#i was like. next chapter is ALL about you guys jesus calm down. but no. they insisted on having their friendship get a highlight | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

j-eryewrites · 4 months

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Kin

Part Six of A Sinner's Redemption

SERIES MASTER LIST| MAIN MASTER LIST

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Word Count: 16.8k

Author's Note: (EDIT) Dang, it's been forever since I've had the chance to write in general. I want to say thank you for all your patience with me. My health has been horrible, and school and work have been crazy, leaving me little time to do the things I enjoy. I really hope you enjoy this chapter!

Anyway, I'll stop talking and let you read on.

Warnings: Language, mentions of death, angst and all the feels (I MEAN A LOT OF ANGST), blood, violence, and gore (let me know if I missed anything)

꧁_____________꧂

Three Months Later...

One thing Ellie hated the most was when she was under-estimated. She was sure Piper felt the same way when Joel became all high and mighty,, wanting to face the "bad guys" by himself rather than having the two of them help out. Ellie knew she could hold her own. For Piper, there was no doubt, but after what happened in Kansas City, it seemed like Joel had changed. Now, whether it was for good or bad, Ellie was unsure, but right now, it was leaning more towards bad.

The woman was completely harmless. In fact, Ellie had been puzzled as to how this woman had survived this long. Even so, Joel pushed the girls behind him; gun raised as he told the woman what was going to happen. Afterwards, forced the girls upstairs to hide while they waited for the woman's husband to come home. Ellie grumbled at that. If the husband was anything like the woman, Florence as she introduced herself, then Ellie could take both of them down in under a minute.

Ellie groaned as her head banged against the bedpost. "How long is this gonna take?" she muttered under her breath. Her eyes peered over at her sister, wondering if she had heard Ellie's words. Instead, Piper seemed to be in her own world. She was leaning up against the wall. Her gun was in her lap and her hands grasped the sides of her forehead. Ellie's eyes squinted, unsure if her sister was in deep thought or pain.

"How long is this gonna take?" Ellie repeated, her head dropping to the side to emphasize her distaste for the situation.

Piper winced as she opened her eyes. "I heard you for the first time, El."

"Yeah, but you didn't respond., so I had to make sure you were still alive," Ellie smirked.

Piper rolled her eyes. "Jesus, you're giving me a headache."

Ellie opened her mouth to respond, but Joel's thunderous voice from downstairs cut her off: "Thought I told you two to be quiet."

"Yeah, Ellie. Be quiet," Piper smirked.

"You motherfu-" Ellie spat back.

"Hey!" Joel reprimanded. Florence began giggling to herself in the armchair she sat in. At the sound of her laughter, the girls grew quiet.

Suddenly, Florence's laughter died down. "He's home."

Ellie sat up straighter and nudged Piper with her foot. The two girls listened as Joel crept into the back room for the element of surprise. It wasn't long after that the door swung open. Heavy footsteps clanked against the cabin floor.

It was hard to see from the balcony. Ellie silently cursed, wanting to see what was going on below. Her curiosity peaked when she heard Joel speak, cocking his gun.

"-And the gun," Joel instructed.

"Who the hell are you?" The man defensively said. Ellie silently fussed at the inability to see without giving away her position. Piper couldn't care less about what happened downstairs as long as Joel didn't bite the dust.

"Just someone passin' through," Joel said. "Take the gun out, two fingers only, put it outta reach."

The man did as Joel instructed with a calm expression. He looked at his wife. "Why didn't you shoot him?"

Florence shrugged and motioned to where the gun sat in the corner of the room. "The gun's all the way over there. He didn't hurt me, by the way."

"Yeah, I got eyes," he replied. He caught sight of the table where three empty bowls lay. "You made him soup?"

"Yeah, I did. It's cold out," Florence replied.

Joel glanced between the two. They were conversing as if he wasn't there holding a gun to the two of them. "I'm lookin' for my brother," Joel interjected.

He looked Joel up and down and scoffed. "Well, I ain't seen him," he responded.

"I haven't told you what he looks like," Joel noted.

"He look anything like you?"

Joel shrugged, "A bit."

The man took off his coat and hung it up on the coat hanger. "Then I ain't seen him," he responds.

Florence smiled as she chimed in. "He's got two girls with him….” She said it like it was the biggest gossip she heard in twenty years.

"Can we come down?" Ellie asked, knowing Joel couldn't berate her for speaking up when Florence had exposed their presence. Besides, she had grown too stir crazy to keep sitting up there. Without hearing Joel's response, she jumped to the stairs and made her way down. Piper was slow to follow.

"No," Joel groaned into his hand. "Ellie! Piper!"

"Ooh-wa," Florence's husband chuckled. Florence began to giggle as well.

The girls stared at the man. He was old, just like his wife, but they weren't scrawny like most people. They were well fed, their skin a dark copper and dark hair to compliment it as well. If the world wasn't what it was, the girls might even consider the two to be normal. They might have been before the outbreak, but now they just seemed crazy with their nonchalant expressions.

"What did I just say?" Joel scolded the girls.

"Hey, I just came down 'cause she did," Piper explained.

Ellie sighed. "Joel, come on. They're, like, a thousand."

"Who are these little psychos?" The man asked.

Piper shot him a look. "I'm not little."

"But you are psycho," Ellie quipped. Piper elbowed her for the comment.

Joel rolled his eyes. "Never mind them," Joel told him.

"Who’s the bigger psycho?" The man asked with a grin on his face.

Piper and Ellie were rearing to get the first say when Joel announced loudly over them, "I need you to tell us where we are." He placed a wrinkled map on the table and pointed to it.

"If you got a map, why you lost?"

Ellie's face scrunched. " Must've missed all the street signs in the enormous fսcking forest," she hissed.

"Ho-ly," the man laughed.

Joel continued on. "We're somewhere here. Exactly where? And your answer better be the same as your wife's."

The man halted his laughter and looked at his wife. "Did you tell him the truth?"

She calmly rocked back and forth in her chair. "Yeah."

"Are you tellin' me the truth?"

Florence nodded, "Yeah." Her husband sighed and pointed to the location on the map.

Joel's jaw tensed. "Well, you found a great place to hide, I guess."

"Hide?" the man chuckled. " I came here before you were born, Sonny. Get the hell away from everybody."

"I didn't want to," Florence noted. Piper stifled a snort. The couple strangely amused her.

"Eh. Listen, I didn't mean to upset you about your brother," the man comforted, "but if you've come this far, then you know what's out there. You seen Cody?"

"Yeah, got close enough." Ellie shivered. "It's crawling with Infected."

The man nodded in confirmation. "Yeah, Laramie and Wind River Reservation. Anywhere people used to be, you can't go there no more."

"So you haven't heard the name Tommy?" Joel asked the man.

"Nope."

"What about the Fireflies?" Ellie piped up.

Florence smiled fondly, "We get those in the summer."

Piper sighed, "Not the bugs, the people."

"There are firefly people?" Florence asked. Then, she and her husband began to laugh again.

Joel was getting fed up with their laid-back attitude. "You got any advice on the best way west?"

"Yeah," the man said. "Go east. But you never go past the river here. Ever."

"What's past the river?" Piper questioned.

Florence glanced over at Piper; her face grew cold. "Death. We never see who's out there, but we see the bodies they leave behind. Some Infected, some not." Piper looked away. Something about the woman's stare sent chills down her spine. Florence turned to Joel. "If your brother's west of the river, he's gone."

Ellie scoffed as she crossed her arms across her chest. "You're not going to scare us," she says.

"Scared them," Florence corrected, motioning to Joel and Piper. Her husband laughed.

"Thanks for the soup," Piper muttered, hoping to change the newfound tension in the air. "It was delicious."

The rocking from the chair stopped as Florence replied, "No problem."

Without paying much more attention to Florence and her husband, Joel turned to the girls. His gun lowered. "Let’s go," Joel uttered.

Piper and Ellie shuffled around the cabin to follow Joel out the door. The cool winter air burned their cheeks as blood rushed to the surface to try and regulate their internal temperature. It was no use, but they were used to it by now. The relentless cold always nipped at their ears, cheeks, fingers, and toes. Even so, the girls shivered, their bodies craving the warmth from inside the cabin.

Ellie pulled her hat down hoping to drown her ears in the thick cotton. "You don't seriously believe them," Ellie joked, noticing Piper and Joel's abrupt silence once the cabin door closed.

Joel's feet trekked through the snow away from the cabin, not daring to look back. He wouldn't dare let himself miss the hospitality, the warmth, and the humanity of Florence's home. He didn't want to think about how comforting the sight of Piper and Ellie felt in a proper home with food. How he wished it could have been their home. No, Joel wouldn't think of that. He shouldn't. "They've lived here a long time," Joel responded, looking back at Ellie, whose hands were now full of rabbits. She had a gleeful smile on her face. "Put that back," Joel hissed.

"They'll be fine. Right, Piper?" Ellie nudged her sister, who still remained silent.

Ellie's weak forceful nudge nearly knocked Piper off her feet and into the cold, wet snow. The only response Ellie got was a warning glare from her sister.

"Sheesh,' Ellie shuddered as she placed back the rabbits. She began to mumble to herself. "They don't know anything. Never heard of the Fireflies. Bet they never knew about the outbreak when it first happened…"

"Ellie," Piper suddenly exclaimed, drawing her sister out of her disbelief.

It was strange. Joel had stopped walking. His hand tightly gripped the fence. His leather gloves creaked from the strain. Ellie quickly observed his rigid shoulders as they strained to go up and down.

"Joel?!" Piper's lips trembled. Her hands floated above Joel's back, and she was unsure if it was okay to touch him. The reflection of the snow illuminated the worry in her eyes.

Ellie darted beside Joel. His breathing was only getting harsher. "Joel? Joel? Joel, are you okay? Joel?!"

Piper shared a fearfully concerned glance with her sister. "Joel?! Come on, Joel, this isn't funny-"

"Shut up." The sound of Joel's voice silenced the girls. Joel clutched his chest right above his beating heart.

Ellie didn't miss the gesture of pain. "Holy shit, are you dying?"

"No, he's not. He's -Joel, you better fucking not die," Piper demanded. Panic was evident in her voice.

Joel withdrew his hand from his chest and waved it in the air in an attempt to soothe the girls' anxiety. "I'm okay," he said.

"Okay, are you okay?" Ellie asked.

"I'm fine," Joel hissed, not wanting the worry the girls had.

His tone only seemed to spur Ellie's increasing uneasiness. She stepped closer to Joel, who winced, feeling her shaking breath in his face. "No, no, but are you? Because just a reminder that if you're dead, we’re fսckеd."

"Ellie, give him some space!" Piper tried to yank Ellie back, but it was to no avail.

"No, the fucker’s dying on us."

Piper opened her mouth to respond when Joel's thick voice cut her off. "I said I'm fine."

The commanding tone repressed their paranoia but did little to subdue their concern. "Okay," they muttered in response.

"It's just the… cold air all of a sudden," Joel tried to reassure them.

Piper nodded, seeing right through Joel. It was something she had begun to pick up on all her time around the man. His little habits and tells. That's what happens when people go through hell and back together; some unspeakable bond grows. She hated to admit she had gotten accustomed to Joel's presence. She hated how she'd gotten lazy and dependent, a little less like a survivor and more like a, well, someone who was allowed to live. Almost. Piper wouldn't let herself get comfortable. She wouldn't grow attached. She wouldn't let Joel in, at least, not more so than he already had.

"All right, uh… so let's go and find Tommy and the Fireflies," Ellie said before marching through the snow.

"It's gonna be easy. All we have to do is cross the River of Death," Ellie sarcastically said as she got close to Piper's face. Piper rolled her eyes and shoved her sister. It made Ellie snicker.

Piper watched Joel continue to cling to the fence pole. She despised how her heart constricted at his hidden pain. What was worse was how her mind wildly pursued the question of the absence of Joel. It was an answer she never wanted to find. Maybe it was too late for Piper. Maybe Joel meant a bit more to her than she'd like. Reluctantly, Piper left Joel, her pace fast as she caught up with Ellie.

Joel watched both of them stomp through the snow. The shiny leather of Ellie's boots glistened under the winter sun, unlike Piper's worn and wilting boots, which repelled the sunlight. He glanced down at his own boots. It was a repulsing sight. The darkened soles were peeling along the edges, and the leather was frayed. They wouldn't last long. Joel just hoped they'd keep out the snow and ice for a little while longer.

꧁_꧂

Evening light trickled into the water. The water reflected the light as if it were made of diamonds. Accompanying the burst of opalescent colors was the thunderous sound water rushing past. The noise was deafening to Piper's ears. If it weren't for how close she huddled next to Ellie she wouldn't have heard the satirical comment she had made.

"The River of Death. Scary." Ellie turned away with a smile on her face. Piper and Joel peered over their shoulders at her, bearing the same annoyed expression. Ellie wasn't going to give up the bit. She was having too much fun.

"Don't start," Joel sighed.

Ellie giggled. The sound was infectious as it eased Piper's face into a soft smile.

"It's too close to dark," Joel noted. "There's some caves along the river. We'll set up camp there, cross in the morning'."

"Good. I'm starving," Piper added. Her stomach rumbled.

"Should've stolen two rabbits," Ellie mumbled.

"We can get our own rabbits," Joel said. His hands grazed his hips as they trekked further along.

Ellie practically jumped in front of him. "You gonna teach me how?" She beamed up at Joel.

Piper awaited Joel's response, even more so than Ellie. She had never learned how to hunt. There was never really the need back in the QZ. Even if it wasn't plentiful, food was always provided to her and Ellie. She knew the basics behind it: take a gun or trap, shoot, skin or prep, and eat. However, there was something foreign about hunting animals. All she'd ever shot were Infected people. Piper was a killer. She wondered if she could ever be a hunter or if she was forever cursed to kill.

"Just keep movin'," was all Joel said. Ellie sighed in disappointment.

Finding a suitable cave for the night hadn't taken them long. It was large enough to provide them shelter but not deep enough to house anything deadly. Joel had gotten busy building a fire. He had sent the girls off to get firewood a while ago, which they had done, but they had been absent since then.

The fire crackled, its flames dancing around as the smoke rose into the night sky like a prayer for all to see. They were so far out from any civilization that Joel wasn't too worried about the smoke. Even so, he kept his gun beside him, his hand on the barrel.

Joel watched the fire. His eyes froze over as they became entranced with the flames. His eyes dared to follow the smoke as it merged with the night sky above. That's when he spotted his girl's tattered coats. Joel frowned. The girls, he corrected himself. They weren't his. They were cargo, and that's all they would ever be. It was a delusion he hoped would become a reality so long as he kept saying it. The girls. His eyes focused on them as they gazed up at the night sky. He could see the awe in their eyes. They seemed at ease as the stars twinkled above them.

How long has it been since Joel looked up? He could recall a time when he'd watch the stars with Sarah. He refused to spare them a glance, knowing she was in the heavens alongside the stars. Yet, he found himself looking up. If his girls were watching, he wanted to watch them together.

His girls. The girls. The girls. THE GIRLS.

A clear whistle escaped Joel's cracked lips. His fingers fell as Piper and Ellie peered at him from the boulder. "Come down from there. You're gonna break your neck," Joel instructed.

He watched as the girls grunted slowly, descending the rock. Their feet hit the ground, and slowly, they crept to a seat by the fire. They welcomed the heat as it warmed them to their bones and fought back the deadly chill of the night. Piper sniffled and shivered, inching her body closer to the fire.

Meanwhile, Joel leaned back against a log. His body ached from all the use and travel. He was getting too old for him. Just like his tattered boots, he felt like he was falling apart. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out some duct tape and taped his boots. With his teeth, he cut the tape and put the finishing touches on his makeshift repair. Immediately after, he replaced the tape for his flask, taking a swig.

"Ahh…," Ellie muttered,, noticing the flask. "Can I have some?"

"No," Joel and Piper said.

Ellie began to wonder if they were the same person. "What? Just to warm up. C'mon," she begged, flashing her puppy eyes. Joel sighed, caving to Ellie's demands. She eagerly snatched the flask from Joel and took a sip. Her face scrunched up with disgust as she fought not to spit out the liquid. "Yep… still gross," she coughed. Her arm reached forward to hand it back to Joel when Piper intercepted.

"Give me," Piper said. Joel gave her a look, and Piper rolled her eyes. "What? If Ellie got a sip, why can’t I?" Again, Joel caved, and Piper took the flask. She unscrewed the lid and gulped down a sip with an expression of familiarity. It was an expression that drew fascination from her sister and concern from Joel. Piper tossed the flask back to Joel, the weight of which felt heavy in his hands.

"So, I've been thinking," Ellie began. "Let's say we find the Fireflies; it all works. They draw my blood and put it through some of their fancy machines to make a cure."

"Okay?" Joel said.

"Then what?" Ellie pondered. Joel flashed her a look of confusion. "Like, what do we do?"

His heart clenched and a thought of elation filled his mind. His girls. Internally, he shook his head. The girls, he corrected his thoughts. "Oh, it's we?"

Ellie covered the frown threatening to appear on her face. "Okay, fine. Whatever. You. You can do anything you want. Where are you going? What are you doing?"

Joel shrugged as he fiddled with the flask. "It's never been an option." Clearing his throat, he continued, "Maybe… an old farmhouse, some land… a ranch."

"Cool. What kind?" Ellie asked.

Joel's brows furrowed in thought before he responded, "Sheep. I would raise sheep. Sheep. They're quiet… do what they're told."

Ellie and Piper snickered, taking the hint. "Yeah, yeah. Okay," Ellie repeated, "So, just you and a buncha sheep. Romantic."

Joel sat up, placing the flask away. "And what about you two? Where are you gonna go?"

"Don’t know," Piper replied. She had always gone where Ellie went. They were always together; as long as Piper had Ellie, she'd be fine. As long it was the three-two of them. Using her elbow, she nudged her sister. "Ellie?"

Ellie gazed up at the sky as she answered. "It's probably because I grew up in the QZ. Behind you, there's the ocean, and ahead of you, there's a wall. Nowhere else to look but up." Joel couldn't help but follow her gaze. The stars waltzed between the dark blues and blacks of the night sky. "I read everything I could in the school library. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Jim Lovell. But you know who my favorite is?"

"Sally Ride," Joel and Piper say instinctively.

Ellie beamed at their answer. "Sally fսckin' Ride! Best astronaut name ever." The fire cracked loudly, leaving a deafening silence of if: If the cure worked. If life could ever return to normal. Ellie wasn't even really sure what normal was supposed to be. The closest she'd ever gotten to it was watching Florence and her husband. "It'll work, right?" Her voice was quiet and unsure as she spoke. "The vaccine?"

"It's a little late to start wonderin'," Joel stated.

"I tried," Ellie blurted. "…with Sam and…" Her gaze traveled over to her sister's arm where she had been bitten. It hadn't worked with Sam, but she had saved Piper. Ellie was sure of it. Her blood was the cure. She gave up every single drop if it meant that she could save what was left of her world. This cruel world, the Infected, the fungus, had taken everything from her: Her mom, Riley, Tess, Sam, and Henry. She refused to let that list have the names "Piper" and "Joel" written on it.

"Tried what?" Joel wondered.

"I knew he was infected,” Ellie admitted. "I rubbed some of my blood into his bite." Ellie could feel the stares Joel and Piper were giving her. She didn't dare look at them. "I know, I know, it was stupid. But I… I wanted to save him." She couldn't save Sam, but she would save everyone else.

"Well, I reckon it's a lot more complicated than that," Joel admitted. "Marlene, she's a lotta things, but… she's no fool. If she says they can do it, they can do it."

Ellie absently nodded at Joel's words. She was gonna save the world. Then she'd never have to lose anyone again. She wouldn't be alone.

On the other hand, Piper's mind began contemplating what Joel had said. The word "complicated" echoed in her head. She couldn't help but wonder what Marlene really had in store for her and Ellie. "You wanna take first watch or second?" Piper sighed, knowing her paranoid thoughts about what the cure entailed would get her nowhere.

"I'll do both," Joel told them, sitting up straighter and bringing his gun into his lap.

"Joel…," Piper pleaded with the memory of Joel clutching onto the fence like a lifeline still in his mind.

He brushed her off as he stood up. "Get some sleep. Dream of…," Joel smiled as he looked down at his girls. He'd let his delusions go for one night. "…sheep ranches on the moon."

"I will," Ellie smiled back up at him. Piper sat silent.

"That includes you, Piper. Get to bed," Joel said.

Piper sighed and looked deep into the firelight. "I’m not tired just yet."

Reluctantly, Joel turned away from the fire and his girls stepped into the cold winter night doing his round of patrol, leaving the girls to doze off by the fire side with each crunch of the snow beneath his feet. By the time he returned, Ellie was quietly snoring into her shoulder. Her small body cuddled close to Piper, whose arm was wrapped around her sister.

Joel resumed his seat by the fire. His joints flared as the heat of the fire slowly sank back into them. "Thought I told you to get to bed."

"Thought I told you I wasn't tired," Piper spat back.

Joel's eyes widened. "Look, Kid. You need the sleep more than I do."

Piper sniffled and wiped her nose drawing her legs closer to her body. "You sure about that?"

Joel looked away, finding his tongue trapped in his throat. Instead he found words for something else. "What's your dream?" Piper flashed Joel a confused look. "You never answered what you would do if it all worked out."

Piper bit her lip, her eyes fell down on Ellie's sleeping figure. "All I've ever…Have you ever thought you were cursed?" Joel shook his head. "I think I'm cursed. Actually, I know I am," Piper scoffed.

"Cursed?" Joel questioned.

"To kill." Piper pulled her arm away from Ellie and stared at her shaking hands. In the light of the fire, they only grew more red, A dark red that seemed to seep underneath her skin. She shuddered. "It's all I was used to in the QZ. It's all I've known." She couldn't bear to look at her hands any longer, instead resorted to shoving them under her legs. "I'm cursed to kill when all I want is to save…but I can't." her voice caught in her throat. "I can only save Ellie. She's all that matters. So, as long as I can do that, I'll be fine."

"Kid," Joel paused. "Piper." The sound of her name drew her attention. "You are more than a sister. You can want something for yourself that is outside of Ellie."

Piper scoffed. "Says you. You've been on and on about Tommy. What about you then? What is your dream outside of Tommy?"

"I-" Joel began to refute Piper's words, but something stopped him. She was right. He'd started this whole thing for Tommy: picked up the girls, lost Tess, danced with death, saw the impossible, and all for someone who could be dead. Piper and him were one in the same. As long as their family was safe and happy, so would they be. But as Joel really pondered her question, the dream of the farm came back into mind. The farm with the quiet sheep, the peaceful life. Except now, this dream had room for more, yet Joel wasn't sure if there was room for his girls in the first place.

"It's getting late," Joel remarked,,, standing up again to watch. This time, Piper didn't refuse sleep. Instead, she let the silence close in on her as the warmth of the fire cascaded over her body. The only sign of life was the slow rise and fall of her chest, the rhythm to which Joel stepped as he guarded his girls from the looming horrors of the night.

꧁_꧂

"Should we wake him up?" Ellie asked, craning her neck up to look at the boulder's ledge. The morning sun shone brightly in her eyes, painting Piper's figure as a shadow.

Piper was standing tall on the boulder with her gun in hand. Her dark eyes surveyed the area before glancing down at Ellie and shaking her head. "Nah, he'll wake up on his own. Besides, the man needs his beauty sleep." She quietly chuckled to herself.

Ellie shrugged and peered down at Joel, who was sleeping on the ground close to her. She watched as his brows furrowed and his forehead creased. She stepped closer to Joel, now hearing the incoherent mumblings that spilled from his mouth.

The sound of the earth crunching beneath Ellie's feet stirred Joel awake. He sat up with a hiss of air as his hands fumbled for his rifle.

"Still mumbling in your sleep," Ellie said. Joel looked up at her and noticed his gun in her hands. "I woke up early. You were passed out, so I took second watch."

Joel frowned.

"I helped!" Piper announced from atop the boulder. Her eyes winced from the sound of her own voice, intensifying the pounding in her head.

His eyes followed the sound of Piper's voice. The harsh sunlight invaded his senses as he tried to look up at her. "You gotta wake me up if that happens. And get down from there!" He scolded the girls.

"Piper told me not to," Ellie defended.

With a huff, Piper hopped down from the rock. "You need sleep too, Joel."

Joel rolled his eyes and snatched his gun away from Ellie. "You girls can't do things like this," he told them.

"But I can…," Ellie noted. "…'cause I just did."

It was much too early in the morning for Joel to be dealing with this already. A heavy sigh escaped his chest. "I'm responsible for you too, okay?" He looked between the girls.

Ellie shrugged. "Then don't fall asleep." Joel opened his mouth to refute her words again. However, Ellie did what she did best and continued to talk. "I was quiet. I checked my six. I looked for tracks. I found the high ground, and I kept watch. Like you taught me to," Ellie explained.

Joel bore a skeptical look on his face. "She did," Piper disclosed. "I checked."

"What can I say, man? I'm a natural." Ellie flashed Joel a smug smile. Piper gave a smile of her own.

The longer he looked at them, the harder it was to reprimand them. "Uh-huh. You wake me up next time," Joel instructed.

"Yes, sir. attention!" Ellie joked,, raising her hand to her head. Piper followed suit, stifling her snickers, and Joel couldn't help the smile that leaked onto his face.

"Alright, grab your stuff, and let's go." Joel motioned to their packs on the ground. The girls silently groaned as they shuffled to retrieve their things, knowing only more walking was ahead of them.

꧁_꧂

It was supposed to be pitch black in Ellie's and Piper's shared room. After all, it had been hours since the “lights out” signal, but even so, there was a faint glow seeping out from the walls-glow in the dark stars. It had been a gift from Levi. He had told Piper that he'd found them one day and thought she might like them. With a grin on her face, she took them to Ellie, and together, they put them on the walls and ceiling of their room.

Magic was how Ellie described it, and Piper couldn't think of a better word as the two would gaze upon their own personal stars. Some nights, Piper would even make a wish right as her eyes, filled with too much sleep, couldn't bear to look at them any longer. She'd wish for things like a real family and a home. Somewhere out of the QZ. Somewhere free, maybe some animals too. She'd always loved animals, but their presence was almost non-existent.

However, tonight, as Piper trickled into the room after hours, she didn't want to wish on the stars. She didn't want to even look towards their light. All she wanted to do was tear them down. Her feet slowly dragged on the hardwood floors over to the nearest star. Raising her hand, she yanked it down. It felt so good hearing the snap of the adhesive as the force pulled them to the ground, darkening their light. She pulled another and another with no care for the red marks she left on the wall. She kept pulling and pulling until she heard Ellie's bed creak.

"Pipe?" Ellie croaked. Her voice crackled from the cold. Piper winced. A blanket. She was supposed to grab another blanket for Ellie. Their room was freezing, and the cold, she knew, could be deadly at night.

"Yeah?" Piper replied.

"Why are you taking down our stars?"

Piper grew so quiet that Ellie wasn't even sure she heard her sister breathing. "It's late, Els. Why are you up?"

Ellie shuffled in the bed. Piper could hear the sheets shake with her shivers. "I was scared. You have left."

"I'm here now. Just go back to bed."

Ellie sat up and reached for a book underneath her pillow. She held it out to Piper, who knew exactly what book it was. "Can you read to me?" Ellie pleaded.

Piper sighed and nodded. She stepped forward to grab the book when the red on her hands became apparent. Even in the dark, the red seemed to be even darker. She could see it all covering her entire body. Slowly, she recoiled from Ellie and changed; Using her soiled clothes to wipe away as much as possible from her face and hands. Eventually, she returned to Ellie, freshly changed. She took the book in her hand and, with the other, tugged her own blanket off her bed and climbed into Ellie's. Piper took extra care to lay the second blanket on top before opening the book.

She had read it so often that there was hardly a need for a light to see the words. As she began to recite the myths and tales of the stars, Piper began to like the dark, to find comfort in the night. The more she whispered to Ellie the tragedies of the gods that put them in the sky, the more she began to be repulsed by the starlight. It made her sick to her stomach, but Ellie loved them. Ellie loved the sky, the stars, and what lay beyond. So, Piper told herself she would like them too. But for tonight, all she wanted to do was loathe them, and only for tonight she would. Why would she want to look for the light when she found comfort in being lost in the darkness?

꧁_꧂

The pounding in Piper's head was getting worse the more Ellie fiddled with her mouth and fingers. Ellie was trying to whistle, but it came out as whimpering shrieks that only added to Piper's pain. Piper sent her sister a glare, not trusting herself enough to be civil with words.

"What?" Ellie responded. "I'm learning how to whistle."

Joel peeked over his shoulder at Ellie. "You don't know how to whistle?"

Ellie huffed and let her hands fall at her side. "Does it sound like I know how to whistle?"

"No," Joel replied, shaking his head.

After a few more failed attempts, Ellie sighed. "Seriously, though, how the fսck do you do that?"

"Talent," Joel shrugged.

Rolling her eyes, Ellie replied, "Whatever. You should teach me how to hunt."

"Huh," was all Joel could say in response.

"Huh," Ellie repeated in a deep voice, mocking Joel. "Like, she's a girl. She can't handle it."

Joel stopped in his tracks and turned around. "You can handle the shootin'. Not so sure about the dressin'," he sighed.

Ellie's brows furrowed. "What's the dressin'?"

"Isn't that the part where you take the guts out," Piper added.

"Oh, yeah," Ellie's eyes widened. "Why do they call it dressing? It's like, you should call it undressing 'cause it is. It's like… undressing from the inside. Still interested, though."

Soon, it became too loud for any of them to hear what Ellie had been saying. Tons and tons of water rushed out of a dam and crashed on the rocks below. The water flashed shades of green and yellow as the sun darted from behind the clouds. The three of them all stopped to wonder in the presence of the water. The sound was deafening, and any thoughts they had in their heads were drowned out.

"Dam," Ellie enunciated. She placed her hand on her hips and flashed a smug grin to Joel and Piper.

"You're no Will Livingston," Piper chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah, but who is?" Ellie playfully shrugged before turning to Joel. "So that made electricity?" She asked him.

"Yeah," Joel nodded. He caught sight of another question brewing in her eyes. "Don't ask me. I don't have a clue."

"You know, you could've just made something up," Ellie noted. "I would've believed you," she said as they turned away from the dam.

Piper chuckled. "True," she pointed out. "Like that time I told you how the baby got into the lady's stomach."

Ellie gasped. "That was a lie?"

"And you still believed it?" Piper snickered, "Thought they covered that in the QZ at some point." She playfully shoved Ellie's shoulder, almost knocking her into the snow.

"Hey!" Ellie yelled, regaining balance to return the favor to Piper. Piper gasped as she hit the freezing cold snow.

Piper hastily stood up, brushing off the pale snow from her clothes and grumbling to herself about the cold and hygiene.

"Pshh," Ellie chuckled, sending her sister a teasing look. Following her sister's rising frame, Ellie caught sight of the vast blue water. Her eyes bulged as she stumbled forward for a better look. "Look at that river. It's crazy blue!" She pointed as Joel and Piper huddled around her.

Piper glanced around. Nervousness escaped her eyes and seeped into her voice. "Hey, Joel… what if this is the River of Death?"

Joel hurriedly yanked out the map and flipped it around. His feet turned in circles as his mind desperately confirmed his fears.

A sharp chorus of neighs and pounding footsteps appeared over the hill. Riders, horses, and dogs charged towards them one by one.

"Joel!" Piper cried out, stepping back towards the water and away from the approaching mass.

"Get behind me," Joel instructed the girls. Ellie and Piper wasted no time hiding behind Joel's large figure. When the horses arrived, the girl's knuckles had turned white. "We ain't lookin' for any trouble. We're just passin' through," Joel announced to the riders.

The rider in front motioned with his gun. "Drop the gun," he told Joel, who quickly complied. Then the man pointed to Piper and Ellie. "You two… take five steps back."

Piper gulped as she fought to hold back the growing fear. Ellie wasn't doing much better, her fear echoing in her shaking eyes.

"How 'bout we just talk this through?" Joel asked, raising his hands.

"How 'bout you shut the fսck up?" One of the other riders bellowed.

"Okay, easy," Joel said before looking back at the girls. The brief glances he gave them eased some of the building anxiety. Something about Joel's dark eyes helped Piper feel safe. Whether she liked it or not, Piper trusted Joel. "You'll be okay," Joel comforted.

As the girls stepped back, the rider in front asked, "You been near Infected?"

"There's no Infected out here," Joel responded.

"The hell there ain't," Another one grumbled.

Suddenly, the front man hopped down from his horse and whistled. It was loud and clear before everything went silent. Instantly, the sounds of a vicious barking ripped through the air.

"Last chance for a bullet," the man warned. "If you've been infected, he will smell it, and he will rip you up."

At that moment, as the deadly sharp teeth of the dog shimmered in the sun, Ellie wished she was holding Piper's hand. She was scared. She had been bit, and so had Piper. They were immune, but if the dog smelt anything, they'd be dead. She’d be dead before she could save anyone. She'd-

"Like I said… we'll just move on," Joel stated as the dog approached him. The animal sniffed before placing its paws gently on his torso. Joel was clean.

"Now her," the man said, pointing to Ellie. Joel's ears felt on fire as he listened to each sniffle and huff of the dog. His heart clenched and he soon found it hard to breathe. Just as fast as he was cleared, so was Ellie. The sound of her giggles as the dog playfully licked her face, eased some of the tension in Joel's body. However, they weren't clear yet.

"Last one," the rider said, pulling the dog away from Ellie.

Joel dared, looking behind at Piper. Her face showed no uncertainty as the dog approached growling. Despite her fearless appearance, Joel saw the terror in her eyes. It was the same look she had that night in the motel. The same look she bore when she asked him to kill her and make that horrifying promise to her. Now, he wished he hadn't looked, but even so, Joel couldn't look away. Not until both of his girls were alright.

The dog had begun its search. Piper's hands were wet and warm as her nails cut through the feeble gloves and into her skin. Her eyes clenched shut from the pain. Each sniffle was a reminder that her own breath could be her last. Ellie was cleared, and so should Piper. No matter how much she kept telling herself that, Piper knew she was different. The way those Infected ignored her as if she was one of them. Piper prepared for the worst but prayed for the best. Prayed that maybe Joel could save her if the dog went for her throat. Maybe they could hold off this huge group. Maybe-

A comforting weight was placed on her chest, and her cheeks burned from the dog's wet kisses. Light flooded her view, and Piper looked down and smiled. She was safe.

The man whistled, and the dog propelled itself off Piper. "You just bought yourself 10 more seconds. What are you doin' out here?" The man interrogated.

Joel stepped back near the girls and answered. "I'm just lookin' for my brother. That's all, nothing' more."

A voice from the back shot over the crowd. Pulling her horse forward, a woman approached Joel and the girls. "What's your name?"

"Joel," he replied.

The woman's eyes widened. She began telling some of the riders to grab horses for the three of them.

"You're gonna wanna come with us," she said. "I'm Maria, by the way."

The three of them shared confused looks as they were placed on horses. Piper sat behind Ellie on a large tan stead. The horse neighed as Ellie curiously reached forward to pet its mane. Joel was placed on a dark brown horse. Once they were settled, the group moved forward and the horses trotted along carrying them away to wherever Marlene was taking them.

꧁_꧂

Maria spoke little of their destination, but even with the little she said, she convinced Joel. If Joel was convinced, so were the girls. It wasn't until they saw the looming metallic and wooden walls that they knew they were entering a settlement. The sight of the walls did little to put Piper at ease. She knew once she entered their confines that it'd be hard to leave. She just hoped Joel knew how to get them out if needed.

The gates to the community opened with a screech, and the horses carried them deeper into the town. With each prance, the more uneasy Ellie and Piper felt. People walked along the roadside chatting and laughing. Kids played in a playground, teasing each other before finding a snowball headed towards their faces. Groups all around worked together, all with determined smiles on their faces. Everything was normal until the group pranced further down the road. Their smiles would falter and would be replaced with curious and confused stares.

The girls didn't know what they hated more, the cheerful and carefree smiles or the curious stares. All the eyes on them made Ellie and Piper feel as if they were monkeys in a zoo. Made to be observed and ogled at. Piper felt particularly on edge when a group of young children stopped and whispered while pointing at her and Ellie. After sending them a curt middle finger, the children gasped or fled in fear. An emotion that made Piper and Ellie feel a bit more at ease.

Soon, the horse slowed and came to a halt. Piper peered over Ellie's shoulder and saw Maria motion to Joel and point to a group of people fixing up a building. Joel's eyes squinted before expanding with an expression that Piper had never seen from him before. At first, she thought it was relief or hope, but she knew her assumptions were wrong; the second, Joel jumped off his horse and called his brother's name. It was love.

Ellie and Piper watched as Joel ran toward Tommy and enveloped him in a hug. His face beaming, a laugh of joy and disbelief escaped his lips. There was a pain in her chest at the sight of Joel and his brother. She felt sick as Joel became someone she didn't recognize. Turning her gaze away, she glanced at Ellie, whose head hung low, hiding her eyes, which felt the very same pain.

"It's okay," Piper whispered in her sister's ear. It was a lifeless comfort. Nothing Piper could say would ever ease the ache in both of their hearts. They were cargo. Tommy was family. The girls had to keep reminding themselves of that, even if their hearts were dreaming for something else.

It didn't take long for the joyous reunion to end. Everyone was ushered inside, and a hot meal was placed down in front of them. The ache in the girl's heart seemed to be never-ending, but the sight and scent of a decent meal helped distract from the hurt.

Before the steam from the plate could dissipate, the girl's plates had been practically cleared.

Maria sat beside Tommy, who watched in horror as Joel and the girls scarfed down their food. "There's more if you need it," Maria mentioned.

Joel looked up from his plate and noticed the hurried manner in which they had been eating. Slowly swallowing his food, he sat up straighter and adjusted how he held his fork. Clearing his throat, he began, "Thank you, ma'am. It's been a while since we've had a proper meal."

"Actually," Ellie said as she chewed another bite, "I don't think I've ever had a proper meal. This is fսckin' amazing."

Simultaneously, Piper took a bite and moaned, "Fuuck, that’s good."

Joel felt his cheeks grow red. "Sorry. Ellie, Piper…," the girls snapped their heads in his direction, cheeks stuffed with food. "…let's mind our manners."

Piper gulped. "Sorry," she quietly apologized.

Ellie, on the other hand, ignored Joel's words until Piper kicked her shin. Ellie sent her sister a glare when she noticed another figure looking at them from afar. It was a girl with dark hair and tan skin. She peeked around the corner and caught sight of Ellie's stare.

"What?!" Ellie yelled, scaring the girl away.

"What's wrong with you?" Joel hissed.

"What about her manners?" Ellie quipped back.

Maria calmly placed a hand on the table. "She was just curious. Kids around here don't usually look or talk like you."

"Right… well, maybe Piper and I’ll teach them," Ellie muttered before taking another bite.

Joel sighed and gave Maria and Tommy an apologetic look.

"I want my gun back," Piper said, looking up at Tommy and Maria.

"Kids here also aren't armed," Maria noted.

Piper scoffed. "But what if-"

"Then the adults step in," Maria responded. "Kids deserve to be kids."

Maria's comment made Piper scoff once again. She placed down her fork and stared at the woman. "So what?" Piper spat, "You think I'm just gonna let some fucker-"

"Piper," Joel reprimanded, sending her a glare that was returned by the rolling of her eyes.

Tommy sat up in his chair. His eyes darted between Joel and Piper. "You know what? Uh…" Tommy muttered. "I think maybe y'all got a little off on the wrong foot."

Piper snickered and pointed at Maria. "She was gonna have her guys kill us."

"Well, we gotta be real careful about who we let in this place," Tommy explained. "But it's all bark. We're just tryna scare off those who might wanna try us."

"Well, you got a couple of 90-year-olds shitting themselves out there," Ellie added.

"Ellie," Joel cautioned.

"What?" Ellie hissed.

"They say that you leave dead bodies around," Piper said, staring down at Maria.

"Those are the people who tried us," Maria replied, leaning forward.

Tommy placed a hand on Maria's shoulder. "A bad reputation doesn't mean you're bad," he noted.

"Not always, at least," Maria said.

"Ma'am…," Joel began. "We're grateful for your hospitality and all. But it'd be nice to have a moment here, maybe just for family."

Tommy's eyes shifted to Maria and then his brother. "Well, um… Maria is family, actually,' Tommy corrected.

Ellie was the first to get Tommy's meaning. "Oh, shit! Congrats," she congratulated.

"Congrats," Piper begrudgingly muttered. Her glare at Maria softened. She looked to her right and noticed Joel's silence. "Joel, say congrats," Piper encouraged.

"Congrats," Joel mumbled, and a silence followed.

Feeling uneasy with how his brother was looking at him, Tommy stood up from his seat. "How 'bout a tour?"

꧁_꧂

The chilly winter air pinkened their cheeks and the tips of their ears as they emerged from the dining hall. Maria took the lead with Tommy in the back as they began the tour of the settlement.

"We settled here about seven years ago," Maria began. "Just a handful of us back then."

The girls looked around, acknowledging the street bordered with buildings of shapes and colors. Piper sniffled as the cold reached her nose. The sniffle was cut short in her throat, and it didn't take long for her lungs to heave. Stopping in her tracks, Piper keeled over and coughed.

The whole group stopped to look at her. She hated having their eyes glued to her. After all, it was just a simple cough. "Are you good? You look sick," Joel stated.

Forcing the cough away, Piper replied, "I’m not–I’m fine. I don’t get sick." She stood straight and stared at the group as if the look in her eye could wash away any doubt they had in her impeccable health.

Maria stepped forward and, in a gentle voice, spoke. "The doctor’s is just down the street, I can take y’all there to-"

"I said I’m fucking fine!" Piper spat.

"Piper," Joel hissed.

"What?" Piper said.

Taking a good look at her, Joel saw the signs: the pink nose, the recent headaches, the coughing. So, for the first time since Tommy made his announcement, Joel looked at Maria. "If you could show us to the doctor, that’d be great."

"Joel!" Piper whined, the sound of betrayal deeply ingrained in her voice.

"Pipes, come on," Ellie chimed in, placing a hand on her sister's shoulder. "You've been coughing and grabbing your head for days now."

Piper took one swing and swatted Ellie's hand away. "Ellie, I swear to fuck–"

"I’ll take you after the tour," Maria loudly announced, silencing the rising argument. Turning over her shoulder, she picked the tour back up as if nothing ever happened. "That section was already a gated community, so we built the rest of the wall out from there. Stopped most of the raiding parties, but we still found pockets of them."

"And you said Infected?" Joel asked.

Tommy jogged up close to his brother and, leaning in, explained, "Yeah, but usually smaller colonies wandered off from the cities. All this open country out here… it's a turkey shoot. I still got my 700, but I found a variable power scope. Sub-MOA." With a beam on his face, he continued. "Can headshot those fuckers from a half mile out."

Ellie's ears perked at the mention of Tommy's shooting. She glanced over at Joel and then back at Tommy, who was a lot more likable than the other. She thought to herself that maybe if Joel wasn't willing to teach her, then maybe Tommy might. "Can you teach me how?" She found herself wishfully asking.

Joel peered over his shoulder and glared. "No, he can't," he said, turning to Maria to propose another question: "How do you keep this place quiet?"

"Carefully," Maria said, "Being in the middle of nowhere helps. Not advertising what we have, staying off the radio. House of worship, multifaith. School. Laundry. Old bank works as the jail, not that we've needed it."

"And you draw power from the dam?" Joel questioned.

"Got that workin' a couple years ago," Tommy mentioned. "After that, sewage, plumbing, water heaters… lights."

The girls shared a moment of awe, even if they did not display it on their faces. "This place actually fսckin' works," Ellie mumbled to herself.

Piper leaned close to her sister and whispered, "I know, right? Hey, look," Piper patted Ellie's shoulder and pointed to a herd of sheep. Their white, fluffy fur made them look like the clouds above. The girls strayed from the group and hopped onto the fence. "Hey Joel, check it out!" Piper smirked,, earning a chuckle from Ellie and an eye roll from Joel.

"So are you, like, in charge?" Ellie asked after jumping off the fence and returning to the tour group.

"No one person's in charge," Maria explained. "I'm on the council. Democratically elected, serving 300 people, including children. Everyone pitches in. We rotate patrols, food prep, repairs, hunting, and harvesting. Everything you see in our town, including greenhouses and livestock, is shared. Collective ownership."

"So, uh, communism," Joel scoffed.

Tommy shook his head. "Nah. Nah, it ain't like that."

Maria chuckled and looked at her husband. "It is that. Literally." Tommy's face dropped as contemplation and confusion flooded his face. "This is a commune. We're communists."

Ellie and Piper shrugged, not sure what 'communism' was, and instead focused their attention on the stables nearby. In one of the stalls, a tiny head popped out causing Ellie to shriek and wipe away her detached expression. "No way!"

Maria smiled upon seeing the cause of Ellie's excitement. "That's our newest one. Couple of months old. You wanna pet her?" Maria motioned for Ellie to get closer.

Ellie didn't waste any time petting the small horse. "What's her name?" She softly asked.

"Shimmer," Maria replied.

"Shimmer," Ellie cooed. "You're so beautiful."

Upon noticing Piper's distance, Maria gently smiled at the girl. "You can pet her too," she said.

Piper shook her head and coughed. "No thanks," she said, trying to cover up the tension in her lungs.

Ellie reluctantly turned away from Shimmer and looked back at her sister. "You know, I’m starting to think you are sick."

"Fucking hell, Ellie," Piper growled. "You know I don’t get sick."

"Everyone gets sick," Maria assured Piper before turning to Tommy. "Well, I'm sure they'd like a shower and some new clothes. We can put them in the empty house across the street from us."

Tommy nodded and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Yeah. It's a decent place. Pretty much untouched since '03, but it's got the heat goin' in it. Could do worse."

"Oh," Ellie noted, "trust me, we have been."

"We've been doin' fine," Joel reiterated.

"Well," Maria said. I'll take Ellie over there and Piper to the doctor if you two want to catch up."

Piper's eyes widened, and she raised her shoulders in defense. "I’m not goi–"

"You’re going," Joel decided. Piper opened her mouth to refute but was shot down by the look in Joel's dark eyes.

"Yeah," Tommy nodded. "Okay."

"Joel," Ellie muttered, glancing over to Joel.

"You'll be fine," he reassured. "You both will be fine." Piper rolled her eyes and huffed as Joel and Tommy walked away, already beginning to talk amongst themselves.

"Shall we?" Maria asked.

"Uh, yeah," Ellie replied before looking at her sister.

"Fine," Piper grumbled.

Maria began to walk before peering over her shoulder at the girls. "I’ll take you to the Doctor first. It’s on the way," Maria said. "Doctor Watson is a nice man. Knows what he’s doing. You’re in good hands."

"I’m not–" Piper complained.

"-Sick," Maria finished. "I know. But let’s hear it from someone who knows."

꧁_꧂

Ellie had to shove Piper through the doctor's office doors. Maria couldn't help but chuckle to herself at the sight in front of her. While the two girls struggled, she easily stepped inside and greeted the young man sitting behind the desk.

"Hello, Charlie," she smiled. A head of dark curly hair looked up at the three of them. His black eyes darted between Maria and Piper, who was fighting off Ellie's attempts at manhandling her.

"Maria, to what do I owe the pleasure," Charlie asked once the front door loudly slammed shut.

"I’ve got a friend here who needs to see Doctor Watson," Maria spoke before pointing to Piper.

"I see," Charlie nodded. "We’ll take good care of her."

"I know you will," Maria agreed before turning to Piper. "Piper, I’ll be back in a while. I’m just taking Ellie to the house."

Piper's eyes widened, and she nervously looked over to her sister. "But–"

"Just to check," Maria reminded.

"Stop being such a baby, Pipes," Ellie chimed in.

"Fuck you," Piper whined in response as Ellie and Maria walked out the doors just as quickly as they had come in. With a huff, Piper spotted an empty seat and sat down, fiddling with her hands in an attempt to ignore the stares from the boy.

"Haven’t seen your face before," Charlie said as he peeked his head over the desk.

"Fuck off," Piper hissed.

"Yikes. She bites," chuckled Charlie. Deciding that his current viewpoint wasn't satisfactory, he stood up, leaned against the desk, and smiled cheerfully at Piper.

She hated that smile. She hated his bouncy, curly head of hair and his soft, dark eyes. They reminded her of Joel's. The very eyes she recently found herself finding comfort. "And who the fuck are you?" She questioned, not really wanting to hear the answer.

"Charleston Brekker." He took out his hand for her to shake. Piper glared at his hand as if it had created the biggest offense in the history of the world. Awkwardly, Charlie withdrew his hand and placed it in his pants pocket. "But I go by Charlie. I’m the doc’s intern of sorts. He’s showing me the ropes and whatnot before he kicks the can."

"That’s a fucking mouthful," Piper mumbled. "And Brekker? More like a breaker."

Charlie nervously chuckled. "Haha, very funny. What’s your name?"

Piper scoffed, "As if I’d tell you."

Shrugging his shoulders, Charlie sighed. "Alright, Piper, thought I’d at least give you the chance to tell me yourself." He wanted to laugh at the look of disbelief on her face. "I heard Maria say it,' he explained.

"Fuck you."

Charlie glanced down at the ground fighting the urge to sigh again. To him, trying to make conversation with Piper was like trying to pet a wolf. "The Doctor is seeing someone else right now, should be out soon," he said.

"Whatever."

So far, Charlie has tried two potential conversation openers. Piper had shot down both of them. Luckily, Charlie had a plethora of backup plans. "Let me guess, you’re 8," Charlie guessed.

"Let me guess," Piper leered, "you don’t know how to shut your mouth. And I’m 17."

"We’re the same age," Charlie added. "And for the record, I don’t."

"I can tell." Piper took a good look at him. He had strong features adorning his face. Each sculpted part of his face framed his eyes. She hated those eyes. Why were they so kind and clear, free from the clouds and dirt that plagued hers? However, what she hated most was his smile. It reached the apples of his cheeks that turned a light pink each time he flashed her that smile. God, it was gross. Disgusting. She hat- Piper shook her head. She was thinking too much about his stupid face and stupid smile.

"So…have you–" Charlie began again before the sound of the backdoor creaked open.

"Just continue following my orders and you’ll be right as rain in no time," a man dressed in a white coat instructed an elderly woman. The two walked down the hallway and to the doors that Piper so desperately wanted to flee out of. "Charlie, who do we have here?" The man asked once the woman had vacated the area.

"Piper," Charlie said, earning a sharp glare from the girl. "She came in with Maria. Says she isn’t sick."

Doctor Watson nodded. His speckled gray hair bobbed up and down, and the wrinkles on his face creased as he turned to look at her. "I see. Piper, if you’ll come with me."

Taking one look at the doctor, Piper shook her head. "No," she stated.

Doctor Watson's eyes softened at her guarded demeanor. "I’m just going to ensure you’re healthy as you say you are."

Piper's eyes flickered to the backroom. In a quiet voice, she asked, "Do I have to go back there?"

Doctor Watson shook his head. "No, but it offers more privacy…I can leave the door open if that is what you prefer."

After a moment of contemplation, Piper agreed and begrudgingly walked to the backroom with the door open all the way.

꧁_꧂

Joel found himself at ease as he sank onto the barstool. His eyes watched as Tommy went behind the counter and pulled out some drinks for the two of them, pouring the liquid and dropping some ice cubes in the alcohol.

"Been a long time," Joel said. "Doesn't seem like you aged much."

"You, on the other hand," Tommy teased as he placed the drink before Joel. "Thanks for still giving a shit about me." Tommy's eyes expectantly watched as Joel raised the glass to his lips. Joel felt his taste buds light a fire with joy. "Workin' on raisin' some hogs, too," Tommy proudly said. "Once we get bacon, I mean, what's even left?"

"Pshoo," Joel laughed. "Christmas trees and bacon? Pretty decent setup."

"So, how's Tess?" Tommy inquired.

The cheerfulness in Joel's expression faltered. "She's fine. All right."

"Good then," Tommy nodded. "And the kids?"

Joel furrowed his brow until he realized Tommy was asking about his girls—the girls. "Oh, yeah," Joel explained, "They’re the daughters of some Firefly muckety-muck. I'm trying to find their family somewhere out here. I was headin' in this direction, so…"

Disbelief filled Tommy's face. "Really? Goodness of your heart?"

"There's a payment," Joel confessed. "So you know where they might be? These Fireflies?"

Tommy shrugged. "Well, they got a base down at the University of Eastern Colorado. It's, uh, a week's ride south. But…" Tommy noted. "It is severely fսckеd up between here and there. Infected… raiders. It's not exactly an easy trip."

"It'll be easy for us," Joel said, "seeing as how you can headshot Infected from half a mile away, which is a bunch of bullshit, by the way." He took another swig of his drink and sighed as the warm touch of the alcohol traveled down his throat and to the rest of his body.

"Yeah," Tommy quietly said. "I can't go."

"Oh, come on," Joel chuckled. "I made it across the country. The two of us can make it from here to Colorado." Tommy's expression hadn't changed. Joel sighed, "What, 'cause your wife won't let you?"

At the mention of Maria, Tommy's expression hardened. "Joel," Tommy warned.

"She the one who kept you off the radio?" Joel accused, and a flash of guilt grew on Tommy's face. "Is that why you stopped messaging me back?"

"After I ditched the Fireflies, Maria and her crew found me," Tommy explained. "They're good people. They didn't have to take me in, but they did. And all they ask is that I follow their rules."

"I'm your brother."

"Yeah, I'm aware," Tommy acknowledged. "They're very protective of this place, and for good fսckin' reason. I mean, folks find out we're up here…"

"No, I heard. Wrong people might show up," Joel retorted. "So, is that what I am? Am I the wrong people?"

"Joel…" Tommy sighed.

The drink in front of Joel had long been forgotten. Years of hurt bubbled up to the surface, too much for the alcohol to soak up. "Those things I did, Tommy," Joel defended, "those things that you judge me for, I did those things to keep us alive."

"We did those things. And they weren't "things," Tommy argued. "We murdered people. And I don't judge you for it. We survived the only way we knew how. But there were other ways. We just weren't any good at 'em."

"If you knew the shit that I've been through, Tommy." Joel's voice began to falter. "Tryin' to find you these last few months…"

"I'm gonna be a father," Tommy blurted, ending Joel's train of thought. "Maria's a few months along now. So I just gotta be more careful." With Joel's silence, Tommy continued. "To be honest, I'm scared to death. But I don't know. Uh… I feel like I'd be a good dad."

The drink in front of him was intoxicating now, so Joel picked it up and drank the rest. "Guess we'll find out."

"I guess we'll find out?" Tommy scoffed. "That's all you got?"

Joel shrugged, "What else am I supposed to say?"

Anger boiled up to the surface at Joel's response. "Just because life stopped for you…," Tommy said, "doesn't mean it has to stop for me."

Joel's teeth ground against each other, and his jaw began to hurt. "We'll grab some supplies and be outta your hair in the mornin'," Joel mumbled before hastily finding his way out of the bar.

꧁_꧂

Piper was indeed sick. She had been battling a cough and headache for days, yet the news stunned her. Her head tuned out the words of Doctor Watson as the realization hit her. She was sick. The doctor mentioned something about the common cold, but that did not matter. Piper was sick. For as long as she could remember she had never gotten sick. She couldn't. Being sick wasn't a choice for Piper, especially not after FEDRA put a gun in her hand. Yet here she was, sitting in Doctor Watson's office, sick.

"…luckily I have the right medication to help you feel better in no time," Doctor Watson continued and handed Piper a bottle of some pills. "You’ll take three of these each day. Take them with meals. And continue to take them until your cough is gone. And stay out of the cold. Any questions?" Piper shook her head, not realizing he was asking her a question. "Good. Another thing is to keep those hands bandaged and clean. You don't want an infection…"

Glancing down at her hands, she gently trailed her fingers over the white bandages. Doctor Watson had noticed the blood and scabs from where her nails had dug into her palms.

Finally, her ears had caught up with the doctor's words. "Wait, actually…"

Doctor Watson gave her his best bedside smile. "Yes?"

"Can I ask something that’s not related to my cough?" Piper wondered.

"Of course," the doctor replied.

"Hypothetically," Piper began, "if someone were immune to the fungus. You know, the one that turns you into an infe–"

The Doctor's brows raised but allowed her to continue. "Infected. Yes, I do," he finished.

Piper frowned, unsure of how to phrase her next words. Finding a satisfactory sequence of words, she asked, "How would someone like you go about making the cure?"

Doctor Watson sighed and rested his head in his wrinkled hand. His forehead creased as his thoughts came to him. "Well, it’s risky," he said after some time. "The fungus infects the brain, and if someone were immune, it would be something in the brain or the central nervous system if you'd rather I'd get technical."

Piper grimaced. "So, not their blood?"

"No," Doctor Watson shook his head. "To even attempt a cure, that person’s brain would have to be removed so one could determine the cause of immunity. Even so, attempting to replicate it in others is nearly impossible with the state of medical technology now."

"Are you saying…they would die, The immune person?" Piper's voice grew quiet as her clarifying question floated around.

"Yes," Doctor Watson answered.

"Oh," Piper's face fell. With the doctor's answer, she no longer cared for her sickness. Instead, she thought of Ellie. She wondered if Ellie knew, which she most likely didn't. Next, she wondered if Marlene knew and knowingly misled the girls. Did Joel and Tess know? Were she and Ellie just being led to their deaths, all in the hope of an impossible cure? Piper's uncertainty was quickly replaced with a determination to tell Ellie. She had to stop her sister, even if it meant breaking her. She had to tell Ellie. She had to keep Ellie alive. She noticed she'd been quiet for too long. "Thanks for the–yeah," Piper blurted.

"No problem." Doctor Watson stood up and walked to the door, motioning for Piper to follow. "Charlie?" He called out.

Charlie popped up in the doorway. His head of frustratingly perfect curls sparkled with golden highlights from the artificial lights. "Yeah?" He said before sending Piper a grin.

"Charlie will show you out," Doctor Watson told Piper. "Take care, Piper."

"Yeah," Piper muttered before following Charlie out into the lobby. She looked around for Ellie's familiar face and Maria's figure. She frowned. They were nowhere to be seen. "Where’s Maria?" She asked Charlie.

"So…Maria’s not here," Charlie said. "Thought I’d show you to her house." He smiled at her and nervously ran his hand through his hair.

Piper watched his hands as they brushed through his curls. Shaking herself out of her insane trance, she declined, "No thanks."

"It’s not far," Charlie explained, "besides, I’d hate it if you got lost."

"I don’t get lost," Piper mentioned, standing up straighter as she marched to the door.

"Just like you don’t get sick?" Charlie chuckled.

With her hand frozen on the door handle, Piper slowly turned around and caught sight of Charlie's smug smile. "Fuck you," Piper growled before opening the door.

"Thanks," Charlie said as he brushed by Piper, strolling out the door. "Come on, Piper."

She was sure her eyes had rolled into the back of her head and were now permanently stuck. "Jesus Christ," she mumbled.

꧁_꧂

It was hard to see anything in the steam-filled bathroom. The place had a plethora of piping hot water, and Ellie decided she'd take full advantage of that, unaware that she'd left barely any for Piper and Joel. The foggy air fled from the bathroom once Ellie had creaked open the door. If she hadn't just taken the longest and hottest shower known to mankind, one might think there had been a fire.

Creeping over to the pink and green blanketed bed, Ellie noticed the new addition of clean clothes and a plastic, gel-like thingy. Her brows creased as she picked up the strange object and quickly noticed a sheet of paper containing instructions. She briefly read the sheet and pulled her lips tight. "Oh! Gross," she mumbled. Placing it down, she picked up the clothes and began to change.

Each item of clothing was free from dirt, grime, bugs, and anything else that the outdoors could taint with. She felt clean and new. She was sure she'd never felt it in her life. All the clothes she'd worn in the QZ were old or covered in dust from the years of sitting once modern civilization had been forgotten. She smiled, felt the soft cloth along her skin, and thought of how much Piper was going to enjoy a hot shower and new clothes. It'd be a dream come true for her older sister's obsession with hygiene.

After changing, Ellie recalled Maria's words and went down the stairs, out the door, and across the street to Tommy and Maria's residence. Raising her fist to knock quietly, Ellie stepped inside the home.

"Hello? Maria?" She called out, looking around for the woman. Her feet took her further into the home. It was nice and…homely, Ellie guessed. She wasn't sure what a home would look like, but Maria and Tommy's setup seemed close enough. There were maintained couches, lamps, tables, and decorations on the mantel. Upon further glance, Ellie noticed a board with names. It read "Kevin and Sarah."

"Oh, good," Maria's voice said from behind Ellie. Turning around, Ellie peered down at Maria's hand. In it was an ugly-ass purple coat and another that was a blinding bright orange. Both colors were atrocious to look at, but Ellie quickly determined the orange was much easier on the eyes. The shade of the purple coat was that of a dark bruise. It made Ellie feel sick just looking at it.

"I just traded for this. Go ahead, try it on," Maria encouraged, handing the purple coat to Ellie.

"It's, uh," Ellie said, trying to hide her grimace. "…super fսckin' purple."

"Eggplant," Maria corrected. Ellie's eyes flashed with confusion at the mention of an eggplant. Whatever it was, it sounded just as gross as the shade of purple. "It fits?" Maria asked.

"Yeah," Ellie shrugged, feeling much warmer than she'd ever been in her old coat.

"Shoes aren't too big?"

Wiggling her toes, Ellie shook her head. "Uh, no. Where's my other stuff?"

"Rag pile," Maria said. "Did you get the thing I left you?"

"Yeah. Weirdest gift ever," Ellie muttered, thinking about the thingy still on the bed.

"But useful," Maria chuckled. She stepped close to Ellie and pointed to her hair. "Who's been cutting your hair?"

"Uh, world-class salons," Ellie sarcastically replied. Maria smiled. "Piper," Ellie confessed. "Piper's always the one who cuts it."

Maria nodded. "Let me get my scissors."

"Oh," Ellie exclaimed. "Whoa, no. I'm…"

"Trim," Maria assured. "That's all. Just the ends, I promise."

Glancing down at her wet hair, Ellie sighed. It would be nice to cut it a bit shorter. Nodding her head, she followed Maria into the dining room and sat down in the chair Maria had presented her.

Expertly weaving her finger through Ellie's hair, Maria began to brush, measure, and cut it. Ellie's scalp tingled as Maria massaged her head, and she couldn't help but close her eyes in contentment. Maybe Piper could learn some tips from Maria.

"Maria?" An unfamiliar voice echoed throughout the home.

Maria stopped brushing through Ellie's hair and peered around. "Charlie!" She called out as the boy from the doctor's office, and Piper stepped into the dining hall.

"You forgot me," Piper muttered.

"Sorry," Maria apologized. I was busy trading for some new clothes for you and your sister." She stepped away from Ellie, retrieved the clothes and orange coat from the table, and handed them over to Piper. "Here. Try this on," she said before turning to Charlie. Thanks again, Charlie."

"No problem, Ma’am," Charlie beamed, and Piper swore, then stood a few inches taller.

"So, are you gonna try them on?" Maria expectantly said.

Piper glanced down at the clothes and coat. "They’ll fit," she said.

Maria looked disbelieving but chose not to say anything. "Right," she nodded. "The house you’re staying in is right across from mine. Find a room, take a shower and come on back over here. I’ll cut your hair too."

"I’ll cut it myself," Piper grumbled.

Maria sighed. "Well, you’ll need scissors." She walked over to the kitchen and opened a drawer, pulling out another pair of scissors. She carefully placed them in Piper's hand.

"Thanks," Piper mumbled before tucking them under her arm with the rest of her clothes.

"I can show you to the house," Charlie proposed.

Piper opened her mouth to refuse, but Maria beat her to it. "Doctor Watson will need you back at the office."

Charlie closed his mouth and bid his goodbye. Piper watched him go, torn between missing his annoying presence and being grateful for Maria's words. Soon, Maria got back to grooming Ellie's hair. Meanwhile, the urge for a shower grew greater than Doctor Watson's answers. So, Piper found herself sneaking over to the house across the street. There was also a later time she could tell Ellie. A better time away from outside listening ears.

꧁_꧂ "So, this was, like, your job back then or something?" Ellie wondered as Maria snipped away at her hair. It must have been with how deftly Maria navigated Ellie's head of hair.

"No," Maria said. "I was an Assistant District Attorney out of Omaha, Nebraska. I put bad guys in jail."

"Oh… Cool," Ellie replied. "I guess."

"I always liked doing hair, though," Maria continued. "Maybe it was a mom thing. You were looking at the little memorial Tommy made?"

"Uh, yeah." Ellie peeked over at Maria, who gently directed her head back down. "I'm-I'm sorry about your kids."

"It's okay. And kid," Maria corrected. "Just Kevin. Sarah was Joel's daughter." Maria felt Ellie's shoulders stiffen. "Oh, maybe I shouldn't have said anything."

"No," Ellie shook her head. "It's okay. I guess that explains him a little."

Satisfied with the trim she had given Ellie, Maria set the scissors down and leaned against the table across from Ellie. "Look, I'm not gonna ask you what you're doing with him."

"Good," Ellie replied. Her voice grew stiff.

"But there are clearly things you don't know about Joel," Maria noted.

"Oh," Ellie said, connecting the dots Maria had left for her. "…like how he used to kill people? I know about that."

"So then you understand my concern."

Ellie shook her head. "He doesn't do that anymore."

"He stopped killing people?" Maria raised her brow, unconvinced.

"Innocent ones," Ellie corrected. "And Tommy did it, too. Are you worried about him?"

"Tommy was following Joel," Maria explained. "The way you and your sister are now."

"Well," Ellie scoffed, "maybe Piper and I are smarter than Tommy. No offense."

"You are definitely smart. Would've made a hell of a lawyer," Maria chuckled. "There's a whole lot you're not telling me. Good. Therein lies the point. Be careful who you put your faith in. The only people who can betray us… are the ones we trust. You understand?"

"Mm-hmm," Ellie nodded.

"Now, come on." Maria stood up. "Grab your super fսckin' eggplant coat."

Ellie shrugged on the coat. "Where are we going?"

"The movies," Maria replied before strolling out the front door, expecting Ellie to follow.

꧁_꧂

Piper noted that the house had just enough bedrooms for Ellie and her and too many bathrooms. There were four, one in each of the bedrooms and another, which she assumed was the communal one.

She'd found a bedroom with ease. Ellie had already staked her claim in one of the upstairs rooms by sprawling her bag on the floor next to the bed. One of the others contained a large bed, much too big for Piper to find any comfort in. She left that one to Joel and instead took up the bedroom on the ground floor.

The walls were painted light blue, and the sheets had various small flower designs adorning them. The bed was small, something she was happy about. She preferred small beds. She wasn't sure why, but she did. The less space things took up, the better.

After finding her room, she entered the bathroom and started up her shower. The water was warm against the cooler air of the bathroom. It did not take long for steam to collect in the air. Stepping underneath the water, Piper watched as months of dirt washed down the drain. At first, the water turned a shade of dark brown, and for a moment, Piper thought it stained the white porcelain of the tub. After a few minutes, the water turned clear again, and Piper began to scrub.

She scrubbed her hair, letting strands trickle down the drain. Her hands, all soaped up, scrubbed her skin until it grew raw and pink. Next were her nail beds, which Piper had determined were the cleanest part of her due to the care Doctor Watson had shown her. Trailing her hands over the soggy bandages, she was glad the Doctor had given her extra. She'd have to rebandage them once her shower was over.

Once she was satisfied with her cleanliness, Piper switched off the water and stepped out. After drying and rebandaging her hand, she wiped away the condensation on the mirror. She didn't spend much time admiring her clean figure and instead looked at her hair. Even washed, it seemed all tangled up. Maybe Maria was right. She really did need a haircut. Carefully, she brushed her fingers through her hair, releasing most of the knots.

Picking up the scissors, Piper stared at her reflection. Her hair was thick and long. Perfect for keeping the nipping cold at bay. She knew she'd have to brave the cold once again and a haircut would not do her any good. Confirming her decision, Piper placed down the scissors and replaced them with the pills Doctor Watson had given her. She swallowed, glanced at her reflection, and left the bathroom.

The new clothes and coat trapped the warmth of the shower against Piper's skin. In the pockets of the coat she found a new hat, gloves, and cup thingy. She frowned as she squished it until recognition filled her face. Placing the period cup in her bag, Piper made her way out of the house and to Maria's. Except Maria wasn't there and neither was Ellie.

"Forgotten again," Piper mumbled to herself. Then she noticed a note on the dining room table.

"We are at the movies. Just take a left and the end of the road and then go straight - Maria"

"Movies," Piper repeated as she crumpled up the note. "Of course, they have movies."

꧁_꧂

The bell above the door chimed, and a burst of cold air filled the room. Joel groaned as the tool in his hand slipped and fell to the floor. His hands were shaking too much to fix his leather boots, which were falling apart at the seams. Not bothering to look up at the guest, Joel placed his head in his hands.

"The guys said I might find you here," Tommy announced before plopping new boots on the table in front of Joel. "Figured I'd save you the trouble."

Joel glanced up at the boots and then at his brother.

"I shouldn't have said what I said," Tommy apologized.

"I don't even believe it," Joel muttered.

"I know you're happy for me. It just…," Tommy trailed off, trying to find the right words. "It's complicated for you… and I'm sorry."

Joel sighed and placed on the new pair of boots. They fit like a glove. "So you're gonna let me off the hook, or what?" Tommy shook his head and leaned against a nearby table. "This ride to the University, is it a suicide mission?" Joel pondered.

"No," Tommy replied. "It's dangerous, but it's nothin' you can't handle. Just prepare and do what you do."

"You've had people go that way and come back?" Joel asked, taking in Tommy's advice.

"All of 'em," Tommy answered. He watched as his brother grew quiet. "What is this?" Tommy asked.

Joel was eerily quiet before answering. "They're immune," he confessed.

"What?" Tommy's brows creased in confusion.

"Ellie and Piper," Joel clarified. "They got infected but didn't get sick. And Piper… the infected just ignore her." Tommy stepped back in disbelief. "Tommy," Joel continued. "Tommy, I saw Piper get bit myself. I saw what the infected did. That was months ago. Months. She's immune."

Tommy peered deep into Joel's eyes and saw the truth of sincerity. Quickly checking the door, Tommy stepped closer to Joel. "From the beginning," Tommy asked.

Joel took in a deep breath of air before beginning. "It was Marlene. She hired us to smuggle the girls to some Fireflies. It went bad. Tess got bit. She made me swear to take the kids. It was her dying wish," Joel's voice cracked. "What the hell was I supposed to do? We made it as far as K.C., and then… You know, they saved my life there… from another kid."

Running his fingers over the calluses on his hands, Joel continued. "Five years ago, I would've destroyed him. But Piper had to shoot him to save me. 17 years old. Because I was too slow and too fսck¡n' deaf to hear him comin'. And I saw… I saw a man kill his own brother… to save Ellie while I just watched."

With each word spilling from his mouth, Joel found his strength disappearing. His eyes blurred, and he felt his cheeks grow wet. This was a weakness. He was weak, and he knew it. "And today, I thought that dog was gonna tear the girls apart because it smelled somethin' on them. And all I did was stand there. I couldn't… move. I couldn't think of anything to say. I just… I was so afraid."

"You think I can still handle things, but… I'm not who I was,: Joel admitted and he felt a weight come off his chest. So long he'd been standing tall. For so long, he kept going, kept looking for Tommy. Now that he'd found his brother, Joel didn't know what to do. "I'm weak. Lately, there are these moments where the fear comes up outta nowhere, and… my heart… feels like it's stopped. And I have dreams. Every night."

"What kinda dreams?" Tommy interjected.

Joel grabbed the side of his head. "I don't know. I can't remember. I just know that when I wake up… I've lost somethin','' he sobbed. "I'm failin' in my sleep. That's all I do. It's all I've ever done is fail them again and again."

Tommy's expression softened as the puzzle of Joel's words came together. "You want me to take the girls," Tommy concluded.

Joel couldn't help but nod as the tears rolled down his face. "I'm just gonna get them killed. I know it. I have to leave them."

"Joel…"Tommy tried to comfort him.

"I mean, it's why you took off on me, right? To make up for the things we did?" Joel said. "Well, here's your chance to bring your kid into a better world. You're younger than me. You're still strong. You said it yourself: you'll come back. You have to take them." Joel sniffled and wiped his cheeks; his pleading exchanged for something more protective. Joel admitted to his brother the truth and discovered a truth of his own. He cared for the girls. They were his girls, whether he liked it or not. It just happened, and he knew he'd die if anything befell them. His heart would be torn into shreds if he couldn't save them, just like he couldn't save Sarah. He knew now why he wanted to refuse Piper's wish, why he didn't want Ellie to pick up a gun, and why he hated hearing about what his girls had gone through. Joel was a father through and through, and Piper and Ellie were not his girls.

"And you can't tell anyone, not even Maria. Tommy, you're the only one I trust," Joel begged. "If anyone else sees those bites on her, what's under her skin… they'll shoot her. It's the last thing I'll ever ask of you. I swear."

Tommy was quiet for a moment before answering. The words that came out of his mouth only relieved Joel. "I'll take them out at dawn. We got you in 38. It's left, left, right."

꧁_꧂

Speckles of white in Piper's hair sparkled under the yellow street lights. She'd left her hair down. The feeling was foreign to her but freeing. Maybe in the future, she'd continue to keep her hair down.

Smiling, she looked down at the snow; her new boots repelled the water and cold. It was a nice change from the leaky shoes she had worn before.

The sound of snow crunching doubled, and Piper looked up. She saw her sister, head hung low, marching towards her.

"Els," Piper called out. Ellie kept walking. "Do you know where the movie is?"

Ellie brushed past her sister, pausing long enough to answer her. "Movie sucks ass," Ellie mumbled.

Piper stopped and turned around. "Hey, is everything-"

"I'm fine," Ellie hissed. "What happened to your hands?"

Piper looked down, "Nothing, scraped them that's all. The doctor was nice enough to bandage them up."

"You sick?" Ellie asked.

Piper was sure that the snow was falling harder now. She shivered. "Yeah…just a cold, though, nothing too bad." Ellie nodded. Speaking of the doctor, I asked about the…" Piper paused, unsure of how to say it. "Ellie, it's not going to work."

Ellie looked up and frowned. "What's not gonna work?" Piper only responded in silence, and from the look on her sister's face, Ellie knew what Piper was going to say. "No. It'll fucking work."

"Els," Piper pleaded.

"No!" Ellie bellowed, shoving Piper's shoulders.

Piper gasped, "Els, listen to me. I asked the doct-"

Ellie's face scrunched up, and her ears rang as a mantra of no repeated in her mind. The next thing she knew, her fist had found its way into Piper's face. Anger and hurt flooded from her soul down her fist and implanted itself onto Piper's body. Too much had been stolen from the girl, and she wasn't going to let Piper take anything else. She wasn't going to let the one thing keeping her going disappear from view. She had to save everyone. She had to get rid of the fungus that had robbed her of a future and the world of anything good. First, her mom, then Riley, Tess, Henry, and Sam. Soon, Joel was going to leave, too. She had heard him beg his brother, and now Piper was going to take away her objective.

With each punch, Ellie found her drive even more controlling. Her fear, anger, and pain took over and governed her actions. It was as if she couldn't hear her sister's pleas or feel the blood trickling down Piper's face and spilling into the snow, tainting it a vibrant red.

"Ellie!" Piper coughed, spitting out blood onto the snow.

Ellie froze. Her chest heaved up and down. The snowing made everything too blurry, or maybe it was the tears escaping Ellie's eyes. Her hands burned from the warmth of Piper's blood and the fog of her mind faded.

Scrambling to stand, Ellie took one look at her sister in the snow. Piper lay on her side in the snow. Wheezing coughs escaped her lungs as blood from her nose and mouth pooled on the snow, melting it. Bruises had already started to form on Piper's skin, turning shades of blue and purple. The same purple of Ellie's coat.

Seeing her sister's pain, Ellie was overcome with guilt. Her heart pounded, and her breath stilled. All she could do was watch or run away, so she did. She ran deep into the snow storm and back to the ghost of a home she was staying in.

By the time the footsteps of Ellie's boots had been erased by the storm, Piper still hadn't moved. She was freezing, bleeding, and in pain. However, it wasn't the pain of the physical wounds Ellie had given her that hurt. Ellie had left. She had hurt Ellie, even if the full truth hadn't been revealed. She had ripped the band-aid off too soon and the wound had grown infected.

As Piper lay in the snow, she grew numb to the cold and the pain. In fact, she welcomed it. She'd been living for Ellie, protecting her, watching over her. After all, it was her and Ellie until the end. She'd said that phrase so many times that the irony scalded her soul. Ellie was marching to the end. An end to save an imaginary world in her head. An end that Piper knew she'd follow her sister into. If Ellie was going to walk into the arms of death, so would Piper. No matter how much she desired to live. No matter how much she didn't want to leave Joel. Nothing mattered when her sister was on the line. Piper had made a promise, and she was going to keep it. Even if it meant dying for a cause she no longer believed in. Even if it meant she had to give up her real dream: the home with Joel and Ellie. The smile on her sister's face, the warmth of Joel's protective hug. The dream of a family.

"Piper?" a distorted voice asked, and soon, a weight was placed on her shoulder. It was Charlie. He was leaning over her now. Looking up, Piper noticed a crowd. People had circled around her, and their whispers thundered in her head.

"Piper, what happened?" Charlie asked. The concern and worry in his voice was apparent.

Piper didn't need his concern. She didn't want it. After all, what good was a stranger's concern if you knew you were going to die? If you knew you were going to lose everything. If you knew you'd be alone.

Smacking away Charlie's hand and pushing him into the snow, Piper stood up and wiped away the blood. She ignored Charlie's pleas and the gasps of the townspeople. Fuck them, Piper thought as she marched through the storm and into the darkness after her sister.

Wherever Ellie went, so did Piper.

꧁_꧂

The house was quiet. If it weren't for the light that trickled out of Ellie's room, Joel would have thought the home was empty. The wooden stairs creaked as Joel trudged up them. His feet carried him as far as the door before he stopped. His hand inches away from knocking.

"Ellie?" Joel called out. There was no response, so he gently pushed the door open and found Ellie sitting on the windowsill. A journal in her hands.

"Is this really all they had to worry about?" Ellie asked. "Boys. Movies. Deciding which shirt goes with which skirt. It's bizarre."

Joel shoved his hands into his pockets and stepped closer, fumbling with his feet. "Listen, um…"

"Why are you here?"

"I came here to talk to you," Joel replied, confused by Ellie's harsh tone of voice.

"No, why are you still here? If you're gonna ditch me, ditch me," Ellie spat and glared at the man.

Joel sighed and felt his lips form into a frown. "What exactly did you hear?"

"I have to leave her. You have to take her," Ellie mocked Joel's deep voice. "You know, I stood up for you today because I thought…" Hurt echoed in her words, and Ellie turned away, trying to fight back tears. Everyone was leaving her.

"I made this decision for your own good," Joel stated.

"Just like Piper?" Ellie muttered with clenched fists. Her hands still burned from her sister's blood.

Joel shook his head, unsure of what Ellie meant. "You'll be way better off with Tommy." "You and Piper," Joel clarified. "Tommy knows the area better than I do…"

Finally turning to face Joel again, Ellie raged, "Do you give a shit about me or not?"

"Of course," Joel defended, and Ellie scoffed. "I do."

"Then what are you so afraid of? I'm not her, you know? Maria told me about Sarah and…" Ellie was cut off.

"Don't," Joel growled. His face hardened, and through clenched teeth, he spoke, "Don't say another word."

Throwing the journal to the side, Ellie stood up. "I-I'm sorry about your daughter, Joel," Ellie said. "But I have lost people, too."

Joel rolled his eyes and stepped back. Hurt flashed in Ellie's eyes. "You have no idea what loss is," Joel stated.

"Everybody I have cared for has either died or left me," Ellie fumed. Her voice grew louder and louder. "Everybody, fսcking except for you and Pi–!" She cut herself short. Joel was leaving, and she had pushed Piper away. There was no way her sister…Ellie bit her lip. She was alone. She was always cursed to be alone. "So don't tell me that I'd be safer with somebody else because the truth is I would just be more scared."

Joel's expression hardened at Ellie's tears. His heart hurt from seeing her tears and hearing her pleas. Right then and there he wanted to tell her he'd change his mind. Say that he'd take them, but he couldn't. Joel was weak. Ellie and Piper made them weak. This was for the best. He was doing this for them.

"You're right. You're not my daughter," Joel growled. "And I sure as hell ain't your dad. Now, come dawn… we're goin' our separate ways."

Ellie scowled and fell back down on the bed. She hugged her legs in close and turned away from Joel, burying her head in between her knees. "Good luck telling Piper that."

The door creaked behind them, and then Joel heard it. It was the sound of Piper running away. He pinched the sides of his nose and walked out of Ellie's room. This was for the best. As long as he kept telling himself that maybe this whole thing would become a bit easier. He just had to tell Piper, and his pain would be over. His weaknesses would be gone.

At least it would be if he could find Piper. He scoured the entire house: every single room, bathroom, in the dark corners, underneath the furniture. Piper was gone. His heart tightened in his chest until he heard her cough. It was coming from the porch. Piper was outside in the cold.

Joel didn't care how the cold bit at his skin when he saw Piper huddled in the corner. Her body trembled, fighting off the cold. She looked so small compared to how tall she stood. Her once-strong persona crumbled underneath Joel's gaze. Piper was just a kid in a big, scary world. And no matter how long Joel stood staring at her, he couldn't find any words of assurance.

"Don’t leave," Piper whimpered. Given how quiet she had been, Joel wasn't even sure he heard it correctly, so he stood there and watched.

"Please don’t leave," she said a bit louder.

"Look, kid," Joel sighed, stepping closer to her. His heart broke when he saw her tear-stained face peering up at him.

"No, Joel, you listen to me," she pleaded as she reached out to him before pulling back. Her hands turned white as she clung to herself. There was no one else. Ellie was leaving, and so was Joel. Piper was utterly alone. "I got sick and–I never get sick. I never let myself get sick. I couldn’t get–Please don’t leave." Her voice struggled to keep still as the trembles of a lifetime of loss, hurt, and fear overcame her.

"Let’s get you inside," Joel gently suggested as he watched her shiver. His hands unconsciously reached out to hold her, but she pulled back and shook her head.

"No. No, Joel, you’re not listening," she said.

"Piper, I can’t."

Piper sobbed. "Joel, please. I can’t lose you too. I already lost El–everyone. I’ve been fighting for so long I don’t remember what it's like to be safe, but I’m safe with you." Piper peered up at Joel. His eyes were cold. Piper searched and couldn't salvage the safe haven she had found in them before. "I–Please don’t leave. Please don’t leave me," she begged for the last time as her voice failed her.

He had to do it. He was doing it for her, for her and Ellie. It was for the best. Joel repeated these lies over and over until he found enough false strength to turn away. "You should go inside and get some sleep," he suggested with his voice void of emotion. Tommy will take you in the morning." Then he opened the door and left the shell of a young girl to freeze in the cold.

By the time Piper stood up and crawled back inside, she couldn't feel anything. She couldn't feel her hair falling to the ground as she cut it off. All she could hear was the roaring scissors snip as her hair grew shorter inch by inch. She was losing everything: her sister, her purpose, her home, her family, her dream, and Joel. With each cut of the scissors, she felt her pain dull more and more until there was no more hair to cut.

Her beautiful dark hair clung to the sink and bathroom floor. In the middle stood Piper. Her skin was a bright red as heat seeped back under her skin. Dried blood stuck to her skin and clothes. Her bandages were frozen from the cold. She'd have to change them again, but that was for later. All she could do was stand and stare at the ghost she saw in the mirror.

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hollandorks · 1 year

Text

haven

battinson! bruce wayne x f! reader

chapter seven

Summary: After the sudden deaths of your mother and grandmother, you’re forced to return home to Gotham…and to the man who broke your heart three years ago. Back in Bruce Wayne’s inescapable orbit, you vow to get to the bottom of your former best friend’s new cold personality. But Bruce’s secrets aren’t what you’re expecting. a

a/n: Fuck it, here's chapter 7 since the previous post was technically just an interlude! Once again I'm basically begging for comments/ messages/ any interaction other than just likes because I'm greedy!

Series Masterlist

word count: 3.5k

All she had was an eager cop, a detective, and the detective’s vigilante best friend.

She hoped it would be enough.

Y/n knew that boredom would be her worst enemy, so she downloaded a police scanner app and listened to it almost religiously while she worked. The constant stream of voices helped keep the grief at bay and helped her focus.

To her surprise, the cops seemed to want Batman around. There were a couple of calls those first couple of days–an armed robbery and a creep taking pictures through a window–where the officers mentioned him by name. He’d stopped the armed robbery before the cops got there and also caught the peeping Tom. One cop grumbled on the radio how all their work was being taken by some guy in a costume. The rest of them jumped to Batman's defense, saying there was more than enough crime to go around. “Besides,” one chuckled. “I wouldn't want to be the one to catch some creep with his dick out.”

Y/n was almost pleased to hear the good relationship the vigilante had with GCPD. She wondered how much Gordon had to do with that. She made a few notes of their comments for her article, because it was definitely interesting to see that a city wanted a guy who operated outside the law around.

It was a few nights before an interesting call came through.

A witness reported a woman being shot. A young woman. The details were sparse but it was enough to pique her interest.

Y/n couldn’t say what it was that had her dressing warmly and grabbing her camera and phone. Stupidity, definitely. But it was one of those moments where she felt in her gut that something was happening, something related to her case.

Pepper spray clutched in one hand and camera in the other, she left the safety of Wayne Tower. Every shadow made her jump. She called a cab to take her to the crime scene–or at least as close as she could get. It was practically on the other side of the city and she definitely didn’t want to chance walking alone at night in Gotham.

They were stopped two blocks from the scene, so she got out and peered around. It looked like the actual crime scene was on the other side of an apartment building to her right, but that alley was blocked off as was the street in front of her. So she walked a little further down to the next connecting alley to get to one street over.

“What are you doing here?”

“Shit!” She screamed. She whirled and swung her arm up to use the mace, but her wrist was quickly caught in an iron grip. She tried to scramble away and almost fell when the hand suddenly released her.

Her heart only slightly calmed when she saw who it was.

The Batman.

She pressed her knuckles to her chest. Her heart was jumping out of her chest. “Jesus fucking Christ. What are you doing here?”

He watched her passively, half in the shadows. He had stepped away as soon as he let her go. “I asked first.”

She closed her eyes for a beat and inhaled a steadying breath. “Probably the same thing you’re doing here.” She shrugged. Her pulse was still racing but she knew she was safe now. He wouldn’t let anyone hurt her. And besides, there were about a million cops just around the corner. If she screamed, they would come.

“It’s too dangerous,” he growled. He took a half-step forward, like he would grab her again.

She held up the pepper spray. “Not afraid to use this on you, buddy. Besides, you’re here now to keep me safe. And the other fifty cops out there.”

He stopped. His eyes narrowed. She wanted to get closer, see what color they were, help narrow down who might be underneath the mask.

“Fine, let’s go.” He started to walk past her, towards the blue and red lights at the end of the alley.

She blinked in surprise. “That was easy.”

He looked back over his shoulder at her. “Only because you’re going to do what you want to do. At least this way I can keep an eye out for you.”

She grinned and winked. “You’re learning already.”

They walked down the alley together, her shadowy protector moving to stay one step behind her like a bodyguard.

At the end of the alley, the world was leached of color in the whirling red and blue lights, the flashes timed almost perfectly to the beat of her heart. She snapped a quick wide picture. She could see the area cordoned off with bright yellow tape.

“Well, of all the officers in all of Gotham,” she said pleasantly when she spied Martinez keeping onlookers away from the crime scene tape.

Officer Martinez’s young face brightened when he saw her, then changed comically fast when he peered over her shoulder. She could feel the Batman’s presence at her back, looming over her.

“She’s with me,” the vigilante said. Martinez sighed but held up the tape to let them under. She sensed there was a story between them and itched to find out what it was.

“If either of you touch anything…” Martinez grumbled. “It’s my neck.”

Y/n flashed him her most winning smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep the big guy in line.” Martinez grinned back.

“So Martinez doesn’t like you, huh?” she asked the vigilante.

He ignored her.

The air around them was humid, wet. It must have rained earlier, like most nights in Gotham. A few cop cars were leaving already. She wondered what had brought on the intense response. Her stomach tightened as they approached another alley. Gordon was talking to a young guy, late teens to early twenties, taking notes on a small notepad as the guy wiped at his face.

Y/n quickly fumbled for her phone and set it to record. She wasn’t making the same mistake twice. Except for, well, the whole leaving Wayne Tower late at night while a murderer might be after her mistake she’d already made. She snapped another sneaky picture of Gordon and the young man.

She caught Batman watching her and arched an eyebrow as if daring him to say anything.

He simply turned away and said, “Gordon.”

“Thank you,” Gordon said to who she assumed was a witness. “We’ll be in touch.”

The guy hurried off, shoulders hunched, his face almost green.

Gordon turned, saw her, and sighed. “I would ask, but…”

She winked. “You’re both learning so quickly. I’m proud.”

“What happened?” Batman asked, all business. Y/n glanced past Gordon and saw a body covered in a sheet. The medical examiner was unzipping a body bag, about to transport it.

The detective’s attention turned to the vigilante. “Single gunshot to the head at close range. Woman in her thirties walking home from work. Guy heard the gunshots and came running. Said he didn’t see the shooter but immediately called it in. Unfortunately, his dinner has…contaminated part of the scene.”

While they were talking, y/n quietly lifted her camera and started taking pictures.

The medical examiner lifted the sheet. She took another picture but paused.

She took a shaky step back and bumped into something. Gloved hands steadied her by her elbows.

“Oh,” Batman said softly. He put it together quicker than she had. Her brain was scrambling to keep up. The girl on the ground was a bloody mess, face down, legs sprawled like she’d tried to run. She was wearing a similar outfit to y/n–leggings, sweater, running shoes.

But that wasn’t where the similarities ended.

The height, the body shape, the hair color, even the shade of her skin…

The woman looked like y/n.

She didn’t realize she was shaking until Batman gently squeezed her elbows.

“Shit,” Gordon said. He must not have seen the body when he first arrived on the scene.

“Don’t look,” Batman said in her ear, pulling her away, his voice conjuring–of all people–Bruce Wayne. It was just her mind reaching for something familiar, comfortable, safe. She shook the thought away. The vigilante turned her around and held her close. “Don’t look,” he said again.

She closed her eyes against the wave of emotion. Her stomach swooped dangerously. She’d seen a dead body or two before but not–not like this.

“Guess we have confirmation, then,” Gordon said softly. She didn’t have to ask what confirmation they had. She knew already, her gut telling her what exactly had happened despite its churning.

Someone had killed that woman because it looked like her.

They knew what she looked like. They knew well enough to kill someone even with the chance it might not be her.

Which meant they were desperate and that it was only a matter of time before they found her.

“Come on, you need to get out of here,” Gordon said, and this time he had her by the arm. He pulled her along, the vigilante cutting a path through the crowd before them.

Her mind was blank. The shock of seeing a body, of imaging her own in its place, had wiped everything clean. She didn’t protest as Gordon bundled her into the passenger seat of his car. At least he didn’t put me in the back like a criminal, she thought almost deliriously.

Batman stood in the open door, staring down at her. She wasn’t sure when he’d gotten there but now he was filling her vision. Her eyes traced the planes of his armor, wondering what he looked like underneath, who he was. There were dings and scrapes in places, physical memories of past fights.

“I’m going to find who did this,” he said. His voice pitched impossibly lower. “And keep an eye out for you.”

This made her snap out of it. “You can’t be in two places at once.” He had black paint around his eyes. She hadn’t noticed before.

The barest smirk on his lips as he looked away. She couldn’t tell what color his eyes were in the darkness of the night. “You don’t know that for sure.”

She snorted. “You’re right. Maybe you’re some sort of mutant freak. Besides dressing like a bat, you know.” Despite the joking, her hands shook. She tucked them between her thighs.

“Listen,” he said, serious again. There was a note of steel in the word. His voice was so low she could feel it as a vibration on her skin. “Stop sneaking out at night. It’s too dangerous.”

She nodded vaguely but didn’t actually make the promise. If they wanted her dead, Wayne Tower wasn’t going to stop them. Slow them down, maybe, but not stop them. She needed to put the puzzle pieces together, and fast. They were getting closer to figuring out who she was, but she and Gordon and even the Batman only vaguely knew who they were dealing with. They needed to even the score.

“Then give me your phone number so you can be my bodyguard,” she said. She was half teasing.

The Batman seemed to consider it. Her eyes went past him as the gurney passed with the body on it. She shuddered and he stepped to block her view.

“If you have to leave, let Gordon know and one of us will come. But only if you have to.”

“Right,” she scoffed. “You’re allergic to texting.” And probably don’t want a reporter having your phone number, she silently added.

Batman stepped back and then Gordon was there. He put one hand on the top of the car and leaned in, expression as serious as she’d ever seen it. “I’m taking you straight home and you’re going to stay there, alright?”

She waved a hand but nodded. Satisfied, he shut the passenger door. She could hear muffled voices as he said something to Batman. Probably berating him for bringing her to the crime scene in the first place. Or telling him something he didn’t want her to hear.

Within a couple of minutes, Gordon was sliding behind the wheel.

“How’d you even know where to go?” he asked as they drove.

“Police scanner app.”

He glanced over at her. “I hate those things,” he muttered. “What happened to quid pro quo? I would have called you.”

She bit her lip and shrugged. “I can’t just sit around waiting for someone to shoot me in the head.” She shivered at the image she now had of what, exactly, that looked like.

“So you’re going to take yourself right to their doorstep instead?”

“With the way my luck is going lately, it’s only a matter of time anyway. Might as well get as much done as I can first.” She hated to be so casual about it, but she had had really shit luck lately. There was no use hiding from it. If she didn’t leave Wayne Tower, they would probably find a way to break in. Or send a sniper after her. She thought about the times she’d leaned against the windows in the study and a chill went up her spine.

“All you’ve done is traumatize yourself and give me a headache,” he said around a sigh. He really did sound like a tired dad half the time, she mused. She leaned her head back and watched the dark streets of Gotham pass by. She was reminded of another night in Gotham, years ago, on the back of a motorcycle with Bruce.

She pushed the memory away and said, “I’ll pay for a bottle of ibuprofen.”

Gordon laughed softly. “Listen, I know you reporter types are always rushing into danger, but this is your life. Can’t write the story if you’re dead. Text me if you have to go anywhere, and either I’ll come or send someone I trust.”

“Okay,” she said. “But if it takes too long I might leave anyway.” She smiled so he would know she was at least partially kidding. “Have you learned anything new?”

Gordon was silent for so long she knew it was bad news. He parked right in front of Wayne Tower–illegally, she might add.

He turned to face her, his hands idly resting on his knees. “It’s definitely the Gallo family. And another of the suspects we caught is dead. Apparent suicide, but we aren’t so sure. The third one is under around the clock protection, but…”

“Shit,” she said. Now she was the one with a headache. “That is…bad.”

“Can you see why I want you to stay home now?” he asked pleadingly. “Like it or not, I’m responsible for keeping you alive. If we can catch the last guy and get him and the other to trial…you’re an important witness. The only witness.”

“Aw, and here I was thinking you were starting to like me.”

A tightening at the corners of his mouth told her he was trying not to smile. “Let me walk you upstairs.”

“Do you see all the security in there? I’ll be fine.” She gestured towards the lobby. It definitely looked more like a swanky prison these days, even at night when no employees were in the lower floors of the building.

“I wanted to see if I could talk to Bruce Wayne.”

Y/n did a double take. Just the sound of his name made her stomach tighten almost painfully. “Why? To tattle on me? Bruce Wayne is not my keeper. He’s not my anything.” She immediately bit her tongue. She’d said too much with that last sentence, let too much of her hurt and bitterness in.

“I want to talk to him about his security, see if we can bolster it with our officers somehow.” Gordon was already up and out of the car. She scrambled to keep up, briefly getting caught in her seatbelt before yanking it off and hopping out.

Gordon flashed his badge to the security. They all relaxed not at seeing it, but at seeing y/n.

“You better talk to Alfred then, if he’s awake. He’s more in charge of that stuff than Bruce. He’s with me, it’s fine.” She said the last part to the concerned security guard–the new one whose name she still hadn’t learned, the one who had called the police for her the night she’d witnessed the murders. He was in charge of the night shift security, apparently. She wondered if he resented being the only guy at the desk at night to having a whole team around. Or maybe it was less lonely.

Gordon followed her into the private residential elevator. “Be that as it may, I’d like to speak to Mr. Wayne too.”

She sighed but hit the button to take them up to the residential part of Wayne Tower. “You really sound like a dad,” she muttered under her breath.

Gordon cut his eyes at her then smiled.

The elevators opened, and there was Alfred, already dressed and waiting. Security must have called up, warning him the detective was coming. Had he even gone to bed? She was starting to think that Alfred might be nocturnal. Or maybe he didn’t sleep at all. That was new–she and Bruce had gotten in trouble many times when they were younger for interrupting his precious sleep. These days he always seemed to be dressed impeccably, even late at night.

“Detective,” Alfred said pleasantly. He briefly narrowed his eyes at her. “How can I help you?”

Y/n idly scuffed her foot against the floor, suddenly feeling like a teenager again. She had always been caught either sneaking out or sneaking back in. Alfred had a knack for it. Or maybe she wasn’t as good as Bruce had been, who had been caught only twice that she could remember.

Gordon nodded politely. “Is Mr. Wayne feeling better? I’d like to talk to the both of you.”

“I would like to add here that it’s not sneaking out if I’m a grown woman,” y/n said helpfully.

Alfred’s eyes narrowed again before he turned his focus back to Gordon. “Mr. Wayne is out.”

Now y/n was narrowing her eyes at Alfred. He caught her looking. She raised one eyebrow. Was he street racing again? She remembered the bruises on his knuckles. Or part of an illegal fight club? Neither would surprise her.

Another thought struck and stole her breath.

Maybe Bruce had a girlfriend.

“Do you know when he’ll be back?” Gordon asked. His tone was carefully neutral.

“Well, as I was just told, the rules are different for grown men–and women. He comes and goes as he pleases and rarely includes me in his plans.” Alfred was being too professional with it. His tone was too flat. Oh yeah, Bruce was definitely up to something, and Alfred definitely knew exactly what it was. Fuck, she thought desperately. She couldn’t breathe. Alfred would know if Bruce had a girlfriend and he knew her well enough to hide it from her.

Why did the thought of Bruce with another woman hurt so much, even three years later? I don’t love you and I never will, he had said that night.

Which meant he was perfectly capable of loving someone else.

Y/n bit her lip until the pain made the panic recede.

“Of course,” Gordon said in an equally flat, professional tone. “I wanted to chat about security measures. There was another murder tonight, and while I can’t give details of an ongoing investigation…it definitely seems like y/n is a target.”

She cringed, remembering how eerily similar the body had been to hers. Who had the woman been? She hadn’t gotten a name, an age. But she felt like she should know these things if the woman had died in her place. What if she was only the first? Would they kill every woman who looked close enough to y/n before they caught her?

Alfred blinked in surprise, the professional facade slipping. “I–of course, let’s go into my office.”

Y/n wanted to go with them but decided against it. It really would be smarter to listen to Gordon. If she needed to leave, she would get an escort, even if it was Alfred. He may walk with a cane but she knew he was secretly pretty spry. He’d been a spy or soldier or something in his younger years, before coming to work for the Waynes.

“Goodnight, Alfred,” she said, taking a half-step towards the hall that led to her room. “And thanks, Gordon.”

They both nodded and bid her goodnight before disappearing towards the study.

Y/n waited a second then darted to the elevator. The other elevator. Bruce’s.

She didn’t really have a plan other than to see with her own two eyes that Bruce was gone and not just hiding.

She hit the button for what was once the garage and again, nothing happened. She frowned at it and hit it several more times. Still nothing.

What if Bruce was down there with a woman, showing her his cars? Or–She shut the thought down and mashed the button one more time, knowing it was futile.

With a curse, she stepped back out.

Fine, she would go to bed and leave Bruce alone. It didn’t matter if he was wrecking illegally souped up cars or beating someone’s face in and following the first rule of fight club. It didn’t matter if he was with a woman he might love more than he ever loved her.

It didn’t matter. He didn’t matter.

Except, as much as she hated to admit it, he did.

Next Chapter

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suckerfordylansstuff · 2 months

Text

New Journey (S.H.) Chapter 5 Season 4

Pairing: Steve Harrington x henderson!reader

Summary: Back to Hawkins for spring break. Y/n believed it would just be a quiet time to cherish with her loved ones, but one day in and another mess had already began.

Warnings: cursing

Notes: This chapter is slightly longer than the rest because I realized this season is going to be like... idk 15 chapters by the time I finish, so... yeah. Getting closer to the action so excited for you to see that. Enjoy this chapter and stay safe!💕

Chapter 4 << Masterlist >> Chapter 6

You arrived at Hawkins High quickly, rushing to get inside and find the rest. When you spotted Steve and the kids, you felt relief to see them alive. But that feeling was quickly replaced by dread as Steve was over Max who was lying on the floor.

“It was here. Right here.” the redhead explained to you after she got off the ground and calmed herself down. She was looking forward to a wall in front of you, searching for something that clearly wasn’t there.

“A grandfather clock?” Nancy asked.

“It was so real. And then, when I got closer, suddenly I just… I woke up.”

“It was like she was in a trance or something. Exactly what Eddie said happened to Chrissy.” Dustin’s face was filled with worry, even though he wanted to mask it. Hearing his words made you all imagine the worst about your dear friend.

“Fred and Chrissy, they both came to Miss Kelley for help. Uh, they both were having headaches, bad headaches that wouldn’t go away. And then… then the nightmares. Trouble sleeping. They’d wake up in a cold sweat. And then they started seeing things. Bad things. From their pasts. And these visions, they just… they kept on getting worse and worse, until eventually… everything ended.” Max explained to you and the girls who had missed their part of the plan.

“Vecna’s curse.” Robin stated.

“Chrissy’s headaches started a week ago. Fred’s six days ago. I’ve been having them for five days. I don’t know how long I have.” you immediately opened your mouth to argue but Max shot her hand up, stopping you before moving on “All I know is that, for Fred and Chrissy, they both died less than 24 hours after their first vision. And I just saw that goddamn clock, so… looks like I’m gonna die tomorrow.”

Before any of you could say anything, clanging began echoing through the halls. You tensed up and looked at Steve to see his next move. His eyes fell on you and without hesitation took the responsibility in his shoulders.

“Stay here.” he told all of you before picking up a lamp that was next to him, leaving the room and you behind. You knew that he was never scared to confront anything that came your way, but he also knew that none of you ever listened to him, so it was a matter of time before he heard footsteps following him.

You were right behind him, ready to assist him in any way possible. You focused on the noises, the sound of footsteps coming closer and closer to you. Steve lifted his arms and the lamp, ready to strike when he saw the intruder round the corner you were in. However, a yelp fell from your mouth the moment you saw the face before you was a familiar one. Luckily, Steve’s reflexes were quick so he stopped his movement before he could hit Lucas, who started screaming along with the rest of you.

“It’s me!” the poor boy exclaimed, his voice heavy as he panted.

“Lucas?” Nancy asked out of pure confusion.

“It’s me!”

“Jesus. What’s wrong with you, Sinclair?” Steve yelled at the kid.

“I’m sorry.” Lucas exhaled deeply, trying to find his breath.

“I could’ve taken you out with this lamp.” your boyfriend cried out, clearly shaken up over this.

“Lucas, what are you doing here?” you asked, trying to find some answers to this whole mess. Why is he here? Did he follow you?

“I’m sorry, guys. Sorry. I was… I was biking for eight miles. Give me a second.” he held up his finger to you, as he took deep breaths in and out “Shit. We’ve got a code red.”

“What?” Steve asked, the lamp now on the floor next to him.

“Dustin.” Lucas walked up to your brother “I’ve been with Jason, Patrick, and Andy, and they’ve gone like totally off the rails. They’re trying to capture Eddie, and they think you know where he is. You’re in terrible danger.” your eyes opened wide at his words.

“All right, yeah, that- that definitely sucks, but we’ve got bigger problems than Jason right now.” Dustin looked over at Max, Lucas quickly following his eyes. You watched as the boy’s face fell and the realization hit him the moment he saw the girl he loved. Something was wrong and it was far bigger than Jason.

After last night’s crazy adventure, you returned back to safety but this time you spent the night at the Wheeler’s basement. It was kind of weird being here without Mike. You kept trying to reach out to the rest in California, but the line was always busy. Dustin blamed Joyce’s new job.

So, since you couldn’t find anyone else to help, you figured it was up to you to solve this mystery. Just like old times you thought.

Nancy and Robin had talked with you early in the morning about what they were planning on doing. You nodded as you listened to the plan “Your only job right now is to inform the rest about what we found. Easy peasy.” and sure, you would have agreed with Nancy’s statement if you weren’t dealing with three boys who share three brain cells.

“Okay, be honest. Uh… You guys understand any of this?”

“No.”

“Pretty straightforward.”

You were showing Steve, Lucas and Dustin, the newspaper article you had found at the library, and your brother, being the group’s, know-it-all decided to showcase his smarts to the rest who clearly weren’t having it, especially your boyfriend. He was pacing back and forth as he read the papers in his hands, while you were sat in the armchair, the kids on the sofa next to you.

“Oh, straightforward, really?” Steve asked Dustin impatiently.

“Well, what’s confusing to you? So far, everyone Vecna has cursed has died, except for this old Victor Creel dude Nancy found. He’s the only known survivor. If anyone knows how to beat this curse, it’s him.” Dustin explained as you sat and listened to their conversation, waiting for a moment to let you explain your findings.

“Yeah, that’s assuming he was cursed, Henderson, which we don’t even know. How can Vecna have existed back in the ‘50s? It doesn’t even make sense.” Steve said, mostly to himself as he scratched his head, trying to make sense of what you told him.

“As far as we know, Eleven didn’t create the Upside Down. She opened a gate to it. The Upside Down has probably been around for thousands of years. Millions. I wouldn’t be surprised if it predated the dinosaurs.”

“Dinosaurs? Okay, what are we-” Steve was ready to argue with him when Lucas’s voice cut him off.

“Okay, okay, but if a gate didn’t exist in the ‘50s, how did Vecna get through?”

“Oh, and how’s he getting through now?” Steve pointed at Lucas, continuing on the question.

“And why now?”

“And why then? Just pops out in the ‘50s, kills one family, and he’s like, ‘Eh, I’m good’. And poof, he just disappears. Just… gone? Only to return 30 years later and start killing some random teens? No, I don’t buy it. Have you guys thought of anything?” your eyes landed on Steve when you realized he was asking you something, but you were quick to turn down his hopes over an explanation.

“Not anything that you haven’t said right now. I mean, it makes sense that this is connected to the Upside Down, you can’t explain it any other way. But how is it connected? How he came into our world now and then is something we haven’t solved. I just- I don’t know…” you sighed and shrugged your shoulders, accepting defeat.

“See, Henderson, it’s 3 to 1. Straightforward, my ass. You know, honestly, a little humility every now and then, it wouldn’t hurt you.” your eyes followed Steve who moved to sit on the armchair opposite to you, pointing his finger at Dustin.

“Sorry.” he said, but you could tell he didn’t mean it.

Silence filled you for a moment before Dustin’s interest picked up again when his eyes fell on Max “Any idea what she’s writing?” you and the rest followed his eyes and watched the said girl, hunched over the desk in the basement, writing on papers without ever stopping “Did she sleep?”

“I mean… would you?” Lucas asked him.

Just then the door at the top of the stairs opened, revealing Nancy and Robin who had just returned after perfecting the plan you had come up with.

“Okay, so… We have a plan.” Nancy announced, passing to you the 2 folders she had on her hands. After checking out their work, you handed it to the rest of the group.

“Thanks to Nancy’s newspaper minions, we are now rock-star psychology students at the University of Notre Dame.” Robin started explaining enthusiastically. She was leaning on the staircase while Nancy sat on a stool next to her.

“I’m now Ruth.”

“And I’m Rose.” Nancy and Robin told you one by one.

“Ruth?” Steve questioned as he looked over one of the folders.

“Nice GPA.” Dustin started which made Nancy smile.

“Thanks. So, we called Pennhurst Asylum, told them we’d like to speak with Victor Creel for a thesis we’re co-writing on paranoid schizophrenics-”

“To which they said no.” Robin cut in, her words making you scoff.

“Can’t imagine why.”

“But we landed a 3 o’clock with the director.” Nancy informed you.

“Now all we have to do is charm him and convince him to let us talk to Victor.” Robin continued the plan.

“And then maybe we can rid Max of this curse.” your friend’s eyes fell on Max’s figure.

“Yeah, about that? We’ve been doing our Victor Creel homework, and, uh… we got some questions.”

“Lots of questions.” Lucas agreed with Steve’s statement, to which Nancy and Robin could only nod their heads to.

“So do we. Hopefully, Victor has the answers.”

“Wait, wait, wait a second.” Steve said immediately after Nancy stopped talking. Confusion had filled his face as he pointed between the two of you “Uh… Where’s ours?” he held up one of the folder’s, chuckling as if he missed a vital piece of information.

“Steve. We’re not going.” you explained to him as a matter of fact.

And with this simple sentence, chaos erupted. You were now following behind Steve, who was following Nancy to her room to get prepared for the plan, arguing about his place in the group.

“You guys are outta your mind if you think I’m babysitting again.” Steve’s voice was loud as you stepped inside Nancy’s room.

“We need to keep them safe. What don’t you understand about that?” you argued back, your hands on your hips. Nancy was ignoring the situation as she started searching her closet.

“I know, but why does it always have to be me?” his body was now facing you, throwing his hands around with exaggeration.

Suddenly Robin came through, which pulled your attention from the arguing “Oh my God, you have a Tom Cruise poster. You have a Tom Cruise poster.” her smile was sly and aimed at Nancy who immediately got flustered.

“That’s old. It’s just. Can you please not touch anything?” you shook your head, removing yourself from that conversation, and returned to the one that mattered to you.

“Steve, what is the problem? Please, just say what you’re thinking for once.” you pleaded him, and after a moment of stuttering he pulled his thoughts together.

“I just- I can’t- I can’t do anything here to actually help. Do you feel like you’re helping?”

“Max is in danger, Steve. There is no way she’s staying here alone without an adult to help her. You don’t think that’s important?” you looked up at him. You knew you sounded like a mother scolding her child, but when he’s acting like a kid not getting his way, your behavior was called for.

“No, of course I do, but I do kind of want to get out into the field just once. You know maybe I can truly help with the asylum director. Maybe, like, turn on my charm.”

“Not the kind of charm we need.” Nancy interrupted you, which made Steve turn his head to her, a frown on his face.

“Ouch.”

“No, I just… I did a little digging last night, and it turns out this Dr. Hatch is a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a Harvard visiting scholar, okay? This is a lifelong student of the world, and if we’re gonna win him over, we’re gonna have to convince that him we are too. That like him, we are true academic scholars.”

“Holy shit. There’s a little ballerina in here.” Robin was once again in her own little world, making Steve scoff.

“Academic scholar? She’s giving you an academic scholar vibe? Yeah.” he said sarcastically making Nancy shrug her shoulders.

“Well, Y/n refused to join so we didn’t really have a choice.”

“You would have gone without me?” Steve whined at you.

“Did you miss the part where I said no?”

Before you could continue disagreeing, Nancy took your attention by holding up a pink dress she had pulled out of her closet “But it doesn’t matter because anyone will look the part with this…” the silence made Robin look up and stop her snooping when she realized the dress was meant for her.

“Oh, please, tell me that you’re joking?”

Steve had never felt more defeated as he sat on the couch, squished between Dustin and Lucas, trying to find something to focus on except for Max who was sitting right opposite of them, still writing.

“I know you guys are staring at me.”

“What? Sorry?”

“You said you needed something?”

“Just hanging out.”

“Yeah.”

You all told her at once, grabbing anything nearby to act as if she didn’t catch you staring at her. You busied yourself with a yo-yo that was lying on the floor.

“How do you think your eyes boring into the back of my head is protecting me from Vecna, I don’t know.” you could see from the corner of your eye that Max was now out of her sacred chair and was walking towards you, but you were still focused on the very tangled yo-yo on your hands “You can look at me now.”

You let out a breath, letting the yo-yo fall from your hands back on the floor and lifting your head to watch her from your seat on the armchair.

“For you. For you. For you. For you, and, um, you.” you frowned when she began handing each of you letters “Oh, and, um, give these to Mike, El, and Will. If you can ever get a hold of them again.” she handed the rest to Lucas. You stole a glance at the guys and began opening the letter when Max’s voice stopped you “Hey what are you doing? No, don’t. That’s not for now. Don’t open it now.”

You lifted your hands up as if you surrendered to her demands when Dustin spoke up, asking the very thing you were all thinking “Don’t. Okay. I’m sorry. What is this?”

“It’s, um… It’s a fail-safe. For after… You know if things don’t work out.” your mouth fell open after hearing her words, your defense, or better denial, walls lifted up.

“What? Max, no.” you shook your head.

“Things are gonna work out.” Lucas tried to reassure her as well, but you quickly realized that this wasn’t what she was looking for.

“No! No, I don’t need you to reassure me right now and tell me it’s all gonna work out, because people have been telling me that my entire life and it’s almost never true. I mean, of course this asshole curses me. Should’ve seen that one coming.”

You teared up at her words, because even if you didn’t want to believe it, even if you knew all of you would do anything in your power to help her and keep her safe, the Upside Down was cruel, never showing mercy. You feared that her words were true and her fate was sealed, but till anything happened you were okay with being in denial. Just for a moment.

Max’s gaze traveled along the basement, finally landing on one of the radios on the table. She grabbed it and turned to ask Dustin a question “If we go to East Hawkins, will this reach Pennhurst?”

“Of course. Yeah.”

“Wait, why are we talking about East Hawkins?” you waited for an answer to come after Steve’s question, but instead of words, Max responded with a look on her face that made you incredibly anxious “No. No. No!”

“Max, we’re not going anywhere.” you stood up, trying to stop the kids from getting ready, but before you knew it you were running after Max who had walked out the basement door and headed straight for Steve’s car.

“Max! Max. Seriously. Seriously, we’re not joking, okay? I’m not driving you anywhere.” Steve’s tone was firm, but Max’s was firmer.

“If you two think I’m going to spend what is likely the last day of my life in the armpit that is Mike Wheeler’s basement, then you’re out of your minds. So, either take me where I need to go or you’re gonna have to tie me down, which is technically kidnapping of a minor. And if I live to see another day, Steve, Y/N, I swear to God, I will prosecute.” she failed to open the car door, which made her even more frustrated “Open the door.”

“Uh, no.” Steve was assertive. You, not so much.

“I know a good lawyer.” Max glared at you. She knew you were the easy one to crack, especially when deep down you knew she was right.

“Open the car.” you told Steve, making him whip his head to stare at you.

“Y/n?”

“She scares me.” you explained and nodded towards the car, silently telling him to open it. He looked into your eyes for a second before sighing and doing as he was told.

“Henderson, that super walkie of yours better reach Pennhurst.” you got inside after he unlocked the car and placed yourself in the passenger’s seat “And you’re wondering why I wanted to go on team Pennhurst. If I’m gonna be bossed around, I would prefer it not be kids doing it.” Steve was mumbling under his breath, his words winning a chuckle out of you.

“Drive.” Max demanded.

“Fine!”

The first stop you made was to her and her mom’s trailer. It was easy to get there now since all the cop cars, ambulances, and reporters had disappeared. You waited longer than you would have liked but when you were ready to go search for her, she appeared as if out of thin air, instructing you to start the car without any explanation as to what had happened or where you were now heading.

She just kept giving you the directions as you went along your way. By the time you had realized where she was taking you, you didn’t know if it was the right choice to come here, but if this was what she felt she needed, then it was the correct one.

“I feel like I’m gonna throw up just sitting here.”

Just because it was the right choice didn’t mean it was easy for any of you. You couldn’t even imagine how Max was feeling.

“Yeah, me too. It’s been long enough.” Steve agreed with you, already taking off along with you to check on her.

“Please, just give her some time.” Lucas told you, but you wouldn’t listen, worry taking control over your body.

“I have, all right, Sinclair? I’m calling it. She wants to get a lawyer, she can.” Steve answered for the both of you.

As you walked up the mill, you began calling out for her “Max? Sweetheart, is everything okay?”

“Time to giddy up, Max, yeah?” you crouched before Max, Steve’s body a little behind you. He stood there waiting for a response from the redhead, but all he got was a gasp and a cry for help coming out of your mouth.

Vecna had Max.

That’s all you could think about. Panic filled you as you and Steve tried to snap her out of the trance he had put her in. Watching Max’s still body and her blank eyes made your insides do flips.

Steve eventually calls out for the kids to come and help. After seeing that shaking your friend’s body is unhelpful, you tell Dustin to go and quickly call Nancy and Robin, to see if they have found anything useful.

It wasn’t long before your brother returned, carrying something in his arms. He let the stuff fall to the ground, in front of Max. It was then that you realized he had brought you Max’s Walkman and some of her music.

“What is this?” Lucas questioned, unable to guess how this would help at all.

“Her song. What’s her favorite song?” Dustin asked him, his voice raised.

“Why? Why?”

“Robin said if- if she listens- It’s too much to explain right now. What’s her favorite song?” Dustin was yelling at this point, making your brain go blank.

“It’s here. It’s right here! I got it!” luckily Lucas found the tape, and passed it to Steve, who put it in her Walkman. You placed the headphones on her head and signaled for Dustin to hit play.

You waited for something to happen but still tried calling out to her. However, when her body began lifting up in the air, you all lost your voices. You stood up, your eyes never leaving her levitating body. You yelled out her name again and again, desperately trying to wake her up.

After feeling like you were screaming for an eternity, Max’s body surrendered to gravity and fell to the ground, quickly coming out of the trance scared and panicked. Lucas took her into his arms to calm her down.

“Hey, Dustin, this is Eddie the Banished. You there? Dustin, can you hear me? Dustin?”

Your eyes fluttered open when a voice interrupted your slumber. You lifted your head up, trying to focus on the voice. You were sleeping uncomfortably on one of the armchairs, while Steve was sleeping even more uncomfortably on the floor next to you, his back supported by the armchair.

It wasn't hard to let sleep take over you after the eventful day you had yesterday, but the sleep felt short, so you were cursing the person who was right now interrupting your one moment of calm.

“Earth to Dustin.” you looked around the room to locate the noise and when you realized it was coming out of the walkie-talkie, you rushed forward to answer Eddie, careful to not knock Steve’s head.

“Yeah, Eddie, it’s Y/n.” your voice was harsh, so you slightly coughed to get it back to normal.

“The other Henderson! Hey. Um, I’m gonna need a food delivery, like, really soon, unless you want me going out into the world.” Eddie told you but you shook your head at his words.

“No. No, no, no. Don’t do that. Stay there, and we’ll come as fast as we can.” you heard a groan from your right and you looked over to see Nancy waking up due to your talking. You gave her a quick smile before focusing back on Eddie’s voice.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Listen, um… can you pick me up a six-pack? I know, it’s stupid as shit, drinking right now, but uh… cold beer would really calm my jangled nerves.”

You opened your mouth to agree with his request, but Nancy spoke up, catching your attention “Hey. Where’s Max?” your head whipped around to look at the couch Max was supposed to be sleeping on, finding it empty.

“Sure, um… I have to go…” you turned the radio off and shook your brother’s body.

“Dustin!” the boy just groaned “Wake up.”

“What?” Dustin asked, his whole body jerking him awake. In the process, his head rolled back and hit the TV making him groan again. You rolled your eyes, Nancy taking the detective role.

“Aren’t you supposed to be on Max watch?”

“Yep. Yep, yep, yep. Sorry.” Dustin rubbed his eyes, forcing himself to wake up.

“Okay, well- Then where is she?” you questioned.

“She’s right there.” Dustin answered quickly, for a moment thinking you were dumb for not seeing that Max was right there, but his eyes widened when he saw the makeshift bed empty, realizing he had screwed up “A second ago. I swear, I just dozed off for…” he checked his watched and cringed “… an hour.”

“Shit.” you exclaimed and got up to look for Max. Nancy followed behind you. Your first thought was to get out of the basement and search the entire house. Luckily you didn’t have to get more stressed, because when you entered the kitchen you saw that Max was as safe and sound as she could be at the Wheeler’s residence, sitting with Holly at the kitchen table, drawing.

“Morning, girls. Everything okay?” Karen, Nancy’s mom, asked you. She had the sweetest smile on her face. You nodded your head at her question even though it was a lie.

“Yeah. Yeah, everything’s okay.” Nancy answered her mother. Dustin was now with you after exiting the basement, looking at the breakfast Karen had prepared.

“I think it’s so sweet that you guys are sticking together like this.” the woman told you, but your attention was focused on Max who had just noticed you.

“Could try sticking together at a different house for a change.” you ignored Mr. Wheeler’s snide comment and headed over to the table, sitting opposite Max and next to Nancy.

“Hey.” the girl said after removing the headphones from her ears.

“Hi. You okay?” you asked with a soft voice.

“Just couldn’t sleep. People kept blasting music in my ears for some reason.” you both chuckled a little at her joke “But Holly let me borrow some of her crayons. We’ve been having fun, right, Holly?” the little girl hummed but was clearly not paying a lot of attention to the three of you, focusing on her own toy.

“Is this… what you saw last night?” Nancy pointed at the red drawings filling the wooden table.

“I mean, it’s supposed to be. I thought it’d be easier to draw it out than to explain it, but… not so much.”

“Is that?” Nancy couldn’t finish the question, just took the drawing in her hands. You leaned over to take a look, your eyes widening when you realized who she had drawn.

“It was like they were on display or something.” the girl could not shake the memory from her mind, seeing Chrissy and Fred’s bodies like this was unforgettable “And then there was this red fog everywhere. It was like a dream. A nightmare.” Max explained, her eyes almost distant.

“Do you think it was on purpose? Trying to scare you?” you asked her.

“With Billy? Yeah. But when I made it here… I dunno, something was different. He seemed surprised, almost.” you took a glance to your left and saw Dustin sit next to you, his plate filled with pancakes “Like he didn’t want me there.”

“Maybe you infiltrated his mind. He invaded your mind, right? Is it that big of a leap to suggest you somehow wound up in his? Like Freddie Krueger’s boiler room.” Dustin suggested and Holly’s head lifted up, his words catching her attention.

“Freddie Krueger?” the small girl questioned.

“He’s a super burned-up dude with razors for fingers. And he kills you in your dreams.” Dustin told her like it was not a big deal to say something like that to a girl.

“Dustin! Seriously?” Nancy told your brother who, after taking a look at your scolding face, realized that what he had said was wrong.

“Sorry. It’s a movie. It’s not real.” he said to Holly and quickly got back into the matter at hand “Just… think about it. What if you somehow unlocked a backdoor to Vecna’s world? Like, maybe the answer we’re looking for is…” he took one of the drawings in his hands “…somewhere in this incredibly vague drawing. God, we need Will.”

“Yeah, no shit. But I tried them all this morning and it’s the same usual busy signal.” Max complained.

Dustin placed down the paper he had grabbed and your eyes landed on it while the rest talked. Something about it felt familiar to you, and when you realized how, a gasp fell from your lips.

“Nancy?” the girl hummed at the mention of her name “Doesn’t this look like…” your finger pointed at the sketch. Nancy grabbed the paper when she saw it.

“Is this a window?” she asked Max, who nodded.

“Yeah.”

“Stained glass with roses.” you told Nancy, the gears already turning in her head.

“Yeah. See? I’m not so terrible after all.” Max said.

“Yeah, well, it helps that we’ve seen it before.” Nancy began aligning the papers to make out the image you had in your heads. She took one of the markers from the table and lined out the outlines of the house that had formed from the drawings.

“It’s pieces of a house.” Max said in realization.

“Not just any house. It’s Victor Creel’s house.” you looked at them, your words widening their eyes.

You stole a glance at Nancy, before you both got up from your seats.

“Where are you going?” Dustin asked Nancy, his mouth full of pancakes.

“Waking the others.” Nancy answered him.

You made your way back to the basement, your first stop being Steve.

“Get up. Get up. Get up.” you shook his shoulder. A groan left his lips.

“Just five more minutes.” he tried to sway your hand away, but you continued to shake him.

“Now.”

He recognized the seriousness in your voice so he opened his eyes, even if the light hurt them “Hey, what’s the matter?”

“We have a lead, so we need to go. Now!”

If you want to be tagged just ask!

Taglist: @bookscoffeandotherstuff @i-am-the-coffee-queen @bi-andready-tocry @enchantedcruelsummer @daddystevee @elite4cekalyma @hayadora @hannarudick @thecaptainsgingersnap @lookalivesunshine-x @sarasmismyonlydefence @astream-ofconsciousness @the-haikyuu-hoe @mileven-reddie @mochminnie @synonymforlame @teamkiall @samanthadegaro @the-passionate-freak @thesailbells @i-mmunity @marvelouspottering @mrs-diggory @mydarlingharry @beepbeephargrove @mikariell95 @sweetdreamsshifter @paninipress @anolddayslover @10minutesofscreentime @bookfrog242 @onecrazydirectioner @harrycanyonmoonn @grippleback-galaxy @doctorsgirl262 @mayonesavegana @inkpot-winters @le-who-zer-her @mysticgardenpolice @untitledarea

#steve harrington #stranger things #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x henderson!reader #steve harrington x you #stranger things x reader #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things x you #stranger things x y/n #steve harrington fanfic #dustin henderson #eddie munson #max mayfield #nancy wheeler #robin buckley #lucas sinclair #joe keery

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tiredmetalenthusiast · 2 months

Text

To Start Anew (TF141xLATA!Reader) Ch.4

Whooo sorry for the wait ya’ll! Summer is kicking not only ass but my internet’s ass! Here is chapter 4! Ya gurl has a breakdown and the guys check in on her!

Warnings: Language, breakdown, crying.

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The room was absolutely stunning! A veranda for you to sit and watch the sea, a short walk away from the room was the private beach, the bed was definitely big enough to fit two people and your brain suddenly can’t help but think of bringing someone into that bed for a night. You deserve to have fun while you’re here and you plan to!

The bathroom was pristine with a large tub, dark marble on the counters encompassed in tan wood. “I have to send a video to mom and dad!” You start up a video call with your family to show them the room and the view. “Oh honey it's beautiful! Such a lovely place to stay for 2 weeks!” “Oh I wanna see!” You hear your sister chime in the background before she crowds into the call. “The place has a private beach too and a pool with a restaurant next to it!”

”Well I’m more interested in the very handsome men hanging around by the pool!” You laugh as your mom and sister start to ogle the men and turn the phone away. “What!? I wasn’t done looking! No fair!” “I’m sure they don’t want someone gawking at them while they swim and relax!” “Well I mean, they are pretty good-looking. That big fella with the face mask looks like he could be a good time.” “OH MY GOD DAD!”

He laughs at your now red face as you distantly hear your sister say to have fun and to let her know all the dirty details if you snag one of the men. “No! Jesus Christ they’re on leave! I don’t wanna bother them! They are nice because we chatted at the airport but they came to relax!” “Well dear I don’t think they’d be too opposed to…having some fun as well if you catch my drift!” “Perverts all of you! I’m gonna take a shower and take a nap!” Your family laughs before wishing you well with a promise to call later.

Sighing, you hook your phone into the charger and grab a change of clothes. You definitely need a nice hot bath and a nap, you deserve it. As you undress and step into the hot water, you feel the tension leaving you all at once, practically sinking into the tub. The groan that leaves your throat is nothing short of graphic. ‘I really needed this.’ The thought comes fast and the tears follow as you fall into your sad thoughts again, it was only a day ago after all since the worst day of your life happened.

“Stupid fuckin bastard! If he didn’t want to get married why the fuck did he propose?!” The tears are cool as they stream down your cheeks as opposed to the heat surrounding your body. “Should have fuckin known.” A shudder runs through you as a sob breaks past your throat and you scrub at the tears to get them to stop, though it is futile. You sit and cry in the tub for a good while before calming down enough to clean yourself and rinse off before stepping out.

As you wrap yourself in the fluffy bathrobe you remember that you wanted to order champagne. Just as your hand is on the phone you think mimosas sound a lot better and order the champagne and oj to be sent to your room with the engraved glasses his dad had ordered. Maybe you could just break his, maybe you could use it as a weird roleplay toy, the possibilities are there and ultimately you decide against the roleplay usage and plan to just shatter it if they bring it.

-With the guys-3rd person-

It was still bright outside as the 141 men were enjoying the pool at the hotel. “Do ye ken the little lady is okay?” Gaz sips his drink as he shakes his head, “Nah mate I don’t think so. She still seemed pretty pissed when she was talking to us about it at the airport.” The other three nod in agreement. Becoming alert at the sudden sounds of yelling and shattering glass.

They turn towards the woman’s room. She’s standing, that much they can tell, her sobs however are loud and they continue to watch as she falls to her knees. Her wails of sorrow are not for their viewing pleasure and they really should be minding their business. “Alright time to go see if she’s okay.” Price stands from his lounge chair, drinking down the last of his whiskey before making his way to her room.

It almost seems concerning for the four of them that anyone can access someone else’s room simply by walking far enough. Simon, Johnny, and Gaz follow suit. As they approach they see her seated on her bed, wine glass in hand as she scrubs at her eyes. “Everythin a’right?” The suddenness of Simon’s voice startles her as she shoots up, almost spilling her wine on her dress.

”Woah, woah, easy. Sorry for the fright, we just heard the yelling and the glass shatter. Wanted to make sure you were good.” They watch her take deep, calming breaths. “Oh my god! You guys scared the shit out of me!” Hand on her chest as she calms down, sniffling as she takes a sip of her drink. “So…are ye alright?” She sighs and sits again.

She gestures for them to sit as well and they all grab chairs. “Uh…yeah. Yeah I think I’m good now. Sorry for the uh, noise. Just working through the emotions.” Simon looks around the room. Nothing looks broken as far as the decor goes. “What broke then?” She looks at an empty corner of the room, broom leaning next to it. “Oh that. My ex’s dad paid for engraved wine glasses and I…decided to break his. Felt good.” The guys nod in understanding before they see realization cross her face.

”God I’ve been so fuckin rude to you guys since we met. Dumping all my trauma on you, being overly cautious of you guys. Fuck I’m not even a good host! Do you guys want a drink or something?” The concern is so real on all four of the guys’ faces it seems to stall her, the steam running out of her as she puts her glass down and puts her hands in her face. “Ya wanna talk about it?” She shakes her head. “No. No it’s fine I…I’ve impeded enough. Sorry for the noise guys, I’ll try to be quieter. Was getting ready to leave anyway to go explore.”

She gets up or wash her face and apply her makeup. “Okay welp…see you guys later? Have fun with your stay!” The guys stand stunned as the door closes behind her, before they shake it off and head back for the pool.

Tag list: @cumikering @devcica @catmouseggy

#~Harley finally writes something🫣#Series: To Start Anew #simon ghost riley #cod x reader #john soap mactavish #captain john price #cod mw2 #kyle gaz garrick #call of duty

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girlygguk · 1 year

Text

sour straws - jjk (a fame drabble)

pairing ; idol!jk x idol!oc

synopsis ; siren is getting attention, hanna is freaking out, and aera runs into a wide-eyed puppy dog at the corner store.

previous chapters ; prologue | one | two | three | four | five | ...

warnings ; some strong language

content ; aera & siren are going viral, a jaera fluffy piece

word count ; 2.3k

lowercase intended / unedited

a/n: thank u guys sm for enjoying the story! here's a drabble to tie us over until the next chapter, love u all xx

the video of aera mentioned in this drabble ; click here

taglist ; (crossed out = can't tag💔) @0anodite0 @heartjiminie @aloverga @cuntessaiii @adeptiixiao @yourallaround-simp @kaitieskidmore1 @captain_neo2526

date: april 2016 ; a week or so after the events of chapter two

thump.

"what the fuck?" aera spluttered in a tired daze, lifting her head to stare at a groggy ha-joon glaring at her from her side of the room. she had launched her pillow at the elder girl and was now clambering off her bed to retrieve it.

"your phone won't stop buzzing, and you just slept right through it," the maknae grumbled, "it's our sleep-in day! please for the love of god—" joonie's pleading was cut off ironically by another vibration of aera's phone. aera swore she saw joonie's eye twitch at the noise.

"okay, okay. calm down, she-hulk," aera huffed, leaning over and grabbing her phone from the bedside table to silence the device. a pleased kim ha-joon waddled back to her bed with her pillow sandwiched in her arms before flopping onto the mattress. she was asleep again within seconds.

wiping the sleep from her eyes, aera tapped on the screen of her phone to awaken it and sighed at the 8:34 am that blared back at her. she had only gotten to bed at four in the morning after working on a new arrangement for their album with han-na yesterday. no wonder she slept through the alerts.

aera swiped through her notification centre in confusion, seeing dozens of comments on all her socials, but twitter was the most prominent. she opened the app and a low, shocked gasp escaped her mouth when the trending tab caught her eye.

trending in south korea

2 — #HwangAera

she could feel her pulse in her throat, wondering if this had something to do with their performance at gayo daejejeon last week. did she mess up and not notice? was everyone making fun of her? eyebrows pinched in utter confusion, aera tapped on the hashtag and waited for it to load with a heavy heart.

she recognised a few of their most active allures' accounts at the top of the feed and felt exponentially more at ease.

'@ asamislove: 1/1000 reasons to stan siren: #hwangaera'

[ video attached ]

jesus, aera thought. she last saw that video when it was posted on their company's socials at the beginning of 2015. it was one of the recordings she took to send to their vocal coach when she and the girls were given techniques to work on. it barely garnered views when it was posted, the majority of the audience being dedicated allures, and if we're being honest - there are very few of those. why is the video getting attention now?

aera scrolled for a few minutes; eyes still squinted with fatigue while she spam liked every post she saw. she couldn't believe that so many people were sharing the video - people that had no idea who she even was. her teeth rolled her lower lip back and forth in angst as she read through all the praise for herself and siren alongside the video.

'@ moonlightmomo: wow yall are FAKE for not telling me about siren sooner #hwangaera #siren'

[ video attached² ]

'@ sirenstepstool: may i remind you all that this is their main DANCER? yea hurry up go stan #mywife #hwangaera #siren'

[ video attached³ ]

she felt her heart race again as her gaze shifted from her phone to her roommate, watching as the blonde clutched her pillow, soft snores blowing through her lips as she slept. deciding not to wake the sleeping devil just yet, she sat up and quietly threw on a pair of sweats and a hoodie before tiptoeing out of their dorm, en route to bother someone else who would, without a doubt, be awake. jang han-na.

"ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod!" han-na cried, scrolling through the seemingly endless retweets of aera’s video on twitter, a shit-eating grin adorning her lips. "of course it's you who goes viral. we all sent in similar videos. bitch." the elder jokes, giggling when aera delivers a wack to her hoodie-clad arm.

aera and hanna are currently sitting outside of the park entertainment building, perched against the wall of the structure, reading through all of the comments on their social medias. this was aera's go-to spot when she needed a moment to herself, or if she had to talk to someone on the phone without the four of her nosy sisters sniffing around to see who it was. the younger of the two had hummed in thought when hanna asked if she came out here often as she followed behind her. a moment passed before aera shook her head, a lousy "just thought it looked nice," leaving her lips in response.

"they're talking about us, unnie. like everywhere." aera spoke in shock, now on instagram, seeing how the mentions of their group's hashtag had more than quadrupled in the span of a few hours.

hanna nodded, eyes not even tearing away from her phone to respond, "our music video views are going up too. oh my god, our followers. two hundred thous- fuck i need to call dae-jungnim. i feel like i'm going to puke." aera watched in amusement as hanna scrambled to her feet, dashing inside to head for the office and call their director.

the cool breeze of the morning air nipped at the remaining girl's skin as she pulled her knees closer to her chest, head falling back slightly to rest against the building behind her. her phone was balanced on her knees as she lifted a hand to tap on it and check the time. 9:03 am. she had an hour before she had to head to practice.

her tiredness was suddenly forgotten as she sent hanna a text saying she was going for a walk and would return before practice started. aera shoved her phone in the pocket of her sweatpants before heading towards her favourite corner shop.

the bell above their local convenience store door whistled as aera entered the shop. she waved politely to heejin, the owner's daughter, who returned the gesture with a cheesy smile. aera was mid-walk toward the candy aisle, head down as she checked her bank app on her phone to avoid her card declining at the checkout, when her body came in contact with a wall.

"aish," she cursed under her breath as her phone slipped from her hand. it was, in fact, not a wall that she ran into, but instead a person. a white shirt and black sweatpants adorned his figure as he scrambled to pick up her phone that slid across the floor.

he shifted the two mini bottles of banana-flavoured milk and bag of sour straws into his left hand before leaning down and grabbing her cell phone off the floor with his right. aera's eyebrows furrowed as she stared at the back of the stranger's head, wondering why he looked so familiar. when he bent back up and turned to face her, she then realised why.

"oh shit, aera! hey! sorry, i was in a rush," jungkook apologised, handing the girl's phone back when he reached her. while she was checking the device for any new defects, she gave up with a heavy sigh. it was hopeless to identify any new marks, the screen was already covered in cracks.

"no, don't apologise," aera shook her head, "i wasn't looking where i was going. and this thing is a piece of shit. i'd probably thank you if you broke it."

jungkook lifted his eyes back to aera's face after shamelessly trailing down her outfit when she was inspecting her phone. sweatpants and a hoodie is his favourite outfit on her, she always looked so warm. he smiled at her lightheartedness before speaking, "what are you here for?" he knew what she was getting, what she always gets, but he asked for the sake of it.

her eyes dropped to the candy in his left hand, and he watched with a smirk as her eyes squinted at him. "hm, i wonder," she rolled her eyes teasingly, resuming her trek to the confectionary aisle. and he followed.

"you little shit," aera gasped when she reached the section that hung her favourite sweets. completely empty.

his smirk was yet to leave his face as he watched her spin to face him. "last bag," he nodded before faking a pout. she shook her head in disbelief, "you don't even like them!" she was right. he didn't. but she loved them. and he might be trying to build a tolerance for them.

"i don't know what you're talking about, these are my favourite." he lied, suppressing a laugh when her face contorted into a confused gape.

"you are evil." she whined, turning away and walking further down the aisle. and he followed.

"i'd be happy to give them to you," he offered simply. at that, she whipped around at record speed, staring at him with hope.

"really?"

"mhm."

"okay," she nodded, holding her hand out, "gimmie."

he nodded along, holding the candy out towards her. aera reached for the bag but before it was in her grasp, he pulled his hand back swiftly.

"for something in return."

a soft whine left her lips at his childishness, her arm dropping to her side. "you're so annoying," she scoffed through a chuckle. "what do you want?"

"come for a walk with me," he shrugged, tongue poking out to wet his dry lips while he watched her eyes roll back, one of her biggest habits.

"now?"

"yeah."

"i can't, i have practice at 10." but of course jungkook knew that. he knew her schedule to a T, memorising her ridiculous rehearsal hours so he knew when she would most likely respond to his texts.

"it's," he grabbed his phone from his trousers to check the time, "only ten past nine! that's plenty of time."

"you are insufferable," aera lied, taking the sour straws from his hand before turning on her heels and heading to the refrigerators. once again, like a lost fucking puppy, he followed.

she grabbed a bottle of dragonfruit vitamin water from the fridge, "c'mon then," she said softly before heading to the checkout.

aera was in the middle of making small talk with heejin when jungkook reached them. heejin rang up aera's order and as she stepped toward the eftpos machine, jungkook plopped his drinks onto the counter and slid ₩25k toward the owner's daughter. heejin smiled before cancelling the eftpos transaction and put the cash through the register.

"jungkook." aera's eyebrows furrowed in annoyance, watching as he waved his hand in a keep-the-change motion before thanking heejin and grabbing the groceries. aera thanked the girl as well before walking through the door that he held open, stepping into seoul's brisk morning air.

jungkook handed aera her drink and sour candy before cracking the lid on one of his banana milks and taking a big swig. he offered her a sip as they walked next to each other, but she shook her head, already tearing into the bag of sour straws.

pulling two out of the bag, she stopped walking and bit into one, holding the other to his lips with a smirk. "go on then, if you love them so much." he stopped walking as well, glancing down at the rainbow lolly stick covered in tangy sugar. he internally cringed thinking about actually eating it, but nevertheless leaned closer and took a big bite out of it from her fingers.

if there's one thing about jungkook, it's that he is horrible at hiding his emotions. so he just doesn't. it's one of the things aera has always liked about her friend. she appreciates his authenticity and forwardness, whether or not it can annoy the shit out of her sometimes.

he only makes it through two bites of the sweet before his face contorts into a pained scowl, causing aera to fall into a fit of giggles. "god, that's disgusting. your tastebuds are messed up." he shakes his head with a smile, her laugh subsiding the pain of eating the atrocious candy.

they fall back into a steady pace as they resume walking, enjoying the comfortable silence while they both indulge in their snacks. they had been walking for about ten minutes now, jungkook snorting at some stupid joke aera had made before he looked forward, noticing his company building up ahead.

the park entertainment building was not far from bighit at all, which is why the two nineteen-year-olds share a favourite convenience store. "did you want to come say hi to the guys?" jungkook offered, looking over at aera while she finished her mouthful.

"can't, jungkook. practice, remember?" she reminded, stopping in her tracks, causing him to as well. she shoved the bag of sour straws into his hand, "share some with bangtan-sonyeondan-seonbaenim and tell them i said hi," aera teased. jungkook rolled his eyes at her formality, bumping his shoulder with hers before tucking the candy into his pocket and heading back toward the direction they came.

"where are you going?" aera asked in confusion, and his head turned slightly to her with furrowed brows.

"walking you back?" he said just as confused, as if it was the only possible answer in the world.

"what? no? your place is right there," aera gestured towards his company with her bottle of vitamin water, "that's just a waste of time."

"no, it's not." he shook his head, the corner of his mouth pulling into a smile. he would walk her to busan if she asked him to. "come on, you'll be late." he ushered her towards him and waited for her to start walking with him again. and she did.

#jeon jungkook #jungkook #jungkook fic #jungkook fluff #jungkook imagine #jungkook smut #jungkook x oc #jungkook x reader #jungkook x you #bangtan #bangtan sonyeondan #bts #fame

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boytearscore · 27 days

Text

reason. — johnnie guilbert.

summary: completely unable to show your own feelings to the world after growing up being mocked by your sensitiveness and tears, you face the coldness of your best friend’s roommate (johnnie) without letting it get to you, until one day watching a movie with both, he smiled at you for the first time.

warnings: mention of anxiety, depression, past traumas, psychal abuse, daddy issues, emotional blockage, angst, comedy, strong female lead, a bit of fluffly? we’ll see. (jake as your best friend.), a bit of smut and flirting ahead.

author's note: this chapter was so fun to write, so many things happened, little spoiler: johnnie heard you. 🤭

chapter two.

that sunday afternoon jake called you and asked if you wanted to go to his place to hangout, maybe have a few drinks. you thought for a while, is seeing johnnie a good thing for you right now? honestly, running away from whatever is ahead doesn’t seem good either. besides, there’s a chance of finding out more about him, what he feels and knowing yourself that well, your mind wouldn’t let you live in peace before that.

“jesus, what the fuck happened to you?” you hear jake after he opened the door, of course he was laughing. you had smudge eye makeup, messy hair and were still wearing baggy pajamas.

“couldn’t sleep and it’s your fault.” you roll your eyes entering the living room, not being able to control your urge to look around for johnnie.

“he’s in his room.” says jake while making his way to the kitchen, grabbing some drinks and turning on the speaker, a calm and slow song playing.

“who?” you raise a brow and jake rolls his eyes throwing himself on the couch. “i don’t know what you’re talking about.” you grab the drink and sit next to him, letting your head rest on the soft material of the couch.

“i’ve been thinking about what you said yesterday.” he suddenly says, and you tilt your head to look at him confused. jake smiles sipping his drink. “the deep meaning of people’s actions and all. you always try to understand everyone even though sometimes they don’t deserve it, and i like that about you, you know? i also like that you never get hurt by literally anyone and fight back, i don’t even need to protect you. you’re a bad bitch.” he pauses and you both laugh. “i just think that some people are worth the effort to insist… know what i mean?”

the alcohol and the lack of sleep was getting to your senses way too fast, you had so much on your mind and being there, with the memories of johnnie smiling and then jake saying those things, he thought it was funny to see you giggling but his face went blank when he saw your sudden change of expression, he knew what that meant. so he immediately gets closer to you, wrapping your arms around your waist.

“hey…” he whispers, caressing your hair and kissing your forehead. “he really messed with you, huh?”

you stay quiet for a while, trying to think of the right things to say and not sound like a helpless emotional person, jake knew you weren’t one, but you still didn’t want him to see you that way. with eyes closed, you take a deep breath and turn to jake, ready to say what you feel without crying.

“every mean guy that treated me badly was an entertainment for me, because they never really could hurt my feelings and make me feel upset.” you take a sip of your drink, enjoying the burning sensation in your throat. “but i don’t know, jake… when it comes to johnnie, i wanna know more. get to know him and his reasons. because deep down, i just…”

“you like him.” he completed your sentence already knowing you wouldn’t be able to say it.

“yes.” you sigh avoiding jake’s gaze. “i don’t know why, or when it started, but i told you… it’s that fucking look on his eyes. no one ever looked at me that way, and i don’t care if it’s hate, lust or even…” another sigh leaves your lips and you shrug the rest of the drink.

“hey, slow down…” jake says taking away your drink and hugging you again.

you didn’t cry, or yelled or even tried to deny things. you just felt lost, and jake’s arms were the only thing keep you sane so for the rest of the day, you both stayed there, hugging and talking shit until it got dark.

“dude, go clean those eyes.” at this point you were both drunk, laughing and messing around already over the “johnnie” subject. “the neighbours are gonna think i made you cry and that does not help with the rumour that i act like a frat guy.”

“that’s cause you do.” you roll your eyes and get up, heading to the bathroom, almost half way there when someone abruptly grabs your arm, pulling you to a dark room. your first instinct was to scream and punch, but the person placed a hand over your mouth and locked both of your hands. you were drunk, but you could still feel their scent. it was johnnie.

“do not scream.” he says, slowly sliding the hand over your mouth to your cheek. you couldn’t see shit, but the feeling of being stared at was very much there. “so you like me, huh?”

he heard everything, the whole thing. your chest goes up and down almost in slow motion, the alcohol rushing through your body makes the shame of showing feelings vanish away, without even noticing, you let a hand grab his collar and bring him closer. you can feel and hear his gasp but he doesn’t hesitate, wrapping his other arm around your waist.

“i do.” you reply whispering not waiting jake to hear a thing, lips getting closer and closer to johnnie’s. “does that bother you?”

he laughs, tightening the grip around your waist and pressing his lips against yours, still not kissing it. “yes, it fucking annoys me i’m only hearing about this now.”

the sensation of his cold lip piercing moving and his hard grip was getting to your head, the need to do bad things lurking your mind.

“it’s not like you’d do anything about it, anyway.” you shrug, sucking his bottom lip, your hand creeping lower to his chest, you could feel his heart racing. “i’m assuming you also feel something for me, right? raced heartbeats don’t lie.”

johnnie doesn’t respond, he just closes the gap between both bodies and kisses you passionately, you taste his tongue and let out little moans every time he bites your lips while he’s being tortured by your nails on his back and neck. his kisses getting to your neck where he sucks hard.

you can’t take it anymore, using both hand to push johnnie to a bed you “assumed” it was there, he falls with a gasp and you get on top of him, it was so dark, the only light reflecting his figure was from the door open. the adrenaline of getting caught by jake only makes things interesting.

“i’ll ruin you.” you whisper to him, unbuttoning his shirt and bending over to kiss his neck. johnnie moans loudly and you put a hand over his mouth. “don’t make a fucking noise.” his hand grips your ass to add more pressure on his dick that was already getting hard at this point. your tongue and lips tasting every part of his neck until you get to his chest, you couldn’t help but also taste his nipple piercings and his body immediately curves, you can feel him biting his own lips against your hand.

you smirk, slowly taking the hand away from his mouth. “you can handle it, right?” you ask him while teasing his cock covered by the jeans.

“wouldn’t be here if i couldn’t.” he says, putting even more pressure on your ass so you could feel him. “this is one of my reasons to be attracted to you.”

you chuckle and he leans over using elbows to support his weight, staring at your darkened face. “reasons, huh?” you ask, his face close to yours and his hand goes to your cheek.

“yeah, i think i'm finally ready to tell you my reasons.”

#fanfic #fanfiction #johnnie x fem!reader #johnnie x you #johnnie guilbert x reader #johnnie guilbert #jake and johnnie #jake webber #jake #strong female protagonist #strong female lead #strong female character

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hestzhyen · 3 months

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Chapter 39 Doomish Hope Posting

Hi internet void. I've got bachi on the brain again.

Chapter 39 is the "if they aren't soulmates I'll eat every hat I own" moment of the series. Also seems like the "Hakuri will be shelved once the mission is done" chapter, which is a fucking shame. But I will remain calm(ish) and wait for Hokazono-sensei to finish cooking. So we start off with some really nice foreshadowing coupled with a little continuity update. Mr. Inazuma found his way to Char and Hinao and sees some of the folks from the storehouse get dropped off at the entrance, but his sister isn't among them. Hmm. Then, we switch back to the fight and see our precious Hakuri struggling. He's got a free-flowing nosebleed and a splitting headache trying to keep up with his dad's manipulation of the subspace. And hey look, some more foreshadowing. (Hint: Kyoura isn't talking to Chihiro full time here.)

Yet once again Kyoura underestimates his son...

… while Chihiro's faith never wavers. Once more, despite nothing being said between them, they fight in perfect harmony.

Aaaaah. THESE GUYS. They've known each other for weeks at most and they're already doing this mad OP shit? Hakuri awakened to his storehouse powers less than an hour ago and he's already copying his dad's techniques to match Chihiro's fighting style? Chihiro fucking yeeted Enten at Kyoura without a word and Hakuri instantly understood that he needed to teleport him to the other side to catch it, then create a hologram for a fake-out so Chihiro could land the blow? Are you KIDDING ME? Our color-coded protagonist/foil pair are acting as one already? Hokazono-sensei's gotta slow down or we won't have anything left to explore with them.

Maybe that's the intention, though.

The little flashback where young Hakuri tells his father that "I'm gonna become a leader who surpasses you!" is a huge moment in the chapter for two reasons. First, the emotional catharsis that I'll rant about later. Second, the next potential bit of foreshadowing. When Hakuri initially met Chihiro, his stated goal was to end the Rakuzaichi, which we took him at his word for. He didn't know he was actually the second coming of Sazanami Jesus and neither did we. But that single panel recontextualized everything. If Hakuri hadn't been deemed worthless and disowned, the Toukuri AU could have been pretty close to canon. He's actually a very ambitious guy- no wonder he was so dogged about getting Chihiro to help him! Obviously, his goal shifted from "become a better leader than my father" to "burn it all down" at some point during the time where he was abused. But what if he never fully let go of that dream?

We see that the Sazanami family is huge and powerful enough that even the government treads lightly around them. So it's not a stretch to think that Sazanamis will be able to continue on even without Kyoura as long as they have a capable leader. Someone perhaps a bit more reform-minded to keep the government off their back while they adjust to a new way of doing things. A guy who's too stubborn to quit and powerful enough to quell the critics; a legitimate heir who invokes the legend of their progenitor's genius, perhaps. Someone who has a deeply personal stake in erasing the legacy they were all groomed to protect. So yeah, Hakuri could very easily get wrapped up in his family's business while Chihiro moves on. Not to say he would never be relevant again- the storehouse ability alone practically guarantees he's sticking around in some capacity (gotta have a safe place to keep those WMDs and all). But I'm steeling myself for seeing a lot less of this lethal cinnamon roll in a few chapters.

Ideally for me at least, Hakuri and Chihiro end the Rakuzaichi and let the government step in to take care of the aftermath. Hakuri, being disowned and having completed his revenge, decides to stay with Chihiro to help him on his own journey. And wouldn't it just be so sweet if much later on Chihiro adopts him into his family register so Hakuri has a last name he can be proud of? But the very real chance of Hakuri being sidelined is preventing me from full investment right now. It all depends on the themes Hokazono-sensei is intending to impart with this arc.

The theme of reforming your family's violent legacy is obviously deeply resonant with Chihiro's current mission. The two of them have basically speedran the development from strangers to soulmates so that this could happen. I just don't understand why we'd do all of this relationship upgrading in a single arc if Hakuri was meant to stick around and grow with Chihiro y'know? What could possibly be left open for them after this? Wouldn't it be too OP to keep them together when they're already silently dancing through battles in perfect sync? They've already reached peak combat effectiveness or close to it. And though Hakuri's family issues are very likely to still be an albatross around his neck, those are for him to tackle now that he's found his strength; Chihiro's got other things to focus on. Leaving the arc with Hakuri posed to reform the Sazanamis would be a worthy culmination of his story. At this point he's practically used goods (narratively speaking)! Chihiro learned a lesson and made a friend. Time for something new… maybe checking in on the Kamunabi? A little downtime before finding the next sword? Either way, Hakuri doesn't need to be there when he could be rehabilitating his family's image and purpose. Unless…

He's used to explore the theme of healing from tragedy as the heroine.

Yes I'm spouting my bullshit again and yes I'm very fucking serious about this. My clown suit is freshly dry-cleaned and neatly laid out because I could easily be wrong but I think (hope) I'm not. Mostly because it seems like Hokazono-sensei wants to keep showing us glimpses of Chihiro's true feelings under his hardened persona. Very smart thing to do in order to get readers invested beyond his badass action stunts and tragic backstory. But we need someone to bounce off of him and be a direct contrast or else we're stuck with lonely ol' :| Chihiro all the time. (I love the deadpan gags but they won't stay fresh forever if that's the only joke to make with him.) We need a real companion for him that's on his level. Chihiro's so far skewed into expressionless determinator outside of battle that he desperately needs a polar opposite to help mellow him out. I raved like a lunatic about it already so I won't retread all that… but if Hakuri isn't a color-coded foil to balance out Chihiro's extreme personality then fuck me for thinking I'm somewhat media literate, I guess. We need Hakuri for levity and being able to relate to Chihiro. Poor guy desperately needs a friend to help pull him out of his own head. If Char is there for protection, and Shiba to guide him, Hakuri should be there for him to grow with in an emotional sense. Someone he can start opening up to in quiet moments.

The memers got it badly wrong assuming that Chihiro was a one-dimensional revenge bot- he's actually a sensitive guy carrying a lot of pain he can't express. Not to Char (small child), not to Shiba, Azami, or Hinao (adults he's emotionally closed off from). It's gotta be a peer like Hakuri who will eventually be able to sit by his side and help him. We've seen the magic of Hakuri's presence already- Chihiro admitting he was fearful of Shinuchi being misused in the elevator scene, helping him overcome his doubts about using Enten, and later helping him let Enten go. Yuge stuff for guys that just met each other, don't you think? Then it was followed by all that soulmate-coded stuff in the raid… It would be awful for Chihiro to lose the friend he can confide in. So if the story pulls them apart my heart will break a little bit, yeah. There's so much more Hakuri can do just by being there for Chihiro in a way no one else can right now. Chihiro needs his heroine to be vulnerable with, so let it be the guy who's already done the heavy lifting! Hakuri's a sturdy guy, after all- I'm sure he can handle being comic relief and emotional support.

Alright. HakuHiro delusions aside, I'm also going absolutely apeshit over the parallels being drawn here during the chapter. Feral. Certifiably insane. Cannot stop myself from jizzing all over the goddamn place. If Hokazono-sensei can keep this quality storytelling through Kagurabachi's entire run it'll be a fucking masterpiece.

I mentioned at the start that Mr. Inazuma's sister was used to foreshadow that the fight between Kyoura and team HakuHiro wouldn't end decisively this chapter. Her situation won't be resolved until the Rakuzaichi is completely over with, so that catharsis will have to wait. What we did get is absolutely stellar though. Kyoura definitely got the ultimate comeuppance for constantly underestimating Hakuri, too. The dialogue and inner thoughts leading up to this were a work of art- the reveal of Hakuri promising to overtake his dad as a kid and finally doing just that after being deemed worthless is mega satisfying (and another sign his arc is complete, but I choose to live in delulu land). However, it was the Daddy Issues theme that really stole the show for me this chapter.

Chihiro's conversation with Kyoura really drives home the irreconcilable differences they have on what it means to be a father, or even a family in the first place:

The Sazanamis are just a "clan" to Kyoura. A group of people dedicated to hosting the Rakuzaichi before anything else. Blood ties are only worthwhile for passing down Isou and the storehouse ability; there's no love lost between any member. And Chihiro most definitely does not agree with that mentality. We're constantly reminded of his rebuke about Kyoura's "best" being belief in Hakuri for a reason...

... because he is the antithesis of everything Chihiro believes a father should be. Chihiro's got some personal beef with this guy beyond reclaiming Shinuchi after seeing how he treats his kids. (This guy gets attached to people and starts killing for them right away if they've got dead or abusive parents… we love to see that empathy being manifested as murderous intent.)

This sequence killed me though:

Kyoura is paying the ultimate price for not loving his kids like a real father should. He's fucking toast because he stopped believing in Hakuri. Chihiro's outlook is validated in this victory, as is Hakuri's entire existence. Obviously there's a lot more still going on with the auction itself but it's almost mission accomplished and emotional catharsis achieved for Hakuri. Then we see the biggest message of this arc so far when Kyoura hides himself in the floor to keep the auction going at all costs… fanatical devotion at the expense of love leads to a Bad End. It's sad to see this guy put his whole being into selling a sword, man. He's dying and his only thought is to finish the auction. Not to seek help from his kids or even check on them, not to spare some dying words for Hakuri or the Tou or anyone else. He doesn't even question the life he lived that led to this point like you'd seen in other manga- Kyoura isn't shaken one bit by his untimely demise. He only cares about giving the highest bidder their merchandise.

That's the lesson here for Chihiro. He's hellbent on revenge right now- gather the swords, fuck up the Hishaku clan that killed his father. But losing himself in it will leave him no better off than Kyoura; even if he succeeds, he'll die alone in the end. His devotion to revenge is as strong as Kyoura's is to hold the auction. Both are rooted in their family's ideals and upbringing as well. Chihiro's saving grace is that he was raised with love and knows how to care. Forgetting all that, or giving that up to see his plans through will be a bad sign for his development. The people close to him will have to keep him centered or else he'll see the same terrible end (as much as it's possible; he's a very sad and broken boy). And we the reader will expect someone to be there to remind him of his humanity if he starts to show shades of this in future arcs. This very chapter, Hakuri had to encourage Chihiro to kill his dad even after he'd already asked him to do it- Chihiro's a kind guy even when he's in a fight to the death. This is precious. He can't lose this quality- we should be very alert for anything that hints at him starting to do so, because that will be the start of a very, very rough arc for him.

What about Hakuri? Well, he's been thoroughly vindicated ever since he awakened to his abilities; this whole raid has been his self-redemption arc. His character will probably be pretty complete once this is done, though there are lots of avenues to explore with him if Hokazono-sensei hears our pleas and keeps him around. He could have lingering trauma that needs to be healed- killing his dad won't help him escape his own demons after all. He's got a learning curve ahead to master his newfound abilities too. And perhaps even after finding his strength, he's still too hard on himself and needs someone to keep pushing him forward. Maybe once his life's mission is done he'll struggle with some dark emotions and need someone to help pull him out. There are plenty of little things to delve into with him to help us gain more insight into Chihiro! Please I'm so desperate to keep him around Hokazono-sensei for the love of god don't separate these boys. They're perfect supports for each other and as we all know, boys who suffer together should find solace together. If Azami/Shiba and Hiyuki/Tafuku can be foil pairs so can Hakuri/Chihiro! (Fuck me, I'm too invested already…)

Anyway. Kagurabachi continues to be peak fiction and I can't wait for what we'll see next week. If Hakuri becomes a permanent crew member I will glady put the clown suit away and start huffing copium that we'll see enough success to get an anime adaptation. I might even start writing fan fiction again (horror). If not, well... he'll still be dear to my heart. Peace out Bachibros who read this nonsense and stay tenoí.

#kagurabachi #hakuhiro #sazanami hakuri #chihiro rokuhira #long post #It's not lost on me that the characters in Hakuri's name imply he's the true/logical leader for the Sazanamis #I feel he'll be shelved but the copium is too strong to deny #Please don't make me put on the clown suit it's worn out from decades spent being a Kingdom Hearts fan #I only have one hat so I can probably avoid a hospital trip at least

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starboybutler · 4 months

Text

Lights Up (Ch.4)

summary: john tries to forget.

word count: 4029

warnings: ‼️ use of the word rape, drug use, vomiting, near-overdose, blood, violence ‼️

notes: this story got way darker than i intended. sorry guys ENJOYYY

chapter one | chapter two | chapter three | ao3 link

he wasn’t thinking straight when he waited outside their class the next day. his hands had been patched up, courtesy of curt, who scolded him something fierce despite sitting on his haunches for him. he got back late that night, still trembling with chafing anger. he didn’t tell curt the details of what he had witnessed. he didn’t feel like he’d be able to recall it without getting angry all over again. that, and he was sure had just heard something he wasn’t supposed to.

“christ, bucky, i thought i was supposed to be the troublemaker between the two of us.”

bucky huffed out a little laugh before his face quickly fell once more. he saw curt frown from his peripherals, making him sigh dejectedly and look solemnly at the shorter man.

“i’m fine, curt.”

it was a bald-faced lie, but he couldn’t stand it when curt was worried about him. curt was too young to be worried about a screw-up like him. he really felt that curt would be better off if he didn’t know him, at times.

“i dunno if i believe you.”

it was quiet after that.

the door to the classroom opened, and he stiffened immediately. students poured out one by one, until the last few trickled out.

no sign of gale.

he wouldn’t skip class. but, then again, what happened to him last night was traumatic. it wouldn’t be unheard of to miss a class.

the door creaked open once more. john perked up as he saw that blonde hair, but his heart sank as he saw the worn down state of him. hair pulled back in a messy ponytail instead of spilling over his shoulders, a tawdry sweatshirt with their college logo plastered across the chest, and equally disheveled sweatpants. his eyes looked dull, fixed on the ground as he pushed his way out of the classroom. john felt his throat tighten before he spoke.

“gale.”

his blue eyes met his, wide and startled, before they quickly clouded with something else entirely. john couldn’t quite tell what. he didn’t say anything as he maintained eye contact.

“i, uhm…” john began, wetting his lips. “just wanted to check up on you.”

“i’m not coming to your dorm.” the blonde said sharply, expression annoyed- lip quirked upwards in a sneer. john felt a pang of shame at the fact he assumed that’s what he stopped him for.

“no, i–” john stammered, before taking a deep breath and pausing to reorganize his thoughts. “I…wanted to check up on ya because…i saw what happened. last night,”

gale visibly stiffened, but remained silent. quiet anger burned under his pretty features.

“what, are you stalking me now?”

“i wasn’t stalking you– i was just out for a walk, and i heard somethin’ goin’ on, and i heard and saw it all– i was gonna step in but you handled it, so i wanted to see if you were okay and if there’s anything you need–”

“jesus christ,” gale hissed, anger very evident on his face now. “you see me almost get raped, and you just come up to me like you’re any better than that asshole that was trying to force his way into my pants?” a bitter laugh escaped him, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose.

“what the fuck is your issue? you gonna invite me over? use your fake-ass empathy to try and fuck me? is that it?”

john was speechless as gale ranted on, angry tears welling along pretty blonde eyelashes as he burned holes into john with his scornful gaze. “gale– that’s not–”

“no. i’m done entertaining your bullshit. i’m not going to fuck you. leave me the fuck alone.”

he walked off, scarily calm, leaving john to stand in a hallway full of judgemental stares from his peers. his heart felt like someone had an iron grip on it, squeezing it each time he tried to take a breath to calm himself.

he felt sick. ears ringing, he watched gale storm off, pretty face contorted like he was trying not to burst into tears right then and there.

—---------------

“i’m worried about you.”

curt kept his voice low, fingers carding gently through bucky’s hair as the taller man lay limp on his bed. he’s been like this for hours- utterly inconsolable, deathly silent, eyes dull. he doesn’t even remember the last time bucky’s been so worked up over a boy– or anyone for that matter. they lay like that for a long while, nothing but the idle sounds of their little dorm to keep them company.

“curtie, baby,” he spoke, finally, voice quiet. “am i a pervert?”

had john been in any other condition, he probably would have found the question laughable. but there was such a rawness in his voice now, such a vulnerability he hadn’t heard in a long while.

“do you think i’d still be your friend if you were?”

another long round of silence.

“no.”

“it’s been a week, johnny. i think maybe you need to put blondie outta your mind.” he said carefully. “you’ve never stressed over a guy this much. i gotta ask– what is it with him?”

“i wish i could tell you.” bucky mumbled, nuzzling up into curt’s hand. “i wanted– want him bad. too bad. wasn’t thinkin’. i guess i… dunno. came on too strong.” he sighs. “he thinks i’m a pervert, curtie.”

“forget about him.” curt says, scratching at his scalp gently as he reaches into his pocket, pulling out a small plastic baggie of little square tablets. “c’mon, let’s forget, yeah?”

john sat up, his lips parting as curt took one of the paper tablets out, allowing the shorter man to place it just on the tip of his awaiting tongue.

it melted quickly, making john sigh in relief as he laid his head down onto curt’s lap, waiting for the pretty colors he loved oh so much to start blooming behind his eyelids.

—----------------------

they ended up at a club not too far from campus, simply named ‘bliss’ . it was on the smaller side, littered with all kinds of college students from surrounding campuses, all drunk and stumbling around the stuffy lobby.

john found himself at a table, loose-limbed and dazed from the acid tablet curt had fed him so tenderly earlier. the strobe lights made a beautiful pattern before his eyes, flashing and blending together in the most mesmerizing way. everyone’s faces were distorting slightly, pinks and purples and blues everywhere.

“you gonna take a bump, pretty boy?”

john groggily raised his head to the voice, humming noncommittally and taking the small rolled up dollar bill that was shoved between his fingers. the world turned upside down as he hunched over, sniffing up one of the lines of fine, white powder that were strewn across the table. he hissed and sat back up quickly, head thrown back as he rubbed at his nose roughly with the back of his hand. it burned like hell.

cheers distantly filled his ears, whistles and catcalls alike as he handed off the rolled-up bill to someone else, his dizziness encompassing him in a hazy cloud when his head hit the soft cushion of the sofa below him.

he let his eyes fall shut, the rhythmic thrumming of the club music lulling him, slowing his racing thoughts. he hasn’t been this high in a good long while- he laid off getting crossfaded since the last time, when he ended up in an alleyway with his dick wet and his wallet gone. he had been talking to some chick the night prior, and it ended up fucking him over. he stuck to drinking after that.

he wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up overdosing tonight. he’s being careless– he knows this, and yet he just takes whatever is being given to him. he’ll do anything not to think right now- he doesn’t want to confront his feelings, or the fact that multiple people on campus might think he’s a predator.

…in a sense, maybe he is.

he’s always searching for someone– something. yearning for god knows what– he can never find what he wants. the sex, the drugs, the drinking– it never feels like its enough. he always years for something more. he always feels so painfully empty, devoid of emotions– other than lust and anger and hurt. he gets little rushed of happiness here and there, but he can never recreate the elation he feels when he’s truly happy.

like a dog chasing its own tail.

he stays like that, sprawled out on the couch for god knows how long- lost in the pretty, blooming colors behind his eyelids, exploding like fireworks and making a hell of a light show.

he briefly wondered what gale was doing as he laid there, fucked up on three different things at once. he was probably studying with croz, stll dressed in te same clothes from earlier today. maybe he was in his dorm, curled up and crying his pain away, snivelling and red-faced as the events of the night prior haunted him.

‘its all your fault, y’know that right?’

his eyes fluttered open, the club lights suddenly gone, leaving him in a vast emptiness, all alone. the couch was still beneath him, but it felt fuzzy, like it was a mirage. there was no one and nothing, truly nothing. a tall, deformed figure emerged from the shadows, eyes aglow with the most dazzling shade of blue he’s ever seen. despite the grogginess in his limbs, he instinctively flinched as the thing gazed at him.

“what?” buck sputtered, tongue feeling too heavy in his mouth as he tried to gather himself, to no avail. his body was still impossibly heavy, tingling and numb and all kinds of sensations he couldn’t stand. did he overdose? was he dead?

‘you coulda stepped in sooner. better yet, you could have never spoken to him. he’d be in a much better place right now if you hadn’t tried to get in his pants like a horny school boy.’

bucky grimaced, vision swirling violently as he met the creature’s unwavering gaze. “what– no– i mean yeah, i was an ass, but i didn’t try to rape him. that whole thing wasn’t my fault.”

a wave of violent pain overcame him as his head throbbed, the figure closing the distance between them slowly. it’s head was cocked to the side like a curious dog, but its gaze was far more malicious and hateful– pitiful, almost. he hated that look. he knew it entirely too well, the mix of emotions people gazed at him with when he was fucked out of his mind, or when he was having one of his ‘dramatic moments’. he had first gotten that look when he was in elementary school, sweat pooling on his skin as he stood before a teacher, getting scolded for putting his hands on another kid. it was at that very moment, there, that he was labelled as a troublemaker, a disruption to his classmates. he couldn’t do anything but conform to the role he had been given.

‘he was perfectly fine until you came along. you ruined him. he’ll never be the same again, all because of you.’

“i get it, i fucked up, okay?” john grit out, his head throbbing violently like it was stuffed with cotton, mouth completely dried up as he ran a heavy hand through his sweat-soaked hair. “i’m a fuckin’ no-good creep– i fuckin’ get it,” he gasped, his chest suddenly feeling as though there was someone sitting on top of him. “what do you want from me? i don’t–”

he felt like he was being throttled. his hand flew to his chest, clutching it in a desperate attempt to breathe, eyes wide and mouth agape, drool escaping from the corner of his mouth. he felt helpless, confused, scared– and there was no one around to help him. he felt like he was a dirtbag preteen again, kneeling on the concrete and staring daggers into the older kids that had cornered him. it was over a girl, it always fucking was, because from a young age, bucky chased after anyone he could possibly reach. its like he was hard-wired this way.

‘you know i’m telling the truth. you’re no good, john. you chase and chase and chase, with no regard for others. you leave a trail of broken hearts wherever you go. its time you see the consequences to your recklessness.’

a choking cry left him as he doubled over, hands sprawled on the cold, filthy ground, scrabling for purchase as he struggled for breath. he was gonna die. he was gonna die, here, with this thing looming over him, the image of gale’s terrified face making his face burn with guilt–

his eyes snapped open, and he was back in the club. he tried to gasp in relief, but all that came out was a strangled noise as he realized that bile was rapidly rising in his throat.

he doubled over and gagged harshly, vomit bubbling from his lips and onto the floor, all over his shoes. people around him gasped, some groaning that he ‘ruined the vibe’, but there were some kind souls present, rubbing his back and shoulders as he heaved for a few more seconds.

his eyes stayed fixed on the contents of his stomach, a sickly yellow color from the lack of food he’d eaten today. it was a foamy, bubbling mess, pooling around his boots as he tried to breathe normally. his mouth tasted disgustingly sour.

“are you okay?” a bystander asked, making bucky grimace and stand way faster than he should have. he was dizzy, head swimming as he wiped at his lips with a sticky, sweat-soaked arm.

“m’ fine.” he grunted, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to keep it together. he was about 95% he had just nearly overdosed. he needed to be anywhere but here right now. he pushed his way through the crowd, shoes still dripping with bile as he trudged his way to the door, panting and heaving like he’d run a mile. one of his hands shoved itself into his jeans pocket, fishing out his phone and immediately sending a text to curt.

bucky

‘wya?? we need 2 go rn’

curtie

‘I’m near the back. Wya?”

bucky

‘frony doors’

he waited a few beats, body tense and shaking as he leaned his forehead against the cool wood of the door. his body relaxed as he felt a familiar, small hand rest on his shoulder.

“bucky? you okay?”

he gleaned at curt– his worried little expression making his heart clench. he sat up, gazing at curt with dazed, lidded eyes and giving him an unconvincing little smile. “fine, curt. jus’ need to get the hell outta here.”

he slung an arm around curt, leaning onto him heavily as they stumbled their way out of the club. john immediately felt more at ease as the outdoor air hit his sweaty skin, quelling the heat he felt all over his damp body. curt had an arm slung around his waist, other hand grabbing at the arm slung over his tiny frame. his thumb was rubbing little circles into the small of his back, a gesture that made his heart soar. curt was always so goddamn thoughtful.

“you’re shakin’, johnny.” curt mumbled, looking up at his distant expression. “did ya overdo it tonight?”

“a lil bit, yeah,” he mumbled, letting his cheek rest atop curt’s head. “barfed all on my shoes.”

“christ,” he sighed, frowning and hiking john up so that he was standing on his own a little bit more. “no wonder you fuckin’ reek.”

“ hey! ”

john grimaced at the sudden loudness, hie cloudy eyes moving groggily in the direction of the exclamation. there were two guys, one with dark hair and ine blonde, both on the buff side, glowering at him.

“that’s the asshole, right? let’s kick his ass!”

in a blurry flash of various blooming colors, the men lunged at him, making him stagger back, startled. he fumbled a bit as he put his fists up, ready to block a hit or exchange blows if need be. curt, however, being the little firecracker he is– was alredt socking one of them straight in the jaw, sending spit flying onto the pavement. the other goon tackled him to the ground, successfully subduing curt for a split second as he reared back to punch in retaliation.

curt was quick, however, his arm shooting out and fingers curling around the perp’s wrist yanking him down and switching their positions with a deft quickness, striking him straight in the nose. bucky felt utterly useless watching him wail on this asshole, but he honestly didn’t think he could take a step forward without falling flat onto his face. curt wasn’t letting up on goon #2, striking him as he writhed underneath the shorter boy, trying to move away from the blows against him.

the other boy stumbled over to the two of them, grabbing at curt’s jacket and yanking him roughly, trying to dislodge him from his friend. john immediately sobered up, his body thrusting itself into the fight unceremoniously and throwing his full body weight onto the blonde one, wrestling with him until he was a good distance away from curt, who had beaten the dark-haired one unconscious. john grimaced and locked hands with the blonde, shoving as hard as his weakened limbs could manage.

a fist suddenly connected with his stomach, making him retch, eyes watering as he let go of him, clutching his stomach instead. there was nothing left in his stomach for him to throw up, so he sat there, dry-heaving and weakly grasping at the offender with one hand. he managed to get himself under control, hand buried into the fabric of the blonde’s shirt as he stood straight, reeling a fist back and punching him square in the temple.

the feind must’ve blacked out as soon as his fist connected, because his body fell limp onto the ground with a dull thud. bucky stood there, gasping for breath as he watched the boy lay there, breathing shallow.

curt gave his sleeve a tug, forehead beading with sweat from the exertion of the fight.

“let’s go.”

john mindlessly obeyed, stumbling behind curt and hissing as the throbbing in his head made itself known once more.

—-------------------------------------

it was late when they got back to their dorm, the moon shining into the room in a pale little band that spanned across the cheap flooring. curt sat john down as soon as they stepped foot into the room, getting him a glass of water, which he downed greedily.

now, they sat there with the first aid kit for a second night in a row, silence falling thickly over the two of them. john was honestly still too dazed to think clearly– the drugs, the thrumming pain radiating all throughout his body...he felt like shit. probably looked it, too.

“that was really dumb of you, i hope you know that.”

bucky hummed, brows furrowing together. “wh– they came at us curt. was i supposed to just let ‘em hit me?”

“not the fight,” curt mumbled, dabbing a cotton ball soaked in peroxide against the open wounds against his knuckles. “the drugs.”

“oh,” he hummed, rubbing at his temples, hissing as curt pressed at the raw wounds of his knuckles with the now red cotton. “yeah, well….i was havin’ a rough night. you should get it.”

he didn’t mean to say that last part out loud, but it was true. curt was reckless when it came to drugs and getting high, more often than not. the amount of times he had gotten so crossfaded that he ended up in an alleyway, not knowing his name, was insane. he understood curt’s concern, but he was in no place to talk.

the words must have struck a nerve, because curt’s jaw clenched, his eyes flashing with an emotion he couldn’t quite pinpoint. shit.

“i do– but i haven’ done that shit in forever, johnny.” he muttered, clearly hurt. “i thought you’d know better, with all the times you’ve had to shove your fingers down my throat back then.”

bucky grimaced, the memory making his stomach clench unpleasantly. the first time it had happened, they were both in high school, at a party with coke lines on nearly every table. he was off drinking, dancing with any cute girl or guy he could, before he heard a bloodcurdling scream from one of the bathrooms.

he rushed over, a bad feeling in his gut, and sure enough, curt was laying there– eyes clouded over and jaw slack. he’s never shoved his fingers down someone’s throat so quickly.

“you could have died, john.” curt mumbled, voice small and weak, just like when they were kids, cuddled up under a blanket together because curt was afraid of the dark. “and i wouldn’t have known fast enough to save you.”

tears carved a path down curt’s reddened cheeks, making john reach out to wipe them instinctively. the smaller boy leaned into the warmth of his palm, sniffling quietly and taking in the moment of tenderness.

“curt…”

“i love you, john. i really do. i dunno what’s up with you lately, but it’s scarin’ me.” he whispered, voice raw and tender. “if it’s gale, jus’-- forget about him, okay? it’ll jus’ be me ‘n you, like it always has been.”

john kept cradling his face, thumb stroking over his cheekbone gently as he cried. he pondered curt’s words as best he could with his foggy brain. was he jealous of gale? did he feel neglected from all the time he spent thinking about and fawning over the blonde?

why would curt care? no one could replace him– john told him that to his face multiple times before, and he’d be glad to tell him again. no one would come between their friendship.

unless curt didn’t want friendship? was john mistaking his affection for platonic love all these years– or was his drugged-up brain fucking with him?

only one way to find out.

“curtie, baby,” he slurred, making those baby blues gaze up at him widely. “c’mere,”

curt hauled himself up from his knees, bringing his face a little closer to john’s. there was a quiet moment between them, spent just looking into one another’s eyes, searching for god knows what. john cupped the side of curt’s face with a warm hand, reveling in the little hitch of breath the small action elicited. they were so close, in this moment, curt’s hands sprawled out on his thighs, breath coming from his lips in soft puffs, eyelashes fluttering as john leaned in.

he grunted in shock as he was suddenly pushed away, his eyes opening and looking at curt, who was staring at his lips with a guilty, hurt look.

“no.” he exhaled, voice shaky. “you’re not– you’re not in your right mind. you don’t know what you’re doin’.”

he stood up, grabbing the bloodied cotton balls and bottle of peroxide, swiftly turning away from bucky. john felt his heart lurch in his chest.

“get some sleep, bucky.” he mumbled, voice soft and shaky with emotion. “we’ll talk in the morning.”

john wanted to argue. he wanted to lunge forward and pull curt into his chest and not let him go– but exhaustion overtook his body, making his vision blackout, body falling back onto the mattress heavily. he fell into a dreamless slumber, body absolutely worn down from everything that happened in the past two days. he distantly thought about gale again, before his mind drifted back to curt. he recalled the words of that damned creature he saw in his near-overdose experience.

‘you leave a trail of broken hearts wherever you go.’

whatever that thing was it was right. first gale, now curt, his rock– who had been with him through thick and thin, better or worse– was probably crying in the bathroom because of him and his reckless decisions. maybe they’d be better off if he had overdosed tonight.

when he woke up, he was all alone.

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

taglist: @mooodyblue @lauvmyself @kaiistheguy @slowsweetlove

#mota #buck x bucky #clegan #gale cleven #john egan #curtis biddick #masters of the air #college au #lights up

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maxverstappensflatbrim · 1 year

Text

Show Me Yours | Matty Healy [6]

chapter six, act one: antichrist

materlist

November 29th 2012

Tommie nudges Matty’s foot under the table to get him to look away from the menu and he looks up, raising a brow.

She grins, sliding the white serviette across the table, dimples showing on her cheeks when he smiles brightly at her.

You look so cool x <3

He tears his gaze from her when Adam and George return, Adam sliding into the spare seat by Ross and George onto the opposite side with Matty.

They place the drinks down on the table that they’d gotten from the refill machine and then pick a menu for themselves.

“We’ve got a month,” Matty starts, tucking the little piece of white tissue into his pocket, “Well, just over a month to get this album perfect.”

“I think it's pretty good already.” Tommie says, chewing on her straw.

“Pretty good isn’t perfect, Tommie.” Matty says sharply.

She holds her hands up, looking to Ross who sits beside her and shares the same look, “Alright, Jesus.”

“Sorry,” Matty mumbles, running his hands through his hair and then resting his elbows on the table, “It’s just, we have to finish this, and we’ve got a show next week with no set list yet.”

“We have like four songs, I’m sure the set list won’t be hard.” Adam shrugs, almost flinching when Matty glares at him across the table.

“Actually, Hann, we have eight songs out right now, not including any Drive Like I Do songs old fans might expect. God, maybe if you listened to me once in a while you’d know. Jesus, you fucking ign-”

“Hey,” Tommie says, brows furrowed as she kicks him, this time not in a playful manner, but a harsh one that has his knee jerking up to hit the table and the drinks spilling, “We’re all stressed, Matt. Ross and I are still working, George is trying to learn the ropes to produce this thing and Adam’s still trying to perfect that stupid guitar solo you thought was necessary. But you don’t see us snapping at one another.”

He remains silent, looking out the window beside him but she presses forward, “Huh? Do you?”

“No.”

“Then how about you talk to us a little better?”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t apologise to me.” She gestures across to Adam who, like the other two, have shrunk back into his seat.

Matty sighs, looking at her then slowly across to her cousin, “I’m sorry, Hann.”

“It’s alright, mate.”

“No, it’s not, Adam,” Tommie says firmly, “Now, why don’t you calm down, we’ll order food, then go straight back to the studio, yeah?”

He nods, then she follows with her own, “Go on then.”

“What?”

“Your turn to pay, Healy.”

“I paid for our chinese last night.”

“Well, with the attitude you’ve had this morning you can pay again today, go on.”

He doesn’t move and she claps her hands in his face, “Chop chop, we’re all starving.”

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆

“I don’t mean to.” Matty begins slowly.

He’s walking just behind the other three guys with Tommie who has her hands shoved into her jacket pockets trying to keep herself warmed up.

She looks up when he speaks for the first time since leaving the restaurant. He’s been stuck in his head for their little walk back to the studio they’re working at. Thinking of what to say to her.

“Don’t mean to be so snappy and picky, it’s just, it’s a lot and I need to prove myself, you know.”

“To who, Matty?” She questions softly, looking up at him as they walk, “Us four already know how great you are, how cool you are, who else is there to prove to?”

“I just,” He sighs, “I don’t want people thinking we’ve got this because of who my parents are. We worked hard for this, all of us, we’ve been doing this for years and this is our chance.”

He stops her from walking so he can grab her hands, “This is it, Tommie. If this goes right, we can finally make it.”

“It will go right. We deserve it, Matty. We’ve all put everything into this. Trust.”

He nods, “I know, I know, I’m sorry.”

“We’re all on the same side, Matty, you don’t have to fight against us all the time.”

“I know,” He repeats, chest heaving in a big sigh as he rubs his thumb over her knuckles, “I know. I’m sorry.”

“Good,” She smiles tugging him along a little faster so they catch up with the guys, she tugs his hand awkwardly and he winces as the uncomfortable ache, “Talk to Adam- talk to any of those three- like that ever again and I will break your jaw, Healy.”

“Okay, okay, ow, your grip is really strong.”

“Good.”

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆

December 3rd 2012

She could feel it coming the entire gig, the way her headached and her heart pumped a little too fast. The way the lights are irritating her and the clothes she wears scratching her skin is another reminder of the incoming sensory overload. Which usually leads to an oncoming panic attack.

She’s not unfamiliar with a sensory overload, not being able to handle too many different noises all at once. But between the bass of Ross from beside her, Matty’s singing, her own guitar mixed with Adam’s, the beat of George’s drums and the many different voices yelling at the same time she’s not quite sure how much longer she can take.

But she also knows, once she’s over that barrier between the stage and backstage. Matty will be there, all attention on her, hands over her ears to block out the noise letting her cover her eyes in his chest just like always.

Matty was the one who had found her after the first gig they did, curled up in a ball in the shared bathroom with her hands over her ears and tears running down her face.

He wasn’t quite sure what was going on when he first found her there, but it didn’t take long for him to realise when he was panicking and talking a little too loud which only seemed to set her off a little more.

“Thank you, very much,” Matty says as the last few notes of sex ring out through the audience, “We have been the 1975, and you have been absolutely amazing! Thank you!”

Tommie doesn’t wait, she’s first off the stage straight away, pushing past Ross to get down the little stairs quicker and disappearing into the bathroom.

She waits anxiously, foot tapping as she sits in the closed lid of the toilet and tries to calm herself.

Usually it only takes Matty a minute or two to come after her, but as she taps her foot once more, hands anxiously picking at the skin of her elbow until it’s red raw and bleeding over her white radiohead t-shirt, she realises he’s not coming.

Her breathing is still in stuttered messes and she keeps running her hands through her hair, sometimes pulling a little too harshly.

But a loud knock on the door has her jumping up. She rips it open but gasps when she’s not met with who she thought.

“There you are, we’re all waiting for you.”

George’s brows furrow and he tilts his head, “Tom? You alright?”

She shakes her head quickly, her breathing getting worse as she walks back into the bathroom.

George follows, closing the door softly as he stands there awkwardly, “Shall I get Adam?”

“N-No.” She shakes her head and sits on the toilet lid again. “Not Adam.”

He nods softly once more, muttering ‘okay’ as he kneels in front of her.

“Here.”

“What?”

He holds his hand up for her, “Just like squeeze it or something.”

George has no clue what he’s doing, he obviously recognises the panic attack she’s having, but he’s never had to calm anyone down from it.

The two times Matty had a panic attack as kids Adam was the one to console him and calm him down, with Ross supporting and George rubbing his back when instructed,

“Like a stress ball.” He adds when he sees her questioning gaze.

She hesitantly takes his hand and squeezes a little, then he squeezes back with an encouraging smile, “See?”

She nods and he moves so he sits crossed legged instead of awkwardly crouching in front of her.

She swallows the lump that was in her throat and George’s other hand comes up to squeeze her knee, “Uh, usually Adam makes Matty talk, which we both know isn’t really an issue for him, even when he can’t breath.”

She laughs a little and George’s smile brightens, “Shall I go get him? Matty?”

She shakes her head quickly, “It’ll pass.”

“You sure? He knows this kind of stuff, he can help.”

“Was supposed to be here,” She says, pushing her hand against her heart as if pushing against herself will calm her breathing. “He’s always here.”

“You’ve had one before?”

She nods quickly, “They pass, G.”

She squeezes his hand again, “Just, don’t leave. Please.”

He nods quickly and moves to pull her down to the floor with him, “I’m right here, Tom, just keep squeezing my hand.”

She nods, squeezing again.

They stay like that for a while, George holding her under his arm, his back leaning against the wall beside the sink until she calms.

“I’m okay.”

“You sure?”

She nods quickly, “Is everyone waiting?”

“We were gonna head to this restaurant, but if you’re not up for it I’ll head back to the hotel with you.”

She shakes her head, “I’m starving.”

“There’s a McDonald’s on the way.”

“I’m okay, George.”

He nods then and slowly gets up, helping her to her feet and guiding her out into the hallway down to where everyone else is.

“Finally.” Matty slurs, drink in hand as he walks over wrapping an arm around her, “Where’d you disappear off to, kid?” He ruffles her hair and she pushes his hand away.

“Bathroom.” She says simply.

“Come, come.” He says quickly, dragging her across the room.

George catches her other arm, hand on Matty’s shoulder, “Not right now, Matty, give her a few minutes.”

“No, no, she has to come right now, or she’ll miss her.”

George sends her an apologetic look and she raises a brow over her shoulder, “Okay, I want you to meet Gemma.”

“Who’s Gemma?”

“Hi.”

She pauses as she looks at the woman before her, much taller than her, with beautiful blonde hair and even more gorgeous eyes.

She smiles, teeth showing and Tommie grins awkwardly, “Alrite’?”

“This is Tommie,” Matty says with an arm around her shoulder, tugging her into his sweaty side causing her to grimace, “Adam’s little cousin.”

Tommie raises a brow at that, there’s no usual little speak that she’s grown to love, ‘this is Tommie, we found her on the side of the road but we love her like our own’ or ‘this is Tommie, my best mate and the third best guitarist after me, then secondly Matty Healy’.

She’s just Tommie, Adam’s little cousin.

“Hi, Tommie. It’s nice to meet you. I didn’t realise you were actually in the band.”

She nods a little, feeling uncomfortable with Matty’s arm around her neck.

“Yeah, have been for almost a year now.”

“She’s being modest,” Matty adds, shaking her around a little, “She’s been with us for years.”

Matty finally moves his hand from pointing at her to the woman opposite them, “Tommie, this is Gemma. My girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend?”

Matty grins, holding his hand for her and pulling her into him to clumsily place a kiss on her lips, missing completely and hitting her cheek.

“I uh, didn’t know you had a girlfriend, Healy.” She chuckles awkwardly, stepping away from him when he tries to place his arm around her again.

“I wanted to be sure, you know,” He says, soft eyes on his girlfriend, “Before I introduce you guys, make you become friends.”

“Well, anyone who can deal with you is instantly my friend.”

She clears her throat a little, giving Gemma another smile, “Uh, George and I were gonna head back early instead, both a bit too tired and he promised me McDonalds yesterday so…”

“Oh, of course, we can all go out tomorrow morning before we leave.”

She nods, “Yeah, yeah, maybe.”

She turns to Gemma, smiling softly, “Nice meetin’ you.”

“Sorry?”

Matty chuckles, “Nice meeting you.” He repeats her words for her, “Don’t worry, took me almost four years to understand her.”

Tommie turns, heading straight for George who’s talking with some daughter of a worker who has backstage access, hand on the wall above her head.

“G?”

“Hmm?”

“Can we go?”

He’s about to shoo her away but when he looks down at her and sees her expression he nods quickly, “Yeah, I’ll call a taxi.”

She nods, moving to Adam and Ross to tell them they’re leaving while grabbing George’s jacket and her bag.

“Do you want me to come back with you?”

She shakes her head, “No, we’re gonna get some food on the way back.”

“You’re alright, yeah?” Ross asks then, head tilting up at her.

She nods quickly with a smile, “Just, uh, tired, George said he wanted to call that bird he met yesterday so he’s gonna take me back on his way.”

“Okay.”

Adam mutters an excuse before following her out, “Tom? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I’m just, not feeling great.”

“Tom…”

He tilts his head, in that mother hen way that she hates, “I’m fine, Ad, really.”

“Ring me if you need anything.”

“Okay.”

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆

George sighs, still searching in his pocket for the hotel room key, the five of them have one room together, it’s got a double bed, two single beds and a pull out sofa bed.

“Shit, what did I do with it?”

He tries passing the loose things in his pocket to her, a pack of cigarettes, about five lighters (none of them work), empty pack of chewing gums and his broken phone.

She doesn’t respond, standing staring into space and he tilts his head but then grins, laughing loudly which snaps her out of her trance.

“Put it in my back pocket of my jeans.”

She nods, forcing a smile but her eyes are still trained on a crack in the paint on the wall behind him.

He closes the door behind them, watching her try to get off her shoes, “You sure you’re alright? You’re acting a little weird, Tom.”

She breathes in shakily and turns to look at him, he worries even more when he sees the tears in her eyes, “Tom?”

“Gemma?”

His shoulders drop a little knowingly and he reaches over to tuck her into his chest, arms wrapping around her as she lets it out. She cries into his plain shirt as he rests his chin on her head. “Oh, Tommie.”

“I-I thought… I thought he liked me, G.”

George sighs, he doesn’t say what he’s thinking, ‘me too, with the way he gushes about you, the way he drools over you, the way he stares every single second his eyes are open, me too.’

The rest of the guys don’t come in until much later, George is sitting quietly in the double bed beside a sleeping Tommie who’s wrapped up in jackets, blankets and pillows. Which is something she does to herself when she feels like she’s getting too overwhelmed with the world.

“Hey, guys.” Matty says loudly.

George looks up quickly, shushing him and gesturing to Tommie.

“Sorry- Ow, shit! Fuck-”

Matty leans down to hold the foot he’d hit on the suitcase that he had left open in the middle of the room, “Sorry.” He says again.

Ross faceplants one of the single beds with a groan and Adam heads over to Tommie, he pushes some blankets back to look at her, “Is she alright?”

George looks over at Matty who stumbles into the bathroom, only half closing the door as he begins to take a piss.

“She was just a little overwhelmed after the gig, think she had a panic attack or something, didn't want to worry you.”

“Is that it? Is she okay?”

“She calmed down after a while, Hann, was fine after a McDonalds and a shower.”

Adam nods and gathers some clothes for him and Ross to change into for sleep.

George pulls himself out of bed to take up the other single bed as Matty stumbles out of the bathroom, he crawls into the bed beside Tommie, using one finger to uncover her sleeping face.

“Baby?”

“Leave her alone, Matty.” George says, not looking up from his laptop.

“I missed her. Was supposed to get drunk with her tonight.”

“Just go to bed.” George repeats, headphones around his neck, the faint beat of a new song coming from them.

He grumbles something but tucks himself in, until Adam is harshly tugging on his leg, “Not in this one, this is my bed.”

“Not fair, you got the double bed with Ross last night.”

“I want to make sure Tommie’s okay.”

“She’s fine.”

“She had a panic attack, Matty,” George snaps, “Told me you were supposed to meet her there…”

Matty shakes his head, suddenly sobering up a lot quicker, “Shit, I-I… ah, I got distracted, I saw Gemma, I wasn’t expecting her and then it slipped my mind what usually happens. I’m so sor-”

“No point in apologising, mate. Just go to bed.”

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#matty healy #matty healy x reader #matty healy x oc #the 1975 imagine #george daniel x oc #ross macdonald x oc #show me yours matty healy

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ficjoelispunk · 10 months

Text

Ch 05 - RELIEF

You can find the continuation here

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Author's Note: Guys, like always, I'm sorry for any grammatical errors, don't give up on me, translating is not easy, but I did my best. Correct me as much as you can. Thanks.

After the attack, see so many lives lost by a rude mistake, for overestimating your enemy. Pinzón resigned.

So Colonel Carrillo took his place. Bringing controversies about their methods. But you couldn't deny that he passed on trust to people. He was the only one who really scared Escobar.

Peña was excited. But Carrillo's methods were really peculiar. Escobar used the children to protect himself and pass on information as scouts. And as soon as Carrillo came back, and paraded through the streets with a train of 100 men, to make a fuss you began to question the sanity of the new Colonel.

Maybe you were traumatized. Because when you became aware, you wanted to find a way to prevent it, thinking if if there was another attack, it would be 100 men killed. But Carrillo had a free pass given directly by President Gavilla, and nothing could be done.

After the incident with the soldiers. You and Javier had apparently given a "truce". But it wasn't something 100% right. You still quarreled often. In fact, every time you met, especially if it was during working hours.

After your kiss, you both made a point of simply pretending that nothing had happened. Simply ignoring and not saying anything about it. Both dealing with the situation with a lot of maturity. You two have avoided each other.

But your line of reasoning was as follows, if he was the one who kissed you, he should explain himself. After all, you didn't grab anyone. Despite having reciprocated, until a certain point. Anyway, it was something you really wanted to ignore.

It's better that way.

It is important to emphasize that working in the same place as the individual in question did not help at all.

So, first lesson: don't get involved with co-workers. Never. Under no circumstances.

"Shit! Damn it!" You hit the copying machine.

"It's fucking 6:50 a.m.," Peña murmured at the door of the copy room. "Calm down"

You closed your eyes. And he sighed.

"Perfect."

He took a step towards you. You haven't looked at him yet.

"What happened?" His voice calms and hoarse.

He does it on purpose.

"I don't know. I think the paper got stuck inside, and chewed some copies..." you ran your hands over your face, exhausted.

"You need to put fewer leaves..."

"Really? Wow, as I could imagine... maybe because it's written in the fucking opening, "up to 10 sheets" I know how to read Agent Peña"

"Jesus! You're tireless. Allow yourself a truce. Let me solve the problem with the copier, and we pretend it never happened"

"Yeah, you're great in that"

"In that what?"

You meant pretending that certain things had never happened, but you answered something else.

“Copiers”

He rolled his eyes.

Javier walked to you, stopping next to you. The fact that he walked towards you left you with your legs soft. How stupid it is to have your whole body responding to a man, as if you were a teenager.

"Excuse me," he said already next to you, making a gesture with his hands so that you could move so that he could handle the copier.

He opened the lid, skillfully and removed the papers that had been curled and chewed by the copier. It's closed. And he made a gesture with his hands as if he had done magic.

You rolled your eyes.

"None "thank you Javi"?"

How about, "get out of my face Javi"?"

"You really need someone to take all this tension away from you dear, otherwise you will explode at any moment..."

Javier liked to meet you, bump into you, have the minimum amount of time to provoke you or talk to you. He liked the smell of your perfume, and the symptoms you caused in his body.

You were unpredictable and surprising. There hasn't been a day since you arrived in Bogotá perched in Noonan, that he didn't wish he could touch you.

Everything about you was inviting to him. Your soft skin. Your hair that falls messy perfectly from your hairstyles. Your hands moving the papers. The noise of the heel of your shoe when you walked. You were the perfect distraction.

Your lips. Which often irritated him. Javier thought of so many possible ways to silence your lips. That kiss was one of the ways he imagined for months. It made you connect in a more tacit way. But he promised himself not to move forward like this with you anymore.

Since then, he's only been orbiting over you. Maybe, waiting for a new opportunity. The fact that you were there within the reach of his eyes all fucking day was a torture, and a relief.

He thought several times about talking to you about what happened in the file room. But he couldn't think of anything to talk about. And he has more things to worry about than that. Much more things. He doesn't have time for relationships. Never had it.

Javier organized himself to go out with the police, and he noticed your restlessness. Your chest would go up and decide on your shirt. And your forehead made a soft crease of concern.

As he prepared, his eyes met his own. Javier seemed too excited. Too anxious.

He ran in great strides, jumping the stairs every two steps, to his table. Javier didn't think much about what he was going to do. Especially in relation to you, it was always driven by impulses.

You followed his movement, so about the eyelashes.

"Are you okay?" He asked leaning over the table, as he always did.

You nodded.

His look has changed. And he made himself calmer. Time-consuming. Looking at you. The eyes are melting little by little.

"No need to worry. We'll be back in a few hours"

You looked at him over his eyelashes.

"I'm not worried" you tried to hold a smile.

He smiled.

"No?"

"Nop”

"Okay, so if I die..."

"Shut up, Agent Peña" you shuddered closing your eyes tightly.

He smiled.

"It's Javi, and you seem worried..."

You opened your mouth to speak...

"Peña" Murphy called him.

He turned around. Murphy gestured with his arms.

"Don't miss me" he patted your table three.

You pointed to the door.

"Go"

He laughed.

And incredibly in this little moment. You felt calmer. Your breathing was stable. And your expression was soft, because you was smiling, while shaking your head.

With this operation they were able to locate basically all the points that the scouts were. Carrillo had his methods, but he also had his merits. He was smart. And articulate.

You, Murphy, Edward, Peña, Carrillo and Trujillo spent the afternoon accessing the recordings of the wiretaps that the train was able to record. And separating the locations. The scouts made contact informing where the train was passing, and you could get an idea of where more or less the warning points were.

Colonel Carrillo organized the way of approaching the scouts. And you recorded everything, to document the operation. With it there, now you hardly needed to worry about the requirements, you needed to worry about the file, the records of the operations.

"Peña, you're coming with me. Murphy, Jacoby and you stay here, to guide us" Carrillo gave the orders.

You nodded.

Peña looked at you for a few minutes before leaving.

"Be careful outside," you said to both of them.

And that's how the night started.

On the radio you could follow the operation with Murphy, listening to the capture of the scouts. It was terribly agonizing just to listen. You had the feeling that at any moment something would go wrong.

You were walking from one side to the other, nibbling on the loose skin of your nail.

"Stay calm," Murphy said on a break.

You looked at him.

"It's going to sink the ground from walking on the same place so much," he smiled.

You looked around the room trying to find a new focus.

"They're doing well"

You nodded. And sat down.

And then the radio whistled.

"Sixth scout caught" was Peña's voice.

Murphy looked at you, smiling. Victorious.

You smiled back. Sighing deeply, relieved. Happy. It was worthy of a victory after so much struggle. You deserved an advantage.

"Go get some rest," Murphy said.

You nodded, getting up from the chair.

"You should do the same," you said as you passed by him.

He nodded.

You knew he wouldn't do that.

And you wouldn't be able to sleep either. You haven't been able to have a sleep routine for weeks. That was the price you got for sleeping where you worked.

It turns out that you went to your dorm, but you couldn't nail your eye even if you were tired. It was as if you had taken too much caffeine and your body did not succumb to fatigue.

When this happened, you left, and sometimes you stayed in the file room. There was a comforting melancholy in that room smelling of old paper, silent, illuminated by the moon.

Today was no different. You went there. You spent some time reading something about some operations, and when you was returning to the dormitory, when you turned the corridor you came face to face with Agent Peña.

"Hey" you spoke with your hand on his chest to avoid the thud "you scared me" you smiled blandly.

He didn't say anything.

You removed your hands from his chest quickly.

"Congratulations, everything worked out, didn't it? Where are the scouts? Have you started the questions?" You asked studying his face.

"They are children" he murmured.

Well, that was a possibility, but it was still a surprise.

Javier didn't look at you, he looked over your head. The whole body is stiff, the hands on the waist. Swinging the weight of the body between one leg and another.

"Are you okay?" You were trying to find his eyes.

"Yes, Carrillo let them go, tried another method," he murmured, the sound of the voice failing.

You've seen him like this very few times.

"Released? Another method? What do you mean?" You asked confused.

He wanted to get out of your way, but you took a step to the side finding him. He closed his eyes, turning his face, unhappy, as he ran his fingers through his nose.

"Don't worry about that" he took another step to the side.

You followed him.

"Hey" you held his arm gently "talk to me" you looked for his eyes, talking gently to him.

He finally looked at you. The dark eyes, but not of anger, were pain, resentment, guilt, sadness.

You frowned. Worried. It was strange to see Peña in all his grandeur and arrogance, disarmed in this way, he seemed so vulnerable. A man who seemed indestructible with an impenetrable shell, now so fragile in front of you, brought you a little affliction. When he always passed a certain security.

He wanted to get out of your way, but you stood in front of him following your body with your hands in his arms.

You knew that if he really wanted to, he could go over you and you would never reach him. But instead he was still there, with you.

"What happened?" You insisted.

He swallowed it dry. Hesitant.

"Carrillo pointed the gun at the head of one of the boys and shot" he paused still looking deep into his eyes "to give a fucking message" the voice so thick coming out in a murmur.

You were silent looking at each other for a few minutes.

When Javi abruptly advanced on top of you, sticking your back to the wall and pressing his lips on yours.

This urgent time, you couldn't resist. You immediately kissed back. You missed that. Their mouths fit perfectly. Javier was aggressively immediate. You could barely breathe.

You started pushing him gently. Just to separate your lips. He didn't let his hands off your face, but he gave you a break.

"I need you" he spoke with his lips brushing yours, his breath panting “Fuck, I need you"

You held his fists around your face.

"Okay," you whispered.

He pressed his lips on yours again, but this time calmer. More organized. You ran your arms over his shoulders, until your hands were tangled in his hair.

Javier passed his hands through the back of your thigh and lifted you to hold her on his lap. You held yourself around his neck crossing your legs around his waist. He walked to the archive room a little behind you, with you on his lap while kissing you.

He opened the door, passed with you, closing the door with his feet. Javier took you to the table at the back of the room. Putting you sitting on the table.

His hands went to your face, and went down your neck, gently passing over your breasts, instinctively making you arch towards him. Your clitoris was throbbing painfully, with the heat radiating through your body. Your lips met.

Javier leaned his forehead on his, panting, in an impasse. You had your hands intertwined in his hair.

"Maybe it's better if we don't do this right now," he murmured, as he placed his arms on the table on the side of your body, leaning, leaning to be at the same height as you.

You ran your hand over his face. You thought of some provocative answers, but that's not what came out of your mouth.

"What do you want to do?" You whispered.

He walked away a little, almost nothing, just to look at you.

"I don't know if I want to do this to you," he said.

You smashed your eyes, and smiled in surprise.

"Okay, then" you bit your lips.

Wait. What?

He looked at you, thinking better about what he had said.

"No.." he shook his head looking down "that's not what I meant..."

"So, explain it to me"

He raised his head to look at you, giving a dull smile.

"You can talk to me" you held his face, and he closed his eyes to your touch "whatever it is, you've already told me worse things..." you tried to comfort him.

After a moment of silence, and a sigh.

"I do this with..." he hesitated "you know..."

"Prostitutes? Who could have imagined..." You were ironic.

He looked at the ceiling, perhaps embarrassed, to admit it in front of him.

"It relieves me, it distracts me in situations like this," he murmured, almost a whisper, with his head down avoiding your gaze.

So, maybe now some things would start to make sense. And a lot of things had an explanation. Javier relieved the tension of working with sex. Sick? Maybe. But understandable.

"And what do you do with them?" You murmured, weighing your breath, and crawling forward to the edge of the table, almost sinking Javier's head into your breasts.

You were already in your hell. What's wrong with hugging the devil?

He was still propped up on the table, but when he heard you he raised his head, his noses almost brushing each other, his eyes doubting what he had just heard.

You brought your lips closer to his.

"Show me" your voice was a soft whisper.

You could only hear your breaths. Your heart beat so hard in your chest, that you had the feeling that Javier could hear.

"You know I'm not a gentleman..."

"Maybe, I don't like the good boys..."

In an abrupt gesture, Javier raised your skirt to his waist, without reducing the distance from his faces, turning one hand on the table next to your hip to support himself, and with the other, opening you legs to him.

Your mouth opened, letting out a trembling sigh, with the touch of his hands on the skin of your thigh.

Javier would never treat you the way he treated the prostitutes he met. You were his prize. There, offering to provide the relief he sought in other bodies, but now you offered yours. Not even in his best dreams, you would be like that, so perfect.

"You're already wet for me, aren't you?"

You closed your eyes as his fingers slid smoothly down your thigh, rising towards your panties.

"No" was more of a sigh than an answer.

Javier gave some light kisses on your neck. Sending goosebumps through your body.

Your hands were in his hair.

And when he felt the touch of his finger on the fabric of your panties, brushing your greeting so wet that it passed the moisture into the fabric. You pulled your breath and didn't breathe anymore.

He laughed softly. Victorious. Yes, you were dripping through it.

He took a break. Studying your face. The signs of pleasure and anxiety in the face. Your mouth open, and your eyebrows furrowed. Javier tortured you, wondering how much you wanted the relief of his touch in your pussy.

When he finally touched your middle, you let out the air. And he started sliding his finger over you. Your hands pulled his hair gently, as his finger went up and down.

"I always knew that your desire for me flowed down your legs"

"Javi..." you sighed, eyes closed.

He smiled maliciously at you calling him Javi, for him, he was always Agent Peña. But now for you, he was just Javi.

You felt the touch of his finger finally touch your skin when he pulled the fabric of your panties to the side. Your body had a spasm.

"Don't worry hermosa, I'll relieve your tension, I'll take care of you"

Your breathing was panting. You were needy and desperate, but fuck, you didn't care, the situation was too intoxicating at that moment for you to think clearly.

And finally the relief came, you were so horny, that the simple touch of Javier's fingers on your clitoris could have made you cum.

"You're so sensitive" Javier lowered his finger to your entrance, circling it to bring your lubrication all over his pussy, "You needed this a long time ago, didn't you, baby?"

Javier then slid his finger bringing your wet to your clit, and pressing his finger on it as he circled the set of rigid nerves that was accumulating a tension that radiated shocks through your body.

"Jesus... I've never had something so wet in my hands..."

"I'm not what you usually have" between moans.

Your head tilted back.

"Yes" he murmured with his lips walking around your neck "usually they don't speak"

You started moving your hip together with Javier's fingers.

"Take off your shirt for me, cariño" his lips were in your ear, and the low timbre of his voice combined with the accent, sent a direct blow to your core.

You nodded, loosening his hair, unbuttoning your shirt.

His fingers kept making the movement of going down to your entrance, and going back around your clitoris. Your walls squeezed desperately around nothing. He seemed to have a fucking map, touching and moving his fingers exactly where you needed it.

"I wanted this from the moment I put my eyes on you in that damn office 3 fucking years ago" he murmured more to himself than to you.

"You're so fucking hot" His eyes danced through your naked tits as if it were a suitcase of money. With devotion.

"Do you always think of me?" You provoked.

His lips went down to your nipple. Javier passed his tongue through the sensitivity of your nipple, and this set of him stimulating your nipple, and your clitoris, made you tilt your head back again, releasing the air through your mouth.

Javier slid two fingers into you, your mouth swallowed the air, your feeling dividing you, making you follow the movement with your hip, biting your lips. He made the movement of going back and forth studying your body, introducing another big and thick finger inside you.

He let go of your nipple, the look of simulated piety.

"What happened, baby?" His mustache pinching the skin of your breast. "Can't you find your words?" He smiles.

And it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, to observe the pleasure he caused in you. You bit your lips, frowning. Your breasts went up and down without rhythm demonstrating your erratic breathing, depending on the movement he made inside you.

"So needy," he said with his eyes inebriated with your heavenly image, grinding your hips over his fingers, with your bare breasts in front of him.

Javier bowed his fingers finding the spongy point inside you, which made you have a spasm, and a moan from the bottom of your throat escaped through your half-open lips.

He pressed his thumb on your clitoris, and you contracted. Feeling the pressure of your orgasm form inside you. Javier lowered his head reaching your other nipple this time, passing his tongue gently over him, your skin shivered all over his body.

"You're close cariño, I feel your pussy squeezing around my fingers"

You moaned, while moving your hips together with Javier's fingers, biting your lips.

"Keep going." you sighed "Javi..." he smiled when he heard his name coming out of your mouth again, he wanted you to sing his name like this every day.

"Come for me, baby, " you obeyed, gave in to the collapse of your body "that's it, good girl" Javier passed his arm over your back, holding you, while your body leaned towards him at the same time as he moved his fingers inside you in the right way.

When you came down from your height. Your spasms of pleasure stopped, you passed your hands through his hair, to kiss him. But he walked away, you opened your eyes, confused.

Javier took his fingers out of you slowly.

"I want you to clean up this mess you made" his voice was dark, sexy.

You would do anything he asked you to do.

He stretched his fingers in front of you. You held his hand with your hands and opened your mouth.

"Look at me"

You looked. Obeying like a puppy. He pushed his fingers into your mouth, and you sucked, passing your tongue through them, taking every piece, and sucking as your tongue passed through the greeting of his fingers.

"Fuck" he whispered to himself. Wondering what your mouth could do with his cock already throbbing in his pants.

He studied you, darkly. Javier was slowly pulling his fingers out of your mouth. Leaving a mental note for another way to make you shut up.

"I want to taste you," Javier approached to kiss you.

The kiss was deep, as if he took you. Your bittersweet taste in his mouth. His hands went down to your breasts, squeezing, painful, but pleasurable flesh.

"Tastes like heaven” he murmured, between your lips.

In an abrupt movement he pulled you off the table, pulled your panties leaving them on your ankle. Javier turned your back to him, your ass exposed to him.

Javier squeezes your ass, letting out a growl between thentes. His hand pushes your back down on the table.

You hear his zipper opening, and the belt buckle unraving. You get anxious, you wanted to see him. Keep his image in memory.

He separates your legs more with his hand. Your wet gets cold with the touch of the wind over your middle, and you stiffen your body.

"Relax for me, cariño" Javier whispered as he climbed his fingers up your lower leg. Passing through your hole, to get your wet, and pass over his cock.

You hear him get behind you. He stop for a moment.

"When I do this, I use protection, do you want me to put one on?"

You bite your lips. You turns back, and has a glimpse of Javier's cock. Taking a long time to look at him. He stroked himself, he's big, possibly the biggest you've ever seen, big enough that you would be apprehensive if you weren't desperate for him, you wanted to touch him. The thick veins for their fulfillment. You run your tongue through your lips.

"Do you want a picture?"

You roll your eyes.

And you feel the burning of a slap on your ass. You retract, whining.

“Don't have that kind of behavior with me"

You look at him, needy. While he caresses the heat that his slap left on your skin. Your eyes go down to his cock again, biting his lips.

God, you wanted him inside you urgently.

“Was that what you imagined?”

“Maybe”

He’s possessed.

“I’ll make you remember me for a week”

He approaches you.

"You didn't answer me"

"I want to feel you"

"Damn baby, asking me to fuck you like a whore, with your ass turned to me, did I win the fucking lottery?"

Javier doesn't waste time, the head of his cock goes up and down through his folds, you follow his movement listening to his breath weigh in anticipation, growling behind you. Until he fits the head of his cock in your entrance, it sinks into you slowly.

You pull the air with your mouth feeling it fill you.

He pushes his cock on you little by little, inch by inch. You feel the burning of the grip of his cock in your pussy, opening you in half, stretching you. You moan, and you can't help but move your hip in an attempt to adjust to its size.

You feel so fucking full.

"Fuck" he murmurs on top of you, pulling his breath, panting "so tight"

He holds his hip with both hands.

"Stop moving, darling," the hoarse voice.

You whine for him.

And he pushes the rest that was missing at once, you feel his hip in your ass. The table hitting the wall with his impulse.

"So tight I thought I wouldn't be able to make it to the end" he makes his way back and you almost collapse.

You moan.

Javier started slowly, but hard, dragging his cock back, so only his head was inside you, at a slow pace that you felt your head sliding inside you.

“Feels so good”

He pushed himself back to you hard, as if he couldn’t stand not being inside you again immediately, as if being without you was almost painful. He moaned

You lift your butt to him, and feel the burning of a slap on your ass, making you jump.

"I told you not to move" his voice between you.

Javier was sure that if you moved this hot way with his cock I would come in from you, it wouldn't last for just 1 minute. You were so tight, he thanked him for making you cum before, even so wet for him, it would be hard to penetrate you if you weren't excited enough.

You try to obey, but feeling his cock inside you filling you is so good, that you can't help it, you want more from him, you want him to be deep in you.

"Javi..." your voice is trembling, you bite your lips.

And he seems to read your thoughts. His thrusts inside you become faster. More violent. You feel his cock in your stomach, a pleasant pain to know that he is all inside if you.

Javier sinks into you hard. Their hips hitting each other making obscene sounds.

The head of his cock was almost permanently against the point inside you that made your back arch on him and your pussy was so tight around him that you were sure you couldn’t take it anymore.

Javi pulls you to stand up. And you support your leg on the table in front of you, being more open to him, giving him more access.

He growls at you, over your hair, pulling your hair to the side, to bite your skin on your shoulders, suck your neck.

Everything was so intense that you didn’t seem to worry about someone listening to you both in there.

"Javi" you seemed to hum his name, which made him get so close to the edge of ejaculation, that he could hardly hold it before making you cum once again.

“Fuck, need to feel you come while I’m inside you” He murmured between his ears in the ear “Please, babe, fuck, please come for me…”

You held the pulp of your ass, opening it for him.

"Ahhh" the heavy air of pleasure coming out of your mouth "Javi... ahn, that's it, oh, Javi..."

That was a song for Javier Peña's ears. He would cum just hearing you talk to him like that.

You collapse on his cock, your sight turns white, your body in shock with the discharge of pleasure, he feels your walls squeezing around him, and he can't hold it anymore, cumming on you.

Grubbing his cock deep into you. You feel his jets fill you. He sighs, still pressing deep into his pussy.

You are panting. He holds your body, still feeling your spasms. Your body gets soft, as if you turned into gelatin.

He rests his head on his back as he regains his breath, Javi's hands holding your abdomen. You felt him coming out of you. You whined.

He kissed the skin of his back, while squeezing your ass, lowering his skirt.

You reached for your shirt, and you were wearing it, when you turned to Javier who was fixing him pants.

You took a step in his direction.

Javier looked at you with intensity, still regulating his breathing, his eyes melted like lava in a volcano.

"Do you feel better?" You raise your hand to fix his hair that you made clumsy.

He grabs your waist pulling you to him. Nodding and kissing your forehead.

You smile.

"Good night, Agent Peña"

You got rid of his grip, to walk when he held your arm, and pulled for a slow, careful kiss, from which it was difficult to distance yourself. You walked away from him, against his will, because he held your waist firmly against his body.

Javier seemed drunk after this sex you had. And you found it hard to believe that he treated a prostitute like that.

He held your hand as you walked away.

Javier didn't want you to leave. For the first time he wanted something after sex. So used to simply opening your wallet and not having to worry about the later.

Everyone knew that he was the kind of man who would under no circumstances run after someone, unless he was a criminal. That he used people to achieve his goals, and that he wouldn't call the next day.

But you were already prepared for that.

But Javier wanted to take you to his bed, let you fall asleep in his arms, wake you up to sink into you, again, again and again. He wanted to smell you, the warmth of your skin. He wanted you for so long, and now that he had it, he felt so good inside you that having just that from you wasn't enough.

With other women he had something momentary. The relief was in that sexual warmth. Then he just wanted them to leave. It's always been like that. He wouldn't even know if he would know what to do after sex, for so long that he didn't have to worry about this kind of thing.

And that's where he realized how fucked up he was. The only thing he managed was to wish you a good night.

"Good night, Mrs. Assistant"

You smiled. You let go of his hand. And you left the file room, feeling him run down his legs.

#javier pena x y/n #pedro pascal #javier pena fluff #javier pena x you #javier pena x reader #javier pena smut #javier pena fanfiction #javier pena imagine #javier pena fic #javier pena narcos #javier peña #narcos fanfiction #narcos

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mirkwoodshewolf · 3 months

Text

No following; Planet of the apes fanfic Chap. 11

*Author's note*

Alright guys this will be the last update for awhile cause now you all are officially caught up on where I stopped with the story. Yeah I told yah I had about half of the movie itself done rn. Just a few more chapters then I'll write some chapters that'll go b/t DAWN & WAR. Glad people are enjoying this story and giving it a chance.

Now in this chapter things get pretty intense as a divide not only b/t Lin and the colony has started but also b/t the Apes as well with Koba and his dissent into madness. Be warned, there is a confrontation scene b/t Lin and Koba that might frighten you (depending on how well it is written to you). But there will be another scene b/t Lin and Caesar to calm things down afterwards. Anyway hope you all enjoyed this binge posting and until the next chapter comes up :)

Taglist:

@plethora-of-things

@waddles03

@jd-johndeacon-or-jackdaniels

@gay-and-ready-to-cry

@queen-paladin

@psychosupernatural

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As I walked further along the forests I soon came to the trail that would lead me towards the ape colony. My breathing sharpened as I felt a pull to try and make things right, but I could also make things worse. That fucker Carver just had to screw things for all of us, and now I may have lost Caesar for good this time.

But at the same time those old big sister instincts were festering in my gut. After all these years I finally reunited with Caesar and I—I couldn’t bear to let us leave on these terms unlike before.

“Boys, keep an eye on Malcolm and the others. Make sure they don’t come to the camp.” I then left them as I raced down the trail towards the ape colony.

Once again I was stopped by the gorilla guard and brought into the colony. Thankfully not being manhandled like before but they still had no ounce of trust as I was brought to Caesar. I was then transferred from the gorilla guard to several chimps.

“Please, please all I ask is an audience with him. I just need five minutes with him.” I pleaded as I was lead up towards the same structure as Maurice lead me up last night, however instead of continuing to the top, I was taken to the top nest where Caesar, his son and a few other female chimps sitting around a sick female chimp. “Caesar, I know I’m the last person you want to see but you have to believe me, I had no idea about Carver’s gun. I should’ve checked it myself instead of relying on Malcolm’s word or even Carver’s actions.”

“You….gave me. Your word!” Caesar growled lowly.

“I know. Believe me, I’m kicking myself repeatedly because of it. But I couldn’t leave without you at least knowing my truth. If it were up to me, Carver would never have come along. Please believe me, brother Ape.” At that statement, the female chimps who all looked like they were healers looked at me in shock, as did his son.

Caesar remained quiet and didn’t turn to face me. That’s when a commotion was heard outside and I heard Malcolm’s voice say.

“Please, please I just need to speak to him.” I growled as I clenched my fists. The second both him and Ellie showed themselves I exclaimed.

“Jesus Christ of course you’d be here! Why can’t you just stay the fuck away and leave me and them alone!? You’ve done enough!”

“Lin please. You have every right to be angry, but just give me time to explain it to him.” He then went around me as he said to Caesar. “I’m sorry. That was all my fault, but I will make him leave.”

“This my home.” Caesar grunted. “You should not be here.” He then spoke softer as he kept his back toward us.

“I understand.” Malcolm replied.

“Malcolm.” Ellie said to him softly as she took noticed of the sick female chimp on the bed.

Now that my attention fully went to her, I could hear her wheezing and around her brows she had what almost looked like beads that were almost in a circlet-crown fashion. And she didn’t just look sick, she looked like she was on death’s doorstep. Like Caroline was when she got sick with the virus.

“She’s sick.” Malcolm pointed out, which got some of the other female chimps’ attention.

“How long has she been this way?” asked Ellie. No one gave her an answer but Caesar turned to glare at her. “I have medicine. Antibiotics.” Ellie offered.

“Maybe she can help.” Malcolm suggested.

“Do. Not. Trust you.” Caesar spoke softly before looking back down at the female chimp.

“I don’t blame you. But believe me, we’re not all like him.” Malcolm told him.

“Caesar.” I then spoke up. Slowly I came forward and said, “I’m sure you all have tried everything you can for her, but it seems that nothing is working for her. Ellie—is the best doctor I’ve had the privilege of knowing. Please, let her help.” I said kneeling down beside him. I looked down at the wheezing female chimp and signed to him. ‘Who is she?’

‘Cornelia. My wife.’ Caesar signed back to me. I looked down at Cornelia and remembered that name from the shelter all those years ago. I can see why Caesar fell for her, she was one of the most beautiful female chimps. And she always had such a curious and kind nature about her.

‘You were right. She is beautiful.’ I signed. ‘When Will lost Caroline, he was so heartbroken and distraught. It was like he lost a piece of himself. I know you don’t want to lose her, nor your sons to lose their mother when there’s still a chance to save her.’

Caesar looked at me and I could just see it in his eyes. Those same heartbroken, bloodshot eyes that Will had after Caroline had passed. The tears hidden within and I could faintly see a small tear slide down his face. After a moment of us staring at each other, he stepped aside and allowed Ellie to do her work.

I then gave Ellie a hand gesture for her to come forward and help Cornelia. Slowly she came up removing her backpack and as I left to give her space to work, I felt Caesar’s hand take mine and he gripped onto it tightly.

Even if his face wouldn’t show it before Ellie and Malcolm, I knew that his grip was one of pleading for help. I could just feel in his grip the fear and worry he had for his beloved wife and how he couldn’t bare to lose her. I stepped closer to hide our hands as I squeezed his hand back assuringly.

“One day.” Caesar then spoke up. Ellie looked up at him and Caesar repeated, “You stay…one day.”

‘Father, no!’ his eldest son signed out as he looked at his father in shock.

“We might need a little more time…..” Malcolm started but Caesar roared as he faced him.

“ONE DAY!” Caesar’s breath sharpened briefly before he continued, “Ape will help.”

‘I will not help!’ his son signed again as he narrowed his eyes angrily at his father. I glared at Malcolm and told him.

“You’re lucky to even get a day Malcolm, don’t push it. And this time, all conditions must be met. No exceptions.”

“The moment we get back to camp, Carver’s going down to the trucks.” Assured Malcolm. But that didn’t sit right with me

“Take the keys before you leave him. I’ll even have Kiba, Tsume and Hige stand watch over him to ensure he doesn’t do anything stupid. And if he does—I’ll hold no responsibilities to what happens to him.”

“Lin….”

“I’m serious Malcolm. You knew bringing him was a bad idea the moment he shot the young ape. He’s nothing but trouble and yet you still brought him along.” Malcolm was silent as we locked eyes with each other before he finally said.

“Alright. I’ll—keep my mouth shut if your wolves have to attack him. They did defend you after all back at the dam.”

“And I didn’t even tell them to attack him. If he somehow stays alive by morning when we get this done. I want to ensure no one is going to rat out my pack to the colony.”

“Whatever you want Lin.” I released Caesar’s hand and walked up to Malcolm and extended my hand out.

“Then we’re in an agreement.” Malcolm took my hand and we shook on it. I squeezed his hand as tight as I could, digging my nails into his skin. “Don’t make me regret this.” I hissed lowly at him.

After Ellie was done giving Cornelia and telling the other female chimps what to watch out for in case things went south, we all headed back to the camp with the escort of the apes.

Malcolm informed the others that we could stay but Carver had to go. No one but the accused party spoke up against this matter. So as Carver was screaming out how this was bullshit, Foster forced him down the hill and I said to Kiba.

“You, Tsume and Hige keep an eye on him. He tries anything, you know what to do.” Kiba looked me with those piercing yellow eyes of his before lowly growling before turning to Tsume and Hige and letting out a few grunts and snarls.

Tsume and Hige turned to each other before the two of them raced after Foster and Carver snarling and barking with Kiba running right behind them doing the same. Toboe wanted to race after them but I told him.

“Toboe guard!” He came over to me and curled his body behind my legs. I then turned to Caesar and asked, “I know you must’ve had some bad experiences with wolves in the past, but I’d like to offer this pup as aid in helping to dig out the debris. Being the pup of the pack, Toboe has done his fair share of digging holes in order to catch rabbits and foxes. He’s certainly gotten into his fair share of trouble a time or two poking into the wrong holes. But he knows who to attack and who not to attack.”

“Pup may help.” Caesar said. I scratched the back of Toboe’s head as he leaned against my touch grunting lovingly. “Follow Toboe.” He looked between my hand pointing out to Caesar and me before getting the message as he walked over to Caesar’s horse.

“The rest of us, while the apes clear off the debris, we’ll start working on the main power station. We’ve got a lot of work to do and little time to do it.” Malcolm told the others as we all gathered our materials and headed back to the dam.

While Luca and half the apes along with Toboe went down to the bottom to clear off the debris from the explosion earlier this morning, the rest of the apes including Caesar and Maurice were with us in the main power building trying to fix the power grid that way once things were cleared up from down below, we could try and turn everything on and get things running quicker.

“Yo Alex, this relay’s busted. See if there’s another one.” Foster said as he was at one of the control panels and found a relay that was completely useless from years of rust and erosion. Foster handed Alexander the old relay, he took a good long look at it before heading over to the other side of the dam to see if there was another relay to put into the controls. I walked over to Foster and asked.

“So I remember briefly from science class, but how exactly does water power work exactly? Like I completely understand solar power but is there a difference?”

“More or less.” Foster explained as he began digging his hands into the exposed power box. “You saw how the dam has that steep slope down pass the river.”

“Yeah.”

“Well the steeper the slope, the more power that can be made. Once the water is collected through the tunnels that we tried to clear off, the turbines within the dam will start collecting filling up with water, when there’s enough water it’ll connect to these generators and we should be able to restore power. After turning a few switches in order to get it through the city, that’s all it should take. But that’s if we can get these generators up and running as best we can.”

“Yeah I can already see. All these wires are completely eroded and faulty.”

“But I gotta keep the faith that we’ll get this thing running. Especially now with Carver out of the picture and not causing any trouble.”

“If I had a beer I’d say I’ll drink to that.”

“I’ve got a few pints of some old whiskey back at my place, be willing to drink a cup or two with you if you’re up for it.” Foster offered.

“After all I’ve seen these past 10 years, I think Whiskey would do me good.” A loud bang was heard and I turned to see that Alexander had been pushed down to the ground by none other than the scarred bonobo.

“Hey!” Alexander cried as the bonobo fully turned towards him baring his teeth. Malcolm went over to defend his son, but he was unfortunately going at it the wrong way. He held his arm out telling the bonobo to stop so I quickly got in front of them.

“Back off Scarface!” I snapped as I stood as tall as I could be, while the bonobo hissed at me. “The kid and his dad are pushovers. I’m the one you really want to fight!” I spoke louder in a challenge.

His one good eye looked at me almost as if he were analyzing me but both his eyes widened in recognition. This time pure rage encompassed him as he grabbed me by the shirt and had me pinned to the ground.

“LIN!” Alexander called out for me but his dad held him back. The bonobo hovered over me, baring his fangs and I was brought back to that day in the redwoods when Will and I said goodbye to Caesar. A scarred-face bonobo had ambushed us and Will had me almost buried behind his back as the bonobo was snarling and ready to tear my uncle’s face off.

Oh god….it was him! It all made sense now, this was the same bonobo that nearly killed me and Uncle Will had Caesar not intervened. And now I’ve willingly offered myself to this crazed ape who already had a raw hatred for humans.

“You…..” he panted. Unlike Caesar’s voice that was both commanding but could also had warmth to it, this ape’s voice was cold and harsh as ice as it sent fear down my spine. “Look…..like….him.” I was then picked up once again before being tossed towards Malcolm and Alex who both caught me. Like my uncle, Malcolm now stood between the crazed bonobo and me and Alexander.

“No, no, no, no don’t! Don’t leave her!” The bonobo took another step closer snarling and baring his teeth, but soon another figure stood between us. A large mass of orange fur stood tall before the three of us blocking us from the bonobo’s sight. It was Maurice.

A deep grumble came out of his throat as he stared the bonobo down as a warning. And I knew orangutans were at least twice or maybe more times stronger than chimps and bonobos (thank you Caroline). As Maurice stood guard over us, the bonobo hissed out.

“Where Caesar? Want Caesar. CAESAR!!!” he then roared out. I could just feel from his voice alone the raw anger and rage behind his roar. Malcolm cupped my face and mouthed to me.

“You okay?” my adrenaline was finally coming down as I felt almost limp and nearly collapsed against him. Both he and Alexander helped me up onto the stairs as Caesar finally made his appearance.

A deepening scowl was across his face as he slowly came out into the main room as the bonobo snarled at him.

“Humans…attack your sons! You. Let them stay! Put apes in danger!” the bonobo walked up to Caesar in a challenging manner as he continued to push at Caesar’s buttons. “Caesar…love humans. More than Apes! More. Than. Your….sons!” he jabbed his finger into Caesar’s chest as a challenge as he spoke his last statement.

I having bared witnessed at what Caesar is willing to do for family, knew the bonobo had crossed the line. He was taken away from us because he was defending me and grandpa from Hunsiker’s wrath. There’s nothing Caesar loves more in this world than his family. And to say that while his own son was here, this bonobo had just royally fucked up.

The scowl on Caesar’s face soon morphed into nothing but pure rage. His body trembling and his breathing sharpened as he was now like a volcano ready to explode. And boy did he.

Caesar let out a rageful cry as he tackled the bonobo, the two of them rolling on top of each other as they fought. The other apes cleared the way as they all screeched and hooted hysterically. While we humans could only watch in horror and shock as two apes went toe to toe with each other in a flurry of punches and body slams.

My body froze with fear as I saw the bonobo first rapidly beat Caesar in the chest with his fists before Caesar got the supper hand and got the bonobo pinned onto his back and returned the favor but it was also fueled with a parent’s rage.

Now that Caesar had an opponent he could fully rival, I was now seeing a side of Caesar that Caroline had warned Will and I of. This primal rage that chimpanzees had, the tale of Travis the chimp, I was seeing it right before my eyes.

Not only was he beating the bonobo to the point of almost punching his face in, he also had the bonobo by the throat with his bare hands as he slammed him down on the ground multiple times before letting out this primal yell. It shook me too my core and filled me with an icy sense of fear that I hadn’t felt in so long.

He could’ve ended it all, he could’ve ended it right then and there. But just when everyone both human and ape thought Caesar would go through with it, he released his hold on the bonobo and his rage was finally extinguished into exhaustion.

“Ape…..not….kill….ape.” panted Caesar as he got off of the bonobo. The bonobo still gasping for air and bleeding profusely from his face looked around but saw that no ape dared to look at him.

At this point there was no going back. To go against the Alpha means you’re officially an outcast to the troop. The bonobo slowly got up, kneeling down and extended his hand as he panted.

“Forgive me.” He said to Caesar after a long moment of pure silence. Caesar looked around to all the apes before looking down at the bonobo’s extended hand. He slowly reached out for it and when barely a touch went to the bonobo’s palm, he slinked away. I then watched as Caesar’s eldest son turned to his father with a look of betrayal before he too left.

Caesar looked down heartbrokenly before leaving the dam leaving us wondering if we should continue to work or just leave sense the tension from the fight was still in the air.

“What do we do now?” asked Ellie.

“Work for another hour, and then we head back to camp.” Malcolm stated. While everyone was slowly starting to go back to work, I got up and followed the same path Caesar took.

“Lin where are you going? Lin!?” Malcolm’s voice echoed but I didn’t respond back to him.

I exited the dam and soon caught sight of Caesar sitting alone by the reservoir. His arms wrapped around his legs as he sat there by the edge of the water.

“Caesar?” I softly called out to him. I looked at him empathetically before slowly coming over and sat down beside him. “I’m sorry. I know us being here is causing such a rift within your troop.”

“If work not get done,” Caesar said before turning to look at me. “More humans come.”

“Yeah. Humans that I unfortunately cannot control. And who will bring guns. The sooner we get this dam working the better. And all will go back to what it was.” I said looking at him before turning my attention back to the water.

“Human…will not. Forget.”

“We may not forget, but at least there won’t be a reason for them to come back here. Not even me.” I turned back towards him, “After we leave, I’ll keep my promise from that day. You stay, I go. No following. Now that I know you’re here, there’s no reason for me to come into these woods. This is your home, and I won’t come into it anymore.”

“You…saved my sons. You are…no threat.”

“I may not be a threat but this is still your home. And I didn’t ask permission to hunt in your home. Nor the pack. They might not like staying in the city, so I might just have to leave them here. Let them finally be free, just like you are.”

“They would miss you.” I smiled softly.

“I know they would. But they deserve their best chance, and that’s being able to live freely. I’ll be fine.” My heart felt heavy as I spoke this as I was brought back to the day we said goodbye to one another.

“Where you….go now?”

“I might stay with the colony a few more days just to pack some provisions. After that I might go East. Or South. See if there’s another place out there somewhere for me.” I felt Caesar’s leather finger graze against my cheek and I turned to look at him again.

‘I’d be willing to give you part of the woods as a new home for you.’ I smiled at the offer but deep down I knew it would only turn into disaster. I took notice of his bloody hands and took out an old bandana from my coat pocket and dabbed it into the water.

“May I?” he held out his hand and I took it into my left hand then began wiping the blood with the wet bandana. “I finally pieced together just who the bonobo was. He was the same one you stopped from attacking Will and I that day.”

“Koba.” Caesar said his name. “Tested by humans at lab.”

“Uncle Will’s lab.” Caesar nodded softly.

“My son…..learn from Koba. As well learned from me. Koba’s hatred for humans….pulls my son to him.”

“He’s young Caesar. He’s just learning that the world he’s been raised on has now been turned upside down because of the humans arrival.” I chuckled softly as I finished cleaning the last bit of blood from Caesar’s knuckles, “Reminds me a bit of you at his age. A young, revolutionist who fought for the rights of Apes. Who freed them of their bonds, taught them to have a voice, and lead them to the Promised Land.” Caesar let out a deep, heavy sigh before saying.

“Just….want my son…to be the leader. I know….he can be.”

“But you’ve also gotta let him take his own path. What you’ve done Caesar…its a lot to live up to. Yes he’ll make mistakes, like I’m sure you have in your decade as leader. Nobody’s perfect. And I know he’ll make the right decision when it comes down to it. You just gotta give him that chance.”

I placed my hand over his and the two of us stared into each other’s eyes. The two of us slowly leaning towards one another our forehead almost ready to touch when we both heard the sound of footsteps walking along the pebbled shore. I released my hand from Caesar’s as I separated from him as Kemp came up and said.

“We’ve done all we can do for now. Malcolm wants us back at camp before it gets dark. We’ll get started as early as we can the next morning, especially since the debris has now been cleared out.”

“I’ll meet you there Kemp.”

“You’re not walking with us?”

“I gotta go grab Toboe. I’ll make it there before it gets dark, don’t worry.” He nodded before leaving us. “Better go down and get that pup before he buries himself alive, again.” I then headed over to the tunnel entrance and let out a single howl.

I heard the splooshing sound of water as running up was the young red wolf pup. He yipped and shook himself of the dirt and water. I exclaimed as I told him.

“Come on pup, I’ll give you a proper clean up when we get back to camp.” I carried him out of the tunnel’s stairway and we soon got back to the shore. Caesar and I locked eyes one last time and there was a bittersweet feeling as we stared at each other.

His proposal replayed in my mind but I just couldn’t accept it. Caesar had his people, and I—I’m just destined to be alone. Being around Carver’s paranoia and having Dreyfus’ threat looming in the back of my mind made me realize why I prefer to be alone.

While there’s still good people like Malcolm and his family, they will always be overshadowed by the evil that grasped humanity and increased tenfold ever since the Simian Flu outbreak. And if word ever got out about who I really am, I doubt the colony would even want anything to do with me.

Their fear, their hatred, and the inhumane actions I’ve seen them do to one another. But then again I’m no saint either, I too walked along that hateful path, but I soon realized just what I was becoming and I hated myself every day because of who I was becoming.

That’s why I’m better off alone. I don’t want to take anyone down that path if there comes a time when I have to become that person again.

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