#i want to know the exact route the delivery truck will take and where it is on that route

[mrtheinsatiable]

I understand why they don't have a tracker on UPS trucks like they do on an Uber, but also my restless ass would love it if they did

[goulets]

Heartland

Chapter: 4/9 Pairing: Jason Todd/Dick Grayson Additional Characters: Roy Harper, Lian Harper, Barbara Gordon, Tim Drake Case Fic / Kid Fic a03 link

Lian looks proud.  “My first word was Daddy,” she tells Jason.  “I bet Dani’s will be, too, since she has two daddies.”

It takes Jason a moment to process what Lian is talking about, and when he realizes it, Roy is suppressing a huge peal of laughter and Dick’s eyes are so wide they’re about to pop right out of his skull.

***

(romina)

The view has changed.

When Romina Falcone was a child, she had stood in this very office at the right hand of her grandfather and looked out this very window, down into the sprawling urban jungle. She’d thought Gotham City was beautiful. Carmine had a story for every building, every street, every truck and car and pedestrian. The businessman who needed funds to keep his product line moving, soon to be in debt to their family. The district attorney’s office who wanted to cut fiscal corners on an exterior remodel, soon to enter into a contract with them. The gas station at a particularly desirable intersection, soon to be abandoned and auctioned off - the delivery van pulling up to the pump, soon to motivate the owners to abandon it. There was nothing, he said, that was out of reach for them. There was no one who could afford not to answer their call.

She sits in the seat he once sat in, her brother at her right hand, the city laid out below her, and she sees none of it.

“Romina? Are you listening?” her brother asks, angry.

“Obviously not,” she tells him. Who would she pick out of this crowd, if she was her grandfather? The woman in the suit, maybe - a journalist, ambitious and easily bought. The corner bistro, in the red for the third year in a row, about to be turned down for a loan extension. The restless pawn shop security guard, washed out from the police academy, in need of a better outlet to exert his will upon the public.

One by one, she thinks. One by one, they will all be within her grasp.

“ - drives me fuckin’ insane,” her brother is complaining, now, to their cousin Antoni and their new employee, Tiberius. “Never listens to a goddamn word I say - “

“Mario.” Romina turns in her chair to face him.

“What?” he demands.

She raises a dark eyebrow.

He straightens, and appears to compose himself. Much better. “Sorry, Ro. There’s a situation at City Hall that I’ve just been made aware of.”

When he doesn’t immediately go on, she feels a flash of irritation. “Well?”

“It seems that several records were accessed over the weekend - the logs were deleted, but our alert system was set off before they covered their tracks.” A dark look passes over his face. “They were looking into Uncle Vincenzo.”

Romina understands. Vincenzo Rizzuto, her mother’s half-brother, is the name they’ve been recruiting under, a name relatively yet-unknown in Gotham. They hid the real Vincenzo well - Romina had Antoni remove her uncle’s head and hands after he killed him, and since the man had been in the country illegally from Montreal, there should have been almost no way to identify his body. The city coroner’s office hadn’t managed it, but obviously, someone else did.

She taps her fingers against the desk. “How inconvenient.”

Tiberius looks curiously between them. “Think it was law enforcement?”

Antoni barks out a laugh. Romina has to agree - besides, she’s been given the distinct impression that Gotham PD is more than willing to welcome them back into the fold.

Unruffled by their scorn, Tiberius moves on. “Surveillance?”

“Plenty,” Mario says. A vein begins to throb in his forehead. “Doesn’t appear to be tampered with. There’s a camera pointed directly at the terminal that was accessed. Didn’t pick up shit.”

“Ah,” Romina nods. An invisible researcher. This explains Mario’s bad mood. “A meta-human, then.”

“Fuckers,” Antoni grumbles.

Tiberius glances around at them, faint amusement in his pale features. “Can I speak freely?”

“No,” Mario spits, but Romina holds up her hand.

“You may.”

Tiberius cracks his knuckles. “I know your family is more...traditional, let’s say, but you guys aren’t seeing the big picture. A lot’s changed since your grandfather was in charge, not just in Gotham. Meta-humans are a resource. A fucking gold mine. You can hire them, create them, sell them, buy them - as a commodity, they bring a higher return than almost anything else out there. And the scope of the industry is unlimited. The Russians are already in the process of cornering the market in Bludhaven. You could have shipping routes all the way out to - ”

He stops, suddenly, because Mario’s patience has expired. He advances heavily on Tiberius, clicking the safety off on his pistol. Romina wonders idly whether it would be more prudent to buy off or to threaten the city clerk to alter their records. It’s too late this time, but it would do well to have someone in City Hall working for them, in the future.

“How many times,” her brother seethes, “do we have to tell you, Tiberius. We’re taking the metas out. Your freak squad has been running this town for too goddamn long.”

“Hey, they’re not my freak squad,” Tiberius protests, putting his hands up. “I’m just pointing out a business opportunity, shit.”

Antoni looks between them, interested. Romina sighs.

“Enough,” she says coolly. “Mario, stand down. Tiberius, you’ve overstayed your welcome. If I want business propositions from you, you’ll know.”

Tiberius straightens his jacket, glaring around at them all dispassionately. He’ll not last much longer, she thinks.

“Antoni, when are the trucks coming in from Chicago?”

“Should be within the hour, boss.” He grins at her. Romina feels a wave of affection for her younger cousin, all bloodlust and mania. If their grandfather had known him, he would surely have adored him as well.

“Go meet them,” she instructs. “Take Tiberius with you. He should meet our cousin Nicola, since he’s so interested in the family’s shipping routes.”

Antoni grins wider. Perhaps Romina was too careless with her phrasing - if Antoni can tell she means to replace Tiberius with Nicola Viti, then he can probably guess it as well. No matter. With both cousins watching him, he won’t have an opportunity to betray them.

Once they leave, Mario comes to stand next to her, turning his gaze out the window to mirror hers.

“It looks different,” he says, sliding his Beretta back into its holster. “That’s what you were thinking about, isn’t it?”

“It is,” she replies. “But I find that the longer I look, the less different it seems.” And indeed, the view is becoming clearer. The run-down garage two blocks over, its owners tired and brittle and all too willing to sign away to new management. The half-finished housing project, abandoned by the city and looking for a new developer. The drug dealer squatting in its basement, hungry to ally himself with a steady supplier.

After a moment, Mario clears his throat. “We need to get rid of Tiberius. His ideals don’t align with ours.”

He’s right, of course. It won’t do to have one of their own sowing discord among the lower ranks. Romina has made one thing clear in their recruitment process - they’re not making a power play for Gotham’s meta-trafficking trade, not entering into competition with Scarecrow or Riddler or whichever absurd character is putting on a show to engage the Batman this week. They’re eliminating them. Meta-humans and theatrical villains might be an inescapable reality of their world, but Gotham belonged to their family first.

“I’m not ready for you and I to go public just yet,” she tells him. “We need Tiberius for one more thing, first.”

He doesn’t argue. “I hope it’s Susie. You’ve kept her waiting long enough.”

Romina scoffs. “She’s lucky that’s all I’m doing to her, after she disobeyed me. No, I’ll have him fetch her in a few more days. Do you think he’ll suspect the trap?”

“No,” Mario snorts. “He’s too convinced of his own importance. Didn’t even blink when I pulled my piece on him. He thinks he’ll wear you down, eventually.”

She nods, satisfied. “That was my read as well.”

“Is it really necessary, though, to risk alienating Susie?”

Romina purses her lips. “She was instructed to leave no survivors,” she says. “I served her an opportunity to settle a score up on a platter, and she repaid me by doing the exact opposite of what I asked. She knew there would be a cost.”

Mario looks skeptical. “Seriously, Ro, it was just a baby. It wouldn’t’ve even remembered its parents.”

“It doesn’t have to remember.” Romina thumbs over the scar on her wrist, the memento from all those years ago. “I don’t like giving orders to kill children, and I don’t expect Susie to like doing it, but it’s necessary to do. The Maronis left us alive, and where are they now? Scrambling in the shadows like rats, terrified to show their faces. You have to be prepared to hunt the children of your enemies, Mario, or they’ll grow up to hunt you.”

Mario grimaces. “It fucking creeps me out, when you talk like that.”

“It’s something our grandfather understood,” she tells him. “It’s practically colonial.”

“Jesus, Ro.”

She smirks. “Don’t like that comparison?”

“You know I don’t, but you’re right. Fuck,” he sighs. “Fine. I’m guessing you want to put Antoni on it?”

“It can wait, for now.” Antoni is reliable as a triggerman, with no limitations to speak of, but he does have a habit of going off-script, and Romina doesn’t want any more deviations in this particular directive. “As you said, it’s only a baby. It can’t pose a threat to us for some time yet.”

Mario exhales, relieved.

On to more pressing matters. “Do you know, I think it’s time we started recruiting in Bludhaven.”

“I agree,” he says, immediately. “The Russians have been struggling to gain a foothold since losing Intergang. It’s the perfect time to strike.”

“And once we deal with them, the entire canal will be ours,” she muses. “Start looking for someone to run the cement factory, will you? I want that housing project on 15th.”

Mario grins wolfishly. “You don’t think it’s too early for city contracts? We can’t take them out under Vincenzo’s name, you know.”

“No,” she agrees. “But it’s nearly time.”

The view is shifting, the longer she looks. The points of connection are starting to take shape, the lines of power that her grandfather once saw so clearly all leading back into the palm of his hand. Recruitment is child’s play - the people of this city are as tired of the Bats and the Jokers as she is. It’s more than a mission, it’s her birthright. Her father was too foolish and weak to recognize it, but Romina was born with her grandfather’s soul. Now, in his office, with the city laid out before her, she begins to understand how he must’ve felt, back then. She can almost taste it in the air. Gotham is ready to come back to them, and Romina is ready to seize it all.

***

(jason)

“I gotta say, I’m a little hurt,” Roy says, throwing a sideways look at Jason.

Jason’s ninety-nine percent sure he’s gonna follow up with something obnoxious, but he gives him an indulgent glance over his coffee cup all the same. “Yeah?”

“That you didn’t call me, you tool. Why wasn’t I the first person to know about this?! Instead I gotta hear it from Donna, who heard it from Wally, who heard it from Dick!! Not cool, dude!”

Jason feels a headache coming on. They’re out on the balcony outside Dick’s room, and it’s as spacious as a balcony for a single bedroom can be, but it’s starting to feel claustrophobic all the same. “It was need-to-know, okay? I was going to tell you, obviously. In case you didn’t notice, I’ve had a few other things on my mind.”

Roy isn’t having it. “You know how Wally knew? Because Dick called him to ask for advice. Because Wally is a father. Kind of like someone else you guys know, right?”

“I did call you,” Dick says from the balcony doorway. Dani is awake in his arms, and Roy’s five year old daughter Lian is at his side peering up at her in fascination. “You didn’t answer.”

Roy flushes slightly. “Well, without a text, how was I supposed to know why you were calling? I figured it was something like, world-ending-cavalry-calling thing. Can’t blame me for wanting to sit it out.”

Dick nods at Jason. “But you’d answer for him?”

“Hell yes I would. I happen to like him better, no offense,” Roy says, offense clearly intended. Dick rolls his eyes.

Jason doesn’t exactly know what went on between the two of them, except that it happened when he was dead. Roy hasn’t been forthcoming about it, and he’s never bothered asking Dick. Clearly it’s not completely water under the bridge just yet, but Dick looks happy enough to see him, and Roy didn’t even blink at letting Lian run off with him, so Jason thinks they must be starting to make up. Really, it’s the last thing he should be hoping for. Dealing with either of them one-on-one is bad enough. If they get chummy again, he’s done for.

“You’re shit out of luck, then,” he says to Roy, about half a second before he remembers the guy’s daughter is standing right there. “Crap. Uh, sorry, Lian.”

“Daddy says ‘shit’ all the time,” Lian replies, shaking her dark hair back from her face. “Shit is just poop, really, so it’s not such a bad word.”

Dick laughs. “So wise.”

“When can baby Dani learn to talk?”

“Um…” Dick looks at Jason, who shrugs helplessly. “Probably not for a while, I’m guessing. She’s only four months old, so she has a lot of milestones to hit before then.”

Lian tilts her head comically. “What’s mile-stones?”

“That’s just a name for important things that babies learn to do, sweetheart,” Roy tells her. “Things like rolling over, grabbing their feet, sitting up, and standing up. You hit all your milestones right on time.”

“Grabbing their feet? That’s silly, Daddy.”

“Hey, it’s an important motor skill, kiddo. Just as important as first words. You were a foot-grabbing prodigy, so I should know.”

Lian looks proud. “My first word was Daddy,” she tells Jason. “I bet Dani’s will be, too, since she has two daddies.”

It takes Jason a moment to process what Lian is talking about, and when he realizes it, Roy is suppressing a huge peal of laughter and Dick’s eyes are so wide they’re about to pop right out of his skull.

“We’re not - I’m not her dad, Lian. She’s not my kid.” Jason should probably just shut the hell up, since he doesn’t think Roy would be too happy about him explaining why Dani is in their care in the first place to his young, already somewhat traumatized daughter.

“We’re just taking care of her,” Dick adds, gently. Lian looks puzzled.

“So you’re babysitting her?”

“Exactly, yeah.”

“Hey pumpkin,” Roy says, reaching over and patting her on the cheek. “We’ll talk about this more later, okay? Let’s not ask too many questions to Dick and Jason, you know how silly Bats are about their secrets.”

“Oh, right,” Lian giggles, looking between them all conspiratorially. “Especially Mister Bruce, right, Daddy?”

Dick raises his eyebrows. “You told your daughter Batman’s secret ID?”

“You wanna fight about it?” Roy asks. His tone is teasing, but there’s a hint of real challenge in his eyes.

Lian looks confused, and Jason takes pity on her. “Guys, knock it off.” He shoves Roy’s shoulder lightly, and shoots a hard look at Dick. “Not in front of the kids, come on.”

Dani, fortunately, diffuses the tension by spitting up in a truly spectacular fashion all over her onesie and Dick’s arm.

Roy bursts out laughing. “Okay, I gotta say, I do not miss that.”

“Did she just barf?” Lian looks horrified.

“No, this is something babies do a lot,” Dick reassures her. “Usually it puts her in a much better mood when she does it, so it’s actually a good thing.”

“Okay…” Lian says uncertainly. “It’s kind of gross.”

“Kind of,” Dick grins. “I’ll just go change her, and, um, wash up.”

“Can I help? Can I pick out her clothes?” Lian looks at Roy excitedly.

“Sure, you’ll be a lot better at picking them out than me,” Dick beams back at her. “Be right back, guys.”

Once they’re out of earshot, Roy turns to Jason. “I didn’t tell her Batman’s secret ID, just so you know. He told her himself a couple years ago, after the attack on Star City. We were all up in the Watchtower, and he didn’t have his cowl...it was such a crazy day, I honestly never thought she’d remember it.”

Jason nods peaceably. “I don’t really give a shit, to tell you the truth.” It’s not quite the truth, actually, but hopefully Roy won’t call him on it.

“Just saying. Anyways, Jaybird, what the hell is going on with you and Dick? Are you fucking?”

Jason almost spits out his coffee. “What?”

“Is it really that weird of a question? You’re living here all of a sudden, raising a baby together, I mean.” Roy tilts his head, looking remarkably like his daughter. “Okay, I guess you’re not fucking.”

“We’re not anything,” Jason says, more harshly than he means to. “Jesus Christ.”

Roy gives him a look of dawning comprehension, which Jason doesn’t like at all. “I see.”

“Do you.” Jason narrows his eyes. “Well, fucking don’t.”

“All right, all right. I’ll cut you a break since I remember what it’s like to be up to your eyeballs in diapers and sleep deprived as hell and being expected to deal with your asshole friends like everything’s normal.” He leans forward to pour more coffee in Jason’s mug. “Talk to me about the kid, then. You said she’s not sleeping very well?”

Jason shakes his head. “She was sleeping great until this past week, I have no idea what changed. Every single noise in the room wakes her up. And if she catches sight of me, it’s all over. She just cries and cries until I pick her up, and she wakes up again if I try to put her down.”

“Damn,” Roy says sympathetically.

“I haven’t gone out in four nights,” Jason tells him, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “Dick’s got Russians to deal with in ‘Haven, so he hasn’t been able to take a night off, and I can’t…I just can’t leave her. Doesn’t seem right.”

“You shouldn’t, anyways, if your head’s back here,” Roy says. “Learned that one the hard way.”

“I don’t know what the fuck to do, then. It’s not a fever, she’s not hungry, or wet, she just won’t sleep.”

Roy leans forward. “Listen. This is actually a totally normal, completely awful thing called a ‘sleep regression’ that nobody fucking tells you about before you have a kid. They go through them every couple months, usually before hitting a major milestone. It’s fucked, but it’ll pass, I promise.”

Jason stares at him in surprise.

“What? I know things, fuck you.”

Jason kicks him lightly under the table. Not the best demonstration of thankfulness he could’ve come up with, but it’s all he’s got. “So what do I do, until it passes? Just keep holding her all the time?”

“You could try, but honestly, I think that’ll just make it worse. Do you have a white noise machine?”

“Yeah.”

“Have you tried really cranking that sucker up?”

“Yep.”

“Have you tried putting her in the swing?”

Jason frowns. “They’re not supposed to sleep in there.”

“What, really? Says who?” Roy looks incredulous.

“The fucking American Pediatric Association, that’s who. It says so right on the box. It’s a suffocation hazard.”

Roy’s forehead creases with worry. “No shit? Damn, no one told me about that. I used to put Lian to sleep in that thing all the time when nothing else was working.”

Jason spreads his hands. “Any other ideas?”

“Yeah, actually. Babies have REM cycles, you know, they’re just different from ours. When they’re in a sleep regression, you gotta wait until they’re deeply asleep to put them down. Give it, like, ten extra minutes after she falls asleep.”

“I can do that,” Jason agrees. “Doesn’t do me a lot of good, though, if she wakes up as soon as I fucking cough or unload my gun.”

“Oh yeah?” Roy cocks an eyebrow. “We’re unloading rubber bullets now?”

Jason kicks him again. “Shut up.”

“Shit, Jay. I just can’t believe Dickie is okay with it.”

Jason can’t quite believe it either. He keeps the loaded gun hidden in a shoulder holster under his jacket, but he’s not stupid enough to think that Dick hasn’t noticed.

Roy stretches his arms behind his head. “Sure nothing’s going on between you two?”

“Roy, I’m not having this conversation,” Jason says.

Roy grins. Jason hates that grin. “Alright. So, if she always wakes up when you’re in the room, don’t be in the room. Get a monitor and sleep in Dick’s room. Problem solved.”

Jason takes a long drink of coffee, trying to calm the sudden hammering in his pulse. “Yeah, that’s not fucking happening.”

“Why? If there’s nothing going on between you…”

“Roy,” Jason growls.

“Daddy, look! I helped baby Dani get dressed!”

They both turn to look at Lian in the doorway, standing in a superhero pose with her hands planted on her hips. “Ta-da!” she announces, leaping aside with a flourish. Dick appears behind her, lips pressed together like he’s trying hard not to laugh, Dani presented forward in his arms in a little red dress, red bloomers, and little red socks with white hearts. A little red bow is just visible among her tufts of black hair, and Jason’s heart throbs violently in his chest.

“Wow, sweetie!” Roy opens his arms and gives her a big hug. “Red, huh?”

“I think it’s her favorite color,” Lian says, shyly glancing at Jason. “It’s mine, too.”

Jason swallows. “Where the hell did that dress even come from?” He doesn’t know why he bothers asking, he doesn’t have a clue where any of Dani’s clothes come from. They seem to just materialize in her drawers, and he could probably pinpoint who purchased each item if he laid them all out and put his mind to it, but he finds it’s much easier just not to think about it.

“I don’t remember who got this one, actually.” Dick peeks at the tag. “It’s Ralph Lauren. Maybe Helena?”

“Hey Dick, I was just spitballing ideas with Jason,” Roy says, suddenly. Jason goes to kick him again, but damnit, he’s still holding Lian. Using his own kid as a shield, the fucker.

Dick looks up from bouncing Dani, his eyes widening innocently. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, about your kid’s sleep issues. Jay said she’s startling easily, once she’s down.”

Dick looks at Jason apologetically. “It’s been rough,” he admits. “Sorry, I know you haven’t gotten much sleep either.”

“Apparently it’s totally normal,” Jason says quickly, glaring at Roy. “Roy says it’ll pass in no time. Don’t worry about me.”

“I was suggesting, actually, that she might have an easier time if Jason wasn’t clattering around all the time and waking her up,” Roy goes on, pulling Lian up into his lap. Jason is going to kill him. “You’ve got room, right, Dick? Makes more sense for you two to share so she can get some peace and quiet.”

“Oh!” Dick spares Jason a fleeting glance. “That does make sense...we have the video monitor, after all. You are kind of loud, when you take off your armor.”

Jason crosses his arms. Everyone’s a fucking critic. “Fine. I’ll sleep on the floor, whatever.”

Dick makes a face. “Jason…”

Roy gives him an exasperated look. “What is this, cooties? Are you twelve?”

Lian tugs at his sleeve. “What’s cooties?”

“It’s what Jason’s scared of getting if he sleeps in the same bed as Dick, sweetheart. It’s super silly.”

Dani has apparently had enough of being held on display like a doll, and fusses loudly, kicking out towards Jason and curling both hands up toward her face. Jason can tell she’s a few seconds from a full meltdown - they’ve been coming on faster and faster, since this whole “sleep regression” started. He’s on his feet in a heartbeat, and Dick passes her over without a word. It’s a little terrifying how used to this they both are, Jason thinks as he brings Dani up to his chest. She’s already bigger than the tiny ten-pound bundle that had turned up at the Manor just a few weeks ago, and she’s outgrown the first sets of pajamas they’d put her in. He pats her back soothingly, feels the patch of drool on his shirt that indicates she’s stuffed her fingers in her mouth again. Normally, he’d drop a kiss on her head, but he finds himself reluctant to do so in front of Roy. He doesn’t want Roy to read anything into it - he’s already given away too much during this visit.

“Awww, she’s so cute,” Lian giggles, leaning against her dad. “I wish I could hold her, Daddy.”

“Maybe next time, honey. Baby Dani just wants her grown-up right now. You know how that feels, don’t you?”

Lian nods, looking up at Jason. “Yeah.”

Jason feels ridiculously exposed, under their twin gazes. If it wasn’t for Dani, he’d have jumped over the railing already.

“What are you guys up to for the rest of the day?” Dick asks, rescuing him from their unnerving combined perception.

Roy gives his daughter a nudge. “What are we doing, pumpkin?”

Lian lights up. “We’re going to see Donna!”

“Her favorite,” Roy confirms, grinning down at her. “They’re having a girl’s night, apparently. I’m not invited.”

“Maybe when Dani is bigger, she can come to a girls night with us,” Lian suggests wistfully. Dick looks sad, and Jason doesn’t have the heart to tell her that’s never going to happen.

“Hey, wouldn’t that be fun.” Roy ruffles her hair playfully. “You’d have to share Donna, though.”

Lian pulls back to give him a reproachful look. “I know how to share, Daddy.”

“Sheesh, okay. Anyways, I’ll be around, if either of you needs a wingman,” Roy says, looking between Dick and Jason hopefully.

“I’m staying in,” Dick says. Jason blinks, this is news to him. “Russians are laying low, and no one’s sprung our Falcone cousin from jail yet, shockingly. I know you’re going stir-crazy, so I’ll stay with her tonight.”

Jason feels a surge of warmth towards Dick. He is going nuts, and not just from sleep deprivation. It’ll do him a world of good to get out and get some real exercise, check on all his favorites in the neighborhood and put the fear of the Red Hood back into all the local dirtbags. Tim’s been doing a more than decent job on keeping him updated, and Jason’s grateful, but there’s something to be said for good old fashioned violence when it comes to keeping his people in line. Jason’s itching for it - he hasn’t been back in the field properly for way too long.

“You up for it, Jaybird?” Roy asks. His eyes are practically sparkling - Jason can already feel the beginnings of regret. “It’s been a minute since we teamed up.”

Jason sighs out heavily. “Yeah, okay.”

“Don’t get too excited,” Roy laughs. “It’ll be fun! I can impart more sagely parenting advice, you can, um - ” he cover’s Lian’s ears “ - b-a-s-h some s-k-u-l-l-s, it’ll be real therapeutic.”

Lian swats at his hands. “Daddy.”

Jason looks at Dick. “You sure B’s okay with you taking a night off?”

“I’ll make him okay with it,” Dick says grimly. “Besides, I miss her.”

God help him, Jason’s going to miss her too, when he’s out for the evening. Not enough to want to stay in, but damn close.

He looks down at her, dozing lightly against his chest, one round cheek pressed flat, the other drooping onto her curled up shoulder. An image flits through his mind - Dani, older, her tufts of hair grown out long like Lian’s, a wide, toothy smile on her face and her big brown eyes crinkled up at Jason. Calling to him, reaching for him. Daddy. It feels like a bullet piercing his heart, but he can’t stop imagining it. Can’t stop imagining her laughter, the solid feeling of her body in his arms…and someone else next to him, strong hands held out to catch hers, sweetheart sounding out in a voice he’s gravitated toward since he was thirteen years old -

“Jason? You having gas or something?” Roy sounds half amused, half concerned.

Fuck. “Headache,” Jason manages, shoving the intrusive images as far back into his subconscious as he can. God, does he know how to torture himself.

“Well, get rid of it. Imagine how embarrassing it’d be if you got k-i-l-l-e-d by some punk in the Bowery because you were off your game.”

Jason shrugs. “You’d avenge me.”

Roy laughs. “Damn right I would. I’d have to fight Dick here for the honor.”

“To get back at some Bowery punk? Nah, Dickie wouldn’t bother.”

Dick rolls his eyes, but his mouth is twisted with humor. “Hey, I might, depending on how embarrassing your demise was.”

Roy claps his hands. “See, if that’s not love, I don’t know what is.”

Dick goes pink, but he looks happy, at least. Jason imagines strangling Roy, to avoid anything revealing coming out of his mouth.

“I’d better go tell little D he’s got my patrol tonight,” Dick says, after a mildly suffocating moment of silence. “I’ll stick a bottle in the warmer for when she wakes up.”

“You are the worst person alive,” Jason tells Roy, once Dick is gone. “The worst. I literally don’t know why we’re friends.”

“Jason’s joking, sweet pea,” Roy grins at Lian.

Lian huffs dramatically. “I know that, Daddy.”

How the hell Roy Harper created such a great kid, Jason will never know. “What are you and Donna doing for your girl’s night?” he asks her, rocking Dani gently.

“So many fun things,” she tells him seriously. “I have a new Lego set, so we’re gonna build that, and then maybe we’ll play princess school? Or animal rescue school, or maybe both...and we’ll definitely watch a movie! And eat popcorn, of course.”

“Of course,” Jason nods.

She smiles at him, her nose scrunching adorably. “What are you and my daddy doing for your boy’s night?”

Jason makes eye contact with Roy. “Well, I doubt we’re gonna have as much fun as you.”

“No,” Roy agrees, tweaking her nose. “I think we’ll still have a pretty good time, though.”

***

Jason’s prepared for the worst, when they arrive in Crime Alley. He’s expecting his safe house to be trashed by squatters, his civilian apartment to be robbed, and all the local hot spots to be generally on fire. Well. Maybe not on fire, it does seem like Tim’s been doing a pretty good job covering for him. But still, he’s not expecting to roll into his territory and find it…quiet.

Roy takes to the rooftops, and Jason goes to the first busy street corner he sees. “Hey, Ginger,” he calls, jogging up to a working girl he’s got a friendly rapport with. “How’s it going?”

Ginger looks surprised to see him, but not unhappy. “You finally remember your address, Hood?”

“Doesn’t look like I needed to, though,” Jason remarks, glancing around. “Your girls are all good? Any problems that require my attention?”

“Aren’t you sweet.” Ginger looks over his shoulder, as though expecting someone to be there. “No Red Robin tonight? Damn.”

Wow, so that’s how it is. Jason’s already chopped liver. “Ouch,” he says in mock offense. “You know, it was me who told him which blocks to keep an eye on in the first place.”

“You can take that white knight shit straight back to wherever you’ve been hiding out, honey.” Ginger sounds unimpressed. He swears he was more intimidating a few weeks ago. She gives him a meaningful look and makes a shooing motion with her wrist. “It’s good to know you’re still in one piece, baby. Now run along, before you scare off all my customers.”

Taking the hint, Jason moves down the block to his favorite bar, a hideous dive run by a neighborhood relic called Mac Deveroux. Back when Jason was a kid, Mac had frequently paid him to make deliveries, taking alcohol and sometimes food to his customers who weren’t in a position to come and get it themselves. Most of the deliveries were superfluous errands that Mac could just as easily have run himself, but he liked Jason’s observational skills, and the real value of the trip was the gossip Jason was able to pick up along the way. Jason has no idea if Mac remembers him - it’s possible he had a dozen kids on his unofficial payroll, it’s equally possible that the years and the drinking have written Jason’s existence out of his mind. But the man is just as congenial and just as all-knowing about everyone’s business as he’s always been, so Jason makes it a habit to visit him and trade information.

“Hey, Mac,” he calls, pulling off his helmet and sliding into a seat at the end of the bar. He doesn’t always order a drink when he comes here, and he’s not planning on it tonight, but Mac seems to prefer talking to him in just the domino. “Been a minute.”

It’s early, so the place is still mostly deserted, except for a handful of local drunks in various stages of stupor. Mac looks startled for half a moment, then pulls his ballcap down and goes back to being inscrutable. “Glad to see you alive and well, Red.”

Why is everyone so surprised to see him? He’s only been off patrol for a week or so, and he was checking in every few days before that. “Some reason I shouldn’t be?”

Mac side-eyes him suspiciously. “Not especially. People talk. That friend of yours - Red Robin - stupid fucking name, by the way - he’s okay too?”

Jason picks up his helmet and switches the comm on. “Red Robin, Red Hood checking in. Are you dead or injured?”

Tim’s voice comes through almost immediately, annoyed. “Uh, no?”

Jason switches it back off. “Yep, still kicking. Pretty sure Batman hasn’t bit it either, but the night is young. What’s with the sudden concern for my well-being?”

Mac shakes his head. “Folks been talking lately, that’s all. Lots of shit about taking down the Bat, all the rest of the capes in Gotham. Can’t blame me for wondering.”

“People around here are always running their mouths,” Jason says dismissively. “Half the time they tell me about it to my face. Since when are you sweating shit like that?”

“Since it started seeming like more than just talk,” Mac says, serious. “I mean it, Red. You ought to watch yourself out there. And be careful who you talk to, too. I appreciate all you done for me, but it’ll be better if I don’t see you in my bar all too often. You need to chat, you’re better off coming in the back.”

Jason recalls how quickly Ginger had hurried him away, and feels his blood run hot with anger. So these fuckers think they can come onto his turf and threaten his people? They’re gonna be needing more than new kneecaps by the time he’s through with them.

He cracks his knuckles. “Right. Let’s go to the back, then.”

Mac meets him next to a stack of boxes behind his delivery door. He pulls out a joint and starts patting his pockets down, looking for a lighter.

“Here.” Jason fishes one out from his coat pocket, tosses it to him. Not like he’s lighting up much of anything these days.

“Appreciate you, man,” Mac says, catching it. “You want?”

Jason shakes his head briefly.

Mac nods, as though he expected Jason to decline. He exhales a stream of smoke. “Gives me a reason to be back here, you know.”

“Sure.” Jason leans cautiously against one of the stacks of boxes. “So, what’s all this chatter that’s got you and everyone else so spooked?”

“Hmm.” Mac takes another long drag off his joint. “Just a few too many mouths telling the same story in my bar, I’d say. I’m used to hearing guys talk big about taking you out. But this is different, they’re all telling the same story about somebody else taking you out. Taking all the Bat folks out, and the Jokers and the Scarecrow gang too. Saying it’s gonna be open season on all the capes and metas in Gotham, that sorta thing.”

Jason really doesn’t like the sound of any of this. “Who’s supposed to be taking us all out, exactly?”

“That’s the thing about it. No one wants to say, I don’t think most of ‘em even know. You heard about that bloodbath down by the docks, a month back?”

Jason tenses. “Uh-huh.”

Mac looks shrewd, suddenly. “You know who did it?”

Jason can tell from his tone that he doesn’t know, but that he’s dying to. “If someone like you hasn’t found out yet, Mac, I think it’s because certain people want it that way. Just like certain people don’t want you talking to me.”

“‘Certain people’ can kiss my ass,” Mac grumbles.

“Here’s a question, totally unrelated,” Jason says. “Does the name ‘Romina Falcone’ mean anything to you?”

Mac stares at him, dumbfounded. “No....Romina? Mario Falcone’s little girl?”

Jason shrugs one shoulder, trying to appear casual. “You heard anything about her being back in town?”

“No…she’s been gone from Gotham for years. Sad story, really. You know it?” Jason does, but since this is a casual inquiry, he motions for Mac to go on. “Her daddy was Carmine Falcone’s son, a real straight-shooting type, good student, honest, the whole nine yards. Never touched the family business.” Another long inhale off the dwindling joint. “When Falcone first went to prison, gotta be over twenty-five years ago now, the Maroni family took over. Mario wouldn’t throw in with them, so they killed him and his wife. The kids, Mario Jr. and Romina, went to live with relatives in Chicago, last I heard.”

A mob orphan, Jason thinks, just like Dani. Except that Romina and her brother hadn’t gone to live with just any relatives - they’d gone to live with the Viti family, headed by none other than Carmine Falcone’s bloodthirsty sister. “So, no one’s heard from her since then?”

“No one heard from her before then, either. She couldn’t’ve been more than eight or nine when all that shit went down,” Mac says doubtfully. “You sure your intel’s good?”

Jason’s deep in thought, suddenly. “Didn’t say anything about intel,” he tells Mac. “Just asking a question. I gotta go, though. Okay if I slip out the door here?”

Mac gestures obligingly. “Hey, be my guest. I’m gonna do myself a favor and forget this whole conversation now.”

Jason snorts. “Good idea. See you around, Mac.”

“Yeah, yeah. Watch your back out there, kid.”

Jason’s out the door before Mac’s parting words echo back to him. Watch your back out there - what was he, eleven? Twelve, the last time he heard those words?

Maybe it’s a coincidence. Or, maybe Mac Deveroux has a better memory than Jason gives him credit for.

He puts his helmet back on. “Arsenal, status report.”

“All good over here, Hoodster,” Roy replies brightly. “Knocked out a handful of drunk and disorderlies outside a Buffalo Wild Wings just now. Didn’t realize the Bowery was so gentrified already.”

Ugh. “Not all of it is,” Jason sighs. “But, yeah. Sure isn’t how it used to be, over there.”

“No kidding. I’m watching this girl steal a souped-up Camero right now. Ran the plates, and based on the owner’s resume, I might let her get away with it.”

Jason snorts out a laugh. “Works for me. I’ll come meet you over there, just give me ten.”

He’s barely made it two blocks when Oracle’s voice sounds in his ear, her tone making him snap to attention at once. “Hood, we have a situation.”

He stops still on a dingy government housing rooftop. “Go ahead, O.”

“It seems Susie Falcone was sprung from jail earlier today - we missed it because her release was processed under another name, but I have the video feed, and it’s definitely her.”

Oh, fucking finally. Jason was starting to think he wouldn’t have a chance to get any real exercise tonight. “You got a name for me?”

“Guy by the name of Tiberius. Albanian, according to Red Robin. I’m running his face through Interpol, but it takes time.”

Jason hops onto a nearby fire escape and swings up to the roof of an office building to get a better vantage point towards the harbor. “Is B gonna crap himself if I take the lead on this?”

Barbara’s quiet for a moment. “Do you care?”

Jason flexes his hand over the grip of the gun strapped to his thigh. “I mean, no,” he starts to say, knowing as soon as the words are out of his mouth that it’s not entirely true. “Just...it’ll be a pain in the ass if I have to fight a whole fucking mafia, plus him, that’s all.”

Oh, incredibly convincing. Jason’s surprised he doesn’t hear her laughing down the line.

“I think you know how to avoid his ire,” Barbara says. “You’re closest, so I’m putting you on it.”

“Okay. Thanks,” Jason adds, feeling more like an idiot by the second. Forget Dick, talking to Barbara always makes him feel about twelve fucking years old. At least she’s not openly judgmental about it. “Hey, Oracle. One last thing.”

“Oh? I’m listening.”

“Can you do some digging into the Viti family? I feel like there’s gotta be a reason Romina came back to Gotham now, when she could’ve made a play for the city years ago. If she’s been in Chicago all this time, it’s probably something to do with them.”

“…Yes,” Barbara says, slowly. Jason hears a flurry of typing. “Since they trade over state lines, that data will be with the Feds…it’ll take me a little while, I’ve got my hands full with some more urgent things right now. But it’s a good idea, Hood. You’ll know more as soon as I do.”

“Okay,” Jason agrees. “Thanks,” he adds, lamely.

She lets out a short huff of amusement, and Jason’s past self cringes at him in embarrassment. “Oracle out.”

Right. Tiberius. Jason’s been waiting for a chance to take on this ostentatiously-named asshole. From his own observations that night with Dick, and from Tim’s reports, the guy is a particularly sleazy type of hired muscle. Fantastic. Jason needs the workout.

He gives himself a shake, and then takes off towards the police impound lot. Within ten minutes, he’s found a suitable bike and is on his way to the East End, changing comm channels in his helmet to call Roy. “Arsenal, are you good to finish up my patrol? I got a lead on somebody in this mob case I need to handle.”

“Wow, Hood. And here I thought we were having a boy’s night.”

“Hey, if nothing’s going on over there, you’re welcome to join.”

“Yeah? Hey asshole, stay down,” he snarls. “Maybe I’ll meet you after I finish up.”

Jason hears a moan and a thud on Roy’s end. “Anybody interesting?”

“Just some model citizen I found trying to drag a passed-out woman into his car. Said she was his girlfriend, but he neglected to mention she dumped his ass two months ago.”

“Break his legs,” Jason proposes, feeling a mild rage rising in his chest.

“Red Hood says I should break your legs,” Roy tells the guy. “It’s not really my style, but I’m just temping over here. You’d better leave town, because if he finds you doing this shit again, you’re gonna wish I took him up on it.”

Please, man, Jason hears in the background. He hadn’t honestly expected Roy to take his suggestion. Turning onto a side street, he hears an alarm start to go off somewhere close by. Robbery, sounds like. Exactly what he’s looking for.

“Alright, I’m starting my manhunt,” he says to Roy. “You’ve got my coordinates if you need to find me.”

Roy makes some kind of hooting sound that Jason takes to be acknowledgment. “Make me proud.”

Jason kills the bike in an alley and parks it under a staircase, slipping a loop of electrified wire over the handlebars. Easy enough to disarm, but he’s not planning to be gone long. The store being robbed is a liquor store, and the goons smashing it up aren’t criminals so hardened that they’ll take any effort on his part to crack. He storms in the front, grabs the first guy, and throws him over the counter. The second pulls a gun on him - he shoots it out of his hand a split second later, then fires three more shots into a glass case of upscale liquor, to fairly spectacular effect. The remaining guys all hit the floor, visibly terrified. Jason holsters his gun.

“Hope you guys don’t mind me crashing this little party you’re having,” he calls, kicking the fallen gun to the side. “I need to find a guy by the name of Tiberius. First one to talk gets to walk away.”

They all goggle at him. “Did he say Tiberius?” one of them whispers.

“We don’t know anybody called that,” the one he tossed behind the counter says.

Jason clicks his tongue. “Wrong answer.” He fires a rubber bullet into the guy’s shoulder, and he goes down. By the time they realize it’s not a live round, he’ll be in the wind.

He holsters the gun again, and turns his attention on the one he’d disarmed. “Your turn.”

“We don’t know where he is,” the guy says quickly. “I only met the guy once. He doesn’t give us orders.”

“Who does he give orders to,” Jason counters, advancing on him menacingly.

“Dealers, mostly? My cousin Zion reports to him, he slings down by the Wharfside Pool Hall. Swear to God, man, I haven’t seen Tiberius since he moved us all off the docks.”

Jason looks around at the wreckage of the store, realizing something. “You guys aren’t robbing this place, are you.”

They don’t say anything. Jason doesn’t need them to - their silence is confirmation enough. They’ve been tasked by Romina and her lackeys to trash this place and force the owners to sell. And now he’s helped them do it. Fuck, this is why he hates mob cases.

Nothing to be done about it now. Once he puts a bullet in Romina’s skull, maybe he can come back and see that these people get their store back. First, he’s gotta find her.

“Be seeing you, gentlemen,” he says, tossing out a couple smoke pellets. “Don’t expect it to be as painless next time.”

It’s a quick ride to the Wharfside Pool Hall, and Oracle sends him a photo of Zion Lee on the way. He finds him immediately, parked on the corner by the emergency exit. It’s a short conversation. Zion doesn’t know where to find Tiberius either, but he does tell Jason where to find his supplier, and once Jason takes a look at the supplier’s rap sheet, he decides there’s not going to be a conversation at all. Kidnapping, trafficking, sexual battery - hell, if Jason can’t find Tiberius tonight, at least he can take his aggression out on this piece of garbage.

He roars up to the supplier’s house on the stolen bike and throws a smoke bomb through the window, the rush of impending violence like fire in his veins. Then, as luck would have it, he sees a familiar muscular figure rushing out the back door towards a Jaguar that’s parked in the shadows at the end of a driveway.

Tiberius, in the flesh. Looks like Jason’s date with this supplier will have to be postponed.

Quickly, he considers his options. The adrenaline junkie in him is tempted by the prospect of a good old-fashioned car chase, but this area is just a bit too residential for him to be strictly comfortable with it. Too bad. He lets Tiberius get to the end of the driveway, and then he shoots out the Jag’s tires. Tiberius returns fire immediately, which, again, is not the most desirable outcome in a residential neighborhood. Jason aims a shot at his firing hand, but the guy is already ducked down and reloading.

Fine. Jason will just have to throw something bigger at him, he supposes. He revs the bike’s engine, kicks off and guns it towards the Jaguar, bailing off to the side when Tiberius stands up to shoot at him some more. The bike keeps going, propelled by momentum, and crashes beautifully into the driver's side of the Jag, knocking Tiberius hard to the pavement when the open door that he’s been using as a shield swings violently sideways with the rest of the car.

He doesn’t stay down, of course. Before the impact is even finished reverberating through both vehicles, he’s hopping back up, more nimbly than Jason would’ve expected, given his size, and taken off running down the street. Jason pushes himself up and hightails after him, the thrill of the hunt making him practically giddy, his heart accelerating with the pace of his boots against the concrete.

Damn, but it feels good to exert himself. Jason’s been cooped up for too fucking long. Tiberius is seriously in shape, and fast, almost as fast as Dick, too fast for Jason to catch without playing dirty. He’s running too hard to aim with any real accuracy at a moving target, but he squeezes off a half dozen shots at the car windows Tiberius is running past, and the resulting spray of breakaway glass slows him just enough that Jason is able to launch a kick at the back of his knees and tackle him to the ground. They tussle - Tiberius pulls a knife and manages to wedge the blade under Jason’s chestplate, but luckily the tip of it catches on the kevlar, and Jason is able to knock it away before it does any real damage. He headbutts Tiberius savagely, breaking his nose and sending him sprawling out over the basement landing of a boarded-up tattoo parlor.

Before Jason can get up and draw his weapon, Tiberius is on him again, fists coming in like hammer blows and seeking out all the soft spots of his suit with frankly impressive accuracy. Jason’s pulse is pounding in his ears, he’s always gotten a kick out of fighting guys that are bigger than him - though, admittedly, most guys he went up against as Robin met that qualification. Fighting Tiberius is a little nostalgic, in that sense.

How did he used to do it? Bruce had taught him all the fastest ways to incapacitate someone, and Jason’s lived enough by now that he can admit that more often than not, Bruce’s way works just fine. Maybe with a few embellishments, depending on the perp. He’d need better footing, but he could do that here. He could snap Tiberius’s collarbone with the flat of his hand, knee him in the balls, and finish him off with a punch to the throat. But before Bruce, before he’d had his street fighting skills polished and streamlined, a younger, scrappier Jason would’ve had a different strategy. Back then he’d had to be patient, had to last out his enemies and watch for the moment they overextended themselves, the moment they let their defenses slip because they were sure they had him. A school bully, taking his attention off Jason long enough to call to his friends. His mother’s heroin dealer, pausing at the top of the long brick staircase to tell Jason not to bother checking on her. Batman, parking the Batmobile in an alley and just leaving it there.

Nostalgia wins, and Jason waits. He takes the punches and waits until Tiberius gets cocky, having landed a few well-placed blows to his ribs under the thickest parts of his armor. He rears up over Jason, sneering, hand going to Jason’s throat, arm fully extended and vulnerable - and Jason moves. He rocks up into a crouch, catches Tiberius’s wrist in his hand and wrenches, shattering the bones in it easily and dislocating his shoulder in the process. Within a couple of seconds, they’re back on their feet, but Tiberius is unsteady, his breathing thick and labored, and Jason takes the opportunity to kick him square in the chest, sending him crashing down into the walk-out landing and through the building’s flimsy door.

Then he follows Tiberius into the basement, and before he can dodge, a bullet catches him right in the thigh. Shit. He’d assumed the gun had been lost back at the car, but he hadn’t actually checked - an embarrassingly rookie mistake, Jesus. His armor stops it, but it still hurts like a motherfucker. “Real cute,” he snarls, stomping on his opponent’s broken wrist and picking up the gun. He debates shooting him in a few non-lethal places, but Dick’s face suddenly pops into his head, and then Dani’s, and the worst of his anger ebbs away. He empties the clip instead, pocketing the gun. “Now that that’s out of the way, you and me, we’ve got a few things to discuss.”

“Fuck you,” Tiberius seethes, curled up and clutching his wrist in pain. There’s blood all over his face, dripping onto the floor.

“Better men than you have tried, Tiberius.” Jason rubs his hands together. “Here, I’ll make it easier for you. I know you’re working for Romina Falcone. I know she’s back in Gotham, and I know she ordered the hits on your old boss, and most of your old coworkers. I know you sprung her cousin Susie out of jail earlier today, and I know she’s got you running the drug trade down here. So don’t bother telling me any of that shit. I just want to know two things: what her endgame is, and where I can find her.” He steps on Tiberius’s knee, puts just enough pressure to make him cry out. “Talk. Now.”

“Get the fuck off me,” Tiberius gasps, kicking out uselessly with his other leg. “I’ll tell you what you want to know, just let me up.”

Jason stands back, ready to kneecap the guy permanently if he goes on the offensive again.

Tiberius sits up, panting. “Shit. Fuck, I can’t believe I didn’t see this coming.”

“Hood, I lost your GPS signal,” Roy says in his ear. “Fortunately, the trail of destruction was pretty easy to follow. I’m on the warehouse roof outside, across the street.”

“She set me up,” Tiberius goes on. “She fucking set me up, that bitch.” He looks up at Jason, shaking his head. “Yeah, Romina asked me to bail Susie out of jail today. Probably so one of you fuckers would come after me. She’ll be pissed as hell that she didn’t get Batman.”

Jason grinds his teeth. “Arsenal, we’re gonna have incoming soon,” he barks into his comm.

“Thank God, I’d hate to get bored up here,” Roy replies easily.

“Whatever backup you have, it’s not gonna be enough,” Tiberius says. “Romina doesn’t take chances. I can’t tell you where she is, couldn’t even tell you the neighborhood. I’ve had two meetings with her at her office, they had me drugged and blindfolded coming and going. Drove for a long-ass time, too, but that doesn’t mean anything.”

“Fine,” Jason snaps. “So you’ve had meetings with her. Tell me what she’s after.”

“What she’s after? She’s after everything,” Tiberius says bluntly. “The whole goddamn city. Thinks it’s hers by right, because of who her grandpa was. She’s fucking nuts, even for Gotham.”

Everything. Jason turns it over in his head. She’s not just seizing control of the East End, not just the canal, but everything. They’ve got an overachieving mob boss on their hands. Out-fucking-standing.

“I’ve got twenty guys coming in hot, Hood.” Roy sounds tense. “More trucks pulling in. I can take down most of them, but I think they’re just the first wave. We don’t have enough ammo for this.”

“She hates you guys,” Tiberius laughs bitterly. “If you get away, she’s gonna lose her shit. Sucks I won’t be around to see it.”

“A real shame,” Jason agrees, distracted. He can hear the sound of fighting outside. Time to bail. “Who else is - “

“Hood, we have to go, now.”

Jason pulls the gun from his shoulder holster. “If you survive, I’ll be seeing you soon,” he promises, voice low and deadly. The look on Tiberius’s face tells him just how likely he thinks that is, and Jason can’t help but agree. The blindfolds, the errands, the lack of family connection all add up to one thing: disposable. Tiberius is no made man, he’s just a hired hand, and it’s clear Romina has decided to terminate his employment. Jason remembers Tim’s story about Tiberius passing around photos of murdered kids to the grunts at Intergang, and he feels no sudden impulse to drag the guy to safety.

Outside, he and Roy shoot their way through the dozen or so remaining mobsters, Jason aiming as non-lethally as possible. Roy’s taser arrows cut the last few down, and then they hit the street running, down the block, through a boarded up ice cream shop, down an alley, and up to the rooftops. Jason hears a few gunshots below them when they make the jump over a particularly wide gap, but he keeps them running north, away from the harbor and towards the river, hoping to lose their pursuers on unfamiliar turf. It works. Romina may have her sights set on all of Gotham, but most of her henchmen have seldom ventured more than a few blocks out of the territory they grew up in.

After about half a mile, they stop to catch their breath, and Jason sits down to massage his thigh where the bullet had struck earlier.

“How’d you get over here, anyways?” Jason asks. They’d left their bikes in Jason’s storage unit on the west side of Crime Alley, Roy’s borrowed from Dick for the evening. If Roy left the bike next to a shootout, Dick’s going to be mad as hell.

“Helicopter arrow,” Roy deadpans. Jason looks for something to throw at him. “No, I just took an Uber. Grand theft auto’s not really my thing, these days.”

Jason stares at him. “Since when?”

Roy shrugs. “Since Lian started asking questions about it, I guess. It’s just like...whenever she hears about a crime, like finding out why we lock the car doors when we leave it, she asks me all these details about it. Sometimes she asks if I’ve ever done it, and I can’t lie to her, you know? I want to be able to tell her what she wants to hear, which is ‘no, Daddy hasn’t stolen any cars lately’.” He points at Jason accusingly. “Whatever. Don’t judge me. You’re just lucky yours can’t talk yet.”

“I didn’t even say anything,” Jason protests. He objects strongly to Roy referring to Dani as his, too, but that’s probably exactly why Roy did it, so there’s no point bringing it up. “I’ve got a safe house not too far from here, next to a chop shop. Does it count as stealing to Lian if the car is already stolen?”

Roy laughs. “Not sure she can parse the nuance there. How about you do the stealing, and that’s the technicality I can skate on.”

“Fine.” Jason gets to his feet, wincing slightly as his thigh burns.

“You all good?”

“Yeah, just got a lucky shot in. My fault for not checking to see if he still had the damn gun.”

“Hey, at least in the Manor you’ve got all the whole Bat Hospital at your disposal,” Roy grins. “Among other perks, of course.”

Jason is very glad Roy can’t see him blush under the helmet. He was just thinking about how he wants to get back and see Dani - how he’ll need to take his armor off to check out the damage to his leg - how taking his armor off always wakes her up, so he’ll have to do it in Dick’s room - how the offer is on the table for him to sleep in Dick’s bed -

Business appears to be booming at the chop shop, and Jason decides on stealing a flashy little Lexus coupe that makes Roy whistle in appreciation. They drive back through the Bowery, stopping once so Jason can beat the crap out of a bouncer-turned-wannabe-pimp trying to sell girls outside of a gentlemen’s club. Then they get back to the bikes, and he checks in with Oracle to see if there’s any other action they need to investigate before they call it a night.

“I think you boys have stirred up enough trouble tonight,” she tells him firmly. “There’s been surprisingly little action in your neck of the woods, actually. Bludhaven is the hot zone tonight, I sent Black Bat and Spoiler over there earlier to help Robin out.”

“Fingerstripes will be sorry he missed it,” Jason says. “Russians again?”

“Arsonists, this time. At least five of them.”

“Shit. Sounds more like a Gotham thing than ‘Haven.”

“It does,” she agrees. “It feels choreographed, somehow. I’m going to keep looking into it, along with the Viti family. Oracle out.”

Roy raises his eyebrows. “Arsonists, huh?”

Jason snorts in surprise. “You hacked my comm line?”

“Let’s put it this way: Babs let me hack your comm line.”

True enough. “Sounds like they’ve got everything in hand, at least,” Jason says. “Don’t really feel like dragging ass all the way to Jersey’s armpit. You sleeping at the Manor tonight?”

Roy scratches the back of his head. “Thought about it, but I think I’m gonna text Donna and quietly crash girl’s night. Whenever I get shot at, or almost blown up or whatever, I just kind of need to see Lian. Tell Dick I’ll bring the bike back tomorrow.”

Jason nods. “I’ll catch you later, then.” In truth, he knows exactly how Roy feels. He’s dying to get back to Dani as quickly as possible, to see her and touch her and make sure she’s okay. It doesn’t make sense - he’s the one who got shot at, she’s been in arguably the most secure location in the whole tri-state area. But somehow, in spite of his bruised ribs and what’s sure to be a wicked hematoma on his thigh, all he can think about is keeping her safe. He’d walk through fire to make sure of it, he knows without a doubt. Fortunately, all he has to do tonight is make the trek back over the Robert Kane bridge.

Roy gives his shoulder a friendly squeeze, and then takes off in the direction of the old Titans bunker in Robbinsville. Jason parks the Lexus in his storage unit, arms the security system, and then kicks his bike into gear, making a beeline for the highway and the bridge, which will take him back to the Manor, and back to Dani.

***

[chibistarlyte]

So Blooms the Soul (As Flowers on the Skin)

“Uh…Haru?” Rin said hesitantly from behind him.

“Hm?” Haruka hummed, turning around to regard his best friend, who was looking at him with an incredulous look on his face.

“Your soul mark…” Rin said, slowly raising his hand and pointing at the blade of Haruka’s right shoulder. “Did you know it’s bloomed?”

Blue eyes widened and the shock of the question was almost enough to knock Haruka into the pool.

“Wh-what?”

AHHHH HERE IT ISSSS my fic for the @nanaseharukabirthdayexchange !!! I was able to write this fic for @lonesome-writer !!!

Milo, thank you so much for including so many fun prompts in your likes list. It was an absolute joy writing this for you and I really hope you like it! ;u;

The fic in its entirety is below the cut, but you can also read it here on AO3!

It was a quiet morning in Tokyo, still early enough to where not a single soul traversed down the street where the Swim Free Flower Shop resided. The sun slowly crept into the clear glass windows of the storefront, greeting the plants inside with its friendly, caring light. The plants, in turn, welcomed the sun in like an old friend, turning to face the windows and soaking up the rays.

 Nanase Haruka loved mornings like this, when he could ready his shop for the day and bask in the peace before the city properly awoke. He breathed in the sweet, fragrant air of the shop as he watered the plants with his mackerel-shaped watering can—a joke gift he’d gotten from Nagisa that Haruka had, unfortunately, grown too fond of to get rid of.

 His effervescent employee sure wormed his way into his heart, Haruka thought with a smile. He poured the last drops of water out of the mackerel’s mouth before setting it aside and going to set up his hose with the spray nozzle to water the larger plants he had on the sales floor.

 It was still early in the summer, and as such, a lot of his perennials were beginning to bloom. The wide array of flowers he had on hand added such a rainbow of colors to his shop, brightening everything up with no effort whatsoever. But he still had some plants that hadn’t bloomed yet, that were still trying to grow their buds,like his imported phlox flowers from the United States.

 Blue eyes stared at the buds, still mostly green but with small bursts of purple and violet poking through at the top. According to his research, they wouldn’t bloom for at least another month, but that was okay. He’d take the time to nurture them and help them grow; he had no doubt they’d be a huge hit when they did bloom, especially considering their natural habitat was overseas.

 But, to be honest, the reason he’d sought them out in the first place was because they were the exact same flower as the soul mark he sported on his back.

 More specifically, his soul mark was on the blade of his right shoulder. He’d only ever seen it in the mirror or in the occasional photo, and there was no color to it whatsoever—just the solid black outlines of a flower that begged to be colored in—so it took him a long time to figure out what kind of flower bud it was.

 And the fact that it was still a bud, not a fully bloomed flower, meant that he still hadn’t met his soulmate. Which was fine by him, really. He wasn’t really concerned with finding that one person destined to be his other half; he had people in his life that he loved and trusted, and he had his shop. He didn’t really need more than that.

 A firm knock on the front door yanked Haruka out of his peaceful musings, immediately filling him with confusion. It was too early for Nagisa to show up for his shift, and several hours until the shop would be open for business. So who…?

 Haruka turned around to see a small delivery truck outside, with a tall man in a recognizable uniform waving to him with a smile from outside.

 Ah, it made sense now. Though he usually didn’t get his deliveries this early…

 Haruka turned off the hose and set it atop the water tank, drying his hands on his apron as he approached the door and turned his master key in the lock.

 “Good morning!” the delivery man greeted as Haruka opened the door, his smile warm and bright.

 Haruka was almost blinded by the genuinely kind and friendly aura he exuded. The florist felt tingles all the way from the top of his head to the tips of his toes, though he had no idea why. He just kept staring at the—much taller—man before him, going slightly lightheaded and losing himself in crystal clear peridot eyes.

 The man’s smile grew a bit uneasy at Haruka’s blatant staring and lack of response, and he tilted his head a bit. Olive brown fringe fell to cover his eyes somewhat, which Haruka found to be an absolute travesty. “Um…is there something wrong?”

 Haruka felt like his face was on fire…or, more like he felt extremely flushed. Swallowing, he choked out the only thing he could think to say: “You’re not Sousuke.”

 The man looked adorably confused for about two seconds before his smile returned in full, accompanied by a laugh that may as well have been music to Haruka’s ears. “Ah, Yamazaki-kun is driving the truck. I’m Tachibana Makoto. I’m new, you see, so he’s driving the route today and I’m taking care of the customer contact.”

 “Oh,” Haruka said intelligently. “That…makes sense.”

 Tachibana’s smile didn’t dissipate in the slightest as he held up his metal clipboard that contained a bunch of invoices in its grasp. “It says here I only have four boxes for you today…where would you like me to put them?”

 Haruka held the door open wider, kicking the rubber door stopper with his foot until it wedged between the bottom of the door and the floor. “You can just set them here,” he said, motioning to an open spot between the front window and his bouquet coolers, “and I’ll break them down as I go.”

 “Sure thing!” the newbie said, nodding his head before disappearing to his truck. Haruka heard the metallic clangs of the trailer lock, the thump of the ramp coming in contact with the asphalt. All the while he just stood in his shop like a stick in the dirt, trying to regain feeling in his limbs that still felt slightly numb and buzzing with some weird energy. He idly rubbed at his right shoulder, feeling it burn slightly under his touch.

 Tachibana came in with two boxes piled on top of each other, balanced by a dolly. He was humming quietly as he worked, carefully sliding the boxes off the dolly before heading back to the truck for the remainder of the delivery.

 Haruka fished a box cutter out of his apron, slicing the tape on the first box in one swift motion. It contained some different soils he’d ordered, and he set to unpacking the bags and carted them over to the large storage cupboard at the back of the store. When he returned to cut into the second box, Tachibana had also returned with a carton of live plants—orchids, the shipping label on the side read. The fact that he was carrying such a heavy parcel with relative ease made Haruka unconsciously sneak a glance at the man’s arms. The sleeves of his collared uniform shirt were rolled up to the elbows, and besides the rock hard muscles in his forearms, Haruka also caught a glimpse of a flower bud peeking out from under Tachibana’s left sleeve. But it was quickly hidden again by the fabric, much too quickly for Haruka to discern what kind of flower bud it was.

 So, Tachibana hadn’t met his soulmate yet either.

 “Here, I’ll take that,” Haruka said, reaching his arms out for the box of orchids.

 “Oh, no, I’ve got it!” Tachibana insisted with that ever-present smile. “Would you like me to set it elsewhere?”

 Haruka gave up the fight much quicker than he expected of himself, and pointed to the counter lining the back of the store where he typically put together arrangements. “Over there is fine.”

 Tachibana did as he was told, still humming a soft little tune as he made his way to the back of the store.

 As much as Haruka wanted to watch the delivery man, feeling some kind of strange magnetic pull to him that he had a hard time fighting down, he instead wrenched his attention away and headed to the delivery truck outside. He saw his usual delivery guy, Sousuke, sitting in the driver’s seat tapping away on his phone. Sighing, Haruka impatiently rapped on the window with his knuckle to get Sousuke’s attention.

 The dark-haired man rolled down the window and gave Haruka a friendly smirk. “Morning, Haru. What’s up?”

 “Training the new guy by making him do all the work?” Haruka questioned, raising a brow.

 Sousuke snickered and leaned back against the seat. “Relax, he’s doing fine on his own,” he assured his long-time customer and friend. “Besides, my shoulder’s been acting up today. Figured it’d be better if he did the heavy lifting, y’know?”

 Haruka nodded in understanding, fixing Sousuke with a slightly more serious look. He knew Sousuke’s old swimming injury flared up on occasion, and those days were usually when Haruka would grab his own delivery boxes from the back of the truck. But now that Sousuke had someone helping him on his route, Haruka hoped that the man would give his shoulder a break.

 “Um…Nanase-san, could you please sign this invoice?” Tachibana said from behind, and Haruka spun around to find him smiling sheepishly at him.

 “That was fast,” Haruka remarked as he grabbed for the clipboard and pen being offered to him, causing Tachibana’s handsome face to flush an attractive pink.

 “Thanks?”

 A small, unbidden smile made its way onto Haruka’s face as he scratched out a signature of sorts using only the kanji of his surname. He clicked the pen closed and set it atop the clipboard, handing it back to the still blushing Tachibana. “You can call me Haru, by the way.”

 Tachibana blinked a couple times before seeming to realize he needed to take the clipboard back. “R-really? But we’ve only just met…”

 Haruka shrugged. “If you’re going to be a regular on this route, we’re gonna get to know each other eventually. I’d rather just skip the formalities.”

 If possible, Tachibana lit up with an even brighter smile than before. “Okay. Then you can call me Makoto.”

 “Alright, you two, enough chit-chat. We have to get to our next stop,” Sousuke scolded from inside the truck, turning the key in the ignition until the vehicle whirred to life. “Rin says hi, by the way,” Sousuke said to Haruka, waving his phone which presumably had a text message conversation open with Rin—Sousuke’s boyfriend and Haruka’s best friend.

 “Ah, sorry!” Makoto apologized, hurriedly tearing off Haruka’s copy of the invoice and handing it to him. “It was very nice to meet you, Haru. See you next time?”

 Haruka nodded and hummed in the affirmative. “Yeah, see you again, Makoto.”

 Makoto gave him a little wave as he dashed around the back of the truck, hurriedly locking up the trailer before hopping in the cab next to Sousuke. With a lazy salute from Sousuke and another brilliant smile from Makoto, the two drove off towards their next destination and left Haruka standing in front of his shop. His body still tingled.

.

 Haruka was quietly changing out of his clothes into his swimsuit when Rin decided to show up, claiming the locker next to him.

 “Impatient as always, I see,” the redhead commented teasingly, shrugging off his bag and jacket.

 Haruka, on the other hand, had just pulled on his knee-length jammers and was now digging around his bag for his swim cap and goggles. He merely gave a hum in response, hearing what Rin said but not entirely processing the words, his mind elsewhere.

 “Sousuke told me you met the new guy on his route,” Rin said, his voice muffled as he pulled his t-shirt over his head.

 “Yeah,” Haruka affirmed distantly, folding up his work clothes and setting them neatly in his locker. He gently shut the door and stood idly by, waiting for Rin to change into his legskins. He didn’t offer up any more information, though just thinking about Makoto made butterflies flutter in Haruka’s stomach. He felt goosebumps all over his exposed skin, though it wasn’t cold in the locker room.

 Rin threw his own clothes into his locker and grabbed his swim cap and goggles, wearing his goggles around his neck like a necklace. He flashed a sharp-toothed smile at Haruka and stood with his hand on his hip. Haruka could just barely make out Rin’s soul mark, peeking out of his legskins at his hip—the tips of a fully colored blue delphinium stalk.

 Haruka remembered seeing Rin’s soul mark for the first time, before he’d really found his affinity for caring for flowers. It was something his late grandmother had instilled in him from a young age, but it took a while for Haruka to truly appreciate what she had taught him. He eventually followed that path, and now had a successful flower shop of his own.

 Part of that awakening of sorts had been thanks to Rin showing him his beautiful soul mark.

 Rin nodded his head to the door leading to the pool hall. “Looks like you’ve got some feelings to swim out,” he said to his best friend and they walked side-by-side out of the locker room.

 Haruka kept his gaze resolutely straight ahead. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he deflected, pursing his lips somewhat.

 Rin barked out a laugh. “Haru…we’ve known each other since elementary school. I know you’re not as emotionally constipated as you used to be, but shit, you look like you’ve been in a daze since you got here.”

 Haruka couldn’t contest that. However, he did narrow his eyes and give Rin a sidelong glance to his left. “Emotionally constipated?”

 Though Rin rolled his eyes, he was still smiling. “You know what I mean.”

 Haruka just hummed again, staring forward once more. He was usually pretty aware of his own emotions, able to accurately piece together what he was feeling about most anything after a little time to mull it over. Whatever weirdness he was feeling—whatever weirdness he had been feeling since early that morning—he was sure the water would help him think it through.

 Luckily, there were only a few other people in the pool hall at this time of the evening. Haruka allowed a small smile to grace his features. At least he and Rin would be mostly undisturbed in their swimming.

 “You wanna race, or are you just gonna do laps?” Rin asked as they approached the edge of the pool, already doing some stretches to prepare for their exercise. Haruka followed suit, focusing on working out his arm muscles since his signature stroke was the front crawl.

 “I think some laps,” Haruka said, shaking out his shoulders and stepping up onto the starting block.

 “Uh…Haru?” Rin said hesitantly from behind him.

 “Hm?” Haruka hummed, turning around to regard his best friend, who was looking at him with an incredulous look on his face.

 “Your soul mark…” Rin said, slowly raising his hand and pointing at the blade of Haruka’s right shoulder. “Did you know it’s bloomed?”

 Blue eyes widened and the shock of the question was almost enough to knock Haruka into the pool.

 “Wh—what?”  

.

 Haruka stood in front of the sink, back turned, head angled to try and get a glimpse of his soul mark. He felt those familiar tingles, the numbness from earlier spreading from his chest to every bit of his body. His limbs felt light and weightless like floating in water but heavier than a ship’s anchor at the same time. He could barely feel his fingertips poking and prodding at his shoulder as he twisted every which way to see it clearly in the mirror.

 “Hey, Haru, here…” Rin said, stepping into the bathroom with his phone in hand—he’d gone to retrieve it from his locker before chasing directly after Haruka. “Lemme take a picture so you can see it better.”

 Sucking in a deep breath, Haruka complied and turned his back to Rin. He vaguely registered the shutter snap as Rin captured the photo on his phone. The slightly taller man then handed his phone to Haruka, who took it in shaking hands and stared at his soul mark on the screen.

 It was a fully bloomed phlox, but not even just one flower, which surprised Haruka enough to make his breath hitch. While the bud had only been singular, now emblazoned on his pale skin was a cluster of eight—maybe ten?—blossoms with five petals each, all rounded at the tips and flared out like an umbrella. None of them had any color whatsoever, only the black, almost inky outlines that gave the flowers their shape.

 The fact that it didn’t have any color yet meant that it was brand new…that it had only bloomed within the last day or so.

 Haruka felt the room spin around him, shadows seeping into the edges of his vision.

 “Whoa, hey! Haru!” Rin cried out as Haruka swayed on his feet. He stabilized his friend with his strong arms, guiding the raven-haired man back out to the locker room and lowering him to sit on the bench in front of their lockers. “You okay?”

 Haruka hung his head between his knees, sucking in deep breaths and holding them for a few seconds before expelling them shakily. Rin’s phone hung limply in his hand, and he couldn’t muster the strength to even lift it up to hand back to him. It didn’t make sense…it didn’t make sense. How could he have met his soulmate and not realize it? How could he have even met his soulmate if he was at work all day until now?

 Unless…it was a customer? But no, all of the customers that visited his shop today were regulars…so it couldn’t have been any of them. What if it was just some random stranger on the train he took to get to the rec center? How would he be able to track them down, then?

 “Haru, I think you should go home for tonight…you’re in no condition to swim, like this…” Rin said carefully, squatting down in front of his best friend. “I can have Sousuke bring the car ‘round so we can drive you home.”

 Words caught in his throat, Haruka swallowed hard before nodding silently. He felt Rin take his phone from his loosened grip and watched as his friend’s bare feet slapped against the tiled floor as he stepped away to call Sousuke. Haruka blew out another shaky breath, his hands coming up to grab fistfuls of his hair. The pain of pulling on the strands helped keep him grounded a little, allowed him to focus and center himself until the lightheadedness abated somewhat.

 He had never cared about meeting his soulmate, had never given it more than a passing thought for his whole life. Even watching the people around him meet their own soulmates and form unbreakable bonds with their destined persons, he never felt odd or left out because he hadn’t met his own. But now, when the moment actually came…it slipped through his fingers before he realized it. And it was too late.

.

 “What’s got you so down, Haru-chan?”

 Haruka looked up from his inventory form, peering at his employee through his dark bangs. Nagisa was looking at him with wide, earnest magenta eyes that had no business looking as worried as they did. Nagisa was supposed to be endless smiles and boundless positivity, and it irked Haruka that he was the reason for the blond’s concerned countenance.

 “It’s nothing,” he said, tapping his pen against the inventory sheet until the ink bled a puddle through the paper. He scowled and tore the sheet from the pack, dabbing up the wet ink with the already soiled paper and hoping it didn’t bleed all the way through the stack.

 “Then why do you look so gloomy?” Nagisa pressed, nuzzling his head against his boss’s shoulder, and it was obvious he wasn’t going to leave Haruka alone until he got some kind of answer. That was just how Nagisa was.

 His shoulder…

 Haruka sighed and clicked his pen closed, leaning against the counter. “Here, look at this,” he said pulling the strap of his apron over his head and tugging at the collar of his oversized shirt. He exposed as much of his right shoulder as he could to Nagisa, turning slightly to give the shorter man a better look.

 Nagisa peeked past the dark blue fabric and gasped at what he saw. “Haru-chan…your soul mark bloomed! That’s wonderful!”

 Haruka tugged his shirt back up, but left the top half of his apron still hanging down. “It’s really not,” he said dejectedly, leaning further down on the counter until his forehead was touching the soil-dusted surface. “I don’t even know who my soulmate is…”

 Haruka could feel the air shift around them with Nagisa’s sadness at his statement. “Oh, Haru-chan…”

 The jingling of the bell above the door drew both of their attention, cutting their conversation short for the time being. Haruka looked up from the counter and couldn’t help but shudder at the unexpected relief he felt when he saw who had come into the shop.

 “Good morning, Haru!” Makoto said, smiling his gentle smile and holding his hand up in a small wave as he made his way over toward Haruka and Nagisa.

 “Makoto,” Haruka acknowledged with a short nod, stepping around the counter when the strap of his apron caught on the corner. Haruka tripped at the sudden halt, but a pair of strong arms caught him before he could properly fall.

 “Are you alright?” Makoto asked, surprise still etched onto his kind face.

 Haruka hummed in response, noting the way his body was beginning to tingle again like a powerful electric current charged his blood and flowed through his veins as if they were wires.

 What the hell…?

 Makoto held onto him for a couple more seconds before almost jolting away as if he’d been stung. His bright green eyes met Haruka’s and they held each others’ gazes for what could have been seconds, minutes, hours, before Nagisa coughed none-too-subtly and gathered their attention.

 “Haru-chan, who’s this?” the blond asked with excited curiosity, leaning up to get a good look at Makoto’s face. Makoto backed away just a tad, a sheepish grin on his face.

 “This is Makoto; he’s the new delivery guy on Sousuke’s route,” Haruka explained, ducking his head to hide the blush he could feel heating his cheeks. He busied himself with fixing his apron to avoid any more…er, mishaps. Plus, as the owner of the shop, he had to look professional and presentable. A half-folded apron was neither of those things.

 “Hello,” Makoto said, holding out his hand for Nagisa to shake. “Nice to meet you…er…?”

 “I’m Nagisa!” the shorter man said brightly, taking Makoto’s hand in both of his smaller ones and shaking vigorously. “Very good to meet you, Mako-chan!”

 Makoto’s smile eased into that same gentleness as before. “I’ve got a bigger delivery for you today, Haru,” he said, turning slightly to face Haruka again while Nagisa still had a grip on his hand. “Sorry we’re a little late. Another stop ran over time by a bit.”

 “Not a problem,” Haruka said with a shake of his head. “Sousuke was usually later than this when it was just him, so don’t worry.”

 “I heard that,” Sousuke said, his deep voice drowning out the sound of bell chime on the door. He was wheeling a dolly in backwards with several boxes stacked on top of the metal lip, all labeled “FRAGILE.”

 “Oh, those must be the vases I ordered,” Haruka remarked, running over to clear a space by the coolers for Sousuke to set the boxes down. “Nagisa, could you put the door stopper down and help get the other boxes from the truck?”

 “Sure thing!” Nagisa said, practically jumping up and down in that enthusiastic way of his. Once he shoved the rubber wedge beneath the door, he bounded outside to retrieve some more of their packages.

 “Sousuke, let me take that!” Makoto said, taking the dolly from his boss before there was a chance for Sousuke to protest. The brunette followed Nagisa’s example and hurried out to the truck.

 Sousuke chuckled, rolling his shoulder. “They have way too much energy for this early in the morning.” His teal eyes then slid over to Haruka, darkening just a little with seriousness. “How are you doing after last night? You seemed…pretty shaken up, which isn’t like you.”

 Haruka looked down at his shoes, curling his toes inside. He didn’t really want to have to explain himself, especially with a near-stranger in possible earshot. Besides, he knew Sousuke had at least heard the gist of it from Rin in the car ride to Haruka’s place last night—he’d heard them whispering about it in the front seat. But he also didn’t want to leave Sousuke hanging.

 Instead, he changed topics somewhat. “How long did it take for your soul mark to start…gaining color? After you and Rin met?”

 Sousuke paused to think, tucking his hands into his pockets. It was then that Haruka realized, he’d never actually seen Sousuke’s mark. He’d only seen Rin’s, mostly when they went swimming. But it’d been in full color for as long as he could remember.

 “Well, I mean, we met in elementary school,” Sousuke said with a shrug. “And I know at least mine was in full color before he left for middle school in Australia, so…?”

 “I…see…” Haruka muttered, scratching at the back of his neck. He could feel his shoulder tingling again.

 “You didn’t have any color to yours last night, right?” Sousuke then asked.

 Haruka shook his head. “No, it…it was still just the outline…”

 “Can I see it?”

 Haruka froze, his hand at his side clenching into a fist. “I…don’t see why not?” he choked out against his better judgment. “It’s here…on my right shoulder blade…” he said, tapping at his shoulder with the hand that was already at the back of his neck. He didn’t bother taking off his apron this time, just shrugging enough of his shirt off for Sousuke to see the phlox blossoms on his skin.

 Sousuke came up beside him, tugging the shirt fabric away from Haruka’s shoulder enough to see the mark. “Uh, Haru, it’s…”

 “What?” Haruka asked, alarmed at Sousuke’s hesitance. The other man was rarely like that.

 “There’s already some color.”

 "What?”  Haruka repeated, already feeling that strange numbing sensation that he’d felt last night.

 Nagisa and Makoto were chattering away as they came back into the shop, Makoto with some more boxes on the dolly and Nagisa carrying a really tall box with aeration holes which meant that live plants were inside. They both froze at seeing Haruka’s ashen face.

 “Haru-chan, what’s the matter?” Nagisa said, setting down his box right where he stood and ran over to his boss and friend. “Do you feel sick?”

 Sick was an understatement. Haruka felt dizzy, like he was floating at the bottom of the pool and running out of air in his lungs, but his body was too heavy for him to swim to the surface. His stomach was doing flip-flops on itself and there was a deafening pounding in his ears that drowned out the concerned voices around him. Before he realized it, he was being picked up off the ground and carried in someone’s arms—where to, he had no idea. All he could do was stare up at the ceiling through hazy blue eyes, holding his breath so he didn’t puke. The tingling sensation grew much more intense, to the point where he felt needles all over his skin and his shoulder outright burned as if someone had set it aflame.

 When he came back to himself, he was lying on the small sofa in the break room at the back of the shop. Nagisa was standing above him, placing a cool, dampened washcloth to his forehead. Haruka’s palms felt sweaty and clammy, and he had a hard time curling his fingers into fists. They felt swollen.

 “Haru-chan, do you want to close the shop for the day?” Nagisa asked. “You need to rest.”

 Haruka barely managed a shake of his head. “N-no, I’ll be fine, just…go manage everything for a while until I can get up again….”

 Nagisa nodded resolutely. “You got it, Haru-chan. Mako-chan, come help me with the rest of the boxes?”

 Makoto looked up from where he stood at the end of the sofa. “Okay, sure, I can do that!”

 But before he could move, Sousuke stepped in front of him with his hand out, blocking Makoto’s path. “I’ll help Nagisa, you stay here with Haru until we’re done.”

 Hearing that made Haruka’s heart jump into his throat for some reason. He couldn’t figure out why.

 “O-okay, if you’re sure, Sousuke…” Makoto said, to which Sousuke nodded.

 “Water is in the little fridge over there if you need it,” Nagisa said, pointing to a mini-refrigerator in the corner of the small room. “We’ll hurry, okay?”

 Makoto hummed with a nod, and the two of them left to go finish getting the delivery in order.

 It was silent in the room, save for the sounds of Haruka’s slightly labored breathing. He was sweating up a storm, and he reached up with a shaky hand to press the cold cloth firmer against his forehead.

 “Um…do you…want some water, Haru? You might be dehydrated…?” Makoto asked, and damn if Haruka didn’t somehow find that nervousness adorable.

 “Sure, that might help,” Haruka rasped out, even though the thought of ingesting anything at the moment made his stomach churn. He listened to the faint sounds of Makoto shuffling over to the fridge, the opening and closing of the insulated door, the crunching of the plastic bottle in Makoto’s hand. A shadow descended over him, Makoto’s tall and broad frame blocking out the sunlight coming in from the windows.

 “Do you want to sit up? I can help you,” Makoto offered quietly.

 Haruka nodded curtly, reaching his arms out towards the gentle giant above him. As soon as Makoto’s hand circled around his wrist, Haruka felt that electrified feeling as if he’d been shot with a taser. A pained noise came from the back of his throat, alarming Makoto enough for him to let go of Haru’s wrist immediately.

 “S-sorry, I just…I’ll do it myself,” Haruka said through a wince, using whatever strength he could muster to pull himself to a sit against the arm of the sofa. When he pulled the cloth away from his face, he blinked his eyes open to see Makoto staring at him with those sunny green eyes. He was slowly flexing the fingers of his hand, forming a fist and relaxing over and over. “Are      you    alright?” Haruka asked, nodding to Makoto’s hand.

 “Hm? Oh, yeah,” Makoto assured him with a sweet smile. “My hand just got all tingly for a minute…like it feels when it falls asleep?”

 It took a second or two for the words to register, but once they did, Haruka could do nothing but stare wide-eyed at Makoto.

 So…he…Haruka wasn’t the only one who…

 “Oh, here’s your water, Haru,” Makoto said belatedly, holding the bottle out to Haruka.

 “Thanks…” Haruka said, reaching for the bottle. Their fingers brushed for only a moment, but it was enough to make Haruka’s entire arm go numb. Makoto seemed to have a similar reaction if the squint of his eye and quiet hiss through his teeth were anything to go by.

 “We’re done!” Nagisa’s voice could be heard before the man himself was seen. He came barreling into the break room with Sousuke leisurely strolling in behind him. "Oh, you're sitting up! Are you feeling any better, Haru-chan?"

 "A little," Haruka said, fumbling with numbed fingers to open the cap of the water bottle. He started out with small, slow sips.

 "Are you sure you're okay to stay at work?" Sousuke asked, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

 Haruka nodded, which was a bad move because it just made him feel dizzy again. "I'm fine, just…don't mention this to Rin. He'll be all over me about it if he finds out."

 Sousuke barked out a laugh. "You're not wrong about that." He then flicked his arm out to right the face of his wristwatch to check the time. "Well, if you're sure you're okay, Makoto and I have to make it to our next stop. We'll leave you in Nagisa's expert care."

 Nagisa stuck his tongue out at Sousuke. "You're so mean, Sou-chan."

 Haruka almost smiled at his friends' antics. Almost. He looked at Makoto, who'd remained quiet since the intrusion and actually did smile softly at the man. "Thanks for keeping an eye on me."

 Makoto flushed and offered Haruka a shy smile, scratching his cheek with his forefinger. "Ah, you're welcome. I didn't really do anything, though?"

 "You made sure Haru-chan didn't fall off the couch and die," Nagisa amended, throwing his arm around Makoto's shoulder, which was a sight in itself considering their height difference. "That's more than enough, don't you think?"

 "I-I guess…" Makoto said sheepishly.

 "Nagisa, unhand my coworker before I throw you over my shoulder and toss you into the trailer with the rest of the packages," Sousuke said. Although his tone was deadpan, his threat was clear.

 "What if we wanna keep Mako-chan here?" Nagisa asked, hanging off Makoto in some weird semblance of a hug. The taller man laughed, letting himself be jerked around by Nagisa with no complaints whatsoever. "Haru-chan likes him, right, Haru-chan?"

 Haruka blinked, looking between Nagisa and Makoto a few times before settling his gaze on Makoto. He hummed in affirmation, taking another sip of water in hopes of hiding his blush behind the bottle.

 Before anything else could be said, Sousuke manhandled Nagisa off of Makoto and began ushering his employee out the door before the little blond mayhem maker could get his hands on him again. "See you dorks tomorrow morning!" he said overly loudly, making his point.

 "See you tomorrow Nagisa, Haru!" Makoto said with a laugh, raising his arm to wave. The rolled up sleeve of his uniform shirt fell down to his elbow, revealing a cluster of black outlined flowers with slight pastel pink coloring at the tips of the petals on his forearm.

 Flowers that looked strangely like…

 But by the time Haruka thought to say anything, Sousuke and Makoto were long gone.

.

 Haruka sighed as he sank into the warm water, hunkering down until the water came up to right below his nose. The steam rising off the surface clouded around him, almost creating a bubble for him to exist in that separated him from the outside world. His bathtub wasn’t quite long enough for him to stretch out his legs completely, but even with them bent at the knee and his kneecaps poking out of the water, he could already feel his muscles relax.

 He definitely needed to relax after the last day and a half.

 Much of that time was spent in utter confusion, trying to figure out how in the world his soul mark could have bloomed without him realizing that he’d made contact with his soulmate. Not only that, but he’d apparently spent enough time with his soulmate over the past day for his mark to start coloring already.

 Then, when he’d gotten a glimpse of Makoto’s arm…well, that threw everything into extremely unfamiliar waters. And Haruka wasn’t used to being unfamiliar in any kind of water.

 Haruka sank beneath the hot water, his eyes closed. He felt the small pushes and pulls of the water, every little movement he made created tides and ripples in the small, confined area of his element. It calmed him, helped him clear his thoughts.

 When Haruka resurfaced, a decision had been made.

 He needed to ask Makoto to show him his soul mark.

.

 The next morning, when Haruka arrived at his shop at the very break of dawn, he was pleasantly surprised to see that some of his budded plants had bloomed.

 Perhaps the most pleasant and surprising ones were the garden phlox flowers, their colors soft and muted but no less beautiful for it, and when the creeping rays of the sun refracted through the glass of the windows and onto the petals, the gentle pinks and pastel purples really came to life.

 Haruka hoped that it was a good sign.

 He went about his normal morning routine of watering all the plants, enjoying the peace and calmness of the dawn. The gentle sound of the streams of water flowing from the nozzle of his mackerel watering can brought him a sense of clarity. When he moved on to the hose for the larger plants, the gentle hum of the spray nozzle lulled him into a familiar calmness. He felt ready to face the moment that could possibly change the rest of his life. He was still nervous, butterflies fluttering around in his stomach and that familiar tingling feeling in his fingers, but he had to do this. He had to.

 When he heard the gentle knock on the glass door, Haruka turned to see Makoto and felt immediately at ease.

 He turned off the hose and set it atop the tank, walking over to the door and unlocking it to let Makoto in.

 “Good morning, Haru,” Makoto said with his usual gentle smile, his head tilted slightly. “How are you feeling?”

 “Much better,” Haruka said, offering Makoto a small smile of his own.

 “I’m so glad,” Makoto sighed happily. “You really had us worried yesterday.”

 “Sorry about that…” Haruka said, averting his gaze. He felt a hand on his shoulder, then, giving it a gentle squeeze. And while the tingling and weird kind of numbing was still present, Haruka felt…warm. The kind of comforting warmth that came with cuddling in a blanket in the wintertime, or sinking into a hot bath at the end of a long day.

 “Makoto…”

 “Hm?”

 “Can…” Haruka swallowed, looking up at Makoto’s face. Blue eyes met green and Haruka gained his courage. “Can I see your soul mark?”

 A mixture of surprise and confusion crossed Makoto’s face. “My soul mark? Why?”

 Haruka sucked in a breath. He removed the top of his apron and unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt. He shrugged the collared top off his right shoulder, enough to where his own soul mark was visible, and turned just enough for Makoto to see it.

 “Because I need to see if it matches mine.”

 He heard Makoto gasp, but what that sharp intake of breath meant, Haruka wasn’t sure.

 Until Makoto held his arm out for Haruka to see, and Haruka blew out a breath that had been stuck in his lungs for what felt like an eternity.

 Staring up at him from a tanned forearm was a fully bloomed bunch of phlox flowers, with soft pastels fading in from the centers of the blooms.

 “I had a feeling…” Makoto said through a small laugh, though his laugh sounded a little watery around the edges. “When I got back in the truck, that first day…I noticed my mark had bloomed…and every time I saw you, I just felt…I don’t know…warm? Tingly? I can’t really describe it…”

 Haruka turned back around to face Makoto, his shirt still hanging off his shoulder. There were a couple tears gathered in the corners of Makoto’s gorgeous green eyes, and Haruka was surprised to discover that he had a very similar affliction currently. He blinked his own tears away and hesitantly reached his hand up to cup Makoto’s cheek, his thumb just barely caressing the skin beneath Makoto’s eye.

 “I felt the same…” Haruka admitted, then let out a breath of a laugh. “Though, I guess it definitely took more of a physical toll on me than it did on you.”

 “It sure did,” Makoto laughed quietly, bringing his own hand up to hold Haruka’s hand against his face.

 And there it was again…the tingling feeling. Though instead of coming in as a shock to the system, instead of making him feel sick and numb, it made Haruka’s blood sing, made his spirit flutter, made his heart slow down to a tempo that was nothing but comfort and peace.

 Why hadn’t he cared before about meeting his soulmate? If he knew it’d feel like this…

 Well. That didn’t really matter now, did it?

 Makoto leaned forward, touching his forehead to Haruka’s. Against his will, Haruka’s eyes slid shut.

 "So...now what?" Haruka whispered.

 Makoto sighed a laugh, and Haruka felt his warm breath against his face. It smelled minty, like he had brushed his teeth recently. "I'm...not really sure…" Makoto said hesitantly. "But...I suppose we'll figure it out, right?"

 Haruka smiled, leaning his head on Makoto's shoulder. "Yeah...I suppose we will."

.

 Haruka had never learned much about hanakotoba, aside from what his grandmother had taught him before she passed away. As a florist, he didn't have much use for it. All that mattered to him was how certain flowers and fillers looked together in arrangements, not so much the meanings behind them.

 But since he'd met Makoto, his curiosity had been piqued. He hadn't thought about it before, but...what if soul marks had some kind of meaning? And that meaning was relevant to the two soulmates who shared their mark?

 When he discovered what phlox meant—harmony, united souls—he knew there was no way it was just coincidence.

 So Haruka started looking into other flowers and their meanings, learning more about this hidden language embedded in nature. Once he was versed enough in certain plants and blooms, he began creating a subset of products based around hanakotoba. Just little mason jar arrangements, boutonnieres, corsages, other smaller things of such nature that had just that little extra meaning to them for customers who were looking for that sort of thing.

 He'd also taken a liking to making flower crowns, which was what he was currently working on. He had blooms of both light pastels and deep, vibrant purples on the worktable in front of him. Various tools were scattered about, as well as wiring and floral tape to hold things together. He also had some filler flowers to go along with the main flower of the crown—things like baby's breath that would nicely accent the petunias he was working with for this particular crown. It was for Makoto.

 "Haru?" a voice said, following the jingles of the bells above the front door of the shop.

 Haruka looked up from his worktable, a small smile automatically in place on his lips as soon as he saw Makoto standing at the shop front. "You're early…" he commented, tilting his head slightly. "You're never early."

 Makoto laughed at that as he made his way toward his soulmate, dropping onto the stool next to Haruka. "What are you working on?"

 Haruka's gaze turned back to the mess of flowers and leaves and stems on the table, where a full circlet of petunias sat amongst the wreckage. "Flower crown," he said, picking up his craft and tweaking some of the blooms so they sat correctly.

 "It's beautiful," Makoto said, nudging Haruka's shoulder with his own. The shoulder with his soul mark, now in full color beneath his shirt.

 "It's for you," Haruka said, reaching up with both hands and gently settling the crown atop Makoto's olive brown hair. He was right, the purple did look good on him.

 A smile that was more precious than any other lit up Makoto's face and his cheeks flushed a pretty pink. Haruka had a hard time keeping his heart from thundering in his chest at the gorgeous sight. "Thank you, Haru, I love it." Makoto reached up and gently ran his forefinger over one of the vivid violet petals. "What kind of flowers are these?"

 "Petunias," Haruka answered, fixing the crown so that it sat just slightly angled on Makoto's head, making him look even more adorable than before. "They mean gentleness, or 'your presence soothes me.'"

 Makoto ducked his head and hid his bashful expression behind his large, gentle hands. Haruka wanted nothing more to pull Makoto's hands away from his face and nuzzle their noses together.

 "You'd better make one for yourself, then, to match," Makoto said, allowing Haruka to take his hands. "Because that's exactly how you make me feel."

 Haruka fought down his own blush and swallowed the lump in his throat. "...Maybe tomorrow," he acquiesced, touching his nose to Makoto's.

 Makoto nuzzled his nose against Haruka's. "You ready to close up shop?"

 "Yeah, it's just about time, isn't it?" Haruka said, reluctantly pulling away from Makoto and getting up from his stool. He still had quite the mess leftover from his little project, and normally he made sure everything was spic and span before he left the shop for the night. But he and Makoto had planned a date of sorts and he didn't want to hold that up.

 He and Nagisa would just have to do extra cleaning in the morning.

 Haruka took off his apron and hung it on the hook by his arrangement counter, then moved to wash his hands of all the dirt and pollen. In the meantime, he heard Makoto pulling the metal gates across the front windows closed.

 As soon as the lock on the front door was clicked shut, Haruka pocketed his keys and immediately slid his hand into Makoto's and intertwined their fingers. They walked down the sidewalk at a leisurely pace, nudging each other's shoulders now and then, squeezing each other's hands in reassurance of the other's presence.

 Makoto's crown of petunias stayed on his head for the rest of the night.

[mirror-juliet]

Kagerou Dayz {Yeosang Angst}

*Song fic* Requested by me

Warnings: Blood Violence Slight mentions of gore Angst

This is a very heavy chapter filled with blood and violence. If you are sensitive to blood and death, please skip this chapter. I don't expect too many people to read this, i am very aware that i right in a morbid way. It doesn't bother me, however i know it bothers others. I've been sent to enough councilors to know. If you are still going to read after this warning i am not responsible for anything that this chapter causes (Mainly to the blood sensitive people) Be safe and have fun reading.

August 14th, 12:30 The sun bears down on the park where (Y/n) and Yeosang sit on the swings.

"It's such a nice day, i love summertime." Yeosang states, kicking lightly on the swings, propelling himself higher

The girl sighs, looking up to the sky in an emotion that resembles anger. "I don't" she says under her breath, though Yeosang catches it. "What?" He slows down, becoming more level with her.

"I just think that the summer gets too much credit." she busies herself by watching her hands pet the black cat sound asleep on her lap. "Spring time is much better in my opinion."

The black cat wakes up and hops off her lap. (Y/n) quickly gets up to chase it, Yeosang following suit, not wanting to give up her presence.

She runs across the street, her heels making a satisfying noise on the road. "(Y/N!) STOP!" The boy shouts as (Y/N) runs through the cross walk.

She stops in her tracks, hearing something rather close to her. (Y/N) stands frozen in her tracks as she watches a delivery truck run a red light right towards her.

The truck driver on his phone, hears a scream too late as he barrels his truck into the side of the girl; shoving her onto the harsh asphalt.

Panicking, The driver speeds off, splattering blood with his wheel. The friendship bracelet she wore now lay broken in a puddle of her own blood, the same blood that covers Yeosang; the result of him standing too close.

He stands frozen still, his hand still covering his agape mouth, slowly snapping back into reality as he rushes towards her. The boy cradles (Y/n) in his arms, trying his best to wake her.

Everything begins to overwhelm him, the noise that grows too loud, the scenery that is drenched in the color red. (Y/n's) shampoo being too much to handle as it invades his sinuses. The noise around him cuts out as he cry's against her.

"She did say the heat bothered her." Yeosang looks up to see a boy identical to him, clad in black; holding the broken bracelet in his hand. He smiles wickedly.

"I though the blood would cool her down a bit. How does she feel?" Yeosang panics as he feels her body grow cold in his arms, She's dying.

"You're lying." He pulls her closer to him, almost as if his warmth would rekindle (Y/n). "This isn't real. Stop it." Yeosang cries out.

"No, what you see is exactly what you have." The boy grins wider as he snaps reality back into motion. With the passing of a stranger, he's gone; leaving Yeosang to hear nothing but crickets. Yeosang becomes top heavy as the world seems to spin into darkness.

August 14th 12:** noon

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEE-

Yeosang awakes from his sleep with a start, Turning his alarm off. In the quiet, the ticking clock of his dream keeps mocking his head. He takes a moment to catch his breath, recalling the events of his dream. Then it hits him, (Y/N) was hit.

His nimble fingers quickly unlocking his phone. He hits the dial button, praying harder as each ring sounds.

"Yeosang?" He nearly cries as he hears (Y/N's) soft voice on the other line. It was just a dream after all. The dream seemed so real, he has to choke back the tears falling down his cheeks.

"(Y/N) hey, d-do you want to do something today?" The boy mentally curses himself for stuttering. "Sure. Lets meet up at the park!" She hangs up, leaving Yeosang to look out the window, hoping he would find any excuse to meet up somewhere else. However, it was a very nice day out. The sun was shining, no clouds to be found in the sky. The only bad thing about today, were the crickets who were awfully loud.

*****

As Yeosang arrives at the park, he see's (Y/N) sitting on the same exact swing she was on in his dream. The same cat on her lap. The two of them sit and talk, (y/n) seeming to be in a better humor than in his dream, more like herself. Yeosang even pets the kitty in her lap, breaking the string of dread in his head with a lingering thought

"It's weird that you wanted to come to the park today." She cocks her head to the side, making his heart leap. "Why's that?"

"In my dream i had, we sat in the same spot we're in right now." As if on cue, the cat jumps out of her arms again. (Y/n) stands up to run after him, stopped by Yeosang's grip on her arm. He blushes hard, he hadn't realized he did that and now scrambling his head for an excuse

"I think we should head back to my house. My mom is going to be making lunch soon." Yeosang says, hand still grabbing her wrist. She looks back towards the cat, almost like she's trying to side between the two. After a moment, she looks back to Yeosang; a smile played on her face. "Alright lead the way." She intertwines their fingers, making it more comfortable for both.

Yeosang lead them out of the route that they would so often take, taking them through the center of the city where it was most busy. "Don't you think it's the perfect day for ice cream?" He plays off, thinking it's a good enough excuse to venture out of their way.

"Isn't there a convenient store near your house though?" The boy stiffens at her words.

"It's different when it's from an actual parlor though." Yeosang keeps walking at a fast pace, a habit he picked up due to anxiety. The black cat from earlier causes him to trip and tumble to the ground. The cat stares at him, making everything go silent. A woman screaming is what brings him out of his trance.

People along the street and sidewalk stop to stare and point up, construction poles swing from their harness as it nearly snaps from the chain. He see's (Y/N) underneath them, he hurries up and begins to run towards her; determined to pull her away from the scene.

The poles finally snap, Yeosang picks up his pace. Why wasn't (Y/N) moving? Didn't she notice the screaming of people. His fingers graze her arm as a man takes a hold of him and begins to run much faster than he had.

"Are you mental boy?!" The man screams at him, he can't understand why though. Why didn't he grab her too, they were next to her. A strangled scream leaves Yeosang as the poles crash to the ground, the sound resonates off of the tall buildings and back to his ears.

A pole is skewered right in the middle of her chest. She looks down in shock, slowly sliding down the pole. Blood stains the poles and the pavement. Yeosang beats his way out of the man's grip, He has to get to her, she's still breathing!

"(Y/n)!" He cries as he passes a familiar figure. Someone grabs his arm and pushes him to the ground. "what you see is exactly what you're going to get. You cant save her, just look at that sadistic smile. She doesn't want your help. Don't you wish this was all a dream Yeosang?" The black coated Yeosang walks away, once again disappearing behind someone.

His vision becomes blurred as his body becomes heavier on the ground. The black coated Yeosang was right, she was smiling as blood drips from her wound into a crimson puddle on the ground.

*****

August 14th 12:30 noon

"(Y/N)!" Yeosang screams as his body violently wakes up, covered in a thin layer of sweat. He quickly gets dressed as the time reds the same as the previous days, leaving the house in a hurry.

At the park (y/n) sits in the same swing, the only difference is that she looks at Yeosang worried as he runs to her. He grabs her by her arm. "Yeo-" "I can't explain right now, we just gotta go!" Yeosang says. He leads her to the city again, this time on the other side of the street. He see's the same truck speed by, holding onto her tighter.

People scream as pipes fall once again, this time trapping the cat under them. (Y/n) tries to go over to the pile, only to be stopped by Yeosang.

"He's fine! We gotta go!" The both of them continue to run through the crowd that begins to form, shoving and pushing against them. Yeosang keeps looking back to make sure (Y/n) is still there.

Anxiety begins to kick into overdrive, they need to get out of the crowd. He see's a staircase that leads to the train and begins to speed up to it. It'll get them away from people temporarily. There is no way he intends to get on the train though.

"Yeosang stop!" They've reached the top of the stairs, now formed into a bridge that overhangs the train. (Y/n) is out of breath, her dress not made for running. "Where are we going?" She breaths erratically, trying to catch it.

Yeosang stands still, only able to stare at her. He doesn't know, he only though to get you away from the past events locations. "We're going to Yunho's." He quickly thinks, it's built like a doomsday prepping house. It'll keep you safe.

"Why are we in a rush?" she leans against the railing.

"I promise i will explain when we get there, we just need to get there quickly. Come o-" There he is again, also leaning against the railing, right next to her.

"(Y/n) get off the railing." He grabs your arm right as the railing snaps, you fall, Yeosang being dragged by her weight. The black coated Yeosang grabs him and pulls him back, making him let go

(Y/n) lets out a scream as she falls down to the oncoming train, too fast to stop. She falls with a sickening crack onto the tracks. The train tries to slow down in vain. She lets out a scream that will haunt Yeosang till the day he dies. Only the impact hadn't killed her. The train keeps running over her as she screams in agony.

Yeosang stumbles backwards and covers his ears as he cries out. "God please just let her die!" his frame rocks back and forth, trying to drown out (Y/N's) screams.

"No, you don't get to cry. You don't get to look away!" The double Yeosang grabs him by the shirt collar, pulling him to the ledge and making him look down at her mangled corpse. "This is your fault! You did this to her! You just had to get away didn't you. DIDN'T YOU!" He begins to kick Yeosang hard  on the ground, letting tears stream down his face.

"Why do you keep killing her?" Yeosang says in a small voice as he clutches his ribs on the ground. His question stops the double in his tracks.

"What did i tell you yesterday? You. cant. save. her. Do you think i try to kill her in the most gruesome way possible? No, i try to lead her to the route that will kill her the fastest so she wont suffer like she just did now!"

Yeosang sits up, blood trailing from his busted lip. "No, you don't give a damn. If you did, you would just let me save her."

A dark spark is lit in the double. "You really don't understand. I had to do this alone, for five years i tried to save her. Don't you think I've tried every damn way to stop her from dying in my arms."

Yeosang just stares in pain and confusion.

"Don't you get it. I AM YOU! JUST STOP IT! WE CAN'T SAVE HER!" The fake screams, his blood boiling.

"No." It boils higher. "I won't stop. I'll never stop trying to save her. If i have to do this for the rest of my life i will." Yeosang begins to feel the pain of his broken ribs.

"So that's how it's going to be. Fine, we'll continue this bloody cycle until we run out of clocks. And then more clocks will appear." He kicks Yeosang in the face, knocking him out

*******

Yeosang opens his eyes, this time he isn't in his room, he's in a long hallway, lined with clocks. "This is the hall of hell." The double begins to talk.

"Everyday that you don't save her, a clock is broken." He swipes a bloody hand on three of the clocks. "This is when your hell begins. At the end of this hallway is a new day. And for the record, i do hope you find a way to save her, though i'm doubtful." He vanishes, leaving Yeosang alone in the hallway.

How are there so many clocks? he thinks to himself. And how long is the hallway? He walks for what feels like forever, growing more and more tired. Eventually collapsing.

And so the cycle begins again, the same day, the same time. Every path they take to try and avoid a death, they pass every tragedy that happened the previous day. And they are met with a far worse death every time.

The black cat still kept following them, trying to lead her to a better death. And every time she was seconds away from death, the cat turned into the double.

3,650 days, 3,650 broken bloody clocks. Ten years total (y/n) kept dying in front of him, the double of Yeosang was terribly tired and mentally exhausted. How many times was he going to be forced to watch her die. How many more days until Yeosang realized how to break the cycle like the double had years ago. If only he was able to tell him, Yeosang would take over his place as the harbinger of death.

They were both in the hall of hell, eyes puffy with tears and anger. Who was doing this to them and what did they do to deserve this? "You have to do something different today. You have to change the cycle i don't care if you have to die yourself. Just break this heat haze." The double began to break down

"I wish i could tell you how to break it, I've tried. But i'm not allowed to, i am physically unable to. Whoever is doing this to us is controlling me somehow." He punches one of the few clocks they had left, walking towards the exit

"Lets just get this day over with."

The day went on just the same, only Yeosang was far too tired to hurry about his movements. Maybe the way to break the cycle was to play into the hands of the cat-double whatever he was. It would certainly be better than watching (Y/N) die slowly.

Over the ten years she had been dying, it had brought both of them to an understanding that they both cared for her. More than they did their own lives. They were never kind to each other, but after a while they stopped attacking each other.

They're trapped in cycles and the ending is never clear, a story that they are playing into. But a story is a story all the same. And today like any has an ending, so to say. Far away and out beyond that scorching summer day

Crashing in and hitting Yeosang instead of (y/n), he pushes her aside to nearly dodge a truck. The double and her stare in shock as his bracelet hits the ground and cracks. Blood dripping everywhere, (y/n) chokes on the smell of his hair. She breathes in a gulp of air and just cant take it.

(Y/n) falls down to her knees, a hand over her mouth. The double stares, unable to move. He never intended for Yeosang to kill himself. That wasn't how he was supposed to end the cycle.

Are these lies? Yeosang hasn't heard him say "What you see is exactly what you're gonna get." He smiles as he looks to his double, saying those words instead of him. Images flash through his head. making time stop it seems.

Him with a pole through his chest, (y/n) playing with the cat. Blood on a street corner as the double cries in fear. His vision comes back as he lays on the ground. This time, someone stands next to (y/n) who is on the ground, the double who is in tears. It is a girl who is identical to (Y/N), but the black dress is replaced with a white dress.

A grim look is plastered on her face as she lets her tears fall silently unlike the other two. Maybe the summer day has finally gone away, but that's all i'll say so, this is where it ends now.

****** August 14th 12:30 pm

Sitting alone, on a bed I wake up repeating just the same, tears running down my face. Muttering again, "Guess i failed again...." as I sit all alone with a white cat still cradled in my arms. "Lets get this over with." The white double says in a sing song voice, making me get up again.

Btw, this isn't the most morbid thing i've written. This is actually pretty vanilla compared to my personal works. I still thought i would put a warning up top cause i have no idea what will trigger someone and i just wanted everyone to be safe

[xmxisxforxmaybe]

Remnants, Part X

Closing Note: Well, kids. Saddle up because this monster has a word count of over 12k. I want to thank you for taking this journey with me, and I hope you have enjoyed reading this version of Ahkmenrah as much as I’ve enjoyed writing him.

Part I,  Part II,  Part III,  Part IV,  Part V,  Part VI,  Part VII,  Part VIII,  Part IX

Story Summary: You are in the midst of formulating your dissertation, but you’ve hit a wall. Your doting aunt, Rebecca, has a solution that brings you face to face with Ahkmenrah, Fourth King of the Fourth King. As the connection between you and Ahkmenrah grows, and as the secrets of his ancient tablet unlock, the once-king will find himself faced with a difficult choice.

Tag List: @kitkatcronch  @kpopperotp12  @seafrost-fangirl  @sassystrawberryk  @perfect-rami  @txmel   @limabein    @rami-malek-trash   @underworldsheiress and  @sherlollydramoine 

Thank you for reading, liking, reblogging, and leaving comments that kept me motivated!

Warnings: Little bit of swearing

Reading Note: 20--* = Borrowing from the writers of old, I left the exact year blank to let the story feel a little more timeless.   

Larry was en route to the British Natural History Museum where you were waiting to meet him in Merenkahre’s and Shepseheret’s exhibit. According to the American museum, Ahkmenrah and his tablet would arrive the following day.

 It took a bit of convincing to get them to ship Ahkmenrah early, but you insisted you only needed the sarcophagus and the tablet. The rest of his display could be shipped later at the arranged date. Larry explained to Ahkmenrah that there were experts at the British museum who could help with his tablet. Considering the relationship Ahk had with Jack, he readily agreed to return to England.

To pass the time while you waited for Larry, you fussed about, dusting even though the exhibits were spotless, and adjusting artifacts, some real and some recreated from your trips into Ahkmenrah’s memories.

 Another thing you did to prepare for the awakening of Ahkmenrah’s parents was to write a letter in ancient Egyptian that would clarify what had just happened to them. Although your ability to speak their language was improving, it was nowhere near fluent enough to explain the urgency of Ahkmenrah’s situation.  

 The vibration of your phone pulled you away from your unnecessary tidying. Larry texted to say he was in the lobby; you had left specific instructions with the night guard, Tilly, to let Larry in, no matter what time he arrived.

 Rather than wait on the elevator, you took the stairs two by two, both excited to see Larry and nervous to hear more about Ahk. When you entered the lobby just a little out of breath, Tilly and Larry were deep in conversation about their respective flashlights. You laughed aloud at the fact that Larry had brought his along.

 Your laughter caused them to look up and Larry opened his arms to wrap you in a strong hug.

 “I missed you, kiddo.”

 “Me too, Lar,” you said, returning his smile. “Thanks, Tilly. We’ll be sure to let you know when we leave.”  

 You took the elevator up to Ahkmenrah’s parents’ exhibit.

 When you entered the Egyptian wing, Larry let out a low whistle of appreciation as he took in each exhibit, including Ahkmenrah’s future room.

 “Wow! This makes me feel bad all Ahk has in America is a dark room with a couple of hieroglyph walls and two giant guard dogs. This will be a real step up!”

 “How is he?”

 Larry shifted his gaze away from the fountain taps of the bath, and you could see the worry lines that had settled on his forehead.

 “He’s getting worse. As of two nights ago, the tablet was visibly corroded.”

 “How could this have happened? It’s existed in perfect condition for 4,000 years—over 4,000. It’s made of solid gold for Christ’s sake!”

 “No one has any idea, least of all Ahk. He’s . . . angry, irritable. Not like himself at all.”

 You frowned and looked at the ground, unwilling to meet Larry’s eye.

 “Don’t, Y/N. It’s got nothing to do with you.”

 “Maybe it does, though. Maybe I did something to it the last night we used it. This could be all my fault,” you said, crossing your arms and looking over Larry’s shoulder at the doorway that connected to Shepseheret’s exhibit, the peace of her garden a slap in the face to your churning guilt.

 “What last night? What are you talking about?”

 “The last thing Ahkmenrah asked of me was to return with him to the night he died. We saw him murdered by his brother. It was . . . I don’t even have a word. Worse than horrible. Ahk was in shock, so I had to use the tablet to escape his memory. Maybe my use of it did something.”

 Larry was quiet for a bit while he worked through what you said.

 “That was, what? Over a year and a half ago?”

 You nodded.

 “The tablet was fine until just a month ago. Besides, Rebecca’s used it. I’ve used it. Even Nick’s used it.”

 You raised your eyebrows and asked, “Exactly what’s been going on at the museum, Larry?”

 Larry laughed nervously, a slight blush coloring his cheeks as he ran his hand through his dark hair.

 “You know this gig isn’t easy. Sometimes, the exhibits get a bit restless, things get out of hand, elephants end up in Central Park, Custer recreates his last stand in Rockefeller Center, you know, typical museum shenanigans,” Larry finished, his foot tapping a nervous staccato on the floor as he hands settled on his hips.

 You stared, slowly processing the strain of being a night guard in a museum where the exhibits come to life, a strain Larry had certainly done his best to keep hidden for the past few years.  

 “If you can handle all of that, Lar, you’re going to make an excellent teacher.”

 Larry smiled that cute, crooked smile of his.

 “Thanks. I sure hope so, but I have to admit I’m glad I don’t have to handle this one on my own. If something happens to Ahk—”

 “It won’t,” you stated with a finality that hid your desperation.  

 Larry nodded, encouraged by your strong statement.

 “Letting you go . . . it wasn’t easy for him, Y/N. I hope you know that.”

 “I do. Doesn’t mean I like it any better now than I did then, but what is a girl in love to do?”

 “Find his mummified parents, painstakingly rebuild pieces of their lives, and arrange an it’s been a long time, oh, say 4,000 years comin’ reunion?”

 You laughed, at first, and then fell into Larry’s arms as the tears came. You gripped the front of his coat, and felt like an idiot, laughing and crying, but it also felt damn good to say aloud that you were still in love with Ahkmenrah.

 Larry smoothed your hair and kept muttering that it was okay until you composed yourself.

 Embarrassed by your spontaneous overflow of emotion, you stepped back and wiped away your tears, sniffing loudly before declaring, “I’m fine—really I am. I just had this all planned out, you know. Things were going according to plan and I needed that. Really, really needed that focus to keep me from thinking about him—about us.”

 Larry smiled and shook his head. “Love’s like that. It enjoys laughing in the face of your carefully laid plans even more than god himself does.”

 You narrowed your eyes, something deep in your mind struggling to make a connection.

 “Love. That tablet—it was birthed from an act of pure love. It only makes sense that love will be able to restore it . . . or at least lead us to the right answer.”

 On your way out of the exhibit, you stopped at Merenkahre’s coffin and laid your hand on top of it.

 “Please help the son you loved so much,” you whispered.

 * * * * *

 The following cold, February afternoon, you and Larry met the delivery truck that housed Ahkmenrah and his tablet. You couldn’t help but to just stare as they unloaded the pine crate, a seemingly ordinary box that you knew contained the extraordinary. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath. You had no idea if it was just your imagination, but you thought you could feel his presence.

 “Miss?”

 “Hmm?” you answered as the deliverers scuttled back into the truck, their breath visible as they aligned two more similar, large crates with the tines of the forklift. “I’m sorry—what was it you asked?”

 “I need a signature from the director of the museum or from the curator.”

 You shook your head, took the proffered clipboard, and promised the man you’d be right back.

 The British museum’s director was a woman by the name of Anastasia Waterhouse; she had been the director for the last twenty years and was damn near old enough to be an exhibit in the museum herself. She held more than one PhD and was one of the most knowledgeable people you had ever met. Dr. Waterhouse was also damn good at her job. She was the one who had negotiated for Merenkahre’s family’s exhibit, promising to relinquish the rights to all three mummies to Cairo once the exhibit spent a suitable time at the British museum.  

 She also hadn’t fussed when you exploded into her office, begging to bring the Ahkmenrah exhibit over immediately. You explained that something had happened to the tablet and the restorers in the British museum had far more experience with Egyptian relics than the Americans, so it was only logical that Ahkmenrah was brought here now so your entire life wasn’t ruined by being unable to display the famed Tablet of Ahkmenrah.

 In typical Dr. Waterhouse fashion, she needed only to raise her weathered hand and your babbling came to an immediate cease. She told you exactly what needed to be done and that was that.

 Rather than blow the old wooden door off the hinges again, this time, you politely told Dr. Waterhouse’s secretary you needed a signature and waited for her to clear you to go into the office.

 After Dr. Waterhouse signed the delivery slip, she said she would head down to the storage area as she was most excited to see the famed tablet in person, not to mention Ahkmenrah’s ornate sarcophagus.

 You rushed back to return the slip to the delivery man, and as soon as the back door on the truck was latched, Larry started a bumbling speech that included wild gesticulations in an attempt to bring your attention to the other two crates.

 “No. No way—you mean to say those are not Ahk’s?”

 Larry shook his head.

 Fuck—you grabbed one of the crow bars that was hanging with the other tools on the pegboard and started prying open the crate closest to the loading bay. Sure enough, it was Teddy on his horse along with Atilla. You were certain that a little cowboy and his Roman friend were also buried in the packing straw.

 “I’m not even going to attempt to open the other crate. The museum director is going to be here any minute to see Ahk’s crate. You have to stall her while I grab the forklift and hide these other two crates.”

 “Wait—which one is Ahk’s crate?”

 “Shit—open them and find out,” you said as you handed Larry the crowbar and hurried off in the direction of the forklift.

 “Wait! What am I supposed to say? I don’t even know what she looks like! I’m not even British!”

 “Can you drive a forklift?” you shouted over your shoulder as you jogged toward the ramp.

 “Damnit,” Larry muttered before shoving the crowbar into the second crate.  

 You ran down the ramp of the loading dock to where one of the deliverers had parked the museum’s forklift. It was wedged into a corner, but its bright aqua coloring made it easy to see straightaway.

 The keys were almost always left in the machine because the storage area was one of the most secure sites in the museum. But of course, today, the key was nowhere to be found—the deliverers must have returned it to the office. You slammed your hands against the wheel in frustration and climbed back out, your feet thudding on the concrete. You ran back up the loading dock and into the small office that housed more tools, delivery paperwork, and an ancient computer that checked artifacts in and out.

 Hanging on the wall along with several other sets of keys was the forklift key—or at least what you hoped was the right key. You glanced at the logo etched into the key and it said “MITSUB.” As far as you knew, nothing else around the loading dock was of the Mitsubishi brand.

 You ran back to the forklift and shoved the key in the ignition, uttering a nervous, crazy little laugh when the ignition sputtered before kicking on. You revved the engine and quickly backed out of the corner, silently thanking your own tenacity for always wanting to do things yourself. When you worked all hours of the night, you needed to know how to do every job in the museum.

 As you approached the crates, Larry shouted and pointed to the box furthest from the dock: “This is Ahk!”

 You gave him a thumb’s up and then furiously waved him in the direction of the door.

 “Distract her!”

 Larry took off as you maneuvered the forklift to quickly pick up the first box and scoot it back into the dark corner of the first aisle. The storage room was a massive maze of towering steel aisles that held thousands of artifacts of all shapes and sizes.

 You almost did something really stupid by placing the second, unopened box on top of the other before you realized the panic that would ensue when the exhibits came to life. Instead, you backed out of the first aisle and dropped the box off at the back of the second aisle.

 Just as you were driving back to head down the ramp, Larry and Dr. Waterhouse entered the loading bay, Larry cackling like a madman and talking her ear off.

 You wheeled around and slid the prongs of the forklift under Ahk’s crate. You cut the engine, then jumped out to greet Dr. Waterhouse.

 “Mr. Daley. For the last time, this is MY museum. I do not need a lecture about the proper care of any of its antiquities! I also have no interest in purchasing in American-made flashlight. The flashlights we have here are more than suitable.”

 “I apologize, Dr. Waterhouse. This is my uncle-to-be, Larry Daley. He’s been working with Ahkmenrah for the past few years and feels rather attached to him. He also, clearly, believes in the versatility of well-made flashlights,” you finished lamely as you shot Larry a “what-the-fuck” look.

 Dr. Waterhouse softened; first, she understood what it was like to get attached to a piece of history. Second, she was delighted to meet a familial relation, considering you were rather reserved about your personal life.

 “Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Daley. Perhaps you should have opened by explaining your relationship to one of the best anthropologists with whom I have had the pleasure to work.”

 “That would have been . . . better,” Larry agreed, grimacing a bit.

 “I was just getting ready to take Ahk’s—Ahkmenrah’s sarcophagus into the transition room. Better lightening there, of course.”

 “Most excellent—carry on. I cannot wait to behold the famed tablet with my own eyes!”

 Dr. Waterhouse walked off in the direction of the transition room, stopping to press the button that opened the garage-style door so the forklift could drop off the crate.

 “She wasn’t exactly impressed with me, but I see the other crates are gone.”

 “She doesn’t impress easily. And yeah, by an actual millisecond. The bloody key wasn’t in the machine!”

 Larry chuckled as he said in a horrible British accent, “Righty-oh, miss. I see you’re pickin’ up on the language of the land, ya!”

 You blinked several times before sighing, “That was about five accents rolled into one, so I don’t wanna hear it. Come on—make sure Ahk’s crate is secure before I move it into the transition room.”

 You climbed back into the forklift and cautiously loaded the crate. Larry checked that it was securely tucked up against the back of the forks and you lifted it a few inches. Maneuvering into the transition room could be a bit tricky, so you drove slowly.

 Dr. Waterhouse was waiting inside with a crow bar, still unafraid to get her hands dirty. One of the most exciting things about being a museum director was having the first access to new acquirements.

 You set Ahkmenrah’s crate down on the marked patch of concrete and backed the forklift out of the smaller room. You parked at the end of one of the closest aisles and jogged back into the transition room.

 The transition room looked like an operating room for antiquities. Tools lined the walls as did work benches that accommodated magnifying glasses of all sizes, microscopes, and other sensitive equipment used to run tests. Around the middle of the floor were some lamps that could be swung this way or that to capture the object on the floor in the best light. In this room, the curator worked with his team to get the antiquities ready for display, conducting as much restoration and preservation as was necessary.

 “James will be delighted,” Dr. Waterhouse said quietly as she eyed the crate, clearly eager to see the sarcophagus and the tablet.

 “James is our head curator,” you explained to Larry. “That’s actually what my aunt does now at the museum in New York.”

 “Lovely,” Dr. Waterhouse whispered, more to the crate than as an acknowledgement to your comment. “Shall we?”

 Dr. Waterhouse didn’t wait for a reply before she popped out the first nail of the crate. You thanked whatever cosmic power that existed she started at the end that had not already been pried open. She worked slowly, and you and Larry watched with bated breath.

 When she was finished, she set the crowbar on a bench and stepped back to allow you and Larry to lift off the crate’s lid. The gold from Ahk’s coffin was blinding as it reflected all the lights in the center of the room. You pivoted some of them to an angle as Dr. Waterhouse ran her gnarled fingers over the face etched into the gold, then slide her hand down to touch some of the jewels that adorned the sides of the sarcophagus.  

 “Beautiful. Absolutely breathtaking,” she said.

 Same, you thought, thinking of Ahkmenrah’s actual face.

 Dr. Waterhouse moved around the crate and reached in to pull out the Tablet of Ahkmenrah. The gold of it was also blinding under the lights, but along the bottom, you could see the greyish hue of corrosion.

 “You were correct, Y/N. The tablet is in dire need of restoration. I’ve never seen anything like this on pure gold, unless, perhaps this is not?”

 “James can run some tests, but I am positive that it is, and that it is the real tablet,” you said, attempting to placate Dr. Waterhouse.

 She nodded, and placed the tablet on the work table. “Shall we see what’s inside the sarcophagus?”

 “No!” you and Larry both yelled, surprising Dr. Waterhouse so much that she took a step back.

 “Goodness! What has gotten into you, Y/N?”

 You felt the cold fingers of panic creep across your chest and squeeze as your mind raced for a suitable answer.

 “The curse!” Larry yelled from beside you, startling both you and Dr. Waterhouse this time.

 Oh, fuck me, you inwardly groaned.

 Dr. Waterhouse’s eyebrows shot straight into her hairline before her mouth turned downward, irritation practically leaking from the corners.

 “Americans and their superstitions,” you said, giggling nervously, searching for a way to prevent Dr. Waterhouse from prying inside the coffin. “The American museum just completed a full photographic report on the mummy, right Lar?”

 “Report? Ah, yes! Yes, I know they did. Took the pictures myself,” he muttered.

Dr. Waterhouse looked offended. “A night-guard photographed a 4,000-year-old, precious artifact?”

 “Larry just has a real attachment to Ahkmenrah,” you said as you moved next to Dr. Waterhouse and whispered, “They really just humor him.”

 Dr. Waterhouse continued to frown, but nodded. “If the American museum was really just in there poking about, we shouldn’t disturb the mummy again for a suitable period of time.”

 “Right! And our clear concern is the tablet,” you said while walking over to the work table and hoping that Dr. Waterhouse’s attention would be diverted.

 “Indeed! I’ve never seen anything like this, except, well, let me think—” and Dr. Waterhouse began recounting an experience with a gold statue brought to the museum from the Mayan Temple of Tikal.

 You shot a glance at Larry that conveyed your relief as she took the bait, but a quick glance at your phone let you know it was getting late. It was after 4:00, and in mid-February, sunset was around 5:00.

 “So, in the end, the makers of the statue proved to be clever by housing the true statue within a false statue. It protected it for centuries,” Dr. Waterhouse concluded.

 “That’s fascinating—I can’t wait to see what James discovers when he examines the tablet,” you said as Dr. Waterhouse agreed.

 You made a bit of a production of pulling out your phone and checking the time.

 “4:18—wow! Time has just flown by this afternoon.”

 “My! It has—I need to call the American museum to let them know we received Ahkmenrah and his tablet. I would also like to request a copy of that report.”

 You walked over to the interior door of the transition room and held it open for Dr. Waterhouse to exit. You clicked off the lights and as the three of you exited the storage room, Dr. Waterhouse pulled out her keys and locked the door; she also unclicked her radio from her hip and walkied for the head of security to make sure the loading dock and the storage area were all properly secured.

 Larry’s face flickered with worry, but you shook your head and patted your jacket’s packet. You had already been entrusted with a key to the storage room.

 After saying good-night to Dr. Waterhouse, you and Larry walked back to the lobby.

“Soooo what’s the plan?” Larry asked.

 “You’ve got to get back to Ahk,” you said, handing Larry your key to the storage room. “I don’t want him waking up alone and in the dark, especially since he’s been sick. Just keep the lights off as long as you can—actually, put that damn flashlight of yours to good use!”

 “Got it,” Larry said while patting over the pocket of his jacket that held his flashlight. “Then, I’ll bring him to you in his parents’ exhibit.”

 “Yup. I’ve written a letter explaining what’s happening. There’s no way they are going to wake up speaking English. The real question is what the hell we are going to do about our stowaways.”

 “I can’t believe they figured out how to ship themselves here,” Larry said, settling his hands on his hips after sliding the key to the storage room in his pants’ pocket.

 “I’m sure they just want to help Ahk, but perhaps we just ‘forget’ they are here for the time being. Maybe they won’t even make it out of the storage room?”

 “Y/N, they managed to ship themselves here from New York. We aren’t going to trick them by leaving them alone in a dark room.”

 You sighed in frustration.

 “Focus on Ahk’s parents. Leave the rest of the guys to me.”

 “Thank you—shit, it’s late! Dr. Waterhouse leaves at 6:30 every day after security finishes its sweep. I’m sealing off the Egyptian wing to work, so they won’t walk in on Meren and Shep when they wake up. If you stay inside the transition room with Ahk until 6:30, you’ll be fine.”

 “Got it,” Larry said with a firm nod. “I’ll see you soon.”

 “Yes,” you said slowly, your stomach fluttering at the thought of seeing Ahkmenrah in less than two hours.

 As you and Larry headed in your separate directions, you once again found yourself asking the cosmos to help you get this right—to help Merenkahre and Shepseheret wake up without losing their minds.

 Armed with your letter, you sat in the tiny hallway between the two exhibits and waited for the sun to set. You took off your jacket and used it to cushion your seat on the floor.

 As you were reading over your letter for the tenth time, the rattling of the sarcophaguses caused you to shoot up from the floor; unfortunately, your foot had fallen asleep and you fell face forward, just barely catching yourself with your hands.

 “Fuck me!”

 You shook it off and hobbled your way to Merenkahre’s coffin first; as you lifted the lid, up popped a very dusty mummy. His wrappings were badly decayed, so you figured he could fuss with them himself and you ran over to Shepseheret’s coffin. She had flung her lid aside and was already unwrapping her bandages. You could just see her eyes as you approached and she froze, clearly frightened. You relied on your knowledge of their culture, and bent at the knee, splaying your arms to show you meant only respect.

 She spoke, but you were unsure what she said as it was still muffled by her bandages.

Merenkahre had made fast work of his own wrappings and came, dressed in his regal splendor through the opening between their exhibits, stumbling when he realized who had spoken.

 Shepseheret began crying as she struggled with her bandages. You stood up and helped her, then helped her out of the coffin.

 She looked equally as stunning as her husband, her full regalia much more ornate than anything you had ever seen. She was buried with the highest honors, and you wondered what exactly happened after Ahkmenrah was killed. Surely, Kahmunrah wouldn’t have allowed Meren and Shep to be buried in such ornate clothes because they were a dead giveaway of their identity.

 You pushed your questions aside, knowing you had no way to ask them anyway, and watched as Merenkahre gathered his wife into his arms. They cried and hugged each other, whispering in ancient Egyptian. It pained you to break up their reunion, but their son needed them.

 “Ahkmenrah,” you stated, hoping to get their attention.

 They both turned and looked at you, Shepseheret’s blue-green eyes, the exact same as her son’s, widening. You began the speech you had rehearsed and hoped your ancient Egyptian was understandable.

 “Ahkmenrah needs help. His tablet is dying.”

 Merenkahre began speaking, much more rapidly than you could follow. You held up your hands and shook your head to indicate that you didn’t understand.

 You jogged the few steps to where you had been waiting and grabbed the letter explaining how you knew their son, where he was, where they were, and about the tablet’s corrosion.

 Their eyes flew over the hieroglyphs, and Shepseheret’s hand covered her mouth as it fell open, her face filling with concern.

 Once again, they began to converse with one another, and you only picked up that they discussed Ahk and his brother, and they definitely did know Kahmunrah had killed them all.

 Surprisingly, they didn’t seem all that shocked to be awake. That made you wonder just how much more they knew about their gift to their son.

 Merenkahre frowned and tried speaking again. You shook your head and shrugged your shoulders, unable to follow enough of what he was saying. You had planned on Larry and Ahk having arrived by now. You wondered what was keeping them, and then, you remembered you had left your backpack and your notebook in Meren’s exhibit.

 You ran to fetch it and hastily wrote out that you could read his language but not speak it.

 Merenkahre stared at your pen for a moment and ran a hand over the paper in awe; then, he scrawled in the notebook:

 “Where is my son?”

 “He’s here, now. That’s why you’ve come to life. The tablet is with him. Can you help?”

 “I need to see it, but yes, I believe I know what is wrong.”

 “What is wrong?”

 “The tablet is most likely in need of Khonsu’s light.”

 You nodded, unsure exactly what the moon god had to do with Ahk’s tablet, but you were overjoyed that his father seemed to know what was wrong.

 Shepseheret reached for the notebook and pen and scrawled a request:

 “Explain more about when and where we are.”

 “England,” you scrawled before drawing a crude map that showed them where they were in relation to Egypt. “The year is 20–.”*

 “Did you find us?”

 “Yes.”

 “Did you find us for my son?”

 “Yes.”

 Shepseheret smiled at you, a soft, knowing smile. She turned and spoke to her husband, and he listened intently.

 You stepped away to allow them to converse, and you used that moment to try to call Larry.

 He answered, panting into the phone.

 “We’ve got—a—slight—problem!”

“Where are you?!”

 And in response, you heard some yelling and scuffling before the line went dead. You were left to stare at your phone and wonder what the hell had gone wrong.

 You decided to stay in the exhibit with Ahk’s parents, trusting that Larry would get Ahkmenrah here. This was what Larry did best.

 Merenkahre and Shepseheret were still deep in conversation but had begun to wonder around each of their exhibits, pointing at artifacts as they examined each room.

 Just as you stepped back into the small hallway that separated Meren’s throne room from Shep’s garden, Larry and Ahk, followed by a small, very awkward crew of supporters, thundered up the stairs and skidded into the exhibit. Ahkmenrah’s mouth dropped open as he approached his mother’s garden.

 Shepseheret ran to her son, the two of them melting into a loving embrace. Merenkahre followed and reached out to touch his son’s face in disbelief. They began to speak in hushed, low voices, and each of their faces was streaked with tears. Ahkmenrah’s smile was so blinding, it dulled the tracks of tears that had slid from his eyes.

 Ahkmenrah asked his mother a question, and she turned and pointed to you as you stood in the shadow of the hallway between the two exhibits.

 You walked out slowly, unsure if your legs would sustain you as you saw Ahkmenrah for the first time in nearly two years.

 “Y/N,” Ahkmenrah breathed, and asked with awe, “What have you done?”

 “I found your family, and my team built this for them. And I had hoped . . . for you, too,” you said as you gestured to the hallway separating Shepseheret’s garden from Ahkmenrah’s chamber.

 Ahkmenrah glanced to the doorway and then to his father’s throne room, the golden sun that had been excavated and painstaking restored, glittered within a glass casing on the floor.

 Ahkmenrah moved from his mother’s embrace, and he slowly closed the distance between you. When he stopped in front of you, he was so close that you could count his eyelashes, close enough that you could smell the rich scent of papyrus, sandalwood, and the open air of the desert that was so determined to cling to him, even after 4,000 years. Ahk took a deep breath and reached out to grip your upper arms.

 You froze as he laid his forehead against yours and closed his eyes, breathing you in. When he opened his eyes, and locked them onto yours, he asked one simple question: “Why?”

 You were still frozen, hypnotized by the intensity of his gaze and the only thing that would come out of your mouth was the truth.

“Because I love you.”

 Ahkmenrah pulled you to him, and your body softened within his embrace as you wrapped your arms around his waist, sliding your hands across the smooth, warm skin of his back.

When he pulled away, he began murmuring, “I am deeply sorry, Y/N. I should have told you. I am and have been wholly in lo—”

 Ahkmenrah’s face grimaced as he staggered forward, almost knocking the wind out of you as you caught him and struggled to hold him upright. As you looked into his face, you were horrified to see the black lines of decay that ringed his eyes, his smooth skin wrinkling to some grey-matter before slowly, slowly turning back to flesh.

 His father rushed forward and wrapped his arm around his son, holding him steady, his face full of concern.

 Ahkmenrah must have explained what was happening and Merenkahre followed up with talking about Khonsu. You could feel the tension between the two of them, and Shepseheret interrupted, speaking gently as she gripped her husband’s arm.

 “That’s it?!” Ahkmenrah exclaimed in English.

 “What? What’s it?!” Larry shouted, unable to wait any longer.

 “All we need to do is expose the tablet to moonlight,” Ahkmenrah said, irritation tinging his speech.

 You felt like your heart stopped—that was easy!

 Too easy.

 Larry sighed. “That would be easy. If we had the tablet.”

 “Uhh, say what now, Lar?” you questioned. “Everyone is alive—the tablet is obviously here. We saw it an hour ago!”

 “It was stolen by a loathsome metal man,” Ahk said through clenched teeth, clearly ready to destroy the thief as his fists clenched in anger.

 You glanced at Ahkmenrah, worried because you’d never seen him so angry, and worried because of the way he had spoken to his parents.

 “Lancelot. You know, of the knights and the round table. He stole the tablet,” Larry finished, looking at you.

 “Why would Lancelot steal? That breaks like 500 codes of chivalry.”

 “He said something about a quest?” Larry answered, clearly unsure about Lancelot’s motive.

 You thumped your hand to your forehead, interrupting yourself.

 “Of course! The display here was built around the knights’ quest for the holy grail. I bet he thinks the tablet can help him find the grail.”

 “The grail, yes.” Ahkmenrah said, his teeth still gritted. “That’s what the little fuck was babbling about.”

 You raised your brows, taken aback by Ahkmenrah’s language.  

 “Are you okay, Ahk?”

 “No—I am clearly not o-fucking-kay as I nearly turned into a pile of rot and bones a moment ago,” he snapped.

 Shepseheret, reading her son’s tone, scolded him.

 He glared at her, anger tinging his cheeks, before something came over him, washing his anger away. His features softened and he apologized to you and to his mother.

 “You don’t need to apologize to me, Ahk. This is all my fault.”

 “My mother says I certainly do need to apologize—wait, what do you mean this is your fault?”

 “I think I did something the night I used it to return us from your memory.”

 Ahkmenrah shook his head before returning to stand in front of you, his hands grasping your face.

 “No. This has nothing to do with that night. If anything, it’s my fault for overusing the tablet. I continued my experiments, and thanks to my parents, never knew it needed moonlight to survive.”

 “Don’t be angry with them, Ahk,” you said as you reached up to grasp his wrist, stroking your thumb across his skin. “They made that tablet out of love.”

 Ahkmenrah lowered his hands and sighed. “I know, Y/N. And I thank you for reuniting us. This means more to me than I can ever express.”

 Merenkahre, every bit still a pharaoh, had grown tired of not knowing what was going on and tapped his staff on the floor, the loud clanging causing everyone except Ahkmenrah to jump.

 Merenkahre spoke, and Ahk said while rolling his eyes, “He wants me to translate.”

 As Ahkmenrah began speaking to his father, you took time to greet Teddy and the others, noticing how depressed and lethargic they seemed, before turning your attention to Larry.

 “How familiar are you with Sir Lancelot?”

 “He was a knight of the round table, a pretty good one, I think, at least until he fell in love with King Arthur’s wife, Guinevere.”

 “Exactly. And guess who is in King Arthur’s display?”

 Larry narrowed his eyes, “Y/N . . . I’m afraid of what is about to come out of your mouth.”

 “They’re wax!” you barked, startling yourself and causing Ahkmenrah to look up from his conversation.

 You huffed and pulled Larry through the hallway and into Merenkahre’s exhibit, damn near shoving him against the wall in your haste to explain.

 “Ahkmenrah, his parents—they are flesh and blood! I don’t care if I have to throw that stupid hunk of wax into an incinerator to get the tablet back.”

 “I know! I know!” Larry said, his hands raised in defense. “It’s just that, well, I don’t just think of them as wax. I’ve gotten to know all of them, Y/N, and they are real—at least the tablet makes them real enough. Think about it—Teddy and Sacagawea. Jed and Octavius. Those connections didn’t exist in their lifetime. They were forged after the tablet brought them to life. And they remember. Just like you and I do.”

 You ran your hands through your hair in frustration.

 Larry knew he wasn’t getting through to you, so he tried a different tactic.

 “You can’t just take on a knight of THE roundtable.”

 “I’m not planning on it,” you said before sighing. “I care about the others, too, Lar, but this is about Ahkmenrah, and now, his parents. What would you do if you were faced with losing Rebecca or Nicky forever?”

 Larry answered without hesitation, “I would do whatever it took to save them.”

 “So help me—I do have a plan, ya know.”

 “Lay it on me, kiddo,” Larry said with a nervous grin.

 * * * * *

 “Alright, Gigantress,” Jed said from the display he and Octavius were standing on. “The queen is alone—she followed the trail of flowers we left, just like you said she would.”

 “This version of Guinevere isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed,” you explained as you readied your rope, gag, and dagger.

 “May Fortuna shine upon you,” Octavius said, giving you a tiny bow.

 You shot him a nervous smile, muttered your thanks, and took off up to the Arctic exhibit. Larry had taken Ahk to distract the mummies that had risen and had been terrorizing most of the other exhibits, hoping that he would be able to command them.

 There was also a very large, very angry rhinoceros that was charging through the museum. It was during that encounter that Lancelot happened upon Larry and Ahk and stole the tablet.

 What a mess—Tilly should get a month’s vacation after this.

 You hoped that your plan would be executed with a little less chaos. You chose the Arctic exhibit as the place to kidnap Guinevere because it was on the topmost floor of the museum, closest to the roof. Also, because it was kept really cool, the doors sealed shut. You wanted to get Guinevere far away from Arthur or any of the other knights. So far, Teddy had done an excellent job of sending Arthur and his knights on a chase across the museum, claiming to be in possession of the grail because he was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ himself.

 On the other hand, Atilla the Hun was busy herding Lancelot toward the Arctic exhibit, relying on a lot of chasing, screaming, and yelling to push the knight into a location where he would see the kidnapped queen.  

 You also knew the Artic exhibit mostly contained the Canadian Inuit and used dioramas and paintings to showcase their life. While the end of the exhibit displayed the animals, the polar bear and the caribou were behind glass, like Sacagawea had been. Your only real worry was avoiding the walrus. There was a massive re-creation of a walrus attacking a boat that served as the centerpiece in the room that housed the polar creatures. While walruses aren’t prone to attacking humans, they did not appreciate boats intruding on their hunting ground. They had proven to be formidable foes for the Inuit.

 After slowly pushing the door open, you stopped to listen for any danger in the exhibit. It was eerily quiet, and the only light came from the dim, round floor lamps. You walked slowly, hoping to catch a glimpse of Guinevere’s silver gown.

 As you wound through the entryway, you came upon a reconstruction of an igloo, and inside, seated with all the flowers she had gathered as part of Jed and Octavius’s trail, was the queen. Her entire being seemed to emit a silvery glow, like she was made of some unearthly substance. Her long blonde hair even seemed to glitter, nearly matching the silver of her gown.

 You slackened the rope in your hands, hoping you would be able to loop it right over her head.

“You have come to kidnap me, I suppose,” Guinevere spoke up, her musical voice doing little to hide the sigh that escaped as she easily surrendered.  

 You raised your eyebrows, unaware how she even saw you approaching from the darkened hallway.

 “Yes, I have come to kidnap you,” you said slowly. “But I don’t want to harm you. I honestly don’t have the time to.”

 Guinevere placed the floral crown she had been weaving on the table in the igloo and stood, proffering her hands.

 “Are you a witch?” she asked as you looped the rope around her wrists.

 “Nope. Just a regular girl trying to save the not so regular guy she loves.”

 “Oh! You are in love?” Guinevere sighed, a light springing into her eyes. “I love falling in love. There is no better feeling in all the realm!”

 “Yeah,” you said, tightening the rope. “Camelot really appreciated that quality of yours. Do I need the gag?”

 “I’ll scream only if you want me to,” Guinevere offered politely.

 “Not yet, sis. But when we see Lancelot, I’m going to need you to scream like a bloody Banshee.”

 “Lancelot,” Guinevere sighed. “Such a wonderful knight. It will be quite exciting to be rescued by him. Again.”

 You narrowed your eyes, and even though you didn’t have the time, you had to ask.

 “Why did you marry Arthur?”

 “It twas my duty, and he was so very charming when first he wooed me. But then it all changed,” Guinevere said as she looked through you, clearly lost in the remnants of her past.

 “He was trying to build a kingdom, to promote equality and—Jesus, why am I explaining this? You’re a myth.”

 Guinevere looked at you again, her eyes looking just as real as any other person’s.

 “But my name is known throughout lands and throughout time, and so it will always be. Can you say the same for yours?”

 You didn’t answer her and instead took her by the arm and lead her in the direction of the exit. If Atilla had done his job, Lancelot would be on his way to the roof with the tablet to rescue his lover. If you got to the central balcony, you might be able to get Guinevere to scream loud enough to hurry the process along. Ahk and Larry should be on their way there, too, barring the mummies didn’t—

 No. No time to think of the what-ifs.

 As you hurried Guinevere down the hallway, you finally replied, “No, Queen Guinevere, my name won’t survive for centuries, but I do hope to live with integrity in this one.”

 “You would have made an excellent knight.”

 Before you could say anything else, the sound of a deep bark stopped you in your tracks.

 “Can you run?”

 “I am a lady. I needn’t bother with ru—"

 “RUN!” you yelled as the walrus began crashing forward, his massive weight shaking the floor as he moved, much quicker than you would have imagined. You pushed Guinevere in the direction of the door, the flickering of her silver dress and blonde hair flashing in your peripheral vision.

 The two of you crashed through the door and Guinevere stumbled, and unable to catch herself, fell to the floor.

 You grabbed a nearby trashcan and shoved the rim under the door, hopefully buying you some time as the walrus crashed into the door, rattling the glass.

 It definitely wouldn’t hold for long.

 “Up you go, queen,” you said hoisting Guinevere to her feet.

 “What was that?”

 “It’s called a walrus, but right now, I need you to look over this railing and scream your head off.”

 Guinevere immediately complied and you almost dropped the dagger to clasp your ears. You grabbed her arm again to stop her and looked over the ledge. Sure enough, Lancelot was bounding up the spiral stairs, Attila on his heels.

 “FIEND,” he screamed. “You will die for touching the queen! Guinevere, your Lancelot is coming for you!”

 “I’m counting on that,” you said, as you pulled her along before she could reply.

 “How romantic,” she sighed as you hurried her up the stairs that let out to the roof.

 Lancelot was not far behind and just as you shoved Guinevere on to the ledge of the roof, he burst through the door.

 Lancelot’s eyes widened at the sight of you with your dagger against Guinevere’s back, her feet just the width of the bricks on which she stood. For the first time, Guinevere actually did appear frightened, and had you been able to see the look on your face, it wouldn’t have come as a surprise that she was.

 Your teeth were bared and the hand that wasn’t clutching the dagger was balled into a fist. Rage radiated from you, unable to believe that this idiot was about to inadvertently kill Ahkmenrah.

 “Give me the fucking tablet, Lancelot, or I kill her,” you said evenly and with excellent annunciation. Lancelot needed to understand your threat was not idle.

 Just as Lancelot was about to reply, Ahkmenrah and Larry, along with Atilla, Teddy and his horse, Jed, Octavius, several mummies, and a few of the other British and American exhibits burst through the door. Larry was holding Ahkmenrah up, his face twisted in pain.

 “The game’s over Lancelot—be a true knight—of the round table—and return what you stole,” Larry said through his pants.

 “Stole?” Lancelot spat out. “This will lead me to THE Holy Grail. THE greatest gift left to man by THE Holy God!”

 “A gift for which you will prove to be unworthy, Lancelot!” you shouted, poking Guinevere in the back so she uttered a sharp little cry. “Give the tablet to Ahkmenrah NOW!”

 Before Lancelot could reply, Ahkmenrah’s knees buckled and Larry nearly lost his hold on him. Ahk was gasping for breath as life slowly began to wither out of him.

 Attila was next, dropping to his knees, his eyes looking forward in a blank stare. Teddy began to freeze, his mouth an “o” of surprise.

 Your scream was damn near feral as you dropped the dagger and abandoned Guinevere to run to Ahkmenrah.

 “HE’S DYING!” you yelled through the sob that tore from your throat.

 Ahk clung to you as you reached him, dropping to your knees to try to support his torso, cradling him in your arms like the night you returned from witnessing his murder by the hands of his own brother.

 Ahkmenrah’s eyes were fixed on you as he tried to speak, but failed.

 You whipped your head to look at Lancelot as you said, “The others—they’re wax and clay and stuffing, but Ahkmenrah is real. He’s real,” you repeated before looking into your rotting king’s face and whispering, “You are real.”

 Ahkmenrah smiled, a sad quick upturn of his lips.

 “Please don’t leave me, Ahk. Please, please, please,” you begged as you pressed a kiss to his greying lips, pieces of flesh wrinkling and falling away, his body becoming lighter, skeletal within your grip.

 Ahkmenrah fixed his eyes on you and spoke, his voice faded but capable now, strengthened only by the imminence of his true death.  

 “Y/N, I love you. I have loved you all this time. I was wrong to push you away. Forgive me?”

 “I love you, Ahkmenrah. I never stopped,” you said through the tears that were falling, landing on the greying flesh that was turning to dust, mixing to make tiny spots of ashy-mud.

 “What have I done?!” Lancelot cried as he quickly pulled the tablet from within his armor.

 “It needs moonlight!” Larry yelled.

 Lancelot held the tablet high over his head in an offering to the night sky.

 As the moon’s silvery rays hit it, the tablet’s corrosion stopped, then began to reverse; however, instead of just reverting to its golden state, it turned white as the moonlight restored its power, building until it flashed in a blinding white light that pulsed across the rooftop.

 You watched in awe as Ahkmenrah was immediately restored, his body growing strong again in your arms, his flesh hardening and smoothing back into its familiar, brown coloring.

 Ahkmenrah reached up to grasp your cheek with his palm, cupping it to pull you into a kiss. You could hear the others cheering and you pulled back, laughing with Ahk as the two of you clambered to your feet.

 “I believe this belongs to you, your Royal Highness. Please accept my humblest apology,” Lancelot said with a bow.

 You could feel Ahkmenrah’s anger, but you shifted into his arms, drawing his attention back to you. You rested your hand on Ahk’s warm abdomen and said to him in ancient Egyptian, “He is a remnant. That is all he is.”

 Ahkmenrah’s eyes softened as he understood the implication of your words. Never again would you allow him to use the excuse of only being an artifact. He was bone, blood, and flesh. He was human.

 Ahkmenrah tilted his head and accepted the errant knight’s apology.

 Soon, the others gathered around you, cheering and celebrating that life would continue for them all.

 Larry pulled you into a hug and whispered, “You did it, kiddo!” before releasing you to wrap Ahk into an even stronger hug.

 “We saved,” Atilla spoke up, his gravelly voice speaking English and causing everyone to turn. “We PARTY!”

 The group on the rooftop exploded into excitement, Ahkmenrah’s laughter warming you despite the cold air of the night that whipped across the rooftop.

 * * * * *

 You were quite certain the world had never seen a party like this. To an outsider, it might look like a really broadly themed costume party, but you couldn’t help but think about how to now define the word real. You and Larry and Tilly were real. So was Ahkmenrah, his parents, and the other mummies. But the other exhibits? Could you qualify them as real?

 Even if you did, you would have shoved a dagger into Guinevere or melted Lancelot with a torch to save Ahkmenrah. Still, Larry’s earlier words resonated with you.

 You smiled unabashedly as you saw Ahk manning the DJ table as usual, this time with his parents by his side, utterly fascinated by the technology their son could so easily use.

 Someone had found a bubble machine along with an entire crate of Christmas crackers. Bubbles filled the air as tiny bangs burst along with the music, the exhibits dancing gleefully through the throngs of confetti that popped out of the crackers, some even fighting over the tiny prizes inside.

 You closed your eyes for a moment and thanked whoever or whatever may be listening, then you turned away from the noise and began climbing the stairs to the Egyptian wing. You were so tired, but at the same time, it felt like your skin was thrumming with electricity. The very air felt different to you; things seemed brighter, more real than they had in the past year and a half. You assumed that’s what love was—finding someone who could electrify your life, brighten it, just with their presence.

 You wondered through Ahkmenrah’s chambers, thinking about what the future would hold. It was clear that your life would never be “normal,” but normal was subjective.

 You eventually returned to Shepseheret’s garden, settling into the roped hammock that closely resembled a porch swing. You closed your eyes and listened to the distant thudding of the music and the quiet trickling of the stream that ran through the grasses. It was almost as if you were back there, in Ahk’s memory. You could swear that you could even smell him—

 “It seems that every time a crisis is averted, we throw a party,” Ahkmenrah said as his sandaled feet crunched along the tiny rocks of the garden path.

 Your eyes popped open as you shook off the sleepiness that had nearly claimed you. Meeting his eyes, those beautiful, prominently intense and polychromatic eyes, you said, “Welcome to modern times. We party to forget our pain.”

 “Definitely not a modern concept, my love,” Ahkmenrah said as he settled onto the hammock, scooting closer so you could use his lap as a pillow. One of his arms settled across your sweater-clad stomach, but the barrier of clothing didn’t stop your body from reacting to his proximity, your lower abdomen inwardly clenching at the remembrance of the pleasure this man had once given you.

 Ahk had removed his crown, and now he kicked off his sandals. You could feel the muscles in his legs shift and tighten as wiggled his toes into the sand that was underneath the hammock.

 “If only kids knew that historical figures were this into getting lit. They may actually pay attention in their history classes.”

 Ahkmenrah chuckled, but it was clear he had something on his mind.

 The atmosphere quickly grew serious. You could feel the tension rise in the air and in his body, his fingers rubbing a pattern, back and forth against your sweater. Suddenly, you were very awake. It occurred to you that you should’ve seen this coming, that you shouldn’t have been so goddamn stupid.

 Well, this time, you’d beat him to the punch.

 You sat up, Ahkmenrah pulling his arm back as you wiggled away from him. You swung your legs over the edge of the bench, sitting upright as if you were in a proper chair, your own body now taught, stress tightening your muscles.

 Every fucking time you let a wall down, Ahkmenrah managed to come in à la Miley Cyrus and her wrecking ball; he flooded you with emotions and made you completely vulnerable.

 So, you would babble. You would lie and then lie some more, all in the hope of stifling the blow that was about to come.

 “I know, Ahk. You don’t even have to command me this time—I’ll ‘go gently into that good night’ before you even tell me that everything you said was because you thought you were dying. And if you were about to be dead, there was no harm in saying wonderful things because there would be NO issue of where the fuck we go from here because you’d be dead. So, it’s fine. It’s whatever. I did this once. I can do it again.”

 Ahkmenrah was very quiet until you stopped speaking, allowing the silence to fill the room again, and just as it teetered on oppressive, he spoke.

 “I love you,” he said, clearly and full of emotion.

 You looked up from the hammock, your knuckles whitening as you gripped the edges of the woven ropes.

 You dared to turn your head to look at him, only to find that he was staring at you.

 “I love you,” he repeated, locking his eyes onto yours.

 You looked away, the emotion too intense.

 Ahkmenrah moved off the hammock and kneeled before you, placing his hands over your gripping fists. You looked down into his face, his beautiful face, and didn’t know what to say anymore. Your lies didn’t work; nothing would soften the blow of what was about to come.

 Ahkmenrah continued while your heart pounded in your chest.

 “I hurt you because I thought I had to—I thought it was the right thing to do. Never, have I ever regretted something so deeply as not coming after you, not running down the streets of the great city and yelling that I loved you, too. But I knew if I did, none of this would have happened. Look around you, Y/N. You have done this. You have built this. I will never ask you to give up your dreams, but what I am going to ask you for is any piece of your life you are willing to share with me. I will be with you in any way that you will let me.”

 His eyes were bright and pleading. The irony of the once great pharaoh of Egypt on his knees before a commoner was not lost on you. This was as significant of a gesture as Ahk knew how to make. A god-king never kneeled, and here he was, his knees in the sandy dirt, begging for any scrap of you that you were willing to give him.

 Your mind was engaged in a violent war: Lie, lie, lie, and keep lying your goddamn ass off, said one side. The other echoed only one simple plea: let him love you.

 Ahkmenrah watched and couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his lips. “Let me in, Y/N. Let me know what’s going on in here,” he said as he softly touched the middle of your forehead.

 It was your turn to let the silence grow, to let the war inside your head rage while the Fourth King of the Fourth King stayed on his knees, his eyes pleading for one more chance.

 You took a deep breath and said, “You already have all my pieces, Ahk.”

 Ahkmenrah pushed himself up from his knees and pulled you up from the hammock to take you in his arms and kiss you with that same passion you had once poured into your goodbye kiss after the night you witnessed his death. He kissed you with nearly two years’ worth of longing, of regret, and of heartbreak.

 And most importantly, when he pulled his lips from yours to allow the both of you to breath, he cupped your face and rubbed his thumb over your cheek and told you he would never let himself become nothing more than a remnant of your past.

 You both jumped when Merenkahre spoke up from the head of the garden, neither of you having heard the approach of Ahk’s parents.

 You both turned, laughing nervously with your kiss-swollen lips. Ahkmenrah held your hand, tightening his grip when you tried to pull away to let him speak to his parents.

 “I want to properly introduce you to them, Y/N,” Ahk explained as he pulled you forward.

 “I already did that,” you said, trying to tug your hand away again.

 Ahkmenrah stopped and turned to face you, awaiting your explanation.

 “When Larry told me you were sick, I knew I wouldn’t have much time to explain to your parents what was happening and I certainly knew they wouldn’t wake up speaking English. So, I wrote them a letter and I . . . well, I told them that I loved you. That I’d do anything to save you.”

 Ahkmenrah grinned and stepped forward to kiss you again, a gentle press of his lips to yours as he slid a finger under your chin.

 His eyes danced with happiness as he said, “Then there is nothing to be nervous about now, my love.”

 You sighed, clearly unable to avoid this awkward reintroduction.

 Ahkmenrah spoke to first his father and then to his mother. You understood your name and the Egyptian words for love and for honor. He also referenced Shai, the god of fate. You were almost positive you caught Hathor somewhere in there, too.

 When he finished speaking, he stepped back a little and nudged you forward.

 “Say hello,” he said nodding with encouragement as if you were a toddler attempting to take your first steps.

 You took a moment to gather your translated thoughts and said, “I am honored to be in your presence your Royal Majesties. I understand I am common, unworthy of your beloved son, but I love him and only wish to make him happy.”

 Merenkahre and Shepseheret looked at each other and giggled, then Merenkahre clapped his somewhat embarrassed looking son on the back.

 “What did I say,” you said, panic sweeping through your eyes.

 “You just told my parents that you loved me . . . and wished to provide me with endless sexual satisfaction.”

 Your mouth dropped open and you looked back at his parents who were grinning broadly, clearly amused by your gaffe.

 You narrowed your eyes at Ahkmenrah and hissed, “This is your fault!”

 Ahkmenrah, now grinning, too, clarified what you had meant by “happy.” You noticed the intonation of the two versions of the word were quite different.  

 Meren and Shep both nodded, laughing a little, clearly understanding what your intended meaning had been.

 Shepseheret stepped forward and embraced you. You could feel the beads in her hair slide across your cheek and smell her sweet perfume, a mixture of lavender, rose, and of the subtle smell of papyrus, just like her son. She held on to your hands as she pulled back and said, “My son is lucky to have your love.”

 You understood her and thanked her.

 Then, Merenkahre moved forward as Shepseheret stepped back. He gripped your upper arms and thanked you for reuniting his family.

 “I owe you a great debt, Y/N,” he said as he pressed a soft kiss to the top of your head.

 You smiled, and Ahkmenrah took his place at your side, wrapping his arm around your waist. He leaned over to whisper in your ear, “That was not so bad, was it?”

 You lightly elbowed him in the ribs in response causing him to laugh softly into your ear before he straightened, his father clearly waiting to tell him something.

 “What is it father?”

 “Son, your tablet does not just restore life temporarily. The magic within it contains enough power to return you, fully, to your mortal state.”

 Ahkmenrah stared in disbelief as you furrowed your brow, trying to piece together what Merenkahre was saying.

 Shepseheret stepped forward and took her son in her arms, hugging him while whispering, “You could have the life your brother stole from you, my beloved. All we have ever wanted was for you to live a full, happy life.”

 Ahkmenrah continued to stare in disbelief, your heart dropping into your stomach as you caught the mention of Kahmunrah and his murder of Ahk.

 “The tablet will need to be bathed in Khonsu’s light every night for fourteen days. Once it has soaked in all of Khonsu’s magic, it will have the power to restore you, permanently.”

 “Father, what do you mean by only saying that it will restore me, not us?”

 Merenkahre looked at his son, pride chasing away the sadness that had filled his eyes as Ahk questioned him.

 “I did not wish for you to ask that question, but you have always been clever, my son. Once the tablet is drained of its restorative magic, it will turn to dust, as will we.”

 Ahkmenrah stared in disbelief at his parents. They were offering to give up their lives for his.

 Unable to wait any longer, you seized the gap in the conversation to ask, “What did they say about the tablet and its magic?”

 “Y/N,” Ahk said quickly, his robes swirling as he turned to face you. “What if—what if I could be . . . human? Not just at night, but all the time. Would you still want me?”

 Your first instinct was to laugh, but the seriousness on Ahkmenrah’s face told you this was not a hypothetical question.

 “The tablet . . . can make you . . . totally human?” you questioned.

 “Yes.”

 You felt light-headed and reached for the hammock, but it was nowhere near you. Ahkmenrah reached for you and held you firmly to his chest. His eyes were boring into yours, searching for an answer.

 “Ahk, I love you—you are it for me. You’ve ruined me because I really believe you are the love of my life. Pharaoh ‘alive-only-at-night’ you, or mortal ‘alive-all-the-time’ you. I want you any way I can have you.”

 Ahkmenrah smiled one of those blinding, million-dollar grins that you had missed so much.

 “I want to be alive-all-the-time with you, Y/N. I want a life.”

 You wanted to return his joyful smile but worry niggled too strongly in your mind.

“You won’t be immortal. You will get sick. Get old. You will—you’ll die, Ahk.”

 “I know,” Ahkmenrah said softly, the remnants of his smile still on his lips. “But I will also have lived.”

 This time, your smile acted of its own accord, exploding across your features and reaching your eyes, your face the embodiment of joy.

 * * * * *

 For two weeks, the inhabitants of the British museum came to life at night; Larry had stayed for two more days to help Tilly develop a schedule for keeping order, and despite her awed confusion, she vigorously delved into her role as a guardian.

 You had kept Ahk’s secret from Larry about becoming mortal. After all, you mostly lived your life waiting for the next hammer to fall, so you figured that if everything did go according to plan, you could give Larry and Rebecca one hell of a surprise when you and Ahkmenrah showed up on their doorstep in the middle of the day.

 You and Ahk followed his father’s instructions and exposed the tablet to moonlight every night at midnight. The tablet’s appearance didn’t seem to change, but Ahkmenrah seemed to fill with an energy that you couldn’t explain. You weren’t sure if it was the magic of the tablet or if it was the possibility of him living a life of his choosing.

 Ahkmenrah spent most of his time with his parents and you respected their privacy. Besides, it was exactly what you had worked for—to bring them together so Ahk could be happy.

 While Ahkmenrah was with his parents, you spent time with the unidentified mummies, unbandaging them and working to identify each of them. While they were no longer in such a chaotic state, they were struggling to transition. They weren’t discovered by someone like you or Jack; they were jostled out of their slumber and thrust into a word they did not understand.

 Currently, you were sitting in a circle, getting each of the mummies to share their history. A young boy with dark brown hair and eyes so big and dark they appeared to be black was talking about his parents—at least that was the gist of what you caught.

 You knew Ahkmenrah had entered the room before you even saw him because each of the Egyptians stiffened and immediately shifted their positions to kneeling and bowing their heads.

 Ahkmenrah told them to rise and to resume their discussion.

 They hesitantly returned to more comfortable, seated positions, but their chatter was hushed, their eyes wide and glancing at Ahkmenrah.

 “Hi, love,” you said, as he bent down to press a kiss to your temple.

 “I do apologize for interrupting your meeting.”

 “You are quite the distraction, King Ahkmenrah.”

 He chuckled and said, “I only wanted to tell you that I’ll be with my parents until near dawn. It will be tonight, Y/N, that my father will reveal to me the final spell.”

 “Oh,” you uttered, unable to articulate anything more than that tiny word.

 Ahkmenrah smiled at you and nodded. “Come to the roof at 6:45 once the museum is quiet.”

 “That’s cutting it awfully close, Ahk.”

 “I am aware, but it needs to be this way.”

 “Okay,” you said slowly processing what this meant. “Okay! I will see you then. Give your parents my love.”

 Ahkmenrah said he would, and as he reached the door, he turned to look at you, reengaging the regenerated mummies, adding new scribbles to the scraps of paper that surrounded your seat on the floor. The corners of his mouth turned downward in a display of longing to bring them all to life again; while watching them, he felt so selfish.

 Then, Ahkmenrah thought about the afterlife, something he and all of his people truly believed in. The tablet had ripped the souls in front of him from The Field of Reeds, including his own parents’. They all had families waiting for them there, and one day, Ahk would be reunited with his family again, too. By choosing to destroy the table, he was also choosing to bear the guilt of ending the earthly lives of the exhibits in the museum and of the mummies and his own parents.

 Everything has its price.

 * * * * *

 “The mummies are all wrapped up and back in their coffins,” you said with a wave good-night to the Tilly.

 “Thanks for your help, Y/N. Everyone else is all tucked in for their nighty-night!”

 You smiled and popped into the elevator, heading to the roof.

 When the doors opened, you were greeted by the bright grey of the pre-dawn. Ahkmenrah was looking toward the place where the sun would rise, a slash of pinkish-orange just barely visible near the line of the horizon.

 His breath came out in little vapory puffs and you pulled your coat around you a bit tighter as you moved to stand next to him. You looked over, your eyes absorbing his regal profile. His eyes held a profound sadness that surprised you.

 “Are you sure you’re ready to do this, Ahk? There’s no rush.”

 “Waiting longer will not make this any easier,” Ahkmenrah said as he tore his eyes away from the growing pink and orange blur.

 He turned to face you, his eyes locking on yours to draw strength. He took a deep breath and looked down at the tablet. You watched his lips as they issued a string of ancient Egyptian, his tone low and befitting of a spell.

 The tablet began to glow as it did on the night it was reinvigorated by Khonsu’s light, but the light grew so bright that you had no choice but to turn away. Through your closed eyes, you saw a brilliant flash.

 When you were able to see again, the bright white light was entering Ahk’s fingertips, slowly sliding its way up his arms. You watched the white light as it slid over his entire body. His eyes were closed and his breathing was even, so you knew that whatever was happening wasn’t painful. The bright light met at his chest and split, the light trailing up and down his torso. You watched as the light washed up and over his face and head, and then down his legs and over his toes.

 There was a sudden gust of warm air that blew dirt and the remnants of the last snow out and away from the both of you. You searched Ahkmenrah’s face, and when he finally opened his eyes, you both looked to the tablet as it began to blacken.

 In an instant, the tablet crumbled in Ahk’s hands, the black dust falling to the roof, blending in with the black of the dried tar that was partially obscured by the dirty snow.

 “No,” you whispered. “Oh, no.”

 You dropped to your knees and ran your fingers through the remnants of the tablet, your fingertips smudging with the ash. You rubbed your thumb, forefinger, and middle finger together in disbelief. You looked up at Ahkmenrah and he held his hands palm up. You slid your hands into his, the fingers with the ash drawing soft black smudges across his palm.

 He pulled you up and slid his hands up your arms, gripping you.

 “It’s okay, Y/N. I knew. I just . . . I just did not know how to tell you.”

  “So that’s it? The tablet is gone. They’re all . . . gone. Forever.”

 “Yes,” Ahkmenrah whispered, his eyes still the same intense, polychromatic swirl of blue and green, but they were filled with such hope, such infinite possibility that it took your breath away.

“You chose this?” you questioned.

 “I chose you, yes,” Ahkmenrah said with a smile.

 “But your parents! Did they know?”

 “Of course they knew, and this is what they wanted for me. All they ever wanted was for me to be happy. For me to live.”

 Your mind filled with an inability to believe what had just happened. The tablet was gone. No more would anything come to life in the museum—it was all, once again, reduced to wax, stuffing, and bone.

 But Ahkmenrah was alive. You could feel that, and it squeezed at your heart in the same way his million-dollar smile did.

 You took a deep breath and smiled at Ahkmenrah.

 “Well, then how do you want to start living?”

 “I want to watch the sun RISE,” Ahkmenrah said with firmness.  

 “And then?”

 “I want to marry you.”

 You laughed, and Ahkmenrah gave you that million-dollar grin.

 “All in one day?” you questioned through your laughter. “Maybe we should take it a bit slower—"

 “Do you doubt that this is our destiny?”

 “I, uh . . . no. No, I don’t,” you said smiling at your eventual assuredness.

 “Then let us begin our life together now. Let me teach you how to live like we lived, Y/N. I will prove to you that every day is a gift from the gods,” Ahkmenrah finished as he kissed you, his lips moving with practiced ease against yours, his tongue lightly twining with yours.

 You closed the kiss, much quicker than you wished as you remembered what Ahk’s first request had been.

 “You’re going to miss your first sun rise in 4,000 years!”

 Ahkmenrah’s eyes never moved from your face, his gaze settling again on your lips.

 “We have a lifetime to watch the sun rise, my queen. For now, kiss me until I cannot breathe.”

 * * * * *

 The streaks of pink and orange began to swirl together, combining until the ball of brightness that was the sun formed and burst above the horizon. The two figures on the top of the British Natural History Museum hardly noticed as the rays of the sun washed over their bodies, warming them as they continued to embrace, lost in what was considered a kiss for the ages.

Epilogue, forthcoming . . .

[mommy-may-i-blog]

Home Away

As I said in my previous post we are having this baby back in our hometown so if I forget something that I need it becomes more of an inconvenience to have to get it. Driving back home for it is not only a waste of time and gas but also just simply annoying. Whereas if we run out and buy it because I forgot it then it becomes a waste of money because I already have it just at home. So with out anymore moaning and groaning, here is what I am packing in my hospital bag.

Standard Supplies

There are things I think every woman needs when headed to the hospital to have a baby...and I am no different. Comfy pajamas are a must in my opinion. I am not the type of person who can just sit in a hospital gown the whole time I am there, so once I get the okay I change into something I am more comfortable in. I think this is because I hate being in clothes many other people have worn many of times longer than I have to. This go around I am just going to bring a pair of basket ball shorts since Blake has gotten me two things that will work for this category (keep reading to find out what those are).

Another obvious is a going home outfit. For this I suggest something with and elastic band (avoid jeans) ie; yoga pants, leggings, or gym shorts. I am going the route of comfy pants and a shirt. These pants are nice and baggy, as well as being thin so I won't be uncomfortable. I wouldn’t suggest these exact pants if you are getting a c-section because the waist band isn’t the most comforting thing, not that I even remember where I got them anyway.

Nonslip socks and/or slippers are a must, unless you enjoy getting free stuff from the hospital. (Most) Hospitals require that you have nonslip socks or slippers on when you are walking around. Some of you may be thinking theres no way in hell you are going to be up moving around but if your labor is taking a zillion hours theres no way you are going to be sitting in bed the whole time, your nurses will probably encourage you to get up and more around anyway. Another good reason is incase your little one winds up in NICU and you have to walk to go visit them. With that said I got these awesome socks from amazon and I think they're hilarious.

Oh! Here’s an after thought for you... When you're pushing do your really want a bunch of people touching your bare feet? Imagine even having your bare feet in those stir-ups that so many people have touched. No thanks.

Finally lets talk underwear. Once you get to leave those (amazing) mesh underwear you get in the hospital you are going to want something comfy down there. I suggest getting some Fruit of the Loom granny panties a size larger than what you would normally get. Getting a size bigger will not only be more comfortable during your recovery time but will also hold your postpartum pads much easier. Whatever you do, do not go out and get a bunch of Victoria Secret underwear no matter how good the sale is. These underwear you are getting have a 90% chance of getting ruined, I’m just trying to save you from wasting the money.

Princess Products

This section is going to be filled with stuff most people would think I was weird for bringing, but I’m doing it anyway.

Since I am an advocate for breast feeding I am obviously packing all of my breast feeding products, such as; nursing bra, breast pads, and a breast pump. I am bringing a nursing bra not only for when people are around to visit but also for going home incase we stop anywhere before getting to our house. Breast pads are honestly something I think every should bring whether or not you are breast feeding because your body will still produce and leak milk in the beginning. Fun Fact: if you get the reusable pads (even if you're not BFing) you care wear them and put them under the sheet of where baby sleeps and it will help comfort them while they sleep because they will have your scent with them. Lastly I am bringing my own breast pump only because I don’t respond to Medela pumps which is what my hospital provides.

Blake got me these hospital gown type “dresses” and I am going to bring one if not both of them. I am not sure if my hospital lets moms wear their own gowns but these are made for labor, delivery, and nursing so I am taking them for at least the nursing aspect of them. I am also bringing my phone and charger, but who wouldn’t. Another “silly” thing I am bringing is my make up for self confidence reasons. I know people are going to say that I don’t need to worry about it but I hate looking back at pictures of me from when Dexter was born because I look like I’d been hit by a truck and on extremely heavy medications. Since neither of which were true it means thats what I really looked like and I hate it. So to combat those feelings I am bringing my make up, this will help me stop thinking about what I look like and be more focused on our growing family. 

Lastly, I am bringing snacks. The hospital does provide you with breakfast, lunch, and dinner for all the times you are there which is great, however sometimes the options you are given are not the best or the portion size is extremely small. With all that being said I am just bringing some breast feeding friendly snacks like Clif bars and my big water bottle. I plan on picking up a bigger water bottle if I have time but for now this is the one I plan on using. The hospital will give me water all day long, plus I will have a bathroom attached to our room, but I drink A LOT of water and even more when I’m nursing so having a large bottle with me to constantly fill up just makes life a little easier.

Terrific Toiletries

I got this little bag in my Amazon welcome baby box and it is the perfect size for all the toiletries I am packing. Some obvious things I am taking with me is my tooth care things, if you don’t have a lot of room I suggest getting travel size tooth paste but this bag is pretty spacious so I’m not too worried. As for my hair I am bringing my hair brush, hair ties, headbands, and travel size shampoo and conditioner. The hair brush is obvious, you gotta brush your hair or you look like a mess and not a hot one either. Hair ties and headbands are helpful for delivery because there is nothing more annoying  than having hair in your face while you are trying to push out a freaking baby. Getting travel size shampoo and conditioner because it takes up less space in my bag but also because Blake is going to want to take a shower where ever he and Dexter end up staying and we share shampoo and conditioner. I am not bringing body wash because the hospital provides a body wash that helps keeps your newly tortured lady bits clean and healthy. Finally I am also bringing lip balm and over night period pads. Lip balm is for during delivery because the breathing you do while pushing dries your lips out so fast. I currently have this EOS stick but I would prefer a basic carmex stick because it is my favorite. I suggest a stick chapstick, not the liquid, because then your partner or whomever is with you can assist with the application when you’re exhausted. Lastly the big pads are for going home just in case I run out of the pads from the hospital and don’t end up getting anymore from them.

Mama Tip: Before you are close to be discharged pack up what you have left of the bathroom stuff the hospital gives you like the pads, underwear, and witch hazel pads (and the baby diapers). Then tell them that you need more because whatever you use in your room you get to take home and those things are amazing once you’re home.

[wandaterrell]

ZIP4 Codes The Last 4 Digits of ZIP Code

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What are ZIP+4 Codes?

If you have ever tried sending direct mail to someone, you have likely come across the term ZIP+4 code (ZIP Plus 4 Codes). The origin of the ZIP code dates back as far as 1963. It was introduced as a solution to make mail travel faster. During its inception, the ZIP codes only consisted of 5 digits but, as the mail system grew bigger and more complex along with the growing population in the US, the 5-digit ZIP codes were no longer doing the job good enough. Hence in 1983, the USPS introduced the ZIP+4 codes, which are also known today as “+4 codes,” and the purpose of this ZIP+4 code is simply to add more precision to the standard five-digit ZIP codes.

In a nine-digit full ZIP Code, the first five digits represent the specific delivery area or post office of an address, whereas the last four digits of the ZIP code indicate the delivery area down to a few blocks radius or specific delivery area. The entire nine-digit ZIP code, in effect, streamlines the delivery process for the USPS and ensures that your direct mail is sent or received with minimal delay. So it doesn’t matter whether you are sending mail or receiving one. It is important to know your ZIP+4 code so that the package can easily be delivered to its destination.

What are the Last 4 Digits of my ZIP code?

Many people are often unaware of their ZIP code’s last four digits, and their number is surprisingly high. Apart from this, most people are unaware of the full 9-digits ZIP code for the direct mails they send out. Although the post can be sent without the ZIP 4 code, it would be considered slow to move along and can take a while before it reaches the recipient. The ZIP code or Zone Improvement Plan was something the USPS came up with to make the postal service easy and quick across the country. The ZIP codes divide the country into different zones enabling the USPS to accelerate their postal sorting and delivery process effectively. Therefore, it is always best to provide the full 9-digits ZIP code if you want the letter or package delivered sooner rather than later.

The question now becomes how do I find the full ZIP code to the address I want to send a direct mail to. When it comes to businesses that send out regular direct mails to their customers, this question is even more crucial because they often work on deadlines. When working on a deadline, speed is vital, and the post reaches the customers even more urgently. Hence, businesses must turn to advanced address verification tools like PostGrid that can provide a complete address, including the full 9-digit ZIP codes for your address database. What makes it even better is that you are able to do this in a matter of seconds, and it only takes you a few clicks. There is no need for carrying out a ZIP 4 lookup for each and every address, all you need is a CSV file, and you can easily get the data you need with a few clicks.

Benefits of ZIP+4 Codes

When it was first launched, the five-digit ZIP code was a revolutionary step for the US postal service. It significantly simplified the way the USPS functioned and streamlined its operations. The ZIP 4 code was brought in later to accommodate the growing population. However, that’s not all the ZIP 4 code does. According to a recent study by the USPS, about 40 million Americans move every year, that is, 40 million address changes every year and potentially 40 million undelivered letters/packages every year. Although 40 million may not be the real number of undelivered mailings, it is safe to say that a large number of mailings may not be delivered or shipped to the wrong address if it wasn’t for the ZIP 4 code.As per the data from USPS, out of a whopping 158 billion mailed items in 2013, only a mere 4.3% of them were marked “Undeliverable as Addressed (UAA).” Had it not been for the ZIP 4 code, this number could have been a lot worse. The role of the ZIP 4 code doesn’t end there either. It further goes on to boost the delivery speed and accuracy of the USPS mailing significantly. This is evident from the one or two-day deliveries made by the USPS. 

But perhaps what can be considered the most significant benefit of the ZIP 4 code, especially for businesses, is that the ZIP+4 codes require address validation. In other words, in order to get the ZIP+4 code of an address, it must first be standardized and validated to exist. In Layman’s term, an address with a ZIP 4 code can be sure to exist and also deliverable. And the cherry on top for the businesses using the ZIP+4 code is that they can help with getting your business bulk mailing discounts.

How are ZIP Codes Used

The 9-digits full ZIP code works in parts. For example, consider a direct mail is sent to New York City from Dallas, the carrier that first receives your mail from Dallas need not know the exact delivery address of the recipient. The mail first needs to be forwarded to the appropriate mail carrier, which in this case is the state of New York. Now, here is where the ZIP code comes into the picture for the first time during the travel of your direct mail. As mentioned before, the ZIP codes are assigned to post offices all around the country by USPS, and each posy office has at least one ZIP code assigned to it. In case the post office handles postal services to more than one ZIP code, it will have more ZIP codes assigned to it.

The first five digits are used at this stage to ensure that the direct mail is sent to the correct post office. At this stage, there is no point bothering with the ZIP 4 code at this point. Once the direct mail reaches the destined post office, the first 5-digit of the ZIP code becomes practically irrelevant other than cross-checking the address. Once the direct mails are received at the relevant post office, the ZIP 4 codes can then be used to figure out where the mail is delivered. The ZIP 4 code allows assigning the right person for the delivery based on their delivery route, thereby streamlining the entire delivery process.

USPS Five-Digit ZIP Codes

Now that we have an overview of the two parts of the 9-digits ZIP, we can now discuss how exactly the ZIP code helps identify your most accurate location. The best place to start this is the USPS five-digit ZIP codes that we are all familiar with. Like we discussed before, they are most commonly used to indicate the post office that will take it to its final destination. However, most of us don’t know that each number in the five-digit ZIP code is significant to its destination. The first digit of your five-digit ZIP code signifies the national area, while the next two digits signify the sectional center or large city post office. The last two digits of the five-digit ZIP code give the associate post office or delivery area, thereby giving the people at USPS a comprehensive idea of the postage destination.

Furthermore, the ZIP codes allow the postal worker to effectively deliver as many postages as he/she can in a day. In essence, you may treat the five-digit ZIP code as the post office’s address, and although some post offices deal with posts with more than one ZIP code, normally, each post office has just one ZIP code. Do not imagine the ZIP codes as “boundaries,” but rather think of them as delivery routes that are not constrained by any geographic or administrative boundaries. They may cross city, state, or even country lines. In a way, you may even say that they are governed by where the delivery truck goes.

It should come as no surprise to you that there are certain special ones even among ZIP codes. “Military” ZIP codes are one of the special ZIP codes, and they can be used for everything from military bases, domestic or otherwise, to battleships. These are unique codes and serve a specific purpose of being individualistic from the standard ones to avoid any form of confusion. It is also possible for businesses and organizations to get their own ZIP code due to the high volume of mail they receive every day. This is very practical for both the business and USPS. The business usually has an internal mail department that can presort mail before distributing it inside the company. Similarly, the direct mails sent out from the company are also presorted. Furthermore, these firms also enjoy the benefit of bulk mailing discounts thanks to their internal mail department.

ZIP+4 Codes – The Last 4 Digits of ZIP Code

If you want your direct mail delivered the fast and most accurate way possible, you’ll need to provide the ZIP+4 code and the normal five-digit ZIP. However, the ZIP 4 code is only available for the addresses that are standardized and validated to be real. The ZIP code’s last four digits indicate a very specific delivery route that includes the mail truck’s actual path taken for travel in a single drop-off. Typically this route consists of ten to twenty homes/locations. Sometimes the ZIP 4 codes are also given to PO boxes. They usually get their own ZIP 4 code that more often than not matches with the box number.

 Also Read: What are PO Box-Only ZIP Codes?

 Also Read: ZIP Code API

Since the ZIP+4 code digits are based on delivery routes rather than permanent boundaries, the last four digits of ZIP codes can often be subjected to change. Although the five-digit ZIP code also changes from time to time, their changes are far less frequent as compared to the ZIP+4 codes. In fact, it is unlikely that the five-digit ZIP code of a place will change while you are still living there as they remain the same for most of the time. On the other hand, the ZIP 4 code can change much more frequently and may sometimes change once a month based on a number of factors. These factors include the number of postal employees working, the route taken by the delivery truck, etc.

Full Zip Code Lookup

Businesses who want to optimize their direct mails, whether it be for a campaign or for sending out important documents like bills, need to include a full ZIP code on the posts they send. The full ZIP code of a mailing address ensures that your post reaches its destination fast and efficiently. The full mailing ZIP code of an address also offers much higher deliverability because these addresses are standardized and validated to be real. Therefore, the more accurate and efficient your address verification system, the better your direct mailing process will be for your business. The best way for you to carry out a full zip code lookup for business purposes would be to use advanced address verification tools such as PostGrid. With an bulk address verification, like PostGrid, you can easily upload your address database, small or big, as a CSV file and you can easily get the verified version of your address database. Not only does PostGrid verify the address for you against the official postal address database of USPS, but also it fills in missing data, including the full 9-digit zip code for every address. You can even use PostGrid’s Address lookup API for implementing an address autocomplete feature on your website that would let you type in their address and generate their full address. The autocomplete feature can come in handy for your other marketing efforts, such as landing pages, by providing a convenient way for the user to type in their details and, in effect, encourages conversions as they make the desired action (Filling the form in this case).You can take it a step further by fully automating your business’s direct mail process by using PostGrid’s fully-documented REST API to send out personalized letters, checks, or postcards to your target audience. You can either send the direct mails on-demand or at scale, depending on your requirements. With a deliverability rate of 99.99%, PostGrid’s print and mail API and platform automate, optimizes the entire process involved in direct mailing, saving you valuable time and effort, which can now be utilized for the more important aspects of your business.

Full ZIP Code Lookup for Offline Communication and Cross-Channel Campaigns

Once you have a full 9-digit ZIP code added to your database’s addresses, you can significantly improve your offline communication capabilities. You can further use this data for your cross-channel marketing campaigns. It is evident that the full zip code lookup can greatly help businesses and marketing domains in many ways. They also come with certain limitations. Before you can employ advanced automation tools for your business’s offline communication and cross-channel campaigns, you should consider its advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages of Full ZIP Code Lookup for Offline Communication

The shipping quality of the offline communication methods is greatly improved when you carry out a full ZIP code lookup and use the ZIP+4 code, and it ensures the offline communications are delivered in a single drop-off. Another advantage of a ZIP+4 code lookup is that the addresses are subjected to a standardization process. Then the standardized address is subjected to validation with the official postal address database of USPS. This makes sure the address is deliverable, reduces your return rates, and effectively improves the ROI (Return of investment). 

The USPS encourages using ZIP+4 codes for bulk mailings by offering discounts because the ZIP+4 codes give USPS valuable information that will help them sort through their mails more efficiently. As a result, the USPS only has to spend minimal resources to mail pieces to their destination. Offline business communication is thus made not only more time-efficient but also cost-effective. By doing this, companies can optimize their operational expense and further contribute to a higher ROI.

Another aspect of your offline communication affected by the utilization of full ZIP code lookup is the speed. Throughout this article, we have mentioned many times how the full nine-digit ZIP code enhances the speed of operation and speed of delivery of the post. The ZIP+4 code enables the USPS to direct mail much faster, which is ideal for businesses that want to send out important documents such as invoices, bills, or bank statements. The documents reach their destination in the shortest possible time and minimize the risk of late delivery, which effectively improves your customer service quality.

Disadvantages of Full ZIP Code Lookup for Offline Communication

Although the full ZIP code lookup tools significantly enrich the customer data and are invaluable in terms of efficiency, there is a risk of it integrating poorly with an automated mail printing and delivery system. Unless the solution of your choice is fully automated, like PostGrid, that allows you to carry out a full ZIP code lookup and have them printed and mailed to the right destinations, you may end up hiring a separate team to handle the offline communications. Such a measure could affect your budget and keep your staff away from doing the more important work than organizing mail fulfillments. Similarly, not having a fully automated system like PostGrid can become a nightmare if the offline mailings are managed poorly by the team that takes care of them. There will always be the scope of human error in your offline communication system.

Advantages of Full ZIP Code Lookup for Cross-Channel Marketing

Using an advanced address verification tool like PostGrid for a full ZIP code lookup allows you to get a more comprehensive and data-driven idea about the geographic area your target audience lives in. You can use this to collect additional demographic data of the target audience. Once you get your hands on this type of data, you can then utilize it to learn the average household income, median age, and other such nifty details through governmental bodies’ official statistics. This kind of data can be a treasure trove for a capable marketing team. They can use it to come up with personalized advertising for the target audience through numerous marketing channels.

The channel used for the purpose could be anything from billboards to regionally-relevant, personalized postcards. Once you are able to relate to a specific customer or even customer group to their daily route, the marketing team can select the ideal product to be advertised based on the new data obtained. In effect, a full ZIP code lookup can lead to enhancing the marketing campaigns and their overall quality despite which marketing channel you decide to use. Furthermore, the accuracy of your cross-channel marketing is greatly improved through a full ZIP code lookup. This can be better utilized by companies or businesses that do not have extensive data on their customers and are constrained by their marketing budget to invest in advanced methods for collecting more data on their leads or customers.

Disadvantages of Full ZIP Code Lookup for Cross-Channel Marketing

As far as cross-channel campaigns are concerned, their effectiveness is to a great extent dependent on automation. The effective implementation of cross-channel is not feasible unless automated to get you the best possible result. The full ZIP code lookup offered by the USPS is not equipped with the advanced capabilities that are needed for the marketing automation of medium to large size companies. The USPS services offered for a full ZIP code lookup are pretty rudimentary and with limited data enrichment capabilities. For a business, it is highly impractical to use legacy solutions provided by USPS for determining the extended ZIP code of addresses in your database. As a result, your cross-channel marketing campaign may suffer.

Therefore, you need two things to get the desired result from your cross-channel marketing efforts: a marketing automation software and an advanced tech solution. This is where an advanced, fully-automated print and mail API solution like PostGrid comes into the picture. As tools like PostGrid are advanced and can be integrated into your website using API, it allows for complete automation of your direct mail campaigns. PostGrid’s capability to integrate to your business website along with its superior analytics makes it a one-stop solution for streamlining your cross-channel marketing efforts.

 Also Read: What is a postal code?

Conclusion

As we’re near the conclusion of this article, we find ourselves facing the best way to implement an extended ZIP code lookup for businesses. It is evident that, at a time when the competition is now harder than ever, businesses need to have an edge through reliable methods like cross-channel marketing and even offline communication through posts. Unlike the use of ZIP+4 codes by individuals or even small-scale businesses, companies with a fairly large address database can not afford to stick with traditional solutions.

Traditional solutions like USPS extended ZIP code lookup are not the right match for businesses regardless of size. It is, therefore, necessary for businesses to adopt a more simplified, accurate, and well-organized solution. Even partial automation, including address verification, may not get you the results you hope for. By using advanced tools, like PostGrid, you can streamline the entire process of cross-channel marketing. It can also save you valuable resources, which you can use for the more important goal of growing your business.

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The post ZIP+4 Codes – The Last 4 Digits of ZIP Code appeared first on PostGrid.

Via https://www.postgrid.com/zip-4-code/

source https://postgridplatform.weebly.com/blog/zip4-codes-the-last-4-digits-of-zip-code1399005 source https://irenejvines.blogspot.com/2021/09/zip4-codes-last-4-digits-of-zip-code.html

[danielhitome]

Recipe for the Future of Eating

Meet Jessie and James. They’ve been married for over 3 years now and neither of them will hesitate to say that this has been some of the most wonderful time in their lives. Just as long as you don’t mention cooking.

"What should we eat tonight?"

"Who's cooking?"

"Can you do the dishes?"

"I told you not to buy so much, now they are all going to waste!"

The lovebirds were both laughing with a hint of embarrassment as they recounted things that could have potentially "sabotaged" their marriage.

For a lot of people, cooking isn't an easy or pleasant experience when you have to do it every day.  It can be the most stressful moment of the day, and it isn't hard to imagine how it could strain a marriage or family relationship. And it isn't just about the time pressure that 77% of Americans feel when rushing to cook a meal in less than an hour after a long day of work. Even experienced home chefs can get burnt out by the mental stress involved in figuring out what to serve on the dinner table every week, while trying to keep meals interesting, on budget, and with minimal waste.

Unlike many other families that cook to save money, eating out is an option for Jessie and James. The millennial couple make enough money to eat, travel, and enjoy the finer things in life from time to time.

"It’s hard to eat out and stay healthy. Do you know how much a quinoa salad with a little bit of chicken costs?", James joked, "Anything that sounds healthy are expensive, I guess there’s no traveling for us or we can't pay our rent!"

Humor aside, cooking is essential for many. Whether it's to sustain a balanced millennial lifestyle or keep the family sane and healthy, the benefits come with a substantial time and psychological expense for those who take on the responsibility in the household.

But wherever there's a problem, there's also opportunity for enterprising individuals.

Food channels, recipe websites, and food bloggers have all raced to rescue. There are certainly no shortage of recipe ideas on the Internet that attempt to inspire people with great dinner ideas., But choosing the right ones can be overwhelming. Content companies like Tasty are trying to make cooking seem less stressful by capitalising on our desire for simple and practical dinner ideas. Traditional media too, Jamie Oliver' "30 Minute Meals" ("15 Minute Meals" more recently) and other cookbooks that appeal to busy would-be home cooks constantly make the bestselling list.

But when it comes to actually saving people time and stress, the real game-changers came from several slick mobile apps.

Does this sound familiar to you?

You wake up late on Saturday morning with an empty fridge because you have had a busy week. You open Instacart, select what you want, and they will get all the ingredients you need for brunch within an hour. You don’t even have to get out of bed. Feeling even lazier? Place an order at your favorite breakfast place using UberEats or DoorDash. You can order whatever you want in a few taps.

The latest invention certainly counts meal kits. Anyone can order everything they need for a few specific recipes and have a box of ingredients in the exact amounts delivered to their home. The initial excitement among time-strapped consumers who still aspire to cook have successfully propelled leading companies like Blue Apron and Hello Fresh to IPO. But these companies can only continue to remain successful if the meal kit subscribers don’t cancel their services within a year - Most of them do.

Why is this happening? A lot of it has to do with the fact that meal kits are expensive, and people are certainly not thrilled by the excessive amount of tiny bottles and boxes that are used to transport the ingredients.

While all these advances in the food space certainly have made feeding ourselves and our families easier, consumers are still constantly making trade-offs between time, cost, health, and taste.

Eating tasty and healthy meals require either time or money, sometimes both. And there’s a real need to solve this problem, despite an incredibly challenging one. But as Jeff Bezos put it, if it’s a need that is not going away in the next 10 years, it’s a good problem to focus on.

Luckily, now we really have the opportunity to not just solve this problem, but to go about it in a way that’s actually good for our planet.

Here are couple personal predictions that, if all come true, will completely re-shape the economy of eating.

1. Robot

Eating at restaurants is more expensive than cooking, of course. When we eat at restaurants or order take-out, we outsource the labor of cooking by paying nearly 20% of the price of the meal.

Can robots replace chefs? Probably not anytime soon if we're talking about Michelin star chefs. But we can certainly expect to see robot chefs getting adopted in commercial kitchens, and they will be versatile enough to cook (or assist the preparation and cooking of) 90% of everyday dishes.

We have already seen fully automated restaurants serving customers, and pizza robots that bake the pizza while delivering it to you.

What about cooking at home? My first prediction is that the future of eating will involve minimal cooking at home. We will "liberate" ourselves from the time and stress spent planning and cooking meals.

But having robots cook for us is only the beginning.

2. Data

On average, up to 34% of the food in a restaurant is wasted. And in some cases, they are wasted before they even reach a customer’s plate.

If a restaurant know exactly who will come and what they will order, zero waste would not be just a dream, and the savings can certainly be passed onto the customers.

However, most restaurants today can't even make personalized recommendations to impress their customers. And even if a restaurant does a fantastic job tracking and making use of data, it can hardly predict the diverse and constantly shifting tastes of the entire population. Unless a restaurant (or chain) serves a significant amount of the population.

Don't be surprised though, some companies already have this capability. Companies like Grubhub and DoorDash have been collecting data at scale that they can tell you a particular customer is likely to order Vietnamese Pho next week because he loves Asian cuisine with noodles being his go-to option, but he has just grown tired of Japanese udon.

Two things may happen in the future:

Data will be shared among restaurants to better predict demand and preference

A single gigantic restaurant chain that serves a large portion of the population will also come to own a significant amount of the data about our eating habits and preferences.

Personally? I’m betting on the emergence of a big restaurant chain, but it won’t be anything like the restaurants we know today. For now, let's just call it "Big Food". It certainly will serve fresh, healthy food that’s highly customised to people's individual taste preferences, and possibly body conditions.  

3. Supply Chain

When we buy groceries at supermarkets, we certainly don't enjoy the wholesales discounts that restaurants receive. And even if we want to buy in bulk, it's simply not realistic to store fresh ingredients in large quantities.

With a deep understanding of what people want to eat and what’s good for them, "Big Food" can accurately predict the demand for every ingredient and source ingredients very effectively at scale.

That's hardly where "Big Food" will stop. When it gets to serve millions of meals daily, owning the source is the only logical thing to do to enjoy maximum cost savings.

So, my third prediction is that, those who cook for us will also own the farms. But it would be a complete disappointment if it's all about chasing higher profitability. The significance of owning the sources of food is that, a forward-thinking (and ethical) "Big Food" that understands consumers' growing concerns about health and the environment can invest in developing sustainable farming that yield safer and more nutritious ingredients at much lower costs.

4. Logistics, Packaging, and Storage

Is cooking at home, eating at restaurants, or ordering take-out more environmentally friendly? This is a tough question to answer.

Besides food waste, there’s also packaging, disposable utensils, gas, electricity, and more.  

Let's start with energy consumption.

Most of us likely believe that cooking at home should be more energy efficient. And for the most part, that’s true. Restaurants consume significantly more electricity keeping their lights, air-conditioning, and equipment running. This becomes an even larger problem when ordering takeout because of the gasoline burned to deliver your food. But when you count the round-trip required to pick up groceries, which are shipped in bulk to a restaurant in one truck load, the equation becomes complicated. That's also without considering the packaging and plastic bags that come with our grocery shopping.

As far as packaging waste is concerned, some studies even claim that the disturbing amount of packaging in meal kits cause less of an environmental impact than the food wasted due to poor grocery planning.

Without delving into every factor of the carbon footprint equation, we can assert that the food of the future needs to be both convenient and enjoyed without guilt.  

So, here goes my final prediction.

"Big Food" will ship multiple cooked meals contained in environmentally-friendly containers that can stay fresh for an extended period of time, in a single delivery. It will leverage data to optimize its delivery routes for the lowest fuel consumption (thus lowest possible shipping costs too).  

This also has significant implications to the roles of kitchen appliances. In the future, perhaps our fridge may exist mainly to keep these pre-cooked meals fresh, intelligent enough to defrost the meal you're going to eat tonight ahead of time, and automatically shrink its size to keep energy usage very efficient as meals are taken out. In any cases, kitchen appliances need to adopt this new way of eating.

Reality

Most of these "predictions" are already happening on their own separate ways. When you put all of them together, it's not hard to see the emergence of super massive centralized cooking facilities, which I refer to as "Big Food" earlier. These companies will develop the capability to:

Cook a wide variety of ready-to-eat dishes and cuisines that cater to a massive amount of the population’s daily meals.

Integrate every component required to produce a meal from farming to the last mile delivery.

And most importantly, produce fresh, nutritious, very affordable, and environmentally-friendly meals.

However, there are many reasons why "Big Food" may go against our interests and bring negative disruption.

Think about the types of companies that are in the best position to define "Big Food". They are the industry leaders in food processing, consumer packaged goods, grocery retail, and even appliance manufacturers, most of whom tend to care more about shareholders' interests. We certainly don't want our food to be filled with unhealthy ingredients and preservatives, or packaged in materials that don’t decompose for the next 1,000 years. But if what they offer is cheap enough, most people will easily give in, predictably.

A lot more ethical questions still need to be answered. One thing I’ve always wondered is: How will we use the time regained when we are freed from cooking? A few more books, or 2 more hours on Youtube?

I do believe that the future of eating is a future without cooking. But for now, cooking is still your best option if you plan well!

---

Three More Food For Thought

Cooking will continue to exist and the market around cooking can still continue to be extremely vibrant, but it will likely exist as a hobby.

Food will be the next medicine, or “preventive healthcare” to be exact, and they will be tailored to our genetic makeup and body conditions.

A friend asked me: "If the future of eating is about efficiency, wouldn't the most efficient way to eat be taking pills that supply the optimal level of nutrients?" I do think that these "meal pills" might one day exist in the distant future, but its popularity would depend on the complementary VR experience that delivers a realistic eating environment that is essential to our human experience.

Photo credit: freepik, mrsiraphol, rawpixel.com, mrblmoreno

[wotdhorror]

Special Delivery

Li was a deliveryman. However his job wasn’t the type of posh delivery job one sees in the West, where a guy in short shorts drives a big truck filled with well-organized boxes throughout the day. Li had no truck, nor set hours for that matter. Instead he had a trike that left him exposed to the elements (a battery powered thing with a miniature truck bed) and a completely commission based paycheck. A few percent on each package and half for returns is enough to live comfortably, but only if you’re willing to deal with traffic and foul weather

Because of the nature of their pay the delivery business was a cutthroat one, especially during the holidays. It wasn’t strange for delivery drivers to show up at the warehouse at four in the morning and deliver until ten at night during peak seasons, because. Doing so could mean making triple one’s usual take in only a month, if handled correctly. It also wasn’t rare for drivers to steal packages from each other (or offload unwanted ones) in the name of organizing the most efficient route. Naturally the early risers in this situation did best, and people like Li, as green as deliver drivers get, got stuck driving all over the city delivering ‘problem packages.’

Li’s grandmother had never liked the idea of him working delivery. She had always been worried that he’d get in an accident, and that’s a very natural fear for a grandmother to have. Still, Li assumed his grandmother was more morbid than most grandparents. She seemed convinced that he’d somehow get maimed on the job, and that he wouldn’t be able to ‘pass on,’ if they couldn’t ‘find all of the parts.’ In truth the reality of an accident was never far from his mind, but for Li it was more an issue of having a trike full of parcels and trike repair deducted from his paycheck. How he stood when it came to reincarnation took a backseat.

Still, on especially cold days he would think of his grandmother’s superstitions and drive that little bit more carefully. Better safe than sorry after all. On this particular day mortality was far from his mind, as he was late again and needed to get his addresses inputted.

The company had an app that could plot a route based on the packages for the day. It was helpful to always have a map in front of you and all (cell-phone mounts on the trike handlebars were standard), but the app was buggy. More than once he’d carried around fruit all day, mushed up under the weight of other packages, only to deliver them to a pissed off recipient after dark. Worse still was when the recipient rejected the package altogether as that meant a paycheck deduction and a talking to by the floor man.

In hindsight he always resolved to shift the packages around more carefully, but this day he was in too  much of a hurry to get out the door.

The first delivery was a rattly package for an old man. The second was soft and, probably clothes or something, received by a young woman too busy with an iPhone game to say thank you. He could tell from the packaging that the third was imported apples. He waited with baited breath as the recipient, a middle aged women, inspected them for bruising. Though it felt an unfair stereotype, Li had found middle aged women the most uppity and prone to file complaints. He escaped this time without incident though.

Morning marched on into noontime the way it always did, and Li’s mind became more and more focused on lunch. Once he’d done around thirty parcels he finally allowed himself to settle in at a small restaurant to slurp down a bowl of noodles. Other deliverymen might have taken this time to re-plan their route, but Li preferred to slow down at lunch and daydream. Today he watched the restaurant’s cook, who he could see through the order window, and tried to put himself in the man’s shoes.

It looked like a hard job, being cooped up in the little kitchen and surrounded by pots of boiling water. It was the exact opposite of Li’s job in some ways because, while Li was always on the move and freezing cold, this man was stuck in a space no bigger than a closet and visibly sweating. The cook’s job seemed no less dangerous either, as the cook hefted a pair of cleavers on the chopping block and chopped up some beef for the next order. With the speed he did so, Li wondered if the man had ever cut himself.

He wondered, too, what his grandmother would say about him being a cook. Would she still be worried that he’d hurt himself? Maybe she’d think he would cut something off and not be able to ‘pass on?’ Where was the line drawn, he wondered? Did you have to lose a hand to lose your shot at reincarnation, or was cutting off the tip of your thumb enough for disqualification?

The thought made him smile, but at the same time made him feel very uncomfortable.

In the afternoon the GPS dragged Li all around the city, and to make matters worse something in one of the packages had leaked all over the trike bed. He had first discovered it on delivering another case of wine to a young guy at work. The guy was irate, of course, because the way the parcel sopped up the reddish brown liquid made it appear like one of the bottles had ruptured. When they investigated the bottles were all whole though, which was a relief to Li even though the trike still needed cleaned.

Li found that the culprit was a small box around the size of a football, probably stuffed under a pile of packages by one of the other delivery guys. It was oozing a reddish-brown liquid out of one corner, so the packaging needed to be scrapped. He jotted down the address and contact on the label in preparation for calling it in, but he wasn’t interested in getting yelled at by management and losing the commission. Li considered for a second just pitching the package in the dumpster and waiting for it to get reported lost (if the sender bought insurance they would be compensated at least), but he didn’t want to lose his job over a small box filled with what was probably spoiled fruit. Instead he pulled out his knife and prepared to clean it up to see if the recipient would still take it.

The smell inside the box was overwhelming even through the cold air. There was an ornate, round chipboard box inside, which Li gingerly lifted out. It would have looked quite nice had it not been leaking. There wasn’t anything written on it, but it looked like the kind of box a new year’s present might be presented in. He wanted to lift the lid and see what was really causing the trouble, but that felt somehow irreverent. Even if it was just a piece of rotting, exotic fruit, it felt wrong to open someone else’s present and so he left it be. Li lined the bed with an old newspaper that someone had left in the trike and moved on.

The rest of the afternoon was spent apologizing to people and explaining the rancid smelling stains on their parcels. He lost at least two more commissions because the goop had soaked through the cardboard and ruined something inside, but at the very least the GPS had finally started working correctly and gave him a decently arranged route. He noticed that, mercifully, the leaking package was the last on the list.

That package turned out to be a rather depressing delivery. The handlebar GPS led him into another development, perhaps the twentieth he had been to that day. Downstairs of his destination were several white and black funeral arrangements, set up around the door on wicker stands. When he reached the unit upstairs he found with a pang of sympathy that the leaking package was going to the mourning family. Of course Li couldn’t be blamed for fruit spoiling, or for the package leaking, but still. These people had suffered a loss and he felt like he was somehow kicking them while they were down by baring this bad news.

When he explained that something had happened to the package it’s  recipient, another middle-aged woman, invited him in. The box had started to leak again, and so he kept it bundled in the newspapers as she went for a mop.  

“Who sent it?” she asked, cleaning some goop from the tile. That was peculiar for her not to know, because most of Li’s deliveries were things that people had bought online. He said as much, reading the name and the address. It was from the same city, which was also peculiar because it should have gotten delivered well before its contents spoiled.

“I don’t know anyone by that name,” she said, nor did she recognize the address.

Li could see where this was going, although he really didn’t want to end his day like this. He looked around the room, seeing a black and white picture of a child on the mantle. His throat felt dry, but he really didn’t want to lose the commission.

“Perhaps it is a friend of your husband’s,” he said, but she shook her head.

In the end she didn’t take the package, which Li couldn’t blame her for. His only option was to try and claim half commission for taking the parcel to its return address. The sender’s number was disconnected, so he he put the address into the company app as twilight fell.

It was around nine o’clock by the time he reached the return address. His trike was running so low on power that he had to limp it over at a snail’s pace or risk the battery dieing along the way. He wasn’t sure he would be able to get it back to the warehouse afterward, but part of him wanted an explanation for the troublesome package.

The address turned out to be a guard shack at the edge of a construction site. The guard inside didn’t recognize the name either, and wasn’t willing to take the package himself.

“It stinks,” he said, but in the end he allowed Li in to ask around the dormitories for the sender.

The construction workers, mostly undocumented migrant workers from what Li had gathered, lived in a two-story, prefab dorm building. Before long plump man from emerged and frowned at the sight of the box.

“You shouldn’t have brought that back here,” he said, eying the package sadly.

“I can’t deliver it,” said Lee. “It’s spoiled.”

“Spoiled…” said the man. “Well I can’t keep it. Deliver it anyway.”

“Listen, there’s been a loss in the family who you sent this to,” said Lee. “They rejected the package, and my boss won’t let us keep it. Just take it back or I’ll have to throw it out on my way out of here.”

The man stepped forward, eyes widening.

“No, you can’t do that,” he said, as if Li were about to light the box on fire. “You- you can’t throw it out. It has to go back. If not…”

Li eyed the box, and wiped a little of the now dried grime off on his coat.

“Listen man,” said Li, “just buy another… whatever this is and deliver it yourself. It’s not even that far away.”

“You don’t understand,” said the worker, looking over his shoulder. “You have to take it to them. If you don’t then he- ju…just make them open it. They’ll understand when they see.”

“I said they don’t want it. Whatever it is they don’t want it and I’m out money because of it,” said Li. “What’s in here anyway? Just take the stupid thing back.”

The man wouldn’t though and Li was out of time to argue. It was almost ten, the trike still hadn’t been returned, and as far as his mental math went Li would be out a couple hundred in commissions thanks to this ridiculous man and the leaky package he had sent.

Why not just deliver it in person? Li steamed at the thought. If your friend is grieving then why wouldn’t you just take a bus over and comfort them? Give them the package in person and show your support for their loss. That’s the only right thing to do.

His bile about to bubble over, and he put the box on the ground. He thumped his fingers on the lid and opened it.

On top was a note, written is surprisingly neat lettering. The writer was sorry. It was an accident, they said. Curiosity gone wrong is what it was. The writer hoped that this could make things right, and that this package could ‘ allow his spirit to pass on.’

Underneath the note, wrapped in stained tissue, was small hand, the size of a child’s,  and in the throes of putrefaction. Li saw in his mind’s eye a boy’s face cast in black and white, a picture on a grieving mother’s mantle. Again he heard his grandmother’s words.

[furiousharmonykryptonite-blog1]

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What is the difference between insurance and coinsurance?

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Is healthcare on medicaid health insurance decent?

my father has to take an array of medications every day for heart problems and high blood pressure. will these be covered? i hear many doctors don't take payment from medicaid, and that poor healthcare is offered through the program, instead of private practitioners, one must go to community clinics, etc. should my father go on medicaid, or is it not worth it?""

Does it matter if you tell the insurance company?

that you are keeping your vehicle at 'X' address instead of your real address which is 'Y' address. Reason being that X is a way cheaper premuim than my Y premium. And its only for TPO insurance. Thanks

Is there a way to find out someones insurance company only with their name and address?

i also have a license plate number. is there a website i can go to that i just type in someones name and their insurance company pops up?

Where can I get affordable health insurance?

I am a full time college student, and my school offers insurance, but it is expensive. I need basic health care to cover doctors visits, specialist visits, and x rays. The main reason I need coverage is that my back is messed up from a car accident about a year and a half ago and I can't take the pain anymore. I went to my states website and the insurance they offer is currently not accepting applications. I have looked at tons of sites online, but so far am having no luck. Any advice would be appreciated.""

Why did my car insurance get higher?

My car insurance is going up over $100 per 6 months *shocked face* I am curious. Is car insurance in general getting much higher? Or would this increase be due to a wreck I had in January? (It was totally not my fault, but the guy who hit me wasn't insured.) p.s. If it makes a difference, I use progressive insurance. I spent over a month calling around - they had the best offer for me last year. But now I guess it's time to see what else is out there.""

How do i get my insurance quotes lower for driving?

im 17 and i want to insure a car but every quote i get is allways about 4000 - 10000, is the any way i could get them lower on my quotes? like having another person as a driver and things like that?""

lincoln insurance number

lincoln insurance number

HELP! Car & Insurance for 17 year old.?

Hi, I'm 17 in a week & will be starting my driving lessons. I have my theory booked for a few days after & aim to pass in around 6 weeks, depending on the waiting list for the test, having 3-4 lessons a week. Driving a car isn't a problem for me, have had plenty of practise on tracks in my dads weapon ;) & have for the last 8 weeks or so been going to an empty industrial estate one or twice a week, driving my mums cooper S or occasionally my uncles M3. Just need practice with the ways of public roads from my instructor. Anyway, as you can probably tell I've had a fair bit of experience driving fairly fast cars, so thats where i need advice - can anybody suggest any fairly fast cars that are reasonable to insure? or any cheap insurance company's, or any ways to get insurance down, as long as they aren't completely ridiculous lies, I want to keep it as legit as possibly ideally. So far I've been quoted 1600-ish on a standard golf on my mums insurance, but ideally want something a bit quicker then that. My budget for a car + insurance overall is 4-5k. My ideal car would be a GTI, anybody know where i can insure one cheap-ish? ALSO, *PLEEEEASE* no do-gooder's telling me it is 'fronting' to go on my mums insurance, I am well aware of this, however I am also aware that if the car is registered in my mums name with the DVLA, then they don't have a leg to stand on. I have checked this with one of my mums friends, a solicitor. Also, nobody telling me that I 'wouldn't be able to handle the power' or that I'd 'kill myself', believe me, I'd smoke you ;). Sorry its a bit long, please help! :-)""

Young drivers car insurance uk?

I'm having a lot of trouble with find insurance. I really need help , or advice , what am i doing wrong .. everyone around me is getting deals of around 1.200-1.800 pounds.. I've chosen a Clio which is one of the cheapest insurance cars , I also tried , adding different drivers or companies , black boxes etc -.- and the cheapest quote i got was 6.500.. which is like triple the price of the car . Anyone any ideas ? Help.""

Can auto insurance keep policy after being told to drop?

Switched insurance companies. the original insurance company WOULD NOT CANCEL the policy. Is this illegal?

What should I do to get an International Medical Insurance?

I am a visitor in the United States, and I ll be here for about 2 months and I need a Medical Insurance, need some recommendations and where to go, and the docs necessaries.""

What is the best occupation to have to get cheap car insurance?

I'm paying the same amount as my car is worth to insure it. I''m old enough to not be a boy racer in a baceball cap and young enough to not be an old duffer in a flat cap .

Where can I buy cheap auto insurance or temporary auto insurance in the United States?

I know u can do it in the UK...but can't find any insurance agency in the US to do it.

Which company gives best insurance to young drivers?

I'm currently 17 and the cheapest quote i've got at the moment is 4000 on my own car as the main policy holder but with my dad as the main driver i've found a quote for 1500. but does anyone know which companies are good for young drivers?

Integra to Mustang: how much will my car insurance go up?

I am currently insured with ING for my acura integra '1992 at $55 a month. I'm 23 years old with a clean driving record and the insurance is one-way (damages to my car in an accident are not covered, but damages to another car/property are covered) and is also protected from theft and attempted theft + vandalism. I am planning on switching to a 95 Mustang. Can I expect a small or significant jump in my insurance premium? I would apply the same coverage. (The car has an alarm system and I put on a steering wheel lock when I leave it parked.)""

How much will i save on my progressive auto insurance by parking in a garage?

is it a big savings? any estimated dollar amnt? i live in an average sized city in MN if that makes any difference

Car insurance for a month?

Is there anyway of getting a car insurance for just a month cause I'm selling my car in the next month so don't want to take out a years insurance for it? Thanks

1967 mustang insurance?

I am 20 years of age me never been involve in car accident and never gotten pulled over have had my driver license since 2008-2009 around there I was thinking of buying a 1967 mustang does anyone know how much insurance will cost for that I currently have farmers insurance. Also does anyone know how much it will cost me to change its license plate tags from Oklahoma to California tags Its coming from Oklahoma thank you

Affordable health insurance for self employed in Missouri?

Affordable health insurance for self employed in Missouri?

Car insurance question?

how much is insurance for a 17 year old with say a used 90s honda?

Homeowner's Insurance Question...tree fell on my car and I rent!?

So today I had a terrible storm at my house and a tree (about 1/3 of a huge tree) got ripped off from its trunk and landed on my car. I rent from a landlord and she has homeowner's insurance that may/may not pay for the removal of the tree from the yard and my car. My question is, shouldn't her insurance cover the damage to my property (my car)? Her property damaged my property so in my mind her HO insurance should pay for any damage to my car but she said she thought I would have to file a claim on my auto insurance.""

65 Life Insurance vs. Term Life Insurance?

My wife and I currently have 65 life insurance which we pay about $130 per month for the two of us. After listening to her friend Suze Orman she wants to get rid of the 65 life and get term life insurance. 1st question is what do you think is better and 2nd is how easy is it to settle your current life insurance to cash out and if you stay with the same company can you roll your current $value into the new term life? Thanks

What is the cheapest possible insurance available?

Including the cheapest car to insure and the best way to go about insuring that car. What is the cheapest insurance i can get? Thanks for any help

Is it cheaper insurance for a classic car?

I am hoping to pass my driving test soon and I was wondering whether it would be cheaper insurance on a classic car. I would like a Rolls Silver Shadow, though this is probably too ambitious.""

Is a mazda 3 a sports car too a insurance company ?

will a insurance company consider a simple mazda 3 a sports car ? like not a mazda 3 speed , just a normal mazda 3 sedan 4 door""

I was in a car accident. My car was deem a total lost. The insurance towed my car away. I waited 1 year?

trying to get my claim paid. Today I received a letter from some car auction center, stating that I had to go get my car or they will charge me storage per day. now my car was a honda 05 I originally finaced the car and still owe money on the car. like 13000. The insurance company is not paying my claim. The finance company gave me a charge off on my credit. Now If I go pick up this car. is the car now mines? I do not have the title. How do I get the title.""

""I'm 15, pregnant, and have NO insurance?""

I don't qualify for medicare. My parents make to much, can anyone give me any ideas of what I can do for insurance? Please, No hateful comments. I'm really being serious here.""

Whole Life vs. Term Insurance?

People always ask about whole life vs. Term Insurance and the insurance salespeople always defend Whole life and trash Suze Orman (not a fan of her anyway)... But they fail to prove the point with real hard numbers. Show me how Whole Life beats Term with the additional premium saved being invested in a Total Stock market index fund or other no load investment at a Vanguard or other low cost provider.

How long do you have to file a claim with car insurance?

I hit a lady on january 25. I made a little crack on the inside of her car. She sais to just give her money to fix it and she won't claim it. How long does she have to claim this with her insurance?

Are there any insurance companies that will cover Suboxone?

My girlfriend takes Suboxone strips twice a day and the Suboxone cost was covered by a program she was in. That program recently expired and we are trying to find out which insurance companies would cover the drug because she simply can't afford to buy the strips out of pocket. She only makes about $200-$250 a week so we were trying to find a low income solution. Are there any companies that we could potentially look into? AETNA is one that we are considering but we wanted to see what options were out there.

Cure auto insurance online?

I need insurance now! I have completed my form on cure auto insurance and I'm now on the last page to agreeing to the power of attorney and agreement to conduct business electronically and it saying over and over again that I must scroll and read it. But I have! Why won't it let me agree?

""Why can car insurance base on statistics, but other things can't.?""

Is it women who gossip more at work or men? Is it women who bring their personal life to work more or is it men? Is it women who will have to take a huge break at work because pregnancy or men? Why are women paid lower? Is it men that get in more wrecks then women? Is it men that have the need for speed always in their head while driving? Is it men that buy flashier cars? Why do men pay more for car insurance? So basically we have one type of company that can be sexist on statistics, but what about statistics everywhere else? Also, does the rule not look at soccer mom statistics? I've seen way more women talking on their phone then men. Six parking lot wrecks at my work this year all caused by women in my office (none by men). I drive a 5 speed so talking on the phone isn't something I even like to try. The reason for my complaint is my sister is 17. She has one dui and two speeding tickets. I am 21 I have a clean slate other than a warning for my headlight being out and nothing else. My insurance is $1320 a year her insurance is $720. We drive the same car and have had the same courses. It makes me feel like it makes sense I should be paid more because I pay more because something I can't control.""

lincoln insurance number

lincoln insurance number

How much will it cost me to repair a paint less dent on a Nissan Sentra?

My car was recently hit without my knowledge. No one saw it and it happened while I was parked. The dent is right above the body of the tire frame and its about two inches wide. My question is will my insurance pay for it? And if not how much will a repair like this cost me? The car is Nissan Sentra 2012.

""Rear-ended, bent frame, does insurance replace my car?""

My frame was bent really out of shape in a really stupid rear ender at a metered ramp. The woman who hit me had insurance. My car can't even drive straight without me fighting the steering wheel. Will insurance cover the cost of a replacement? My car is literally 6 weeks old, has 649 miles on it. How pathetic is that?""

What is an annuity insurance?

What is an annuity insurance?

Insurance Rate comparison Between G37S Coupe 2009 and a 370z 2009 Both black for a 17 year old?

don't give me the He shouldn't have a car like that at such a young age. We have our reasons, just got back Iraq. But anyways, would the insurance be basically the same for both cars since they're both fast, expensive, and two doors?""

I just got into a car accident and whats going to happen if i dont have insurance for that car?

Okay so on Monday, I was parked on one side of the street and because of street cleaning I uturned across the street into two other cars that were parked and some lady backed up trying to park in thee space that i was in. she did not look back i guess. It's clearly her fault but the thing is that that car does not have insurance. My other 3 cars are insured just that one is not because my brother gave it to me to sell. I am wondering what is going to happen because she reported to insurance. Wiill i get in trouble? ( I'm under 18) Do i get money from her insurance company? Will I have to pay for her damages even though it was 100% her fault? and what do i do now? Her insurance agent called me but i called back and cannot get a hold of her. Thanks for the help""

How much would insurance cost for a 16 year old driving a 2004 acura tsx?

How much would insurance cost for a 16 year old driving a 2004 acura tsx?

Classic car insurance for young drivers?

I'm 17 years old and my father is trying to insure me for the classic cars we own. But the insurance company that we're with as of right now says I must be 24 before I can be insured under a classic car (or something along those lines). I am already insured under three newer cars as a secondary driver. Are there any insurance companies that will insure young drivers under a classic car? What if I was registered as a secondary driver for the classic car? Any answers are appreciated.

How much should i settle my auto injury claim for? please someone help me out!?

Question Details: i had an acccident about a year and half ago and i was a passenger. i have no health insurance and have been footing all medical bills thus far. i am writing a demand letter right now but am wondering how much should be my compensation request. here's a brief summary. the other driver is at complete fault. i have all soap notes from doctors,bills and reports. we were hit head on while on our way to my root canal surgery, i was having my permanent put in. i had to go in 2 weeks later wearing a cervical collar. i have choronditis, back sprains and horrible knee contusions still left on my foot. my doctor has recommended physical therapy for up to 3 months but i can't afford to go anymore thus why i am trying to settle. total medical bills is about 12,000 not including other misc like pills. i just don't want to ask too high or be taken for a fool,so please help. thanks. also the insurance company has never made an offer they said it was a hard hit. both cars in""

Insurance for a 16 yr old guy. please read and answer :)?

My son is looking into buying a 2001 v6 mustang, he is 16. How much would insurance run for? Is it even worth getting the car? PLEASE ANSWER! thank you""

Registering a car without insurance--California?

with our old car we had we were able to register it back in jan without having insurance, they said we can still register but have to get insurance and provide proof within so many days. well we got into a bad accident with that car and we now have no car, or insurance and we are planning on buying a used car tomorrow from a friend, can we register it without having insurance right off the bat? just asking maybe laws have changed. i can not seem to find my answer on the dmv web site. thank you..im in california""

How much is it to insure this car?

I'm 17, B student, took Divers Ed, and my grandpa and I restored a 1998 Mercedes-Benz SLK230 Kompressor. The only problem I see is insurance. Does anyone have an estimate of how much this will cost per year?""

18 Year Old Male's Car Insurance?

Hi, I passed my driving test in September 2010. I've been looking at insurance quotes for small run arounds like Renault Clios, Vauxhall Corsa's, Volkswagen Polo's etc but cant find anything lower than 6000, and thats without evening paying another 1400 for the car itself ! I've been thinking about getting insured on my dads Toyota Corolla, its a 1.4 diesel hatchback and he's had his license for 30 years and his premium is 400. If i were to get insured on it the price would be 2500, do you think thats worth it or is it better to shop around and get insured on my own name ? I just want to use the car now and then rather than using it regularly because i dont really need to right now..""

Health insurance question please?

My family and I have not had health insurance for the past few years. And I'm starting to get really sick and probably need tests done. I live near Aurora,IL, what's an affordable good health insurance I can get? I work part-time at a pet store and it's not gaurenteed hours so I may get like 30hrs a week for a month and than it go down to 20hrs a week. I am going to school full-time as well. Can someone please help me?""

Cheapest way to insure 19 yr old boy with one year no claims bonus?

owns own car,has pass plus. been driving 1 yr on own insurance.wants me to put him on mine as he can't afford another yr on own. Can i do it? Is it legal? Is it cheaper?""

How much would insurance for a 16 year old(male) driving a BMW 2006 650i be?

My parents have no accidents or tickets ect that they look at when you're getting a quote. I just bet them that I could get a quote for this car without them ^_^ I livee in washington 98037. Verryy Much appreciated if you could try and see how much the quote would be. Also, I have a 3.8GPA. (P.S. Don't Be A Stalker)""

Do I need my own car insurance?

I have paid my car off to my mom. She paid for it initially and is the listed owner of the vehicle. I'm 20 years old. Since she is the owner does that mean she will always have to be the primary driver listed on the insurance? If I move out after I graduate in a few months, do I need to get my own insurance plan on the car or stay on hers? I plan to keep her house as my permanent address for at least a few years until I really settle down. It would be cheaper to stay on the plan with her, but can I do that if I don't live in the same household?""

How much did you pay for car insurance on your first car?

I am going to be 17 soon and will get a car, the car i will get is Vauxhall Astra Mk4 1.4, i went on a car insurance quote comparison website and the cheapest they could find was like 5,500, there's not a chance im gonna pay that, i was wondering what you all paid, oh and i live in the UK.""

Car Insurance Question?

I am a little under 15 and a half years old and my dad has debated and almost bought a lot of cars for me, from ford f650's to 1965 or higher mustangs and jaguars. but so far we have thought that the car that would be good for my first car would be a 1994 Ford Mustang with a V8 with 30k miles0. which is perfect because that was the year i was born. So my question is that since its a sports car and its V8 about how much would my insurance be when i could start driving by myself?/ insurance for the other kinds of cars/trucks?""

Can i sue a car insurance company?

Heres the story, me and 5 friends were driving from Los Angeles to Bakersfield in the middle of the night, it was really rainy, i was in the backseat sleeping. My friend hit a puddle and hydroplaned, cleared 3 lanes and we rolled 5 times down a hill and slid into a field, everyone was ok miraculously. I sustained minor injury, had cuts and bruises all over. Was out of work for a week on doctors note, but was really out longer because i work at lowes.....im lifting heavy stuff all day and i couldnt move well at all for weeks this happened all in November, it is now may and i just got a letter in the mail from my friends insurance stating that there is a possibility they wont pay my medical bills in full and i should consider other options pretty much How the hell do i handle this?""

""%100 liable for totaled vehicle, very low settlement. help please?""

The auto insurance company says i am 100% liable to the damages, received mail from the auto insurance company, it said im responsible for 18000 for the vehicle however they will pay any 3rd party damages i hit a traffic light and rear ended a car . I called them to ask for payment options and they offered me 13000 one time payment and its settled. Why is it so cheap? im very confused""

Do i need to add extra car insurance?

Hello. My father has a BMW and i am 16. When i am 17 i want to share the BMW with my father. My father has insurance on the car already. Its a full cover insurance. When i am 17 do i need to add extra insurance to the car or do i just leave it as it is? Do i need to add my name along with my dads name to the owner of the car?

What to do if i don't have auto insurance before purchasing a used car?

Im buying my first car. Im just looking for vehicles at the moment and ive never had insurance. Anyone been in this situation and can help me out?

Cheapest Auto insurance?

Cheapest Auto insurance?

Getting car insurance under parents name (Ontario Canada)?

I am 19, and I want to buy my first car, how ever I cannot pay 600 dollars a month for insurance. My dad does not want me on his insurances because he does not want the risk of his insurances going up if I get in an accident. So I was thinking, would my dad be able to insure my car under a different insurance company than the one he has now, and then just put me on the insurance. There for if I get in an accident, the insurance for the new car would rise, but the insurance for his car which is under a different insurance company would stay the same?. Theoretically speaking, if the above is true, and I do get in an accident, and the insurance rises to a price where I could not afford the monthly payment. Would my dad be able to just cancel the insurance?""

""Is a $2,000 deductible 'affordable?'?""

Obamacare: Is a $2,000 deductible 'affordable?' http://money.cnn.com/2013/06/13/news/economy/obamacare-affordable/index.html""

lincoln insurance number

lincoln insurance number

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/affordable-quality-insurance-weslaco-tx-christopher-anderson/"

[profoundgardenertree-blog]

Is it illegal to apply for car insurance at a different address?

"Is it illegal to apply for car insurance at a different address?

My cousin has only just passed his driving test and is struggling to get insurance due to the area that he lives in. (I'm not sure whether he CAN'T get it or it's just really expensive) Anyway, he wants to know whether he can register it in his name but at my address as the area that I live in is a lot cheaper. I told him I'm sure this could be classed as fraud but he said it's not. Could anybody shed any light on this? Which one of us is right?

BEST ANSWER:  Try this site where you can compare quotes: : http://averageinsurancecosts.xyz/index.html?src=tumblr 

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I had a wreck and I have full coverage with car rental included for 30 days (20 dollars a day) if I don't use the car rental, do I get a check for the amount that I didn't use...I have Allstate...my daughter had a wreck a year ago and she received a separate check for the total of the car rental expense she didn't use, but that was with farmer's insurance...If I'm paying for collision and car rental on my premium and the insurance doesn't pay the car rental place, shouldn't they pay me?""

How much is a car insurance ?

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Insurance and pregnancy...

I am planning to get pregnant in March, 2009. After working things out with my husband, it seems like the best time for us Anyway, my insurance policy will finish in August and I'll have to get new insurance (I won't be able to continue with my current insurance policy for reasons beyond the scope of this question). Will this cause me problems with the new insurance company (I still don't know what insurance I am going to purchase)? Will the NOT cover my pregnancy and delivery and consider it a pre-existing condition? What's your advice? We really don't want to postpone pregnancy any more and now is not the best time for us""

How long do I have to get insurance on a car I just bought in Pa?

My boyfriend bought a car in private sale over the weekend. Because his parents don't have his name on the insurance cards I had to put the title and registration in my name. Now how does he insure the car with it in my name? And how long do we have to get the car insured?

How much does Alstate raise your insurance for a new teen driver?

I'm 17 and ill be put on my parents insurance,How much extra will it coast a month? I took drivers Ed which lowers it too. I have an 06 ford explorer if that matters.""

How much would it be to insure a 2nd gen. Dodge Ram 2500 with a Cummins Turbo diesel for a 16 year old boy?

Im looking for better gas mileage, and it appears the Cummins has better mpgs than its 5.9l counterpart. (dont be a smart *** and say no trucks get good fuel economy) But i would wonder if a diesel would yield higher insurance costs for someone my age rather than a regular gas engine.""

What are the cheapest home owner insurance for oklahoma city?

what are the cheapest home owner insurance for oklahoma city? can someone tell me which company give the cheapest rate and the best coverage please, thank you very much; this is my first time buy a house, if you have any advise please let me know, thanksssssssss a million :)""

I totaled my 2010 Mazda 3i how much should I expected from insurance?

I was just squished between two pickup trucks with the driver behind me at fault and having a suspended license. The body shop said the total damage is $13,700 and the insurance company just labelled it a total loss. My car is just over a year old with about 55,000km on it with no prier damage on it. How much should I expect to get back as I am financing the car and cant afford to keep paying if they don't pay it out. ( Canada, Ontario, Ottawa)""

Do I need car insurance to drive someone elses car?

I got my license about a month ago..I'm 16 years old, going on 17 soon. I was wondering if I need to have my own car insurance in order to drive someone elses car? Their car is insured, however, I don't have my own insurance yet. Thank you!""

Help i need affordable health insurance for my college student daughter in texas?

Help i need affordable health insurance for my college student daughter in texas?

How do you get car insurance?

I am on my mom's car insurance with Geico but it is no cost because I had my permit. I just got my license like 2 days ago. Will I have to notify them? I'm going to get a car next week probably, so you have to have car insurance to actually buy a car don't you? Could someone explain the process to me? Thx =]""

What is affordable insurance for nasal fracture (nose broken) in Texas?

i'm looking for insurance that cover foe nasal fracture that i can affort..I live in Texas .. i look for the cost for the doctor, and it is too much to pay put of my pocket without insurance""

Is getting into an accident with a more expensive car worse than with a cheaper car? (Insurance rate)?

Is getting into an accident with a more expensive car (Mercedes Benz or Ferrari) worse than getting into an accident with a cheaper car (Honda civic or toyota corolla) in terms of ...show more

How do I get insurance for my baby?

I'm 19 years old and pregnant and I've come across the problem of finding insurance for my baby. I am currently covered under my mom's health plan and can stay covered through college. Unfortunately, my baby won't be able to be covered under her plan seeing as how she will not be the legal guardian. Furthermore, I won't be able to get my own plan because I will not be working and will stay a dependent of my parents. Any suggestions as to the best route I can take to insure my kid? Thanks! Oh, and I also live in California if that makes a difference.""

""In NY, do you have to have Car Insurance even if your not driving?""

I'm a NY State Resident, and I am wondering that if I have my drivers license, do I have to have car insurance? If so, is there a way to get out of this, like getting rid of my license or something, I just can't afford insurance, but I'm not driving.""

Any1 know much on insurance info ?

hi all ive been with a car insurance for a year called auto direct and my insurance is over now.. therefore i have approved a full years no claims bonus with them... well what happens now how do i recieve it ? like a certificate or summin? they havnt even rang me or even sent any thing out to me ... i rang them the other week and they said they will send a confirmation of a yrs NCB... do i need this proof or do i just tell my next insurance to call them for comfirmation?? thanx another question is i got insured with auto direct for 2000 for the year. i had 9 points drink driving and i hadnt had any no claims bonus of course.. the car was a ford fiesta xr2i 1.8 16v 1994.. but now 6 of the points have expired and are off my license and also i now have a years no claims bonus ..all i have on my license now is 3 points and dr10 (drink driving bad i know) anyone have a rough idea how much this will come down now i have a bit more of a appealing record lol? thanks for time yall tc

Reg. vehicle insurance?

5 years back i took an insurance for my bike for Rs.35000/- Now the value is depreciated to 20000/-. So i stopped paying the insurance and my policy got lapsed. My question is suppose if any traffic constable asks me for the insurance what should i say? How to get rid of this situation without paying the fine.

""Fast Cheap car, cheap to insure for 18 year old any ideas?

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How can I get cheaper insurance?

I'm 18 years old about to be 19. I paid 200 monthly for insurance but found out there raising my fee to over 500 bucks. I used progressive to find a quote and I got 400 from it. I got in one car crash last year. What are my options?

How much does the cheapest insurance cost for a honda fit in the US?

i heard that cars r pretty cheap in the US, but insurance is a must they say??!, im from south east asia, and they sell cars triple the price here but dont required insurance, so how much is the average insurance for a honda fit in springfield virginia???""

How much does motorcycle insurance cost in the uk for a 18 year old?

Not the exact price, just roughly.and per month""

How much do you pay for health insurance per month?

Just your portion/ per month / your age I am 30 and did not choose a health plan at work because I think $170 a month for basic HMO is too much for a single healthy person. I used to pay $60 with dental and vision at my last job (which I know is really cheap). When I interviewed here they told me they had a great health plan. Well, guess what they lied! I will definatly be asking more questions about health insurance when I talk salary for my next position.""

Do auto insurance brokers/agencys lie . they said ill pay 49 monthy and 134 down for insur. could this be lyin?

ya basically this auto insurance agency asked sum ? in person and compared rates and the lowest price was some company was offering $49 monthly and $134 down .. i was trying to get 40 a month and shes like there is nothing i can do .. then i was asked how can i be sure that this will be the monthly fee and they wont charge more and she said there will be no hidden fees this is what they charge . we are ligitiment insurance agency ... but i dont know i feel like the down is probly profiting them big time and i feel like the monthly payments will some how be higher than 49 monthy and she is lying about hidden fees

""What is the definition of junk insurance and did all insurance companies, even Blue Cross, once offer them ?""

it is a good thing you did not get seriously ill because you would have lost everything and still be dying a miserable death. BTW, Insurance companies did not call their product junk insurance. It was easy takings from suckers though.""

Is it illegal to apply for car insurance at a different address?

My cousin has only just passed his driving test and is struggling to get insurance due to the area that he lives in. (I'm not sure whether he CAN'T get it or it's just really expensive) Anyway, he wants to know whether he can register it in his name but at my address as the area that I live in is a lot cheaper. I told him I'm sure this could be classed as fraud but he said it's not. Could anybody shed any light on this? Which one of us is right?

Who offers the cheapest auto insurance?

Who offers the cheapest auto insurance?

Where can I get the best price on private medical insurance?

Where can I get the best price on private medical insurance?

Is there a good site to compare the insurance rates of different cars?

I'm looking at cars for my son (who just turned 16) and would like to see which cars are best in terms of insurance rates without going through the process of getting a quote for each car.

Can my car get repossessed for lapse of insurance?

Okay so short and sweet my loan company called and says my insurance lapsed now is this a problem by means can they come get the car like in the same fashion as if I were not paying on it? But can they still get it even if I am making the right payments on time? Also if I fax them my insurance card showing I have the card with proof of the insurance til may will they take that as a form or do they need to contact the company directly?

""OHIO: I'm 17, and got cited for failure to stop at a 4-way stop...got in accident...price?""

I live in Akron, Ohio. But I got cited in Salem, Ohio. I got cited for failure to stop at a 4-way stop sign. and got in a wreck. my car is fine. I was going speed limit (25). Other car, minor problems. I have to go to court. This is my first wreck, and citation. I drive a nissain altima 2003, my parents own. -how many points will i get on my license? -how much will my ticket be? -is there anyway the charges will be dropped? -how much will insurance go up? Thank you sooo much! sorry the police just weren't very helpful. I have statefarm insurance!!""

Car insurance - UK

My provisonal license will be valid in 2 months when im 17 and once i take my driving test and pass it, i plan on getting a car. The thing is that insurance will be quite high as i would have just passed my test and im only 17. My question is: If i get the car and register it under my mums (or dads) name and put the insurance under their names would it be cheaper? Bear in mind that my parents have about 16 years of no claims bonusus too, thanx xxx""

Any reccomendations for a good dental insurance??

i have health insurance through my job, but they do not offer dental.""

Car Insurance For 16yr old boy?

What is The cheapest car insurance for a 16-18yr old boy that lives in Milwaukie, Oregon?""

Car Insurance HELP? which would be cheaper?

im not asking for a PRICE,but which out of these 3 cars do you THINK would be cheaper on insurance for me. I am a new driver,I have good grades ( good student discount ) and Im going under my moms insurance. -2004 pontiac grand prix -2006 chevrolet impala -2006 pontiac G6 I dont need any websites to find cheap car insurance i just need opinions on which you think will be cheaper and why thanks! = )""

""How can i insurance my car, for only 3 months?

im finishing my college... i bought a car in us... for the year i was here... bour my car insurance expire.. like 2 months before i finish... and im not gonna buy other 6 months of insurance... cause i will be using it only 2 months more... WHAT I CAN DO!!

What is the cheapest but best car insurance for NYC. thank you.?

1967 dodge dart need insurance fast if you can please help.

How much would it cost for car insurance for a 16 yr old with a 1997 honda civic?

How much would it cost for car insurance for a 16 yr old with a 1997 honda civic?

""How much, usually, is the insurance on one of those crossover suv's?""

i am an 18 yr old male and i am in the market for a new car. i just recently feel inlove with the mitsubishi outlander, mitsubishi endeavor, ford edge, jeep cherokee. i figured out all the prices and payments and everything, but i am not sure about how much the auto insurance will be... any help anybody?? thanks""

Car Insurance Policy - Registration and insurance in different names - Married couple?

New car insurance application had both our names listed but when we got actual policy it only had my name on it. Cars are registered under my husband's name. Would that cause any problems if we are stopped?

Non-custodial parent needs affordable health insurance?

Apparently only custodial parents can apply for CHIPS health insurance. My last job had affordable health insurance for my son, but my new job only has insurance for 800.00 a month. I only make 10.50hr and get less than 40 hrs a week. Can someone please direct me to an insurance plan that I can afford?""

How is medical insurance is applied?

I am an Egyptian seeking the progress of my country. I hope you answer the following questions according to the country you live in especially in United States of America, Canada, Israel, Germany, England and Nordic countries.""

Is it true that I will have to buy health insurance or pay a fine?

I thought the whole purpose of the Affordable Care Act was to make healthcare available to everyone. Now I am being told that I have to buy it.

Do you work for a major corporation and do they offer health insurance?

I have worked at the same place for 20 years. The first 8 they didn't offer insurance. Now they do, but I pay the premiums. How about you? Do you work full time? Does your employer offer health insurance? Do they pay or do you? How many people DON'T get offered the option to purchase health insurance through their employer?""

Which company has the cheapest full coverage auto insurance?

Which company has the cheapest full coverage auto insurance?

How does a LAPC in Georgia get on insurance panels?

How does a LAPC in Georgia get on insurance panels?

Auto Insurance coverage -- How much Liability and Medical?

I got a couple of questions about about auto insurance coverage. Namely, what's the best amount of liability and medical coverage to select. 1) For the liability, I know it's wise to get the best liability that one can afford to cover your assets. But how about if one also gets umbrella coverage. For example, if one gets an umbrella coverage at a $2 million limit and the liability limit for the auto insuarance is $300,000 or $500,000, does it make sense to select the $500,000 or is it better to select the $300,000 limit since the umbrella coverage would kick in? 2) for medical, is this redundant coverage and not needed because wouldn't the liability portion also cover medical expenses? Or is it wise to get this, for example, if a passenger is not insured (no health insurance), so the medical part would help out in that case? Thanks.""

Do you have health insurance?

If you dont then why ?

Cheap car insurance for a 17 year old male.? [:?

I have already asked this question on here but i got answers that were completely on the wrong side of what I'm looking for. I got told to go to different comparison sites to find cheap deals. Which is not what I want. The answers I was looking for was more along the lines of, lowering insurance by adding parents as named driver and so on. I did this with the car im looking to buy (Seat Ibiza 1.2 Group 2 insurance.) With my dad as a named driver on TPFT insurance, and i got quoted 1400 a year. Yet people with cars higher than that can get comprehensive insurance for less than 1000 a year. So what I'm asking is, How the hell do they do it.?""

Can I cosign a car title with my boyfriend but just add another car on my insurance?

I already own a car of my own and my boyfriend had a car too until he crashed it yesterday. since we are tight on money I was going to help him pay for half of a new one and cosign on ...show more

How much would insurance be for a BMW 3 series from 2001 with 150k miles?

My dad said he'd buy me a BMW if the insurance isn't considerably higher than my brothers, who drives a 2004 VW Golf. I'm a 16 year old male and will probably be driving within a year but I want to know whether the insurance would be considerably higher than a golf. We live in Dallas TX Thank You""

Is it illegal to apply for car insurance at a different address?

My cousin has only just passed his driving test and is struggling to get insurance due to the area that he lives in. (I'm not sure whether he CAN'T get it or it's just really expensive) Anyway, he wants to know whether he can register it in his name but at my address as the area that I live in is a lot cheaper. I told him I'm sure this could be classed as fraud but he said it's not. Could anybody shed any light on this? Which one of us is right?

So i got my estimate for my auto insurance?

And i don't know how to read most of it.... like... what does R&I mean? under Op. is there a legend i can look at?

How high are insurance rates for a 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer GT?

Its a car with the whole package; mags, sunroof, skirt, spoiler, sound etc. It's a 4 door 2.0L 4 cylinder. I'm wondering how much insurance I'll be paying in comparison to a Hyundai Elantra GL to which I was quote 1300 a year for - yikes! Anyone own this vehicle in Canada? Btw I'm 20, clean record, been driving for 2-3 years (dont even remember honestly).""

Would my insurance go down if i trade in an 08 liberty or an 2012 patriot?

I currently have an 08 liberty that we got screwed buying, the gentleman that works at the same dealership is going to try and reverse the loan however which is a good thing. i was wondering though if from previous experience would my insurance go up or stay the same. the liberty we have now has several features. (convertable sunroof, built in media center etc.) where as the patriot doesnt have those features.""

How do I get 1 day car insurance in virginia?

Someone is giving me a car I am picking up in newark and I need one day insurance to drive it back because i dont have money right now since my job doesnt start til 2 weeks from now and its my first job since my car accident 2 months ago. I tried calling elephant because I thought they had 1 day insurance but they keep transferring me to a place that says they dont have it. I dont know who to call

How to renew two wheeler insurance ? Can I purchase some other insurance ?

Hi All, I have two wheeler (TVS wego), and when I purchased it I had United India Insurance which is expired, I want to renew it. How do I renew it or can I buy some other insurance as other can be purchased online ? Is it acceptable by RTO ?""

Is it mandatory to have car insurance in New York State?

Will I get a ticket or get my licensed suspended if I don't have I don't have car insurance?

Health insurance in NY state for pregnant women?

I just graduated with a bachelors degree, and my student health insurance runs out in August. The health insurance offered by my husbands job (which won't open up to me until Jan.1 anyway) considers pregnancy a pre existing condition, and won't cover it. We have been searching for affordable plans, but the only ones we have found that will cover pregnancy aren't accepted in New York state. For all the plans offered in NY that we've been able to find, none cover pregnancies in progress. I would hate to have to use the state provided health care plan for pregnant mothers (mostly because I feel like there is no reason for me to be part of a government program when we are capable of paying for our own insurance, but also because it means we have to go to specific clinics and I won't be able to keep my doctor), but there is no way we will be able to cover all the costs of a birth, especially if for some reason I need a C-Section or the like. Can anyone give me some advice, especially as it relates to the NY state health plan for pregnant women?""

Moving to France - car insurance?

I am moving to France next week and will be taking my British registered car. I rang my insurers who told me that they would only insure me 'up to the ferry' and after that ...show more

How much does it cost for car insurance for an 18 year old male at insautoinsurance?

How much does it cost for car insurance for an 18 year old male at insautoinsurance?

What are the insurance requirements for a first time 16 yr old driver with no car in n.c.?

heard you needed insurance just to get a license.

Cheap car insurance companies?

i've just passed my test and own a renault clio sport 1.4 w reg all insurance quotes have been over 3000 pound does any one know where to go for cheap car insurance

Car insurance for a 19 year old?

So my dad bought me a 2004 Mercedes Benz C320 Sport today and he is thinking of putting me under his insurance. I want to find out how much insurance is going to be be, since I want to help out as much as I can because I don't want to be a dousche. I am looking for an insurance that covers everything. Anyways, I am 19 years old, college student, 3.2 GPA, living in Irvine, CA, and have never been in a traffic accident. This is going to be my daily driver (40 miles a week), and it is kept in a garage. Thank you for your help and I hope I was clear. http://1webproxy.cn/car-insurance.html""

Are lincoln town cars cheap to insure?

i am thinking about a new car. i am 20 years old; no tickets or accidents the car i want is a 2000 gray lincoln town car with low mileage i drive on average 15 miles a day and can afford gas and repairs. i dont want no cadillacs or imports

Car insurance for a teenage female?

i'll be turning sixteen soon and im curious as to what the average cost rate with state farm for a new driver is?

How to find affordable health insurance?

I am an international student in the US, and by law I am required to get health insurance while I am in university. I have been buying from Blue Cross Anthem and the price is getting very unreasonable over the years. The price is close to $1500/year. What company do you suggest me to get cheaper insurance from? Something preferably under $1000. Insurance Broker must certify that all of the following conditions are met: * Policy must be in English * All coverage limits must be in US dollars * Medical benefits of at least $250,000 for each accident or illness * Full cost of medical evacuation * Full cost of repatriation of remains * Coverage for the entire academic year* * Minimum 75% coverage for each accident or illness * No capped benefits e.g. $1,200 per day for hospital room * Maximum deductible of $100 per condition per plan year * Maximum out-of-pocket expenses $2,500 or less * * Must cover pre-existing conditions, with a wait period of no more than six months if attending the full academic year Thanks in advance.""

Baby insurance?

I currently have insurance through AmeriGroup in TN, and i was wondering if i have to get the baby their own insurance before they are born? does anyone know anything about this? my husband and i were a little surprised to be pregnant, and so our maternity insurance didnt kick in and we will not be able to add the baby to it.""

Are States legally allowed to require car insurance?

Can the State legally mandate that citizens buy insurance from consumer agencies that have little to no regulation of price and guaranteed service? Can we consider this question with ...show more

Car insurance????? ?????????

ok i turn 17 very shortly and want a peugeot 106 diesel(which is a 1.5) it is insurance group 3 and good mpg, but would it cost much for me to insure and could i get an insurance quote from a insurance brokers at 16 without owning the car first? i hope it won't cost much but one off my mates has the peugeot 106 gti quicksilver and that's a 1.1 and his insurance is 2500 while another mate has a corsa 1.1 3 door fully mod with subs,amps,alloys head unit all covered 3rd party fire and theft at 880 a year so surely a diesel 1.5 shouldn't cost much? right.lol""

My freind is driving with out car insurance. Is this ok?

A freind of mine, 23yrs old, has just bought a $1000 car to get herself around from work and school. She lives alone with her sister, who is 25 and grandmother and has told me that she needs this car badly but can not afford to pay car insurance. I've been told that she can go to jail and loose her lisence. What can be done to help her out? She lives in florida USA.""

Whats a good car insurance company?

hi im a 22 soon to be 23 year old male trying to buy a used 2004 or 2005 honda accord lx for 8 to 9000 dollars....what is the cheapest good insurance company i can go for and how much would i might have to dish out????

Car Insurance rip off?

Just a warning anyone thinking of taking out car insurance or renewing their car insurance with the AA check with many other companies first, the quote they have just given me is DOUBLE that of any other like (Direct line,LV,Barclays ect ect) the AA are brokers and the insurance they offered is supposed to be the cheapest they could fined from LV and when I went on the LV web site to get a quote it was half that the AA had quoted.""

Why does health insurance not Cover dental work?

health insurance dental work

Will not going to driving school raise insurance?

I'm almost 18 and have not yet attended driving school. I was thinking that I'd just go to the BMV and get my license once I m 18 and not worry about paying so much money for driving school. But I have heard from a few people that insurance later on once I receive a car will be higher since I did not take any driving courses. Is this true? I want to know if it's better to pay a little extra now to go to driving school for lower insurance later? Or if it'd end up being about the same price, anyway, without driving school? (I know all insurance companies are different, but I mean overall/in general?) Please and thank you!""

Should i go through insurance?

Some guy jumped on and dented my hood. Its gonna cost $900.00. He is t paying. I filed a police report and will file charges. Two witnesses no video tape etc. Should i file with my insurance and pay the $500 deductible or just pay it all? Im scared that my insurance will skyrocker and it wont be worth it.

Will my insurance go up that much if I buy a Camaro?

I currently have a 96 Pontiac Sunfire and I have Erie insurance which through them I have liability only on my car and my rates are $60.00 a month....I am 18,19 years old next month and I found on craigslist a guy who is desperately wanting to get rid of his camaro and is willing to trade it straight up for my sunfire,as he and his gf are having a baby and she wants him to get rid of his toy....now this camaro is a 95,fully loaded automatic,t tops, leather interior etc...and my sunfire is the basic model,manual windows,locks etc....so obviously Id be making out very well in value....now I am on my own insurance and my mother chewed me out when I told her about me maybe trading for this camaro...will my insurance go up THAT much?""

Is it illegal to apply for car insurance at a different address?

My cousin has only just passed his driving test and is struggling to get insurance due to the area that he lives in. (I'm not sure whether he CAN'T get it or it's just really expensive) Anyway, he wants to know whether he can register it in his name but at my address as the area that I live in is a lot cheaper. I told him I'm sure this could be classed as fraud but he said it's not. Could anybody shed any light on this? Which one of us is right?

""Low Rate Auto Insurance, Help PLZ?""

I just bought a car today Ford Explorer 2001, high mileage. I never been insured before, do you know which is a best insurance company with lowest rate for someone doesn't have good income. in live in California Bay Area. Thanks""

2 Door Cars vs 4 Door Cars cost of Insurance?

I am interested in going from my 4 Door Acura TSX to a 350z or G35 Coupe, 2 door cars. I was wondering what the difference in prices would be for me, I am 19, no accidents, no tickets, clean record. As of now my parents have me on their insurance which I am sure makes it much cheaper, so what would the average cost of switching be if I was on my parents insurance or I was to take up my own. Please let me know, Thanks! :)""

Car Insurance pay out when vehicle written off?

My car has been written off and my insurance have offered my 1,250 for it. They said they use some Glass Vehicle Valuation thing so I went on it's website n had the car valued myself n there's 5 categories for pricing the vehicle: Trade-in Excellent condition - 1,376 Trade-in Average condition - 1,210 Trade-in below average condition - 1,066 Dealer sale price - 2,640 Private seller price - 2,221 Which is the price I should get for my car? It was an 02 plate Renault Megane Coupe Privilege + in excellent condition! I found the same car in a different colour on Auto Trader for 2,000. I think I should get the private seller price as I am effectively selling them my car and not trading it in!? My car was set on fire btw! Awoke at 3am to the thing in flames just a few feet away from my house! ='(""

What is the average cost of car insurance for an 18 year old?

I live on my own, I'm a full time college student, I have a part time job, I am female,and I make good grades. I want the cheapest insurance legally possible.""

What is the best and cheapest homeowner's insurance in canton georgia?

What is the best and cheapest homeowner's insurance in canton georgia?

""If someone, such as my sister, borrows my car and gets a ticket, will MY car insurance rates go up?""

This hasn't happened yet, but I am afraid it will. Yes, she speeds, but hasn't gotten caught yet. While she is insured to drive under my parent's plan, this car and my insurance are on a completely separate plan altogether.""

How much would auto insurance be around for an 18 year old female?

I'm looking to buy a car but before i do i want to make sure i can afford it with car insurance

How much does insurance(auto insurance) cost for a 56 year old with perfect records?

I was wondering how much insurance would cost for a 50+ year old, and which would be the best insurance, and also the cheapest.""

Insurance question?

i need insurance and basically what i need to know dose any insurance cover dermatology?

Is it worth it to buy the extra insurance for a UHaul rental truck?

That is, even though my car insurance covers rentals, I have a 500 dollar deductible. Does getting the rental truck insurance make it so there is no deductible in case of an accident?""

Looking for good medical insurance?

I know blue cross/blue shield is good, but, what other insurance is out there? I need to insure myself, my son, and my fiance. I need to find some fairly cheap insurance as well. Know of any? And also, dental.""

Can anyone recommend any car insurance companies to me that are pretty cheap?

Just bought a new car yesterday and need to get it insured before i go pick it up. I'm a 19 year old female and passed my test on august 27th last year so havent even been driving a year yet...dunno if that helps at all lol the cheapest quote i got so far is 920 annual...does anyone think this is the cheapest i'll get.

How to be auto insurance agent that sells more than 1 brand of auto insurance product?

I am interested in becoming an auto insurance agent. I want to do this part time, but I don't know how to get started? I can go to school to get the degree to sell insurance, but how do you get the connections to sell the various types of insurance ?""

Affordable insurance plans??

Hello! I am a 21 year old mother of 2 ( a 13 mo. old and a 26. mo. old) My husband and I do not qualify for medicaid (apparently you have to be dang near homeless) and we need health insurance. He has a heart condition (hes 25! ) and I tend to get sick alot! lol anyone have any ideas for affordable health insurance?? ( under $100 /mo if possible) thanks for your time, Be Blessed!""

When does car insurance take effect?

so i have car insurance on 3 cars now the third one i asked to be insured like 2 or three weeks ago is my car insuraed from the day i call and get insurance on it or wat plz ten points

What is the insurance of Maybach car?

I live in the UK. I don't want sites referred to me, but just want an estimate of how much insurance would be""

Insurance sells up or down?

This is a question addressed to current ly licensed Insurance agents abroad; therefore, my question is concerning the economy crisis we Americans are facing right now and with that, is Life & health Insurance coverage on the fall or rise? I have been waiting to start this career but not too assured that right now is the best time for this.""

Can someone tell me about life insurance? What is term? whole?

What company do you recommend? Anything else you can educate me on would be terrific! Thank you very much.

Wondering how much is car insurance?

i am wondering how much is car insurance a month for a small car if you know an estimate please write it down

How can I get some cheap/reasonable health insurance?

How can I get some cheap/reasonable health insurance?

""Hi fellow seniors, do you have household insurance?

With so many thefts of late and now mass flooding in and around the UK I hear so many cases of people being out of pocket as they're uninsured. Thankfully hubby and I can just about afford to pay it and so far so good we haven't needed to make any claims. With insurance costs at a premium I wonder just how many of you can afford it?

Is it possible to get Mexican insurance (not tourist) for US plated car ?

I have a US plated car (calif plates) not currently registered in the US, Not currently insured in the US. I am in mexico on FM2. Car has been here for over 4 yrs with temp permit. Is it possible to get insurance in mexico? For tourist policy I have been told car must have current US registration and insurance, For mexican policy I have been told need to have mex plates. Anyone with US plates been able to get Mexican insurance (not tourist) for their currenlty unregistered un insured US vehicle in mexico? If so what is your insurance company. Thanks""

""What is a good Car Insurance Company. Im in my early 20s, not the greatest driving record.?""

I have had a few speeding tickets, no insurance tickets, ect. 1 accident 6 years ago. I just need good, cheap, liability insurance for my fiance and I""

What is the average Motorcycle insurance cost?

Not sure if these are necessary but 16 YO Female Probably Suzuki or Honda 2009 CRF Just estimate please. Don't tell me to call Progressive. If you have owned a motorcycle tell me what your price was. A good straight FWD answer. Thanks. Your source would be helpful too for Example- Motorcycle of 4 years Have a Harley

How much will Liability Car Insurance Cost For A 20 year Old Male?

Im going to get a car soon, something 2004 or older.""

Is it illegal to apply for car insurance at a different address?

My cousin has only just passed his driving test and is struggling to get insurance due to the area that he lives in. (I'm not sure whether he CAN'T get it or it's just really expensive) Anyway, he wants to know whether he can register it in his name but at my address as the area that I live in is a lot cheaper. I told him I'm sure this could be classed as fraud but he said it's not. Could anybody shed any light on this? Which one of us is right?

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/anonymous-renters-insurance-quote-jose-flores/"

[derrickbrindley-blog]

Lifestyle Contents.

A crucial consider taking care of personal adjustment is the magnitude to which the person has the capacity to acknowledge that they are actually not their ideas - to not blunder the map for the area - and also to have actually an expanded sense from personal identity that is past their personal and also others perspectives, which is grounded in market values, a greater purpose as well as in easy conditions an increased consciousness of who they truly are actually or are actually certainly not! Even though the components appear to fit, there will be actually recognizable indicator that an oversight was helped make upon owning the auto. You are actually in for a planet of pain as you try to obtain your financial life back in order if you don't capture identification fraud troubles early. Yet, that's not the blunders that we make that define our company; that is actually just how our experts prefer to pick up the parts from our lifestyles after these mistakes and move on. When deciding if they can, a major mistake very first time purchasers produce is actually centering on the month-to-month house remittance amount manage a certain residential property. Search for the weaker locations in your life such as confining ideas that create you to make oversights and after that try to alter these limiting routines, ideas, and also actions. Keep in mind that oversights are certainly not indications from weakness or ineptitude; recuperating from them confirms resilience and also willpower. It is actually intriguing that any sort of possibility to court or put down other people derives from our personal need to be mistake-free, our very own worry from errors. The concern along with pointing the finger at other individuals for our error is actually that our team will certainly endure the ache and also outcomes of our oversight, however won't gain from this, consequently bingo! Discussing in a non-defensive means what brought about the oversight may help folks better understand why it took place and also how you can prevent this later on. Oversight # 4)) No Dating Funnel: A man walks up to a female, users a creative opener, acquire's her phone number, calls her a few days later, he puts together a 1st day and then they go out. Check out that you perform not supply a harsh effect for an error that was actually given good initiative. But when I bring in the exact same oversight twice (and I admit, it takes place more often in comparison to I would certainly just like), that's when I am really challenging on myself. Yet since, in practice, nobody is reliable, it is actually regularly required to reposition previous activities to present that this or that error was actually not made, or that this or even that imaginary victory actually occurred. Completely take the idea that your children are actually performing their best, and also they'll learn quicker about their mistakes if they reside in an atmosphere that takes oversights. Perspective what happened as an experience that will definitely enhance your habits and also behaviors, thus you will not create the exact same oversight once again. Acknowledging oversights is a sign of stamina: Being willing to discover, walk out on the brink, and stop working, especially in front of others, suggests an individual who cares about herself and her ability to prosper. Like I pointed out above, my largest oversight after passing was actually tingling as well as buying a vehicle prematurely. Blunders that include breaching an individual's trust can have lasting effects and self-reproach is crucial. This generally consists of the foremost expensive garments as well as apparel extras, additionally as those who are actually brought in by widely known developers. Don't produce the oversight from concentrating merely on foreplay; afterplay is actually just as essential to your spouse. The mistakes that our experts create as Foreign exchange traders are actually commonly nothing much more than an instance of permitting emotional state to slip in to our investing selections. Other kings permit their priests create their errors for all of them, but Louis demanded making the vital oversights directly. Those 1st thirty few seconds of discussion with a female are actually important, as well as one mistake can easily spoil your odds from obtaining anywhere along with her. She possessed an unparelled present, specifically marker in palm, from squeezing major oversights in to tiny possibilities. . The very first step in blunder proofing is to identify the type of error, or errors, that led to the defect. To oversight A for B → A mit B verwechseln, A für B halten; that could certainly not probably be actually misinterpreted for just about anything more → das ist doch unverkennbar!, das kann male doch gar nicht verwechseln! A blunder, as that seems to be to me, is none the much less a blunder since it is helped make purposely in the prosecution from an incorrect intent. Finally, the last huge mistake that lots of girls create is overcomplicating their program. The eradication of error-prone steps in a process is another approach of blunder proofing. All it takes is for one blunder to happen as well as whatever you've operated so hard to accomplish could be reduced in the blink of an eye. The one point they all share is actually the readiness to take a risk regardless of whether they may make errors en route. Coming from record hiding, utilizing redaction tool courses as well as redaction software program as well as legal redaction, listed below are a number of the standard mistakes folks help make. As well as all of us perform. Perhaps our experts make the very same mistake three times, but with any luck certainly not 4 or even five. Concerning the Writer: Mike Clover is actually the manager from is just one of one of the most distinct on-line resources free of cost credit rating records, World wide web identity burglary program, safe bank card, and also a BlOG with a riches from personal credit info. Youngsters who are afraid of consequence or the reduction of passion in response to their oversights learn how to hide their blunders. Songs Licensing For Film makes certain that these seemingly unidentified but talented musicians acquire discovered and also they could approach producers who could be able to offer a proper direction to their profession. In case you loved this informative article and you want to receive much more information about yellow pages residential directory uk; listen to this podcast, generously visit our internet site. Getting the ability to stop home on your blunders will produce you even more helpful, will enhance your self-confidence, and also will produce you more pleased. Amount of money mistakes are actually infamously enduring in individuals's minds, and also often they find it challenging to forgive themselves or others for oversights long past. For dealing with over a thousand package deals, boxes, bags, pouches and also various other factors a year, these significant delivery business slip up less than one per-cent of the moment. To judge ourselves for our oversights is actually to create yet one more mistake, accordinged to the 1st, then enhance that. That is this self-condemning method which should be put aside to make sure that we may acquire the best benefit from our every error. MISTAKE 8: Using Dark Hat Search Engine Optimisation Techniques- Improving your search engine marketing by means of methods and dishonest procedures would certainly not help you for long. One-sided blunder (where one event is incorrect as well as the various other recognizes or should have actually recognized of the mistake). A man looking at a hippopotamus may at times be drawn to pertain to a hippopotamus as a substantial error; however he is additionally goinged to admit that a blessed inability avoids him personally coming from creating such blunders. It is actually for that reason vital that you first of all get to know about the common membership web site mistakes prior to you engage in the entire method. This is actually certainly not concerning our blunders in lifestyle that specifies that our experts are actually, this's about the personality that is created due to them, the knowledge that we get from all of them as well as the understanding that when our company perform make mistakes our team will obtain past them and also still stay an excellent lifestyle. You can easily re-send the project to these recipients utilizing MessageFocus's filter resource, along with the appropriate web link apologising for any type of disappointment and the mistake led to. This was a 2003 Ford that had actually precisely compiled a fair handful of kilometers (perhaps certainly not the greatest selection I had created) yet I possessed my cars and truck! Some coaches create the error from observing just what they assume will function better, without knowing the workout movements, strategies as well as devices they may be utilizing. Cherish your blunders of what they are: valuable lifestyle trainings that may just be actually found out by hand. Keep in mind, regardless of how many mistakes you make or even just how slow-moving you progress, you are still way before everybody which really isn't making an effort. The No 2 mistake that most Foreign exchange investors create is to begin multiplying up on a dropping profession and also, once more, they create this error for specifically the same factor. There are actually others that decided not to recognize the oversights that they carry out and also condemn them on others. The key is to always keep moving as well as not dwell on each individual realty committing oversight that you bring in, especially early!