping onto the stage with Tony and three other interns, Tony took in the room filled with eager faces. Many were still jealous of him and the favoritism they thought Tony gave him still.

"Good to see everyone. Thank you for being on time and ready to hear some important announcements as we start to wind down this year's group of interns. You've all worked very hard, made some outstanding contributions to your departments and Stark Industries as a whole. Today I'm going to have a few of your peers address you and then I will be introducing Mr. Sebastion Summerville who will give details about some other internships affiliated with my companies and also opportunities to find employment after you leave us. First up, Erik Stevens with some exciting updates in Biometrics."

Tony stepped aside and Erik approached a raised podium and adjusted the mic on it.

"Good morning, I will be taking a few questions at the end, so please wait until then before raising your hands…"

His eyes swept the room and he saw Giselle watching him from the left side and Athena hawking him from the right. They both looked pissy and Athena had her arms folded across her chest. He would have to tread carefully now that Tony was aware of his dalliances. How many more knew? There was only that one romp clubbing where he even showed Athena affection on the subway in New York, but the others in their entourage were far away from him when they kissed. Maria had no clue he had fucked Athena in the hotel while they watched tv, and even if she knew, she wouldn't blab to anyone because he was her homeboy. At least that's how she rolled with him. He searched his brain trying to think where he could've slipped up. He wasn't the type to brag to other dudes, so Curtis had no idea he was fucking other interns.

Erik finished speaking and turned off the images floating above him. He stepped aside to allow another intern to come forward and share data.

He sat down on the dais and kept his eyes on the podium.

He saw Devika slip into the room and stand by one of the exit doors with a leather-bound file folder in her hand. He swept his eyes away from her and wondered how he could keep away from her. He really and truly liked her. Liked talking with her all night long. Liked cooking food with her and listening to her talk about trifling Black men in Los Angeles and the pick me's so desperate to snag mediocre boyfriends. He liked laying next to her, listening to her breathe when she slept. He liked waking up to her and watching her brush her hair. She treated him like a man and not just a jump-off. He felt like he was adulting with her. Athena and Giselle were cool and fun, but they often made comments that referenced his age or made it seem like his being younger made him less aware or less experienced than them. They had no idea how many lifetimes he had to live just to make it to where he was now.

Ninety minutes after entering the room, they were all dismissed for lunch and Erik walked toward the exit. Devika walked his way.

"Nice work," she said tapping his shoulder with the folder.

Erik glanced back at Tony and his sharp eyes were already watching them.

"Thanks."

His voice held very little enthusiasm, and Devika picked up on it, her mouth frowning slightly.

He just wanted to be in her condo again, enjoying the feel of her hair splayed out on his thighs as he stroked her back while she laid on him watching tv from her couch. The quirk of her lips sparked desire in him again.

"I gotta go," he said abruptly and brushed past her without another word. When he reached the exit and looked back at her, she was still standing there watching him, a look of doubt on her face.

And Tony was watching her…still.

###

There was no sense avoiding them.

Erik caught up with Athena and Giselle as they all stood waiting for an elevator. Crowded around the other interns made him comfortable approaching them.

"'sup," he said.

They both looked at him. Giselle rolled her eyes, but Athena just gave him a passive stare.

"Been sick," he offered.

Athena looked at his still discolored eye.

"Fighting too?" she said.

"Can we all go get tacos later? My treat? We gotta talk."

"We?" Giselle interjected with some salt in her voice.

Erik checked to see if any others were listening but they were ignored because of the rush of bodies boarding the elevator. The doors closed and the three of them stepped aside for the next rush waiting on the next lifts.

Erik kept his voice confidential.

"I need to talk with ya'll. Serious shit, okay? I've had a rough two weeks and I need to vent some things."

Giselle's eyes softened and she lowered her left hand from her hip.

"Janine is driving me crazy...Stark is up my ass, and I need some advice."

The big sister angle.

Placing the onus on Janine and Boss Man would allow them to coddle him, deflecting his lack of attention on outside forces. He lowered his head and really gave them the full game.

"Poor thing," Athena said rubbing his arm, "why didn't you call us or say anything?"

"I'm trying to handle it on my own."

"How about we meet at Pacheco's after work? It's just around the corner." Giselle suggested.

"Cool. You down, Athena?"

"Yeah, I can do that."

"I just want to bounce ideas off of you and see how I can handle those two. I just want to make it out alive these last few weeks."

Hook. Line. Bagged.

He separated from them and thought about kicking himself for not using Tony and Janine as a crutch to get out of the responsibility for dodging them.

Maybe he wasn't as mature as he thought.

He felt tense and used his intern key card to dip into one of the executive restrooms. No one was around so he locked himself inside one of the fancy fully enclosed stalls and pulled out Devika's panties. He sniffed them and could smell the lemongrass lotion from her thighs and the aroma of her folds. He wanted her.

Unzipping the fly on his pants he fished out his penis and pulled it through the opening. Fisting himself, he smelled her underwear again then imagined being between her legs and looking down at her face.

"Shiitttt, Devika," he gasped.

He circled the head of his dick smearing some of his pre-cum on her panties. But then the image of her naked in stilettos yelling at her fiancé yoked him up and thick semen shot out all over her underwear.

Cleaning off his fingers with toilet paper, he snatched out his cell and swiped the screen.

Fuck Tony.

"I gotta see you tonight," he whispered into his phone.

He couldn't prove it, but he felt like she was smiling on the other end.

Chapter 18 HERE

###

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[whats-the-story-tc]

31st of January, 2020

"The One Where Atlas Stumbles"

[LONG POST WARNING]

Another day, another flannel.

Dreaming with her the second night in a row, I really bloody hoped they hadn't changed the supervising schedule and I'd see her when I come in. And I did. What with my impending two-hour rehearsal instead of my first two classes, Debate Friend and Art Friend being outside and just plainly the sight of V, I was way too giddy. Teasing Debate Friend about me and Art Friend not having to suffer in Physics, making jokes, laughing way too loud. I noticed V turning in our direction, I think I might even have seen her watching us.

As we leave, Debate Friend to class and us to look for the always late A, we pass V and I flash her my biggest smile to greet her. Art Friend and I are back soon enough, chatting, and I tell her "Something always happens when I'm having a good morning." This time it's V passing us. There is something gentle about the way she looks at me. You know that particular look on someone's face when they aren't smiling, but they still look happy? Content is the word for it, maybe. That's the look. Oh, how I wish I wasn't right about what I said...

Break between rehearsals, I'm outside chatting to my friends, most of them about to have class with the new (foreign) English teacher. Bookworm Friend is gushing, what if he's young and just out of college (either of which he isn't), cuz then she's gonna be really good at English. I automatically tell her "he's a whole ass adult and you're a minor, you can't do that" before I realise what I just said basically contradicts what I call my current love life. "Though I am one to speak" I add frowning, and everyone laughs. I really am a bloody clown, aren't I?

English with V, in the very same classroom where I spent two hours crossing my arms, yelling at and threatening one of the boys in my year (that's my character, don't be scared), and falling on my knees over and over again until we got the scene right. V is quite visibly a little worn down, still in the process of finishing what I assume was probably coffee, but powering through class. Metaphors, synesthesia, symbols and the such, what they are and how they work grammatically. After spending two hours the previous night deciphering Biblical parables and breaking them down to metaphors and meanings for a test we didn't even write, I felt ready.

Cynical Twat has his finger bandaged, I think he cut it or something, and thus he can't write. V asks him about it, and when he tells her all that, she's just like "Well, I was never allowed [not to write]." in this half surprised, half jealous kind of way.

The words for pigeon and dove are interchangeable in my mother tounge, as the actual word for dove is quite outdated. And although the metaphor was about a dove, V specified "When we call someone a pigeon, we don't mean that they smell and spread diseases." At the end of class, when somebody asked her how specific we will need to get about recognising these things in writing, she mentioned we will need to know which example is a metaphor or which one is, for example, a symbol, and added "but you will only need to know the exact subtype if you're preparing for an A level", and briefly glanced straight at me before taking a sip of her coffee. I smiled. Challenge accepted.

First lunch break, two people from the other class are rushing towards me the moment they see me, to ask for my Literature textbook. V told them if anyone doesn't have theirs, they're going to have to answer some questions for a grade. Me being me, I gave it to them because, as I told Pocketwatch Friend, "I love V to bits, but I wouldn't want anyone having to answer the questions she asks." Got my book back the next lunch break, as they forgot everyone's having homeroom, and getting their first term report cards.

V and I have a bit of a similar way of walking—long and fast strides, shoulders straight, head held high—so it was a bit funny, both of us heading towards the same door from opposite ends of the corridor. (Though I only really walk like this when I'm confident in myself. It's funny, apparently I do it often enough for it to be noticeable, cuz admittedly, V recognises this walk of mine. It's something she told me at the end of last year, when she mistook someone on the street for me, but realised our hairs were different and that I walk differently.)

As I'm sat in my usual place, head on Pocketwatch Friend's shoulder as I was really tired, I notice that there is something off about V as she's typing away on her laptop. I couldn't exactly pinpoint what, but I felt that something wasn't quite right. The feeling further strengthened when she started the lesson, and I saw her eyes. They looked years older than they did merely three hours before. There was this... deep-rooted exhaustion and sorrow in them, and at first glance, I thought she had cried. She did smile a couple times as far as I remember, and by the end of the lesson, when she showed us some romanticism-period music and art, and we all cracked up on how the cable connecting our projector to her laptop constantly malfunctioned and kept colouring everything to pink, she seemed to be in a lot better mood. That's something I noticed about her in the past two months or so, that she's usually a bit off when she starts class with us, but by the end of it, she's much more calm and feeling better. Not to brag, but I think she likes being with us.

On my way out, as she was telling everyone to put their chairs up, I told her to get some rest as I passed her. She usually doesn't hear these kind of comments because she doesn't want to, but I tried. But, while her "thanks" was probably addressed to the others, she did look me in the eye as she was walking out, me already being outside. There is something gentle about the way she looks at me. Maybe she did hear it, after all. Maybe she was glad. These looks of hers are the reason I never know for sure how she feels about me. That's the one thing I never learned how to read about her.

After I spent an hour and half with six little girls clinging to me every other minute of training, I went home feeling great. That's how I know I'm doing my job well. My boys aren't quite so physical, naturally, but I like to think they like me, too. They laugh at my jokes. Anyway, I was in a good mood, ready for dinner, having a good time... then I get a text from Bandana Friend, saying "Look at V's [SNS account]."

Private account.

I immediately got dead scared. What if she found out I was there? What if she saw? Oh God, what if I fucked up? I immediately lost my appetite, and I was in a rather intense state of fear and panic, not at all able to think the situation through rationally and spamming both Bandana and Pocketwatch Friend about the situation. Now, I am aware that I overreacted quite a bit, to the point of nearly crying, and that the situation is nearly not as dramatic as I thought, but I really felt like I betrayed her and invaded her privacy, which, especially after all the shit she's done for me, felt like quite the dick move.

Why was her account public before if she didn't want anyone finding her, you may ask. I actually haven't got an exact answer for that. The best I can say is that—she's human. She made a mistake, and I trust her enough to feel that she did. She was careless, but I'm in no position to throw the first stone at her. After all, I was, too.

For long hours after that, I felt hollow. Disappointed in myself. I could only cry later as well, once my mum was gone. Quite tragic, that. One Friday I'm crying in her arms, the next I'm crying because of her. This is why it took me so long to sit down and tell you this, even just writing all this took me 4 whole ass hours. As I thought it over and over again, I realised V isn't someone I should be fearing. That if she ever confronted me about it and I admitted to it, she would be hurt, but she'd understand. She wouldn't hold a grudge, and I could surely make it right by her, were that the case.

But both my friends offered an explanation that made even more sense. After all, it was my cousin from the other class who found it, and surely all of his classmates know. My friends both said that maybe someone over there let the cat out of the bag—honestly, some people there are the type. If you read things back, the fact that she had class with them between our two classes with her, and that she started class with us really disoriented and worn quite add up. I don't think I'll ever know if she saw I was there. I don't think she'll ever mention it. I still feel a little guilty, and something tells me all this isn't quite over yet, not until I see her again and see how she acts. But spending an hour last night, jumping around barefoot in my PJs while listening to Queen and Abba and lip-synching into my phone worked wonders to get the depression out. You should try it.

We'll see how things go. Maybe I screwed up, maybe we both did, maybe neither of us has. Whatever happens, I'll tell you next time. Promise I'll be on time from now on.

~ S ♡

[Every story I share here, no matter how specific I get with my wording, depicts actual events from my own life.]

[365daysofsasuhina]

[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day Two Hundred One: Underground ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata, Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Mikoto ] [ SasuHina, NaruSaku, vulgarity ] [ Verse: Best Years of Your Life] [ AO3 Link ]

“Yo Sasuke, Sasuke!”

Standing up from his crouched position, Sasuke perks a brow at the trio of people jogging toward him. “...hey.”

Practically starry eyed, Naruto reaches him first, ignoring the quite obvious signs that his friend is busy. What with the gloved hands, hat to shade his face, and the pile of weeds building up beside his mother’s flowerbed. “Dude. You gotta come with us.”

Dark eyes blink slowly. “...what?”

“So y’know how Sakura’s dad is a history buff, right? Well he was telling her about these super cool underground tunnels at the south end of town!”

Oh, he can see where this is going. “I’m not going spelunking into some dumb tunnels with you, moron.”

“Wait wait wait! They’re supposed t’be haunted!”

“...and that’s supposed to change my mind because…?”

Stepping up beside Naruto, Sakura folds her arms, cocking a hip. “Mostly it’s just something to do. You know, get out of the house and maybe get spooked? Why do you have to be such a spoilsport, Sasuke?”

“Cuz I’ve got better things to do than wander around in a bunch of tunnels which probably just echo funny and convince everyone they’re haunted,” he rebukes.

“Oh yeah? Like what?”

“Doesn’t matter what. Point is, I’m not going.” In truth...he doesn’t have anything specific to stop him from going. This just sounds...dumb.

...and he’s not afraid of ghosts. They aren’t real.

Naruto gives a loud, long groan, head craning back. “You’re so lame, Sasuke! We thought you’d wanna come along!”

“Have you done anything out of the ordinary yet this Summer?” Sakura asks, giving him a squinting look.

“What’s that got to do with anything?”

“It means if you haven’t, you’re boring!”

“Like I give a sh-”

“Is he not coming…?”

It’s then the last of the trio steps up, expression looking a bit disappointed. Hinata’s pale eyes flicker between the duo and their friend.

“Apparently not,” Sakura huffs. “Not that I’m surprised. He never wants to do anything.”

“Such a stick in the mud,” Naruto agrees, going so far as to stick out his tongue.

“These two drag you into this?” Sasuke asks, addressing the Hyūga.

“Well, I...I thought it might be fun,” she replies softly, a hand fiddling with the hem of her hoodie. “It’s...something to do.”

“Turns out Hinata loves ghost stories!” Naruto offers, grinning.

“Says the scaredy cat,” Sasuke rebuffs, seeing the blond shrink.

“Hey man, I’m not one to just...not believe something! Just cuz you can’t prove it’s real doesn’t mean you can’t prove it’s not -”

“Makes me wonder why you’re agreeing to this in the first place,” Sasuke cuts back in, arms folding and leaning in with a perked brow. “If you’re so scared of ghosts, why go to a supposedly-haunted tunnel?”

“Hey, I - I’m not scared!”

“I have a video on my cell phone from last year’s haunted house that says otherwise,” the Uchiha taunts.

“Well everyone knows that stuff isn’t real! You’re supposed to get scared!”

“Okay guys, back on topic?” Sakura reminds them, giving each a scowling glance.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go…?” Hinata asks, looking to Sasuke with a hint of a hopeful expression. “It would be more fun with more people…”

“Yeah, and that way Hinata won’t have to third wheel it!” Naruto blurts before Sakura wrestles his mouth shut.

“You’re so rude!”

Hinata flinches a bit at the confrontation, looking more than a bit awkward. “That...that’s okay…”

Glancing to her, Sasuke weighs that particular tidbit. True, Naruto and Sakura started dating this Summer...much to the long-crushing Hyūga’s dismay. But it would appear she’s at least trying to keep up the friend group regardless, agreeing to go with them.

And no, he doesn’t want her just...stuck with the pair of them and being a dreaded third wheel. That’s just cruel.

...and...well…

Glancing aside with a sigh, Sasuke mutters, “All right...I’ll go.”

“Yeahhh!” Naruto whoops.

“When is this, exactly?”

“Tonight, duh! S’why we’re all here and ready!”

“...but it’s almost sundown…?” Sasuke asks, perking a brow.

“Well sure,” Naruto replies, leaning in with wriggling fingers. “What better time to explore a spoooky underground tunnel than after dark?!”

Sasuke deadpans with a sigh. “...a little more forewarning would’ve been nice…” He was doing yard work for his mom, after all.

“C’mon, man! Be spontaneous! Live life on the edge a little, huh?”

“Yeah, yeah...lemme go change and grab a flashlight.” And...tell his mother where he’s going.

Mikoto, to his surprise, perks up at the idea.

“Not gonna tell me it’s dangerous and stupid?” he drawls, putting fresh batteries into a flashlight she found for him.

“Not at all!” In fact, she gives him a coy grin. “That’s been a teenager hotspot since I was in school.”

“...you mean you’ve been down there?”

“...maybe,” she replies, grinning. “Back then, it was all the rage with the guys. They’d take girls they liked, and protect them from all the spooky sounds and such nonsense. Nothing builds a little atmosphere like your girl hiding in your arms from a distant wailing ghost, right?”

That earns a slow blink. “...you gotta be kidding.”

“I guess you’ll just have to find out,” Mikoto replies airily, leaving him to it. “Just be home before it gets too late, okay? I doubt there’s cell signal down there, so if you’re not home by, say...three, I’m coming to look for you.”

“Fair enough.” Screwing the cap back on the light and giving it a testing flicker, Sasuke mulls that over. Ghosts get you girls, huh…? Well, maybe…

“Oi!” Naruto calls from outside. “C’mon, man! It’s getting dark!”

Once united, the group makes their way across the suburb, sun sinking lower toward the horizon. Eventually they find the entrance Sakura describes, peering in

“...anyone else think it’s weird this isn’t, like...sealed off or something?” Sasuke asks.

“It was,” Sakura replies. “But kids kept finding ways in, so...they kinda gave up. There’s warning signs about liability and all that inside. There’s nothing really dangerous, but they have to cover their butts in case of like...a collapse or something.”

“Or a murderer hiding in here,” he deadpans.

The rosette rolls her eyes. “Come on, let’s go.”

All armed with flashlights...they make their way in.

Naruto and Sakura take point, light beams glazing over the stone walls.

“So...what was this used for?”

“A lot of things over the years. I won’t bore you with the history lesson, but apparently some people, like...lived in here at one point? Some say there’s been murders, which explains the ghosts, but...there’s no official documents. It’s all just myth and hearsay.”

“...uh huh.”

Hinata walks beside Sasuke, eyes round as she takes in the atmosphere. He keeps a careful eye on her, not sure what they might run -

“WAH!”

Startling, the group panic as sound suddenly fills the enclosed space, and something starts...moving?! Acting mostly out of reflex, Sasuke tugs Hinata to a wall, helping her crouch as dark flickering objects scurrying through the air back toward the door. Wait...those noises…?

“...bats!” he calls out, realizing what they’ve found. “It’s sundown, they head out this time of night!”

On the other wall, Sakura and Naruto seem to calm with the explanation, looking a bit sheepish. “Oh, uh…” Naruto, who’d been the one to holler, nervously rubs his neck. “...sorry.”

Sasuke just rolls his eyes.

“Thanks for, um...for getting me out of the way,” Hinata offers as they keep moving.

“No problem,” the Uchiha replies, trying to sound nonchalant. “They wouldn’t have hurt you, but best to stay out of the way.”

The group continues on a ways, and...well, not much really...happens.

“Man, if the scariest things down here are a bunch a’ bats, I’m gonna be pissed!” Naruto grumbles, still searching the dark nooks and crannies.

“It’s mostly things you hear, dofus,” Sakura cuts in. “So try being quiet, huh?”

“Both of you, shh!” Sasuke hisses.

The group freezes...listening…

...there, in the distance...a quiet, fluctuating sound can be heard. Almost like some kind of ghostly wail. A lamenting, melancholy noise that fades in, lilts...and then silences.

Everyone exchanges a silent glance.

“...y’know...maybe, uh...maybe we should -?”

Naruto’s suggestion is cut off by a loud bang, his arms immediately clinging to Sakura’s middle as though to climb her like a tree for safety.

Hinata, gasping and dropping her flashlight, stumbles into Sasuke’s side. With hardly a thought, he latches an arm around her, light searching the tunnel for a possible cause.

“Okay! Okay!” Naruto wheezes, still attached to his girlfriend. “This is - this is gettin’ a little, uh -?”

“Quiet,” Sasuke cuts in. “Your panicking is making it worse!”

“I-I think...we should go,” Hinata mumbles, a hand resting against Sasuke’s chest as she peers down the corridor. “What if - what if we’re not alone down here…?”

Doing his best to think past the fact that she’s touching him, Sasuke weighs their options. “...all right. Let’s head back.” Leaning, he picks up Hinata’s flickering flashlight. “I dunno if this thing is gonna -”

...all at once, all four lights go out.

Three of them scream, Sasuke flinching at the reverberating sounds.

“It’s a ghost!” Naruto screeches. “It took all the juice outta the batteries! We’re gonna die! We’re gonna -!”

Slapping his light against his thigh, Sasuke gives it a shake, and by some miracle, it comes back to life. “Okay, come on! Before something else goes wrong!”

At a dead run, the four of them take off back down the tunnel, stumbling and panting until they finally emerge out into cool, fresh air. Lungs gasping and postures all leaning over their knees, they struggle to calm.

“Holy shit…!” Naruto manages to wheeze. “Holy shit…”

“That was...the stupidest thing...you’ve ever had me do,” Sasuke retorts between breaths.

“What was that…” Sakura asks, recovering quickly and staring back into the tunnel. “I mean...the first sound might be wind from an opening, but...the slamming? Our lights…?”

“Nope...never again,” Naruto mumbles, tone bordering on a whine.

“...let’s go home,” Sasuke mutters.

“Hey, uh...can I stay at your place? My godfather’s outta town, and -?”

“Whatever. Just no keeping me up with your whining.”

“Maybe, uh...maybe I’ll stay too, if that’s okay…?” Sakura asks.

The Uchiha sighs. “Well shit, why don’t you all just stay, then?”

“It...it might be nice not to be, um...alone,” Hinata agrees quietly.

“...all right, fine. Let’s get going.”

Mikoto is still awake, the hour barely midnight when they show up. After a blink, she asks, “...that bad, huh?”

Sasuke just gives her a look. “...we’re having a sleepover.”

“...all right. I’ll make breakfast once you guys get up. I’d say wake up, but...something tells me you won’t be sleeping.”

“Ha, ha.”

They commandeer mattresses and couches in the living room, a lamp kept on in a corner. “Okay, just...try to sleep,” Sasuke offers from the floor, he and Naruto letting the girls have the softer cushions.

“Easier said than done,” Naruto mutters, burying under a blanket.

Time passes like molasses, Sasuke staring at the ceiling. Eventually, he hears Naruto snore, Sakura’s breathing quiet. Hinata, too, seems to finally calm enough to sleep. Glancing to her, Sasuke sees her hand hang over the edge.

For a moment, he hovers his own beneath it...then thinks better. She’d probably wake up and scream…

Scowling, he rolls over...and tries to get some rest.

                                                           .oOo.

     Oof, it's very late...I got a lil carried away, lol - and today was a long day, too.      A lil bit of teenage shenanigans. Maybe a tad unrealistic in some regards, but...meh, lol - we're gonna roll with it. Mikoto, apparently, knows all the tricks to get girls. Not that Sasuke wants one, psh...he was just...y'know...keeping an eye on his fellow third wheel.      That's all.      Aaanyway, I've got stuffs to do tomorrow, and III need some sleep! Thanks for reading~

[dustedmagazine]

Why Brecht Now? Vol. II: Nina Simone sings “Pirate Jenny”

Lotte Lenya’s terrific performance of “Pirate Jenny” in G.W. Pabst’s 1931 film version of The Threepenny Opera might be the most enduring version of the song. Brecht abandoned the movie project halfway through the shoot, suspicious of Pabst’s aestheticism and tired of arguing over changes to the narrative scenario and the stage play’s script. One wonders what Brecht might have made of Nina Simone’s rendition of “Pirate Jenny,” which he co-wrote with Kurt Weill in the late 1920s. Simone makes the song her own, not just in the idiosyncrasies of her performance, but in her substantive alterations to the song’s setting, to its title character and to its politics. Simone’s version is found on her 1964 LP Nina Simone in Concert. Below I present the lyrics to her performance, then, in brackets, Brecht’s original German. Following that are my thoughts on the song.

You people can watch while I’m scrubbing these floors And I’m scrubbing the floors while you’re gawking Maybe once you tip me, and it makes you feel swell In this crummy southern town, in this crummy old hotel But you’ll never guess to who you’re talking No, you could never guess to who you’re talking Then one night, there’s a scream in the night And you wonder, who could that have been? And you see me kind of grinning while I’m scrubbing And you say, “What’s she got to grin?” I’ll tell you

There’s a ship The black freighter With a skull on its masthead, will be coming in

You gentlemen can say, “Hey gal, finish them floors! Get upstairs! What’s wrong with you? Earn your keep here!” And you toss me your tips and look out to the ships But I’m counting your heads as I’m making the beds Cuz there’s nobody gonna sleep here, tonight Nobody’s gonna sleep here, honey Nobody Nobody Then one night, there’s a scream in the night And you say, “Who’s that kicking up a row?” And you see me kind of staring out the window And you say, “What’s she got to stare at now?” I’ll tell you

There’s a ship The black freighter Turns around in the harbor, shooting guns from her bow

Now, you gentlemen can wipe off that smile off your face Cuz every building in town is a flat one This whole fricking place will be down to the ground Only this old, cheap hotel standing up, safe and sound And you yell, “Why do they spare that one?” Yes, that’s what you say: “Why do they spare that one?” All the night through, through the noise and to-do You wonder, who is that person that lives up there And you see me stepping out in the morning Looking nice, with a ribbon in my hair

And the ship The black freighter Runs a flag up its masthead and a cheer rings the air!

By noontime the dock is aswarming with men Coming out from the ghostly freighter They move in the shadows where no one can see And they’re chaining up people and they’re bringing ‘em to me Asking me, “Kill them now or later?” Asking me, “Kill them now or later?” Noon by the clock, and so still at the dock You can hear a foghorn miles away And in the quiet of death, I’ll say, “Right now. Right now!” And they pile up the bodies, and I’ll say, “That’ll learn ya!”

And the ship The black freighter Disappears out to sea, and on it is me Ha!

 [Meine Herren, heute sehen Sie mich Gläser abwaschen Und ich mache das Bett für jeden Und Sie geben mir einen Penny und ich bedanke mich schnell Und Sie sehen meine Lumpen und dies lumpige Hotel Und Sie wissen nicht, mit wem Sie reden Und Sie wissen nicht, mit wem Sie reden Aber eines Tags wird ein Geschrei sein ma Hafen Und man fragt: Was ist das für ein Geschrei? Und man wird mich lächeln sehn bei meinen Gläsern Und man fragt: Was lächelt die dabei?

Und ein Schiff mit acht Segeln Und mit fünfzig Kanonen Wird liegen am Kai

Man sagt, geh, wisch deine Gläser, mein Kind Und man reicht mir den Penny hin Und der Penny wird genommen Und das Bett wird gemacht Es wird keiner mehr drin schlafen in dieser Nacht Und die wissen immer noch nicht, wer ich bin Und die wissen immer noch nicht, wer ich bin Und in dieser Nacht wird ein Getös sein am Hafen Und man fragt: Was ist das für ein Getös? Und man wich mich stehen sehen hinterm Fenster Und man fragt: Was lächelt die so bös?

Und ein Schiff mit acht Segein Und mit fünfzig Kanonen Wird bescheissen die Stadt

Meine Herren, da wird wohl ihr Lachen aufhörn Den die Mauern warden fallen hin Und am dritten Tage ist die Stadt dem Erdboden gleich Nur ein lumpiges Hotel wird veschont von jedem Streich Und man fragt: Wer wont Besonderer darin? Und man fragt: Wer wont Besonderer darin? Und in dieser Nacht wird ein Geschrei um das Hotel sien Und man fragt: Warum wird  das Hotel verschont? Und man sieht mich treten aus der Tür gegen Morgen Und man sagt: Die hat darin gewohnt?

Und ein Schiff mit acht Segein Und mit fünfzig Kanonen Wird beflaggen den Mast

Und es werden kommen hundert gen Mittag an Land Und werden in den Schatten treten Und fangen einen jeglichen aus jeglicher Tür Und legen ihn in Ketten und bringen ihn mir Und mich fragen: Welchen sollen wir töten? Und mich fragen: Welchen sollen wir töten? Und am diesem Mittag wird es still sein am Hafen Wenn man fragt, wer wohl sterben muss Und da warden Sie mich sagen hören: Alle! Und wenn dann der Kopf fällt, sage ich: Hoppla!

Und ein Schiff mit acht Segein Und mit fünfzig Kanonen Wird enschwinden mit mir]

In Pabst’s film, Jenny sings soon after learning that her erstwhile lover and pimp Mackie Messer has married Polly Peachum — and immediately after accepting a bribe from Polly’s mother, Mrs. Peachum, to betray Mackie to the London cops. Jenny takes the money, tips off the cops and sings. It seems like a desperate, nihilistic moment: an abject woman, amid turbid emotional and ethical crises, articulates a violent fantasy of absolute power. Whose side is Jenny on? Her own, of course, but operating at such an alienated distance from the social is never a good thing in Brecht.  

Simone’s performance feeds off Jenny’s anger and abjection, but the social politics of Simone’s revision are more emphatic, even didactic. In that way, she participates in Brecht’s artistic ethos: Walter Benjamin once noted that Brecht kept a statuette of a donkey in his apartment, and around the donkey’s neck was a sign that read, “Even I must understand it.”  

The import of Simone’s relocation of the song — from The Threepenny Opera’s Victorian London, to “this crummy southern town, in this crummy old hotel” — wouldn’t have been obscure to anyone in the Carnegie Hall audiences in front of whom she recorded Nina Simone in Concert, in March and April of 1964. The American south was then embroiled in civil rights struggle and mounting violence: Medgar Evers had been executed in his Mississippi driveway in June of 1963, and just a few months later, Addie Mae Collins, Carol Denise McNair, Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley were murdered in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, AL. Collins, Robertson and Wesley were 14 years old; McNair was 11.  

Simone addressed that violence in another, more famous song on Nina Simone in Concert, “Mississippi Goddam”: “Alabama’s got me so upset / Tennessee made me lose my rest / And everybody knows about Mississippi, goddam!” It’s rightly noted to be a watershed song, signaling Simone’s forceful transformation into protest singer, activist and cultural radical. Her version of “Pirate Jenny” may lack the referential specificity of that other, more storied song (and “Mississippi Goddam” gets pretty direct; at one point in the song, she intones, “Oh, but this whole country is full of lies / You’re all gonna die, and die like flies / I don’t trust you anymore” — in Carnegie Hall). But “Pirate Jenny” is a lively complement to the indignation of “Mississippi Goddam,” and tonally it’s even more bitter, even more violent.  

You can hear that implicit violence in the horrific cackle Simone produces at the 3:27 mark, immediately after the infantilizing image of the ribbon in Jenny’s hair. It’s a stirring contrast: the feminine innocent become vengeful fury. You can hear the bitterness in the final “Ha!” that bursts from her throat as she imagines herself disappearing over the horizon line with the ship. You can feel it in one of Simone’s other revisions to the song. In The Threepenny Opera, the song climaxes with Jenny’s shocking order that all the men in London (“Alle!”) should be killed for her pleasure. In Simone’s version, there’s never any doubt that all of her prisoners should be killed, it’s only a matter of how quickly. She hisses, rapaciously, “Right now / Right now!”  

In another notable change, Simone’s Jenny isn’t a prostitute, but a maid, cleaning up after “you people” in the aforementioned “crummy hotel.” Jenny is still marginalized, but there’s nothing subterranean or metaphorical about the economic environment she moves through. It’s all culturally sanctioned. Her oppression is a transparent element of her southern lifeworld, and she is thus sharply conscious of the manifest power of those transactions: “Maybe once you tip me, and it makes you feel swell.” It’s an important change to Brecht’s original lyrics, focusing on a set of economic relations that indicate Jenny’s racially charged plight. She’s a maid in a southern hotel, a laboring black woman, who’s made recognizable as such precisely because of the larger Jim Crow-period matrix of law and social practice that determined who did what work for whom.  

That economic register makes some of the song’s subsequent images even more resonant. The people on the receiving end of Jenny’s rage are “chained up” on the “dock.” The spectacle of terrified, chained bodies by the seaside evokes the slave auction block, even as the image wants to invert the slave economy’s racialized logic, of white oppressing black. And Simone repeatedly calls the ship in the harbor a “black freighter.” Black freight. It’s another marker for the slave trade, and perhaps Jenny is trying to run the film in reverse. Perhaps she wants to board the vessel, to sail all the slave ships back across the Atlantic, to neutralize the horror of the Middle Passage. That sounds like a utopian desire, a triumphal image that the song’s tone cannot sustain, or even create in the first place. Too much misery and violence has already happened. American history has already insisted that blackness and capital are inextricably bound. Utopian longing is beside the point. What’s needed is critique, sharpened by righteous rage.  

The historical period that we call “the Sixties” ground on for another ten years after Simone’s 1964 Carnegie Hall gigs. She became increasingly militant in her public rhetoric and performative style. She claimed once to have looked Martin Luther King in the face and said, “I am not non-violent.” Her voice throughout “Pirate Jenny” is a sort of corroborating evidence for that assertion.  

Simone’s assertiveness continues to reverberate today, as many of the most insistent leftist voices in American institutional politics come from women’s bodies, bodies that are black and ethnically Middle Eastern and Latinx. Why are the reactionaries so obsessed with AOC, with Rashida Tlaib, with Ilhan Omar? Because those women say stuff like “permanent war economy” in public? Because they eschew the rhetoric of moderation? Because they call themselves socialist and don’t seem in the least bit tentative about it? Maybe it’s because they refuse to wait. They want justice. Right now. They want an end to economic exploitation. Right now. They, and the constituencies they represent, have no time to waste on political nicety or policy based on half-measure. They insist that they will be heard. Right now.  

Jonathan Shaw

[write-havoc]

This Is How I Disappear Ch. 52

Summary: A girl named Chuck finds herself in the exact place she doesn't want to be, living with violent men in a desolate nursing home. After her former gym teacher finds her, will he be the savior she was looking for?

Fandom: The Walking Dead AU

Pairing: Negan/Original Female Character

Status: Ongoing

Contains: swearing, violence, sexual assault, blood, smut

Intended for readers 18+ of age only

Masterlist

——— Negan’s POV ———

I have no fuckin’ idea why Eldritch’s men hauled ass out of his compound yesterday. We stayed up all fuckin’ night ready for an attack from them, but nothing ever happened. I even warned Hilltop and Alexandria to be on the fuckin’ lookout, but they didn’t see shit. I also radioed my guys watching Eldritch’s compound to see if they started to move the fuckin’ biters, because I do not want a fuckin’ surprise herd on my goddamn doorstep again. But the dead never fuckin’ moved. So I’m fuckin’ stumped about it.

Something got them all riled up, but fuck if I know what. I can only hope that it doesn’t mean bad fuckin’ news for Chuck.

As it is right now, I’m on the fuckin’ road with my usual guys to pick up my picture. But I’m taking extra precautions. Namely, I’ve loaded the fuckin’ car with extra guns. Well, maybe it’s not just for precaution sake... I know it’s fuckin’ dumb, but part of me is itching for a fight. All this shit is fuckin’ getting to me and I’m like a goddamn powder keg ready to blow. I don’t know how much fuckin’ longer I can keep playing nice with Eldritch. I’m doing it to keep Chuck safe, I keep telling myself that, but my nerves are fuckin’ fried. Not to mention that I feel like a goddamn pussy for not busting that fucker’s head in every goddamn chance I get.

If I get another picture like the last one, I’m gonna fuckin’ kill every motherfucker at that fort. I know it. I can’t take seeing fucking Eldritch with his hand on my girl. And I can’t take seeing her look like she just got fucking hurt.

“Maybe there was some sort of emergency,” Arat breaks me out of my thoughts from her seat in the back. “Maybe Eldritch has guys posted away from his compound that were in trouble and that’s why all his guys left yesterday.”

I shake my head. I don’t think that’s what it was. If Eldritch wanted to have guys outside his compound, they would’ve occupied my fuckin’ empty outposts. But they’re still fuckin’ empty. He hasn’t done shit with them.

One of the other guys in the back throws his two cents in. “Nah. He’s gearing up for something.”

That sounds more goddamn likely. Just as I turn my body to address the guys in the back, I see a fuckin’ car headed straight fuckin’ for us coming from a side street. I don’t even get a chance to say a goddamn thing before the car t-bones us on the back driver’s side. Dwight overcorrects which causes us to fuckin’ veer to the left and flip. I’m not sure how many times we go ass over end, but we end up on our fuckin’ roof.

It takes a few seconds before I realize what’s going on after we stop moving. I groan in fuckin’ pain and look around. Me, Dwight, and Arat are all hanging upside down by our seatbelts. My other two guys weren’t so lucky. One isn’t even in the car anymore. I guess he got thrown out of one of the broken windows. And the other is so fuckin’ mangled that I know he’s fuckin’ dead.

In my periphery, I see movement outside of my window. Some guys are coming toward us, but I can’t really see who it is. Though I have a fuckin’ feeling. And my feeling proves fuckin’ correct when I hear a voice.

“You still alive in there, Negan?” Eldritch fuckin’ yells in a teasing voice.

Arat groans behind me and unlatches her seatbelt, sending her to the floor with a thud. Well, the roof , I guess.

“Can you fight?” I ask her quietly, still upside down myself. I can’t get my hand to the goddamn button on the seatbelt to let me out.

“Yeah,” she whispers back.

I can hear her moving around, no doubt looking for a fuckin’ gun.

Eldritch’s voice calls out again. “If you’re not dead already, I’m gonna fucking kill you, Negan. You know that?” He’s not messing around anymore. He’s not trying to do that calm, smug shit he always does. Now he just sounds fuckin’ unhinged. “And you better believe that I will make damn sure that it’ll be after I kill all the rest of your people and burn that ugly fucking factory to the ground.” He laughs like a fuckin’ crazy person. “And I will make you watch , Negan. Watch your people die . Watch your home crumble . And watch as I make that sweet girl of yours mine .”

Gunshots ring out and some of Eldritch’s fuckin’ men fall to the ground. Arat was always a good fuckin’ shot. And she keeps shooting, making Eldritch and his men still standing scramble behind their car. The car that’s not totaled on the side of the road, that is.

“They got weapons in the back!” someone calls out.

“Not a man of your word, Negan!” Eldritch screams in a fuckin’ rage.

Then, fuckin’ bullets start to hit our car.

“Fuck!” I’m a sitting fuckin’ duck like this. I somehow get my knife out of the sheath and cut my seatbelt off, making me fall like a sack of fuckin’ potatoes onto my shoulders. I land on something and realize that it’s a fuckin’ rifle that must’ve come loose out of one of the hiding places in the crash. I get into position on my belly, sorta, and join Arat to shoot out of my broken fuckin’ window at Eldritch and his men.

It doesn’t fuckin’ look like Eldritch has a lot of guys with him. And they’re shooting fuckin’ blind. Obviously they’re not as well trained as my saviors.

I send a bullet right into one of their foreheads about the same time that Arat drops one with a shot to the heart. Eldritch is losing men fuckin’ quick. I guess he fuckin’ recognizes his predicament, because he and the rest of his guys get into his Escalade and speed off.

“Mother fuck !” I growl out. My adrenaline is still pumping, so I’m not feeling much pain, yet. But I suspect I’m gonna have some fuckin’ injuries.

Arat shimmies out of her window and comes over to mine to help me get the fuck out. “You okay, sir?” she asks as she pulls me by the arm.

I crawl out then bend back down to get Lucille before I answer. “I’ll live.”

We both round the car to see about Dwight. He’s out fuckin’ cold, which isn’t a good sign, so Arat kneels down to check for a pulse.

She looks up at me. “He’s alive.” She turns back to him. “Dwight. Dwight, wake up.” She pats him on the face, but he doesn’t wake up.

“Let’s get him out.” I hold onto Dwight as Arat crawls in the passenger’s side to cut away his seatbelt. I feel his weight fall into my arms and awkwardly pull him out of the car. Before I get him back on the ground, he starts to groan. The movement must’ve finally fuckin’ woke him up.

“Come on, Dwight,” Arat says, coming back over to help me set him gently on the road. “Wake up.”

“Ung.” Dwight starts to open his eyes and looks around randomly. “Shit,” he croaks.

“You gonna live?” I ask when his eyes finally focus on me.

“Ugh. My fuckin’ ribs hurt,” he rasps. “And my shoulder.”

I pull his shirt up to inspect his fuckin’ torso. He has an angry bruise forming across his chest from the seatbelt. Probably has a broken collarbone and busted ribs. Hopefully no internal bleeding, but there’s no way for us to fuckin’ know that yet.

“You’ll live,” I say to him, sounding more confident than I am.

Arat looks relieved. “I’m gonna check that other car.” She walks away toward the car that hit us that’s now crashed into the guide rail.

“You gonna be able to walk?” I ask Dwight. “Cuz we gotta get the fuck outta here.”

He starts to get up, so I help him. “I can walk,” he answers.

Arat comes back over to us. “Car’s fucked. And two of Eldritch’s guys are dead in the front.”

“Dumbasses,” I mutter then scrub my hand down my beard. “Alexandria’s a few miles away. Guess we’re hoofing it there.”

We empty our car of weapons and start walking, but it’s fuckin’ slow. I end up having to practically carry Dwight most of the way, with Arat carrying the duffle with the guns behind us.

“Why’d he attack?” Dwight asks from beside me. “I thought he wanted tribute.”

“I have no fuckin’ idea.” I answer.

Arat suggests, “You think he found out we kept the weapons from him and was pissed?”

“It didn’t fuckin’ seem like he knew we’d be fighting back.” I let out a sigh. “We’re probably gonna find out pretty fuckin’ soon what all that was about. I’m fuckin’ guessing this was just the goddamn beginning.”

We finally walk up the road to Alexandria’s gate. It opens before we even get there with Rick and Daryl walking out at first, then rushing over to us when they see we’re fucked up.

“What happened?” Rick asks as Daryl takes Dwight from me. And I let him. I’m starting to feel that fuckin’ car crash now.

“Eldritch fuckin’ ambushed us on the way to the goddamn meet. T-boned us on the road.” I bring my arm not holding Lucille around my waist when I get a fuckin’ twinge of pain from my ribs.

Rick puts his arm around me and under my other arm to help lead me through the gate. “You okay?”

“I’ll fuckin’ live. I always do.”

“We have a doctor now,” Rick starts. “Well, he was a resident before the turn, but he’s more of a medical doctor than Denise. Me and Carl found him a few days ago. His name’s Siddiq. He can look you guys over.”

“Get Dwight to him,” I reply. “I need to get on the radio to call The Sanctuary.”

“Let Siddiq check you out,” Rick pleads a little. “You’re moving pretty slow.”

“I had to carry Dwight’s ass for two miles. I’m just a little fuckin’ tired.” I push away from Rick, but I immediately regret it. I don’t think my ribs are broken, but they sure as fuck are bruised. Maybe cracked. Not that I’m gonna tell Rick any of that.

“Look, Negan.” Rick clears his throat. “The Sanctuary radioed in a few hours ago. They said Eldritch’s people tried to come in, but they fought them off.”

“What?!” I yell.

Goddamn it! Eldritch must’ve had guys attack The Sanctuary after I got out of radio range! Then fuckin’ attacked me, too!

I turn my head to glare at Rick. “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me that in the first place?!” I trudge along as fast as I fuckin’ can to get to their radio, but I’m in fuckin’ pain so it’s slow. Rick follows me the whole time, like he thinks I’m gonna fuckin’ fall over and die any second.

“Negan,” he starts again, “they said they fought them off. You really should just sit down for a minute.”

I fuckin’ ignore him and get on the radio to call out to my fuckin’ home.

Laura answers. “ Negan? You’re at Alexandria? ”

“What the fuck is going on?” I need goddamn answers.

“Eldritch’s guys tried to come in, but Simon wouldn’t let them. They fired on us first, so he had to defend ourselves. Took a bunch of theirs out. Lost a few ourselves.”

“God-fucking-damnit,” I mutter to myself. “You still have your guys ready for an attack?” I direct at Rick.”

“Yeah,” he answers.

“Good. It’s probably gonna fuckin’ come to that. Soon, I’d fuckin’ guess. ”

“ Negan ,” Simon’s voice comes through the speaker. “ What’s going on? ”

“Eldritch attacked us on the road,” I answer. “Me, Dwight, and Arat got to Alexandria.”

“ Shit. I’m sorry, brother. They attacked us. We had to fight back. ” He sounds guilty. Like he thinks I got attacked because of what he did.

“It was coordinated, brother,” I respond. “Eldritch didn’t know I had weapons when he attacked us. It wasn’t because of you.”

“ What about Chuck? ”

“I don’t know,” I answer truthfully. “All Eldritch’s men retreat?” I change the subject. Because I can’t think about her right now. About what all this could mean for her.

“ Yeah. They lost some men then cut and run. ”

“Fuckin’ cowards,” I say to myself. “They didn’t know who they were fuckin’ with.” I hold down the button to speak to Simon again. “Did Eldritch start moving the fuckin’ dead?”

“ No. I thought about that, too, so I called the guys watching Eldritch’s compound. They said the dead haven’t moved. ”

“Good. I’m gonna head out in a few so we can start to fuckin’ discuss what the fuck it is that we’re gonna do.”

I really don’t want to attack Eldritch’s fuckin’ compound while Chuck’s still in there. Especially if I’m gonna use the fuckin’ dead. And that’s the only way I can see to get to the guys inside. Fuck.

“ Alright, brother. Stay safe. ”

I turn to Rick. “Is it okay if Dwight stays for a little bit.”

“Yeah,” Rick answers. “You should get checked out, too, before you leave.”

“Jesus, Rick, I’m a married man. Maybe get off my dick.”

Rick rolls his eyes and we walk back outside. As soon as we get on the street, though, we see people starting to scramble around. Including fuckin’ Daryl, who runs right for us.

“What is it?” Rick asks quickly.

Daryl answers. “Lookouts said trucks are headed this way. Fast.”

“God- fucking -damnit! Eldritch is coming after me.”

We all run to the gate and up to the guard towers to look down the road. Not long later, we start to see them.

“Here they come!” Rosita shouts.

———   ———

  The sound of vehicles flying down the road and past Chuck’s car wakes her up with a start. She keeps herself ducked down in the seat, though, not wanting anyone to see her. Because she assumes that procession of cars was Eldritch looking for her. Even if Conner hadn’t told anyone that Andy had escaped with her yesterday, she knows that Eldritch would have to know that they’re all missing by now.

All the things that happened yesterday flash before her eyes, no matter how hard she tries to stop them. Shooting Conner. The way his blood flowed over her hands. The same blood that’s still staining her coat. Andy’s coat.

Chuck feels her eyes sting with tears at the thought of him. “I’m sorry, Andy,” she says aloud as she remembers how he felt lying lifeless in her arms. “You didn’t deserve that. This is all my fault.” She sobs even harder.

Before she can fall too deeply into her guilt, though, she feels a fluttering in her stomach. The same fluttering she had first felt several days ago.

Chuck sniffles and wipes her cheeks. “Oh, baby,” she whispers to her belly as she rubs it, comforting herself in the process. “You’re right.” she wipes her eyes of the last of her tears and steels herself. “I gotta get you out of here.”

Chuck carefully sits up and opens her door, stepping out onto the road. That first step is painful, her bare feet being all raw and sore from the walk yesterday. But she has to proceed.

The cars that had gone by were heading in the direction that she was going, which gives Chuck pause. She doesn’t want to be caught on the road if those cars circle back, but she doesn’t have much of a choice. The woods that surround the road are too harsh for her to walk on anymore. So as she heads down the edge of the road, she makes sure to keep her ears open for any vehicles approaching. If she hears one, she wants to make it to the woods quickly to hide.

As she walks, the wind seems to turn even colder, chilling her to the bone. She wraps her arms around herself to try to keep warm, but it’s not helping much. Not only that, but her constant shivering seems to be slowing her down even more.

When a sign comes into view saying that Alexandria is two miles away, Chuck lets out a sigh of relief.

“Thank god,” she says to herself and speeds up a little in excitement. As much as she can, anyway. She’s tired, in pain, and definitely dehydrated. But every time she thinks about stopping or slowing down, every time sorrow threatens to overtake her, she feels that flutter in her belly as her baby moves and she pushes on.

The forest thins out into a residential area, which is potentially more dangerous. Any place that was more populated before tends to have more biters hanging around. Chuck had always avoided them when she was out here on her own after the turn. But she knows that she’s getting close to Alexandria, so she hopes that they cleared the area, much like Negan has done around The Sanctuary.

Chuck isn’t exactly sure where the settlement of Alexandria is. She’s technically in the city of Alexandria right now. Well, the Alexandria of before, anyway. But the settlement of Alexandria just comprises one neighborhood. That’s what Negan and Aaron had told her. They also told her that it has a wall around it made of metal sheeting, so that’s what she’s looking for.

While she’s searching, gunshots ring out not too close, but not exactly that far away from her. She cautiously walks toward the noise, figuring that it’s coming from Alexandria. Eldritch must be attacking them for some reason.

  Maybe Eldritch knew I would go there and he’s tearing the place up to get to me. Oh god. Maybe I should hang back.

But if Rick’s people are as good of fighters as Negan has said, they should be able to hold their own. Right?

  Chuck decides to continue on in the direction of the firefight, despite her fears. Even after there’s a large explosion, she pushes on, though she’s being very careful not to be out in the open by ducking around cars and buildings.

She finally gets to where she can see the wall surrounding Alexandria. But instead of hearing gunshots anymore, she starts to hear cars start up. As fast as she can, Chuck runs around a house down the street to hide in the backyard and waits for everything to go quiet.

When Chuck’s sure it’s safe, she slinks out from behind the house and heads for the gate, albeit, pretty slowly. Even though her destination is in sight, her feet are dragging. She’s willing her body forward, but it seems like it’s failing her. She’s simply running out of energy.

With her hands around her belly, she shuffles forward, staring down as one foot falls in front of the other. When she finally lifts her head, she sees the gate start to open about fifty yards away from her.

  ——— Negan’s POV ———

Eldritch and his fuckin’ men are driving down the street towards Alexandria. There’s a truck out front, followed by a bunch of cars. And I immediately recognize what’s gonna fuckin’ happen. It seems like it’s Eldritch’s fuckin’ MO.

“They’ll ram the fuckin’ fence!” I warn.

Sasha readies her rifle beside me. “Not if I can help it.” She starts to shoot and, boy, does she make those bullets fuckin’ count. I swear she gets the driver right between the eyes, his head practically fuckin’ exploding across the window. Her next shot takes out the left front tire causing the now driverless truck to veer off and slam into one of the burned out buildings just outside the gates.

“Atta fuckin’ girl!” I call out.

Rick’s people, plus me and Arat, ready our weapons for a fuckin’ fight as the rest of the cars pull up. But no one gets out, so we wait. Then Eldritch’s fuckin’ voice rings out through a goddamn bullhorn.

“I just want Negan, Rick,” he says, smug as fuckin’ ever. Like his plan is going off without a hitch, even though it definitely fuckin’ isn’t. I’m sure he’s fuckin’ pissed that I am wrecking shit for him. “There’s no need for your people to die for him, Rick.”

“You’ve taken this far enough,” Rick calls out without hesitating. “Leave now and we won’t be forced to fire on you.”

“Rick, Rick, Rick,” Eldritch tuts in a damn singsong way. “I was going to leave you alone. For the time being, anyways.”

Eldritch’s men start to fire, but the Alexandrians return it fuckin’ quickly. And they aren’t fucking around. Rick said he had some fighters in his group, and he wasn’t fuckin’ lying. Eldritch’s men start to drop like flies. Some of Rick’s guys fall, too, but not as many by a long shot. It seems like Eldritch and his guys are fuckin’ shitty in a fight. That’s why he takes pot shots by using the fuckin’ dead and ramming shit with fuckin’ vehicles. And kidnapping innocent girls.

Outta fuckin’ nowhere, one of Eldritch’s cars fuckin’ explodes. I turn my head to the other guard tower to see that huge ginger fuck, Abraham, with a goddamn rocket launcher on his shoulder.

“Fuck, yeah! You guys got a fuckin’ RPG?! That’s awesome!” I yell to him and he gives me a salute.

After that, Eldritch wisely tucks tail and fuckin’ runs. With a few less people than he rolled up with.

Me and Rick climb down the towers leaving Sasha and Rosita on one and Abraham and Tara on the other.

“Watch out for walkers,” Rick yells up to them. “All that noise’ll attract them.”

They all nod and turn their fuckin’ eyes back to the road. The rest of the Alexandrians start to get their wounded to the sickbay, with Rick overseeing.

I’m just standing in the middle of everything trying not to fuckin’ pass out. Now that the adrenaline of the attack is wearing the fuck off, I’m feeling like shit again. Goddamn, maybe I should go to the doctor.

Arat comes up to me. “You okay, sir?”

“Yeah. Fuckin’ peachy,” I growl out.

“Got a walker,” Rosita proclaims as she raises her rifle to take it the fuck out. She lines up the fuckin’ shot, but doesn’t get the chance to take it.

Sasha quickly puts her hand on the barrel of Rosita’s gun and pushes it down. “Wait!” She then raises her own gun up to look through her scope. “That’s not a walker. She’s alive.”

“Looks like a walker to me,” Rosita retorts.

Sasha seems to study whatever she’s fuckin’ seeing through her scope for a moment before she speaks again. “It’s a girl. She’s holding her stomach, but she’s alive.”

My whole body starts to buzz. I don’t fuckin’ know why.

There’s no way... How could it possibly be...?

“She a redhead?” I call out as I move closer to Sasha. I don’t know why I’m even fuckin’ thinking it. It’s just gonna break my damn heart when it ends up being someone else.

“Yeah.” Sasha answers and I start to move before I really even process it.

“Open the fucking gate!” I don’t even wait for anyone to do it. I rip the gate open and start running. “Chuck!” I can’t see her. I can’t see shit, I’m so fucking frantic. But then I hear her.

“Negan?!” It’s my girl. It’s my fucking girl!

I finally see her. She looks hurt. But she’s running to me. Not fuckin’ fast, but I make up the distance. I throw Lucille down and run flat out to get to her. When we meet, I throw my arms around her and pull her into me, lifting her off of her feet.

———   ———

  As soon as Chuck hears Negan yell her name, she starts running.

“Negan?!” she screams.

Chuck can barely see him running towards her through her tears of joy. But when she feels his strong arms lifting her up and holding her tight, she knows she’s safe.

“Negan!” she sobs into his shoulder.

“Fuck, baby girl.” He kisses anywhere his lips can touch. “I love you so much, baby girl,” he chokes out. He suddenly pulls away to look Chuck over, his eyes wildly scanning her body. “You’re bleeding!” he cries as he looks at the blood staining her clothes.

“It’s not mine!” she calls out. “I’m okay!”

He looks into her eyes. “You’re okay?”

“I’m okay,” she repeats.

“Fuck, I missed you so much.” Negan kisses her fervently then falls to his knees. He hugs her torso tightly, crying tears of joy into her stomach as she wraps her arms around his head.

Chuck bends down to kiss the top of his head, her tears falling from her cheeks to land in his hair.

She’s not sure how long they stood there holding each other, but when she finally looks up, there are two men, Rick and Daryl, along with Arat standing around them. And Rick is carrying Lucille.

Rick starts to speak. “We should get her inside. The dead are starting to come out.”

Negan wipes his face discretely and stands before turning back to him. Rick holds Lucille out to Negan, but he doesn’t take her.

“Carry her in for me. And be fuckin’ gentle about it.” Negan turns back to Chuck and wraps his arms around her, lifting her up to carry her inside. She wraps her legs around him and allows him to cradle her in his arms as she buries her face in his neck.

Once they get inside the gate, Aaron comes running over. “Oh my god! Chucky!” He runs his hand over her head that’s resting on Negan’s shoulder as he holds her to his chest. “The doctor is this way.” He turns to lead them, but Chuck’s voice stops him.

“I’m okay. I just want to rest.” The only thing Chuck wants is to be alone with Negan. She knows she’s not really hurt; she just needs food, water, and rest. And she can take care of the minor cuts on her legs and feet by herself.

“See the doctor, baby girl,” Negan pleads.

“Just give me a first aid kit. I’ll deal with everything myself.” She shifts to look into Negan’s eyes. “Please, Negan. I just want you.”

Negan lets out a huff. “You got a place for us, Rick?”

“Yeah. This way.” He starts to lead them to a house. “This one’s empty.”

“I’ll get the first aid kit.” Aaron runs off in a different direction.

As they walk, Negan talks with Rick. “Call Simon and tell him Chuck’s here. And get him to go over my plan with you to take that motherfucker down. I want that goddamn compound destroyed by sundown tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” Rick agrees. “I’ll coordinate with him and get my people briefed. We’re gonna help out. I don’t want this guy living anywhere near us anymore.”

When they get inside the house, Rick gently sets Lucille down on the coffee table. “If you guys need anything, just ask.”

Aaron comes rushing in with the medical supplies and some clean clothes. “Here’s the first aid kit. And clothes.” He sets it all down and goes over to Chuck, still being held by Negan. “You sure you don’t want to see the doctor?” he whispers as he tucks some of her hair behind her ear.

“Mmhmm,” is how she answers.

“Okay, Chucky.” Aaron kisses her on the head. “I love you.” He turns and leaves with Rick trailing behind him.

Still holding Chuck, Negan picks up the first aid kit and heads upstairs to the master bath. He sets Chuck down on her feet and she watches as he wordlessly goes over to the shower and starts to run the water.

Chuck strips off her bloody jacket and nightgown, leaving her standing naked in front of Negan. He stares at her, his eyes moving all along her body, his expression stern. She allows her own gaze to fall to herself, seeing the bruises and scrapes that punctuate her skin. Her arms are littered with fingerprint bruises from Eldritch’s manhandling, while her legs show the injuries she incurred during her fall down the hill yesterday.

“I’m really okay, Negan,” Chuck tries to reassure. She takes a few short steps forward and unzips Negan’s jacket, pushing it off his shoulders after. Negan stiffly pulls his shirt over his head, which allows Chuck to see his own bruises.

“Negan,” she whispers with a gasp and places her fingers gently on the purple bruise across the right side of Negan’s ribs. She saw that he had some small cuts and scrapes on his face, but this is much worse. “What happened?”

“Let’s just get cleaned up, then we can talk.”

She nods then helps Negan undress further before they both step into the shower. The hot water feels amazing on her aching muscles as Negan lathers up a washcloth and gently rubs it over her, cleaning all the blood and dirt from her skin. She returns the favor, washing Negan, too, but making sure to be extra gentle on his bruised ribs.

When they get out, they dry off and wrap their towels around them, in lieu of getting dressed. Chuck picks up the first aid kit and takes it into the bedroom to set it on the bed.

“Sit down,” Chuck says to Negan. “I’m hoping they have some ice in the freezer downstairs so I can wrap those ribs.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Negan responds while he nudges Chuck to lay down on the bed. “I’m gonna get you something to eat, then I’ll clean those fuckin’ cuts out.”

“You’re more hurt than-“

“Just listen to me, Chuck. Please.”

Chuck nods, then Negan leaves. He reenters a few minutes later with a sandwich, a jug of water, and ice cubes in a large ziplock bag.

She leans back on the headboard and swings her legs up to lay them straight in front of her. “My feet...” she points down her legs.

Negan tilts his head to look. “Shit, baby girl.” He inspects her feet closely. “They’re chewed to shit.”

“Yeah,” she says with a sigh. “Make sure you clean them out good.”

Negan diligently disinfects Chuck’s feet as she scarfs down the sandwich and guzzles the water. After he wraps her feet in gauze, he runs his hand up her leg soothingly. “Feel a little better?”

Chuck gives him a weak smile and a nod. “Yeah. Now let me take care of you.” She swings her legs over the bed as Negan moves to stand in front of her, stripping off his towel to leave him completely naked. Chuck touches the ice bag to Negan’s ribs and he lets out a hiss. “I’m sorry, Negan. How did this happen? Was it in the firefight? I saw the tail end of it.” She wraps a bandage around him as he answers.

He shakes his head. “Eldritch fuckin’ slammed into my fuckin’ car on the road. The crash killed two of my guys. And fucked up Dwight. That’s why we’re here. The crash was a few miles away.”

Chuck looks down. “He attacked because I escaped.”

Negan nudges her head up to look at him. “It’s not your fault, baby girl.”

Chuck finishes wrapping up Negan’s ribs and cleaning out his cuts. “Lay with me,” she says to him as she gets rid of her towel. All she wants is to feel Negan’s skin on her own.

Negan obliges and cuddles her into his chest on his uninjured side after he pulls the blankets up over them. They lay there holding each other for several minutes before Chuck starts to speak.

“It was Andy,” she almost whispers.

“What did he do to you?” he replies quickly, apparently misunderstanding her.

“No. He saved me. He got me out.”

“He fuckin’ kidnapped you, didn’t he?”

“Yeah. But he was just following his brother.” She takes in a deep breath and lets it out. “He realized that what Eldritch was doing was wrong, so he escaped with me. But...” she sighs again, “Conner found us. I shot him in the neck.”

“Jesus,” Negan whispers.

“Andy finished him off.” The memories of all of that brings tears to Chuck’s eyes. “Andy shot himself in the head because he was bit and I wouldn’t leave him,” she chokes out.

Negan squeezes her into him more. “I’m so fucking sorry, baby girl. None of that should’ve happened to you.” He gives her a hard kiss on the head then lets out a heavy breath. “Did Eldritch... hurt you?” he asks quietly.

“He didn’t-“ She clears her throat, knowing what Negan’s really asking. “Not like that. I was scared he would... he touched my belly. Made me wear dresses and have dinner with him. And that stupid nightgown...” She pauses. “He undressed me. Looked at me.”

Negan lets out a tense breath, obviously affected by what she said.

“He said he attacked The Sanctuary,” she says almost like a question, wanting to change the subject.

“He crashed our gate and sent the fuckin’ dead in. Rick led them all away, so... there wasn’t any real fuckin’ damage.”

“So everyone’s okay?” she asks, hopeful.

Negan lets out a sigh. “All the lookouts... All the fuckin’ guys I had out in the open are dead.”

She gasps. “Oh no...”

“He’s gonna fuckin’ pay for this, Chuck. I promise you. He will fuckin’ pay.”

Chuck shifts so that she’s straddling Negan, her face hovering over his nose to nose. “Good.” She places her lips on his softly, but the kiss quickly turns heated.

They’re slow with each other, like they’re relearning one another’s bodies all over again. Hands running over curves. Fingers skimming skin. Hips meeting each other slowly. But it still feels like home to Chuck.

“Oh, Negan...” Chuck moans as she grinds her hips into his. She runs her hands up his chest to brace her weight on his shoulders to get better leverage.

“Fuck,” he groans, letting her do all the work. “I missed you so goddamn much.” His hands move up her hips to grip her waist.

They move together, plunging over the cliff simultaneously. The intensity of it all makes Chuck emotional, her eyes welling up with tears.

“Hey, hey,” Negan whispers and turns them over so he’s hovering over her. He swipes her sweaty hair from her face and cradles her cheek in his hand. “What’s wrong?”

“I was so afraid I’d never see you again,” she chokes out then caresses his cheek. “But you’re here. And I’m so happy.” She smiles at him through her tears.

Negan kisses her lips sweetly. “I’m never gonna fuckin’ leave you,” he whispers. “Not ever again.”

Chuck hugs her husband’s head to her chest and listens as his breathing deepens as he falls asleep. It’s only then, knowing that she’s safe, her baby’s safe, and Negan is safe, that Chuck can finally fall into a restful sleep.

[yogurtbattle]

Ginger Roger(s) Taylor? Chapter two

Again, any feedback is appreciated. This chapter is longer (about 3000 words).

Roger mindlessly shifted through the envelopes on his kitchen table. Bills, more bills, some boring letter from the bank… then his interest was captured by the last letter. The handwriting on the envelope was elegant and there was no company name on the envelope. He opened it and found a handwritten note inside. He flinched when he saw the name signing off the note at the end. Her. The girl he had been trying to get out of his bloody head the past week. The last person he had expected to write him a letter.

He lit a cigarette and then read through the note. It said:

“Hello Roger,

This is a small note to say I am sorry for being rude to you at the party a week ago. I have no other excuse than being intense as a person, very all or nothing. Even more when the person I am talking to is a stranger to me. I do not think ill of you as a person, I was just annoyed by you at that very moment. I hope you will accept my apology.

Hope you all the best in the future,

C.A. González Huntington”

That was a little unexpected and confusing. He had no idea what prompted her to write this note. And fuck, the worst part of it was that it made him hope. Hope that maybe he still had a chance with her. No, Rog, forget it. Forget her. She doesn’t want you, she made that more than clear. But he couldn’t forget the lively sparkle in her eyes or the chemistry that had been obviously there. She was unlike any girl he ever met before and he had met many. There was this intriguing mix of warm liveliness and regal composure surrounding her. It confused and attracted him at the same time. He had no idea why. But she was, above all, interesting, and that had captivated him.

After spending a few minutes debating with himself, he decided what the heck, life’s too short to not chase after your own happiness. It wasn’t often after all that he met a girl that left such a strong impression on him after just one meeting. Still, the thought of getting rejected again left Roger a little wary. Thinking through his options, he realised he didn’t even have any contact details of her. Nothing. A quick search on Google left him none the wiser. This was going to be even harder than he thought. Then it struck him: she hadn’t had his contact details either, so someone must have given it to her. And that someone was the person he was now going to plead with till he gave in.

“Hey mate, how’re you doing? Have you cured your hangover yet?” he heard Aaron say over the phone. “With another one. And some more,” he sighed, while running his hand through his hair, “hey, have you by any chance given my address to Camila? I received a handwritten note from her today.”. “Handwritten eh? That’s gotta mean something, mate! And yes, I did, I thought you might like it, you seemed a bit down at the party and what’s better than a gorgeous chick to cheer you up?” Roger clenched his teeth together. Down was one word to describe it. And she was the one who caused it in the first place. “Well, eh, I wanted to talk about that,” he frowned, “Do you have her phone number or something? I… want to talk to her and I don’t have it.”. “She didn’t write it on the note? Shame!” Aaron laughed, “I can’t give it to you, cuz I’m sure she’ll murder me if I do without her permission, but I can ask her to call you if you want?”.

Of course, this bloody world isn’t going to make it easy for me, Roger thought. “No, thanks,” he needed a Plan B quickly, “Do you… eh… have a public mail address of her maybe? Something I can contact her on that she wouldn’t hate you for?” not his best plan, but maybe he’ll figure something out. “Yes, I think have her work mail in my contact list somewhere. Let me see… it’s v.munincksberger@gmail.com. I’m not sure if she’ll read the mail herself though,” Roger wrote down the address on the first piece of paper he found laying around his kitchen table, which turned out to be his lyric diary. “I’ll find a way to make her read it. Thanks though. I owe you one,” his mind was already on the mail he was about to write. “That’s what friends are for, right? Get me a drink in next time and tell me all about your new date and we’re fine,” “Will do. Listen, I need to write a very important mail now so I’m hanging. See ya!” after a quick bye he put off the call.

Right. What was he going to tell her? He needed an excuse to see her again. He needed to feel if the chemistry was still there. And if she was as beautiful as he had imprinted in his mind. He couldn’t just ask her out on a date though. No matter how he would put it, she would always say no, he was sure of that. So, what was a good excuse to meet up again? That she still had something of him? No, there was no way she was going to buy that. That he needed her advice on something? No, she would just answer via mail and he would be no step further. He needed something better. He quickly lit another cigarette.

Wait. Wasn’t she a dancer or choreographer or something? She had mentioned that during their conversation. Good, at least now he had an idea in which direction he was going. He started writing:

“Dear Camila,” he hated being formal, and he was trying to woo her after all anyway, but he had to be careful not to be too slimy either. “I received your note today, thank you, it was nice to read. I must say I was surprised to see your fine handwriting lying on my kitchen table. Of course, I’ll accept your apology, although I still don’t know why you cut me off like that. I wouldn’t mind hearing you tell me face-to-face. Don’t worry, I’m not asking you out on a date. I wouldn’t dare. But I have a small problem I need your help with. You see, the girl I like is an excellent dancer and even though I have some fine moves I must admit I’m nowhere near that level. And when you’re trying to impress a gorgeous girl that won’t do. You’ve told me you’re a choreographer, so I wondered if you mind teaching me a few extra moves etc.? I’ll thank you over a drink afterwards, if you want. Thanks, Roger. PS: If your assistant is reading this, please forward it to Camila.” He felt really pleased with his own mail. It had turned out exactly how he wanted it to. Out of fear of chickening out if he read it over he clicked ‘send’. All that was left to do was hope for the best.

Several hours later he was trying to concentrate on the book he was reading, but his mind kept wandering off to his laptop. His thoughts went back to that cursed party. At first, he had only noticed the way her dress had shown off her perfect curves and how delicate and soft her features were. He had noted how well she dressed: sexy, but subtle. Then he observed the way she said her name. Ca-Mee-La, like a pretty flower. It suited her. Her eyes, oh those eyes. The way they looked at him send shivers down his spine. There was a wildness in them, a rebelliousness that he had liked immediately. Her voice dry, but soft and smooth. The way she moved was elegant, as a dancer should be. She spoke very sharply and fast, like she was always on the edge of a heated debate. But when he said something funny, she would break into a wholesome laugh that lit up the whole room. But there was something about her, a certain amused look that he couldn’t figure out. As if she was thinking a lot of thoughts she didn’t want to share with anyone. And then suddenly she was gone. It had left him feeling cold, rejected and bitterly disappointed. The only thing that was left to do was getting absolutely piss drunk and that was exactly what he did.

Suddenly, he was disrupted from his thoughts by the sound of his inbox receiving a new mail. He stirred, feeling nervous and excited at the same time, when he saw her name as the sender. He quickly opened it:

“Dear Roger,

pleased to read you liked my note and accepted my apology. I am aware of my shortcomings as a human being, so I makes me happy I did not stamp on your feet too hard. As for a face-to-face explanation, there is not much to explain apart from it being in my character. Your ‘little problem’ amused me. You must think her very special if you are willing to go out of your way to impress her.  You want me to help you? Well, as it happens, I just finished my work on a new West End musical, so I have some spare time in the next weeks to teach you. Why don’t you come to tonight’s show, so we can discuss details afterwards? I will give you backstage access if you agree. You do not need to buy me a drink afterwards, I am always willing to help someone for free.

Looking forward to seeing you in action! X, Camila.

PS: Victoria is not my assistant, but my partner-in-crime. We only use her mail address to stop men from trying to get into contact with me via my work account.”

He lit a cigarette to calm his nerves. He felt a flicker of excitement inside. So, she did want to meet him now suddenly? She continued to bewilder and fascinate him. He wondered whether it was intentional and she was playing hard to get or if she was just a little strange as a person. And was she playing along or did she really believe his explanation? He didn’t know, but he was dying to find out.

A West End musical though? He hated musicals with a passion. He would never go to one out of free will. But this was also his only chance and he had already come this far… One evening wouldn’t hurt, he guessed. Who knows, it might actually be fun… Yeah, probably not Roger, stop lying to yourself. You just have to get through this bit.

When he arrived backstage at the theatre, he tried very hard to not get in the way of the production people preparing themselves for the show. He looked around but didn’t see Camila anywhere. No-one was paying him any attention and he was looking very silly, standing awkwardly around by himself. What a bloody idiot he was. He got himself a cup of water to at least have something to do. Suddenly he heard her calm voice behind him: ‘Hey Roger. I am pleased to see you.”. He turned around and there she was, as beautiful as he remembered her. “Hey!” he sounded a bit too enthusiastic for his liking. He took a deep breath. He smiled: “How is everything going with the show?”. “Fine as far as I can tell. I don’t know, I’m not involved in that bit. I leave the boring parts to Victoria,” a slight smile crept upon her face, “I see you already got yourself a drink, but there is more than just water available if you like.”. “You’ve got something stronger as well? Beer? Wine? I guess it should be wine in a theatre, wouldn’t it?” not that he cared about etiquette, he preferred wine anyway. He could really use a proper drink now though. “Yes. Red or white? Come, let’s go somewhere else for the moment and return when the show starts,” she waved her hand to show him the way and he gladly started walking.

“Or we could just not come back at all,” he said naughtily, “And white, please.”. He wanted to see if she would take the bait. “Oh, but you would miss a wonderful show. It is good to broaden your horizon, Roger,” there was a hint of amusement in her face. “Some horizons do not need to be broadened,” he groaned. They had come into an empty office room now and Camila picked up a bottle and poured him a glass of white wine. “This should get you prepared for an evening of random songs performed to a backdrop of spontaneous synchronised choreography. And some lines in-between that everyone will have forgotten afterwards anyway,” her eyes were sparkling with amusement now. “I thought you liked musicals?” he was slightly confused.  He had yet to find a way to figure out whether she was telling the truth or not. “Oh, I do. There is much wonder hidden in the utter ridicule of it all. See, it is just a matter of perspective. You can spend your whole evening moaning about how much musicals suck, or you can spend it making jokes about the whole concept while bopping along to the songs. I know which one gives you far more pleasure in the end,” there was some truth in there somewhere, fuck. In the end he followed her back to the general backstage area to find out whether she was right or not. Or just so he could shamelessly stare at her all evening.

During the show they spent the whole time whispering to each other to avoid disturbing others. Camila’s sharp, somewhat absurd sense of humour kept him entertained throughout the show and he managed to get a few jokes in himself as well. He was pleased to the point of cockiness when he saw her laugh at them. As silently as she could, of course. When the wine started to work on him, he also dared to move close to her. She didn’t mind. After some time, he even wrapped his arm around her. She just smiled at him when he did so. Having her so near him swelled his heart. Fuck, he really liked her. He could smell her probably expensive perfume from here, which was feminine and sensuous, but also light and fresh. He still wondered why she had suddenly taking a shine to him again and he decided to ask as soon as the opportunity arises. For now he just decided to enjoy the moment.

That opportunity did arise once they settled down for an after-show drink. “So, are you still up for some dancing lessons? It is very beneficial for you, you know,” she smiled. “Like what? Getting strained muscles? I thought maybe I could take you out for a nice dinner instead,” he grinned. He had lots of ideas in facts. Dinner would only be the start. “Well, it was your idea to begin with. You are not going to chicken your way out of it now. I promise it will be fun,” she paused, then added dryly, “for me at least.”. He pouted, of course it would be. He had no intention of making a bloody fool out of himself though. So he had to come clean.

“Ah, that was just an excuse you know. To see you again,” he flinched. Camila laughed: “I know. More reason to go through with it.”. “Haven’t you already tried to torture me enough by making me watch a bloody West End musical?” he groaned. “Like I told you, there are several benefits to a few dancing lessons. Some which you will thank me for later,” there was a sincerity in her voice that Roger could not ignore. He thought: “Like what?”. “Your posture could use help. Plus, your movements could have more strength,” she showed what she meant. He laughed. “And I will be there,” she smiled a wide smile and he felt his resistance crumble away. Fuck.

“Well maybe it wouldn’t be too bad? Only once! But you must tell me first why we’re here in the first place, cause I’m a little confused right now.”. “Sometimes people change their minds, do they not? And I thought your mail was sweet. Very funny. As you saw, I can be too abrupt at times. Not my best personality trait. Now may I ask why you decided to try again? Rejection is not something one likes to encounter on a frequent basis,” she explained calmly and confidently. She thought he was funny. And sweet. She didn’t know anything. He couldn’t care less. “Well, it was too good an opportunity to ignore. It is not often I run into a special lady like yourself,” he smiled lazily.

“You say what? With your broad circle of female acquaintances it should not be too hard to find yourself a nice girlfriend,” she narrowed her eyes, thinking about something she wouldn’t tell him about. “I’m not just looking for a nice girlfriend though. In the end we all want something deeper than that, don’t we?” a soft glance fell over his face. “Real love you mean?” the amused look was back again for a second, then it got replaced by a more neutral one, “perhaps I should practise what I preach more often.”. He had no idea what she meant with that comment. “If I’m not supposed to be single by your reasoning, why are you?” he felt that perhaps they were discussing things a bit too deeply for what wasn’t even their first date yet. “I don’t consider myself relationship material. At least, every attempt I made failed miserably. And always because of me,” he appreciated her honesty, but was left guessing why. “You are warned, so to speak,” she raised one eyebrow. “It’s not like I don’t have a reputation either,” they both laughed.

After a little more time had passed Camila announced that she was going. He protested and wondered what she had to do that was more important. “Nothing,” was the only answer he got. She kissed him on the cheek and then left. He realised there was a long way to go before he would really understand her. But he felt it was worth it.

[rykerelias-archive]

TRANSFERRED FILE. || @magicandsciencemuses Jessica & Elias. VERSE: ac. ( organic damage. ) 007. THREAD: your chariot awaits.

❝ don’t know, don’t care. ❞

   “Mmkay,” the detective replied, a sigh escaping, one hand rubbing at the back of his closely cropped head – he STILL hadn’t got used to the idea that he could grow it out if he wanted.  “I realize you’re, uh,”  a vaguely awkward clearing of his throat.  “Pretty wasted, ma’am.”  Diplomacy wasn’t his strength, what.  “But if you can’t give me an option of where to take you other than the drunk tank, you’re going to the drunk tank so – do us both a favor, save me some paperwork and try and remember where you’re staying.   PLEASE.”

    Jessica snorted. Since when was she a fucking MA’AM?MA’AM was for Meth bitches like Trish’s mother, a woman who’d long since ditched her humanity for celebrity. “I’ve… I’ve got a card. Address.” At least she hoped she did, although maybe a night in the slammer breaking the jaws of every dickhead who tried to feel her up would help her vent for a change. Fishing in the pockets of her leather jacket – which, she realized after nearly a minute, was inside-out, dammit – she finally finds her wallet and ID. “Work out of my apartment. Just moved.” Which explained why she wouldn’t have been able to give directions even if she’d been sober.

  It was an ADJUSTMENT, going from CTAC Marine Corps to Bay City Police Department detective.  For starters, the LEEWAY seemed extraordinary, but, if anything cinched the distinction, it was the fact that he could smirk and NOT risk getting his lights punched out.   MAYBE.  He tried to hide it anyway, contemplating whether or not he should try and help her dig through her pockets, but the last thing he needed was her taking something the wrong way.   “Right,” he replied, scanning the ident card and the shimmering holo card that reaffirmed her name along with company name and, what he assumed was the newest address.  “Can I, uh –”  Another hrmph, a clearing of his throat.  “Offer you a ride home, Ms. Jones?” He didn’t really want to try and take her in.  She wasn’t really causing that much trouble, just loitering where someone had been annoyed enough to bother to call it in.  

    Maybe if Jessica hadn’t been a little bleary-eyed from the copious alcohol she’d imbibed – MUCH more than it should take a woman her size to get drunk – she would have been pissed off by the detective’s smirk. “Sure, why the fuck not.” Given her profession as a P.I. and her tendency for organic damage when occasional perps found out about her tailing them, the police might as well know how to get to her new digs. “Ms. Jones is my dead mother. It’s Jessica.” Sober-her would have put a lot more vitriol into her words, but as it was, they were barely more than grumbles. All she wanted was a shower and to curl up with another bottle of Jack.

“Fabulous, it’s a date –”  A sweeping gesture of his hand indicated the road where his car hovered; generic issue, unmarked cop car, nothing exciting, but it got from point a to point b fast as anything, and it was decidedly a step up from his personal … vehicle, if it could be called that.   The faintest twitch at her offhanded comment about her mother, but it seemed she was too far gone to notice, at least.  “Jessica,” he finished, one hand lightly pressed against the small of her back to coax her in the direction of the car, the other hand lurching out to pull open the passengers seat to let her slide or droop or collapse her way in.  He just hoped she appreciated not being put in the back seat behind the divider enough to not upchuck all over the upholstery.   “Detective Ryker, by the way.  Elias.  Or Ryker, or Detective, or hey dickwad, I answer to pretty much anything really.”

    Oh, so he was THAT kind of guy, used to flaunting his whipcord bod and getting girls to fall over him or some shit. Hard to even tell what kind of shape he was in, aside from the thinness of his face, because of his layers upon layers of jackets and hoods. “Whoa, at least take me to dinner first before you get all handsy, police boy,” she said, still a hint of a slur in her voice. Hell, he was lucky she was too… simultaneously drunk and hungover to care much, or else she might have taken his arm off at the shoulder socket. She half-sank, half-slumped into the passenger seat, immediately buckling her seat belt. The interior of the car smelled… foul, a stale blend of cigarettes and food wrappers, more like a parole’s car than a detective’s. ELIAS. Not all men could pull off an ‘Elias’. “Dickwad, huh?” she snorted as he got behind the wheel. “I think I’ll go with Detective Dickwad.”

“No prob, Ms. Jones,” Ryker was quick to slide his hand free – though it hovered nearby in case she lost her balance somewhere between standing and sitting, a half and fleeting smirk PROBABLY going unnoticed. She was SPUNKY he’d give her that.  “Hands off til otherwise indicated,” he said, shutting the door after her and loping around to drop into the driver’s seat,  thumbing the engine on and giving it a second to pull up off the ground before he draped a hand over the wheel.  His other hand dropped, sliding a pack of smokes from his jacket pocket, tapping one out halfway to offer towards her if she wanted it, shoving it into the corner of his lips if she didn’t, tip pressed to the patch on the side to light it, the window rolled a good halfway down to let the smoke escape.   “Detective Dickwad it is – I mean, I did kinda walk myself right into that one,” he agreed.   “So – private investigator, huh.  And just what is it that you investigate, privately, as a general rule?” She looked … small.  And thin, to be the kind of girl that threw herself headway and recklessly into other people’s business for a living, but it took all types and he’d learned long ago that looks were deceiving.

    “JESSICA,” she insisted. Cocky dickwad, wasn’t he, presuming he’d eventually GET that invitation? As if! She slouched down in the passenger seat, eyes closed, listening to him start the vehicle, feeling it ease airborne. “No, I don’t smoke.” She kept her vices strictly booze and sex related. Rolling her own window down partway, and feeling the greasy Bay City air against her face as they climbed, she hid her small smile with a shrug. “Yeah, you did. Not real interesting stuff. People just turn to me when the police don’t do jack shit about their cases, either ‘cuz it goes cold or there’s no proof there even IS a case. Mostly missing husbands or wives, not showing up, ‘working late’, their partner afraid they’re sleeping around.” Quickly growing too warm from the metabolizing alcohol in her system, so she clumsily yanked off her scarf and leather jacket, exposing the plain black tank top underneath. She knew from experience that she’d have to pile the clothes back on in a minute, but the relief to her overheated skin was welcomed.

           One sided first name basis, check.  Hands off, check.   A half smirk lingered, though, a long exhale as he drifted into traffic, MOSTLY content to let the autonav handle the driving, though a nudge here and there seemed necessary, at least to him, to keep things in line.  He’d only trust tech SO far – a strange sentiment for a species with their sentience in chips in their heads maybe but.  Some things he justPREFERRED to do himself.   A sideways glance, again, as she eased back, at least for a minute, before wrestling out of the jacket and scarf.   He didn’t offer to help – he was pretty sure she’d actually smack if he suggested it.  Stubborn or self sufficient or both, he didn’t know, but – it made him smile.   “That usually the case?  Infidelity, I mean –”  He’d had enough experience with humanity to guess it was, but then, he’d never been one to investigate the reasons why someone didn’t come home unless they just weren’t coming home at all, at least, professionally.   “Imagine that must lead you down some pretty … INTERESTING avenues in Bay City.”  He’d seen some of the skeeviest joints IN Licktown on some of his cases, and that was only dealing with the brothels and the virtuals, he didn’t TYPICALLY get dragged through the seedy motels and bars.  Well.  PROFESSIONALLY.  

    He had a… half-decent smile. For a man. And long, pretty hands, resting on the steering wheel as though at any moment the auto-nav would fail and he would have to pilot them to safety. As unlikely as that outcome was… Jessica didn’t doubt his ability to handle it. She idly started to wonder how GOOD he was with those hands… “Yeah, usually,” she grumbled, glad that in her half-still drunk, half-hungover state, she’d remembered to put her camera back in her canvas messenger bag. That would have been a bitch to replace, not to mention she would have to stalk the same brainless wangrods all over Bay City again. “The husbands are dicking around, nine times out of ten. Usually either with an intern or somewhere in Licktown, a titty bar or wherever. Missing wives are sometimes tricky, more like fifty-fifty, affair or shopping spree.” She reached along the side of the seat, found the reclining lever, and hiked it back at a good tilt. “Wake me up when we get there, cowboy,” she murmured, draping her jacket over her face to drown out the whizzing lights that flashed past the air-car’s windows.

       “Gotta say, not overly surprised.”  He wasn’t especially BEAMING with pride for the human species as a whole, and maybe it was just the jaded part of him speaking, or maybe it was from experience, but then he’d seen a lot of shit in his day, and that was before taking up the mantle of ‘detective’.   “Men do tend to be led around by their DICKS,” he agreed, with a loose shrug of broad shoulders, his statement more matter of fact than anything else.  “Could excuse it away as primal instinct, alpha male bullshit, blood not being where it’s supposed to be but – I’m generally not one to defend the sins of man-kind,” he remarked, with a half smirk, dividing the syllable to create the distinction from ‘humanity’ to ‘men’.  “Men are assholes.  Sorry you gotta put up with it, but – at least you get something out of the shitty deal right?”

        A small snort of a laugh, his finger drifting over the control column to adjust the temperature to a generally more moderate one – he tended to prefer it chilly, but that wasn’t going to help her regulate any.   “Why does the shopping spree angle not surprise me.”   A shake of his head, a sideways glance as she made herself comfortable, the jacket dragged over her face, and he fell mostly quiet then, an occasional beat or two of whatever song was playing in his head rumbling through his throat, until the aircar drifted down with a soft chirp as the buffer eased down.   Sliding out, and popping open the passenger’s side door, he cleared his throat softly, hesitant to actually try and shake her awake – he rather liked his limbs attached. “Hey.  Sleeping beauty, your chariot’s landed,” he said, tugging LIGHTLY on the sleeve of the jacket draped over her face.

[ladydragonhawke]

The Lesser of Two Evils

Season 15 fanfic starting exactly at the ending of Season 14.

For anyone who would like to have an easier reading experience here’s the link to the story

https://archiveofourown.org/works/20647562/chapters/49060295

SPOILERS FOR SEASON 14

CHAPTER 2/? WIP

Summary: Dean, Sam, Castiel, and Jack answer a 911 call and they pick up more than their fair share of chics. 

Chapter 2: The First Steps

Dean was doing his damnest not to hit every single undead that appeared on the road. The sheer number of them was beginning to worry him. He swerved to avoid a rather large decaying body lumbering into the center of the road when his eyes caught sight of Sam holding his shoulder with the nearly completely red handkerchief.

“You better not bleed on my seats.” Dean half-heartily threatened. Trying to lighten the mood with some levity. Sam gave him an unamused glance and tried to adjust himself in his seat, when he suddenly felt a had on his back. Sam winced as he looked to find Jack’s hand on his shoulder and without a thought healed his bullet wound.

“T-thanks.” Stuttered Sam. He balled up the handkerchief and threw it out the window. It was the end of the world after all….and things were not looking good. Castiel gave Jack a look of warning and Jack shrunk into himself so as to not cause any more displeasure to Cas.

“Okay so, did Billie say anything about how this plan of hers involved us?” Sam turned to try to face Jack while bracing for all the violent swerving that Dean couldn’t avoid doing.

“She didn’t really tell me much other than what I already told you.” Jack stated. “She needs us alive and that she has an idea on how to deal with Chuck.”

“I wonder what idea that would be.” Dean hissed pressing the gas just a little bit harder.

“Maybe she’ll enlighten us later we just need to get out of the line of fire of these… things. Cas you got any idea what’s going on here?” Sam asked trying to get a better look at some of the dead for any clues.

“Chuck said this is the end times so if we go by…” Castiel was interrupted by a massive blast of celestial wind that seemed to knock both him and Jack a little askew. Baby even skidded a bit sideways in reaction to the sudden burst of energy taking everyone by surprise.

“What the hell was that? Is that part of it?” Dean asked, fighting to take back control of the veering Baby.

“I’m not sure what that was, just a massive celestial energy that…” He was interrupted by another blast even bigger than the previous one. Forcing baby and all it’s occupants completely off the road. They flew a good ten feet into an open field only rolling once but baby landed safely on all four tires. Not to say that all inside were shaken up pretty good.

“Alright, what the Hell?!” Dean was the first to shout after a few good moments to make sure everyone was alive and okay.

“There appears to have been another massive wave of celestial energy. I know not what may have caused it but…it felt something like God creating something.” Dean spun around in his seat to find Castiel’s face pale and sweaty. Castiel liked being human in some ways sweating wasn’t one of them.

“Let’s just make it to the Bunker and see if we can figure this out.” Dean started Baby back up and after a few good turns of the key she roared back to life. As they got back on the road, they found that the undead were oddly less in number on the road, but nobody addressed it. Didn’t want to jinx a good thing, if you could call that good.

After a few good hours of driving and experiencing a decent handful of near misses with hoards of undead Baby and company finally made it to the bunker in one piece, albeit a bit shaken up. Dean takes a moment to assess the damage done to Baby and groans in frustration, nothing to be done about it now, they’ve got bigger fish to fry. Everyone filed toward the main room but before they can get anywhere, they had to find the shut off switch for all the alarms going off inside the bunker. Every alarm the place was built for was going off at once. It took way longer than anticipated to turn them all off, but not without leaving nearly everyone with some form of a headache.

“Phones are down, so is the internet.” Sam stated, trying not to think of the hell that was most likely going on outside.

“I’m trying the CB, but all I’m getting is static.” Dean mumbled. “Anything on Angel radio?” He glanced toward Castiel who was standing in place with his eyes shut.

“It’s quiet, too quiet.” He looked at Jack, “Can you hear anything?”

“Nothing.” Jack sighed.

They each in turn looked at another taking in the situation, it was The End. One of innumerable amount of End’s that they’ve come across. They’ve come through on all the other Ends, albeit a little worse for wear but this, according to them was just another day. Dean began mulling over everything that happened, from the moment Chuck showed up to the moment he left starting the end of it all.

“He’s running scared.” Dean pipped up, “Chuck is running scared, did you see how fast he…killed you?” he gestured to Jack trying to start conversation to cleanse the silence that was beginning to unnerve him. But the memory of Jack being burned by Chuck was still a fresh wound that hadn’t quite healed yet. You’d think he’d be used to this by now.

“He did seem a bit worried, more than usual.” Sam pondered. “If he could have killed Jack this whole time, why bother going through the trouble of making you do it? What was the point?” He flopped into one of the chairs around the lit table that appeared to be covered with nothing but read and blue dots scattering across the map.

“Who the hell knows. Just some other test?” Dean started, “Maybe he wanted a perfect ending to his story, or some new chapter.” He paused, “We screwed up something he had going…” He looked to Castiel with a pained look searching for some meaning as to why things were going so far south. But before Castiel could give Dean some words of comfort there was a broken voice coming from the CB radio behind Dean.

“Dean…boys…Hell…” The voice sounded female and justifiably shaky. Dean rushed to grab the mic as he sat in front of the CB, turning the dials to filter through the static.

“Boys…what…. There’s too many…girls… hunkered down but…. last… backup?” Dean was able to make out that it was Jody on the other end, and through the scattered words he got the gist of what she may have been asking.

He pushed the button and started slowly, “Jody, what’s your 20? Again, Jody what is your 20? We’ll come to you. I repeat, we’ll come to you.” He was trying not to sound desperate, but he couldn’t even think of losing, no he pushed the thought to the back of his mind and focused on the broken voice coming from the CB.

“On way… you actually… stopped… gas and supplies… Colby… twenty-four… surrounded… Donna inside… about two hours out… like crazy…” Jody called back.

“She’s at Colby on route twenty-four, you gettin’ ready?” Dean turned to find Sam already packing two large duffel bags with every weapon he could think of. Jack and Castiel were readying the other duffel with bottles of water and some first aid kits. Dean smirked and turned back to the radio.

“We’re on our way Jody, I repeat we’re on our way. Stay put. Over.” He held the mic with bated breath for Jody’s replay.

“Roger… going anywhere… over.” She sounded at least a little relieved, but they’d have to hustle big time to get there before something happened. “Two hours? I’ll be there in one.” Thought Dean as he jumped out of his chair grabbing one of the duffel bags and followed everyone as they made for the Impala. Baby may get more beat up for this, but Dean would sooner go to Hell than leave Jody and the girls to die in this hellscape.

As they sped toward Colby Sam looked out the windows noticing there seemed to be a distinct lack of undead in their area. Dean wasn’t having to swerve nearly as much as before and there seemed to be quite an absence of bodies on the road. Sam took a moment to pull out a Bible he had stashed in one of the duffel bags.

“Really?” Dean scoffed.

“Do you want to know what’s going on? Cuz I do. It may not be the perfect source material but it’s something. Not like I can use the internet for research.” He kept flipping the pages searching for the Revelations portion of the Bible. Upon finding it he started to dive into the verses searching for anything familiar to their current situation.

“Well he’s bypassed the seals and the four riders.” Sam started flipping more pages.

“Not true if you count that they were indeed all here at one point.” Castiel interjected.

“Yea but we stopped them. The dead rose then as well but it was just that one cemetery close to Bobby’s.” Sam mulled over the events of the past trying to place any connection to now.

“What I’m more concerned about, is what happened to the sun?” Castiel gestured with his finger where the sun should still be overhead them as it was a little past three o’clock.

“All that happened at noon?” Asked Sam as his eyes lit up as he remembered seeing something about that while flipping pages.

“A little before or right at.” Castiel affirmed.

“Listen to this, “But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” Sam recited. “Here’s another one, "It will come about in that day," declares the Lord GOD, "That I will make the sun go down at noon And make the earth dark in broad daylight.”

“Well I don’t see any stars falling.” Dean remarked. “Unless it’s talking about when all the angels fell when we were doing the trials.” He glanced at Sam who was wearing a face of slight worry as they both recounted that fateful day and how horrible they both felt for almost having gone through with it. “Aw man this whole thing is out of whack.” Dean grumbled resigned to just drive like a bandit toward their destination while trying not to think too heavily on what all this is supposed to mean.

“The sun didn’t just go dark either… it’s like it’s…” Sam stuttered.

“Gone.” Finished Castiel.

Silence fell in the Impala as they all realized just what the weight of loosing a sun meant for just about everything in their solar system. But before anyone could pipe up the courage to break the silence Dean swerved the Impala nearly hitting a sudden group of undead that seemed to appear from nowhere.

“Damn!” Dean veered as he clipped a few of the undead on the opposite side of the road, taking out one of Baby’s headlights in the process.

“I see a gas station!” shouted Jack as he pointed toward a blinking sign for a small station named Corner Pump it was completely surrounded by undead, but through the hoards Sam was able to make out Jody’s truck.

“I have eyes on Jody.” Sam stated as he tossed the Bible back into the duffel and fumbled around for an angel blade and a machete, all while keeping an eye on a few of the undead that happened to take notice of their arrival. “She’s stuck in her truck, but I don’t see anyone else.” He peeled his eyes away from her to look at the store that was somewhat fortified with makeshift pallet boards on the windows and the door was being pounded on by more than a few bodies. Dean spun around in the drivers seat to grab Jack by his arm.

“You good kid?” Deans’ face was lined with worry. They never did get to go over how Jack really came back, and if he came back whole this time.

“I have my soul back so no need to worry. I won’t push myself too hard.” He looked into Dean’s eyes with such determination, it didn’t quite make him feel all too comfortable about this, but at least the kid was being straight with him.

“Alrighty then. Keep an eye on him Cas.” Dean tapped Jacks arm with approval and grabbed the angel blade waiting for him from Sams’ hand. “Let’s do this.” He growled as they all exited the Impala and started in on the few zombies that had taken notice of them.

They used the knowledge that they couldn’t be killed but just incapacitated by knocking out their legs or removing their kneecaps. Makes running from these things easier when they can only crawl on the ground. Dean made a motion with his hands and they split into groups of two, Castiel and Jack moved toward the store as Sam and Dean made their way to Jody’s car. They hacked and slashed as many legs as they could to incapacitate as many as possible before finally reaching the driver side door to find Jody absolutely ecstatic that the boys had made it to her without dying in the process.

“Bout time you boys showed up!” She shouted as she rolled down the window partly so she could have an easier time hearing them.

“Who’s all here?” Dean asked as he took out another undeads knees causing it to collapse backward onto the ground and grumble loudly.

“Claire, Alex, Donna, and myself. They all went in when it was calm, and these things just came out of nowhere and swamped us. You boys wasted no time.” She called out. “What the hell happened, and don’t tell me it involves you guys!” her frustration mounted as Dean gave her a look she didn’t quite like.

“We’ll explain later, for now let’s just get everyone to the bunker.” Dean shouted above the groans of the zombies that slowly began converging in on him and Sam.

“Roger that, I’ve got an idea.” Jody rolled the window back up and slammed the truck into reverse, running over any and all undead that were behind her. Dean gave her a look of surprise and mild amused approval. “Not bad.” She then jerked it back into drive and lunged the car forward directly in front of the vacant front door that Cas and Jack had cleared of all undead.

Sam and Dean took that as the signal to get back into Baby and move her closer to the door themselves. On the way to the Impala they saw that the hoard of zombies was growing larger as more poured in from somewhere in the town nearby behind the gas station.

Inside the store Castiel and Jack were taking in the wounded and healing them to the best of their ability, meaning mostly Jack did the healing as Castiel made sure no one was panicking too much. There were five people altogether in the store, Claire, Alex, Donna, a young girl who looked like the clerk of the store, and an older man.

“How did you people do that?” The older man started to panic “Who are you people?”

“We’re here to help.” Castiel stated flatly as he looked to Claire. “I’m so glad you’re safe.” He made a move to hug her which she accepted thoroughly.

“How did you guys find us?” Donna asked in obvious wonder.

“Jody was able to reach us on the CB. Now we need to get you all out of here. Can everyone fit in Jodys’ truck?” Castiel asked looking to Donna as he dropped Claires’ embrace but not without leaving one hand on her shoulder for support. She was obviously rattled at their current situation.

“I brought mine as well.” Stated Donna as she made a move to look out of one of the store windows. She jumped back as she witnessed Jodys’ truck lunge forward to directly in front of the door. “But I think we’ll just hop on in hers. Let’s get a move out.” She started herding everyone toward the front as Jody could be heard just outside call them all to get the hell in. Without too much delay they piled into her truck one after another, each carrying some supplies as Jack and Castiel kept a close watch on the impending zombies that were starting to file in from behind her truck. Suddenly the Impala came crashing into a few of them before they could get too close to the tail end of Jody’s truck. After everyone was in the truck Jack and Castiel shut both doors and tapped on the side to signal to get out while they can. Jody wasted no time in peeling out of the gas station as fast as she could while keeping a keen eye on the Impala. She wasn’t about to leave them without making sure they were able to make it out of there themselves. Castiel and Jack jumped into the backseat as Dean slammed on the gas causing the tires to squeal as they lurched out of there without a moment to lose.

Baby’s one headlight was still going strong but now had a faint shade of red. Dean pressed the gas a bit harder to overtake Jody so that he could lead them toward the bunker. He decided to try the route that seemed to be bereft of any undead on their way there, that may provide them with some breathing room.

The amount of dodging they had to do was still substantial and nearly made Jody lose them once when a group became virtually too large to maneuver around. But as they neared the bunker the amount of them slowed to a trickle, then to hardly any at all. Jody felt anything other than comfort at this, the whole thing made her uneasy, but she kept her eyes peeled for anything. Then through the dark she noticed a shape, it looked like an undead but the movements it was making didn’t really seem like one. The boys didn’t seem to see it or if they did, they made no motion to acknowledge it. Once her headlights hit it, she instantly realized it was a person. She started to slow down to get a better look. The woman looked to be injured and was walking without too much of a stumble, she was trying to wave to get the attention of the boys, but they couldn’t see her due to the lack of light. The woman appeared to be holding her side that was red with blood. Jody stopped her truck just passed the injured woman and quickly slid out of the driver seat with her gun drawn and pointed directly at the womans’ chest.

“Are you one of them?!” Jody shouted toward the woman. She had stopped in her tracks after seeing the gun and held up one arm above her head while still holding one arm onto her bloody side.

“Those things? Do I really look like them now?” The woman panted with a slight chuckle.

Jody with her gun still trained on her walked closer to get a better look at the person who was miles away from any civilization. The woman had long curly red hair tied up in a ponytail that cascaded over one shoulder. All she was wearing from where Jody could see was a T-shirt, a grey hoodie, and jeans. One leg was red with blood running down to her shoes which were caked in mud and covered with blood. “Where did you come from?” She asked while eyeing her intently. Sam and Dean had spun around immediately upon noticing Jody had stopped following and was pulling up slowly behind her.

“What’s going on here Jody?” Asked Dean. He looked at the woman who Jody had a gun on and noticed that she was bleeding quite heavily.

“I came from Colby when…” She paused to either take in a breath or to get her thoughts together, “This whole nightmare started. I was swamped by… those things and…” She gasped as she took one step closer to Jody. “Please help me.” She huffed. Jody holstered her weapon which made Dean pull out his and train it on the woman as Jody walked up toward her. He wasn’t taking any chances.

“I’ll help you, now give me your arm.” Jody went to the woman’s good side and held her arm over her shoulders helping her carry her weight as they walked to the back of the truck where Jody opened the doors. “Could I get a little help here?” She looked over at the Impala signaling for one of them to assist her in some way. Castiel without missing a beat hopped out of the backseat and helped lift the injured woman into the truck and helped ease her down on some blankets in the back.

“Alex, you have a patient.” Jody called into the cab. Alex maneuvered around the other passengers in the truck to the back and began working on the woman who they picked up. She gasped at the sight of the wound the woman was trying to keep pressure on. It was as if she was clawed and gouged, Alex shook her head to rid herself of the thought of what could have happened and looked to Jody.

“Try to drive not too erratic.” Alex whispered to Jody as she went to close the doors.

“I won’t.” She reassured Alex. Jody sighed as she shut the doors and began walking back to the driver’s seat. Dean did an Uwe to get back on track, he slowly pulled the Impala alongside Jody.

“Everything okay there Jods? You sure about this?” Sam asked through the passenger window.

“Yea, um… She just looked like she needed help.” Jody smiled, but she felt somewhat uneasy about this encounter, she just couldn’t place her finger on it.

“Let’s get to the bunker, no more stops.” Dean called out from the driver side. He wasn’t trying to come off angry, but it was a bit too late for that.

“Alex will handle her. Let’s get movin’ boys.” Jody waved them forward as she wants to move past this anxiety building up inside her. When she returned to the driver’s seat Claire leaned over the middle console from her backseat so that no one else other than Jody and Donna could hear them.

“That was weird.”

“You’re not kidding. We’re almost there anyway.” Jody strapped in and tried not to jostle the truck too much as she could faintly her a moan of pain from the back.

They made it into the bunker in record time what with there hardly being any undead whatsoever outside. As everyone piled out of all vehicles Jody and Donna went to the back of the truck to see what help they could provide. Once they opened the doors and saw just how much cleanup Alex had done within such a short amount of time, they were stunned by how many blood-soaked rags were piled behind her.

“How is she?” Donna asked trying to get a closer look at the pale woman.

“Well she’s not a monster, I did everything. Silver, holy water, salt, the works. She’s just a human who is shockingly still alive. She bled out a good quart or two, I can’t imagine how she managed to stay conscious.” Alex moved to exit the truck and was stopped by a hand grabbing her wrist. The pale woman took a deep breath and went to lift herself off the floor of the truck.

“NO, wait don’t move! You’ll open the stitches!” Alex tried to stop her with her available hand, but the woman moved without listening and slowly lifted herself up, holding her breath the entire time she moved.

“I can…” She gasped as she began scooting herself toward the end of the truck. Alex got up slowly and moved to the woman’s’ good side to help her as much as she could without causing too much pain. Jody and Donna were waiting with arms outstretched at the end of the truck and helping the woman’s legs to find their way into a more suitable position.

“Boys! We’re going to need a gurney or something!” Donna called out. She was shocked to see Sam pushing a rolling gurney their way hurriedly. “You wasted no time.” Sam positioned the gurney as close to the woman as possible so that once she got up, she could immediately sit down on it. Once the woman was seated on the tail of the truck, she sat there for a few seconds catching her breath.

“Thanks…” She gasped.

“Don’t talk, just breathe. You can rest once you’re on this.” Alex scolded.

“Feisty…” The woman chuckled as she took several deep breaths before slowly getting to her feet. The moment she put her weight back on her legs her eyes widened in pain and she gritted her teeth in an effort to not scream in pain. Alex swiftly jumped down from the truck and gently grabbed her good arm and her other shoulder as she moved her to turn on the spot, so her rump was facing the gurney. Donna gently grabbed the woman’s arm and guided her to sit slowly on the gurney. As the woman sat, she let out all the air she was holding onto with her teeth still gritted in pain. The next step was going to be the hardest and all parties understood this. Alex moved to the lady’s feet, knelt down and held both of her feet in her hands while looking her straight in her eyes.

“As I lift up slowly, I want you to lay back as slowly as possible. Okay? Sam raise the back of it as high as it will go.” She ordered patiently. Alex wanted to move as slowly as possible so as to not upset the stitches she managed to put in, they weren’t her best, but they would stop the bleeding until they got to more solid ground. Sam raised it until it clicked at its full height, it wasn’t much but he knew it would make the process of laying down easier. He hadn’t seen the wound but could gauge by how many bloody rags he saw it wasn’t looking good.

“I’m ready.” The shaky voice from the woman made everyone want to stop this altogether. It was clear she wasn’t ready, but she seemed headstrong.

“Alright on three. One… Two… Three…” As Alex lifted the woman twisted and laid her head back slowly, the grunts and moans that the woman gave off made everyone uneasy. Blood from her side started to seep through her thin bandages. As soon as she was on the gurney fully her head lolled to one side lifelessly. Alex checked her pulse along her neck.

“Just passed out. Let’s get her to the infirmary.”

“Holy moley.” Donna said aloud as Jody gave her a slight tap on the shoulder. Donna turned to help Jody and Claire retrieve all the supplies from the back of the truck. Dean kept the door open for Alex as he looked down on the pale woman and the red spot on her bandaged side grow larger. After they made it through the door Jack and Castiel helped guide her toward the infirmary.

“How is she?” Dean whispered to Sam. “And how the hell did she make it out there all by herself?”

“She doesn’t look to be doing too good. And I was wondering the same thing. How’d she make it all the way out there? Do you remember seeing any cars on the way?” He folded his arms and looked around at the girls who were handling the few supplies they had pretty well.

“Nada, although…” Dean stopped, pondering for a moment, “I didn’t even see her, Baby did have a headlight out. Who’s to say I missed a few cars as well.”

“I don’t know. We’ll have to wait till she’s doing better to ask her anything.” Sam resolved as he went to help Donna with what looked to be a heavy box. Dean went around and helped Jody move a few things into a few of the Bunker’s rooms that were vacant and ready for occupants.

Once everyone was settled in all their rooms, Castiel came into the main room where everyone was resting for a moment. He was helping Alex as much as he could with the wounded woman, healing what he could.

“Well, we’ve done all we can for the moment.” Castiel stated.

“How’s Alex?” Jody asked, taking a sip of water from her water bottle.

“She’s doing really well considering. She said she’ll join us in a moment.” Castiel walked over to Jack who was looking a little more than anxious.

“I could help.” Jack whispered to Castiel. “I could heal her.”

“No, not until we’re sure you’re… all you.”

“You still don’t think I have my soul back.” Jack sat down somewhat defeated. He understood where Castiel was coming from but felt helpless in that he wanted to aid as much as he could.

Castiel softened at the sight of his defeated surrogate son and knelt down to ensure his eyes met Jacks. “No one is saying that, but we want to be sure everything is okay before you start using too much of your powers.”

Jack fidgeted in his seat a bit then sighed, “All right.”

Alex walked into the main room waving her wet hands to dry them as she walked toward the table with water bottles sitting on top of them. She grabbed one and swiftly twisted off the cap downing a good portion of the water before finally taking the seat next to her.

“That woman is stronger than she looks!” She gasped between gulps. “I can see how she walked that far for that long.”

“How’s she doing now?” Donna asked handing her a sandwich from a pile on a plate that Claire had made.  Alex took the sandwich gratefully and held it to her mouth.

“She’ll live.” She took a bite of her sandwich and gave a slight moan. “Damn Claire. You really went all out with these.”

“She does make a mean sandwich.” Piped up Dean, who was lounging in one of the chairs thoroughly enjoying his portion of sandwich. The girls chuckled and each giving Sam and Dean a look as if they’re waiting for information as to just what the hell was going on. Sam was quick to read the room and began telling the story by starting from the moment when Chuck decided to show up.

In the infirmary our wounded woman was resting quite peacefully while listening in on the conversation being held in the other room.

“So, this is how you mingle?” Came a voice directly in front of her. She opened her eyes to find Billie giving her a rather unbecoming look of both shock and amusement.

“It’s the best I could come up with.” Sterling fidgeted under the covers a bit, “Plus this is THE group.” She took this moment to fully take in the room around her.

“By faking a horrendous wound like that?” chuckled Billie, “I’m shocked they don’t think you’re not human.”

“Psh… I’m not worried about this. But I am worried about this place. I’m going to need to set some wards.” Sterling gazed about the room taking notice of the wards already set in place. “Most of these are weak, and nothing really stopping from him listening in.”

“You can do that?” Billie gave a look of amused shock.

“Honey I can do about anything.” Sterling retorted, “Also, by my account they’re missing a star, their Sun?” She postulated to Billie.

“You’re assuming correctly.”

“Well we can’t have that.” Sterling grumbled, “But in order for it not to interfere with the current projections of gravitational pull and…” Sterling looked to Billie who was giving her a look of impatience. “In two hours, I should be able to return their sun.”

“Wow.” Billie said flatly. “That’s all well and good, but what if he comes back?”

“He won’t.” Sterling said with a manner of seriousness that made Billie drop the subject all together.

“Then if it’s that easy why are you having to play sick.” She gestured toward Sterling’s fake wound.

“Who says I’m playing?” Sterling snipped back. With a breath she took a second before coming back. “I’ll reveal all when all parties are here and accounted for and…” She snapped her fingers as a strong ward silently and stealthily formed in every nook and cranny of the Bunker. “All measures are taken.” She finished. Billie gave her a look of mild approval.

“All right. I guess I’ll keep looking.” With a blink she was gone, leaving Sterling alone in her bed with her thoughts.

“That took a bit more out of me than I anticipated. I’ll rest for a bit then give making a new sun a go.” As she laid her head into her pillow, she slowly fell into the gap between sleeping and being awake. She still wanted to listen to the people that were kind enough to help her but relished in the sweet nothing that was sleep. She kept a mental track of the movement of time and when the moment came, she snapped her fingers once more. Within the other room she could hear the people loudly exclaiming what she already knew. She couldn’t help but smile as she longed to help these beings that Chuck had so poorly wronged. With that snap came the familiar feeling of falling and sharp stabbing pain that radiated throughout her whole body. It was a pain she thought she had grown accustomed to so long ago. She gasped for a second then regained her composure, this time she’ll really have to sleep. “Why’d he have to make the star that big in the first place! That was way more than I thought.” She thought as she slowly began to lose consciousness.

[canaryatlaw]

Well, today was interesting, on a few levels lol. Woke up at 6:30, half hour early as they're doing a whole breakfast thing at work this morning, all went as it should and I got to work and DIDNT set off the regular metal detector for the first time in literally months, so that adds to my suspicion that it had something to do with my winter coat (cuz I wouldn't set it off at the other courthouse when I put it through the machine). So that was interesting. Got to my office in plenty of time and offered to help set up but nobody wanted my help haha they were all like "no no we got it you're fine!" Lol. It was also apparently bring your kid to work day, so there were a bunch of cute little 10-12 year olds running around with name tags and then "future ____" whatever they wanted their profession to be, which ranged from president to superstar. But they had a really nice breakfast spread so that was quite enjoyable. After I went to my office and decided if I didn't have anything to do (I didn't) I was gonna start studying for crim pro II (start studying less than a week before the test, God I'm such an upperclassman it's awful) on quimbee. I didn't want to be watching their videos and like drawing attention to myself so I just took their little quizzes after the videos to see where I fell. Their quizzes are weird though, because they always turn on like, stupidly specific facts that don't really matter, but their explanation of the law at least is helpful. As I neared the end of the quizzes (they have a whole lot less material on this half of crim pro than the other half, sadly) I started feeling really sleepy, as a result of having woken up early presumably, so I closed my door and rested on my desk for a little bit, then tried to go back to work but kept being like, overtaken by sleep and every so often I would like jerk awake and I would form some plan to go to my supervisors office and tell him I needed to go home and sleep before slipping back into unconsciousness, and that probably happened about 6 or 7 times until I was actually woken up by everyone finally coming up from court. So I check my phone and it's 1 o clock......which means I dozed off for probably a solid hour and a half and everyone was in court so nobody caught me/cared? It was just weird for me because I'm like not just the kind of person who falls asleep sitting up, like I can't even remember the last time that's happened (when I was on tour everyone would sleep in the vans on the way to the schools since it was typically like 4 am but I never could get myself to fall asleep) so this was very strange. And I was definitely under the impression my being jerked awake were a lot closer in time, like every 20 seconds maybe, not every 20 minutes lol so that was odd. They got an hour for lunch though since court ran long, so since it was my out to lunch day I went out with my supervisor and only one other lawyer for the calendar was able to join us unfortunately, but we went to the little bakery across the street that sells everything and I'm quite fond of their pizza haha, and I also learned that the family that owns it is also the owner of lemonheads- like the sour candy things? They always had them at their register but apparently my supervisor went to law school with one of the sons and that was their thing. He's so funny, he was like "oh I haven't been here in like 15 years!" and then of course he totally loved it and was like "I'll have to come here more often!" And I'm just like lol you're such a cute older man (not in a romantic way obviously, just dorky and cute in an awwww kind of way). So we had a very nice lunch, then ended up running back into court for which was one of the most interesting cases I think I've seen really. It's been in the system since 2013, and the judge is really frustrated about that fact because he thinks that's way too long (it is) plus at least three of the four kids have had upwards of 10 placements which is INSANE but the issue is whether they want to keep working with the parents or terminate and go to adoption, and honestly it was a rough call. The parents were putting in efforts, that's for sure, but they were still dropping the ball in some important areas. The agency had clearly made up its mind towards TPR but everyone else was a bit more hesitant. Our GAL said several times that his clients (the 3 verbal ones at least, the youngest is 1, and was there today and is oh so cute) have expressed on numerous occasions that they want to go back. And the two girls in the middle aren't in a stable placement that wants to adopt, but we also don't want the case to just languish in the system, so it's really a tough call. What really got me at the end though was when the bio dad and the foster father of the baby girl addressed the court. They had been having full family visits at the foster parents house twice a month with both parents and all the kids. And the bio dad just got up there and you could tell he was a "tough guy" or whatever but he started getting very emotional about how hard they're trying to do everything right here but life things do tend to get in the way, but you could just really really tell that he loved his children, like LOVED his children, and even when there's plenty of parents in this building that want their kids back, that kind of raw love isn't all that common in this courthouse. The foster father is what really got me though. Apparently it was a fictive kin placement since the baby was born after the case came in under risk of harm, so she went to the godparents, and from what I can tell the foster father is also the pastor of their church. And man, he just got up there and spoke about how they're the only people they get to see the parents interact with all the kids and how much the parents love the kids and how badly the kids want to be returned home to their parents, and he described how he would have to drive the two middle girls back to their placement (it was a ways out of the city) after the visits and how he was the only person there to hear their sobs and screams that they wanted their mommy and daddy, and that was the point at which I had to close my eyes and just breathe so I didn't start crying in the middle of court. And like, of course emotion complicates things, but you can't just ignore them here when it's such an important part of the decision, really. The judge ultimately decided he wasn't going to enter a goal today (a goal meaning what the case is working towards- a return home goal versus a termination goal) and he wanted to talk to the kids themselves before doing so, which I thought was a smart assessment. It's just such a hard case, because you want to keep giving the parents chances, but I mean, 4 years, that's a lot of chances been given, where does it end? It's such a hard call. I think it was really good though that the foster parent was aligned with the bio parents, and even though they've had this baby girl since she was 9 days old and have completely raised her as their child, they would still willingly turn her over to her parents, and I mean, that's amazing for me to think about. But yeah, we ended eventually, and went back up at like 4:36ish, at which point I had to review my final review for field placement with my supervisor. Most of it was great and very complimentary, there were a few small commends about some of the attorneys saying I didn't like seek out work enough but that was definitely something I had been doing recently so I'm not concerned about that. So that was nice. And yeah, that was my last day, for now at least. I don't know if I'm gonna end up on the same calendar really, I guess we'll have to see what happens, but I really hope I do. Alright, so after that I left and headed to school to chill for a few before the PAD event tonight, and chatted with a nice lady from appeals for most of the trip. Once I got to school I got back on quimbee and took their "final exam" for that section that's 20 questions, and reviewed the answers on that for a while. I think I'm in a fairly good place with the class right now. I'm gonna keep studying obviously, but I'm feeling okay about my chances at a good grade for now. After not too long other people showed up, I heated up and ate the rest of my pizza because I knew there would only be shit food at the event I couldn't eat, lol, then we headed over, it was right close to school. The captain of the PAD mock trial team/former justice was there already, along with that guy she brought to judge one of our scrimmages that I'd had some fun conversations with. So I sat with them for a while and chatted and it was nice, then he said he had to go get his girlfriend's laundry out of the dryer so it didn't wrinkle, which I found to be an unfortunate statement because he was rather cute but *shrug* oh well. So I just talked to other people for the rest of the time and it was nice, we took some pictures of the old and new boards so that was nice. I ended up leaving a little after 9, and decided to uber home because it was cold and windy AF and I somehow actually misjudged the weather in preparing for it (I'm usually very good at this) and just had my suit jacket and I was like yeah no this walk home from the train isn't happening. So I figured that being that I wasn't under any specific time crunch this would be a good time to see if my uber app was actually up and functional, so I did and went for pool just for kicks and because it was like $6 instead of $20, and it did work, so I got in the car which showed up soon, then we drove a bit and picked up another lady who I started talking to pretty much immediately, she's working on a Latino Theatre Initiative here in Chicago which apparently has never been done before so of course we talked about theatre and other things as they came up, and it was a nice refreshing discussion. She got dropped off, then me a bit later, around 10 pm. I decided to watch designated survivor because I am honestly quite addicted to the show, though I suppose I'm not following any of the fandom (if there is one? It strikes me as kind of an older-viewer focused show that might not have a whole online young people following) on here, but still I've been quite enjoying their episodes. I have to say, they're pulling off the whole huge government conspiracy thing really well, probably the best I've seen done. Prison Break put forth a strong effort on that point, but "the company" still always felt a bit contrived. DS is really rocking it though, the episodes are so compelling and the storylines work together very well, so I enjoyed that immensely. After I had just switched to live tv to find that once again friends was on, and this time I could actually stick around to watch it being that I get to mostly sleep in tomorrow. It wasn't an episode I particularly remembered, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Unfortunately as I was watching I was trying to get all my field placement shit turned in so I could just have it off my plate, I discovered that in order to meet the requirements I technically had to have one more meeting with my faculty advisor, even though we've discussed it all to death over the last two semesters, so I sent her an email saying I'll come in whenever works for her along with one to the head of field placement saying I had everything else finished but that and was working to get a meeting, and part of me is hardcore hoping she just responds and is like "it's fine you can just go with what you have" but I don't think that is very likely at all, lol. I guess we'll see though. One more thing to get done. Ugh. Tomorrow is open except for PT, so hopefully I can convince myself to actually get some shit done, hopefully on the paper, I really need to buckle down and figure out the whole budget and all the other math stuff that is going to hurt my history/English/literary analysis brain that is not meant for math/science and such. Oh well. Just gotta get it done I guess. Okay, that's plenty of writing for now, and I am quite tired at this point, so I'm looking forward to sleeping in. Until then, goodnight my peeps. Happy Friday.