#ignore the fact that he has a chain around his neck in the first pic then doesn’t for the rest fhngdhgng

[kbthebearcat]

BIG POST AHEAD! This has all the parts I’ve made of my characters Bruce, Wesley, and Matthew meeting for the first time! I technically haven’t finished the comic, but if I do ever mange to actually wrap it up properly I’ll reblog this post with the new parts! This started off as one drawing and then I ended up expanding upon it and actually making the kid Bruce saves to be an ongoing character, along with his father. A bit of a background on Bruce… he never knew his father and is estranged from his mother. ( yes I know it kinda sounds like the shark from Finding Nemo lol) So Bruce here is a pretty sad lonely boi (he does have a friend Creole, a crayfish merman, who I need to post about soon as well) but he tries to hide it and act tough and scary. When really, he’s got a good heart under all that shark snark and muscle! Wesley and his dad (the mother sadly passed during Wes’s birth) were on a cruise ship when Wesley falls overboard. Bruce had intended to do the whole monster bit and scare the heck out of everyone onboard, but when Wesley falls in, he ends up deciding to save him instead. Annnd this is where the pictures start!

Whooo BOY! That was a lot to break down and compile… haha ;w; The comics were originally in a long vertical format, but I had to make it easier to read for Tumblr. Lots of work! 😅

[pynkhues]

.... any succession fic recs? 👀

Yes!! I haven't read a lot for it yet, but some of the stuff I've read has been staggeringly good. I'm generally more into gen fic in this particular fandom, but have enjoyed some Stewy x Kendall, Gerri x Roman and Naomi x Tabitha too.

A few recs under the cut!

“I wanted to get out. From under all this. Take the money and run.”

Kendall tells Stewy even though he knows he’ll never get it, not like Naomi does. He’ll never understand the crush of it, the heart-stopping head-fucking fear of failing a tyrant. Kendall’s been ignoring the shape of it for a long time, putting pieces of it together in the back of his mind in total darkness like a blindfolded man. It doesn’t matter that one day his dad will die. It doesn’t matter about the money or the hostile takeover or the stolen files or any of it. There’s no running. Kendall’s Logan Roy lives inside his head.

Stewy laughs. Stewy laughs for a long time.

“There is no out, Ken, what the fuck are you talking about? You were born this and you’ll die this. You are what you are, and what you are is a fucking Roy.”

Kendall hates him, for a moment. Lightning-strike furious. What the fuck does he know about any of it, about his dad’s swinging dinner plate-sized hands, about getting 24% name recognition in reliable international polling, about puking every time you think about a car swerving off the road in the rain. About finding out that you can do something unthinkably, unimaginably terrible, and it doesn’t matter to anyone you know but you. There’s a scar on his arm that no one else who hasn’t already been told how it got there can ever know about, and he’s sick of it, and it’s not fair. He hates Stewy for a moment because Stewy’s right.

“I wanted to do the right thing, Stewy, for once in my fucking life.”

Stewy laughs again, more briefly, and the predator flash of his eyes in the neon of the motel sign is a torture all its own.

‘There is no right and wrong, Ken. How the fuck do you not know that yet? Not for people like you. Like us. There’s shit you get caught doing and there’s shit you don’t.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. You really, really fucking don’t,” says Ken, and fuck, there it is. The road less travelled, that only he has ever driven on. The path he’s down where Stewy can’t follow. That place beyond Stewy Hosseini where he never thought he could go.

“You’re not telling me something, and when I find out what that is, and I will find out what it is, Kendall, don’t you think I won’t, so I am warning you that when I do find out I am going to be righteously fucking pissed,” says Stewy, and if Kendall thought those were a predator’s eyes before—

“Yeah, you will,” says Kendall, because he knows exactly how perceptive Stewy is. Exactly how weak he is. Exactly, precisely what both of them are.

And treat this night like it’ll happen again by postcardmystery. 8k words. Kendall x Stewy. Post s2. (CW: internalised homophobia, some homophobic language)

I tried to pick a shorter excerpt, but I literally couldn’t, this fic is so. good. The voices are pitch perfect, and it’s got this incredible build to it overall that goes back and forth between time and point of views and just rips your heart out. The premise itself is pretty simple – after the press conference at the end of 2.10, Kendall calls Stewy, and they drive through rural America while Kendall has a breakdown, and it’s just - - unspeakably good. I love it so so so much, I have no words.

r/roysucks Connor’s gf just posted on Instagram (instagram.com) submitted two months ago by webbedscrum_2279 23 comments share save hide report

[–] DM_ME_SAMESMAIL 40 points two months ago I too like to escape to my yacht in the Mediterranean when my family and I are on trial for covering up rape and murder. permalink embed save report reply

AITA for accusing my father of multiple crimes on his own news station? By amleth 3k words. Gen fic. Post s2.

And now for something completely different – epistolary fic which is just reddit news threads of the Roy family drama. I love an epistolary fic and this is just totally charming, and made me laugh a lot out loud.

“You’re quiet,” she observes. “That’s a first.”

“Yeah, well, the Turks beat it out of me. Gave you a run for their money.” He waggles his eyebrows. “So what is this? Whips and chains? Are we doing the whole boat-sex thing? I heard Shiv and Tom are looking for a third —“

Gerri finds what she’s looking for: a black leather binder. She drops it on the bed and begins paging through it, and Roman cranes his neck enough to recognize that it’s just full of documents, not like, dick pics. “I’ve given some thought to what you proposed a few weeks ago, and I agree that we should make things official in some way,” she says, and he blinks.

“Uh,” he says. “Which — what part of it?”

“Take a look.”

Gerri closes the folio and hands it over. It’s deceptively heavy, and the print on these pages is way too fucking fine, he thinks, paging through it. “Is this some kind of, like, Fifty Shades of Roy sex contract? Because it’s not that I’m not into it, but I think there’s a strong argument for going paperless —”

“Strictly speaking, this isn’t legally binding,” Gerri says. “Just something I threw together with regard to our business arrangement going forward. But with no respect to the family — the past few weeks have really illustrated that no one should take anyone at their word right now. Give me a little more than your word.”

Evacuation strategies for a yacht on fire by devourthemoon. 11k words. Gerri x Roman. Post s2. Explicit.

After the events of s2, Roman and Gerri fake being married as a professional alliance, only, y’know, maybe it’s not so fake. This fic is just so, so much fun, and messy in the best possible way. The author nails all the character voices, and the sex scenes are just the right amount of hot and ridiculous, and I just love it all a lot too.

Kendall estimates it will take an hour for the first articles to go up. Some rapid-fire blog without oversight—the New York Post, maybe, or wherever those Vaulter hippies have skulked off to—will slap a catchy headline on it and report his words verbatim. Give or take a gif of his face when he switches to script number two. New York Times, Washington Post, AP, those fuckers take longer. They like to bleed the story like Middle Ages plague doctors for its marrow, fact-check and add context and analysis and as many backlinks as their servers can handle. Still, a couple of hours, and his face will be plastered on every major news outlet. His voice will play over the nightly talk shows. He’ll trend on Twitter. A few more days, and he’ll be the star of analysis segments, podcasts, weekly briefings. Maybe, fuck it, maybe he’ll trend on Twitter again.

It’s been years since Kendall read Shakespeare. But that shit sticks with you, gets under your skin and emerges when you least expect it, like eczema or Keynesian economics. He knows how the media will spin this. Kendall Roy Attacks CEO Logan for Years of Corruption. Prodigal Son Disrupts Family Legacy to Restore Credibility. That’s how Hamlet ends, right? And Macbeth, Lear, Othello, Romeo and Juliet, even Titus fucking Andronicus. The spilled blood sinks into the ground, the seedlings sprout forth from the soil, and a new castle is built on the bones. Order out of chaos, or at least close enough an approximation that the tabloids will buy it.

Legacy for profit by owlinaminor Post-2.10. Kendall Roy. Kendall through Shakespeare analogies – just - - ooooof. It's a beautiful, lyrical character study that weaves through Roy family history and teases at a future none of them are even sure they want. It's gorgeous writing.

For the next few days Shiv would have to keep the pressure on Kira like an open wound because there were other women, victims that Nate’s people were going to find one by one as soon as that phone call disconnected. Mo was her father’s friend, good friend, for a long, long time. Nate and Gil, Sandy and Stewy, too many sharks in the water and the share price probably dipped to a new low but she would never check a stock ticker. Her husband’s nerves fraying at the edges on national television. She had promised a woman she’d never met before that she would kill roughly one third of the top male executives of her family’s company. Her company.

The last look Rhea gave her before she shut the car door was concern close to fear—no longer the same woman who heard their pitch in the safe room, who laughed with her at Argestes. Rhea had only looked into the abyss; she got cold feet and she didn’t even know what it’s like to grow up in it.

Her family’s company is hers, will be hers. Even from a whale fall, new life would spring.

Feed his flesh to wayward daughters by reogulus. 2k words. Shiv Roy. Set during 2.09.

This entire fic is set around Shiv bribing Kira not to testify, and god, it is so good. It’s bleak and rough, and really hones in on the complex ground Shiv walks as a character. It's another brilliant study of what it takes to be a Roy, and the way they make the awful choices in order to fulfill this legacy that they don't even know they want.

Kendall sets down his fork. “So. Tell me. Is it everything you wanted? Is it what you thought it would be?”

Roman stills. He never does that. He’s constantly a menace in motion, slouching and fidgeting, worse even than Kendall at his amphetamine peak. “What? The view from the tippy-tippy-top?”

“His regard.” Kendall wipes his mouth with the edge of the white cloth napkin. It comes away pink from the steak. “Dad. He’s all yours now.”

Roman still hasn’t moved. Finally, he lurches, like corroded machinery come uncertainly to life. “Yeah, man. It’s fucking tight as hell. I love every beautiful daddy and me moment I was a good enough little boy to earn.” He snorts. “Fuck you.” His face goes curiously slack then, like something Kendall’s own face would do. An intermission in the performance, an energy cut. Something genuine finding its way to the surface. “Why don’t you tell me. When you got everything you wanted, how the fuck did that make you feel?”

Nauseous, is the first word that springs to mind. Sick. Scared. I’ve never had everything I wanted, there’s that. I’ve never once had a single fucking thing I wanted. There’s that, too.

Interim leadership by arbitrarily 2k words. Roman + Kendall. Post s2.

I love Roman and Kendall scenes generally, but this one which features Kendall and Roman meeting for the first time a few months after the press conference in 2.10 is just a bit magic. The push pull dynamic that's just inherent to them mixed with the genuine affection and brotherly love is really special, and arbitrarily embraces both in equal measure. It's a great little fic.

There are lots more of course, and I'd also recommend checking out other works by these authors, but I hope this is a good place to start! :-)

[loudestcloud]

Time for Luffy's fashion exam! Now, I'll be honest, I did skip an outfit because I decided I will be ending this whole thing with the Strawhat fashion show in Episode of Luffy. Also, sorry for the posting gap, I remembered I have other unfinished post sets. That being said, this is a very long one so let's do this!

Kid Luffy, Post-Enies Lobby & Fish-Man Island: I think it's super cute when Luffy has white t shirts with red based logos because it reminds me of the first picture. Makes him look baby plus, they can always be found in cute domestic EPs or fun, cute flashbacks. The shorts change over time and that's also kinda cute, a range of cuffs is a nice change up. It's nice to see the red contrast the blue shorts and the white is a nice color on him cos it contrast his hair!

Romance Dawn, Enies Lobby, Thriller Bark, Sabaody Archipelago, Amazon Lily, Marineford & last Dressrosa outfit: This look is the pre Luffy look. It's the pre Timeskip look everyone thinks of is cuffed shorts, Kimono sandels and sleeveless vest (and Strawhat, obviously) but have you ever seen them all in a line? It's mad. Each outfit is the same basic look bit more are more spicy each time! I like the Thriller Bark and Sabaody Archipelago looks a little bit more cos it's nice to see that jacket open and it feels like he was trying something new. I also feel that the buttons on the jacket look like the ones on Shanks' pegged ankle sailor pants when we first see him so that's cool. (it took me hours to find the name for his trousers, oh my fucking god) The last Dressrosa outfit feels like a nice callback to the rest of the line up here without being too much cos it's just a red vest top instead and I do find it funny it's like the Enies Lobby and it's used in Dressrosa because of the jokes people make about Robin and Law being so similar.

Timeskip: This is it lads, it's the one true icon itself, the post look! ☺️ When I sit back and look at it I see all the people this look is influenced by and want to cry at how masterful it really is. (Now, I do wanna say that I didn't come up with this nor am I the first to say it and I am definitely probably looking too much into this but) The yellow belt is taken from Shanks' red belt the first time we see him and the Shanks look Luffy is more familiar with. Now onto the jacket. I know it won't stand out as to why for most but it's Ace inspired! When Ace leave to become a pirate, the start of his adventure, he has his jacket open and Luffy having his jacket open also shows his scar from the ending of Ace's adventure. I also really appreciate how no one hides scars in this anime. Also, someone said that the style of the jacket and it's fancy frills could be in reference to Sabo's little jabot collar and honestly I do see it. it's quite subtle unlike Shanks' but not as hard to catch as Ace's so I enjoy thinking that it's there too. Lastly, he still has his cuffed shorts and kimono sandels because it's still Luffy's outfit at the end of the day and he is still who is is, just with a stronger appreciation of what people have done for him now. It's also his colour pallette for the pure fact he is the main character n needs his pallet. also sometimes he just has normal wooden sandels but the same outfit sometimes, it's a small detil a lot of people overlook but I prefer the sound of his Kimono sandels 😊

Dressrosa: I love this outfit cos it's stilly but also has very nice vibes. Looks ready for the beach but is really throwing hands and that's the best kind of outfit, it's a nice expectation subversion tbh. I also like how he tried to hide the Straw hat but not... All of it? And I love how the crew didn't actually question it either. It would have been super easy for one of them to just tell him to leave it behind or something but I do really love how respectful they always are of the hat. I myself have a hat that's super important to me and when I loose it I go mad.

Whole Cake Island: I love this arc for outfits! I swear if the actual content of it doesn't kill me, the act looks will 😭 it's all so magical and it knows it is! Like I said before, white is a good color on him as he has black hair but for the same reason, so is black! In this arcs outfit range, the Staw hat seems almost invisible and his outfit gets less and less 'Luffy' as the arc gose on showing this is not about him. He's not the focus of this arc and you can see that in a lot of the outfits thb. I also like the lack of blue and yellow, 2/3 of his colors as Sanji is often associated with those too as we've talked about before. Also, I like the little red strips on the white jacket with the gold buttons, idk why and I think it's nice that the last 2 outfits are so simple in general, it's a nice look for him. oh, what's that? A Pink jabot? Your killing me Lu, straight up killing me here lil' bro! Side note, is this the first time in canon Luffy has worn a suit jacket or is it the only time I've noticed? Cos DAMM!! Shits sick as fuck and I actually love that when wearing a suit jacket as such he always keep short on 😆

Spa Island, Z's Ambition & Strong World: WHOS READY FOR A RELAXING SUNNY DAAAYY!? (pun not intended but very much enjoyed) I actually adore the fact Luffy still tries to go swimming cos it was his favourite thing to do as a kid so like fuck Luffy is gonna give up on that. He's got his safety measures ready, what more do you want from him? I mean I personally want him not to swim with his hat on cos it's litrally Staw and that's not good for water but anyway Z's Ambition, am I right!? The top is so fucking cute and I just noticed those shorts are also ✨designer✨ fancy man!! Now, the pic of Zoro is the one I missed out before and it's also from Z's Ambition. I love that Luffy has the shark top but Zoro has the ocean shorts. I really love Zoro in this purple cos and thick white stripes really work with the ocean waves. It's really well put together and hes got dark brown sandels on to off set all the white but keep the purple from being a stand out color, it's cool! Than the last Luffy looks like he's at a fashion show. It looks like the shorts come from a kids set the shark top belongs to. Imagine those together, it'd be so cute. However, it isn't an ocean patten, those are clouds cos Nami has a bikini top with the same pattern in Skypiea and it's actually one of my favourites for her.

Boss Luffy Historical Special! This filler AU is so much fun, I think any it a lot. He has his hair up in that super cute and useless way that doesn't actually do much but I do have my hair like that a lot n it's just... nice? Idk, it's strange buy I like he did that. I really enjoy his Kimono more that the actual Wano one cos it's a lot more simple look. The Sai being tucked in in that way is also cool but kinda makes it look like it's stabbing him a bit 👁️👄👁️. I like the pin strips being like a faded purpleish cos if you just glance at it, it makes it look it fuzzy. The belt also looks very nice with the middle ligter bit. It really feels like the Wano one was inspired by this is a way cos of the color matches. Like, it's probably not but still.

3D2Y, Adventure of Nebulandia 😍 & Heart of Gold: Hat-less Luffy is both a sin and a blessing. Regardless, I LOVE OP BOYS IN HOODIES!! I had to show you this specific the 3D2Y because we don't see the hood and it's soooo cute cos it a paw 😍 but also 😬 cos it's like... Kuma's paw the thing that cause 3D2Y in the first place. But that's also why it's so cool at the same time and AHHHHHH 😄 Now! On to Nebulandia! I really like this movie but also in canon, how does he have that jumper? Who made it for him and can I have one? It's Usopp flag design so I guess it could be him but he doesn't seem the type. Point is I want one. Last of this set is some really cosy outfits!! "How much fur?" "Yes" am I right? Like the first one is sooooo cosy with all the fur! Plus, a funky new bamboo hat, always a good thing to have a new hat. I appreciate that you can see the zips on these too. Then the orange turtle neck one with little fluffy bits is just here cos it's so out of his usual looks, I had to at least mention it.

Strong world & Film Z: The shorts on the first one are really cute cos it's a light rosey pink with red fur and just a plain solid dark blue colour jacket works really well. Not to mention the fact he has a super cute orange and yellow flight helmet hat with goggles on under the Staw hat. The 2 bag straps also make an X which is a nice detail. The 2nd outfits in this movie are super fuckin cool ngl. It's so strange to see them all dress in black and have guns but I like the red shirt for him with the yellow highlighted parts. Makes the Straw hat actually work with the outfit instead of ignoring it. Film Z brings us the same flight helmet hat just brighter and without the goggles but also opens with this T-Shirt and Luffy being silly with it. I think that's the only reason to mention it, it's funny. Then the obligation pirate outfit, always stunning plus the meat belt.

Film: Gold & Stampede (also used in Cidre Guild): these are my top 3 Luffy outfits no matter what else I see. I love the straw cowboy hat sooooo much cos it's very Luffy. I like the balls they has as a team to choose white for all of them, considering they are all quite messy people, living for that dad shirt and I like the Golden chain around his neck but am always confused as to why it was never used against him. Like dude could and should have tried to choke him at least once, right? Anyway, the dress! Now, the dress isn't actually that good but it's my favourite because it shows how Luffy has no fucks about gendered things. On to of that, a big pink flower is wonderful and look at his confidences in it, he's so proud of it the boom, Nami told him he can't wear it! Lastly, the Stampede outfit!!! Just like the Nebulandia jumper, I have no idea who made it but it's irrelevant cos it's beautiful and I want it so badly. I like that it's white and red stripes, gives thenprefect vibes for Stampedes opening. The shirt is actually too big for him, you can see on his arms but it's actually super cute. I love the simple look of these shorts then the fact his yellow belt is replaced with white bandages and the black on the kimono sandels are now red? It's such a simple pallet and it's truly the best!

I also just wanna add, I think it's really cute when Luffy has the Straw hat on his back just cos his hair is really cute. Idk why, it's looks kinda cursed but cute at the same time

This post took 2 weeks or so to make and we made listening to the complete BNHA soundtrack, film gold OST and Sonic generations vol.1

Sanji

Zoro

Nami

[asthmark]

❝ lucky ❞, z.c

pairing → chenle, reader

genre → fluff, angst? a lil??

word count → 3.1k (woah!!)

summary → "you just deserve… so much more than that. do you realize how true that must be for a boy you just met today to see it?"

a/n → this is 1000% inspired by this pic that dropped yesterday like.....chenle looked so good it reminded me why i bias him!!!! anyway i kind of like this it has rich chenle and daddy issues thats all xoxo (also i did not proofread like at all so if theres any typos it was taeil's fault lol)

everyone in the room is utterly unbearable.

you understand it's rude to think so but you're sure that if you were to tell any of them this they would instantly agree with you. of course, you would never do that. because you're a ceo's daughter; you're not allowed to have an opinion that would make you look imprudent, rude or anything less of perfect.

so what do you do? you smile. you make small talk. you try your best to ignore your sore feet that are confined in your pumps and the way your dress rides up your butt. your lack of manners could not and would not be the reason your father missed out on any chance to make some more money. he made that very clear to you. after all, the only reason he dragged you along to all these house parties was so you could make make a stellar impression. he wanted all the businessmen in the room to remember mr. l/n and his charming young daughter when they got in their limousines and drove back home so that they'd remember when they discussed mergers and new projects.

you were never comfortable with the idea of your father essentially using you as some sort of accessory but you sometimes went days on end without seeing him so you took what time you could get. of course, helping him build his empire and boost his reputation wasn't your preferred daddy-daughter activity but you would never tell him that. it would just cause problems in your already rocky relationship and you certainly didn't need that.

"y/n." speak of the devil. "why don't you make conversation with the other guests? or better yet, come talk to these investors. i'm sure they'd love to meet you."

you know exactly what your father means by that so you try to find a reason to decline. anything would be better than watching him suck up to anyone with deep pockets and try to get you to do the same. "um." you repress a relieved sigh when you catch sight of yuna entering and handing her coat to a housekeeper. "actually i see my friend over there. i think i'll just go talk to her."

he frowns and you realize his face seems to be permanently stuck like that when he was around you. you can't remember the last time you'd seen an authentic smile from him. you suppose that was reserved for when he was trying to seal a deal.

"just behave yourself," he says. he leans into your ear. "remember, people are watching."

then he's gone, leaving you standing alone for a split second before yuna comes and takes his place.

"hey!" she draws out the word for dramatic effect.

"hi," you respond, your greeting lacking the enthusiasm hers held. she wasn't your favorite person but it was nice to talk to someone who wasn't observing your every move. it gave you a break from the ridiculous standards everyone else seemed to hold you to.

she brushes her bangs out of her eyes as she sized you up. "ooh, i love your heels! how much?"

"like 15 bucks." her jaw drops and you can't help but giggle. "yeah, i bought them at a thrift store. just don't tell my dad."

she grins. "wow, i always thought thrifting was for poor people but i just might have to check it out now."

that was the thing about yuna. she was stupid rich and she wouldn't have it any other way. she loved designer brands and houses so big you could get lost in them. you didn't blame her for any of that but it was the fact that she didn't mind the stuffy dinner parties and being shown off that was a little puzzling to you. unlike you, she had perfected her fake laugh and polite small talk long ago and sometimes you wondered if she really did care about all these companies and powerful men. but you know that as long as she gets to wear her thousand dollar dresses and go home to her cozy mansion, she'll be happy. she did what it took to keep her lavish lifestyle and was a little too materialistic for your liking and you guess that's where you and her are different.

you finally answer her. "yeah, definitely. it's a lot of fun."

her eyes light up. "we should go together one of these days!"

your silence is definitely too long but thankfully, yuna doesn't notice. her short attention span had caused her to focus on something else—more specifically, someone.

"oh my god," she says. "who is that?"

a boy who looks around your age has appeared, accompanied by a middle-aged man in a suit. the older man is more put together by far but you still can't help but stare at who you assume to be his son. he's wearing a black jacket on top of a striped shirt and you notice that chains hang from his neck. a belt holds up a pair of dark and tight pants. and, god, is he wearing converse?

you can't help but crack a smile at that. you envy his comfortable look; you would trade all the chanel and prada in the world just to wear a t-shirt and pair of sneakers and not have everyone in the room judge you for it. but his outfit isn't the only thing you admire. he must have crazy amounts of confidence to show up looking like he does when being surrounded by so many managers, executives, and company heads. you can only imagine what they're thinking and yet, the boy didn't seem to care or look uncomfortable in the slightest. in fact, he seems oddly at ease, his eyes scanning the room. at one point his eyes sweep over you and you lock eyes.

you watch as he brushes his bangs out of his face, almost like he's trying to get a better look at you. you only stare back, shifting your weight from one leg to the other. he offers you a half smile, his eyes squinting slightly and cheeks growing. you can't help but smile back, noticing just how the stranger's had an adorable baby face.

he looks away when he notices his father gravitating towards a group of businessmen and follows him. you almost wonder if he was in the same position as you were, if he was nothing but a poster child who was shown off at every event and party there was. then you notice how his father holds him tightly and smiles widely—genuinely—when he introduces him to others.

your father never did that. he wouldn't let you wear clothes like that either. you could only assume that this boy and his father were different from the rest of you. maybe they sat down and had dinner together everyday? talked to each other about their day? you almost throw the idea out of your head completely because it seems just too foreign to you.

"oh my god," yuna says. that seemed to be her favorite phrase. "i've never seen them before. what do you think they're doing here?"

you shrug. "maybe they're new to town?"

she hums. you both stay silent, observing the pair before yuna seems to grow impatient. "well i'm gonna go meet them. i can't handle being out of the loop. wanna come?"

you say agree. you feel obligated to. for the first time in forever you're actually interested in something at one of these dull parties, you're not going to stand around and just watch.

you approach the newcomers, both your fathers and a couple other businessmen conversing with them. you wonder if they've already asked them how much they're worth or if they had the decency to wait a minute before sticking their noses in their business. but, you knew how people like them operated; decency was way too much to ask.

"hi daddy!" yuna enters the conversation swiftly.

"hi, sweetheart," her father responds, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "this is my precious daughter, mr. zhong." he turns to yuna. "he and his son are visiting us all the way from our china branch. yuna, introduce yourself."

she doesn't need to be told twice. "hello, i'm yuna. i'm 17 years old and i'm studying at daewon preparatory. we're glad to have you here.it's a pleasure to meet you both."

mr. zhong smiles fondly at her. "the pleasure is all mine, young lady. what a beautiful daughter you have, mr. shin. she seems very capable."

yuna's father pulls her close to him, smiling at mr. zhong then her. "she sure is." you catch the subtle wink he throws her way, a silent 'good job' for that cute little introduction she did which was sure to score them some popularity points with the zhongs.

your father pulls you close to him and wraps an arm around your figure. both mr. zhong and mr. shin seem to be quite the fans of physical contact and although your father was not, you know that if that's what it took to make a good impression, he would become one, at least for the night.

"this is my daughter, mr. zhong." he turns to you and you take it as a cue to say something.

"hello, mr. zhong. i'm y/n." your introduction ends there and you feel your dad's grip on your arm tighten, indicating how unsatisfied he was with your brief answer.

you catch mr. zhong's son smile for the second time that night. although there is no mysterious eye contact this time, just a cute boy probably making fun of your lame introduction.

"well, how old are you, y/n?" mr. zhong asks, making conversation for you.

"i'm eighteen."

"oh, so is my son! isn't that right, chenle?"

his son—chenle—nods.

"well, i think we should leave the children to become acquainted. what do you think, gentlemen?"

everyone seems to agree. then, all that's left is the three of you.

to your surprise, chenle speaks first and it's a reintroduction. "i'm chenle."

you copy him. "i'm y/n."

"and i'm yuna. so, you're from china right?" she doesn't give him a chance to respond. "i read that there are over four million millionaires there. are you one of them?"

he furrows his brows and you can't help but sigh at yuna's question. she was fixed on the money aspect of things, as usual.

"i guess," he says, giving it little thought.

she practically squeals. "you're probably one of the youngest in the country! have you ever thought about that?"

"not really. i don't really like to think about money or these companies or big shot business dudes or any of that," he says, bluntly. "i mean, it would just make me feel more privileged than i already am. besides, it's all just a big headache. i'll leave it for the old man."

yuna's face falls and you hold in a laugh.

you finally chime in. "you know what, i have to agree. so much money can drive a person crazy. sometimes it even goes straight to their heads."

chenle can't hold back his amused snort. both him and yuna know exactly who you're referring to.

she wastes no time defending herself.  "but, with reason y/n. to be fair, only 1% of millionaires are under 35 and here i am at 16."

you restrain yourself from scoffing. "well i'm sure the other 99% of the population doesn't get things handed to them on a silver platter by their daddy, yuna."

she stares you down, her huge, hazel eyes never leaving your e/c ones. "i think it'd be best if i excused myself. i'm going to go find my father, if you both don't mind."

"not at all," chenle mumbles as you both watch her stomp away.

you exhale loudly. "i knew i was gonna snap one of these days."

"well, if you didn't i would have," chenle responds.

"frankly, i don't regret a thing," you say, turning back to his smiling face.

"mm, and what if she tells daddy?" he inquires, folding his arms.

you playfully raise a brow. "i'll have you know, i'm one of the 1% of millionaires that are under 35, i think i have the advantage."  

he giggles. "oh god, that was unbelievable. where did she even get those numbers from?"

"i have no idea but it was just… painful to watch. i'm gonna need a breath of fresh air after that."

he nods in agreement and you both walk towards the nearby balcony.  you step outside, the breeze whipping your hair all over the place and leaving goosebumps on your skin.

"you know," he begins before silence can settle upon you two for too long. "i was really hoping there would be someone around my age here tonight. and i don't know if you usually come to these things or if you don't but either way, i am so glad you're here."

this comment reminds you of the way he had stared you down upon arriving and it makes your face feel a little warm despite the cool air of the night. "'cause i'm the only thing standing between you and a wonderful night with yuna."  

"oh i'm sure it would've been real wonderful." he gives you a 'yeah right' look. "we couldn't even hang around each other for more than five minutes, i'm positive it would've been a long night."

you nod. "every night with her is. usually she's the only person i end up talking to at these things and let me just say, i think she's more money-hungry than all the men in there combined."

chenle whistles, lowly. "combined? that's dangerous."

"yeah, she takes after daddy," you mutter, picking at your nail polish that has begun to peel.

"what a relief you don't," he says. "or else i think i would have thrown myself off this balcony by now."

"well, you don't have to worry about that. you and i are on the same boat. money doesn't interest me all that much. definitely not to that extent."

"what does interest you?" chenle asks, turning his attention to you instead of the city lights in the distance.

you shrug. "i haven't figured it out yet. i'm too busy trying to be perfect. and i have a long way to go. just ask my dad, he seems to have really strong opinions on the matter."

"oh, i get it," he says. "you're so focused on being the perfect daughter that you haven't figured out what's going on in there." he wiggles his finger around your forehead.

"i just… want to make him happy. i want to see him smile because of me. even if 'me' is that daughter he expects me to be. i'm okay with being her. i'll take it."

chenle furrows his eyebrows and suddenly he doesn't seem to get it anymore. "you really... become an entirely different person? just for him? i mean, you seem like a good daughter. i don't understand that, y/n."

"and you won't understand, chenle," you respond. "because your dad loves you. he lets you wear your edgy clothes to business parties and doesn't worry about what everyone else is gonna think. he doesn't worry about first impressions, he doesn't force you to become someone else for strangers. he doesn't put any business deal above you. he doesn't chose his job over you, chenle and that's great. i'm so happy that's not the case with you. but it is for me. and when you know that the only time your dad is going to want anything to do with you is when you can help him make a quick buck or good impression, you resort to facades and doing anything you can to make him appreciate you. just a little."

chenle's arms envelop your shivering figure before you can say another word. his hands run up and down your arms and his chin rests atop your head. he inhales deeply, taking in your wonderful scent. he knows it's probably some off the wall expensive perfume.

"i'm so sorry, y/n," he mumbles into your coconut scented locks. "i'm sorry that you have to do that and that i won't ever be able to understand it. you just deserve… so much more than that. do you realize how true that must be for a boy you just met today to see it? and it breaks my heart that your own father doesn't because you really shouldn't have to suffer through that. he doesn't have his priorities straight but that shouldn't be an excuse for him to neglect his own daughter." he detaches from you so he can look directly into your glossy eyes, holding you at an arm's length away.  "and he has no idea what he's missing out on, y/n. you're so headstrong, so humble and so much more than just a pretty face or someone's daughter. and if he can't treat you like the incredible individual you are then...." he exhales and you catch his breath blow in the air. "then please let me."

your bottom lip is quivering. you had never heard such nice words. and you don't have the slightest idea what he means by that last bit but you still nod and jump right back into his arms. because you have decided that's where you feel safest. where you can be yourself, freely and unapologetically.

"the second i walked in this place, i hated it," he mumbles and a laugh escapes your lips. "but then i saw you. and it got a little better. then i met you. and it got a lot better. we just met but i already can't seem to get enough of you, y/n." he chuckles as if he can't believe it himself. "you must be something really special. and i have the privilege of seeing that."

you move away from his chest and look up at him. your hands thread through his tufts of hair that match the darkness of the night sky. his hands stay planted firmly at his waist. you feel like he has no intention of letting go. you would be lying if you said you did either. and neither of you seem to have a problem with it.

"i can't wait for you to finally feel what it's like to be treated how you deserve. and i can't wait to be the guy to show you. i am so, so lucky."

you smile, your teeth on display. "i'm actually so glad i came tonight. that is definitely a first."

he laughs. "speaking of firsts..." he trails off, shyly.

you raise a brow, just to tease him a bit. "what are you getting at, mr. zhong?"

he knows you're joking yet his heart pounds as he leans in and asks for permission to kiss you. "may i, ms. l/n?"

"you may," you respond, meeting him halfway.

[crossbowking]

The Road Ahead : Chapter 18

Chapter Index HERE

Summary : (Set in the beginning of season 1) Anna Brooks lost everything after the world ended — the last remaining part of herself being her older brother, who she lost contact with after communications dropped. While en route towards Atlanta to find him, Anna’s truck breaks down, leaving her at the mercy of the cruel new world. Now, Anna must face her fears head on as she struggles to deal with devastating loss, constant danger, and finding her way in a land that now belongs to the dead. But sometimes, a glimmer of hope can be found disguised as a short-tempered, hard-headed redneck who may just save her life in more ways than one.

Pairings : Daryl x Original Female Character

Warnings : Slow-Burn, Language/Violence/typical Walking Dead themes

Author’s Note : Oh. Hi. *crickets*

I KNOW I HAVEN’T UPDATED IN MONTHS. LITERAL MONTHS. I’M SORRY. BUT THIS WRITING SHIT IS LIKE...HARD. I hope y’all remember wtf has happened in this story because I had to go back and reread because I was LOST. So hopefully this shit makes sense. (I’ll insert a recap to refresh everyone’s memory.)

I’m sorry. I’m gonna go hide in the corner now.

Shoutout to @wilhelmjfink for creating the awesome cover pic for this series! Love you bb.

THIS CHAPTER IS DARYL’S POV, ALSO.

Okay, that is all.

xx crossbowking

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Recap...

- Anna was attacked by Merle (hopped up on coke, mind you) en route towards Atlanta in search of her brother, Ben. Their parents died at some point during the journey and Anna now wears their wedding rings on a chain around her neck.

- Daryl swoops in and saves Anna from Merle, fixes her truck, and they have a moment *swoon*. He offers her a place in his group but she declines, putting her family first and continuing for Atlanta (even though he already told her the city was destroyed). 

- Anna spends the night in a shitty gas station market, has a flashback of her childhood/a sneak peek into her relationship with Ben, and cries herself to sleep *aw bb, it’s ok*.

- The next day, Anna stumbles across a herd who traps her on the roof of the market...all hope seems lost. Until gunshots from the city draw some of the herd away *aka Rick escaping the tank*. A storm rolls in, providing the small amount of water Anna needs to make it to the city. A car alarm sounds from the city shortly after, drawing more of the herd away *hm...whoever could that be? Possibly a cutie patootie driving a red sports car?...*

- Anna makes her escape and continues for Atlanta. She parks her truck and makes the trek to her brother’s apartment with no trouble. Once there, she finds a walker trapped in his bathroom, but luckily, it’s not Ben. She finds a note from him addressed to her saying that he left for Fort Benning after the city was overrun. Anna stays the night and decides to try for the army base next.

- Anna scavenges the following day, gathers supplies and heads back to her truck before nightfall. She runs into Rick’s group (leaving the city after trying to find Merle) attempting to hotwire her truck, has a not so pleasant reunion with Daryl, but decides to drive the group back to their camp *she owes Daryl, give her a break*. 

- They return as the camp is getting overrun by walkers. Anna helps defend the quarry and saves Carl, almost dies, but *dun dun dun* is saved by Daryl once more.

- Rick offers Anna a place in the group but she’s set on searching for her brother and heading to Fort Benning. She’s still unsure why Daryl is being so cold to her. 

- Stays one more night with the group, contemplating next move. Daryl gives Anna his dinner after she gave Sophia hers, only furthering Anna’s confusion regarding the archer. *make up your damn mind, Dixon!*

- Anna decides to join the group to the CDC. If CDC is a dead end, Rick promises they will try for Benning. 

- Daryl is being a jerk face again and Anna is #overhimandhisissues.

- They make it to the CDC, meet Edwin Jenner, and have an interesting dinner. *group finds out Anna’s mom had cancer, but ultimately died from a walker bite*

- Everyone gets drunk *ayeee gettin’ crunk*

- Anna and Glenn bond while everyone else turns in for the night *supposedly* and she finds out more about the archer/Merle/what happened in Atlanta the day she ran into them.

- She learns that Daryl and Merle got into a huge fight/brawl and is pretty sure she’s the reason it started. Realizes that Daryl is a moody lil’ bitch because he blames her for the way things ended with him and Merle/the fight they had/the mean things he said to his brother.

- Shane pops up outta nowhere, all sorts of fucked up, and basically attacks Anna because he’s a horny lil’ psychopath. Daryl hears the struggle and yet again, *shocker* saves Anna.

- Daryl stays in Anna’s room *cue awkward tension* and she spills out some sort of apology *which Daryl ignores* instead bringing up the fact that she didn’t find her brother. She shares the note she found/her plan to head for Fort Benning. Daryl is like “psh, ya ain’t gon’ make it, ya dumb ho” and Anna’s like “psh, you’re so fuckin’ rude omg” and Daryl storms out and Anna’s all like “JUST BC U GAVE UP ON UR BROTHER DOESN’T MEAN I’M GIVING UP ON MINE” and Daryl’s like “ow...dat’s some cold shit” and leaves.

- Anna can’t sleep because GUILT. Anywho, the next morning everyone has breakfast together, Shane apologizes to Anna/threatens her to keep her mouth shut in the same breath.

- Then, cue the group trapped in the CDC/building about to explode.

- Group gets out, Anna’s a dumb lil ho and runs back inside for her backpack *LEAVE HER ALONE SHE COULDN’T LEAVE THE PICTURE OF HER AND BEN/HIS NOTE TO HER BEHIND*

- Anna almost dies, but whoohoo, she lives! Daryl runs back into the field and carries her semi-unconscious form away from the wreckage.

There. Now everyone’s caught up.

AND...HERE WE GO.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Previously…

Black spots suddenly danced in Anna’s vision, her stomach rolling, her body’s aches and pains dulling as her legs began to give out, unable to keep up with the archer’s determined pace. She squeezed her eyes shut, her drooping head lolling against Daryl’s shoulder as the world began to fade.

The last thing Anna felt was the archer sliding his arm up her back, slipping it around her shoulders instead as his other arm cupped behind her kneecaps, swiftly swooping her off the ground.

And then everything went dark.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now...

The desolate road spilled out before the caravan of survivors, its winding roads and towering trees seemingly endless. Abandoned cars littered the sides of the road, some doors till strewn open, others covered in blood and grime. There wasn’t another soul in sight — it was as though the entire world had been completely wiped clean, forced to begin again from scratch.

The survivors traveled along cascading backroads, steering clear of highways and more populated areas as they navigated out of the city and into the rural countrysides of Georgia with no set destination in mind.

Daryl lost track of how long the group had been driving, the minutes and hours seeping into one another as the sun reached its highest peak and began its slow descent. His hand rested lazily atop the steering wheel, the other resting on his thigh, fingertips drumming anxiously against his knee.

His mind had been ticking nonstop since the group had escaped the Center for Disease Control. The explosion had drawn in a massive herd, bigger than any horde Daryl had ever seen before. There hadn’t been time to reconvene, to figure out a different course of action, to make sure —

A soft whimper suddenly drew Daryl’s attention to the passenger seat, his gaze settling on her.

Anna Brooks.

The archer sighed, pulling his eyes away from her sleeping form, focusing back on the road ahead. He rested his elbow against the doorframe, the side of his thumb finding a home nestled between his teeth. He gnawed absently on the side of his thumbnail, his thoughts refusing to settle, his nerves standing on end.

In the midst of all the chaos, during the group’s last ditch effort to escape the impending blast, Daryl hadn’t even realized that Anna was no longer with the group. His jaw clenched, the backs of his teeth gnashing together — how could he not have realized?

He could still feel that pit in his stomach, the feeling of dread that’d shot through him when he’d spotted her climbing out of the CDC after Dale and Andrea. It felt as though all the air had been sucked from his lungs, leaving him paralyzed, only able to sit and watch as she ran for her life — and there hadn’t been a damn thing he could do about it.

The explosion had drawn in the dead, giving him no time to make sure she was uninjured, to make sure she was okay. He didn’t think, he didn’t hesitate — he just ran back for her, the heat from the blast surging over his exposed flesh as he spotted her trapped beneath an unmoving walker, her hammer lodged in its skull.

Although she’d been disoriented when he’d found her, unsteady and dazed as he’d pulled her to her feet, the most important thing was that she was okay.

So he’d carried Anna’s weakened form back to his truck as she drifted in and out of consciousness. And when Lori emerged from the RV, frantically motioning for him to leave Anna with her and the others before they departed, he blatantly ignored the offer — he just couldn’t bring himself to do it, for some reason. He had to keep an eye on her, had to make sure she kept herself out of trouble. The damn woman had run back into an imploding building — who the hell knows what else she’d do?

No. No, he needed to keep an eye on her. He didn’t trust anyone else to keep her alive. That was what this boiled down to. He didn’t trust anyone else to —

Daryl clenched his jaw, grip tightening around the steering wheel as he forced himself to focus — to get a fucking grip. What the hell had gotten into him? This wasn’t who he was. This wasn’t what he did. Everything had been so simple before — before losing Merle, before the CDC, before he met her. Over the course of the last few days, Anna Brooks had somehow managed to worm her way into the forefronts of his mind, had crawled her way beneath his skin, and now he couldn’t seem to quiet the demanding need to keep her alive.

What the hell had gotten into him?

Daryl still thought about that day back on the road — the day he first met her. She’d seemed so vulnerable, so terrified — cowering beneath Merle’s grasp, his knife pressed against the hollow of her throat, a small trail of blood seeping from her pierced flesh. It wasn’t the first time he’d walked in on Merle tormenting some poor unsuspecting victim — but there’d been something different about her. The moment her big, brown eyes locked with his, he found himself intervening before he could think twice. There hadn’t been a moment of hesitation when he pointed his crossbow at his brother’s head — not even a flinch.

And that is what had freaked him out the most.

He sometimes wondered what would’ve happened if he hadn’t gotten involved that day. What would’ve happened to Anna? How far would his brother have gone? Merle had been out of control that day — had been for a long time before that too. The drugs hadn’t helped either, instead heightening his already brusque demeanor.

Merle hadn’t cared about anyone or anything — Daryl wasn’t even sure if his brother ever really cared about him. He knew that Merle’s inevitable downfall would happen from his own recklessness, his own actions and choices, and he’d been trying to prepare himself for life without his brother for a long time coming.

But in all the various ways Daryl had pictured his final moments with Merle, what he hadn’t expected was for there to be a brutal fight, a harsh exchanging of words, and an overwhelming swell of guilt vast enough to swallow him whole.

And it all came to a head after that day on the road.

The day he met her.

Daryl stormed through the growing underbrush of vines and leaves, stepping over an exposed root as he pushed forward, driven solely by frustration. He heard a sudden thud behind him, followed by a string of muttered curses, but still pushed forward, ignoring the racket.

“Damn roots be poppin’ up outta nowhere, swear ta’ Christ,” Merle’s gravelly voice echoed from behind.

The archer glanced over his shoulder, spotting Merle kneeling on the forest floor, grunting as he pushed himself back onto his feet. But Daryl didn’t slow his pace, didn’t respond, didn’t offer to help — nothing. He didn’t trust himself not to snap right now, the anger coursing through him growing with each step he took closer to camp, further away from the scared girl with big brown eyes and a beaten down pickup truck.

Daryl gnashed his teeth together, grip tightening around his crossbow. What a shit-fucking-day it had been. He’d volunteered to go hunting, to try and rile up some food for the group waiting back at the quarry. But then Merle had decided to tag along last minute, his brother itching to be out in the wilderness, away from the cautious eyes that watched his every move back at camp.

And it had all gone downhill from there.

Merle’s boisterous persona had done an outstanding job in alerting every living and nonliving thing within a mile of their approach, leaving the pair empty-handed by the end of their long day. Daryl’s frustration had only grown with each hour that passed, the thought of coming home with nothing forming a pit in his gut. The brothers were already on thin ice with the group, one wrong move away from being kicked out on their asses — no thanks to Merle, he might add.

They’d scoured the vast forest, waded through the babbling creek just a few miles from camp, and even checked out a couple cottages and sheds they’d randomly stumbled upon — but there’d been nothing, everything within a five-mile radius seemingly wiped clean.

“Mind slowin’ your roll there, baby bro?” Merle called after him, his voice becoming more and more distant with the increasing space Daryl was putting between them. “Ain’t the athlete I used ta’ be,” he snarked lightly.

Daryl rolled his eyes, although Merle couldn’t see from where he trailed behind him.

“Hey, what’s the fuckin’ dealio?” Merle snapped, his footsteps quickening. “Ya ain’t still pissed at me, are ya?” he pressed, an incredulous laugh booming from deep within his gut. “Aw, c’mon, Darlina —”

“Hey!” Daryl snapped, halting abruptly and turning on his heels, coming face to face with Merle, who’d finally caught up to him. “Ya gonna draw in every walker around if ya don’t shut your damn trap,” he hissed, eyes narrowed into slits, Merle’s jeering expression only angering him further.

“Ah, let ‘em come!” he scoffed, holding his arms out at his sides. “We can take ‘em, you an’ I!” he continued, the volume of his words increasing, echoing throughout the otherwise silent forest.

Daryl huffed a breath, shooting his brother a look of contempt as he turned on his heel and stormed forward, leaving Merle behind once more.

“Hey, what’s got your panties all up in a twist, huh?” Merle mocked, catching up and falling in step beside the archer. “This ain’t ‘bout that skirt from earlier, is it?” he accused tauntingly.

Daryl stiffened, his body going rigid at the mention of the girl from the road, but he refused to give his brother the satisfaction of a response.

Yet somehow, Merle knew he’d struck a chord, a lopsided sneer coming over his face as he nudged Daryl in the ribs with his elbow. “C’mon, is that it?” he teased, snickering softly. “Ya pissed at ol’ Merle for layin’ claim on the bitch ‘fore ya had the chance? Ya see, I knew ya was —”

“I said shut up, Merle!” Daryl suddenly growled, turning to shove his brother to the side, coming to a swift halt. “This ain’t ‘bout the damn girl. It’s ‘bout how ya can’t keep ya damn mouth shut, alright? Ya scared off any decent game we might’ve found out here — an’ now we’re goin’ back ta’ those people with jackshit!” he snarled, standing toe to toe with his brother, fighting off the urge to smack that arrogant look off his face.

“An’?” Merle shot back simply.

Daryl faltered, brows furrowing. “An’ what?”

“An’ that ain’t our problem, brother,” he scowled, some of the humor fading from his expression. “Ain’t our responsibility ta’ make sure those pricks don’t go hungry, am I right?”

Daryl scoffed, his brother’s selfishness not surprising in the slightest. “Ya know, maybe if ya spent a lil’ more time with your head out a’ your ass, we wouldn’t be in this fuckin’ mess ta’ begin with,” he spat, turning on his heel once more.

“My head spends jus’ the right amount a’ time in my ass, thank ya very much.”

“That you or the drugs talkin’? Hard ta’ tell the damn difference these days,” Daryl shot back over his shoulder before pressing forward.

“Yeah, yeah,” Merle called after him, following suit. “It’s medicinal — doctor prescribed an’ all!” he snarked.

Daryl exhaled heavily, prayed for strength, and pushed onward, suddenly hearing the soft murmur of voices growing from the approaching camp. He quickened his pace, hoping to be able to sneak back into his tent before anyone noticed his return. But much to his surprise, when the trees parted and the quarry came into view, he spotted the entire group sitting around the unlit fire pit in hushed conversation, all heads turning his way as he appeared.

Daryl paused, eyeing the group warily, feeling a pinprick of guilt hit him when most of their gazes traveled from his face, down to his empty hands, their hopeful expressions falling. The buzzing conversation quieted, a tangible disappointment spreading throughout the group as they realized that there would be yet another meager meal for dinner that night. The archer clenched his jaw, lowering his gaze slightly, feeling uncomfortable with all the sudden attention on him.

“Y’all miss me?” Merle’s voice suddenly boomed, breaking the quiet. Daryl glanced up at the group once more, noticing how almost everyone began either rolling their eyes or turning their gazes away, one person audibly groaning. Merle let out a low whistle. “Tough fuckin’ crowd,” he murmured as he moved to stand beside the archer.

Daryl watched as Shane leaned over to whisper something in Lori’s ear before he pushed up from his chair beside her and made his way towards the brothers, rubbing a hand roughly through his tousled hair. “Nothin’?” the officer asked softly, placing his hands on his hips, directing his question towards Daryl.

The archer merely shook his head once, readjusting the crossbow slung over his shoulder.

Shane muttered a curse under his breath, staring off into the trees behind the brothers. “Y'all were out there all damn day an’ ya didn’t find nothin’?” he pressed, his expression tense.

“Ya got fuckin’ eyes, don’t ya? What’s it look like?” Merle snapped, taking a small step towards Shane, drawing the man’s attention away from Daryl. “Ya think ya can do any better, how’s ‘bout ya get off your lazy ass an’ get out there yourself, Officer Asswipe,” he bit out challengingly, puffing his chest slightly.

Shane scoffed and for a moment, Daryl thought he was about to start swinging. But instead, he just shot Merle a dirty look and turned away, making his way back to the fire pit where Lori and Carl sat.

Merle suddenly clamped his hand down on Daryl’s shoulder, leaning in close. “Ain’t our responsibility, brother,” he rasped once more, tightening his grip as he lowered his voice further. “Don’t be forgettin’ why we’re here in the first place — why we been playin’ ‘nicey-nice’ with these fine folks all this time,” he whispered darkly.

Daryl glanced at his brother, the dangerous sneer on his face unsettling. Without another word, Merle huffed a laugh, clapped Daryl roughly on the back and pushed past him, making his way towards his own rickety tent.

Daryl watched his brother walk away, feeling the weight of his words spread like fire through his veins — he hadn’t forgotten why they were there. How could he? It’d been the only thing he could think about since they’d joined the group.

Merle had come up with the idea — of course it’d been his idea. And Daryl had just…gone along with it. He hadn’t protested, hadn’t tried to talk him out of it. He hadn’t even put up a fight.

Did that make him just as horrible as his brother? Or worse?

Daryl scanned the camp, his eyes lingering for a moment towards where Carl and Sophia sat, tucked underneath their mother’s sides, eyes wide and innocent as they quietly listened to the resuming chatter. These were decent people — good people. And he and his brother were going to rob them blind come the following night, leaving them defenseless against the looming threat of the dead.

Daryl grimaced.

Worse. It definitely made him worse.

But then suddenly out of nowhere, images of the girl from earlier flashed through his mind and he stilled. He wasn’t sure why or how she’d weaseled her way into the forefronts of his thoughts, but before he knew it, there she was. He could picture the distrust marring her tense expression, the look only fading after he’d proven to her he meant no harm. He saw the light that’d rekindled in her tiresome eyes after he’d successfully fixed her broken-down truck, the way her smile brought life to her whole face. He remembered the way her gaze softened as she thanked him, politely turning down his offer to join the group back at the quarry.

He’d felt like he’d finally done some good, like he’d done something that actually mattered for once in his life.

That was the type of man he was. Not…not this. Not some sorry sack of shit, blindly following his big brother’s destructive footsteps. That wasn’t who he was. And that wasn’t who he was going to be, damn it.

Feeling a new sense of resolve wash over him, Daryl straightened up and marched forward, searching for where his brother had wandered off to. It only took a few seconds before he found his brother lounging in a picnic chair outside his ramshackle tent, sharpening his hunting knife as he whistled softly.

Daryl saw a flash of that same knife being held to the girl’s throat earlier, but quickly pushed the image away, it only fueling his anger.

Merle glanced up at Daryl’s approach, giving him a quick once-over before he focused back on his weapon.

Daryl cleared his throat quietly, scanning the area to make sure there were no wandering eyes, no potential eavesdroppers. “Hey, we need ta’ talk,” he murmured lowly.

“So, talk,” Merle shot back gruffly, taking a moment to observe the knife’s sharpened edge, using his thumbnail to test the blade.

Daryl huffed a breath, growing more and more impatient towards his brother’s indifferent attitude. He quickly surveyed the campgrounds once more, double checking that this would be a private conversation. When the coast seemed clear, the archer crouched down in front of Merle. “Shit don’t feel right, man,” he rumbled, giving his brother a pointed look.

Merle suddenly scoffed, the corner of his mouth raising into a smirk. “That kinda sounds like a ‘you’ sorta problem, don’t ya think?”

“Nah, ya ain’t listenin’ ta’ me,” Daryl growled, his frustration mounting as he shot up to his feet. “We can’t do this — it ain’t right. They’ve — they’ve got kids here, ya know?” he pressed quietly, urging his brother to see reason.

But Merle simply stiffened, tucking his blade back into the holster of his jeans, regarding Daryl silently for a long moment. “So?” he finally rasped, face set in a stony expression as he folded his hands in front of him.

“So?” Daryl shot back incredulously.

“Ain’t on us if those lil’ shits starve, now is it?” Merle shrugged carelessly, no trace of humor in his gaze anymore. “We ain’t their daddies, are we?”

Daryl faltered, his response not entirely surprising but it did little to soothe his ever-present hostility.

“Don’t matter none,” Merle continued when Daryl remained silent, a hint of a sneer creeping across his face. “Ain’t like those Rugrats gonna last long enough ta’ starve ta’ death anyways,” he jeered, leaning coolly back in his chair, shrugging nonchalantly.

And Daryl had heard enough. Talking his brother out of an idea was like talking to a brick-fucking-wall. Merle could do whatever the hell he wanted — Daryl would have no part in it. So instead of playing into his brother’s antics and giving him the reaction he was poking for, Daryl turned on his heel and stormed away, muttering harshly beneath his breath.

But he’d only made it a few feet before Merle’s rasping voice stopped him dead in his tracks. “Ya got somethin’ ta’ say ta’ me, ya best be sayin’ it ta’ my face, lil’ brother,” he suddenly hollered and Daryl could hear the growing impatience in his voice. It was then that he realized that his brother’s shout had silenced every other conversation spread out amongst the camp, all eyes suddenly ping-ponging between the two brothers apprehensively.

Daryl clenched his jaw, turning around to find his brother now standing upright, his arms held out at his sides, clearly attempting to provoke him. But the younger brother remained steadfast, biting his tongue as he shot his brother a dark look.

“It seems ta’ me ya got an awful lot ta’ say, so why don’t ya go on an’ share with these fine folks,” Merle continued, egging him on, the sudden attention only stroking his massive ego as he turned to address the entire group, as if putting on a show. “My baby brother ain’t a man a’ many words — I’m sure y’all have caught on by now,” he placed a hand mockingly over his heart. “But my oh my, sure looks like there’s jus’ somethin’ real important an’ all that he needs ta’ get off his chest. Somethin’ he’s jus’ dyin’ ta’ share with y’all,” he finished boldly, motioning for Daryl to take over, his eyes challenging. “So, c’mon then, brother. Share with the class.”

Daryl’s gaze narrowed, feeling his blood begin to boil as he shot daggers in Merle’s direction, moments away from losing his composure.

“Let’s jus’ take it easy, alright?” Shane suddenly intervened, coming to stand between the brothers, holding his hands out. “Let’s jus’ be adults here, now,” he hissed quietly, giving each a stern look. “No need for this.”

“That’s right, Officer,” Merle quirked a brow. “That is exactly right,” he rasped, his words holding a heavier meaning as he leveled Daryl’s stare coldly.

“Alright boys, put your rulers away,” Lori suddenly chastised, coming to stand beside Shane, arms crossed over her chest, expression stern. “You’re scarin’ the children, now. Let’s just — let’s just start gettin’ dinner ready, alright?” she urged softly, hoping the brothers would hear reason and stand down.

But when neither of them spoke, each brother glaring at the other, eyes alight in some sort of silent struggle for power. “Enough,” Shane interjected once more, the tension radiating off the brother’s affecting the group as a whole. “I ain’t gonna ask either of ya again —”

“Alright, alright, relax cowboy,” Merle finally scoffed, waving Shane away. “Put a cork in it. We’ll play nice. No need ta’ get all dramatic, now.”

Shane shot Merle a dangerous look before he shook his head, running a hand over his face as he grabbed Lori’s elbow and gently pulled her away. Daryl remained unmoving, chest heaving as he waited for his brother to move first.

Merle whistled lowly, slowly turning on his heels, seeming like he was finally standing down. But then suddenly, he glanced at Daryl from over his shoulder, snickering softly. “Hey, ya think Officer Dickweed’ll let me borrow his handcuffs sometime? Jus’ in case I run into that piece a’ ass from earlier, ya know? I’d like ta’ be a lil’ more prepared next time,” he murmured lowly, an unsettling gleam in his eye.

And Daryl saw red.

Before he knew what he was doing, he found himself suddenly throwing his crossbow to the ground and launching himself at Merle, tackling his brother roughly to the ground. He heard vague shouts echoing from around him, could feel someone tugging on the back of his shirt, but all he could focus on was Merle’s taunting expression.

He was able to throw in one solid punch, feeling a swell of satisfaction as Merle’s head snapped to the side before he was yanked off his brother and hauled backward. Daryl struggled against the restraint, watching as Merle was pulled to his feet, Shane and Morales fighting to hold him back as well.

“Daryl, stop!” Glenn’s voice suddenly broke through the noise. “Just relax!” he urged, grunting as he and T-Dog struggled to hold the archer at bay.

“— let go a’ me, damn it!” Merle growled, his face twisted as he tried to wriggle free.

“Enough!”

“Break it up!”

“Shane —”

“Ain’t none a’ this concern none a’ y’all!” Merle snarled, still fighting against Shane and Morales, his eyes zeroed in on Daryl. “This between me an’ him,” he growled, jabbing a finger in the archer’s direction. “C’mon, Darlina — how’s about we settle this like men?”

“‘Well, what a’ sorry fuckin’ excuse for a ‘man’ ya are, then! Ya do nothin’ but shit for this group!” Daryl snarled back, all of his pent up rage spewing out of him. “Could’a done somethin’ useful today — but instead I find ya out there gettin’ high an’ doin’ some stupid shit ta’ an innocent girl, actin’ like a damn prick! Ya ain’t nothin’ but nothin’, Merle! Do ya get that by now? Huh?”

Merle movements stilled as he regarded his brother threateningly. “Ya best watch your mouth, boy,” he rasped darkly, his eyes narrowed as Shane and Morales slowly released him, still keeping him at arm's length. “Don’t be forgettin’ who you’re talkin’ ta’, now. Don’t be forgettin’ whose blood ya got runnin’ through ya. Ya don’t wanna go on an’ piss off the only family ya got left, the only family who ever watched out for ya an’ stood up for your pathetic punk ass!” he growled, the anger in his words growing.

Daryl scoffed, yanking out of Glenn and T-Dog’s grasp before marching over to where he’d thrown his crossbow down. He grabbed his weapon, ignoring the heavy silence that’d settled over the camp as he regarded his brother once more, feeling nothing but contempt. “Ya jus’ a fuckin’ waste a’ space,” he spat between heaving breaths, slinging his bow over his shoulder, the words feeling bitter on his tongue yet he couldn’t stop them from slipping through his lips. “A good-for-nothin’ addict — jus’ like dad.”

Daryl ignored the subtle flash of hurt that snaked its way across Merle’s face before his expression hardened. No one spoke, all eyes suddenly trained on him as the two brothers stared each other down once more.

Then, without another word, Daryl turned on his heels, shoved away the mounting swell of guilt that suddenly hit him, and stormed back into the darkened forest.

Daryl jolted back to reality, a metallic taste suddenly seeping across his tongue. He quickly pulled his thumb away from his teeth, noticing the blood now trickling down the side of his thumbnail. He sighed, wiping the blood away on his jeans as he focused back on the road.

Those were the last words he ever said to his brother. He hadn’t expected that fight to happen, hadn’t expected for those insults to come from his mouth, but Merle had always had a way of pushing him — and Daryl finally snapped.

But now his brother was gone and he’d never get the chance to mend things. His punishment for what he’d said was to wallow in the guilt that’d stay with him for the rest of his life — however short he had left, at least.

Another whimper drew his attention back to Anna and he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. Her brow was creased, lips turned down into a slight pout, eyes shut tight and crinkled around the edges. Sleep brought her no peace — she still looked just as weary, just as troubled, as she did when she was awake.

Daryl fought back the urge to reach out and wake her.

He sighed softly, forcing his eyes back on the road, away from the girl sleeping beside him.

When Daryl had found out what happened in Atlanta, that Merle had been left behind, handcuffed to the roof like a fucking animal, his first instinct was to lash out. That always seemed to be his first instinct for some reason. But he’d gone back for his brother — he’d made the trek back to that dead-ridden city to save him and what did his brother do? He cut off his own fucking hand instead.

Dumbass.

If Merle had just waited a little while longer, if he hadn’t been so damn impulsive —

Daryl grimaced. He’d seen some nasty shit in his life — but seeing his brother’s sawed-off, cold, limp, stump of a hand laying on that roof…well, that had to take the cake.

His stomach churned just thinking about it.

Still, his brother was tough — toughest son of a bitch Daryl had ever known. And he knew that Merle would never just roll over and give up…so the archer did what he did best and he tracked his ass.

And that had been a dead-fucking-end.

The only thing Daryl was sure of was that Merle had somehow made it out of the city alive. He had to have been the one who stole the truck that he, Rick, Glenn, and T-Dog had driven down to the railroad. It had to be him.

So now, Daryl was left to live with the unknown — the fate of his brother was something he’d wonder about until the day he died. Maybe Merle had succumbed to the effects of his injury, crashed the truck, and bled out somewhere on the road. Maybe he found his way back to the quarry and realized that the entire group had upped and left him, that his own brother had upped and left him. Maybe he’d made it somewhere safe, found a new shelter, a new group of people to take him in.

Daryl scoffed under his breath. Merle had a better shot of winning the fucking lottery than he did finding a group of people who’d put up with his bullshit.

Just because you gave up on your brother, doesn’t mean I’m giving up on mine.

His grip tightened around the steering wheel as Anna’s words echoed through his thoughts, their argument from last night settling like a pit in his stomach.

A fresh wave of fury washed over him as he remembered Anna’s desperate shouts, Shane’s greedy advances, and the blistering red heat that’d coursed through him when he came out of his room and saw her pinned up against that wall.

He could’ve killed Shane right then and there.

Daryl’s eyes darted up to the rearview mirror, spotting Shane driving his Jeep directly behind him in the caravan of vehicles, the man’s face twisted with tension, eyes narrowed as he stared straight ahead. But he must’ve felt the archer’s gaze on him because suddenly, his eyes flashed up to meet Daryl’s in the rearview mirror. The two held one another’s stare for a long moment before Shane finally looked away, letting his arm dangle outside the open window of his Jeep, his fingertips drumming against the door.

He should’ve killed Shane right then and there.

Anna shifted in the passenger seat, curling inwardly, arms wrapped around her middle as she tried to find comfort against the glass window she leaned against. After a moment, she sighed softly, her even breathing resuming as she settled against the door.

Daryl let go of the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

He was hoping Rick would pull the RV over sooner rather than later for the group to reconvene, giving him a chance to escape the small confines of the car and the inevitable tension when Anna finally woke up. She’d tried to talk to him about what happened between them back at the CDC, but it hadn’t been the right time — it never seemed to be the right time.

So he’d brushed her off — but not for the reasons she probably thought.

As memories from the night before swarmed his vision, something suddenly made itself startlingly clear. The truth was, she’d been right — he had given up on his brother.

But not her — he hadn’t given up on her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N : Season 2 has begun!

We got to see a little flashback about that brutal fight Daryl and Merle got into, part of what has been fueling his hostility. As well as some of his conflicting thoughts. What’d you guys think of this chapter?

Next chapter will also be from Daryl’s POV -- we’ll be seeing a flashback of the night before and what exactly happened to Daryl after his and Anna’s argument. And then we will be switching back to dear Anna’s side of things.

I’m excited for what’s to come. Thank you to those who’ve stuck with me. I appreciate you all so so so much. If anyone is lost or has any questions, feel free to shoot me a message!

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: 1. Are you still interested in me continuing this story? I understand if not because it’s been so long and I, myself, couldn’t even remember everything that’s happened. 2. Was Daryl right in what he said to Merle? Who’s side are you on?

Feedback is INCREDIBLY important. I write for my own happiness, but I also write for YOU. So don’t be afraid to shoot me an ask or message or leave a comment with your thoughts! It truly motivates me and helps move along the writing process. Let’s discuss and be friends!

If you want to be notified when I post again, let me know and I’ll add you to my tag list!

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[sanctum-of-fantasy]

6 38 Cheshire/Myu!

6 - In bed at 2am, blissfully drowsy 

38 - “You just feel really good. Soft and warm…”

Another prompt finished at last! And with two more character’s I’ve never written before so it’s was good to get more experience with writing Specters! Here’s a college AU setting that turned out very silly and sweet I hope?

Thud, thud, loud cursing, thud, a shout of joy

An annoying, constant onslaught of sound that grated on hisnerves. The sound of two sets of footsteps above his room would have been fineat any other time but it was midnight and the owners of the steps were shouting.It was just Cheshire’s luck to be back from a trip and stuck with Queenand Sylphid while the other housemates were out. Gordon would have told them toput a pause on their shenanigans by now. Hell even Valentine would havestormed in their shared room and take their tv if he was home and trying to dosome late-night studying.

But no, out of the half a dozen college students that livedthe spacious, Victorian house (that was owned by one scary but fair landlordwith a monobrow) he was the only other person around. Several were away atconferences, Violate was away for an important competition and he had no ideawhere Myu was.

Though that was kind of unnerving, the art student was adamn ninja when he wanted to be. In fact he was pretty damn sure Myu had somekind of martial arts background. He also happened to be the source of a long,secret crush.

Normally he’d just put on his headphones and ignore them butagain it was midnight and he only had two days before returning to hisclasses. And he had planned on enjoying every hour as much as he could.

So he shut his comic, threw wide his door and stormed up thestaircase determined to do something about the noise.

‘Maybe I’ll just flip their light switch on and off untilthey freak out. Hells I should get grab their controllers and throw theminto Violate’s room, there’s no way they’d go in there’ Cheshire thought as hestomped up the steps. Grinning as he plotted how to best mess with the otherhousemates, it was all fair in love and war.

Just as he reached the final step, he flipped on the hallwaylight and rubbed his chin ‘I could put them in Violate’s room, but Icould also hide their games in Gordon’s room.’ That just left the matter of howto get them out of their room. There was no way he could break into their roomand make it past both of them, especially if he had to grab so much.

A memory popped into his mind then. The last time he spoketo them before he returned home Sylphid mentioned a ‘horror movie marathon’that was only three days ago. The house boasted quite the moviecollection, there had to be at least a dozen horror ones. Which, in Cheshiredevilish mind, meant they still had to be spooked. It’d explained why they werestill up too; both usually went to bed much earlier.

But what was their misfortune was his tool of delightful ofpayback.

So he crept over to the house phone at one of the hallways,dialing Queen’s cell. A classic ‘the call is coming from inside the house’might spook them.

However, as if some divine influence decided that paybackwas not an option for him, the hallway light went out. Leaving him in pitchdarkness and hair standing on ends like a spooked cat.

Then came the noises, a rapid thud thud thud ofsomeone racing along the hallway and a door being opened and then-

“Son of-damn you!” Came Queen’s voice, followed bySlyphid’s cursing, partly in French, switching into Dutch and then into German.A rather long chain of swears that he only knew like five words of but it wasstill artful.

The tension that had dropped onto his heart soon disappearedas the hallway light flickered back on revealing the taller form of Myu. A smuggrin on his face as he exited the shared room of Queen and Sylphid, hands onhis hips as he walked.

Gods damn Ninja

Myu spotted him then and smiled, waving one hand as he keptthe other on his hip. “Cheshire it’s good to see you around, been a while!” hecalled out, ignoring Queen when he appeared from the door and glared at himwhile Sylphid stuck his tongue out.

Cheshire gave them an expression of “are you two serious?”before nodding to Myu. “Yeah man, didn’t think you were home though?”

“I just got back from doing some work for a class, took theback door. I was trying to relax when these two” He gestured behind him with athumb “Started making noise.”

“We just got past a hard boss, buzz off you killjoy” Sylphidhissed, tapping a hand against the doorway while Queen leaned against it.

“You got past one hard boss but the next one? You’ll neverbeat” Myu countered, turning back and grinning “I bet you two your entire stashof energy drinks.”

Queen paled several shades and dropped his mouth “How-howdid you?”

“I have my ways, you know this” Myu replied in a sing-songtone causing the two others to finch and duck back into their room, shuttingthe door and cursing.

There was silence for a few moments before Myu and Cheshireburst out into laughter. Cheshire wrapped his arms around his sides and wiped atear from his eye “Do you really know where their stash is? I cleaned theirroom a few times and never found it.”

“Oh neither than I but do they need to know that?” Myu snickeredinto a hand, lowering his voice.

Cheshire dropped to the ground, laughing hard enough thathis sides began to hurt. “Holyshit that is hilarious!”

There was thud from the room behind Myu and Queen shouted amuffled “Screw you!” only to cause them to laugh harder.

“Ok ok!” Cheshire gasped “We’ll leave you guys alone! Wouldyou like to hang some Myu? I know you must be tired so maybe some other time?”

“No, actually I find myself wide wake now” Myu grinned.“Your room or mine? Actually…your room might be best; I need to clean minetomorrow I swear” He gestured off in the general direction of where his roomwas.

Oh fuck

‘Do not fuck this up’ Was Cheshire’s first thought when hehad managed to stop laughing and gasped. ‘Do not say anything stupid to yourcrush.’

“Uh yeah that’ll be great! I mean sure why not? We can catchup and what not” He said, though his words came out more like shouting. Hestood up quickly, rubbing a hand against his neck and motioning towards thestairs. He hoped that the warmth in his cheeks was just from laughing so hardand that he was not in fact blushing.

“After you then” Myu said, stepping close enough thatCheshire shivered. At that moment he was glad Queen and Sylphid were likelyfinding a new spot for their energy drinks and tidying up their room and notwitnessing any of this.

***

They settled into his room easily enough. Talking about onesubject and then another as Cheshire relaxed in his computer chair as Myulounged on his bed, hugging one pillow to his chest, a soft smile spread acrosshis thin lips.

‘Has he always been this cute?’ Cheshire thought, blinkingrapidly and shaking his head to shove thought away. ‘No no, it’s too late for thatkind of stuff!’

“Are you alright?” Myu asked with a slight tilt of his head.

“Fine, just fine!” Cheshire grinned, waving a hand “Justthinking about something, it’s nothing. So what were you working on?” The artstudent always seemed to have one project going on or another. Between hisroom, part of the garage and the classrooms, there were hints of what hisnewest piece would be. He enjoyed looking for them and guessing, not thatCheshire would admit it.

“I was doing some welding for a sculpture” Myu answered,rolling a hand as he spoke. “It’s taking longer than I expected but I decidedto work on some smaller details, but I hope it’ll work out in the end.”

“I’m sure it will, you do pretty great art ya know” Cheshirenodded. He’d seen enough to say that confidently, not that he’d let anyone knowthat he visited the campus art galleries when there were shows. He had areputation to maintain after all! But still, rather it was metal sculptures,clay or fine paintings, Myu seemed to get his hands on anything and do wonderswith it.

Myu tensed and Cheshire felt his heart drop “You’ve seen mywork? I’ve only met Violate, Gordon and Rhadamanthys at the galleries.”

“Well I uh, I must have shown up at a different time Iguess?” Cheshire said, shifting his chair as his thoughts began to speed up, orit his heart? “I’ve been to all of the galleries with your stuff in them” Heblurted out, freezing when his mind finally caught up to what exactly he said.

‘Shit shit, what to do, what have you done man’ He cursedand panicked, heart skipping several beats and eyes looking way from Myu as heopened his mouth to speak. ‘Which is probably the worst idea ever, of all time.Stop talking Cheshire like now.’

Myu smiled, hugging the pillow tighter and looking away “I’mglad to hear. If-If I may ask do you have a particular favorite or simply oneyou enjoyed the most?”

Cheshire could feel his face warm up and throat become dry“There was one from last summer. The one with the stained glass and twistedmetal tree? I liked how the colors reflected on the trunk, looked like it tookforever. Fantasia, that was the title, right?”

He may or may have snuck a few pics during the galleriessince many of the pieces ended up being sold.

“Yes” Myu lifted his head some, eyes only visible over theedge “It did take a long time, I never used glass until then. It turned out sowell, I consider it one of my best and” he trailed off, voice dropping into awhisper.

“Pardon?” Cheshire blinked, rubbing a hand against his neck.

Myu took a breath and spoke up “I’m so glad to learn youloved it too.”

‘Well…fuck’

“Y-yeah man, like I said you do great work. There’s a lot ofyour stuff I liked, and I like seeing what new tricks you try” Cheshire managedto say, somehow not stumbling over his words. “Hell I can’t wait to see whatthat new piece will look like!”

“Maybe I’ll give you a private viewing when it’s done” Myuwinked and Cheshire felt his heartbeat quicker.

“I’d like that a lot” He replied.

Myu lowered his pillow and leaned forward on his elbows“It’ll be a date then. Though I’d even suggest…oh never mind, it’sembarrassing honestly” He looked away, a faint blush -and yes that was a blush-appearing on his face.

‘Shit he’s cute even blushing’ Cheshire thought, smilingdumbly as he took in the sight before he heard ‘date’ followed by a ‘nevermind’ and ‘Wait, date? Like a date date? Does he? Woah slow downCheshire.’

“Hey, you can tell me anything man, I won’t judge” He said,smiling in a way he hoped was reassuring.

Myu had been so honest until now and he had been thoroughlyenjoying their talk so far, as embarrassing and how it made his heart melt andjump at once. It felt good, really good just talking to him after solong of avoiding him because of his crush or just because of how differenttheir schedules were.

He seemed to shy away then and for a moment Cheshirewondered if he said something wrong. But that panicked thought was shoved awaywhen he asked “Would you consider modeling for me sometime? If not as a model,then someone to bounce ideas with?”

And at that, Cheshire felt his mind go completely andutterly blank. All the rushing thoughts and feeling suddenly disappeared fasterthan a blink. Myu first spoke of a date then mentioned modeling or helping himwith his projects. It was like something out of a dream.

He must have blanked out harder than he realized because thenext thing he knew Myu was shaking him by the shoulders with a worriedexpression on his face and calling out his name.

“Cheshire, are you ok?” He asked, tone tense and crackingslightly.

“Let me just say” Cheshire started to say, “That I’m so gladyou didn’t ask to paint me like one of your French girls or something.”

“Well, last time I checked neither of us are French” Myuchuckled, a quick and light sound. “But I can certainly try if you’d like?”

“Ha! Nice” He laughed before realizing it soundedlike Myu just flirted with him. “Wait…are you flirting with me?”

“Well to be honest I was hoping so? Was it clear enough ordo I need to try something different?” He asked, tilting his head in that waythat was just so endearing and holyfuck Myu liked him.

Cheshire jerked forward, grabbing the other-gently-by theshoulders as his eyes widened “Wait wait, you like me? Like more than a friendkind of?”

Myu gasped and placed his hands on Cheshire’s hips “Yes andyes? I didn’t know how to tell you before it just…felt like the right momentnow. So…do you? Like me more than a friend?”

It was a dream, a paradise but it was reality. After a longweek between flights and rushing to the next, returning home to a mostly silenthouse with no one to greet him. Until now, now at this moment everything seemedso much better, so perfect.

“You have no idea” Cheshire grinned and hugged the othertightly, gripping his shirt and feeling his eyes prick as tears began to fall.He heard My sniffle and lean into the hug, lightly rubbing his back and buryinghis face into his shoulder, an awkward position given their height differencebut at the moment? It was the last thing either of them could care about.

***

If someone told him, one day he’d end up cuddling with hissecret crush on his bed while they watched various videos on YouTube throughhis PS4, Cheshire would have laughed them off and quietly screamed inside. Yethere he was, his head against Myu’s chest while the other ran a hand throughhis hair, love mutually confessed and a date planned.

An actual date, had he passed out during an exam andreached paradise?

“Hey Cheshire?” Myu spoke up, voice pulling him out of hisbliss enough for him to tilt his head up and hum in acknowledgement.

“Are you always like this? You just feel really good. Softand warm…” Myu chuckled as he scratched lightly at Cheshire’s scalp, asensation that sent pleasant shivers down his back. “You know, I always thoughtyou used gel to get your hair to look like that? But it’s so fluffy, soextremely fluffy.”

Cheshire rolled his eyes and grinned “Ah that stuff is apain to wash out, I just comb it back well.”

“Tell me what product you use” Myu said, tone not quitesing-song but light and bouncy almost.

“Later” He countered, leaning back to move thecontroller to his bedside table and twist the light off before pulling ablanket over them. Grinning despite the tiredness that had finally caught upwith him and Myu for that matter. “It’s like 2 am man, we should get some sleepbefore we regret it later.”

Myu only laughed, pressing kiss to his forehead and wrappinghis arms comfortably around him “If you insist my muse. It’ll be so niceto wake up and see you.”

Cheshire groaned pressed his face into Myu’s chest “Oh mygod that is so lame and dorky. I’m never letting you stay up so late everagain.”

“You love it though, I can tell” The other teased.

“And you are so lucky that I do now shush! Youdamn ninja artist!”

“I am the ninja that stole your heart!”

“Dude that’s so bad, holyshit Myu.”

[rosetowersfanfic]

New Feelings

In which Mark learns why most of Gyro’s inventions aren’t on the market, Graves has realized he’s not losing his job anytime soon, and something knew could be blossoming outside the sarcasm and frustration.(also i suck at titles)

Graves leapt onto the back of the malfunctioning robot and clung on as best as he could. For some reason or other the robot had lasers built into its servos, which had quickly caused Beaks and the four other scientists to scatter and hide under work-benches, leaving Graves to handle the problem.

Typical. To be fair the lasers actually weren’t Beaks’ idea, but were part of the original design. However, the robot was supposed to be a butler, so Graves couldn’t help but wonder if Doctor Gearloose was insane.

Graves had, correctly, assumed that the robot wouldn’t be able to reach him on his back, and was attempting to dislodge the bodyguard/saboteur by thrashing around. But it was all for naught, as Graves quickly dug into one of his jacket’s many hidden pockets and withdrew a taser, which he then stabbed into the robot’s neck cables.

The robot shook and spun before it shorted out and keeled forwards, crashing to the ground in a heap. Graves carefully clambered off it, dusting himself off as everyone else crawled out of their hiding places.

“Unbelievable!” Beaks shrieked, stomping over to the pile of scrap. “It’s been like a week and you losers still can’t stop that thing from turning evil! And why do you keep giving it lasers?!”

“Th-the original schematics…”

“I don’t care about that nut job’s schematics! Even I think the lasers are stupid, it’s a freaking butler!”

Beaks rubbed his temples and sighed. “Ugh, I so need a latte before I kill someone. Okay, get rid of that junk and start over, and no lasers or I’ll let it use of of you lame-oes as target practise. Graves, let’s bounce.”

Graves, who up to that point had been prodding the robot to check that it wouldn’t get up again, sighed and walked after him.

A short walk later they were both in the limo and leaving Waddle headquarters.

“Well, at least this time a wall didn’t collapse,” Graves commented to an irate Beaks.

The parrot looked up from his phone with a scowl.

“Ya know, Gravesy, humor really isn’t your strong point. Maybe just stick to looking angry all the time, it works for you.”

“I wasn’t joking,” well not entirely anyway, “it took longer for you to tick it off. You might be onto something here.” This, of course, had nothing to do with the fact that Graves wanted some more time before he had to sneak into that death trap of a money bin again. Certainly not.

“Shuddup. It’s a machine, they’re supposed to deal with insults if they won’t work right.”

Beaks stopped and frowned for a moment, and then looked back at his phone and started tapping at the screen.

“What if we got rid of the morality chips and found a way to just make it obey commands, or got it to follow Albatross’ first law of robotics? And I really gotta change the name from Armstrong, better talk to my marketing team…”

Graves let Beaks work in rare silence for the rest of the trip, which lasted a grand total of twenty minutes.

The limo came to a stop near a chain coffee shop; the chauffeur quickly scrambled to open the door. Graves exited the vehicle first to check for any paparazzi, before giving the all clear to Beaks.

After Beaks gave the bored barista his incredibly specific, over-complicated, more-sugar-than-caffeine order with a blueberry muffin and Graves had gotten his tea, they both sat at a table near the window.

“You know, if you want to avoid the press, you could just have coffee at the office, or at home.”

Beaks rolled his eyes in a way that implied Graves had said either something incredibly stupid or something incredibly obvious but impossible to do.

“If I did that then I wouldn’t be able to post my daily coffee pic. The internet needs to know what I’m drinking today!” He proclaimed, before taking several pictures of his coffee and muffin from different angles.

“...I’m not entirely sure how to respond to that,” Graves replied, “but if all of this is really necessary, won’t the press have an easier time finding if we’re next to a window?”

“I need better lighting,” Beaks said, now typing a caption and posting the picture.

After a beat he looked up a Graves with narrowed eyes. “Ya know, I’m not paying you for your opinion.”

“I’m well aware of that,” Graves smirked, “you’re paying me to do a job that no one else can do. We both need one another so as to rebuild our reputations before either of us dare part ways.”

He crossed his arms smugly. “Am I wrong?”

Beaks’ hand clenched, the screen of his phone cracking. He dug into his hoodie to grab his backup phone, not taking his eyes off of Graves.

“Yeah, yeah, well I’m still rich anyways, but you’re totally dependant on me for cash; and I could fix my rep by myself,” he took a sip from his coffee, getting foam on his beak. “It just seem like too much work to do it myself when I can use you to steal other people’s ideas.”

Graves highly doubted this. “So, you’re over Gizmoduck then?”

Beaks spluttered, desperately trying to find an answer to such a question.

Whatever he did come up with was ignored, however, as Graves was distracted by the foam in his boss’ beak which he still hadn’t wiped off, the twit.

Graves rolled his eyes and grabbed a napkin. He then leaned over the table and dabbed at Beaks’ beak.

Beaks stopped mid-rant, his face turning slightly red. Graves blinked, he couldn’t tell if the flush was anger or embarrassment. Either way, it seemed he may have overstepped his bounds.

The pair stared at each other for a moment, neither sure of how to react, until a shout caught their attention.

They both turned to see Roxanne Featherly standing outside, trying to get Mark’s attention.

“Mr Beaks, I was hoping to ask you about any potential new projects…” she had a small camera crew with her, and judging from the shouting down the road, more paparazzi were on the way.

“Time to go!” Graves announced, grabbing Mark’s arm and dragging him out of the coffee shop.

“But my coffee, my muffin…!” He protested.

“You can have more back at the office, now hurry up!”

The pair had quickly jumped into the limo and shouted the chauffeur to get them out of their before the press could get anywhere near them.

Mark slumped in his seat, pouting childishly about his coffee no doubt, the strange moment between them forgotten.

Graves sighed, he hadn’t even gotten to have a sip of his tea…

Graves blinked. When had he started thinking of his boss as “Mark” and not just “Beaks”?

It probably didn’t mean anything, right?

[pinkishlips-blog1]

enemies to lovers (jungwoo)

another jungwoo request uwu

tbh i can’t imagine jungwoo hating someone or vice versa

okay so basically both of you are classmates

but you two never got the chance to interact with each other

because first, you are a new student and second, rumors are all over the place that he once said he is annoyed of your existence because you are the scholar from your previous college who has the highest gpa 

and jungwoo is an overall star student, meaning he gets straight A’s and is active in all of the school activities

he ‘probably’ got threatened because he has a competition now

and the fact that you two are classmates, the tension is thick

he calls you nerd sometimes and even scoffs whenever you get the answer right

as for you, you honestly don’t look at his direction or acknowledge his existence because he is just another classmate

and that annoys him so much

because he thinks that you must be affected? but then you are so calm whenever he makes fun of you

“dude, i think you should stop. silent people are actually dragons like when they are mad? they can literally blow fire” says yukhei, his younger friend

his group of friends try to talk to you and you honestly don’t mind because they’re actually nice and outgoing but then what happened to jungwoo

like how can an arrogant boy be friends with chill people

but then you didn’t care since it’s their life anyway

your classmates are always entertained whenever you two lowkey fight

like during class discussion, both of you will debate how this is wrong, how this is right, how this how that and it stresses out your professors

like there was this one time that the professors made sure that you two wouldn’t almost see each other

because since he loves teasing you, the professors saw that you are almost this close to punching him on the face

despite that, one of your professors decided that you two should team up for the school’s foundation week

even though you were a bit hesitant on approaching him first, you are like “fuck this, i’ll try to interact with him for the sake of my grade.”

so you walked towards on of the chairs near him and started coughing in order to get his attention

and jungwoo almost jumped out of his chair once he saw you sitting near him and his eyes were O.O

“dude, have you seen a ghost or something?” you ask, raising your eyebrow as you take out your notebook and pen

his cheeks are slightly pink because of your comment

“o-oh hello, i w-was just shocked.” says him who is a stuttering mess

take note of today, this is the first time jungwoo has ever stuttered because of a girl

or more like, because of you

his group of friends are high-fiving as they witness this scene

and the professor is sighing happily because you two aren’t close to ripping each other’s faces

as days pass by, you two are starting to hangout. well mainly because of this huge project!

your brainstorming continues, exchanging ideas back and forth, ending up scribbling or reediting your final plan 

at that time, jungwoo realized that you aren’t actually a person who only cares about education and doesn’t have a social life

you are a pretty chill person and you just go with the flow of life

and he thinks that you’re actually cool

and he was flattered because you laugh at his jokes even though they’re corny or whenever he trips on the floor 

at that time, he notices how you cover your mouth when laughing, how your unconsciously fix your hair or how you secretly eat in class

even his friends notice it, how his face lights up whenever he sees you when they expect him to make fun of you

“bro, i think you like them already” - doyoung, one of his bestfriends, told him when they are eating their lunch at the cafeteria when he witnessed jungwoo all heart eyes for you as you are interacting with your friends

“what? me? catching feelings for the straight A’s student? i don’t think so.”

“whatever you say, mister all heart eyes for straight A’s student.”

there he realized that MAYBE, just maybe, he is starting to treat you less harsh than before

“can you stop staring at me?” you tell him as you try to focus on the draft of the project

“you look pretty today! your outfit suits you!” he says and smiled really big at you

“oh thank you!” you say, blushing and you complimented how his new haircolor suit him

as for you, you notice that jungwoo is starting to treat you differently (in a good way)

and you can’t help but feel like your heart is going to fall off your chest

but then, you try to ignore your feelings because what if him being kind to you is just fake? what if he’s just playing with your feelings?

you start to overthink about it but you have decided to just shrug it off and just get over this project

a few weeks passed and today is the big day

so the professor congratulated you both for the success of the event, it’s pretty much obvious because a lot of people are enjoying the foundation week

there are a bunch of booths to choose from like marriage booth, prison booth, arcade booth etc

and before you two realized, doyoung cuffed both of your hands and dragged you to the marriage booth

i can’t believe i am writing this oh my god my school used to have these booths 

mark put the veil on your head and jisung gave you the bouquet and you are like “what the heck are you guys doing?”

as for jungwoo, he is just there standing at the side and admiring you

expect your friends to be taking pictures of this nonstop

so doyoung told you to exchange vows and you are staying calm because you know this is just fake #dontassume

and jungwoo is back to his stuttering self and deep inside just want to curl up into a ball and cry

because you really look pretty wearing that veil and he wishes that maybe what’s happening is real

not the real wedding but actually confessing to you

“okay now, this is the most awaited part. you may now kiss the bride!” johnny screams happily, motioning jungwoo to kiss you 

jungwoo looked at your eyes and you looked at your right side, hinting him to kiss you on your cheek

which he did, and half of the people who witnessed are screaming “why just the cheek?!”

but jungwoo didn’t mind, at least he got to kiss you on your cheek

you actually want to throw the ring away because you know the wedding is fake

the moment you are supposed to remove the ring, jungwoo called out your name

“hey, i was looking everywhere for you” he said, panting and trying to catch his breath

“oh i decided to take a look around the place and it’s good that the people are enjoying ha ha” you say awkwardly and just want to disappear

because 1) you can’t handle your emotions anymore 2) you don’t hate jungwoo now and like him!!!

“sorry about my friends, i guess they really love to tease us”

“it’s no problem!”

“okay wait i need to tell you something.” he said, scratching the back of his head and you raised your eyebrow, motioning him to continue

“okay so at first i basically hate you because i have a competition now in academics and that means my exposure will be lessen but thank God for this project because i get to learn about you and like you know i keep on spending time with you and i just realized that you are actually cute and beautiful and kept on doing things that make my heart flutter and i just can’t handle it anymore so yeah i guess i am rambling right now but okay wait i like you okay canikissyounow?”

you start laughing and he looked down, feeling embarrassed. “jungwoo, calm down. you started rapping out of nowhere but i know you are just confessing to me.”

“are you going to reject me because tell me now so that i won’t look like a fool in front of you.”

you giggle and point at your lips “i guess you can”

so he kisses you on your lips but pulled away immediately and is a giggling mess

i swear he probably feels more !!! than you

jungwoo as your boyfriend is like your bestfriend

he becomes your study buddy 

study dates include mostly at the cafes, since they’re peaceful and both of you love coffee

plus the ambiance make you less stressed compared to your dorms

study dates part 2 include at his dorm, just chilling and watching movies and eating ramen

he once tried to cook but didn’t completely fail, it’s just he was so nervous that’s why he thinks he messed it up

you complimented his cooking and that made him so happy but still apologized

tries to give you kisses most of the time - from your forehead, to your nose, cheeks, lips, neck, hands

loves complimenting you and assures you that you are doing well with your studies

“that’s my baby!” “you are doing great okay? i’m so proud of you”

study dates part 3 include playful review games meaning he asks you questions and if you get it right, the reward is a kiss

which sometimes lead to makeout sessions

but end up studying again since you both know that education is important

he loves taking pictures of you - probably has multiple albums of your pictures on his phone 

especially when you are wearing his hoodies, he makes sure he gets to take some pics of you

your date choices are actually wide - from parks to arcades to fast food chains to fancy restaurants to bookstores to music stores to a whole lot more

always assures you that it’s you and only you that he loves the most

“baby, can you believe that we used to hate each other a lot?” he asks you one time as he plays with your hair while watching a movie

“i know right? and i always ignore you because i know you are so annoying.”

he holds your hand tightly as he say, “but then it made me believe at the saying - the more you hate, the more you love. i hate that i love you so much, baby. it annoys but makes me so happy so much.”

[placetobenation]

*** Scott & JT’s Vintage Vault Refresh reviews are a chronological look back at WWE PPV and TV history that began with a review of WrestleMania I. The PICs have revisited these events and refreshed all of their fun facts that provide insight into the match, competitors and state of the company as well as their overviews of the match action and opinions and thoughts on the outcomes. In addition, Jeff Jarvis assists in compiling historical information and the Fun Facts in each of the reviews. Also, be sure to leave feedback on the reviews at our Facebook page. Enjoy! ***

Monday Night Raw #112

May 22, 1995 (Taped May 15, 1995) Broome County Arena Binghamton, NY Announcers: Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler

1) Razor Ramon defeats Mike Bell after a back suplex off the top rope at 4:17

Scott: We open the show with the Bad Guy, who qualified for the King of the Ring over the weekend. Razor is joined by his new friend Savio Vega, who made his first appearance at In Your House saving Razor from an attack by Jeff Jarrett & the Roadie. Speaking of Jeff Jarrett, he and Razor Ramon swapped the Intercontinental Title over the span of three days up in Canada. Razor won the title for the third time on 5/19, and then Jarrett won it right back for his third title on 5/22. This is Razor’s first Raw match since the beating he took at the hands of Sid a few weeks ago and in his alternate Green tights and boots he beats down Mike Bell but instead of dropping the Edge, just throws him to the canvas and puts his boot on him for the three count. A pretty standard opener but it shows Razor is back. Grade: 1/2*

JT: Welcome to another edition of Monday Night Raw, this week coming at you via videotape from Binghamton, NY, now two weeks removed from the premier installment of In Your House. Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler are in the booth as usual and they are heavily hyping the big return of Shawn Michaels here tonight, his first appearance and match on Raw in seven weeks. Lawler warns that Ted DiBiase is looking to have Michaels finished off for good this time. We then head to the ring for our opening tilt as Razor Ramon saunters to the ring, flanked by the Caribbean Legend Savio Vega. Vega debuted eight days ago at IYH and we have discovered that him and Ramon are close friends. Lawler notes that Ramon has qualified for the KOTR tournament and Vince adds on that Mabel and Bob Holly have as well. We will find out the fourth qualifier later tonight. Ramon mows right through Bell as Lawler talks some shit on Bret Hart, reminding us that he defeated the Hitman two weeks ago. Ramon eventually finishes Bell with a back suplex off the top rope and the Bad Guy is primed to finally take home that crown after coming so close a year ago. Grade: DUD

*** Bret Hart powerwalks to ringside, grabs a microphone and addresses Jerry Lawler. He is still trying to figure out how he possibly lost to the King and calls him worthless scum while wondering if he is a failure. He says Lawler will never be better than him but he does cheat well and says he let everybody down by losing that match. Hart says Lawler has humiliated and embarrassed him but asks what it would take to get one last rematch and says King can ask for anything he could possibly dream up. King says Hart has suffered enough humiliation but Bret comes over and smacks him and demands him to make an offer. Hart says that Lawler is lower than shit and then starts choking him out as Vince McMahon and officials try to pry him off. Hart keeps demanding Lawler pick a type of match until he is finally pulled away. ***

2) Hunter Hearst-Helmsley defeats John Chrystal with a cutter drop at 3:10

Fun Fact: Paul Levesque is from New Hampshire, and began training in Massachusetts in Killer Kowalski’s training school. He made his debut in the IWF in 1992, winning that heavyweight title. He moved on to WCW as lower mid-carder Terra Ryzin, and then changed his name to Jean-Paul Levesque and took on a more snobby blueblood attitude. He toiled with Lord Steven Regal for a while, losing to Alex Wright at Starrcade 1994. He left WCW and was picked up by the WWF in early-1995. He kept his snobby blueblood attitude but his name was changed to something that flowed off the tongue a little better: Hunter Hearst-Helmsley. A vignette aired on the May 1 Raw announcing his debut. His first TV match was on the April 30 Wrestling Challenge when he defeated Buck Zumhoff with a jaw breaker-type move. His RAW debut is tonight where he will also debut what becomes his signature move: the Pedigree. His first PPV appearance was at last month’s In Your House as one of the lumberjacks in the Diesel/Sid title match.

Scott: The Greenwich Blueblood makes his Raw debut after some vignettes and Superstars matches over the past few weeks. It’s practically ignored as Jerry Lawler is sniping with Vince about Bret Hart’s coming out and getting into Lawler’s face about a rematch. Helmsley’s debut is a forgettable squash. Grade: DUD

JT: As Jerry Lawler sorts himself out, we head to the ring for the Raw debut of the newly arrived Hunter Hearst-Helmsley. The Greenwich, CT aristocrat has a very prim and proper look and Vince calls him “most unusual”. As Vince and King break down Bret Hart snapping moments ago, Helmsley picks apart Chrystal with precision, angering the crowd along the way. Lawler plugs Mortal Sins, a USA Pictures Original, this Wednesday night. Get those VCRs set! We get some discussion around Bob Backlund’s presidential aspirations as Helmsley makes easy work of Chrystal and then pins him after a nice cutter drop type move. A strong start for the American Blueblood here on Raw. Grade: DUD

*** We visit Bob Backlund in his campaign offices and he talks about his various viewpoints for his presidential platform. We then head to Orlando where Stephanie Wiand welcomes the Pomposelli family to their new house. The Bushwhackers were also on hand for this momentous occasion. ***

3) Allied Powers defeat Tony DeVito & Bill Payne when Smith pinned Payne with the powerslam at 2:56

Scott: Jerry & Vince are still chirping about what happened with Bret Hart while Lex Luger & British Bulldog come out for a squash match. The Powers fought Men on a Mission on yesterday’s Action Zone and Bulldog got Mabel up on his shoulders. That’s actually very impressive. This was an effective squash and continues the rise of this tag team up the ladder and a possible title shot with Yokozuna & Owen Hart down the line. Grade: DUD

JT: Back to the ring as the Allied Powers are headed out for tag team action, accompanied to the ring by a pair of young flag bearers. Vince says Backlund hasn’t officially decided to run for President yet, but is still considering a campaign. As Davey Boy and Tony DeVito open things up, we head back to yesterday’s Action Zone where the Bulldog showed off his great power by dead lifting Mabel on his shoulders. Vince presses King on giving the Hitman that rematch as the Powers use their power to dominate the action. Bulldog eventually polishes off Payne with a powerslam as the Powers continue to build some momentum. This was a pretty good idea to pair these guys up as they clearly were a bit aimless (especially Luger) on their own and the tag division needed another top team in the mix to help bolster the roster. Grade: DUD

4) Kama defeats Barry Horowitz via submission with a half Boston crab at 2:21

Scott: This Lawler/Hart situation is pretty much dominating the show, as they go back to the ring for some of these squashes but Jerry keeps alluding to the fact that Bret told him he can pick any stipulation of the match. They do focus on Kama and the fact that the Undertaker’s urn is now around his neck. Grade: DUD

JT: We go right back to ringside as Kama and Ted DiBiase are in the ring, melted urn chain in hand, to battle the ageless Barry Horowitz. Vince continues to needle the King over the Bret Hart fiasco as Kama toys with Barry, swatting off a flurry before pounding the longtime hard luck wrestler. Vince reminds us that Horowitz is yet to win a match on Raw. King is now entertaining the rematch idea and says he needs to come up with a stipulation that would really humiliate the Hitman. Kama grabs the easy win. Grade: DUD

*** Todd Pettengill tells us that the Hall of Fame dinner and induction ceremony will go down the night before King of the Ring in Philadelphia and tickets are available now. He reveals the first inductee for this year’s class: Antonino Rocca. Back ringside, Barry Didinsky is with us to promote the newest Shawn Michaels t-shirt in advance of his big return. One size fits all and it’s only $20! He also lets us know the Monday Night Raw t-shirt is available today as well. ***

5) Shawn Michaels defeats King Kong Bundy in a King of the Ring Qualifying Match with the superkick at 8:00

Fun Fact: The last time we saw Shawn Michaels was on the 4/3/95 Raw where he was attacked by Sid. Michaels sustained a legit back injury from the attack and was out of action for the past six weeks, preventing him from getting his rematch with Diesel at the next In Your House. Michaels returns tonight as a babyface after the attack and time off.

Scott: The Heartbreak Kid makes his triumphant return after the trifecta of powerbombs that Sid gave him the night after WrestleMania and looks to get into the June 25 tournament in Philadelphia. Bundy tries to pearl harbor Shawn before the match but Michaels ducks the attack and jumps out fast. Bundy takes control and roughs Shawn up outside before really working him with a bear hug, then into a simple headlock. Before the match Todd Pettingill announces the 1995 WWF Hall of Fame banquet will be the night before KOTR in Philadelphia and tickets are on sale. The first inductee is Antonino Rocca, the barefoot superstar of the 50-70s. Meanwhile Shawn recovers and, with Bigelow and Diesel looking on backstage, Shawn hits the superkick and gets into the tournament. After the match Bigelow and Diesel come out and, with a minute of hesitation, the DUDES WITH ATTITUDES reunite. It was a decent match for Shawn and not much ring rust. Grade: **

JT: It is officially main event time and we are set to find out who the fourth KOTR qualifier is going to be by the end of this bout. King Kong Bundy ambles out to the ring, accompanied by Ted DiBiase and he settles into the corner to await his opponent, Shawn Michaels. And once the Heartbreak Kid does emerge, the crowd is fired up to see him back in action. Long gone is the hated Shawn Michaels as it looks like the Heartbreak Kid is going to be embraced by the WWF fans going forward thanks to the brutal attack he suffered at the hands of Psycho Sid. Bundy tries to jump Michaels as he disrobes but Shawn dodges him and pitches him hard to the floor and finishes his stripping as we take a break. When we return, Michaels slides outside and messes with DiBiase and then heads up top and flies into Bundy with a high cross body to the floor. Vince and King debate if Shawn’s back is healed as he plays some mind games with the big man. He continues to keep Bundy off balance, rattling him with right hands and dodging him with his speed. Bundy finally turned the tide and was able to shoot Michaels hard to the corner, sending him flying up and over the top rope and to the floor. Bundy followed out and slammed Michaels hard on the floor and then continued to use his size and power to punish the rehabbed back inside the ring as well. Vince wonders where Sid and the rest of the Corporation is tonight but King thinks DiBiase is that confident in Bundy. As Bundy continued to punish Michaels, we popped backstage to see Diesel and Bam Bam Bigelow watching the match and chatting strategy. After a break, Michaels had retaken control and hit a moonsault off the top rope before pelting the big man with a superkick to win and advance to the KOTR tournament. After the match, Diesel and Bigelow came out and after some initial hesitation, they Michaels gave Diesel the old leaping high five to officially seal their reunion. It looks like we have a new trio of faces driving the WWF car for the summer here. It was great to see Michaels back on Raw and he brings some unique energy and a dash of comedy to his matches as a face here. He was flying around the ring and looked smooth and fantastic in there. Bundy did his part well enough and it led to a brisk bout. Onto to Philly for Shawn Michaels! Grade: *1/2

Final Analysis

Scott: These jobber squashes are brutal, and taking up way too much time on these shows. The announcing is focussing completely on the continuation of the Lawler/Hart feud while Shawn Michaels finally returns and ups the workrate ante thankfully. We do get a debut as the Greenwich Blueblood wins his first Raw match and we see the Allied Powers try to recover from that WrestleMania trash match. Shawn Michaels is in the KOTR tournament, which to me means he’s the favorite and a win there would get his babyface turn on a real track. The Hart/Lawler stuff dominated the commentary because the in-ring stuff is the usual squash junk. Final Grade: C+

JT: For a taped show we actually had some good energy and a lot of stuff gong on throughout this one. From the debut of Hunter Hearst-Helmsley to the fantastic Bret Hart attack on Jerry Lawler to the red hot return of Shawn Michaels, this was a pretty packed episode. King of the Ring is taking shape as it looks like the Hitman and King will likely tussle in some sort of gimmick match while Diesel and Bigelow will battle the Corporation. And of course, half of the tournament entrants have been locked in now as well. After a bit of a lull after WrestleMania, the last few weeks have picked back up a bit. We will see if they can carry that momentum into Philadelphia. Final Grade: B-