#i so want to go in past and snap every adults neck who said bas 12 m ache marks le aao sab set hai

[brightbeautifulthings]

MAYHEM BY ESTELLE LAURE BLOG TOUR & CHAPTER EXCERPT

The Lost Boys meets Wilder Girls in this supernatural feminist YA novel.

Available July 14th, 2020

It's 1987 and unfortunately it's not all Madonna and cherry lip balm. Mayhem Brayburn has always known there was something off about her and her mother, Roxy. Maybe it has to do with Roxy's constant physical pain, or maybe with Mayhem's own irresistible pull to water. Either way, she knows they aren't like everyone else.

But when May's stepfather finally goes too far, Roxy and Mayhem flee to Santa Maria, California, the coastal beach town that holds the answers to all of Mayhem's questions about who her mother is, her estranged family, and the mysteries of her own self. There she meets the kids who live with her aunt, and it opens the door to the magic that runs through the female lineage in her family, the very magic Mayhem is next in line to inherit and which will change her life for good.

But when she gets wrapped up in the search for the man who has been kidnapping girls from the beach, her life takes another dangerous turn and she is forced to face the price of vigilante justice and to ask herself whether revenge is worth the cost.

From the acclaimed author of This Raging Light and But Then I Came Back, Estelle Laure offers a riveting and complex story with magical elements about a family of women contending with what appears to be an irreversible destiny, taking control and saying when enough is enough.

About the Author:

Estelle Laure, the author of This Raging Light and But Then I Came Back believes in love, magic, and the power of facing hard truths. She has a BA in Theatre Arts and an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults, and she lives in Taos, New Mexico, with her family. Her work is translated widely around the world. 

Twitter | Instagram | Get Your Copy

Read on for a special chapter excerpt of Mayhem!

three Santa Maria

“Trouble,” Roxy says. She arches a brow at the kids by the van through the bug-spattered windshield, the ghost of a half-smile rippling across her face.

“You would know,” I shoot.

“So would you,” she snaps.

Maybe we’re a little on edge. We’ve been in the car so long the pattern on the vinyl seats is tattooed on the back of my thighs.

The kids my mother is talking about, the ones sitting on the white picket fence, look like they slithered up the hill out of the ocean, covered in seaweed, like the carnival music we heard coming from the boardwalk as we were driving into town plays in the air around them at all times. Two crows are on the posts beside them like they’re standing guard, and they caw at each other loudly as we come to a stop. I love every- thing about this place immediately and I think, ridiculously, that I am no longer alone.

The older girl, white but tan, curvaceous, and lean, has her arms around the boy and is lovely with her smudged eye makeup and her ripped clothes. The younger one pops some- thing made of bright colors into her mouth and watches us come up the drive. She is in a military-style jacket with a ton of buttons, her frizzy blond hair reaching in all directions, freckles slapped across her cheeks. And the boy? Thin, brown, hungry-looking. Not hungry in his stomach. Hungry with his eyes. He has a green bandana tied across his forehead and holes in the knees of his jeans. There’s an A in a circle drawn in marker across the front of his T-shirt.

Anarchy.

“Look!” Roxy points to the gas gauge. It’s just above the E. “You owe me five bucks, Cookie. I told you to trust we would make it, and see what happened? You should listen to your mama every once in a while.”

“Yeah, well, can I borrow the five bucks to pay you for the bet? I’m fresh out of cash at the moment.”

“Very funny.”

Roxy cranes out the window and wipes the sweat off her upper lip, careful not to smudge her red lipstick. She’s been having real bad aches the last two days, even aside from her bruises, and her appetite’s been worse than ever. The only thing she ever wants is sugar. After having been in the car for so long, you’d think we’d be falling all over each other to get out, but we’re still sitting in the car. In here we’re still us.

She sighs for the thousandth time and clutches at her belly. “I don’t know about this, May.”

California can’t be that different from West Texas.

I watch TV. I know how to say gag me with a spoon and grody to the max.

I fling open the door.

Roxy gathers her cigarettes and lighter, and drops them in- side her purse with a snap.

“Goddammit, Elle,” she mutters to herself, eyes flickering toward the kids again. Roxy looks at me over the rims of her sunglasses before shoving them back on her nose. “Mayhem, I’m counting on you to keep your head together here. Those kids are not the usual—”

“I know! You told me they’re foster kids.” 

“No, not that,” she says, but doesn’t clarify. “Okay, I guess.”

“I mean it. No more of that wild-child business.”

“I will keep my head together!” I’m so tired of her saying this. I never had any friends, never a boyfriend—all I have is what Grandmother calls my nasty mouth and the hair Lyle always said was ugly and whorish. And once or twice I might’ve got drunk on the roof, but it’s not like I ever did anything. Besides, no kid my age has ever liked me even once. I’m not the wild child in the family.

“Well, all right then.” Roxy messes with her hair in the rear- view mirror, then sprays herself with a cloud of Chanel No. 5 and runs her fingers over her gold necklace. It’s of a bird, not unlike the ones making a fuss by the house. She’s had it as long as I can remember, and over time it’s been worn smooth by her worrying fingers. It’s like she uses it to calm herself when she’s upset about something, and she’s been upset the whole way here, practically. Usually, she’d be good and buzzed by this time of day, but since she’s had to drive some, she’s only nipped from the tiny bottle of wine in her purse a few times and only taken a couple pills since we left Taylor. The with- drawal has turned her into a bit of a she-demon.

I try to look through her eyes, to see what she sees. Roxy hasn’t been back here since I was three years old, and in that time, her mother has died, her father has died, and like she said when she got the card with the picture enclosed that her twin sister, Elle, sent last Christmas, Everybody got old. After that, she spent a lot of time staring in the mirror, pinching at her neck skin. When I was younger, she passed long nights telling me about Santa Maria and the Brayburn Farm, about how it was good and evil in equal measure, about how it had desires that had to be satisfied.

Brayburns, she would say. In my town, we were the legends. 

These were the mumbled stories of my childhood, and they made everything about this place loom large. Now that we’re here, I realize I expected the house to have a gaping maw filled with spitty, frothy teeth, as much as I figured there would be fairies flitting around with wands granting wishes. I don’t want to take her vision away from her, but this place looks pretty normal to me, if run-down compared to our new house in Taylor, where there’s no dust anywhere, ever, and Lyle prac- tically keeps the cans of soup in alphabetical order. Maybe what’s not so normal is that this place was built by Brayburns, and here Brayburns matter. I know because the whole road is named after us and because flowers and ribbons and baskets of fruit sat at the entrance, gifts from the people in town, Roxy said. They leave offerings. She said it like it’s normal to be treated like some kind of low-rent goddess.

Other than the van and the kids, there are trees here, rose- bushes, an old black Mercedes, and some bikes leaning against the porch that’s attached to the house. It’s splashed with fresh white paint that doesn’t quite cover up its wrinkles and scars. It’s three stories, so it cuts the sunset when I look up, and plants drape down to touch the dirt.

The front door swings open and a woman in bare feet races past the rosebushes toward us. It is those feet and the reckless way they pound against the earth that tells me this is my aunt Elle before her face does. My stomach gallops and there are bumps all over my arms, and I am more awake than I’ve been since.

I thought Roxy might do a lot of things when she saw her twin sister. Like she might get super quiet or chain-smoke, or maybe even get biting like she can when she’s feeling wrong about something. The last thing I would have ever imagined was them running toward each other and colliding in the driveway, Roxy wrapping her legs around Elle’s waist, and them twirling like that. 

This seems like something I shouldn’t be seeing, some- thing wounded and private that fills up my throat. I flip my- self around in my seat and start picking through the things we brought and chide myself yet again for the miserable packing job I did. Since I was basically out of my mind trying to get out of the house, I took a whole package of toothbrushes, an armful of books, my River Phoenix poster, plus I emptied out my underwear drawer, but totally forgot to pack any shoes, so all I have are some flip-flops I bought at the truck stop outside of Las Cruces after that man came to the window, slurring, You got nice legs. Tap, tap tap. You got such nice legs.

My flip-flops are covered in Cheeto dust from a bag that got upended. I slip them on anyway, watching Roxy take her sunglasses off and prop them on her head.

“Son of a bitch!” my aunt says, her voice tinny as she catches sight of Roxy’s eye. “Oh my God, that’s really bad, Rox. You made it sound like nothing. That’s not nothing.”

“Ellie,” Roxy says, trying to put laughter in her voice. “I’m here now. We’re here now.”

There’s a pause.

“You look the same,” Elle says. “Except the hair. You went full Marilyn Monroe.”

“What about you?” Roxy says, fussing at her platinum waves with her palm. “You go full granola warrior? When’s the last time you ate a burger?”

“You know I don’t do that. It’s no good for us. Definitely no good for the poor cows.”

“It’s fine for me.” Roxy lifts Elle’s arm and puckers her nose. “What’s going on with your armpits? May not eat meat but you got animals under there, looks like.”

“Shaving is subjugation.”

“Shaving is a mercy for all mankind.” 

They erupt into laughter and hug each other again.

“Well, where is she, my little baby niece?” Elle swings the car door open. “Oh, Mayhem.” She scoops me out with two strong arms. Right then I realize just how truly tired I am. She seems to know, squeezes extra hard for a second before letting me go. She smells like the sandalwood soap Roxy buys sometimes. “My baby girl,” Elle says, “you have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to see you. How much I’ve missed you.”

Roxy circles her ear with a finger where Elle can’t see her.

Crazy, she mouths. I almost giggle.

[my-love-peterp]

Mistaken Chapter Three

Word Count: 2807 THERE ARE NO ENDGAME SPOILERS, THIS IS A DELAYED UPLOAD FROM AO3

Fic Summary: Peter Parker has been given the responsibility of bringing in a new recruit. Now, as an adult, he realizes that none of the trashy YA novels he read in high school could have prepared him for this. There was a storm on the horizon, and all they could do from the Tower is watch.

Chapter Summary: So we’ve got a little of Peter’s point of view to start the chapter off, might be a little OOC but I figure he’s probably changed a lot, post-Infinity War. Also more smut, but not the healthy or fluffy kind, just two broken people being broken. ALSO after this chapter, it’s going to start diverging from my AO3 fic because now I can introduce Carol Danvers. 

Warnings: language, underage (barely) drinking, smutty smut, mentions of the snappening, again NO ENDGAME SPOILERS

Chapter One  Chapter Two

Peter had never seen anything like her.

Over the past week, he’d been in the room for every moment of Kaida’s introduction to the team and her new life.

On that first day, after seeing her all but naked and needing to quickly run for a quick shower before training started, he’d gotten to see her in action.

There was no taking it easy or soft starts for new Avengers. They started with a brisk 10k, after which it didn’t even look like she had broken a sweat.

Then she’d been pushed in his direction. This was a routine Peter had become accustomed to by now, with a few new recruits filling up the roster, primarily temporary placements by SHIELD as they recruited enhanced individuals. Peter was the first line of hand to hand combat examination because while he wasn’t overly skilled, he was obviously extremely agile and very strong.

Kaida cocked her head at him and cracked her knuckles. “Give it all you’ve got Bug Boy, I’m not holding back.”

She and Peter had circled each other for a few seconds before she lunged, aiming a blow at his face that, unfortunately for him, was a ruse to get him to block upward, leaving his sides unprotected. With a quick jab to his kidneys, he grunted and instinctively bent over, nearly face planting with a strangled screech as Kaida then swept his legs out from under him.

He rolled over and she was immediately on top of him, pinning him down. “Easy as pie,” she crowed in his face, taunting him with a wink. Angry that he’d been made a fool of so easily by this girl, he channeled all his strength into flipping over her over and pinning her down on the mat. She grunted and struggled, but Peter’s hands were like iron, easily encircling both wrists and caging her hips in with his knees. His grasp was inescapable. But Peter, it seemed, could only make mistakes around this girl.

Fire flaring in his eyes, he bent his head to whisper in her ear, “It doesn’t pay to be cocky Kai, now who’s big and bad?”

Her breath caught for a second as she tensed below him, and a moment later Peter was tossed into the air, screaming as Kai had managed to open her palm and blast him up and away from her.

“Not cool, Kai. You know that powers are off limits,” Peter croaked indignantly. The other, observing Avengers cackled at Pete’s distress, even Natasha looked slightly impressed.

“Still me, it would seem,” she said, answering his goaded remarks and popping right to her feet and turning on her heel and walking towards the rest of the team that had decided to come in and spectate that morning.

Perhaps not so strangely, Peter noted, only Mr. Stark was missing.

It was then unanimously decided that her next test would be facing Natasha in hand to hand combat. He thought he couldn’t be more impressed or dumbfounded by this woman, but as the day progressed, Peter almost had to pinch himself. She matched Natasha jab for jab, move for move like it was as easy as breathing to her. “Holy shit,” he heard Clint mutter next to him.

“Wait, you mean we didn’t know she could… well, do that?” Peter gestured helplessly towards the Master Assassin and the twenty-year-old runaway who was proving to be her match in every way.

“No kid, we had no idea. We don’t know shit about her. Not even Fury does, despite our digging and searching. She’s essentially a ghost. But we figured… Well, after she stopped that school building from collapsing a few weeks ago until all the kids got out, we figured she couldn’t really be a threat. After all, it put her on our radar in a big way. An enemy operative would have known better, acted differently…”

Clint’s explanation petered off into silent awe as he saw Natasha, the Black Widow tap out, calling a cease-fire, if not surrender. No one had ever seen that. No one had ever done that without extensive training over the years. But this spitfire who ran away with a suitcase full of books and apparently sleeps with billionaires… She could.

“If you all are done staring,” Nat snapped them all out of their shocked stupor, “I believe we all have the training to do. Kaida, Banner wants you in the lab next. F.R.I.D.A.Y. will show you the way.

“Actually, Nat, I’m supposed to head up to the lab anyway, we’re working on testing the exact trigger to my Spidey senses, so I can just show her the way.” Natasha just inclined her head in an obvious dismissal so he took off jogging after the rapidly disappearing figure.

He skidded to a halt next to her. “Who are you?” He asked without hesitation.

“That seems to be the question of the day, isn’t it Peter. But I came here under the agreement that my past didn’t matter and I don’t intend to hash that out with anyone, least of all you,” she huffed and just kept walking.

“But, how did you get your abilities? Like, I was bitten by a radioactive spider. Wanda was experimented on with the Mind Stone and well… everyone knows Captain’s story…” Peter again trailed off after he realized, belatedly, that she had frozen and begun panting and trembling like a leaf.

Peter recognized this, understood what the clenched jaw and wildly roaming eyes meant. Something he said had triggered a panic attack, but he just wasn’t sure what. But then, as though it wasn’t a big deal, her mask of calm indifference slipped back over her features and she resumed walking.

“Just shut up Buggy. And if you mentioned what just happened to anyone, I will not hesitate to relentlessly humiliate you with all the weird shit you keep in your room and write in your diaries.”

“Ex-excuse me?!” Peter cried out. “Who the fuck let you into my rooms?”

“No one, Peter. Unless you count me. Good luck getting your friend Ned laid though, it sounds like it’s been an exhaustive search so far. You’re a good friend. When you’re not being a huge idiot.”

Peter didn’t know what to say to that so he just kept leading her to the lab.

A few hours later in the lab with Bruce and Tony. 

“How did you say you came to have powers again?” Dr. Bruce Banner spluttered as he reread the data from his most recent blood and DNA tests.

“Uh… I didn’t but, I’ve always had them, at least for as long as I can remember. My parents never mentioned anything. My sister wasn’t gifted either. Which would make one think we weren’t really sisters, but we’re identical twins so it’s hard to miss the relation, but you know how it is these days-.”

“Excuse me, what did you just say?” I jerked in surprise as I heard none other than Tony Stark speak from the doorway which was directly behind me.

“Uh, I was just going to comment on the state of truth and relevance in modern-day America… something tells me that’s not what you’re talking about though. My twin sister, Nadia, she never had any gifts. At least, none that were overtly obvious. But we did have this strange connection, mentally. We could feel each other.

Thoughts and emotions, even pain sometimes.”

“And where is she now, your sister,” Bruce asked after a moment of stunned silence. My expression must have told them everything they needed to know because no one pressed it further.

“Let me see the charts, Banner. What do you see in there?” Wordlessly Banner handed Tony the papers he held in his hand, which Tony grudgingly accepted, despite his disgust at being handed literally anything.

“Well kid,” he said after a moment, “It doesn’t appear that you’re entirely… human. I’m not sure what you are but it’s absolutely not solely human.

Instead of the spluttering and probably generally overexcited reactions that he had anticipated from me, I just looked up and into his eyes before smirking and remarking that “you certainly weren’t calling me ‘kid’ last night.”

Bruce choked on his coffee, again, receiving what I could only imagine to be a terrifying death glare from Tony. He then shortly excused himself.

“So Stark, how’s it feel to know you’ve fucked an alien?” My eyes raked up and down his form, decidedly provocative.

“Didn’t your mother ever teach you it’s not a good idea to poke the bear in the room,” he asked, hardly looking up from her chart. He was treating her flippantly, almost distantly. And that simply wouldn’t stand.

“You know, Mr. Stark, I could think of some other… ‘endurance tests’, if you will, that we could perform right here. In the name of science, of course,” I purred as I slipped down on to my knees in front of him.

He certainly didn’t stop me as I peeled down the waistband of his sweatpants and boxers, half-hard cock coming back to life.

I could tell when he was getting close, but instead of letting me finish him off and cumming down my throat, he pulled me up and bent me over the cold, metal work table and set to work taking off my leggings before slipping up and inside of me without any resistance.

“God Kaida, so tight and wet. And all for me.” It wasn’t but I wasn’t about to correct him as he pounded into me from behind, grabbing me by the hair and yanking my head back so he could lean forward and kiss along my neck. The tiny sensation of pain sent bolts of pleasure through my core and seconds later I was coming undone. But Tony, it seemed, was far from finished with me. He picked me up and pressed my back into one of the support pillars in the lab.

Unfortunately for him, the lab door was still open, which we both had been too oblivious to rectify. A slight shriek and a clatter had Tony looking up and over my shoulder as I twisted around to see the commotion. Rhodey, Steve and Peter were standing in the doorway, holding five coffees between the three of them. Six if you counted the one now spilled all over the floor.

Rhodey looked exasperated but not surprised, Peter looked like a nun who had mistakenly found herself in an adult toy store. Steve, well, Steve was unreadable to me. The stoic faced super soldier never dropped his gaze and gave nothing away.

Instead of pulling away or, I don’t know, stopping anything that he was doing, Tony continued to shallowly thrust into me and circle my clit with his thumb as he winked before glancing back towards the doorway.

“Boys, if you could give us a moment, we have a bit of an… well a test of endurance of sorts and we’d hate for the evidence to be skewed by outside forces,” he jested before commanding F.R.I.D.A.Y. to close the door to the lab and tint all windows to shutter us in privacy again.

“I can’t believe Steve-fucking-Rogers just saw me getting fucked,” I muttered as Tony repositioned himself and began to languidly stroke in and out of me.

“I can’t believe he looked like he wanted to join.”

My heart stuttered and was heard on the monitor. Tony simply took that as a cue to blow my back out.

As I came around him for the third time in the lab, he simply leaned down and whispered something along the lines of him being the only one who could fuck me like I needed to be fucked.

I was too tired and limp from pleasure to argue with him.

“So, uh, not to sound ungrateful but what exactly am I even doing here?” I asked Tony as he fastened his belt buckle as I reclined on the hospital-esque bed the doctor had used when drawing my blood and taking tissue samples.

“Recalibrating after being worked over by an expert, I’d imagine,” came Stark’s snarky reply. I, honestly, don’t know why I expected a serious answer.

“You sure like to stroke your own ego, old man,” I fired right back, bringing my arms behind my head to lounge while he typed away and entered various data points onto his monitor. “No, seriously, why am I here doing all this,” I gestured to the room and testing sites but really meaning my entire presence amongst internationally-known superheroes. “How’d you even find me in the first place? It’s not like I was stopping buses or crashing planes like Bug Boy. I just…”

“You and me both, kid. But as for finding you, social media is a terrible curse and a blessing in disguise. You’ve gained quite a reputation just from your small deeds, but really what set it off was the sch-.“

“The school,” I finished with a groan, letting my head bounce back as I covered my face with my hands, massaging my temple. “You try to do one good thing and then all of a sudden, you’re expected to continually prevent everyday tragedies. All I wanted to do was go home after my shift at work.”

“Yeah explain that one to me, bucko. You’re just heading to fuck off when you hear sirens and kids screaming and decide for the first time, to actually really use your powers. Why?”

The answer was simple, actually. The kids I could hear were the same age as my nephew would be wherever he was now. So I’d tossed up my hood and prevented a burning building from collapsing on top of a bunch of innocent kids. And of course, the press had a field day with that.

But I wasn’t about to tell Tony any of that. Ever.

“Fine, don’t say anything. But that’s why. You showed you had the capacity for good in a big way. And to be honest, we wanted to snatch you up before SHIELD or worse could come creeping in and saddle you up with them.”

More silence. Then, a timid knock on the door. F.R.I.D.A.Y. announced that it was Captain Rogers who waited on the other side of the door and Tony muttered his command to open the doors up.

He didn’t even lower his gaze or blush as he took both Tony and I in. Instead, he stared me down, eyes boring into mine until I was forced to look down and examine his thin, gray cotton tee that hugged his pecs so tight it left nothing to the imagination. I felt blood rush to my face and the tips of my ears burn.

So much for the prim, proper and prude Captain the media marketed him as. I suppose recent events forced everyone to change. There was no such thing as innocence anymore. Not really.

Cap’s burning gaze finally left mine, turning on Tony instead. Walking to my side, he handed me a cup full of the richest Americano I’d ever smelled. It was exactly what I needed at that moment.

Without turning to glance back at me as he handed Tony his own cup, he murmured, “mind giving us some time alone, Kaida? There are a few things we’ve been needing to discuss.

I just nodded and slid off the bed, sweatpants bunching up around my waist. I had no intention of actually leaving though.

As I walked through the door and a few steps down the hall, I waited two seconds before becoming a shadowy puddle and gliding along the side of the hallway that held the still open door to the lab. Moments later, Steve poked his head out and around, checking to make sure the floor was clear before pulling the door closed behind him. Like doors had ever stopped me before.

“So Cap, what’s got your Star Spangled panties in a twist this time?” Tony jabbed without hesitation.

Steve tensed his shoulders, letting out a rough, almost anxious sigh. “When are you going to own up to your grief and stop being such a slut, Tony? It’s been almost a year now since Pepper died. You’re compromising yourself, you know this. You know, it is so like you to start banging the first new female recruit we’ve had in years. Is that why you pushed so hard to bring her in? Just to chase some new tail?!”

Honestly, I wouldn’t have been surprised if the answer was ‘yes’. Seemed like a Stark thing to do. And in a weird, twisted way, I got it. Sort of.

“You know what, this conversation is over. Just because you haven’t been laid in over 70 years doesn’t mean you get to pull the morality card. No, Capsicle, I think we’re done here. F.R.I.D.A.Y. lock up the lab after Rogers and I. I’m going out.”

[familyiswhoyouchoose]

Here We Go Again (FMF)

[ 1 ] - [ 2 ] 

The silence that followed was almost deafening. Aside from the child sifting through the debris in search of something unknown, no one else dared to move. On one side, a man known for the dubious acts committed during his lifetime and on the other, a group of highly trained and deadly individuals including two who were very well acquainted with him. Eventually, when the adrenaline had passed, weapons were lowered and the silence grew stiff and awkward as Hanzo and Genji were locked in a competition of who could show the most shock. For the most part, Hanzo was winning as Genji had the advantage of concealing his face with his visor.

Sojiro’s impassive expression left his own feelings up to the imagination but the way that his shoulders squared and the air seemed to shift around him; he wasn’t in a joking mood anymore. A loud bang and soft thud broke the stillness and all the adults turned their attention to the child who perched himself on the edge of a desk cleaved in half by a larger piece of debris. He was currently patting off a bundle of cloth, seemingly unaware of the situation and the stares lingering on his head. After he was satisfied, he grabbed an edge of the cloth and tossed it high into the air then shook it loose.

Jet black with frayed edges, golden geometric patterns sown into the edges, and just as long as it was wide. Once he was satisfied, he stood up and tied it around his waist, tucking the excess and letting it drape down the back and side of his legs, stopping short of his calves. A faint smile graced his lips as he glanced up but it quickly evaporated once he realized he had an audience, eyebrow quirked and lips pinched together, he looked around then shrugged.

“What?”

McCree was one of the first to gather his wits and stepped past Ana who still had her sights trained on Sojiro, giving her a quick pat to the shoulder. Though as he brushed past Hanzo and Genji, he patted the latter on the back and the former of the shoulder. Spurs jingling and an easy-going smile on his face, he walked past as though inviting crimelords into a covert military base was just another part of the job. Sojiro’s eyes followed him and McCree returned the gesture with a tip of his hat and a slight narrow of the eyes, steel behind his smile.

“Uncle Jesse,” the boy smiled, hopping off his perch and meeting McCree half-way. The sheer joy and relief in his face almost made McCree feel guilty that he didn’t know who he was at all. Though the boy took one look at his mug, searching his face and the glimmer of hope died. “...You don’t know who I am, do you?”

McCree huffed, rubbing his neck and grimacing. The last thing he wanted to do was burst the kid’s bubble but the truth was better than a lie and the last thing anyone could call Jesse McCree was a liar.

“Can’t say I do,” he said, feeling a twinge of sympathy when the kid looked down. “But uh… Uncle, huh? Must mean I was somebody important to you, and vice versa I reckon.”

He looked down at the cloth wrapped around the boy’s waist and knelt down, reaching out to take one of the ends, pausing in mid-motion. “You okay with me touchin’ it?”

The kid lifted his head and his eyebrows knitted together, a look of intense focus and deliberation easing into one of acceptance as he nodded. McCree tried hard not to smile or laugh. He wondered where he’d seen that look before but he was almost certain the kid wouldn’t take kindly to being laughed at right now nor was it the time. First, there was a theory to confirm. Taking the end of the cloth in his flesh hand, he rubbed it between his fingers. It was soft, worn, lovingly so from the looks of the craftsmanship and the vibrant colors. The ends were frayed but otherwise, it looked well taken care of. Just like the one artfully throw around his shoulders.

“Mind tellin’ me who gave you this?”

McCree looked up and met the boy’s eyes, the two of them sharing a meaningful look and though no words were said, McCree understood. He pushed up to his feet and groaned, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Uncle Jesse, huh?”

The boy tilted his head to the side and McCree huffed, the smile returning to his face though it lingered in his eyes as well.

“Like the ring to it,” he murmured, then raised his voice, turning to address the rest of the peanut gallery that’d been crossed between staring at their other unwelcomed guest or working on getting up the downed 76. “Well, folks. Seems we’ve got a bit of a situation on our hand, and since we’re in the presence of royalty, (He gave a glance towards Sojiro who raised an eyebrow with a distinctly unimpressed look), we should move this somewhere nicer.”

Then with a snake’s smile, he looked towards Sojiro and tipped his hat.

“That fine with you?”

The unspoken ‘You don’t have a choice’ lingering in the air. McCree could feel the weight of Genji’s gaze on him even with his visor obscuring his face from sight. They’d discussed how dangerous Sojiro was in the past, how he’d killed for less, but McCree didn’t have any fear of this man. No, if anything, he only had a bullet with his name on it. Eventually, Sojiro broke eye contact with a huff and McCree tipped his hat again.

“Much obliged, sir.”

Smiling down at the boy beside him as some of the agents led by Mercy and Lucio set to bringing 76, Lena and Winston to the medbay. Apparently, she didn’t want to take any chances with the bright light and the whole “losing senses” thing. Though McCree picked up the faint argument that the kid kicked 76 in the chest, and it endeared the boy to him even more than the small exchange before.

“So, I never caught your name,” McCree said.

The boy grinned toothily, crossing his arms behind his head. “Think that’s cause I never said it.”

“Well, shoot, I guess you’re right. Humor me then?”

The boy opened his mouth then snapped it shut. The toothy grin becoming a slight frown, as his gaze shifted left. McCree followed his line of sight to Sojiro leaving the room with Reinhardt and Ana bringing up the rear. Hanzo and Genji walking after them, their movements rigid but steps feather light. If he hadn’t turn around, he might not’ve noticed they even left. His gaze lingered on Hanzo’s back and the archer glanced over his shoulder. McCree smiled a little and raised his hand but Hanzo’s gaze fell away and he turned around, following after Genji, leaving only the boy and McCree.

“Don’t worry about nothin’, kiddo,” McCree said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. “He’s not as scary as he looks.”

“I’m not scared, Uncle Jesse,” the boy replied, starting off towards the door without even a backward glance, his strides graceful and sure — steps barely making a sound.

Tilting his hat down to hide his pained expression, McCree followed with a heavy sigh and a soft murmur beneath his breath.

“Good to know.”

The walk to the conference room was less suffocating without the others around. While McCree was certain he’d never seen this kid before in his life, they lapsed into amiable silence and it almost felt like second nature. Aside from the fact that the kid’s steps were so soft that McCree nearly left him behind thinking the kid was still beside him. Turning around more than once, McCree caught him peeking into rooms or knocking on doors as if expecting someone to answer. Though McCree could figure that he wasn’t thrilled with this and every room he stopped to check along their way was another notch of disappointment in his belt.

Eventually, they came to the conference room and McCree took off his hat as the door opened, walking through and waiting for the kid to follow. Around the circular table were several chairs, some occupied and others left vacant. Shimada Sojiro sat in a chair opposite of Genji and Hanzo, his gaze momentarily flicking to McCree as he entered then back to either brother, quiet but searching. McCree almost scowled. Hanzo seemed wound up and ready to spring at any second while Genji’s hands were hidden beneath the table.

Never a good sign.

Heaving a sigh, McCree put on his best smile and gestured to the empty chairs.

“Take a seat, kiddo,” he offered, pulling out a chair before going to take up his own beside Hanzo.

Looking around the table, the only other agents aside from the brothers were Reinhardt, Ana, Torbjorn, Hana and Lucio. At times like this, he wished Zenyatta was around to give a bit of his wisdom. At least he might’ve been the only neutral party at the table. And the least irritating. Even surrounded by the unknown, Shimada Sojiro had the unyielding aura of a man accustomed to power and unafraid of those who perceived they had the upper hand. Even now, McCree was almost certain he was looking down on them though he seemed dead set on staring Genji and Hanzo down.

Glancing at Hanzo in his peripheral, the archer was wound tighter than a thread but McCree knew better than to attempt to comfort when he was like this. Especially in public.

Damn Shimadas, always making things more complicated.

Clearing his throat and drawing all eyes towards him, McCree put on his best smile.

“Seein’ as Soldier, Winston and Lena are indisposed right now, I’ll be leadin’ this little party, if ya don’t mind.”

When no one objected, he continued on looking towards Sojiro, the man managing to tear his gaze away from the brothers long enough to make eye contact.

“First things first, mind tellin’ us how it is you got here? I can piece together the broad aspects: Winston’s experiment, time travel perhaps, but it doesn’t explain how you got here. The finer details, if ya don’t mind.”

Sojiro blinked at him owlishly then nodded, “I was preparing for an important meeting when I was engulfed in a light which robbed me of my senses. When I regained my sight, I was here.”

McCree whistled low. “That all?”

Raising a brow, Sojiro scoffed. “I hardly have a reason to lie to someone of your caliber.”

McCree chose to take the higher road and ignore the jab though it didn’t stop him from glowering at the other man. Caught in a battle of wits for a moment, he hardly expected the almost bored young voice to chime in.

“You should show Uncle Jesse some respect, old man,” the kid said, arms folded across his chest.

McCree felt his blood pressure rise as Sojiro looked away from him, Hanzo and Genji visibly tensing up.

“I beg your pardon?” Sojiro asked, the faux-calm in his voice yielding to slight indignation. “And who are you?”

As if oblivious to the impending danger of speaking against a crimelord, the kid shifted his way from one foot to the other and tilted his head, clearly unimpressed. “My dad says when you ask for someone’s name, you have to give yours first, old man.”

“Impudence does not suit you, child,” Sojiro replied, venom laced into the last word and McCree could see Ana slowly reach inside her poncho, Reinhardt’s hand touching her forearm and she slowly recedes but her eyes are trained on Sojiro like a hawk.

“And I thought the leader of the Shimada would know when they’ve been beaten,” the kid continued, and McCree wondered if he had a death wish.

Sojiro huffed, the corner of his lips curving up into a mirthless smile. “So you know who I am, and you are not afraid?”

“I’ve never been scared of you,” the kid replied with a shrug. “Just annoyed.”

McCree felt a warm and heavyweight press against his hand, encasing it in an iron grip and upon quick inspection, he didn’t pull away. Hanzo’s hand clasped in his own, he could barely feel the quake in the man’s grip but it was there.

“Is that so?” Sojiro pressed on, seemingly oblivious to the distress on the other side of the room.

The boy scowled. “Apologize to Uncle Jesse.”

Sojiro said nothing for a long while and McCree wasn’t one to hold his breath and wait for a thank you or an apology. Hell, at this point he was just happy enough to get out of this alive. With Hanzo holding his hand in a death grip, Genji out of commission, Ana seconds away from sleep-darting someone and Reinhardt’s stony countenance — the situation was changing from bad to worse fast.

Sojiro’s gaze lingered and McCree swore that if he touched that kid, it would be the end of everything. Future or past be damned, he wasn’t about to let him lay a hand on that boy’s head even if he was being hostile. Glancing towards the kid who was giving Sojiro the meanest of glares, McCree wondered where that smiling child who greeted him went. What was it about Sojiro that set him off?

“My name is Sojiro. Shimada Sojiro, and yours.”

The introduction caught McCree off guard and returned him to the present.

“Shingen,” the boy said, and the pressure on McCree’s hand lessened as his next words sunk into the room. “Shimada Shingen.”

“A Shimada…” Sojiro muttered, narrowing his eyes. “And how is that possible?”

Shingen raised one eyebrow, and McCree was almost certain that unimpressed look was hereditary. “Apologize to him.”

“I asked you a question, boy,” Sojiro sneered, and McCree felt his blood pressure rising when Shingen narrowed his eyes in return.

“My name isn’t boy. Apologize.”

Sojiro glowered, eyes narrowing. “Who is your father, boy.”

“None of your business, old man,” Shingen ground out, enunciating the last few words. “Now apologize.”

“Clearly,” Sojiro replied, his voice taking on a darker edge despite the faux-calm. “Your father did not teach you manners.”

McCree winced as Shingen recoiled almost as if he’d been slapped. Eyes blown wide and lips parted, then baring his teeth as he took a step forward. He gripped Hanzo’s hand when the latter jerked in his seat, Genji sitting bolt straight and Reinhardt glaring at Sojiro with such intensity that McCree was glad weapons weren’t allowed in the conference room.

“Children, behave,” Ana snapped, her voice cutting through the tension and dispelling it almost effortlessly. McCree shuddered, he’d heard that voice many times before and knew it wasn’t a good idea to get in her way when she took it.

Sojiro’s head snapped towards her and he glared, but if you asked McCree, nothing could beat Ana Amari when she was on the attack.

“I am far from a child.”

Ana huffed, pulling off her hood and drawing her braid over her shoulder, picking at the ends as if he said absolutely nothing. “I have heard many things about you, Shimada-san, but never did I imagine that I would see the infamous leader of the Shimada-gumi arguing —  belittling a child,” she met his eyes, raising a brow then clicking her tongue. “How disappointing.”

Then her hawk-like gaze turned to Shingen and pinned him in place.

“And you, young man. As disrespectful as his comments may be, respect should be shown to your elders,” she said, then eyed Sojiro with a scowl. “However, only until they prove themselves undeserving of that respect. Never before,” She looked back to Shingen and frowned. “Do you understand?”

Shingen’s mouth opened then shut and his shoulders hunched as he seemed to fold into hisself, head bowed for a split second before he looked up again, an unreadable expression in place. “Yes ma’am,” he said, voice empty but firm.

Although it was necessary, McCree’s heart ached for him. Having had one too many Amari scoldings for a lifetime, he could understand how it felt to be on the receiving end. Unsure of what to do or say, hhe glanced towards Ana, seeing the brief glimmer of worry in her eyes that melted into assurance.  Some things never changed.

Slowly, she rose from her chair, giving Reinhardt a pat on the forearm as she did. Practically gliding across the floor like the queen she was, giving Sojiro a glance from the corner of her eye as she stepped in front of the boy and knelt down to be at his eye level.

“How old are you?” She asked, voice kind and soft.

Shingen hesitantly met her gaze. “Ten,” he muttered quietly.

Ana hummed noncommittally, nodding when she reached out to pat his head.

“You are very well-spoken for your age, and outspoken at that,” she complimented, standing up, and raising her voice slightly. “I’m sure your father raised you well.”

McCree hid his smile behind his fist.

“Now, there are things to be done, clean-up and restocking. Boring work but I do need help, and I take it we aren’t needed here, Jesse?”

Noticing his cue, McCree reached up to tilt his hat and slyly smiled.

“No ma’am.”

She nodded, looking down at Shingen. “Do you mind helping?”

“No ma’am,” he replied after a short pause.

“Good,” Ana smiled and laid her hand on his shoulder, turning him towards the door as it slid open for them to leave, peering over her shoulder she smiled. “I take it you boys will be able to work well without me?”

“We’ll play nice, ma’am,” McCree called and Reinhardt nodded.

“Very good,” She patted Shingen’s shoulder then led him through. “Come along, Shingen.”

“Yes ma’am.”

The door slid shut behind them leaving the four men in the wake of an Amari’s wrath. McCree had to admit. That went a lot better than he expected it to and with a lot less shooting. As for the aftermath, well, that was his clean-up to handle. He huffed, rubbing the back of his neck and feeling the grooves of his prosthetic scratch against his skin. It was a little painful but at least it was less painful than having to navigate this.

“Well, I’m sure the kid’s heart was in the right place,” McCree said after clearing his throat, putting on a snake’s smile. “But don’t go thinkin’ I’m expectin’ an apology, Shimada-san.”

When the man looked towards him, the faux-calm he wore had all but dissipated.

“Till we figure out more about this… predicament, I’m afraid you’ll have to stay put,” McCree said, knowing it would be much better for all of them to move this along. With the death grip Hanzo had on his hand, he’d say he only had about ten minutes tops. “I’m sure you’re just as curious about figuring this out as we are.”

“And why would I want to stay here, my family is in Hanamura,” Sojiro asked, although it sounded more like a demand.

McCree resisted the urge to wince and cleared his throat. “Well, therein lies the problem,” he said, wondering whether it was better to rip off the band-aid now or let it stay on a little while longer.  “What year was it that you came from?”

“2066.”

“Well, the current year is 2076,” McCree explained. “The world’s changed a lot from the time you were around. And I don’t wanna overwhelm you so… let’s try to take this a step at a time.”

After a long pause, Sojiro’s gaze boring into McCree’s and the seconds ticking past, the man shut his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them and asking the dreaded question.

“...And what of my sons.”

McCree bit the inside of his cheek before he responded, squeezing Hanzo’s hand. “Like I said, don’t wanna over—”

“What happened to my sons?” Sojiro asked again, his voice raising slightly enough that McCree felt a prick of annoyance.

“Now, I know you’re no fool, Shimada-san,” McCree’s eyes narrowed as he sized up the man, decidedly having enough of both his attitude and this weight bearing down upon his shoulders. “Won’t even play you for one. But I don’ think you’re ready to hear that.”

The two stared one another down, Sojiro’s scowl deepening but McCree had been exposed to many people with death glares far more intimidating and he wouldn’t be cowed to the likes of him. Eventually, Sojiro huffed, his jaw set as he leaned away. Hanzo’s grip loosened and McCree felt the blood rush into his hand almost like a reward for a victory hard-earned.

“We can set you up in a officer’s quarters, won’t be like what you’re used to I’m sure, but would be good enough. Far from the noise. A place where you can just process,” McCree explained, bone tired but voice firm, wishing to be almost anywhere else but here. “Then we can tackle this tomorrow.”

After a long pause, Sojiro nodded. “Very well.”

“Alright then.”

Turning to Reinhardt, McCree nodded.

“You mind?”

Reinhardt shook his head and then in a voice much quieter and colder than his normal one, he spoke.

“Not at all, my friend.”

Rising from the table, he practically towered over Sojiro as he came to his side, gesturing to the door with a slight flourish.

“Sir?”

Sojiro sized the man up quietly before standing, giving one last lingering look to McCree’s side of the table. The gunslinger trying not to tense when his gaze lingered on Hanzo and then Genji for a beat longer than he would’ve liked. But soon enough, Sojiro was gone, led down the hallway (thankfully) opposite of where Hanzo and Genji’s quarters would be.

Once the door shut, McCree slumped almost bonelessly in his chair. Hanzo didn’t move but Genji did, his movements jerky and rigid almost as if his body was locked up from sitting still for so long.

“Have I gone mad, Jesse?” He asked, a tiny warble to his voice, so unlike the man who would normally be teasing or talking eagerly at a mile a minute.

“Nah, partner. Not yet,” McCree replied, sparing him a small smile that he hoped was reassuring. “And I’m gonna need you to stick around a while longer.”

Genji nodded slowly, standing up and turning towards the door. Though before he left, he laid a hand on Hanzo’s shoulder and squeezed then before McCree could blink, he was gone. The only remnant that he was there was a spinning chair, and the door sliding shut.  McCree breathed in and then exhaled, looking towards Hanzo. The other man hadn’t said a word the entire time, and he hadn’t moved. McCree almost wondered if he even blinked.

“We can stay for as long as you need, Hanzo,” McCree said, turning in his chair and reaching out to draw Hanzo into his arms. Hanzo following him, burying his face against McCree’s shoulder, nose buried into his serape and arms wrapped around him tightly. Their knees knocking together and the angle uncomfortable but McCree wouldn’t let Hanzo go for anything in the world. Settling his chin on top of Hanzo’s head, McCree breathed in deep and hugged the archer tighter.

“I’m here,” he whispered, trying to keep his voice from breaking. “I gotcha.”

[happytreasure]

yo it’s me continuing preggers Eddie. “you do know you’re gonna have to tell him eventually.” beverly says as she glances at a clearly stressed Eddie. “Well technically he doesn’t have to, he’ll figure it out when the baby comes out with the same god for saken hair and bucked teeth.” Bill counters as he throws popcorn into Mike’s awaiting mouth. Eddie turns and glares at them and if looks could kill they be way more than a few feet under. “You guys say it like this easy, how tf would you

would you tell your best friend since forever that your pregnant with his child.” “Easy. All you have to say is: Richie, i’m pregnant. and it’s yours.” Beverly shrugs and it’s kind of pissing Eddie of how she’s treating this like it’s some mundane thing like laundry. “It’s not that easy Beverly. God he’s gonna hate me. You guys know how he feels about kids.” Eddie starts up on a rant and while he’s ranting he doesn’t even realizes said person is standing in the door way with a gaped mouth tbc

the others try to stop him. “god i knew i never should’ve had sex w/ him I -“ “Eddie-“(Stan) “ who gets knocked up by their best friend-“ “Eddie.”(Benverly) “he doesn’t even want kids. oh no.” “Eddie”(Bill&Mike) “he’s gonna hate me and the baby! i’m gonna be a single parent and i’ll turn into my mother and-“ “EDDIE!(everyone sans richie) “What?” eddie finally breaks out of his rant and he turns deathly pale as he turns to what his friends are pointing at. the upcoming parents stare at tbc

stare at each other for what seems like forever before Eddie jerks back and Richie recognizes the look on his face before he can get out “Eddie don’t” Eddie has grabbed his jacket, pushed past Richie & running towards the elevator before anyone can move. “fast fucker” he curses before turning to the rest of his friends,”Anyone wanna explain to me what just happened?” As Ben goes to speaks Beverly stops him” Nope. You need to hear it from Eddie, himself. As much as we love you, you guys need

to talk to each other like adults and figure out what you need to do.” and with that she pushes him out of Stanlonbrough’s apartment and locks the door. Richie sighs before making his way to the elevator to go find what would be his future. Eddie ran and ran not looking back and when he finally stopped he realizes he’s at the ‘secret garden’ richie dubbed back when they first found it behind their apartment building they discovered it while taking a walk and hadn’t realized they walked tbc

out into the woods behind the building and there had been a little passageway to a clearing where the sun shined in beautifully and a few wild flowers lived and the bench they had put down seeing as it looked like no-one was using it and Eddie sighed in relief sitting down and looked up into the sky, eyes watering before he placed his head in hands. Eddie doesn’t know how long he cried but he doesn’t remember falling asleep either, so when he woke up in his bed and in new clothes

he had a minor heart attack but that was quickly floored by the urge to vomit. Eddie races to the bathroom and throws up heavily. he barely registers the hand on his back running comfortingly up&down. when it finally stops he stands up not even glancing at the richie as he brushes his teeth a little harder than usual which causes richie to take the brush from his hands. “Eddie, please talk to me.” Eddie swallows thickly before shaking his head,”there’s nothing to talk about.” Eddie slides under

Richie’s arm and makes his way towards the kitchen and he’s happy that Richie’s backed off even if it won’t last for long so he hurriedly pours his milk into his bowl of cereal and bolts to his room. Eddie’s been hiding in his room for about two hours now and he figures it’s safe to leave seeing as the last time he heard any movement was a half hour ago and it sounded like a door and figured Richie got tired of waiting for him to come out & left. when Eddie opens he finds out he is vey wrong

and before he can react Richie is pushing him back into his room and pulls himself inside before locking the door. “No one is leaving this room until we talk everything out. now go sit down, we have a lot to talk about.” Richie orders and Eddie immediately does what he says bc stern Richie is scary(and kinda hot but we’ll talk about that later). Eddie sits on the furthest corner of his bed with his knees pressed against his chest looking at anything but Richie.”Well. What are you

waiting for? start talking.”Richie demands and Eddie almost starts to protest with why but he’s knows this entire situation is his fault. “So as you can gather, I’m pregnant. With your baby.” Eddie starts awkwardly before he can say anything Richie interrupts,” Well duh. You haven’t slept with anyone beside me in the past three years.” and again Eddie goes to protest but stops once realizing Richie’s not wrong. “okay you don’t have to rub it in my face asshat and you haven’t slept w/ anyone

anyone else either. anyways i-uh found out about two weeks ago when i woke up vomiting and realized i missed my period and i went to buy a pregnancy test and Stan found me. we came back here and i took them and all three came out positive and that same day i scheduled for a doctor’s appointment and yea they confirmed that i was in-fact pregnant and my first prenatal visit is in two or three weeks. You don’t have to come any of them, i know how you feel about kid thing and it’s fine. i can do

do this on my own. i understand completely if you want nothing to do with me or the ba-“ Eddie falters when he finally looks up at Richie to see him right in-front him w/ this strange expression, he almost looks angry but the sadness dulls the look of anger. “Why wouldn’t I come?” Eddie goes to respond but is cut off. “Why wouldn’t I come? Why would I not be there every step of the way? This isn’t just your child Eddie, it’s mine too.” Richie snaps. “But, I-I” “But what?” “ but Richie I’ve

explicitly heard you say you don’t want children on multiple occasions, why would this one make any difference?” Eddie fumbles with the end of his shirt not looking his best friend in the eye. “It makes a difference because..” “because?” “it makes a difference because yeah i never wanted to have children if they weren’t with you. and i figured i’d never actually have a baby with you,ever. what would be the point in having a child with someone you’d never love as much as you loved someone

else?” “Love” “yes, love!  like deeply in love. i’m so far gone it’s not even funny.  how have you not noticed? oh my god you’re so oblivious.” “oblivious? i am not oblivious! if anyone here is, it’s you. i’ve been in love with you since the the fifth grade!” “ oh you’ve got nothing on me babe. i’ve been in love with you since the very first time we met and you punched me in the face for making fun of Bill’s stutter. and what grade was that? oh yeah, the third grade. i’ve got you beat sweet cheeks.” Richie smirke

d moving Eddie so that he was planted firmly in his lap.“Are we really arguing about who loved who longer?” Eddie asked leaning forward so that their foreheads touch. Richie hums before brushing his lips against Eddie’s soft ones. This kiss is slow and purposeful, like they are trying it put all of the years of pent up feelings into it.

“So, we’re really gonna do this. We’re gonna raise a child together.” Eddie whispers pulling back to tuck his face into Richie’s neck and sigh contently as Richie traces patterns into his back.“Yea, we’re gonna do this. It’ll be rough but we’ll make it as long as we stick together. If we’re together there’s nothing we can’t do.” Richie assures and Eddie raises up to peck him softly on the lip, “Let’s take a nap. I’m exhausted Bubba.” “I love you, I love you so much.” Eddie breathes into Richie’s chest after they find a comfortable position. “I love you too, more than you’ll ever know.” Richie says playing with Eddie’s wavy hair watching as he drifts to sleep.

god visited my inbox again and fed me well 

[alo-piss-trancy]

what about a drabble of akira desperate in the car with sojiro during that scene in the beginning of the game where they're stuck in traffic?

(( Thank you for giving me a scenario I thought about since the first day of the game! Hopefully it's accurate, my memory of that part is slightly hazy ))This is it. This is how I die.Trapped in a metal prison with a man who'd been steadily berating him for the last hour, the air so thick with tension that he felt like he was choking, and his bladder so full that he was ready to explode. As if the first half of today hadn't already been hell enough.I'd actually take that Kamoshida guy's beheading over this. At least it would've been over with quicker... "Would you stop jiggling that damn leg? You're making my seat shake!""Sorry!" He stilled himself at once, all too aware of the increasing temperature as he glanced out the window. Nothing but packed streets and parked cars, the glinting sunlight flashing off of the metal to glare against his glasses. He knew it was the same on Sojiro's side, and that knowledge only made him tug his lip between his teeth as another wave of pressure rammed into his abdomen. How much longer are we gonna be stuck here? I don't know how long I can keep waiting...Licking his lips, he shifted, casually allowing one leg to perch on top of the other. It barely helped by this point, the stinging of his bursting, rock hard lump remaining a constant source of unease no matter what he did to try and soothe it. He ran a hand through his hair, grimacing as it became slick with sweat from his forehead. Wiping it off on the fabric of his uniform, he found his hand refused to move, anxiously rubbing back and forth along his thigh."For fuck's sake, can you just sit still? Kids these days, don't know how to wait patiently..." Sojiro grumbled, shooting him a glare. "Just stare out the window and relax."You're one to talk. The second we ended up in this jam, you huffed about being late getting back to the cafe...Returning his gaze to the taunting blockade in front of him, he soon found himself moaning under his breath, pressing his cheek against the glass. If they hadn't been in such a populated area, and weren't blocked in, at least he could open his door and walk somewh-"Hey, get your face off of that! You'll smudge up the glass."I can't do anything right for you, can I?Sitting up straight again, he winced as the ocean within fought to settle. Shit, this is so bad... He felt like he was going to leak any second if he didn't move just right..."How...How much longer do you think we'll be here?""Seriously? We're playing that game? It'll clear up when it clears up. No point tryin' to guess."Damn it...He held his tongue for a moment, feeling his throat start to dry up. He was in for hell, he knew that. But...he had to say something now. If he didn't, he might not get a chance later."U-Um...when it does clear up, do you think...c-could we pull off somewhere? Please?" He could feel his neck burning, his words nearly a whisper by the end of his question. Cringing, he risked a glance at Sojiro, only to see a glare accompany the exasperated sigh filling the car."Are you kidding me?" The man dragged a hand down his face. "I already went out of my way picking you up, and look where that got us. Hold it 'til we get to LeBlanc."Just those words seemed to make his urge throb harder, pulsing in a way that had him squirming in his seat as he tried to find a better position for his legs. He had to actively fight the impulse to grab himself, his hands shifting to grip the edge of his seat until the knuckles turned white. He was pretty sure his entire face was crimson by this point, and he kept his gaze focused on his lap as he spoke. "I...I'm not sure I can...""What d'you mean you're 'not sure'? You're sixteen for cryin' out loud, not five!""I know, but it's kind of bad, so if you can just-""How can it be bad? We just left your school an hour ago!""I know, but I didn't get a chance earlier, so-""Like hell you didn't have a chance!" Sojiro scoffed. "You skipped half the damn day, you had all the leisure time in the world!"He flinched in his seat when the man's voice rose, trying to dodge his wild arm gestures in the confined space.So we're back to this now, great..."I told you, I got lost! It wasn't a picnic in the park!""You expect me to buy that? You've got a phone with a GPS! You're lucky I'm not kicking you out as soon as we get back! But with the way you're behaving, I still might! So quit whining and suck it up like an adult.""I'm sorry, but I really have to go, so we'll need to pull over unless you want me to-"Fine! We'll stop once we get moving if it'll shut you up!" Sojiro hissed, hands smacking the steering wheel. Shaking his head, the man turned to glare out his own window, muttering under his breath. "Nothing but trouble, I swear...should've never bothered...I'm too old for this bullsh-"Did he need to apologize for existing? How many more times could he possibly say it!?!"I know. I didn't sign up for any of this shit either!" He didn't mean to raise his voice to a yell, to snap with a hiss of venom, but it had come out before he could stop it, just as something else struggled to do the same. He hadn't asked to come here, to be chained to a man who didn't even want him, who'd only offered out of obligation. He sure as hell hadn't wanted to wander into a world of chaos and danger, to barely escape with his life only to be chastised for all of the things he'd missed because no one understood.No one understood. Not his parents, not the teachers, and not this man who was still harping on him for all of the things he couldn't control.A hitch of breath and a spasm of pain that forced him to hunch over, pressing his forehead against the window. He stayed like that, hands clenching knees, thighs glued together, and his chest rising and falling in uneven huffs. I'm so full, every breath hurts...How am I gonna hold-Another shudder of pain, sharp and sudden enough to pull a gasp from his lips as he finally shoved a hand between his legs, only to feel a spurt of warmth escape. His pants were still dry, so it didn't leak past his underwear, but cutting off the flow to ensure that only brought a whimper from his throat. "Geez kid, is it that ba-""Don't worry, I'm not gonna ruin your seats." A murmur, each word laced with a bitter tang as he kept his eyes closed, shifting to twist his legs around. Even as he said that though, he could feel his voice tremble to match his body, that short burst of anger melting back into what he'd really been feeling since his arrival.Frustration.At himself, at the world...At that Ryuji kid for leading him to the wrong school, at the teachers who hadn't let him leave, at the boys muttering about him near the bathrooms-Just the thought had another leak dampening his clothes, this time reaching his hand as he tried to squeeze himself tighter, writhing in his seat. "Fuck..." A soft moan as he hunched over again, unable to find any relief no matter how he positioned himself. "D-Do you...do you have a bottle or something? A-Anything?" It was humiliating, but he was desperate. There was no way he'd be able to keep his promise about the seat, but if he could at least minimize the damage, maybe Sojiro wouldn't completely kill hi-"Sorry kid, I've got nothin'." The man shrugged, raising back up from where he'd been searching the floor and glove box.That only made his eyes tear up as he tried to clench harder, shaking all over as he tried to hold back the flood. It's useless though... He could feel his muscles getting weaker by the moment, a strange numbness slowly replacing the full feeling while tiny spurts leaked into his pants. His breath hitched again as he rocked in place, glancing up to see the wall of cars slowly start to move several feet up ahead. Please! Please hang on, just for a few more minutes! He already hates me!His bladder responded by suddenly releasing a full stream, hissing into the fabric and slowly wetting the warm patch around his hands. Panic began squeezing his chest.Nonono, stop! Please!It was almost time for their car to start moving along with the pack, but it was too late. No matter how hard he tried, the hissing kept growing stronger, wetness creeping along his legs and pooling under him to soak into the seat. His uniform pants were becoming drenched, fabric clinging in heavy, sodden clumps where it had bunched up with his movements, and the sleeves of his shirts were getting wet where they still rested between his legs.He wasn't sure if he wanted to cry or scream as his face blazed red. He settled for stuttering apologies, his heart pounding in anticipation for the retaliation he knew was coming. "I'm sorry, f-fuck, I'm so s-sorry. I-I can't-It won't-"Sojiro didn't look at him as he started driving the car to follow the others, and his voice was just as detached as he sighed. "The damage is already done, kid. Just calm down, ride it out."He's right. I really can't do anything but let it happen...Grimacing, he tried to keep his eyes on the passing scenery as his bladder continued to empty, his breath coming in ragged huffs as relief slowly took over the mortification. It was spilling out to patter against the floormat now, splashing up against his socks and shoes as warmth kept flooding out, slowly making his head spin. To finally go for the first time since he'd left the cafe this morning...his ears burned at the moan escaping his lips, but he didn't try to muffle it."Sheesh. Guess you weren't exaggerating when you said it was bad..."And just like that, any relief was overpowered by the shame of this happening in the first place. "I'll, um, I-I'll clean it up..." he offered, his voice shaky as he tried to force words out past the sensations wracking the rest of his body."Forget it, you'd probably just half-ass it like you did your school day. When we get there, just change and head to the bathhouse. Laundromat's right near it.""Oh...okay...Th-Thanks...""Don't thank me yet. If that doesn't come out of those seats, you'll be working off the damages. I've got plenty of pots and dishes in that kitchen that need some elbow grease.""Y-Yes sir..."His stream finally seemed to be slowing down to a stop as the car picked up speed, and he pulled his arms up to cross them, cringing at his clothes dripping whenever he moved. He swallowed, trying to ignore the discomfort in favour of staring out the window in silence. He may have one problem gone, but he was still sitting in another, and there were countless more to think about on the long drive home.This was a first day from hell...how am I supposed to make it through a whole year in this place?