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#hyper heat mini split
splitminiusa · 1 year
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Why Does Ice Form on My Mini Split Heat Pump?
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Knowing how to deal with ice in a ductless cooling system is one of the most important tricks to maintain a ductless mini-split unit. You may notice excess condensation in the drain pan, or that ice has accumulated on the evaporator coil. In this case, turn off the unit immediately. Make sure you clear the area around your unit because water may leak out as the ice thaws. To prevent this kind of issue and maintain the efficiency of your mini-split, it’s important to know the common causes.
If your air conditioner does not seem to be working as well as it should, your natural first reaction is to go out and look at the unit to see if there is anything you can do quickly to correct the problem. Of course, you cannot assess the situation unless you know what you are looking for. For instance, if you see ice forming on the condenser coil or anywhere else on the air conditioning system, you will know you found the likely source of the problem.
Poor Air Circulation
If air isn’t moving over the evaporator coil as it should, it may lead to a buildup. The cold air stays right on top of the coil and freezes the condensation. The air filter may be a problem. If it’s excessively dirty, or otherwise not in working order, it will restrict the airflow. Try cleaning or replacing the filter if it doesn’t appear to be in good condition. The evaporator coil itself may also be defective or dirty. Get regular maintenance on your ductless system to make sure the coil won’t cause you any problems down the road. The last problem is that the fan or blower may be failing to move air away from the coil. Regular inspections should help you keep the peace of mind that your fan is working properly. Also, make sure that nothing around the unit could be blocking the free movement of air.
Low Refrigerant
If your ductless air conditioner freezes up, it may be because the refrigerant is low. The lack of refrigerant will cause the air conditioner to work harder to create cool air, and excessive cooling can cause a buildup of ice. Some air conditioners leak refrigerant slowly over time, and only a certified HVAC technician is qualified to fix this problem for you.
Low Outside Temperature
The final cause may simply be that the outside temperature is already near or below freezing levels. To prevent an ice buildup caused by freezing external temperatures, avoid engaging the air conditioner unit in cold temperatures.
This ice actually manages to insulate the coil and keeps it from properly cooling the air or removing any additional moisture. If left unattended, the ice in your mini split air conditioning system can cause real damage to the unit. Plus, it is not allowing the air conditioner to do its job and cool your house down. So, if you notice any amount of ice at all beginning to form on any part of your air conditioner, be sure to call for professional service right away.
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Prologue Part 4
Encroached Sensibilities
[Flashback to two weeks post Millefiore, for context]
As is customary for the tight-knit inner circle of the Vongola, just two weeks after the fall of Millefiore, when it was all truly announced to be over and done with, they all had a little get-together. As always there were some party decorations, good food, drinks and some gift-exchanging if anyone happened to be in that kind of mood.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Mukuro ended up swamped with the most gifts this time. Understandable, given the fact that he just now recovered enough to be awake for longer than a handful of minutes at a time. He looked very awkward, sitting surrounded by wrapped, stacked late Birthday and Christmas presents, but they could all tell that he was incredibly flattered. His chuckle sounded much less creepy when he was blushing bashfully...
It started getting kind of noisy when Mukuro got to unpacking Lambo's many handmade gifts, so it's only natural that Tsuna pulled Kyoya to the couch to take a break from the crowding. They could all tell Kyoya was nearing the end of his patience, but his nerves seemed to visibly settle when he got permission to lay down on Tsuna's lap.
And it was really looking like it'd be a nice, peaceful evening actually. Unfortunately, Tsuna just had to notice the way Kyoya was looking at the purple pouch Kyoko gifted him earlier. "You look a bit ticked off. Do you not like the pouch..?"
And Kyoya was indeed frowning, shooting Tsuna a surprisingly heated glare for his assumption. Not yet at levels of pulling out his tonfa, but the way he's gesturing... He was pretty agitated. "What-? No. Keeping rings in my pockets has been a hassel. The pouch is nice. Good quality, sweet gesture. That's not the point."
Tsuna would always have the habit of shrinking a tiny bit, especially when Kyoya happens to be close to him and visibly unhappy, but back then his voice came out steady and calm. Hyper intuition, maybe? "What's the issue?"
Kyoya huffed and frowned again, holding the pouch up infront of himself and Tsuna, just to admire it, maybe. "I just wish I had some rings to put in it?"
The silence that followed could've been cut with a butter knife. And Kyoya was the one to break it, giving them all that certain look. Like he knew he'd gotten himself in trouble, but was staunchly refusing to accept it. "What."
Ryohei spoke up first, as always the first to confront Kyoya head-on. They make a wonderful team like that. "Why don't you have rings."
Kyoya somehow found the audacity to roll his eyes at them, giving them a very unimpressed look. But he was already softening a little bit. Because he loves them and a small part of him is working overtime trying to understand them a little bit. "Cause Mini-me took them all?"
Tsuna took a deep, deep breathe, linking his hands together slowly and full on entering Boss mode. His voice is very calm, warm and rich. Benevolent and kind, but shrouded in steel. "You've... Been fighting ring-less. For two weeks. And you didn't tell me?"
The look that flashed over Kyoya's face for a split second might be described as chastised by someone that doesn't know him, but it crumbled immediately and he crossed his arms. He was still refusing to budge from Tsuna's lap. Because he's a weirdo. "It's not your business-"
Tsuna's anger has always had the tendency to be explosive, but his obvious concern and care always softens the impact when it's one of them he's angry at. Kyoya still twitches as if he'd been struck, mostly because of the sudden increase in volume. "You went on a mission with Varia last week! That's not okay-"
"Tsuna-!"
The one that cut Tsuna's rant short was... Hayato. In no way did Hayato do so fearlessly mind you, the strain in his voice was obvious. He was gesturing a firm no as well and for a second they were all confused.
That second was all it took for them to remember that, out of all of them, Hayato is the only one truly familiar with the signs Kyoya shows when he feels he is being underestimated.
That second was all it took for Kyoya's patience to snap clean in two and for Tsuna to end up with a tonfa shoved against his Adam's apple.
The instant rage rolling off of both of them, Kyoya as well as Tsuna, was near suffocating. Kyoya's voice was dripping with sickly sweet venom. "Must I remind you that even ringless I vastly outmatch you."
Tsuna's voice was still shrouded in steel and his eyes narrowed dangerously. His words left no room for arguments, but by God would Kyoya argue anyways. For weeks at a time if he so chooses. "You'll be wearing the Cloud Mare Ring, starting today."
Kyoya just barely twitched, unconsciously clarifying that those words somehow hurt him deeply and doubt crossed Tsuna's face. But it was too late. One of Kyoya's many, confusing sensibilities was encroached upon too much and his growl came out cloudy and furious. "I'll beat you to death."
Of course, the pleasant party promptly dissolved into a brawl. Every man against one very offended Hibari Kyoya.
Kyoya was victorious, ringless and all.
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geminsheating · 1 year
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Installing some Mitsubishi hyper heat mini splits. Contact us today! | 978 547-5433 geminis-heating-cooling.com #Hvac #HvacLife #AirConditioning #HVACTechnician #HVACService #Heating #HVACTech #AC #Cooling #HvacInstall #HvacRepair #HeatingAndCooling #Construction #AirConditioner https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp940XuOemd/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
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Common Types of Heat Pumps
Heat pumps come in several types such as Air-Source Heat Pumps (ASHP), Hybrid Heat Pumps, Ductless Mini-Split Heat Pumps, and Ducted Heat Pumps, each designed for specific applications and environments.
Ductless Mini-Split Heat Pumps and Ducted Heat Pumps are commonly used in Halifax, Nova Scotia, due to their efficiency in both heating and cooling. Halifax experiences a maritime climate with relatively mild winters and warm summers, making heat pumps an ideal choice for year-round comfort. Ductless Mini-Split Heat Pumps consist of an outdoor compressor unit and one or more indoor air-handling units, connected by refrigerant lines. They are ideal for homes without ductwork or for room additions. Ducted Heat Pumps, however, are a type of heat pump system that uses a network of ducts to distribute heated or cooled air throughout a building.
Nova Heat Pumps offers a wide range of heat pump services in Halifax, NS. They specialize in the installation of mini-split ductless and ducted heat pumps. They also offer repair and maintenance services.
One of their heat pump outdoor unit models is the Mitsubishi MXZ-2C20NAHZ. This outdoor unit allows you to connect a wide variety of indoor units ranging up to a 15k BTU indoor unit. It also powers the indoor units, and should a power outage occur, the system is automatically restarted when power returns. This unit has Hyper-heating performance that offers 100% heating capacity at 5°F and 93% heating capacity at -13°F.
To know more about their heat pump services in Halifax, NS, please visit their website: https://www.novaheatpumps.ca/service-areas/halifax
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thebestminisplit · 7 months
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Pioneer Hyperformance 12,000 BTU 23.5 SEER2 Ductless Mini Split Inverter++ Energy-Star Wi-Fi Air Conditioner Hyper Heat Pump
Price Before: $1,824.00 PRICE NOW: $1,273.00
What’s Included:
Indoor Unit
Outdoor Unit
Wireless Remote Control (with wall holder and batteries)
Internet Control Module
Copper Lines*
Signal Cable Between Units*
Drain for indoor/outdoor
Wall Passage Sleeve
Putty for Wall Hole
Leak Guard Sealer
Wrapping Tape
Introducing Pioneer® WYF-25 Hyperformance™, our revolutionary series of ductless mini split heat pumps that redefines year-round comfort. With Hyperformance™, you can enjoy exceptional heating and cooling performance in any weather condition, including bone-chilling temperatures as low as -22°F.
Phone: (305) 767 0610 Email: [email protected]
9000 btu air conditioner, 9000 btu air conditioner room size, 9000 mini split, 9000 mini split heat pump, hyper mini split, hyper mini split heat pump
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centralacwarehouse · 2 years
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Central Hyper Heat Pump AC in Centralacwarehouse.com
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Central Hyper Heat Pump AC in Centralacwarehouse.com Mini-splits are heating and cooling systems that allow you to control the temperatures in individual rooms. Get 2 Ton 18 SEER Central Hyper Heat Pump AC by Aircon. Price: $2,399.99 ex. tax. Call us 877-770-3548 or visit our website.
LINK: https://www.centralacwarehouse.com/Distribution_Area/cat1626223_4211515.aspx
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mxvladdy · 3 years
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True Form- Belphegor
*collapses dramatically* Oh Gods its done! Sorry for the break! I hope my edits are good! 
More to come in this series soon :) 
Hope y’all enjoy!
True Form- Belphegor
Keeping a defined for is hard. Too hard for him anyway.
His true form is inconspicuous. He just naturally doesn’t take up much space in the physical realm. He likes it this way though.
An overlooked predator is a dangerous one.
If he is ever seen in this form it looks like a thin film. He drapes over everything, like dust in an unopened room, or the cling of fresh dew in the morning in the rose garden.
He never uses it when awake. His human form is more palatable and functional in all honesty. Don’t get me wrong though, he doesn’t hate it. It used to be really useful when he wanted to nap and Lucifer was on the prowl. But, such good things can only last for so long. Now Lucifer can sniff him out from a mile away incorporeal or no after centuries of practice.
His real form is best implemented in the minds of his slumbering victims. He can cultivate himself there, using his form to feel out the needs and desires of his unsuspecting host.
He is a manipulator, tried and true. His cunning and wile gets him pacts more than a promise of power or wealth.
Belphegor draws them in with promises of grandeur and unexplored inventions. Limitless discoveries all at the very tips of their fingers, if only they take one more step further. One more little slip deeper into the abyss. Then they can stay sleeping forever with him.
Even as an angel he was known as a dreamer. More often then not he could be found in the inner sanctums sleeping with Beel and Lilith during lessons or being carried around by Lucifer. Back then he always had pleasant dreams or innovative ideas that the other angels made use of. The little inventor.
Now that he has fallen, nightmares come to him more often than not, uncontrollable flashes of The War, his sister’s death, and the pain of betrayal. Perhaps that was his punishment, always drowsy with no control over when he sleeps, with nothing but nightmares to accompany him.
When he has control over himself in his slumber he likes to flit around into other’s dreams. Most of the time he goes to Beel’s as they are very pleasant and help distract him from the night terrors he had just escaped from.
Sometimes when bored or pissy he jumps to Lucifer’s dreams. It’s a rare occurrence when they are asleep at the same time, but he takes absolute delight in fucking with his oldest brother’s dreams or looking for secrets to lord over him.
He doesn’t come into your dreams uninvited though. Not after you freed him. You have given him permission to. But he uses it sparingly. When he needs a break from his own head he might control when you are tired. Just so he can have some time out of his head.
He is very controlling in that retrospect. He will form the shape of your dreams at first. But, you ween him out of it. Now he trains you to lucid dream. He lets you shape your reality around you both. You don’t know it, but he is allowing you to shape him as well.  
Mini Fic
He watches you from a distance. The grassy knoll you built was bright and airy. Pink and purple flowers sway in the light breeze you created, winking at him as they move. The large willow draping over you pulls a happy little hum from your chest. The swinging branches tickling your sun kissed cheeks. You lounge sprawled out on the ground staring up at the false sun with the largest grin on your face. The rays of sunshine illuminate your prone form, casting stark shadows in its wake. They travel down the hill searching and coiling for shelter from the strong lighting. They find him, latching on to his bare feet and merge with his own disjointed outline. How apropos.
"You can come up here Belphie. Promise I won't bite." You call out into the sky. Your eyes were still closed, but you tilt your head in his direction none the less. The smile you throw down at him is more blinding than the sun you dreamt up.
“I don’t want to intrude.” He steps out from the tree line blinking owlishly. Being welcomed in a dream had been unheard of before you. The mindscape was an intimate and private space. He was meant to be an invader, a taint. Before this he had been nothing but a rogue clinging to the edges. A whisper of temptation carried on the wind, or the hollow thud of a heel echoing down an empty street. It’s different here, with you. You expected to see him or sense him in whatever form he chooses. It was-nice.
“You're never an intrusion.” Your raw honesty floors him still, even after all this time together. “Had a rough night?” You ask patting the space beside you.
“Something like that.” He murmurs dropping down next to you. He is distracted momentarily by the heat radiating off your body. “You’ve been practicing.” You beam, proud that he noticed so quickly. His lessons on dream walking and lucid dreaming were hard, but looks like they were finally paying off.
It had been difficult at first, keeping a solid detailed form while knowing you were asleep. Then trying to stay asleep while doing it. You had to fight against the instinct to wake up constantly. It was like somewhere deep inside your psyche was trying to protect you, like it knew what happened when a human ventures too far into this place. Almost like it knew that a cunning little demon was lurking somewhere down here.  
“How’d you guess?” You ask rolling onto your side. He answers by reaching out to you and dragging a soft finger down your bare arm. You shiver at the cool touch, little goosebumps awakening under his touch. Your picturesque scene wavers at the corners from his touch. The caress breaking your concentration for a moment. Belphegor smirks. “I’m still working on it!” You blush.
“I don’t mind, as long as I’m the only one that that can shake you so.” He pulls away to summon a large pillow for himself. You watch him try to get comfortable. He punches and rolls around the poof for a moment trying to get comfortable. You could tell something was troubling him. The energy in his gaze was borderline manic. His usually relaxed stature was strung taut, right on the border of snapping. He would murder you again if you said it; but he looked so much like Lucifer right now. Tight, cold, and rigid. A clear signal of distress.
“You want to take the helm?” You wave around the small scene offering him a distraction. He could expand the scene far further than you could, probably ever could. “Or do you want to let your hair down?” You wiggle your eyebrows at him. You smile at his little snort, that human saying always got him to laugh.
“Sure you don’t mind?” You shake your head and sit up. Truth be told, you liked his weird demon form. You could never entirely place where he was when he was in it, but you just knew he was there and close. It was reassuring.
He breathes a sigh of relief before flopping backward. He disappears on impact with the soft ground. The grass and flowers coming up to engulf him as he takes over.  He flows around you into every corner of your mind, stretching himself to the furthest corners of your dream. He weaves himself in your fantasy. You get swept up in it for a moment. The raw force of him pulling at your center. It is suffocating for a moment, the oppressive weight of his magic. It brings out a bone-deep weariness in you without meaning to. You feel the growing need to just rest. Just a moment.
“Back with me?” You open your eyes. When had you closed them?
“Ye, sorry.” You lean up onto your elbow and shake your head to clear the fog that still clung to it. It was always a head rush when he did that. Blinking the rest of his magic away you take in your now joint dream. The sun was gone, replaced with twin moons and awash with multicolored stars. His sky bled colors, dripping purples and blues onto the green grass around the edges of your vision. The more you focus the more the field grows and stretches. Off in the distances, tiny tents emerge, sprouting up like shoots from the blackness. “Really?” You eye the tents with a wry smile. If you strained your ear you could hear faint carnival music.
A low rumble bounces around you. “You suddenly have an issue with the circus?”
“Absolutely not!” You raise, calling out into the vastness around you. “You better make a carousel!” You could feel him chuckle around you as you began your trek down the hill.
Belphegor is quiet while you navigate the forest. He’s whole being hyper focused on building the world around your quick steps. His was divided and working overtime in an attempt to distract himself. Part of him was busy building the carnival, another working on making sure you don’t stir from your slumber, and the other awake and aware. He hasn’t done this in a while, splitting his consciousness so thin like this. His human body lumbering along in the physical world while his mind was busy in the subconscious one. Hopefully, none of his brothers were awake and would try to intervene. He wanted to be close to you, in both body and mind tonight. You reach the edge of the woods and he turns his full attention back to you.
He had gone all out for you. Bright lights and the echoing laughter of imaginary guests assault your senses. You could even taste buttered popcorn and caramel on the tip of your tongue. A warm hand takes yours causing you to jump. Belphie gives you an apologetic grin for startling you before dragging you off into the park without a word. Who knows how long the two of you spent. Time, as you understood it, worked differently here. Faster or slower you had no idea. But, right now you didn’t care. He needs you here in the present.
“So-” You start hesitantly much later in the evening. You lick at some cotton candy that had gotten stuck on your fingers. “Want to talk about it?” Belphegor shoots you a look from where he perched. His feet dangling from a study steel fence. He watches you ride the slow-moving carousel as it goes round and round in lazy circles. He mulls over what to say as you make a rotation.  
“I dreamt of Lilith again.” He admits. He comes to sit on the metal animal beside you, disappearing and reappearing in a puff of smoke at your side.
“I’m sorry.”
“Ye. Me too.” He pats the kelpie he sits on. Its listless eyes bore into his. His old nightmares reflecting in their ruby gaze. He wanted to be over this. Why wasn’t he over this? The longer he stares into the horses dead eyes the more his nightmares creep back onto him.The dream shifts around you. The air dropping in temperature drastically. The merry background noises choked off and replace with a buzzing that made your head hurt. The sound of metal striking metal and shouts start to grow at the base of your neck.  
“Belphie-” You reach out for him, cupping his face. He doesn’t notice you anymore. His mind going somewhere you shouldn’t venture. His expression turns stormy, closing off to you completely. Fear begins to build up inside of you. Something uncontrollable riding in on the fast building winds. The night sky he built changes. Stars blinking out one after another like blown bulbs. The moons swelling in size, crashing into each other as your dream begins to crumble. “Shit.” You had to wake up, and fast.
You awake with a start back in your bed. Eyes snapping open while your body lays motionless. An odd sensation of sleep paralysis locking your joints. Something radiates behind you, a lanky body drawn close to yours. Sweet breath tickles the nape of your neck. Fighting the paralysis that held you, you turn to greet your bed guest.
Belphie’s half-lidded eyes seem to look through you. His body was icy, a ghostly vapor wafted over of his pale skin. You tried to wake him but your tongue was stuck. All you could do was stare wide-eyed as he dreamt. He comes back to you slowly. His eyes twitch and roll sporadically until he blinks, drawing in a ragged breath as he comes to. His skin warms with each passing tick of your alarm clock. As your drowsy demon stirs the stiffness in your body begins to ebbs. His chokehold on your mind weakening. After what seemed like an eternity he awakens. He takes you in for a moment and then he’s on you, lurches forward to drag your pliant body to his. “Scared me for a second there Belphie.” You mutter into his soft hair.
He sighs, breathing in your scent and focusing on your strong pulse. It had been a while since he had lost control of himself like that. Building up a world was easy. Tearing it down was even easier. The thread that kept people under was thin, like a single strand of silk. To lose himself to a nightmare in another being’s head? It was unheard of. It terrified him. “Did I hurt you?” He rasps.
“No,” You reassure him, pressing a kiss to his sweaty brow. “I woke up in time.” He goes quiet again trying to keep his breathing steady. “Hey.” You stroke a few strands of hair from his face. “You’re thinking pretty hard there, can I help?”
Could you help? If he was losing control of his dreamscape again… He would have to tell Lucifer. A shudder runs up his spine at the thought of retraining. No, he was still strong enough to keep it under control “Just keep stroking my hair, please?” He yawns widely, lethargy hitting him hard. He drifts off to the feel of your fingers flowing smoothly through his hair. The lingering fears slip further and further from his mind with each soft caress.  
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lovely-necromancy · 3 years
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A Cure for Insomnia Ch 13
Waking up late was so not the plan for today.
What was supposed to be a nice lovely day is slowly turning into your personal hell. Racing around the kitchen trying to keep an eye on your potatoes as you cut up the other veggies for the pie. So you can shove it into the oven then get ready.
Christ why hadn't you thought to prep your ingredients earlier?
Thankfully the cobbler was super simple tossing the sugar and flour into the bowl followed by the a cup of lemonade. Perfect cobbler base. After the batter was creamy you threw in the freshly washed blackberries. They bled a deep red into the batter around them. You had high hopes as you topped it with butter and threw it into the oven.
Both dishes had very quick bake times so you weren't too worried or stressed about them taking forever. In all honesty the only reason you were frantically running around your kitchen was prepping the inside of the forager's pie. And giving the mashed potatoes an essence of rosemary and garlic as if you were a chef on par with Gordon Ramsey.
Should you do dishes?
No, there's no time to worry about that.
Soon the cobbler is out of the oven and you have replaced it with the two pans of forager's pie. You don't give the cobbler any time to cool as you place the aluminum lid to the pan so the heat stays.
With that taken care of you speed off to your room and grab your outfit. The mini pencil skirt you'd purchased yesterday paired with some shorts so you didn't have to be careful with your movements all day. A plain block colored shirt in a cute primary palette. Finishing with yellow converses.
Changing doesn't take long but you do take some extra time on your hair choosing to style it a bit different today. As you're debating on if you should put the time into a fun makeup look your neck snaps harshly to the right.
There is no crack but it did hurt like hell.
As if that had been a sign from God you opt for your normal look. There will be other events and times for you to do fun looks, but not today.
The oven beeps as the timer goes off letting you know the pies are ready. Just a sprinkle of cheese on top before you cover them with the lid and you are all set to go.
Checking the time you see it's nine-o-two, and while the picnic was scheduled for ten thirty you are a committee member and should be there early to help set up. So without anymore hesitation you are flying out of the house and into your car.
You rush back from placing the food in the backseat to make sure your door is locked.
It is and you are free to enjoy the day...you hope.
Speeding would be the biggest understatement of the year. You were practically at the lodge in fifteen minutes and bustling up to the door. Opening it you rush in ignoring anyone you pass by in your mad dash to the kitchen.
“Hello to you too.” Barclays voice carries from the stove as you whisk past him to place two of your pans on the counter.
“Hi, Tim?” you say out of breath from your one person marathon. Practically vibrating in place unwilling to loose your momentum despite your need for a second wind.
Barclay just points to the den and you're out of the kitchen just as fast as you had entered. Most patrons in the den don't spare you a second glance used to your whirlwind mannerisms when your trying to follow a deadline. As self appointed as it may be.
There is one trio however giving you a mix of concerned and amused looks. Which quickly turn into concerned and interest when you make a bee line straight for them.
“Hi,” you say to Toby and Brian before looking at Tim and pushing the cobbler at him, “Thanks again  for last night.”
Tim can't even get a word out because as soon as he grabs the pan you're already back off to the kitchen. Determined to help Barclay with something before everyone starts moving to the Archway. You hear the chorus of chuckles coming from everyone as you leave a confused Tim, who now has to answer to the questioning glances of his friends, in your wake.
Barclay needed no help as you guessed but he was however open to you covering the food and stacking certain items together before helping to load everything into crates for easier transport. It wasn't long before the others start to make their way into the kitchen to get briefed on the plan.
You notice the trio being motioned in by Jake who holds the door open for them to make their way in too. Brian politely takes the door from Jake as Tim steps in place in front of him and Toby. The jerky movements of Toby's eyes as he scans the room is really hard to ignore. But it doesn't seem like he's looking for anything just taking note of who is in the kitchen and where they are.
“Ok, first thank you all for helping set up the picnic today. I really appreciate it.” Barclay's baritone voice says jostling you out of your thoughts to focus in on him.
“Second, we really don't have much to do for set up since most guests already have their baskets with them. We do have a few spares to lay down though. We'll be splitting off into three teams.” Barclay then points at you, Hollis, Jake, and Kirby.
“Team A is in charge of setting up the spare baskets.”
After getting your group's approval he continues down the line.
Team B consists of Brian, Tim, Toby, and Indrid. Their group is to bring out and set the tables that'll hold the food. Team C is Barclay, Aubrey, Dani, and Madeline. Team C will bring the main courses along with the heaters to keep everything warm.
With teams set and in place you all take to your positions and get a move on before the public arrives. You vaguely wonder why the Hornets aren't here yet but remember most had decorated and cleared out the Archway over the past couple of days. Pushing the thoughts away you grab two baskets and follow after your team. Thankfully there were only a few left over baskets, eight if you include Jake and Hollis' and then your own. Each member of your team carried two baskets through the thicket of trees until you reached the clearing of the archway.
It looked amazing, you'd only been out here one other time back when Bambi was still around. She took you out at night and the two of you just talked about anything and everything, including theories about the giant archway that towered over the clearing and just how it may have come to be.  Back then it had been a field of long grass and purple wildflowers. The grass was so thick the two of you used sticks to move it and insure there'd be no snakes harmed in your late night hike. Now though the grass had been cut save for aesthetically calculated patches of wildflowers and clovers here and there. The field was absolutely perfect for the event, and with the gorgeous blue skies partially clouded the scenery really seemed to pop out.
Especially the small lake glittering just past the archway. You'd never noticed it before but then again you came here in the dead of night.
Getting back to work you set out on placing the spare baskets a reasonable distance from the others. Close enough  to other blankets to feel included but far enough away to have their own space if that was their thing. When you had finished you take your own basket and join Hollis and Jake who finished placing their four baskets down faster with two people. They'd been setting up their own blanket on the outer rim of the perimeter, closer to the treeline than to the Archway. As if they were going to overlook the even and keep an eye out. Which they probably would be, just to ensure that everyone had fun and stayed safe.
Seeing you standing just a few feet away from the blanket Jake gives you his patented superstar smile.
“C'mon, join the party YN.”
With the easy going invitation you fix your blanket beside theirs. This way at one point or another you'd see a majority of your friends today as you knew for a fact they'd come over or be dragged over into seeing the couple beside you.
Kirby joins you three after lazily placing his baskets side by side closer to the archway. With the hustle and fuss of your prep work being done you can take a moment to take everything in.
“I love the shirt.” you say looking at Kirby's 'I'm not Allo but 20$ is 20$' shirt.
He gives a grin before presenting a folded up shirt out of his messenger bag.
“Thought you might...don't wear it now though. Don't want you copying my style, that'd be sad.” he jokes.
“Pfft, please everyone would know it's you who copied me.”
Jake and Hollis watch as the two of you continue your playful banter. Occasionally voicing whose side they were on, Hollis took Kirby's while Jake took yours. It was a fun way to pass the time as the other groups finished setting up.
Especially since you had Mr. Cool Guy himself on your side. How could you possibly not be the trend setter sibling with his vote.
Before long the other groups were also setting up their own baskets, which had been brought out by Barclay and Indrid a few hours earlier. And some Hornets started showing up not too long after that. Either rushing around trying to set up their baskets or sit down with friends after placing their food away. Though the event hadn't really started yet you could hear Aubrey starting up her music a few blankets away. She'd already gathered a small crowd that was chittering away.
Taking it all in you notice a certain trio looking incredibly awkward and out of place. You get up and make your way over to the men ready to invite them to sit with you. After all it's an eight person blanket it'd be a shame to sit all by yourself next to another full blanket.
Toby's dark eyes lock on to you first, you really suspect this boy has ADHD with his quick reflexes and spacial hyper awareness. He actually seems to deflate a bit, like the tension in his shoulders started to disappear the closer you got. You apparently weren't the only one to notice the subtle change in the brunette as Tim focused in on Toby. Meanwhile Brian clocked you just before you were within ten feet of their little group.
“Hey I have an empty blanket if you guys wanted to join.”
Just getting straight to the point was your thing. Most see your bluntness as rudeness but you just don't see a point in dancing around your message.
“Yea, that'd be nice.” Toby spoke before the other two could.
Smiling at him you hold a hand out for him to grab. You aren't really sure what possessed you to do that, but figure you must be in a rare tactile mood. Unlike when you're touched if you initiate the contact it doesn't hurt or squick you out. He grabs your hand and you can feel the scratch of his callouses. You remember Hollis said something about him being a mechanic, that would explain the tough hands.
You lead the trio over to your blanket where only Kirby sits, seems like didn't bring his basket and was going to share with you. Not that you mind at all, in fact this was the perfect time to introduce one friend to another.
“Kirby time to make a good impression.” you call out gaining his attention.
He takes a moment before taking note of the group you're guiding over. Kirby stands up to greet you all.
“Kirby this is my friend Tobias, and his roommates Tim and Brian.” you motion to the other two with your unoccupied hand.
Noticing for the first time that they have their hands interlocked. Not holding like you and Toby are but a more intimate hand hold.
'These bitches gay...good for them. Good for them.' is just playing on repeat as background noise in your head. Ignoring the loop in your brain you continue the introduction.
“This is Kirby, my brother or whatever.” Kirby snorts at your short introduction.
“I'll take it, 's a step up from gremlin.” he turns to the trio hand extended, “Nice to meet you guys.”
After the weird neurotypical ritual is over the five of you sit down and talk while you wait for the festivities to begin. Tim and Kirby dragging Brian along for the deep dive of god awful horror movies.
“You didn't mention a brother.” Toby says fiddling with your hand, someone really needs to get this guy a fidget toy.
“Huh? Oh no. No, not like that Kirby's more like a brother than my biological brother.” you pause while thinking how to explain this more articulately.
“We're just really similar and people thought we were dating, I guess, before we started calling each other 'sibling'.” it's really weird that that was even an issue. At least to you but Allos tend to be weird about mixed gender relationships.
For instance Brian and Tim can get written off as the best of best friends. But you and Kirby decide to sit next to each other for one Saturday Night Dead and the town is already waiting for wedding invites. Maybe this is a small town thing...you'll still blame the Allos.
Toby nods along, whether he actually understands or is trying to move from the topic you can't quite tell. You look down at his hand that's bending your fingers into your palm. His nail beds look better than last week you hope it means he wasn't picking at his skin. It's really not a great coping mechanism.
You let out a small sigh as you get lost in the feeling of Toby playing with your fingers. You're trying to think of something to talk about but the motions are kind of drowning out your thoughts. You can see why this might've been helpful the for Toby last week in the forest.
“...We're friends?” you aren't really sure if that was a question or a statement.
“Yea! Well at least I'd like to be. It's fine if you don't want to though.”
Toby gives a small smile to that, and releases your hand. It seems his anxiety has gone away for the most part. Maybe having the reassurance of another friend is all he needed. Just a little more moral support to get him out of his shell.
You smile back at him as he leans back on his hands. It's nice that you both can enjoy the day without your masks, even if you do feel a bit naked without yours. You wonder how Toby's been holding up wearing only the bandage over his scar. But you know you probably aren't at the friendship level needed to question him about it. No matter how nonchalant he'd been about eating in front of you that first day.
“How're the repairs coming?”
Toby rolls his eyes and lets out a frustrated groan, and for a moment you're concerned you upset him.
“It's a fah-fah-cuck...king rust bucket. Like Jesus fucking Christ first the AC blows out so I check the compressor...” he pauses and squints his eyes at you, “do you know cars?”
“Dad's a mechanic so I know enough. But you're talking about an RV unit and not a regular cabin AC might get a little lost but I can at least lend an ear. Like a rubber duck.”
The right side of Toby's mouth pulls a confused sneer, but his attention is soon turned to Brian who's chuckling having heard what you said.
“'s a coding thing Toby.”
“Uh...okay?” Toby just resigns himself to not understanding this particular topic and continues on.
“Yea so sorta the same basis, I guess. The units still pull air from outside into the vents and use a refrigerant liquid to cool the air it pushes out.” he pauses to make sure you're still following.
After you nod he continues to explain how it runs so the fans and circuits seem to be in order. There isn't a leak in the coils and the liquid's been replenished but it still isn't running cold. You nod while giving him a patient smile as you let him tear through his rant about the “piece of shit unit” because it seems this has been building in him for the past few days.  When he comes to the end of his rant the only thing you can really think to say is.
“That sounds rough.”
Not the most eloquent thing but Toby seems to come down from his vent high, after a few deep breaths.
“Yea it mrrow was. Well is.” he cuts his eyes back to the trio across from you noticing how they all seem invested in their own conversation now.
“Why'd you give Tim a cobbler?” looks like you two will be playing twenty questions today.
“He scared off the creep for me last night.” you shrug causing your neck to jerk to the side.
“'the' creep? Wait! The one that drugged you?” Toby is so lucky he can't feel pain because even you felt that crack that ripped through his neck as he whipped his head towards you.
And honestly you're kinda surprised it didn't draw anyone's attention to you two.
“First I don't think I was drugged, he might've just sent me into a panic attack.”
“Oh sorry the creep that sent you into a panic attack.” you really hate when people interrupt you like that he's really lucky you understand he's actually just paying attention to you rather than talking over you. You'd punch him if it wasn't the case. Punch him right in his cute snarky face.
“Bitch.” You do punch him, in his arm, he lets out a monotone 'ow'. You decide against punching him again for that, it was a hard choice though.
“Anyway, second yea same one. I just really don't like the guy and last night he'd been bothering Ronnie when I stopped by the gas station. She'd apparently forgotten Tim had gone on break and when I tried bluffing that he was there well...”
You took some time to explain the situation last night to Toby. Leaving out the parts where Not Tim showed up. After thinking on that you figure there was a possibility of Tim having an alter that he may or may not know about. And you aren't sure what the etiquette is for this sort of thing, like if Tim did know were you suppose to let him tell you or should you let him know you'd technically met his alter. Judging from Toby's face, the guy really wears his heart on his sleeve, he seems confused about something.
Maybe Tim  didn't remember last night and Toby was asking for him. That does put a bit more weight on your alter theory. And it seems to have more traction as something seems to click in Toby's head. He doesn't share whatever is making him nod. So you leave it be.
Before you know it an hour has past the field nearly full of town residents and Barclay, with his mighty megaphone, start calling people over for food so you all grab a plate from the basket.
“I want purple.” Kirby tells you.
“I could literally hand you any of these and you'd tell me 'thanks'.”
“That's pretty fucking ablest YN.”
You pause and look at the other three on the blanket.
“Is being colorblind a disability?”
A “Yes” from Brian followed by Tim and Toby's deadpan expressions and “No”s.
“Three against two, not ablest just honest...this is purple.” you had half a mind to hand him indigo.
Your group goes and gets food, debating the legitimacy of colorblindness being a disability, before heading back to your blanket. No sooner had you sat down are you body slammed into the ground. The familiar weight of an overexcited eleven year old smothering you.
“Hi can I sit with you?” before you can reply the rest of the Cowell family finds their way over.
“Josephine Cowell, I'm so sorry YN she's just been so excited all weekend. Josephine get off of YN you know they aren't very tactile.” Dia called.
Unlike her husband's hulking form Dia was a petite frail woman, you honestly wouldn't be surprised if Jo towered over her mother in a few years. And though she was small she had a fierceness to her that normally kept both the Jos in line.
“It's not a problem Dia. Jo I think you should eat with your parents first, we have all day to hang out.” Her eyes seem to sparkle with excitement and you can see her mother's apologetic expression just past her.
Understandably Dia is concerned with Jo taking up your personal time. The young girl sees you as an older sibling and wants to spend any second she can with you, but you aren't family. You're a young adult who has their own life to live. The last thing you need is to be babysitting the tween while you tried to relax with your friends today. Dia would do her best to have Jo give you some space.
“Hey you guys can just drop your blanket over here, we don't mind.” Janette, local mean lesbian, calls from Hollis and Jake's blanket.
Jo looks ecstatic at the thought and rushes to her father to pull him over to the area so they can place the blanket down. Booping her nose occasionally in her excitement.
“Hey Dia, Marnie's coming in an hour or so, soccer game got rescheduled. Jo will have someone her age to bug.”
“Marnie's coming?” leave it to a tween to finish setting up and get a plate of food all in under five minutes.
She's not even trying to be on her family's blanket as she plops down next to you. Taking notice of you staring she gives a wide grin practically buzzing with excitement. A bit too much excitement as she starts rapidly blinking, triggering your own as well. At least you have practice eating like this, unlike Jo who only just developed this tic.
After your tics subside Jo eats with you and just goes on into her usual tween drama stories. She's got to keep you up to date after all. It's like a soap opera just less adult topics and no evil clones. Kirby and Nate catch up and somehow rope Tim and Brian into their conversation as well. Toby just sits quietly eating and giving you amused looks every time you lock eyes.
You can't help but feel you're forgetting to do something every time you lock eyes with the brunette. The issue seems to resolve itself when a 'mrrow' slips from Toby as he takes a drink, causing him to cough from swallowing wrong.
An unconscious effort on your part, you lean and rub small circles into his back. Trying to calm his coughs. A mistake as the tween in front of you zeros in on the man as if she's just noticed he existed.
“Hi! Who are you?” if her eyes could turn into stars they would.
“uh...” Toby looks to you for help, as if the child talking to him was an alien species. “Toby...” he says uncertainly after receiving no input from you.
“Toby....”
“Rogers?”
“Are you YN's boyfriend?” Toby wishes he had an excuse to cough now.
His face flushes at the question and before he can sputter out any tongue tied response another 'mrrow' rips through him and his head harshly tilts back. Jo's eyes widen at the tic, she excitedly looks between the two of you. And you aren't sure what's going through her mind at the moment.
“OMG Do you have tourette's? Does he have tourette's or is he like you?” she's practically vibrating as she bounces between questioning both of you.
“umm...touretter's?” you say in Toby's place as the man beside you can't function a sentence right now.
Jo literally squeaks in excitement at the new development.
“I'm Jo Cowell, YN's self appointed sibling. I have tourette's too, I've had it since I was five. How long have you had tourette's?”
It felt like Jo's never ending barrage of questions was just that never ending. Toby took everything in stride, aside from the awkward dating questions. And for how worried she was about her daughter bugging you today every time you tried to catch Dia's eye she was somehow wrapped up in another conversation or her husband. Your saving grace came in a four foot two package wearing a dirty soccer uniform and sporting a fresh black eye followed closely by her frazzled step mother.
“Yikes, ball to the face or fight with the other team?” Janette asked her daughter as she walked towards the blankets.
“Fell off the bleachers.” fucking how? “Jo want to run some drills with me?” Marnie asked with a grin missing her front tooth, and before you know it your blanket was down an occupant and Toby was free of the never ending hell he'd been placed in.
“Do...do you want to take a walk? Get away for a minute.” you asked looking at the positively ruffled man next to you.
He nods numbly and follows after you into the tree line. You both just walk for a bit until Toby's complexion looses any rosiness. When he's back to his normal greyish cool tones you stop to rest. Leaning against a tree Toby follows your lead but slides down the base resting his arms on his knees as his head hits the tree behind him.
“Sorry about her, Jo can be excitable.” you'd remembered as soon as her tirade began that you should have warned him she'd lock on to his tics.
That was a near replica of your first encounter with the tween. Too late to change that now.
“I didn't mind,” he gives a boxy grin up at you “'s just how siblings are.”
There's a fond tone in his voice as he says that. And the gleam in his eyes tell a story of experience with that sort of thing.
“You've got siblings?”
“Yea, an older sister.” he sighs and looks down and the grin falls into a neutral look.
There's a story there, but you aren't one to pry. If he wants to indulge you or even himself he will in his own time. However, a joke should be able to disturb the tension that threatens to darken your moment.
“Oh I bet you were an absolute menace to her.” giving a good natured chuckle, one Toby returns as the fond look in his eyes came back.
“For your information I was a delight as a child.”
“Pfft yea I bet. And just how many times did you break an arm falling out of a tree?”
Toby looks stunned for a moment. Was that something weird to say? You remember the summer nearly everyone in your grade broke their arms falling out of a tree. Hell you would've too if you hadn't landed in a bush, all you got were some gnarly bruises and a few thorns stuck in you. Then you swore a vow to only climb thick limbed trees.
“Like twice...but..how did, how did you know?”
“It wasn't a universal thing? I just figured since we were both from Virginia like your class would've also had like sixteen kids break their arm or something over the summer.”
“Well I was home schooled so I wouldn't know.”
“Wait, like home schooled home schooled, or church home schooled. There's a difference.” giving you a sneer he just shrugs.
“Fucking home schooled home schooled. Don't see how that makes a difference.”  he pops his knuckles. Jerkiness of the motion indicating his tic rather than his choice.
“One you're supposedly taught science and the other you're told Jesus loves you.” you deadpan as you slide down the tree mirroring Toby's position.
“I had two friends, they were twins, who were church home schooled until high school. Nice girls but only so many times I can pretend to know what the hell a veggie tale is.”
Toby snorts and shakes his head. This is probably all you'll get from him about his early life. But he's not dancing around the questions as much as he was a few weeks ago. The quiet is nice and you could honestly just spend the rest of the day in the forest. A cool breeze blows through the trees and you catch the smells from the picnic. For some reason it seems to make you queezy, you'll probably stay here a while longer. You might be getting overstimulated.
“What...what was public school like?”
The question sort of shocks you breaking the moment. And you just stared at Toby for a while before you actually thought of an answer. The answer you wanted to say was “hell, it was straight hell”. You don't think he's talking about the institution itself and more the experience. So you tell him.
You start to weave together a picture spanning twelve long years for Toby. Telling him of pranks or jokes learned, older siblings bugged, holidays celebrated, tearful goodbyes, joyous reunions. Paint pictures of gossiping friends, Jane Austin worthy rumors, unified students banding together to change outdated rules, snowball fights in the courtyard, Snapchat stories shared through the school. The distance that gets put into place the second you aren't legally required to spend all your time with people. The feeling of emptiness as you try to navigate a world you were never prepared for...and doing that alone.
You tried to condense it but you went off into a lot of stories and probably gave him way too much context for everything. But Toby sat there and absorbed everything you had to say. When your mood dropped as you finished he only had one thing to say.
“Sounds like it sucked.”
Looking at him you could see the worried brow and small half smile on his lips. It was reassuring in a sense.
“Yea, yea it did.”
The two of you sat and stared at each other for a bit. A sort of connection being formed from a not so similar but not quite unsimilar schooling maybe. Or the acceptance that someone didn't have to be just like you to get you.
There isn't really a lot of time to dwell on that as a pop is heard followed shortly there after by a crack and sizzle. Soon Toby's face was bathed in a blue glow, as was the surrounding area. Another pop came and the crack and sizzle followed after. Bathing the forest in a neon green hue. Looking up in time to see a third and fourth flare go up and watching them expand in a firey orange and yellow burst. Fizzling out as they made their way down.
“I didn't know there'd be fire...fireworks.” he's tense at his tree as he swallowed the lump that you clearly heard in his throat.
“Yea I...I didn't either.” looking back to Toby you hold out a hand, “Wanna head back to the lodge?”
He pulls his dark eyes away from the sky to look at you and your outstretched hand. Not a moment later he has grabbed your hand and is yanking you into a standing position with him. Leading the way to the lodge as if he were a bat flying out of Hell. His ability to lead you both deftly through the dimly lit forest with barely any sunlight was pretty impressive. At least it would've been had you bee able to focus on it rather than cringing from the noise.
When you get to the lodge Toby doesn't say anything, nor does he let go of your hand. You feel like he's completely forgotten about you even though you're literally joined together. Toby pushes through the doors and makes his way up the stairs. Without a word you let him lead you to where ever it is he's going.
Based on his behavior you have a pretty good guess. When Toby pulls out his room key with his other hand you know you're correct. And that waiting inside would be a very good boy.
“Connor pressure.” are the only words out of Toby's mouth as he flings open the door and falls back onto the ground.
Thankfully he'd let go of your hand. Since he all but dragged you here you figure he could use the company. Closing his door you go over and sit beside his prone form. Not saying a word to each other, just waiting for the others to get back from the festivities.
11 notes · View notes
thejudgingtrash · 4 years
Note
hello mel i Love You
HELLO DIL I LOVE YOU EVEN MORE!!!
You had me SCREAMING! Criminal genius/Detective Annabeth is my new hyper fixation, I fucking swear T_T
My brain went OVERBOARD with this! It’s super long! Please enjoy!!
(I’ve withheld this story due to the current political climate and I still feel sorta a way. But if reading about the p*lice triggers you or makes you feel uncomfortable, I wholeheartedly understand if you want to skip this one. Also... the story has some... a little bit of heat in it. Not much, it’s SFW. But it’s there <.<)
And: law enforcement, medical and science side of the pjo fandom, I doubt that this will make any sense :D
Also thanks again Torie @percyheartsannabeth for being an amazing beta!!
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The Golden Age (WC: 9,5k)
i.
“Absolutely not,” Detective Annabeth Chase crossed her arms and shook violently her head. The blonde curls nearly escaped her bun. Her partner Detective Luke Castellan was surprised. He had never seen Annabeth reject a direct command.
“We need his statement, Chase,” said Sergeant Charles Beckendorf. “It’s his M.O. The drugs, the paintings. Either he’s operating from prison again or someone’s copying him. We need to put a stop to this nonsense once and for all!”
“Even so, we’re busy with the robberies in Chelsea.” Annabeth didn’t want to pick this case up again. The case that made her famous, the case that changed her life forever. For the worse.
“Stoll will take over that with his younger brother. Chase, you don’t have a choice. You will talk to Perseus Jackson. That’s an order,” Captain Dougenis commanded. He had the final say. Luke nodded, Annabeth did nothing.
“Don’t you think we haven’t tried to get him to cooperate earlier? He said he only wants to talk to you. The person that put him behind bars,” Beckendorf explained.
Fuck Annabeth thought. She did not want to face Perseus Jackson again. She wanted to forget him and move on. The looks from her two superiors said that they would deny her wish. Jackson was a cunning manipulator. She knew how he worked and what he was. A criminal. A thief. A criminal.
“When will I speak with him?” she sighed. A battle that was lost quickly.
“In two days. Should give you enough time to study the case files,” Dougenis said.
Off to a great start. The sound of footsteps echoing in the hallway muffled as the prisoner was placed into the interview room two days later. He sat down and the cuffs fell from his hands. He rubbed his wrists. A little bit of freedom regained. Orange was a hideous color, but he actually managed to make it look good on him.
He and Annabeth were separated by the thin layer of the one-way-mirror. His sea green eyes scanned the plain fake wall in front of him. They tried to find her as he knew he was being watched. The piercing stare actually caught her eye directly. Annabeth sighed. He couldn’t hear her, but a smirk found its way onto his lips regardless. He knew her.
“You’ll be fine in there?” asked Luke who would stay outside of the interview room. He had been a part in arresting that monster. The condition that Jackson gave them was that he wanted to speak with Annabeth – alone. Annabeth nodded. Then she stepped into the small room. Tension laid in the air.
Four years had passed since he had been locked up. Perseus looked good. His hair was grayer, the beard had been trimmed recently. He looked like he exercised on a regular basis. Annabeth’s eyes spent two seconds engraving the picture of his brown biceps into her memory.
“Perseus Jackson, 38, born in New York City, arrested due to art theft and extortion. Twelve years. You’ve managed roughly a third so far.” Despite her marvelous work, they never were able to charge him for drug trafficking directly. The witnesses had remained silent. Annabeth took a seat in front of him.
“Annabeth, you know me,” Perseus pouted. A contrast to his deep voice. “Call me Percy,” he winked.
Her neck felt hot. “It’s Detective Chase for you!” she hissed. Amusement sparked through his eyes.
“Okay, Detective Chase.” How was he able to make her name sound so… dirty? So profligate?
“The woman that I have to thank for my new cozy home needs my help now all of a sudden. The tables have turned. I like that.” And Annabeth did not like one bit how his mocking tone sent shivers down her spine. The way his tongue flicked. The urge of standing up and fleeing the room was prominent, but she was a professional and had a job to do:
Make Perseus Jackson sing.
“I need information.” Annabeth’s mouth was pressed to a thin line.
“Straight to the point, Detective, huh?” The attractive man leaned forward. “And what information do I supposedly have?”
“Your family never stopped your business,” Annabeth spat. Perseus shrugged and his fingers tapped on the desk. An annoying habit.
“Someone is operating with the same methods as you. Art gets stolen and drugs follow the leads. Either you’re behind it or someone else has been recruited to fill your place. We need to find that someone.” She opened the case files and showed him pictures of missing paintings and locations as well as new collecting points for drugs on a map.
“Oh?” Jackson made and tilted his head. He faked interest and glanced lazily over the pictures.
“I’m pretty sure that I don’t have the time in my precious little cell to run all of the things that you’ve been accusing me of. Everything comes at a price, Detective,” he then smiled.
Sea green met light gray. Annabeth swallowed. Memories came back.
ii.
Two years. Annabeth had spent two years on that fucking case and barely made any progress. The smuggling of paintings to cover up or be used as payment for drug operations just didn’t make any sense. Her partner Luke got undercover into the business as a small middle man, but the rules were different for women. Sexism ruled yet once again. Detective work had narrowed the window down and came to one person: Perseus Jackson. He was invisible. He was a phantom. He had been swallowed by mother earth, never to be seen again.
He was part of the Greek syndicate that ruled with an iron fist over the East Coast. Not even the Italians, Chinese, Egyptians or Russians had that much power. Chrýseon Genos. The Golden Age. A fitting name for a bunch of pieces of shit that found joy in ruining people’s lives and making New York unsafe each and every single day. Everything was coded and followed the basic principles of Greek mythology. After Konstantinos Olympianidikis, otherwise known as Kronos, died in the 1970s due to a raging war with his own brothers, his three sons split the legacy and entire empire into three sections:
Adrian Olympianidikis. Hades. Racketeering and money laundering.
Petros Olympianidikis. Poseidon. Theft and drug trafficking.
Zacharias Olympianidikis. Zeus. Prostitution and human trafficking.
All these crimes were tied to the Golden Age and the police forces couldn’t do anything. Witnesses vanished or remained silent. The little evidence they had left was either compromised or disappeared. Everyone in the Golden Age had their little specialty. Everyone passed missions and power onto the next family member in the hierarchy. So did Petros aka Poseidon do the same thing with his sons. One of those sons was Paris. His youngest. The only pieces of information that Annabeth had of him were a 17-year-old picture that showed Paris shoplifting with some of his cousins and a diploma that showed that he had studied art history. A picture of him as a boy and proof that he had a college degree. Wow. Compelling evidence.
Annabeth took one final look of the teenage boy. The picture had been taken in the year 2000 hence the quality of the security camera of Macy’s being complete shit. Despite seeing a long mop on his head and awfully baggy clothes there was next to nothing that was useful for Annabeth in the year 2017. Hell. Who knew what Jackson looked like now as a grown man? The probability of him running around like in the early 2000s was next to none.
“And?” Annabeth asked Luke as he returned from a meeting in the syndicate.
“Poseidon is willing to speak to you,” her blond colleague nodded. The scar under his eye had proved his loyalty. A near fight for life and death. The other person had remained in the hospital for a while but was fine and dandy by now according to Luke.
“Okay.”
“Only you. Not anyone else. I’ll drive you.” Annabeth nodded.
The townhouse in the Meatpacking District did not look much like most of the houses in the area. The real luxury laid within. The house was filled with two kinds of people: security guards and young models. Annabeth felt uncomfortable and underdressed as she was following a young girl’s lead. Barely a woman. Not only did Poseidon enjoy his life at the fullest, no, he was also rich as fuck. Young women served drinks and cooked in the kitchen. Bikinis, shorts and cocktail dresses so short that they nearly gave Annabeth whiplash. A young thing named Lacy brought Annabeth to the garden where a mini pool party was going on at its fullest.
Despite being in his 80s, Poseidon looked good. He looked young and was full of life. He looked like he was in his solid early 50s. The hair and the bushy beard were so white that it seemed to have been dyed. The tanned skin was healthy. A friendly face. The only indication of his age were the neck and his hands. Had Annabeth been into older men, she had to admit that she wouldn’t have said no to Poseidon from the visuals alone.
Poseidon enjoyed his book and the giggling girls in the background as Lacy caught his attention with the new arrival. “Ah!” he said, and his eyes twinkled as he put the sunglasses away. Girls were swimming in the pool or playing volleyball, music was blasting, and food was served.
“Detective Chase!” Poseidon stood up and shook her hand. A firm grip. He spoke with a soft Greek accent.
“What can I do for you?” he asked friendly.
“More like how can you help me speak to one of your sons?” Annabeth smiled.
Poseidon laughed. “Which one? I have many.”
Yes, you do you horny bastard the blonde thought. Poseidon had twelve sons in total. Or twelve sons that he publicly claimed. All by different mothers of course. All of them had joined the family business and most have paid the price with their lives.
Proteus. Triton. Khrysomallos. Pegasus. Arion. Polyphemus. Bellerophon. Theseus. Orion. Sciron. Chrysaor. Paris. More than half of them were dead, less than half of them were alive. Tryfon aka Triton, the son Poseidon had when he was 19, had been killed by his cousin Iraklis also known as Hercules in 1974. Orion had been twelve when he had been shot in the street by Antonios and Phoebe aka the twins Apollon and Artemis in 1986. Assassinated by his own cousins. The trend of getting killed by your own family members was fairly present in the Golden Age.
“The youngest,” Annabeth answered which made Poseidon laugh.
“Ah, my boy Paris. What did he do?” Curiosity swung in the words of the old man that referred to his son in his codename.
“Sorry, confidential,” Annabeth deflected and pouted.
“Of course, of course. Ah the police. Friend and helper. As you can see-” Poseidon pointed to the precious gardens. “My son isn’t here.”
Annabeth nodded. “Well, if you happen to see him, tell him to give me a call.”
She gave him her card. Poseidon studied it. “Of course, I will Miss Chase.” Another friendly smile.
The blonde nodded and then left. The smile of the old man vanished for a split second only to appear as one of his young helpers gave him one of the many burner phones of the house.
“Thank you, Drew!” he said before pressing a number into the small device.
“Yes?” asked the tired voice of a man on the other side.
“Can you explain to me why a certain Detective Chase from the NYPD came to my home to talk about you?” The old man sounded cold and amused at the same time.
“What?” Now he was wide awake.
“I thought the woman would introduce herself as your fiancé! Something that would actually make me proud,” complained the old man and nodded to another young thing that handed him a drink.
“I will take care of it.”
“Yes, you will.”
The line was dead.
And Annabeth continued to work for another two weeks without any other results. Her shift came to an end but at least the desk was clean. She didn’t drown in mountains of paperwork like Castellan did.
“See you tomorrow!” said Connor Stoll as she crossed ways with him in the hallway.
“See you!” Her mood had reached its lowest so far. It was time to visit her best friend since childhood and his bar The Grove. As soon as Annabeth stepped out of the police department, it started to rain.
“Great.” Her steps got faster.
Fortunately for her, The Grove was within walking distance. The pouring sky distracted Annabeth so much that she didn’t realize neither a black Lexus parking around the corner nor the footsteps that had been following her. The leather jacket and the blonde curls were wet but nothing that would worry bartender and owner Grover Underwood all too much. He had seen her in fairly worse states.
“What can I do for you, Annabeth? An Old Fashioned like usual?” His friend nodded.
“Have you eaten something?” The dark-skinned man knew Annabeth and her habits. Overworking herself and forgetting to eat lunch were her favorite deadly combinations.
“Well, I wouldn’t mind something to snack on,” she confessed.
Grover only shook his head but gave her a glass full of pretzel sticks. A delicious Old Fashioned stood on the counter a few moments later. The door behind her opened and closed.
“What can I do for you, sir?” asked Grover and looked to the door.
“Whiskey. Double.” A rich baritone. Pleasant to the ears.
Annabeth heard the squeaking of the barstool next to her. She turned her head to the right and nearly fell to the ground. A man sat next to her that was a younger copy of Poseidon. Paris Olympianikidis also known as Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon. The man she had been searching for since forever randomly decided to appear. Her talk with Poseidon must have sparked something and Annabeth hated the stupid rule about women not being in the family business unless they had been born into it even more. Precious time that could have been used for undercover operations had been wasted.
Perseus looked… good. Good didn’t even describe it. His salt and pepper hair had the same streaks in the beard. He had a chiseled face with a straight nose. Wrinkles around the eyes showed that he loved to laugh and smile. He seemed to enjoy his regular exercise; the way his shirt shifted whenever he moved a muscle made it seem like it was about to tear apart. His skin was of a rich brown, and his lips were curled into a devilish smirk. The sea green eyes were a direct copy of his father’s. He had won the genetic lottery. He had nothing in common with the shoplifting boy from the year 2000.
“A little bird told me you were looking for me,” he winked.
Why did her chest feel so heavy? Why weren’t her lungs functioning normally?
Percy had to admit. His father had been right. Annabeth Chase was his type. Her body had a beautiful shape from what he had observed in the past few days. A firm ass that did Pilates on a regular basis in a class not far from her shithole of an apartment. A heart shaped face and a slight tooth gap that made her look only more adorable. Blonde princess curls that seemed to be fairly taken care of with expensive products. But her eyes… an interesting gray that told him one thing: she had a flaming spirit that was blessed with intelligence. Or was it cursed by its burden?
“Your father,” she commented.
The whiskey was served, and Percy took a swig. He was pleased.
“Do you mind?” the handsome man asked as he grabbed a smoke. Annabeth turned to Grover who ignored the antics of the new customer. The bartender placed an ashtray in front of him instead. What in the fuck is going on?
“I usually don’t smoke,” he confessed and lit the cigarette regardless. Annabeth pulled a face. Where was the logic in that?
“And you do now because…?” The interest was honest.
“I only smoke when I’m having a good drink-” He raised the glass to Grover who nodded and appreciated the compliment. “And am sitting next to a beautiful woman,” Perseus winked.
Annabeth didn’t know whether she wanted to blush or strangle him. She was 29 and acted like an insecure school girl for fucks sake! She nearly laughed.
“So, I have the honor of finally meeting you, Annabeth.” The way he said her name. So smoky and dark. He belonged in prison for that.
“It’s Detective Chase for you!” she hissed. The criminal next to her only raised an eyebrow.
“Bossy. Kinky. I like it,” he smirked and enjoyed the redness of her face as he pulled from the cigarette and blew the smoke.
Grover in the corner tried to hide his laughter with a cough. Annabeth turned to her best friend with a murderous rage. “Annabeth and kinky. Yeah right.”
“Grover, shut up!” she commanded. Jackson next to her was more than just amused.
“Now I’m interested.” He tapped some of the ashes off.
“You really want to know the details of her love life?” Grover asked.
“Oh, I definitely bite,” Percy smiled. Yes please. Annabeth wanted to smack herself.
“Could we come to the more pressing matters?” the woman groaned.
“Sure,” Jackson shrugged.
He lifted his drink, she lifted hers. They met in the middle and both felt a spark immediately.
“I need information.” Chase cutting the chase.
Percy smiled. “Everything comes at a price.”
The fact that Annabeth had spent another hour next to him and had let him pay for all of her drinks made her stomach churn in hindsight. He even insisted on paying for the Uber that picked her up.
As Annabeth returned to her apartment, she started searching through it high and low in her semi drunken state. The stupid Greek syndicate had to have bugged her. Her already chaotic apartment was even more disheveled. At least she would be forced to properly clean up once the weekend hit. The worst part was that she found absolutely nothing.
What’s worse? Being wrong or being crazy?
iii.
“I’m pretty sure you got the wrong person,” Percy said and grabbed the glass of water in front of him. The interview room looked sad. “I know nothing.”
“I’m pretty sure we’ve got the right person,” Annabeth retorted and leaned forward. Her hand grabbed the edge table so tightly that the vessels nearly popped. He had to give her something.
“You’re the key. You were the blueprint and now someone’s running off with your legacy. And you’re more than okay with that?!”
“Mmhh,” Percy made. As if he had seen the most delicious thing in his life. The fact that he didn’t lick his lips was a wonder. Annabeth’s eyes followed his gaze right into her cleavage. Two buttons of her blouse that had been left open. Boys will be boys.
“Are you fucking serious, Jackson?” she spat.
The prisoner leaned backwards into his chair with a grin that quickly vanished. “It stinks in here,” he sighed.
Annabeth halted her movement. Her eyes widened in shock.
“No,” she whispered.
His beautiful sea green eyes told her one thing. Yes.
iv.
“Is this really necessary?” Annabeth questioned Beckendorf’s decision behind his back.
A visit to an art gallery. Perseus Jackson decided to become visible to the public eye all of a sudden and started to work as an art collector and conservator. He had meetings with clients, he had visitors in his studio and seemed to actually use his degree for something. Whether it was for the good or not was a matter of perspective. The criminal went to the gym daily; he even bought his own fucking groceries. Observing him had been nerve wrecking. Especially since probably he knew that he was being watched and therefore enjoyed every second of Annabeth’s annoyance. The detective felt like a true voyeur. He hadn’t done anything suspicious unless being a little piece of shit counted. Jackson didn’t separate his waste for an instance. Prick.
When Luke told her that Jackson had planned the opening of a gallery and proposed that they should go, the blonde almost laughed. A public event where no invitation was needed. A ballsy move. It seemed like Jackson really gave no fucks. Unfortunately, Beckendorf caught wind of it and now she was forced to go.
“I’m afraid so,” Luke said as he rubbed his temples. He really wasn’t in the mood for a fight with Annabeth. She was an opponent that just maimed you with arguments.
“What’s going on, Annabeth?” her colleague asked. “You wanted to find Jackson the entire time. You’ve worked for years on this and now you’re basically backpedaling. This is so not you.”
For better or for worse, Annabeth didn’t talk about Luke with her meeting with Jackson at The Grove. Something told her that she should hold onto the information.
“I don’t know. Just a bad feeling I guess,” she confessed. Annabeth didn’t know what would happen once Jackson was aware of her presence. And he would definitely see her.
“You’re not alone.” Luke patted her shoulder. “Grace, Beauregard and hell even that di Angelo informant guy said they would be present. Jackson must have pulled a big gig if even the Italians are interested in his shitty joint. Nothing will happen to you.”
I’m not so sure about that, Annabeth thought, but the only thing she did was nod.
A month had passed, and the day of the gallery opening was finally there. Annabeth stood in front of the building where soft string music could be heard from the outside and guests flooded in. Annabeth saw how undercover cop Jason Grace entered. He quickly glanced in her direction but turned around. Annabeth understood; he was a valuable asset who could not let his cover get blown over.
The blue dress that she wore hugged her curves tightly and the high heels that she chose made the detective regret every life decision that led up to that exact moment. Her soles would be burning the next day and it wasn’t like in the movies. An attempt to run in those things would be a one-way ticket to the ER. The wire in the dress didn’t make the discomfort any better.
“Chase, everything's fine?” asked Beckendorf in her ear. Of course, she had been bugged.
“Yes, everything is good. I’m moving,” she said.
Annabeth mingled with the crowd and entered. The blonde actually stood in awe and registered all the modern pieces. Pop art, minimal art, abstract expressionism, all sorts of different post-modern works that fought for space but harmonized wonderfully together in the rooms. How the fuck was that criminal scum be able to display works from Andy Warhol, Helen Frankenthaler or Jackson Pollock?
They had to be either stolen, bought for a large sum, rented, which was not the style of the Greek syndicate or, something that was Jackson’s supposed specialty, be forged. A waiter offered her champagne which she politely declined. As much as Annabeth would love to cloud her mind, she could not afford it on that evening. She had to look out for Jackson. The blonde made her first round at a slow speed.
“Can you see him yet?”
“No, not yet. Oh, there he is! With Chiara Benvenuti!” A known mafia bride. Chiara was surrounded by her bodyguards like always as she pointed towards a picture.
“Good,” Beckendorf breathed into her ear. “Perhaps we can finally raid this place.”
The painting was an abstract piece with lots of red elements. Blood that was spilled on the dance floor. Something fitting for a coldhearted villain.
“Of course, painting it was a task, but I thoroughly enjoyed it,” Annabeth heard Jackson say. The way Benvenuti laughed made her rage. Jackson joining her, didn’t make it any better. The fact that Benvenuti stared at his tanned chest as he had left some of the buttons of his shirt open, pissed the detective even more off.
Jackson’s sea green eyes shifted to the right and caught her staring at him. A pleased expression rested on his face and the smile could almost be considered to be honest. Embarrassed, Annabeth turned around and immediately left the corner. Fuck that mission. Fuck everything. Fuck that man in particular and the uneasy feeling that rested inside her heart. She saw Luke mingling with two people in black suits, they looked like they would fit the description of some of the Golden Age’s lackeys. Luke was irritated but there was no time for explanation. Annabeth needed alcohol, she needed it badly.
“Chase, what’s going on dammit?” hissed Beckendorf as he heard her frantic steps. She was glad he was unable to see her in that pathetic state.
“Nothing,” Annabeth lied. “Don’t want to blow cover.”
Fortunately, another waitress was making her rounds and Annabeth grabbed a glass which she nearly inhaled. She was wandering through the gallery and tried to figure out her next steps. Too little, too late.
“You left me waiting. Good evening, Detective.”
Annabeth almost let the glass fall as she heard his deep voice behind her and felt his large hand around her waist. A scent of musk and fresh sea breeze crawled into her nose. The grip wasn’t extremely tight, but it was clear that Perseus Jackson had no intention of letting her go.
“Fuck!” hissed Beckendorf into her ear. It was too early to storm the place. They had nothing in their hands against Jackson.
“You have quite the collection,” Annabeth complimented him.
“Thank you, love.” She punished him with a sour look that made his grin only widen.
“Interested in buying?”
“If it’s real perhaps.”
“Oh, my dear Annabeth, everything is real.” The warmth of his hand spread throughout her entire body. Her glass was empty, and he gave it to one of the lackeys.
“Mister Olympianidikis,” the boy nodded and ran off with it immediately. Oh, the power of someone in the higher hierarchical position of a crime syndicate.
Jackson accompanied her through the gallery and showed her his favorite pieces.
Annabeth could picture Beckendorf walking up and down in the small van, nearly losing his shit at the man babbling about oil colors or frameworks that he or other painters used. Jackson was hindering them on purpose. Something was going on.
“There’s something I want to show you. Follow me.” He took her hand and walked to a hidden niche. Jason Grace who stood in the corner and spoke to a woman eyed them with suspicion.
A white door was there with the words Emergency Exit engraved on it. A cold and naked hallway was in front of them. Lights were off and the moon was the only orb that illuminated the place. They were alone.
“And what are you supposed to show-” Jackson cut her off. With a brutal kiss.
A spark that set the entire place in flames. Annabeth did the one thing she was not supposed to: not use her intelligence. Her arms automatically wrapped themselves around his neck as she fiercely kissed him back. Their lips fought a battle against their lungs, and they dived into each other again and again. Taste. That was all they thought.
Percy pulled away from Annabeth. She was beautiful. Her citric smell was divine. The delicate updo was no more. The lipstick was smeared. Her lips trembled and there was something else written in her eyes. Lust. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. A wild look was on his face. He kissed her again. He held her close to his body and pressed her against the wall.
Annabeth felt how one of his hands slid underneath the dress. Did Annabeth exchange the boy shorts for a thong in the last minute? Yes, she did. Did she regret that decision? No, she did not. But his hands had a different goal in mind. The yanking made her shriek into his mouth. A solid welcome for his tongue. The wire underneath her dress was no more. Only then did he place his tight grip on her ass.
Oh, two can play this game Annabeth thought and grabbed the wire that stuck out of his collar.
“Guess that no one’s listening in on us anymore,” Percy commentated.
“It seems like it,” Annabeth agreed. A calm before the storm. A storm that broke loose as they kissed each other again. Percy’s lips wandered.
“Who told you to waltz in this place with this fucking dress?” He claimed her neck with kisses. His beard tickled her. “You look perfect!”
Annabeth wished she could retaliate the compliment. Percy looked fairly handsome in the beige suit, but her brain was short circuiting and only focused on not moaning too loudly and enjoying the feeling of being pressed against him. The probability of her colleagues rushing in that compromising situation was way too high.
Percy broke the kiss off for good. He made a move towards the staircase. A foot was set to the lower step. “Come with me!” His hands reached out for her.
Annabeth was panting. Heart or sanity who would win? Annabeth made one decision that would seal her fate forever. She took his hand and the unlikely pair fled out of the building.
As soon as they opened the backdoor, Annabeth heard a frantic scream for her name. There was no turning back now. A black car was waiting for them in the hidden alley. It looked like Castellan didn’t do his homework properly and had received the wrong plans of the building to study.
Percy held the door open for her and she slipped into the limousine. Percy followed. “Leo!” he barked. The vehicle moved with screeching tires and drove through a garage which led to a tunnel that Annabeth had never seen. She stopped paying attention to it as Percy claimed her lips yet again.
The car ride was a blurry memory. They entered another garage which was when the car stopped. “We’ve arrived,” announced the chauffeur.
Percy nodded to the front and then exited the car. He reached out for Annabeth and helped her out of the car. “Where are we?” she asked as they entered an elevator.
Percy pressed a key card against the board. “My home.”
There was no time left for sightseeing. They immediately entered the bedroom. His jacket was tossed aside, her dress slid to the floor. Both of them fell to the bed. Both of them never wanted to leave the bed.
Annabeth woke up to the wonderful smell of coffee. Her eyes fluttered and the memories hit her. The wonderful night she had shared with a wanted criminal. Her naked body was wrapped in satin sheets. The blonde sat up. Her pale body was sore and ached but in the best way. She didn’t remember the last time she had sex with anyone; work had been way too busy. She didn’t want to remember. What Perseus Jackson did to her would be fairly impossible to top.
Said Perseus Jackson entered the bedroom in nothing but sweatpants and two mugs. Oh yes, he did enjoy his daily workouts. “Morning,” he smiled.
“Morning,” she replied and thanked him for the cup. A delicious aroma took over the room. Annabeth took a sip.
“Mmhh,” she delightfully sighed. Two pumps of hazelnut and heavy cream, just the way she liked it.
“Yes, I did do my homework,” he laughed and drank his tea. “You aren’t the only people that study others. Was seeing me work out at least fun?”
“Shut up, Jackson,” Annabeth blushed. He laughed.
The cop finished her cup and Percy put it on a nightstand. “And what do you want to do now?” She raised an eyebrow.
“Something’s coming to my mind.” His light eyes darkened, and he cupped her face. Annabeth pushed the blanket aside, revealing her perfect self.
“That insatiable?” she laughed but didn’t receive an answer as she felt his lips on hers again. Her hand went on to grasp his black curls.
“Very,” he said as his hands roamed over her very naked body.
Putting the blue dress on again felt wrong. Percy wouldn’t have minded for Annabeth to stay the entire day at his apartment, but he knew she had a point when she said that her colleagues would searchthe entire city for her. Turning brick by brick if they must.
“I honestly can’t come up with a good excuse for my boss. You didn’t think this through.” Annabeth wandered through the modern apartment. It was bathed in light and had window fronts that showed her the entirety of Manhattan and the green of the Central Park. A dream apartment. The Golden Age had money, no doubt in that.
“Well… I actually have an idea,” Percy started. Annabeth turned to him with one cocked eyebrow and her hands on her hips.
“That sounds like I won’t like it,” she predicted.
He opened a cabinet and showed her the bottle.
“Are you fucking serious?!”
“Well as you’ve said. I didn’t think it through,” he shrugged with a goofy grin. It made him look adorable. Stop Annabeth. No time for that. Percy grabbed a cloth as well.
“Let’s just say that I never had the honor of being treated that way,” Annabeth muttered. But she agreed with him. It would make the lies that were about to come out of her mouth easier.
Percy kissed Annabeth one last time and brushed a lock out of her beautiful face. “Sweet dreams, Annabeth,” he wished her.
Then he pressed the drenched cloth over her nose and mouth. Her eyes rolled back, and she was embraced by darkness. Annabeth slumped down but Percy caught her.
Four hours later, Luke Castellan and Jason Grace made their way to Annabeth’s apartment, looking for possible clues. Both of them were fucking pissed. At Jackson, at Annabeth, at the entire fucking operation. The police force was frantically looking  for her. They got Paris Olympianidikis for kidnapping at least. If they would catch him.
Luke had a key to Annabeth’s apartment because they were  close friends. Annabeth had actually defied orders, nearly ruined a mission and drove him to the hospital as his wife gave birth three years ago. He had to find her. Not to make it even, but to know that his friend was safe.
“Look for anything useful,” Luke commanded. Jason nodded.
Luke entered the living room and Jason worked through the bathroom which was followed by the bedroom. He nearly slipped to the floor.
And there she was, sleeping like a princess.
“Annabeth?! Annabeth! Luke, she’s here!”
The next thing Annabeth remembered was waking up in the hospital. She knew that everyone was pissed at her. But Castellan had defended her for the stupid act of following a criminal to nowhere. Jason had seen where they left, and Annabeth thought the Sergeant could hear important information. Who would have guessed that the wiring would be cut off?
Examinations. DNA samples were taken to get a hold of Jackson. Questions. So many questions. A knock. Yet another person that wanted to annoy her. “Yes?” Annabeth sighed.
“Annabeth,” Beckendorf entered the hospital room. Annabeth felt patronized but of course her hands were tied. She refused to speak with her boss about a certain criminal. She covered up the truth and enjoyed living her life in lies. The young detective had no family who anyone could call. That made Beckendorf extremely worried about her.
The tall man took a seat next to her bed. “I’m not here to tear you apart, pretty sure Captain Dougenis had the pleasure.” Yes, he had. “I want to hear from you what happened.”
The blonde retold her vision of events. “I don’t know,” she sighed. “It was a trap. I can’t remember how I ended up in my apartment.” Annabeth spoke a little truth in her web of lies.
“The way our connection cut off as soon as you left the exhibition… I thought it was static. Then you were gone.” Oh no, he heard us making out Annabeth thought. She tried to suppress the panic that was bubbling up in her and was glad that Percy had discarded the wires. The technicians at the police department would have immediately figured out that there had been no static. She remembered almost everything. The staircases. The car. The apartment. The way he felt between her legs. The way she straddled him. The way he grabbed her throat. The pleasures and the cries.
Beckendorf looked deeply into her eyes. He knew that she had something to hide but was wise enough not to ask. The old man was one of the few people that blindly trusted her instincts in the department.
“Okay,” was all that he said. “I’m trusting your judgement.” She nodded. He was a kind soul.
“Take the next week off. You need the rest.” Beckendorf stood up.
v.
Percy saw how her delicate fingers grabbed the folder and closed it. The shiny object fell into his vision.
“I like your ring.” His sea green eyes shot up to her face. He saw a slight blush on her cheeks.
“Thank you,” she nearly whispered and played with the small white band.
“Someone very important gave it to me a long time ago. Someone dear to my heart.”
He blinked twice. She blinked twice.
A devilish smirk rested on his face.
vi.
Their affair lasted an entire year. The fact that it came to an end was saddening. But it was predictable. Star-crossed lovers from two entirely different universes that weren’t meant to be. Otherwise the balance of both of their worlds would crash, burn, and fall.
Annabeth had insight into the police work and Percy had insight into the Golden Age. That was the sole reason they barely saw each other in a work related context. They actually managed to live a fairly happy life outside of the working hours. They went on secret dates, they visited museums after they had been closed and reopened only for the powerful son of Poseidon, they watched movies together, they even flew out to visit his Hawaiian mother Sally who adored Annabeth. And the sex was amazing. A welcoming bonus. Both felt happiness for the very first time. Both felt love for the very first time.
The secret studio in his art gallery was one of the few places where they could be free.
“And here’s the Mona Lisa,” Percy grabbed the painting out of the box. He showed Annabeth some of his latest pieces that were part of his collection or creations. Real paintings and forged ones.
“Wow, that looks so real. An incredible copy.” Annabeth had visited France in her college days.
“The thing that’s hanging in the Louvre?” he winked.
“Tell me you’re joking.” The corners of his lips pointing up was all she got.
Annabeth laid next to him a week later. They were inside of her shitty apartment. Percy had surprised her because of course he could cook as well. To the question “Is there something you can’t do?” Percy only answered, “Change a tire and board planes because I hate heights.”
He might have been joking, he might have been serious. Annabeth did not care. She had returned from yet another demanding shift. This time her task force had hunted down one of Zeus’ kids. Aristidis also known as Ares. Despite being in his late 40s he was an annoying little piece of shit. The fat fuck tried to sell child slaves on the dark web and barely managed to escape them.
As Annabeth had entered her apartment, she was greeted by the delicious smell of parmesan that melted over fresh pasta. Seeing houseman Percy cook was not only a picture for the gods but something she could get used to. Annabeth placed her bag on the sofa and ran to the kitchen to greet Percy with a kiss. A passionate kiss.
“Aren’t-” kiss. “You-” kiss. “Hungry?” he asked between their kisses.
“Well, I think we can eat later.”
“Grover is right, you’re a terrible liar when it comes to food,” he joked. The Grove was another spot for them together. Once the customers left, the three would sit together and joke. Mostly at Annabeth’s expense.
Annabeth pouted and then kissed him again. The only thing that broke her silence was her stomach grumbling.
Percy broke off from her with a roaring laughter. “Eat first. Then we can come to the more fun activities.”
Annabeth pouted but Percy unfortunately had a point.
Now she was fighting against falling asleep as she laid on his chest and he played with her hair. He inhaled her smell. Raindrops were racing on the window as gravity pulled them down. The shower on the outside calmed them. “There’s a good reason why you never found me. Why no one found me,” Percy started.
Her tiredness was gone. Curiosity won. “The fact that my father uses me as his master forger is abundantly clear, right?”
Annabeth nodded. They didn’t talk much about his business ventures in the Golden Age, but she had pieced large chunks of the puzzle together.
“I want to leave my family,” he confessed.
“What?” That came as a surprise to Annabeth. Percy seemed fairly content with his life in the family business. He joked about it and enjoyed the high standards of life that came with the fruits. Then again, Annabeth had seen the dark shadows that followed the Golden Age everywhere they went. Blood, bodies, chaos, destruction.
“A rule that my father engraved into my brain was to be invisible. Live like there’s no tomorrow, but don’t forget to clean the remains of yesterday. The day me and my cousin Ethan were caught shoplifting seventeen years ago changed me. It changed us all. We were so naive, and felt so invincible. For normal parents that would have been a tirade and grounding. Our parents think differently. For Ethan, whose idea it was to begin with, it cost him his eye.”
Annabeth’s eyes widened. The cruelty of parents. The fact that the Golden Age had no problem with hunting their own down was still sickening to her.
“It didn’t matter. Four months in and he had been shot by the Russians, the Bratva. Nearly started an entire fucking war,” he sighed.
“Percy, that’s horrible.” Annabeth tried to see if there was any emotion left in his eyes. There was none. His eyes were dull from the wars he had seen. Percy was blind and used to the cruelty of the survival of the fittest.
“Annabeth, I’ve witnessed my first murder as a thirteen-year-old. At least I haven’t pulled the trigger myself yet. Not in a deadly way.” He stared at the white ceiling.
Her heart broke for the boy that lost his honest smile. “That doesn’t make it any better.”
“No, it doesn’t. It really doesn’t.” Percy hugged her tightly. “I want to be free. Die as a free man. Live in the sunlight and not in the shadows. Not in fear of getting gunned down by a crazy family member. My father spoke with my uncles. They gave me an impossible task. Once I solve it, I’m a free man.”
“Who are you? John Wick?” she joked. She wasn’t in the mood for cracking stupid jokes, but she had to uplift the situation or else the mental image of Percy losing his innocence as a child would forever haunt her.
“That guy is amazing; I’m not going to lie.” Percy managed to crack a crooked smile.
“And the task?”
Percy sighed. He wouldn’t have minded a smoke. “It stinks in here, the three of them had said. ”He turned to Annabeth. “There’s a rat.”
A rat? she thought. “Someone that betrays my family. They mix up our business and create chaos from within as if they want us to implode. I have to find and either obtain or eliminate them.”
Someone that betrayed the Golden Age? Whoever they were, they were crazy and suicidal.
“And what do you want to do once you’re free?”
“Move to Hawaii. Be reunited with my mother again. Find a woman,” he looked at her and grinned. “Marry her, pop out a kid or three. Be an artist.”
Silence. Annabeth was speechless. “I wouldn’t mind seeing that and being a part of that,” she whispered.
Percy only kissed her.
Another month later. The fact that Percy disappeared around her birthday upset her, but that was life. He had been in Los Angeles for a gig. Which gig exactly she did not ask. Was it a legal gig? Highly debatable. It had something to do with the rat. That was all that he told her.
A small package got sent to her and she was curious to see what it was. No sender. Carefully she opened it. A small ring box was in there. Tiffany’s & Co.
A card was attached to the box. Happy Birthday, Princess – P.
“Oh no…” Annabeth opened the little box. The ring had a small silver band that was covered in small diamonds. Her jaw dropped. The ring was beautiful. And it was meant to be for her?
Annabeth put it on. It sat perfectly on her ring finger. Annabeth looked at the box again. It had a code on it. The detective grabbed her phone and searched for the ring.
“WHAT THE-”
Perseus had spent fifteen thousand dollars for that little piece of jewelry.
“No…” she cried. How could he have spent so much money on her?
Annabeth ran into her bathroom and shoved a loose tile aside. She used that little space to hide something. That something was the burner phone that Percy had given her so that they could always stay in contact. Annabeth called him.
“And?” he asked.
“PERSEUS JACKSON!” she yelled.
“HAVE YOU LOST YOUR FUCKING MIND?!”
“Why? Don’t you like the ring?”
“That’s not what I’m saying. I love it. We have to talk about the price.” Her left hand already played with the beautiful ring.
“Why? Do you want a more expensive one? Let me know which one, I’ll buy it,” he stated.
“What?! No! You’ve spent way too much on that ring! I can’t accept this!”
Percy laughed. “You can and you will. It is my gift for you. Happy birthday, Annabeth.”
Annabeth wanted to scream. Denying his gift felt so wrong, but it was the right choice she made.
“Once you’re here we’re going to have a talk. We have to return this!”
Annabeth could practically hear how he shook his head. “You’re going to like the ring and you’re going to keep it.”
“Fine,” she huffed. Annabeth accepted her fate and waited until the days of solitude would be over. Until she was reunited with her Percy again.
The year had passed. Then it happened. The day Paris Olympianidikis would fall.
vii.
“Cooperate with me, Jackson,” Annabeth sounded soft. He merely raised an eyebrow.
“Cooperate and we can make a deal. Better conditions in prison, a reduced sentence perhaps and-”
“I want out,” he boldly stated.
Annabeth stared at him blankly. “Pardon me?”
“You said cooperate and we can make a deal. That’s my end of the line.” Jackson leaned back into his chair again.
Annabeth was speechless. He had beaten her with her own game. She closed her eyes for a second before focusing on him again. Don’t let him get the best out of you.
“I’ll see what I can do.” He smirked as he loved to hear that answer. Then she remembered what he had said.
“You said it stinks in here?” she repeated. Annabeth eyed him suspiciously.
“Yes, Detective,” he truthfully answered.
“What does it smell like?”
“Colors, Detective.”
“Why?”
“You should be able to see it for yourself.” He scratched his temples.
viii.
They got him. They didn’t get him with drugs or anything else that would give him a long sentence. But they got him with one of his forges. The good old Al Capone method. If you don’t get him with the big guns, try to stick to the petty crimes. Criminals get sloppy. Especially criminals that do way too much in too many places. The meeting was over, and everyone cheered. Everyone but Annabeth.
“Shouldn’t you be happy? Hell, Annabeth. You’ve spent more than three years on this case.” asked Travis Stoll.
“It’s just…unbelievable. The fact that everything comes to an end. Goal completed and all,” she smiled sadly.
Annabeth dreaded her seeing Percy again. He was waiting in her apartment and probably preparing food for them. The sight of her apartment complex made her heart sink. Where once was joy, ruled depression.
“Annabeth, what happened?” Percy ran to the door as he saw her in her desolate state. The door closed and she told him what would happen in the next sixteen hours.
“I’m so sorry,” she cried. Percy just held her and hugged her tightly as the tears blinded her. He fought his own tears that threatened to rise. Their future, destroyed.
“It was bound to end like this,” he said. Sadness rested in his voice. But also, tranquility.
“No.” Annabeth shook her head and buried her face into his strong chest.
“Whatever happens. I’ll be fine. Most of the prisons and the judges are smeared.” He kissed her head.
“Of course, they are,” she laughed darkly. Knowing that he wouldn’t be subjected to fights in prison didn’t do much to calm her down. She’d rather have him next to her.
“Annabeth. I want you to arrest me.”
“No. Never.” She violently shook her head again and slapped his shoulder.
“I mean I’m already used to your cuffs, now’s the chance to make it official,” he grinned.
“Percy! Now is not the time to joke about our sex life.” They shared a laugh anyway.
“I have another wish. Move on, Annabeth. Live life to the fullest,” he whispered.
“Everything but that.” She refused to move on. How could she?
“Find an idiot, marry him, have kids and live happily with him. Do that for me. Please,” he continued.
“I want you to be that idiot,” she pressed and looked deep into his eyes. “I don’t care how long it’ll take. I’ll wait for you.”
He kissed her. Don’t do this Annabeth. Don’t give me hope he thought.
The unlikely couple hugged each other tightly as they went to bed. One last time. It didn’t come to Annabeth as a surprise to find his side of the bed cold and empty. His side. His side was no more, it was only her side.
Perseus spent the night and morning hours in the art gallery. He had one final piece to finish. He drank and smoked and cursed. The bottle of cheap whiskey nearly fell to the ground, but he managed to catch it.
The oil painting was a self-portrait. An anchor to the last few moments of his life as a free man that hid in the shadows.
The task force broke into his gallery. He had a cigarette in his mouth and put the paintbrush down as his lover approached him. He had a sarcastic smile on his lips which vanished as he registered the pain in her eyes.
“Perseus Jackson, you are under arrest,” spoke Annabeth with a commanding tone.
She put him into cuffs and read him his rights. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in court... A glance at the painting he had been working on ever since he left the apartment.
Annabeth knew immediately that it was them. Percy in the painting hugged her but their faces had been cut off. She saw the birthmarks on her back and the accuracy of how he portrayed his hands on her hip. Percy’s final act of love to her for all of them to see. Unfortunately, all of them were blind to it. All of them but Annabeth.
The moment she was at home she ran to the bathroom and emptied her stomach. Gush after gush came out of her. Her mouth felt sour and dry, the teeth hurt and had an ugly yellow color, the tears that blinded her ran towards her nose. “What have I done?” she cried and looked at her pathetic self in the bathroom mirror.
Judgement day came eight painful months later. The judge slammed the hammer and sealed his fate.
Twelve years. Twelve years was the sentence. Perseus lost his coolness for one second. Annabeth’s heart broke in two. Poseidon who sat on the other side of the room looked like he wanted to shoot the judge right then and here and Annabeth would have gladly joined him.
They were robbed of twelve years together. Percy was put into handcuffs. His sea green eyes searched through the ranks until they found her gray ones. He blinked twice. I love you. She blinked twice. I love you too. The police officers around her almost cheered.
They complimented her for the worst decision of her life. An act that had destroyed her life. Her lover was gone. And a free rat was still out there.
The trail of memories stopped. Annabeth knew that Luke was restless behind the one-way-mirror. The talk had stretched into eternity and gave little information to the hidden detective, but so much to Annabeth. Percy had been right. He was roaming freely in prison. He was able to talk with his family day in and day out. And most importantly. He knew of operations. And he knew of his own operations the best.
Finally. There was movement in the gallery. Whoever was decided to continue the work of Percy Jackson was stupid enough to revisit the place where it all began. The rat would be caught in a trap.
“NYPD PUT YOUR - no.” Annabeth had the gun pointed at him. But she couldn’t believe it. The rat. The rat that had cost her four years of their life.
“I’m sorry, Annabeth,” he sadly smiled. Then he pointed his gun at her.
A shot.
Annabeth had closed her eyes. The bullet didn’t hit her. It had hit him as Luke Castellan had fired a warning shot into the abdomen. The detectives moved to him.
“Call an ambulance!” yelled Annabeth to the cops that flooded the place. He laughed on the floor as he bled.
Jason Grace. Secret son of Zacharias Olympianidikis also known as Zeus. He not only wanted to act in revenge as Percy’s brother Sciron had killed his older sister Thalia. He wanted to spite him and take over his businesses as well. The money and the gold. The cars and fame. In his twisted mind he was able to run the syndicate and destroy it at the same time. It was over.
Annabeth saw as the ambulance drove off. Percy scratching his temples as an indication for the glasses and his talk about colors to point to the gallery would be his ticket to freedom. Hopefully.
ix.
It was the first time that Percy had seen the sun as a free man again. He left prison with the clothes he entered. The deal with the district attorney went smoothly although the old man would have rather wrung the half-Greek’s neck.
A black car drove up to the prison. Two people exited the car.
“Mom? Dad?”
Sally and Poseidon hugged their free son tightly.
“You are stupid!” cried Sally. “Both of you!”
Father and son winced. That was Sally Jackson for them.
x.
Quitting her job had been freeing. She had made the decision about half a year ago. Annabeth wanted to see something new. Experience something new. She was on the way to the small airport. The day was sunny and warm. A new day to start a new chapter in her life.
Annabeth arrived. “You can stop hiding, we aren’t being followed,” she laughed.
Percy yawned in the backseat. “I was sleeping,” he excused himself.
“Of course, you were.” She rolled her eyes and smiled into his reflection in the rearview mirror.
Her colleagues were upset, especially Luke, but it had to be. She had to quit for her own sanity. Beckendorf would check up on her and then see who she was with and connect the dots. But he would be wise enough not to contact her, not to rat her out. He would be happy about the fact that she had found love.
They would live with Sally and her little family for a while before they would buy their own house. The private jet that Zeus had given them would bring them to Hawaii undetected. A small sorry as the son of Zeus had caused a lot of trouble in the family. At least Jason was still alive.
Annabeth stopped the car and turned to Percy.
“I love you,” he said.
“I love you too,” she grinned. A delicate kiss was shared.
A golden age was truly upon them.
The End
Ummm... I... I think this might be a poppin feature fic? I have still many ideas and many things could be fleshed out...? Help?
BUT THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE SUGGESTION DIL OMFG ILY!
All Cookout Fics
Cute/Cursed Cookout Writing Prompts
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dollwritesarchive · 4 years
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can you do some joe elliott smut? i was thinking maybe circa 1993-ish, and maybe a lil bit kinky. thanks 💗
hhh I have so many kinks I forgot how to be a little kinky so I’ll try my best my love! I hope you like! 🥰
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a little sugar never hurt no one, at least that’s what you’d come to believe in the past couple of weeks. you were drowning in loans when you met him for the first time, in a convenience store just off the interstate. of course, you hadn’t expected to be bent over the hood of his car in the back of the parking lot, but you still believed the meeting to be fate.
now, more than ever. Joe takes care of you, buys you pretty clothes and downright gaudy accessories. he pays your bills, hell, the man even bought you a car. in exchange for what? to be his arm candy, his feisty, little kitten and to paw all over him in front of his friends. there were worse ways to earn less money (not to mention, the sex he gave you was as much of a payment as the funds he floods your bank account with), so you’d have been stupid not to do exactly what he wanted.
like tonight, you sit perched upon his left thigh while he remains hyper-focused on the large screen behind you, and the soccer game that is in full swing. Sav reclines in the armchair adjacent to your perch, but even if you wanted to move from your spot on Joe’s lap, your movement would be restricted, mostly due to the sleek, silver chain hooked to a bedazzled collar that adorns your throat, only partially concealing his latest masterpiece of love bites and hickeys left over your otherwise flawless complexion. though you were told to sit pretty, you can’t help but react to the bit of friction as his coarse, denim-clad thigh slides against the vulnerable and bare flesh beneath the flare of your mini skirt. panties were, of course, forbidden, especially when you wore cute, little skirts. you purr, eyelids fluttering for a split second amidst the excitement of your man’s team scoring, and even as he celebrates, you catch him looking to you out of the corner of his eye, picking up every signal.
you feel your cheeks heat up with a cherry tint, and you utter a soft, though not so sincere: “Sorry, Daddy.”
a low, rumbling chortle builds from the depths of his throat and claws its way past his kissable lips, leaving your core dribbling with desire helplessly to leave a darkened, damp blob on his distressed pant leg. “Are you certain, kitten? You don’t seem all that apologetic, maybe it’s because you’re too busy soaking Daddy’s thigh when you’re supposed to be good until the game’s over.”
you can feel his company’s eyes trailing over you, and you knew Mr. Savage was no doubt currently sporting a look of jealousy, gawking like a horny schoolboy, so you decided to lay it on even thicker, pressing both palms over the expanse of Joe’s chest, your fingers play within the sparse hair peeking from the collar of his shirt, and you push your glossy, lower brim out into a pout. “I’m really, really sorry, Daddy?” you try instead, tilting your head to the side when you feel his fist tighten up on the leash that binds you to him. “I just can’t help myself, I want you so bad right now-“
a low scoff sounds from Sav, who is now fully immersed in the exchange. “Naughty little thing,” he mumbles, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees, fingers interlaced before his mouth. “Can’t keep her obedient, eh? Maybe you should let me borrow her from time to time, I’ll train the little hellcat up real nice.”
Joe shoots his friend a glare, eyes fiery with his naturally possessive nature over you. “Not a chance in hell, Savage. This little pussy is all mine.” his long, thick forefinger dances along your chin, tilting it up and he leans in, close enough for his hot, liquor-laced breath can reside upon your needy lips. “She just needs a little somethin’ to keep her occupied, don’t you love?”
have you ever nodded in response to a question before in your lifetime, you didn’t think so, but you were staring down at Joe’s oh-so inviting crotch, and the growing bulge found there, and you knew the man had something truly wicked tumbling about the gears of his mind. the smirk upon his lips that you wanted to kiss so badly sends a shiver down your spine, and you become restless as you feel his hand jerk, hasty and haphazard, at the fly of his jeans. in only a moment, you’re greeted with your prize, standing at attention and demanding all of yours.
“If my pretty, little pussycat can’t sit still, then I’ll have to make sure that needy cunt is in use, and she’ll have nowhere to go-“ breaking into his own sentence, he yanks at the collar, dragging your body over his thigh and towards his erection. “Go on, kitten. Daddy’s going to let you be his cute, little cocksleeve since you’re a-gettin’ restless.” you’ve no choice but straddle him instead, as his large hand grips his base and guides himself to your entrance. your descent is not at all slow and sensual, gliding down over his waiting cock until he bottoms out within you in the first go; you utter a small mewl, eyes wide. “That’s a lotta cock, innit, little kitty?” he coos, though his tone is mocking as you tremble, impaled on his length. your hips want to rock, to encircle, to move at all as his girth stretches your canal to it’s limits, each and every vein massaging your sensitive walls. you nod, though your body attempts to subtly undulate for stimulation, a breathless whimper passing by your lips. Joe stabilizes you easily enough, pulling the chain taut and causing the collar to rub against the delicate skin of your throat. “Nuh uh uh, kitten. Sit pretty until the game’s over.”
with a belly full of his member, pressing against that quivering, bundle of nerves deep within you, you obediently (albeit, reluctant) stall your rocking, teeth sinking into your lower tier as you bat your eyelashes at him. “Yes, Daddy.” your cooperation, however so begrudging, is only because you know his body language so well. the moment his team would score, he would jolt forward, in turn plunging himself deeper within you in a fervent thrust, or you could ride the motion, grinding your swollen clitoris against his pubic bone. all you had to do was hold on tight, and thank your lucky stars his team would score lots and lots of points.
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gardenwerks · 3 years
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Scenes from our Flower Garden, rebounding from record-breaking heat on Sunday and Monday, June 27 and 28, 2021. It was only 96 F here in Kingston 1/4 mile from the moderating waters of Puget Sound, but Seattle hit an all-time historic high of 108 F. Our hyper-energy-efficient mini-split heat pump kept us quite comfortable until the peak heat of Monday, when the interior of the house registered 80 F. We were very fortunate, and grateful, since only about 40% of Western Washington homes have a/c.
1. Unknown clear cantelope-orange Asiatic lily serendipitously bought this spring untagged in the discount section of a local nursery, Colorita dwarf lavender Alstroemeria, Shasta daisy Real Glory, with Madison star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) peaking out from the left. More about Shasta daisies below. Shasta Real Glory, which was purchased as feathery Real Galaxy, but clearly is not, is part of the RealFlora series
2. The south side Flower Garden - this is where the husband allows me to experiment. It is small - 7′ wide by 19′ long, with the heat pump in the middle and propane tank at the top. The ground slopes evenly from top to bottom with a 10′ change in grade. The lower end is held back with a low curved block retaining wall, anchored by an angled, rusted-metal trellis tower that is home to the Madison jasmine. At the upper end, two golden upright Jantar arborvitaes screen the “service area”, and a curved tall trellis was installed to screen the heat pump from below. It is planted with Winter jasmine, and beside that, a Grevillea ‘Audrey’ is being trained up as a standard. The final flush of bloom from Superman Mauve erysimum (shrubby wallflower) shows up in the foreground. Behind them are the lovely lilies Karen North and Eurydice, which were just starting to bloom last week and were blasted by the heat, and the tall spikes of the reblooming Salvia nemerosa Caradonna. 
3. Erigeron x speciosus Darkest-of-All (from Germany - Dunkeste Aller), with The Third Harmonic alstroemeria and Mediterranean sea holly (Eryngium bourgatii) behind, and a new flush of flower stalks from Geum borisii. The Erigeron is quite floppy when in bloom at 18″ high, thus the green wire cage makes a great cut flower. In fact, it was transplanted to this better site this spring.  We forgive it that fault because the blooms make a great cut flower. This clump is a foot across - It readily expands, so offshoots are available in the Spring to share with friends. Some quick research today...this native American “fleabane daisy” was improved on by the German seed company Benary, and released in 1951. The species E. speciosus is called Aspen fleabane, and is native to the mountains and foothills of Western North America north of California.
4. This scene is from the Back Garden that runs along the eastern property line separated only by a split-rail fence from the Upper Meadow of our subdivision’s forest restoration project. This is the Shasta daisy named Becky, certainly one of the most vigorous forms of this very tough plant. In one season it grew from a gallon can into a clump nearly 2′ across, and was summarily evicted from the south side Flower Garden. Simply took up too much room. However, yours truly is loathe to throw any living plant away, so the clump was divided and planted along the back side of the curving band of Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Early Bird Gold’ in the “prairie” part of the back garden. It blooms well before the Rudbeckia’s main flush of bloom, so fits into it’s new role quite well. In the foreground is variegated Northern hair grass (Deschampsia caespitosa), and the first blooms from Early Bird Gold. 
We can thank Luther Burbank for mixing up the gene pools of several different daisies in the 1890s to produce the excellent Leucanthemum x superbum hybrid that he named after the year-round white snowy peak of nearby Mount Shasta (California). Further breeding was undertaken by others, and today there are MANY cultivars now available based on the original “pure white daisy” template. Garden designed Troy Rhone shared the story of Shasta daisy Becky in Flowere Magazine. Becky is a “foundling” - having popped up in a neighborhood in Atlanta, Georgia in the 1970′s, by Ida Mae Gatlin, a local florist. She recognized the vigor of this plant in the Southern heat and humidity, and admired the long-sturdy-stemmed large white daisies as cut flowers. Ida Mae and her daughter Mary shared it with friends, and in the 1980′s it was “discovered” by three different plantsmen and introduced under 3 different names, including Ida Mae and Ryan’s Daisy as well as Becky. One of the plantsmen, Bill Funkhouser, joined White Flower Farm in Connecticut and brought Becky with him. From there it was widely distributed throughout the US. And, in 2003, Becky was name the US Perennial of the Year. Alas, Becky does have somewhat mixed reviews. It is touted as blooming all summer long. That has not been my experience so far. Others have noted it is not particularly attractive out of bloom - I concur! When I first grew it in Georgia, it was so vigorous during the longer Southern growing season, that new plants would form several inches above ground on the lower stems. Very awkward to cut back. However, the stems are strong, the flowers are great for cutting, they tolerate poor soils and limited moisture, and they easily grow above the top rail of the fence - blending our Back Garden in with the Meadow.
5. A bouquet of Erigeron Darkest-of-All, Becky Shasta daisy, and Mediterranean sea holly.
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splitminiusa · 1 year
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Heating without Ducts: Boilers vs. Ductless Mini Splits
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Both boilers and ductless systems have long existed in the shadow of the more popular furnace heating systems. That time is fast drawing to a close, however. Both systems have experienced a dramatic rise in popularity over the past couple of decades, and for good reason. Each system has its own distinct advantages to recommend it. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each system, and how you can choose the one best-suited to your needs.
DUCTLESS MINI SPLIT SYSTEM
A ductless mini split system is a type of heat pump that, as the name suggests, completely eschews ductwork in favor of only heating the room in which it is installed. There are two parts to a ductless system, one indoor unit and one outdoor unit. The indoor unit is installed directly into a room, usually on a wall or the ceiling, while the outdoor unit is installed on the outside of the house. The two units are then connected by a conduit containing power and refrigerant lines.
When the heat is turned on, the outdoor unit evaporates refrigerant using a coil inside its casing. This leeches thermal energy from the surrounding air, which is carried by the refrigerant gas to the indoor unit. The indoor unit then condenses the gas back into a liquid, releasing the thermal energy to heat the room.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BOILERS AND MINI SPLITS?
A new heating system is an investment, so it’s important to do all your research in advance to know what the best choice will be to keep you and your loved ones safe and comfortable.
Lifespan
The lifespan of both ductless heat pumps and boilers is around 10–20 years, making both systems reliable, long-term options.
Installation
Ductless mini splits are exactly what they sound like — ductless! Heat pump installation is quick and easy, taking only 1–2 days to complete depending on the number of units you’re having installed. Ductless mini splits can be installed in any exterior wall, making them great options for whole-home heating and cooling, as well as a great supplement for tough to condition areas like garages and sunrooms.
Safety
Boilers carry an innate risk of carbon monoxide leak by nature of their fuel source design. This can be caused by fuel not being fully burned and a malfunction of the built-in ventilation system. Mini Split Heat Pumps run on electricity, meaning there is no risk of carbon monoxide leak in your home from your heating and cooling unit.
Efficiency
All-electric technology has made massive strides over the past decade, which makes ductless mini splits more efficient than ever. Mini split efficiency also helps the average homeowner save on their monthly utility costs! According to The Wall Street Journal, heat pumps have never been a more viable alternative to traditional heating systems that run on fuel.
Versatility + Maintenance
Mini split heat pumps provide both heating and cooling from a single unit. This minimizes your costs because instead of having to repair and maintain a boiler and a cooling system, you only need to maintain your mini split. Not all homeowners feel compelled to invest in an AC system since the hot season is shorter than other parts of the country, but with a mini split already installed for heating, you can enjoy the benefits of cooling as well.
Impact on the Environment
Boilers use either oil or gas to warm your home, making them tough on the environment by their nature. Mini splits are electric, so if you install one, it can help you reduce your carbon footprint while still staying safe and comfortable year-round.
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writingbakery · 5 years
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Happy Halloween, You’re The Only Sugar I Need
[i didn’t have a lot of time to come up with halloween ideas, so have these cute lil hc’s about what it would be like to trick or treat with the bnha babies!💓]
*☆*゚ ゜゚*☆*゚ ゜゚*☆*゚ ゜゚*☆*゚
Izuku Midoriya
did someone say couple costumes?
plans his costume out in july, and has it perfect by august
he knows all the best routes and houses like the back of his hand - nothing but full size candy bars for his baby (you💓) duh!
no haunted houses for him, he just wants to hold your hand as you walk through the neighborhood
he’s the most fair when it comes to candy negotiations, offering up two skittles bags for one set of jelly chew jolly ranchers and making sure the butterfingers were evenly divided
since he’s an expert on trick or treating (your words not his, he blushes for a full thirty minutes after you tell him) you’re both home fairly early, only out a little under an hour
which means: halloween jammies, takeout, and all your halloween candy piled up on the table while you watch spooky godmother together <3
and perhaps there’s a heated makeout session that ends with your hands down the front of his onesie ;)
Katsuki Bakugo
he always wants to go as something horrifically extra - he pretends it’s all your idea, but you know he’s been pinterest scrolling it for a solid month
his goal is quantity over quality here; the more candy he has the better, so you’re both hitting every neighborhood till the streetlights flicker on
he also wants to do every “haunted house” he spots along the way, dragging you in to suffer with him
he likes the spook
you’re out the latest, but it’s still fun - mainly because you’d convinced him to piggy back carry you home after
he’s fair but strict in his candy negotiations - he won’t let you cheat him out of a full sized kitkat bar just because you’re adorable his s/o. he requires at least three kisses and two mini crunch bars in exchange
you watch endless slasher films and bad horror classics, and cuddle under the biggest fluffiest blanket you own
somewhere during the “scary movie” series he’s got you pinned, kissing a hot trail up your neck and there goes the movie session ;)
Hanta Sero
hanta 1000% wants to do meme couple costumes, and you’re whipped for his smile, so-
plans his costume out a while back, but procrastinates getting it together until two days before (and yet, it still looks amazing?)
doesn’t really have a route or plan in mind, he just wants to wander around holding hands and kissing every time you see a pumpkin (like punch buggy but sweeter <3)
he’s honestly probably the most confusing with his candy negotiations - “how does a mini snickers and a bag of pretzels equal a york patty, hanta?”
the boy has weird candy tastes but you love him anyways
you’re out a decent amount of time, a little over an hour & change
he wants to watch every cult classic horror film ever, so prepare not to sleep
halfway through he’s too busy smiling with his tongue in your mouth though, so its a win in your book ;)
Hitoshi Shinso
hitoshi always wants to go as some super obscure film or literary pair
he’s not too early in his planning, or too late. he finishes his costume with time to spare but he doesn’t rush, either
he’s not keen on being out too late but he indulges you for a bit, sneaking kisses here and there
he’s not big on candy either, so he ends up giving you most of his basket anyway - although there’s certain things he won’t part with.
“you’re serious? i cant even have one?”
“no. all the reese’s cups are mine, & that’s final.”
you’ll get smooches because he feels bad
you’ll spend the rest of the evening with your head on his chest, listening to him read you Poe snuggled under a blanket with tea.
and halfway through lady ligeria his hands will creep up the back of your sweater, and suddenly you’re doing much more kissing than reading ;)
Yaoyorozu Momo
momo definitely wants to do something elegant and fancy with you for costumes
she gets everything tailored and ready weeks in advance, duh
momo’s house is the one giving out full sized candy bars, so is trick or treating even necessary? yes it is
you spend about an hour giggling and sharing a candy basket, everyone awwing over the pair of you
there’s no candy negotiations because you share <3
you play board games with the charlie brown halloween special in the background
she wins every time that girl’s a menace
“since i’ve won twenty four of our twenty six games, i’ll be claiming my prize now.”
her prize is kissing you senseless on the floor, smiling into each other’s mouths with wandering hands ;)
Tsuyu Asui
dorky costumes? dorky costumes. think dorothy and the tin man, but cute
she plans both your costumes in advance cause she’s just that amazing
you’re out almost as late as possible only because tsu gets excited everytime she sees a decorated house and you’re soft for her
candy negotiations with her are tough; she plays hard to please and you both like too many of the same candies
you end up sharing anyways
halloween movies with tsu are a big mess of funny to scary to animated to wholesome - she loves all of them and you love her, so you’re watching everything
you’re cuddled up in a blanket fort, snuggled into a heap of blankets and it’s so comfortable that you almost fall asleep halfway through poltergeist
until tsuyu starts kissing her way up the sensitive skin of your back, and suddenly kissing is the only thing on your mind ;)
Ojiro Mashirao
he always wants to do a cutesy/romantic couples costume, he’s your prince charming without fail
the two of you work on your costumes together well before halloween - he calls it couple bonding like the cutie he is
you’re not out too late, mostly because you have too many activities planned for when you’re back home
there is no candy negotiation with ojiro; he gives you your favorites and steals your pretzels and m&m’s without a word
you carve pumpkins even though you already have six, make candy apples, and finally snuggle together on the couch to watch some cheesy halloween hallmark specials
he makes you both hot chocolate with plenty of mini marshmallows <3
by the end of the second sappy film you’re licking the chocolate out of his mouth, and he’s only complaining a little
“but (y/n), she’s about to leave it all behind for the lovestruck farmer!”
Eijiro Kirishima
kiri loves halloween, so he’ll gladly be the counterpart to any costume you choose
he’s definitely a procrastinator though, only finishing it the day of
he’s so excited and hyper that you spend nearly two hours trick or treating, being dragged by holding hands with kiri as he marvels at the tiniest of things
he’s the worst at candy negotiations - he’s so soft for you that he’d give you anything you asked, and he’s a sucker for all types of candy so he’s way too easy to please
“sure baby, you can have my crunch bar and my twix for the nerds.”
“eiji those are both full size candy bars-“
“so?”
he wants to watch the scariest of movies because he’s manly, of course, and he promises to protect you from anything too frightening
he ends up curled into your arms, peering at the screen through his fingers and you’re trying really hard not to laugh
distractions come in the form of kisses, though, and soon he’s too busy nipping at the son of your neck to pay attention to the terrifying film ;)
Tamaki Amajiki
tamaki definitely wants to do cheesy pop culture costumes with you - he spends most of his time reading or watching it
his nerves about the whole thing make him finish his costume way too early, but it’s cute
once he’s in costume though, he gains a sort of confidence - he’s somebody who’s not him for a little while, and he boldly holds your hands and kisses your cheek as you wander
tamaki loves candy, so negotiations are difficult - but he loves you a lot more, so he parts with some of his precious stash
you decide on reading scary stories to each other, sitting with your back against his chest in the big armchair, by the fireplace
it’s warm and cozy and you could almost fall asleep like this, until tamaki’s voice wavers as you shift in his lap
the book is quickly forgotten about as you make out softly, and maybe the costume gets a little shredded. oops ;)
Mirio Togata
mirio will literally dress up as anything as long as you match with him
he insists you plan together, takes all of your thoughts into consideration; this is a team effort!
he doesn’t want to be out too late but he can’t help himself, he wants to show you everything
plus he keeps running into people he knows and he wants to show you off
he splits all his candy evenly with you; you’re his baby, he’d give you his kidney if you asked
he’s one for paranormal movies, he gets so wrapped up in the plotlines it’s almost funny
“okay but if i were a ghost, i’d haunt people in the fun way. like, we’d play games or something.”
“you’d make a very nice ghost, babe.”
he gets so caught up in the movies though that he doesn’t even realize when you pounce, tickling him to draw his attention again
it quickly turns from tickles to kisses and kisses to nibbles and suddenly he’s not thinking about ghosts at all ;)
Nejire Hado
the poor baby’s so excited she can’t even choose a costume, so you end up deciding
she’s very involved in the process though, helping out any way she can
trick or treating with nejire is like going with a hyperactive six year old, but it’s adorable. she drags you around for hours
“look! that pumpkins as big as my head! let’s take a picture!”
she’s a candy addict, good luck trying to negotiate any sort of trade. she steals yours when you aren’t looking
you totally notice but you indulge her
you’re watching a movie, making cookies, and playing a board game all at once when you get home
she’s so excited she can’t even sit still, bouncing from activity to activity until you give up and pull her in for a kiss
you get so distracted you forget all about the cookies ;)
“NO! MY PRECIOUS SUGAR PUMPKIN BABIES!”
Uraraka Ochaco
she’s had your costumes planned since last halloween
“but we’ve only been dating four mo-“
“shush and try this on.”
she’s running around the neighborhood with you for hours, isn’t even tired
another big candy thief, shamelessly digging in your basket but she’s cute so you allow it
wants to watch all the sappy halloween movies and compare you guys to the main characters
“that’s so us, oh my god.”
“he’s a baker. and she’s in real estate.”
“it’s us!! im the baker though.”
drinking lots of spiced cider and giving out leftover candy to the few stragglers, she’s got a soft spot for them
lots of cheesy, silly kisses as you cuddle
she’s easily distracted though, kissing down your cheek to your jaw, neck and oops! the movies long forgotten ;)
Denki Kaminari
another meme costumer, but he also wants to look cool. it’s a tricky balance
he keeps putting off getting his costume together, and then he forgets, and then he’s calling you frantic the night before for assistance
he’s a little more relaxed as you walk through the neighborhood, but that’s only because he’s waiting for everyone to discover the pranks he’d set up beforehand
needless to say, trick or treating ends early before he can be murdered
denki’s a candy whore, but he’s willing to make negotiations with you as long as he gets kisses out of it - which you take advantage of to get all his good stuff
you’re curled up together watching nightmare before christmas, a tradition between you because you’d argued for a week straight about whether it was a halloween or christmas movie
the compromise is that you watch it on both holidays
he gets bored after twenty minutes though, restless like always and before you know it he’s kissing wherever he can reach
the movie’s ignored for the rest of the night as the pair of you kiss and giggle and get a little carried away ;)
Mina Ashido
she’s all over the place with her planning but she definitely wants to do something complicated - she loves going all out!
she needs your help to stay on task but your costumes are finished in a decent enough amount of time
first you’re trick or treating, then you’re pulling pranks with denki, then you’re chasing the neighborhood kids around in a silly game of tag - you’re doing so much that you don’t even realize how late it’s gotten
at home she’s still got all that wild excited energy so you make pumpkin pie together despite the hour, making stupid jokes and flicking flour at one another
“if this sticks in my hair you’re dead, (y/n)!”
“love you too, princess.”
somewhere between baking and eating the pie you start making out against the counter, and there’s definitely flour handprints all over the both of you ;)
Mezo Shoji
shoji likes halloween, but he lets you pick out the costumes - he wants you to have a good time!
he’s very helpful throughout the entire process of getting the costumes ready, and you’re done in no time
he lets you drag him all around, using the majority of his arms to carry extra candy baskets - it’s not cheating the system because everyone thinks it’s part of his costume, and there’s six times as much candy now!
he gives the majority of it to you once you’re home again to see you smile - it has been his plan all along to drown you in excess candy, and you’re not complaining
he gets an equal amount of kisses in return
you spend the evening helping the local kids collect as much candy as they can, and shouji makes it his job to escort all the children that are scared up to every house so they don’t miss out
he gets a whole lot more than kisses for that, but who can blame you? your boyfriend was just too sweet for his own good
“i think you’re the only sugar i need, (y/n).”
“you flirt. kiss me again.” ;)
Tokoyami Fumikage
whenever halloween comes around, he goes big. all out. ridiculously detailed, amazing costumes
you help as much as you can, but he’s in his element; he handles most of it himself
his excitement isn’t obvious, but you can see it in the way he slightly pulls you along as you wander. it’s downright adorable
dark shadow is also having the time of his life, popping up to make snarky comments at passrersby and steal candy whenever possible
“god, did she pull that costume off of last years clearance rack?”
“dark shadow, enough.”
he’s not wrong though
candy negotiations are done through dark shadow - your boyfriend would’ve given you all the good stuff without questioning it, and his counterpart can’t have that
you end up sitting outside to watch the stars, tokoyami cuddled into your chest and all it takes is a few well placed kisses to his plumage to have dark shadow sweep you up and take you right inside for some evening fun ;)
[i tried to write as many as i could, i hope you all enjoy bbs! happy halloween 🎃 🧡]
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Briefcases and Bloodspatter Benny Colon x OC Chapter 2.5: Dreams
WARNING, this mini chapter is fairly explicit. or edging that way. I hope you all enjoy and it gives you a second away from the current state of the world! Chapter 3 will be up soon. This mini chapter is 2.5 because some people are adverse to naughties, if it’s not for you, skip over this chapter, and carry on the love story in chapter 3.
The tiles of the shower cubicle was cold on Olivia’s skin as her bare back slammed against them, but she paid no mind the to slight chill, her eyes were scrunched up tightly shut, and her head tipped back, exposing her throat to the warmth of his open kisses. A deft tongue was dragged sensually up the column of her neck, lips finally coming to her ear. His dark hair tickled her cheeks and his big, strong hands held her wrists in place above her head.
“I swear I’ve wanted to do that since you walked into the office.” He growled; his voice was barely above a husky whisper.
He nipped lightly at the flesh of her ear lobe and pressed hot kisses down her neck, twirling his tongue over her pulse point. If her heart wasn’t beating fast enough already, she swore it had just doubled.
“Benny” she cooed, letting him assault her skin. She tangled her fingers into his perfectly styled dark hair, pulling gently on the longer sections.
“Mmm?” He hummed, pulling away from her for a second, but still long enough for Olivia to whine at the loss, her body felt cold without him pressed up against her. He switched the water on, and after a split second the waterfall shower above her head started to cascade down. The feel of the splashing added a whole new sensation to her already hyper stimulated body and she let out a little cry, plastering her hands flat on the wall behind her to ground herself.
Hearing the noise, Benny came back to her and cupped her face in his strong hands, tilting her head up. He took a beat to just look at her, eyes full of intensity and want. She did the same to him, trying to keep her composure as the water washed over his dark hair, moving some of the longer strands forward, they threatened to get in his eyes but he refused to stop looking at her, as if he was a starving man and she was a feast.
The droplets rippled over his smooth olive skin and bulging muscle. She bit her lip, admiring the strong physique that was usually covered by the impeccable three piece suits. ‘such a waste’ She mused to herself, as she dug her nails into the soft sinew of his back, her long fingernails leaving long, angry red streaks across the perfect surface.
He hissed in a mix of pleasure and pain, and closed his eyes.
“Kiss me” She begged, trying not to sound to needy, but she wanted his contact now, more than anything.
“I’m sorry, what?” He smirked, teasing her. He grinned devilishly.
“Kiss me. Please Benny” She begged again. Her dark eyes wide and pleading with lust.
He did just that, without missing a beat. His soft lips crashed onto hers in a heated kiss. She softened into the kiss and indulged in the heavenly feeling of his skilled tongue swirling against hers.
He broke away from her lips and began to trail kisses down her body, dropping to his knees before her. He gripped her hips tightly and she weaved her fingers through his hair and worked his way down her collar bone to her chest.
He looked up at her cheekily, and flicked his tongue over her nipple. She shuddered at the feeling moaned. He took the bud between his lips and sucked.
“Holy fuck, Benny” She half breathed, half cried in pleasure. “Benny!”
“What’s up Liv?” She swore she heard it. It was Benny’s voice, but he was still on his knees before her, mouth too occupied to be forming the words she could hear. But it was definitely his voice.
“Liv are you ok?” There it was again …
 Olivia Byrne woke up with a start, her skin flushed a deep pink and beaded with sweat. The loose hotel sheets were tangled around her legs and the pillows were askew, as if she had been involved in the passionate encounter she had dreamed of. Her breathing was shallow and her knees were still jelly like.
It had felt so real. So intimate. Like he had really been there, hands and tongue all over her body. Her sex throbbed at the memory.
“Liv? Speak to me …” Benny’s deep tones brought her back to reality, and she snatched her phone off the night stand.
“Benny” even his name felt like honey dripping off her tongue. “I’m ok.”
He chuckled lowly, the rumble stirring something deep in her loins. “You sure there, sweetheart?”
“Mmhmm” apparently she’d forgotten how to use words, which was a stark contrast to her usual babbling.
“So did you call me for anything specific? Or did you just want to talk to me?” He laughed, back to being flirty. She must have called out his name in her dream and her phone took the liberty of calling him. ‘damn technology’ she thought to herself.
Olivia wondered if he was this flirty with a lot of women, he didn’t exactly give off the player vibe. But it’d been an instant connection with her.  
“I was just going to say I was going to be late in. Someone kept me awake last night.” She flirted, a smile on her face, she relaxed into the pillows, enjoying hearing his voice. She’d deal with her insecurities later.
“Who? Must have been some company,”
‘It certainly was,’ She thought to herself, playing over bits of her dream in her head, ‘more than you know.’
“the best.”
“Glad you enjoyed it.” He paused for a minute and she could her the bustle of the office and Bull’s rambling tones in the background. “Liv, I gotta go. Bull and the clients are here. Come by and see me when you’re in?” He sounded hopeful, almost like he was asking her on a date, but he wasn’t.
“Of course. Go do your thing Mr hot shot lawyer.”
“Ah, you know I’m just a background guy, right? I’ve not been Mr Hot Shot lawyer in a while now.”
“Just go Benny. I’ll see you when I get in.” she smiled to herself. She’d seen him work  - or sort of at least, he was a good lawyer. It took a humble man to be so self-depreciating.
“I look forward to it. See you soon.”
She couldn’t hold in the big smile that plastered across her cheeks. “See you soon. Go, before Bull blows a gasket.”
“Bye Liv.”
She leaned back and studied the ceiling, butterflies bubbling in her stomach. She’d only been there a day, and the dark haired, dark eyed man had already stolen all her senses.
@reelovesbennycolon​
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centralacwarehouse · 2 years
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byuneebuns · 6 years
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Fenced In (Part 3)
Chanyeol x Reader College Roommate AU
Rated: M for Smut
Tags: College AU, Slow Burn
Author’s Notes: I love suffering!!!!!!!! ! ! ! ! 
Fenced In Mini Masterlist
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“It is far too early for anyone to be awake,” You grumbled under your breath as you poured what had to have been the hundredth vanilla latte of the morning. You couldn’t even fathom willingly waking up this early and then subjecting oneself to overpriced sugar water. You sat the cup down on the order counter and almost knocked it over when another hand brushed yours to pick it up and you visibly jumped.
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t see you there,” You laughed to play off the awkward interaction while the boy just smiled at you in silence. He looked vaguely familiar but you couldn’t quite place it. He was average height with light brown hair that was sticking up oddly in some places, but his face was startlingly handsome. His eyes were perfect little almonds and his shapely mouth was set in a permanent pout. He had an overwhelming air of playfulness, like a puppy. He still hadn’t stopped staring and you felt your cheeks getting hot with the discomfort of being closely inspected. Was there something on your face…?
“I’m sorry, but don’t I know you from somewhere? You look very familiar.” His voice had almost a musical quality to it and was very pleasing to listen to, like you could just listen to him speak forever and never grow tired of it. He was probably an amazing singer. “Are you a student at the university by any chance?” He continued before you could answer.
“Yes, actually I am.” You replied with a smile, trying your best to regain your composure under the stranger’s intense gaze.
“I see,” He smirked, strengthening his grip on the to-go cup and lifting it fully from your grasp. You flushed again, unaware that you hadn’t let go of the cup yet. 
“Maybe I’ll see you around then.” He said, winking.
You didn’t trust yourself to not sound like an idiot if you opened your mouth so you opted instead for a polite nod. You watched his retreating back and felt a strange prickling sensation down your spine when he glanced back at you and gave you a meaningful smirk as he exited. As he disappeared from view you pulled up your order log to check his name. “Byun Baekhyun….”
***
  You raised your arms high above your head and stretched, taking in as much fresh air into your lungs as you could. Freedom! No more ugly collared shirt or black apron, for today at least. You doused yourself with body spray once more as you slid out of the driver’s seat of your car, wishing fervently that you had time to go home and shower before class so you wouldn’t reek of coffee but the morning rush today had been intense and you weren’t able to leave as early as you normally did. Thankfully you always brought a change of clothes just in case, even if it meant smelling like a strange mixture of espresso and soft florals it was still better than going to school in your uniform. You hugged your cardigan tightly to your chest and bounded across the campus to seek shelter from the wind.
 Your thoughts drifted to Chanyeol against your will as you navigated the hallways to your classroom. Even though you attended the same school you seldom saw each other since the core classes for your respective majors were taught on opposite sides of the campus. He was in International Relations and you were in English. You had, of course, seen him several times since the “incident” (as you had dubbed it) and everything had seemingly returned to normal, the only exception being that you were now hyper aware of his physical presence at all times and he seemed very intent on making it worse. 
Just the day before you had been comfortably curled up on one end of the couch, dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, proof-reading something you were turning in today when he suddenly plopped down on to the cushion directly next to yours and spread his legs as wide as they would go, leaving one pressed flush up against yours. 
He made direct eye contact as he leaned back into his seat, tv remote in hand, the perfect picture of comfort, and asked: “This isn’t bothering you, right?” You had merely meekly nodded in reply, praying to any God that would listen to please keep your face from betraying just how bothered you really felt while he aimlessly flipped through channels on the television. You proceeded to read the same sentence a dozen times because you felt like your leg was being electrocuted by his skin.
He restlessly bounced the same leg that was now conjoined to yours, causing a light friction between the two of you that ignited a small wildfire in your core. You breathed in deeply, trying to calm your shot nerves, willing yourself to behave, it was just your legs brushing together, when without warning he leaned in close, too close, to make eye contact with you and demand your attention for the second time.
“Are you feeling okay? Your face is red today and your breathing is heavy.”
You inhaled sharply, stomach doing summersaults at the close proximity, and leaned away from him, desperate to put some distance between you two before you lost consciousness. Your eyes swiveled back and forth endlessly, like a trapped animal, between his eyes peering intently into yours, his bare arm that had stretched out to lay across the top of the couch cushion you were occupying, and his shorts slowly riding up his golden thigh as he leaned closer.
“Y-yes! Thank you for asking. I’m great. Just a little tired I think. Maybe I’ll go take a nap.”
You shot straight up, almost knocking over your laptop in your haste. You fumbled to grab it before it clattered to the floor and all but sprinted to your bedroom.
If you hadn’t been in such a hurry to escape him you might have caught the dangerous, hungry smile that consumed his normally soft features.
He had also taken to somehow wearing even less around the house, not (yet) opting to go shirtless or full nude, but instead wearing wife beaters that exposed too much of his sinfully toned arms and basketball shorts that sat so low on his hips that you were no longer sure how they were managing to defy gravity. You couldn’t help but stare and he always stared right back when you did. You were disgusted with yourself and he was probably disgusted by you, imagine not even being able to comfortable in one’s own home without being stared at, but part of you couldn’t help but wonder if he knew exactly what he did to you and was perhaps an enormous sadist.
Chanyeol…a sadist….
Your brain conjured up the most sinful image of him, toned arms and all, brandishing a leather riding crop before it completely short-circuited, nearly ending your life right then and there when you walked square into the door frame for your classroom instead of through it. How was it even possible for your body to completely disregard the splitting pain in your head by instead focusing on the heat pooling in between your legs? You were obviously not mentally sound if this was your mind’s priority. 
You heard a chuckle behind you and your head swiveled towards the source a little too quickly, making you dizzy and wobble on your feet, groping at the door frame for balance with your eyes squeezed shut.
“Maybe you should have made yourself some coffee before you left work, you seem a little out of it,” a familiar voice teased. You felt a hand brush back the hair on your forehead and stay there, trapping you against the door.
“You don’t seem to be running a fever, maybe my effect on you is just that strong,” the voice chuckled again. Your eyes flew open at that, blinking slowly a few times while your brain registered the form in front of you.
“Byun…Baekhyun?” You supplied stupidly, immediately regretting your body’s ability to create speech of any kind in the presence of others.
Baekhyun’s eyebrows disappeared behind his light fringe at the sound of his own name.
“You learned my name already? You don’t waste any time.”
“It was on your receipt,” You blurted out hastily, your cheeks now seemingly permanently stained red. You awkwardly gestured to allow him to enter the classroom since you had evidently been blocking the door after your blunder.
“I knew you looked familiar. I never forget a pretty girl’s face, although I have to admit that you look different with an apron on. Not necessarily in a bad way though.” He said casually as you followed him to his seat. You weren’t sure why you decided to sit next to him, he had probably had quite enough of you for one day but here you were. Every word that left him was laced with suggestion and double-entendre and it captivated you in a way you couldn’t explain, you were entranced. The sound of your name brought you crashing back to reality. “How did you know my name…?” “It was on your name tag,” Baekhyun rested his cheek on his hand, watching you with an unreadable expression on his face.
“I sincerely hope this is just an off-day for you, I can’t imagine anyone this perpetually distracted could have gotten this far in life without suffering some grievous injury.” He said, shaking his head in mock concern. Your face colored again and you felt a slight feeling of indignation at being made fun of by someone you didn’t know at all.
As if sensing you were becoming offended, Baekhyun laughed again, waving his hand to get your attention.
“Please don’t be mad at me! I just can’t help but want to get a rise out of a cute girl like you. I can tell you’ve had an exhausting morning, I was there, remember?” He pouted at you, his eyes sparkling with impishness. 
“Forgive me? Pretty please?” He leaned towards you, extending a slender hand to you expectantly. He was clearly someone very used to getting his way.
You huffed in reply, unimpressed with his flirtations, folded your arms across your chest and very pointedly faced to the front of the classroom to pay attention to the lecture that had started without your noticing. Baekhyun chuckled again, his eyes lingering on you for a few moments longer before following your lead and playing the role of diligent student. You could still feel his eyes on you periodically and when you glanced back at him you were annoyed to find that the grin he’d been wearing since you walked into the door never left his lips.
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