#four images of them as zombies are part of an au I want to work on

[a-froger-epic]

NASTALLY'S ❇️Q U E E N❇️ FIC

📝 = (semi-)regular updates

❓= will update eventually

🧊 = on ice

✅ = complete

Freddie Mercury/Roger Taylor

Froger - Love & Sex (18+):

Dawn of Aquarius [the epic] ✅ - Roger and Freddie meet in 1969 and change each other's lives. (romance, sexual awakening, coming of age, YA drama, period-typical homophobia, family drama, realism)

Good Company ✅ - collab with @quirkysubject The Queen boys accidentally on purpose watch porn together. (friends to... still friends but with interesting wanking habits, internalised homophobia, pining, humour)

Dreams of Tomorrow 📝- collab with @tikiniki A mad, medieval fantasy adventure with the Queen boys. (troubadour AU, adventure, fantasy, friendship, magic, origin stories, vikings, battles, a donkey called Tootsie)

Dawn of the Living Dead ❓ - It's the zombie apocalypse in 1971. (horror, dark comedy, blood & gore, insanity, friendship)

The Miracle ❓ - A slightly different take on the A/B/O trope. (mpreg, friends to lovers, kid!fic, parenthood, emotional realism, discrimination)

the eye of the beholder ✅ - Roger buys a video camera. (established relationship, script format, humour, light-hearted)

Time Waits for No One ✅ - collab with @bisexualroger Freddie and Roger's relationship through the years. (Christmas themed, sad, life has no happy endings, grief, acceptance, breakup, lovers to friends, death)

Sehnsucht 🧊 - Roger visits Freddie in Munich. They have a past. (Inspired by Dawn of Aquarius, pining, friendship, life has no happy endings, hurt/comfort, but mostly hurt)

Froger - Love:

A Kind of Magical Adventure (and the Spider from Mars) ❓ - collab with @plainxte​ The Doctor Who/Queen crossover nobody asked for! (friends to lovers, there was only one bed, fluffy Christmas space adventure)

The Only Exception ✅ - On a night out, something is rekindled between Roger and Freddie. (drug use, pining, past relationship, the one that got away, some humour)

Foxey ✅ - Freddie gives Roger an impromptu lapdance. (Dawn of Aquarius missing scene, fluff, humour, established relationship)

Secret ✅ - Brian is a good secret keeper. (Inspired by Dawn of Aquarius, handholding, angst and fluff, mostly fluff)

I put a spell on you (because you’re mine) ✅ - A Halloween special. (Dawn of Aquarius missing scene, breakup, angst, humour)

Incidentally Homosexual  ✅ - Roger wants to talk to Freddie about the Kinsey scale and sexuality.  (Dawn of Aquarius missing scene, internalised homophobia, pure fluff, soft boyfriends)

It’s Grim Up North (But There’s Light Up Ahead) ✅ - collab with @pumpkinlilyao3​ One time Roger saves Freddie, and one time Freddie saves Roger. (Friends to lovers, violence, slurs, angst, happy ending)

Promise ✅ - Roger and Freddie prepare for a special event in 2015. (Inspired by Dawn of Aquarius, Freddie lives, growing old together, pure fluff)

Tootsie’s Story ✅ - How Roger rescued a donkey. (Dreams of Tomorrow prequel, fantasy, adventure, troubadour AU, established relationship)

Ooh Love, ooh Loverboy… ✅ - Freddie through Roger's eyes. (established relationship, internal monologue, tooth-rotting fluff)

Romantic Drabbles ❓ - A mixed bag of Froger romance.

Froger - Porn Without Plot (18+):

A is for Amsterdam ✅ - Roger and Freddie walk into a sex shop. (Established relationship, bdsm, sex toys, dom!Roger, sub! Freddie, a bit of fluff and humour too)

B is for Bound ✅ - There's something Freddie would like to do. (Established relationship, bdsm, non-con play, dom!Roger, sub!Freddie)

C is for Control ✅ - There's something Roger would like to do. (Established relationship, mild bdsm dynamics, switching, top!Freddie, fluff)

D is for Discipline ✅ - Freddie turns a game into something a little more serious. (Spanking, bdsm, power dynamics, subspace, referenced cheating, guilt, dom drop)

Right until the ends of the Earth ✅ - Romantic piano sex. (Inspired by Dawn of Aquarius, mild bdsm dynamics, romance)

Tight Squeeze  ✅ - collab with @bambirexwrites fem!Queen; Regina and Freddie go shopping for shorts. Regina has some trouble fitting into them. Freddie helps her feel better. (Established relationship, body worship, semi-public sex)

One Fine Morning  ✅ - Freddie is trapped between two primal urges. (Established relationship, mild omorashi, morning sex)

Smutty Drabbles ❓- A mixed bag of Froger sexytimes.

Froger - Gen/shippy Gen:

Good Times (Better Times) ✅ - How Freddie met Roger, a Dawn of Aquarius prequel. (internal monologue, the Kensington pub, art student Freddie)

that special brew ✅ - That time Freddie accidentally drank marrijuana tea. (humour, Roger being a very sweet friend, light-hearted)

a joke nobody tells ✅ - Newly formed Queen dynamics or: not even Roger knows what is going on in Freddie's head. (group dynamics, insecurities, fear of failure, hurt/comfort)

Ghosts ✅ - Freddie’s arrival in Australia awakens some memories he would rather forget. (angst, referenced past sexual assault, friendship, hurt/comfort)

Including Love ✅ - Freddie and Roger love each other. But perhaps, not in that way. Or do they? (Roger-centric, character study, period-typical attitudes, male friendship, bromance)

Freddie Mercury

that which is good ❓ - Freddie meets Kenny. Two gay men struggling to find themselves, find comfort in each other’s friendship. (Angst, internalised homophobia, male friendship, hurt/comfort) 

Moments ❓ - A collection of moments in Freddie’s life. (Vignettes, angst, fluff, death, life, everything)

with my trust like a child ❓ - collab with @aboutnothingness A look at several of Freddie’s birthdays throughout his life (Hurt/no comfort, hurt/comfort, internal monologue, implied underage, heavy angst)

The God Abandons Antony [Freddie Mercury/Joe Fanelli] 🧊 - collab with @freddieofhearts​ On tour in the US, Freddie meets somebody new. (Internal monologue, angst, euphoria, new love, romance, cheating)

Rapture and Solace ✅ - 1991. (Internal monologue, fear of death, terminal illness, acceptance, background Jimercury)

to the bone (18+) ✅ - A police officer lets Freddie off the hook, in exchange for a favour. (Period-typical homophobia, abuse of power, sexual assault, hurt/no comfort)

Ménage à Deux  ✅ - An exploration of Freddie’s friendship with Barbara Valentin. (Dubcon, recreational drug use)

Naughty ✅ - Freddie's mind wanders while he poses nude for a life drawing class. (Internal monologue, some humour, internalised homophobia)

Don’t You (Walk Away) [Freddie Mercury/Winnie Kirchberger] ✅ - After a fight with Winnie, Freddie contemplates his life in Munich. (Hurt/No Comfort, toxic relationships, angst)

Freddie Love ❓ - Freddie-centric drabble collection.

Freddie Mercury/Brian May

As it Began ✅ - Freddie goes to write his dissertation at Brian's house. (Smile Era, boys with a crush, friendship, first kiss, angst, hurt/comfort)

Blacklight in Zero Gravity (18+)  ❓ - It's 2029, Freddie Mercury is working as a stripper and one night, the mysterious Brian May walks into his life. (Modern AU, sex & drugs, pining, humour, angst, fluff, romance, morally grey characters, smut)

Click! ✅ - Freddie meets a guy he just can’t get off his mind at work. (Modern AU, photographer!Freddie, model!Brian, social media, humour, meet cute)

the sun and moon and stars are you ✅ - Freddie and Brian are expecting, and getting ready for a Halloween party. (trans!Freddie AU, pregnancy, humour, fluff)

The Sound of Your Fear ✅ - Brian and Freddie stay in a very creepy hotel. (Ghost story, terror, haunted house, platonic/pre-slash Maycury)

Dreams of Tomorrow (18+) [Maycury, Froger, Joger] 📝 - collab with @tikiniki​ A mad, medieval fantasy adventure with the Queen boys. (troubadour AU, adventure, fantasy, friendship, magic, origin stories, vikings, battles, a donkey called Tootsie)

Freddie Mercury/Jim Hutton

Maybe I’m Amazed ✅ - Freddie is upset about an argument with Jim, who surprises him. (Angst, hurt/comfort, romance and fluff)

Interlude ✅ - Freddie has a great time at his 39th birthday party - for the most part. (Angst, non-consentual drug use, hopeful ending)

Sticks and Stones ✅ - Freddie reads a headline she wishes she hadn’t seen. (Fem!Jimercury, body image, fluff, happy ending)

Other Ships

Dawn of the Living Dead (18+) [Poly!Queen & Froger] ❓ - It's the zombie apocalypse in 1971. (horror, dark comedy, blood & gore, insanity, friendship, smut)

Kneel Down by Your Side and Pray [Maylor & Johnica] 🧊 - collab with @quirkysubject @tikiniki and @plainxte In a dystopian world where slavery is the norm, four young men struggle with their circumstances. (Dystopian AU, violence, blood & gore, sexual abuse, angst, friendship, hurt/no comfort, pining)

Sacrifice (18+) [Maylor] ✅ - Roger is being sacrificed to the God of Fertility. (Fantasy AU, humour, Monty Python-esque, technically non-con but not angsty, satire)

Colour Me Surprised [Joger] ✅ - Roger helps John with his make-up. (Yearning, gay panic)

a bona cackle [OMC/OMC, background Froger] ✅ - Dawn of Aquarius spin-off ficlet. A phone conversation in Polari. (Period-typical attitudes, queer history)

Gen

and the rest is history ✅ - The day John Deacon auditioned for Queen. 

lazing on a sunny afternoon  ✅ - A short, sweet fem!Queen ficlet.

The Sound and the Fury ✅ - collab with @quirkysubject​ Roger is struggling when the past catches up with him. Brian is a good friend. (hurt/comfort, friendship, angst)

Not Like Other Groups ✅ - Queen escape from an angry gang of skinheads by means of a car chase. (humour, friendship, action)

Maple Leaves ✅ - John struggles with Freddie’s illness. (heavy angst, death, grief)

Non-Fiction

Interview With A Queen “Groupie” - I interviewed a lady who knew the Queen boys back when she was at Ealing Art School. Yes, really.

[nmoroder]

L4D(2) Actor AU

This is a (not complete) list of headcanons for the Actor AU me and my bro came up with during our Expert runs and running extremely low on morale. We created this as a sort of ‘happy’ AU which would also give some room to our own ideas, so some of this stuff below may only slightly be related to original. We understand.

This post won’t be updated but instead followed by other ones if something else arises, so check ‘l4d actor au’ tag on my blog for more!

Overall setting

The Left 4 Dead universe itself is a series of 90-min movies divided into first and second season, L4D1 and L4D2 respectively. This list will further refer to them as S1 and S2;

L4D is a series about, of course, zombie apocalypse, but teamwork and forming bonds between people are brought to spotlight. Both seasons consist of episodes where four Survivors try to find a solid ground and safety with every episode ending on a cheerful note but every next one starting with the cheerfulness destroyed. The episodes share their names and events with Campaigns;

Originally, L4D was created by a team of enthusiasts, consisting of friends, families and family friends, so they are all very immersed in process and really giving their best. Their collective is also the reason their funding isn’t very high and they’re mostly using their own equipment and props; this makes the series look less expensive and polished but retains the atmosphere and the main goal: to show people growing warmer to each other and learning to stick together;

The actors’ names are mostly created by combining the face model’s first name and the voice actor’s last name, though some other versions do take place (see S1 and S2);

The safehouse graffitis are inspired by the fans’ responses from forums and contests, so it’s some sort of communicating with audience through screenplay;

The Third Strike, more commonly known as Black and White Mode which occures after second incapacitation, was firstly discovered as a camera malfunction but then the team liked it so much that they decided to leave it as a feature and add the heartbeat effect and stuff;

Main plot line consists solely of canon Campaigns (that means it doesn’t include Last Stand and Cold Stream) but there were also suggestions to shot additional episodes - the Mutations. After S1 success, the authors posted their ideas on different ‘modes’ and fans added theirs as well and thus during S2 some more episodes were made using, for example, a male synchronized swimming team to create the Hunting Party mutation. The original Hunter actor also participated and the swimmers required to copy his behavior; they did it so well that sometimes the whole Survivor team was being overwhelmed once they began the take;

There are no stuntmen on board so every fighting scene is shot with original actors. When it requires to shove someone off with a weapon (e.g. Zoey shoving a Hunter off Louis in the L4D1 intro), after the take actors always ask each other whether they hit too hard, should they improve the movements etc. Different actors have different range so it’s a tricky thing to cooperate but they still manage (I’ll come back to this topic in L4D2 section);

Most Infected, especially Special Infected encounters are improvised, bringing more life and realism to the Survivors’ response. The Hunter is responsible for a fair share of their shock as they noticed him stuck at a saferoom ceiling only after a while (this is a reference to the glitches that allow the Hunter to get stuck under the roof in Versus);

There was a suggestion to run a Kickstarter campaign to gather money for a fanservice episode especially for shippers. While it was most likely a joke from actors who didn’t mind shipping, it’s still a suggestion and not in work.

L4D (Season 1)

Zoey shares the zombie movie obsession with her actress; Sonja was the most familiar with the topic among original team and provided a lot of help with setting up the scene, behaviour writing etc. Along with Louis and Boomer actors, she was the creator of original idea and can consider herself a founder of the series. She is also older than Zoey as a character, being already in her 25s while Zoey is a college student;

The original Boomer actor was a CGI specialist and offered his skills for post-processing while also playing an Infected role. He came up with the idea of a Boomer Infected himself and suggested his large physique to do the role with a little touch of computer graphics and makeup;

While discussing the major characters and personalities worth including, Zoey’s actress instantly remembered her neighbor, the big buffy tattooed guy who was her childhood friend, worked as a driver and spent his weekends with his favorite bike. She figured that it’s a nice image to have in a zombie apocalypse setting, and thus Francis’ actor made it to the set;

When it came to the image of a war veteran refusing to give in to monsters, Zoey’s actress was also the one to suggest another person to fill up the space: her father. He was younger than Bill was written to be but did the impersonating well. He’s got an overall friendly but bickering attitude towards Francis’ actor so most of lines written for Bill and Francis interaction were the ones actors remembered from their own conversations, slightly exaggerated;

Zoey’s actress and Louis’ actor were co-workers for several years and bonded over their mutual interest to zombie theme and shooting. She foud out that Sean attended a shooting range in his spare time and asked him to take her out too; thus she both found out he aces in ambidextrous shooting and got him to teach her how to wield a hunting rifle. The weapon preferences were carried over to respective characters;

Hunter’s actor became a surprise for the team as Francis’ actor brought him over saying that the guy’s got a fantastic voice (and a music band) and physique to make some badass new Infected for them. They got him to voice the crowd extras of common Infected but also came up with an idea of shrieking hooded parkour bastard to rip someone’s guts out, thus creating the Hunter as another Special Infected;

As the next Special Infected concept came out of the shadows - a lanky coughing tongue-twisting zombie who would grab the Survivors and restrict them, Hunter’s actor brought another person to the set. It was his music band co-participant who did drums and back vocals and also had an ability to eject the most horrible coughing sound out of his throat while being (seemingly) healthy. He took over the role of a Smoker;

Hunter’s actor is named Mike after Mike Patton, the voice actor for Infected and SI like Hunter and Smoker. Smoker’s actor is named Mike too but the fact that he plays drums and does back vocals is actually a reference to Faith No More, the band where Patton actually does vocals and Mike Bordin does what Smoker’s actor does. It sounds complicated but originally the idea of Hunter and Smoker actors sharing a name came from Patton voicing them both, and then I found out about the band and two Mikes present so... that was a weird but happy coincidence;

The fact stated above was the reason the team came up with nicknames just for two Mikes on the set - Hoodie and Tongue respectively. The tradition was carried over to S2 where the new Hunter actor would receive a patronizing nickname Kid from Survivors (see S2)

Of all Infected actors, Hunter’s actor was the least level-headed and even Francis’ actor sometimes doubted his past decision to bring him in. Nevertheless, Hoodie’s cheerful attitude and energy helped the collective stay positive and fuelled during especially hard days. It also brought out the less lethargic and melancholic part of Tongue and made him more lively about things;

Despite Hoodie being the Endless Energy Core which people tended to adore, he was still in a lousy relationship with Witch’s actress (her name, by the way, is different from the voice actress - it’s Rose). He kept a charmer’s attitude towards her even though she was a married woman; Rose tended to be neutral or mostly positive towards most colleagues but this behavior pissed her off big time, leading to Hoodie being injured by her stage costume claws after she punched him in the face for a really bad dating joke. Hoodie toned it down afterwards but their relationship didn’t improve much up until the end;

Witch’s actress is keen on baking and sometimes brings some to the filming set;

Since the budget was comparatively low, the team couldn’t afford a lot of crowd extras so they hired a group of people to then create an image of a Horde attacking by using CGI. That’s why there’s so much repeating common Infected on-screen;

The first season included all L4D1 original Campaigns, leaving The Sacrifice out as it was added later in a DLC. As S2 came into development stage, the team wanted to add an episode with the old Survivors team but Bill’s actor was unavailable at the time and was overall not hot with the idea of shooting movies anymore; so eventually they plotted the episode (The Passing campaign) to feature Bill being dead. The fans were shocked to find it out and demanded to know what exactly happened, thus leading to actually shooting The Sacrifice as a bonus episode to S1 (and requiring Bill’s actor to come back despite his attitude).

L4D2 (Season 2)

The collective decided to take a sharp turn on the new Survivors and create them being unacquainted and sort of separated at the start but growing closer as time passes by. The idea of S1 Survivors being almost a family to each other sounded great and played along just right but the team wanted to delve deeper into relationship problems and also have a change of scenery - and so they did;

The Infected team for S2 still consisted of some old faces (Boomer, Tank and Witch) but some had to leave the set for the time being and were unable to rehearse the roles, this being Hunter and Smoker actors. They got into music harder than zombie movies and planned to go on a tour so they could only leave their old Infected sounds as a legacy;

The new Smoker actor was a treasure Coach’s actor brought to the set. Since Coach was in fact a college coach, he kept a close eye on some problematic students under his wing and picked out the one he’d considered perfect and at the same time worth looking after. The guy was recovering from compulsory drug treatment and had some ugly scars all over his arms, making him an easier candidate for makeup;

Hoodie, on his part, brought a replacement on his own, and it was his brother - four years younger, even more insanely into parkour and a huge fan of L4D series, he made a perfect new Hunter. Despite being only a few years younger than Hoodie, he instantly became treated like a restless constant-questioner child, a literal piece of sunshine on the set, so the team came to call him just Kid. He adjusted to the nickname after a couple of weeks, though being seriously surprised at it at the start;

The actors of Ellis, Jockey and Charger all come from one family, being two sons and a father. Coach suggested the family as well, being their close friend for many years and pointing out Ellis’ actor appearance being something close to the laid-back mechanic they wanted for the new Survivors team;

Although fluently speaking in a Southern accent, Ellis’ actor isn’t very fond of it as he tried to get rid of it and move to a different state; the role obliged him to use the accent again though and it wasn’t hard to recreate, but he still didn’t take pride in it and was mostly annoyed with it and Nick’s jokes written in script;

Ellis’ actor is also the one more frequently complaining about amount of money the actors receive for their work on set. Their funding increased a bit since S1′s popularity strike but still;

Most of Ellis’ stories were written based on actual on-set incidents, usually featuring Nick’s actor (see below);

Nick’s actor, Taymour, is married to Witch’s actress and is a big fan of her performance in S1. When she heard the idea of having a snarky self-centered ladies’ man in the new Survivors team, she immediately knew who’d handle the role at his best. She also rehearsed the role of Witch just to make sure nothing bad happens to her husband on-set (also see below);

Nick’s actor suffers from constant bad luck incidents. He can accidentally break or twist something without serious effort; he’s also allergic to artificial blood and he is the reason the filming set actually features painkillers and functioning adrenaline shots. Despite all that, he’s got a positive attitude about bad luck and got used to being in a state of constant non-obvious danger, unlike others who geniunely worry about his well-being and fear that one day an accidental injury might end him once and for all;

This trait is also the reason Nick’s line “Can’t you see I’m limping here?” made it into the script - it was improvised after Nick’s actor badly hit his leg and was the last to make it to a saferoom during a take. The team liked it and decided to leave it in;

Nick’s actor treats his role with all respect and doesn’t consider it a small one despite the not so large fee. He’s also a complete opposite to the character, being a very friendly and kind-hearted guy to everyone on set; he can however switch back to his script personality with startling speed and it scared some of the new actors at first. Despite playing an asshole which is very different from real him, Nick’s actor enjoys it a lot and overall finds great joy in working with the team and bringing them together;

Bringing back the topic of being gentle to each other, Nick’s actor takes great care when it’s required to hit or shove someone in the take, keeping it mildest possible, unlike for example Ellis’ actor who can smash you in the face without a second thought;

Nick’s actor and Witch’s actress keep their loving attitude on set as well, sometimes making it hard to shoot scenes featuring a Witch killing; as they were shooting the Witch Bride scene where the same actress took place but had a different outfit and makeup, they ruined several takes by driving the dialogue in unwanted directions, e.g. “Ellis, go kiss the bride! No wait, I’ll do that myself” or “N: Sounds like my ex-wife... W: I still AM your wife, darling! >:C”;

With her husband on stage, Witch’s actress is probably closest to her role - she will tear apart anyone who dares to hit on Nick’s actor or mean any harm to him (as if his own harming isn’t enough...). The only one she’d go loose is Ellis’ actor, being an old close friend;

Ellis’ actor was the one who introduced Nick’s actor to his future wife. They’ve actually been close friends since the university and Ellis’ actor was among those who obviously saw Nick’s actor and Rose being in love but completely oblivious to it. Ellis’ actor is still kinda jealous that she took his best friend away and they can’t hang out anymore like they used to, but they get quite a lot of time on set so he’s less irritated about that;

Nick’s actor is especially supportive towards Rochelle’s actress, Shanola. She feels self-conscious because of her character’s rating being lower than expected and blames it on her performance, but Taymour keeps reassuring her that she’s doing amazing. Rochelle’s actress is also the one least accustomed to shooting a weapon and handling violence of any kind so it was hard for her to get her head into action. With the team fully supporting her, the progress sped up tremendously;

Ellis’ actor’s name is Jesy and he gets salty about people misspelling it or mistaking it for a female name. It was the inspiration to include the “El kinda sounds like a girl’s name” part of Ellis’ dialogue;

The team is overall friendly towards shipping dynamics in the series’ fandom, with the only one explicitly stating otherwise being Ellis’ actor. He’s espeicially upset with Nellis ship as people started shipping actors over it too; he stated multiple times that he and Nick’s actor have been best friends for so long that it’s simply wrong to imply any romantic and/or sexual relationship between them. He once stated in an interview that he’d rather believe an Ellis/Hunter ship and the fandom exploded with it on the next day, much to the actor’s chagrin. The Hunter’s actor, or Kid, however, wasn’t that upset and supported the idea. The team made no confirmation to any ships yet;

Nick’s actor is neutral to most ships including Nellis and doesn’t see why his friend is so angry about it. His personal favorites are Nick/Witch for obvious reasons and Nick/Hunter for less obvious reasons that he doesn’t state. He jokingly suggests Jesy from time to time to start a Kickstarter campaign for a Nellis-centered episode; it’s still unknown whether they’ll take it serious one day.

[woodrokiro]

Hollowed (fic) Part Seven

Fandom: Bleach

Pairing: IchiRuki

Summary: They call her a miracle, but he looks at her as if she’s normal. It scares her. Fantasy/Futuristic/Zombie kinda?AU. Read Parts One, Two, Three, Four, Five, and Six.

He’s quiet on her walk. 

Although the squad of guardsmen flank a radius of ten feet around her (whether that’s by order or fear, she’s never been sure), he tags closely at her side. It’s odd: Renji always stuck with precautionary distance, but it’s not like this boy isn’t aware something’s going on. The way he confronted her about Kiyone, and whether he was safe with her…

She doesn’t know she’s staring at him until he suddenly huffs. “Can you not?”

She raises an eyebrow. “You don’t seem as worried as you were when we were back in the chambers… Being this close to me--”

“For the love of God do not say it like that.” His face becomes red, and he shifts his eyes toward the guards surrounding them, who if they’re listening certainly don’t show it. He becomes red quite often, she’s noticed. 

She wonders if he has rosacea. 

“What other way is there to say it?”

“Just… Nevermind.” He starts to walk ahead of her, and--annoyed--she jogs a little to catch up to him. 

“Need I remind you that you guard me? And anyway, you never answered my question.”

A tick works through his jaw, but he doesn’t say anything. She waits, but eventually takes it as a sign that he won’t answer. She’s used to that: people not answering her questions. Not fully, anyway.

He startles her by suddenly speaking up.

“You’re right. I was assigned as your guard. I don’t really have a choice, being this close to you… You know?” He shrugs, and Rukia’s suddenly awashed with guilt. She is about to answer that she knows, she knows it’s a burden, she knows it’s not his choice but Lord Yamamoto’s, and even though she won’t question her lord’s decisions that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s fair that he’s stuck with her and--

“But… I’m gonna trust you. If you say this is fine, that there’s nothing for me to worry about, then I’ll think so too.” He looks over the garden, hard at the walls far beyond it. “And… It’s my job to protect you from… Whatever they’re all worried about, but I’m gonna trust you tell me the basics. It’s okay if you’re not allowed to tell me everything. It’s okay if you don’t want me in your rooms. I’m never gonna force my way into your space, especially since you seem to have so little privacy as it is-- but this is a two-way relationship. I want to know that you’ve got my back, since I’ve got yours. Okay?” 

“...Okay.” 

And it is. She just wishes she could say more, at least something more intelligent. 

She’s finding she’s running out of intelligent things to say to this boy, more often than not.

But before she can say anything more to save face, a familiar form materializes behind a tall rosebush toward them.

---

“Ah! Well, if it isn’t her ladyship.”

A tall man in glasses cuts in front of them, and it’s so sudden that Ichigo reflexively clutches the sheath of his sword. He looks over at Rukia, who seems unfazed and even smiles pleasantly.

“Sir Aizen! What brings you in my path?”

The man tussles his hand through his brown hair and laughs, but for Ichigo it feels as if he’s going through a motion rather than genuine embarrassment. “Oh, you know--just had a bit of time to take a little walk myself before meeting up with Yamamato. Saw you from a distance and thought I’d say a quick hello. I see you have new company?”

“Oh! Yes.” Rukia inclines her head and even bows a little bit toward Ichigo. “Sir Aizen, this is Ichigo Kurosaki, a new member of my Personal Guard. Sir Kurosaki… This is Sousuke Aizen. He acts a special captain envoy for Lord Yamamoto to the Valley. He’s very important to the institution--as important as the military and medical fields, from my humble opinion.”

“You’re too kind, Rukia. I wouldn’t say that my team is up to that par,” he waves his hand dismissively. “We only do what we can: delivering any goods and foods we can to the needier villages, picking out any capable staff when the time comes--although that hasn’t been in awhile, I’m afraid to say. Lord Yamamoto has been quite stingy, and for good reason: we are filled to the brim here as it is. Still, I wish we could do more.” He turns a little more to Ichigo and bows. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I hear your group made quite a stir when you came through. I regret I wasn’t here to see my lord’s face, or that of this one’s older brother for that matter. What village are you from, again?”

“Karakura.” Ichigo eyes the man’s surprised expression. He can’t quite put his finger on it, but there’s… Something not right with this guy. 

“Oh! Well, that does sound familiar, but I can’t put a picture to the place--”

“It’s the one that was just decimated.” Ichigo can feel Rukia staring, and he almost feels bad about the way Aizen looks taken aback, but he can’t stop himself. “It’s been awhile since your guys came down the mountain to deliver those ‘goods.’ We could’ve used your help.”

“... Of course.” The older man bows his head sheepishly. “I completely understand, and I’m so sorry for your loss. We try our best to help but… We can’t save everyone. Sacrifices need to be made, every day.” He turns to Rukia and inclines his head, a sad smile on his face. “Rukia, I’m sure I will see you again soon. Our squad always values your input. And Ichigo Kurosaki,” He reaches out his hand. “It was a pleasure to meet you.”

Ichigo shakes his hand, despite his own rage and the fact that this man’s grip seems oddly tight. 

He continues alongside Rukia on their walk, and--thankfully--she says nothing.

---

“What’s up with that Aizen guy?” He nearly can’t contain himself from asking once they’re back in her quarters, alone the minute assisting guards leave. He watches her as she delicately lifts a shawl from a nearby chair, but her face is a blank slate. “Something’s… I don’t know. He was nice, I guess, but something feels… Look, can I at least ask for an answer on this, however watered-down?”

She unfolds the shawl, turns her back to him and lifts it to the light of her window--silk, sheer, with a masterfully rich violet pattern--and he’s just about to call her out for ignoring him again when she clears her throat.

“He’s kind enough. He does more for the outside communities than anyone else on the grounds,” she replies softly. “I’m sure many villages have been grateful for his aid… But. If you hold many people to the light here, you’ll find inconsistencies.” She turns to him, her skin near glowing from the afternoon sun behind her. “My advice is… Leave those here to the tasks they’re given. Trust no one with favors or secrets.” Suddenly, she throws on the shawl, sits by the window and curls up as if to take a nap. 

For the rest of his shift, she doesn’t say a word to him until just before it ends.

“Ichigo…” He can hear the next guard’s steps coming quickly from the annexed hallway, but he focuses his attention on her bowed form. “I’m so sorry for your loss. Of your village.”

He doesn’t have time to thank her before the door opens behind him, but he hopes she knows he did, all the same. 

---

When he goes to his quarters, the only one awake of their group is Yuzu. 

“Yuzu, go to sleep. You get up too early in the kitchens as it is.” He chucks off his shirt, fumbles through his bag for a clean one to sleep in. 

“I wanted to stay up for you. I feel bad, sleeping so early when you get back so late.” Ichigo smiles despite himself at his sister’s kindness, however illogical it may be. He may get home late, but at least he gets to sleep in…

But he misses his sister.

 Ichigo goes through the motions of washing his hair and teeth in the room’s basin. He thinks she may have fallen asleep, when he turns around and finds her propped up on her elbows, looking at him. “What’s she like?”

“Who?”

“You know. The Lady Rukia. She’s a mystery to the kitchens. There’s either whispers that she’s a real life angel come down to Earth”--here, Ichigo resists a heavy scoff--”or a witch. Maybe even a Hollowed in disguise.” 

Ichigo starts to untuck the sheets of his cot. “Yuzu, there’s no such thing as angels or witches.” 

“Forty years ago, they said there were no such things as Hollowed. Anyway, it’s not just kitchen gossip. Chad and Ishida were were saying that their sections don’t know what to make of her, either.”

“Look, she’s not some transcendent being, she’s a girl.” Ichigo tries really, really hard to shut down the image of naked Rukia from just this morning. “I don’t know why they treat her so special. She’s…”

Ichigo shrugs and tells Yuzu to go to sleep already before rolling over in his cot.

He can’t tell his sister what Rukia is, yet. 

--

Maybe it’s the mystery shrouding these walls.

Maybe it’s the shady circumstances of the place. 

Maybe it’s the fact that the girl he protects seems so strong and yet is so damn helpless--

But he dreams of his mother that night, all the same.

[sun-flower-children]

Hello Little One

Taehyung x male reader ( some jungkook x Taehyung )

supernatural au where y/n is taehyung’s guardian angel and tae is going through a hard time and really needs a friend. During the summer between their sophomore (11) and junior(12) years in high school. angst + fluff

The summer vacation began and the two best friends wanted to spend the first day together. Today's plan was to stay indoors but tomorrow they were going to do a ton of things outside. Nevertheless, they had games, snacks, and entertainment prepared for the day. This was also going to be a sleepover. It was still early in the morning, around nine when Taehyung was dropped off at Jungkook's house for their day. His mother helped him pull id bags out of the back, kissed him on the head, and left for work. To get up to Jungkook's huge house, one needed to first climb a set of stairs that were essentially cement blocks stuck into indents made in the hill. There was a specific one that would always trip Taehyung up. His backpack and duffel bag were considerably heavy, prepared with things for the two of them to do for the next five days, Taehyung was wobbling a bit already. Struggling to get up the stairs, that single block tripped him over. TAehyung felt the rush of wind and the weight of the luggage on his falling figure. He was just beginning to brace for impact when...nothing happened. Taehyung opened his eyes and saw that he was standing on the block that came after the wobbly one.

He sighed and continued, even though he specifically remembers never going up to step that block. This sort of thing wasn't new, but that didn't make Taehyung any less inquisitive. The first time this happened was in the first grade on his way to school. Taehyung was allowed to walk by himself because their home was not very far from the academic grounds. He was walking merrily when crossing the street, he tripped and fell. This normally would have been nothing but no one noticed due to the swarm of children crowding that specific walkway. The teacher on the other end ushered what she thought was all of the kids to the sidewalk when suddenly a huge truck at high speed started honking. She looked back at the road, and saw Taehyung, but didn't move for fear that some other child would run out to try and save time. She started yelling at him to move and run to her as fast as he could, but he was too focused on putting his toy back into his backpack. It happened so fast, the whoosh of the truck, the scream of women and children around the crosswalk, and the clang of metal. The teacher rushed to him to make sure that he was alright, and saw that not only was he alive, but he had gotten away with only one long scratch on his elbow. Taehyung who was laying down started babbling about an angle coming down to save him. No one believed him of course, so he told his grandmother. Naturally, she hugged him, kissed his head, and set him on her lap. She explained that yes, angels are real, and yes, Taehyung has an exceptionally strong guardian angel because of how kind and caring he is. The next day at school Taehyung would tell everyone that a big angel came down and saved him but all the other kids and teachers laughed, they didn't make fun of him, but they didn't believe him either.

Taehyung subconsciously rubbed his scar on his right elbow, a nervous habit of his. Finally making it up the last step, he knocked on the door. Jungkook's mother answered the door, happily welcoming him into the house. Taehyung heard the familiar thumping of feet running down the stairs to be tackled by the younger of the two. Laughing, they walked up to Jungkook's room and dropped all of his stuff into the corner of the room.

" What do you want to do first?"

" How about we roll for it?"

Jungkook rolled a six and Taehyung rolled a four, so Jungkook got to choose. He laid back onto his bed frame and scratched his head.

" Mom said we have to go outside at least, like, once so... let's go out now. Do you have cash on you?"

Taehyung nodded and ruffled through his duffel bag to reveal his wallet.

" You can take pictures of me, this one time. You know, for the gram."

Jungkook smiled and Taehyung followed suit. They changed into more stylish fits, prepped their bags and headed out. These two loved fashion and photography so they would help each other's Instagram's out. They weren't as fashion conscious as their upperclassman friend, Jung Hoseok, but they were good looking when they wanted to be. During the more stressful part of the school year, Jungkook and he would wear sweatpants but grab their fellow student's attention. They hung out downtown, going through stores and taking pictures of themselves or one another. They slowly made their way out of the busy shopping plazas and into the lounging part of town then into the large park. They sat down on a bench and talked about everything that best friends talk about. Identity, existentialism, sexuality, society, etc. They kept on talking until they realized it was six pm. They had easily spent fourteen hours together but the two always needed more. Both of them stood up and walked back to Jungkook's house. Somehow they had stumbled across the topic of sexuality. Taehyung came out to Jungkook freshman year as gay and made him promise to tell no one unless he said so.

" Jungkook do you think if I would go to hell even if everything else I did was good? "

Taehyung stopped walking and looked at Jungkook, awaiting his response. Jungkook had taken five more steps until he realized that his BFF was no longer next to him. Turning around he smiled.

" Taehyung, I am pretty sure you're God's favorite child by now. I don't think you would ever go to hell. Also, you are too pretty to be down there."

" You think I'm pretty?"

" I think you're lots of things Taehyung."

Jungkook couldn't help but blush a bit with his blurted comment, but seeing Taehyung smile again made it worth it. Taehyung jogged up to were Jungkook was and grabbed his hand, giving it a quick squeeze.

" I think you got it backward Kookie. You are the cute and pretty one of us too."

Jungkook's face was red at this point and couldn't make eye contact with Taehyung. They made it back home before it was absolutely dark and changed back into more comfortable clothes so they could seriously play some games. Taehyung brought his gaming laptop and he and Jungkook played Overwatch, Rainbow 6 and a few other games together until they realized that it was dark outside.

They opted for a movie and brought some snacks with them onto the couch. Naturally, they watched some horror movies and tried to scare the crap out of each other time and time again. They took a break from it and watched some epic gamer youtube videos of Pewdiepie playing Minecraft and they were inspired to play too. Literally, five minutes in and Taehyung was running away from zombies the best he could because he forgot to make a crafting table.

" Minecraft is scarier than It. You heard it first here kids."

Jungkook who had been lucky enough to make a bed was laughing at the mess that Taehyung was throwing himself in. They played for another twenty minutes when Jungkook remember that they had an ouija board in the basement. They came up with the brilliant plan of going down to the basement and talk to a spirit through the ouija board. Grabbing flashlights because the lights sometimes didn't work, the put on jackets and made their merry way down the stairs to the " basement". The word basement brings the image of a dark, cold, gray image to mind but because Jungkook's family was rich, their " basement" had hard work floors, proper furniture, a large television, and other things like a bar and billiards. It was another family room when guests came but the lights were too faulty for them to use it like that all the time. They sat down next to the couch and opened it up, placing everything exactly where the instructions said to put them. Placing their hands onto the moving piece, they waited and hoped that something would move it. And at the same time, they wish nothing would happen.

Just as that thought crossed both of their minds, the piece began moving. It began spelling nonsense, no real words or sentences were formed but then they saw that words came into meaning. What was before was probably another language and now it was becoming understandable. At first it was things like " How are you." and " When is it." that quickly changed to threats of " I will kill you when you sleep." and " You can't hide.". This was starting to really freak out the two of them so they let go and the piece still kept moving. Spelling out more and more dangerous threats the lights that were on now was off and their flashlights refused to work.

Panic ensued and as they were trying to find each other in the dark they each felt something new in the room. A new presence. There was something or someone else in there with them. They were not prepared to deal with a problem like this. Sure Jungkook joked about bringing holy water, but now he felt like maybe bringing it would not have been such a bad idea at all. Then they appeared. Those eyes. Like two dangerous orbs floating in the dark, they stared at Jungkook and Taehyung. Then it spoke. It's voice husky and in pain bringing upon fear and even more panic on the two of them. There was no language that they could guess because it was probably one of the monster's own. They felt the steps being taken before them, bring that entity closer and closer. The lights quickly turned on and the monster that it revealed was not what the two of them were picturing. It was the body of an old man but it was so torn apart the only thing left intact was the face. The eye sockets empty but for the two orbs, glowing in the cavern. It was like there was another body growing from inside what was that man. Bones and other things were moving underneath the skin and sprouting out to become a new arm or wing.

Just as it was ready to swing its arm at Taehyung, something bright entered the room. It was a glorious kind of light that radiated warmth and joy. Because of this light both Jungkook and Taehyung had to look away because of how brilliant it was. There was a scream, a most terrible and hair raising scream that had erupted out of the creature. Taehyung had to cover his ears and try to muffle that noise but it didn't help. Then the normal room light turned back on and the gleaming on dimmed. Teahyung rubbed his eyes to see what had happened. To both of their surprise, there was another otherworldly creature standing there. With beautiful (H/C) hair and shining (E/C) eyes that met Taehyung's stare with a smile. There in the middle of Jungkooks basement stood a creature they have never seen before, even in their fantasy games. They numerous wings of gold and strewn around them precious gems and the holy crown with a float around it's head also was adorned with the same stones. The garment it was wearing was a sort of robe with different beautifully woven sheer fabrics around its arms and waist. Its feet were not even touching the floor, levitating above the ground making it look even more ethereal that it already was. The skin of the creature glowed from underneath, a radiant healthy glow of love and happiness. There were bracelets rings on both of the hands adorned in gold and more rare jewels. Their presence was so very there because of their beauty and because of the height of them. Making it from the floor to the ceiling.

"Little one you know better than to play games like these. You never know what could possess these things."

The creature moved towards Taehyung and pet his hair. The creature smiled some more before addressing the other human in the room. Jungkook jumped when he saw the creature looking at him.

" U-um, sir? What are you? Are you going to hurt us?"

Jungkook couldn't help but ask. Taehyung was just standing there jaw dropped staring at this being that had entered his home somehow.

" My name is (Y/N) and I am a guardian angel. I have been assigned Kim Taehyung as a protector for life. And you are Jung Jungguk naturally."

" You're an angel? Like that's all real? oh, my g-"

Jungkook looked up at the angel again and gulped, realising that he needed to sit down. (Y/N) sat them both down and explained what had happened to them. Their game, on of the incredibly rare few, was actually possessed by a medium-tier demon who had contaminated the spirit of an old man that wandered the woods a few miles from that house peacefully. The demon saw the game as a chance to drain them of their life force to gain more strength in the mortal realm. As (Y/N) explained to them the entire ordeal, neither could process what was happening. They were basically being revealed the truth about the universe and there was no way that they could ever believe anything else after today. Taehyung raised his hand.

" Yes, little one?"

" Did you save me from the car accident when I was younger!", Taehyung yelled. He wanted to come across as confident but he was too intimidated by his guardian angel to say anything.

" Yes, I did. Something I had to fight for the right to do, but don't fear, it's past us now."

" Does that mean that you will have to explain this to um.. the Big Guy?"

(Y/N) laughed. It was more like the sound of silver twinkling bells with the dainty clinking of falling gems. The sweet noise was melodic and soothing to their ears. Jungkook, who was drained in every level, flopped down onto his back trying to grasp what is going on.

" Yes, sort of. I do not assume my physical form often and I do not need to see him speak to him. I am from a plane of being where time and scientific laws do not apply to us."

Taehyung gaped at (Y/N). This was the person that had saved his life numerous time and kept him safe.

" Oh, I almost forgot! I need to leave soon. If there is anything you need to ask, ask now."

(Y/N) stood up and glided a few paces in front of the couch. Turning around he knew that Jungkook had a question.

" No, guardian angels do not watch every single second but take note of what you do. Especially...the sort of thing humans your age begin to do. We generally look away. And, Yes Jungkook you have one as well. He is very caring and takes care of you well."

(Y/N) reached a handout and cupped Taehyung's face. Taehyung smiled feeling the somehow familiar warmth of his face. (Y/N) leaned over and kissed Taehyung on the nose. Before letting go there is one more thing you should know little one before I go." he whispered. Taehyung nodded waiting for the answer." Your grandmother wants you to know that she loves you very very much and that she is incredibly proud of everything you have done. She wishes she could be with you and help you grow into the gentlemen you will become. " Taehyung couldn't help but cry. He and his grandmother had shared a special connection and this message meant too much to him to keep inside. He just nodded again.

" Goodbye to the both of you. And may the father, the son and the holy spirit always be with you."

And in a flurry of gold and light, the sound of air wooshing past feathers, and the crack of lightning...(Y/N) was gone. They turned to each other with wide eyes.

" You saw that two right? I wasn't hallucinating."

" Like the angel? and everything? I can't believe this!"

It took a while for it to settle in but they took no time at all getting rid of the game and swearing to never do anything like that again. They ran back up to Jungkook's room and played some games. The pair of friends temporarily forgot about the demon and the angel while playing video games. After eating dinner and sitting at Jungkook's bed, Jungkook noticed something.

" Hey, Taehyung you have something on your nose?"

" Huh? What is it?"

" It's a mole! Did you have a mole on your nose before?"

"No I don't have one but...(Y/N) kissed me on my nose."

" You're joking. You have an angel mark on your nose! Ha!"

" Shut up!"

The two boys went back to playing games and enjoying their vacation, but they never forgot the night in the basement where they met an angel that saved their lives.

MASTERLIST

[hollenka99]

A Day Long Overdue

Summary: Jack is allowed to spend his birthday with the egos. (Essentially a sequel to A Talk With The Creator).

Hey, guess which AU isn’t dead! It’s been like 3 months since I last posted something for the Creator AU (or anything for that matter) but I’m back. Have some bittersweet fluff with a hint of angst.

Jack wakes up, older than he remembers being. He's in a bed, a medical one at that. It would appear he was in Schneep's medical bay. There is no recollection of being sent here. The grogginess is interfering with that. He should probably find an assistance button to alert the doctor. That's when he notices the cards. Upon further inspection, he can only assume these are for a birthday. His birthday. He is able to read some of them before a commotion is heard in a different part of the building. Henrik stands in the doorway, seemingly incapable of not staring at him. Unsure of how to break the ice, Jack comes out with "I guess I'm not 27 anymore, am I?" "Not really." His doctor remains stationary, smiling until his attention diverts to the collection of footsteps approaching. "Wait! He's not ready yet." "Schneep, what the hell are you doing? We want to see Jack too." That sounded like Chase. "Just one minute." Henrik points to someone Jack can't see. "You see him first." "So it is your birthday today. We got you cards and presents. But there is something I think you will like better than all that." "What is it then?" Jack smiles humourously. Schneep turns his head back to the corridor. "Come now." Dressed in jogging bottoms and a hoodie which swallowed him, a teenager stepped into his view. Eyes brim the longer he takes in the image of Jack sitting up in bed. His face has matured a little since they'd last been in the same room. All those months he'd been petrified at the thought of him being hurt while held captive, where he'd pointlessly jotted down memorable events in the hope the youngest ego was still alive to possibly read them one day. All that fruitless hoping and searching must have finally produced a result. It had caused him to be standing feet away. The kid even had a bit of a quiff going on. Jackie. Fuck, this was Jackie. "Hey." Jack breathes out an incredulous "No way." Jackie takes a seat on the bed. The hero's embrace is stronger than the one he can return. Jack gets so lost in mutterings of 'Oh my god' and 'You're okay' that it accidentally becomes melded together at one point. When they both register the blunder, they dissolve into snickers. "I think I forgot how to English properly." "I think so too." "How long have you been back?" "September 2017." "We missed each other by a month?" Jack stares at the baby of their little family. "Yeah." "That sucks." "You have no idea." Tears are wiped but it proves futile as they are immediately replaced. "We've all missed you so much." "You can say that again." Jack glances past Jackie's shoulder to see a small crowd crammed by the entrance to the room. Before he is allowed to greet anyone else, Henrik insists on detaching him from as many wires as was necessary. Once given the all clear, Jack is left beaming as he is encompassed by three of his friends. Chase has a revelation about someone who shouldn't be missing out on the action. He sprints down the corridor to fetch them. He is perched on the bed, assuring Henrik he felt absolutely fine, when the two return. One near-inaudible 'Crikey!' is all it takes for him to freeze. Surely not. Yet there was one of his oldest friends. Angus didn't appear so run down. Was this for real? First Jackie was home and now Angus was healthier. He hadn't been awake for very long and it is already shaping to be a fantastic day. "You look much better than the last time I saw you." "Speak for yourself, mate." He can't help but sob as he approaches Angus. At least the survival hunter wasn't leaving him to be the only one. He is so grateful for the others allowing the two of them to stay in each other's hold for as long as they needed. It's been so long since his Australian friend has been this present. God, it's been so so very long. Despite Henrik not being sure it was for the best, the five of them lead Jack to the living room. Apparently, they had bought a cake to commemorate the day. He had always been partial to red velvet. Although, thinking about it, that was likely the point of them picking that flavour. Cake was still cake either way. He wasn't going to pass up the opportunity for a slice. He notices a German Shepherd hovering by Jackie. He assures his dog that she doesn't need to work at that moment. Work? Gwen, Jackie clarifies, is a service dog to help with his mental health. She sleeps in his room and keeps him company for most occasions excluding his heroing duties. Oh, okay. Well, that just makes her even more of a good girl, doesn't it? Marvin mentions the expansion of his cat collection. Hardeen and Houdini tended to do their own thing while Trico was up for cuddles most of the time. There was also his rabbit whom he had dubbed Tim the Enchanter. Hang on, hang on, so Marvin was saying that not only did he have the Egyptian goddess of cats but also one of the best known magicians in history and his brother, the best fictional creature in gaming as well as a minor character in Monty Python as pets? The magician's completely straight expression as he challenges Jack to fight him causes him to burst into laughter. Trico turning out to be from a small breed makes it all the better. Chatter explodes between the group over cake slices. Okay, let him get this straight. He has been a coma for the past year and a half. Schneep still isn't sure what exactly the illness that caused this was. Regardless, it's good to have him conscious once more. It is not his 28th birthday as he had initially presumed but his 29th. In that time, a fan game was released which aided in Angus regaining some strength. There were four new egos: a community-conceived zombie called Robbie, Shawn Flynn who was born from a Bendy voice acting gig. Jameson Jackson the pumpkin carving actor that communicated via BSL and an android nicknamed S34Nnor. On top of all that, there was a significant lack of green in anyone's hair. Jack wasn't going to say it out loud but perhaps Chase's beard could use a trim. Not only was Sean doing voice acting gigs, he had travelled across America and Europe with his own comedy show. He was interviewing celebrities too. Sorry, what do they mean, Sean met Ryan Reynolds?! Wow, that was huge. They mention Sean also hanging out with some guy called Bryan Dechart but that name doesn't ring bells. "Okay, Chase, do the line." Jackie encourages. "Alright but that was Sean's series so... keep that in mind." Chase take a breath in preparation then, "Hi, I'm Connor, the android sent by Cyberlife." They all cheer and laugh at that. S34Nnor speaks up. "As a combination of both the character of Connor and Sean, I believe I can improve upon your already good attempt." The line is repeated and everyone becomes excitable once more. "Yes!" The outburst is Chase's as he points to the android with a grin. When the noise has died down again, his expression appears to make his new words honest. "I'm planning on stealing that jacket one day." "You're going to have to fight me for it." Jackie gives a disingenuous glare. "Besides, I'm part machine now sooo go off, I guess." Jack loves the atmosphere. It's been years since it has been this lively here. If this was February 2019 then it must be over two years since their household has been whole. After Halloween 2016, they lost Jackie's playfulness. His absence had been deeply felt throughout the house. It didn't matter now. Who cares if he's so out of the loop that this Cyberlife stuff and any other running jokes don't make sense to him? This house has been missing this sort of energy. He refuses to risk killing it. However, one comment piques his interest. Something tells him to broach this subject carefully. It seemed like it may be sensitive. "Part machine?" "Oh right. Well, I don't technically have any knees anymore." Jackie gestures to his legs. "Prosthetics, both of them." That made sense, given the comment. It doesn't faze him in the slightest that Jackie has had life altering surgery at such a young age. Nope, not at all. "....Prosthetics." "Yeah, it's not that big of a deal. I just hurt my legs when I was getting out." "He has been doing very well with the physical therapy." Henrik smiles. Coming back with a drink in hand and a grin, Jacques pats the superhero's shoulder. "Got a little crush too. What is her name? Aisha?" "Nyesha. And I don't have a crush on her. We're just friends. Not even close ones at that. Tori is aesthetically admirable too." "What a sophisticated way of pronouncing attractive." Marvin teases. "Stop!" The hood was up now with the surrounding strings yanked. "Okay, okay, I think I've got the idea." Jack leans closer. "Promise me you'll let me know if you ask her or anyone else out, alright?" Out of resignation, Jackie mumbles out a "Sure.", only to sit up and divert the attention to the magician. "Marv has a partner though." "Oh, does he?" At this, the new subject of the conversation chuckles, happily telling Jack whatever he wants to know. Jack tries to protest when Jackie is given alcohol. With a soft smile, the youngest member of this family reminded Jack he was 18 now. Of course he is. It was 2019. Jackie has been 18 for some seven months now. July next year, he'll be entering his 20s. Actually, now that Jack thought about it, he and Sean would be 30 next February. Well then. That wasn't crazy to think about. Speaking of Sean, the two of them should really sit down and have a discussion. Although hazy, memories were slowly converging to form recollections of the disastrous dispute. There was a lot to talk about. He's lost eighteen months of his life. There were amendments to be made. If Sean's been on a worldwide tour, he wants to hear about it from the horse's mouth. That must have been an amazing experience. And Signe, he wonders how she's doing. He always regretted the way she kept getting indirectly caught up in his and Sean's dysfunctional friendship. He should wish Sean a happy birthday. That's probably a decent first step to brokering peace. Plus, if his long time friend woke up from a coma on his birthday, that would probably make his day. Jack can only hope Sean would agree. He makes an off-hand comment about this. The idea of reconciling with Sean gets shot down within seconds. Jesus, he doubts he's seen this level of hatred in Marvin towards anyone other than Anti. What the hell did Sean do to warrant this sort of universal repulsion towards him? "Trust me, you do not want to know." Henrik grumbles. Right. In that case, he'd better leave it until tomorrow. Jack is careful when enquiring about Chase and Henrik's families. He's pleasantly surprised when it is generally positive. Chase sees his kids on weekends now which is fantastic. But surely Noah couldn't be little over a week away from turning 5. He was just 3. Willow and Alina were much more confident readers. Jack remembers two little girls who struggled to piece together syllables in simple sentences. They would both be beginning primary school in September. Likewise, Elias was already in his first year of secondary school. Could people stop getting older? He can't keep up. He laughs with them when Chase says "You think they're growing up too fast for you." They order pizza in the evening. Schneep is still against him eating solid food but relents once more. Jack has eaten cake today and there have been no repercussions. As Jacques and Jackie debate with Angus about whether stuffed crust enhanced the experience, Jack took the opportunity to get to know Jameson. With Chase translating, he discovers this is a unique ego. An entire life before coming to exist here. It's such a novel concept to Jack. Even he, as the first ego Sean ever made, can't imagine having proper memories prior to creation. He's used to the others being born with limited memories. Man, he could listen to this guy's anecdotes of the early 20th century all night if he and Chase were willing to carry on that long. They are still hanging around in the living room as midnight is crossed. Some egos have already excused themselves to retire to bed. Once Jack realises it is nearing 1am, he urges everyone else to head to their beds. They shouldn't stay up for him. Besides, he was the one who didn't sleep, remember. He would never wish for them to become sleep deprived for his sake. They refuse and remain. Before long, the man who never slept was experiencing long blinks. Was he tired? Wait, no, this isn't right. The only time he's felt this close to collapse is when... when it's a medical emergency. Like when his throat was bleeding. Or when all he knew was that he didn't feel well. Henrik crouches before him, steadying him in his hold. It's not okay. Stop saying it's going to be okay. Something's wrong, incredibly wrong. Henrik takes his hands, encouraging him to stand. The doctor explains it's likely the sudden regaining of consciousness is catching up with him. Assurances that it was perfectly fine for him to be feeling like this are repeated as they head towards the infirmary. All Henrik wanted to do was monitor him safely. Jack's arm couldn't help slipping from where it was wrapped across his friend's shoulder. Schneep adjusted it without hesitation every time. He defies his eyes any attempt they make to gain an advantage over him. Even when laying on the bed, he refuses the urge to relax. Henrik promises nothing will happen. He is as much of a Good Doctor as he is his friend, right? Please trust he will try to provide the best care he's able. He knows he has failed him before but- "Never!" Jack protests. "You are little bit tired. Is okay for you to sleep. Don't need to fight the sleep, my friend." "Not..." He drifts, only to remember himself a minute later. "Not a failure." "Thank you. Now please rest. We can have a lot of the chit chatting in the morning, yes?" "A'right." A roll of the eyes. A drowsy half smile. A prolonged exhale. And that's all it takes for them to lose him once more. No matter how much Henrik sits, gripping his friend's hand as the monitors revert to the figures they were displaying previously, it won't prove helpful in the slightest to permanently wake Jack up. When Marvin regretfully comes to urge him to get some sleep himself, Henrik waves him off. Just a few more minutes, okay? Then he'll go to bed. As much as they had to fault Sean on, they couldn't say he hadn't done something good today. Henrik can only hope Jack had enjoyed his birthday. Maybe they'd be able to celebrate with him next year too. Maybe. Either way, he couldn't stay here the whole night. With a final check of the equipment, he bids him goodnight. "One of these days, we will get longer. I promise."

[12miraenie]

With You

🎃Paring: Chanyeol x Reader

🎃Genre: Fluff, Apocalypse AU

🎃Word Count: 3k

🎃Summary: You are trapped in a scary underground hospital with the man of the hour, Park Chanyeol. 

A/N: Part of the Month of the Supernatural prompts, where you can request here. This is for anon, enjoy! 🎃

🎃 Link to Masterlist

🎃Request here 

“What the fuck was Junmyeon thinking when they sent us here?” Grumbling with the biggest scowl on his face, Chanyeol jumped over another piece of steel fence on to the unkempt grass field on the other end. Plopping down the grass with a thud, he let out a long groan and flicked his wrist to check the time. “We’ve walked for 2 hours straight, and I did not have the waffles Baekhyun promised to make in the morning.“

“Stop making that noise, I’m trying to concentrate here.” You shot him an unimpressed look at his poor attempt at whistling and took out your map and a compass. Tracing your fingers on the different lines and colors, you stopped at a certain dot labeled as Gyeonggi Hospital. 

“I didn’t have breakfast too, Chanyeol. Besides, we are not far from the hospital. Let’s go, then we can go find food on the way back,” You folded the map by four sides carefully and tucked it into your backpack again.

“Come on Chanyeol, get up.” You motioned him to get up, but he remained pouting on the grass. 

He plucked a chunk of grass from the ground and threw it in your direction with a pout that you had to agree with too cute to resist. Chanyeol whined, “You never call me Chan.”

You didn’t know if you wanted to go and kick him in the shin or laugh at his cuteness. It’s impossible to deal with a 6-ft-tall man who is moodier than a middle age woman on her period. You shook your head at that image in your head and sighed. No wonder Sehun kicked him to you when Johnny came back from a mission in Incheon. You reckoned he’s not the kind to deal with Chanyeol’s legendary temper and attitude either.

“Chanyeol, stop fooling around. We have a mission here.” But of course, you know him well enough at this point now that common sense and logic cannot convince this giant to do anything. 

With the mop of fluffy black hair and those large doe eyes, Chanyeol looked dangerously handsome even in an old oversize army jacket.

It’s impossible to get angry at this man. 

“Fine, Chan. Let’s go.“ Begrudgingly you answered his request and Chanyeool shot up from the ground immediately. Hearts were literally bursting out of his eyes when he jumped over again. You looked up and stared right into his eyes. It took a little effort every time because you had to raise your head higher to meet his eye level, but the warmth in his eyes was more than a good bargain.

Chanyeol’s brown eyes were almost a shade of amber under the sun. Even though you hate to admit it, it’s kind of cute.

“Let’s go, udon legs.”

You widened your eyes at the childhood nickname given by your brother. Chanyeol burst out laughing at your reaction as an embarrassed blush surfaced on your cheeks. You tried to hit him on the shoulders, but Chanyeol dodged it easily and sprinted forward.

“I told you not to call me that!” You shouted behind him and picked up your pace too.

                                           “I’m getting bad vibes…we should go.”

Not even half a mile from the grass fields, it seemed that you and Chanyeol and trudged into an industrial complex looking place, large fences and deserted warehouses started to surround you both. It weirded you out because there was not a trace or sound of animals or other creatures around, which usually is the case for the countryside.

Chanyeol stood on his toes and stretched his neck around the premise. “I don’t see anything that looks like a hospital. Are you sure we have the right place?”

You frowned, “Yeah, that’s how the map is labeled. I checked our direction, and we should be righ-”

A distant scratching sound cut you off, both you and Chanyeol stiffened. It continued to echo around the place, and you tried to find where it came from with no avail. Exchanging a glance at each other, you took out your knives at the same time. Chanyeol pointed to a direction, and you nodded while gripping the knife harder.

You noticed how tense Chanyeol had become. Gone was the relaxed aura around him, his eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and his eyes were darting around cautiously. Chanyeol’s lips were pursed, and you noticed how his jaw was clenched tight.

This can’t be good then.

You’ve learned to trust his instincts from day 1. Everyone who lives and works in the base knew that Chanyeol is one of the best, almost like he was fitted to live in the apocalypse. Junmyeon told you that Chanyeol helped them avoid a massive flow of zombies on the road before when there were only 9 of them. Suddenly, Chanyeol pulled off the safety lock, and you snapped your head up in alarm. It wasn’t your first time going on a supply run, but you’ve never run into any kind of potential danger before. Well, mainly because Chanyeol or Sehun were both there. 

You weren’t supposed to be someone on field duty anyway, but since Johnny came back and Chanyeol wouldn’t do anything unless you are his partner, and here you are. It seemed so long ago now when Chanyeol met you at the training area grinning like a Japanese good luck cat while you rolled your eyes and scoffed the entire day. You were supposed to work as a medic, not whatever his job is that involved running into zombies, or worse, other survivors who want supplies too.

“Back on the wall,” Chanyeol whispered to your ear and turned his head around to focus. Realizing how much closer you were to the scratching sound, your heartbeat started increasing at an alarming rate. The constant scratchings were sending chills up your body. You hid behind his tall figure and watched as Chanyeol took a cautious look around the corner. It only took him a second to turn back.

“Don’t panic. There’s a swarm of zombies on the other side-”

“Chan. Look.” With trembling fingers, you pulled on his jacket and pointed to the direction where you two came from. A dozen of the undead was roaming, but they were definitely coming to where you two were. You already felt cold sweat on your back at the thought of being bitten by a zombie.

“Fuck.” Chanyeol cursed and let out a nervous breath. His hold on his gun tightened as he looked around for a route to escape. His eyes lit up at what looked like an entrance to a bunker.

“Do you see that, Y/N?” Seeing you nod, Chanyeol continued, “When I count to three, you run there as quick as possible, ok?”

He must have seen the look of slight fear and doubt on your face at the sight of two zombies very close to the entrance, Chanyeol sighed and squeezed your hand, “Don’t worry. I’ll be right behind you. Can’t let the leader’s sister go back with even a scratch.”

You gave Chanyeol a weak smile. Adrenaline started pumping through your veins as Chanyeol’s deep voice resonated around your ears.

“1, 2, 3.”

You have to admit, you’ve never run so fast in your entire life. You were never into athletics, unlike your brother who was the district champion for track, but at that moment you felt like you were faster than Usain Bolt. It was comforting to hear another pair of footsteps behind you, knowing that Chanyeol had your back was a big relief.

It was a short distance, but you just had to trip over a piece of gravel. Wincing, you fell down on the side as your knife went out of your hand. Shit. There were two zombies nearby that clearly heard you as they inched closer and closer. You tried to get up, but it seemed all energy in your body was gone. A loud bang startled you as you let out a sound of horror at the sight of a zombie’s brain being shot. You felt drops of blood splattered onto your body, but you were in no condition to pay that any attention. Two strong arms held you up in an instant, you relaxed instantly into Chanyeol’s hold.

“Run, let’s go.”

You didn’t take time to think if his shot had attracted all the zombies nearby or that your ankles still hurt like hell from the fall and started running, literally for your life. Chanyeol supported you and dragged you forward the whole way until he burst the door open with sheer force.

It was completely dark inside, you fiddled with your bag to find a flashlight when you heard something click behind you. Turning around, you saw a red light beeping next to the door and realized something.

You are locked inside.

“Chan…”

“I know, I heard.“ Chanyeol was a little out of breath, but his voice was strong, and it calmed you down. 

“What-” 

All the ceiling lights were turned on one by one, extending to the very end of the longest hallway you’ve set eyes on in your life. Everything looked disturbingly similar to what would be a research facility or some secret killing rooms in sci-fi movies. It creeped you out, especially with the empty hospital beds with torn up sheets on them.

Chanyeol sighed and ran his fingers through his dark locks, “Looks like we’ll be trapped for a while.”

                                          It didn’t take you long to find out that you were at Gyeonggi Hospital, it’s just different than what you expected. More blood, more sinister experiment rooms, and more secrecy. From the files you and Chanyeol found in one of the offices, this was a secret underground facility of the government used to experiment on the zombie virus that took over the world and caused the Apocalypse. You read through all the unsuccessful trials and grimed at the inhuman things they did to people. 

At least you found all the medical supplies Junmyeon requested, plus a lot of painkillers and disinfectants.

You and Chanyeol walked in silence, your mind floated to your life before everything crashed down, a life you could have only worrying about the simplest things ever.

“Weren’t you an intern at a hospital before?” Chanyeol stopped beside you, who was staring at an empty operation room. A sudden nostalgia hit you, you thought back on when you were an intern and found your eyes wetter than they should be.

A light chuckle escaped your mouth, you shook your head at the memories of your best friend Mina, who was also a med student. Unknown to you, Chanyeol was looking at you without a blink and listened attentively to your recounting stories. A constant smile graced his lips at the sight of you. You shouldn’t have gone through this experience at all. Chanyeol didn’t know where this sense of protectiveness came from, but he imagined you in a white coat taking care of patients with a kind smile on your face. You could have met under such drastically different circumstances, and maybe you could have already been in a relationship. He knew all the places he could take you to. His favorite cafe, a Coldplay concert, his own music studio. That should be the life you deserve, not stuck in a deserted army base worrying if you can survive the next day.

“…Isn’t it so ironic that I was only worried about being scolded of eating snacks during my shift? I swear, you really should see Mina’s face when she spilled soup on the vice director. It was hilarious. She had to cover three late-night shifts.”

Chanyeol quirked an eyebrow, “Mina?”

“Oh, she is-was my best friend.” A bitter tone came with your change of tenses, and Chanyeol noticed that. A tentative glance was thrown in your way before he asked softly,

“What happened?”

You bit your lips and tried to blink away the tears brimming in your eyes, “She was bitten like the rest…and killed herself. Said she didn’t want to look so ugly like the rest.”

“Oh... I am sorry, Y/N.” Chanyeol took your hand naturally and intertwined his fingers with yours. The warmth from his hand comforted you a lot, you sucked in a deep breath and smiled.

“I’m ok now, it was almost two years ago. Oh-did you know I was gonna be a pediatrician?”

Chanyeol noticed your effort to change the topic but didn’t say anything. It was good to get rid of the tense atmosphere between you two anyway.

A specific room caught Chanyeol’s attention as he inched closer and squinted his eyes to take a better look. “What is that?“

It looked like a children’s room, something you’ve grown quite used to in the pediatric floor in the hospital you worked at. A sadistic theory formed in your mind as you gasped in horror and disgust, “They experimented on children too.”

Chanyeol shuddered at the empty room and backed away, “Did you see the toys inside? I swear to God if any of these dolls laugh or so much as twitch, I will burn this place to the ground.”

It instantly made your mood in a better place. You tried to give him an unimpressed look, but a laugh still escaped your mouth. “We are underground, Chan. Can’t do it here.” 

                                        “Hey, come here!” Chanyeol shouted from the hallway, making you close the files you were reading and plop down the dusty table. The long hallway still creeped you out, especially with the crimson lights that reminded you of blood. Fastening your pace, you followed his beckon and found another hallway leading to an entirely different direction. There was a sign that you read clearly,

No Unauthorized Personnel. Top Level Clearance.

“Totally not shady, isn’t it?” Chanyeol pushed open the large metal door and held it for you to go through. You took a cautious step, and fluorescent lights turned on by itself again. The whole place still gave you a sense of fear, you wondered why power is still on for the entire facility, and all the experiments were worse than the scariest horror movies you’ve seen.

The rooms were located the same way as the previous hallway, the only difference is that there was obviously messier, with more blood and things you didn’t want to know. It looked like people didn’t even try to clean up. You passed a door was a huge smudge of bloody fingerprints on it and jumped back. Your heart picked up its pace again.

“We really shouldn’t have come here,” whispering, you turned your head slightly to face Chanyeol, who was looking around with widened eyes and anxiety lying underneath them, “Let’s go back and try to find a way out.”

“There isn’t any there, Y/N. This is the only direction we can go.” Chanyeol let out a shaky breath and pulled out his gun again. “Stay close to me.”

Walking in silence, you tried not to look at what’s inside the doors and focused on the floor tiles instead. Chanyeol was looking around trying to find any clue of an exit. You’ve heard him whisper there has to be one somewhere for the past ten minutes, and you were losing both physical and mental energy to go on.

“Look, maybe we should-” 

“I found it! The control room is here.”

Chanyeol pushed a door open slowly with you followed right behind him. There was a row of machines that you guess would be power generators. Chanyeol inched closer to one to take a closer look while you chose to look at the panels above.

Chanyeol went to work on the different wirings of the generators. “Look, they have a graph here. It looks like the exit is right next to this room, if we turn right we can see it straight away. I just need to find a way to open it.”

You eyed them in suspicion before turning your attention back to the panel. A certain yellow button caused your attention, you widened your eyes and called out to him.

“Chanyeol, you’d better be sure. Because there is a self-destruction thing right here.“ Chanyeol showed a moment of hesitation at the yellow button you pointed at before breaking into a cheshirecat smile, “Wouldn’t be my loss if I die with you here.”

“Yah! Park Chanyeol! This really is not the time for jokes, I am 75% sure you are gonna get us both killed-“

Your face morphed to an expression of horror at a swift flick of Chanyeol’s wrist. A red wire was cut in half, and you heard something click remotely.

“All done.”

You attacked him right away, fists on his chest while you shouted, “Yah you jerk! Oh my god, I can’t believe-“

You didn’t notice how close you were from his face until Chanyeol cut you off with a kiss. He caught both of your wrists and gently pulled you forward, your arms automatically snaked around his neck to pull him in closer. You felt him smile into the kiss and you were panting when he parted his lips from yours.

“We should probably get the hell out of this place. I don’t want Junmyeon hyung to think that we are both ugly, smelly, man-eating zombies now and I would very much like to continue this somewhere else.”

[spnsimpleman]

The Unknowns: Thirty Five

This is a continuation for The Unknowns.  A one-shot turned into a long ass Prologue.  One   Two   Three   Four   Five Six   Seven   Eight Nine   Ten Eleven   Twelve   Thirteen   Fourteen Fifteen   Sixteen   Seventeen  Eighteen   Nineteen   Twenty   Twenty one   Twenty Two   Twenty Three   Twenty Four   Twenty Five  Twenty Six  Twenty Seven   Twenty Eight   Twenty Nine  Thirty Thirty One   Thirty Two   Thirty Three   Thirty Four

Dean x Psychic!reader

Teaser/Summary: An AU sparked from a songfic challenge, The Unknowns is based on Season One Episode Nine, Dean met reader in Lawrence as a child and they created an unbreakable bond. At the end of The Unknowns, reader decided to stick with her boys because she felt something coming but she holds secrets; one she holds close to her heart and a few that she doesn’t even really know yet.

Word count: 4373

Lines from “All hell breaks loose- Part One” in bold.

The dream started as it always did but this time I noticed the scent of the trees and fragrant mud was missing. Then Lily was stumbling and racing through the trees. She streak in front of me from left to right like a dark blur with blonde hair.

I reached out for her instantly recalling when the ground crumbled away under her, but I could reach her this time, I would save her this time. I was so close but when I grabbed her arm, she spun toward me suddenly rigid and her skin melted off her face before the rope appeared around her neck. I clawed at it, trying to get it off despite the slick liquid and gunk continuing to cover the worn, tightly woven fibers. It cinched tight, ripping skin from my fingers. It ripped her out of my arms straight up to the windmill spinning wildly above.

I failed. Again.

My scream was drowned out by the shushing trees and children’s laughter cackling at the sight above me. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move, couldn’t do a damn thing but watch her move higher as the rope wrapped around the windmill wheel. Her body dangling for the birds and bats that shrieked and swarmed.

I closed my eyes. Maybe I couldn’t do anything but I wouldn’t watch.

“Protection, Princess. You get through this and you’ve got it.”

His voice slithered over the skin of my arms and down my spine. I grit my teeth and shivered. Silence dropped over me so quickly, I flinched and opened my eyes. The windmill was empty, the main drag of the old town dead once again. The yellow-eyed demon stood in front of me, his hands tucked in his jean pockets.

“Get through what?”

“Everyone else thinks there can be only one at the end of this ride,” he nodded, “yes, everyone here. Well,” he glanced up at the windmill, “everyone left standing, but you. You’re special.”

“Yeah, yeah. King and Queen, yada yada.”

“Not quite, but I need the best to lead my army. If you want Sammy to survive, you need to come out on top.” I growled and lunged for him. A single blink and he was gone.

“Sammy was my favorite,” he taunted behind me, I spun around, “my natural, but then I saw you and you, my girl, bring a little more to the table even without my something extra. I’ve pushed all the pieces into place but it’s up to you two to pull it out. I can’t do everything for you. You’ve got to prove yourself and if you fail, you’ve still given me ideas for the other generations. The one that almost got away.”

His grin made my stomach churn and the image of little Rosie playing in her front yard burst into my mind. I couldn’t tell if he put it there but the thought alone made me cringe.

“I will get away.” It was pathetic but he was giving information. I couldn’t process it all let alone figure out what could be close to the truth right away. I needed to play along for so long as I could.

“But Sam can’t. I can track him anywhere.” He smiled and his eyes held too much. “That little something extra.” He cocked his head, “I’ll let you in on a little secret,” he strode toward me and I rooted my feet into the ground so I wouldn’t budge. “He has my blood rushing through his veins.”

Before I could argue, everything around me changed and I was back in Sam’s nursery. Only something was very different. A tall, dark shadow stood in front of Sammy’s crib, the demon dominated the cheerful room. Suffocating it.

I moved closer, then around to the side and watched the blood drip from the demon’s wrist landing on Sammy’s tiny lips. I lunged forward and went right through the demon.

“Can’t do anything about it now.”

The room in the old house flickered back. Andy was still sleeping on the table, Jake standing guard at the doorway, and I slept on leaning against Sam. I looked into Sam’s face, even in sleep he seemed tortured. “It means nothing.”

“Oh, but it does. You’re not even his blood and yet you’d protect him until your very last breath.”

“He wouldn’t protect you.”

“You’d be surprised what someone would do when they’re shown the truth.”

My blood boiled at what he could’ve told Sam, what he could possibly be saying to him that caused that face. “I know the truth. You are a plague and you think you’re special because you think big, but you’re just like the rest.”

He flashed his wrist and the blood flowed down his arm like a snake. Hot, wet liquid splashed against my lips and I gagged. “I said you could keep both of them, Sammy and Dean.”

I snarled, “you don’t get to call him that.” The hot liquid splashed my tongue and I gagged again.

He raised his hands, “there can be two leaders but only a king AND a queen. Call me old-fashioned but thems the breaks. You’d be able to protect everyone your heart desires.”

“Right and all my dreams will come true when the glass slipper fits.”

“I have no preference for fashion, but like everything that is worth anything in this world, you have to fight for it. If you two are the last standing, I’ll let you both live.”

“So, this is a kill camp.” He smirked. I pictured bashing his teeth in with a shovel. “You’re still hiding something.”

“Clever girl, I keep my cards close. That’s how I’ve survived this long.”

I jerked awake to someone saying Ava was gone. I grabbed Sam’s arm as he stood, “wait. Trap.” I was still stumbling to catch up with the rapid flip. The demon’s words echoing in my head, my blood heated, and my arms itching to swing that shovel.

“We need to find her.”

I crossed my arms and stared at Sam desperately trying to get my bearings, but it was Jake who forged ahead, “so you get to pick who should be protected and who shouldn’t?”

“She didn’t say that.” Andy came to my defense and Sam gave me a look. This was a powder keg situation and I could be playing right into the demon’s hands.

“We stay in groups.” I looked at Jake, my stomach turning as the words spilled out, “you two stay together, watch each other’s backs.”

Jake’s brow furrowed, “you really think Ava could what? Hurt us?”

“She thinks she could be possessed and we can’t rule it out,” Sam gave him a stern look and I shivered.

“The last time someone went off by themselves, we found her dead.” Jake looked at me.

I glared right back, “I found her in the woods and yes, she was with me when she fell and disappeared. You have your strength, Andy can put things in people’s heads, Ava has visions and so does Sam. I can feel people and what I feel from her is different from the rest of us. She’s not scared here like we are. That’s not a good thing in this situation. So be careful.”

His eyes softened along with the rest of his body. Maybe not knowing what I could do had put him more on edge around me.

“We’ll check around outside, you guys stay here in case she comes back. Maybe she just went to the bathroom.” Sam looked out the window. I didn’t like that we were splitting up again. I understood it, but I didn’t have to like it.

Sam and Jake moved together out of the room, “Sam!” He turned around just past the doorway and met my gaze, “its blood isn’t stronger than us. It doesn’t mean anything.” His eyes flared along with guilt, fear, and concern. Too much. So the demon did say something to him. But Sam knew what he had done to me in my dreams, that I understood. He gave me a tight smile and a nod before following Jake.

I turned to Andy, “did the yellow-eyed demon come to you in a dream?” He nodded. “Son of a bitch is playing us against each other. You were right about the hunger games.”

“This is bad.”

“Yup.”

He glanced down at my hand, “you got any more of those Sage bats?”

I chuckled and squeezed the bat in reassurance. I hadn’t even realized I had grabbed it upon waking, “you get that iron poker and we watch each other’s backs. Okay?”

He looked around, “you know I used to think it’d be cool to fight in a zombie apocalypse when I was a teenager. I was an idiot.”

“I wanted to be a G.I. Joe when I was a kid.”

Andy grinned, “why am I not surprised?” He shook his head, “I think it’s in the other room.”

We both turned at the laughter outside the window to our right. I moved toward it and checked the salt on the sill. Unbroken. I searched outside and saw Sam walking one way down the road and Jake the other. “So much for staying together.” I should probably feel ashamed at how much relief that brought me, but I didn’t.

I watched Sam walk a few buildings down and look around. An icy prickle tingled on the back of my neck. “What room was that poker in?” I turned when he didn’t answer and found myself alone. “Andy?”

I moved to the doorway and tightened my grip on the cedar branch. I looked both ways down the hallway but there was no one. A creak in the board above my head was followed by another and another. I tried to recall the layout of the house as I stepped into the hall and remembered a stairway leading upstairs at the back of the house. I moved quickly with quiet steps down the hall and made it halfway up the stairs before the prickle sunk its teeth into the base of my skull viciously. I winced and took the rest of the stairs two at a time.

I gripped the banister at the top, “Andy!” The chill spread through my veins at the hard thud downstairs then Andy’s scream pierced through me with a pain I had to work hard to block out. “No. No, no!”

I forced my legs to move back down but they were wooden. By the time I reached the bottom, I was crying and Ava’s scream was echoing in my ears. I pushed myself through the hall and the front door banged open.

Sam met my gaze and Ava screamed again. He followed the scream, rushing into the front room.

“Sam! I just found him like this!”

“What happened?”

“I don’t know.”

The lie practically seared through me and I couldn’t hear any more. Rage boiled the ice out of my veins and I strode into the room glaring at her. “You lying bitch!” Still no fear, no real emotion that would explain the tears streaming down her face, not even the anger that caused my own.

Her eyes narrowed when she looked at me, “you’re just jealous.”

I pressed my fists into my thighs, “yup, that must be it.”

“Who did this?” Sam was by the window pointing at the broken line of salt then moved back toward me watching Ava.

“I don’t know, maybe Andy…”

“Andy wouldn’t do that!” Sam and I spoke at the same time. I met his gaze trying to get him to read my mind. She was a part of all this.

Sam looked back at Ava, “what happened to you?”

She glanced at me then wiped her eyes and focused on Sam. “Had you going though, didn’t I? Five months you said, right? Children like us just keep showing up.”

I glared at her, my fists digging into my thighs. I couldn’t speak through the rage and the small amount of disbelief at how casually she spoke about killing people. Sam wanted to believe that they could all be saved but he forgot that in this life, in this world, not everyone wanted to be saved.

If Dean had been killed, would I?

“How could you?”

I flinched at Sam’s words even though they were directed at Ava.

“I had no choice. It’s me or them.”

“You always have a choice, you just refused to see it!” I seethed. Sam’s gaze was on me, concerned and worried. I told Lily we’d be safer together, she started to feel safe around me before... Andy had felt safe around Sam, I wanted to keep him safe. He was supposed to be safe with me.

“No, I refused to stop fighting what I am, who we are, Sam.” She still stared at him like he was the only one in the room or maybe the one she needed to convince.

King and Queen.

Maybe I wasn’t the only one he was selling that too. “It’s not who you are, it’s just something you can do. That’s the only reason the demon wants you.”

She continued her rant like I didn’t even exist. I saw red.

I wanted to reach for Sam, to pull him behind me because she wouldn’t get him to agree with her and then she’d kill him. She would try to kill us both. I gripped the branch in my hand and looked at the window. If she continued proving her point to Sam, I could fix the break and she wouldn’t have her handy killing machine within reach. I moved toward the window.

“Sorry, Sam, but it’s over.”

I jumped for it as the black smoke poured in. I brushed the salt over the break trying to fill the hole but froze at the sickening crack behind me. I spun around raising the bat to strike but froze. Jake dropped Ava to the ground. Sam was staring at Jake but had moved over a step in front of me. We were all stuck in a tableau, waiting for someone to snap, to show their true colors. I was waiting for Jake to try to attack one of us.

Sam snapped out of whatever held him and grabbed my hand, “let’s go.” He was moving with me before I could argue, not that I would, but Jake was different. I couldn’t read him and I didn’t want him behind us. A sob stuck in my throat when we moved around Andy. I couldn’t look down, I couldn’t see another person the demon ruined today.

Sam practically dragged me out of the house while I kept Jake in sight.

“What about the acheri demon?” Jake came up alongside Sam.

I tensed, squeezing the life out of Sam’s hand as he continued his long-legged stride.

“No, Ava was controlling it…” I dug my nails into his skin and he hissed, “we gotta go.”

“Not we, Sam.”

Sam finally stopped and looked at Jake who was staring at our combined hands. I knew where this was going. My stomach dropped at Jake’s mention of the yellow-eyed demon but my muscles were already gearing up to run as Sam tried to talk some sense into someone who already found his own truth. I tugged Sam’s hand, trying to force him away from Jake, but he wouldn’t budge.

“How do I know you won’t turn on me?”

“I won’t.” Sam was resolute but there was no change in Jake.

“I don’t know that.”

“Okay, look.” Sam pulled out his knife and held it up.

My insides screamed as I stared at the metal. Sam bent to place it on the ground and I squeezed his hand again. No, SAM! PLEASE NO! He gave me a small smile, confident that he could get Jake to see his way. I couldn’t pinpoint what was locking my jaw shut.

“Come with us, Jake. Don’t play into what it wants.”

Jake watched him and then placed his own weapon on the ground, but I didn’t sense any change. He wasn’t on board, his resolve had only strengthened. He was just playing the hand Sam dealt.

As Sam dropped his guard, Jake’s intent surged forward slamming into me. I dropped Sam’s hand and shoved him away, “NO!”

Twin bursts of agony ripped through my shoulders and I was airborne. I crashed into something too solid and the crack echoed inside my skull. I struggled to get air into my lungs, struggled to make sense of too many body parts screaming at the same time. I lifted my head despite the sirens wailing inside it and a broken chunk of wood dug into my arm at the movement.

Through blurry, red-streaked vision, I watched Sam stand up in a field. Jake strode toward him. He was going to kill Sam, his intent pulsed throughout his entire body. He was going to kill my baby brother.

My vision faltered, the scene wavered and changed. Images flickered to life, streaming so fast. The boy who always wanted to measure up, the boy who always wanted to be a contributing part of his family, who wanted to be just like his big brother no matter how many times we told him he was so much more. The boy who wanted to soothe all those who suffered. The teenager who had dreams that soared into the sky, who worked his ass off only to have them snatched away and burned to the ground by the very same demon who whispered devious things in his ear as well as the man who would kill him.

The sob burst through the images and the two men were trading blows beyond the fence. That goddamn fence. My body hurt everywhere but I forced my arms to lift me against what remained of the stairs.

There had been too much taken away by that demon who thought he could control everything, but this was one plan that wouldn’t come to light, wouldn’t come to pass. If I had anything to do with it, there would be no more death tonight.

The pain licking up my spine and the agony bouncing around inside my skull started to dull. An icy hand caressed my chest. It… was slowly leeching away the pain.

I’m not ready to say goodbye! I pushed to my knees, the lack of pain like a hand at my back helping me up.

The depth of that hole I had almost succumbed to, the pain that Dean had survived, the anguish Sam had to go through… too many times.

An icy dread pierced my head. Rage boiled my blood. Close but not… mine.

“Dean.” He was close but not close enough. Something irreversible was barreling toward us. Or maybe it was just me.

I looked at my baby brother facing away from the man lying prone on the ground. Did he feel Dean?

Jake will kill Sam. The voice whispered in my ear, in my head. My voice.

Sam was completely unaware of the danger at his back. “Sam.” My voice was too small, too hoarse.

The soldier, the marksmen, and the witness. Was I the witness? Relegated to watch as everything played out, as my brother died and the other sacrificed himself?

Sacrifice. Dean would do anything for him.

I said you could keep both of them, Sammy and Dean. He knew. He knew Dean would give anything… he would sacrifice his own life for his brother.

I could already see it playing out. We’d fight about it, over it, and both of us would try to give ourselves for him because he always deserved better. Jess might try too.

Sacrifice. What if… not Witness… the other translation that so very often was called witness…

Language changes. Pamela’s tired voice rang in my head.

In a few old texts, a witness oftentimes meant and/or became a martyr.

A warrior’s sacrifice will prove fruitful...

Dying wasn’t easy, but it didn’t hold a candle to those that were left behind, those forced to continue on. I tried to thrust the thought aside, I wasn’t going to die. I wasn’t ready.

What if it was the only way to stop it? I didn't want to say goodbye, I didn’t want to do this to them but I would do anything to save them.

Too many warriors had already sacrificed for this. Lily, Andy, countless others. Generations of them gave their lives for a cause not their own while so many didn’t even know.

That hole yawned wide in front of me, the pain radiated through every pore of Dean, through Sam.

Sam deserved so much more than he’d been through. I had been blessed, although it wasn’t easy, I had a charmed life. I had them. I had Pamela and my mother. I had Bobby and Jess and Sam. I had so many years with Dean.

Panic ripped through me but it wasn’t mine. Dean was so close and yet so far. He wouldn’t be able to stop any of it.

My vision blurred as I pushed back up to my knees. I couldn’t remember falling down. Didn't matter.

I swallowed the cry as the remaining pain in my head screamed in protest at every small movement.

‘And you, my father on that dad height,’ My father’s voice so animated in my head, in the air before me, ‘curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray. Do not go gently into that good night.’

Maybe I hit my head harder than I thought. I reached out to the other end of my tether, Dean, make sure he gets to experience what we did. Make sure he lives.

How anyone could choke on words in their head was completely beyond me but it happened as I tried to let him know one last time. I love you. Forever and ever.

“NO!” Dean roared from somewhere in the woods. So, so close.

I was already on my feet. My numb legs, becoming swift, carried me toward Sam as Jake got to his feet so much closer, the blade shining in his hands.

Jake thought I was already dead and maybe I was, but I still had one thing left to do.

My father’s voice rallied as I pushed every last bit of energy into my legs and stretched out my hands toward Sam who faced me with confusion twisting his features, ‘rage, rage against the dying of the light.’

“MOVE!” The energy lit every nerve in my arms ablaze and just before Jake and I reached our target, Sam flew out of the way and I collided with Jake.

He stared down at me, his eyes screaming shock and pain that I, by some small mercy, couldn't feel. Electric sparks popped between my fingers and smoke rose from Jake’s jacket where my hands were pressed against his chest. I hissed, “fuck you.”

His body trembled and he shoved me away.

I saw the dark sky. The stars so bright out here, shining down on unholy ground. The world shuddered. I wished I could see Sam just one last time. See Dean. I’m so sorry.

“NO!” Sam’s voice was warm and neat just like it should be. “What were you thinking?!” His dirt-streaked face suddenly filled my vision blocking the stars, but I was grateful.

“Sammy.” I wanted to wash it all away. Clean the dirt and muck like I used to when he was little before he wouldn’t let me clean him anymore. When he no longer came to me for help with the nightmares.

“I'm right here. I’ve got you.” His voice cracked but it was still whole. He was still whole. “What did you do?”

What I had to, Pumpkin.

He sucked in a breath, eyes wide. Darkness consumed me, not even the stars pricked through that deep blanket.

“Talk to me, hey, please open your eyes, sweetheart.” Dean, he was right here when I needed him. Just like always.

“I’ve got a pulse but it's thready. Can you feel her?”

Help him, Sammy. He’ll need you.

“NO!”

“Wha... did you hear... is that?”

“Come on, hang in there. We’ve got you. Keep the pressure here. You got anything? We’re right here, sweetheart. Please… please don't. Don't leave me.”

My dad sat beside me with the book open on his lap. “Daddy, what does he mean? How can you rage against the dying of the light? Does he mean night time? I hate bedtime too.”

His soft chuckle rolled along my skin and vibrated so nicely in my chest, “no, honey bee, he’s talking about death. He’s telling the people to fight with everything in them against it.”

“But death is natural. Everybody dies.”

“Very wise, but sometimes it feels sudden because we don't know when…”

“Like Miss Mary.”

“Yes, like miss Mary and what if miss Mary were able to fight against the dying of the light just for a few more moments to tell you she loved you, to tell Sam and Dean and John, do you think it would be worth it?”

I thought it over. Would Mary want to tell me that and if she could, would it make her feel better? Would I feel better if I got the chance to tell her what she meant to me? The answer resounded in me with such force, I nodded, my head bouncing like it was on Susie’s trampoline. “Yes, definitely.”

He smiled, his warmth flooding me, “then you will certainly not go gently into that good night.”

“Y/n! Please… please stay with me.”

The smallest hint of Dean’s pain finally echoed inside my chest and I sucked in a breath at his broken plea. Y/n, please say something, please be there.

I summoned the last scrap of energy I had left and reached for him. I followed the thread that led to him and pushed all the love I could his way, and ever.

I wrapped myself around him and held on hoping against hope that he could feel it. That he could feel me and know that I would never let him go if I had the choice.

Thirty Six

@duchessofwinchester , @jodyri , @jencharlan , @deanssweetheart23  @torn-and-frayed , @chrisatplay , @mogaruke, @captainemwinchester, @ashrod98 , @mrswhozeewhatsis , @caitsymichelle13  , @escabell , @thealyana , @michellethetvaddict , @ashch , @rashinyx2002 , @tamtamlov

[whoacanada]

‘Supremacy’, Part I

Pairing: Zimbits

Shameless Tropes: Cup Magic, Doppelganger AU, What-If, ‘not-so-Evil’ Twins

Warnings: Implied drug and alcohol abuse, fudging of timelines a little bit

A/N: Title thanks to Muse’s ‘Supremacy’, which I listened to on repeat for most of the time I mapped out this fic. Written as a late Christmas present for @omgpieplease and @heyfightme

Summary: Coming off his second cup win in as many seasons, Canadiens’ Forward Jack Laurent Zimmermann is the most beloved athlete in Canada. 

Though his public persona is sterling, his private life is a mess and Montréal’s front office is desperately hiding more than a few secrets beneath the C on Jack’s sweater. 

When a drunken cup wish strands him in an alternate reality where he dropped out of the draft, went to college, and still managed to make it to the NHL, Jack becomes desperate to make his counterpart’s world his new permanent home.

Montréal, QC, — two lives removed from a handful of terrible decisions… 

“Phillip? Another?”

The bartender has been serving him as long as Jack has lived in the high rise a block over and the man knows how Jack likes his ‘mimosas’: with vodka instead of champagne so the paparazzi don’t get antsy.

He downs the rest of his glass, pokes at what’s left of his omelet, and ignores another call from his father. There is no part of him that wants to deal with whatever story Bettman’s team has spun for the Canadiens front office.

His phone vibrates again, wriggling toward the edge of the table like it’s possessed, and Jack finally swipes to take the call.

"How was your cup day?” 

Bob wastes no time and Jack leans back in his seat, taking notice of the teenage girls a few tables over covertly trying to take his photo. He plasters on a smile and waves with his free hand. The blonde with braces and blue eyeshadow gasps and ducks back into the booth, before peeking over the cushion to see if he’s still watching. 

He is. He's always watching. The phone in her hand might as well be a gun.

"I didn't damage it,” Jack answers, reaching to take his new drink from the waitress.

“I’m staring at an official memo that cites ‘Inappropriate Behavior’.”

“Oh, is that all? You can deal with ‘Inappropriate’, can’t you?” Jack pulls a pen from the pocket of his jacket and scribbles an autograph on a napkin, snags a passing waiter and whispers,  ‘for the girl in the corner booth’.

“I swear to Christ — don’t take that tone with me. What the hell has gotten into you?”

“Oh, you know better than to ask questions you don’t want the answer to.”

“You can’t keep doing this —“

Jack debates hanging up — chancing a house call from his furious father and a fat organization fine — but the alcohol in his system is softening the situation just enough that Jack can’t seem to care.

“And what is ‘this’, exactly? Winning? Bringing Cups home to Montreal? What was it you told me, again? Something about how you don’t give a ‘flying fuck’ what I get up to on my own time as long I look good doing it?”

“Are you using again?"

“Fuck, don’t I wish,” the words are out before he can stop them and the line goes silent; for a moment, Jack thinks the call may have actually dropped.

“…Don’t tell me that. Never tell me that.”

Right. Plausible deniability.

“Yeah? What will you do if I don't? Suspend me?” Jack dares, waving at the girl again. She looks like she’s about to pass out and Jack wishes he could concentrate that excitement and shoot it right into his veins. “Or will you send me to rehab? I'm sure that'll play well.”

“Don’t make me take action, Jack. Neither of us will enjoy it.”

The girl in the corner is waving excitedly, and Jack knows she’s moments from working up the courage to come over and say thank you.

“Good talk, Bob.” He hangs up on his father, knowing damn well he’ll pay for that move later. Jack knows better than to motion for a bill, instead, he tosses down a hundred dollar note and waves halfheartedly at the wait staff he can see.

His good mood is long gone.

“Have you talked to your parents?”

“They don’t know. About any of it.”

Jack runs the nail of his thumb along the skin of his pointer finger, trying to calm his nerves.

“Well, are you going to tell them? I mean, you might straight-up vanish.”

The FaceTime connection keeps freezing and Jack stares at the disapproving downturn of Kent's lips for six seconds before the feed catches up.

"Don't think that would be the most prudent course of action at this point."

"Just, tell me this: when was the last time you were actually happy?"

It's almost upsetting how quickly he realizes he knows the answer.

"Ugh. How are you so handsome?" Bittle asks, tugging Jack's hair out from its bun so the sweaty locks fall on his face. "It's disgusting. You're disgusting. A disgusting, handsome, sweaty hockey player."

“Doesn’t seem to bother you much,” Jack pauses from where he's pressing messy kisses to Bittle's flushed torso. "It's all those pretty boys you train with, making you crave something more rugged."

His partner reaches up to scratch his nails over the stubble on Jack's cheek. "You're pretty cocky, hon," he whispers, voice thick like honeyed wine, and Jack's done for. He could die happy with this spitfire in his arms and a gold medal around his neck.

"I'm literally the best the world has to offer, I can afford to be cocky," Jack laughs and covers Eric's mouth with his own, tugging at Bittle's bottom lip gently with his teeth. "And so are you. We're a perfect match."

"We are?"

"You’ve made a fan of me," Jack runs a thumb over the Olympic rings tattooed on Eric's hip. "I've been trying to find a way to talk to you since Sochi."

"Seriously?"

"Not to scare you off or anything but I really wanted to meet you."

Eric’s bravado tapers and he tries to hide his face but Jack doesn’t miss the way the skin over his cheekbones flushes a warm peach; it makes his breath catch in his throat.

“Glad I live up to the hype,” Eric whispers shyly, and Jack dips his head again for a kiss relishing how he can feel the way Bittle smiles against his lips. It's almost better than winning.

Almost.

"Pyeongchang."

"The Olympics?"

Jack wants to say yes so desperately because it feels unclean to verbalize his obsession but Kenny, as usual, beats him to the punch.

"No, shit, you're talking about --" Jack looks away from the screen, not quite willing to see pity on another ex's face. "You know, you never actually told me what happened," Kenny prods gently. "Must have been something serious if you're still hung up on the guy."

Morning comes too soon and while Jack can ignore the alarm on his phone, Bittle isn't so content. When Jack rolls over, intent on clutching Eric as close as possible for as long as possible, he finds his partner watching him with an expression Jack can't quite read, his phone clutched tightly in his fist.

"I should head out. I have a phone interview at nine and my publicist needs to —” he stops himself and takes a measured breath before asking, “do you have a Valium or something?”

Jack’s still bleary with sleep but he nods to his bag. Eric steps over his clothes from the night before to dig through Jack’s things for a pill bottle. Crouched the way he is, Jack can make out the tell-tale purple bruise of a bite mark on his hip.

“Someone took a picture of us in Korea,” Eric explains, cracking half a pill and tossing it back dry. “You can’t tell it’s you in the photos — but my  publicist has been fielding calls from sponsors talking about morality clause violations.”

After the initial panic that accompanies ‘picture of us’, Jack breathes and refocuses on what Eric isn’t saying, his posture, all of the new information that he needs to work through.

“You’re in violation for going on a date?”

“I’m in violation for kissing an unknown man in public, in a foreign country, while wearing clothing belonging to an ‘identifiable brand’ .”

“That’s bullshit. You’re gay. You’re out, it’s not a secret.”

“I can date but, being ‘publicly indecent’ with a random man is unbecoming of Team USA,” Bittle quotes lamely, dropping his arms and tossing his phone onto the bedspread. “Fuck.”

“I’m not a random guy,” Jack defends but he doesn’t need to fill in the gaps. He just won his second cup, he isn’t public, and he has no plans to come out. The sheet covering him is suddenly too heavy as he kicks at the bedding to get some of the building energy out.

“Literally no one else knows that. Right now I’m just your secret,” Eric points out, pulling on the same briefs Jack removed himself not eight hours earlier. “I’m not a hockey player, Jack. I don’t get paid a hundred million dollars to fling pucks into nets. My job is 90% image — I need to pay for training and ice time, and when you have sponsors there can be really shitty strings attached. I don’t know why I’m telling you this, you know better than anyone.”

“You’re not a secret, you’re…” Jack trails off realizing he doesn’t know how to finish his sentence. Eric turns to him and looks older than Jack has ever seen him.

“I’m your ‘what’, Jack?”

“My boyfriend,” Jack swallows against the lump in his throat. “Or, I wanted you to be.”

Eric falls back on the bed and pulls a leg underneath himself. Leaning against the headboard, Jack can see their reflection on the glass of the television mounted to the wall — like a photo they’ll never be able to actually take. He knows what’s coming because he’s been here before.

Jack’s never been great with goodbyes.

"You're hyper-focusing like a motherfucker, have you talked to your therapist about this? That was like four months ago."

"Well, it still hurts like yesterday," Jack scoffs and takes a pull from his beer.

"Okay, look, it doesn't matter," Kenny refocuses, "you made a wish on your cup day, a vague-ass, stupid wish, and we need to figure out what the fuck is about to happen to you. Maybe you get lucky and nothing happens but you need to talk to your father in case you end up like a zombie or some shit —“

"Fuck my father," Jack snaps. "He's two steps from throwing me on IR, the last thing I need to do is pour gasoline on that fire."

“Wait, what did you do, now? Piss in the cup?”

“No.” Jack doesn’t elaborate and Kenny’s brow furrows with suspicion.

“Then talk to your Uncle. Anyone. Just as a backup plan for when you blow up.”

“I should get to bed,” Jack hints, desperately wanting the conversation to be over, and, ever diligent, Parson nods and tells him to call first thing in the morning. Just to be sure he hasn’t expired in the night.

They say their goodbyes and Jack closes the lid on his laptop; falling back against the pillows, willing sleep to come and hoping against hope he’ll feel better when he wakes up.

Providence, RI 

It takes a moment for those attending the Falconers’ first Family Skate of the season to realize there are two Jack Zimmermanns facing off at center ice. 

One in Falconers’ blue, the other in Canadiens’ red.

[arckook]

to the stars - four

one - two - three

pairing: jeon jungkook x reader, park jimin x reader

au: zombie apocalypse

warnings: violence, gore, gunshots, implications of cannibalism

word count: 3.9k

description: It was always you, and Jimin, and your best friend Jihyun.But fate, regardless of whether you believed in it or not, had other plans for you.Jimin told you once, “It’s a tough road to the stars.“Nowadays it was hard to believe the stars were somewhere you could reach.

You were pretty sure all those years of your parents forcing you to go to church and pray for the future paid off, as Jungkook slowly but steadily became less sweaty and less pale over to course of the next week or so. You couldn't deny that you'd become frustrated with how repetitive the days were– make breakfast, read your book slowly (so that it would take longer to finish), check Jungkook's wound, make dinner, talk to Jungkook, go to sleep. It was always the same, but in a way you'd gotten used to it through your frustration.

You'd learned a lot about Jungkook, and maybe that helped with the having to live and spend almost every hour of the day with him. He always wanted you to talk about your life, but you'd managed to stay pretty vague about most things, only really getting specific about Jihyun and some aspects of your childhood. Jungkook told you about how he used to convince Dayeon to do adventurous things she would always freak out about, and how in return she would make him study. You could definitely tell Jungkook wasn't the type of person to spend lots of time studying, and the image of petite Dayeon dragging him into a high school library made you laugh everytime he brought it up.

On the seventh day of being in the cabin, you talked until Jungkook fell asleep like normal, then went to sleep yourself. But your dreams... your dreams didn't want to be kind to you like they had been recently.

The wall of the backyard. Tall, grey, menacing as it stared down at you. It looked taller than normal. Almost impossible to climb.

"Y/N!" you spun, Jimin coming into view from around the corner of the house. "Y/N, go!"

You looked up at the towering wall, turning back to see Jimin running, running, running but never getting closer. "I can't!" you called. "I can't!" you couldn't seem to manage to say anything else.

"Y/N, go!" he shouted louder, and then they turned the corner. "Just go!"

You nodded frantically, digging your fingers into the crumbling asphalt of the wall. Would it topple as you climbed? You scrambled your way to the top, looking back, but Jimin was just as far as before, and now very far out of your reach.

"Jimin!" you yelled, trying to extend your hand to him. But no matter how fast he ran, or how many times you sobbed his name, or how loud he shouted for you to help him, you fell backwards, falling, falling, falling...

"Y/N," a voice called out to you, but you thrashed against the surface you were on, tears running down your face as you gasped his name; Jimin, Jimin, Jimin, and tried desperately to reach him. "Y/N!" "I'm sorry," you cried, hands ripping through your hair until you felt another pulling them away. "Y/N, wake the fuck up!"

You cheek stung as you opened your eyes, vision blurry from the tears gathered in them. You blinked profusely, pushing yourself into a sitting position until your eyes focused on the figure, or rather boy, sitting next to you, his good hand clutching both of your wrists and his face vague as he regarded you.

"Jungkook?" you asked weakly, his hand gently letting your wrists go as you went to rub the wet trails away from your eyes. Had he just smacked you to wake you up? What the hell? He simply nodded, still looking at you intensely as he sat back. You squeezed your eyes shut and open, then combed through your admittedly very tangled hair before realizing that you'd been sobbing in your sleep, and that must be why the boy beside you was so focused on you. But you could figure what it was that had made you cry like that, and you didn't want to explain unless he specifically asked you.

"I'll get you some water," Jungkook said quietly after a few moments of silence, grabbing your water bottle and walking out the front door, probably going to the side of the house where you'd found a well on the second day (since your bottles had run out then).

You sat in silence while you waited for him, wondering briefly how he would get the bucket from the well with one arm when you'd been doing all the work this whole time, before you remembered how he'd picked you up with no effort when you were running from the infected a week ago. You tried to collect yourself, steady your breathing and hope you didn't look like a mess– after all, you were starting to become friends (using that word loosely) with Jungkook and you didn't want all the effort to go to waste by having freaked out while sleeping.

Jungkook walked back in with the water, seating himself on the couch again as he handed it to you. You accepted and took a long sip, hoping how cold it was would help you calm down. It was more silence until Jungkook spoke up.

"So who's Jimin?" he asked bluntly, but avoided your eyes. You'd somewhat been expecting that question at one point or another, so you sighed and just rested the water bottle on your lap as you reclined in your place. "The person who gave me my ring," you replied vaguely, letting your eyes shut. "That tells me a lot," Jungkook said with sarcasm. "I told you about Dayeon, about my brother and my childhood. Seems like this Jimin person was important but you've never mentioned them." You sighed again, a hand coming up to rest over your eyes. "I don't like thinking about it." you said quietly. "Much less talking." "Why?" Jungkook asked, his voice more gentle than usual. He didn't prompt you further even though you expected him to. You bit your lip, wondering if it was better just to tell him rather than try and avoid the conversation for who knows how long until you two parted ways.

"Jimin," you said, opening your eyes and letting your hand slide away from your face. "Was the love of my life."

Fall - One Year Ago

"Y/N," a familiar whisper from beside you rung out, your mind that had been unable to rest long enough for sleep lighting up at the notion of someone talking to you. "Are you awake?" "Yeah," you whispered back, sitting up on your elbows to find Jimin stood by the bed. "When did you get up? I didn't even hear you." "An hour ago when you were actually sleeping," your boyfriend replied, a mischievous smile on his face. "Come on, get up." You sighed, but did as he asked, rising from the bed and slipping into the sneakers you left beside it before grabbing a coat and turning back to Jimin, already expecting that you were going somewhere. He was crazy like that– even though the government specifically told everyone to stay inside the walls, he disregarded the rule pretty frequently and had snuck you out various times. "We're not going too far, don't worry," Jimin said as he took your hand, leading you onto your balcony like always. You nodded. As long as it was with him, you didn't care where you went.

Fifteen minutes later, you were still inside the city, only walking up the fire escape stairs outside a random tall building. Or so you thought it was random.

"Here we are," Jimin said proudly, looking back at you with his brilliant smile that always brought one to your face as well. You were standing on the roof, looking across it but not finding anything that stood out to you. "Okay," you said, chuckling. "So, why are we here?" You were replied to with a shove to your shoulder and a pouty expression, making you laugh again.

"Y/N," said Jimin, grabbing onto your face and holding you still, suddenly serious. "Today is a special day." "Really?" you asked, brow furrowing. It wasn't his birthday, right? You weren't really keeping track of the days recently, but you were pretty sure it wasn't late enough into fall for it to be Jimin's birthday. "No," he said, tugging at your cheeks to bring your closer to him. "It's our third anniversary."

Your eyes widened, surprised. "What?" Jimin suddenly pouted again, letting go of your face and turning away. "Geez, why do I have to remember everything around here?" "Oh my god, shutup," you said, shoving him back and laughing breathily at his stubborness to admit he wasn't actually mad at you. "Happy third anniversary then." "Sorry, can't hear you, too busy forgetting all our important memories." You laughed, grabbing your boyfriend's arm and tugging it roughly. "Jiminnn," you said. "Sorry, what's that? A fly buzzing around my arm that somehow knows my name?" "Oh my god," you repeated, forcing Jimin to lace his fingers with you as you pulled him around to meet his eyes. "I love you." you said quietly, a smile lining your entire face as you looked up at him. Jimin's demeanor softened, his hand interlaced with your own squeezing it tightly before he took your cheek in his other once again. "I love you too," he said, eyes full of emotion. "More than anything else, really." You hummed in response, stepping closer to place your head in the crook of his neck, relaxing in his familiar scent and warmth. Jimin's hand slid from your cheek to your hair, fingers gently stroking through it as he knew it calmed you.

You spent a few minutes like that– just being in each others' company. After this long as a couple, you'd already had a million existential conversations and emotional talks and discussed every preference you possibly could. Nowadays, just being with Jimin, just standing together and basking in each other's love was all you needed.

"Y/N," Jimin said after some time, the vibrations of his voice resonating in your own chest. "Yeah?" "Will you marry me someday?"

You pulled your head away in shock, staring up at the man you loved wholeheartedly with wide eyes, not having expected that at all. His expression was fully serious, lips set and eyes brimming with a sea of emotion as he held tightly onto your hand.

"What?" you managed. "I want to marry you," Jimin said with the utmost assurance. "Not now. Not soon, even. But someday, after all this is over, you're who I want my life to be with. You're it for me, Y/N. You're who I want, you're all I need, and I want to marry you."

Your jaw hung open. Suddenly, you felt overwhelmed with the pounding of your heart and the way your entire body had lit up with warmth, with excitement and happiness. You felt tears burning at the back of your eyes, knowing that all the emotions you were feeling would definitely make you cry.

"Yeah," you sniffled, throwing your other arm around Jimin's neck. "I'll marry you someday, of course I will." "Good," breathed Jimin, a smile finding its way back onto his face. "That's good." "Did you think I would ever say no?" you asked, almost laughing at how he flushed from embarassment at your question. "I don't know," Jimin said, looking away bashfully. "I hoped you'd say yes." "Well, I did." you said, reaching up to kiss him quickly, pulling away as his eyes flashed back onto you. "Where's my ring?" "Oh!" Jimin exclaimed, letting go of you to scramble through his pockets until he took out a blue velvet ring box. "It's right here, actually." You laughed in pure amazement. "I was joking, Chim! How the hell did you get a ring?" "My brother found it in some abandoned house, and he brought it to me since I told him I was going to propose to you." Jimin explained softly, seeming shy. You pinched his cheek, nearly squealing in delight. "Tell him hi! Tell him I love him!" you said, now smiling widely even though you could still feel tears brimming at the corners of your eyes as Jimin opened the ring box facing him. "You're supposed to love me, not my brother," he scolded as he took the ring out, not showing you. "Sorry this is such a backwards proposal." "I don't care," you said hurriedly. "Good," said Jimin, slipping the ring onto your left ring finger. "That's good."

Present

"Oh," said Jungkook simply, looking at his hands and not you. "Oh?" you said. "Really?" "Sorry," he responded quietly. "I guess I just didn't expect that kind of story from you." "What, do I seem too coldhearted to have been in love?" you chuckled, trying to make the atmosphere lighter than it was with your eyes still red from crying and Jungkook avoiding looking directly at you. "No," he denied quickly. "I guess... I don't know, actually. I'm just surprised." You hummed, not expecting more elaboration as you let your eyes shut again. "Sorry I never mentioned it," you said, figuring it was something you should say. "No, it's fine," Jungkook replied, and you suddenly felt his eyes on you. "But, Y/N," he paused, breathing in. "If you were engaged to Jimin, why were you sobbing his name while you were asleep?"

You stiffened, nails digging into your palm. Better... better to be blunt, you guessed.

"Because he's dead." you said, squeezing your eyes shut. "Because Jimin is dead, and it's my fault."

Maybe you should've expected that after spilling your story about Jimin to Jungkook that things would be a little different between you two. Or maybe not; his personality was after all the type to be unbothered by most things.

Only two or so days had passed, and yet Jungkook seemed to have much more concern for you than he ever had in the past. You didn't know if it was because the past two days you'd woken up in tears once again, or because he felt bad that you'd lost your significant other and he hadn't, or what– but you couldn't deny that it was a little strange and you almost wanted things to go back to the way they were.

He didn't bring up Jimin or your ring again though, and you were at least thankful for that.

"Y/N," Jungkook's voice called through the open front door as you pulled more water up from the well, keeping an eye on the infected that were standing just far enough away from you. "Yes?" you called back, pulling with all your strength to lift the bucket up to the top. He had paused, not replying, and you frowned as you brought the bucket onto the edge of the well, letting out a deep sigh when the weight was raised from your arms. "I think... I think we're out of food."

Your eyes shot open, head whipping to the door as if that would do something.

"What?" you shouted, hoping you'd heard wrong while you unscrewed the lids of both your water bottles.

"I think we're out of food." Jungkook repeated louder, confirming it. "Damnit," you whispered to yourself, filling the waters quickly before chucking the bucket back into the well. You stalked back into the house, expertly swerving around the infected in the yard that you'd gotten so used to.

"Are you for sure?" you asked as you walked into the main room to find Jungkook standing helplessly by the kitchen cupboards, a solemn expression painted across his features. He nodded as you came up to stand by him, opening all the cabinets and pushing aside empty jars and boxes. Of course you'd realized when you first got here that there wasn't much food; you knew you couldn't stay here that long. But it seemed like only a week and a half was too short, there had to be more... "I've checked everything." Jungkook said plainly, his head dipping backwards as he let out a long sigh. "It's all done. There's like a couple crackers left." You resisted the urge to scream in frustration. If you'd left a couple days earlier you'd have had food to bring with you while you worked your way back to some kind of previously civilized area– but Jungkook just had to insist that you couldn't leave until he was completely healed.

"How's your shoulder, then?" you asked, sighing to try and relieve your stress and stay calm. "Better," Jungkook said, shrugging. You rolled your eyes. "I know it's better," you snapped, feeling your annoyance rise up again. "I already know that. Tell me something more specific, please. Can you lift your stupid rifle like you insisted you had to be able to do before we leave?" Jungkook's eyes narrowed. "Are you seriously going to blame this on me?" "Well, if it hadn't been for your 'criteria' we would've been gone by now. And we would've been gone with food." Jungkook scoffed, pushing himself off the counter and walking away from you towards the couch. "Whatever." "Whatever?" you exclaimed, trying to keep your voice from getting shrill. "That's all you have to say? We have to go, Jungkook! We have to leave, right now!" "My 'criteria' still applies," he hissed, looking over his shoulder at you. "I still don't think you're a good shot, and I'm not going anywhere until I know I'll be able to defend myself."

Myself. So it was back to him and you now, separate, not you two as pair. Great.

"God, you're ridiculous," you said, huffing out of frustration as you grabbed your bag and shut yourself in the bedroom. You hoped he'd be thankful that you were giving him the night to decide whether or not he'd come with you in the morning when you left.

The next morning, you woke when the bright sunshine filtered through the sheer curtains on the bedroom window and straight onto your face. Even though it had disgusted you, you'd taken a blanket from the bed to sleep on, thoroughly shaking it off and flipping it to the side that had been facing the air and not the sheets before resting your body atop it. You'd slept pretty well in comparison to the past few nights– maybe you'd needed to let off the anxiety about your situation in this cabin in order to sleep well; or maybe it was that you'd decided you were leaving, whether Jungkook wanted to come with your or not was up to him.

You grabbed your bag, standing and brushing yourself off as you looked in the mirror hanging on the wall across the mirror for the first time since you'd been here. Jesus fuck, you thought to yourself as you inspected your painfully dirty hair, grimy skin and dark purple half-moons under your eyes. Yeah, you really needed to get back somewhere where it was a little easier to clean yourself up.

Pushing open the bedroom door with a squint, you expected to find Jungkook either sitting or sleeping on the couch, but he was doing neither. In fact, he was not in the house at all. You furrowed your brow, feeling worried for a moment before you resolved yourself– you had in fact made your decision, and if he wasn't around to ask you where you were going, that meant he'd made his as well.

You grabbed the last few crackers from the cupboard and ate them quickly to staunch the slight pain in your stomach from hunger, then walked over to the coffee table and picked up your water bottle and pistol, before you noticed something strange.

Jungkook was gone, and so was his rifle. But his backpack sat on the couch, not moved from where it had been yesterday when he'd been looking through it.

You sighed, trying to keep yourself from wondering where he went as you gathered anything else you'd left out, standing at the doorway of the cabin for a moment before resolutely sighing once more and shutting it behind you, turning to face the yard of infected that you'd become so familiar with.

You hadn't made it too far past the house when you heard it.

Your head snapped towards the sound, eyes widening significantly as you froze, your body tensing while you tried to figure out what direction it had come from. A shot. The unmistakable sound of a shot. You thought it was coming from your right, so you immediately beelined left, watching your feet carefully to make sure you didn't step on any leaves while attempting to be stealthy.

Your grip on your pistol tightened considerably as you continued through the woods, feeling your heartrate go up in mild fear. You didn't want to be afraid; you wanted to be strong and resilient and not let it bother you that you were sharing the forest with someone who seemed to be shooting who knows what. But frankly, you were not that strong or resilient, and it scared you.

Crack.

Your heart pounded twice as fast as soon as you heard it– the same crinkling of leaves sound that you remembered from your and Jungkook's encounter with the crazy man whose house you'd pretty much stolen.

You whipped around, pistol coming up to what would be eye level of someone a little taller than you, when your eyes met with a very familiar doe-eyed gaze.

"Jesus, Y/N, what the fuck?" Jungkook exclaimed, hopping back a few steps as his hand on his good arm went up in defense. You lowered your gun, sighing in relief. All that paranoia and it had just been Jungkook. Right? "Were you shooting in the middle of the forest for no reason?" you asked, bewildered and trying to make sure you two were safe. Jungkook rubbed the back of his neck, seeming embarrassed. "You... you seemed pretty mad last night about me wanting to stay, and I understand why, so I was testing how well I can shoot." he then paused, looking you over, his eyes narrowing as he noticed your ensemble. "Were you... were you planning to leave without me?" You bit your lip. "You seemed pretty set on staying, Jungkook. And I frankly don't want to starve." Jungkook regarded you with a hard gaze, jaw tight as he was obviously thinking. "You know, everytime it seems like you're getting better, you pull some kind of selfish shit and make me regret liking you." he said, gritting his teeth. Your brows knit together.

"I'm sorry?" you asked in amazement at his attitude. "I'm the selfish one?" "Yeah, youre the goddamn selfish one," Jungkook snapped, looking at you like he couldn't believe you didn't agree with him. You laughed sharply. "Okay, Mr. 'I won't leave because I'm prejudiced against girls in the apocalypse'." "Oh my god, there you go again," Jungkook went off. "You're so goddamn pretentious, it almost hurts to listen to you talk!" You scoffed. "You're completely ridiculous," you said sharply, rolling your eyes and turning away from him, beginning to stalk away. "This is why I was okay with leaving you behind in the first place!"

You were expecting a reply from Jungkook– something heated, shouting, and then more crinkling leaf sounds as he would stomp away. And yet all you heard was a muffled cry, and as you spun on your heel in a fraction of a second, the sound of a gun being cocked at your head.

[trashyazeohane]

Life is hard… so yeah…

Enjoy! Hope it will bring a smile to your face!

(Scene from above happens in this part xP)

Part 1 here!

Adult!Maxvid!AU - Part 5 (when one act ends)

Max woke up pretty refreshed. He was surprised about this fact too.

But he woke up to the beautiful smell of breakfast. And then, poof, his brain jumped into top speed working.

Where he was? He didn’t recognize this place. Was he abducted?!

No, it was just David’s house.

Everything was fine.

Wait no-

HE WAS IN DAVID’S HOUSE AND HE SPENT THE NIGHT OVER, WHAT THE FCUK!

“Good morning, Max!”

Max groaned, massaging his face with one hand.

“Come on, wake up. I prepared breakfast for us! It’s the most important meal of the day and you need energy for the test!”

Shit, test! Max quickly checked his phone to find out he woke up few minutes before his alarm was supposed to ring. What the fuck. But Max stood up, because what else he was supposed to do and trudged to the table where David was putting two plates on it.

David also made Max coffee. Black as his soul.

They ate and talked. David mostly asked if Max slept well. Max was still living in that half dazed world, so he was answering using half-words, yet it looked like David understood everything. Must be the training he had with kids.

Anyway, David’s food was delicious. But only after Max drank half of his cup, he became a more over living person, and not a zombie

Max quickly refreshed himself in the bathroom.

“Where should I put the t-shirt you lent me?”

“Oh, you can take it if you want. Or leave it here so you have something in which you can sleep next time.”

Next time?! Next time!?!

After that they went out and David drove Max to his campus. But before exiting he sent Max the biggest grin, wishing a good luck on the test.

Max had to return to his dorm to wash his teeth and make himself more over presentable for the test.

He answered all questions, beside two. He had a good feeling about the test, but he tried to not think about it that way. It was better to be prepared for the worst.

Hey. How did the test go :) :) :)?

not bad, but not cool either

I’m sure you passed it :) :) :) :) :)

After the test, Nikki was waiting for him outside. She sent him the most evil smirk she could muster and, when they were alone, she asked:

“So, how was your night at David’s house?” Oh, yeah, she definitely wanted to hint at something with her seductive voice and glinting with amusement eyes.

But the only thing Max’s brain could process was:

“How the fuck do you know?”

“Deduction, my dear Watson!” Nikki said, proudly puffing out her chest. “But honestly, give me all the juicy details!”

Max just stared at her, with this dumbfounded look, until all pieces clicked together.

“Jesus, Nikki, I just spent the night over, so I could learn and get enough sleep to not pass out during the test. ‘Cause you remember the last exam from Fluid Mechanics?”

Nikki blinked and then made an ‘o’ shape with her mouth, moving away from Max’s comfort zone she had invaded few seconds ago.

“Uh, yeah, I remember.” She nodded, more to herself than to Max. “But you seriously did nothing?”

“What? Did you expect me to jump on him the second I stepped inside?”

“Kinda?”

Max groaned, facepalming himself.

“What kind of my image do you have in your head?”

“Really fucked up.” Nikki said, shrugging. “But maybe because I know you since we were kids.”

So long story short

Max spent the night over at David’s house few more times. After the third night he brought few clothes with him and a toothpaste with a brush. David grinned so broadly that Max never thought it was possible. Also the pure happiness radiating from his eyes almost blinded Max.

Max didn’t intend to leave his spare clothes there.

But then fucking finals happened!

So he started to spend even more time at David’s house, learning for exams. Few times even Nikki came over for some learning session.

Max asked David if he didn’t mind him coming so often, because at some point he was spending there every day (and he was guilty because of that). But David shook his head, still with that kind smile plastered to his face.

“I like having you here. It makes this place less lonely.”

Max then asked, before he could bite his tongue.

“Didn’t you think about bringing someone home? Like a girlfriend or…” Here Max’s throat became dry to this point it was almost hard to speak. “…a boyfriend?”

David stopped chopping paprika to laugh softly. He didn’t look up at Max, but with his wrist brushed his forehead.

“I tried.” He said and his everlasting warm and happy voice was tuned with sad tones. It was like a music, now intertwined with melancholic notes. “But as you can see… it didn’t really work out.”

Max wanted to look like he didn’t care. He leaned casually on the counter and crossed his arms on his chest, staring at the window where city lights shimmer and blinked behind it.

“What happened?” He asked. His stomach swirled uncomfortably, making him want to throw up. “If you don’t mind me asking?”

David hummed and returned to chopping.

“It depends about who you’re asking.”

“Just how many partners did you have?” Max rose his eyebrow, actually surprised by this information. And still uncomfortable.

David shrugged, making a weird noise inside his throat.

“A few?” He lifted his head. “Bring me two onions, please.”

Max moved from the counter to the basket standing under one cupboard. He grabbed two medium onions and started to peel them.

“The longest relationship.” Max finally murmured, finding the strength in him to speak. He gave one peeled onion to David and started working on another. “What happened between you two?”

David grabbed the vegetable, first throwing the paprika into the bowl. He started to cut the onion into thin slices.

“Another person appeared between us.” The smile was gone from his mouth. Maybe not gone as the corners still tried to remain upwards. But it definitely took a lot of David’s strength, judging by the tiny trembles of his mouth. “And then I wasn’t enough.”

Max put the second onion next to David’s hand.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. The curiosity got the best of me.” Max said, stepping closer to David.

“No, no, I don’t mind. It happened some time ago.” David cut then the rest of onion into nice, small cubes. His hand was moving methodically from right to left.

“Are you sure?” Max inquired.

“Yeah I’m… I’m sure.” And then David moved his shoulder to wipe his face.

Oh fuck, Max fucked up and David was… David was… David was crying! He knew he shouldn’t ask about such personal things, even though he was interested and terrified both in the same time. But the worst, of course, got the best of him and now he messed too much.

“David, I… I’m sorry, I really shouldn’t have asked.” Max reached and put his hand on David’s shoulder. The hand which was cutting the onions stopped midair.

“No, it’s not that… it’s just-“

Oh no, even his voice sounded watery, like he was on the verge of bursting. He was croaking. He was breaking inside right in front of Max.

“No, I know. I’m a brat and I shouldn’t push you to talk. It was irresponsible of me.“ Max was stepping closer, turning David so the male would face him, but his gaze was still directed at the floor. ”You don’t have to talk anymore if you don’t want-“

And then David finally lifted his face. His eyes, oh god, his eyes were rimmed with red circles and there were tiny drops forming in the corners with few pearly beads already rolling down the blushing cheek.

“Fuck, I’m really-“ Even Max’ eyes started to prickle. “I shouldn’t-“

And the David started to laugh. Like really. Right in front of very concerned Max David burst into laughter mixed with hot tears still streaming down his cheeks.

Did David lose his mind? Totally possible.

“David? Are you okay?” Max asked, still keeping now his both hands on the male’s shoulder.

David stood up and brushed the corners of his eyes with his wrist.

“Yeah, yeah. It’s just this… this onion made me cry. I didn’t want to scare you!” He said, between chuckles. “Oh, shoot, you’re crying too!”

Huh?

Max lifted one hand and touched his cheek where definitely he felt something wet. Oh, that was true…

After that they talked a little bit about their relationships.

David told him that he had been both with girls and boys. And that his longest relationship had lasted for four years. David even told Max that he had a very sensitive neck (memorized immediately by Max). He pleaded to not share this fact with anyone else. Max, of course, didn’t plan to share this information with anyone else.

Max also told him about his few flings relationship, but he was never long with any of them. He refused to tell David why.

Because he still liked David duh.

Then the final exam came and Max almost felt sad after finishing it, because it meant he had no more reasons to spend time at David’s house. And he was pretty bummed because of that.

Max, of course, celebrated the end of the finals with his friends, but there was something missing inside of him.

Even Neil noticed it.

“Hey, dude, what’s wrong? You look… gloomy?”

“Oh, Max is just sad that he can’t come over to his boyfriend’s house to learn ‘cause finals ended!”

“Nikki, he’s not my boyfriend!”

“But you didn’t deny missing him!”

“I- You- Argh, fuck you!!”

“Why do I spend time with you?” Neil mumbled, massaging his eyes and finishing his shot.

Nevertheless around four days later he had a new message from David, asking if he wanted to come over. And Max, of course, found himself already packing his things and going out of the dorm room.

They started to hang a lot. Not like every day, of course, but when Max was bored he found himself going over to David. Plus David really looked happy when he was there. Few times Gwen was also there. And few times he couldn’t come over because David was somewhere else (but not that many times).

So they became pretty close, to this point they were often talking with each other through messages.

Nikki was now almost constantly teasing him about David. Gladly Neil wasn’t such a shit, he just patted him on the back. Preston was only curious where Max was disappearing so often.

dont get too noisy dramaboi!!!

I love some good drama, so you can’t stop me!!! >:D

David was also teaching Max a lot of sign language, especially when they were hanging alone at David’s house.

Okay so coming to an end.

One day Max was talking with David while he was picking up Little Star. He was showing him something on the phone, when LS came back and he put the phone down on the desk.

Only when he was in Little Star’s house and wanted to call his auntie, he found out he had to leave his phone in the kindergarten. And he couldn’t call David to check if he had it! Max’s tried calling his own phone from the LS’ landline phone, but no one was picking up.

Shit, he had to go back…

So he did. Actually he was quite stressed, because he really needed his phone (like for alarm)?! And already thirty to forty minutes had passed and he wasn’t sure if anyone was still in the kindergarten.

So he almost ran there, cursing under his breath.

The parking was empty. Max cursed loudly, the echo of his ‘fuck’ probably audible few blocks away. Until he saw David’s car under a tree. So he was still there! Great.

Unfortunately front door was closed, but he knew where the back door for staff was. That door was open. Max sneaked inside, fully intending only to check one room. So he did and found out that the phone wasn’t there. This time he cursed quieter, under nose. He slowly retraced his steps. It had to be here, he had to lose it here.

So he searched the room for ten more minutes, but then resigned shuffled to the back door. He could always come here tomorrow to ask David if he had seen the phone.

But then boom, his phone was laying next to David’s bag on the table near the back door. So David did find it! (How the hell Max had missed it while entering!?)

Max quickly grabbed his phone and was just about to go out when he thought it would be weird if he disappeared with the phone. So he decided to stay for few more minutes and explain to David the situation.

Bonus points – spending more time with David

So Max waited near the exit for a minute…

Then two…

Five…

Seven…

What was taking David so long?!

Then he heard a crash. A loud one, then a yelp, even few sounds of scuffle.

Shit, that sounded weirdly familiar….

DAVID!

Max literally ran to the source of the sound and opened the door to some kind of side room.

Only to find David almost laying on a desk, trying to push some man away.

There was a moment of silence when everything froze.

David and the male looked at the door and specifically Max. Who had stopped for a brief second to process everything that could happen here.

Then he saw a bruise (hickey) on David’s neck and the tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. After that he noticed the look David was giving him – pleading, helpless and scared.

And in that moment Max attacked, storming forward and pushing the man off David and onto the floor. He gave the man few kicks, but before he could land a solid punch, David stopped him, grabbing from behind.

“Max, stop!”

Max turned to him with fury blaring from his eyes.

“Why?! He hurt you!”

“Just… stop…” David pleaded, voice breaking at the end. He still gripped his shirt tightly between his fingers, trying to tug him away from the man who was gathering himself from the floor with quite bruised and bloodied face.

Max stared at David, feeling all his anger dissipating under this gaze. Fuck… He didn’t want to stop, but him acting on his emotions could bring David and this place more problems. Max… Max didn’t want that.

“Okay.” Max said, letting his hand fall limp near his body.

“Thank you.” David said, sending him a warm, comforting smile, even though his eyes told that he was distressed.

After that David politely asked the man to get out. Max personally escorted the man to the back door, threating that if he see the man near David again, he will call the police.

By the way the man was reeking of alcohol. Like really…

Max returned to the staff room to find David trying to gather some papers. His hands were trembling. When he was speaking he wasn’t looking at Max. David asked what Max was doing here and Max answered that he had been searching for his phone when he had heard David.

They went out and Max said that he will walk David back home. David said that he didn’t have to do it, but he kinda looked relieved. When they were near David’s house, he asked Max to come inside for a tea or dinner. Max agreed quickly, but not straightforward, more like he grumbled that he had nothing better to do.

To be honest he only wanted to check if David was alright.

For the whole afternoon David was often touching his neck in the place where the man had left the hickey. Only after they had eaten dinner and were watching TV, Max decided to ask about the encounter.

He found out that David actually knew the man. It was his last ex-boyfriend (Jonathan or whatever) and they broke up due to the other man’s alcohol problems. Max asked if David considered calling the police on him, but David said no, because the man had other problems. Max said that was bullshit, but David only smiled sadly at him and told him to let it go.

Like, bitch, how?

And Max was actually like fucking jealous. He didn’t feel this kind of emotion for a long time, but now it was taking over his whole body. Because how someone so terrible like that drunk man he had seen could still hold a special place in David’s heart, to this point David didn’t want to hurt him!

“Max, are you okay?”

“Do you still love him?” He asked, before his coherent part of the mind caught up with his words.

David looked lost, with his surprised eyes directed right at Max who was sitting on the couch. Then after a second, he put his legs on the armchair and embraced them, swinging back.

“No, I don’t. And I don’t think I could after that.” He mumbled, resting his head on his knees.

And just like that all this jealously slipped away from Max’s brain.

“I’m sorry.”

David chuckled into the material of his trouser and then glanced at Max.

“You apologize a lot nowadays. You really did grow up.” And then he hummed. “Thank you, Max.”

“For what?”

“For helping me. For staying with me. For everything, I guess.”

“I think I should thank you more actually.” Max said after a second, scratching the back of his head and staring dumbly at the TV, so he didn’t have to look at David.

“Why?”

“If it wasn’t for you at Camp I would grow up into a shithead. I don’t know… I still hate Camp Camp, but I guess it helped me not hate life so much? And I don’t know, I met a lot of people there who are… kindaimportantotmerightnow so thanks for everything…” For not giving up on me when other people did, but Max didn’t say it out loud.

“No problem, kiddo.” David mumbled, sending him a radian, kind smile. Even though it was honest, it didn’t fully reach his eyes. However the small spark of fire flickered in it. “I’m glad I could help.”

Then there was silence, until David fidgeted in place for few seconds. He nibbled on his bottom lip and then stole a few glances at Max. The bright light coming from the TV’s screen made him look like a ghost.

Max didn’t push.

But then David spoke anyway.

“Why did you stop coming to Camp Campbell?”

And fuck, Max froze. Because he couldn’t tell David the truth and yet, something inside of Max was telling him that he couldn’t fully lie either. However he didn’t want to tell the real reason – because this way he would have to admit to what he was feelings. And his feelings were still vivid, beating rapidly inside his chest.

“I… can’t tell you.” Max finally said, feeling like a shithead for hiding the truth. But he couldn’t do it, he wasn’t sure if he could even force the words out of his mouth.

David looked mournful after hearing this response, but he tried to hide it behind yet another soft grin.

“Okay. You don’t have to tell me, if you don’t want to. It’s just… I missed you.”

Max missed David too, but he can’t say it out loud. He would show David that he had emotions. Yuck!

So he only grumbled something in response, glancing away from the man.

But while exiting Max told David that he want to tell him the truth one day. David said that he will wait. Then Max also told David to call him if he ever wanted to talk. David looked surprised, but then thanked him one more time, still with that sincere look.

Max thought that David would jump back into his usual cheerful self quite quickly, but it looked like this wasn’t the case. When Max messaged him, he often didn’t add his smiley faces. And then when Max had visited him to pick up LS he was still looking perturbed. Not to mention the hand was still moving to his neck, whenever David thought no one was watching.

But Max was watching.

Even Little Star noticed it and asked Max if he knew what had happened with her favourite teacher. Max knew, but he told her that David needed some time to think.

But Max couldn’t stop himself from thinking about what he could do to help – something that was quick and didn’t need much planning and something that could make David’s stop worrying over life.

Answer was one and simple.

Alcohol. But would David be up for some casual night of drinking?

Was Max up for some casual night of drinking? After those finals? Definitely. He needed some alcohol.

You shouldn’t do it – said some voice inside his head, but it was small and timid, so Max paid it no mind, because the other part of his brain was already buzzing with endorphins after the idea formed inside his head.

And under the influence of a sudden urge he grabbed the phone and messaged David if he had some free time tomorrow (Friday) to hang out and drink?

He didn’t have to wait long for a reply.

Sure, it sounds like fun :) :) :)

Max smiled at his phone, even though he still could hear a faint echo of a voice whispering behind his ear.

He was going out tomorrow with David for a night of drinking.

What could possibly go wrong?

The answer is: everything.

Because due to his bad mood David drank a lot.

And Max… Max did too.

What happened next… well, you can probably already guess ;)?

When will next Part appear? Idk, because I’m working on three small chapters that happen immediately after Part 5. So stay tuned and safe, guys and gals! <3

[silasnce]

Zombie Apocalypse AU! Shance

 < Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 >

Shiro began taking up watch duty whenever the group stopped to sleep. The team was appreciative of it at first, but soon, worry started to sprout. The others offered to take up watch a couple of times, but Shiro kept reassuring them that it was fine. It was the fourth day of their trek to the Garrison that Keith put his foot down. Shiro leaned against the rock wall of the small cave they were camping in for the night, arms crossed and lips in a tight, displeased line.

“You haven’t slept once,” Keith’s gaze was steady on his, “This isn’t healthy.”

“I’m fine,” Shiro grit out through his teeth, yet the bags under his eyes gave away his exhaustion.

“If you don’t sleep, you’ll be useless when we have to run or defend ourselves!”

Shiro’s expression softened, averting his eyes to stare at the dirt. Pidge smacked Keith’s arm, glaring up at him. Keith scowled back at her, “What? It's the truth.”

“Tact,” Pidge placed her hands on her hips before turning to Shiro, “Look. I don't know you as well as Keith, but what I do know are facts. And the facts are that, if you keep this up, your body will find another way to make you sleep. It's too important of a body function to avoid.”

“I know,” Shiro whispered, “I just don't want to sleep.”

“Nightmares?”

Surprise flitted over his face at Hunk’s quiet question. Hunk offered him a kind smile, “Thought so… We all have them, you know. If it helps you feel better, we’ll still be here when you wake up. Nightmare or no.”

Shiro blinked before his body sagged a little. He let himself slide down the wall to sit, mumbling that he would try. The other three threw hands to figure out which one of them would take up watch night. Pidge cheered when she won with paper over Keith and Hunk’s rocks. Shiro shot Keith a questioning look at her excitement. Keith made his way over and sat beside him before answering, “She uses the time to mess with her gadgets.”

Hunk opened up and dug through his bag, pulling a rolled up quilt from it. Then, he moved to sit on Shiro’s other side, unfolding the blanket and draping it over all three of their laps. Shiro stiffened up a bit as Keith and Hunk pressed him closer between them. His eyes glanced between the two, “Uh…”

“It gets cold in the middle of the night,” Keith stated, his body already relaxing. He glanced up at Shiro as he rested his head on his shoulder before closing those black-violet eyes.

“It’s also more comfortable to sleep like this,” Hunk murmured, head already resting itself on Shiro’s other shoulder. His honey brown eyes closed, and he was out like a light.

It took a minute, but Shiro managed to relax, finding it was, indeed, more comfortable. The heat from the bodies sandwiching him warmed his skin and lulled his mind into a sense of ease. His eyelids fluttered as he fought to keep them open. Pidge noticed this as she was quietly pulling out her tools from her own bag. A smile touched her lips before she began to hum a soothing melody. The sound wavered in her throat but did as it was intended. Sleep finally enveloped Shiro in its sweet embrace.

A whooping cheer startled him from sleep the next morning. He shot forward, getting tripped up in the quilt on the way, and fell flat onto his face. Keith and Hunk grumbled as they stirred awake as well. With a groan, he pushed himself off the dirt and wiped a hand over his face. Looking around, he found the source of the noise. Pidge was dancing a bit in place, an electronic tablet of some sort in her hands. Her face lit up with a bright smile when she noticed they were awake. She turned the screen towards them, hopping a bit in her excitement, “Guys, look! Look!”

Shiro untangled himself from Hunk’s quilt and got up off the ground to make his way over and squint at the screen. He blinked as his eyes focused in on the image, “Is that…?”

“The Garrison’s security cameras still work!” Pidge handed him the tablet before throwing up her hands with a squeal, “I finally accessed them!”

“How close are we?” Shiro bit his lip as he watched the staticky feed. On the screen, the old cafeteria had no fewer than a dozen zombies shuffling around upturned tables and chairs. Their stumbling gaits were slow on the feed, but Shiro knew better. These things could run the second the smell of blood was in the air.

“Not far. It's just on the other side of this cave really, but we don't have a direct path. We’ll have to go around,” Pidge was still smiling, now tugging her long hair up into a ponytail.

Keith slumped against Shiro, making him jump in surprise. He stared at the screen with a carefully blank face, “How many of the cameras are there?”

Pidge seemed to deflate a bit, “Only five are operational. The others seem to either be offline or are covered up.”

“Covered up?” Keith’s brow furrowed as he straightened to stand on his own.

Pidge shrugged, “They say online, but there's something on the lens.”

Shiro frowned as he tapped a button on the screen, the image changing as it switched cameras. He kept clicking through until he found another working one. This one was trained at the front entrance. The doors and gates were wide open with more of the undead milling about. Keith glanced at the tablet again before taking it from Shiro and flipping through the different cameras himself. He soon paused and went back a couple of times, squinting at the view of one of the darker hallways, “What's that?”

Pidge and Shiro pressed in close to see. At first, it didn't seem like anything was there. They waited with bated breath. Pidge’s nose crinkled as she grew impatient, “What did you see?”

Keith pointed to the very end of the hall where a couple of old trash bins stood. A gasp slipped from her as something crept slowly around from the other side. Pidge’s eyes widened, “Is that a zombie?”

“It seems too sure of where it's going to be one,” Keith murmured.

“What if they mutated?” Hunk peered over Keith’s shoulder to see for himself. He blinked before snatching the tablet from his hands. His eyes widened as he whispered, “What if that's Lance?”

They all pressed together once more to look at the screen. The figure was closer now but under a hooded cloak. Keith frowned, “Lance didn't have a cape…”

Hunk shrugged, “He could've picked one up. It's been four months.”

“I swear, if we find him wearing a cape, I’ll shave half my head,” Pidge rolled her eyes.

“Why half?” a smile twitched at Shiro’s lips.

“Side shaves are cool,” she shrugged nonchalantly. A light in Pidge’s old army pack started flashing in quick bursts, catching her attention out the corner of her eye. She hurried to the bag and dug out another gadget that seemed to be made from an old walkie talkie. She flipped a switch on it, the lights cutting off before fumbling to look at the radar watch on her wrist, “We need to get going.”

Keith and Pidge immediately sprung into action, packing up their stuff. Shiro followed suit despite being confused. Hunk took his time dusting off the quilt and rolling it up. After his backpack was secure and on his shoulders, Shiro finally asked, “What was that?”

“Was what?” Pidge inquired, shouldering her own bag.

“The thing with the lights.”

“Oh,” Pidge slipped her goggles onto her head, “An alarm clock. Doesn't make sound, so it can't attract unwanted brain eaters.”

Shiro’s face scrunched in confusion, “Why am I just now seeing it?”

“Duh,” Pidge smirked, “I just built it last night.”

Shiro gaped as she practically skipped out of the cave. Hunk followed after her, slapping a granola bar into his hand on the way. Shiro blinked and closed his mouth after Keith nudged him as he passed. Keith sent him a soft smile, “C’mon. Let's go find Lance.”