#i was at the waiting to hear back from potential camps stage and someone just got in touch with me

[nerdie-faerie]

Ahhh I got a camp offer!!

[mf-despair-queen]

Stranded - Thomas

Author: @mf-despair-queen

Pairing: Thomas/Reader

Word Count: 11,426

Summary: You hated him. You despised him. He was arrogant for what he had done, taking down WICKED. He was the reason that your friends had died in the attack. But, when you find yourself stuck at sea, or even worse, stranded on a deserted island with Thomas, you find yourself realizing you were wrong. 

Warnings: NSFW, 18+, Unprotected Sex, Oral, Choking, Sex in the Water, kinda public sex I guess?, Multiple Orgasms, Dirty Talk

Notes: I guess I live??? I guess I still write. I don’t even know anymore y’all. I’m sorry I don’t post often these days. And I’m sorry this is as late as it is. It was meant for @writingsbychlo​‘s Thomas month three months ago but between work and laziness, I didn’t finish on time. Because, essentially, I suck ass. And tbh, I’m not incredibly happy with the outcome of this. It could have been way better than it was because I loved the idea a lot. But at this point, it’s as good as it’s going to get and I just want it done and out there. Hope y’all enjoy it. Big thanks to @roscoeknows​ and @brien-odylan​ for always pushing me with this, and @jagked-up​ for being a sweetie and proofreading for me. 

“Gather around everyone!” Vince yelled, his voice dictating the crowd of survivors to the beach front for the early morning discussions. You flopped to the sandy ground, wrapping your arms loosely around your knees that were tucked into your chest. Sharing a few nods with your friends as they passed by, you avoided the gaze of the ex-WICKED test subjects from maze A.

Many of the boys were kind and you got along with easily, but it was the tall, dark haired former runner that never struck you right. Upon learning that he had worked with WICKED growing up, and the downfall of the Right Arm shortly after his arrival, you decided to stay clear of the man, choosing to never forgive him for ruining the home you worked so hard for - causing the death of those who were close to you and raised you to who you are now. That, and he always seemed to be full of himself for his help in saving many people and stopping WICKED. 

Well, that’s what you heard from some of your closest friends at least. 

You had never truly interacted with the male for long periods of time. It was always in passing during dinner or around camp while getting work done. He would occasionally try to strike up a conversation, but you gave some excuse before running off, letting out a huff of annoyance that he would never get the hint. His aura was aggravating without reason, but you had no plans to befriend the amnesiac. 

Turning your gaze towards Vince, who stood upon a rickety stage made of driftwood and fallen branches along the edge of the forest behind camp that you feared would break under his heavy, muscled stature and weighted boots, your ears perked up to hear his morning announcements.

“Good morning everyone,” he called, voice as authoritative as ever. “Based on some recent discussions and feedback from everyone for their tasks around the Safe Haven we have decided to try out a new method for jobs. Moral has been low because people have been mentioning that they have felt things have gone stale because they’ve been doing the same job every day since we situated here, free of infection, free from WICKED."

“So, in an attempt to raise the mood around here, we will be testing out a lottery draw for daily tasks. Remember, this is just a trial run to see how people like it and I think it’ll be good for everyone to be familiar with all of the jobs. And so you are all aware, there will be no job swapping. Once you choose something, that is what you’ll be doing for that day.”

You pouted at yourself, huffing in annoyance. A lottery? Seriously? There were a number of jobs you wished to avoid, namely the ones that involved tending to the pigs that were being raised and handling slimy things that made you cringe. To top it off, you would potentially have to work with people you didn’t know or get along with instead of the people you knew you could stand for more than a few hours.

“We have set up a station outside the dining commons for you to choose your job for the day. And we’ll get some feedback during dinner to see how things went. We’ll decide after a couple weeks if we want to keep it like this, try something new, or go back to how it was before. So please everyone, line up to draw your job for the day.”

You let out a heavy sigh, watching numerous people rush towards the job drawing, uttering something about wanting to be first in line or hoping that they have a better chance at a better task. You were slow to stand, regrettably joining the line of people while patting the sand off your backside. Silently praying you didn’t get struck with a case of bad luck for once, you watched people one by one choose their jobs. Some cheered while others wept, being consoled by their friends. Your own friends - or the group you typically hung with - chose their jobs, luckily ending up in the same task of harvesting the gardens.

Your eyes narrowed on the group of former test subjects that chatted happily after choosing their jobs. Minho, the hulky athletic male of the group, flexed and laughed at his choosing of forest running, gathering food and wood for the village. Newt, the timid brainiac that was lucky to have survived not only a stab wound but the Flare as well, was working the medical room, which he seemed pleased about. Whereas Thomas, your least favorite person in the Safe Haven, was silent, showing an awkward, lopsided smile that you couldn’t read. Was he happy about his job? Disappointed? Apathetic? 

Who cares.

You turned from the trio as you approached the box yourself, staring one of the leaders named Mark in the eye. With a short nod at the older gentleman, you stuck your small hand through the hold in the top, feeling the dwindled number of papers inside. One last inaudible prayer later, you were pulling the slip out, eyes clenched shut and bated breath. 

Your heart fell when you finally cracked your eyes open, seeing the words sloppily written on the strip. Fishing. You dreaded fishing. As much as you loved to eat the seafood that was brought back each day, you couldn’t stand the task itself. You hated the tedious task of dropping a net or sitting with a pole, waiting for something to happen while the boat that you felt would capsize with ease, swaying with the ocean waves. Add in dealing with the fish, grabbing at their slimy, scaly bodies while they wiggled aimlessly was less than appealing.

Why, of all things, did you have to draw fishing?

You let your thoughts consume you as you dragged your feet towards the beach where the small boat was waiting. With the lack of resources, and a recently lost boat from a hole in the bottom, only two people that could go fishing at the moment. There was a stockpile in the Safe Haven, luckily, but no one wanted to let the supply drop too low too fast. Your thoughts drifted to who you could be paired with. Hopefully it was someone that could manage for you both, that enjoyed fishing more than you. Maybe you would get paired with Gally, or even Aris. They were people that could manage stuff like this.

“Hey Y/N.”

With a screech, you fell forward into the sand, caught off guard at the deep voice before you. The person cursed, rushing forward to help you up. A somewhat tanned, veiny hand extended towards you, appearing in your sight to counter the grainy ground under you that your knees and hands were buried in. 

“Thanks,” you mumbled, a blush spreading over your cheeks as you took their hand. But the blush disappeared, your face paling when you realized who it was. Thomas stood before you, helping you to stand to your feet. He gave a toothy smile, staring at you with chocolate hazelnut eyes. The sparkle in his orbs diminished slightly when you slid your hand from his, turning away to brush off your jeans. “Oh, hi Thomas.”

“Don’t sound so thrilled to see me,” he sarcastically bit, tilting his head. You scoffed at him, earning a frown from the man. 

“What are you doing here?” you asked shortly.

Thomas rose a brow, turning and pointing at the small boat that was sitting on the shore, already filled with the various fishing supplies you would need. “I drew fishing today,” he said, turning back to you. “I assume you did too?”

“Great,” you mumbled under your breath, letting out a sigh. Holding up the small paper for him to see, you spoke up, “Yeah. I’m unfortunately fishing today.”

“Unfortunate because you hate fishing?” He asked. You were about to nod in confirmation before he continued. “Or, unfortunate because you’re with me?”

At his harsh statement, you frowned, gaping at the man. You struggled to find the right words for him, mouth opening and closing a few times before you managed to utter one word. “Thomas…”

“Come on,” he cut you off, nodding towards the small boat, giving that same awkward smile as before. “We have fishing to do and I’d rather not get bitched at by Vince later.”

That made you snicker, nodding in agreement. “Same though.”

Before long, you were rowing out into the middle of the ocean, the shoreline disappearing. You struggled to prepare the nets and rods, not wanting to watch Thomas row the boat. You hated to admit, but up close, he was handsome. And with him straining his muscles to row, you could easily see his biceps flexing through his dark blue shirt. The sleeves ended just below his elbow, so you had a clear shot of the veins that protruded along his arms. 

It was a struggle not to watch him, constantly reminding yourself that you didn’t care for the man before you after everything that happened. 

An uncomfortable silence settled between you both when he settled on a spot that seemed to be flourishing with fish. The net was dropped and the rods were cast. You sat in the boat away from each other, staring off into the distance with your backs together, the waiting game upon you. The sun was slowly moving overhead, taunting you with the passage of time. Despite the abundance of fish, nothing seemed to be biting.

Your heart was steadily hammering faster, yet you couldn’t tell if it was because you were sitting alone with Thomas or if it was because every jostle of the boat left you anxious. Thomas seemed to notice your skittish nature behind him, feeling your body jerk and tremble every time the boat would rock more than the last time.

“Are you ok?” he asked, turning to look at you over his shoulder. The second he asked, the boat shook, making you squeal in surprise. 

“Fuck, I’m going to die,” you cried, placing the rod aside and resting your elbows on your knees. Thomas blinked, placing his own rod down so he could turn and stare at you.

“Come again?”

“Don’t you get it? I’m too young to die at sea!” you cried louder. The boat shook again, making you squeak once more. “Fuck, I swear that has got to be a shark. This is something straight out of Jaws!”

“...Jaws?”

“Yeah, you know,” you ranted, turning to face him. “That classic movie about the shark that was terrorizing Amity Beach? They had like… three sequels? It was a massive shark that would come and kill people!”

“I… don’t know.”

“Well, what about 47 Meters Down? Granted, we don’t have a diving cage, but we could basically be surrounded by sharks and we have nowhere to go. We are in the middle of the ocean, Thomas!”

“I don’t know that one either.”

“How could you not know them?” you hollered.

Thomas scoffed. “Well, excuse me for losing my memory while in the maze.”

“But I thought you got some memories back from that… that one thing.” You faintly remember hearing about that from your friends. 

“I remembered stuff about WICKED. Doesn’t mean I remember your shitty movies!” he snapped. 

You growled at him. “God, why are you such an asshole?”

“Why are you such a bitch?” he huffed.

“Thanks for the compliment. I know I’m a babe in total control of herself,” was your smug response, flashing him a smirk. Thomas rolled his eyes, turning away from you. 

“God, why did I have to get stuck with you?” he grumbled. 

“Because I’m obviously amazing,” you told him, turning to stare at the horizon.

“Fuck you.”

“You would like that.”

You expect him to retort, but he said nothing. You blinked in confusion, turning back to him. He wasn’t facing you, so you only got the backside of his head. Your face fell, a sorrowful thump in your chest making it ache. For some reason, you felt bad for his silence, afraid you had done something wrong. It felt as though his mood dropped, and you couldn’t pinpoint why.

Instead of asking though, you turned and picked up the rod, hoping something would bite soon. 

“You know,” he spoke up suddenly, making you jump. “I know you don’t like me.”

Shocked, you turned to him, only to find he still wasn’t facing you. “What? Thomas, no. I don’t-”

“I understand though,” he murmured. “You were happy with the Right Arm before we came. And then within one day, everything you knew and loved was lost. You lost those who practically raised you, like Mary. And it’s all my fault.”

“Thomas…”

“I’ve been trying to make amends for what happened. I know I can’t change what happened, but I wanted to apologize. And you’re the last person I need to apologize to for what happened. I really fucked up that day and I feel bad that I caused so many problems. But you never give me the chance to apologize to you because you are always ignoring me.”

You stared down at your feet, guilt washing over you. This entire time, you had scrutinized him for what he had done and what had happened, judging him for things of his past. You never took the chance to learn who he was and understand how he was feeling. You sighed softly, shifting in your seat, letting silence befall you again.

The boat shook, making you gasp, grasping at the edges of the boat. “Oh my god. What the fuck was that?”

Thomas chuckled. “It was just the waves, Y/N. Calm down.”

“If I get eaten by a shark-” The boat shook more, making you both stumble slightly in the uneven waves. “Oh my god. It’s Jaws!”

“There is no Jaws!”

“I’m too young to die at sea! Why did I have to get ‘fishing’? If I was going to die, why couldn’t I, oh I don’t know, follow the butterflies?” you bellowed. “Fuck, I hate the ocean. Nothing good ever happens out here.”

“Y/N-”

“Is it Jaws?!” 

Thomas turned quickly in his seat, just as you turned to face him, wrapping his arms around you. 

“Hold on!”

Your eyes widened, feeling the boat shake and shift, being tossed around as the water around you grew aggressive. Your skin paled, barely managing to take a gulp of air before the large wave that was hurtling towards you crashed into the boat, sending you and Thomas toppling into the dark ocean. The waves pushed you around, Thomas barely able to keep his grasp on you.  

Your head was spinning.

Your eyes were blurry and unfocused, burning from the salt water.

Your throat ached, wanting to breathe air that wasn’t present as you struggled to figure out which way was up.

Your vision slowly blurred, going black before long, suffocating on the water around you.

~

A burst of air filled your lungs, your body retching to rid itself of water. You were turned on your side as the water escaped, low heaves and coughs leaving you. When you managed to catch your breath, breathing normally, you flopped back onto your back, staring up at the blue sky. Blinking a few times, you tried to remember what happened.

“Are you ok?” Thomas spoke beside you.

That’s when it hit. You turned to him, eyes slowly widening. You jumped to your feet, stumbling around to look at your surroundings. There was a forest on one side, and the ocean on the other. Wood from the destroyed boat was still washing onto the shore, some of your belongings that managed to survive were scattered in the sand. Nothing was in sight around you - no Safe Haven close to return to.  

You glanced down at Thomas, taking note of his dripping wet locks that stuck to his forehead. His shirt and pants clung to his limbs, making his chest and arms stick out more, accentuating the thick thighs you never took the time to notice. Sand stuck to his wet skin, but he didn’t seem fazed by the grainy substance. He was panting, slouched in the sand before where you form once laid.

“Be careful,” he called. “Don’t rush too fast. You just woke up from nearly drowning.”

“Where are we?” you asked. 

“I don’t know,” he hummed lowly. “When I finally managed to get us to the surface, this is where we had ended up.”

“So, are you trying to say,” you choked, crouching down into a ball. “That we are stranded?”

“I think so.”

“I’m stranded here with you?” Thomas nodded. You groaned, taking a handful of sand and throwing it away from you both. “Fuck!”

“Y/N, calm down-”

You didn’t listen, rushing to the edge of the water. The waves splashed around your already wet feet, your shoes sinking into the wet sand. “Hello?” you called loudly, cupping your mouth to amplify your voice. “Can anyone hear me? Help! We are stuck out here!”

“Hey, hey. Stop that,” Thomas called, standing from his seat and making his way towards you. He took your hands as you continued to scream into the abyss, turning you to face him. “Stop screaming like that.”

“No, leave me alone! I’m not going to die here with you!”

“Y/N, stop!” he called, holding you struggling form tighter. You eased into him when he raised his voice. “That’s not going to help. You’re just going to wear yourself out faster that way.”

“But-”

“If you continue to scream, you will just make yourself tired and thirsty. And the last thing we need is for you to be dehydrated. You will die faster if that’s the case.” You swallowed thickly, tears brimming in the corners of your eyes. “We need to focus on finding food, water and shelter. Then we can figure out how to get home. We need to make sure we are safe first.”

“But, how?” you sniffled, fear finally kicking in. “I can barely fish.”

“Don’t worry about it. I will handle it,” he whispered, pushing your wet hair back. He grimaced when he felt grains of sand interlaced in your strands, but kept a smile on his face. “Just make sure to keep up, alright smallfry?”

You huffed when he turned away, moving to gather some of the supplies that survived. “I’m not a smallfry, you tree!” you called out to him, chasing after the man.

You managed to gather some emergency supplies that had been luckily sealed to keep from getting wet, giving you a blanket, flint for a fire, and a small knife. It wasn’t much, but it was all Thomas needed before he ventured into the jungle. Though, it wasn’t before you had convinced him to let you spell out an SOS in the sand with rather heavy rocks you found along the coast. 

Trekking through the dense jungle, soaked from head to toe in salt water, the humidity piercing the air until your skin stuck more than before, and exhaustion beginning to set into your limbs, was the last thing you had thought would happen when you awoke that morning. Let alone you were with Thomas of all people. 

On one hand, if you were going to be stuck with anyone, Thomas was a prime candidate. He had survived the Maze and the Scorch, he was fit and able to hunt for food if needed, and he'd carry you with ease if you suddenly fell flat on your face after tripping over the many tree roots that seemed to wrap themselves around your ankles, tugging at your despair.  On the other hand, it was Thomas. The traitor, the ex-WICKED member, the know it all.

You frowned at the thought, glancing up to stare at the back of his head, watching the brown tuft of hair flowing in the breeze that skated by. His shirt stuck to his form with sea water and sweat, his arms effortlessly flexing whenever he pushed aside branches, leaves and bushes. Your mind raced back to the discussion on the boat and Thomas’ plea for forgiveness echoing in your ears. Our stomach clenched with the familiar sense of guilt you had before the tsunami-like wave capsized your tiny haven. 

Maybe you had judged him too quickly after all. He was making advances to move on and seek retribution for everything. You were stuck in the past, unwilling to forgive what happened to friends back then.

Maybe it was time to start moving on...

Though, that thought didn’t change that you were stuck alone on this uninhabited island with him. Alone with a fairly attractive man...

Shaking your head quickly to rid yourself of the indecent thoughts, your cheeks flaring up, you hustled forward to join his side. The silence between you was unnerving, the only sound around being your rapid heartbeat that seemed to speed up when you sideways glanced at his face. Unconsciously, you found yourself counting the moles that starred his jawline.

No, stop. What are you doing?

“So, uh,” you cleared your throat speaking up, trying to distract yourself from the plague that kept entering your mind. “What is the plan?”

“We should find water and shelter,” he voiced, cut off by the loud growl of your stomach. Your cheeks lit up, not only due to the embarrassment caused by the protests of hunger your body let out, but also the flips your stomach did at the sound of his deep, but melodic laughter. His dark eyes darted to you, a goofy, lopsided grin inching his cheeks upright. “And food too, I guess. We need fresh water and shelter first and foremost though.”

“And how exactly are we supposed to find that?” you questioned, jumping over a rock and nearly faceplanting. Thomas caught you swiftly, adding more heat to your already warm face. Uttering a low thank you, you continued after him, afraid to speak more. 

“Well, I guess we should try to listen for some water. If we can find a stream or river, we can probably follow it for a bit.”

“You mean like that?”

You spied a small stream beyond a set of trees, Thomas’ face lighting up at the sight. “Exactly! Let’s go!”

You laughed at his excitement, though you missed the soft smile Thomas gave hearing you laugh the way you did. He rushed towards the stream of water with you hot on his heel, following the water flowing down the island. A more comfortable silence fell between you this time, making your way through the jungle together.

“Eureka!” Thomas finally exclaimed, dashing away from you.

“H-hey! Don’t just leave me alone you asshole! Or I will never forgive you!”

“Story of my life,” was his snarky reply, but the joking words made your heart clench while wincing to yourself. He wasn’t wrong, but it stung to hear it so bluntly. “Now, hurry up and get over here!”

A silent sigh left your lips before rushing after him, stumbling to a stop at his side in awe. A small lake was at the end of the stream you were following, the water sparkling with the sun's rays glaring down at it. A small waterfall stood in the distance, white foam coating the base, rippling waves making the water glisten and shimmer. You stared in awe at the sight, gawking at the beauty.

“Yahoo!” Thomas screamed before diving straight into the water, belongings dropped carelessly to the ground, making you gasp in shock. Dots of cold water sprinkled along your face, causing you to shrink back in surprise and yelp loudly. 

“Thomas!” You screamed at him when he resurfaced, kicking his legs to stay afloat. The man pushed back his dark tresses of hair, wiping the water away from his face. He didn’t care that he was fully clothed, fabric clinging to his muscled form. He was content laying back in the water, eyes glued to the blue sky.

“This is nice.”

“You’re an asshole,” you scowled.

His heavenly laugh resounded through the air, your stomach knotting at the noise. Your eyes followed the man as he flipped in the water, diving into the water again before swimming to the other edge near the waterfall. A tired heave escaped as you sat in the nearby grass, sliding off your wet shoes and socks and slipping your aching, waterlogged feet into the lake. The cool water felt refreshing, a sense of calm hitting you almost instantly. You leaned back on your hands, allowing yourself to unwind for the first time since you awoke on the sandy beach. 

“Hey!” Thomas called, making you crack an eye in his direction. He was waving at you from afar, standing at the edge of the waterfall. He pointed towards the falling rapids, calling out, “There is a small cave back here! I think we can use this as shelter!”

“Are you sure?” You hollered back. Thomas nodded, diving into the water and swimming towards you. When he arrived, he stayed in the water, resting on the edge of the lake on his arms. 

“Yeah. It’s small, but I think it'll do. It’s dry enough for us to have a fire but it’ll keep any animals out.”

“If I die tonight because you are wrong and some animal mauls me while I sleep, I am coming back to haunt you.”

Thomas grinned, lifting himself out of the water to grab the gear he dropped. The water made his pants sag, exposing the elastic of the dark boxers he had on. You blushed and turned away, listening to him rummage around in the waterproof bag of emergency goods. 

“I’m going to try and gather some food from the trees. Do you think you can gather some wood for a fire? We can use the bag and tarp that was inside to keep it dry when we head in,” he suggested, tossing both in your direction. 

“I guess. But let me rest for a bit longer please,” you hummed, turning to look at him. Thomas nodded at your words, pocketing a knife set. Turning was a bad decision - Thomas at that moment was stripping off his wet shirt, giving you full display of his toned upper torso, complete with check hair and happy trail dipping into his waistband. His broad shoulders and arms flexed as he stretched, folding the shirt and placing it down with the spare belongings in the bag. His long legs carried him towards some trees with mysterious fruit hiding in the tops, your eyes tracing the back muscles you didn’t know you needed until now.

The man proceeded to climb the tree carefully, trying not to slip too much from his wet pants. Watching him pull himself up, arms bulging and veins prominent along his skin even from a distance, made your body heat up, legs rubbing together slightly. The attractive man left your mind reeling. A shaky breath left your lips, your head turning away quickly.

What the fuck? You thought to yourself, staring at your reflection. Since when did I think of Thomas as attractive?

The soft thunk of fruits being cut down from the tree made your ears ring, eyes darting to stare at the man in the tree before returning to the water. You saw how red your face was.

I thought I hated him. I thought I despised him. But ever since he said he’s been trying to apologize for what happened, I can’t help but think… You groaned, ruffling your knotted hair. Have I just always found him attractive but chose to ignore it because I was irrationally angry at him?

“Aw fuck,” you heard Thomas groan when he fell on his ass while descend the tree. The man stood from the ground, rubbing his sore buttox before moving to the next tree, repeating his attempts to gather food. You giggled to yourself, tucking some loose hair away.

“Maybe I have been too harsh on him,” you sighed to yourself, feeling your heartbeat picking up. “Maybe it’s time to move on and forgive him.That fucking attractive asshole.”

“Hey, don’t get too comfortable! Help a brotha out!” he joking called before jumping onto another tree ungracefully, shimmying up the trunk slowly.

“I know, asshole!” 

Hesitantly, you pulled yourself from the ground, grumbling lowly at yourself as you dragged the supplies to the small cave before heading off to find sticks. The entire time you gathered the broken twigs and branches that littered across the ground, your eyes kept lingering on the broad, muscular form in the distance. Setting your eyes on his form made your heart race, face heating up from something other than the setting sun in the distance. You ached, but not from the strenuous task of obtaining firewood for warmth that night. As you crouched for wood, your legs rubbed together to relieve the throbbing sensation that racked your lower body. Your mind was plagued with him - how you never noticed his beautiful or funny personality through your initial judgment. Deep down, you knew he was hot… but it didn’t strike until now just how much you really liked him.

And being stuck with him, seeing how much he cared, only deepened the feeling. Rapidly, at that. You were smitten in a matter of hours, putting aside your hatred to see the real side of the man.

When you walked into the cave, it was silent. Thomas said nothing, busy setting up the blanket so you had a somewhat comfortable place to rest until help, hopefully, arrived. You pouted, a sudden overwhelming sense of doubt hitting you. Though he never showed it, insecurity struck, suggesting to you that he was actually uncomfortable with the situation - that he actually was upset that you had resented him for so long. Despite his attempted apology in the smash boat, he really was unhappy that you wouldn’t accept him.

And here you were, pining over the man suddenly as a new light was making his presence glow in the darkness, giving you some hope, security and a very flushed face at the simplest thoughts. How the tables turned in your mind.

The sun was nearly gone, giving the sky a faint, blue glow, the remnants of pinks and oranges fading into black. Thomas quietly started a fire, the crackling embers flaring up after a few harsh breaths from the man to fan the flames. Both of you settled onto the blanket, nibbling on the fruits he had gathered. A decent gap was between you, your butt at the edge of the blanket just like his. 

Listening to the crackle of the fire made your mind race with uneasy thoughts. Occasionally, as you bit into the mysterious, but sweet food, you would glance at the man beside you, finding his eyes glued to the fire before you. Eyes traced his side profile, heating up as you admired his sharp jawline speckled in freckles and moles, bits of scruff forming on his chin. 

He hadn’t shaved recently.

Your stomach fluttered, knotting tightly with delight and discomfort. He was handsome, something you would have never admitted before today, but the cold shoulder was killing you. Your mouth was dry, tongue darting out in an attempt to relieve the crackling feeling with no result. Your heart pounded against your chest before turning away, tugging your lip between your teeth to nibble at unconsciously. 

Now that you were ready to forgive him, this new feeling was taking over. You really liked him, and you wanted to get to know him more. You were tired of judging him for what happened. You had the wrong perception of him. But, you had to make things right. 

“Thomas,” you croaked. The man turned his head; you could feel his chocolate colored eyes on the side of your head, trying to pierce you. The words didn’t want to come out when you opened your mouth, unsure what you wanted to say or ask. You finally managed after a handful of attempts to utter one line: “Do you hate me?”

“What?” he asked, more to himself than to you. When you glanced at him, he was shocked, gawking in your direction. The leg he had tucked into him as he ate was extended, body turned to face you better. 

“I just,” you started, twiddling your fingers together. “I’ve been so hard on you since we got to the safe haven. I hated you because of what happened with the Right Arm. But I never gave you a chance to make amends for that. I know you didn’t deserve the treatment I gave you, but I did it anyway, believing that you were this cocky know-it-all for being the savior that took down WICKED. And, I’m sorry for that. 

“I shouldn't have judged you so prematurely. I shouldn’t have shunned you or pushed you away when all you wanted was to be friends, to make up for what happened because I get it; you feel guilty for what happened. You blame yourself when you shouldn’t. It wasn’t even your fault when you think about it. And now… we’re stuck here and I just… I keep feeling like because of how poorly I’ve treated you that you hate me now. I’ve done you wrong and you have no reason to treat me kindly. Sure, survival is one thing but… I’m sure you hate me.”

“I could never,” he voiced without a thought, startling you. 

Staring up at him, you whispered, “What?”

“I could never hate you,” he hummed, returning to hugging a knee to his chest. “Quite the opposite really.”

“I’m not following.”

Thomas chuckled, continuing, “You were the one I wanted to apologize to the most because of how much I liked you. I’ve…” he paused, taking a deep breath. “I’ve had a massive crush on you for the longest time. You’re the smartest, strongest and most beautiful woman in the safe haven to me. I couldn’t but to develop a small… well, a massive crush on you. And I wanted to ask you to give me a chance, but you would always walk away when I got the courage to talk to you. I knew I had hurt you but I wanted to try. So, yeah. I could never hate you.”

It was your turn to gawk at him. Your cheeks burned, staring at the handsome man in shock. Your mouth opened and closed, unable to say anything for the longest time. And when you finally managed to say anything, you only could say, “I’m going to take a bath!”

Thomas laughed when he watched you rush out, jumping into the shallow water just outside the cave fully clothed. Collapsing onto a rock, water coming up to your waist, you huffed, burrowing your face in your palms. 

“God, I’m stupid. He fucking likes me too. He has a crush on me. And here I’m starting to crush on him. What did I fucking run?!”

Sighing, you peeled the wet shirt over your head, struggling to strip yourself of your pants. Since you were already in the water, you figured you should at least wash up the best you could, choosing to scrub your tattered clothes a bit to rid them of dirt and grime. The wet clothes, after you were done, we placed aside, allowing you to sink further into the water. A content breath left your lips, looking up at the stars that made the sky glow. 

“So, you like me too?”

You jumped, turning around with arms crossed over your chest to hide your almost bare chest. The cocky male sat at the base of the cave, still shirtless from his earlier excursion. 

“Can you not?!” you screamed, splashing water in his direction.

“Sorry, sorry,” he teased. “I initially came to check on you after you ran off, and you’ve been out here for a bit. Wanted to make sure something didn’t eat you.”

“I appreciate the concern, but can you not stare at my chest?” you grumbled, noticing his stare at the water, right where your hands were. “And what gave you the impression that I like you too?”

“You know I could hear you, right?” You blushed, sinking further into the water. “Listen, I’m glad you are starting to like me too. But I will leave you be. I will let you tell me when you’re ready. I’m honestly just... “ He stopped for a second. “I’m just glad you don’t hate me anymore.”

“I don’t think I ever really hated you,” you admitted to him. “I was just blind to how much I really did like you. I never took the time to notice how handsome, smart and funny you are. I lied to myself that I didn’t like you when I’m pretty sure I liked you a hell of a lot.”

“You know, being stranded on this island sucks,” he hummed playfully. “But, I’m glad I’m here with you. It really is something special.”

“Thomas.”

“I will leave you be to clean up. I shouldn’t bother you. But please give me a holler if you need me or something happens.”

He stood to leave, turning his back to retreat into your small dominion for the night. He didn’t hear the water splash as you rushed to the edge of the water, not caring to shield yourself as you called out to him again.

“Thomas!”

Slowly, he turned back to you, a red hot blush clearly appearing on his skin despite the darkness. “Yes?”

You were silent for a second before speaking up, “do you want to take a bath with me? You know, clean up and maybe wash your clothes?”

He chuckled, contemplating for a moment before letting his feelings cave over his rational thoughts. He turned around briskly, rushing to join you in the water. His jump into the shallow water, albeit not a big one, was enough to make the water splash against you, Thomas earning a squeal of surprise. He grinned, falling back into the water so he could float among the small waves so he could pull his pants off. 

You blushed, moving to sink into further water, deep enough to hide yourself but to not have to tread water. You avoid his eyes, keeping your eyes on the rippling waves, listening to the patter of the waterfall behind you. 

It wasn’t until you heard the wet slap of his pants on rock and felt his warm presence against your back at you became hyper aware of him standing right behind you. You could feel his hot breath fan against your neck as he pushed your wet locks aside, draping them over one shoulder. 

“Is this fine?” he asked quietly. “I don’t want to go fast. I don’t want to scare you away, but I can’t keep myself away. I should have just walked away, but I can’t when you’re so close. You said you like me too and I’ve wanted this for so long. So please, if you don’t want this, tell me now.”

“Tommy,” you breathed. The name made his breath hitch - something you caught instantly. His body stiffened against yours, his breathing picking up. Your heart was beating just as fast as his was, though you couldn’t pick up on the rapid pounding in his chest. 

“Please. If I’ve gone too far, tell me. Because if you don’t stop me, I don’t know what I will do. I’m a hormonal guy, Y/N. And I’m stranded on an island alone with the most beautiful girl int eh world. The girl I’ve admired for too long. I don’t want to hurt-”

You turned quickly, cupping his cheeks in your hands and pulling him into a rough, sloppy kiss to silence him. The man’s muffled grunts were lost to your lips, his body instantly reacting to yours. He pushed closer to you, his erection obvious against your leg. His hands wrapped around your waist, hugging you to his muscled chest, wet pecs flexing anxiously with the jump in his heartbeat. Your fingers curled against his cheeks before pulling away, grinning cheekily.

“You talk to much. Maybe I should have just continued hating you.”

“Nope. This is better.”

His lips crashed back onto yours after his hasty response, tilting his head to give him as much room as possible to engulf your lips with his. Your hands eagerly slid up to his wet chocolate tresses, tangling in them to scrape at his scalp. His hands ran along your waist until he found your ass, lifting you up against him so your legs could wrap around his midsection. Things escalated quickly, heat building with the sensual kiss.

And you weren’t arguing right now.

He backed you into the shallowest part of the water, placing you down to focus on the heated kiss. His tongue darted along your plump lips until they parted, automatically shoving past them to enter your wet cavern. Tongues battled for dominance, something you easily lost. His tongue ran along your mouth, tracing every inch of it before pulling away for air, a short string of saliva still connecting your lips. 

Your chests rose and fell quickly for air before instantly delving in for more open mouth kisses. Lips dragged against each other, wet smacks mixing with the rushing water beside you. Noses bumped whenever your heads turned to get a better position, teeth clashing with every heated crash. His lips dragged along yours, sucking them teasingly before devouring them again and again.

Your hands slid down from his hair, landing on his broad shoulder first before running down his chest. Your fingers skimming along his skin made him shiver, pecs jumping under your sultry touch. His arms flexed, more veins emerging from his skin as he got excited. When your thumbs brushed against his nipples, he shuddered, breaking the kiss to let out a gasping moan.

“Don’t do that,” he rasped, a glint in the glare he sent you.

“Oh. Are your nipples sensitive, Tommy?” you cooed, smirking up at the man. A deeper groan left his lips, his face burrowing in your neck. Tiny nips and kisses were left on your skin, Thomas earning himself a moan.

“I hate that you started using that name so quickly,” he uttered deeply. “It’s making it really hard to control myself.”

“Who said you needed to control yourself?” you spoke without warning. Thomas groaned once more, hands fussing with the bra strap against your back. 

The article was nearly ripped from your skin and tossed aside, lost to the lake as it drifted away in the water. His eyes were dark, near animalistic, like he was staring at his prey right before he pounced. You weren’t telling him no; you were encouraging the hungry tiger inside. He intended to take advantage of that, even if his mind told him not to. His body spoke louder. His hunger made him salivate, taking in the sight of your bare torso before lunging. 

His head dipped down, latching onto your breast instantly. Your head fell back, unleashing a loud moan at the pleasure. His mouth wrapped around your hard bud, tongue flicking at it happily. His large, veiny hand grasped the other one, fondling it fiercely, between his long fingers. Even if you told yourself you didn’t want this, your body screamed that you did. Even if you told yourself you didn’t want to be stuck with Thomas, you were glad it was him. Even if you told yourself you didn’t like him, you knew for a fact you did.

What he was doing felt phenomenal, and you wouldn’t change that for the world right then and there.

Thomas pulled away with a pop, sucking red marks along the skin of your mounds before resuming his licking barrage on the nipple, grunting against it happily. More moans left your lips, fingers tangling in his hair to keep yourself together, giving you something to tug at while you were pleasured. Your legs rubbed together, feeling heat pooling between them the more he attacked your chest, suckling at your nipple repeatedly. When he finally switched breasts, you lost control, nearly shouting his name into the night sky.

“Oh, fuck, Thomas!” you mewled, pressing his face further into your chest. “That feels so good.”

“Shit,” he choked, prying himself from your grasp to move up to your level. His body sliding against yours allowed you to feel the obvious bulge in his boxers, your core twitching as a result. “If you keep that up, I’m going to have to fuck you senseless. You have no idea how hot that is and how fucking horny I am right now.”

“Then do it,” you let out. “Fucking fuck me already.”

“God damn.”

He didn’t ask twice. He was stripping you of your only remaining garment, tossing them with his own onto the rocks behind you. Your stare turned south to catch a glimpse of his shaft, gawking at the size. “Holy shit,” you gasped. “Is that what I was missing by hating your guts?”

His was long and hard, his hand wrapped around the girthy base to stroke it casually. The tip was swollen and red, beads of precum coming out the tip when he tugged at himself. He was much larger than any other guy you had seen - the few one night stands you managed to have were nothing compared to this. You were silently thanking the world for what had happened, giving you a chance to make things right with Thomas and to get fucked senseless by a god. You were thankful for the realization of your feelings because right now, your pussy was pleading to be filled.

“Should have talked to me sooner. We could have been fucking for a while now,” he teased. “Of course, I wanted you for more than a good lay, but I’m sure I can please you when you need it.”

“Oh? Low blow, cowboy. Sure you can stick to those guns?”

“Why don’t we find out?”

The tip ran along your folds a few times before he pushed in quickly, bottoming out in seconds. A loud, prolonged moan left your mouth, the noise drawn out and making your throat vibrate. Thomas grunted at the feeling of your tight cunt around him, your walls grasping at his hard cock eagerly. His eyes closed, trying to not cum instantly. You were wet and warm, clinging to him intermittently, hugging him tightly. The subtlest shift made you clench, another loud noise filling the air.

Before he started to move, he lifted you up, wrapping your legs around his waist and your arms around his neck. He gave you a chaste kiss before groaning, shifting you against him. “If it gets to be too much, stop me.”

“Alright.”

It started slow, your body bouncing against his. His hands sat on your backside, using your ass as leverage to guide your body against his. His long shaft slid in and out of you slowly, rubbing against your walls and poking at the sensitive spots. Whenever he was nearly freed, you were brought back down onto him, fully sheathing him inside your warmth. 

The speed picked up gradually until you were being slammed onto his thick cock repeatedly, enhancing the pleasure you were feeling. Your moans grew in volume, filling the night air around you. The water splashed against your sides with every diligent thrust into your tight core, aiding Thomas’ thick cock in sliding in and out of you. Nails clawed at his skin, diggin crescent-shaped moons into his shoulders while being bounced, keeping you steady and upright. 

Thomas groaned loudly, the sound of your seductive moans in his ears making him harder than he thought was possible. His chocolate pupils, darkened by lust, traveled south, traveling the features of your face the entire time. Your lips were rosy from the intense kisses you shared, your bright orbs were half-lidded with ecstasy, your cheeks were flushed under the moon that was rearing it face over the trees slowly. When his eyes befell your chest, watching your breasts bounce up and down against his moist chest, the former runner was floored. He had never seen something so wonderful - so attractive. His stomach tightened, hips thrusting faster into you, unleashing a more animalistic nature that had you screaming. 

“Oh, god!” you let out, throwing your head back. Your entire body shook, your knotting stomach flipping a million times a second. Thomas grunted out at your echoed speech, leaning forward to latch onto your breast, after a bit of trouble to keep a steady pace and attack the mound as it jostled aimlessly. One hand found its way to his wet locks, tugging at them harshly. The suckling to your peaked buds made your eyes flash white, the shaking increasing significantly as your high hit. “Oh fuck, Thomas!��

With your walls clenching, your warm cunt hugging him tightly and his cock growing slick with your arousal, his head began to spin. Maybe it was the lack of air; he wasn’t breathing while he bucked into you, nibbling at your breast with all of his might. His thrusts grew sloppy, fighting to control himself while you had your orgasm. When he finally felt your body going limp, he moved forward, resting you on a shallow rock and pulling himself free. 

You blinked your eyes opened, glancing at the dark haired man that no longer occupied your used core. Your pussy throbbed, trying to clench around nothing but air, screaming at its sudden emptiness. Thomas’ eyes were glued on you - all of you - taking in your fucked-out expression, round breasts that were littered with red love marks, and your chest heaving with uneven breaths. His large hand, covered in veins, wrapped around his cock, stroking himself quickly and harshly, pulling the skin of his length over the tip slightly. The man hunched forward slightly, refusing to give in until he was grunting loudly, utter a few curses before releasing himself onto your form.

Thick ropes of his hot seed shot from the tip, dotting up your stomach to your chest, covering your breasts in his white, steamy essence. Bits of water washed the droplets away when it splashed across your body, but he licked his lips at the sight of you covered in his cum, looking hot with the white strings as your form. His unruly noises got louder when you ran your fingers along the few drops that remained, particularly on your breasts, rubbing the thick substance around your taut buds slowly.

“Shit,” he huffed, kneeling on the rock beside you. His lips connected to yours in a searing kiss, your lips instantly parting to allow his tongue to invade your cheeks. Your tongues tangled together messily, noisy open-mouth kisses smacking against each other in haste. Thomas’ hand slithered between your legs, shamelessly shoving two fingers into your sensitive core. The moan that he ripped from your was lost to his throat. His fingers shoved into your pussy quickly, making you writhe under him. 

The kiss broke, allowing your shaking words to escape. “Don’t go so rough.”

“Are you a bit sensitive after you took me?” he asked cheekily, making you laugh slightly.

“I guess you could say that. I think I’m a little overstimulated. I haven’t had sex in a while.”

Thomas blinked, hand stilling. “You’re had sex before?”

Your eyes met, confusion in your eyes. “I mean, of course. I tried dating a guy once after we came to the safe haven, but he was only good for a single lay to relieve some stress from everything,” you revealed. With a giggle, you continued, “Don’t tell me you haven’t had some action since we got here.”

“Oh. I-I mean.. Well, yeah. Who hasn’t?” You didn’t seem convinced, earning a deep sigh from Thomas. His fingers removed themselves from your core, the man sitting on the rock beside you. You sat up yourself, hugging your chest slightly. “I guess if you count the one night stand I had after getting really drunk on Gally’s drink.”

“No way. With who?”

Thomas chuckled at your enthusiasm. “I can’t really remember. She was gone before I woke up in the chicken coop. I think her name was Mandy because after that night, she never talked to me again.”

Your laughter grew louder, leaning on the frowning male. “That’s fucking great.”

“Laugh it up, bitch.”

“I will,” you teased. “But, how come you never tried for more?”

“I mean,” he sighed, looking down at you. “I had my eyes on someone I really liked. But, she didn’t like me back. Wouldn’t talk to me, wouldn’t look at me. She hated my guts.”

“Well,” you sighed, looking up at him with a joking smile, “she’s lost out. You should forget about her.”

Thomas laughed, leaning down to kiss you softly. His hand, wet and dripping with water, moved up to caress your cheek as his lips dragged against yours slowly. “I think I already am because I have someone amazing with me now.”

Together you sat under the moonlight in the water for a while, cuddling until you felt your feet wrinkling and your body shiver from the cold that was setting in. Thomas exited the water first, lending a hand to help you out afterwards. Gathering your discarded clothes, you hobbled back into the warmth of the cave. While you laid out the clothes to dry, Thomas added more wood to the dying fire, letting it flare back up before you both snuggled together on the blanket, seeking warmth with each other.

You faced him, staring up at his sharp features, fingers dancing along his muscled arms and speckled cheeks. His biceps flexed under your touch, cheeks curling upwards with a smile at the gentle skim of your touch. His own arm was draped over your waist, drawing imaginary shapes to the small of your back. You had never been so comfortable or content in your life, having spent so long running from Cranks or escaping from WICKED in hopes of finding a safe place to live in peace, praying to harmony in your unpredictable life. You frowned at the thought; you had misses so much because of your judgments. 

“I’m still sorry,” you whispered lowly. Thomas hummed, waiting for you to continue. “I’m sorry for everything, Tommy. For shunning you, judging you, mistreating you. You didn’t deserve it.”

“It’s fine, babe,” he mused, kissing your forehead. “I get it. You don’t need to beat yourself up about it.”

“But-”

“No buts,” he laughed. His eyes met yours, giving you a soft smile before leaning in and kissing you on your lips softly. “We just need to move on from here.”

“I guess so.”

“Just give me a chance to show you that I’m a good guy,” he teased, making you laugh. 

“Yeah, if we ever get off this island,” you said. “But, being stranded with you isn’t nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be.”

“Are you saying that shipwrecking with me here was going to suck?” he gasped.

“Tommy, I didn’t even want to fish with your ass!”

“But I have a fine ass.”

“Yeah, I know,” you teased, daring to roll onto him, straddling his waist with ease. Your lips connected in a fiery kiss, earning a deep grunt from the former runner. “I watched you climb a tree today. You have a nice behind.”

“So do you,” he rasped lowly, cupping your backside tightly in his palms. The action made you mewl, grinding your hips against his sharply. Your lips connected once more, letting your tongues tease each other. Thomas’ cock was growing hard under you, sliding between your moist pussy lips. The man murmured against your lips after breaking your kiss, “I’m getting horny again.”

“I can’t say I disagree,” you uttered, grinding on him harder, two moans filling your small hideaway. His cock was twitching against your wet core, the hands that remained on your ass helping you rock against him faster. “Fuck, I just want you inside me again.”

“If we do, I can’t promise I will last long… or pull out in time to not cum inside you.”

“That’s fine,” you let out. 

Thomas grinned seductively, teeth twinkling mischievously. “You know, if that happens, there will be a chance you could get pregnant.”

“I know, but I trust you.”

The words made his heart jump slightly. “So, are you saying that you want me to fill you with my cum? You want me to fuck you silly and maybe put a baby inside you?”

“I mean, I will take the fucking me silly, but if a baby comes with it, you’re helping to raise it.”

“Deal,” he gasped.

Within much thought, he was aligning with your core, sliding into you. You moaned at the feeling of him filling you up once more, your pussy full with his giant cock. The tip of his cock brushed against your g-spot, as well as new spots he hadn’t hit before. The new position came with a new angle, and the new angle let him reach deeper inside you. He stayed still for a moment before guiding you along his length, rocking you back and forth along his shaft.

You laid against his as you moved along his cock, breasts pressed against his chest. Your lips danced together occasionally, dragging against each other slowly before parting to let our low moans. The subtle smack from the kisses made your heart race and core clench, squeezing around him tightly. They were such loving kisses, but they made your walls tight and wet.

Pushing up on his chest, separating from the multitude of kisses you shared, you picked up speed, riding him quickly. His cock slid in and out of you quickly, your body rising up and slamming back onto him before he could escape your grasp. Your speed gradually built until you were slapping your hips together loudly, sweaty skin sticking together and pulling apart with slick noises. 

Thomas licked his lips, eying your bouncing breasts for a bit before turning to watch his cock slip in and out of you. He was familiar with your breasts moving when he was inside you, but he thoroughly enjoyed the way his cock would emerge covered in your sweet arousal, making his length glisten in the firelight, before it disappeared back inside your tight cunt, throbbing with the need to explode. He wanted to fill you up, spilling every last ounce he had into your hole. He wanted to watch the white seed drip from your lips, oozing out because you were so full of him.

The desire to do so was overwhelming, so much that the man lifted you off of him with a short whine, and flipped you over onto your hands and knees. He found himself ramming back into you from behind, hearing a short scream rip from your throat when he wasted no time in slamming himself into you. He bucked wildly, his speed nearly godly, thrusting himself deep into you. His new speed and position made you scream his name loudly, clawing at the bunched up blankets under you. Your body shifted with every thrust, only kept steady from a firm hand he kept on your hip. The other hand planted firmly to your backside, a reddening handprint pressed into your skin. 

“You feel so good, baby,” he growled, pushing harder. His hips snapped into your ass, balls slapping against your folds. The sounds of slapping skin mixed with the uncontrollable noises that left your mouth in panted breaths, making Thomas grin widely. “You like this, Y/N? You like when I fill you up with my giant fucking cock?”

“Tommy-”

“You love when I fuck you into the ground like this? You just can’t get enough, can you?”

“No,” you managed to utter. “I need more.”

“What was that?” he asked, the hand that had been slapping at your ass occasionally sliding up your back to your neck. He gave it a firm squeeze, hearing a choked breath leave. He didn’t want to hurt you, but you made no effort to remove it, so he figured you were fine. Maybe, you were even enjoying the restriction. “Speak up, baby. I can’t hear you.”

“Fuck, Thomas. Fill me up already! Please!”

“God, you just love being filled up. Such a dirty girl, wanting to be filled up with my cum. You want all of my cum inside you? You want me to fill you up with all of my cum?”

“Yes!” You hollered weakly. Dots were blinking in your vision, your body tightening with your inevitable release. “Please fill me up Tommy. I want to cum with you. I love the feeling of your cock so much, but i want to feel you inside me.”

“Fuck, thats hot,” he muttered, shoving into you faster than before. He pushed up onto his feet, releasing your neck so he could steady you against him. His entire body was used to push into you, every part of his body leveraged to excite you over the top. He wanted to make your next orgasm one to remember. He wanted to have you releasing on his cock more than you thought was possible. He wanted to explode every drop into you. “Cum with me, Y/N. Please baby, cum all over my fucking cock.”

You moaned in response, body nearly going limp from your orgasm. Your stomach hurt from trying to hold back, so you didn’t keep it in. The knot was burned away, and you were spilling everything you had onto his length, making it slick enough to still slide in and out of you as he thrust sloppily. Your walls were clinging to him desperately, convulsing with every droplet you released that stuck to his length.

Your tight, wet cunt made Thomas’ head spin like before, his own high nearly. Your core was hugging him close, squeezing him lifeless. The warmth was making him throb and twitch, finally exploding his load into you with one loud grunting groan. His thick seed shot from the tip, painting along your inner walls like white paint. The former runner let out a prolonged mewl of approval, thrusts slowing, letting your walls milk him of every last bit he had built up. 

Your bodies finally collapsed from exhaustion, Thomas remaining inside you until he had softened to a tiny chub. His fascination led him to watch his arousal slip from your pussy lips, the man licking his lips slowly. 

“That’s something to remember…” he whispered to himself before moving to kiss your shoulder blades. “We should get some rest. Then tomorrow, we can try to find a way off this island and back home.”

He didn’t receive a response.

“Y/N?”

He turned you over, finding you sound asleep, chest rising and falling steadily. You had a gentle smile ebbed onto your lips, resting peacefully. The man chuckled, pushing back some of the hair that stuck to your sweaty forward, placing a sweet, loving kiss to your temple. Laying beside you, he curled you into his chest, struggling to pull the blanket over you to keep you warm in case the fire died out while you slept. His head rested on his sore arm, but he didn’t mind the pain; his comfort came from you beside him, in his arms - finally.

“Sleep well. And thank you for giving me a chance. I didn’t think getting stranded would be such a good thing...”

~

His eyes fluttered open, finding a small stream of sunlight filling the cave. It took a moment to process his surroundings. The fire had died, he was in a cave, and you were nuzzled into his side, bare naked and sound asleep. Thomas thought he was dreaming before recalling the wave and the boat crash, finding you stranded on an unknown island without a way home. He also remember the heated evening of confessions, apologies and sex that blew his mind.

Not in any rush to move, he pulled you into him, nestling his face in the rats nest atop your head. He could feel your lips curling up against his skin at this, the man chuckling. “Good morning,” he let out, voice raspy and deep with sleep.

“Good morning,” you muttered lowly. “Can we not move for a while? I hurt.”

“I’d figure,” he laughed. “I fucked you a lot last night.”

“And honestly?” you hummed. “I regret nothing.”

“That’s relieving actually. I’m glad I won’t have to be punched later to forcing you to have sex with me.”

“Never,” you laughed, struggling to look up at him. Thomas glanced down at your sleepy face, placing a soft peck to your lips. 

“So, you are going to give me a chance later right? Like, when we can finally get home?”

“I thought I made that clear when I apologized for how I’ve been treating you,” you scowled playfully, punching his chest weakly. “And you kind of fucked me a lot. You’re not leaving me dry for a while.”

“I can handle that,” he smirked, pulling you into a deeper kiss.

The steamy kiss would ahve led to a heated round of unruly morning sex if your ears hadn’t perked at the sounds outside the cave. You pulled away from a disappointed Thomas, sitting up abruptly. 

“Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” he asked.

Listening carefully, you heard the faint call.

“-Mas!”

“-/N!”

“Someone is calling our names?” you asked, glancing at the man who shrugged. 

“Did someone manage to find us?” he thought aloud.

“Thomas!”

“Y/N!”

“Oh my god,” Thomas gasped, jumping to his feet and rushing to the cave entrance. “That’s Minho!”

“What?!” You exclaimed back, running after the man.

In your excitement, you both ran from the cave in search of the voices calling your names. Thomas’ hand clasped around yours to keep from getting separated, keeping you from falling over any trees or rocks. The voices grew louder as you rushed through the sea of green trees, pushing through bushes and in the mud. 

In the distance, you locked eyes with the boy calling your name - Thomas friend from the maze and the former leader of the runners. Minho’s eyes grew when he saw you both run from the bushed, calling his name. You halted in the middle of a small clearing, panting for breath.

“Thomas, Y/N,” Minho uttered softly before his eyebrows scrunched up. “Why are you guys naked?”

“Eh?” you let out, looking down at yourself. Realizing what had happened, you shrieked loudly, hugging yourself. Thomas turned to hug you, glaring back at Minho.

“Look away!”

“Sorry, sorry!” Minho called, turning around. “I don’t want to stare at your bare ass anyway!”

“Fuck you,” Thomas growled. “How did you find us anyway?”

“We’ve been searching all night. When you didn’t come back, we pulled out the small motorboat to search for you. Someone mentioned the waves had picked up, so we thought something might have happened. We found the boat wrecked on the island-”

“Wait,” you called, stopping him. “There was a motorboat?”

“Yeah,” Minho said. “It’s always in the boat we used to get here. It’s not used very often to conserve fuel and all, but it’s pretty decently sized and everything.”

“We had a motorboat, and you set us out to go fishing on a wooden rowboat?!”

Minho blinked “Ummmm…”

“I’m going to kill you, Minho!”

The former runner took off with you hot on his tail, uncaring that you were still barren to the world. Thomas sighed as he watched you chase the man around the clearing, weaving through trees before tackling the man to the ground, scarring him as you beat him up. 

“I guess I should be thankful,” Thomas told himself. “Otherwise, we wouldn’t have ended up stranded here and had the night we did.”

“Thomas, help! Get her off me!”

“Can’t help, sorry,” Thomas called, turning away. “I need to go get our stuff from the cave. Plus, she hates me, remember?”

“Bullshit!”

“Take it easy on him, babe. He’s our way home!” Thomas teased, walking away.

“He dies tonight! I’m roasting Minho alive!”

“Good talk!”

“Thomas, don’t leave me with this monster! Something obviously happened and you can’t leave me like this!” Minho called, but Thomas was gone. “THOMAS!”

I’m not gonna tag anyone right now because my tag list is far too outdated and needs to be refreshed. I will figure that out... later.

[ahgaseda]

aura | three

driving me crazy, look in my eyes, follow me, come here, dance with me now, I’m gonna make you feel like that...

summary : back again at a camp for kids that can’t behave, you are still brokenhearted over your ill-fated romance with Jaebeom, until your friend Jackson offers to help make your ex jealous in exchange for helping him land the most unattainable girl at camp.

warnings : strong profanity, explicit dialogue, recurring alcohol or recreational drug use, graphic sexual content, brief mentions of illegal activities, potentially triggering elements involving toxic relationships and emotional manipulation, etc.

miniseries chapters : one / two / three / four / five / six / seven

Every step down the path was slowed by dread and anxiety. The auditorium sat on a small hill, looming over the rest of the camp, and the sight made your stomach turn each time you laid eyes on it.

Such an unassuming building and yet it still shot nerves through you.

Entering through the double doors, you were blasted by air conditioning, which was a bit excessive with the crisp morning air. You simpered when you made eye contact with a few of the other campers. It was a small group, as to be expected for these little sessions.

Then, your gaze shifted to the wall where Jaebeom was leaning back and had just looked up at the sound of the door opening.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” you groaned, wanting to march right back out. Fate was such a cruel bitch.

Jaebeom cocked his head at your reaction, following you with his eyes, and asked sweetly, “Sleep well?”

“Yes,” you replied, curt, avoiding his stare.

Jaebeom shifted closer and whispered, “Did you think of me last night?”

If only you knew how you had filled his thoughts and dreams. Those kisses in the pool still made his heart race.

Smirking with a chance to torment him, you retorted, “Not even once. My mind is full of Jackson and how good his head looked between my thighs.”

Jaebeom frowned, the blood draining from his face. Hearing about your escapades with Jackson made him insane, like being dragged through pieces of broken glass.

“That bastard,” Jaebeom huffed under his breath.

Your arrogance faded and you turned somber. Part of you realized that you were giving yourself away to spite him. It was like trying to heal a burn by directly applying more fire.

Doctor Ambrose stepped inside, greeting everyone with her signature smile. “Good morning. Are we ready to begin?”

No one was. Not one of these poor souls wanted to discuss their daddy or mommy issues in group form. But it was mandated by the camp and having been attending for many years, you were accustomed to dodging.

You and the others followed Doctor Ambrose into the main auditorium, approaching a ring of folding chairs waiting on the stage. You swallowed the lump in your throat and avoided a look at Jaebeom as you took a seat.

This was the room where it happened - where you surrendered your virtuous flower. Blah, blah, blah, you thought to yourself. Eventually, you were going to have to come to terms with the fact you were less bitter about losing your virginity and more broken at having lost your heart.

The theater was the one place no one bothered to lock after curfew since it was solely used for group sessions and the occasional motivational speech, but if someone did remember to lock up, the door code was common knowledge. Guys went there to blaze up. Girls went to sneak drinks.

Jaebeom had brought you inside. The relationship had grown and was leading to a physical consummation of your feelings for each other. You knew exactly what would happen. After all, you had snuck out of your cabin in the middle of the night to meet a boy beneath the stars.

You let him lay you down on the stage, behind the heavy velvet curtain. Jaebeom at least had the wherewithal to put his jacket down for you to rest on.

You stole a glance of the shadow behind the curtain, not too far from where you sat, and your expression soured. You could still remember the rampant beating of your heart when Jaebeom kissed you with all he had and laid you down beneath him.

The memory raced across your mind in steady bursts. Your eyes burned at how gentle he had been with you, how loving. Jaebeom convinced you that he was madly in love and that there was a future between you and him.

And you were such a fool to believe it. You were over the moon thinking you had finally found love in the most unlikely of places. With someone you trusted. Someone you considered a friend.

Taking a deep breath, you were officially angry.

The time spent with Jackson had taken off the rose-colored glasses. You were able to see your affair with Jaebeom for what it was. And though you were still hopelessly in love with him, you were mad as hell for what he had done to you.

Doctor Ambrose called your name and began, “Let’s start with you. Why don’t you tell us the behavior that warranted your presence back at camp this year?”

You crossed your legs and sang, “Oh, where to begin, Doc? I lied. I cheated. I stole. Short of murder, my rap sheet is long.”

“You’ve been coming here for many years and you know that’s not what these sessions are about,” she chided, giving you a stern look. “Skip the bravado and get straight to the real talk.”

You narrowed your eyes. Ambrose always did hit the nail on the head. That’s why she was one of the few people at this godforsaken place that held everyone’s respect. Which was impressive in its own right since you and your fellow rich, troubled kids had very little respect for anyone.

But if Doctor Ambrose thought you were going to bear your soul to a room full of people that didn’t give a damn about you - Jaebeom included - she was sorely mistaken.

You sighed and continued, “I’m sure it’s common knowledge by now that I had a terrible lapse in judgement last summer and that lapse in judgement had a lot of unforeseen consequences.”

Jaebeom was unmoving in his seat, but his eyes were heavy on you.

Ambrose gave you her undivided attention and spoke softly, “Go on.”

You shrugged, hoping to hide just how miserably the words were coming from your mouth. “I lashed out. I cycled through all of my emotions and when they were too painful, I did something bad. Something that distracted me from how angry or hurt I was. Classic reckless human behavior.”

Her response was blunt, but genuine, “It’s called self-destructive behavior and you were punishing yourself for the pain someone else inflicted on you.”

You studied her, wanting to smack this woman across the face for defining you in a single sentence. “Forget psychiatrist,” you scoffed. “You’re a psychic.”

“I know you,” Ambrose said tenderly. “And you are not defined by your mistakes.”

You rolled your eyes, though you would love to believe that. “We all are, Doctor Ambrose,” you told her morosely. Then, your tone shifted, “Now, please take the spotlight off of me before I do something bad. Like I said, it’s what I’m known for.”

Ambrose exhaled loudly, conflicted, but decided not to push you. Turning to the next participant, she called, “Jaebeom, your turn.”

Jaebeom was still looking at you.

“Why don’t you tell us the activities that landed you back for yet another summer here?”

Jaebeom grumbled, “I’m a dick. The end.”

A few of the other attendees chortled.

“Jaebeom, everyone here knows you’re more complex than that,” Ambrose shot back.

“Am I?”

She cocked her head. “You don’t think so.”

“Ask her,” Jaebeom said, waving his hand in your direction. “Everyone knows what I did.”

You didn’t dare look at him, offering no absolution. You kept your gaze firmly rooted to Doctor Ambrose, who was now glancing between the two of you suspiciously.

Tapping her pen, Ambrose ordered, “After this group session I want to see both of you in my office.”

Your heart sank and you pleaded, “But, Doctor Ambrose…”

“Moving on,” she cut you off.

You folded your arms tightly across your chest in defiance, stiff in your seat. Jaebeom stretched out his legs and braced his arms on his thighs, keeping his head low.

Tuning out the conversations going around the circle of other campers discussing their toxic and sometimes illegal activities, you could only think about how angry you were. How it was billowing and growing inside of you until it threatened to burst.

Though Jaebeom was in the seat beside yours, he felt an entire world away. What had you done to him to deserve this? And for fuck’s sake, why couldn’t you stop loving him? If you fell in love with someone, couldn’t you ultimately fall back out?

Stealing a glance in the corner of your eye, Jaebeom looked up at that same moment and your eyes met. You looked away immediately, bitter and vengeful, but Jaebeom persisted. For someone who prided himself on being set in his ways, he couldn’t stand how you spun him on his edge.

You made him want to risk it all.

When the group session ended, Ambrose twirled the pen between her fingers and said, “I suppose we can forgo my office and just speak here.”

“We have nothing to talk about,” Jaebeom spoke up, venomous.

“I think there’s plenty,” she asserted, studying you intently. “Wanna tell me about it?”

Your eyes glistened when they met hers. You wanted to tell her she was right. That you had punished yourself for a year because you fell for a boy - the wrong boy. It was stupid. It was juvenile. And you resented yourself to hell and back for it.

“You wouldn’t understand,” you finally murmured, voice shaky.

She smiled, comforting. “Try me.”

Jaebeom could see you were about to crack. He could hear the weakness seeping into your words. Running a hand through his hair, he blurted out, “It’s my fault.”

Ambrose questioned levelly, “How so?”

“Be quiet,” you hissed.

“I fucked up,” Jaebeom confessed.

“Language,” she corrected loosely.

Jaebeom frowned. “I seduced her. I convinced her I was in love.”

“And were you?”

“No, I…,” Jaebeom trailed, like he couldn’t bring himself to say it. “I don’t know.”

You glared with nothing short of loathing at the floor.

Ambrose was putting the pieces together and she didn’t hesitate to scold, “What was your purpose, Jaebeom? What were you trying to achieve?”

Jaebeom paused a moment. Then, he finally admitted, “I was trying to get her into bed.”

Ambrose clocked a glance at you and said, “I’m assuming you succeeded.”

Your breaths came faster. Your heart was revving like the engine of Jackson’s blood red Corvette. Any minute you were going to explode.

“I went too far,” Jaebeom mulled, scratching his head. “I had never gone that far before, but I was addicted. I had no idea it would… I didn’t know she would…”

“You’re full of shit,” you snapped.

Doctor Ambrose called your name, giving you the same warning about profanity.

You leveled your scowl at Jaebeom, who had already bowed his head in submission or shame, and sneered, “I will never believe a word you say. You knew exactly what you were doing. You wanted someone to hurt as much as you hurt.”

Jaebeom still couldn’t meet your eyes. Pathetic, he thought to himself, but he couldn’t face your wrath. He couldn’t see the pain manifested on your beautiful face.

“Congratulations,” you continued, rising to your feet. “I know how you feel and I almost derailed my life because of you!”

Ambrose held out a hand amicably. “Please, sit.”

“No, I’m out of here,” you barked, gritting your teeth to keep the tears at bay. “And if you plan on physically making me stay in the same room with this asshole a minute longer, my stepfather’s attorneys would love to blow this shit wide open.”

Doctor Ambrose gave you a nod and sat back down.

Your steps echoed through the frigid silence of the auditorium and you nearly knocked the doors off their hinges when you pushed them open to escape outside.

When you had gone, Jaebeom exhaled heavily.

Ambrose looked at him. She could see the guilt weighing down his shoulders and though she didn’t want to take pity on him after what you had just revealed, compassion was a cornerstone of who she was as a person.

“Jaebeom, it goes without saying, but I’m going to say it,” Ambrose whispered for his ears only. “Breaking other people doesn’t fix you.”

Jaebeom stood to full height without another word and skulked away, hiding his teary eyes behind his long black hair.

“The nerve of that bitch! I know that she knows what happened last summer,” you vented, pacing back and forth in front of Jackson as he sat on the edge of the bed. “Everyone on the east coast knows by now. I had to hear about it for the first month of school on a daily basis!”

“I know,” Jackson replied patiently.

You tried to mimic the voices of the nosy, gossiping girls back home, “‘Can you believe she spread her legs for him? Did she really think he loved her? I thought she was smart. Turns out she’s a dumb whore like the rest of us!’”

Jackson grimaced. He remembered that morning, when you told him you slept with Jaebeom. You were so happy, so sure of what you wanted. And he knew it was going to unravel, leaving you holding all the pieces. “No one said that.”

“Everyone said that, Jacks! Admit it,” you yelled.

Of course, they did. Jackson had never threatened so many people in his life. Jackson had a lot of friends, but he only had one best friend. Whenever they spoke of you and Jaebeom, it made his skin crawl. Made his fists clench on instinct.

He was supposed to protect you.

Jackson rose from the bed, grasping your arms and staring you in the face. “Who cares what other people say? I sure as shit don’t!”

You cast your gaze down, shifting from angry to sad. “And he really sat there acting like he didn’t think I would take it so personally,” you whispered, trembling.

Jackson gathered you in his arms, squeezing tight. “He’s an idiot. It is known,” he quipped dryly.

You pulled back and sighed, “Maybe we should just fuck.”

Jackson frowned, but quickly hid his disappointment with a swift, “I’m not in the mood.”

You quirked a brow. “Seriously?”

Jackson released you and teased, “Yeah, I’m not a faucet.”

You let a smirk play at your lips and reached for his belt. “What if I…”

Jackson grabbed your wrists and chided you so sternly you almost faltered, “Listen. You are more than sex. You understand me?”

There were very few occasions Jackson reprimanded you and he always snared your full attention when it happened. Swallowing the lump in your throat, you murmured, “...Okay.”

Jackson simpered. “You don’t need to fuck. You need a hug.”

You chuckled, squeaking in surprise when he pulled you to his chest faster than you thought possible. You smiled, burying your face against his neck as he enveloped you in his embrace.

It was exactly what you needed.

You set your hands to his shoulders, feeling burly muscles underneath. Jackson always radiated heat and energy, and you were content to let him hold you forever. Jackson was warmth and safety.

He was home.

After a moment, you blurted to alleviate the tension, “Can we go get food?”

Jackson exclaimed, “I thought you’d never ask.”

The two of you walked arm in arm to the mess hall. It had been ungodly, the hour you woke to attend your group therapy session, but it meant you were starving for breakfast and the smell that hit your nose when you entered the dining room made you salivate on the spot.

Approaching the line, Jackson said, “Damn it. I forgot to tell you I’m sitting with Yeona today.”

“Oh,” you replied, remembering you didn’t get a chance to talk to him much after you had pounced on him. “I take it everything went well last night.”

“Yeah, we hit it off. I’m laying the groundwork.”

You rolled your eyes. Part of you was rooting in Yeona’s corner, that she stick to her guns and save herself for someone who loved her. The other part felt guilty as hell for being part of the same scheme that destroyed you last summer.

Pushing those thoughts aside, you told him, “I think I want some alone time to myself anyway. I’ll sit in the corner.”

Jackson eyed you worriedly. “Are you sure? I can totally blow her off.”

“Positive,” you insisted, beaming at the gesture. “Go with Yeona. You two would make a really cute couple.”

“Ha. Ha,” said Jackson in mock laughter.

Together you got your food and then parted in the aisleway. Yeona smiled when Jackson joined her by the window and you vaguely wished happiness for them. Jackson wasn’t like Jaebeom. 

Maybe Yeona would be good for Jackson. She could help him work through his commitment issues. You had seen firsthand what his parents’ marriage had done to him. It was no surprise he broke off relationships as soon as they started to become serious.

Taking the empty table in the corner, you backed against the wall. Pulling a magazine out of your purse, you placed it next to your tray and opened to a random page, biting into your toasted bagel.

Jaebeom leaned against the adjacent door frame, hands in his pockets. He was sporting his trademarked leather jacket and his hair had strayed into his eyes while watching you.

He was at war with himself over what to say.

First and foremost he wanted to apologize, but Lim Jaebeom had way too much pride for that. Secondly, he considered offering you a better deal than whatever Jackson was giving you, but given your furor at the group session, Jaebeom knew better than to stoke your wrath again.

Jaebeom thought of all those times last summer when he caught himself staring at you. How could someone so beautiful and amazing be interested in the likes of him? You were confident and fearless, a little rough around the edges with a heart of gold. You were everything he aspired to be and you brought out the best in him without even knowing it.

By then, Jaebeom was in too deep. He could feel himself falling for you and he forbade himself from ever putting his heart on the line. And so he cut you loose.

Jaebeom remembered your face when he spoke those words. I never loved you. The joy left your face. The light fled your eyes. With four words, he had broken someone completely and it kept him awake at night.

Sex was a release for him. No more, no less. Jaebeom could fuck a girl and never see her again afterward, and it wouldn’t bother him for a second. After her - the woman that loved and left him - Jaebeom didn’t attach sex with emotion and certainly not intimacy or commitment.

Then, he had you. Suddenly, he wanted to wake up to you in the morning. He wanted to fall asleep in your arms every night. He didn’t fuck you… he made love to you. He felt passion for the first time in a long time. When it was over, he didn’t want to leave like he had always done. And that scared the shit out of him.

Jaebeom realized you had begun to heal him and he panicked.

Even now, Jaebeom wanted you back. He needed another chance. His first instinct was always to run when he felt emotions he didn’t understand, but he could fight back this time. He could change for you, couldn’t he?

When Jaebeom slid into the seat beside you, you weren’t the least bit surprised.

“What are you reading?” he asked nonchalantly, picking up the magazine and fanning the pages.

“Chick magazine,” you deadpanned. “There’s an article in there on Ten Ways to Achieve Female Orgasm. You should read it.”

Another snide jab at his bedroom skills. Jaebeom wrinkled his nose, but rebuffed you, “I only got one round with you. How do you know I couldn’t give you the best loving of your life?”

It was a provocative thought. You felt your heart stutter a little, but your mind was fully in control now, and you shot back, “Because I don’t think you know what love is.”

Jaebeom met your eyes and this time, you didn’t back down. “You know what I meant,” he huffed.

“So, I’m a mind reader now? Good to know,” you retorted, acerbic.

Jaebeom turned to you, leaning in and whispering, “Tonight. After curfew. Sneak out with me.”

You shook your head, mouth full of food. Swallowing, you told him coolly, “I have a regularly scheduled dick appointment with Jackson.”

“Cancel it,” Jaebeom said, appearing unaffected though it made him want to destroy Jackson a thousand times over. “I’ll have some wine. We can go to the lookout. You know, like old times.”

You scowled at him and yet, you wanted nothing more than to go back to those old times. Before you were stupid. Before you fell in love with him.

“Give me one good reason,” you hissed, taking a sip of your orange juice.

Jaebeom shifted, like the words pained him. More from pride than anything else. “I just want to talk to you. I miss you. As a friend.”

You didn’t say anything, but you shuffled your attention between him and Jackson. The latter was making Yeona laugh heartily and you felt a twinge of jealousy. Not from a place of malice, but a protectiveness over your best friend.

Jackson would tell you not to. He would tell Jaebeom to take a fucking hike.

Angling back to Jaebeom, you warned, “If you so much as grab my boob, I will kick you in the balls and leave you there.”

Jaebeom smiled, but quickly fought it. “That’s fair.”

“What time?”

“Eleven.”

You nodded. “Okay, I’ll meet you at the spot.”

Jaebeom rose and you were sad to see him go, but he added, “Nah, I will come to your cabin and get you. I don’t want you walking at night alone.”

You rolled your eyes. “Chivalry isn’t dead after all.”

Jackson stitched his brows, having listened to you recount the exchange to him back at his cabin.

“Of course, chivalry is dead,” your best friend exclaimed incredulously. “He killed it.”

“Jacks, please,” you whined. “He just wants to talk.”

“No, he doesn’t,” Jackson countered firmly and he looked a heartbeat away from combusting. “He hates that you’re sleeping with me. It’s jealousy. Plain and simple.”

You propped your hands on your hips, frustrated from arguing with him. “Wasn’t that the plan? To make him come after me again?”

Jackson remembered what had started all of this in the first place and he changed his tune. “Right, yeah, but this is just going the same route as last summer. You see that, right?”

“No, it’s not. I’m wiser now.”

Jackson approached briskly, taking you in his arms and roaming his hands around your waist. “You could just stay here with me,” he coaxed, voice a low growl. “I can eat that pussy like it’s my last meal.”

You snorted a laugh, but slipped out of his arms. “Nice try, but you were right. I’m more than just sex and I need to see where his head is at.”

Jackson sighed in defeat.

“Don’t wait up for me tonight,” you called back to him as you slipped through the door.

Jackson watched you go and stood rooted in place. Fuck, he was conflicted. Every instinct he had told him to stop you, but how could he? What right did he have to you in the first place?

He was just the guy you fucked to get back at another guy.

Jackson exhaled loudly through his nose. He could feel himself slipping, losing his nerve. Even when he sat with Yeona, making her smile and laugh, and noticing she leaned into his touches, his eyes still wandered to you. And when Jaebeom had appeared by your side, Jackson could feel his heart sinking into the bottom of his stomach.

Jackson reminded himself of the deal. He would get Yeona and you would get Jaebeom. That was it. Those were the terms you both agreed on and thus far, everything was going quite smoothly.

But Jackson was thinking of you and now he was thinking of Jaebeom touching you. And it made him want to die.

The day passed by at a glacial pace. By the time night fell, you began the long, arduous process of doing your hair and makeup. When there was a knock at the door, you had to stop yourself from sprinting across the room to answer.

Instead, you made his ass wait.

“Hey,” you greeted, stepping through and shutting the door behind you a moment later.

“Hey,” Jaebeom replied, scanning you over. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you,” you said sweetly, noting the backpack slung over his shoulder. “What you got back there?”

“None of your business,” he teased. “Ready to go?”

You pursed your lips, watching Jaebeom turn and stride away, expecting you to follow. Which, of course, you did.

The lookout was a small patch of open field between the trees. It was the perfect spot for stargazing and late night makeout sessions. You and Jaebeom had spent many hours in this place. As did you and Jackson.

It was a place of clarity and self-reflection. Something about seeing the stars so clearly, away from the noise and smog of the city, made you feel a sense of belonging. That everything would be okay. Sooner or later.

Jaebeom dropped his backpack and began rifling through it. Reading your mind, he called, “Don’t sit yet.”

You were about to complain, but then he stood and fanned out a red flannel blanket, smoothing out the corners over the grass.

“Now, you can sit.”

You almost chuckled, but you didn’t want to give him the satisfaction. Plopping down, you overlapped your ankles and watched him take the spot beside you.

“Wow, this is actually romantic,” you smarted, monotonous.

Jaebeom popped open the bottle of wine and took a swig. “I’m full of surprises,” he quipped, handing you the bottle.

A bit perturbed he had neglected to bring separate glasses, you took a sip and countered bitterly, “Not really. I remember all the romantic gestures and sweet words of last summer.”

Jaebeom sighed. So did he.

He had taken something so precious and innocent and filled it with poison. Jaebeom could have walked away at any point. And even worse, when all was said and done, he could have stayed.

There was a lull of silence and you didn’t mind. Jaebeom studied the stars, feigning interest. You turned your head, looking at his profile alight with the glow of the moon.

“Jaebeom, why did you bring me here?”

Jaebeom swallowed and whispered, “I hate myself for what I did to you.”

You frowned. “And what about all the other girls?”

Jaebeom shook his head, remorseful only for you. “They weren’t naive. They weren’t inexperienced,” he explained, somber. “They weren’t my friends. They weren’t you.”

You narrowed your eyes. The anger was pooling in your belly again. And your next question was scathing, “So, what sets me apart is that you hurt me the most?”

“Yes,” Jaebeom said, feeling small. “And you didn’t deserve it.”

You cried, “Why me?”

“You were the holy grail. Every guy wanted you.”

Biting back tears, you whimpered, “You talk about me like I’m not a person.”

Jaebeom realized that and he looked away, mulling over if he could put his feelings into words for once. “Would you believe me if I said that looking back I meant the things I said to you - that I loved every moment we spent together last summer?”

You thought about it for a moment and then you answered, “No. It’s what I’ve wanted you to say and yet. . . I don’t believe you. Everything you said and did was the means to an end.”

Jaebeom didn’t deny it. “I thought so, too. But when I got home, you were all I could think about. I wanted to see you and hold you. I missed having you in my life.”

The tears were flowing freely now and you turned your head away.

Jaebeom came closer, cupping your cheek and wiping the tears with his thumb.

You sobbed, “Why did you do this?”

“Shh, baby,” he whispered under his breath.

“You hate yourself for hurting me. I hate myself for loving you.”

Jaebeom felt like a gaping open wound, one that refused to heal. And yet your pain surpassed his own. He would rather writhe in misery than see you crying in his arms. Knowing that he had driven you this far.

“You were right,” he choked out. “I wanted you to know hurt the way I did. I envied you. You never let anyone get to you. I thought in some twisted way I wouldn’t be alone and I could finally move past what happened to me.”

You could feel yourself falling for it again and you lowered your head.

“I’m sorry,” Jaebeom finally said.

Those words you had wanted for so long and they did nothing for you. They didn’t fix you. They didn’t numb the pain. They didn’t restore what had been taken.

You pushed his arms away and got to your feet, wiping the tears with the back of your hand. Stomping toward the gravel path, Jaebeom was hot on your heels, calling your name.

When he grabbed your arms and spun you back around to face him, you yelled, “Let me go, Jaebeom.”

“Tell me what to do,” he pleaded. “Tell me what you need me to do!”

“Break this fucking spell,” you shouted back at him. “Make me hate you. Because I love you and it’s killing me!”

That was the last thing Jaebeom wanted. He was consumed by you. There were those words again and Jaebeom couldn’t stand it. No one had ever loved him, much less fallen in love with him, and he didn’t know what to do.

So, he gathered you in his arms and melded his lips to yours. You didn’t hesitate to kiss him back hard, carding your fingers into his hair.

Jaebeom held your waist and hips snugly, trapping you to him. You pressed yourself to his chest and tugged on his hair, earning a groan. You slipped your tongue past his lips and Jaebeom made a noise at your aggression. He could taste the salt of your tears.

This was stupid, you thought to yourself. You just never learned, did you? But God, kissing him was amazing. You let your hands fall from his head to roam his shoulders, pressing your nails into his shirt. You felt so small in his arms, like you were lost in him.

Jaebeom began to move, steering you with him back toward the blanket, still kissing you like his life depended on it. You weren’t surprised when he lay you down, but Jaebeom was beyond surprised when you wrestled him to his back and straddled his hips.

You wanted to grin at the shocked expression he was sporting, but you only caught a brief glimpse of his widened eyes before smashing your lips back on his.

You just wanted to kiss him and kiss him and kiss him until you were satisfied, satiated. Maybe then you could finally get on with your life. It was senseless logic, but all you knew was he kissed so fucking good. It made you crazy. Just like everything else about him.

For fuck’s sake, you would never understand why you were in love with the one thing determined to destroy you.

“Stop. Stop,” you suddenly told him, panting and breathless.

Jaebeom looked at your hand pressed to his chest, watching you sit up on top of him, and his heart sank. He knew that look. You were about to bolt.

“I can’t do this,” you whispered, more to yourself as you brushed your hair out of your face with your fingers.

Jaebeom stroked his palms up your thighs, clad in the tightest jeans he had ever seen, and coaxed, “Why?”

You blinked, thinking of an answer. There were many, but you were trying to invalidate them on the spot.

Jaebeom sat up, wrapping an arm around your hips and rocking you closer to him. “Tell me,” he mumbled, pressing a wet kiss to your neck.

Your eyes fluttered and you felt resolve melting away each time his lips touched over your racing pulse.

“You’ll leave me again,” you cried shakily.

Jaebeom shook his head, proceeding to suck beneath your ear. “I’m not going anywhere,” he growled.

You ran your hands through his hair, hips arching ever so slightly in search of friction. Your body was heating up, excitement pulsing through your veins. You craved him. Lust was a powerful thing, and now you truly understood.

“I am,” you said firmly, pushing him back with both hands and rising to your feet.

Jaebeom slumped back, disappointed and defeated, and shook his hair out of his eyes. Watching you walk away, he begged, “Please stop sleeping with Jackson.”

You turned to face him, lips parting incredulously.

Seeing your anger, he lowered his tone to something more pliant, but definitely snide. “Give me a chance to make things right before you let him get his claws in you.”

It only confirmed what Jackson had said. Jaebeom’s newfound pursuit of you was solely from a place of jealousy. Your best friend had been right and you were too blind to accept it.

“You really are the worst,” you snapped at him, heading back on your way.

Jaebeom shouted vengefully, “He doesn’t fucking deserve you!”

You kept walking and retorted with disdain, “Story of my life, it seems. I guess I only fuck guys that don’t deserve me.”

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[shielddrake]

Those Who Hurt You The Most Ch. 1 - Lull Before the Storm

Oh boy. So, like many others, I can't stop thinking about Psychonauts 2, and so I write fanfic for it. It's just that simple.

I usually outline a story before I start posting, but I'm outlining as I go for this one. I've got about nine chapters outlined so far, so this story will be at least that long. Suggestions for improvements and/or ideas are welcome and appreciated!

There's going to be quite a bit of family and friend interactions in here, both positive and negative, so be prepared for that.

Usual Disclaimer: I don't own the Psychonauts franchise. Also, I'm not a psychologist/psychiatrist, so I apologize in advance for anything that is inaccurate in regards to anything in those fields. I'm trying my hardest to be accurate, but I could miss things. Constructive criticism on this is also appreciated.

Lastly, spoiler alert for Psychonauts 2! You have been warned.

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy!

“Thank you all for coming today!” Truman Zanotto, the Grand Head of the Psychonauts, declared to the atrium of the Motherlobe. “I am pleased so many are here to celebrate the Psychonauts' twenty-first anniversary!”

“Psychonauts is old enough to drink!” Someone shouted from the crowd, bringing about a few chuckles from the rest of the agents.

Truman ignored whoever that was. “Now, we have a lot to go over tonight, and I’d like to start with going over a few advancements we’ve achieved in the past year.”

With a wave of his hand, Truman brought up a screen large behind him. It was big enough to completely cover the doors leading to the classroom, nerve center and agents’ quarters. He clapped his hands and the lights went down, allowing everyone to see the screen more clearly. Truman cleared his throat.

“First, we have Larry to thank for his work in the Telepathy Department,” he began. “His efforts have created a method to increase communication range two hundred percent…”

There was a long speech that went on for a good forty-five minutes, and to be honest Frazie tuned out most of it. While she was sure it was fascinating for the Psychonauts, and certainly for her younger brother Raz, she was not interested in hearing about this stuff. She had spent the last year in the Psychonauts’ intern program, learning a lot about her psychic powers and how to use them responsibly. But that was over and now Frazie was eager to get back home to the Aquato Family Circus on a regular basis.

Finally, after what felt like forever, Truman turned the lights of the atrium back on. Frazie blinked to help her eyes adjust.

“And now, I would like to invite our Second Head of the Psychonauts, Hollis Forsythe, to present our interns.”

There was a round of applause as Hollis took the stage, which was only a few steps higher than the center of the room. She briefly shook hands with Truman before turning her attention to the rest of the Psychonauts.

“Thank you. Now I know you’re all eager to get to socializing—”

“And food!”

Hollis paused, an annoyed expression on her face. “So I will keep this short. I would like to congratulate this year’s graduating intern class!”

As Hollis announced the names of each intern, they joined her on the stage to receive their junior agent badges. There was much more applauding and cheering this time around, possibly because a few of the interns were children of a few Psychonauts. Frazie recognized the name Mikhail Bulgakov, who not only was her fellow intern but also a friend of Raz from Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp. There was Autumn Harper, Gema Ayerbe, Sidney Marks, Barnaby Goldberg and Isaac Wright as well. Why they announced the names in non-alphabetical order was a mystery, but she wasn’t in charge and Frazie wasn’t about to question Agent Forsythe’s methods.

But finally, it came.

“And last but not least, Frazie Aquato.”

Thanking the stars that Hollis respected her request to not announce her full name, Frazie walked up to join the new junior agents. The crowd gave them a round of praise as they all took a bow together.

The noise emanating from where her family stood was particularly deafening. Frazie couldn’t keep the smile off her face at the proud expression on her parents’ faces. It had taken time, but both Augustus and Donatella had eventually (and with much prodding from her brother) had accepted her as a psychic and agreed to let her intern at the Motherlobe.

The applause slowed as they left the stage, with Hollis giving a few final claps once Frazie rejoined her family. She waited until the room was quiet again, or as quiet as it could get, before speaking again.

“Now, before we wrap up, I would like to announce a special award,” Hollis revealed, her hands behind her back. “In acknowledgment of both his achievements in the field as well as recognition as our most improved junior agent. Please give a round of applause for Razputin Aquato.”

The young man in question grinned as he walked up to the stage. Raz stood straight and proud she pinned another badge to his jacket. It was the same one he wore ever since his hazing at the beginning of his intern program a year ago. Frazie supposed that actually made it Sasha Nein’s jacket, but Raz seemed to have claimed it for his own. The older Psychonaut hadn’t asked for it back, so she wasn’t going to sweat the details.

Frazie noticed how her older brother Dion’s support was rather half-hearted. His clapping lasted only a few seconds before giving up entirely and crossing his arms over his chest. Gisu, Raz’s fellow junior agent, was whistling in celebration. She immediately stopped when she spotted Dion sulking.

“Is that really any way to congratulate your own brother?” Gisu asked. “Even Norma admits that the kid deserves it. He’s been working his butt off.”

Dion huffed. “Raz gets enough attention from everyone else. He doesn’t need me fawning over him too.”

Frazie stopped herself from slapping her only older sibling upside the head.

After that, the presentation ended and the socialization began. Most of the other Psychonauts avoided the Aquatos, as they were still quite…cautious about the circus family, to say it kindly. They accepted Raz eagerly enough after the whole Maligula incident, and Frazie as well to an extent. But the rest of the family? They were still an unknown. Frazier was sure their circus attire played a role in that too.

Among the number of cautious Psychonauts was not Hollis Forsythe. She kept to the Aquatos throughout most of the party, conversing with the occasional other agent who came up to them. Or perhaps she was supervising them to prevent another fire from breaking out. Frazie could never be certain.

“Augustus is not allowed in the Noodle Bowl after that incident,” Hollis explained to everyone. “The autumn decorations still need to be replaced.”

“I did offer to repair the painted pinecones,” Augustus protested, but only weakly. He still took responsibility for that. “And I haven’t had an incident like that since then.”

“Dad, what about the—” Mirtala started, but Augustus put a hand over her mouth.

“I don’t think the Second Head needs to know about that, Tala.”

Augustus smiled at Hollis, who rolled her eyes but couldn’t keep the smile from her face. At least she knew he was trying. Augustus was actually one of her more enthusiastic students, as well as oldest. It was easy to see where Raz got it.

“In any case, it’s still good to see two of your children doing so well.” Hollis turned her attention back to Raz and Frazie. “Your family has produced psychics with…exceptional potential. I’m curious to see where they will go in the future.”

Frazie hummed. “Sorry Agent Forsythe, but I think I’m done with the Psychonaut thing.”

Raz spun around to look at his older sister. “What?”

“I’m going back to the circus,” Frazie explained. “I’m happy I’ve learned everything I have, but I prefer the acrobat life.”

“I thought we were going to be going on missions together,” Raz complained, giving her puppy eyes. “Two Agent Aquatos working together!”

“Raz, being a Psychonaut is your thing, not mine,” Frazie insisted.

“Come on!”

“Zip it, Raspy!” Her tone went harder as he opened his mouth to protest again.

“When do I get to join?” Queepie jumped in. Literally. He placed himself in the middle of the circle of adults and teens (and a few children) and started jumping up and down. “When’s it my turn?”

“Not for a while, young man,” Hollis answered. “You’re still too young.”

“How young is too young?” Queepie asked.

“How old are you?”

“Seven.”

“That young.”

“But Raz was ten when he became a Psychonaut!”

Raz’s eyes widened. Was his little brother trying to take the title of Youngest Psychonaut Ever from him?

“Your brother was an intern first, and there were…extenuating circumstances.” Hollis glanced at Raz out of the corner of her eye, and Raz tried to keep the grimace off his face. He knew very well what she was referring to. “An exception I’m not willing to make again.”

“You’ll be doing this soon enough, Son,” Augustus reassured him.

“There are enough Psychonauts in my family as it is,” Donatella declared, speaking up for the first time in the conversation. Frazie found this surprising since her mother was usually the most outspoken person in the room. She suspected it had to do with trying to keep the peace between her and Hollis. “Remember, we still have a show next week, Razputin. If your psychic business makes you late..."

She let her sentence trail off at the warning.

“I remember, Mom,” Raz said with a smile. He’d been doing all right balancing being a Psychonaut and performing in the Aquato Family Circus. Of course, having access to the Psychonauts’ jet made it much easier. “Next Sunday.”

"And don't forget to practice in the meantime!"

"I know, Mom!"

Donatello chuckled. “I hope so, Pootie.”

Raz somehow managed to keep the groan from escaping his mouth at the nickname. Dion, on the other hand, grunted and had to bite his tongue.

Two older guests walked up to the already rather large group. One stood far above everyone, lean as a sapling. The other was her opposite, being very short and barely taller than Raz himself. It never ceased to amuse Raz at their contrary appearances but not contrary personalities. They complimented each other perfectly.

“Congratulations on the award, Razputin,” Cassie said, giving the young man a hug. “If anyone deserves it, it’s you.”

“Yes. Well done, young man,” Compton added. “I must say I’m rather impressed at the progress you’ve made in only a year.”

“Well,” Raz dragged out. “I’ve had some pretty awesome teachers.”

“Brownnoser,” came the voice of Raz’s (Sort of? Maybe?) girlfriend Lili, standing with her father Truman as she gave him a small punch in the shoulder. “You can brag about it more after you’ve perfected the Clairvoyance Jump of yours.”

“Clairvoyance Jump?” Truman inquired. Raz’s cheeks went a little pink.

“It’s a technique I’m working on that I started figuring out at the Rhombus of Ruin,” the acrobat described. “It allows for long-distance Clairvoyance through several brains in a row.”

“I’ve heard of some psychics doing that, but I don’t believe it’s been perfected into a teachable power yet,” Truman acknowledged. “It’s wonderful to see a young psychic working so hard to advance our knowledge.”

“That’s my boy,” Augustus said, rubbing Raz's hair with pride while his wife looked a little exasperated.

Donatella still hadn’t said much during the party, other than her pestering Raz about the future show. Frazie was starting to wonder if her mother was feeling ill. She did spot Donatella giving Hollis a few displeased looks, and according to Raz the two of them didn’t get along very well. Was she trying to keep the peace by keeping her mouth shut around Agent Forsythe? That didn’t seem much like their incredibly outspoken and extroverted mother.

This concern did not distract Frazie enough that she didn’t spot the small cheek kiss Lili gave Raz once Truman had turned his back. She held back a giggle at her brother's flush.

There was a sudden silence in the entire atrium. Raz raised his head to look around to see if he could find the cause, his mind immediately going to a possible threat. His guard went down when he saw exactly the cause of the Psychonauts staring at the entrance. Many of them dropped their jaws open.

Bob Zanotto stood there with a small, nervous grin. He appeared to have gotten around to at least trimming his beard, making him look not quite so old. He finally replaced his broken glasses, making his eyes look larger. He also looked like he had lost a little bit of weight, and he smelled much cleaner than Raz remembered. Raz’s eyes moved down Bob’s arm to his hand, which he kept enveloped by another.

That hand then led up to the arm of none other than Helmut Fullbear. He looked much like he did when Raz had recovered his mind from Otto’s lab. His coat was still as extravagant as ever, and he cut his hair ever so slightly. His namesake sat on his head, looking freshly polished.

Raz ran up to them. “Bob! Helmut! You found your body!”

“It certainly took long enough,” Helmut joked. He gave Bob’s hand a squeezed and the two continued into the main area of the atrium. Helmut's legs wobbled a bit in his stride. “And I’m still getting used to having my body back.”

“Brain re-integration going okay?”

“As good as it can be.”

“Bob! You’re looking well!” Cassie shouted, loud enough for everyone to hear. She gave him a tight hug. “I haven’t seen you look this good in years!”

“Well, turns out that spending months digging in a frozen lake is good exercise,” Bob jested, rubbing the back of his neck. “Lost a bit of weight doing that.”

“Honey, you are perfect as you are, but we’re still getting you that treadmill,” Helmut teased. “I worry about your cholesterol at our age.”

The group laughed at the teasing until a stuttered cough rang out through the still-silent room. Truman slowly walked up to his uncle, looking more embarrassed than Raz had ever seen Lili’s father look. He waited until Bob finally walked over to him and slowly embraced his nephew. Truman immediately returned it, gripping the older man’s back with tight fingers.

“I’m so sorry.” Raz was only able to make out the whisper Bob said to Truman.

Truman shook his head. “Don’t be sorry. I should have done more. I’m just happy you’re doing so much better.”

“Every day is a challenge, but I am doing better.” Bob released his nephew as Helmut walked up to them, and he and Truman firmly shook hands.

With that, the tension in the room dispersed. Everyone returned to their own conversations, which no doubt going to turn into gossip before the night was over.

The part continued, and Raz eventually made his way over to the buffet table. He could practically hear his mother’s voice telling him to eat something healthy and full of protein before he stuffed himself with candy or chocolate. As he was about to reach for the famous honey pepper boar bacon, Helmut walked up to him, followed by his father. Raz’s cheeks hurt from the smile that spread across his face. This was a night of joy, to be certain.

“Helmut! You’ve got to have this bacon!” he announced. He immediately tried to take it back. “But, uh, maybe a small amount at first?”

Helmut let out a big laugh. “Razputin, my boy, you have quite the heart. But I’m actually here for another reason.”

“Huh? And what’s that?”

“There’s someone else who wants to talk to you.” Helmut gestured to Augustus. “Both of you. A couple of someones actually. They’re outside by Otto’s lab.”

Raz glanced at his dad, who shrugged, looking as confused as he felt. Helmut returned to Bob’s side as father and son left the Motherlode. They hopped across the floating platforms to the building housing Otto’s lab. Even now, Raz felt a little uneasy going there, knowing that the inventor kept a vault full of deceased agents’ brains there. And the idea that Otto thought Raz’s brain would one day be in there as well…Ew.

Raz didn’t think twice about that though once he saw Ford Cruller and Lucrecia Mux, his Nona, holding hands. Both of them looked a little nervous, but they did manage to smile as the two other psychics approached.

“Nona! Ford!” Raz sprinted forward to grab Nona in a tight but still gentle hug. She patted the back of his head in response, closing her eyes as she felt her grandnephew in her arms again. Raz gave her one last squeeze before grabbing Ford around the waist. “I didn’t know if you were coming or not!”

“Sorry we’re a little late,” Ford said. “Lucy was taking her time doing her hair.”

“Oh hush, Crully,” Lucy teased back. “I had to spend half an hour convincing you to come at all. Don’t go blaming me.”

Augustus was keeping his distance, glancing back and forth between the ground and the couple. Raz watched his father with concern, knowing he still had a little trouble in regards to how Ford had modified his memories against his will as a child. Augustus had spent the last year on-and-off with the Psychonauts and their available therapists to come to terms with this and what transpired a year ago. Or at least that’s what Augustus told his family. Raz really wasn’t sure what kind of progress he had made, and he didn’t want to push the topic if his dad wasn’t up to it.

The one who finally broke the silence was Ford. He walked over to Augustus, followed closely by Lucy and Raz, and he bowed his head to the younger man.

“Augustus, I haven’t had the chance, or really the courage, to talk to you before now,” he began. He took a deep breath. “But I guess it’s better late than never to say how sorry I am—”

“Ford Cruller.” Augustus put his hand on the old man’s shoulder, prompting Ford to meet his gaze. “I have been through the gamut of emotions over the last year. I've been angry, sad, disappointed, confused, disgusted…and a lot of other things. But I have learned one very important thing: There is no point staying angry with someone who hurt you, especially if they show regret for it. It keeps bringing up old wounds when we should be able to move forward.”

Augustus put his hand forward, and Ford hesitated for a single moment before shaking it with his own. They both let out a breath that Raz was sure neither knew they were holding. Augustus then moved on to Lucy, who had stayed behind to let Ford have his say first. He didn’t even pause in kneeling and hugging her. After a moment of the two embracing each other, Augustus pulled away with a smile.

“Lucy, you may be my aunt, but the memories we made together when you were my mother, or my acting mother, were real,” he described. “You're my aunt-mother, and nothing will change that.”

The tears finally started falling from Lucrecia’s eyes, and she buried her face in her nephew’s chest. Ford hugged her from the other side, with one hand on Augustus’ back. Raz wiped away his own tears, and was taken aback when a telekinesis hand grabbed him and placed him smack in the middle of the family hug. Augustus released his son and grabbed his with his physical hand, not letting go of his family.

Once the four psychics had their fill of hugs, Raz jumped in front of Lucy.

“Nona! I have something really cool to show you!”

“Is it that…you know?” Augustus probed mysteriously.

Raz grinned. “Yup.”

“What’s that?” Ford asked.

“I’ve been practicing with Lizzie on this a lot, and I’ve gotten pretty good at it.” Raz headed to the edge of the platform. “Watch this!”

“Stay away from the—” Lucy began, out of habit, but stopped when Raz jumped over the edge and into the small lake below.

Or rather, he would have landed in the water if the Hand of Galochio hadn’t sprung up and held him in place. Raz did a couple of tumbles and flips with the Hand, followed by a matching handstand and handstand walk over the water, with flourishes of water sprays and streams going all over the place at the same time. He ended his little show a bit of juggling of small balls of water, which exploded into rain with a clap of his hands.

The three adults applauded as Raz gave a bow and used the water to step back down to the dock. He was wringing his hands as he returned to Lucy.

“Whatcha think?”

“That was amazing, Pootie!” she praised.

“A showstopper for certain!” Ford added.

Augustus patted his son’s shoulder. “He’s been working on that show for weeks.”

“You’ve obviously worked hard on it,” Lucy said. “How many hours a week?”

“Um, a lot?” Raz answered with a crooked smile. “I didn’t keep track.”

“It’s comforting to see you using water again,” she continued. “But remember how dangerous it can be, Razputin.”

The preteen nodded. “I know, Nona. I just don’t want water to be a bad part of our lives anymore.”

“We're all performing a few water acts in the circus now,” Augustus informed them. “Would you like to come see? We have a show next week.”

“It would be wonderful to see the family perform again.” Lucy looked up at her elderly boyfriend. “What do you think, Crully?”

“You don’t think they’d mind if I came?” Ford asked.

“Of course not!” Raz asserted. “I know mom’s been wondering about you. And Tala and Queepie have been asking about Nona a lot. They miss you.”

“We better not disappoint them then,” Lucy conceded.

“Even better, let’s go back inside. I think it’s about time our Nona formally introduced her boyfriend to the family,” Augustus teased. “By the way, Ford, we need to have a talk about your intensions towards my aunt-mother.”

“Gussy!” Lucy gave her nephew-son a pretend scandalous expression.

Raz groaned and rolled his eyes. “Now I know where he gets it from.”

Ford levitated the adults over the water back to the Motherlobe, while Raz did a few hops with the Hand of Galochio to join them. As they did so, a figure kept to the shadows as he turned off his psychic invisibility. He kept an eye on Razputin as he watched the boy return to the Psychonauts’ party. The figure bit his tongue to keep quiet until he was sure the psychics were out of both hearing and telepathy range. One he was sure they were, he put his fingers up to his temple.

“Minister, I have news to report,” he telepathically called. “I think you’ll be very interested to hear about this."

[raendown]

The first of my follower milestone gift fics! This one is for @rookie-d for the prompt word effete. 

Pairing: MadaraTobirama Word count: 2884 Rated: T+ Summary: Getting dragged along to places he didn't want to be wasn't new to Madara, not with a best friend like Hashirama. Meeting someone again that he hadn't seen in years and instantly falling in love? That one was definitely newer.

Follow the link or read it under the cut!

KO-FI and commission info in the header!

Grown, Possibly Matured

“I cannot believe I let you drag me out here.” 

Hashirama blinked over at him before smiling widely. What a doofus. Did he ever stop smiling?

“No need to be so grumpy, my friend. It’s a celebration! Enjoy yourself!” His ever-present smile grew impossibly wider as he snatched something off the tray of a passing waiter. “Don’t you want any food? It’s free, I checked.”

“Might as well. If I get nothing else out of this I’ll at least have a full belly without paying for it.”

“That’s the spirit!” 

Letting his sigh of disgust blow the hair away from his face, Madara snagged his own passing treat and let his eyes scan the gardens without much interest. It was a nice place. When he’d graduated from college a few years back the ceremony had taken place in the auditorium on campus but Tobirama’s university was one of those fancy big money ones that all the rich families sent their kids to for clout more so than an education. Of course they just happened to have a massive sprawling garden just perfect for outdoor spectacles like this one. He still didn’t understand how a family like the Senju could afford this school. Either Tobirama had the marks to get some very impressive scholarships or every member of their family had agreed to sell at least one of their kidneys to help him pay for it. 

“Why am I even here?” Madara shovelled the little morsel in to one side of his mouth and spoke from the other, ignoring a very prim looking woman in pearls giving him a horrified look. “I haven’t seen your brother since, what, high school? Earlier? I could care less about that knobby-kneed little asshole.” 

“Tobi hasn’t got knobby knees,” Hashirama protested. 

“He did the last time I saw him.”

“Oh. Oh yeah, he did get a little gangly when he finally hit that growth spurt, didn’t he? Ha ha! I remember now! Well he’s grown up a lot since then and I just...I just needed someone here to help me be proud of him!”

Since that was one of the stupidest things he’d ever heard there was no shame in saying so. “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. If you want someone to come be proud of him wouldn’t you bring, oh I don’t know, family? You’ve got two other brothers. Or that woman of yours, isn’t she close to him too?”

Hashirama wilted like a flower, as dramatic as he’d been the day they met all the way back in middle school. 

“But our whole family is away on vacation because Tobi didn’t even tell any of us when he was graduating! I wanted Mito to come but she couldn’t get out of work on such short notice and he’d never say anything but I just know he’ll love it so much better when he sees there’s people here to celebrate with him!”

“What was he even in school for again? Something yuppie, obviously.” 

Because his best friend was an idiot who couldn’t read a tone to save his life, Hashirama practically danced off his own feet with pride as he crowed, “A double major! Oh I could just burst! He completed a double major in political science and international relations!”

Madara stared. 

“He went to school...for politics? He’s going in to politics?” 

“Yeah!” 

“Oh great. Wonderful. He was an annoying kid but that brain of his did have some potential. Now he’s gonna waste it.” 

Hashirama stopped bouncing to cock his head, bemused. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, you know, what good are politicians really? They all talk a big game and they all wear their fancy suits but I’ve never met one who wasn’t entirely full of shit. Every one of them is basically an over-refined waste of space.” 

“Didn’t you tell me once that you wanted to grow up and be the mayor?”

Face suddenly much too hot for the cool weather around them, Madara growled and gave his friend a mighty shove. “Keep your mouth shut!” 

“So mean!” 

Talking about someone he hadn’t seen since they were all still growing in to their own limbs wasn’t exactly Madara’s idea of a good time. Changing the subject to the plans they had made for a beach day that weekend was much more interesting. A little fast talking, a bit of wheedling, and it was possible he might be able to talk Hashirama in to camping out the night without that terrifying fiance of his. Mito was a strong woman, definitely exactly the sort of person someone like Hashirama needed. Madara still didn’t like her. He always got the impression that when she looked at him she wondered what her fiance saw in him and it made his skin itch every time. 

It took another half hour but finally the ceremony began and all of the gathered family and friends were invited to find a seat. Though Madara had been calling the area gardens inside his head it was more like an outdoor amphitheater of some kind with ascending rows of benches carved in to the natural rock. It sort of reminded him of something out of ancient Greece, actually, and he hated a little that it impressed him all the more for it. 

“Ooh, there they are!” Hashirama grabbed his sleeve in excitement, all but lurching out of the seat he’d only just settled in to point at the thick wave of black robed young adults all marching out of a nearby building. Well, not so much marching. Considering the heavy course loads they had all just finished over half of them looked more like they were shuffling along on the strength of their last cup of coffee. That much Madara could relate to.

“Which one’s your brother?”

“There! There he is! Hi Tobi!” 

Either Tobirama didn’t hear the cry from so far away or he was well practiced at ignoring such a fog horn of a voice but none of the faces that turned towards them had any sparks of recognition. From the audience there was mostly fond understanding. Most of the students that looked towards them just looked confused. It was kind of sad but Madara was pretty sure a lot of them had never seen anyone so enthusiastic about supporting their family before. Yuppie types, in his experience, weren’t really great at loving their kids.

He might have based that opinion mostly off his own estranged father. So sue him. 

“When they’re all dressed the same how am I supposed to tell them apart? I remember he’s got white hair.” Madara gave the massive group of black robed figures a half-hearted once over. “There’s got to be a dozen people in there with white hair.”

“That’s easy,” Hashirama said. “My Tobi is the best one!” 

“Alright, well, that doesn’t really help much but...you tried?”

Despite his friend’s utter lack of ability to describe one simple human face Madara did eventually figure out which one was Tobirama. Not that he had to put much deduction work in; all he needed to do was sit back and wait until eventually the name ‘Senju Tobirama’ was called and one of the white-hair-black-robe-graduation-cap people broke away from the rest to ponce across the stage with more grace than any disney forest animal could ever dream of. 

The distance between them was still too large to really make out any fine details but the one thing Madara picked up on had him scowling out of reflex, hunkering down in his seat with arms crossed while Hashirama practically vibrated out of his own skin trying to holler his pride for the world to hear. 

He’d gotten taller! That rat bastard of an albino must have had another growth spurt since they last saw each other. What the hell was it about Senju genes? Even from this far away Madara could tell he would barely pass the guy’s chin and there was just something fundamentally unfair about that. He was older! Didn’t he get to be taller than anybody? 

Izuna didn’t count. As the youngest brother it was his duty to stay short forever. 

Like the disgustingly emotional child he was, it took Hashirama several minutes after his brother had completely vacated the stage for him to finally sit down and heave a deep sigh, followed immediately by several quivering breaths. Madara dug in to one pocket and threw a tissue in his stupid face. He’d learned to carry those around years ago no matter where they were going after one too many of his shirts had been ruined for lack of anything else around to cry on. When it came to Hashirama emotions could attack at any time. And usually for the stupidest reasons. 

Waiting out the rest of the ceremony was somehow even more boring now that he wasn’t watching for anyone specific to walk across the stage. It seemed unfair to him that alphabetically ‘Senju’ was so far down the list that there was less than a quarter of the names left to call and somehow it all seemed to last four times as long as the rest of this stupid ceremony had. Finally, however, the entire audience was invited to stand for applause and Madara did so with a groan, shaking out his legs in the hopes that doing so would discretely wake up his ass, gone numb from sitting for too long. 

Hashirama turned to him with brilliant eyes the moment the ceremony was announced complete. 

“There’s more snacks and drinks in the hall over there,” he said. “I texted Tobi to meet us, come on!”

“I could go for another snack I guess.” Madara let himself be pulled through the crowd, grateful for once that his best friend was such a tree that people just stepped out of his way without question. His interest in heading across to the fancy hall looming over them may have had something to do with more than just filling his belly now but he saw no need to say so out loud. 

Once they were inside the sheer number of human beings here for today’s ceremony became much harder to ignore, trapped together between four walls that echoed the roar of a hundred different conversations back and forth until Madara was tempted to clap both hands over his ears. The semi-permanent scowl on his face deepened with every step they took, wading through the tight knit throng until at last Hashirama shot up on to his toes with excitement. 

“There! Look! Tobi, over here! Hey Tobi!” 

Madara sighed, pulling the ends of his hair away from the grasping fingers of someone’s poorly attended baby, then looked up when a shadow fell over him. Alright. So maybe coming here today had been a good decision. If nothing else it afforded him the chance to see this human adonis up close. 

Even with the traditionally ill-fitting graduation robe covering the finer details it was still easy to see that Tobirama had not only grown up, he’d grown up good. The height difference between them was even more than Madara had guessed and the sharp lines of his face had settled in to something like chiseled marble over the years, less the young weasel his classmates used to call him and closer now to what one would expect to find on a magazine cover. He’d even had tattoos done that accentuated his cheeks plus one running down his chin and neck to disappear in line with the buttons of his shirt. To his utter horror, Madara’s first thought was how very much he wanted to trace those lines with his tongue. 

“Congratulations!” Hashirama crowed, throwing himself at his brother with wet eyes and a beaming smile. Tobirama, impossibly, withstood the storm of affection without so much as swaying on the spot. 

“Thank you Anija,” he rumbled, oblivious to the involuntary whine that slipped out from between Madara’s lips. Thank all the non existent gods for the noise in here covering such an embarrassing sound. It wasn’t fair. He already looked delicious, did he have to sound like a wet dream too?

“You remember my friend Madara, right? Were you surprised? Surprise! We wanted to come celebrate with you!” 

One pale brow lifted as Tobirama detangled himself from Hashirama’s embrace with enviable ease. “Hardly a surprise when you called me last night to tell me you were coming, though I appreciate the sentiment. Madara...yes, I remember. Hello Madara.”

“Nng.” Oh very good. Very intelligent. Such a good showing he was making of himself. 

“Your presence here is more of a surprise than my brother’s. It’s been quite some time.” 

“Guess so,” Madara grumbled. 

Tobirama cocked his head to one side. “And what are you doing with yourself these days, Madara?”

He was only being polite, something that age seemed to have added since he definitely wasn’t polite as a little kid, brain too fast for anyone else to keep up with and constantly exasperated that he needed to slow himself down. It was an improvement for sure. One that Madara should have appreciated. It certainly wasn’t his fault that he’d grown up to tick off every box on Madara’s list of things that were physically attractive. Still, the attitude was rising and emotions he’d never liked in himself were prickling and there was no stopping the defensive tone spitting its way out of his mouth. 

“Something more useful than where you’re headed, that’s for sure. Politics? Really? I never took you for the lazy sort.” Madara, with what little wisdom he had, very much wanted to hit himself even as the words escaped him. He didn’t blame Tobirama at all for lifting that second too-perfect brow. 

“I beg your pardon?”

“Everyone knows that politicians are all talk and no action, too caught up in looking all important and sounding all smart but they’re never really useful. Shame. You always had a good brain, too bad you’re gonna waste it cushioning your ass on the publics’ dollar.” 

“The only shame here”-oh but the fire in his voice would have been glorious all on its own even without the deep bass rumble of his voice-“is that you seem to have grown up with your head lodged inside your own asshole. If you think for one second that I intend to rest on my laurels then I invite you go fuck yourself with the sharpest stick you can find. The two of you used to talk big words about changing the word when we were all kids. Tell me, how many internships have you suffered through for the chance to do so? How many scholarships did you study for just to meet the right people and share your proposals with the right ears? Go on, Madara, tell me how many tax breaks you leveraged before you even made it all the way through university?” 

Madara swallowed thickly, barely feeling the pressure when Hashirama put a hand on his chest to separate the two of them. It definitely said something about him that he should be so aroused from getting such a thorough dressing down in public but he couldn’t bring himself to worry much about it. Not when he had more important things to concentrate on. Like the fact that he’d just fallen in love in the space of two minutes. 

“Sweet mother of fire,” he whispered. “Marry me.”

Both of the Senju brothers looked at him like he’d grown an extra limb. Hashirama coughed nervously, eyes flitting between them like a nervous rabbit. 

“Let’s all just calm down now, alright? Today is supposed to be a happy day!”

“Indeed it is. Thank you for coming, Anija. Perhaps you might make this a happier day for me by removing this trash from the premises.” With his final piece spoken Tobiraama lifted his nose in to the air and turned to walk away, striding through the crowd as easily as if the room were empty and exuding all the prim fussiness of someone who had spent a decade in the social minefield of politics already. 

Hashirama moaned dramatically and leapt after his sibling. “Wait, Tobi! Maddy didn’t mean it! Come back, we can all be friends!”

Several minutes passed in a haze before Madara even noticed that he was now standing alone in a room crowded with a bunch of uppity strangers, several of them staring at him as though worrying for his mental health. He couldn’t blame them. Not if the expression on his face was half as dazed as he felt. Considering how loud the place was it was somewhat of a miracle that he could still hear Hashirama’s voice booming from somewhere off to the left but he chose not to question his luck, only turned to float off in that direction, hoping Tobirama was still here. Following after them would almost definitely end with more insults being thrown at him.

And like the twisted man he was Madara could freely admit that he was looking forward to it. He’d never met anyone with half as much fire in them as Senju Tobirama. He wondered, dreamily, how long it was going to take him to convince the other man to take his proposal seriously. 

[waaaaak]

Sleep Easy, My Dandelion Knight

F/F - Jean/Lisa fanfic 

One Shot [1468 words]

Summary: It's not often that Jean catches up on sleep, used to overworking deep into the night without the assistance from anyone. It's all changed, now there's someone who cares.

Jean is no stranger to her desk being stacked with documents and requests to fill out. In fact, she is beginning to find it homely because of how long she has stayed, locked in, surrounded by a paradox of work. Seriously, she wonders how anything is operating in Mondstadt in reflection of the diversity in her paperwork. For hours, Jean would be conflicted solving political negotiations, to be immediately snatched into umpiring the neighbourhood bake-off. It would be easier to enjoy, if it wasn’t so emotionally exhausting. The atmosphere changes in a blink - way too fast for Jean to adjust and put on a brave face for Mondstadt. There have been times where she wishes to just disappear for a day and really experience life without interference. A life without the reputation of ‘Dandelion Knight’ breathing down her neck.

Today is one of those days.

In one day, she has: fought and defeated 2 ruin guards, taken care of 3 Hilicurl camps, prevented a Klee-tastrophe, and has worked the afternoon away to finish 1 stack of paperwork (with 2 to go). ‘ This is Hell.’ She thinks as she drags her feet to the Library. Everything hurts . Her back cracks whenever she sits or stands upright and her legs are so very very sore. She feels them cramping up and she is not excited to fully experience them tomorrow. Unfortunately for her, it’s evening and her eyes are struggling to stay open any longer. Jean is now preparing her mind to face the consequences instead.

The library reveals itself to be more cosy in the evening; the colours of sunset filtering through the slender windows and delicately blanketing the library in shades of pink, purple and gold. The darker, secluded corners of the Library illuminated by lit candles, causing the fragrance of Valberry to waft around. One deep breath, she intakes the smell of yellowing pages, melting wax and old wood. Already, she’s the most calm she’s been in days.

She turns left, to where Lisa always is resting, and there she is. The Electro mage concentrating on a book next to a flickering candle, tracing over lines in the paper with furrowed eyebrows. Her brunette curls cascading down as she leans over, hunched, over the piece of work. Languid green eyes now restless in searching the text for answers, wide-eyed and curious. Jean wishes to admire her forever, but the creaking floor on her next step awakens Lisa from her meditative state.  

“My my…” Lisa chuckles to herself, watching Jean  “Don’t you look haggard?” Klee must have sparked a catastrophe, probably creating a ‘Paperwork-Boom’ whilst she’s at it. Word spreads fast, even in a place specialising in silence, and she knows all about the mini experiment Klee was inspired to do.

“Yes, ‘my my’ indeed,” Jean frustratedly releases her blond locks from her ponytail, determining that she might as well by how wrecked she looked previously in her blade’s reflection. “I hope the day has gone better for you?”

Lisa hums contemplatively, patting the seat next to her as an invitation. Jean takes it. “You’d be surprised.”

“Really?” She says, astounded. Lisa nods cheekily and Jean allows herself to smile, crossing her arms and her legs, in her ‘give it a go’ pose. “Surprise me.”

“My darling Jean, do you think I just sleep in the library all day?” Lisa smirks and slides closer to the edge of her seat, nearer to the Dandelion Knight. “I have my own adventures too, I’ll let you know.” Jean turns a bit pink at her teasing tone, and unable to deny nor compliment Lisa’s work ethic. Satisfied with her lover’s embarrassment, Lisa leans back into her chair and starts recounting her strange, surprise encounter with Razor in hold of one of her overdue Library books.

Apparently, one book on elemental mastery has been overborrowed for 3 days and Lisa had finally come around to hunting for it. After all, quote, these books are important for beginner vision wielders since they teach how to focus your vision into your skill or burst (unquote). She had a twinkle in her eye, amused, as she continued to describe her confusion when she couldn’t trace the book anywhere in Mondstadt or even Springvale. “What do you think happened to it?”

“Oh, please don’t ask me to think.” Jean joked, eyes half-lidded and barely awake. Lisa couldn’t hold back, guffawing at her lover’s endearing (and idling) interest in her story. Noticing her drowsiness and growing number of yawns, Lisa pats her lap twice as one recognisable gesture. Jean coughs and shakes her head wordlessly. She always grumbles, red-faced, whenever Lisa suggests she rest her head on her lap whenever she’s tired. ‘ But…’ Jean quickly gets over her own embarrassment at a loss to her fatigue, and reluctantly shifts to lie her head on Lisa’s lap - her legs curled-up on the chair. It’s surprisingly comfortable, which is why it’s so shameful. Lisa will tease her until the end of time about how much she “likes her thighs”, twisting an innocent occasion into something vaguely sensual. Sometimes, Jean wonders if Lisa is actually wrong or just exposing her to the mortifying truth.

“Anyways, imagine my surprise when an albino wolf boy came up to me with the book in hand.” Jean’s eyes snap open. Her simple description conveys much to the troubled Jean, especially since the boy was the cause of all sorts of terrors needed to be put to rest in Springvale. “His name is Razor, as I recall, and he was quite timid in contrast to his upset appearance. He muttered a few words of apology and nearly ran away.”

“You say ‘nearly’, what made him stay?”

“He has an affinity for Electro, and -surprise surprise- I do too.” Jean sighs and closes her eyes, fighting feelings of irritation at her sarcasm. “ Why did you make him stay.”

Lisa hums and strokes Jean’s hair habitually, inadvertently pacifying her quietly. “I can’t phrase this well, but his Electro vision seemed too overwhelming to contain. Especially, when he is still in the beginner stages of wielding it.”

“It seemed like wasted potential, is what you’re saying.” Jean softly mumbles, her migraine soothed by Lisa’s actions. The witch nods, although her lover can’t see it.

“The air around him is constantly zapping with electricity. His vision is overspilling, and who knows what it’ll do once it’s host isn’t strong enough.” Her voice became a whisper at the end and her stroking pauses. Jean looks up to see Lisa frowning and eyes unfocused. She reaches up to squeeze Lisa’s hand, sending an assuring stare.

“So what did you do?”

“I took him in as an apprentice, or as his ‘Lupical’,” - She shrugs, forgoing going deeper into her worries- “and I spent the whole of midday teaching him how to control his vision!”

Lisa yawns and stretches her arms out, then smiles tiredly like she was just reminded of the aches in her joints. She loses her upright posture, slumping a bit and massaging her shoulders herself. Jean, who is on the verge of slumber, hums tepidly. Lisa peers downwards, eyebrow quirked and lips pressed together stifling laughter.

The stern, disciplined Dandelion Knight is currently taking a nap on her lap in the Library. Her mop of golden strands, mussed, and her face ceasing all wrinkles - pacified. ‘ Wait until Kaeya hears about this. ’ Jean shuffles a bit, scrunching her face as if she read Lisa’s thoughts asleep. ‘ Cute.’ She gently smooths out Jean’s hair, her hands then lingers on her lover’s warm cheeks. She looks much different, relaxed and unruly, a reminder that the Acting Grand Master is still a woman in her youth hiding under her disciplined demeanor. In all honesty, Lisa was not surprised. Being around her deceptive lover everyday has allowed her to be skilled at understanding her mood, even with the tiniest of twitches. Jean likes to hide her vulnerabilities, fearing that it would disappoint everyone since she’s not as perfect as she seems.

Lisa looks out the tall window, admiring the view of Teyvat enveloped by the dawn. As time has flown by, the sun has sunk significantly into the horizon and the sunlight has become scarce. The weak candles are now the light source in the lonesome library, flickering flames of marigold highlighting their faces. It’s warm, comfortable and temporary.

Her eyes glance over to her book, wondering if she should finish it, but when she glimpses the faint smile on Jean’s sleeping expression, she rejects it. ‘ This is enough.’ She lays back in her chair, shifting as sneakily as possible, gingerly cradling Jean’s head in her hands. ‘ Her by my side and peaceful.’  

She feels her own eyes begin to close, content to soothe her lover’s rest whilst embracing her own with open arms.

[gaylorlyrics]

Better Than Revenge

I’ve been seeing a few posts on this lately, so I wanted to do some analysis. The mainstream narrative of this song is that Taylor and Joe Jonas broke up (in the infamous 27 second phone call) and Joe then immediately dated Camilla Belle.

It does seem that this song is about that triangle, but rather than it being real relationships, a closer look shows that it was about Taylor’s beard being used by Camilla Belle.

Additionally, this song serves the purpose of getting more publicity for all involved in the triangle, although it definitely seems like Camilla Belle got the short stick. Joe Jonas & Taylor both got a lot of press from their break up and wrote multiple songs hinting at the details. Taylor’s first song that was alleged to be about Joe was Forever & Always.

The Jonas Brothers (except Kevin)) have always used their public relationships to bolster their careers - Miley, Selena, Taylor, and Demi. Now they incorporate their wives (”wives”) into their songs, music videos, merch, and overall marketing. Note that both Nick and Joe just happened to get married just as they were releasing their new album and staging their comeback. The use of contractual relationships has been a constant in their strategy to stay relevant. (Not dragging - I love the Jo Bros - just being honest)

"Now go stand in the corner and think about what you did."

Throughout the song Taylor infantilizes Camilla and compares the situation to a playground fight. Also Taylor loves to talk in her songs!!!

Time for a little revenge The story starts when it was hot and it was summer and... I had it all, I had him right there where I wanted him

Taylor and Joe started bearding in Summer 2008 and bearded for 3 months, July 2008- Oct 2008, a fiscal quarter. It seems like this was the first of many 3 month long contracts for Taylor (Jake, John, Connor, etc). In general this was the first highly publicized “relationship” that Tay was in, seemingly her first beard. Note that is started just after Camp Rock came out, which starred Joe and featured him and the Jo Bros on the soundtrack, and it was just before Taylor released Fearless in Nov 2008, so both were trying to maximize their press coverage and promote their respective projects.

My complete and total guess (plz feel free to correct me if I’m missing something or just totally wrong) is that Taylor wanted to extend the contract since she was releasing Fearless in Nov 2008 and was doing a ton of promo for that, and potentially thought that bearding would help? But that Joe already had the Camilla narrative lined up. Seems like it would be very beneficial for her, given how famous Joe was at the time. Idk just a thought!!

She came along, got him alone and let's hear the applause She took him faster than you could say "sabotage" The line “let’s hear the applause” indicates that that it’s all for show and a PR relationship. It sets the stage for the song as being a literal stage, a performance for an audience (the public).

I never saw it coming, wouldn't have suspected it I underestimated just who I was dealing with She had to know the pain was beating on me like a drum She underestimated just who she was stealing from My best guess on this is that it’s referring to Camilla Belle being significantly less famous that Tay, and Tay being angry that her business plan didn’t go as she anticipated. 

ALSO - Camilla Belle seemed to be a beard as well. It was rumored that Camille was with Maria Sharapova at this time and then the relationship with Joe popped up (”Waiting outside the room was a Hollywood actress, Camilla Belle. Seated inside was the world's highest-earning female athlete, a woman who has become synonymous with racket-swinging glamour, and a close friend of Belle's - Maria Sharapova”). Interestingly, this post talks about Maria specifically and her bearding.

She's not a saint And she's not what you think She's an actress She's better known For the things that she does on the mattress

Okay - this is a super cruel line. The being an actress line refers to Camilla bearding and acting straight. The mattress line is a play on words, saying - sure, she’s an actress, but she’s only known for, and famous because of, the people who she dates, i.e. “dating” Joe. Tay is saying without the contractual bearding relationship Camilla would not be known. Soon she's gonna find Stealing other people's toys On the playground won't make you many friends

“Stealing other people’s toys”?? This is one of the first times that Tay clearly objectifies the men she is supposedly in love with and talks about them as an thing that is hers to use as she likes. Other examples include “Cruel Summer” (Bad, bad boy, shiny toy with a price/You know that I bought it) and “Don’t Blame Me” (Toyin' with them older guys/Just to play things for me to use). Also this brings the child imagery back.

She should keep in mind She should keep in mind There is nothing I do better than revenge She looks at life like it's a party and she's on the list She looks at me like I'm a trend and she's so over it

This alludes to the cyclical nature of stardom and how people have a ton of press and a huge following, but are then quickly “over”. Taylor is saying that, by dating Joe, Camilla is able to get into parties and thinks Taylor is “over”.

I think her ever-present frown is a little troubling She thinks I'm psycho 'cause I like to rhyme her name with things

This line keeps me up at night. All I can come up with for this rhyme is “What the hell, Camilla Belle?” If you have something better please message me. But sophistication isn't what you wear or who you know Or pushing people down to get you where you wanna go They wouldn't teach you that in prep school so it's up to me But no amount of vintage dresses gives you dignity

This line, honestly as well as the ones before it, clearly refers to dating someone for social status and celebrity standing. It’s about looking a specific way to social climb and gain more clout - aka bearding in order to get more famous.

Camilla went to the elite all-girls Marlborough School, speaks multiple languages, and trained in classical music - hence the “prep school” line. 

Chorus I'm just another thing for you to roll your eyes at, honey You might have him but haven't you heard I'm just another thing for you to roll your eyes at, honey You might have him but I always get the last word

Even just a couple albums in, Taylor already had a name for being honest and confrontational in her writing. Here Taylor is saying that without Joe she still is relevant, and they should know that she will address the situation head on. She gets the last word in the “relationship” with this song, but she also gets the last word with the general public by building a longer lasting career, and growing her career even though she is no longer in her contract with Joe.

Chorus Do you still feel like you know what you're doing? 'Cause I don't think you do. Do you still feel like you know what you're doing? I don't think you do I don't think you do Let's hear the applause Come on show me how much better you are (so much better, yeah?) So you deserve some applause 'cause you're so much better

This directly references the Jonas Brother song Much Better, that says “I get a rep for breakin' hearts/Now I'm done with superstars/And all the teardrops on her guitar/I'm not bitter“. There are a few other JB songs that are supposedly about Tay (Paranoid for one, which has a video that randomly has some similar imagery to the Lover music video?? I don’t have time to unpack if that’s a coincidence or not.)

She took him faster than you could say "sabotage"

*****worth noting that Tay has said she regrets some things she said in this song. Slut shaming and bashing other women isn’t cool and is just doing the patriarchy’s dirty work for them!!!! Don’t do it!!!!*****

[rq-s]

Title: Falling Down 

Pairing: Xu Minghao / NB!Reader

Genre: Light Angst & Platonic OR Romantic

Word Count: 2.9k+

Warnings: None. However, I do interpret the timeline and meaning of his lyrics loosely. I can’t and don’t claim that it’s the “correct” way to do so; he wrote it to be ambiguous for a wide audience to enjoy. Please watch the Falling Down Making Film for clarity.

Credits: ENG Translation of Falling Down 

Summary: You and Minghao have been consistent penpals since 2004, sharing each other’s cultures, languages, passions, and lives as you both grew up. 2014 came around and letter from him only came in 4 times, and only 1 in 2015. The last this you ever heard from him read he was a bird in a cage.

Notes: Italic = letter  ... = omitted letter content 

My Masterlist

Spring 2004

“How about this one, honey?” Mom handed me a postcard from a spot on the rack that I couldn’t reach. The large font caught my attention and told me it was a landscape picture of the closest national park. Though nothing in the picture was recognizable, it reminded me of camping, which made me smile despite having never been before.

“Sure.” Was all I said, and I followed her as she pushed our full shopping cart to the register and began chatting with the cashier.

Like usual, I quickly put the postcard on the conveyor belt along with the groceries. As soon as it was empty, I went to the bagging station and put the scanned and bagged items back into the cart. Making sure to the boxes and cartons together neatly like Tetris, careful not to squish the bread.

“What a diligent little kid you have!” The cashier spoke, her voice worn with age, but with a sense of joy that reminded me of a stereotypical grandmother.

“She always says I do it wrong.” Mom joked, smirking at me. She never did let go of my “If you want it done right, do it yourself.” attitude I had even as a kid.

 Mom finished paying, and we went put into the chilly morning air of the parking lot that was made even colder by the shadow of the supermarket. I once again moved the bags from the cart to the trunk and brought the cart to the nearest drop off spot while Mom started the car.

The ride home was mostly silent, save for the sound of the road beneath the wheels and the hum of the heater.

“Thanks for letting me do the penpal thing, Mom.”

“You’re welcome, but remember the deal; you get more chores to do. You’re 7 years old now, you can handle doing the dishes by yourself, right?” The tone of her voice was completely serious, but I couldn’t help but laugh.

“I’ve been helping with the dishes for years, and I’ve learned from the best. I’ve got this!”

 When we got home, I scoured the bags for that postcard, and luckily it was only bent on one corner. I wrote down bit of info about that park - whatever Google told me, and set it aside. I grabbed the template application from my school binder and filled in the blanks. 

Hello! My name is _____________, I’m __ years old, and I am from ________! I am learning Mandarin, but I’m still a beginner. I hope to learn more about your culture and language as we exchange letters!

For now, I will tell you a bit about myself. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Along with this letter is a postcard and other information about where I am from!

I hope to hear from you soon!

Signed,

_____________

It was a pretty basic template that we had to copy from, and in retrospect, it was cringy as all heck, but it had to be formatted juuust right and follow the guidelines exactly, or the penpal program admin’s wouldn’t accept it.

From what I was told, someone from China who’d also applied and been approved would be paired with me, based on age and interests. Only this first letter was prewritten. Once we were paired up, the letters themselves and the mailing of them was up to me and my family. 

I was lucky I got a match at all, most of the kids in my class didn’t. I learned pretty quickly why: I was the only one who put “dancing” as an interest.  

Summer 2007

...

This was a frog I found at the lake! Mom got mad that I touched it, and when it jumped out of my hands and back into the water, it got mud all over us!! 

Later we had a barbecue and some other campers came buy, but their kids were teenagers and didn’t wanna play with me, so here is a picture of me pouting in the tent instead of having fun. 

...

This is the last one, when we finally got home from the long car ride. we all were sunburned really bad, but it looks like you can see freckles on my face because of it! 

Whenever either of us would go on trips, even just to the water park or to a festival, we’d take Polaroid pictures to send. Most the earlier pictures Minghao sent were of him at tournaments, then they turned into selfies from after dance practice. It wasn’t until they were in their teens that he began to take more artsy pictures, with the occasional selfie thrown in. He’d always put at least one polaroid in each envelope, and photography quickly became one of the many things he excelled at. 

Winter 2010

…

And I still can’t believe you were on TV!! Twice!!! All these letters… I can use them as blackmail someday when you’re a superstar! Muahah!!

I’m not nearly as good as you still, but Miss Lilly says my footwork has gotten a lot better! I wish you could teach me, but words don’t have the same effect as seeing it. I doubt I’d get it even if you tried to explain… and don’t even think about trying to teach me any martial arts, my brain will melt!!

…

My letters were always a bit longer than Minghao’s, and were full of run on sentences and unorganized thoughts. He was always clear and concise, yet sensitive. He always gave strong and encouraging advice on my Mandarin, but my English tips barely seemed to help him. I always cared more about getting to know him and telling my own stories than about practicing. Though, I don’t know what stories I had worth telling as a 13 year old. We contrasted each other a lot, and Mom said it made us a better fit for each other.

It wasn’t a weekly thing, but we always wrote when we could and has a steady back and forth. Sometimes the envelopes were thick, with many pages, postcards, candies, cool leaves or rocks we’d found, songs we had been listening too; things we cared about and wanted to share. But sometimes they were thin, barely a page long, with hastily written characters and a sincere apology. Both made me smile the same just the same – both showed how much he cared.

 Spring 2012

Perhaps it was because we were the same age, and despite not meeting, had spent so much time together. He somehow always understood me, and never made jokes when I was opening up about the less fun sides of life. He went at his own pace, and it took quite some time, but he eventually felt comfortable doing the same.

…

I’ve worked so hard for this, I know I’m capable, but I’m genuinely terrified. But I’m excited, too. I feel so overwhelmed and I don’t feel like I can tell anyone, they’ll worry, or they’ll tell me I shouldn’t do it.

I want to try. I want to be on that stage and in that tournament and I want to come out having earned something.

…

 Fall 2012

 Congratulations!! Now I can brag that I know THE Xu Minghao who won 8th at a WORLD DANCE COMPETITION!!!! I knew you’d do great. Yeah, you were nervous, but your hard work showed through!

As soon as I read the news online, I was so happy. Eight is a good number, right? I think It suits you. Even when you're laying down, you have infinite potential! That’s you, Xu Minghao, Number 8, my best friend.

Come to think of it, it's been about 8 years since we met, hasn’t it? it must be some sort of prophecy!!! Haha I’m kidding, but seriously… That’s more than half our lives. We’ve spent knowing each other half of the time we’ve even been on this Earth!

I’m really glad I know you, Minghao. I’d be lonely without your letters, I think. I hope I make your days brighter, like you make mine. I hope we never forget about each other.

 It was rare for me to get so sentimental, but he needed someone to be his fan, and I wanted to be the best fan of Xu Minghao I could be. Not to say I was the first, like I would joke about doing, but because he deserves it. I knew it from the way he talked about training, that he’d make himself a star someday, no matter what.

Because of this, though, it was this letter and onward that we stopped doing the copies and corrections. I noticed myself missing his teasing marks on my papers, or the cheeky smiley faces he’d draw when I did well. We stopped sending trinkets and polaroids too, so each envelope felt a lot emptier.

 Spring 2013

I’m really going to Korea now… The flight is in a few days, I’ll send you another letter from the new address as soon as I get there, so please wait for it!

…

I had bad dreams back then, about how things would be different, slower and distant. His letters were a significant part of my life, and I was afraid to lose that. Yet I was surprised he was even allowed to keep sending me letters. Retrospectively thinking though, it wasn’t like he wasn’t allowed to write to his family.

Was I like family to him back then?

 Winter 2013

I’m sorry for not writing you back sooner. The company has been really busy with Seventeen TV starting. I’ve been practicing a lot, I barely have time to eat or sleep, let alone sit down and write. There’s barely anyone around who knows Mandarin, and I’m still just learning how to make sentences in Korean, and they call me Myungho… Those who I can talk to are all boys, but they’re my friends, and possible group members, so I shouldn’t mind.

I miss your handwriting. Sometimes I reread our old letters, and notice that we’ve changed so much. But I keep every memory, did you know that?

I always feel better quickly. When I think about being on a stage, having fans singing with us and cheering for me… It makes me so happy that I cry, sometimes. But then I can’t help but think, “Will it ever be me? Or will I just dream of being there, and someone else will get the chance?”

That’s usually when I find one of your letters. The one you sent on my birthday a couple months ago, that you sprayed with that citrus scent? It’s my favorite, I relax so much when I read it. It reminds me of home, somehow.

I’ll try to write more often, I’m sure you’ve been patiently waiting. Let’s exchange pictures again, it’s been a while, right? I just really miss you.

 Was he like family to me? No… I think, back then at least, it was something special for me.

Summer 2014

Hey! I haven't heard from you since April! I miss you a lot, but I know you must be really busy. I’ve been trying to watch the previous Seventeen TV episodes when I can, the other boys seem funny and nice. I hope they all take care of you, like you say Junhui has been.

I’m always wishing you sweet dreams, I worry about how you’ve been. I wish I’d have asked for your phone number or email or something before, but now that you’re so busy and under a big company… I just hope these letters and postcards reach you well.

…

Fall 2014

…

Also, they’ve been saying I’ll qualify to be on SeventeenTV soon. The others are hoping it’s a sign that we’ll get to debut soon. You’ll watch it, right?

Things are looking bright for me and my brothers here, but I can’t help but feel full of dread. I can’t pinpoint why. Junhui said it might be stage fright, but I don’t feel afraid.

I know they all support me, and I support them, but I feel like I might disappear, and not even you would remember me. I know its not true but it’s what I’m feeling.

…

Winter 2014

I SAW YOU!! I watched it as soon as it released, I didn’t understand what most of them were saying without English subtitles, but I could understand you, and I saw you! I’m so proud of you Minghao, you’re an official member of Seventeen!! You’ve been working so hard, I’m sure you’re exhausted. Please try and take time to rest and heal before debut, all of you need it!

…

Spring 2015

May 26th 2015. That is the day I debut. I know we haven't talked much, but I hope you’ll be there in spirit. Thinking about you cheering for me makes it easier to handle. I’ll fight for you, for me, for them, and for us. I’ll try, even though things feel like they’re ending.

I’m going to be busier than before. I’m not sure about the contract, but I’ll try to still get letters out. For now, have this. Thank you for everything.

A layer of grey I can't escape Walls built of fear are colored all over with red Who will listen to the sound from the bottom of my heart at the end of the world(/day) There's no one by my side Flee Flee

The world is collapsing, shattering, breaking I can't find love at all So why why why (Where will I ) fall, where Hidden by the dark clouds, helpless and pitiful Can't feel myself, light is lost Before the end of the world(/day), (I'm) yelling, sounds of pain But there's no one by my side Flee Flee

The world is collapsing, shattering, breaking After I disappear completely, (you) won't realize I once existed Why why why (Where will I ) fall, where Falling endlessly, falling in silence What did I ever do wrong

Missing someone you’ve never met is an entirely separate kind of heartbreak. I began to doubt every single thought and feeling I had, every single word I wrote, everything began to bleed between imagination, ideal, and reality. 

The Minghao I watched on the screen wasn’t the Minghao I knew, and I started to wonder if I ever truly knew him in the first place. I felt like a fool, and even then, I continued to be foolish. I wanted to believe I knew what he meant; that I understood him, but as the years went on, I got more and more lost.

They won awards, they went on variety shows, they released albums, they went on tours. They traveled, they worked, and they grew. I needed to believe I knew him, but Minghao and The8 are not the same. And as I grew to love The8, Minghao began to fade into the back of my mind. When I watched him try to express himself beyond his stage persona, each time I saw flashes of a beautiful bird locked in a rusted cage.

I always kept the letters.

They’re my private collection of memories between he and I. They were the only way I knew it was real. I could run my fingers over his handwriting, feel how he sometimes pressed too hard and left marks in the paper. I could see how the paper and ink warped when he accidentally got tears on it. I could look at his pictures from his childhood and know what he was thinking as he took it. 

I knew him.

Summer 2020

Hey, Minghao. It’s me, do you still remember my handwriting? Maybe it’s changed... No, I know it has, because I’ve changed as a person. It feels strange, I know what you’ve been up to, but you might’ve even forgotten my name. But I feel in my heart that you havn’t. Maybe thats wishful thinking.

Anyway, I’m so proud of you Minghao. You’re a superstar, just like you dream of being back when you first started dancing. You’ve become part of a family, and have so many fans cheering for you every single day. Congratulations!!

…

5 years. Does the smell of citrus still remind you of home? Of me? Maybe it just reminds you of the hard times you had back then. But I guess you’ve been reminiscing about that a lot lately?

I watched the video as soon as it came out, and I was shaking as soon as I heard your voice. That song isn’t a special piece of yourself that you shared with me anymore, but it’s part of your story for the whole world to see, and you told it so well.

...

I miss you.

It was finally time.

It was a fairly thick envelope, inside were many postcards of where I’ve been, quickly written notes as I reacted to songs and memorable moments, and full-length letters that never got sent.

It was so surreal to sit in front on him at this panel. He looks just like he did as a kid, but more refined, stronger inside and out. His aura intimidated me like I was seeing a skyscraper touch the clouds for the first time, and yet he maintained eye contact with me like I was a dandelion about to be blown away with the breeze.

“It’s me, Minghao.” The words barely drifted from my mouth, but they struck him like lightning as realization stealing his breath away. For a moment I saw his eyes twinkle, and the corners of this lips twitch.

A member of staff took the envelop away from him; he barely was able to read the label.

My time would be up soon.

His fingers intertwined with mine and he opens my photobook to his page with his free hand, looking down for only a moment to sign it.

The next Carat was nudging my shoulder already.

“Not yet.” I whispered both to them and to him with a squeeze of his hand. He did the same, like a beat of the heart, and then released. I watched his chest rise and fall with a deep breath as he gave the next fan the same focus and care he gave me. 

I forced a smile on my face as I scooted over.

Did he truly realize it was me? Why could I feel his heart beating faster from the tips of his fingers? Did he want to contact me all this time, or had he chosen to stop and was scared to tell me? Did he miss me too?  

My smile was only fake for a moment, though.

I was meeting his second family for the first time, after all, I needed to make a good impression. After years of keeping up with the group, it should have been easier to feel comfortable, and to be happy like the others.

Yet my hands continued to shake, their faces blurred and the sounds around me went quiet. My senses went in and out of focus like waves reaching and leaving the shore.

The warmth and the texture of his hand stained mine, and as i stared down at it after going back to my seat in the crowd, it felt alien. His hands are same hands that have been writing my name on every envelope for so many years...

I felt like I was falling.

[andrewmoocow]

Steven Universe: The Fantastic Mutants chapter 3: Enter the Brotherhood (originally posted on July 11, 2020)

AN: Sorry this took so long to come out readers. Coronavirus,  online school and all that jazz just had me occupied for a good while.  Hopefully you've been keeping yourselves entertained in the midst of  this quarantine; I've gotten into Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Scooby-Doo  Mystery Incorporated, Cardcaptor Sakura, Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic  among others. Anyways, let's get back, at long last, to the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning of Gifted Youngsters (or just Xavier Institute or XIHLGY since that name might be a bit too long for some)  and see how the Crystal Gems and their new allies can get out of this one!

--

A few hours prior to their invasion of Professor Xavier's school, the Brotherhood of Mutants sat around a table examining the exploits of the  Crystal Gems to get a good idea of what they'll be getting into. "Don't  ya think we're in over our heads?" Juggernaut asked his fellow mutants  while watching video footage of Lapis stealing the ocean. "I mean, one of them can literally use 75% of the planet to kill us all!"

"The blue one may have the strongest power, but she is also rather emotionally fragile." Black Tom remarked. "In fact, all of them are pretty unstable once you think about it. Insecure, dependent, obsessed, haughty, cowardly, hotheaded..."

"Quit with the psychology stuff Tommy!" Pyro exclaimed out of boredom. "What I wanna know is how could they brainwash three world-destroying monarchs so easily? Could the same happen to us too?!"

"Well, the boss maybe." Sabretooth answered. "Speaking of which, where is he?"

However when Creed wasn't looking, the master of magnetism was standing behind him with Mystique at his side. "Lemme guess, he's standing right behind me."

"How could you guess? Do you have psychic abilities like  Xavier?" Mystique snarked as she sat down next to the clawed mutant. "I've been discussing plans with Erik for the past few minutes, plans on how to infiltrate these Gems. He chose the water-controller as the one I should masquerade as since it would require that I retain my usual skin color."

"He's got a good point, but why are we hunting these down in particular?" Avalanche wondered. "Is it because of how celebrated  they became for allying with the Avengers?"

"Not quite everyone." Magneto revealed. "Our current ally Doctor Doom wants the child's gemstone for the purpose of creating his own army of half-Gem warriors. And taking care of them will be so fulfilling for me after Rose had left me all those years ago."

--

In the present day, the Brotherhood had begun their assault on the Crystal Gems, with their archenemies the X-Men caught in the crossfire and the Fantastic Four as well. The mansion was left damaged in their arrival  and the Brotherhood now has the heroes surrounded.

"Now my friends, are we going to make peace by handing the child to me or must  we resort to drastic measures?" Magneto purred threateningly, holding out his hand and expecting someone to shake it.

"Like we'll ever let you have Steven!" Garnet stated. "Just a few weeks ago, he was nearly captured in a situation similar to this one, and we refuse to let it happen again."

"So when I want to do what's right, you try to fight back." Erik pointed out. "Yet when those three Diamonds plotted to destroy Earth, you let them off scot-free simply because they were mourning a bratty child that was no better than them? The hypocrisy is quite strong here!"

"Can we just cut the blabbing about our morality and fight already?!" Amethyst complained while wriggling free from Black Tom's vines and pouncing on Toad, tying his tongue around his eyes to blind him. "Why are you always targeting me?!"

With that, the battle properly began. The Crystal Gems charged at the Brotherhood of Mutants with the X-Men and Fantastic Four by their side, tearing up the mansion even more.

During the chaos, Morph snuck around the  battlefield in the guise of Garnet and tackled Sabretooth from behind, sitting on top of both his arms. "You little shit, get offa me!" Victor  exclaimed in agony while Morph then took the form of Groucho Marx. "I'd have you cry uncle, but you don't really have one as far as I know." He quipped while pretending to hold a big cigar.

Meanwhile Steven  & Connie had formed into Stevonnie to gain a better advantage over  Magneto, but he used psionic shields against their sword. "Gem fusion! I remember that quite well!" the master of magnetism recalled. "Garnet and Amethyst fused much like you to tear Auschwitz apart."

"Auschwitz?! You mean the Nazi concentration camp?" Stevonnie asked. "You must've been one of the Jews locked up there, right?"

"Indeed, me and my parents as well." Erik answered. "But alas, I wasn't one of the lucky ones."

--

It was October 7, 1944, towards the end of World War II when Erik's mutant powers awakened. When his mother was heartlessly shot dead by the  scientist Klaus Schmidt, Erik promptly went berserk with a loud cry of "NEIN!" followed by manipulating every metallic object in the room, even crushing a pair of army helmets and the heads of the Nazis wearing  them.

Klaus was excited at Erik's potential, but his joy turned to  fear when a loud crash was heard before a massive purple flail burst through the roof of his office. "Mein gott." The mutant ally of the  Third Reich muttered in awe of Sugilite. "Hey small fry!" the brutish fusion grinned while grabbing Schmidt by the collar with two large fingers. "Why don't you try picking on someone your own warped fascist  government?!"

"Please let me go!" Klaus begged for mercy. With a toothy smirk, Sugilite gave her word and dropped the man back through  the hole made in his roof, landing Klaus on his desk and making him too injured to get up. "Puny Nazi." Sugilite sneered before separating into Garnet and Amethyst.

"Bitte, hilf mir." The boy who would become Magneto croaked while crawling out from underneath the rubble, mildly injured but thankfully not comatose. "Bunte damen, hilf!"

Unfortunately, his voice was too hoarse for anyone around to hear. Not even the Nazis carrying away the bodies of his mother and Klaus were able to pay attention to the young mutant. "Is anyone else in here?" the voice of  Rose Quartz called out as she stepped into the ruined office. However, she was able to find a certain young man pinned under pieces of ceiling. "Are you okay young man?"

Still hoarse, Erik was unable to give  his name to the Gem. "Hallo, mein namen ist Rosenquartz." Rose introduced herself in some sloppy German. "Kannst du mich verstehen?"

"Rose!" the commanding tone of Captain America distracted her for a bit. "You have to come with me, they're bringing reinforcements from HYDRA!" he urged the Crystal Gem leader. With a small gasp, Rose turned back to Erik with some comforting words. "Don't worry little one." She assured him in English. "I'll be back for you soon."

But unfortunately for Erik, she never did.

--

"So you're hunting us down partially because Rose forgot about you?" Stevonnie asked. "Honestly, I'm not really surprised."

"I remember what happened that day!" Pearl exclaimed. "Rose couldn't come back for you because she was poofed during the battle and we had to retreat. I am truly sorry we were unable to make do on her promise."

"Sorry just won't cut it!" Magneto boomed, pinning Pearl to a wall with a steel beam using his powers."And no matter how much she tried to make  amends when we met again, I still never forgot."

--

Nearly twenty years later in 1963, the Crystal Gems were touring the city on a  sunny day when they found a large group of people gathered before a stage, where a man made a speech. "What are those guys doing?" Amethyst asked her fellow Crystal Gems. "I'm not sure, but I believe we should get a better look." Garnet answered.

As the Crystal Gems blended into the rather blasé crowd, the man continued speaking. "Despite the fact that you lauded such beings as the late Captain America, you also hypocritically look down upon mutants for possessing similar abilities."

"Uh actually sir," a young news reporter with a fake toothbrush mustache  spoke up. "There is a clear difference. Captain America was given his  powers by science to help win the war. Mutants on the other hand were  born with their powers that could go out of control if pushed too far."

"Did anyone ask for your opinion boy?" the man boomed as he glared at the  reporter. "Please don't take it out on me sir, I'm just a young reporter!" the newsboy nervously squeaked and then high-tailed it out of there. "But thanks for the story menace!"

"Hmph, children." The speaker rolled his eyes before returning to his speech, or he would've  had he not found a familiar face joining his audience. "Wait, I remember you!" he shouted. Using his magnetic abilities, he pushed the spectators away by forming a path straight to Rose using the steel fence that once separated them. "Rose Quartz. How have you been coping with the captain's demise?"

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Rose asked the mutant. "Of course you'd forget about me." He replied. "I am known as  Magneto, the master of magnetism! But I'm sure you'd at least remember me calling myself Erik."

"Oh my goodness, Erik?!" Rose exclaimed. "I am so sorry I didn't come back to you like I promised! There was HYDRA coming for us at Auschwitz, I just didn't have time and-"

"I believe that's enough!" Magneto roared before he proceeded to use the  fences against Rose. "You have forgotten me at the camp, and now I shall  make sure everyone forgets you!" He tossed the fences at the Gem, but Garnet & Pearl quickly deflected them. "Stay away from her!" Pearl called. "Amethyst, get everyone out of here while we take this one on!"

Amethyst gave a comical salute before she rounded up all the human spectators with her whip and dragged them to safety. "I see how it is." Magneto  boomed. "You are just like all of them."

"No, you don't understand  Magneto!" Garnet stated. "We've actually met and fought alongside a few mutants before! There was this Canadian one during the war, and we even met En Sabah Nur as well! The Crystal Gems value all life on Earth, whether they be ordinary humans or otherwise!"

"You can try to rope yourself into my good graces all you want Gems!" Erik growled. "Because nothing can ever change the past!"

--

"That fateful battle was how we first met Xavier. He had an older team of  X-Men that saved us from him." Amethyst recalled. "Speaking of which, where could they be now?"

"Wrong time, wrong place!" Sunspot  exclaimed while he fired a blast of solar energy at Juggernaut, who was unfazed. "Could this get any worse today?!"

"As a matter of fact, it can." Mystique replied sharply, snapping her fingers to summon a pair  of massive blue and purple robots that towered over pretty much  everyone. "Pink gem detected, pink gem detected!" the machines noted in unison. "Bring boy to Doom immediately!"

"Sentinels?!" Jean exclaimed. "And it seems this time, they've been modified to hunt him down!" Emma replied as the Sentinels held out their hands to trap Steven in a forcefield. "Guys, a little help?" he called out from inside his prison. "I can't seem to get out!"

"STEVEN!" the Crystal Gems screamed while the Sentinels slowly took off into the sky with the boy in tow. "Don't worry Steven, I'll save you!" Kitty exclaimed. "Storm, give me a boost!"

"You got it!" Storm replied, grabbing the younger mutant by the waist and lifting her up high with her flight abilities. When she was let go, Kitty leaped at the Sentinels and used her phasing powers to pass through the forcefield to rescue Steven. "Don't worry little guy, I got you!"

"Thanks Kitty, but I think we might be too late." Steven thanked sorrowfully, making his new friend look up to discover that the Sentinels were headed for a large airship above them. "Aw crud." Kitty smacked her face in irritation. "Guess I walked into that one."

"Now they got Kitty too!" Scott shouted. "Yeah, I think we got the picture!" Lapis said. "Can't any of you fly up and save them?!" Morph suggested. "You seem to love ignoring obvious  solutions!"

Lapis rocketed into the air as she was joined by Angel, Storm, Firestar and Human Torch with intents to rescue Steven & Kitty, but unfortunately they were quickly shot down by the Sentinels, still slowly making their way inside the Brotherhood's vessel and leaving the other heroes behind.

"Let this be a lesson to all of you Crystal Gems." Magneto declared. "You may think just saying sorry will instantly make everything better, but time will never make people forget." He surrounded his Brotherhood in his forcefield and lifted them all up to his ship. When the villains got inside, the ship sped away from the destroyed mansion.

"I can't believe we lost him, just like that." Pearl muttered while on the verge of tears. However, Reed was there to put a comforting rubber hand on her shoulder. "Don't fret, I think I might know where they're heading." Mister Fantastic declared. "They're working with one of our greatest enemies  known as Doctor Doom, which means their next destination will be his kingdom of Latveria."

"Latveria? I've read about that place." Connie replied. "Very good that you know about this place Fraulein Connie." Colossus complimented her. "But still, the combined forces of Doom and Magneto might need more than just our three teams here."

"I think our first step would be calling the Avengers." Peridot suggested.  "But they agreed to let us solve our own problems unless it was absolutely necessary we needed their help." Garnet responded. "Maybe at least a few of their reserve members would be useful, but not the whole team."

"I do know someone who can help us, but I don't think a few  of us are going to like it." Colossus announced, much to Wolverine's irritation. "You don't mean?" Logan growled. "Da, exactly." Piotr replied with a nod and then he turned to Connie. "Connie, the X-Men now have a very special job for you."

"Whatever it is Mr. Colossus, the Crystal Temps will do what we can!" Connie said exuberantly as Peridot, Lapis, Bismuth and Nephrite assembled behind her with goofy grins on their faces.

"I admire your optimism malen'kiy. And  please, call me Piotr." Colossus continued. "I cannot believe I am  saying this, but we need you to find for us," he ordered her. "Deadpool!"

Wolverine giving a loud aggravated moan followed this up.

--

Well, this sure took a while, hasn't it?

Bitch, a while doesn't even cut it!

Wait, Deadpool?! How did you get here?

I came here to yell at you for prolonging my long-awaited proper debut  for months now! Well I've had it up to here with your lazy-as-shit behavior! Next chapter, you better let me help you out or I'm taking  that "ANDY ONLY" folder on your laptop for myself!

You monster, I worked hard to build up that collection! Okay fine, you can help in parts. Deal?

Deal! And what are you still doing here? Get the hell outta here until next chapter, The Deadpool and Peridot Show! Damn, that chapter title really rolls off the tongue.

[the-angry-pixie]

Just a buttload of questions

I was tagged by the lovely @jessiohhh. Thank you chickadee. Took me forever to finish, but I got there. :D 

Apparently this is to help you get to know your tumblr peeps better. 

Gonna put most of these under a cut to save y’alls dashes.

1. Do you prefer writing with a black pen or blue pen? I guess if I had to choose it would be black. I don’t know why. A good black ballpoint is a lovely thing to have.

2. Would you prefer to live in the country or city? Depends what stage of my life I am in. I want to retire to the country but otherwise wanna live in the city.

3. If you could learn a new skill what would it be? To sew and make clothes. Gosh how different my life (and my wardrobe) would be if I could fix clothes, alter clothes, MAKE clothes. I want this skill so much!

4. Do you drink your tea/coffee with sugar? Don’t drink coffee. My tea has half a sugar. I worked my way all the way down from two sugars and I’m proud. :)

5. What was your favourite book as a child? My Dad used to read me Enid Blyton books when I was little. My favourite series was probably The Naughtiest Girl in the School series.

6. Do you prefer baths or showers? Definitely showers. I want to like baths, but whenever I take one I just feel sweaty and gross.

7. If you could be a mythical creature, which one would it be? A fairy. I’ve been obsessed with fairies since I was little.

8. Paper or electronic books? Probably electronic books. Easier to read and travel. 

9. What is your favourite item of clothing? Gosh I don’t know. I literally sat here thinking about it for a couple of minutes and I can’t pick a favourite. I guess by default it falls to the item that I wear the MOST which would be my black combat boots. I wear them almost constantly.

10. Do you like your name or would you like to change it? Nah I tend to think Laura is a bit boring. I like my middle name Eileen though.

11. Who is a mentor to you? I’m kind of without one at the moment. Thats just the situation my current life is in right now. 

12. Would you like to be famous and if so, what for? I would like to be “Author Famous”. Like have soooooo much money, and dedicated fans who like my work. But nobody recognises me in the street. 

13. Are you a restless sleeper? Yes.

14. Do you consider yourself a romantic person? No, not in the conventional sense.

15. Which element best represents you? I wish I was earth but I would say probably water. Can be dangerous or calm. Flexible. 

16. Who do you want to be closer to? Hmmm I feel bad that I’m not closer to my godson. But ya see, he’s an annoying lil shit. At least the stage he’s going through right now is really obnoxious. So spending time with him is just... not fun.

17. Do you miss someone at the moment? All my Canada friends.

18. Tell us about an early childhood memory. I’ve talked about early childhood memories on here a lot. I don’t want to repeat a story so lemme think a moment..... I remember being obsessed with pressing buttons when I was younger. I mean, most kids are. But you see my family lived on a dairy farm, and in the dairy where we milked the cows and stored the milk there was like... a WALL OF BUTTONS. And levers, and switches and other doo-dads. And like... I just wanted to press them all. But I wasn’t allowed. Obviously. Only at certain times during the day would my father call me over and lift me up so I could press one particular button. So yeah, I remember that. “Helping” my Dad in the dairy and being excited whenever I got to press the buttons. I never even got old enough to learn what the buttons did before we moved off our farm. :(

19. What is the strangest thing you have eaten? Hmmm, probably escargot. Snails. They were delicious.

20. What are you most thankful for? My newborn nephew.

21. Do you like spicy food? Yes. But spicy food does not like me.

22. Have you ever met someone famous? Yeah last year I was working on a feature film that had a Disney starlet working on it.

23. Do you keep a diary or journal? No way. Too hard. The only time I keep journals is for really important stuff that needs documentation. Like a medical journal when I’m sick. Or an anxiety journal when my GAD gets real bad.

24. Do you prefer to use a pen or a pencil? Pen I guess.

25. What is your star sign? Libra

26. Do you like your cereal soggy or crunchy? Bit of both. If you can get a mouthful with both then thats like... bliss.

27. What would you want your legacy to be? Do I need to want it to be anything? Cause I don’t. Like I don’t really care all that much. Maybe I will later in life.

28. Do you like reading, what was the last book you read? I dont think its accurate to say I like reading when I literally never do it anymore. Except for fanfic. I listen to audiobooks a bit. I just finished listening to The Stand by Stephen King.

29. How do you show someone you love them? Cuddles, I’m a cuddler.

30. Do you like ice in your drinks? Yes.

31. What are you afraid of? Wasted potential and never really getting where I want to get.

32. What is your favourite scent? That smell after a sun shower. Everything is wet and the sun is making it evaporate into the atmosphere. Love that smell.

33. Do you address older people by their name or surname? Not to be cheeky but like, context is a thing. Depends on the context.

34. If money was not a factor, how would you live your life? Not terribly different. I would still work. I guess I would travel a lot more. Since that is something that I would love to do but can’t because I don’t have the funds.

35. Do you prefer swimming in pools or the ocean? Theyre both the same level of scary to me. Yes, I suffer from an irrational fear of pool sharks. So I guess I would go ocean because at least with the ocean you have the surf waves to make it fun.

36. What would you do if you found £50 on the ground? Look around to see if someone had dropped it, then if there was no one, pocket it.

37. Have you ever seen a shooting star? Yes. Last time I went camping there was a meteor shower. Wait, do they count as shooting stars? If not then no.

38. What is the one thing you would want to teach your children? Compassion.

39. If you had to have a tattoo, what would it be and where would you get it? I want to get a bunch of babies-breath flowers tattooed in the middle of my back. Its so specific because I plan my tattoos for a long time before I get them.

40. What can you hear now? The fish tank filter at my brothers house.

41. Where do you feel the safest? In my bedroom. In my bed. Laptop and phone and kitty nearby.

42. What is the one thing you want to overcome/conquer? My fear of relationships and emotional intimacy.

43. If you could travel back to any era, what would it be? I honestly don’t know. There are a lot of cool places (but like, usually only if youre in the upperclass). Ancient Greece maybe? Jane Austen era? Woodstock? I can’t decide.

44. What is your most used emoji? This lil dude. 🙃 I prefer it to the regular smiley face.

45. Describe yourself using one word. eclectic

46. What do you regret the most? Not having my mental health issues diagnosed at an earlier age.

47. Last movie you saw? In the cinemas? A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood back in January (actually got my wallet out and looked at my ticket stubs). Just in general - I watched The Florida Project last night with my bro.

48. Last tv show you watched? My Little Pony. Been watching episodes to help me fall asleep.

49. Invent a word and it’s meaning. Derp-a-derp. My bro and I have been saying that over the last few days when we can’t remember the word we are trying to say. Like “go get me the derp-a-derp” or “what was I saying about the derp-a-derp”. Its a good placeholder.

-----

Annnnnd imma taaaaaaag.... like I said, this is a long one so no pressure (it took me like a week to get through all the questions).... anyway I tag @hichie, @thepragmaticrebel, @heavensdick and @serendipitous-magic.

[ai-suru-hito-yo]

Waiting For Someone To Release Me (Pt 1.)

Pairing: one-sided Roger x Reader, John x Reader

Word Count: 3k

Summary: You met the boys of Queen while working at a pub during one of their gigs. You didn’t expect them all to be so ridiculously talented and attractive (of course that could simply be the fact you hadn’t seen any action in months talking) and you especially didn’t expect them to become a constant part of your life in any way.

Warnings: none really, alcohol (this part takes place in a pub), terrible summary, tags will change as the story progresses

A/N: I started writing this as part of @rogerina-deacon‘s 1k challenge, and y’all, she got away from me. I’m gonna have to post it in at least four parts, the second of which I should have up tomorrow (Saturday). Based on Christina Aguilera’s “Genie In A Bottle”, which is also where the title comes from. This first part is a little shorter, and is mostly just setting the scene. All mistakes are mine. Also, to all you Roger stans, I’m sorry. It gets better, and then it doesn’t. Fair warning, I’m gonna hurt him.

Part 2

———————————————————————————————————–

You were working to put yourself through college when you met the boys, a master at the oh so coveted position of server at an absolute dive of a pub, though you did have to admit the music scene there was great. The manager somehow had a knack for scheduling the best bands, though he himself had no music ability whatsoever, and this night was no exception.

There were two college bands lined up back-to-back, and since he claimed you had the most experience and were the most professional, your manager had insisted you help personally take care of the bands. Two others were chosen to help you with the task, and the three of you would spend the night being exclusive servers to the musicians.

The job could either be wonderful or terrible depending on the night and on the talent booked.

Your two helpers for the night, Colin and Rachel, had taken on the task of serving the larger, seven person group and left you with the smaller group, four lads who called themselves Queen.

You took a deep breath and braced yourself for the worst before making your way to the partially hidden booth at the back where Queen had set up camp for the evening.

“Hello, gents,” you called as you stepped up to the table. “My name is (Y/N) and I’ll be looking after you four exclusively tonight. If you need anything at all or have any questions or concerns, I’m your girl. Now to start, could I get you all some drinks, perhaps?”

The raven haired one to your immediate right spoke up first.

“Oh, perfect, darling. We’ll surely have a wonderful night! I’m Freddie, and I’ll have a vodka soda please, dear.”

Freddie was quite handsome and exotic looking. You noted something of an accent to his speech that indicated time spent far from this little corner of London.

“Coming right up, Freddie,” you replied with a little wink, which in turn caused a big grin to spread across the man’s face. He turned to the very tall man next to him and whispered what sounded like, “I like this one!” The man chuckled, his shoulders and his beautiful, dark curls bouncing. You watched as he turned his lovely smile toward you.

“I’ll have a glass of grapefruit juice, please. I don’t like to drink before shows. I’m Brian, by the way.”

“Lovely to meet you, Brian,” you responded. It truly was lovely to meet him, he was very polite and soft spoken. He intrigued you, like there was something much more to this gentle giant, something complex. Your gaze lingered on him perhaps a moment too long before you were brought back to earth.

“'Ere, love, what have you got on tap?” A high, raspy voice came from your immediate left, directly opposite Freddie. You turned toward the source and nearly did a double take.

Are all the members of this band ridiculously attractive? You thought to yourself. The man (for upon closer inspection, this creature definitely appeared male, if not entirely human) who looked up at you was breathtakingly beautiful. His features were even softer and more delicate than those of the other two men you had already spoken to. Waves of shining, blond hair framed a slim face from which huge, very round, sky-blue eyes stared at you. Eyes which looked you down and back up again. Ugh. Could he be any more obvious? One eyebrow was cocked and a smug smile pulled at one corner of the man’s mouth.

“Have you got any cheap pale ales?” The man’s nose even twitched when he spoke. How cute. You mentally shook yourself. Damn invasive thoughts.

“I’ve got Whitbread,” you suggested,

“Perfect, luvvie,” the man said, before shooting you another smirk and slipping his sunglasses back on. Why he needed them inside the dimly lit bar you did not know.

“That’s Roger,” Brian said. “The biggest ‘member’ of them all.”

“Oi! Watch it, Bri! I might have to–!”

“Okay, a Whitbread for Blondie!” you interrupted, sensing already that Roger might be a bit of a handful. Freddie clapped his hand together and laughed as Roger pouted. You ignored them and leaned a little closer to address the quietest member of the group. Once you got a good look, though, you felt your mouth go dry and suddenly felt like your throat was closing up.

The man sitting beside Roger was the most magnificent creature you had ever seen. He was somehow both cute and incredibly sexy as he leaned back casually, observing everything around him. The golden tawny mane that tumbled down the man’s shoulders looked soft and luxurious, and your fingers itched to reach out and touch. He had a strong nose which was perfectly rounded on the end and drew attention to the plush, pink pout of his lips. His green-grey eyes seemed to take in every detail, and when the met your own, you felt as if the man were staring into your soul.

“Uh,” you addressed the man eloquently.

“This is our dear bassist, John,” Freddie offered with a secretive smile. “He’s also our tech wizard and our financier.”

You finally recovered from your small crisis and flashed Freddie a soft smile before turning your attention back to John.

“A Jack of all trades, I see. Well, what about you, love? Would you like a drink?”

“I’ll have three fingers of whiskey. Whatever is cheap will be fine, please and thank you.”

John’s accent hinted at a northern heritage, and his voice was immediately calming to you. He was just as polite as Brian, and you already felt yourself swooning.

“Coming right up, John,” you said with a soft smile, and with one more glance at the man, you turned to make your way back to the bar.

As your poured the drinks, you eyed up the whiskey shelf, weighing your options. Someone who drinks plain whiskey must drink it because they like the taste of it, however John had ordered something cheap, so you reasoned he must be on a budget. You quickly grab one of the top shelf bottles and pour out the desired amount. As you add it to their tab under the price of the pub’s cheapest variety, you told yourself you were simply providing good service and placed it on your tray between Brian’s juice and Roger’s cheap ale.

———————————————————————————————————–

The rest of the night passed smoothly, the bar was packed to the breaking point with patrons come to hear the live music, but thankfully no one decided to start any conversations with their fists, and it seemed no one had been sick on the floor, as had happened the past two times you had worked a live show night. Both bands played wonderfully, and except for a small sound problem, which John fixed in about five minutes, the performances went very smoothly.

You found you really liked Queen, they were one of the better bands you had seen perform in your time at this particular pub, and they seemed to have real potential.

Freddie’s voice was clearly very special, powerful and unique to anyone you had heard before. You could tell he was also a very capable pianist.

Brian was a sorcerer on his guitar, able to create sounds you had never heard before, sustain solos you thought would never end, looking like some ethereal creature under the stage lights while making it all look effortless.

Even Roger, you had to admit, left you cheering. You were very impressed by his speed on the drums, moving faster than any drummer you had seen before and creating strong, solid beats for the other three to follow. His voice was also very special. Halfway through one song, you could not seem to recall the name of it, he let out a high, sustained screech that you originally thought came from a distressed patron. When the crowd started cheering instead, you looked to the stage to see Roger eating up the attention. You paid closer attention after that and soon realized the man had an amazing falsetto voice, and could hit notes you had once thought only dogs cold hear.

You were not really sure what to think of John for most of the night. You did not see him sing much, if at all, and he stayed back from the crowd at first. You thought he seemed very shy and nervous which you thought was strange for a member of a rock band. Around halfway through their set, Queen played their longest song of the night, a song Freddie introduced as “Liar”. The song seemed to instill some confidence in John, for soon he started dancing around in place and appeared to enjoy the music more. There came a call and response portion toward the middle, and you found you could truly not look away. Freddie leaned back against John as they shared a microphone and the crowd went wild. You thought you could even hear a few people shouting the words back at the appropriate times. They were captivating, and it was clear to you that John did know haw to work a crowd, even if he was too shy to actually do it. Then came his solo. You watched closely as John went wild, strumming hard and fast, and you felt your mouth go dry again watching his rather large hands coax such raw sound from his bass guitar. You cheered along with the crowd as John executed a slide that sent shivers down your spine. He caught your eye and smirked, and for the rest of the night, John was unstoppable. He danced around the stage, and occasionally jumped up to the drum riser to reconnect with Roger. Together they were clearly a powerhouse, a strong and stable foundation to build upon.

The band had just left the stage and you were making your way back to them to check in and tell them you loved their performance when you thought you heard someone shout your name from across the pub. You turned toward where you thought it had come from, but did not see any familiar faces, only people chatting among themselves and gearing up to move along home for the night. You shrugged it off and made your way to the table where you could see Freddie still clearly hyped up on the adrenaline of performing.

“Hello again, gents,” you said as you approached, trying to reign in your excitement for them and remain as professional as possible. “Just checking in again, can I get you anything else?”

“(Y/N)! Dear how was it? Did you enjoy the show?” Freddie was bouncing on the balls of his feet in front of you, skin and hair still glistening with sweat, a bright, almost manic glimmer in his eyes. “Honestly, please tell me honestly, did you like us?”

“Freddie, yes!” you answered with a laugh. “Queen is wonderful. Really, you are! I’ve seen a lot of bands come through here, a lot of really good bands, but you lot are really something else. I was captivated by each of you from the first note.”

Freddie screamed before grabbing you around the shoulders and smashing you against his chest in a bone-crushing hug. It was a little gross, as he was so sweaty and it had soaked through his stage costume, but you still brought your arms up and returned the embrace. You were finding you liked Freddie more and more as the night wore on.

“Alright, Fred, give the poor thing room to breathe!” came Brian’s voice. “I’m sure (Y/N) would like to go home and not have to nurse any cracked ribs.” Freddie gave you one last squeeze and a quick kiss on the cheek before letting you go and turning to pack up his own gear. “Please forgive him. He’s like a puppy sometimes, he gets way too excited after a show, especially with a good crowd like this.”

“It helps that they had great music to respond to. I mean it truly, Queen is great. You’d have to be dead not to be moved by at least one of your songs.”

Brian laughed at that, shoulders and curls shaking once again, and said, “Well, thank you for such honest and…creative approval.”

“You’re welcome! Now really, is there anything I can get for you gents? Perhaps one more drink to toast a great show?”

“I’ll take another drink and your number,” came that now familiar, raspy voice. You turned around to see Roger, already changed out of his stage clothes, approaching you with a smug look on his face. He was actually a good bit taller than you originally thought he was. Perhaps it was a trick of perception, with him sitting behind the drums for the last hour, your subconscious just assumed he would be significantly shorter than his band mates.

“Seriously, Rog?” Brian cut in before you could answer. “Cool it, eh? (Y/N)’s on the clock.”

Roger opened his mouth to argue, but you cut across him. “I’ll go grab those drinks, eh?”

“Only if you’ll have one with us!” Freddie called to you. “Please?”

You sighed. You really should refrain from drinking on the job, but you were also assigned to take care of Queen and see to any doable request they may have. You figured one little drink would be fine.

“Oh all right, Freddie,” you answered, shaking your head. “Same for everyone?”

“Perfect, darling!”

“Make mine a lager, please? I’d like something a little stronger now, post show.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Yes, please,” came a voice you had not heard since before the show started. John was watching from where he had a long, rectangular case, which you assumed held his guitar, tipped against a wall next to what looked like a plain-looking cabinet speaker. “I’ll come help you.”

“Okay,” you said with a small smile. He gave you a pointed look, and you knew he could tell you had been giving him one of the better quality liquors and passing it of as bottom shelf. “Thank you, John.”

You turned back toward the bar and felt rather than heard John follow closely behind you. He sat on a stool at the end of the bar while you ducked behind the counter, fixing everyone’s drinks and finding one for yourself.

“So did you really like it?” John asked suddenly, his finger tracing through a ring of condensation left behind on the bar. He glanced up at you from beneath his long eyelashes before he looked back down to the moisture on the dark wood. Seeing the confused look on your face, he added, “The show. Did you really like our music that much?”

“Oh! Yes!” you said, putting your drink pouring on hold to lean against the bar in front of him. “I meant every word I said. I truly think you four have a lot of potential and I cannot wait to see what Queen becomes. You really blew me away with that solo of yours, John. I was truly captivated.”

John looked up at you and smiled then, and in that moment, you knew you were in trouble. The way his eyes crinkled around the edges sent your heart aflutter, and you were certain the little gap between his perfect front teeth was the cutest thing you had ever seen. You knew you had to see him again, and were just about to ask when and where their next show was when a familiar voice boomed down the bar at you, making your skin crawl.

“Oi! What’s it take for a real man to get service around here, eh?!”

Your eyes widened as you turned, horrified, to face your absolute prick of an ex boyfriend.

[ruffiorocks]

Glee season 4 Episode 8 and 9- Two of the worst!

Sigh.... This episode literally starts with the graduates coming back AGAIN and singing in the school, that's not at all creepy or pathetic. Don't they have lives? I can already hear Tina externally screaming and being ignored by EVERYONE!

Ugh Finn is even dressing like Will Shuester!

Marley still thinks she's fat and dieting and being sick, and NO ONE has noticed?!!

Oh no, Finn brought the graduates into the Glee club! He refers to them as 'legends' but by that logic Tina, Brittney and Artie should be legends to since they joined at same time. In fact Tina and Artie have been there since before even Finn joined. But that's now acknowledged, EVER!!

Santana calls Finn an 'idiot' and she's not wrong.

Ooh Jake was a man and admitted he went on a date with Marley, that's actually more respect than Marley gives Ryder.

I love Kurt and Rachel's friendship considering where they started!

Ahh The Unholy Trinity!

Oh yes Santana! She's been there for 5, minutes and has immediately noticed Marley isn't well! Something NO ONE, not even Finn who is supposed to be in charge has noticed because just like Will Shuester he is self involved and disguising it as 'caring'. Even the kids are asking for Will to come back.

Yes! Quinn has also noticed Marley seems a bit off!

So... Marley went on one date with Jake and suddenly Ryder is a distant memory, the guy who Immediately noticed there was an issue with her, treated her with respect and kissed her. What are they doing to Marley?!!

Quinn has been lied to, but at least she immediately wants to protect Marley!

Santana has always been more aware than anyone in this whole show. She immediately knows that Kitty is pure evil! 5 minutes with Marley and Santana has figured out that Marley is taking laxatives and it's all Kitty's fault! But Quinn is so self involved she thinks Kitty is Sweet and launches into a tirade about dating her uni professor!

Ryder and Jake! Actual growth is shown here!

Poor baby Marley is starving and about to go on stage and does anyone care?? NO!

Wait... A few episodes ago Wade/Uniques parents expressed how they loved, supported and we're proud of her but we're afraid she would be in danger if she dressed as Unique. Now suddenly they want to send her to a camp for boys who like to wear dresses?! When did this shift happen? Why is this just a throwaway comment?

Marley is visibly looking worried and not well in the show circle and Finn STILL hasn't noticed, to busy praising the graduate kids! But Santana hasn't bothered to tell anyone other than Quinn???

I always like watching Sebastian sing, all I see is multiverse Barry Allen 😂

Kurt and Rachel's 'orphan Thanksgiving' and SHANGELA is there!! Halleluoo!!

Hahahaha Sue brought baby Robin so she will wake up as cry during the New Directions performance! 😂

Oh ..... Will is back......

Marley looks like she's about to pass out back stage , is visibly worried and only Jake has noticed. But he puts it down to nerves. Marley however, is actually telling him her symptoms now and she's freaking out! But Jake dismisses it. Finn still hasn't noticed a thing.

Annnnd Marley starts to get dizzy and passes out at the end of the song, FINALLY people notice!!

Ep 9

Opens with kids rushing Marley into the choir room, oh look people finally care. But Artie decides to point out that no one has ever passed out at sectionals before! F**k you Artie!

Kitty seems to finally realise her psychopath ways have had a real effect! Something Sanatana points out!

Finn doesn't know what happend at all!

Jake points out Marley hasn't been eating and is skipping meals?? He KNOWS this and did NOTHING about it?? But when Ryder can't read THAT he mentions?

The Warblers are declared the winners because everyone left the stage. What a stupid rule?? Plot convenience?

I love how Sue is always 10 steps ahead 😂

Hahahaha Brad the pianist who never speaks and has been there since day one HATES the Glee kids!

Tina is publicly blaming Marley for having an eating disorder caused by one of the Glee kids and went unnoticed by the kids and faculty. Tina compares her to Rachel and Artie joins in with her abuse .

Finn tells them enough but doesn't reprimand them at all. Not even Will cares enough to reprimand them because he's a dick head and always has been. Where is the support for Marley? Oh that right , no one cares about the kids unless they are Rachel or Finn and are winning! Marley was only worth something when she was singing and had the potential to Winn sectionals for them. These kids are nothing more than voices or dance moves. Heck sugar is ignored entirely and only valued because she brings the funds.

Oh wow.. off topic, Brittney basically just brought up the value of representation but also bi phobia. She won't date Sam even though she likes him because the lesbians of the world loved seeing her and Santana together, but if she dates Sam she's afraid they will hurt him.

Finn is a selfish ass. The kids lost! They have nowhere to rehearse, no competitions go complete in and have joined other clubs because for some it's their senior year. Finn had his change, now he thinks they're quitters because they want to be part of a club that can complete?? He wants them to rehearse at night in the school? Creeper!

Will someone PLEASE speak up for Marley? Tina lays into her again, and Finn just calmly says 'enough' hem hem, Ryder? Jake? Unique? Not even a word of support for her.

Marley is the only one that stays and Finn doesn't have a kind word for her, because all be cares about is completion and not her at all. Finn SUCKS! It's all his fault for being so self involved he didn't even see one of the students has lost weight, was feeling dizzy, was being bullied and was beyond stressed out. The only people to blame for this are Finn and Kitty!

Brittney decides she wants to take a chance with Sam. He asks what about the lesbian community and Brittney responds with 'they won't like it, but they know they're my sister's and love is love'.

Rachel calls Finn and he launches into a pity party and self involvement again but Rachel is lovely and gives him real useful advice.

Marley is the only one to show up at nearly 10pm and Finn doesn't even thank her.

Marley apologizes to Finn! She calls herself niaeve, self centered, selfish and tells Finn he's being so nice about it. How does this Jackass respond? He doesn't disagree with anything she just said, even though as the 'teacher' it was his responsibility to be aware of Marley and he simply wasn't. He simply tells her 'well you and I are here' 👏👏 well done Finn, I'm sure that makes the poor girl suffering from bulimia feel better ! God why and Will and Finn both such self centered arseholes?

Not even Jake, whose daring Marley tries to make her feel better. Not even Unique who's back Marley has had since DAY ONE!

The rest of the more turn up and Marley looks like Xmas has come early! Poor little love!

Also why the hell is Kitty STILL allowed around the rest of the kids?!

Yay! Kurt got into Neada!

Conclusions?

Finn is an unaware, self centered arsehole who didn't stand up for Marley pre her fainting and continues to not stand up for her afterwards. Finn doesn't care she's being bullied. Finn allows her to believe it's ALL her fault and he doesn't take any responsibility on himself at all. Rachel calls and he has a pity party down the phone.

Tina is a bitch here! Artie sucks ass to!

Brittney casually mentions biophobia and I think it's the only time it's ever brought up.

Will is there for 5 minutes and is as useless as always.

Kitty is STILL allowed to be in Glee club? After what she did to Marley?

Santana is the ONLY one to really see what's happening seconds after meeting Marley, but does NOTHING?

Jake knew all along and did NOTHING?

Ugh!! Poor baby Marley!

[clumsydarknut]

The Spirit of the Hero - Chapter 5

My take on the AU by JoJo over @linkeduniverse . Posting this in celebration of finally acquiring a NES and SNES plus the gold cartridges of Zelda I and Zelda II. Took me a little longer to get a good handle on this one. Longest chapter yet. Enjoy.

Beginning | Previous | Next | Most Recent (More to follow!)

               The morning air was crisp and cool, frost glistening on every surface. Though the sky was still dark and the forest almost black, Link – now named Courage – knew the sun was up and simply hidden by the mountains to the east. It would be at least another hour before the sky lit up, and another hour beyond that for the light to penetrate the towering trees. Still, their party needed to set out.

               The night before had been an interesting one, to say the least. Setting aside the strange revelation that he now traveled with eight other variations of himself, the discussion on why they were brought together, how they ended up here, and what exactly is going on was plenty for his mind to chew on. Despite all their theories, they had only been able to determine one thing: someone was in danger, and a lot of it. The rest, Time had said, they couldn’t figure out without more information. It was agreed they would head to Castle Town – hopefully to speak with the Royal Family – and that they would break camp as early as possible the next morning.

               Courage took another breath, enjoying the near-silence of the sleeping woods for a moment longer. I’ll have to wake them. We can’t afford to wait for true daylight. He stood and looked to the fire where Light sat. They had kept it going for the sake of their islander, who couldn’t manage to keep warm without it. Wind was curled up in three extra blankets not a foot from the firepit and still shivering. Courage had done plenty of travel and was very used to acclimatizing quickly, but to live your whole life on a warm, tropical ocean and then be dropped in the middle of a pine forest at the start of winter? That would test even his abilities.

               “It’s time, then?” Light asked softly.

               “From the looks of it,” Courage replied, then gestured to the quivering bundle, “Wake him last, though. Doubt he’s had enough rest in this cold.”

               Light nodded and stood, making his way to the next-closest bedroll. Courage knelt next to Wild and put a hand to his sword before nudging the man gently.

               Just as he expected, Wild jolted awake and drew his sword halfway before realizing who was there. Courage smiled. I suppose we all have that in common. He motioned for Wild to sheath his sword and to try to stay quiet, nodding his head in the direction of Wind. Wild nodded in return, calming his pant and setting to preparing breakfast.

               The others awoke in a much similar way. Most started to draw swords and rose with a burst of adrenaline. Light almost had an ear taken off when he nudged Twilight, for which Twilight apologized profusely. Courage approached Legend with that reaction in mind, but to his surprise Legend didn’t stir after a first, second, or third nudge. It wasn’t until Wild sprinkled some pine needles over his face that the man showed signs of life, and those signs were… less than ecstatic.

               Once Legend was awake and no longer bloodthirsty, they set to breaking camp. Light and Courage were already fully equipped, having been on watch, and most of the others only had to strap on their weapons. Time and Warriors, however, had opted not to sleep in their armor. The time it took Warriors to don his vambraces and Time his plated cuirass allowed for Wild to roast some of the frozen boar, which, when Wind awoke, he found he desperately needed.

               “I c-can’t believe how w-well this is warming me up,” he chattered from inside his blanket cocoon.

               “Pink safflina does that,” Wild stated through a mouthful, “as do sunshrooms, if you cook them. Handy in a pinch.”

               “These will help, too.” Light held out a pair of boots. Wind dropped his breakfast and shoved them onto his feet.

               “Ohhhh man that’s so much better,” he sighed, flopping back on the forest floor.

               “I’ll need them back eventually,” Light intoned. “You can probably get your own when we get to Lehara.”

               At that Wind heaved himself back into a sitting position, shoved the rest of the boar steak into his mouth, and leapt to his feet. “Weshl ngu bem!” In one motion he had his gear off the ground and on his back, and without another word was headed down the road. The other Links exchanged surprised looks and hastened to get going themselves. Courage quickly rolled up the abandoned blanket cocoon and stowed it in his enchanted pouch, jogging to catch up with his lobster-shirted friend.

               Courage had expected the journey to be less quiet than it had been with only five of them, but he was soon proven wrong. While Legend’s occasional cursing was joined by Wind humming here and there, no one said a word. Rather than tense, though, it seemed peaceful. I suppose, Courage thought, we all have probably spent a fair amount of time alone. He certainly had.

               Courage’s mind drifted to his time in the labyrinths. He’d been so young then. How old had he been? Could he even remember? Maybe somewhere around thirteen, fourteen? That time was so foggy. Even if he had known how old he was when he encountered Impa, the ancient underground of Hyrule didn’t show the passage of time. Devoid of light, warmth, and populated only by monsters, the months he spent there – or perhaps years; he did not know – had left him without a lot to say. When your lantern went out and all you could do was feel your way along the walls, silence was survival.

               More than that, silence was safety. In the dankness of a decrepit dungeon, it gave him comfort to hear all that was going on in a room. To know with a surety that nothing could sneak up on him. To always have the upper hand. Silence gave him that. In silence there were no surprises, and when surprises included blades to the gut, it was better that you didn’t encounter any. Whether or not the other Links shared his reasoning, he had no doubt that they had their own.

               The walk went rather quickly, for being so quiet. Midday came and warmed their skin as they paused to pass out some of the deer jerky, then passed quickly into dusk as they came up on the town. The forest gave way into outlying farms leading up to a mess of buildings set on a river. Lehara was less of a town and more of a small city. Courage hadn’t seen many of this size, and felt something twist in the back of his stomach looking at the complicated streets. It made him uneasy, being only able to see where the town began and not where it ended. Too much potential for surprises.

               “Courage?”

               Courage gave a start and turned to Time. “Hm? What?”

               “He asked if you were alright,” Legend sighed, tilting his head. “’Courage’ is seeming less and less like a fitting name. You look like you could be sick.”

               Courage gave him a short glare and turned to answer Time. “I’m fine. Just got a bad feeling is all.”

               Time nodded. “Let’s find an inn quickly. A heavily armed group of our size is sure to draw attention.”

               “I need my own boots, still,” Wind piped up. He kicked the toe of one foot into the ground and looked sheepishly at Light. “They’re, uh, a bit small.”

               “All the more reason to find an inn,” Warriors put in, stretching his arms over his head. “The innkeeper – if he’s worth his salt – can tell us where the best cobbler is.”

               The group set off into the town at a quick pace. The streets were nearly empty, with only a few stragglers rushing about their last-minute errands. Courage noticed suspicious glances being cast out from under the awnings of roadside stalls and windows that quickly slid shut. The feeling of mistrust wasn’t new to him – in his time the people were necessarily suspicious of everyone – but feeling it on this scale was something else. I guess I am traveling with some pretty conspicuous partners. He generally didn’t wear much chainmail and blended in well with any crowd of travelers; Time’s full suit of armor, however, did not.

               “Mommy,” a little boy squealed, clutching his mother’s apron, “Is that man a soldier?”

               The boy’s mother patted his head and glanced warily at the group. “I’m not sure, sweetie, but it’s rude to point like that. Come along.”

               Time chuckled as the woman scurried away, herding her son along in front of her. “I forget how extravagant this armor is.”

               Warriors raised an eyebrow. “Is that not your usual garb?”

               “I wouldn’t say that it is,” Time replied, examining the back of his gauntlet. “I’ve certainly used this equipment before, but not often, and not for a very long time.” He laughed. “I suppose, though, that even if I were dressed more plainly, your fine tunic and pauldrons would still draw the same attention.”

               Warriors chuckled. “You’re right, but in my case that’s what they’re meant to do.”

               “Over there!” Twilight rushed to the front of the group, pointing down the street. Courage quickly found what he was looking at – a carved hanging sign of a gluttonous cyclops with the name “The Drunken Hinox” embellished in tarnished silver underneath. On the street below was a barrel with a plank leaning against it that read “Lodgings Available” in a messy scrawl. The Links exchanged nods and pushed open the door.

               The bottom floor – as expected – was a tavern of sorts. Considerably larger than the one at Beaverville, the spacious room held a dozen tables and had a small stage on the opposite wall from the bar. Courage breathed a sigh of relief at seeing most of the tables full and hearing raucous singing fill the air. Their party would likely go unnoticed, even with their heavy gear. Assuming they didn’t stir up any trouble, of course.

               “G’devening, young masters.” A short, round man with a shiny bald head and scraggly red mustache called to them from behind the bar. “Here for a drink? Finest ale in all of Hyrule is served right here!”

               “Actually,” Legend said, stepping up to the counter, “we’re here for the ‘inn’ part of your fine establishment. How much is one night?”

               The man looked at the party and stroked his chin. “Nine of you, eh? Well, each of my rooms only has two beds, but I suppose if you paid for four I could give you three and haul an extra mattress into each of them. That’d run you… 800 rupees?” The man ignored Legend’s dumbfounded face and picked up a stein and a washcloth. “No, 850 with a ninth breakfast thrown in. I can discount you on the rooms but my wife’ll have my head if I discount her work in the kitchens.”

               Courage could barely believe his ears. 850 rupees? He’d never so much as seen that much money, let alone spent that much on a room. Based on the expressions the other Links bore, he wasn’t alone in that. What kind of economic boom is Hyrule in right now that an inn warrants that kind of pricetag?

               Light choked out a cough before cutting in. “Sir, I’m sure this town has many other inns where we can find a better price. Surely you can cut that down a little further?”

               The man smiled. “Now, son, I know what you’re thinking. ‘He’s taking us for fools and raising the price for us cuz we’re from out of town’, right?” The man knocked on the sign above the bar with the back of his fist. “I don’t roll that way, young master. My prices are set right here. Lehara gets enough travelers for me to make a living without that kind of dirty work.”

               Courage squinted at the board, and sure enough, his prices were listed there, however faintly. 200 still seems ridiculous, especially where one night was only 30 in the next town over.

               Wild laughed suddenly, startling the other Links out of their stupor. He sauntered up to the bar and leaned over it, turning his back to the rest of the tavern and blocking any strangers view of the three, shimmering gold rupees he placed on the counter. Courage could barely believe his eyes.

               “900 rupees for nine travelers in three rooms seems a fair price,” Wild hummed, “wouldn’t you say? ”

               The shock that overtook the Links was nothing compared to that which hit the barkeep. Courage nearly jumped out of his skin when the stein the man was cleaning hit the ground with a loud clatter. It wasn’t loud enough to draw the attention of the whole room, but a few drunkards down the bar glanced their way. Exactly what we need.

               The barkeep stammered his reply. “Y-you don’t seem to have much sense for bargaining, son, I wasn’t asking for that much.”

               Wild slid the shiny gold gems discreetly across the counter. “Oh I know, but decent people deserve decent rewards. I can’t imagine it’s easy to compete in a hub town like this with a policy of honesty.” The long-haired man took on a sly grin. “It’s not like I’m short on cash anyhow.”

               The innkeeper’s eyes were nearly as round as his figure now, but he took the jewels and nodded. “R-right this way, young masters…”

               Wild sauntered after the man much more confidently than his awestruck fellows. Is he really that naive? Courage kept his hand on the hilt of his blade as they followed the pudgy little man out of the room. This is the second time he’s flaunted something valuable within earshot of others. Doesn’t he know that makes him a prime target?

               “Here you are, sirs,” the man said, gesturing to the three doors at the end of the first floor corridor, “I’ll have my staff bring you those cots right away.” He pulled two large key rings out of his apron pocket and fingered through the heftier. With a changle he unhooked three marked keys and handed them to Wild, gave a casual salute, and waddled back to the tavern.

               Wind clapped Wild on the back with a whistle. “Wow, Wild, didn’t know you carried that kind of cash on you.”

               Wild smiled and examined the keys with fascination. “These are high-quality keys. I sure hope he didn’t give us his best rooms.”

               “Oh shut up,” Legend growled, snatching them from his hands. “I hope to the Hylia he did. We’ll need them with the giant, flashing ‘rob me’ sign you just hung on our backs!”

               Wild looked taken aback. “’Rob me’ sign? What?”

               “He’s right,” Light sighed. “You really shouldn’t flaunt your wealth like that.”

               “Flaunt?” Wild scratched his head and looked at Wind, who was equally confused. “I wasn’t- I just- the man’s a nice guy!”

               “Unfortunately,” Time added solemnly, “I don’t think the innkeeper was the only one privy to our conversation.”

               “And even if no one else heard exactly what was going on,” Twilight added, “I’m pretty certain the people down the bar picked up on the fact that something interesting happened.”

               Wild opened his mouth to respond, but Courage couldn’t stand to let tensions rise any higher – he may agree with the others, but berating Wild now wouldn’t change what happened.

               “Making a scene like this isn’t going to help,” he cut in, passing a level stare around the circle. “We have more pressing matters than a few thieves in a random tavern. Let’s just settle in for the night.”

               “You’re right,” Warriors said firmly. “We need to focus on the big picture right now.”

               The men shared uncomfortable looks but all hummed in agreement. Courage felt a twinge in his gut. He still couldn’t remember what had happened after he began his toast at the feast. Is she safe? Is she even alive? Dear Farore please let her be alive.

               Sky broke the tense silence with a change of subject. “Let’s decide on rooms. That’s a good place to start.”

               “I call Twilight!” Wind shouted excitedly.

               Courage felt himself relax. She’s fine. I’ll take care of this mess soon enough and then I’ll be back. He put a hand to the lump in his pouch and smiled. I’ll be back soon, Zelda.

               Wild rolled over uncomfortably on the feather cot. It was well past dark now – likely past midnight – but he still couldn’t sleep. Not that taking one of the nice, plush beds would have helped; he took the cot on purpose since he knew it wouldn’t matter. He hadn’t slept comfortably since… since before he could remember. Sure, there had been the occasional specialty bed at an inn or spa somewhere that made it so he could at least dream something, but even that hadn’t been deep or particularly restful.

               He chuckled to himself. He had tried a Zora waterbed once, but if one even so much as wiggled a toe the watertight mattress would tremble and make all sorts of noise. When he had finally drifted off, he shifted his arm, startling himself awake and leaping off the bed with a screech, sword in hand. He grinned at the memory. That poor innkeeper nearly had a heart attack.

               Luckily he didn’t usually need much sleep, either. He hardly slept the night before in their camp, and didn’t feel particularly tired now either. Did he even remember what a good night’s rest felt like? He couldn’t recall. He’d never really wanted one anyhow. At least, not more than to see what the difference was. Was there a difference? Would he function better with more sleep?

               A knot formed in his stomach and his smile faded. He ran his hand over the web of scars on his arm. Did I function better? Something tugged at the back of his mind – a gnawing feeling he couldn’t place, but couldn’t ignore. Impressions trickled into his consciousness. Complete blackness. Water. He was underwater. Weight on his chest. Couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think.

               He shook his head and pulled his hand away, rolling onto his stomach and shoving both fists under his pillow to stop himself from tracing the wounds. I don’t need to think about that.

               That was one disadvantage of not sleeping much – it left one far too much time to think. In his opinion, though, there were far more advantages than disadvantages. You didn’t absolutely need it, for instance. If you were in a rush, you didn’t really have to stop for camp. You were also less likely to get caught off guard. You could be your own watch when you camped on your own, and an extra set of ears when you had companions. In general he considered it a blessing.

               Sky shifted in his bed, shaking Wild from his thoughts. He listened as the man’s breathing fell back into the slow rhythm of sleep. Courage lay in the other bed, his breath almost imperceptible. Wild was glad these two were the ones rooming with him. The others had all gotten so upset with him earlier. Had it really been such a big deal that they had to go and lecture him on it? He had been discreet, hadn’t he? At least he wasn’t actively showing it off!

               He frowned. So I’m being obvious, but Time and Warriors with their expensive armor aren’t? Time’s pauldrons have gold inlays! And Legend’s got like, 30 shiny jeweled rings on each hand. Why are they so worried about me making us a target? Honestly if any of them are half as good at swordplay as I am we really shouldn’t have to worry about bandits at all.

               Almost as if summoned by his thoughts, he suddenly felt a hand grab his hair and yank his head off the down pillow. He gasped as a sliver of cold metal met his throat.

               “Where’zzz yer wallet?” a raspy voice slurred quietly into his ear. Wild felt a boot press down on his back as the man pulled harder, and he swallowed the cry that attempted to escape.

               “C-cabinet…” Wild breathed. The man didn’t seem to hear and yanked harder, and Wild hissed.

               “Where’z yer wallet?!” the man said louder. His breath smelled of booze and the way the knife wobbled against Wild’s skin said he was very drunk, never mind the fact that he was no longer maintaining any semblance of stealth. “Tellme whereitiz! I’llzzslit yer throat!”

               Wild heard feet hit the floor as the man started to scream. Courage’s voice started to call out to him but the man drowned it out.

               “Donnntry it, boy!” the madman shouted. “Whozzzzswordoyou think’m using, huh?” Wild felt the steel sliver into his skin just a hair as the man cackled maniacally. “Damn, kiddo, if I didn’know yer friend’ad sucha hefffty wallet I mightajustaken thizzz beaut!” He leaned into Wild’s back and gave a tug. Wild couldn’t stop the yelp.

               Footfalls sounded in the next room and Warriors’ muffled but commanding voice penetrated the wall. The bandit tensed and pressed the sword closer.

               “ShhhhhhhhhhhhhHHHHHH!” he demanded, “Dammmmmitnow there’zzzno clean getaway. I tol- told you to be quiet!” The man removed his boot and yanked Wild to his feet, keeping the blade against his neck. If Wild weren’t so preoccupied with his life hanging in the balance he might have stopped to admire Courage’s ruby-encrusted blade – or the miraculous fact that the inebriated bandit hadn’t slit his throat by accident already. Instead, now that he could somewhat see the dark room, he searched desperately for a solution.

               His own sword was tucked under the cot on the opposite side from where Courage now stood. Courage had the sense not to go for either of their bows, which were locked safely in the cabinets with their other possessions. Even if he had a weapon, though, the drunkard had Wild safely caught as a hostage – even if the others burst into the room right this second that wouldn’t free him from his grasp. He doubted he could overpower the man without getting cut in the process – any movement would drive the pristine blade edge right through skin and into his trachea. And most amazingly, how was Sky still asleep?

               “Put down the sword,” Courage urged calmly, “We’ll give you our wallets, just let go of my friend.”

               “Hellllyou will!” the man jabbed back. “Gimme the cashhhfirst!”

               “Easy, easy,” Courage continued, inching toward the cabinets. “Give me a second to get them.”

               The man quavered and wobbled slightly as Courage turned to unlock the pine cupboards, barely visible in the dark. The click of the key in the lock made the man flinch and Wild inhaled sharply as the blade jolted slightly. Courage exhaled and wrapped his hand around the brass doorknob.

               Just as he moved to swing the doors open, the other Links crashed into the room holding lamps and swords. Courage jerked around and started to shout a warning and the bandit screamed at the sudden interruption. Wild felt the steel shift and he sent one final plea to Hylia. Please, let Zelda be happy.

               Everything went quiet. Time came to a halt. No pain. No hurt. Just silence.

               And then, a gurgle of blood.

               Wild opened his eyes slowly and registered a few drops of crimson trickling down his bare chest. The thick liquid was sticky and warm, staining his skin and scars. But, still, the pain didn’t come.

               Wild turned to look at the bandit and suddenly realized why. He was an ugly man, with a ratty brown beard and wild eyes. Eyes now open in horror as he choked on his own blood, coughing and bubbling more up over his lips. His sword arm lay severed on the mattress below, and through his torso was run a very familiar blade.

               Sky pushed the man off the sword with a grimace, hefting it in his hand and frowning down at the dying drunkard. Even covered in blood, the sword glowed like a star. The holy light of the blade shimmered off the gem set in the deep blue hilt, which was carved in the shape of Hylia’s sacred bird. At the base of the blade was inscribed the most ancient symbol in Hyrule – the crest of the Triforce.

               The Master Sword.

[purpleswans1]

Another Stray Kid

The Villain Month prompt is “rescue,” but it doesn’t have much of a focus on villains so I won’t be tagging it for the event. Still a part of my Villain!Izuku AU. Content warning for references to kidnapping. BTW, if you ever see something that i should tag and haven’t tagged, feel free to call me out on it so I can improve.

Read also on FF and AO3

Kota may hate heroes, but he hates these villains even more. He hated Shigaraki, that crusty bastard who locked him up in a lonely house and only took him anywhere to basically parade around his little league. He hated Mr. Compress, who would turn him into a ball when he acted out. He hated the Nomus, with their blank stares and lack of agency.

But most of all, he hated Muscular, the villain who’d not only killed his parents, but had dragged him to these villains when that hero-wannabe summer camp was attacked. If Muscular wasn’t around, not only would his parents still be alive, but he wouldn’t be stuck in this house filled with villains.

Kota was lonely and scared. He never thought he’d miss Aunt Shino, but he’d happily go back with the Wild Wild Pussycats to get out of this place.

Soon after Muscular had dragged him through a dark portal, that creep Shigaraki -- the supposed leader of this group -- took Kota to a new house and locked him in. Shigaraki kept trying to tell Kota it was “his home now” and that he should consider Shigaraki his “new big brother.” Like he had some obsession with playing family.

As if Kota would be siblings with that creep.

They left Kota alone for most of the day, which was a small blessing. Still, they left him in that creepy house with nothing to do. There were a ridiculous number of video games around, but Kota had never been interested in those. He didn’t have his phone, and the only computer he could find was locked with a password. The only things he could find that were remotely interesting were the books in his room.

It was clear that someone else had stayed in the room they’d dumped Kota in. There was a decent collection of boys clothes ranging from childish play clothes to formal suits. There were several sizes with the smallest tucked away in boxes in the back of the closet, so someone had stayed here long enough to grow out of old clothes. The stuff in the bottom box fit Kota, but were a little loose.

Kota tried not to wonder what had happened to the last person who stayed in this room.

Whoever that person was, they had to be smart. Some of the book were at a very high grade level, and even the ones Koda could read had a more advanced vocabulary. There were a few textbooks, including a college-level math book. Kota didn’t even try to look at that one; math had never been his favorite subject.

The most interesting things he found were the notebooks. There were over a dozen of them, numbered starting with #5. They consisted of quirk analysis, mostly of notable heroes and villains. It covered their abilities, strengths, weaknesses, typical operations, areas of influence, and potential countermeasures. A few even had a short history section or psychological analysis. The sections on Shigaraki, Kurogiri, and some person called “All For One” were the most detailed and were included in every notebook, sometimes with new information added.

Reading those sections were really useful. Kota now knew that Kurogiri was responsible for all the quick travel, and although he wouldn’t do anything against the league’s interest he could be reasoned with. Shigaraki was a massive video game nerd, which at least explained all the games in the house and why he kept calling Kota “player 2.” The information on his quirk was scary, but did explain why he was always grabbing things with his pinky raised.

In notebook number 8, Kota found a section on the hero duo Water Hose. He didn’t dare try to read it, instead turning the page to a section on Moonfish. He did the same when he ran across the Wild Wild Pussycat’s section.

After nearly 2 months in the house with nothing else to do, Kota was almost through with the last notebook. He knew way more information on heroes than he cared to, but he also knew more about the villains. Most of the coutermesures described in the notebook weren’t practical (sticking a pen between Shigarki’s fingers, really?) but he was able to analyze his situation a lot better. Maybe he’d find an opportunity to escape one of these days.

Shigaraki banged open the door to Kota’s room. “Hey kid, you ready to go?”

Kota glared at Shigaraki. He may understand the villain better now, but that didn’t change the fact that Kota hated his guts. “Where are we going?”

Shigaraki scratched his neck. The notebook author had noticed this as well, and explained it meant he was feeling a strong emotion, usually anger. “I’ve got a meeting with a rival and potential ally.”

“Why are you taking me then?” Kota couldn’t find a pattern to when Shigaraki took him out. It wasn’t very often, but when he did take Kota out it was like he was parading a prized pet.

“Don’t question me,” Shigaraki said. “Kurogiri is waiting for us in the living room.”

Knowing it was pointless to argue further, Kota just grabbed the notebook he was reading and followed Shigaraki.

Kurogiri was waiting for them. The portal opened into a park Kota didn’t recognize. He could see the roof of buildings less than a kilometer away, so they were still in a city.

Seeing all the nature around him made Kota miss Aunt Shino’s mountain lodge, but he pushed that thought away.

Mr. Compress walked up to Shigaraki. “You really think he’ll come?”

“Yes,” Shigarki said. “Izuku may be going through a rebellious stage, but he’s my brother. Even when I’d yell at him and disintegrate his stuff, he’d always come crawling back to make up in time.”

Izuku? Kota wondered. If he’s Shigaraki’s brother, could he be the one who used to stay in my room and wrote those notebooks?

Kurogiri materialized behind Shigaraki. “I hope you two are able to make up. You’re stronger together than either of you are apart.”

Shigaraki scowled. “I’m not the one who left, you know.”

“True, but you have to be the one to invite him back,” Kurogiri said.

This was shocking. Kurogiri is actually giving Shigaraki instructions? Kota had thought the warp villain deferred to Shigaraki in everything.

Mr. Compress held up his hand. “Wait. I can hear something.”

There was a rustle coming from the bushes on the other side of the park. Three figures broke out of the darkness and walked towards Shigaraki and the others. Kota couldn’t make out many of these people's details, but he could infer some things from their outlines. The one on the left was wearing a hood and had his hands in his pockets. The one on the right was a girl with short hair and something bulky attached to each leg. The one in the middle was plain-looking, but since he was leading the group he was probably the most powerful.

“Izuku,” Shigaraki said.

The trio stopped a short distance from Shigaraki. “Tomura,” the one in the middle -- Izuku? -- replied.

Shigaraki scratched his neck again. “I suppose congratulations are in order. For humiliating Endeavour, the current #1 hero. It wasn’t as impressive as Sensei’s fight with All Might, but still had a massive effect on the heroes.”

Izuku shrugged. “It’s not that hard if you just take the time to plan.”

Shigaraki’s scratching increased in intensity. “I want you back, Izuku.”

“I’m sorry, what was that?”

“I want you to come back to the League of Villains,” Shigaraki said with gritted teeth.

Izuku didn’t say anything for a while. “Why should I?”

“What?”

“Why should I come back? I’ve got a pretty good thing going. I’ve got my own group and we’ve already made a name for ourselves without relying on Sensei.”

Shigaraki grit his teeth. “You know we’re stronger together.”

Izuku laughed. “Let me guess, Kurogiri told you to say that? Or are you just parroting something you heard from Sensei years ago?”

Kota couldn’t help himself, he broke out laughing. He’d been so terrified of Shigaraki, but this guys was just dragging him through the mud!

Izuku shifted slightly. “Who’s the kid?”

“Hm? Oh, this is Kota,” Shigaraki explained. “I picked him up a while back. With you gone, I needed a new player 2, you know? I figured he’s so young, I could just raise him the same way Sensei raised the two of us.”

Kota really didn’t like the sound of that. He still didn’t understand what Shigaraki needed a player 2 for, but he didn’t want to be “raised” by this villain.

The hooded figure on the left leaned over to Izuku and whispered something in his ear. Izuku shifted again and motioned to his allies.

“You really don’t understand me at all, do you Tomura-nii?” Izuku said. “I hated staying with Sensei. The only reason I didn’t leave was because I had no choice. The only reason I tried so hard to please him was because I wanted my own quirk. The only reason I got along with you was because I sympathized with you.”

“You brat!” Tomura yelled.

“I may be a brat, but at least I’m a brat with a purpose. Which is more than I can say for you.” Izuku walked forward, but passed right by Shigaraki. He stopped in front of Kota. “Hey there, Kota, is it?”

Kota looked up. The dark still masked the majority of Izuku’s features, but green eyes pierced through the shadows. An encouraging smile was barely visible in such low light, but Kota could still make it out.

“Do you want to be here?” Izuku asked.

Kota shook his head. “No way! I hate them! I’m only here because that bastard Muscular grabbed me and Shigaraki has been keeping me locked up in his house!”

“You- You ungrateful little... “ Shigaraki raged.

“I understand, Kota.” Izuku kneeled down so he was eye-level with Kota. He leaned in and whispered, “Would you like me to get you away from them?”

Kota didn’t even stop to consider the possibilities. He just nodded. Wetness clouded his already limited vision, though Kota couldn’t figure out why he could be crying.

“I’m sorry Tomura, but I won’t be returning to the league with you,” Izuku said, not taking his eyes off Kota. “I have my own teammates relying on me, and I won’t force them to join with you. Not to mention, you and I just have completely different values. You want to destroy the world, but I want it to be rebuilt as a better place.” Slowly, Izuku inched his right hand down to fiddle with something on his thigh. “Plus, I’m not interested in in kidnapping kids, only in helping them get out of bad situations.”

Izuku turned around, pulled a gun out, and shot Mr. Compress in the thigh. As Compress fell, Izuku wrapped his free hand around Kota’s waist and picked him up.

“Elemental, subdue with right only. Comet, pickup with payload.” Izuku shouted, spinning around.

Shigaraki ran at Izuku and Kota, his hand outstretched to attack. “Don’t you dare!”

Suddenly, a wall of ice spread across the ground, trapping Shigaraki, Mr. Compress, and Kurogiri. Compress was only able to struggle weakly, but Shigaraki touched the ice and started disintegrating it with his quirk.

Before Kota could worry what would happen when Shigaraki broke out, the girl that came with Izuku flew -- as in, actually flew in the air -- towards him. Something slapped Kota’s head, and a few seconds later he was moving faster than he thought possible without a vehicle. The wind was harsh on his face, so he buried it in Izuku’s chest and focused on getting his breathing under control.

About a minute later, Izuku spoke over the wind. “This should be far enough, Uraraka. Set us down.”

The wind and speed bot stopped. Izuku loosened his grip on Kota, allowing the boy to drop on scratchy turf grass. They’d landed in a soccer field. Kota realized he felt a lot heavier than he did while flying.

The girl was standing a few feet away. “I’m proud of you, you know.”

Izuku raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean Uraraka?”

“You didn’t give into Shigaraki. You stood your ground and told him how you really feel.” The girl -- Uraraka -- explained.

“That isn’t much in the grand scheme of things.”

“Maybe, but the Izuku I met a year ago would’ve given into Tomura’s demands. I like this Izuku better. He stands up for himself and what he wants.”

Izuku was silent for a while. “I just didn’t want another kid to get trapped in this life like I was.”

“Still, it’s impressive, considering how much of a pushover you used to be.”

Someone new walked up to Izuku and Uraraka. It was the hooded guy, the third member of Izuku’s group. “I left them encased in thick ice, especially the warp villain. He’s got an airhole, but Shigaraki is going to have to destroy ice a meter thick to get him out.”

“Good. That should keep him busy long enough for us to figure out what to do next.” Izuku turned to Kota. “We can take you to a police station or hero agency around here. They should be able to get you to your family.”

Kota didn’t like the sound of that. “Don’t do that! The heroes won’t be able to protect me from Shigaraki or Muscular. They weren’t able to do so the first time.”

Izuku looked confused. “Don’t you want to be with your family again?”

“Mom and Dad are dead. They were heroes, and Muscular killed them. The only family I have is Aunt Shino, but she’s a stupid hero too. When the League came, she and all the other pros where to concerned protecting the wannabe heroes that they didn’t notice when I disappeared!”

All three of the others stared at Kota in shock.

Tears were clouding Kota’s vision again. He wiped them away. “I hate heroes, and quirks too. Everyone is just fighting and killing each other for no reason. I hate those league jerks ‘cause Muscular killed my parents and Shigaraki tried to kidnap me. Nobody came for me, nobody saved me, except for you guys. Please, don’t make me go back to the heroes!”

The hooded guy pushed back his hood, revealing hair that was half red, half white. “Well, Mandalay did say he has hated heroes ever since his parents died.”

Kota stared at him. “Wait, weren’t you one of those hero wannabes at the camp?”

Shoto Todoroki smirked. “Let’s just say i had a change of heart.”

“You know, a kid that hates heroes would fit in well with a group of villains,” Uraraka said.

Izuku, however, continued to frown. “Dabi will get on my case if I bring home another stray kid.”

“I’ll handle Dabi. He listens to me,” Shoto said. “Besides, I’m pretty sure he only does stuff like that to play devil’s advocate.”

Izuku sighed. “Fine! You guys win. Kota, would you like to stay with us?”

Kota wanted to jump for joy. “Yes! Yes, please, take me with you! You’re the first people I’ve met who understand me.”

Izuku smiled. “Well,come along then. It’s a bit of a walk to the house from here. Oh, just so you’re aware, we’re also taking care of a girl your age named Eri. I’m sure you’ll get along…”

And so, Kota followed behind his rescuers, some of the first people he’d met that he didn’t have a reason to hate.

[jflashandclash]

Traitors of Olympus IV: Fall of the Sun

Forty-Eight: Calex

A Punch of Home

              After Calex shot Python with a split arrow of desire and abhorrence, he figured he would die the most respectable way for a hero: falling flat on his face off a two story shield, screaming swears that would make his hooligan cousin blush.

           All he could remember from the fall was thinking about how dumb it had been to stand on the edge without any sort of net or rope. Then the world had gone white.

           When he first heard voices, especially considering what they were talking about, he thought he was dreaming.

“Wait, are you dating Anubis or Walt? Are you dating two guys?”

           After months in the states, he had finally become accustomed to waking in an unfamiliar surrounding with foreign accents. That’s why he was so surprised when he heard a crisp British accent responding, “No. And yes? Anubis is inside Walt’s head.”

           “And babe, I thought I had problems.”

           Calex’s body felt heavy, like he’d run a marathon while giving Frank Zhang a piggyback ride. The room smelled sterile, like he was back in his mother’s clinic. Someone had a hand clutching his tightly.

           That’s when it hit him: this was the first time in months he’d woken so calmly. No nightmares. No panic.

           The British voice continued, “Oh, us special pharaoh children have all lost our minds, what with the voices of gods in our heads.  Some people say it’s because of the incest in our lineage.”

           Calex really wanted out of this chat. He tried to roll onto his back and only managed a grunt.

           “I think the teddy bear is up,” someone hummed beside him. The grip on his hand loosened. He could hear water splashing into a container. The familiar scent of black tea gave him the strength to blurrily open his eyes.

           Merry smiled down at him. When she leaned forward to inspect him, the scent of her shampoo mixed with the bitterness of the tea: something sweet and raspberry. The sunlight trickling through a window made the auburn in her hair more prominent and her honey skin glow. She wore a clean Camp Half-Blood T-shirt.

           Her face had deep bruises. Two pieces of medical tape were stretched across her cheek.

           She waved a cup of tea under his nose, like a wake-up elixir. Her smile was playful, but didn’t stretch as far as it normally did.

           “Merry,” his words came out as a croak. He tried to smile back, and found half his face hurt to move. “How did I deserve to end up in Elysium?”

           “Wow there, Teddy Bear. No Elysium for you yet.” She set the tea cup down to squeeze his hand again. His gut wretched to recognize the extent of her bruises. “Just setting a world record on making an anti-worrier worry. You’ve been asleep for roughly twenty hours.”

           Twenty hours? Calex’s eyes widened. He glanced around the room. He was on the floor, in a sleeping bag. Merry knelt beside him. On Merry’s other side, someone else was tucked into a sleeping bag with strawberry blonde hair spilling across the pillow.

           Calex breathed in relief to recognize Kally.

           The IV stand beside her made his stomach twist further.

           On Kally’s other side, someone was burrowed in a ball in their sleeping bag—presumably Pax. Last in the corner was a sickeningly pale figure with wires sticking out of its mouth, like a Frankenstein contraption. Another IV stand loomed there, making Calex think about Kakata.

There was a chair at the foot of that sleeping bag. A disgruntled middle-aged man sat in it, reading a book with a pistol in his lap. Dr. Howard Claymore didn’t look up once as he turned the page.

           Before Calex could roll to look at the other side of the room, someone appeared beside Merry and smacked him across the face.

           Calex made a muffled sound. Getting assaulted first thing when you wake up was unpleasant. Maybe worse, Calex felt the skin on his forehead crack. A scab he didn’t know he had busted.

           “You, Calex Rupin McKenzie, are the thickest bloke I’ve EVER met!” a tiny blonde with pink streaks in her hair exploded at him.

           Calex wanted to give her a proper greeting of, “How do you do? Please piss off,” but he was stumped with the strange sense that he knew this girl.

           Merry wasn’t reacting like the girl was a threat. She looked more amused as she moved out of the girl’s way.

           The name popped into his head. “Sadie,” Calex said, stunned, “Sadie Kane.”

           She was obviously several kilometers ahead of him on the think train. “Yes! Sadie Kane. Do you have ANY idea how much you’ve freaked out Gretchen and your dad? They both think you’re dead! Since we were kids, I always assumed there wasn’t much a brain behind that stupidly handsome face, but, seriously! How could you be so thick? Not a word? Not one bloody phone call?!”

           Calex’s mind was scrambling. Sadie Kane. He vaguely remembered it. Before they moved to St. Albans out of London, his little sister, Gretchen, was in the second stage of her primary education. She had three annoying little schoolmates, Sadie, Emma, and… Liz? Was Liz the one that almost fainted every time he walked in the room? Or was that Emma?

           But that had been years ago. Gretchen only saw Sadie every few months, and that had become sparse to almost nonexistent since—

           “Emma and Liz gave me a ring and told me to check on Gretchen. And here we have the Jerk of the Year all fine and well—”

           “Uh, Lady Sadie, dude still looks like he was stampeded by a pack of Party Ponies,” someone said. A hand appeared on Sadie’s shoulder to pull her back a little.

           Calex could see Leo’s crazy hair sticking out. He didn’t look amused when he made eye contact with Calex. The glance turned into a frown when his eyes trailed to where Calex assumed Pax was curled into a ball.

           Calex’s wanted to vomit. Gretchen? His Dad?

           Another sight made Calex’s stomach pitch even further down, potentially proving it had stayed with Kaos when the rest of him left.

           There was another occupant in the room behind Sadie and Leo. The person sat in a chair by the door and a small table. Despite being chained to the chair and gagged, the sight still gave Calex shivers. The boy was probably 15 with a blue-tipped Mohawk. His burgundy dress shirt and leather vest were covered in dirt and dust. Blood soaked his right pant leg and one of his eyes was swollen shut.

           Lapis Pax flicked Calex off in greeting as best he could with his restraints.

           Before Calex could panic, Sadie huffed, “He’s about as dangerous as a piece of lint right now. I’m the one you need to worry about.”

           That could only mean one thing: Sadie, Leo, and Jason must have successfully rescued Hemera from Lapis. Eris’ plans must have crumbled.

           But, if they put Calex and his friends in the same room as Lapis, that also meant…

           Calex glanced at the other side of the room. Axel was passed out in a sleeping bag beside Calex. On his other side, there appeared to be a mini garden lot. After a moment of scrutiny, he could discern Euna’s form, curled up on a mound of moss and flowers. Kronos’s scythe was tied tightly to her hand with vines.

           In that far corner, there was a shuddering, towel-covered bird cage.

           Other than Euna, everyone was unarmed.

           Calex swallowed to finish the thought, If they put us in the same room as this crazed bloke, they still don’t know if we’re allies or enemies. Leo and Sadie are probably here to keep us in cue. They should have been over this ally vs. traitor thing, right? Though, Calex had just helped Euna steal a piece of Kaos, and, judging by his lack of nightmares, he guessed—and really hoped—she’d used it to fight Phobetor. Was God murder illegal?    

           “Gretchen and Mr. McKenzie had to move in with your granddad and nan since they couldn’t afford the flat in St. Albans. At least they had some closure with Mrs. McKenzie and Tom.” Tears rimmed Sadie’s eyes and Calex felt the emotions that he’d repressed for months threaten to crumble him. “But your body was never accounted for. All they heard was your other, daft granddad ranting that you’d be taken by an angel.”

           Your body…

           Calex could hardly breathe. With Tiwa and Tom slowly succumbing to death and the nonstop madness that ensued, Calex hadn’t though as much about what had happened to his living family. Just that he was ashamed of facing them after he abandoned—

Calex swallowed and corrected himself. Not after he abandoned his Mom and brother. After he tried to save his family from an inevitable fate. His biological father, Eros, and Axel had reminded him he wasn’t a coward for failing and running from something as unstoppable as Death.

           Still, how could he forget what that would do to Gretchen and Winston? He really was that thick? Shame clogged his throat.

Calex focused on the one good thing in that rant. “Grandad’s alive?” his voice shook.

The idea of that crazy old man poking him out of bed with a walking cane and an anecdote about how laziness doesn’t bring prosper…

           Tears streamed down Calex’s cheeks. He didn’t realize how bad they were until he felt Merry’s hand clasp back over his. He tried to keep them quiet, but a hiccup choked his throat.

           “Maybe you’d know that if you’d have given them a call!” Sadie snapped, though, her anger seemed to break at his demeanor.

           Calex wished her anger wouldn’t go away. He deserved her rage and so much worse. “Oh gods, I missed their funerals,” he choked. The hole in his stomach felt like it was expanding to encompass his whole body. If it kept going, there would be nothing left of him.

           “Hey,” Merry said. She raised a hand towards Sadie that Calex knew to be threatening Shut up, or I’ll have you doing the hokey-pokey. Gently, she pulled Calex up and dragged him against her. Calex burrowed his face into her skin and let the sobs go. He’d been holding so many for so long, mad at himself and at Death itself. Now, he could just be sad Tom and Tiwa weren’t here and never would be here. With Sadie around, everything felt more real. Someone who knew his parents and siblings personally. Someone else cared—really cared—that two wonderful people had left this world to go to Elysium.

           “Teddy Bear,” Merry hummed into his hair. “We had a lot going on here. Remember? Getting kidnapped by Santiago. All our quests. Being on the run. From what I heard Thalia say, you’ve even been busying yourself with two different Underworlds.”

           “That doesn’t matter,” he mumbled, thinking of Gretchen sobbing as she and Winston went through his, Tom’s, and Tiwa’s stuff as they left the flat Winston and Tiwa had been so proud to live in with their combined salaries. Their home. How Gretchen and Winston’s life would have been collapsing around them, losing their family, their home, probably Gretchen’s school.

           “I know it doesn’t make it any easier,” Merry whispered, her own voice breaking. “But, we can’t change what we’ve done in the past. We can’t pretend it didn’t happen. We should let ourselves cry. But, we can’t get consumed thinking about what we could have done differently. We need to focus on what we can do in the future. And, you, your sister, and your dad will still have a future together.” Her tone took on a distant quality and Calex could feel her shake.

           Calex was horrified to realize he hadn’t asked about her quest to save Percy’s little sister from Hiro. Had he really been that dense all over again? He didn’t know if Merry succeeded in rescuing the baby or if Hiro had given her those bruises. He’d even forgotten, in all his stupidity, that Merry didn’t like to be touched by men.

           Calex choked back some of his sobs and tried to withdraw.

           “Uh-uh,” Merry said, clutching him tighter, “You’re staying right here. I need a Teddy Bear, too.”

           Sadie cleared her throat. Her voice was quieter and gentler. “They had memorial services. Last I heard, your granddad was quarantined in Kakata, but, I��ll admit, that was a bit ago.”

           Calex managed to twist away from Merry a little, to see Sadie’s expression. Her face had puffed up from tears. Leo turned away from them, awkwardly toying with some wires in his lap. Mr. Claymore hadn’t looked up from his book, but Calex also noted that he hadn’t turned a page during the whole conversation.

           Calex had expected Lapis to be rolling his dark eyes. Instead, he saw Lapis’ eyes were also red rimmed. His hands had tightened into fists. If Lapis could have cast magic with his gaze, his glare would have melted Merry from existence.

           “I need to head back to Brooklyn House, but you’re making me a promise before I leave. Once you get all this nonsense sorted, really, by the end of the day, you’re going to contact Gretchen and Mr. McKenzie,” Sadie informed him.

           Calex tried to speak. At first, his throat felt too thick. After a few swallows, he managed, “I’ll do you one better. By the end of the week, I’ll also make sure I can see them in person.”

           Merry flinched.

           Calex pulled one hand out of his sleeping bag to squeeze her shoulder. “I’m not gone for good, but I need to do this.” What exactly, he wasn’t sure. There was no way to make up for disappearing without explanation. Despite Merry reminding him about all their trials, he could have called. Hell, he could have written them a bloody letter in that timeframe.

           “Thank you,” was all he could find for Sadie.

           His heart was still a torrent of emotions, but—if he was really leaving Camp Half-Blood soon—he needed to keep it together a little longer. Calex sat up, taking most of his weight off Merry. He hadn’t realized until then how much she’d been struggling to keep them both up. Any longer, and they likely would have collapsed back onto Kally’s sleeping bag and this wasn’t that kind of slumber party.

           Sadie huffed, rubbing the back of her hand under her eyes. “Look at you, Mr. Calex McKenzie, thinking you’re so important. You’re not the only one in here that I need to chat with.”

           What she did next made Calex blink, wondering if he was dreaming or if Sadie was a total lunatic.

           Sadie stood up, withdrew a can of Fancy Feast from her pocket, cracked it open, and set it beside Axel’s sleeping bag. She took a step back, folded her arms, and tapped her foot impatiently.

           Leo spun back around, grinning. He stood beside Sadie, and Calex couldn’t help but think there was a bit of malice in his grin.

           Their leader was flopped on his face, sleeping much more peacefully then Calex had ever seen. Axel’s tufted ears were visible at the edge of his sleeping bag. They twitched.

           Calex was about to say that the Fancy Feast can seemed a bit rude when Axel rose in a very feminine, un-Axel like stretch. He made a low purring noise that Calex had never heard him make.

           “Mmm, Sadie, you do know how to provide a balanced breakfast,”[1] Axel said. When he sat up, Axel winced and touched his chest. When the sleeping bag slipped down, Calex could see bandages stretched across the skin and a blood-soaked blotch towards the center. Axel looked quite pleased. “That was quite a close call. I’ve never had someone literally rip my host out of me before.”

           Axel reached out to pick up the can of Fancy Feast.

           Sadie and Leo exchanged a glance.

           Merry made a face.

           “Mate,” Calex said, “No.”

           Even Lapis coughed a laugh into his gag when Axel started chomping down. Giggles erupted from the balled form of a supposedly sleeping Pax.

           “You two… know each other?” Calex asked, glancing to Sadie and the bizarrely acting Axel.

           Sadie sighed. “I do tend to know everyone important. But no. I know the goddess that’s highjacked your mate’s body. One that was supposed to leave once we got the battle sorted.”

           Axel licked his lips, then the back of his hand, using it to wipe off the rest of his face and behind his ears.

           By now, the laughter from Pax’s balled form was unrelenting.

           “Dude, this is great!” Leo cheered. “We should have brought a camera. You think the Romans will be scared of the Leonis Caput if they see this?”

           “You should know, napping and hygiene are sacred for cats,” Axel said, “It’s not a joking matter.”

           “Bast, drop him,” Sadie chided like Axel was a mouse the goddess had proudly kidnapped. “He doesn’t belong to you. He’s not even Egyptian.”

           “I’ve told you before. I’m a cat; everything belongs to me,” Axel said with a coy grin.  

           Some of Calex’s anguish cracked. He couldn’t help but choke back a laugh. This was the weirdest thing he’d ever seen, and he was a demigod. That was definitely not his mate and he could only image how Axel would feel when he found out what was said or that he’d demolished a can of cat food.

           “Besides,” Axel—Bast continued, “He is still a cat, at least in some manner, so he does belong to me, as he is part of my domain. And…” Axel raised one hand to stroke his goatee, then rolled his fingers across the part of his chest that wasn’t covered in bandages. “I’m very fond of this host body.”

           Axel held out his hands and admired his missing claws with the same fondness a Jersey shore girl might admire her nails.

           Someone cleared their throat from the doorway.

           Calex felt his jaw drop. Even Merry jumped.

           Will Solace stood there in a long doctor’s lab coat with a stethoscope around his neck. He looked exhausted. Dark circles encased his eyes and he was pale. In a towel bundle in his arms, mewing kittens squirmed.

           “Hi,” he said with a tired smile.

 Thanks for reading! I hope you guys enjoyed! Stay tuned next week for another Calex chapter, Not Enough Lollipops.

[1] Yes, it’s cute that Riordan has Bast eat Fancy Feast. But this is not a balanced diet for your kitty.

[blustersquall]

58 for Isabel and Arthur. Please!

Moving Around While Kissing, Stumbling Over Things, Pushing Each Other Back Against The Wall/Onto The Bed - kiss. Finally getting around to this. I’m so sorry for the long wait!

This got so long. Some spoilers for later in the game. Especially pertaining to Arthur’s past. And some light n-s-f-w content. Nothing horrifically graphic.

Probably not what you wanted, Nonny. I apologize. T-T I will try harder.

@ineedpeetalikehekneadsbread @rdr-oc-appreciation

Micah’s voice grated on Arthur’s last nerve. Accompanied by Bill guffawing like a sycophantic fool, it was a wonder Arthur hadn’t shot the both of them yet. He didn’t know why he agreed to the small stagecoach job Micah mentioned. Probably because of his stubborn pride, and it was something that got him out of Shady Belle and away from all the tension. 

The job wasn’t hard, and the take wasn’t worth putting up with Micah and Bill for an afternoon. It definitely wasn’t worth it when Micah began making comments about Isabel and the other women in the camp. How they were “unwilling to fuck you even if they had a gun to their head”. That was his exact phrasing, and it put Arthur’s teeth on edge just to think about it. He didn’t like Micah thinking about any of the women in camp in such a way, let alone Isabel. 

He must have given his inner feelings away because Micah spent the time waiting for the stage and the ride back to Shady Belle talking about Isabel, and what he wanted to do to her. None of which was pleasant to imagine or listen to. Not that Arthur could really say much about it. He and Isabel agreed to keep things between them as private as possible. He didn’t want to paint a target on her back and they were already the topic of camp gossip - no need to add more fuel to that fire.

As Micah crowed to whomever was nearby about the success of their job with Bill garnishing the story with extravagant details, Arthur went into the old, dilapidated building. It was late-evening. Pearson had served the evening meal and most everyone was outside, enjoying the warmth of the fire and the company of each other. Arthur was hungry, and planned to join them once he was changed and a little calmer. 

The stairs creaked beneath his feet as he ascended and he glanced through the broken wall boards into the room where Abigail, John and Jack were staying. It was empty. In his own room, he closed the door and leaned against it, releasing a long, heavy sigh when the world was finally shut out. 

“That’s a big sigh.” Arthur opened one eye and peered to the other end of the small room to where his bed was. Isabel was sitting on it, a closed book between her, and her dark hair loose from its usual braid. The lamp in his room illuminated her with a soft, haloed light which seemed to move with her when she rose to her feet and began to approach him. “Long day?” She put her book on the table covered with his map.

“Micah an’ Bill.” Arthur said. He removed his hat and shucked off his jacket. “It ain’t worth talkin’ about.”

Isabel smiled, “then don’t talk.” She closed the space between them, sliding her fingers beneath his shirt collar and rising onto her toes to kiss his forehead. Arthur automatically offered his temple to her affection, his hands finding their home on her hips. The kiss on his forehead was followed by several more, on the bridge of his nose, the end of his nose, his cheeks, the corners of his mouth. Soft, feathery kisses that made his skin tingle pleasantly and his stomach knot like a young, inexperienced man with his first love. 

In private, Isabel gave her affection with such freedom and unabashed joy, Arthur wasn’t sure how best to react. He didn’t know if he should reciprocate with as much willingness, or if he should let her take the lead, and remain more stoic. He was still finding his feet with her. Mary was never hugely affectionate towards him, and her upbringing meant that it was Arthur’s responsibility to offer his arm, or initiate a kiss. Isabel... Isabel was so different, and unique to many women he’d met. She kept him on his toes, that was for sure.

When she finally kissed him on the mouth, her lips molding seamlessly against his, Arthur all but melted. It was amazing and a little alarming how such a simple gesture could so easily cause the stresses of the day to slough off him. All the lewd and distasteful things Micah said became nothing more than white noise and Arthur’s tiredness receded. Pressing his hands into Isabel’s hips, Arthur stepped further into his room, away from the door. He held her steady, his voice rising into an appreciative murmur when she parted her lips and the kiss deepened. 

She rose her arms, draping them around his neck and shoulders, stumbling back when Arthur moved them into the room a few more steps. Isabel hit the the dresser, and a few objects toppled on the shelves. He squeezed her hip in one hand, the other snatching at the fabric of her shirt and pulling it up from where it was tucked in. Dragging her away from the dresser, Arthur caught himself before he toppled back onto the table covered in ammunition, knives, and arrows. The edge of it pressed into his lower back, and Isabel pressed her body against his.

Burying one hand in Isabel’s hair, Arthur guided her to tilt her head back. His lips on her neck, he grabbed one of her thighs and pushed against her; the two of them stumbling back until they clattered into the table covered with Arthur’s map. They were both laughing, Arthur’s muffled by Isabel’s throat under his mouth as he lavished her skin with kisses and soft bites. He hoisted her up onto the table, slotting between her legs. Isabel’s fingers made quick work of the buttons on his shirt, undoing the top five before Arthur even realised she was doing it. He yanked his suspenders down his arms, eyes squeezing closed when Isabel guided his lips back to hers, and the kiss she greeted him with was searing and desperate.

“Is--” Arthur groaned against his mouth. This was not what he had in mind for when he returned to Shady Belle. In fact this was not something had in mind with Isabel for some time. His gun belt hit the floor with a loud ‘thud’ - loud enough that it shocked Arthur away from Isabel’s lips to check it wasn’t someone at the door. 

As he peered over his shoulder, waiting for another potential knock, all he could hear was Isabel breathing fast beside him and his heart crashing in his ears. His cock was hard, and for the first time in... he didn’t know how long, Arthur wanted to enjoy himself. It wasn’t something he did. He wasn’t like Lenny, or other  members of the gang who would go with a girl for a night... But right then, with Isabel and the heat between them, he wanted to.

“Everythin’ okay there, handsome?” Isabel ran her fingers back through Arthur’s hair, bringing him back to the present and to her. Satisfied that there was no-one demanding his attention, slid Isabel down from the table and led her the small distance towards his rather simple, and sad looking bed. She deserved more than this. More than a rough cot and blanket. More than a broken down old plantation house. More than him. But it was all he could offer. He was all he could offer. And, for some unknown reason, she decided he was enough for her. He was what she wanted.

She sat, and he stood, curling his hands around her face and kissing her soundly. The frantic need of before cooled somewhat. He did not want to rush this. Her. Them. He was out of practice and, he realised with some amusement, worried. 

“I’m fine,” Arthur brushed his nose against hers, back and forth enjoying the small hum of contentment and appreciation he heard from her. He undid the knot in her neckerchief and let the material fall to the floor. Perching one knee on the edge of the cot, sharing soft kisses and breaths that were starting to quake, Arthur unbuttoned the top few buttons of Isabel’s shirt. Her exposed skin was flushed red, and she lay back winding her arms up over his shoulders and beneath his own shirt. Her palms lay flat on the top of his back, moving to push the material off him. He rose one arm, then the other, laughing at the struggle Isabel had to remove the garment from him.

Her legs parted invitingly, Arthur settled over her, wrapping both arms over Isabel’s back. Her kisses were heated, and she nipped at his lower lip while her hands explored. He could feel her touching him, mapping the muscles in his back, the dip of his spine and the broad stretch of his shoulders. She twisted his hair in her fingers, swallowing an involuntary moan when Arthur rocked his hips forward to grant himself some kind of respite from the confines of his jeans. 

“Arthur,” Isabel murmured, arching her head back and biting her lip into her mouth to muffle her own groan. Her hips moved, meeting Arthur’s slow and steady rhythm and the staggered sigh that escaped her only spurred him on, “oh God, Arthur...” It sounded like she was whining. Her blunt fingernails pressed into the top of his back, and she arched up into him, her body quivering.

Burying his face into the curve of her neck, Arthur rutted at a steady pace, grunting and groaning, his skin humming under Isabel’s touch and the excitement she brought out in him. He kissed her neck, her shoulder, pulling at her shirt to expose more skin to his exploring lips. He wanted to know her. To map the unknowns of her body before him, and learn them by heart. 

Her voice rang in his ears, and then another. A second voice. A woman’s. A voice from his past. Younger. Feminine. As breathless and as heated as Isabel’s was right then. A voice he knew, yet thought he had forgotten. It all flashed before his eyes. The ride to the house, and the dread that filled his whole body. The image of the two crosses. One large. One small. Their names carved in the wood by hand. 

Eliza Ingram.

Isaac Morgan.

The consequences of his actions. The actions of a young, rash, angry young man. A son he was never there for. And a woman who was still much a child herself, who became a mother to a son of an outlaw. Two deaths on his conscience. Two people who needed him, and who he failed. The blood of innocents on his hands. Lives ruined by him and his reckless, selfish behavior. 

What if the same happened again? Now? With Isabel? Could he risk it? To have another child only to potentially lose them? This life was dangerous. They were hunted at every turn and the world was closing in around them more and more each day. Could he risk a life time of danger and the burden of a child, all for a moment of bliss? What would Isabel think of him if a child was the outcome of his loving her? What would she do? What would he do?

“Arthur?”

Isabel was beneath him, her hands braced on his bare shoulders and her hair spilling out around her like a dark halo. She was beautiful. Her lips parted and reddened. Her cheeks flush with a faint sheen of sweat on her forehead, her neck and her chest. She stared at him with wide, confused eyes. Watching. Waiting.

Arthur’s stomach twisted with the regret and the guilt that now threatened to swallow him. “M’sorry.” He heaved himself up to sit and grabbed his shirt off the floor. He rose to his feet as it pulled it on over his arms, feeling small and ashamed. 

“Did I do somethin’ wrong?” Isabel’s voice was quiet and feeble, and that only served to make Arthur guilt increase. He turned and watched her button her shirt avoiding his eyes.

“No,” he went and knelt before her as she sat on the edge of his bed. “It ain’t you. You ain’t done nothin’ wrong.” He sighed and bowed his head until his forehead touched her knees. Isabel slid her fingers back through his hair. “I need t’tell you somethin’...”

Yay - emotional trauma?I just don’t see Arthur as being comfortable moving onto a physical relationship with someone without being honest about Isaac. I think he would have a lot of reservations and be worried about the same thing happening. Not just the chance of a child being conceived and born, but also the child being killed. 

Uh... happy valentine’s day???I hope you enjoyed - please let me know what you think in comments/reblogs/rags. Or you can message me if you prefer.