#i swore to myself i wouldn’t change stuff i would just build upon what i had

[clarablightt]

me? suddenly changing the entire plot structure of my novel series?

more likely than you think

[avareiahgt]

A little short, but well, that's how adult life works.

I hope you don't expect a super friendly story, cause it's not this one.

In advance, I'm sorry.

Warnings: strong language

First / Previous / Next

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ACT I PART II: EXCHANGES

I was so young back there and yet patience already was one of my best virtues. I waited completely sleepless util I heard Hanna coming back home, around 2am. I couldn’t think about anything but talk to her, she’d to promise me she’d be careful and, upon that, would come back home after every mission, no matter what. Otherwise, I wouldn’t ever forgive her.

I left her complete her ritual: washing her face, teeth, change into softer clothes and steal some nuts and dried fruit to keep them in a drawer of her bedroom believing nobody’d know ever. Pity to say mum and I were absolutely aware of every step she took when arriving late. We just never told her.

I stepped into view when I wondered she was done with her stuff, and intercepted her on her way to hold up the fridge.

—Holy shit…— she swore when catched a glimpse of my shady form over her shoulder— Don’t give me a heart attack, I could have beat you up— then ferociously attacked a peanut can.

—I’m so sorry, I just can’t sleep— I defended myself trying to start a conversation.

—Do you have something you want to talk about? — she asked while giving me a curious glance until she let herself collapse on a chair next to the living room table. She was always willing to listen to me with so much interest and making it seem she didn’t care at the same time. I knew it was an act but years and years of she pretending to be annoyed by me, the little brother, helped her to keep that I-don’t-give-a-fuck mask steady and perfect.

—I don’t want you to go away—I whispered, dragging a chair as well and turning it to face hers. I was just about to sit down when she jumped from her seat and hugged me—. Please, Hanna, don’t go, I have bad feelings about this. Something’s… off, something’s wrong…

She deeply looked at me. After some quiet seconds in the dark, she decided to keep hugging me.

—I have to go, it’s the beginning of my future—she said softly—Everything’s gonna be ok, it’s just a surviving test. It’s so similar to a summer camp with the difference you don’t have your friends but some grumpy old men— she explained, petting my hair. I was so close to her height even with she being five years older than me.

—Are you sure you have to go? — my voice started to break and made my best effort to stop the tears that were starting to form on my eyes— This house is gonna be painfully quiet without you.

—That’s truth, you’ve never lived without me…—she reminded. Then, a big smile spread on her face and took my shoulders with her hands.

—You and me. We are always going to be together—a whisper— and we are going to make a promise right here, right now— one of the earrings that she was previously wearing appeared on her hand. In an instant, she took off one of mine and exchanged them. She put mine on herself while I put hers on mine—. Nothing can break the sibling’s love. Not even a giant.

We slept together that night, both on Hanna’s bedroom and I shortly remembered when I was a child, afraid to be alone. She would always have space and time for me.

I slept with tears riding my cheeks. I didn’t know why I was crying, but I was certain that those tears would eventually have a meaning.

I woke up that morning in order to help leading a project whose future was, the less, gray and cloudy. The project head was looking for eliminate an entire old forest and replace it with some apartment buildings. Money was everything to the company, but so often I found myself questioning the morality and legal ways of that kind of actions.

Truth to be told, the forest wasn’t owned, to me that made it even more important to respect it. In addition, those apartment designs were… no comments.

Although I was a trainee, some companies had fought for me to be on their teams. I ended up signing up a contract at Roberts&Rockz’s company because they would pay me the half of a chief architect. That was a very important incoming for a trainee that lived on his own with no familiar support. They wanted me to lead the project as if I had already graduated.

College’d let them use me because that would improve their world prestige. So, I accepted the trade: mental health and morals in exchange of money.

It was almost painful to see the devastation those machines were making. Sometimes I though I could even cry just watching them. They were shooting down every tree and burning off every plant. Soon, they started moving tons of ground, rocks and dust.

—Young Blake—a female voice was claiming my name. I turned around to face the rival director’s head. Emma Moonlight was reaching out, waiting for my hand.

—Mrs. Moonlight— I nodded and reached for her hand. Her handshake was way stronger and firmer than every man I would have met before. Just by her gaze I could understand how she had made her way to the director’s chair and kept the orders out of those suited, narcissist men that plagued architecture offices. I was a head taller that her and yet her presence was heavier than mine.

—I guess you’re wondering what am I doing here, in the middle of nowhere looking at a construction a don’t care about—she said while watching the workers moving heavy stuff—. What a pity, this place. Government should have marked it as a natural reserve— she briefly shook her head and sighted.

I found myself entering her game even when I didn’t want to.

—I am exactly wondering that, yeah— I answered.

—I haven’t taken my eyes off you, Blake. I know you signed up this R&R contract because of the payment— so she already knew—. So, I came here to offer you a new chance— that sounded interesting. Emma Moonlight had her hand into some of the most famous construction companies in the whole world. Also, the fame of having all his legal stuff in order and no public scandals. She seemed an expert that navigated the ways between the legal and the illegal waves. No doubt she was brilliant.

—I’m listening— I said, calmly.

—A fairy has told me that you’re gonna waste your time with that shameless of Roberts only until you graduate. I want you to have a position at one of my companies. A big position for a newbie, I must say.

—I highly appreciate this consideration, but I can’t decide on some things so lightly.

—Alexander Blake, what are you doing talking with that harpy? — chief architect’s voice rang through the now desertic landscape.

Moonlight sissed like a snake and showed her widest smile.

—Keep your cool, you bald. I just came to say hello to my future subdirector’s assistant. I think I’ve talked enough.

She confidently turned around while we all stood there, looking at her leaving. She was so old and yet her strong personality made me think of a bull. Overwhelming.

—I don’t want you near her, it’s competence—I got scolded.

—I got no intentions—she was the one looking for me. Not that I was going to bring that up.

—Hope that bitch will stay out and far from this project. It could be the biggest one in years— the man left swearing.

With all of this commotion I wasn’t keeping an eye on the work under hands, so they had been destroying everything on the way.

My fault was that I wasn’t paying attention enough to stop them when time came.

[elevatorladylady]

Critical Reread - Chapter 25

Join me on a reread of A Court of Frost and Starlight

Chapter 25 - F/eyre

F/eyre gets her studio.

“They—her family gave it to me.”

I hate this plot point. They are so well off, they can very easily afford to pay for a whole goddamn building. Let rich people pay for stuff.

“suggested I use the money for something else. That if I wanted to give it away, I should donate it to the Brush and Chisel. Do you know what that is?”

They can afford to donate money and still buy the building.

“Couldn’t stop myself from remembering those years in that cottage, the hollow ache of hunger. The image of those three little containers of paint that I’d savored.”

It’s interesting that her character just seems like all she wants is a simple life to paint when she swore up and down that she didn’t want that life anymore.

“I didn’t know it existed,”

I’m so tired of F/eyre not knowing about the things that go on the Night Court. She doesn’t need to know about every charity, but she did just donate to a bunch of charities. It makes me feel like she’s just throwing money at whatever cause happens upon her instead of doing actual research.

“I didn’t know that there was a place, a world, where artists might be valued. Taken care of. I’d never dreamed of such a thing.”

I hate to break it to F/eyre but the existence of a charity does not mean that thing is actually valued. It often means it’s systemically undervalued, and F/eyre is one of the few people capable of making systemic changes.

“You wouldn’t be looking for a wholly inexperienced business partner, would you?”

It’s hard for me to revel in F/eyre making more time for her side hobby when she spends the whole book doing First Lady stuff instead of actually ruling. And I don’t know maybe she could help build up anywhere but Velaris so artists from say the human lands or the Court of Nightmares could thrive as well.

[phantoms-lair]

EnergyBending snippets

Takes place late in my Nursery Rhyme/Avatar Zuko Story. Unlike in cannon Zuko’s main focus was bringing back airbenders, so things didn’t go as badly between the group and Wan Shi Tong. Zuko learned Energy Bending rather than about the Day of Black Sun (though that does come in later), but he learned it from a book, so he doesn’t have the confidence Aang had with the Lion Turtle gifting it to them.

~~

“Toph’s asleep.” Aang reported.

Zuko’s breathed out a sigh of relief. He wanted this to be a private conversation and she was the one he was most worried about overhearing. Sure she was brash and forward, but he hadn’t forgotten how sneaky she was capable of being, hiding her second identity from her parents. “Could you wait here too?”

Aang crossed his arms. “Sokka won’t even know I’m there.”

“But I would. And it would feel like I’m ganging up on him, but it has to be his choice and-”

Aang put his hands up. “If it makes you feel better, I’ll stay here.”

“You could always get some lesson plans ready.” Zuko suggested, which had Aang grinning.

Zuko left his tent and went to where Sokka would be standing watch. He was often the last to go to sleep, taking the safety of the group seriously. “Can we talk?”

“I’m not stopping you.” Sokka shrugged.

“I’ve been studying the techniques I learned at Wan Shi Tong’s library. It’s been focusing far more on the Spiritual Side of being an Avatar than I’ve ever done. According to Aang more than any Avatar has done in generations. But I think I’ve got it. I can use energybending to make more airbenders.”

He heard the sharp intake of Sokka’s breath. He understood how important this was. “I just need to put it into action, and the first new airbender...Sokka I want it to be you.”

Sokka crossed his arms, but didn’t respond for a few minutes. "I don't need bending,” He finally said, tersely.

Zuko took a deep breath. "Sokka, you are without a doubt one of the greatest warriors I have ever met. You're clever, adaptive, and pick up new disciplines faster than anyone I've ever seen. If I ever heard anyone suggest you needed to be a bender I'd fight them myself, if everyone one else in our camp didn't beat me to it."  

"You don't need to be a bender, it's more...I need a bender to be you." 

Sokka raised an eyebrow. "And that makes sense how?" 

"We don't have much time before the Day of Black Sun. In that time I need to at least create some new airbenders in case I die. But I need to know this is going to work. And for that I need the first new airbender to be someone who can travel with us. But our path in dangerous and they'd need to be able to defend themselves, and not with a bending they're not used to. I need the first airbender to be a warrior who doesn't have to rely on bending, but who's adaptive enough to be able to incorporate it into what they already do. Who else could that be but you?"

~~

"Katara, can we talk?" 

Katara looked up from breakfast at the serious expression on her brother's face. He looked like he hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep. "What about?" 

Sokka took a deep breath. "Zuko wants me to become an airbender." 

It took her a moment to process what she'd heard. "Wait, you? Why?" 

"The long story short of it: I'm adaptable and don't need to rely on bending to fight." Sokka plopped down by the fire. "It's weird, you know? I wasn't the biggest fan of your bending back at the South Pole. Then bending got us mixed up in all kinds of weird stuff after we teamed up with Zuko and Iroh, and I was glad I never had to deal with that. But after a while I got, you know, jealous. You and Iroh, and Toph can doo all these amazing things, and Zuko was the flipping Avatar, and here I was just a guy with a boomerang." 

"You know none of us saw you that way, right?" Katara asked, her eyes looking troubled. 

"I know, it's just... I'm afraid the part of me that wants to say yes just wants to feel special, while another part of me is how much I'm afraid I won't be me anymore, and I don't know what to do. I know logically Zuko's right. I'm the best candidate we have right now. But I'm scared."

~~

"Okay, let's do this before I change my mind." 

"No." 

Sokka blinked at Zuko and his instant shut down. "What?" 

"We're not doing this unless you're completely sure. There's too much risk otherwise." 

 Sokka's eyes narrowed. "What risk, you never said anything about risk." 

"Because the risk isn't to you." Zuko snapped, then took a few breaths to calm down. "Consensual energy bending like what I have planned has no real risk. But if you panic and change your mind it becomes a battle of will. Your will has never faltered. Mine has. You could shatter me, Sokka, so excuse me for not wanting to risk that until I know my work is done.”

There was a whole lot to unpack there. Zuko's lack of faith in himself, his utter faith in Sokka (who had to admit he was kind of touched the Avatar had no doubts he would be the one to come off better in a test of wills), or Zuko implying that the risk would be okay, as long as he'd made enough Airbenders to know the cycle wouldn't be broken upon his death. 

 It also helped to know Zuko wasn't so eager that he'd pressure Sokka into it. That took a load off his mind.

~~

"I'm sure." Zuko looked up from his meditation. He didn't have to ask what Sokka meant. 

"I thought about it and I had a lot of concerns about a lot of things, but in the end, I think it came down to your concern. You're right. Letting the cycle stay broken any longer than absolutely necessary is beyond risky. Being the Avatar doesn't protect you from death. I swore I'd do anything I could to help end the war. This wasn't what I was expecting, but I can’t turn away from it." 

Zuko nodded. Duty and Honor were what he understood best.  "Okay. Sit down in front of me. I'm going to need to put my hands on your head and heart to do this. Like I said before, please don't fight me. Also it would help if you focused on Air to give it something to anchor to." Zuko tried to sound wise teacherish, if only to hide how nervous he was about the procedure. 

He placed his hands where he said and bent. It was...like nothing he'd ever done before, it wasn't just pulling on an element, it was raising his awareness. He could suddenly see into Sokka's soul, and see the nodes of chakra that governed it. Sokka's elemental nodes were reasonably balanced with a slight weight towards Water. Not unusual for a non bender and oh hey he could raise Sokka's spiritual awareness and give Aang someone else to talk to. 

Tempting, but no. He'd stick to what he said and no more.

He strengthened the Air Charkra and pulled energy into it. But almost as quickly it drained out. "Sokka, are you focusing on air?" 

"Yeah, I'm thinking of all those dumb temples and everything." 

There was a beat of silence. "Sokka YOU ARE NOT A MONK. Those images mean nothing to you. Don't think about the image of what you think an Airbender should be. What does air mean to you?" 

To him? Sokka was taken aback. Air was...was...Air was wind. It was blowing snowflakes in a blizzard while Gran Gran told them stories of the North Pole. It was the crisp scent of salt as he stood on the shores waiting for his father's boat to return, which could turn sharp as a knife if it wanted. It was the warmth that filled their balloon and let them travel between poles all the way into the Fire Nation. Wind was Home. Wind was Freedom.  

And something in Sokka clicked. He opened his eyes to see an exhausted looking Zuko pulling his hand away, and the others just watching mouths mostly agape, with rocks clinging to Katara’s legs. 

"Will someone tell me what's happening?" Toph grumbled, keeping her hold on Katara. 

 "It was quite the impressive light show, nephew." Iroh observed, stroking his beard. "From both of you." 

"Both? Sokka's jaws worked up and down. Sure Zuko glowing was one thing, with his while Avatar dealy, but him too? 

"Sweetness here tried to grab you away. I may not know what's going on but, I figured that would be bad." Toph explained. 

"It would have." Zuko panted. "But it worked. " He gave Sokka a tried smile. "Congratulations. You're an airbender."

~~

"Hey Zuko, just to be clear. All we're doing is sitting at you families beach house laying low till the Day of Black Sun, right? There's nothing we need to be working on?" 

 Zuko shot Sokka a look. "Well, you need to be working on your airbending forms, otherwise no." Sokka's face had been pure mischief, Katara had caught it too. As had Toph, though she was grinning in a way that made things worse.

"Well I think this is a perfect time for a little Energy Bending practice. More precisely, I think you should take away Katara's waterbending till we're ready to leave." 

Katara let out a squack of indignation and Zuko just sighed. "Sokka, remember when I explained energy bending can be risky if the other person is unwilling? There is no way she's going to willingly give up her bending even temporarily." Zuko pointed out. 

"I wasn't suggesting we leave her empty handed." Sokka waved them off. "Something like, say, firebending?"  

"Why on Earth do you think I'd willingly become a firebender?" Katara asked heatedly. 

"Because when Zuko was having a hard time getting a grasp on waterbending, you made a claim that you could pick up fire much easier than he did water. I just want to see if it's true. Or do you admit you were empty boasting?"

 Katara glared at him, then marched up to Zuko. "Fire-ize me." 

Zuko sputtered, not expecting that. "Are...are you joking?" 

"Do it!" Katara’s tone left no room to argue.

 Zuko could feel the headache building, but put one hand on Katara's head and the other over her heart. It was honestly far easier than giving Sokka airbending. The water was well entrenched, but her anger was practically singing for fire. "Done. You might want to ask Uncle for lessons, though. He's a better teacher than me." 

She gave a curt nod, then a predatory smile at her brother, then walked off. 

"I can't BELIEVE you got away with that!" Toph was rolling on the ground laughing. 

"Who says he did?" Zuko smirked. "He got his sister pissed at him, then convinced me to give her the power to shoot fire." 

Toph laughed even harder as all the color drained from Sokka's face. "Better throw yourself on the mercy of the Avatar. It's the only chance you got." 

"Nope, even the Avatar knows to pick his battles. The entire fire nation army is one thing, I learned my lesson about little sister bending prodigies with fire. Good luck Sokka." 

~~

It was good to be free Cheif Hakoda thought as he stepped out of the balloon Sokka and the Avatar had rescued him in. They were in the Western Air Temple, apparently. According to to Sokka the Avatar's Uncle, an earthbender, and more importantly Katara was there as well. He saw her before she saw him. She was doing waterbending forms and he just wanted a moment to stop and look at her, to see how much she'd grown... And then a small gout of fire burst from her hands. 

"Sokka, I don't remember your sister being a firebender," Suki commented, staring at the sight.  

"We probably should have mentioned that." Zuko admitted. 

"Hey Katara, guests!" Toph said with a laugh. 

"Guests? Toph who could visit us way up here." Then she turned and saw them. "Dad?" she chocked, before running and squeezing him as hard as she could. 

"I'm here too," Suki joked. 

"Zuko and I May have staged a prison break. At the most high security Fire Nation prison to get him out." Sokka tried to sound casual, but was obviously pleased with himself. 

"Aang wants to point out he was there too." Zuko added. 

"Who's Aang, and why is Katara firebending?" Hakoda felt more confused by the second.  

"Aang is Zuko's Spirit Guide. As for the firebending, I just thought Katara should put her skill where her mouth was. Or rather her lack of skill." Sokka sounded smug. 

"You better be glad I'm so happy Dad's here or you'd be getting a fiery first to the face." 

"Like you could manage more than smoke." 

"If I may." Iroh interrupted. "When your daughter was teaching my nephew waterbending they came across a common problem among Avatars, a difficult grasping the opposing element. Katara made the claim that if she was in his place, she would be much more adept at firebending then he was at water." 

"My nephew learned of energybending, a way to give or take away bending ability, in his quest to bring Air back into the balance. And you son decided to call her months old bluff."

That...sounded like Sokka. "Avatar Zuko, I don't suppose you could set my daughter back to normal?" 

"Certainly sir," Zuko couldn't hide the relief in his voice, but Katara grabbed one of his wrists. 

"Oh no, you're not winning that easily." She warned. 

"Winning? I'm not even in this argument." Zuko protested. 

"I'm not giving up on this till I learn Firebending. Even if the day of Black Sun comes, I’ll be firebending into battle." Katara declared. 

"Okay no." Zuko put his foot down. "First of all we are not giving up one of the few waterbending masters in this fight for your ego. Second, there is no firebending on the Day of Black Sun. That's the whole point of the Day of Black Sun." 

Katara looked pensive for a moment. "Fine. I accept the second reason. But I'm going back to fire right after."

~~~~

I was a little torn on making Sokka a bender becasue, as was said above, he doesn’t need bending by any stretch of the imagination.  But thinking with an in universe perspective, there’s no one else Zuko would pick. He doesn’t have the confidence he’d win a battle of wills if someone tried to turn it on him the way Ozai did Aang, so he had to make sure at the very least the first new airbender was someone he’d trust his soul with. And that is a very short list,

[mail-me-a-snail]

Sobriety

Chase Brody has been doing everything to combat his alcoholism; going to AA, therapy, being social, exercising...and yet it still isn’t enough. One afternoon, a year after his divorce, Jackie drives him home. tw: alcoholism, panic attacks, car accident ment, suicide ment.

"So, how was it?"

 Chase shrugs, both to slide his backpack off and to answer. He puts the bag in the backseat, then twists back around to buckle himself in. Jackie, mask off and in a plain red hoodie and worn jeans, as opposed to his jumpsuit, sits in the driver's seat, fingers drumming against the wheel in sync with whatever metal is playing on the stereo, Chase doesn't know—he's too tired to go through the challenge of deciphering the lyrics. The chaotic banging of drums and rippling guitar riffs about sum up the state his head's at.

 "It was fine," he says coolly, "I guess. Todd brought his guitar this time." Todd—Todd Danvers—being the head of the group. Great guy, might've made it as a part of the church ensemble, if he hadn't drunken so much wine like every meal was communion. Washed his face in the tub of holy water they have at the door, that's what Todd had told them all, that first day, when Chase was still having the shakes.

 "What'd he sing?" Jackie glances over at him as he twists the key in the ignition. The car hums to life, and they pull out of the center's parking lot with a low rumble.

 "Pretty cover of What Have They Done To You Know. Daniel Knox? Funny, you wouldn't think a guy like him would be into that kind of indie music."

 Jackie laughs, though it's not as bubbly as Chase thought it would be. It's more like an exhale Jackie leans into.

 There's no conversation that follows, so the clicking turn signal, honking cars passing by, and radio fill the silence. He's gotten better at his anxiety with cars. Chase picks at the neon bandages on his fingers—the story is that he tried rather unsuccessfully to build a shelf—nails, all that, you know—but that's not what happened.

 Promise a man, a very wasted, high off his rocker man, a few hundred bucks and he just might cut his whole hand off for you. He'll play the knife game like a roulette wheel, spinning and spinning, until he hits the jackpot, or until he has no fingers.

 Nicks for nickels, that's what his buddies down at the bar say. Nicks for nickels. Money isn't easy to come by lately and he doesn't want to have to depend on Jackie's or his brothers' help for the rest of his life. It isn't fair.

 So, he works, doing odds and ends and stupid dares, because the companies in the city aren't hot on having a recovering alcoholic under their brand. We'll call you back. Your resume looks great, Mr. Brody, you'll be at the top of our list. You'll be a fine employee.

 Ha. Right. Three weeks later? Not a single call, nor email. Nicks for nickels again those nights that followed.

 "Where's your mind at, Chase?" Jackie says amiably, once they're on the long stretch of road heading towards the house. "What're you thinking about?"

 "My shelf," Chase answers, trying his best to sound mournful, stretching his bandaged fingers out in front of him, "Hurt like a son of a bitch to put it together."

 Jackie's mouth presses down into a flat line. He says nothing for a few moments. He changes the station. Something light and electric plays.

 “You know, you could've called me," Jackie says eventually, when they've hit the chorus. "I'm a champ at furniture building. You should see Henrik's desk now; beautiful, if I do say so myself."

 He may sound proud, but he's still frowning.

 Chase picks at the hem of his ratty grey hoodie; he doesn't even remember where he got it.

 "I handled Patricia myself," he shrugs.

 "Patricia—the shelf has a name now?" That gets a laugh out of the hero, and Chase smiles a bit. Jackie's laugh had always been infectious. "Well, you did a fine job, in any case."

 "You're right, though: I'm not as good as you and JJ at that furniture stuff," Chase admits, and cuts Jackie off before he can protest. "No, no, it's true. I've always been the tech guy."

 "'suppose so," Jackie amends. He pauses, turns the radio down, then asks hesitantly, "Chase, how'd you hurt your hands?"

 The lie comes instantly. "I told you, Jackie—Patricia fought me tooth and nails!"

 "No, Chase, that's not what happened." Jackie's voice is firm, if not stern. It's a scolding tone of voice that only Henrik uses with Chase, so it makes him look away in guilt. "Please. Tell me what's really going on. If—If someone's hurting you, or something, I'll—"

 "—No, Jackie, it's not like that! I..." Chase rises on the defense.

 "Then, what is it, Chase?"

 "It's none of your damn business!" He can't stop his voice from raising. He's quick to anger these days—an after affect of the drinking.

 "I'm your brother!" He's still looking at the road. His grip is tight on the steering wheel. "Of course it's my damn fucking business! I'm worried about you Chase, and—"

 "I don't need you to look after me!"

 "Then, who will, Chase? Henrik? Marvin? Jamie? Fucking Robbie? If I don't look after you, you'll...you'll hurt yourself again and I can't let that happen!"

 "I can handle myself."

 "Clearly, you can't."

 "Oh, because I'm a screw-up, is that it? I'm a nobody who isn't good at anything, who almost killed himself—"

 "Stop it."

 "—is that it, Jackie? Is it because I'm a suicidal disaster?"

 "You know what?" Jackie punctuates, "Maybe that is it." Maybe you are a fucking screw-up."

 The anger and disappointment in his voice is so raw it silences. He knows that this is just a row, but it still terrifies him, the way Jackie sounds so much like...Anti.

 Blood rushes through his eardrums and it feels like he's about to burst. His heart runs a hundred miles a second and it hurts. He can feel his pulse behind his eyes, in his fingertips, in his mouth. Jackie disappears from his view as the edges of his version grow black.

 He can't breathe.

 Is this what a heart attack is?

 The world shifting in and out of focus, like a bad camera, and the road disappearing, like the headlights were never there, like he isn't in a car again, barrelling down a street he can barely see, with the kids in the back, and God, Stacy, I know, okay? I know! Please, don't yell—please don't yell at me! I'm trying not to drink anymore—N-No, I'm not drunk— in the front seat, and his hands are gripping the steering wheel tight, and he is, in fact, drunk, so the world is swimming around him and, CHASE—!

 The windshield shatters into a million pieces.

 It happens so slowly Chase can touch the glass as it flies past him. He's in the driver's seat now. He looks to his right, and Stacy is there, beautiful Stacy, her face smacking into the dashboard. He looks down at himself. He's uninjured. He's wearing a ratty grey hoodie, red Converse, blue jeans. In his reflection in the rear view mirror, his brown hair has green strokes; he had done a poor dyeing job.

 Chase closes his eyes.

 "What is real?" His therapist's voice comes back to him, clinical and calm. In this moment, in this panic—ask yourself, "What is real and what isn't?"

 He opens his eyes.

 Real: He is uninjured.

 Not real: Stacy and the kids are here at this moment.

 “R-Real," he whispers, "I am in a car. Not real: it's S-Stacy's car." He looks around to the backseat, but can't bear to look at the kids. He keeps his gaze on the floor. "Real: m-my backpack is on the seat. Not r-real: the kids are here."

 He dares to look up. His backpack is there, black and canvas, with multiple patches. It's half open. Inside are comic books and his laptop. He twists back around, staring head-on at the blank, empty road, like someone forgot to continue building the rest of the world. Either that or there is no world outside of this one car crash.

 A car crash that happened all of two years ago. He's surprised that his other regular nightmare isn't here.

 One night in March (it was now September), he had gotten a visit from their eldest brother. Chase had been drunk at the time, swearing and bawling, so when Anti showed up...Chase did the stupid thing: he took a swing at the demon, thinking he was going to take something else away from him. Of course, he didn't like that.

 A scar, eight or nine inches deep, on his abdomen twitches. He puts a hand to it. That had been the night he swore off drinking, for good.

 "Lots of good it did you."

 Chase jumps, and screams when he catches two empty black pits staring at him intently from the rear view mirror. That voice. Speak of the damn devil and he shall appear.

 "Y-You're not real," he says, voice cracking out of pure terror, "You a-aren't real!"

 :Oh, I'm very real, Chase," Anti appears beside him in the passenger seat, clipping through Stacy, who's blood drips in slow motion. He is just as demonic as Chase remembers him; black, empty eyes that dripped like ink down his pale cheeks, all black attire, his Converse up on the dashboard, and the grossly shiny red gash across his neck. He almost looks like Jack, in a way.

 "N-Not real, not real—"

 "Say it all you want, Brody, but I am real. I've come to finish the job."

 "W-What?"

 "Hold still."

 A hand closed around his neck, pushing him back, his head smacking into the car door. He cries out, arms lashing wildly and legs thrashing, but Anti isn't deterred. The knife glints above his head. The shards of glass reflect upon it, making it shimmer in all sorts of colors. The radio goes wild; static, static static, filling the world, making Chase's ears ring with its volume.

 "D-Don't do this, please, God, fuck, don't—What do you want from me?!"

 Anti smiles. His eyes turn grey-blue, white scleroses. His gash disappears.

 He's a perfect reflection of Jack.

 "Sobriety," he says, in Jack's achingly calm, innocent voice, "Is that too much to ask, Chase?"

 "Fuck, no, no, please—!"

 The knife comes down into his heart.

 "Chase?"

 Anti's...Jack's voice echoes in his ears. It sounds so far away.

 Not real: Jack talking to him.

 "Chase?"

 Real: he's about to die.

 "—CHASE!"

 He jolts awake, panting for air like he had been drowning. His face, neck, and shirt are certainly wet; he's sweating bullets. His hands are shaking something awful. Chase swings his gaze around, trying to take in everything at once.

 "No, Chase, please—l-look, look at me!" Hands touch his cheeks gently and he flinches. They return, directing his eyes forward. Jack...no, not Jack—the hair is a neon green...Jackie. Jackie looks at him in worry, blue-grey eyes looking over him. His touch is warm. His hands are shaking. He's got tears in his eyes, but his breaths are controlled. That's the Jackie he knows—never truly removing the mask.

 "J...Jackie?" His heartbeat is still thumping wildly, but it's slowing down, as he can feel it in his jaw. His brain feels like molasses. "I don't...what..."

 "I pulled over," Jackie drops his hands, but holds Chase's in both. "I didn't mean to call you that, I'm sorry!"

 Chase blinks slowly. He looks out the windshield, unbroken, rain dropping in fat splats, the window wipers working overtime—when the hell had it started raining?—and they are pulled over. They're in front of a house he recognizes as being part of the neighborhood. They're not too far from home. The sun is setting, but the sky is too grey to tell where. The clouds are dark and stormy. People rush by the car and into their homes, some with umbrellas, others caught without.

 "N-No, Jackie, it's...it's my fault. I shouldn't have yelled at you." His words come back to him and they fill him with shame.

 "I shouldn't have gone off on you like that, either. I didn't...you're not a screw-up."

 "I am." He shakes his head, tears blotting his eyes, drops falling onto his pants. He hiccups. "I'm s-such a fucking m-mess, Jackie."

 The seatbelt unclips beside him and warm arms envelope him. He lets Jackie hug him, unclipping his own seatbelt. They stay there for a moment. Two.

 Chase comes clean.

 Nicks for nickels. The bar. His "friends."

 Most importantly of all, the drinks. You don't go to a bar and not have a drink. He doesn't drink until he's blackout drunk anymore, but he drinks enough to be numb. He's relapsed. He was only able to slip in AA the following day after a strong shot of vodka and some breath mints. The whole session, he had been hammered by a hangover.

 Jackie listens silently, but the weight of his disappointment bears down on Chase's shoulders like an anvil.

 "Chase..." He starts, but the other shakes his head frantically.

 “I know."

 "You're not supposed to drink anymore."

 "I know."

 "I'll... I'll talk to Todd tomorrow, your therapist, too. They have to know about this."

 "N-No, Jackie, I have to tell them myself." Having their disappointment on his mind would destroy him, but he needs just a little bit of control of what's happening. "But promise me one thing?"

 "Anything."

 Chase bites his lip.

 "Don't t-tell the others." Jackie opens his mouth to protest. "No, Jackie, y-you have to promise me this. Not Henrik, Marvin, or any of the others...I don't want them to know about this. I don't w-want them to think I'm weaker than they already think I am. And I know they do. I know all of you do. And y-you're all right."

 "You are not weak."

 "I relapsed." Chase rubs his face with his palms. "It hasn't even been six months."

 "Chase," Jackie says firmly, "Look at me."

 When he does, hesitantly, the hero takes a breath.

 "Chase Brody Mcloughlin, you are the strongest person I know," he starts, "because despite all you've been through, you are still here. You are still living and breathing and I know it hurts, but you are so incredibly brave for surviving. I am proud of you, even if you've relapsed. This road you're driving down, it's not an easy path. I don't have to tell you that for you to know. There'll be bumps and detours but...I'll always be here for you. We'll always be here. Anytime you need us. I'll help you get back on the road. I promise."

 That is why Jackie is Chase's hero. Despite everything, anger and pain and injustice...he still manages to be kind.

 Chase nearly starts bawling. He bites down on his knuckles and just nods. He can't say much, so Jackie turns the engine on.

 "Let's go home."

  --

 They park near the sidewalk. The rain has lightened to a drizzle. The clouds are clearing. The stars are coming out. The lawn is wet with dew. The lights in the living room are on.

 Chase feels sick looking at the house. His eyes and nose are stuffy and red and he has a headache coming on. He can't hide the fact that he's been crying. Years of dealing with Anti has trained his brothers to notice the smallest of details.

 "Chase," Jackie murmurs, "if...if you are serious about being able to handle yourself, I...well, it was supposed to be a surprise, but there's this apartment in the city that I've saved. I haven't spent anything on it, but...if you want, I can help you get it. Contribute a little. The rest can be up to you. I'll help you get a job, even."

 Chase looks at him, unsure. "Really?"

 “Yeah. I know you've spent most of your life away from us and it's a bit of a shock to be caged in with us again, so..."

 He loves them, but the house is stuffy. He misses his old apartment, but he had missed his brothers, too.

 "Thanks, Jackie," he says, "I'll...I'll have to think about it."

 "Okay. Take your time."

  --

 At dinner, no one suspects a thing.

 Jamie fills him in on Robbie's garden—it's going smoothly, with beautiful, flowering succulents. For a zombie, it's no surprise he has a green thumb, he jokes, and Chase laughs.

 Marvin teaches him a card trick, much to Henrik's disdain; no magic at the dinner table, he scolds them like a mother hen.

 Jackie watches him from across the table. He can feel his gaze boring into his skull.

 The dining room is warm and full of life. Chase isn't completely involved mentally, but he's enjoying the sounds of dinnerware and conversation. He's not sure what they're having for dinner, either, but it's good. He just feels so out of it because of the emotional roller-coaster that was today.

 The prospect of having a new apartment and a stable job...it terrified him, because what would happen if he relapsed again?

 He tries to still his hands when he drinks water.

  --

  "Goodnight, Chase," Jackie kisses the top of his head, then goes to the doorway of his room.

 “Goodnight. Thanks, Jackie. For today."

 Jackie smiles and says nothing. He shuts his door.

 Chase goes into his room and closes the door behind him. The bed is messy, but he doesn't care. He slides right into it, tossing his phone onto the desk, and closing his eyes.

 He feels the small grooves of scars along his fingers—he had finally taken off the bandages. More scars, more tallies. One on his abdomen, a few on his wrists...a bullet scar on his scalp. He doesn’t even have the gun anymore. Jackie had surrendered it to the police. He still feels the ghost sensation of cool metal on his palm.

 He sits up and crosses the hall, knocking softly on Jackie's door.

 "Come in," the hero's voice floats from behind it. He opens the door.

 Jackie is lying on his bed in his somehow neat room, with a shelf full of comic books arranged by series and brand. His hoodie is slung over the back of his desk chair. He looks up from his phone when Chase stands in the doorway.

 "What's up, Chase?" He asks, eyebrows raised.

 Chase shuffles his feet.

 "Can I...can I bunk with you tonight? It's just that I, I can't stop thinking about it all, and I'm...I'm scared."

 "It's no problem, buddy," Jackie's expression softens, and he moves over, patting the space beside him. "Come 'ere."

 Chase settles in, hesitantly, putting his head on Jackie's chest. He can hear the hero's heartbeat and breath. It's a comforting sound.

"Thank you," Chase whispers.

 "Anything for my little brother," Jackie smiles. "Goodnight."

 "Goodnight."

 He's terrified of building a new life for himself because if he relapses it will all come crashing down again. He doesn't know if he can handle that.

 But he has to try.

 As much as it hurts, he has to. If not for himself, for Henrik, Marvin, Jamie, Robbie...and Jackie.

 For Jack.

 It's what he would've wanted.

And that’s what makes his relapse so crushing.

[blueposthings]

Little Informant (pt. 1)

Warnings: Language

Word count: 1.6k+

--------------------------------------

You’ve always lived your life on the edge, having a father who was the STRIKE team’s commander for SHIELD does that to you. You’ve never slept without a gun on your bedside table since you were ten years old. And when your father didn’t return after going on a mission that one night three years ago, you’ve expected and prepared for the worst. However, despite the absence of your father in that fairly long period of time, you’ve always hoped against hope that he will come back one day. He always did, even that time he returned with horrific injuries all over his body that you had to tend everyday for months until it healed.

That’s why you’ve never touched his belongings, you’ve never entered his room, just like he always told you to –claiming that it was for your own safety, the information that you might find in his room might put you in danger –and you knew better than to disobey.

But now that it has hit the third anniversary of his disappearance, you felt like it was the right time to let him go. To let your hope go.

You sat in his room that has gone untouched for the last three years, rummaging through his stuff. That’s when you found his trusty ‘ol laptop. Though a bit inappropriate at the current circumstances, you thought about selling it. You’ve been working four part time jobs to cover your living expenses, and sometimes  that’s not even enough and you were forced to pickpocket from people on the streets to last another day, so it seemed sensible.

But it had to be hidden for a reason, you thought. So you turned it on to check for any top secret files that might fall in to the wrong hands if you sell the laptop just like that.  However, what you found was not something you expected. Instead of files and information on SHIELD, it was HYDRA. Missions upon missions that was labelled “completed”.

The most shocking part? Your father was involved in every single one of them. Whether it be the man in charge or the executioner, his name is always on those files.

And that was not all, you found out that your father, after leaving HYDRA, had formed a team called Hero Mercs. Apparently his last mission was with them, in Lagos, Nigeria. In addition, you also found a list of unfinished missions. At this point you were surprised that World War III was still not happening, for now at least.

After pondering for two sleepless nights, you decided to do the pragmatic thing. You got up from your bed, and pull out your own laptop. Thanks to the fact that your father lived a dangerous life –and therefore so did you, you learnt how to do a thing or two most kids your age were not able to do. That includes hacking in to even the world’s most secured systems, of course you didn’t do it often, usually you only use your skills to hack in to your school’s website to change a few Cs in your report card, but now it seemed like the only thing that would work. And you proceed to hack in to the The Avengers Facility’s main system. You didn’t do much, just made a few changes here and there and you left your message,

“To: Stark. Canal St., Tomorrow 11 PM. THIS IS NOT A THREAT”.

-------------------

To untrained eyes, the glimpses of shadow on top of the buildings are just birds –not Hawkeye, White Wolf, nor Falcon, the man reading the newspapers on the bench is just a regular citizen and definitely not the infamous Steve Rogers, the woman on the parked motorbike is just on her phone –not Black Widow talking to her in-ear.

You sighed to yourself, “I don’t even know why I tried.”

Despite all the uninvited guests, you approached the man leaning on one of the pillars, hiding under his hoodie and cap even though it was near midnight. You tighten your grip on the USB in your jacket pocket and took a deep breath before walking to his line of sight.

“You didn’t seem to understand what I meant when I say ‘not a threat’,” You spoke, announcing your arrival.

The man in front of you crooked his head to the side a little, obviously not expecting to meet a young teenager in this situation. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I think you heard me just fine, Mr. Stark.” You smiled politely.

“That was you?” He voiced.

“I did say it wasn’t a threat,” You exhorted. “You can call off your guard dogs now,”

Tony hesitated for a second before continuing, “Can’t be too careful,”

You shrugged. “Suit yourself then.”

“Why are we here?” He questioned.

You pulled out the USB from your pocket and showed it to him. “For this.”

“And what is that?”

“Something you might want, even if you don’t you should take it anyways.” You noted. “The safety of the world might depend on it.”

“Is that so, huh?” He challenged before taking a closer look at you. “Let me get this straight, a what- twelve year old? Hacked to my building, one of the most secured building in history and says they want to meet, then claim they have a secret for world peace?”

“First off, I’m not twelve.” You began. “Second, that’s not what I said. Listen, I’m trying to be nice and polite here, but you’re making it very hard.”

Tony then appears to be listening to his in-ear before saying, “shut up, Rogers.” Then you saw a shadow approaching from where you had seen Captain America sitting earlier. You watched him walk near with a small smile on his face, and you returned the gesture.

“I’m sorry, kid, it’s just hard to believe that someone your age- or anyone at all, really- can hack in to The Avengers HQ.” He said as he stopped in front of the two of you.

You nodded, “I get that, and trust me, I wouldn’t do so if it wasn’t important.”

Steve then took the USB from your hand. “So what’s this?”

“You ever heard of the Hero Mercs?” You asked, shoving your hands back in to your pocket.

“No.” Tony answered.

“I’ll explain later.” Steve glanced over to his friend before turning back to you, “I have, what about it?”

“That consists of some –if not all of their plans, past and future. Hit list, nuclear codes, locations of bio-hazard materials, the whole nine yards. End of the world, basically.”

“Hold up,” Tony interrupted. “Come again?”

“Hero Mercs, is –was an organization of terrorist and highly skilled mercenary. It was led by Brock Rumlow.” Steve explained to his companion, not noticing how you tensed up at the mention of your late father.

“Brock Rumlow? That name sound familiar.” Tony pondered aloud.

“He was a SHIELD agent, one of the best. But it turns out he was working for HYDRA the whole time.” Steve recalled for the younger.

“Ah,” realization hit his face. “I remember that bastard-”

You cleared your throat, bringing their attention back to you. “That’s what I came here for, to give you that. I’m gonna go now,”

Before you could turn Steve grabbed you by the arm. “How did you find this information?” He interrogated.

“Somewhere,” you shrugged off his grip, “it doesn’t matter where I got it.”

“Of course it matters, kid.” Tony spoke up. “We have to know whether your sources –whether you are reliable or not.”

You sighed and considered your options. There was no point in lying really. “A laptop.”

“Whose?” Steve pushed.

“Brock Rumlow’s,” you muttered.

“And how in the hell did you get your hands on Rumlow’s laptop?” Tony hissed.

Steve gave Tony a side glare before composing himself. “Kid, how did you get Rumlow’s laptop?”

You turned your eyes to the ground for a second before staring the older men in the eye. “He was my father.”

Then it was silent –you swore you heard someone mutter “what the hell?” behind you, sounded like Barnes.

“You serious?” Tony croaked.

“Why would I lie?” You affirmed strongly but you gaze was starting to waver.

“You’re Rumlow’s kid?” Steve inquired, still in a state of shock.

“Yes, I am,” you sighed. “Look if you don’t trust me, I don’t blame you. My father had done a lot of messed up shit in the past, I can’t right his wrong –he’s done too much wrong. I only found out a few days ago, but I just- I don’t know, I guess this is just me trying to prove to myself that I’m not like him. I just want you to take that, whether you actually do something about it or not, that’s your decision. The important thing is I’ve done my part.”

Steve snapped out of his trance as you walked away, he then once again stopped you from doing so by stepping in front of you. You looked up at him and he studied your face. It was just then that he could point out the similarities you and your father have, your eyes, the high bridge of your nose, your sharp jawline. And suddenly he was thrown back to three years ago, when he watched Rumlow get thrown to his death.

“Shit,” he whispered under his breath as he lowered his gaze. “I’m sorry. If I had known I would’ve figured something else out.”

Before you can ask what he meant, he continued.

“I shouldn’t have killed him.” He said quietly, but you heard nevertheless.

Your eyes shot back up to him in surprise before you chuckled a humorless laugh. “That’s new information for me.”

Once again surprise was written on his face, not a second later, it was replaced by guilt and regret. “I’m sorry.” He repeated.

“Me too.” You said quietly. Then you stepped away from him, continuing to walk away.

“You can’t just leave!” You heard Stark call but you didn’t stop.

“He’s right, kid. It’s dangerous out there for you to be alone.” Steve agreed.

“I’ll manage. How do you think I survived the past three years?”

Part 2

[askthiscpblog]

More Jane and imani??? Maybe some fluffy stuff? Thank you!

Jane decided it would be best to take a day for herself. Something she didn’t do often, but it was needed being one of only a handful of females in the house. Plus, it made her feel better about her situation. So today she decided to head to the aquarium, to look at all of the pretty fish and sea creatures they had to offer. It was often that she remembered how she wanted to be a marine biologist when she was younger, before the incident and everything. This place brought her to a time before that, which gave her a bittersweet feeling always. Now, she didn’t even get a chance to finish middle school before this, much less go to college.

Imani had the pads of her fingers pressed against the cold glass, imagining the pressure of the water breaking the glass and sweeping her away with it. Aquariums were the only place she could go that brought her real joy. As a small child, she had always enjoyed the water, the ways it can be fierce and calm. It will kill you in a peaceful way if you let it. It was mystifying to her. She had never wanted to work with water and the creatures though, instead, she turned to the stars. Now she couldn’t even look at the planets without being reminded what he had done to her. So she turned to the depths of the ocean, comforting and beautiful. She could be herself among the fish. Standing in a glass tube with fish above and around her she wasn’t worried about her ego, her pride, her mission, her looks. She was just a woman standing in an aquarium, her hijab wrapped tight and her hand up against the cold glass. She blinked as she heard footsteps entering and glanced over at the entrance to see who was coming into what she considered her space. She had already sent three children screaming with the sight of her mauled face, what was another?

Jane’s heels clacked against the hard floor of the ground, a rhythm popping up if anyone who listened close enough. She had her mask on, but it was molded to her face with the magic she used, people thought it was her real face. It was amazing how much a little bit of glamor magic can do for a woman, especially one with a burned face.Jane strode into the chamber, the blue light filtering onto her as if anyone gazing upon her was looking through a sapphire. Her wig fell in waves around her shoulders, a high turtleneck covering her as the dress ended at the middle of her thigh. The long sleeves were ruffled, allowing free movement. The clacking of heels came from elegant over the knee boots, simple but adds a touch of flair to the outfit. She didn’t pay attention to anyone else in the room, her dark eyes transfixed on the water and the animals within.

Imani’s eyesight was shit at best in the blue lighting, but she could make out the shape of a woman, one still very small in comparison to her. She mumbled curses under her breath, if the vibes she got were right this woman wouldn’t hurry out with a look at Imani’s face and a flash of her teeth. She let her hand fall from the aquarium wall, stepping back from it and looking over at the woman briefly, assessing her. Long hair, gothic outfit, a stellar sense of fashion. Her whole vibe was much more put together than Imani’s. She didn’t feel the need to let people other than her clients and potential clients see her assets. She had tossed on a simple white t-shirt, a leather jacket, and striped pants. Nothing to attract attention more than she already did. As she processed everything her brain was telling her she swore she had been around this woman before, but it just wasn’t coming to her. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

Jane watched the passing fish with a sense of amazement and wonder. It brought her back to simpler times when her parents would take her to aquariums like this, only to have her shout with laughter when she tried to pet stingrays only to have them splash her. How she looked at sharks, the funny ones with the long saw nose, and the massive great white ones too that could eat her whole! Memories flooded back of simpler and happier times, all the while making her chest ache and bubble with anger. Looking to the next side she heard a woman talk to her, glancing to see a tall figure in simple cloths walking towards her. Jane didn’t need to get defensive, it was too the public to do anything despite the dimly lit room. Also cameras. “It is, and how graceful everything looks while swimming. Even the clumsy fish seem to have a wonderful time,” she responded, pointing to the fish hiding under the sand waiting for prey.

“If anything, the clumsy ones seem to be having the most fun.” It then hit her as to why this woman seemed so familiar. That voice, that aura of glamor and elegance. “My, my my. If I knew I’d run into you again I would have put on something much more flattering. I do believe a wig was promised.” Imani dipped her head to the woman, still not looking at her directly, an eye trained on a particularly stunning fish passing by the glass. “It’s very nice to see you again Miss. Jane. I must say, the lighting does your beauty no justice.”

“Flattering doesn’t mean anything to me. If you were to see me fully without my mask on in my robes, you would not find me quite so appealing.” Jane responded, turning to face Imani. She was more formal than last time, but casual none the less. “And I agree, the one who is clumsy is having the most fun. But isn’t that how everything is?” Jane looked at the fish passing by the glass, a brightly colored specimen that seemed to take an interest in the two females.

“I know for a fact I’d find you incredibly appealing. After all, I see much worse than you when I look into the mirror, and I still find myself attractive.” She cast a glance at Jane, smiling. She was glad for many things, the comfort of her hijab, her skin tone, the lighting. Because if none of these factors were there Jane and anyone else would’ve seen a blush spreading across Imani’s entire face as she thought about Jane in just her robes. At this moment she was certainly one of the clumsy fish. “It is how everything is… I wish I could be as carefree as the fish.” She instinctively waved a tiny bit at the fish that stopped to stare at her and Jane as she would at a small child. A mother’s instinct she supposed. Small things she could crush but wouldn’t dare always brought that out of her. She finally turned to face Jane fully, “You do look lovely. You’re a sight for sore eyes. Well,” she chuckled, “Eye.”

Jane couldn’t help but chuckle at this, the eye pun that Imani gave. Not intending to be rude, but give a nice flirtatious air around the two of them. She walked around the taller woman, her heels clicking against the floor as she stood on the other side of her to get a different view of the water before her. “As are you, I enjoy the casual look on you if I’m to be frank. We both know attractiveness comes from confidence, not from true looks. But, that doesn’t mean looks don’t matter when it comes to the games you and I play.” Flipping her hair over her shoulder, she looked from the fish directly to Imani now. A playful grin played upon her black lips. “Shall we head to a different part of the aquarium? Or maybe even the top and feed the fishes ourselves?”

Imani smiled wide, a dull pain spreading across the right side of her face from the action. She knew where she wanted to take Jane. Was it risky? Absolutely. But in her opinion, it was the most beautiful part of the aquarium. “Follow me.” She turned on her heels, walking out of the cold glass tube and into the next room, past the other displays, and to the very back. There was a bench, and she sat down, patting the seat next to her. In front of them were a seemingly infinite amount of coral. “My daughter always insisted on coming to this part of the aquarium. Isn’t it beautiful?” Imani knew it was a risk telling Jane about her personal life, but Seven was due to move states anyway. And she had a good feeling about Jane. She was willing to be vulnerable with her.

Jane watched her, giving a grin back with her black lips as she followed the taller woman to the back of a different room. She sat on the bench next to her, seeing the coral reefs splayed out ahead of her like an endless forest of stone and life. If kelp was the forests of the ocean, then corals were their rocky cousins that kept more life. Parrotfish could be seen eating some of the coral, as they were supposed to do to keep it healthy. Bright green ones, others with red underbellies, beautiful colors.“Well, your daughter has good taste. Got it from you. It is beautiful.” Her black eyes watched the different corals, the colors and how many shapes they made. “Coral is underrated if I’m to be honest. It is a city of life, everyone living together. Not in peace, but living.”

Imani nodded her head, mesmerized by the colors that the coral gave off. Constant movement, constant changes. She could almost feel Seven’s tiny hand clasped in her own. “Coral build cities for fish, living cities. How cool is that? I’d pay to be a fish living amongst the coral.” She ripped her gaze away from the coral to look at Jane. At each angle, she swore Jane just got more and more gorgeous. It took her breath away more than the coral did. Damn, she was feeling gay today. “Most people pay for my company, as you know. But I have to say, I’ve never been so glad to be talking to someone and not making money while doing so.”

“Glad to be one of the few lucky individuals then. You’re quite a catch, Imani.” Jane looked over to her with her black eyes before making the motion of the fishing pole to the coral. Even made the reeling in motion as if she caught her. “Being a living fish among coral would be nice, but to simple. Granted our lives can be broken down that way if you think about it. Survive, eat, kill, repeat. Not in that order, and not everyone is that way. But I am sure we both are very aware of that.” Jane leaned back on the bench, crossing her legs to show off just enough thigh meat to get the mind wondering. She wasn’t trying to seduce the other woman, but flirting was fun if done well subtly.

Imani laughed at Jane’s silly motion. She wasn’t accustomed to being called a catch by any means, but she did like it. She nodded at Jane’s comment about their lives being simple if broken down. It was true. Imani lived to fuck, kill, get paid, and do it all over again. It was comforting in away. She noticed Jane cross her legs, and could feel the heat rise to her cheeks again. For god’s sake, she was a sex worker, she saw so much more than a little bit of thigh on a daily basis. But when it came to Jane’s little bit of thigh showing apparently her intelligence just went out the window. Not only did it go out the window, but it also left earth altogether. She looked at Jane intently, “You are the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen. And I have seen it… lots.” She snapped out of her mindless moment, looking straight at the coral, intending to pretend like she did not just let down her guard in time for the gay in her to jump out.

“Now now Imani, your gay is showing.” Jane taunted, standing up to wonder over to get a better look at the coral. “To be honest, if I didn’t know any better this would be a date. Not that I would mind since we are both in a similar business after all.” She bent down to pull up her dress on her left just a bit, to show the gleam of a point of something sharp on her leg. Interesting to say the least, how she got it past security to the place and all. Her silhouette was more pronounced, like a classic shadow pinup. A wink and a shooshing finger to Imani later, she was back sitting next to the other killer.

Imani nearly yelped at Jane’s comment about it nearly being a date. Not that she would mind. She hadn’t been on a date she wasn’t being paid to go on in over four years. It all seemed like a dream, but the lack of car tires constantly screeching told Imani this was very real. “It seems we are in a similar business…” She grinned at the sight of the knife attached to Jane’s leg and stuck out her heel. pointing to the sharp stiletto. “I had these custom made. Stainless steel tip, sharp enough to go through a man’s eye and out the other side.” Not to mention the small throwing knife she had on the side of her bra, pressed up against her skin. “I haven’t been on a real date in…four years. I wouldn’t exactly mind if this were my first one since then.” She met Jane’s eyes and smiled, lopsided because she could barely move half of her face. A real smile from her was rare, but Jane deserved it. “You’re different than any other woman who has gotten my attention, Miss Jane. I’d be honored if you’d consider making this trip into a date with me.”

“Then shall we also go grab lunch?” Jane asked, looking to her and holding out a gloved hand. Her gloves didn’t go far back, due to her long-sleeved dress and turtle neck, but very little skin shown still as she stood up still keeping her hand out. “I’ll buy, no worries. Even can get the special place where we eat by the fish, and even feed the fishes too.” It was a wonderful time to see Imani again, but surprising to Jane how well this woman can get around. She didn’t have any special traveling abilities like herself, but it was concerning. Jane hoped that it wouldn’t draw too much attention to her by doing this. Even so, she knew Imani could handle herself.

[cutie1365]

A Kid From Queens Part 8

Pairing: Peter Parker x Stark!Reader

Info: CA: Civil War Era. Tony Stark enlists his daughter to find the web slinging spider in Queens.

Word count: 3.4k

Warnings: I don’t think there are any? Lmk if I’m wrong and I’ll add it.

A/N: Happy New Year! This is probably the longest chapter I’ve ever written lol, so you’re welcome. Reminder I crave validation so please comment and let me know what you think so I can keep this story going.

Masterlist linked in my bio!

A week had passed since your doctors finally released you to return to the tower. You thought this meant you’d finally get some freedom, but as far as your father was concerned, you were basically on house arrest.

He wouldn’t even let you in the lab, he had Friday lock you out. You were about to go stir crazy. You begged him for days to let you out of the tower, and he finally gave in.

“You can’t keep me cooped up here forever, I’m fine, I’m healing. I promise I’ll partake in no strenuous activities.” You pleaded. You were ready to get onto your knees for your father to consider your request.

“Just coffee?” Tony raised an eyebrow at you. He was always going to be suspicious of you, he knew you well enough by now.

“Just coffee and light shopping.” You swore, giving Tony your best rendition of puppy dog eyes for extra measure.

“Fine, but you’re going incognito.” He pointed towards a pair of sunglasses and a hat on the table.

“Ha! Right, like a hat and sunglasses is ‘incognito’,” You began, but he gave you a warning look, “Fine, fine, incognito.”

You slipped the hat and sunglasses on to please him, and promised once more that you’d be safe.

“I love you, give your father a hug goodbye, I’ve got to go back upstate and I won’t be here when you get back.” Tony spoke and you wrapped your arms around him. You felt him press a gentle kiss to the top of your head.

“I love you too.” You muttered, feeling a little guilty.

You slipped out the front doors of the towers, ‘incognito’. Your father was right to be worried. Of course you had other plans than simply coffee and shopping.

Spending the whole week in bed with your laptop had given you some time to research the mayor and Danny Rand. Danny Rand had tried to tell you something before the gala, and now you needed to know what he knew. You’d been tracking his whereabouts all week, so you were pretty sure you’d know where he was going to be at this time.

You found Danny near Rand Industries, as you’d suspected, and pulled him into the alley beside the building. You saw his stance change and something flash over his eyes. He was ready to attack, before you slipped your sunglasses off.

“God Y/N, I could have hurt you.” Danny sighed, taking a step back. You raised your eyebrow, you’ve fought bigger guys than him. Captain America trained you, and maybe Danny said some secret powers, but he didn’t really look like much.

“You were trying to warn me, at the gala.” You slipped your sunglasses on top of your hat, “Did you know what was going to happen?”

“I knew people were trying to get to the family. The mayor’s in deep. Deeper than mafia stuff. I think they’re dealing weapons, I’m not quite sure, but whatever it is it’s not good. I thought maybe they’d target you to hurt them.” Danny explained.

“Me? Why me?” You asked, crossing your arms over your chest. Bad idea with broken ribs. You winced and returned them to your side.

“You do wonders for their public image. Without you no one would really care about them, he’d just be another politician.” Danny explained. So they’d just been using you? For press and publicity?

“How did you know about the mayor?” You asked, changing the subject.

“Because I’m trying to take him down. Are you ok?” Danny asked, pointing to where you were absent mindedly clutching your aching side.

“I’m fine, just some broken ribs and a few other things. Nothing too bad.” You brushed it off like it was nothing. Like you hadn’t just been involved in an attack that could have easily killed you.

“Well it’s a good thing Spiderman showed up. I saw the news footage, it looked like... like you knew him. And you’re a pretty good fighter.” Danny implied.

“I’m the daughter of Iron Man, of course I know how to fight and defend myself.” You tried to change the subject.

“And Spiderman?” He pressed.

“We all have our secrets, Danny.” You sighed, “Do what you have to do concerning the mayor, no one else needs to get hurt because of what he’s doing. Let me know if you need anything, tech, or otherwise. You know where to find me.” You offered to him.

“Thanks for the offer. Get better, and cut all ties with the mayor.” He warned.

“Oh don’t worry, I did. I should get back to the tower before they realize I haven’t just gone out for coffee.” You patted his arm as you turned out of the alley and back onto the street.

The sun began to set as you journeyed back towards the tower. Your mind was racing thinking about whatever these weapons were the mayor was involved with. A red blur landed in front of you, causing you to jump and place your hand over your heart.

“Excuse me ma’am, mind if I escort you home? It’s getting dark out.” The recognizable voice of Peter Parker spoke from behind the mask you painstakingly designed.

“You almost gave me a heart attack.” You breathed out, pulling him into the alley next to you, “Someone could see us.” You warned.

“Here, hold onto me.” Peter spoke, motioning you forward. You carefully wrapped your arms around him, and before you knew it you were flying through the air. Peter had shot a few webs and gotten the two of you up on the roof of the building you were hiding behind.

“What are you doing out? I thought you were under house arrest or something.” Peter asked, the worry was evident in his voice.

“I have my ways, Parker.” You smirked.

“That’s shady.” Peter joked, you tried not to laugh, knowing what it would do to your ribs.

“You’re one to talk,” You quipped.

“What were you up to?” He asked suspiciously.

“Shopping.” You lied.

“I don’t see any shopping bags. I also didn’t know they had stores in the alley next to Rand Industries.” Peter teased.

“Did my father tell you to follow me?” You asked, slightly agitated that he didn’t trust you, but then you remembered that you were indeed lying to him. But he never had to know that.

“Maybe. I was just watching out for you. What were you doing with Danny Rand?” Peter questioned.

“Can we talk about that later?” You asked, the whole ordeal had tired you out, but the thing that got you the most was that you didn’t have answers. You didn’t know why someone would try to kill the mayor, what he was dealing in, and how much at risk that put you.

“Oh uh yeah sorry. Do you want me to swing you home? It’s just a couple rooftops to the tower.” Peter offered and you nodded, latching onto him once more. He swung in and out of buildings, you had your eyes closed most of the time. Mostly because all of the sudden movements were making you nauseous.

Peter placed you gently down on the ground next to the Stark Tower, he was still hanging from his web. You didn’t know how he didn’t get dizzy or anything, swinging, spinning around, hanging upside down.

“Do you want to come up? Dad’s upstate so it’s just me.” You offered.

“Sure sure.” He nodded, you could tell he had a goofy grin underneath that mask.

“Meet me on that balcony, that’s my room, I’ll let you in.” You raised your arm to point to the ledge in question, trying to ignore the pain that shot up your side. “You probably don’t want to walk through the lobby like this.” You placed a hand on his suit.

“I guess you’re right,” Peter laughed, “I’ll see you up there.”

You made your way around to the front of the tower and through the front door. The security guards greeted you, and no doubt were about to update Happy about your return. You entered the elevator and pressed the number for your floor.

You slipped off your hat and sunglasses and placed them on your kitchen island as you passed it, making your way towards your bedroom. Once there, you drew back your curtains slightly to expose the door to the balcony.

As you slipped out into the brisk night air as you saw Peter sitting on the ledge of your balcony, facing the sunset.

“Best view in the city if you ask me.” You say, joining him and admiring the view.

“It’s not bad.” Peter joked, as you slid to sit next to him, turning your body as to keep one leg inside the balcony. You knew Peter would never let you fall, but you really didn’t want the situation to come up.

The two of you sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes watching the sun disappear from view.

“It’s getting cold Pete, we should probably go inside.” you spoke, rubbing your exposed arms. He nodded, silently cursing himself for forgetting he regulated body heat differently than you, ever since he was bitten at least.

Peter followed you inside of your bedroom, and he took a few seconds to look around. After you had closed the door and the curtain, he slipped off his mask. You moved to stand in front of your full length mirror, lifting your shirt slightly to fidget with your bandages.

Peter was still taking in all of your room: it was like a suite at a hotel. Everything matched the color scheme of your kitchen and living room. Very modern, white, clean, and sophisticated, with the occasional pop of color. Your large king sized bed sat upon a slightly raised platform, opposite it hung a tv nearly the size of the one in the living room. He turned to see your desk, large computer, and papers everywhere. This seemed to be the one disorganized place in your whole living area. Peter got a glimpse of the bathroom, with its marble and what appeared to be a rain shower no doubt. He then panned to the last part of the room, consisting of a large mirror leaning in the corner of the room where the walls met.

His eyes were met with you, fidgeting with your bandages in front of it. Pushing the thought of your exposed skin to the back of his mind, he rushed to help you.

“What’s wrong?” He asked quietly.

“It just hurts.” You whined. “I don’t know if it’s too tight or-.”

“Maybe it needs to be readjusted.” Peter suggested, “Here, let me help.”

You looked at Peter for a moment with apprehension. You realized he was probably used to this and more experienced than you were with tending to his injuries after a long night of crime fighting. You searched his face for anything like an ulterior motive, but only saw his genuine concern and want to help. You only saw him, Peter Parker.

You nodded and slipped off your tank top, he then began to unravel the bandage around your ribs and chest. You felt your heart beating slightly faster than normal and hoped he wouldn’t notice.

The more he unraveled the more he saw the large black and purple bruise from where the butt of the gun hit you.

“Holy shit, Y/N, I didn’t know it was this bad.” Peter nearly yelled, stepping back to take it all in.

“It’s fine its just a bruise-” You began to speak as he ran his fingers over it softly, you winced slightly cutting off the end of your sentence. Peter noticed how his touch left little goosebumps in his wake, he pushed that thought to the back of his mind, trying to refocus on the task at hand. He took one last look at your large bruise, hating that he could have saved you from this pain if he had been a little faster.

“I’m gonna rewrap it for you ok? Let me know if it’s too tight.” Peter’s voice broke the silence, as you watched his face, desperately wanting to know what was going on inside his mind.

“Ok.” You tried to say, but it came out barely above a whisper. You held the piece that was over your breast covering you. He began to wrap it gently around you, but tight enough to still serve its purpose.

“Is that better?” He asked, you nodded in response. You had noticed Peter looking at your clock a few times.

“You have patrols soon don’t you?” You asked, reading his body language.

“Yeah but-” Peter admitted, and tried to explain but you cut him off.

“You should go, I know you’ll worry if you don’t.” You smiled lightly.

“I know you’re right, but I want to make sure you’re ok first.” Peter said. You were surprised how easily it seemed he would stay with you instead of going out and being Spider-Man. You never wanted to keep him from that.

“I’ll manage. But... if it’s not too much to ask, could you maybe, come back when you’re done?” You asked nervously. Why were you so nervous? It was just Peter. That’s right, just Peter.

“It will be late but if you want me to I will.” Peter answered quickly.

“I mean, if you’re nearby, I uh- I just haven’t been sleeping, with the pain meds they’ve got me on, and everything else going on and I-, I slept really really well when you were here so I thought maybe. Ya know if I can finally sleep that would be great and if it’s gonna be another sleepless night then at least I’ll have someone to talk to.” You found yourself rambling, now standing in front of Peter, with no shirt on with only your bandage like corset to cover your top half. You must look crazy right now. But the way Peter was looking at you was if he hadn’t even noticed, he looked at you as if you were standing before him in a ball gown.

“I get it, I’ll be here, I promise.” Peter smiled, before he said goodbye, slipped on his mask and headed back outside onto your balcony.

It was maybe 2:30 when  you heard a soft  tapping on your glass. You stood from your bed, clicked off the TV,  and let him in with a smile.

“Hi, how’d it go?”  You smiled, as you locked up the door behind him.

“Good, slow night.” He slipped off his mask before replying.

“I guess the criminal classes enjoy a Friday night off every once in a while.” You joked.

“Seems to be the case,” Peter smiled before asking, “Hey, um, if it’s not too much to ask,  would I be able to shower really quick? It’s just, your room is so nice and clean and smells amazing, and I’ve been on patrol for 6 hours.”

“Oh, of course, of course.” You stuttered, what was wrong with you? You tried to compose yourself while pointing him toward the bathroom, “Everything’s in there, and I can go find you some clothes.”

Peter thanked you before slipping into the bathroom and shutting the door.

You journeyed to the floor above you, stepping into the deafening quiet of what used to be such a lively and joyous space. You could still picture Natasha flirting with Steve  in the kitchen, Bruce hiding in the corner trying to get some peace and quiet before retreating to the lab, wow have things changed.

You entered the first door on the right, stepping into the bare room. You found a bed  that hadn’t been slept in in years, the walls were devoid of any decorations. You pulled open the dresser drawer, thankfully finding some old clothes that were left behind in case their owner needed to return  for  a few nights.

You grabbed one of Cap’s old dri-fit shirts and some sweatpants. Thank god he wears his clothes super tight, you thought jumping back in the elevator to your floor. When you entered your room Peter walked out of your bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his waist.

Your jaw almost dropped, but you composed yourself. Jesus, you knew Peter was strong, he was Spider-Man, but boy oh boy you did not expect him to be that... well, swole.

“I um found these, I hope they fit, they were Steve’s.” You finally spoke, hoping he didn’t see you almost drooling.

“Steve?” Peter asked, graciously taking them.

“Rogers.” You answered.

“Oh my god these are Captain America's clothes?” Peter asked, beginning to fangirl- ah there’s the little nerd you know and love. Wait- love? You thought, that was an odd development.

“Yeah I mean they shouldn’t be too big on you he likes to wear his clothes super tight.” You joked, kind of dying on the inside though because Peter was still standing in front of you like that.

“They're great Y/N. Thanks, I’m just gonna go change.” He pointed back towards the bathroom.

“Sure, sure.” You nod.

When Peter comes back out, you’re sitting on your bed, with the TV back on. You were trying to calm yourself from what you had just seen. It really didn’t help that Peter came back out with that  shirt clinging to his arms. God help you.

You patted the bed next to you and he launched up and landed next to you, making you laugh.

“God this is like a cloud.” Peter joked, jumping next to you. You rolled back laughing at this little dork before you, wearing Captain America’s clothes.

“I didn’t know you were 5 Peter Parker.” You teased.

“Hey- I’m 17 almost 18 thank you very much.” He returned.

“Im shocked.” You joked, as he plopped down next to you.

“So... how’s school going?” You asked, Peter replied with a groan and laying back with his arms under his head.

“What does that mean?” You asked with a laugh.

“It’s just- there’s this party Ned and I were invited to tomorrow,  and uh Ned kind of let slip in gym class that I know Spider-Man and they want me to bring him.  So now I don’t know what to do. If I don’t go they’ll think I was lying, but if I show up without him it will be even worse. Spiderman isn’t  a party trick, I don’t know what to do Y/N.” Peter ranted to you.

“You could bring me.” You suggested.

“What?” Peter shot up, and starred at you like you’d just grown a second head.

“If these kids think you’ve never even met my dad, once they see you with me they’ll know you’re for real. I can be your hype man! We can just say Spider-Man was busy.” You explained.

“I don’t want to use you like some kind of arm candy? What would you even get out of this?” Peter asked, moving back until his back was against your headboard.

“Well I would get to go to a high school party. That would be a first for me, considering I was like 10 when I was in high school.” You smirked.

“Are you sure? You can back out anytime.” Peter said.

“It will be fine Pete. You deserve a night off anyway.” You smiled genuinely.

“Maybe you're right.” Peter smiled, hanging his head before shooting it back up and pointing to your ribs, “Are you feeling any better?”

“I took some more pain meds, I should be fine.” You shrugged, “I think some sleep would do me good but I don't know if that’s gonna happen.”

“I think I can help with that.” Peter smirked.

“Oh yeah? And how’s that?” You laughed.

“Just trust me, come here.” He motioned you towards him.

“Just relax.” He said, his voice getting quieter as you laid into his side.

Peter began to run his fingers through your hair, gently playing with it. It was the most relaxing thing you’d ever felt in your life, no five star spa could match the delicate fimble fingers currently guiding their way through your locks. You could  die right here and now and be happy.

Peter wasn’t surprised when he heard your breathing become shallow and consistent, he knew you had drifted off to sleep. After a few minutes he quietly asked Friday to turn off the lights and TV, all the while continuing to rub soothing shapes on your back. You looked so peaceful as he admired your natural beauty, soon he too found himself succumbing to the wave of sleep drifting over him.

Part 9 Coming Soon

Tags in the reblog because tumblr is trash lol.

Link to join my taglist is in my bio, or you can comment or send me a message/ask and I’ll get you added. Just tell me if you want to be on my Permanent Taglist, A Kid from Queens, or Peter Parker/ Tom Holland Taglist, or any combination thereof.

Also check out my other stories like Hello Detective- my Sherlock x Reader fic, Brooklyn- my WW2 era Bucky x Reader fic, and many more found on my masterlist linked in my bio!

[literarytrashcollection]

The New Recruit (4/?)

AN: This story is kind of slow moving, but there’s a reason for it all! It will all come together soon! I hope y’all are enjoying the snippets of Bucky as the Winter Soldier between Steve going down in the ice and Steve coming back up!

Thor shared his information with the rest of the Avengers. That brought on a whole new slew of questions, ranging from the ones I’d already asked (“Is she your niece then?”) to some questions that I hadn’t even thought to think (“Is it possible that she’s actually Loki in disguise?”). Tony and Bruce’s testing became even more in depth. Loki was supposedly dead, but if it really was his blood in my veins, it gave them something to look for, no matter the quantity.

Steve seemed to thaw a little the more time I spent at the tower. We reminisced about the war and the time before it. I helped fill him in on the time he missed between going down in the ice and coming back up, stuff that the Avengers were either too young to know. Bucky would never admit it, but we both knew he was always lurking, always listening.

It took me telling another story of one of his abduction attempts for him to finally come out of the shadows, stalking towards me slowly until he finally just sat down next to Steve quietly. He looked mortified as I told Steve about the different times the Winter Soldier had tried every different tactic in the world to get me to come home with him.

“Well, enough of this darkness for one night,” I laughed nervously. Bucky was all but physically restraining himself from breaking the arm of the chair he was in. Steve bid us a good night and I stood to head to my room when I fully took stock of Bucky. “Buck?”

He glanced up at me sheepishly. “I hurt you, so much.”

I nodded. “Yeah, the Winter Solider did. I hear he’s gone though. This new guy, Bucky, I hear he’s pretty nice.”

He looked back down at the floor. “I guess.”

I held my hand out, despite my monkey brain telling me that he was still dangerous. “Come on, where’s Steve’s Bucky? The ladies’ man, the adorable idiot who let me escape the SHIELD facility over a glass of water?”

“Wiped from my brain, thanks to HYDRA.” He chuckled darkly, ignoring my hand. I huffed a sigh and physically grabbed his hands, hauling him to his feet. “Who’s this? Just yesterday, you would’ve lit me on fire for shits.” It was meant as a joke, but there was nothing but sadness and self-loathing in his voice.

“Yeah, maybe I was a little callous with you.” I mumbled, pulling him with me to the kitchen. I sat him on one of the bar stools and started rummaging around in the cupboards and fridge until I had everything I need. I leaned over the counter with my back to him for a long moment before turning to him. “I told myself that you were still him. The Winter Solider, turned good. I didn’t stop to think that instead of them just changing your programming, they actually took it out. I wanted to believe that you were tangible evidence of the bad guys who hurt me. I was wrong, okay? And you don’t deserve that.

“Steve and I have been talking a lot and he talked to me a lot about your recovery. I should have been more understanding.” I said, holding his gaze. “I fell for you hard in the sixties, when you pretended like you left HYDRA. You were faking, or maybe they’d just programmed you to believe that you had and all of this other shit. They turned you into old Bucky. I harbor a lot of heartbreak from that.”

His face seemed to age in front of me, like this information took years off his life. Tentatively, like he still wasn’t sure of his own strength, he reached across the granite island and held my hand in his flesh one. “I remember. They would have gone to any measure to get you.”

“I…” I sucked in a deep breath and started mixing ingredients together for a pie crust. “I went a little crazy when you flipped a switch and were suddenly the Winter Solider again. That’s when I swore love off. That’s when I changed my identity, moved to some tiny Canadian mountain, just hid out. When you came out of hiding again, I had to see you for myself.

“That’s part of why I’m here. A big part is because I want to use my powers for good and the way things have been the last few years, it seems like the Avengers need all the help they can get, but a small part of me, a sliver of my heart, just wanted to see you.” My voice cracked a little on the last word, tears welling up in my eyes.

He pulled my hand across and pressed his lips to my knuckles lightly, despite the flour that dusted them. “I’m so sorry, Y/N. You deserved better.”

“We both did.” I sighed, taking my hand back so I could knead the pie crust to within an inch of its life.

He was quiet for a long time. “Do you bake when your stressed?”

I looked down at the flour coated counter and the rolling pin I’d rolled the crust out paper thin with. “Yeah, I do.” I huffed a hysteric laugh. “Raised when women belonged in the kitchen and all that.”

He stood slowly, stiffly, and walked to the fridge. He got out a bag of plums and started cutting. “Don’t tell the others, but I do too.” He smiled shyly, bumping my shoulder with his. “Therapist said that a non-violent form of stress relief could be right up my alley, might help get my head back on straight.”

I watched his fingers do the nimble work for a few moments before I went back to my own work. We made a spiced plum pie that we shared in the living room while we watched bad Lifetime movies.

 London, England. June, 1963.

I puttered around my apartment, tidying up. Dishes had begun to accumulate and laundry was starting to pile up. So I rolled my sleeves up and began to clean, no longer willing to live in the filth that my depression had allowed me to revel in. Each day, watching the mess build hurt me to the core, but I couldn’t physically make myself clean it. I would watch the flies circle half eaten sandwiches in disgust and yet never raise a finger.

Today, I finally fixed that.

Halfway through the dishes, the doorbell rang. I was happy to ignore it. It was probably just some door-to-door salesman or a missionary or something. I stopped only to turn my music up louder and continued my cleaning, singing along to the Beatles.

The doorbell continued to ring though. After the fifth chime of it, I dried my hands and opened the door, ready to level the annoying guest with a rant to end all rants. As soon as my eye settled on a neatly combed, nicely dressed Winter Soldier, my throat closed. I slammed the door on him before he had even said a word. I knew it wouldn’t help anything, if anything, just make him angrier. But it would buy me enough time to pack a go bag and get a head start.

“Y/N! I need your help, please!” His voice cried through the door and I hesitated, my hand freezing over the bra I was ready to shove into my bag. “I escaped. But they’re after me.” He sounded like he was leaning on the door now, his voice broken and tired.

I grabbed my gun, holding it behind my back as I slowly pulled the door open again. Upon secondary inspection, I realized that he had a fat black eye, his lip was split, and his suit jacket covered a growing red stain, centimeters from his heart.

“Y/N,” he breathed and I could see hurt in his eyes. Hurt and fear. I stepped back and waved him in slowly, tucking the gun into the waistband of my trousers. I closed the door behind him and stared, not speaking. “I promise, I’m not here to hurt you. I broke free. I…” he took a deep breath, head tipping back like he was trying to contain tears. “Yours was the only name I could remember, the only person I could think of who could help me.”

“Strip.” I spat. He blinked at me and a tear or two did fall down across his stubbly cheeks. Slowly, he removed his clothes until he was down to his underwear. I didn’t hear the heavy weight of a gun or any other weapon as he sat his clothes down. “Sit.” I was a little gentler this time, gesturing to the couch behind the coffee table.

I walked to the kitchen, retrieving the first aid kit I kept on hand. When I returned, he was leaned back against the seat cushions, eyes closed and mouth agape, snoring lightly. I heaved a big sigh and cleaned up the wound on his chest. He was still a super soldier and would still heal much faster than any human, but I sterilized what appeared to be a knife wound and dressed it. I threw his clothes in with mine to be washed and finished the dishes.

Bucky woke up as I finished preparing supper, meat loaf and mashed potatoes. He stumbled into the dining room in his underwear, plopped down in a chair and stared at me with bleary eyes. He didn’t speak through the meal, but by the end, his eyes had opened more and he was sitting up straight, rather than the slumped shape he took as he shoved food into his mouth without tasting it.

“How’d you escape?” I asked as he stood, rinsing his dish in the sink. I followed after him, mostly out of nerves. The kitchen held lots of weapons, weapons he could use to bring me back to HYDRA. I watched him out of the corner of my eye as I poured us both a stiff drink.

“I was sent on a mission. Here in London. I saw you in town and all of… a lot of my memories came back. Trying to kidnap you nearly a decade ago. You, during the war. Steve. It was enough for me to get away, enough for me to remember all the bad that HYDRA has done and break their bond on me.

“So, I followed you. Made sure you were still uncompromised. One of their agents caught up to me and roughed me up, but I still beat him and then I came here.” He leaned against the counter like it was the only thing holding him up. His gaze out the window never faltered, he never even blinked, like the second his eyes closed, he was back in that hell he came from.

“What was your mission?” I asked, pushing the glass towards him. He accepted it gratefully and took a testing sip. He licked his lips, collecting the extra alcohol off them as he decided he liked it, then knocked the rest of it back in one swallow. “Well?”

“You. Again.” He mumbled, head falling in disappointment. I felt my muscles all tighten, flames erupting across my skin as I clenched my glass so hard, I felt it strain under my fingers. “But, I’m not him anymore,” he said quickly, eyes snapping to mine as he stepped closer to me. He was still in his underwear, still vulnerable and weaponless. Not that he needed a weapon. The glinting metal arm would be enough to grab me, hold me, kill me. “I’m not the new fist of HYDRA. I’m not their Winter Soldier. I’m just… I’m just Bucky again. It’s like waking up flipped a switch and now I’m myself again.”

“I want to believe you.” I mumbled, the flames receding slightly.

He took another step forward and I tried to step back, blocked by the pantry. This close, I could see that his black eye was completely gone. I could see the dark smudge of eyelashes that shadowed his icy blue eyes that were full of emotion and fear and loneliness. I could feel the air stir as he breathed, the warmth from his skin. He felt real again, not like the robot sent to abduct me from Berlin. “Then, please, Y/N, believe me.” He whimpered, his flesh hand coming up to touch my face.

My anger melted. My fear took a step back and I allowed Bucky to touch me. He stroked my cheek, caressed my hair, ran his fingers over the fabric of my blouse and then my trousers. He took another half step forward and wrapped his arms around me, hugging me against his bare chest. It took me a moment, but I slowly coiled my arms around him too. He broke down against me, sobbing pitifully about the sheer torture he was submitted to at HYDRAs hand.

He told me about the beatings and the eletro-shocks used to wipe his memory. He told me about how every day was a fight for his life, a fight to come out on top so he wouldn’t be killed. He wanted to live, he wanted to be a man again, not just a tool. We ended up on the floor of my kitchen, limbs tangled together as I comforted him.

“Your face kept me alive, Y/N.” He whispered after a long twenty minutes of him hiccuping through the last of his sobs. “I was… enamored by you during the war. You were a hero to me. Your face, the thought of you and your strength, it kept me alive.” His eyes were puffy and rimmed red from the tears, but I could see the truth in them.

“You can stay here, for the time being.” I finally told him, my fingers stroking his hair as he rested his head against my shoulder. “We’ll need to leave soon though. If you tracked me down here, if an agent found you, then they’ll find us both.”

He nodded slowly. “America. It’s mostly off their radar. They’ve got a few agents out there but it’s not enough to cover the whole country. I know where to go.” He spoke softly and my heart thumped brokenly in my chest for him.

“We’ll go to America.” I nodded, tucking his head under my chin. We would go to America and I would protect him from ever being hurt by them again.

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[aggressivelyclueless]

Unlucky Break

prompted by @reallydumbdannyphantomaus "for once, tucker is the one injured in a ghost fight when danny can't get there fast enough" Words: 6751 Warning: brief gore, mild angst/feels, would be followed up by a halloween special if i had the time

     The streets of Amity Park were silent.  The moon, only half-full, glowered grimly over the town, and a low and ominous breeze swept over the pavement.  The color had drained away to gray in the darkness; tall, spindly lamp-posts cast tired circles of light every fifty feet in an effort to stave off the night, but it wasn't enough.  They flickered one at a time, as if directed by some distant and higher power, and one of them sputtered and went dark entirely.       It was upon this dark post that the phantom perched, unseen.  He cast a wary eye downwards to the streets, searching for a glimpse of movement or the echo of fiendish laughter.  He caught neither.  He floated off of the post, which buzzed back to life behind him, and drifted down to the curb.  The chill smell of fall swept by him as the breeze shifted, and it brought his mind elsewhere.  It told him of pumpkins and hayrides and bounties of candy poured out on the living room floor, and for a moment it swept him up entirely.  He paused, enthralled, and inhaled as deeply as he could.  The holiday was still two weeks out, but he almost didn't care.  Why couldn't it have been tonight?  He saw the little plastic spooks that hung from some of the street signs.  In his neighborhood, most of the front lawns had been littered with fake skeletons and headstones, and the house four doors down from his had begun to trim the dead oak in the yard into a monstrous hand.  They were the ones that outdid themselves every year, and he found himself wondering what they could possibly pull off after that.       The breezes shifted again, and this time they brought with them a warning.  He hiccuped, a thin line of mist escaping him, and refocused.  Suddenly alert, he traced the alley ahead of him and crept closer.  He peered into the darkness, seeing nothing but knowing he wasn't alone; he swore he heard something skitter away through some crack in the bricks, and he floated down into the alley in pursuit.  He made out a vague rectangle on one side of the alley - a broken window, perhaps - and he was certain that the skittering thing had escaped through it.       He phased after it, not wanting to touch the jagged shards directly, and found himself in the disused back room of an empty shop.  Inside, it was pitch-dark; the thin green ring in his periphery only allowed him distorted and hazy shapes, but at least he could see.  Edges of old crates and forgotten merchandise blurred together if he wasn't looking directly at them, but the strangeness no longer bothered him.  The back door to the shop had been left ajar, he noticed.  From it, an inhuman laugh echoed.  He turned, slinking like a wisp across the space, and slipped through the door to the alley on the other side of the building.       He could see the culprit: a spidery little thing, with eight jointed legs, rooting through an overturned garbage can.  It was smaller than he'd expected, only the size of a city rat (it had a tail like one too, he noticed), and it scuttled back into the alley with a scrap of discarded meat in its mouth.  It paused, gulping the scrap down whole, and then spotted him.  It froze up at once, startled.  Its four eyes widened as much as they could, and one at a time it began to rearrange its limbs under itself as if it might appear more demure that way.  It aimed for the image of the little gray cat it had seen wandering the alleys in nights past, and by the time it was done it wasn't far off; it was enough, at least, to keep from being attacked, and it found that outcome suitable.       Danny watched the little gremlin in silence.  He'd seen it before (or perhaps another one just like it) and he knew that it was harmless.  It wasn't a shapeshifter, at least not outright - a mimic, rather - and he'd begun to wonder where they were coming from.  That's the third one I've seen this week, he thought to himself as he bent down to meet the little troublemaker.  He'd scared the first one away before he'd been able to capture it, but he'd since figured out how to catch them without much fuss, and he offered one hand for it to explore.       The anomaly did, and sat for a moment in his palm.  Up close, he could see four of its legs hugging its belly to make it appear rounder.  It had squinted two of its eyes shut, hoping he wouldn't notice them, and the remaining two stared up at him.  Its defense had succeeded; it knew that he thought it was cute.       "Wonder where you guys keep coming from.  I mean, I guess I don't really mind," Danny thought aloud, giving the little creature a scratch with one finger.  It had been right; he thought it was adorable.  "Only thing is, you keep making my ghost sense go off and one of these days that's gonna get me in trouble.  At least you're not out to get anybody, though.  I suppose it could be worse."       Into the thermos it went.  He flew up higher, taking a moment to survey the streets from atop the roof of the shop, and then spotted two silhouettes up on a different roof three blocks down.  He flew over to them, landing on top of the air-conditioning unit and reappearing before them.       "Slow night?" Sam asked.       "You know it," said Danny, "I found another one of those little spidery guys, though."       "You catch him this time?"       "Yeah."       Tucker turned to him.  "Wonder where those guys keep coming from?  You think there's like a whole building infested with 'em someplace?"       "I'm starting to think so," Danny admitted, "They don't really seem to do a lot, though, so I'm wondering if they'd even be worth the trouble?"       "You're a ghost catcher," said Sam with a shrug, "I'd say so.  Maybe they're poisonous or something, and you just don't know it yet.  You wanna wait until one of them bites you to find out?"       "I guess not."       Sam turned back out to the cityscape around them.  She and Tucker came up here every night that Danny was on patrol; they could see half the town from this particular corner of the roof, and make sure things didn't get too out-of-hand.  "Slow, though.  You didn't find anything running around last night, either."       "No, and it's starting to worry me," said Danny, "Having a quiet night is one thing - but it's been so empty lately I'm starting to find little guys like this that aren't even worth my time."  He held up the thermos, giving it a little rattle to illustrate his point, and sighed.  "I kinda hate to say it but I'm starting to hope for a decent fight, you know?"

      The sun fell slowly.  Danny sat in his room, watching the shadows on the street get longer and longer; the street-lamps all flickered on at the same time, even though it wasn't fully dark yet, and last rays of sunlight disappeared from the pavement at a little after seven.  He wondered if he'd even go out tonight.  Things have been too slow.  Maybe I shouldn't bother?  With a glance to his desk, he changed his mind.  Patrol first.  Homework later.  Besides, maybe he'd get lucky and things might be interesting tonight.       One could hope, right?       He shot Sam and Tucker a text - see you guys in ten - and transformed.  He left the door to his room closed; he'd told his mother that he'd be very busy with homework tonight, and could she not bother him please and thanks.  He hoped that she'd listen.  She did most of the time, as long as he mentioned the homework.  One of these days, he told himself, he'd pull his grades up.       He told himself that a lot.       Unseen, he landed behind the Nasty Burger where Sam and Tucker were waiting.  It was almost exactly between their houses, which made it a good go-between; Danny lived an extra six blocks further, but the fact that he flew most evenings negated any inconvenience.  "Hey," he greeted, appearing before them in the air, "You guys ready?"       "Ready to be bored again?  Can't wait," said Sam flatly, "You know, it probably wouldn't kill you to stay home for once.  If something's out there, so what?  You'll catch it tomorrow."       Danny grumbled.  "Yeah, and if Halloween wasn't coming up, I'd be all over that in a second.  You think I want to let something slip through the cracks and have to deal with it on the most exhausting night of my life?  I'm keeping on top of it this year and I've still got a bad feeling there's something I don't know about yet."       "Danny, look," said Tucker, exchanging a glance with Sam, "I know you've been really on-edge this whole month.  I get it.  Halloween, craziest night of the year for keeping a lid on the ghost stuff.  But, dude.  You haven't caught anything all week.  Maybe just - I don't know - chill for a little bit?"       Danny loosened.  "Yeah, I guess maybe I keep getting kinda worked-up over some stuff.  Tell you what.  If we don't catch anything tonight, I'll take the whole weekend off.  We'll go see that new Terminatrix movie that came out.  Sam, I know you've been itching to see that one."       "Yeah, kinda," she admitted, "I heard this time she chops a guy's arm off and beats him over the head with it.  Sounds promising."       "What about you, Tuck?"       Tucker hesitated, but then nodded anyway.  "Yeah.  Guess it's back to the roof for us, then."       "Hey," Danny frowned, "You think you get bored up there?  I'm by myself most of the time, you know.  At least you guys get to sit and talk."       "Heard that one before," said Sam, "But whatever.  Let's just go."       Danny kept his mouth shut.  He took each of them by one hand and flew off, up to the roof of the apartment complex.  When they landed he threw an arm around both of their shoulders.  "I'll make it quick, okay?  Promise."       He disappeared, and Sam plopped down on the roof.  Making herself comfortable, she pulled a notebook and light-up clicky pen from her backpack.  "You really think he'll catch anything tonight?"       "You mean apart from those little leggy guys he keeps finding?" Tucker asked, "Those don't count."       "Oh I know they don't," said Sam, only somewhat passive-aggressively, "This weekend's gonna be fun, though.  Actual quality time with all three of us?  When's the last time we even went to see a movie, anyway?"       Tucker thought about it for a minute.  "The summer, I think.  You wanted to see the zombie outbreak one but we ended up seeing the space alien one instead."       "Wait, was that really the last time?"       Tucker nodded.  "You said it was the worst godawful CGI you'd seen since Vampires vs. Werewolves III."       "Oh yeah, I remember that one," said Sam with a chuckle, "Those vampires were such a let-down."       Tucker just shrugged; he'd dipped out early that day. - - -       Danny floated quickly through the first half of his route.  He did feel a little bit guilty about dragging Sam and Tucker out here again, but he told himself that it was because he was staying ahead.  He remembered last Halloween - it had been a nightmare, and the last thing he wanted was to repeat it.  Things were a little slow lately - so what?  He knew they'd pick up again, even before the end of the month.       He was just keeping on top of things for once.       He thought about the upcoming weekend too.  He really did want to go and see that new movie with Sam, although he had a feeling that Tucker would be less interested.  Monster movies weren't really up Tucker's alley.  Maybe he'd press for a double, and they'd go and see something else afterward.  That would be a good time, he thought to himself, if it weren't for the patrols.  He realized that part of him wanted to catch something tonight, and not just because it would alleviate his boredom.  If he had a fight, even a quick one, he'd have an excuse to keep his nightly streak going over the weekend.  He paused, frowning.  Why was that?  He always had a blast when he'd go out with Tucker and Sam.  He wouldn't really rather stay home the whole weekend, would he?       Maybe Halloween was starting to get to him already.  Thinking about it beyond just yeah-it's-coming-up or I'll-be-ready-for-it-this-time made him anxious, and it was still two weeks out.  He knew it was going to be crazy, no matter if he kept up on his patrols or not, and part of him wanted to forget all about it.  Sounds like a problem for future Danny, it reasoned, you've got plenty of time to worry about it later.       He'd ignored it as diligently as he could so far.  It seemed to be working; he hadn't missed any of his patrols since the beginning of the month, and he admitted he was somewhat proud of himself for it.  He was increasingly certain that if he skipped out for the weekend, he'd lose the momentum he had going for him, and he'd skip out on the more important ones later in the month.  Still - doesn't a hardworking ghost like you deserve a break?  He squashed the temptation down.  Yeah, I do - the night after Halloween. - - -       "Well," said Sam, setting her pen down and turning over to sprawl on her back across the roof.  "That didn't take long.  I'm bored now."       Tucker looked over at her.  "You and me both.  We kinda knew it was gonna be a slow night.  Wish I woulda remembered my Gameboy, though - found that old thing a couple of weeks ago and restarted Red."       "Yeah?" said Sam, not wholly listening.       Tucker closed his mouth.  After a beat: "You think he's gonna try and rope us into this over the weekend?"       "I'd bet money on it," Sam groused, "He's been really worked up about it since the beginning of the month.  Like, on one hand - okay, it's probably gonna be insane, because duh, of course it will, but on the other hand - we're gonna be there to back him up, so I really don't think it's going to be as bad as he thinks it will.  Try telling him that, though?  Watch him get all freaky-outty about it?  Ugh."       Tucker slid her a look.  "If he does try and bail on us - you think we're allowed to put him in the thermos for a time-out?"       Sam snorted into laughter.  "Do it.  That'll show him."       Tucker smiled, glad that he'd made Sam laugh for once, and turned to try and spot Danny below.  He grabbed their shared pair of binoculars, tracing along the most visible side streets, but then paused.  Adjusting the focus, he groaned.  "Um, Sam?  You wanna take a quick peek?"       "What?  Nah, I'm good," Sam replied from partway across the roof, "Same boring view as always."       Tucker held out the binoculars anyway, turning and giving her a quick shake of his head.  "I'm serious, man."       "What, like an actual ghost?  Finally?" Sam pulled herself up to her feet, taking the binoculars and following Tucker's pointing finger.  "Oh.  Yeah that might be a problem."       The binoculars, now in focus, were trained on the vacant pet supply shop beyond the park.  She could see the truck bay on the side of the building; one of the doors had crumpled inwards, like an angry giant had given it a solid one-two punch, and something inside cast an ethereal green glow.       Tucker turned to her and shrugged.  "You think we should tell Danny about it?  I mean - that can't be a good sign, but - "       " - and guarantee he'll skip out on the whole weekend and keep dragging us out here for all this extra ghost stuff?" Sam crossed her arms, setting the binoculars back down on the roof, "Hey, wait a second - did you see this last night too?  And you just didn't say anything about it?"       Tucker nodded.  "Yeah.  Didn't look bad last night, though.  I kinda thought Danny would have found it on his own.  He didn't, and I guess I forgot about it."       "You think it'll be an issue?" Sam asked, "Before the weekend, I mean.  He's been scouring the town for two weeks straight - if it was bad news, or even was shaping up to be, he'd have found out about it already, you think?"       Tucker frowned.  "Wait, we're really not telling him about this?"       Sam took another look through the binoculars.  "Not until at least Saturday.  Doesn't even look like there's any ghosts there.  Place looks empty to me.  Just kinda spooky." - - -       So far, Danny had caught nothing.  This was the slowest week he'd had in a long time - especially for mid-October - and he finally relented.  Take the weekend, he told himself at last, de-stress a little.  He slowed to a halt in the street, took a final look around, and transformed.  Stress always got to him more when his heart beat; he didn't miss it, but he'd have to live with himself until Monday.  How hard could that be, he told himself, movie night with Sam and Tuck?  It'll be fun.       He turned and started down the streets to go and meet up with them.  He knew they'd be glad he cut his patrol tonight short; he'd had a feeling they hadn't even wanted to come out here tonight at all, and thought with a twinge of guilt that he'd roped them into it anyway.  Ugh, good going.  He hoped they wouldn't be too cross with him - Sam, in particular, was the one to remember things.  She wouldn't always hold a grudge, but she never forgot anything that he or Tucker said, even if it was an off-hand comment at the time.       The wind shifted, making Danny pause.  He turned, hoping for another whiff of hayrides and nostalgia, but what hit him instead was a pit-in-your-stomach wave of dread that sucker-punched him out of left field.  He felt his mouth run cold all at once, and his nostrils froze before he could even let any of it out.  "Oh, hell," he said out loud, pressing his palm on the bridge of his nose in the hopes that he wouldn't give himself brain-freeze on top of all that.  He'd never gotten such a strong reaction from his ghost sense before; why would it all of a sudden flare up like that?       He turned and stared down the empty streets; two pairs of little black eyes stared back at him from behind a shopside trash can.  He knew what that meant: he didn't even have to bother transforming again, which was a plus.  He should have known those little mimicking ghosts would be out again.  This really was too easy, though.  Point, click, capture.  It almost didn't even count, he supposed - although he might tease Sam and Tucker about it later.  He noticed a second one clinging partway up the drain pipe, and a third - wait, is that one bigger? - and a handful more appeared from the inside of the shop.  He realized that was probably what had made his ghost sense react so badly - he'd sensed them all at once - and he turned the open end of his thermos to them.  They didn't seem to know what was coming, but he concluded that he should probably investigate a little further anyway.       He wondered what they were doing in town like this.  Sentient ghosts often lurked in empty buildings or alleys; less form-constricted ones were rarely seen within the city limits.  Was there something here that they wanted?  He phased through the locked shop and took a look around the inside, keeping out of sight in case any security cameras were still active.  He didn't think so, though; it appeared to have, once, been a pet store.  Empty fish tanks and displays of puppy toys lined the shelves, and one on a line of hamster wheels still spun.       He could count at least eleven inside, and floated still for a moment to see if he could spot more.  This must be where they're coming from, he thought, although he still didn't know why.  They certainly didn't look like they were out to destroy anything.  They scurried in and out of visibility on a whim, and one of them ran right under his feet and skittered under a dusty shelf.  It turned, peering out at him.       It wasn't until Danny uncapped the thermos that he realized exactly how many of them had noticed him.  He'd counted eleven at first glance but, taking a second look around, he saw that number double, then triple.  He saw, too, that he'd only been catching the small ones; several that appeared from behind the puppy display were at least puppy-sized, and one that could have mimicked a retriever stared out from atop the empty register.  They stared, deathly still and unblinking, as if waiting for him to make a move.       Danny did.  Six of them were sucked up into the thermos at once; the remaining ones all leapt at him; he backpedaled out of the shop, transforming as he turned to run; they screeched and gave chase; several larger ones clambered up from the storm drains by the curb; he ascended higher and began taking potshots at the closer ones.       The front door of the shop flew open, and out crawled the biggest one by far.  It was at least twice Danny's size, and it muscled its way out onto the streets one or two legs at a time.  It faced him, and he realized he had made a horrible mistake.  At least fifty of the mimicking spirits had him surrounded.       They all attacked him at once, and in a panic he fled higher.  He could hear their angry screeching behind him, directed by the lower roars of the one he guessed was the mother.  He ducked through the second-story window of another building, hoping they'd lose him.  It appeared that they did.  He ducked back under the window so that they wouldn't see him, and checked the space in his thermos.  He knew that, in theory, there was a limit to how many ghosts he could cram inside the thing, but he'd never reached it.       Most of those mimics were pretty small.  He'd be fine.  He floated out again, hoping to catch at least another dozen of them before they noticed him.  He could see them up on the roof of an old office building, and he flew up after them.       One of them spotted him and sounded the alarm; a dozen of the smaller ones dive-bombed him, keeping his attention so that the monstrous one could headbutt him from the side and knock him out of the air.  He fell, instantly set upon by dozens of underlings, and the thermos went skittering across the pavement and came to a stop against the grate of one of the storm drains. Danny made a grab for it, missed, and flew up again.  He shook off most of the gremlins that were clinging onto him, grabbing onto one that was particularly stubborn and hurling it away, and refocused.  Apart from being caught off-guard by their numbers, he remembered he really had wanted a fight tonight.  He spotted his thermos, debated for only a second whether or not to make it a quick fight, and decided that he'd grab it when he was done so that he could mop up.  Ectoplasmic sparks danced between his fingers, and he turned to the swarm with a grin.  Let's do it. - - -       "Looks like he's gonna bail," said Tucker, watching events unfold from the roof.  "Yep.  There he goes."       Sam groaned.  "I knew we should have put him in a time-out.  Wonder if we can at least drag him out to go see Terminatrix.  Maybe a matinee or something?"       "Don't count on it, dude.  Looks like he's - oh, nevermind, they're ganging up on him."       "Lemme see," Sam grabbed the binoculars without waiting for a response, giving them a brief focus adjustment and then frowning.  "You think we should go and help him?  Looks like there's kind of a lot - wait, no, I think you're right.  He left his thermos behind.  He's enjoying this."       "Told you."       Sam watched Danny fly around for a minute, hands ablaze with ghostly energy, and sighed.  "Yeah.  There goes the weekend.  Guess it's just gonna be the two of us."       "Two of us?" Tucker asked, "I'm only gonna sit through Terminatrix if you sit through Star Quest first."       Sam thought about it for a moment, noting with some distaste that the aliens in the Star Quest franchise weren't horribly scary - usually, just humans with antennae or pointed ears glued on - but then nodded anyway.  "Yeah.  Sounds fair.  Hey, check it out," she handed the binoculars back over to him.  "I think he lost track of a couple of them.  Maybe he's having too good of a time?  You think we should tell him to wrap it up?"       Tucker gave the fight below a glance.  "Yeah.  Probably.  If he spreads 'em too thin I bet he'll miss some when he's done.  Plus, that big one looks kinda mean and I don't want him to be on the wrong end of those teeth.  He's come close a couple of times already."       "On it," said Sam, reaching into her backpack for her walkie.  It was connected to the wireless earphones that Danny wore, and she hit the button on one side with her thumb.  "Danny.  Looks like you're having a blast down there but could you maybe keep it contained a little?  You're spreading it out more than you think you are."       "Sam?" Danny responded, floating up a little so that he had a second to answer her.  "I mean, you're right about how much fun I'm having - this is the first fight I've had all week!  It's like instant stress relief!  Hey, listen, I've been doing some thinking - it's about this weekend - "       Sam knew what was coming, but hearing him say it brought her temper immediately to a boil.  "Yeah, I'll bet it is," she snapped, "I've heard it all before, Danny, and we're done trailing along behind you every night for this.  Go on as many patrols as you want.  Fill up that stupid thermos as many times as you think is good enough.  Just do it by yourself.  We'll have your back on Halloween, but until then you're on your own.  Maybe if you get really lucky, we'll let you catch up with us on Monday."       There was a brief silence as Danny processed all that.  He'd known that Sam and Tucker had gotten the short end of the stick for nearly two weeks; he really had wanted to make it up to them, but hearing Sam lose her cool about it was like a punch in the gut.  Not only had she not wanted to come out here tonight - she and Tucker both had expected him to bail on them, he realized.  That was probably what stung the most.  When he finally found the words, he knew it wasn't going to be enough.  "Sam, I - I was gonna say we could go and catch - "       One of the mimics blindsided him.  He spiraled out of the air, descending through the asphalt of the street below and catching himself in a tangle of sewage pipes, and reappeared a moment later.  He turned his attention to the swarm of spirits around him, but part of him still couldn't focus.  Are they really going to ditch me?  He knew that it was time to wrap the fight up.  He still had to bring Sam and Tucker home afterwards; he'd talk to them about it then.  He could see them up on that rooftop - maybe I should have kept this fight a little closer together - and he knew they were watching him.  He'd lost track of the thermos, he realized, and floated higher in an attempt to spot it.  He didn't, and the swarm was beginning to converge on him now that he was up in plain sight.       Now serious, he aimed more carefully.  Most of the mischievous spirits weren't terribly robust, and fell with one or two shots; it was the leader he was becoming worried about.  He must have hit it at least half a dozen times, and it just seemed to make it angrier.  It roared, clawing its way up the side of a building, and leapt at him.  One of its jointed legs swatted at him, and it climbed up higher to keep up with him.       He hit it once, glancing briefly at the underlings below him, and it tackled him across the empty space over the street.  They both flew in a tangle of limbs into the side of the building on the opposite side, breaking through the bricks and snapping one of the old wooden supports clean in two, and he extricated himself after it nearly bit his head off.  He disappeared, splitting his attention as best he could between it and its horde of minions, and finally spotted the thermos by a storm drain two blocks down.  He swooped, grabbing ahold of it before any of the other spirits could catch him, and turned to finish the fight off.  The smaller ones were caught first, and he turned his full attention back to the leader.       The gremlin hissed at him, turned, and crawled upwards.  Its claws left hard scratches in the bricks as it went, and put out one of the windows about halfway up the structure.       Danny flew after it, thermos in hand.  He realized as it made its way up the side of the building that Sam and Tucker were up on the roof, and a wave of dread hit him.  "Guys, heads-up, you better get out of there - !"       The monstrous mimic clambered up the last floor and hoisted itself over the corner of the roof, scraping a handful of bricks out of place and baring the wooden beam that held up the corner of the building.  Under the monster's weight, it held for the moment but creaked unhappily.  Danny could hear Sam and Tucker both scream, and threw an energy blast to get its attention if nothing else.  It lurched forward, hit but not horribly injured, but wouldn't turn to face him.       Danny reached the corner of the roof just in time to see it collapse onto the top floor.  Bricks, wooden supports, and debris crumpled inwards, settling into a pile of rubble in the space below, and the spidery gremlin toppled down along with the rest.  He could see Sam on the other side of the roof, having scrambled away from the damage.       What about Tucker?       He panicked, blasting the giant mimic with a two-handed attack to get it out of the way, and dove into the rubble.  "Tucker?"       The ghost came at him again, and his control lapsed.  He turned with an inhuman cry, both his hands bursting into a crackling blaze, and the second he locked onto his target he let loose with something he didn't know he had.  The next thing he knew, the mimic had been utterly obliterated, and he'd taken out the rest of the corner of the roof too.  The dizziness of overexertion clouded his head, but he shoved it aside and turned back to the pile of rubble before him.  Without a second thought, he dove down and sifted through it as quickly as he could.  Hold on Tuck oh dear god please don't let him be dead -       He found Tucker under a splintered wooden beam.  He looked like he'd been half-crushed; one of his arms was bent the wrong way, and a piece of the split beam had lodged itself in his shoulder.  Fragments of bricks and debris had closed him in.  A wide splatter of blood covered almost half of his face; his nose had been broken, and he only barely appeared to be breathing.       "Tucker!" Danny cried, pulling the beam away from him in a blind panic.  He'd gone almost entirely numb, and hesitated even to touch him.  He knew this was his fault - still having fun, are we? - and the knot of dread in his stomach sharpened into a spear of guilt.  "Tuck, I - I'm so sorry - "       "Danny?" Sam's head appeared over the edge of the destroyed roof, "The hell was that?  I've never seen you go ham like that before - "       Danny turned up to her, pale and tear-stained.  "Sam, I - "       Sam's eyes widened as she realized what had happened.  "Oh my god is he okay - ?"       Danny, without words, shook his head.       Sam jumped down without hesitation, scrambling over the fallen debris and kicking pieces of the former roof out of her way.  Seeing him up close, one hand came up over her mouth.  She stiffened.  "Is he - is he breathing?"       "Yeah," Danny whispered, unable to manage anything other than that, "But - "       "We gotta get help," said Sam, her mind already racing for the least damaging solution.  Her eyes flicked to Danny, and her voice was suddenly sharp; she'd just assumed control, since she knew Danny couldn't take charge.  "Overshadow him."       "What - ?"       "You heard me!" Sam barked, "Keep his head up, if you can - but don't you dare twist him around - I'm calling the hospital - let them know he's coming - "       Danny turned back to Tucker.  He hadn't wanted to even touch him - dear god, he was just so fragile - but he did as Sam instructed.  He slid carefully into Tucker's body, and the pain hit him all at once.  Tucker had blacked out, but Danny felt it all.  It paralyzed him as his mind grappled to keep his focus; for a second, he pulled himself away, but he knew that Sam was right.  He forced himself to keep control, and slowly the pair levitated upwards.  He was aware that Sam was making a phone call - anything beyond that was incomprehensible.  He could feel exactly how close Tucker was to the edge; overshadowing him in this state was almost like trying to overshadow another ghost, and he didn't dare make his body twitch in case it would sway him over completely.       "Come on," said Sam, and it took Danny a moment to realize that it had been directed at him, "I told them we'll be there in five - it's just down the block, but - dear god, that's so much blood..."       Everything that happened over the next hour blurred together.  Danny kept Tucker together, but only barely; he fell out of him the second the medics took over, exhausted and reeling, and only re-materialized after he'd caught his breath.  He and Sam waited for almost three hours for the emergency night surgeon to come out, and not a word was said between them the whole time.  He'd been in tears the entire time.  This was because of him - Tucker might be dead because of you - and despite any and all efforts, he could think of nothing else.  It was unbearable.       Finally the surgeon met with them, and gave them the run-down on the damage: broken arm, displaced shoulder, three fractured ribs, cranial bruising - he got lucky his skull hadn't caved, he'd said - and anemic blood loss.  He asked, of course, how it had happened.  Neither Sam nor Danny answered that one.  He asked them if there had been any hard drugs involved, just so that he could keep Tucker medicated; they said there hadn't.  He asked if their parents knew about any of this, and they just exchanged looks.  He said he'd be making some phone calls, and that no one would be in any trouble if he could help it.  It's a miracle you got him here in one piece, he said.  Wonder how you managed to keep him together all this way.       I tell you - by all means, the base of his skull should have caved under its own weight.       Tucker's parents were devastated.  This had come seemingly out of nowhere - and in the middle of the night, no less!  They had both been prepared to blame Danny and Sam wholeheartedly for the incident - until the surgeon told them that it was because of them that he'd made it in at all.  They didn't tell me what happened, the surgeon said, but as far as I can tell, they knew exactly what to do about it.  They arrived ten minutes later, and Sam's parents arrived not long after that, but it wasn't until the Fenton RV pulled in that anyone got a coherent story.       Danny just sat, numb, for the entirety of the visit; it was Sam that ended up telling it.  She told them that they'd gone out hoping to find a ghost - it had been her idea, she said, and she'd convinced Danny to bring a Fenton thermos with him in case anything went wrong.  She'd admitted that they didn't really know what they were getting into, and she knew they should have been more careful, and that it really was stupid of them to go out like that.       Jack had been about to ground Danny forever on the spot; Maddie took the thermos, about to agree with him, but had changed her mind when she had a closer look at it.  It wasn't empty - far from it, in fact - and she realized just how long they must have been out there before the incident.  Jack, she'd said, grabbing his arm and giving it a tug, Jack, look - this thing isn't empty!  She concluded at once that they'd gotten in over their heads, but the fact that all three of them had survived was a feat in and of itself.  They'd barely escaped - but they had escaped, and caught nearly two dozen spirits in the process.  Still, Danny was forbidden from pulling a stunt like that ever again, and Sam's parents grounded her on the spot.       Danny found he didn't care.  Even after he was taken home, he didn't get any sleep.  The incident played over in his mind - I should have been faster, I should have paid more attention, I should have kept it closer together, I should have sucked them all up when I had the chance.       This is my fault.  Is Tuck ever going to forgive me?

      Danny skipped class to go and see him.  The receptionist pointed him in the right direction, but warned him: ten minutes only - he's still under a lot of medication.  Danny said that was alright.  He just needed to see him.  He understood why Tucker hated places like this; the too-white walls were nearly blinding, and the polished floors were almost insufferably bare.       He gave the door a little knock, but opened it anyway.  "Tuck?"       Tucker, only half-coherent, brightened.  "Danny, s'that you...?"       "Yeah, it's me.  Look," said Danny, letting himself in and finding an uncomfortable spot in one of the two chairs by the window table.  "Tuck, I needed to see you - "       "S'okay," said Tucker, with half a smile, "I missed you too."       Danny had to keep himself from tears.  "Tuck, I'm so sorry - I let things get out of hand, and - this is all my fault - "       "Danny," said Tucker, focusing as best he could given all the painkillers he was on.  He propped himself up on his good elbow, changed his mind about it, and leaned back down again.  "S'fine.  I'm not mad."       Danny fell quiet.  He refused to meet Tucker's eyes, and one hand clamped over the other in an effort to focus on anything that wasn't crying.  "You're just saying that," he said finally, "How can you not be mad, Tuck?  I almost got you killed - !"       "Dude," said Tucker, as forcefully as he could manage, "I swear.  Just...you gotta do something for me, okay?"       "Anything," said Danny, meeting Tucker's gaze.       Tucker's smile broadened.  "Save me some candy from Halloween, okay?"

[dark0angel13]

Awakening: Chapter 1

I woke to the sound of Demi Lovato’s ‘Cool for the Summer’ as my phone rang somewhere off to my left. Groaning, I fumbled around half asleep, my arm searching for my nightstand as I made an effort to answer whoever it was that was calling me.  They better have a good reason for waking me up.

“Hello?” I asked groggy, not bothering to look and see who it was that decided to wake me up this early in the morning.  Clearly it was an idiot because I am not a morning person.

“Jesus Sarah it’s about time you answered your phone!” shouted a female voice from the other end of the line; letting me know right away just who it was. I should have known.

“It’s early Rachel, why are you calling me?” I responded a bit coldly as her image popped into my head: blonde hair that cascaded in waves down a slender face with light skin and amber eyes.  

“Oh I don’t know, maybe because we have a final this morning and you’re already half an hour late.” Her tone rivaled mine in attitude and that was enough to have me shooting up out of bed.  

“Fuck! Has Mr. Connolly failed me already? Do I have enough time to get there and take it before class ends? Shit, I forgot to stu- Ow fuck!” I stumbled around looking for clothes as I spoke, not seeing my backpack on the floor in front of me. I tripped, hitting my elbow on the desk and sending my phone flying in the process. I cursed again, struggling to find my bearings as I rushed to get ready for a test I very might have failed already. Once I had my phone back in hand I heard Rachel’s laughter from the other side.

“Relax girl, you’ve got the full allotted time if you can get here in five minutes. It seems your professors like you as much as I do. He’s giving you a mulligan so don’t blow-“That was all I needed to hear as I shoved on jeans and a clean shirt.

“Got it! I’ll be there in four minutes, time me!” The line was dead before she could even respond and I was rushing to brush my hair and down mouthwash before managing to get out the door.  Three seconds later, I stopped and realize I forgot the backpack I had just recently tripped over, and swore under my breath. Now is not the time to be forgetting shit Sarah!

Rushing back to my door I fought with the lock before managing to get it open and grab my books and dart back out into the hall way once again, this time running face first into a hard chest. I stumbled back and cursed again before steadying myself. Looking up into eyes as blue as the ocean and a smile as bright as the sun. That beautiful face could only belong to one person, Drake. Lord he was the hottest guy in the dorm and I just ran into him like an idiot.

I blushed and stood quickly, “Oh my god Drake I’m so sorry!” Nice job klutz.

The man before me laughed lightly and spoke, his voice sending butterflies fluttering in my stomach. “Always bumping into things. You’re going to get hurt one of these days if you don’t watch where you’re going Sarah.” It was soft and smooth and had this been any other day I would have loved to sit and talk to him for hours. Of course he would pick the day I was late for an exam to talk to me. My luck was getting shittier by the second.

“Hey wait-!”  

I was off and running before he was back on his feet. “I’m late for an exam but I’ll make it up to you I promise!” I shouted back before sprinting down the steps. The icy breeze hit me like a slap to the face and I was shaking instantly. Of course I would forget my jacket. I cursed again and debated on going back for it but decided my test was worth more. This was my future, warmth could wait. Plus I wasn’t sure I could walk away from that face a second time. My self-control wasn’t that great, but then again when it came to Drake, no girl could control herself, so at least I wasn’t alone.

I sprinted on, my adrenaline keeping me warm even as the wind attempted to freeze me from the outside. If I made it in time and managed to pass this exam I would kiss Rachel. I could practically see my goal up ahead. About another hundred feet and I would be home free! I laughed in relief as I came upon the steps with seconds to spare.  

“Thank God…” I mumbled to myself as I pulled open the door, sighing when the heat wrapped around me like a blanket. Taking a deep breath I looked back in the direction in which I had come and briefly wondered what Drake wanted to tell me before my eyes settled on a figure off to my left. I squinted to try and get a better look but my glasses only helped so much, and the person was too far away. Needless to say I had a shiver run down my spine before whomever it was ducked out of my line of sight.

“Okay creepy…” I didn’t have time to be watching weirdos I needed to get to the second floor before I missed my window. Shit why am I so scatterbrained today? Shaking my head to clear it, I rushed towards the stairs knowing full well that by the time the elevator got here class would probably be over. This university really needed to update their buildings.  

I took the steps two at a time while my body shook with nerves and my palms felt as if they had been dipped in water. Why the hell was I so nervous? It’s not like I was failing the class or anything. In all but one of my courses I had an A, so why was I worried? Because this class is the one you’re struggling to maintain a C in you dumbass. Oh yeah. Fuck.  

Of course I would trip on the last stair and fall flat on my face. My glasses flew off and my cheek stung from the impact and I cursed again; fumbling around to gather the stuff that had sprawled over the floor.  

“My god you are just one accident after another Sarah…” Her voice was full of exasperation as a hand reached out to pluck my glasses from behind the trash can.

“I don’t need your shit right now Rachel.” I snapped aggravated, rubbing my sore cheek as I took my spectacles. They were dirty and had a small crack in the corner of the right lens and all I could think of was that I now have to get a new pair of glasses. Fuck my life.

“You know, I would think you would be showing more gratitude to the girl who just saved your ass. Next time I’ll let you miss the exam.” She barked back at me with a glare in her eyes and I had no choice.

“You’re right I’m sorry. Thank you for waking me up I owe you one.” I sighed as we stood as one and she shot me a triumphant smile.  

“No problem I’ll collect later. Right now you need to get your ass in there and pass this exam. If you fail you’re fucked.” Her tone had gone from joking to serious so fast my head spun. She was right though; if I failed this test then I would fall behind and not have enough time to make up the credits in order to graduate. Why the fuck did I want to go to Law School? Oh yeah, because I’m a masochistic idiot.

Taking a deep breath I nodded to my best friend before opening the door, “Wish me luck.” Was all I could say as my heart plummeted into my stomach.

“Good luck in there girl you’re gonna need it.” She gave a pity smile and I had to remind myself to slap the shit out of her later for not having any confidence in me, but right now I had to pass this damn exam or I could kiss my career goodbye. There was nothing to be stressed about right? All I had to do was score a perfect grade on this exam and I would get to stay in school. Easy.

“Ah, I’m glad you could make it Miss Blackwell. Care to explain why you are so late?” His voice was calm and even and had I not known this man better than most students I, would even go as far as to say he was amused. But unlucky me was somehow able to read people much better than they would like me to. His smirk twitched at his right side and his eyes gave away much more than he surely intended. He was aggravated and if I didn’t answer his question correctly then I was screwed.

“Well you see…I was up really late studying and I didn’t keep track of time. I guess I didn’t hear my alarm go off. I am so sorry Mr. Connolly it won’t happen again.” What better way to get out of trouble than to lie right? Lucky for me I was very good at lying. I have a specific set of skills that would make me the perfect criminal, and had most crimes been legal, I probably would have gone that route. A life of crime was a lot more exciting than Law School.

He stared me down for a moment, his brown eyes probing me for any sign of wavering (which he wouldn’t find) before he sighed again and shook his head. “What am I going to do with you Sarah? I know you are struggling in this class,” I winced at his words as if they burned, “but you are pushing yourself too hard. Trying too hard will only make you fail faster. Have you thought about a tutor?”

Fuck no. “Yes sir but I can’t afford the rates they want to charge for their help.” Stingy bastards. “I was going to ask Rachel if she would help me but she is only barely passing this class and I don’t want to put any extra stress on her.” I did my best to sound defeated and I would have laughed out loud at his expression as it changed from annoyance to understanding. He bought my lies as easily as the rest of them did. This was really too easy.

“Yes, I see where you are coming from. The students here can be rather,” He paused as if trying to find the right words to say. Greedy as fuck? Evil? Sadistic bastards that enjoy watching other people suffer? The thoughts ran through my mind like little sarcastic rabbits as I watched the man before me. His suit was grey and his shirt a light blue that didn’t match his eyes at all and his shoes were the ugliest brown I had ever seen in my life. Jesus did his wife really let him leave the house like that every morning? “cut throat.” He finished with a small smirk.

I raised an eyebrow at him but remained quiet, instead my mind going back to the figure I saw earlier. Why was it there? Surely a student wouldn’t be skulking around in the shadows like that…right?  

“I don’t think ‘cut throat’ really covers it Mr. Connolly.” I smirked with him but looked around to the now empty classroom save for a few students who were packing their things. Great I had his full, undivided attention. Yay me. “May I please start this exam?”

He eyes snapped back to me as if I had taken him from his thoughts and part of me briefly wondered just what could have been running through his mind, but decided I would be better off not imagining it. “Yes. There is a copy on the table there and you may sit anywhere. You have an hour and a half to finish and at the last five minutes I will allow open book but I wouldn’t count on those five minutes. This exam is meant to test your reasoning skills and your way of thinking. Don’t rush and you should be fine.”  

Part of me wondered if he had given the rest of the class the five minutes thing but when my eyes landed on a pale young man off to the back of the class, his scowl was enough to tell me that I was the only one special enough to get that mercy rule. Great, another reason for them to hate my guts. I nodded absently before turning on my heel, meeting eyes with Mr. Glare before matching his scowl with one of my own. He looked away immediately with his feet pulling him towards the door and I smirked as I picked up my test. Yeah that’s right you fucker, walk away.

The test stared at me with what I could only guess as mockery because let’s be honest, paper doesn’t really have a face. Still, the words seemed to scream ‘you’re going to fail!’ and all I wanted to do was rip the damn thing to shreds and run from the building. ‘Constitutional Criminal Procedure: Adjudication’ was all it said, the words grating on my nerves like sandpaper for reasons I have yet to figure out.

Okay Sarah just relax and focus you can do this! After giving myself a mental pep talk I opened the little booklet and read the first question. Immediately it made my brain hurt and had me wishing I had just ignored the call and stayed asleep. The first question was an essay in itself and had the professor not been watching me for a reaction to judge me by, I would have screamed and began ripping the hair out of my head.

After reading the makeshift essay again and again I got to the last part and held my breath. ‘Which of the following arguments would the defense council NOT make to support the claim?’ Jesus fucking Christ why did the damn question have to be so complicated? My teeth were clenched so tight that my jaw hurt but I welcomed the pain because it gave me something to focus on when all I wanted to do was crawl into a hole and die. Why the fuck did I want to be a lawyer? The question hung in the air like a heavy weight and the answer like a feather, fluttering around with mocking ease and eluding me to the point of frustration.

By the time I had finished the exam I was about ready to cry my eyes out. There was no way I passed that damn thing.

“The grades will be posted by Monday so keep an eye out. Have a good weekend Miss Blackwell.” His voice was almost mocking as he attempted to sound serious and concerned but we both knew he was a shitty liar and an even shittier pretender. I would be lucky to get a damn D on this test.

“Yes Mr. Connolly. Thank you for the time extension and the five minute open book. I’ll see you on Monday.” Hopefully. If I don’t kill myself before then. I didn’t wait for his reply, simply got out of the room as fast as I could without looking like I was running from my demons, which was exactly what I wanted to do.  

All but slamming the door behind me I bolted for the stairs; the outside suddenly feeling as essential as air itself. I was breathing hard by the time I crashed through the door to Pound Hall and stumbled into the fresh layer of snow. Once the icy air hit my face my legs collapsed under me and I hit the ground with a thud that was hard enough to jar my entire body.

“I’m gonna go ahead and assume that it went as bad as you look right now.” Rachel’s voice rang in my ears like a bell tolling and I had no doubt that the toll was for me.  

“Way to state the obvious. I’m fucked Chel.” I groaned with disappointment as she helped me to my feet before supporting me as we trudged back to our dorm building. Right then I was thankful for her sarcastic ass, as she did the best she could from keeping me from falling completely apart. She was everything I wanted to be: cool, composed, confident, blonde. I sighed aloud and looked to the ground where I watched our feet move in unison; her knee high black heeled boots looking positively spectacular compared to my black converse.  

Rachel out shined me in every way. She was popular, funny, easy to get along with, had a great fashion sense, and her family was loaded. Me, well I was lucky to find a foster home for more than a few months. I was always fighting to survive and here she is, not having to work hard at anything in her life and I hated her for it. Yet at the same time she didn’t act like a stuck up bitch. She knew she was lucky but never once did she rub it in anyone’s face and I loved that about her. Yes Rachel Montgomery was the woman I loved and hated at the same time but I knew I could count on her for anything and another part of me was grateful to her for having my back.

“-st have to relax and not worry so much. Hey earth to Sarah, are you even listening to me?” Her voice pulled me from my self-pity and racing thoughts and I looked up to meet her eyes. Her amber eyes held a hint of emerald that matched my eyes almost as perfectly as her personality matched mine. I swear we were separated at birth, only she got the lucky family, and I got dealt the shitty hand.

“Yeah I’m listening sorry about that.”  

She raised her eyebrow and shot me a look that read ‘yeah right’ before she spoke, “I’m not believing you for a second. If you were listening then what did I just say?” Her tone was cocky and her smile just as confident as she stared me down and inwardly I groaned. Of course she would call me out like that. Fuck.  Well if she wanted to be a smart ass two could definitely play at that game, and I as a very sore loser.

“I need to just relax and not worry so much.” I matched her tone as well as her smirk.

“I hate it when you do that. I swear one day I’m going to ask you to repeat what I said and you’re going to pull that shit and I’m just going to haul off and slap the fuck out of you.” She sighed but couldn’t hide the smile that was threatening to counteract her slightly aggravated tone. She couldn’t stay mad at me and she knew it. Sarah one, Rachel zero. “I said that Mr. Connolly is a dick and his class is too hard but there is nothing we can do about it because this is what we paid for. Literally. So we, you especially, need to just relax and not worry so much.” She repeated the words almost automatically and had I been paying attention the first time I would have noticed that even her tone sounded exactly the same.

I scoffed and looked up to the stairs of our dorm hall and let out a tired breath. I really didn’t want to go back up there but I had to change out of my now wet clothes because if I stayed in them any longer I was going to freeze to death. “Just kill me now Chel. I don’t think I have the courage to face Connolly if I fail this test.”  

“Oh stop being such a drama queen Sarah. You have the guts to be vegan for shit’s sake I think taking a failing grade with a grain of salt would be easy compared to turning down meat. I don’t know how you do it. I would die without burgers.” Her voice was in disbelief as she commented on my lifestyle choice but seconds after she mentioned food both our stomachs rang out in a symphony of hunger. Looking at one another we laughed aloud and for the first time that day my stress was something that I felt I could actually handle at the moment. Rachel always knew how to make me feel better. “What do you say we get changed and hit the bar? After this test I think we both need a drink.”

“Rachel you do realize it’s not even noon yet right?” I shot her a disdainful look as we took the stairs two at a time in a mini race to see who would get to the top first. I won of course, just like I always did.

“Jesus Sarah how are you that fast?”

“It’s because I don’t eat meat. Those burgers are slowing you down Chel.” I laughed as I reached my door; her coming to a stop at the room opposite mine.

“Bullshit. I say it’s because of your days as a cross country runner. Meat has nothing to do with it, you’re just jealous because you don’t know what happiness tastes like.”

“Oh I think I do and it’s not meat. Tofu is both delicious and healthy for you. Which is why I can whoop your ass in a foot race any time and any place.” I shot her a smirk before opening my door and closing it behind me before she could protest.

Once inside I sighed heavily and slid down the metal barrier to the floor where I closed my eyes to try and imagine a life where I wasn’t being buried alive by school work. Looking to my calendar I smiled somewhat relieved to notice that I didn’t have to go into work today and again wondered why I was killing myself. Oh yeah because I’m not rich and have to pay for tuition somehow. Not that it will matter much after Monday. It seemed that my thoughts were only getting more and more depressed just thinking about it. I felt like slamming my head into the wall a few times but decided against any further brain damage. This university was enough to make me feel like a total idiot; I didn’t need to add to the dead brain cells.

Looking around my small dorm room I sighed again. I had left in such a hurry that my clothes were strewn everywhere and open boxes of dried fruit lay about the floor. It wasn’t until I crawled over to my desk that I noticed it. A small white envelope that had my name written in a fancy writing and it was then that I realized that someone had been in my room. Stiffening, I looked around, wondering just what the reason had been for anyone to want to enter this mess of a room, but nothing was out of place. Not that I would really know myself because of the mess but still, nothing seemed missing. Well not yet at least.  

Looking around now paranoid my eyes settled back on my door. It was locked when I came in so how the fuck did someone get in here if I have the only key? I rubbed my temples with stressed fingers as my mind raced ever faster in an attempt to figure out just what the fuck was going on but nothing was popping into my mind. Jesus Sarah you’re a fucking Law Student this should be easy to figure out! Clearly I was a dumb law student.

Sighing aloud I forced my body to relax before stepping past my desk completely and stopping at the door to the bathroom. Whatever it was that was in the envelope could wait until after I chased the chill from my bones. Right then all I cared about was getting warm, and stressing over a letter that was definitely not supposed to be in my room, was not high enough on my priority list.  

The water was exactly the way I liked it, scalding hot, and slowly the ice that had begun to spread through my body began to melt, leaving me toasty warm in the sauna that was my bathroom. My shampoo was my own mixture of ocean breeze and cherry explosion and the melding of the scents had my nose dancing and a hum coming from my lips. Top that off with cucumber and green tea body wash and I smelled fresh and amazing and whole for the first time that day. I should have taken a shower before I even left this morning. Then maybe I wouldn’t have been so stressed. Who am I kidding stressed might as well be my middle name.

Wrapping myself in the giant purple towel I wiped down the mirror to get a better look at my cheek from earlier. My reflection was like staring at a different person entirely. Her eyes were a dull green instead of my brilliant emerald. Her skin was too pale compared to my normal shade of ‘ghost white’. She had bags under her eyes and a tiredness that reflected back in her posture. She was tense and I knew that feeling all too well. At least her hair was the same as mine. Long and flowing in a river of fire down the sides of her face. It was straight as a board but I knew as soon as I dried it, the ringlets would spring up like flowers and I would have to straighten it. Looking further down my eyes settled on the scar that stretched across my right clavicle, its jagged edge enough to make me cringe. I don’t know how I got it or when I got it, but I did know that it had been there for as long as I could remember, and trying to recall what could have caused it only seemed to leave an ache behind my eyes.

Remembering now the reason I had looked at my reflection in the first place came rushing back and my eyes darted up to my right cheek. It was covered in a dark blotch that ran the entire length of that side of my face and just looking at it had a pain throbbing in time with my pulse. The center of it was purple, the outer edges already yellowing and I thanked God that I healed unusually fast. By tonight it would be a distant memory, but until then I would rely on concealer to cover it up. The last thing I needed was to draw attention to myself any more than I already did. Let’s face it, being a ginger didn’t exactly help me blend in.

A banging on my door had me nearly jumping out of my skin and I turned to the bathroom door so fast it put a kink in my neck. Ow fuck. Already knowing who it was I shouted, “It’s open Rachel come on in I just got out of the shower!” I wasn’t sure if she heard me but while I reached into my drawer to pull out some undies and matching bra I heard the squeak behind me and started talking again.

“Sorry but I needed a shower or I was going to freeze to death.” My voice was light and I could have sworn I heard amusement in my tone but disregarded the thought as the voice hit my ears. A voice that was male and definitely not Rachel.

“It’s alright I don’t mind the view.” It was playful and at first I didn’t recognize it. Instead whirling around quick enough to hit my ankle on the bed post and nearly fall back onto the mattress; clutching my towel to me as if my life depended on it. My heart was racing so fast I was sure it would burst from my chest, but all I could think to do was stare frightened at the man before me.  

“Hey Sarah. You left before I could say anything earlier and I wanted to talk to you.” Drake spoke as if nothing was out of the ordinary at me being clad in only a towel and him standing in my room like he lived there. I was frozen and all I could think to do was nod blankly as I gripped the side of my desk so hard I could see my white knuckles out of the corner of my eye.

We stood in silence for a moment, me gawking at his perfect form like a love-struck girl while he simply met my gaze with a stare of his own, but for the life of me I couldn’t decipher the emotions I saw racing through them. This man was a conundrum I had been unable to figure out since the day I met him. He never gave anything away and I couldn’t read him like I could most other people. In fact I couldn’t read Rachel either. I wonder why?

Drake clearing his throat brought me from my thoughts as he shoved his hands into his pockets, “So…” He started and before he could continue I was talking.

“So you should get out of my room and let me get dressed. It’s not polite to barge into someone’s personal space and just stand there like an idiot while they’re standing before you naked.” I was aggravated now, at him and at myself, and all I wanted was to turn him around and shove him through my door and slam it closed in his face. I mean I knew he was hot but he didn’t have to stand there smirking like he knew it. The only downfall to this man was that he knew he was good looking and wasn’t afraid to use his hotness to get what he wanted. He was arrogance personified and part of me, the part that secretly enjoyed watching people like him fall from their pedestals, wanted to be the one to take his ass down a peg or two.

He simply smirked and his teeth were so perfect my knees felt weak. Lord this man was the very definition of sexy and it pissed me off that he knew I was just as helpless against his charms as the rest of the female population. “Technically you said to come in. So I was within my rights to do as you said.”  

“Oh don’t pull your lawyer shit on me at a time like this. If you heard me say come in then you also heard that I said Rachel and not you. I thought you were her and had I known it was you I-“  

“-wouldn’t be wearing that towel.” He finished my sentence and leaned against the wall.

I snorted and glared at him, “No. I would have told you to wait while I got dressed. Jeeze just because you’re hot doesn’t mean I want to jump your bones.” I froze the second those words came out of my mouth and would have given anything to take them back at that moment.

“So you do admit to me being hot.” His voice was matter of fact as he looked at me with a triumphant smirk. “Then you can also admit that you would love to go out to dinner with me tomorrow night.”  

Damn. He knew I would say yes, and he knew that I knew, that he knew, and it just pissed me off more. Jesus this man really was not opposed to using his looks to get what he wanted. Why me though? I was just an ordinary law student. My anger boiled over at his cocky grin and my teeth clenched so tight that it hurt my jaw.  

“Just because you are so fucking cocky, no. I have plans with Rachel and I don’t feel like ditching her for an arrogant prick like you. Now if that was all you are free to turn around and leave.” My voice was like steel and I swear I saw shock register on his face before it was replaced by a calm that scared even me. This man was a mystery and the way he acted had me slightly nervous.  

He took a step forward and I stiffened knowing full well that my eyes were probably wide as anything. He stopped almost as fast as he’d begun to approach and we appeared to be at a standoff before he spoke again. “We both know that’s a lie.” His eyes held an amusement that had my blood boiling. How could he read me so fucking well? His smirk said that he knew he was right and my reaction had proven it; the amused glint in his eyes said he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. I had only one option left and I had never thought it would come to that. I needed to lie better.

“I’m serious. I know you can’t handle being turned down because you think you’re so perfect, but I’m not desperate like all the other girls you fuck. I will not be played for a fool.” My voice was a lot steadier than I thought it would be and I silently thanked God for giving me the calmness to counteract the turmoil that was raging within me.

Lost in my own thoughts again, I didn’t even see him approach, and before I knew it he was inches away, his smell invading my senses. It was a mixture of his deodorant and the cologne he wore and it had my heart skipping a beat and I hated myself for being so weak around this man. He reached up to grab a lock of my hair and I did my best to remain as still as possible but with his hand so close to my face I couldn’t stop the slight tremble in my limbs. His eyes traveled from my hair to my eyes before settling on the bruise I had on my cheek. His eyes changed in seconds and I could have sworn I saw anger swirling within the pools of blue.  

“You’re hurt.” It was a statement more than a question and all I could do was nod in agreement before my hand went to my cheek of its own accord.

“I fell while I was rushing to take an exam this morning.” My voice had gone from confident to shaky in a matter of seconds and I scolded myself for cracking under the pressure of his gaze. The darkness in his eyes swirled ever faster before it was gone. In seconds he was back to his amused self, as if nothing had changed. It was like he didn’t even notice his eyes had even darkened or his voice had dropped to an almost hiss when he spoke, and if he did notice he gave no indication, which only proved to confuse me further.

“Can we start over?” His tone had changed yet again, and I swear I heard uncertainty in it this time. Like he was nervous for a reason that I couldn’t fathom. Why the hell did he have any reason to be nervous? The man was perfect.

When I said nothing he continued, “Sorry I get a little crazy when I like a girl. Let me retry this whole thing. Sarah Blackwell I was wondering if you would accompany me for dinner tomorrow evening?” The light in his eyes had changed and I almost forgot that I was still in a towel and I could feel my face get hotter.

“Uh…I…” I couldn’t seem to remember how to formulate words so I just stood there stuttering like an idiot before he dropped my hair and took a step back. When he was out of my personal space I took a deep breath in and crossed my arms. “I am still in only a towel and this doesn’t change the fact that you still barged into my room. I told you I have plans tomorrow night so my answer is still no. Sorry pretty boy.” I hadn’t intended on being so bitchy but I guess I wasn’t very good at portraying that because when he nodded curtly and turned on his heel his words were like ice.

“Right. Sorry for bothering you. Maybe another time.” Then he was gone and I was standing alone in the center of my room staring after him with a dumbfounded look on my face.

What the fuck just happened? My heart was still pounding in my chest but at least my body had stopped trembling. Jesus I was putty whenever that man spoke to me. I really need to get a grip on myself. It was as if I were glued to the floor so when Rachel really did come in, she stopped and stared at me like I had three heads.

“Uh…do I even want to know why you are standing in the middle of the room in nothing but a towel?” Her tone was slightly amused and slightly concerned and all I could think to do was blurt out the first words that popped into my head.

“Drake Winsor just barged into my room while I was in a towel because I thought it was you at my door and I yelled to come in. He asked me out and I turned him down. He then proceeded to storm out of my room.” My voice was like a robot as I spoke and I watched as her face went from confused to shocked to slightly angry before settling on a look that read ‘no fucking way did that just happen’.  

“No fucking way that happened!” See? Her words were almost a replication of the thoughts going through my mind and I silently thanked God that I could at least read her face at times like this.

“Fucking way.” Was all I said as I found the strength to turn back around and pull my clothes on while Rachel yammered on about me having to give her every detail and not leave anything out.

“That’s all that happened.” It was a lie and I knew it but luckily Chel couldn’t call me on it like Drake could.

She was silent for a moment before she disproved my assumption and I was holding back a scream of frustration as she spoke. “Bullshit.” How the fuck were these two able to read me so fucking easily? Was I slipping?  

Sighing heavily I pulled on my black skinny jeans. My shirt was a violet sweater that clung to me like a second skin and dipped just low enough to show some cleavage but not so much that it screamed ‘I’m a whore’. A perfect in between if I could say so myself. My jeans were ripped up the thighs and my sneakers were a stark contrast of purple against the midnight of the fabric. Once my hair was brushed and straightened, ( I was ignoring Rachel as she droned on) I placed a gray plaid beanie on my head.  

“Hey I know you’re ignoring me.” agitation met my ears as I put on some black eyeliner and mascara to highlight the emerald of my eyes. Once my bruise was covered up and I had my black gem earrings in I turned to face her.

“Yes I am ignoring you because there is nothing else to say about it.” I crossed my arms and gave her a once over. Once again she outclassed me in every way. Her hair was like a waterfall of gold styled into waves around her face. She had on green eyeshadow that brought out the flecks of emerald in her otherwise mocha eyes and her lips were painted a soft pink. Her ears adorned hoops made of what looked like silver and part of me was jealous because my skin was so sensitive that it made me break out and burned my skin. I had to wear steel or gold. Her outfit consisted of a maroon skirt that stopped at mid-thigh. Under that she wore black leggings that clung to her like a second skin and knee high red boots with fur circling the tops of them. Her shirt (if you could call it that) was so thin you could see the tank top that she wore under it. The outer layer was a solid black that almost looked like velvet and her tank top was a paint splattered mess of reds and greys that was clearly done that way on purpose. Rachel wasn’t one to wear anything less than perfection. Her outer shirt, I realized, stopped at her belly button, but the tank top continued down to stop just above her hips.  

Her winter jacket was a grey so dark it could have been black. It was long, stopping just above her knees and the hood and sleeve cuffs were covered in fur to match her boots. It hugged her form just like her leggings and the designs sewn into it that had patterns of gold, black, and red dancing along the bottom of her sleeves and up her back. This woman was indeed beautiful and I simply paled in comparison to her. The only thing that seemed to be going for me was my hair. It seemed that red heads were a rare find and everyone loved them. She still had many more suitors fawning over her than I did but hey at least I was getting some attention right?  

When I was done staring at her she cleared her throat to bring me back to reality and motioned for me to follow her, “Now let’s go get some lunch and that drink.” Her voice was light and filled with enthusiasm as she smiled at me over her shoulder and I couldn’t help but smile back to her as I followed after her like a lost puppy. Yes when it came to Rachel and I, all I seemed to be was the shadow that followed her around and she was everything I couldn’t be. In a way we were a perfect match. Yep, separated at birth.

-

-

-

The place we went to for lunch was just north of campus so we didn’t have far to walk but by the time we stepped through the doors of the old brick building, I was all but a damn Popsicle. Rachel seemed unaffected by the falling snow and I wondered briefly if she was even human. I mean how can someone not be cold in this weather? Not normal. The place itself was small and cozy, offering music as well as a huge beer selection and the second we stepped inside my nose was assaulted from every direction. Beer, food, perfume, cologne, no matter which way I turned I was getting smacked in the face with another smell and each one had me relaxing automatically. I wasn’t sure what it was about this place but I loved coming here. It felt like home, or at least it did to me.

I made me feel like I wasn’t alone. All around us college students sat talking among themselves and I knew they were students because of the desperation and depression that hung in the air. Ah yes finals week blew for everyone who wasn’t a complete fucking genius. Lucky fuckers and their ability to pass any test without even studying while the rest of us freak over flash cards and faint at the sound of the cap coming off a pen. I swear by the time you graduated this school you were scared shitless at just the mention of an exam. Some people actually cried. Not me of course but still, some days I wanted to.

Rachel and I sat at the booth closest to the door should the need arise for us to run like hell (you never know when you’re going to need to run for your life). The only downfall to this was that each time the door opened, I was engulfed in a sea of frigid air that threatened to drown me with each intake of breath I took. Keeping my jacket on was a no brainer and my best friend only stared at me with a weird look on her face.  

“No it’s not normal to take off your jacket this close to the fucking door. I swear you’re not human Chel. I’m freezing just looking at you.” She smirked at my outburst and then again at my shivering before she sat back in her seat.

“That’s because I’m not human.” She said it as if it were true and I almost choked. What the hell are you a vampire?

“Yeah, me either.” I laughed and reached for a menu as a waitress approached our table. She only continued to smirk as the woman took out her pad and a pen. Just looking at it had me stressing out. Surely I failed this test. Surely I was about to be kicked out of Law School. Surely I wouldn’t be able to show my face to her again. Fuck my life.

“Sarah. Earth to Sarah…anyone in that head of yours?” I only realized I had spaced out when Rachel’s hand was waving in front of my face.  

“What?” was all I could think to say as I shot her an apologetic look. I really needed to pay more attention instead of letting my thoughts run wild.  

“The waitress is here to take our drink order. What are you gonna have?”  I could practically taste the agitation and venom in her words. If it was one thing Rachel hated it was when I would space out and she had to bring me back down to earth.  

“Oh uh, I’ll take a long island iced tea please.” Lord how I loved those fucking drinks. I could drink until I passed out and not even have to taste the liquor.  

“May I see your ID’s ladies? Policy and all that.” She smiled as her eyes traveled from me to Rachel and then back to me. It was almost uncomfortable as her eyes were on me while I dug around for my wallet. Why did I have to attract all the crazy ones? Did God hate me or something? Finally finding the damn piece of plastic, I held it out for her to take a look and I swear to all that is holy, that her eyes never even once traveled to my damn license. Her eyes never even left mine and it was an extremely long and awkward staring contest before I couldn’t take anymore.  

Once I broke eye contact with the strange woman she seemed to snap out of whatever trance she had been in and looked to Rachel, her eyes giving the blonde’s ID a once over before she nodded in approval and turned on her heel. “I shall be right back with your drinks.” And then she was gone and it took every ounce of self-control I had not to bolt out the fucking door.

Chuckling met my ears the second the woman left and immediately I cast a glare across the table. “You shut your mouth right now.” I hissed as I slunk back further in my seat.

“I haven’t even said anything.” She looked at me with pretend shock and horror before she and I both finished her sentence.  

“Yet.”  

There was a short moment of silence before our drinks arrived and I avoided the woman like she was the plague in hopes that she would just walk away and not stay and make things weirder. When my drink was set in front of me I muttered thanks while I stared at the table, suddenly finding each and every crack in the wood fascinating.

“She’s gone now you can stop staring into the table.” Sarcasm if I had ever heard it, and it had my temper flaring slightly.

“Well what do you expect me to do? She was like giving me full on creeper syndrome. It’s like I attract all the fucking psychos.”  I exhaled heavily before taking two large gulps of my drink. The sweet taste filled my mouth in seconds and I could have cried it tasted so good. I needed this.  

“She was very interested in you. Maybe it’s your hair.” That was a statement instead of a question and I looked at her quizzically.

“What does my hair have to do with anything?”  

“A lot of people find red heads exotic so maybe you just caught her eye.” Her eyes were laughing at me and all I wanted to do was slap the shit out of her.

“Oh can it blondie. If I could choose my hair color I would not be a ginger. Tonight’s a full moon so maybe it’s just bringing all the crazies out.”  

“You believe in that load of crap?”  

“You don’t? Miss ‘I’m not human’?” I laughed at the glare she shot me and innocently sipped my drink as the creepy woman came back around to take our food order. After ordering a salad, and Rachel ordering a burger, she disappeared without a sideways glance in my direction and I could have danced in relief.  

“So you left your glasses at the dorm?”  

“Yeah the lens is cracked and I am not about to walk around with cracked glasses. I’ve got contacts in though so I can see just fine.” She nodded in understanding as the door behind us opened and laughter met our ears. It had to have someone we both knew because the look in Rachel’s eyes read shock and disbelief and that was rare for her. Holding my breath I turned around and regretted it immediately.  

Of fucking course. Just my luck right? I inwardly groaned as my eyes met Drake’s and he stopped, an emotion I couldn’t quite place shining in his eyes. He was clad in blue faded jeans that clung to him and accentuated his strong legs. His black button down polo was open to reveal his white tank top underneath and the way his sandy hair fell around his head all messy had my heart skipping a beat. Lord this man was hot and I really needed to stop thinking about it.  

“Sarah, fancy running into you here.” His voice was lighter than I expected and shock ran through my eyes before settling on neutral.  

“Yeah weird huh?” Really? That’s all you can fucking say? I swear he heard my inner reprimand because he laughed aloud and shot me a wink before taking a step in and allowing the door to close behind him. It was then that I realized he wasn’t alone and instantly my eyes wandered to the two men behind him. I didn’t know either but they looked familiar to me, like I think I had a class with one of them. The first was a dark skinned man with bleached blonde hair that was combed nicely at the top but shaved at the sides. His eyes were gold flecked green and his teeth were white as snow when he smiled. He was built similar to Drake, tall and handsome with well-defined lines and musculature. Did you really just think musculature? Jesus I need a life. He was dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans and a ‘From Ashes to New’ shirt on that hugged his form like a second skin. Top that off with a bulky letterman’s jacket, from his high school no doubt, and he was a very handsome law student.

The next man was short and on the chunky side with a wide stance and wider shoulders. He wore a faded old navy shirt that had long sleeves reaching from under the short sleeves and dark blue ripped jeans that were clearly from wear and not bought that way. He had normal brown eyes and short spikey brown hair and all I could think of was how boring this man looked compared to the other two.

“Definitely.” Drake’s word drew me back (yet again) from my thoughts as he shoved his hands into his pockets. “So would you two ladies like some company?” His smile was radiant and when I looked to Rachel I could see the glint in her eyes. Oh boy.

“No.” “Yes.” We spoke as one but with two totally different answers and as if I hadn’t even said anything he nodded to Rachel before sitting down beside me, his dark skinned friend taking a seat next to Chel and the short one pulling up a chair to sit at the head of the table.  I stiffened uncomfortably at the closeness of the man beside me and sent a death glare to my so called best friend and made a mental note to unfriend her later.

“So how you do you think you guys did on finals today?” The man beside Rachel broke the ice and part of me wanted to kiss him for being the first to speak, but the other part wanted me to grab a knife and gut the fucker for bringing up finals when I was sure I failed.  

Defeated, I lay my head down on the table and spoke, “Don’t remind me of the traumatic time I had today. I failed for sure. I’m fucked and that’s all there is to it.”  

“I’m sure you passed Sarah stop being over dramatic.” I swear, had we been alone I would have lunged across the table at her. I shot her another glare from the surface of the table before she returned it with one of her own and a smirk to match it. Yep you’re getting unfriended.

“Reece why don’t you run out to my car and get my bag.” Drake spoke as if he were president of the fucking world, and Reece actually nodded silently before getting up and walking out the door. There was something off about this man and I couldn’t figure out what it was, but I sure as hell was going to find out.

The opening of the door had me remembering that he too, like Rachel didn’t have a jacket on, or even near him for that matter. At least she was smart enough to have hers with her, but this guy was pretty much asking to die from the flu. “How are you not cold?” A shiver ran down my spine at just the mention of the word and he smirked.

“With you next to me I don’t need a jacket, it’s warm enough already.” Well aren’t you Mr. Smooth. As if he read my mind, he flashed a toothy grin and Reece sat down opposite him after handing him a black and tan backpack. “You took off earlier and I didn’t get a chance to give this to you.” He was talking into his bag as he dug around and a moment later he pulled out an IPhone and it was then that my heart stopped altogether. Fuck fuck fuck.  

I was at a loss for words as he placed it in front of me and as if on cue it lit up saying I had a text message from my boss asking me to come in today. Oops, too late now I’m already drinking. “You dropped this when you bumped into me this morning and you took off so fast that I didn’t get a chance to tell you that you dropped it.” It was official, I had the worst luck in the universe and to push it further, it had to be Drake that gave it back to me. “I was gonna give it back to you when I was at your dorm earlier but I got distracted.” He winked. 

I wanted to scream in frustration but managed to keep calm as I responded my voice surprisingly even. “Thank you for returning it. I hadn’t even noticed I dropped it.”  

He smiled again and placed his hands behind his head, “It’s no problem I’m glad to help.” His eyes said he was hiding something and his smirk confirmed it, but before he could say anything Rachel chimed in.

“She mentioned that earlier but didn’t go into detail about it. Any reason you stopped by?” Who the fuck are you my mother?

“To return her phone to her like I said. That and to ask her out to dinner tomorrow night but she said you two had plans.” Without even looking at him I heard the mischief in his words. What was even worse was that I could see the wheels turning in Rachel’s head as well. Fuck me.

“No we don’t have plans for tomorrow I have to work.” And there it is ladies and gentlemen. My best friend betraying me to the guy that saw me naked.  

“Oh I could have sworn she said you guys had plans.” His voice was surprised but I could hear the underlying satisfaction as he leaned back in the booth. Jesus did you two fucking rehearse this?

The table grew silent as I did my best to become one with the leather of my seat, pressing myself as hard into it as I could but to no avail. Reece saw my turmoil and tried to help but he only seemed to make it worse. Bless the poor man’s heart but also curse him and his children. “Is this because of the awkwardness you told me about Drake?” I stiffened at his words and the only thing I could do, was think about earlier when he was inches away from me and my towel clad body. Holy.Fucking. Shit. I thought only girls gossiped? What the hell was this world coming to?

This time Drake stiffened, and part of me wanted to laugh at him but I knew that if I did that I could kiss my dignity goodbye. Rachel’s eyes lit up at his reaction and she leaned in closer to us, “Oh? What happened?” Like you don’t already know! I wanted to scream I was so embarrassed and frustrated that when the woman returned with our food I wasn’t even hungry. She took the three guy’s order and smiled before walking away and I sighed in slight relief that she didn’t do anything else creepy.

Chubby who had been silent this whole time laughed aloud before crossing his arms, “This is gonna be good. I wanna know what happened too.” His voice was scratchy as if he smoked and it took all my self-control not to throw the napkin dispenser at him. Everyone at the table turned to stare at him in a single movement and he shut up immediately and sat back in his chair.

Yeah, you better shut the fuck up fatty. I stiffened at my own thoughts, realizing just how much of a bitch I was being today and instantly felt bad. I mean it wasn’t his fault that my life was falling apart and my so called best friend seemed to be conspiring with the hot guy in the dorm to ruin me. He was just an innocent victim of my rage and I made a mental note to apologize to him later even though he had no idea what I would be apologizing for.

After a moment I sighed and sat up straighter, suddenly finding my courage as I met Rachel’s eyes. “I already told you what happened Chel I’m not saying it again. It seems that chatty Cathy over here told Reece as well so now the entire table knows and I would rather we leave it at that.”

When the chubby one made a comment of not knowing, I could take no more. Clearly this day had been ruined, and I had no one to blame but myself. Sighing aloud I reached into my wallet to pull out some cash and leave it on the table before climbing over Drake once again to head towards the door, my cell phone gripped tightly in my hand this time. “I’m sorry; I’ll catch you guys later.” I didn’t stick around to hear them argue with me about it, instead rushing out the door and jogging to the nearest bus stop. When it was clear that no one was going to come after me I sighed with relief and clenched my teeth.  

It wasn’t until the bus pulled away from the curb that I saw Drake exit the bar, his eyes scanning the area before coming to rest on me. There was a wave of guilt followed by slight anger and another emotion I couldn’t quite place, but I thought little of it as he was left standing in the street. Letting out the breath I didn’t know I was holding, I looked out the window to see the sky had become overcast and the temp had dropped another few degrees. The clock tower at the center of the Campus read half past five and I let out another exasperated breath. I really needed to learn how to relax. When I pulled the string to stop I exited and strolled into the liquor store that was a block away. The wind was cold as it whipped at my hair but right then I was so focused on the alcohol that the cold didn’t even affect me. All I wanted to do was buy something that would make me forget today and hopefully keep me out of it all day tomorrow as well.  

I stopped just outside the door and remembered that I had a text from my boss and cursed under my breath. Taking a deep breath I responded telling her that I felt sick after my exam and no I wouldn’t be coming in. I had tomorrow off to but Sunday I had to go in, and part of me wanted to just say fuck it and quit right then and there but unlike Rachel I needed the money. Not waiting for her reply I marched through the door and straight to the Whiskey isle. Right now I needed something strong but good tasting and the only thing that came to mind was Fireball. Grabbing a handle of that along with a twelve pack of Reds Apple Ale, I looked like an alcoholic as I approached the cashier. After showing my ID I nodded in thanks and headed back out.

Once again the wind was cold enough to freeze me where I stood, and not having the patience to wait for the next bus I started walking back to campus. It was only like two or three miles so it was no big deal but with the chill on the wind it felt like I had to walk a thousand miles instead of a couple. Maybe the wait for the bus would be worth it? Glancing back at the stop where a sketchy looking guy stood along with a homeless man and I had my answer. No fucking way. Mind made up I gripped the paper bag tighter and walked on, my feet crunching in the snow and my nose running from the cold.

About five minutes had passed since I had left and I could see the last rays of light through the clouds as the lights from the first campus building lit up. I passed building after building and as I walked, a feeling that I was being watched crept over my skin. Now paranoid I looked around me but saw nothing and no one. Yup you’re insane. Growling slightly to myself as I walked the HLS Apartments came into view and I could have cried. Just a little further and I would collapse onto my bed and binge out on leftover steamed Tofu and Veggies and then drink until I passed out. Maybe throw in some Law & Order as I went. I stopped at my own thoughts and smirked. Wow how original, a law student watching Law & Order. I really needed to get a life. Or a boyfriend. Or both.

As I approached the stairs that led to the main door to the complex I stopped and tensed up. Off to the side of the place I could see a figure hidden in shadow just like earlier that day and it felt as if my blood was freezing in my veins. Super creeped out now I forced my feet onward and up the steps until I hit the landing and I heard rustling off to my right. I jumped at the sound and did my best to calm my erratic heart but it did little to help.  

When I was just about ready to drop everything and run screaming from the building the figure stepped out and a voice met my ears. “I was wondering when you would get back.”  

I whirled to face the stranger with a look of fear no doubt etched into my face when I locked eyes with the one who now stood a few feet from me.

“Jesus fucking Christ Rachel you scared the shit out of me!” I shouted in full on panic attack mode as my hand rested over my heart.  

She smirked and held up her hands, “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to scare you.” The amusement in her voice did little to help my nerves.

“Well next time make some fucking noise.” I snapped back before turning on my heel and opening the door. She followed me in silently and the trip upstairs was an awkward and silent one and just when I thought I would get to escape to my room without incident she spoke, once again disproving my thoughts.

“Are you alright? After you stormed off today I wanted to go after you but Drake said to give you some space.” Though her words sounded guilty they also held a hint of something I couldn’t quite place.  

So you listen to Drake now? Is what I wanted to say, but stopped myself for fear of starting a fight. The last thing I needed was to fight with my best friend. “I’m fine don’t worry about it.” Was all I said as I turned the key. When I heard the familiar click of the lock I sighed to myself. Almost there. You’re almost free.

A hand fell on my shoulder at that moment and I did my best not to jump in surprise. “I’m sorry about earlier Sarah. I didn’t mean to upset you if I did.” There it was again. That faint hint of something in the tone of her voice that had alarm bells going off in my mind. Something was off with her just like I knew something was off with Drake but for the life of me I didn’t know what. All I knew was that my gut was telling me not to believe a word she or Drake said. Not that I would believe him anyway because I barely knew the man but not being able to trust my best friend didn’t sit well with me.  

As if she could read my mind she squeezed my shoulder and her eyes hardened slightly, “You believe me don’t you?” Her words were almost desperate and the more I wanted to say yes, the more I knew I should say no. I did neither, instead gave her a quick hug before backing into my room.

“I’m sorry I’m really tired and just want to be alone for a while. I’ll call you tomorrow.” I didn’t even give her time to respond before I closed the door but I did catch a glimpse of anger shining in her eyes as it clicked shut. She would no doubt be pissed tomorrow but right then I didn’t care. I watched her silhouette linger outside my door for a moment before her shadow vanished and I heard her door slam shut. Sighing again I set my bag on my bed and closed the curtains.

That one action had my heart racing in my chest once again. Why are my curtains open? I swore I closed them before I took a shower earlier. Seriously freaked out now I closed them quickly before reaching into my bag to pull out my small pocket knife.

Steeling myself and clearing my head I walked around my apartment/dorm, checking every inch and turning on every light. I opened all cabinets and even the mini fridge but nothing popped out at me. I checked the bathroom and closets but again found nothing. I really was losing my mind.  

I need a drink. The thought entered my head and everything else vanished like smoke on the wind. I had the bottle of whiskey opened in seconds and a glass already in hand. The beer was still cold so not having to wait for it to chill was a good thing. Plus it was colder than the fucking arctic out so I had nothing to worry about. I poured myself a regular shot and gulped it down, wincing at the fire that seared its way down my throat before filling the glass half way and adding the Reds. I downed half of it right there before walking over to my bed, the heat already radiating out of me in waves.  

Glancing around my space I sighed at the mess it was. With determination I cleaned and organized rather quickly, refilling my drink as I went until I could barely walk straight and knew then that I had better find my bed again before I found the floor. Bringing the handle with me I snuggled under the covers before opening my laptop to log into Netflix. What I needed right now was something funny to take my mind off school, the incident in here earlier today, the bar, and the creepy figure that I had seen that turned out to be Rachel the second time. Not finding anything interesting there I tried Hulu and sighed contently when I put on Ridiculousness. Nothing could make someone laugh faster than watching some poor fool make an idiot of themselves on camera. I was giggling in minutes and feeling slightly better before something caught my eye.

Looking over to my desk I noticed the note that was still there and stiffened. Oh yeah I almost forgot about that thing. I suppose I should open it. Crawling out of bed after setting the whiskey down I wobbled slightly before steadying myself long enough to grab the note and climb back into bed. I stared at my name written neatly on the front before turning it around and opening it.  While I wondered who in their right mind would break into someone’s room and leave something instead of taking something, I pulled out the folded piece of paper. It was regular lined notebook paper that still had the hoogadiggies (yes I call them that) attached to the sides. Hehe hoogadiggies. I chuckled at my own humor before opening it. The second my eyes landed on the words my body froze.  

I stared for a long time, forgetting to breathe until the need for air became too much and I sucked in a shaky breath. This was a joke. Some fucktard playing tricks on me. It had to be. Nothing else could explain the words that were written.  

You can’t hide forever.  

My hands were shaking as I gripped the note for dear life. What the fuck was going on? What did this even mean? Looking around my eerily silent dorm room I noticed how suddenly everything seemed out of place. Where my walls always that white? Didn’t my bed press up against the window instead of sticking out a bit? I closed all the cabinets didn’t I?

Suddenly everything seemed wrong and I felt like my brain would explode at any moment if I didn’t calm down. My heart pounded in my chest, my breath was coming so fast I didn’t know how I was even breathing, and my palms were so sweaty that when I wiped them on my jeans they left wet marks. Get a hold of yourself Sarah!  I tried clearing my head but all I could think about was someone breaking through my window with a machete and hacking me to bits right there. A shiver ran down my spine as I shakily moved the curtain aside to check and see if it was locked. It was and it made me feel a little better but fear still pounded through my bloodstream and I was half tempted to call Rachel and have her come over to keep me company but decided against it. She didn’t need me bothering her for something that was most likely nothing but a stupid prank. Not to mention I had been drinking and she would no doubt be able to smell it on my breath and the last thing I needed was for her to rant about me just being drunk and telling me to go to sleep.  

I glared at my door, anger suddenly filling my being. Why was I even mad? She hadn’t even said any of that? Why the fuck was I getting mad at an imaginary conversation that probably would never happen? I really was losing my mind.  

“Okay Sarah get it together.” Slapping my cheeks to clear my head I looked to the note one more time before another wave of fear washed over me. In an instant I felt sober enough to pass a fucking sobriety test and alert enough to be able to hear that Rachel was watching a rerun of Friends across the hall. I was too stressed and I needed to relax.  Packing the note away in the top drawer of my desk and nearly slamming the drawer home, I grabbed the bottle of whiskey and chugged until I couldn’t breathe.

In a matter of seconds my head was spinning and fuzzy and the heat that had filled me earlier was back in spades. I felt as if there was a fire in the pit of my stomach but I didn’t care. I needed something that would knock me out and fast. Double checking that my door was locked I stumbled back to my bed where I fell more than laid down and gulped down some more alcohol. If I did anything tonight it would be getting shit faced to the point of black out. I needed it almost as much as I needed air at that moment.  

The last thing I remember was toppling the empty bottle on the floor beside me and collapsing while the end of an episode of Ridiculousness played and doing my best not to puke everywhere.

END

So this is the first chapter to my novel. Hope you all enjoy it :) Big thanks to @fairywithajetblackheart For being my beta reader and helping me with any errors and shit, you rock darling!

[tk-writer]

A Ticklish Situation. - a DR2 tickle fic

*WARNING: Contains Danganronpa 2 spoilers. Read at your own risk.*

~~~

Mahiru woke up that morning with a pit in her stomach.

After the previous days’ events, it wasn’t a surprise. The sight of Byakuya’s bloodied corpse was still fresh in everyone’s minds. Along with Teruteru’s nightmarish execution at the hands (paws?) of Monokuma.

Mahiru shuddered at the thought and quickly tried to put it out of her mind. She looked at the clock next to her bungalow bed. It was 5:30 am.

So much for getting a good night’s rest, she thought to herself.

Another image popped in her mind: Nagito in the old lodge. The previous day, he had been knocked out and tied up by Kazuichi and Nekomaru after attempting to sabotage the first-class trial. Some of the students had been assigned to check on him and provide him with meals. After all, they weren’t trying to kill him, just make sure that he didn’t mess with anyone else and cause other murders to happen.

Today was Mahiru’s turn. She was supposed to bring him breakfast, and presumably feed him, since his hands were tied.

She figured she might as well get it done early before everyone else woke up. This might help her avoid the shame and embarrassment that comes with a girl feeding a boy. She was nervous at the idea of being alone with Nagito, but knowing he was unable to move help to ease her nerves. In fact, the idea kind of aroused her in a way…

~~~

Mahiru approached the old lodge with a tray of rice and fruit. Seeing the decrepit building sent chills down her spine. She remembered the fresh blood on the floor, the darkness of the room after the power outage, the screams upon the realization of what happened…

Enough! She gave herself a mental slap in the face. If I keep thinking about it, it’s just going to make it worse…

She entered the lodge and found Nagito sleeping peacefully. How he could rest in such an uncomfortable predicament was beyond her.

Nagito was quite vulnerable in his current position. His hands were chained behind his back with no give whatsoever. His legs were tied with rope from ankles to knees, making standing up on his own impossible. He was pretty much immobile, with little ability to wiggle. Whoever had put him in this restrictive bondage had done so very well. Mahiru had another strange feeling of arousal rising within her.

He should really be more on edge… after all, he’s pretty defenseless right now.

She felt bad waking him up, but she figured he would be hungry anyway. She wasn’t sure if anyone had brought him dinner after last night. Trying to avoid awkwardness, she patted his head.

“Hey. Nagito. Breakfast.”

No response. He was out like a light. She gently shook his shoulders.

“Hellooooooo?? Wake up sleepyhead! It’s time to eat!”

Nagito’s eyes slowly opened, groggily at first but they brightened when they realized who had woken him.

“Ah, the Ultimate Photographer… what a pleasure it is to wake up to such an exquisite sight.”

Mahiru felt her face get hot. She wasn’t expecting that sort of response.

“Ah… don’t say weird stuff! I just brought you some breakfast, so you wouldn’t starve to death. We don’t want another murder after all…”

Nagito gave her a sleepy smile. Mahiru swore there was some mischief hidden within.

“Well of course, I wouldn’t want my talented classmates to fall into despair. That is, unless that would inspire hope within all of you. I just want to see you all succeed. I care more about you than I do myself, you know.”

“Ugh, enough of that already! I just came ‘cuz I felt bad that you’re… here all alone and can’t just eat whenever you want. So hurry up and eat!”

Mahiru turned her face away and picked up a bit of rice with some chopsticks, trying to hide her blushing pink cheeks to no avail. She shoved it in his face and waited for him to open his mouth.

But nothing happened. Mahiru opened her eyes and look at the strange boy. He still had the same mischievous grin on his face.

“Aw man… Sorry Mahiru, I hate to come across as picky, but I actually hate eating rice for breakfast…”

“Wh-what??”

Mahiru shot a look of astonishment at the white-haired boy. His face looked serene, as if he didn’t realize the position he was in. He gave her a cheeky smile.

“What do you mean you don’t like rice?? I was nice enough to bring you breakfast and now you’re telling me you don’t like it??”

“I’m sorry Mahiru, but I simple have no appetite for rice in the morning. Some toast sounds pretty good, though…”

Mahiru slammed down the chopsticks, to Nagito’s surprise. His eyes widened in response to her dramatic reaction.

“Listen, you! I made you breakfast out of the goodness of my heart and came all the way here just as a favor to you! So you better eat this, or else!!”

Nagito smirked. “Or else… what? You’ll leave me here to starve?”

Mahiru was taken aback. Was she even capable of that? She scoffed, trying to play it off.

“Or else I’ll make you.”

“O-o-h? And how will the Ultimate Photographer make me eat? Will you pretend that the chopsticks are an airplane, and fly it into my mouth like a baby?”

Mahiru clenched her teeth. She was becoming increasingly more uncomfortable the longer this conversation continued. Being alone with a weirdo boy was already painful enough, let alone feeding him like she was his mother or something. She just wanted to do it and be done with it, so at least her conscience would be clear. But how? Nagito was refusing to eat. There must have been something she could do… think, Mahiru, think…

Suddenly, a funny thought popped into her head.

A thought that triggered more arousal.

She looked at Nagito’s tied arms and legs.

A warm feeling grew somewhere deep inside her.

Mahiru’s smile widened.

“I have another idea, actually.”

Then she poked Nagito’s side. She wasn’t sure if she’d get a reaction because people are all different, and you never really know with these kind of things, but the result was instantaneous. Nagito let out a surprised yelp and jerked away at her touch.

“Oh-ho-ho… a little sensitive, are we?”

Nagito’s expression changed from peaceful to fearful almost immediately. It was as if he didn’t realize how vulnerable he was until this moment.

“Oh-h-h okay Mahiru, I get it, I’ll eat the rice, just-“

“Hold on, you’re not giving in that easily, are you? You were so stubborn before! I wonder… is it because you’re super ticklish, Nagito?”

Nagito’s body tensed at the word “ticklish”. Mahiru knew she had hit the jackpot. That arousal she felt earlier was only getting stronger… her usually friendly smiled morphed into a devious grin.

“For being the Ultimate Lucky Student, you sure are in an unlucky position... What happens if I do this?”

Mahiru poked her index fingers on either side of Nagito at random and was delighted to hear even more loud yelps from him. For the first time that she had seen, he was struggling intensely against his bonds. This must really have been torture for him.

“AH-HA-HA-HA! NOOO! AH-HA STOP!”

Mahiru gave him some respite to catch his breath. He heaved and continued to giggle slightly, which made Mahiru chuckle to herself. This could actually be a lot of fun…

“Alright big shot… you ready to eat?”

Nagito nodded vigorously, “Yeah I’ll eat! Just please, don’t do that again. I really can’t take it…”

He sounded quite desperate. Up to this point, he always spoke with such an aloof and calm tone of voice and came across as someone who was very put together (despite his delirious rantings). However, this Nagito was completely different.

“Oh, really? Why not? It’s just a little tickling! It can’t be that bad, can it?”

“Yes, it’s really bad! I’m extremely ticklish, I can’t stand the feeling for too long…”

“Is that so… mind if I test that?”

Mahiru didn’t wait for a response. She spidered her fingers all over Nagito’s chest and stomach, searching for the areas that gave her the best reactions. She started at his sides, then moved up towards the ribs and gently dug into the spaces between them. All the while, Nagito squirmed like a worm, his attempts to escape her claws futile.

“AH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! STOP IT! HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA I CAN’T TAKE IT PLEEEEEASE!”

She ignored his pleas and deftly moved to his sides, wiggling them from hips to underarms and everywhere in between. Nagito desperately tried to flip over and shake her hands off him, but with the way he was tied it was utterly impossible.

He didn’t think it could get worse until Mahiru sat on top and started straddling him. Now, he had a lot less room to move and had no choice but to face her directly. Mahiru stared down, with a slightly evil smile, plotting her next move. Her heart fluttered at the sight of Nagito beneath her: frightened, meek, and utterly submissive.

“Tell me… where else are you ticklish?”

“N-Nowhere! That’s it! Please stop! No more!”

“Hmm, I don’t believe you. What about here?”

Mahiru dug her hands into his underarms and Nagito howled. This was obviously a very sensitive spot. What made it worse was the way he was tied, with his forearms stuck at his sides, so Mahiru sneaking her hands between them and his chest meant that they were trapped there and unable to shake off. Nagito acted as if he was being jolted by electricity. His shoulders thrust forward as if doing ab crunches, and he bounced up and down much to Mahiru’s amusement. The combination of her sporadic finger movements and her long, delicate nails were just too much to handle. Plus, the fact that he could barely move now with her on top of him made it even worse.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! AH-HA! AH-HA-HA-HA-HA! I CA-AH-HA-HA-HA-HA-NT! NOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH-HA-HA!”

Nagito’s volume and intensity increased with each passing minute. Finally, Mahiru lessened her attack to gentle strokes on his belly. She lifted his shirt, exposing the warm, baby soft skin and the slight muscle definition in his abs. The cool air against the unprotected area gave him tiny goosebumps all over. Mahiru started drawing slow, little circles around his belly button and side to side from navel to ribs. Seeing his stomach tense and hearing his tittered giggles brought her even more joy. For Nagito, this still tickled like hell, but it reduced him to mere giggles rather than full out screaming.

“Now, now… just relax…”

Nagito couldn’t even try to form a response. He was still recovering from her underarm attack, and the gentle strokes on his stomach were still unbearable. However, after a few minutes he let his guard down and his hitched breathing began returning to normal. This was his fatal mistake.

Out of nowhere, he felt a visceral tickle deep within the muscles of his stomach. He screamed higher in pitch than he had the entire time. Mahiru was digging her thumbs into two agonizing spots on either side of his belly, right above his hip bones. The sensation was pure torment compared to everything else before. Nagito’s struggles began anew as he flinched back and forth in a futile attempt to escape.

“AH! HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA! MA-HA-HIRU! STOP PLEASE! I BEG OF YOU-AH NOT THERE! NOT THERE! NOOOOOOOO-AAAAAAAAAH!”

Mahiru knew she was pushing his limits, so she let up on her torture and gave the white-haired boy another break. She took a good look at him. His face was flushed bright red, probably both from embarrassment and lack of air. Sweat caused his silvery hair to stick to his forehead. His chest heaved up and down, covered in damp perspiration

Mahiru couldn’t help but stare. From her angle, Nagito looked quite docile. The skin on his chest was smooth as silk and pale as the moon. There was some evidence of muscles in his abs, although not enough to call it a six pack. She had never been this close to a boy, especially with so much of his skin exposed. She felt herself grow warmer, the earlier arousal reaching an all-time high…

In an instant, Mahiru snapped back to reality and threw herself off Nagito. She looked at him one last time, locking eyes with him as he gave her one last pleading look with his eyes. She gasped, realizing how adult the situation had become, and without another word grabbed the tray and ran out of the lodge.

Jeez, what the hell got into me?? She wondered as she rushed back to the restaurant. That was totally out of character…

It wasn’t until she arrived at the restaurant that she realized she never actually fed Nagito, the entire purpose of her trip. Damn it!

Luckily, Hajime was sitting alone at one of the tables. Perfect, I’ll just have him do it…

[fucking-hell-marvel]

Lacuna - Chapter Two

Dr Ada Ross Set Tuesday, February 1st, 1870 ~~~~~~~~~~

After sixteen days of long travel, the train pulled into the station of my new home. Ganado Springs, New Mexico.

The lovely station master was shocked to see me unloaded my trunks and promised to have them brought over the boarding house where I was temporarily staying. Uncle Bruce had sent instructions on how to find the doctor’s office in his last letter.  

The town had every kind of store you might need. I could see why it was a famous town on the railroad and cattle drives. It also seemed like the place that you’d never leave. I knew enough of the ‘wild west’ to know that things were more relaxed than they were in the city. From what uncle Bruce had told me; the pastor was a man of colour, compared to the rest of the world women were treated equally, and there was some openly queer folk too, yet everybody got along. The most crucial thing Bruce had told me to remember was that the community stuck together no matter what.  

As I walked down the main street of town, I was glad to see that I wouldn't stick out. All the women I could see wore simple and practical clothes. No unnecessary bows or frills in horrid colours, just sturdy dresses or a skirt and blouse.

I saw the church up ahead and followed the road to the right, just as Bruce instructed. Around the corner of the boarding house was the new doctor's office. It was an older building, but you could see that it had refurbished recently. The windows were scrubbed clean, and I could see a new sign hanging off the porch. Dr Banner was seeing a patient out of his practice when I approached the office bags in hand. When Bruce finally spotted me his face split into a wide grin.

“Ada! Look at you.”

I dropped my bags and launched myself at my uncle. “Bruce! I have missed you.”

“Three years is far too long.” He offered me his arm and led me upstairs to his private apartment.

“Oh uncle, it is. I have missed you terribly.  You're getting more grey each time I see you."

It was true; noticeable silver streaks were running through his dark waves.

“It’s dealing with you all these years.” He picked up my bags and led me into the clinic. I noticed the metal plaque engraved with both our names and space for more to be added. “Everything is brand new. You’ll have to help me set everything up.”

Inside the clinic, you could smell the freshly cut wood. As soon as you walked in the door, there was a single waiting area with a nurses desk. On the left of the waiting area were two small rooms for examining a patient or treating minor illnesses. On the right were three much larger patient rooms with beds, if a patient were brought to the clinic and needed to stay they would be placed there. Outback was two medium-sized operating theatres; essential for minor or significant surgical and the more complicated childbirths.

Opposite the theatres and behind the office was a moderately sized clinical room full of shelves to house medicines, cupboards to accommodate equipment and a decent sized sink with an indoor pump to clean ourselves and anything else.

The office was spacious but bare, and Bruce had done the minimal amount of work to set it up. One table with the chair tucked under was pushed against the back wall and used for storing the more delicate items.  Bruce had set up a beautiful partners desk up for me, along with a revolving chair, the worn leather was a deep rich brown.

The last desk other Bruce was using himself and was slightly cluttered. He had never been an overly organised person. There were lots of boxes and crates stacked against the walls no doubt full of all the equipment he had ordered.

Bruce left me to grab the other desk chair while he used a small wood burning stove in the corner of the room to make tea. The wood stove would also be used for heating and to boil water for medical use, cleaning wounds and the clinic. There was a large copper pot on the floor beside the stove. I recognised it as one from my father’s clinic, the dent was in the same place, and one handle was slightly out of shape. I knew that Bruce had gotten on with his brother in law extraordinarily well.

I managed to find a sealed crate that wasn’t too dusty, on which to place my bags. I took off my bonnet perching it on Bruce’s lamp and stuffing my gloves into my carpet bag. I happily sat in the comfy desk chair, compared to the hard and cramped quarters of a train the chair felt like a cloud in heaven.

As I looked around the baren office, I noticed the large packing crate in the corner, already opened. “Did the shipment come already?”

“Yes thank you. I was running short of some supplies.” He placed the tea tray on the table and took a seat.

I poured tea for the two of us while he got comfortable in his armchair. “Before I left Boston I made sure that we’d get a regular shipment every month, so we never run out of anything.”

“You are an angel. So how was your trip?”

I almost snorted into my cup. “Almost three weeks moving from train to train, I’m surprised I didn’t resort to murder.”

“Did you have second thoughts?”

I placed my hand over his. “I would travel the world to be with you. You are my only family left Bruce. It was a long, trying journey but I knew that at the end we’d be together again.”

He smiled back at me. “I can’t wait till you get settled. This kinda place won’t care that you’re a woman doctor and they won’t care that you’d be my practise partner.”

“I'm glad. I was getting fed up at the hospital.”

“Well, this will be a welcome change. There are some things in the diary, people who need to be seen daily, scheduled health checks. Helen is in charge of that.”

“Helen?”

“She’s a nurse. Wanted a change in life and replied to my nurse wanted ad.”

“Well, it’s good that she can deal with the smaller issues on her own and help out with surgery.”

Bruce nodded. “She’s an impeccable surgical nurse. She’s a Godsend; I don’t even know if we would have been able to open the clinic if it wasn’t for her.”

I smiled at him. “Someone would think you’re sweet on Helen.”

Bruce spluttered. “No! Of course not. She’s far too young for me. I think young Mr Pietro Maximoff is sweet on her.”

“Mr Maximoff?”

“The undertaker's son,” he explained.

“Ahh and I suppose he visits often.”

“He does.” Bruce laughs. “I think that he still believes he’s somewhere that follows the proper ways.”

I shook my head. “I don’t understand why two people of different cultures can’t marry.”

“Pietro’s family come from Sokovia and Helen is of Chinese heritage.”

“Ah, I understand. But I suppose it doesn't matter in this town. Love is love.” I noticed a familiar dent on the edge of Bruce's desk. "That belonged to Betty."

Bruce noticed the damage I was pointing too.  "Ah yes, it is. I had it shipped out here when I settled. I bought the things I couldn't part with the rest I sold.  I'm afraid it's too small for me, my knees hit the top. When I knew you were coming, I set it up for you."

I felt this warmth yet sadness in my chest. I knew that Bruce still kept a few things belonging to his late wife. I felt blessed and honoured to now be responsible for it.

"Thank you, Bruce. I've arrived in a new place to find a piece of home waiting for me. I remember when it sat in the corner of her room."

"We both miss her." He gave me a sad smile.  

I watched as a note pinned to the board catch his interest.

“Ah, before I forget. I don't know what we're going to do about a more permanent home for you. The repair work in the apartment upstairs is complete, all it needs is cleaning, painting and furniture.”

“I have enough savings to stay in the boarding house for a while and order the things I'll need to fix it up.”

“I'll help with anything you need.”

“Oh Bruce, you can sew up a wound perfectly, but cleaning and fixing stuff was never your good side.”

He chuckled. “That's true.”

“So where are you living?”

He shifted in his chair and rubbed his earlobe. A tell that he's hiding something. “Still living with Selvig. It's easier two bachelors together.”

“Well as long as he’s tidier than you.”

He snorted then looked at his messy desk. “We survive.”

There was a knock at the door, and we both looked up to see a teenage girl quite flustered.

“Dr Banner. Helen is having trouble with mama, she asked for your help.”

Bruce jumped up and gathered the things he would need. I swore I heard him mutter something about Thor, poor Jane and his baby having its father’s broad shoulders. With a kiss on the top of my head, he was out the door. I followed and stopped in the doorway, watching as he followed the girl on a dirt path beyond the schoolhouse. I racked my brain to remember who this Thor was.

To pass the time I decided to begin to unpack the newly delivered create that I had ordered. I knew that the supplies would have no order to them if Bruce had anything to do with it, I’m sure Helen would thank me if she could find things with ease. It was a productive way to spend most of the day. Bruce hadn’t come back, so I guessed the delivery was taking longer than he thought but I didn’t mind. Being a doctor, you got used to being late for things.

It was growing later in the afternoon when there was a commotion out front followed by the sound of boots on the wooden floor. I turned to see a young man in the doorway looking flustered.

“Hey Doc, Dernier had an accident…” he froze slightly upon seeing me not the person who he was expecting. “You’re not Doctor Banner.”

“No I'm Dr Ross, Dr Banner just left to see a patient. Is there anything I can help with?”

“I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself, miss. Everyone calls me Junior.”

“Pleasure to meet you.”

“Uhh, Dernier had an accident at the ranch needs a Doc.”

“Very well let me grab my bag, and you can tell me about it on the way.”

He tipped his hat and went back outside. I left Bruce a note where he would easily see it. I grabbed my carpet bag and doctor’s bag, if the injury were critical, I would have to stay overnight to keep watch on the patient. Outside the clinic, the wagon was ready and waiting. I placed my bags in the back before hoisting myself into the seat beside Junior.

I waited for him to manoeuvre the wagon onto the south road out of town before I spoke. “So what happened?”

“Well Dernier, he’s the farm hand and cook, was up in the orchard and fell off the ladder, caught his boot on it. He was still out when the boss sent me off. ”

“Just his war wound playing up? A bit of whiskey and sleep then he’d be fine?”

Junior looked at me surprised. “Yeah… how did you know?”

“I know men. Was it a normal 6-foot ladder?”

“MmHm. It shouldn’t take long to get there, roughly an hour.”

“That’s okay. Did you move Mr Dernier at all?”

“Nah, we ‘membered from the last fall. He’s in the shade, and everyone was with him when I left.”

“Good.”

Junior and I made small talk on the straight ride to the ranch. There were only two ranches out this way. Clint Barton and his family who bred horses and the boy’s cattle ranch. We passed by a lovely looking house down a long drive on the right, this belonged to the Barton’s and was the marker for half way.

We turned off the road, passing under a sign that read Black Oak Ranch. The long rolling drive was shaded by an occasional oak tree, most likely where the ranch got its name. I could see more trees further back. It was strange seeing oak trees growing in New Mexico; it was like an oasis in the desert. A the end of the drive was a large ranch house with a wrap around porch. Just like the town and the other buildings the had only been built a few years ago, but due to the harsh conditions, they were slightly worn in.

The cart pulled to a stop in front of what looked like the stables. A tall man with a thin, tidy moustache came out to meet us. I knew from Juniors rambling that it would be Falsworth who looked after the horses.

“Miss.” He tipped his hat to me. “Doctor Banner not working?”

“He was busy. " He gestured to me, "This is Miss Ross. She’s a lady doctor.”

He offered a hand to me to help me down. “Dr Ross. I’m to be Dr Banner’s business partner.”

He took the rains from Junior. I grabbed my bags from the back then followed Junior round behind the beautiful grey ranch house with a wrap around porch. There was a large produce garden behind the house, but I was lead away from it before I could get a better look.

Past the large produce garden, the orchard came into view, just as Junior had said everyone surrounded the patient. They all turned in our direction at the sound of our footsteps.

“Where’s Dr Banner?” a tall blonde asked.

“Dr Banner was called out to another patient. I’m Dr Ross.”

The blonde held out his hand towards me. “Steve Rogers. A pleasure to meet you. I guess Junior told you everything.”

I nodded. “Junior did. Would it be possible to have some water put on the boil? I’ll need it once we get him inside.”

Junior turned back to the house while Mr Rogers guided me over to an older gentleman laying in the shade of the tree. He had his eyes closed, but you could see the steady rise and fall of his chest.

“Dernier. Docs here.”

He opened his eyes as I knelt beside him. “Bonjour mademoiselle.”

To my surprise his French was perfect. “Bonjour. Je m'appelle Docteur Ross.”

He laughed and clutched his ribs. “Hello, doctor. I did tell them I’m fine, but they won’t let me move.”

“Dr Banner told us not to move anyone that fell. You know that.” A tall man with long brunet hair tied back was leaning against the tree.

“And he is right.” I turned back to the patient, “So what’s the worst.”

“My leg, it hurts too much to move.”

I nodded and began to roll up both his pant legs. After removing his left boot, you could see the swelling. Luckily it didn’t look disfigured.

“I do not think it is completely broken. You may have a small break or fracture or even just a bad sprain, but I won’t know until the swelling goes down. Anything else?”

“I landed on my hip and shoulder, and I hit my head on the floor.”

I checked his head. Someone had used his handkerchief to steam the small bleed. There was a little bump, and the skin had split. It had already begun to clot, so it was not a worry. Thankfully he had landed on the side opposite to his sore leg. Both his shoulder and hip moved freely in the joint, with only pain from the bruising

“We can move him. I can give you something for the pain, but I'll need to get you inside the house first. If two of you support him, he can walk on his good leg.”

Mr Rogers nodded to the tall brunet. “We’ll put him in the house. Easier than the bunks.”

They two of them helped him up. A bulky man with ginger moustache offered his hand to me. I took it with a smile.

“Dugan. At your service.”

We made slow progress to the house. I noticed that he wobbled a fraction when he was walking, but I wasn’t sure if it was walking on one leg or the head injury. I followed the two men as they helped Dernier hopped on his uninjured leg. We entered the back of the house into the kitchen. Junior was there hovering over a large pot full of water. The men disappeared into a small bedroom.

I stopped in the kitchen. “Is it alright if I wash my hands?”

Dugan pointed me in the direction of the sink. I untied my bonnet and left it on the table, unbuttoning my jacket I placed it on the back of a chair. I grabbed the apron from my carpet bag tying it over my skirt and blouse. Using my small box of soap, I scrubbed my hands. Junior offered my a clean linen square to dry my hands. Dugan carried my doctor's bag, and I followed him to the bedroom.

The small bedroom was almost bare just a single bed, chair and a small dresser. The two men had propped him upright so I could tend to his head wound.

“We use this a sick room. We live in the bunkhouse.” Dugan informed me putting my bags on the dresser

“It's a good idea. Stops the spread of sickness.”

He nodded his head. Everyone moved out of my way yet hovered in the doorway. Junior had placed a bowl of warm on top of the dresser. They all watched as I meticulously cleaned his head wound and further examined him just in case I missed anything.

“I know you’re head will hurt but do you feel sick at all? Any double vision?”

“Just sick but my eyes are beautiful.

“Mr Dernier this might be uncomfortable, but I need to see if you can still move your foot. After I'll give you something for the pain.”

He nodded.

“Mr Rogers could I trouble you for a small glass of water.”

He nodded and left the room. Dernier was a good patient. He just gritted his teeth while I made him move his foot and toes. Happy that it was a sprain or a tiny fracture I gave him a dose of laudanum in the water to help with the pain. Once settled down on the bed with a pillow under his bad leg, he was soon sound asleep. We all crept out of the room; I collected my bags along the way. Junior very generously tidied up the dirty rags and water. We gathered in the kitchen.

Mr Rogers turned to me, “Will he be alright?”

“Yes. I want to keep an eye on him tonight. You should always keep an eye on someone with a head injury. He needs to stay off the leg for a few weeks at least. If it is a fracture, then weight bearing can do more damage.”

“Not to sound funny doc but what's a fracture?” The tall brunet asked.

“A fracture is still a break, but the bone hasn't broken all the way through. Similar to try to snap a green twig.”

He nodded. “Still a break just doesn't need resetting.”

“Yes. As the patient needs monitoring will it be alright with you gentlemen if I stayed?”

They all looked at each other, and I swear Mr Rogers had a faint blush on his face.

The brunet broke the silence. “It won't be a problem. We can make up the spare bed.”

“Oh, there's no need Mr..?”

“Barnes. James Barnes but everyone calls me Bucky.”

“Mr Barnes. I don't need a bed, a chair in the parlour is fine. I won’t be sleeping much, Mr Dernier will need to be checked a few times during the night.”

Mr Rogers turned to me, “Well we need to finish up the days work. Will you be alright here?”

“I can stay. If Dernier is off his feet, I'll need to make something for supper.” A stocky man with dark skin fiddled with his hat.

I smiled to ease his worry. “I don't see the problem. I'm sure we can both make something edible.”

He smiled at me. “You don't mind miss? Even with a man such as me?”

“I don't have a problem with what colour God made us. I trust you all can behave like gentlemen and I'm tougher than I look.”

“Won't doctor Banner mind? He knows us, but you're not a married lady.” Junior enquired.

“I left Bruce a note. He knows I can take care of myself and to expect me back tomorrow before midday.”

The men slowly trickled out of the house. Gabe Jones introduced himself before we headed into the kitchen to start on supper. I swapped my medical apron for one that was hanging from a nail in the pantry door.

“Dernier had been soaking salt pork since this morning.” he lifted a cover off a large bowl.

I opened the pantry door. “That will work nicely. We’ll manage to feed the army yet.”

[messyscriptorium]

Dismissal chapter 4. Smoke and gold. (2)

Fourth chapter of the Dismissal series written in collaboration with @sootemptation and @oh-beyond. This is also the second chapter of Smoke and gold, which is Yixing’s part inside the Dismissal series. Enjoy!

Fandom: EXO

Genre: CEO!AU

Type: Slight angst. Future smut.

Member: Zhang Yixing (Lay)

Warnings: None

Word count: 3,649

Dismissal part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 |

Smoke and gold part 1 | part 2 | 

You were late. Not extremely late, you'd just fallen asleep and you woke up half an hour later than expected. If you speeded up a little, you could make it to Mr Kim's house in Namwon only a few minutes behind schedule.

You weren't really worried about being late to Mr Zhang's meeting because you knew you were going to be on time, rather you were more worried about Mr Zhang's reaction to your tardiness. It was the first time since you'd started working for him that you'd been late. Sure that must count for something, right? But with your boss, you could never know. His mood was really hard to read and you didn't actually know the man besides what he did for a living and where his house was. You didn't even know his exact age or where he was from.

During your first weeks working for him you’d been curious about your serious, stoic and handsome employer. Always with his eyes glued to his smartphone, always dealing with what looked to be very important business stuff, always hiding his feelings. So you naturally googled him. And there was nothing. Nada. Mr Zhang only existed in the business world. Outside of that, he was a complete mystery. So it was normal for you to be nervous about his possible anger.

You put some music on to help you calm down as you drove through the country, heading south. Under the light of day, you could finally appreciate the views and you enjoyed the soft hills, the forests and small villages that adorned the mountains as you passed by. You wished you could take some secondary road, and use the touristic route, but work was calling you and you put that idea aside as you speeded through the highway.

You arrived at Mr Kim's house only fifteen minutes late, and you thought you'd done pretty well when you saw Mr Zhang bursting out of the house towards you. He was pissed, you could tell and all your instincts were telling you to stay in the car and lock the doors, but you weren't a child anymore, at least that was what you liked to tell yourself. So instead, you stepped out of the car and bowed deeply to him.

"You are late," he barked, not even bothering to greet you.

"I'm so sorry, Mr Zhang." Your voice was low and you were trying to keep the attitude out of it. Showing remorse was your best option, so you kept bowing at him, not daring to look him in the eye.

"And you're not even going to make an excuse for it, are you?"

"I have none, sir, my behaviour was unprofessional and shouldn't be excused," you said meekly. You were hoping that would appease him a little.

"Get in the house. There's still time." And with that he turned around, leaving you there, dumbfounded.

Was he for real? Did he scold you only to tell you later that there was still time? You followed him into the house, removing your shoes at the entrance. The house smelled like food again and you smiled. Was Jangmi-ssi around? You wished she was; due to your delay you had no time to had breakfast and now your stomach was complaining about it. Maybe you could grab something quick before Mr Zhang appeared again to make you take him back to Seoul.

You heard Jangmi's voice upstairs and without really thinking it through you followed it. You spotted her as soon as you reached the upper floor, she was cleaning the dust and singing to herself.

"Jangmi-ssi," you chirped, happy to see her again. The maid turned around and a smile splayed across her face at the sight of you.

"You're back! I thought you wouldn't be going into the house today. Mr Zhang seemed like he was in a hurry this morning," she confessed.

"Oh, he is, trust me," you said, grabbing her hand and squeezing it a bit, "but he only seems to be in a hurry when I'm the one screwing up. When he forgets something inside the house then it's ok."

She laughed at your comment.

"Someone looks cranky this morning. Have you eaten?"

Your belly growled as an answer.

"Oh, my sweet girl," Jangmi mocked you, "we better get you something, ok? Let me put this stuff away, first."

And she took her cleaning stuff and disappeared through a door. It was then when you heard Mr Zhang calling you from downstairs. Oh, shit. You were late again, weren't you? Say bye to breakfast. You rushed downstairs and you were a little surprised to see a man and a woman standing in the threshold.

The man was about your boss’ age, maybe younger, but his furrowed brow and deep stare made him look unapproachable and older. He was really handsome, though. Damn, what was with all this angry, beautiful, rich men? Were they all breed together and then thrown into the business world or what?

The woman standing next to him seemed out of place. While the man was wearing expensive clothes, she was wearing yoga pants and a simple t-shirt, so you wondered if he just picked her up while she was exercising. She looked cute, nonetheless. You didn't think much about it and you were about to reach the door when the man stood in your way, staring at you.

"Who are you?" he demanded. His voice was really deep and that made him even more intimidating. But you were not one to recoil from men, especially when that was the thing they were expecting you to do.

You lifted your eyebrow and opened your arms, your uniform on full display.

"The postman."

The woman next to him snorted and that made you feel a little braver.

"Excuse me!?" he roared.

You would have been afraid you’d stepped your boundaries if it weren't because you heard your boss' voice coming from outside in that exact moment.

"Can I get you two a soda? I need to be in Seoul at four. What part of at four did you not understand?”

Don't answer back, don't answer back. He was your boss, he could be late but you couldn't. And he definitely couldn't be late because of you.

"I'm sorry, Mr Zhang..." you said and you made an effort to sound remorseful, but you were just tired.

Your boss was already inside the vehicle when you reached the driver seat and you fastened your seatbelt in a hurry, not wanting to try his patience any longer. He wasn't a bad boss, you were aware of that, but he was strict. That brought the bitch inside of you out to play and that wasn't a safe thing to do when wanting to keep your job.

He made sure you were far away from the house before he started to scold you again.

"You are late and yet you manage to waste even more time inside," he nagged you, and you swore his tone sounded a little bit bored, like he didn't want to do it more than you wanted to hear it.

"It won't happen again, sir. You have my word, I'm going to do my best, I won't let you down."

"You are tired."

It wasn't a question, it was an observation. You must look like shit if he was making comments about your appearance. He never ever made comments about your appearance, not even that day when you went to work with red eyes and a runny nose thanks to stationary allergies.

"I-I... a little bit, Mr Zhang."

There was a silence after that and you were not sure how to behave. You were expecting some harsh words, maybe more screaming, not this. His eyes were fixed on you again, just like yesterday when you were taking him to Namwon and this time you held his gaze for a few seconds.

"After you drop me at the meeting, you can take the rest of the day off. Leave the car at the designated car park and take a taxi home, I won’t be needing you more for today, I can drive myself home. Get some rest, I'll need you fresh for tomorrow."

You were left speechless after that. He was being nice. You were not used to him being nice to you. Maybe polite but never friendly or considerate. Your eyes were still looking at him through the rear-view mirror, but he was back to his smartphone, his face unreadable.

"Thank you, sir. I won't be late again, I promise." This time your voice truly reflected what you felt inside. Gratitude. He hummed to let you know that he'd heard you but he didn't look back at you.

“I want my employees rested, especially you.” At his words, your heart started to beat furiously in your chest. “You are my chauffeur, if you are tired we can have an accident and putting my life at risk is not something I like.”

Oh. Of course. What were you thinking, you idiot. That he cared about you? Of course his kindness revolved around his own interest. You bit your tongue and a bitter feeling nested on your belly. The hope and gratitude towards him had left you uncomfortable in your own skin.

The rest of the trip passed uneventfully and when you arrived at your destination, you hurried to open his door and bowed deeply.

“I’ll park the car in the usual spot, sir, and I’ll be heading home.”

“Very well, chauffeur. I’ll text you to let you know at which time you have to pick me up tomorrow.”

You were still bowing but you could see the dismissive movement of his hand while he went towards the entrance of the building, not even saying goodbye. You sighed and got in the car again to park it. After that, you halted the first taxi you saw and got in.

“Where to, miss?”

You were about to give him your address when you changed your mind mid-sentence. You needed to see someone else. You gave the taxi driver the new address and you relaxed against the seat, taking your phone out of the pocket of your jacket. You sent a quick text and then put it back inside the pocket. When you arrived, you payed the driver and you headed to the building doors. It was a simple building, probably built in the 80s, grey cement and orange bricks exposed for everyone to see. Just a normal working class building in Korea. But you smiled upon the sight of it. You loved it here.

When you rang the bell, a cracked feminine voice answered through the speaker.

"That was fast. Were you in the neighbourhood?"

She didn't wait for you to answer before opening the door and you went up the stairs to the fourth floor where she lived. She was already at the door, waiting for you and you smiled at her at the same time you tried to control your breathing. You really needed to start to work out.

"Hyeri!" you exclaimed, enveloping her in a bear hug. She hugged you back with the same strength and let you in.

"Ah, I've missed you. Where the hell have you been hiding, uh?" Hyeri's tone tried to sound mad, but you knew it was just an act. You just texted her yesterday, she knew you've been busy with work.

"You know, here and there. My recent hiding spot has been Namwon," you told her before falling on the couch of her small living room.

"Namwon? The city in the south? That's new." She appeared to be a little confused at this, not knowing if you were kidding or if you'd really been there.

"Yes, the very same." You looked tired and that was how you felt, Mr Zhang's schedule sometimes a bit too much for you. "My eccentric boss now has business in that city. Guess who has to drive him there back and forth from Seoul," you sighed, pointing at yourself. "This bitch right here."

"No!" Hyeri sounded mad and that lifted your spirit. She was always caring so much for you.

"Oh, yeah, it's 4 in the afternoon and I've already drove six hours straight today." Her eyes were bored into yours and you could tell she was fighting not to snap, her lips a thin line of rage. "But, on the bright side, the views are amazing! I've never seen that part of the country until today."

This was a little game you two had. You were fully aware that being a driver for a rich business man required you to drive to wherever he asked you to. No questions asked. And the payment was so good you weren’t really in a position to complain about it. But the unexpected of the trip had made you grumpy and you needed to talk about it just to feel better.

"Ah, yes, the bright side. Always the bright side with you, right?" You smiled at each other after that sentence and you thought about what she meant by that.

You were in love with her a few years ago.

Things were confusing back then. You didn't know what those feelings were, you didn't know what to think of it and you certainly didn't know it was love. It made you cranky, moody and irascible. The world had moved from its axis and your live was spinning out of control. Was there something wrong with you? Did you like her or did you just admire her? Were you a lesbian now? The guilt was eating you alive.

Your mind was crowded with unanswered questions and you really hated not knowing. But, how could it be. You were pretty sure you liked boys. You were attracted to them, you'd even had a few boyfriends here and there. But what you felt for Hyeri... it felt the exact same way. Could sexuality change over the years?

You'd never heard about the word bisexual until it happened to you. Or rather, until you realized you were one. But it took a lot of time, sleepless nights and months of denial before you finally came clean to yourself.

You loved her. You loved a girl.

And now what? Well, you thanked the universe everyday for Hyeri. You told her, tears in your eyes and fear in your face, that you may be lesbian. Scared that she may reject you, that she may tell everyone and made you a pariah. That your parents would hear about it and kick you out.

But that never happened. She listened, she understood and then she talked about her brother. How her brother liked girls and boys the same. That you were not alone, that you were not weird, that you were not gonna be rejected by her because of that. And that bisexuality was not a switch you could turn on and off. You were not suddenly a lesbian one day and straight the other. You just liked boys and girls at the same time, simply as that. The relief that washed over you at her words… you would have never thought you needed to hear those words. You knew you were lucky, not everyone’s coming out was this good.

She didn't love you back, though, or at least not the way you loved her. That hurt, obviously, however, after a few weeks of awkwardness you realized something. Hyeri had given you a greater gift, the gift of getting to know a part of yourself you didn't even know existed. The gift of accepting something that terrified you about yourself. The gift of the greatest friend you could ask for. When you mastered enough courage to talk to her again, you told her that and she just laughed.

"That's why I like you, you know? That bright side of you. You have a pretty fatalistic mindset, and yet you are always making an effort to not fall into that. I admire that, it must be very hard."

And just like that, you became inseparable.

Your romantic feelings for Hyeri took about a year to fade off, and sometimes you still wondered if you loved her. Of course you loved her, you would always do. But not in the same way you did back then. The burning passion made place for a tranquil affection.

So when she brought out your way of thinking, you both were transported to that moment, a little nostalgia in your eyes. Ironically, those were simpler times.

"Well, you know me," you smiled at her softly. "Aren't you going to offer me some coffee or what? I’m starving, I haven’t eating since yesterday."

She snorted and hit you lightly in one arm, shaking her head.

"You are the worst, I take all the good things I said about you back!"

Nevertheless, she stood up and she headed to her kitchen, where you heard her humm to some song you didn't know.

"So, what brings you to my humble home?" She yelled. You could hear the sound of the coffee pot being placed on the fire and the clashing of mugs and spoons while she prepared all of it.

"Oh, I just wanted to see you, you know. Work's been stressful lately and I needed my best friend and my best venting partner."

That's when Hyeri appeared with a tray with two mugs, a jar of hot milk, cookies and sugar.

"So you only want me for my body!"

You bursted out laughing at that.

"That's not true at all! I also want you because you give me food from time to time."

She placed the tray on the coffee table, grabbed the closest cushion from the sofa and hit you with it.

"You, bitch… I forgive you because I do the same to you.”

You had spent your free days and nights at Hyeri’s place complaining about life, telling each other your problems and, overall, comforting the one having a hard time.

“As I was telling you…” you resume your story, “Mr Zhang has business in Namwon. A friend of him called him to ask for help or something, I couldn’t really pick up the reason behind the call. But within the past 24 hours I’ve been to Namwon and back twice!”

“So that’s the reason you look like hell.”

Ah, thank you, Hyeri, always so sweet.

“Yeah, that’s the reason… and Mr Zhang might have noticed because he’s sent me home after I dropped him at his daily meeting.”

You picked that moment to yawn loudly, as if you needed to make your words seemed true. You were beyond tired.

“He was nice?” Hyeri was surprised about the same thing you were a few hours ago. As you all could see, Mr Zhang was not the most sympathetic boss out there. “I can’t believe it.”

You snorted.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought, too, but it turns out he ‘doesn’t like putting his life at risk’,” you said, lifting your hands to make air quote marks and a ridiculous tone in your voice.

“He said that?” Hyeri asked in disbelief. You could tell she was fighting a smile.

“Oh, yeah, he said that. But I’m not going to complain, he gave me the rest of the day off. Maybe I should start doing my makeup to make me look tired, that might play in my favour.”

Hyeri was totally on board with that.

“Yes, please. Exaggerated eye bags, and pale skin. No blushing at all. Maybe some pimples!” You could tell her imagination was running wild, like always, and you stopped her there.

“Hyeri! I just want to look a little bit tired, not be an extra in The Walking Dead.”

“You’d make a really cute zombie chauffeur.”

You groaned at that.

“Ugh, please, don’t call me that,” you begged, burying your face on your hands.

“He still calls you that?”

“I don’t think he knows my name, Hyeri, I’m serious.” You lifted your head to look at her and again you noticed she was smiling. “Really, my name is not that hard, the chauffeur thing makes it feel so impersonal… like I’m not human.”

The coffee pot started to whistle in the kitchen at that moment and Hyeri stood up to bring it to the living room. The house smelled delicious, like home and warm and safety. You’d always loved the smell of coffee.

Your phone buzzed in your jacket when your friend was pouring the hot beverage in your mug. You knew it was him even before looking at the screen.

Mr Zhang: Chauffeur, pick me up at 8 am tomorrow. [17.32]

You show the text to Hyeri and she chuckled, repeating the word ‘chauffeur’ under her breath.

“See what I meant?” you whined, while you answered him back that you’d be there.

“Do you want to stay the night?” your friend offered. “It seems like there’s a lot you want to talk about. I can lend you some clothes for tomorrow.”

You grabbed the mug she was offering you and brought it to your face, the steam heating your face, the smell flooding your nose.

“I’d love that.”

“It’s a slumber party, then!” she said, her eyes glowing with excitement.

Hyeri was definitely the love of your life.

[ayma-nidiot]

“Don’t Speak Their Names” - Shrimpshipping fic Chapter 28

This chapter can be found here on AO3.

Chapter 28 - A Worthy Leader

Rex couldn’t bear to see his own daughter kill the love of his life. All the memories he and Weevil had forged with their daughter over the past few months would end with Weevil’s imminent death.“Amber… Weevil…” he continued to cry in his hands, still unprepared for the inevitable. “Why did… Eh?”

The dino duelist peered through his fingers to see Amber’s arrow not only sticking from the ground, but Weevil still breathing. The magical bonds the Magician Girls placed upon Weevil lay next to Weevil in a raggedy heap.

“She… She shot at his ankle bonds!” Amber’s archery skills impressed Téa.

“It’s not possible!” Chocolate Magician Girl couldn’t believe it. “That binding was blessed by the High Priest Mahad himself!”

As Weevil stood up, still silent, Amber commanded, “Go, now, before someone in this room tries to kill you.”

Weevil left without even a nod, but Amber swore she saw a hint of gratitude in those forlorn eyes.

“What the fuck, Amber? Do you realize what you’ve just done?! ” Phuckdis clearly didn’t like this turn of events; nor did several disgruntled soldiers. Displeased with Amber’s lack of confidence and leadership, they left to join Domino’s Finest.

“Yeah! Now he’s probably off to join the other Earthbound Gods!” William added, kicking a small desk and sending it flying. “You had one job, Amber. ONE FUCKING JOB!”

It was then that Rex finally had the strength to stand on his feet. He walked up to his daughter and placed two hands on her shoulders. “Amber…”

“Papa!” Amber cried into Rex’s shoulders. “Gods damn me, I couldn’t do it! I love Daddy too much!”

“And thanks to your ineptitude, we’re all going to die.” Phuckdis rolled his eyes. “You had the one evil god that caused our destruction before you, and you could have ended it with a single damned arrow. But nooooo, your love for your daddy dear haaaaad to get in the way!”

“You’re not helping, you bastard!” Rex half-shifted, swiping at Phuckdis’ face with a rabbit paw to silence him.

Several minor scuffles amongst the Club’s soldiers broke out, adding further to Phuckdis’ worries. His army was falling apart before his very eyes as was his hope for saving his future from ruin. He started to think that he should have remained in the future, where he could receive a quick death, instead of painfully waiting for it to come. The rabbit claw slash Rex inflicted upon him was nothing compared to his helplessness. “We’re doomed… Dear gods, we are doomed.”

“Th-That’s not true…” Rex began to lose hope too, but loved Amber too much to dishearten her with more discouraging words.

“No, he’s right. Thanks to my choice, not only is my future going to come true after all, but now we’ve lost a good deal of soldiers. Either way… I lose. I’m destined to suffer, and I deserve it.” Amber clenched her fists, putting a halt to the infighting going on between the Club members. “I’m a sorry excuse of a leader. If my baby brother Francis were still alive, he would do a much better job.”

“Come on, I’m sure your daddy and I didn’t raise you this way.” Rex caressed Amber’s face as he tried to cheer her up. “What happened to my cheerful insect duelist? The one who’s so full of spunk and energy?”

“B-But… But what can we do against evil gods and their armies?”

“...” Phuckdis felt sorry for what he said, and had to think of a proper way to “apologize.” “I have an idea. It will be a lot harder than simply killing Weevil, but… Perhaps if we kill the other Earthbound Gods, their influence over Weevil will cease to be.”

“Ooh!” Tristan liked this idea. “I think that guy who nearly killed Joey is the really scary one. If we can get rid of him… ”

“Not bad, Tristan.” Duke chuckled. “I never thought I’d hear you say something smart.”

“Come to think of it, Daddy was always sweet in my future. But then he was abducted by a giant crimson snake monster, and just wasn’t the same ever again.”

“You see, sweetie?” Rex smiled at Amber, stilling her trembling with a hug. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

“It’s not going to be easy, though…” William remarked. “We still don’t even know where their hideout is. And we’re talking about killing seven omnipotent gods, never mind their lackeys that we’ll inevitably fight along the way.”

“It’s in the theatre building,” Rex replied. “I know, I was taken there.”

“Be that as it may, we cannot start a full-scale war on the grounds of this university,” Phuckdis proclaimed. “It’s best if we take down each Earthbound God one by one, not only to minimize our own losses, but also to avoid as much damage to Domino City as possible.”

“Then we need to keep an eye out for where each of Domino’s Finest officers goes during their spare time, and corner them with the army one by one.” Amber spoke seriously, unlike her uncertain tone from before. “We have one advantage over them, and that’s sheer numbers. I propose that seven of us get assigned one officer to spy on.”

“That’s an awesome idea!” Apple Magician Girl raised her staff in approval. 

“All in favour say ‘aye!’” Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North’s idea spurred a round of “ayes.”

“Guys… Even after my failings, you still see me as a worthy leader?”

A Chocolate Magician Girl flew up to Amber. “You’re pretty, strong, and smart, and will do anything for your family. What more could we ask for?”

“I… I don’t deserve you guys. “Amber cried tears of gratitude.

Phuckdis patted Amber’s back in apology. “It was wrong of me to ask you to kill your own father, Lady Amber… If you never forgive me, I understand. And we really didn’t lose as many as you think. With an army of our size, there’s bound to be a few who disagree with you.”

“I’m sorry, too,” William admitted. “No matter the circumstances, it was wrong for me to lash out at you like that.”

“My daughter…” Rex hugged Amber with one arm. “We really will save your father this time. This army couldn’t ask for a more capable, talented, and smarter leader.”

“Papa… Thank you for giving me my confidence back.”

“No problem. You’re the one who- Ah…” A strong, painful contraction suddenly hit Rex, ending the light mood in the room as quickly as it began.

“What’s wrong?” Amber started to panic when Rex curled up into a ball.

“Cramping… It… hurts…” Rex cried as his gut felt like it was being run through a vice-grip. He felt like he had an enormous amount of gas that wouldn’t come out, no matter how hard he tried.

Mai looked worried. “I think he’s going into labour!”

“But… He’s still two months early!” Phuckdis exclaimed as the army ran amuck. “Damn that Watda! He did this!”

“If something happens to Lady Amber, I’ll kill him myself!” William proclaimed.

“Panicking about it isn’t going to solve anything! We need to do something!” Joey hoisted Rex onto his back. “I’m taking him to the on-campus doctor!”

“Then… I guess the meeting is over?” Phuckdis laughed halfheartedly.

“Haha…” Joey ran up to the stairs, as the elevators were either under maintenance, or full.

“It’s really mean to be laughing at someone who’s in pain, ya bozo. Ggh…” Rex groaned.

“I’m just thinking of how Tristan and I took turns carrying you after you lost your soul to the Orichalcos.”

“I don’t think this is the time to be reminiscing about dark shit, Joey!” 

“Sorry, sorry… I just thought I’d lighten the mood. I wanted to apologize for that time and help you out, you know?” Joey switched Rex to a princess-style carry and looked him tenderly in the eyes. “That’s what bros are for, Rexy.”

“‘Bros…?’” With just that one word, any remaining hate Rex might have had for this once-bitter rival had dissipated. Looking at how far he had come in his relationships with Espa and Mokuba, it did his heart good to see an even bigger change with Joey. Such heartwarming thoughts were almost enough to numb the pain of early labour. “Aye, I could go for that.”

He continued to smile as Joey presented him before Dr. Balls. “Oh my gods, what happened to him?” Dr. Balls sounded exasperated.

“He got-”

“Never mind, you can explain later!” Two of Dr. Balls’ nurses swiftly brought a stretcher over. “We’ll take a look at him.”

“Rex…” Joey paced around.

Amber called her grandparents. “Grandma, come quick! Something bad happened to Papa!” When she completed that phone call, Amber paced around as well until she noticed Joey’s presence. “...You.”

“Look, Amber, I know what you’re going to say.” Joey ran a nervous hand through his puffy blond hair. “‘You shouldn’t have touched Papa.’ But I couldn’t just leave Rex there, writhing in pain.”

“...Humph. Even I know to give gratitude when and where it is due. Dr. Balls came out of the E.R. thirty minutes later. “Doc, how is he?”

“Come this way.” Dr. Balls led Joey and Amber to Rex’s room. “He experienced Braxton Hicks contractions, not true labour. Although from how he acted, they were unusually intense… It’s strange to me.”

“It’s because he was captured and tortured last week,” Joey remarked, trying not to mention anything about the Earthbound Gods. “And, uh… Yeah, we filed a police report. We still don’t know who did this to him.”

“It’s a miracle, then, that the both of them are going to be okay. However, he will need to remain wheelchair-bound for a few weeks to recuperate from the damage he suffered. I’ll leave you guys be, then, and come back once his parents get here.”

“...” Amber’s eyes darted around the room, and she hoped her grandparents would arrive soon. She fumbled with the light switch, the medical supplies, the random pamphlets on diabetes and other diseases. Anything to distract her from the man that caused both of her parents immense suffering. She even thought about faking sudden illness just to get out of there. Just her luck she was as healthy and happy as a clam.

Joey knew Amber wouldn’t say a word to him, but he didn’t like the silence in the room. “So… uh… Before all the crazy stuff happened, what was your future like?”

“What?” Amber raised an eyebrow. “Where did that come from?”

“I’m just curious… Well… Don’t feel like you have to talk about it if you don’t want to.” Joey looked back at Rex. “I can tell in your 16 years that you’ve seen and felt more pain than I have in my 20 years.”

“Trying to make small talk, eh?” To Joey’s surprise, Amber relaxed her tone of voice. “Fine, I could humour you. My life isn’t all blood and guts, you know.”

“Ah, that’s good to hear.”

“Well, to begin… Papa and Daddy were the best duelists in Domino City, and even though they were a lot nicer than they are now, they still liked to cause shenanigans. One time, when they were both done with teaching classes for the day, they went to the bathroom and wrote ‘this shit could sand wood’ on every single roll of toilet paper. At 35 years old!” Amber got more enthralled in her own tale, recalling the pranks her parents pulled off, even as fully-grown adults. “A-And another time, Papa taped a remote-controlled fart machine to the bottom of a seat of a misbehaving kid. And Daddy hid his phone in a closet, then his phone went off in class. His ringtone was the Diarrhea Song! And they never got caught! Of course, I kind of took after that myself, hehe.”

“Some duelists never change. Hahaha! And I just love how happy you are, talking about your parents that way.” Joey couldn’t bring himself to ask who he’d ultimately end up with. “But what about me? Do I… uh…”

“You were a professional duelist who would regularly donate to and volunteer at charities… when you were not spending time with your wife and kids.”

“I had a wife? Is she…”

Amber winked. “You betcha. Your oldest son was exactly like you, too - and one hell of a guitarist to boot. He was somehow even more of a flirt than those other two friends of yours! He would ‘fall madly in love’ with just about any guy who gave him a compliment… that was until one day, he fell in love for real, with a young male dancer. It turns out that that dancer happened to be my little brother.”

“My son ends up with Rex’s son? That’s… weird. But I like it.”

“Well, I for one didn’t like it when I found out they were together, and you can guess why. But…” Amber’s story quickly began to take a dark turn. “But when Daddy went berserk and started killing innocent people, you were the first one to fight back… You were the first one to die. And your son ended up dying trying to protect my brother. I had to admit that I still had disdain for you before all of that… But after seeing what you’ve been doing for Papa lately… I…”

“So you guys are friends now.”

Rex’s abrupt voice made Amber jump. “Papa! You didn’t hear any of that, did you?”

“Oh, I did. Every single word. So I become a professor, even though I’m dumb as a bag of rocks. And… It’s good to know that I’ll carry another precious life one day.”

“W-Well…”

“I know.” Joey got up and patted Amber’s shoulder. “Even after you saved my life, you still hate me. Thank you for that, by the way.”

“...You’re all right, I guess,” Amber managed. 

“I think I’ll settle for ‘all right.” Hehehehe!” Joey ruffled Amber’s hair. 

“Humph. And I’d confess to Mai soon, if I were you. Or who knows, Valon just might end up being the father of her kids instead.”

“Okay, you’ve definitely convinced me!” Joey made his signature face, creeping out Rex a bit. “When I see her next, I’m going to let her know how I feel!”

“Let who know?” Ptera spoke as she opened the door, with Tricera, Spinos, Adelaide, and Camellia behind her.

“Grandma, you shouldn’t be eavesdropping.” 

“I don’t think that seeing my son after he nearly died is considered eavesdropping!” Ptera cried as she hugged Rex. “It’s as I feared. Those monsters are trying to kill my poor baby boy!”

“Mom, I’m gonna be fine. Sheesh.”

“You better be. I would love to give you my famous ginger tea again!”

“Is that the only reason you want to have a grandson?”

“N-No!” 

As Ptera teased her son, Dr. Balls came in. “Mrs. Raptor… I regret to inform you that because the damage to Rex’s body is so extensive, he’ll need to stay in a wheelchair for three weeks. But both he and baby will be fine after that.”

“Thank you so much, Doc.” Ptera took Rex’s laptop out of his bag and shook it lightly. “And I’ll see to it that my son still gets his homework done.”

“I’m already caught up on my assignments so far.” Rex took the laptop out and placed it on the small table in front of him. He scanned his class pages and combed through every assignment, making sure that each was thoroughly filled out.

“What about your PowerPoint presentation for biology class?” Ptera raised an eyebrow. “Did you remember your Works Cited slide for that?”

“Yeah, Mom. I’m 100% positive-” Rex stopped scanning his computer when he noticed that one of his assignments for ancient history class wasn’t turned in yet - or even started. “Uuuuh, not. I haven’t even started researching for my essay for Dad’s class.”

“And when is it due?”

“Next week…?” Rex laughed sheepishly.

“ Ay, dios mío, mi hijo. ” Ptera facepalmed. “What do you need to research?”

“It’s about ancient Egypt, actually. We need to go to a museum with an ancient Egyptian exhibit, pick an artifact there, and write a 1000-word report about it.”

This assignment’s description reminded Joey of his own visit to the museum, the one in which he learned the true identity of the Millennium Puzzle’s spirit. He thought, too, of Pharaoh Atem and the War of the Dark One - a war to restore the peace of ancient Egypt. Joey spared a prayer for that peace to last, and for the well-being of his rival, Kaiba.

“Joey, you’re spacing out.” Rex looked up from his laptop. 

“Wah…?” Joey snapped back to reality. “Sorry, I was just thinking about stuff.”

“Wait, you’ve hung out with Yugi and Atem, haven’t you? You know a lot about the museum?”

“Yeah. Maybe I can help with your assignment.”

“Really?” Rex pressed the call button on his hospital bed. “Can we go now, then?”

“Right now? Are you crazy? But you’re-”

Dr. Balls came in with a wheelchair. “Actually, you’re okay to leave every so often. Just as long as you remain in this wheelchair when you’re out. And don’t spend more than two hours out there, got it?”

“Let’s gooooo!” Rex had a burst of energy, that was until his giant baby bump caused him to slump forward and nearly fall to the ground. “Fucking OW!”

“Easy man, easy… Here, I got you. Up you get.” Joey helped Rex into the wheelchair.

“Joey…” Ptera couldn’t believe that the man who beat her son - twice - with no relent could be so kind to him. “Are you sure you want to do this? I’m sure you’ve got duels to win… Other poor mother’s sons to pummel…”

“Mrs. Raptor.” Joey looked at Ptera sincerely before he turned to leave the room. “I know I have hurt you and your son. I might not be able to earn your forgiveness, but that’s not going to stop me from wanting to do right by him.”

“Oh…” For the briefest second, Ptera’s expression went blank.

“Mrs. Raptor?

“Ah, you’re too serious sometimes.” Ptera patted Joey on the shoulder. “It’s okay to be a chucklehead like Rex, you know.”

“Hey, I don’t want him to be like me! ...Wait, who you callin’ a chucklehead?”

“Come on, Rex, go do your homework.” Ptera waved off Joey, cuing him to take Rex out of the building.

Rex turned to Amber while the trio made their not-so-far trip. “Say, Amber, you’ve done the essay, haven’t you? Can’t I just copy yours and change the words a little bit?

“How ass-backwards is that? You should be the one helping me!” Amber stuck her tongue out. “What a role model of a mother you are!”

“Pfft…” Joey stopped right after they entered the museum.

“Oh, put a sock in it.” Amber smacked Joey in the middle of the back.

“Oww, sorry, sorry! It’s just…” Joey stopped laughing all of a sudden. “The last time I saw my mother was right before my sister’s eye operation, about three years ago. And I don’t even remember the last time I saw my father. I just… wish I could have been as close-knit with them as you guys are.”

“Joey?” Rex turned his head around. “You cryin’, man?”

“N-No!” Joey tried to deny it, as he had not cried since his loss to Siegfried at KC Grand Prix. 

“Um…” Not knowing what else to do, Amber reluctantly patted Joey on the back. “Well, uh… For what it’s worth, you’ve got your sister, and us. And your dueling skills!”

“ Especially the dueling skills,” Rex noted with a groan as they moved to a much longer corridor. “I swear, you must have dueled every schmuck in Domino City.”

“Yeah… I just wish I could have dueled Atem one more time.” Joey never thought he would have uttered the name of the pharaoh again. He never would have thought the memories of his quest to truly earn Red-Eyes Black Dragon back would re-enter his mind, and his desire to defeat Atem in order to attain that goal. Entering the ancient Egyptian exhibit in which he learned of the pharaoh’s true identity brought even more nostalgia. “That reminds me. Rex, did you know that Duel Monsters originated from ancient Egypt?”

“I kind of figured it out during my duel with Bandit King Bakura.” Rex didn’t want to think of that fateful, harrowing duel - but the stone tablet that stood before him had other plans. “It’s… It’s that giant rock!”

Joey remembered the stone tablet too. Three monsters that vaguely resembled Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon, Creepy Coney, and Earthbound God Uru adorned it. “Brings back memories.”

“What kind of memories?” Amber wanted to know.

“Oh, I must have never told you in the future, then,” Rex began. “When your father and I time travelled, we had to duel this really creepy guy named Bakura. That was when we first learned that we had ancient Egyptian selves, and of Weeves’ ability to transform into an all-powerful god. We lost our souls four the fourth time… that was until Kaiba brought us back with his amazing dueling skills.”

“I would certainly have liked to meet him.” Amber looked upon the stone tablet. “He’s my cousin once-removed, you know.”

“Kaiba…” Rex reached out a hand for the glass protecting the stone tablet. “I really wish I could have dueled you again.”

No sooner had Rex’s fingertips touched the glass when he heard a voice speak in his head. Hu…

Rabbit stew…

You guys have to save Weevil from himself...

“Bakura… Kaiba… Atem… Is that you?” 

“Papa, what is it?”

“You mean… You guys didn’t hear those voices just now?”

“I didn’t hear nothin’,” spoke Joey. “Could be that you’re hallucinating because of the pregnancy.”

“Maybe… At any rate, I know what I’m going to do my essay on. In fact, I already know a lot about this artifact! The essay is going to be a piece of cake!”

“Oh!” Amber noticed another tablet right next to it - one with a rough figure with dragon wings and a tail. “Papa, this is the one I did my report on.”

“Yeah? How come?”

“Because it reminds me a lot of a legend from my future. Our chief god is called the God-Shattering Star. He is said to be of ancient Egyptian origin and has purged the world of evil once.”

“That sounds familiar…” Rex recalled the final fight against Zorc, and it quickly registered who this god was. “It must be Kaiba!”

“Are you certain? I didn’t know he was a shifter!”

“Have I ever steered you wrong?” Rex made finger guns at Amber.

“Why, yes,” Joey quipped. 

“Ah, shaddup. I think I’ve seen enough giant rocks for today. Take me out of here so I can get on that essay, before Mom and Dr. Balls get mad at me.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” 

With that, the trio left the museum - and for Rex, he had more questions than answers.

[jinjikook]

Roadside Dreams (M)

word count: 4.8k

genre: the fluffiest fluff i could manage + smut ; tv host! hoseok + hoseok can build stuff idk what the title it would be

pairing: reader/wonho

summary: hoseok is a host for a show that renovates old school buses into dream vans/rvs. you’ve brought him a project and over time, you’ve developed a crush for the charismatic man, wanting to take him along for the long ride you’ve dreamt up; as does he, you come to learn.

dedicated to: my wife @honeyheonie bc she deserves some tooth-rotting wonho fluff. also one word to you mi amor: diddle

a/n: this is based off an actual tv show that i literally saw half of an episode of with my mom and i instantly thought of this prompt and just had to write it

music: all of seventeen’s love & letter album 

masterlist

gif credit

“So, what do you think?” You stepped up the pastel stairs, painted to tailor your style perfectly, and your jaw dropped in awe at what you were faced with.

The interior was amazing, gorgeous even. You had only disclosed a minimal amount of details and even more less when it came to specifics. You weren’t sure what you wanted when you came to Shin Hoseok with an old school bus and a good half-hundred grand of money to throw towards it. But this? This exceeded all of your expectations; dreams of living out on the open road with nothing to tie you down or hold you back finally come to life in a divine mix of lavender and grays.

“How did you—? I mean, you just— This is amazing!” You were partially speechless by just how mesmerizingly you the entire bus was, now a ghost of its former shell. The outside was a cream based white, the only thing pointing to its old form being the shape itself. But everything else screamed home, in the way the pull out couch was neatly decorated up front and the windows were now garnished with flowers and the dash was devoid of all clunky buttons and switches, now a smooth birch counter with a glossy finish.

It was something straight out of television; from the boards of Pinterest and famous Instagram user feeds. Something that couldn’t be bought or ordered from a hippie-esque catalogue, divine in every way, shape and form and yet it was completely tailored to you and everything you needed in a house on wheels.

Hoseok took you by the hand and led you further in, ignoring the camera crew behind him that was documenting the details of the bus and the shocked expressions you kept replaying on your face.

“Now, I know you said comfort is your biggest caveat, so I went ahead and gave you this gorgeous couch that doubles as an extra bed,” Hoseok reached under the cushions to release the switch that allowed the seat to slide out and flatten into a queen sized mattress, right there in the very front of your home. You clapped and praised his choice, loving the idea of having an extra bed should you have guests or if you just wanted to sleep up front for a change.

Hoseok beamed at your reaction, elated that his personal choices reflected well. He liked to think you and he were very similar, in both tastes and ideas. It made for a relatively easy job, as sometimes he has trouble getting into the mindset of a customer to truly give them what they want but also able to branch out and test his own creativity in the process. With you, he just thought about what he’d like if he were to live in one of these, travelling the country with someone wonderful by his side to share the sights with him.

Someone like you.

Call it unprofessional, but he had a slight crush on you.

(read: a big fat “I-can-see-myself-growing-old-happily-with-you” crush)

When you came to him with this clunker of a bus and told him you weren’t sure what you wanted but you loved the simple and cozy life he fell head over heels for you, the way you cutely stood with your hands fisted in your patterned dress and how your eyes gleamed with brimming potential.

“This here, is for the ultimate cooking experience.” You watched as Hoseok pointed out the finer details, from the real marble countertop to the station above the mini-fridge that was made specifically for a coffeemaker.

“Hoseok, this is incredible! I didn’t even tell you I liked a big kitchen, I just figured it was impossible in a space like this…”

“Honey, nothing is impossible if you think big enough! I figured you were one of those women that loves to cook with someone and that requires room to not only dance around each other but also to get close and snuggly as one of you works on the eggs or something.” He got a little lost in his fantasy, imagining it was him who was in front of the stove top, working on getting the bacon just right or the eggs less runny when you come up behind him to wrap your arms around his middle and kiss the top of his bare shoulder, possibly after lazily making love in the early morning sunlight that beamed past your silken curtains.

“Well I love it, this entire place feels like a dream come true,” You trailed off, gazing lovingly all over the remainder of the bus as Hoseok guided you through all the nooks and crannies he thought up.

“And now, for the coup de gras, what I think you’ll love the most,” His hand was still cradling your own, not even caring about how he doesn’t do that with any other customer and how viewers of the show would most likely notice it later on. He walks you up the small step/storage space and you’re faced with what you wished upon every shooting star you’ve ever seen—a solid 2.5; one was an airplane and another had been only slightly falling.

“The bedroom. Fit for a queen, perfect for you.” He warmly smiled as you stood at the entrance, frozen in a stupor of amazement. The shelves were lining the walls so prettily, some even had vases or statues already on them, as if Hoseok had jumped into your mind himself and snatched all of your greatest desires and threw them all into one room.

You hoped he hadn’t seen the section in your brain that you have locked away, with a sign that states for my eyes only. In there are all the details you’ve catalogued about the handsome man beside you; the times he’d brushed his hand against you or taken yours into his own, all the flirty advances you’re sure couldn’t be true but the way he’d wink or smile right after would beg to differ.

“Go on, get a feel for the room.” Hoseok’s warm palm touched the small of your back and gave you a little nudge, urging you to step further inside and do a little exploring, find the small intricacies that Hoseok painstakingly took months to put in, one by one.

With caution, you tread over to the wardrobe he’d built into the wall, a sliding mirror door away from a surprisingly deep closet. He explained how it’d been made a little taller just to make sure your dresses wouldn’t touch the floor when they dangled from the hanger and how there was a nice little set of hooks against the wall for belts, hats and anything else your heart desired.

At this point, your heart was already Grinch-style “three-sizes-too-big” and you were swollen with admiration for Hoseok and his ability to nail everything about his job.

(You also hoped he’d nail something else but that was neither here nor there.)

As he described the painstaking process he’d gone through to custom make your curtain rods and went shopping at several locations to find the perfect knick-knacks to decorate your home, you couldn’t help the heart eyes that you’re sure the camera crew was eating up at this point. This man knew you more than anyone else you’d ever met and he’d only been commissioned a short while ago, having only been told of the basics of your life.

With only the knowledge of your job, the little things you enjoyed in life and your budget, this man was able to leap into your heart and build you a dream home only to leave with a piece of it in his pocket, forever his as long as you stayed in the abode he built for you with his bare hands.

“Now, how about giving that bed a try?” He gave you his signature eyebrow wiggle and that sinful tongue of his darted out to lick his lips and you had half a mind to drag him on the bed with you and give him a taste of his own medicine—or your tongue, same difference.

You nodded and meekly placed your knee on the bed, using your palm to feel the firmness of the mattress and the stability of the wood it was mounted onto. As you awkwardly tried to “test” the bed, Hoseok huffed behind you and chuckled before placing his hands on your hips from behind.

“You really have to give this thing a test ride, love.”

“I’ve been trying to,” You muttered under your breath, hoping he wouldn’t hear the little slip of your tongue.

Another chuckle and Hoseok is leading you onto the bed, taking the time to settle next to you almost domestically.

“Nice huh? I made sure to pick out a bed that’d suit you perfectly! And look,” He reached over your laying frame to tug at the curtains that were right by your bed side. “A beautiful view of outside; ideal if you’re staying by the beach or on the mountainside. Imagine waking up to such a sight…”

You weren’t looking out the window when he said that, only able to focus on his chiseled body still hovering over yours as he gazed dreamily out the window into the open field he’d parked the bus in to do the big reveal. The view, as far as you were concerned, was him.

“Tell me, are you satisfied with everything?” His pearl white teeth basically reflected the sunlight into your eyes and you swore you were squinting at him as you spoke.

“And so much more…” You couldn’t help but look down at his peachy lips; you blame his damned bright smile, making you deflect your eyes elsewhere and giving him ideas.

Hoseok shifted on the bed, his eyes no longer as clear as the skies outside as an inky darkness swirled inside them—at first you figured it was just a trick of the light, a trick your mind was playing on you.

“Okay guys, did you get enough footage?” Hoseok questioned the camera crew, getting a resounding thumbs up and they all shared their farewells as the director clapped Hoseok on the shoulder, saying it was another heartfelt episode that he’s sure viewers will love.

“And your chemistry! Definitely something spicy to have brought to the show, you two. It’ll surely get good ratings from the female audience, especially the ones who’ve shared their thoughts on our mastermind here.” The director chuckled as he pointed at Hoseok, giving him a hearty handshake and a thoughtful one to you before saying his own goodbye, leaving the two of you in the bedroom of the bus-turned-home. Neither of you moved an inch as the sounds of rumbling engines droned off in the distance, confirming that the others had left; that you two were utterly alone in the immediate vicinity.

“So, now that the cameras are off,” Hoseok turned to face you where you lied still on the bed, the light from the window essentially casting a spotlight on you. “What do you really think of the bus?”

A playful grin toyed on your lips and you couldn’t help but tease, as a form of punishment for the tailored torture Hoseok had been performing on you all this time.

“It’s terrible, I hate it.” Even with the words rolling off your tongue, the smile you refused to hide was a dead giveaway and Hoseok returned his own 1000-watt grin. The two of you felt some bubbling spark and suddenly you’re laughing, holding your stomach as the giggles overtook you. Hoseok seemed to have the same witchy effect on him as he doubled over in a fit of laughter, the two of you under some spell that had you on your backs on the bed. As he clutched his own stomach, you wiped at a tear that squeezed its way out as your laughter came harder.

Once the two of you had sufficiently calmed down, Hoseok looked up at you from where he lied, upside down and still as stunning as ever.

“What?” You touched your face, trying to see if maybe there had been something there that had Hoseok’s complete attention. As his wispy eyelashes fanned down with every slow blink, Hoseok drank in the vision of you; bathing in the warm sunlight and surrounded in the soft shades of gray that he painted every inch of your new bedroom in.

“Nothing, you’re just really beautiful.”

“Oh shut up, the cameras are gone Hoseok, no need to pretend anymore.” You brushed his compliment off as you finally took the time to look off into the distance, really appreciating the window that Hoseok put here.

Mind wandering, you hadn’t registered the sounds of the mattress creaking or the feeling of a warm body edging closer to yours until his breath fanned over your ear, making you whip your head around to meet Hoseok’s face directly in front of you own. Instinct told you to jump back and scream at the surprise of his proximity but his hand on your thigh and his lips on yours stopped your mind completely, shutting down all motor functions and rendering you both helpless and useless.

His lips were plump, soft and warm like a muffin fresh from the oven. You swore you tasted coconut on him, something tropical enough to make you feel like kissing him was a vacation; long awaited paradise with warm sand in between your toes and the breeze licking at your cheekbones. His breath mingled with your as his lips melded in further with your own, his craftsmanship extending past renovating things as his mouth worked some sort of mastered sorcery on yours.

You couldn’t even begin to describe how his kiss matched his hands, something along the soft lines of silk but still as firm as fresh fruit, the similarities making you dizzy but there was Hoseok; always ready to catch you. His strong arms framed your face and deepened the kiss, as he hovered over you. His tongue swept over your own and you couldn’t help but succumb to Hoseok’s charms, not knowing what spurred this on but also not caring enough to put a stop to it. Not when his hands felt so right on you and his body heat radiated and made your body feel warm to the touch despite having to constantly battle chills.

It took no time for his deft fingers to unbutton the shirt he had on, whipping off the plaid to reveal a toned body glistening with the slightest sheen of sweat from the combined heat of both your interaction and the lack of air conditioning since the bus hadn’t been turned on yet. Your eyes had a mind of their own as they greedily took heady gulps of Hoseok’s body, every dip and curve now forever etched in your memories.

Hoseok grinned and let you ogle him, taking the time to covertly make work of your buttons on your bottoms. It was when the final button snapped open that you realized his sneaky hands and you scoffed, playfully batting at him to scold his naughty fingers. He only laughed at your reaction, his hands sliding past your pants to slip under your top, the heat of his palms against your hip bones. Hoseok was silently asking permission, his thumbs gripping the fabric of your shirt until you responded. Anticipation brimmed at his fingertips and he was itching to rip the shirt off; to finally reveal the skin underneath.

When you nodded, it was like Christmas morning to the man.

He scanned your body, making sure to never forget just how gorgeous you were even in the barest of materials. The wine red of your bra accentuated your skin so well, Hoseok had half a mind to keep it on as he made love to you but he needed to see all of you, he felt like he’d just die if he couldn’t have all of you tonight.

Lips were back together, now with the sharp tang of ferocity biting between the two of you; static sparks tingling the nerves in your tongues as Hoseok took the time to unhook your bra amidst the blur of it all.

Once you were bared for him, he wasted no time in laving your breasts with his tongue. His peach plump pout peppered pecks over your pectorals, right above where your heart was thudding loudly against your ribcage. He worshipped your body with his lips, making sure not to miss a single inch of what he’d been longing for.

When you whimpered his name, he knew he couldn’t wait any longer to have you.

With his deft digits, he made work of removing the remainder of your clothes, leaving you bare for him on the mattress whilst his lower body still remained clothed. You wanted to remedy that as soon as possible and as you distracted him by sitting up and latching your mouth onto his thick neck, suckling small bruises there that stained his porcelain skin so well you couldn’t wait to see them bloom in various colors as they healed, you reached to palm him though his bottoms. He groaned at the feeling, head lolling back and revealing even more milky skin to attack.

You felt him trembling beneath your ministrations, clearly craving more but holding back.

“Hoseok,” He brought his head back up to look deeply into your eyes, gaze flickering down for a second as you darted your tongue out to wet your lips before continuing. “It’s okay, please don’t be afraid with me.”

His eyes softened, the pitch black pools fizzing into soft cocoa puddles, slightly more shimmered with a dewy wetness that you found endearing. With a small smile, his hands found yours and brought them to his mouth, each knuckle being carefully kissed before he finally rested them back into his lap, permission to continue.

His pants were off as well as his briefs and whilst you appreciated how gorgeous he looked completely nude—something akin to a Greek god, no doubt the perfect rendition of the priceless marble statues save for the more… intimate regions that he certainly did not lack in—you had some more urgent matters to attend to. As did Hoseok, if the flush on his length the steady dripping from the leaking head of it was anything to go by.

One could describe the setting to be poetic; a housewarming of sorts.

No better way to break in a house like breaking in the headboard first.

Hoseok’s calloused yet tender hands gingerly touched you all over, making you itch with arousal and need for him to touch you where you needed him most. He smiled, grin as bright as ever, as he continued to tease.

You took matters into your own hands as you deftly flipped the two of you over, nearly bouncing off completely from the freshness of the mattress springs. Erupting into yet another fit of giggles, you manage to stifle yours in the crook of his neck and despite the obvious distraction, Hoseok’s hands still managed to glide over your skin almost in a calculated manner; like he knew every place to graze to have you trembling.

“Now, now, that’s enough of that,” You chastised, stealing a kiss as you tried to pretend to take the reins. You maneuvered yourself to lay on you back once more, dragging Hoseok to follow you and cage you in. He took no time to accept his role, already kissing all over your face as one of his hands slid down to your core—a stark contrast to the gentle pecks he had trailed all across your cheeks. You weren’t expecting his finger to already make way inside you, gasping at the intrusion.

He continued to press his lips against yours as he worked you open, drinking in all your needy mewls and sultry moans as he pressed further, inching in another digit and stroking your walls in ways you’re sure you’d never be able to mimic when you’re by yourself.

“Baby, tell me when,” Hoseok whispered, breathless pants puffing against your collarbones, clearly trying to make sure you’re comfortable and feeling good but at the detriment of his own pleasure. You raised your leg and it brushed against his member, making him audibly whine against you.

“Now Hoseok, please. I want you.” He looked into your eyes again, the stare almost piercing but in a way you could only describe as tender.

His lips made their way from yours all the way to your ear, leaving a searing trail of kisses in their wake before he softly spoke into the shell of your ear, his breath audible with every labored syllable.

“Protection?” You turned your head to face him head on, mouthing I trust you and Hoseok couldn’t have looked more relieved if he tried, wanting to feel every bit of you but not knowing how to ask without seeming selfish.

His hand reached down and he guided himself inside you, using the other to spread your legs and allow him to ease his way in with minimal discomfort for you. Considerate as ever, he bottomed out slowly and kissed your nose as you closed your eyes and focused on not splitting in half.

His thick girth left you with a satisfactory fullness, having never felt such a feeling with a partner before. Despite every reason Hoseok had to be cocky with his body and sex appeal, he gave you every single minute you needed to adjust, down to the millisecond. He whispered sweet praises to you until you finally gave him the signal to move, even then still treating you like fine china as he pulled out and slowly thrusted back in.

The slow burn of his length inside you coaxed an open flame inside your belly, making your kisses turn hungry once more. Gone was the gentle, playful air that had radiated off the two of you as the atmosphere shifted to something darker, spicier.

Hoseok noted the change and began to grind into you harder, his kisses now laced with his devilish tongue and the barest hint of teeth. As his cock fucked into you with more passion, your body took on a mind of its own as your back arched and toes curled from the spine-tingling sensation of Hoseok fucking you just right. Pleased with himself, Hoseok hummed with his own pleasure, never having felt such a tight, hot heat around him like this. No one compared, the tension that coiled so tightly between the two of you throughout the span of the show having been so intense that now, in the culmination of it all,  it felt like the two of you were about to burst.

You teetered on the edge of coming for too long, not wanting to end this too soon but also feeling yourself fray at the corners from the relentless pleasure that Hoseok was managing to tear from you with ease. As you came apart underneath him, Hoseok wasted no time in clutching underneath your thighs, delving deeper inside than before. The feeling had you breathless, the wind knocked out of you long ago with just the mere sight of Hoseok; clothed or not.

“Angel, baby, I need you to come for me,” Hoseok whimpered, feeling his sanity slip from him as you continued to clench around him agonizingly.

And with that command, you were wrapped around his finger—or cock, same deal—and his word was law, having your orgasm hit you by surprise. Never had you come on command like that, but it was intense and breathtaking and everything that dirty novels wax poetry about.

Hoseok bared down and bit on the junction of your neck as he rode out his own high, taking a few more harsh thrusts inside you before his rhythm began to escape him and he sloppily came inside you, the warmth both startling and oddly satisfying. You let him catch his breath whilst still inside you, needing to catch your own as well if you had to be completely honest.

As he stayed inside, you slowly regained focus of the world; realizing where you were and just how heavy Hoseok actually was.

“Um… could you like, get off me?” You strained to speak, the weight on your lungs crushing the oxygen out of your words. Hoseok shook with laughter, that and the breathless chuckles against your neck indicating that he was laughing once more, and he dragged you into joining him as he gently pulled out; as gingerly as he’d done most everything else so far.

He plopped down on his back next to you, eyes gazing lovingly at the ceiling. He slowly let gravity do its work and his head came to rest on his arm, gaze refocusing on you as you become the main attraction; the target in his sights. You return the look with as much warmth as you could muster, hoping that even post-sex, you could still try to look good enough for him.

The way Hoseok was looking at you, it sort of terrified you. How one could look at someone so… sweetly, purely, even after such a lewd act? Yet here Hoseok was, managing it all while still looking like something straight out of a magazine—his after-sex glow had you beyond jealous, why couldn’t sweat work that way for you?

“You know, you look at me as if I hung the moon for you.” You couldn’t help your smart mouth from commenting, fighting the stash of giggles you felt bubbling from the base of your tummy and settling just behind your palate.

“Maybe you did? Have you ever considered that?”

“Ugh, so cheesy. Shut up, I thought those were just tropes for the show, to get women to like you.”

“Nope, all me.” Hoseok beamed and you resisted the urge to smother him with one of the decorative pillows he’d carefully picked out, yet another fine choice by the man.

“So, I guess we should say our goodbyes, right?” You digressed, longingly removing your eyes from him to focus on something past his lying figure, not wanting to truly come to terms with the idea of having to abandon the dreamlike lifestyle you’d envisioned with Hoseok, knowing this was probably a one-time thing and—

“What are you talking about? I really like you Y/N, was that not obvious enough?” His eyebrows furrowed in concern while yours shot up towards your hairline, not believing that his advances were actually legitimate. “Guess I should’ve used more pickup lines…”

“Hoseok, are you for real right now? Because if this is some elaborate business scheme or prank for TV, I’ll never forgive you. And I’ll probably sue for emotional distress.” You couldn’t hide the hope that glimmered in your eyes like shining pebbles in a babbling brook, the waters crashing against the creek and making your eyes get a little dewy at the thought of Hoseok being yours.

“Of course Y/N, I would never even dream of such a cruel prank! You’re really beautiful and sweet and lovely and… you’re like me. You’re a dreamer with a blank canvas and you’re dying to fill it with the colors of your mind but, sometimes it’s easier to paint with someone to help. And Y/N, I really want to color my world with you, you’re the only one I want.” Despite the slight lack of eloquence in Hoseok’s words, you still found every single bit endearing, feeling the emotion behind him as he spoke. It only served to make your eyes water more.

“Please Y/N, may I be your plus one on these travels?”

“But… the show, what will happen if you’re constantly traveling with me?” You tried to fight the pout on your lips, you really did, but it still puckered out and Hoseok chuckled at just how cute it made you look.

“The show is in its final episodes for the season, we’ve already filmed the big finale and I only need to reveal one more customers bus and that’s it!”

“Hopefully you don’t… celebrate like this with everyone after the big reveal, right?”

Hoseok laughed and this time you didn’t suppress your urge to hit him with a pillow, kissing him right after as he whined about getting hurt.

“No, just you baby. Now, shall we take this baby out for a test ride?”

“Are we talking about the bus or you?”

“Either works for me.”

“Me too.”

In a dust cloud of laughter and warmth, the two of you set off to complete your new home with a few finishing touches to truly make it yours and in the meantime, you get to test out the stability and sturdiness of the furniture Hoseok built. It was very educational, for sure.

From here on out, it was a journey with your new companion, and you had hopes that one day, you could repay Hoseok for giving you what you’ve always dreamed of:

A home.