#just that she left the meeting with manager and clocked out early and left. didnt say a word.

[orcelito]

Only scheduled 12-5 tomorrow :]

Have to make 8 batches of boba & stay later if needed to finish them :[

[glassartpeasants]

Crying In The Club

 Overhaul x F!Reader

Warnings: Angst, bullying, false love, physical abuse

*Part 1* *Part 2* *Part 3*

A/N: Bruh i didn’t mean for it to be this long. I think i might have gotten to into it. I promise that this was only going to be angst but then i started. This is not as angsty as i thought it was gonna be but i still like it. The ending may seem a bit rushed and to that im sorry OvO

@zuffer-weird-girl finally finished it after many gruesome hours trying to figure out where this fic should lead too XD

~~~

It wasn’t a secret to anyone that knew you that you always a a taste in mysterious and secretive men. You just couldn’t help it. You liked the mystery. You were never one to back down from a challenge.

That was until you met Chisaki Kai.

You were introduced to him by the club owner of the place you use to work at. For some odd reason you couldn’t help but fall in love with those mysterious golden eyes. Whenever he was around you, your heart would beat faster then it ever had for any of the other men you have dated over the years.

His voice sent shivers down your spine making you bit your lip. Your co-workers noticed that whenever he came into the club for business reasons you were always the one who needed to be their server. They didn’t question it cause they found the little game of cat and mouse funny.

You kinda knew you were playing with fire when you started to flirt with him. You made sure to do your research before going up to a complete stranger and start flirting with them. You knew that he went by the name Overhaul even though his real name was Chisaki Kai.

~~~

5 month’s after you first met him

“Hey Overhaul. What would you like today sir?” You say smiling at the gangster. You may have done some research but you only knew his name, his real name at least.

“Black coffee.”

“Of course sir!” You turn around and walk towards the counter. Even the slightest things made you all pink and blushy. You couldn’t help that you were so damn attracted to this sex appeal of a man. 

“Just ask him out already dipshit.” You snap your head towards the voice, about to go off before you realize it was your boss.

“W-what do you mean boss?” You laugh nervously trying to avoid the subject.

“It’s obvious you like him. Whats the worse that can happen? He could say no.”

“Or he could kill me-”

“That too. But hey, it’s a no unless you ask.” With that final word he turned around and left, leaving you to your thoughts.

You make his coffee before going back to the seating area and giving him his coffee, quickly smiling a quickly running back to the bar to watch him from afar.

Once he picked up his coffee he noticed a small piece of napkin underneath his cup. He was going to complain but before he could he noticed the numbers that was written on the napkin.

“The hell is this?” Kai said as he picked up the piece of napkin with his gloved fingers before looking at you which in return you quickly looked away.

“I believe she gave you her phone number boss. Doesn’t surprise me, she’s been hitting on you for awhile.” Overhaul looked at his clock haired friend.

“Really? I must not have noticed or cared.” Overhaul looked at the paper again before destroying it with is quirk. He had no time for relationships when his drug was close to perfection. He looked in the direction he last saw you in, which you were no longer there.

You were in fact hiding in the emoplyee’s only bathroom crying your eyes out. Why are you crying? You didn’t even know him that long.

‘It could be the fact he just decided to tear it up in front of you.’ You thought to yourself as you felt your mascara running down your cheeks. You probably looked like a hot mess but you didnt care. You were hurt. Rejection hurt in general but for some reason when it came to him, your heart felt like it was disintegrating in your own chest.

“I can’t go back out there. It would be too embarrassing.” You say to yourself as you try to calm yourself down.

“No what’s embarrassing is the fact i just took multiple pictures of you crying on the bathroom floor.” A smug voice laughed at you. You looked up and saw it was one of your ex co-workers. You remembered her. She was the one who was recently fired from her job here since you were doing so well that they decided that they didn’t need her.

“I’m going to print this picture and put it all over the bar how does that sound? Sounds pretty embarrassing if you ask me.” She laughed at your quivering figure on the floor. How would you even show your face at work after that. 

Before she could say anything else you got up, pushed her to the side and ran out the back door, all the while with tears streaming down your face.

You haven’t shown your face there since.

~~~

3 months after incident

You were called by your boss over and over again begging you to come back to work. Saying how that the girl was arrested and how nobody even saw the pictures. Which was a complete fucking lie. The girl even sent you the pictures she printed of you hung all around the club. Including some of your co-workers and customers laughing at you.

What if he saw them?

The fact that Overhaul could’ve seen them sent you into a frenzy. How would he look at you now? Probably as some low little girl with no sense of dignity. That’s probably what he thought about you. 

~~~

Kai sat at the VIP lounge with his body radiating angry. He had just left the Shie Hassakai base in a rage after an argument with his adoptive father.

His foot tapped rapidly on the ground while his eyebrow twitched. His hands clenching into fist that left his knuckles white.

How dare Pops do this to him?

Pops had told Kai that day that if Kai wanted to become the next head of the Shie Hassakai, that he would have to find a relationship. In Pops words ‘someone to calm you down whenever you upset or stress.’ 

Kai knew that being the head of the Shie Hassakai would be stressful, but he didn’t need someone to ‘calm him down’, he was fine by himself. Even though it pissed Kai off royally, he didn’t want to disappoint Pops. Which lead him back to the club you use to work at.

After the incident of you asking him out he didn’t show back up for awhile. He hated awkward encounters and to see your face after it? Gave him shivers. SO he didn’t show up to said club after a couple months, hoping that by giving it time, everything would go back to the it was.

He heard the familiar footsteps of someone approaching the lounge. He expected to see you but was disappointed when a different server came prancing in.

“Where is (Y/N)?” Considering how long you served him, he knew you by name. So considering that you weren’t there was confusing.

“O-oh! Miss (Y/N) quit a 3 months ago after a incident happened. But what can i get you?” The girl felt scared as she looked at him. He had a reputation for being mean and angry, not to mention how many people he’s killed. So the fact that you were able to go up to him without a problem was kinda cool.

“...Black coffee.”

“Right away sir!” The girl quickly scurried away leaving the man to think. 

He hoped that maybe some coffee would clear his mind and try to figure out of the situation he was put in by his father.

Then it hit him.

If you were willing to go out with him once? Why wouldn’t you try to ask him out again? Of course he would be only using you for his own personal gain, not really caring if you were happy but if he was dating you then Pops would finally get off his ass.

~~~

4 months after incident

You were walking by your old job with a mask covering your face wishing that no one noticed you.

But he did.

“Hey you.” You froze up, remembering that enchanting voice. You turn around and are greeted with a close up of the man who kinda screwed you over.

“What do you want?” You say trying to sound confident but you only came across as meek and scared.

“Why did you quit?” He looked down at you. His eyes felt like he was peering into your soul, leaving no room for lies.

“I rather not speak about it.” You go to turn around and leave before you feel a gloved hand grab your wrist and pull you back closer to the male.

“I wanted to talk to you about another thing.” You looked at him, trying to figure out what he could possibly talk to you about.

“Okay I guess...what is it?”

“Would you still like to go out on a date?”

“I...your not making fun of me are you?”

“I may be an asshole but I would like to apologize.” Kai said as he looked at you directly. You were going to say no, since the damage had already been done, but you couldn’t find it in you. There was just something in his eyes that you couldn’t look away from.

“Sure...”

~~~

First Date?

You were excited to say the least. After he asked you out and you said yes, you agreed to meet him at a cafe nearby on Sunday.

As the days went by, you slowly got more and more excited. How could you not be? After a few shitty months something actually good happens.

“Casual I should dress casual- SHIT ONLY 20 MINUTES LEFT?!” You screeched as soon as you saw the clock. You had already taken a shower. A long one in fact since you knew the man didn’t like germs. 

You grab a simple outfit that you thought would do the trick and quickly put your hair into a ponytail (if you have short hair you can just vibe :) ).

You grabbed your purse and got into your car as fast as you could. You hoped you would make it on time since everyone seemed to be going places that same day.

~~~

You managed to get to the cafe 5 minutes early only to see him already there.

‘Nice going (y/n), now he’s gonna think we have horrible time management.’ You curse yourself in your head before walking in and sitting down next to him.

“Sorry, it was really busy traffic.” You giggle nervously as you tuck a lose strand behind your ear.

“It’s fine. Now tell me about yourself.” Straight to the point huh? Well that’s another thing you liked about him. Your little crush probably had sparkled into a whole ass infatuation. 

You only smile before a pink blush covered your cheeks and neck. You let out a little chuckle before you pretty much told him everything. You liked how he was listening to all of it, it made you all giddy inside.

Kai looked at you continue to ramble about non-important things. Well it seemed important to you. But not to him. Like he said before, he didn’t care about you. He just wanted Pops off his ass so he could just be the next head of the yakuza.

Oh god how he wanted to kill you. Your rambling was getting on his nerves. Did you ever shut up? Kai wasn’t a patient man and many people knew this. 

“But enough about me, what do you like to do for fun?” You questions snapped him out of his thoughts and brought him back to this disgusting cafe.

“I’m usually too busy to do anything other than work.” He wasn’t lying. His work was getting the best of him and he had no time to dilly dally around.

“Well that sounds like it sucks, but hey at least your hardworking! That’s a good trait right?” You said trying to lighten up his seemingly sour mood.

“Sure. What kind of education do you have?” His question seemed to have struck a cord with you when he saw your smile drop. He didn’t show it but behind his mask he was holding back a chuckle.

“I n-never went to college....” Kai looked at you with disgust or disappointment he couldn’t really tell. You didn’t even have a college degree. Jeez, your just a lowly spec underneath his shoe.

“Why so?”  You then proceeded to tell him that you needed a job to pay for your brothers medicine and that your family was too poor for college.

So what? Sure you didn’t have the upper hand in life but neither did he and look what he accomplished! God you were so insufferable.

~~~

After the date

“I had such a good time! Did you?” You ask as you smile out of extreme happiness. This has been the most happy you’ve been in a long time.

“Yes.” Overhaul looked down at you. His face still as blank as ever. But it didn’t bother you, he was always like that!

“Well that’s good to hear. I should get going now-”

“Come home with me.”

“What?!” Your eyes went wide as you stare at the taller man who only looked at you with a questionable glance. What did he mean by that?

“I want you to meet someone.” Oh thank god it’s only that. You were getting kinda worried that he was jumping into THAT STUFF. But he only wanted you to meet someone.

“Oh okay...who am I meeting?” You ask nervously as you followed Overhaul to the direction he was going.

“My father.” SHIT REALLY?! THIS EARLY?! Okay okay (y/n) don’t fucking panic. Everything will be fine. Everything will be okay, just don’t act super fucking stupid.

~~~

“Pops this is my girlfriend (Y/N).” Kai said as he pushed you towards him. Kai could sense you surprise but he knew that you wouldn’t do anything about it. You were to shy for that.

“Ah is that so? Tell me miss (Y/N) how long have you been dating?” Pops looked down at you. Overhauls presence was suffocating as you were pushed to lie just by his presence.

“About two months now. It’s great to meet you!” You smile at the older man who seemed pleased at your response.

“That’s good to hear. I wished you would have told me about her sooner Kai. She seems like a swell lady.” The older man said to his son. 

So people on the street called him Overhaul but in this house he was Kai. Interesting. You turned and looked at Kai a smile on your face but he didn’t seem to notice you. He walked up to his father and started talking to him in hushed whispers. You wanted to lean in closer to what he was saying but decided against it in order to stay on his good side.

~~~

One Month Later

As you sat in the back of Overhauls car you couldn’t help but tap your leg repeatedly. Your nervousness getting the better of you as you make your way to the Shie Hassakai base once more.

One week ago Overhaul had told you he wanted you to move in with him. He said it was for ‘safety purposes’ considering you were the girlfriend of the future head of the Hassakai. You were unsure at first but you said yes eventually with enough convincing.

You didn’t have many things in your apartment so moving wasn’t really that hard for you. You had sold a lot of your things just to be able to pay rent. SO you only had stuff that had sentimental value.

You looked around the empty car that was only occupied by you and the driver. Who was another Yakuza member. You pat your knees nervously as you look outside the car window seeing it moving past stores and people.

~~~

“I’m here.” You say as you entered the compound. You grab your things and begin to look for Overhaul. 

The silence in the compound was deafening. it felt like it threatened your entire exsitence.

“This way.” You jump at the sound of Overhauls voice coming from behind you. You turn around and meekly follow him into a plan white room. There was a bed a bathroom connected to said bedroom and a closet. You walk into the room looking at it in admiration.

“This is so cool! Thanks-”

SLAM

You jumped in place and turn behind you quickly. And to your surprise, the door was closed and Overhaul was no where to be seen. You rub your arm meekly and turn around to unpack your things.

You open up your suitcase and begun to take out your clothes and your personal items before going into the bathroom to take a shower.

~~~

The next morning

You sit in your lovers office while he talks to his father. You didn’t even say anything this entire meeting other then sit there and look pretty. Honestly you were so close to drifting off but thankfully Pops had asked you a question before you could.

“What do you think is my sons best quality?” You were shocked at such a random question but answered no less.

“There are too many to choose from! His work ethic is outstanding and his confidence is what I like about him. Of course there’s more though.” You smile. You went to move a bit only to accidentally brush a single fingertip on Overhaul’s thigh. You didn’t even notice it honestly.

But he did.

How fucking dare you touch him? How dare you rub your disgusting quirk filled body onto his pure one? You even touched him in front of his father! He was so embarrassed. It took him his entire being not to break out in hives and kill you right then in there. He couldn’t take it anymore. He couldn’t handle knowing that you thought he loved you when in reality he was only using you to get what he wants. Its not out of guilt it was maybe if he told you, you would be so close to him. That you wouldn’t even speak so he didn’t have to listen to your disgusting ass voice.

He was surely going to punish you after this meeting was over and you both were back in your room.

~~~

You walked towards your room after the little meeting having a spring in your step. It seemed like it was all going well. Pops liked you and Overhaul seemed to not be bothered by everything as much anymore.

You open your door to your room only to be pushed in and the door locked behind you.

“Hey what the hell?” You turn around to see a really angry Overhaul covered in hives and a murderous look in his eye.

“Are you o-” Before you could say anything else Overhaul grabbed you by the throat lifting you up in the air.

“How fucking dare you touch me during that meeting?!” You let out a little gasp for air as your legs kicked around trying to find stable ground.

“B-but i thought.” You choke the words out as your vision starts to go black. His grip around your throat getting harder and harder.

“Well you thought wrong. The only reason im with your pathetic ass is because my father said that if i don’t get a girlfriend he won’t make me the leader of the Shie Hassakai.” Tears formed in your eyes as you realized that this entire time was just a ploy to use you for his own personal gain. 

“Why m-me?” You gasped out the words as your entire body felt like it was dying. Your energy going down by the second.

“Cause you were the only one I knew who would immediately say yes.” He let go of your throat and letting you fall to the ground. You hold your throat as you choke and gasp for air. Coughing as air finally entered your lungs once more. You look up at Overhaul who only smacked you on your left cheek.

“Whenever we’re alone you are to not look at me, touch me, or even speak to me. I want nothing to do to you other then use you for my personal gain. You will never mean anything to me understand?” His words carved into your heart like knives. Just as you started to feel like yourself again, another incident comes to fuck it all up.

“I said do you understand?!” Overhaul grabbed you by your hair tugging it making you face him. 

“Yes I understand!” Tears fall down your eyes like a water faucet. Overhauls fingerprints stain your neck as they slowly start to bruise. The red hand-print adorned your face like a tattoo and the grip on your hair felt like he was ripping them all out slowly.

Overhaul finally let you go after you had answered him. Your body lying on the floor shaking in sadness and fear.

“When my father asks you why you have those finger prints on your neck lie about how you got them. Or you will be in even more trouble that your worth.”

“O-okay...” You hiccuped. Overhaul turned around and left the room locking it from the outside.

You grab your knees and bring yourself into a fetal position as your tears make the carpet wet. 

~~~

2 months later

After that situation you never really came out of your room. Only when it was necessary. Why would you leave? It seems like every time you do, it always leads to another sort of punishment.

You sit in your room lying on your ed and trying to plan an escape out of this hell hole and a revenge plan on Overhaul.

‘You could tell his father.’ You say to yourself as you let out a sigh. How would you even get close to Pops? Overhaul is around him like bee’s to honey.

‘Do it when he’s in the bathroom! You’ll be protected by him. There’s not way he’d hurt his father.’

You felt a gleam of hope at this newfound idea in which you got up quickly to get dressed a little bit better. 

Once all dressed and ready you walk the halls of the compound silently hoping to find pops and tell him everything that has been going on.

You tip toe around the base as you look over your shoulder repeatedly hoping that Overhaul wasn’t there. You tip toe faster when you hear the voice of Pops in a nearby room.

You open the door and see Pops sitting on a couch talking to someone. Once you heard his voice you go to shut the door but Pops had spotted you before you could make a run for it.

“Ah (y/n), what can we do for you?” Your head was running a million miles per hour as you look at Overhaul who glared at you with his golden orbs.

“Uh Pops can I talk to you privately? I got a surprise for him but i wanted to know your opinion.” That was a complete lie. You would never give that monster anything. But maybe if you told Pops that truth he would punish him and would be able to set you free.

“Oh sure! Kai your girlfriend is such a sweet little thing.” Overhauls widen once he realized you plan. But before he could drag Pops back you had already had him out the door.

“So whats the surprise?” Pops chuckled before you started tearing up and balling.

“Woah woah, what wrong?”

“It’s your son! Don’t believe a word he says! He doesn’t love me! He’s only using me to be the head of the Hassakai! Please you have to help me leave! Every time i do something he doesn’t like he punishes me for it!” You cry as tears stream down your face.

“Is this true?” His voice was calming as it soothed your fear. You looked up at him feeling safe with a bit of hope gleaming in your eyes. You shook your head yes.

“I’m so sorry my son had done this to you I’ll-” Before he could even finish his sentence Kai had touched Pops in the neck, causing him to pass out onto the floor. 

“You really did it now (y/n).” Overhaul took steps towards you as you walked away from him. Your entire body shook as you stared at the ruthless man.

“What did you do to Pops?!” You scream at him. 

“That’s nothing of your concern.” He ran at you with high speed as to catch you. You turn around and begin to run like your life depended on it. Which it did.

“Get back here!” Your tears stained your face making it difficult to see where you were going.

You knew you couldn’t out run Overhaul forever. He was way more fit then you were and was taller too. But through your tears you saw the front door of the compound.

Your heart nearly jumped out of its chest before running even faster using all of your energy to try and make it to the door. You saw your freedom right in front of you, it was there. You could almost feel it-

“Got you (y/n).” You felt your hair being grabbed then tugged backwards, causing you to land on the ground.

“Please..just let me go...”

“After that stunt you just pulled? I don’t think i can do that.” With your hair still in his hand he dragged you back to your room by your hair.

“If your gonna kill me just do it already then you piece of shit!” You scream at him from the top of your lungs. You continue to swear at him and try to escape from his grasp.

Your room door open and you were thrown into it. Hearing the door lock behind you. You rub you head and see Overhaul standing above you.

“Now where to begin?”

[modern-vellichor]

Withdrawal

Chapter Three

Summary: Steve finally confesses, but she's not that kind of addict.

Warnings: polyamory, cigarettes, smoking, explicit language, guns, murder (fictional bad guys), implied smut, break ups, mlm

Pairing: Steve x Reader, Bucky x Reader, Steve x Bucky, Stucky x Reader, (Brief) Steve x Luca (OC)

The next time Steve saw you was at a Stark party. You were sitting asleep on a leather sofa. The crowd had already dissipated. Your dress, which clung tight to your body and was already short enough, had ridden up to sit at the top of your thighs. Your head was resting against Bucky's shoulder and Luca was asleep soundly in your lap. Now that he could examine the boy properly, Steve couldn't deny that Luca was handsome. High cheekbones and a well structured face, a prominent jaw and deep set eyes. He reminded Steve vaguely of a younger version of himself. He was so lost in thought that he didnt register the boy walking from his slumber, dazzling green eyes boring into his.

"Hey, Stranger", he grinned sleepily. He had a smooth voice, low and gruff and intoxicating. He could see your appeal in him.

Luca sat up gently, careful not to wake you or Bucky before standing up and taking a seat at the bar, but he didnt order anything. He looked over his shoulder expectantly at Steve, who trudged over and sat next to him. While Steve ordered another whiskey, Luca shook his head politely. While Steve talked, Luca nodded and listened and chimed in with the occasional one worded answer.

Before Steve knew it, he was leaning in to pepper kisses on Luca's neck while he sat pretty. Then he was pushing Luca gently against the wall of the elevator, careful not to hurt him or shatter his porcelain skin.

When Steve woke up the next morning he rolled over with a smile only to find his bed empty. Instead he found a hickey on his collarbone and a note on his bedside table.

Sorry!

She's my lift home :(

--Luca

Steve smiled sadly and slipped the note into his drawer.

You kept popping up. You had taken up a job at Stark industries, God only knows what you did though. You were around almost every day, and stayed late into the evenings to spend time with your beloved Bucky. Sometimes Luca would appear to take you out for lunch, or you would lounge around in your office doing nothing for the hour. Sometimes Steve would catch a glance of Luca's sparkling eyes and have to look away to hide his blush.

It was early morning when Stark called Steve, panicking. He mentioned something about an emergency, a mission, now. So Steve jumped up and grabbed his bag, running straight to Bucky's room. The moon was still high as he barged through the door shouting. Bucky startled awake, and so did you. You let out a small yell as you fell out of bed and Bucky reached for the familiarity of his knife.

"Buck! Emergency! Suit up", he shouted before running out and then your phone buzzed.

"Who's that?", Bucky asked, pausing his scrambling to examine your confused face.

"Tony", you replied. "I've got to go"

You ran out of the room in your pyjamas.

Hey kid, emergency, meet me in the dock now

By the time you had reached the dock and Tony was ushering you onto the nearest jet, Steve and Bucky were running towards you too. All of you were confused but Tony didn't give you a chance to talk.

He ushered you to a back room and threw a duffel bag at you. You just nodded and he walked away. You knew what to do. You belted the cargo pants and pulled on the shirt and the holster and strapped yourself up until you felt almost suffocated. Bucky and Steve almost didnt recognise you when you emerged, but you paid no attention to them. You waltzed straight to Tony as he explained the mission. Tony handed you a gun and the two men didn't like how comfortable you looked with it in your hands, almost as if it were familiar.

The plan was as follows: Tony would keep watch on the outside of the compound, there was only one accessible entry point. You, Bucky and Steve would make your way through the compound to the control room. You would then disarm whatever security plans they had in place, and set the place to self destruct, and get out of there.

The first part of the plan went smoothly. The three of you took out any agents in your way, every agent in the compound was dead by the time you reached the door to the control room. Bucky and Steve were shocked by your ruthlessness and impeccable aim, never missing a shot, and never not taking one. You got to the control room with little to no effort. Then Steve's comm went out. You didnt worry, Bucky and you both still had full communication with Tony. You typed away at the computer, disarming everything, downloading a thing here or there.

The mechanical click of a clock sounding woke you out of your trance. Bucky stalked over to the door, he twisted the handle, and surely it was locked. Then he tried to break the window, and it didnt budge. Bucky and Steve fired at the walls and ceiling, trying to find a third way out. You heard Bucky's line go dead.

"Tony!", you screamed. "Stuck in the control room! Help"

You barely managed to stutter out your sentence before all communications were cut. You slumped down in the corner, the room was bare bar a metal table, an uncomfortable looking chair, and the computer that you were now finished with. Bucky crawled next to you, making himself comfortable against you while Steve paced.

"Steve", you whined. This was the first time you had spoken to him since the incident. You eyes were closed as you rested your head on Bucky's shoulder, who had his arm wrapped around you.

"Stop pacing", you moaned. "Relax, would you?"

Steve threw a confused glance your way, but of course you didnt see it.

"How can I relax when we're stuck in here?", he snapped.

"We've killed every agent in the building, and I can hear Tony above us. Just sit down, God", you sighed, exasperated.

Steve snapped again, this time your eyes shot open, sending a deathly glare his way.

"Why can't you ever do your job properly?", he yelled.

You curled further into Bucky with a sly smirk.

"What's got your knickers in a twist, Stevie", you drawled, a mischievous grin sitting pretty on your face. Steve was immediately wary.

"What? The idea of your best friend and your best girl getting to you?"

Neither of the men had ever seen this side to you, lustful and toxic.

"Knowing that little old James can fuck me so much better than you do?" you sneered.

Bucky was stunned into silence and Steve looked as though he was ready to kill you. But before anything else could be said, Tony was bursting through the ceiling and you were the first to scramble out into the open.

The next few weeks were busy, for you. Bucky and Steve lounged around, both too scared to bring up the events of the last mission. You spent hours locked in Tony's office with him, typing furiously away at your computer day and night. Bucky was always asleep when you went to bed, and when you left the next morning. For a week, neither man saw you outside of the gaps in the blinds of the office window. Steve would listen as Bucky complained about being lonely and then return to his room to toss and turn with the thought of you and him, now brought to the forefront of his mind.

It was cold in the compound, and Steve couldn't sleep. The moon was already beginning to set, dawn would arrive in an hour or two. He had opened his door a crack, and stopped when he heard soft footsteps approaching. He watched as you slinked slowly back to the warmth and comfort of Bucky's room. When Steve heard the door click shut, he too approached it. He pushed open the door gently. Bucky was already asleep, and you were falling fast. The door creaked as he stepped over the threshold.

"Steve?" you mumbled, not fully aware of what was happening.

"yeah, I just wanted to talk about-"

"oh, no, no! forget about it!", you whispered sleepily.

"but what if I dont want to forget?"

You looked at him, confused, but your eyelids were drooping and you words were slurring together. Steve took one last look at you, half asleep on Bucky's bare chest, and retreated back to his room, feeling defeated and dejected, and just a little hopeless.

Steve wandered past your office on his way to the kitchen the next morning. It was empty, not even Tony was typing away. He waltzed into the kitchen to find Bucky, making his way out with two cups of coffee. Steve stopped him.

"Y/N's not in her office?", he asked softly.

"Yeah, shes still in bed"

"oh"

Bucky left it at that. Steve waited a little while, going over his speech in his head. He wasn't quite sure how or would go. And he knew if it didnt go well, it was over for him and you, and him and Bucky.

He rapped gently on your door before pushing it open. You and Bucky were lying in his bed. You were staring off into space and Bucky was staring at Steve.

"I want to talk about the other evening", Steve stated after clearing his throat.

You smiled and protested politely.

"No, no no. It's okay, we were all stressed. I understand"

"No," he interjected. "What if you were right?"

You were stunned into silence for a moment. Your brows furrowed and you immediately reached for a stray cigarette and the lighter on your bedside table. You sighed, smoke spilling over ample lips.

"About what?", Bucky asked, clearly confused.

"Buck, no-", you mumble, hand on his chest.

"It makes me jealous. It's not fair that you have each other and I have to watch. Both of you were mine first and now you have each other", Steve spilled.

It was so wildly out of character. You dragged on your cigarette, aggressively massaging your temple. Bucky's mouth opened and closed a few times over. Steve stood awkwardly at the door. He huffed and was about to walk out when your voice echoed through the thick silence.

"I know about Luca"

It was Steve's turn to be stunned.

"I know about the note he left. I think its great that you've discovered this...part of yourself. You can't force this onto Bucky though, that's not fair"

"But-"

"Let's talk about this outside"

Bucky went to fling himself out of bed, but you stopped him. You shot him a warning look and he stayed put.

You gently guided Steve until you were outside of the compound, walking laps around the square building.

"I don't know how you want me to handle this", you admit softly. "I know that you think I would, because of my, lifestyle. But its only ever been Luca, and you, and Bucky"

"I don't know", he whispers. Steves ashamed.

"What do you want?", you stop.

"you", he mumbles. Even though he still towers, he feels small, and the reality is; he is. He is small and beaten down, and he feels just like that little pre-serum kid that got beat up in back alleys.

"and him"

"Fuck, Steve", you shout quietly. It's more of a loud sigh. "Have him! But I'm out, and you can tell him that"

You dont storm off, Steve expected you to. You just turned to face the horizon, bare back facing Steve. Steve is the one to walk away. It breaks his heart. But he gets one of you, and that's a win in his head. All great battles come with a loss.

[mydarlingvioletine]

‘Just a Puppy Crush’

Ship(s): Violet/Clementine

Media: The Walking Dead Game (Season 4)

Summary: a zombie-less modern AU in which two dorks finally get together with the help of their friends.

                        Chapter 1

It started out with an invitation Violet found on her desk. A light purple envelope, her name written on it in beautiful calligraphy.

                 Well, it started a little bit before that.

Violet missed her alarm. And six of the backup ones she had set in advance. Her mother had left early for her shift at the diner and her father didn’t come home last night, so she slept peacefully and uninterrupted.

Until she lazily stretched out with a yawn, eyes opening and landing on the alarm clock across her.

                     7:20

She hardly had time to register what it said before the alarm started angrily beeping again.

        “Holy shit… Fuck… Shit!” Violet scrambled to get up, smacking the top of the alarm clock to silence the robotic screaming. She threw her sheets to the side, grabbing her jacket off the door hook on the way out.

While vigorously brushing her teeth, she looked down at her phone.

            15 missed messages from Pain in My Ass.

[ur uber is Here… am outside]

[got your drink & bagel, where are u?]

[viiiioooooleeet]

[ v i o l e t ]

[did you put the key in a different spot?]

[coward.]

Violet scrolled through the herd impatiently, getting to the latest messages, about 15 minutes ago.

[violet please fucking get up i didnt do my english homework i need to copy off of you marlon won’t let me copy his anymore]

[fuck i have to go i cant be late to pre-session but I’ll have brody come check on you to see if you can make the late entrance with her! ill keep your breakfast with me im sure mr. everett wouldn’t give a shit if you ate in class. i do it all the time]

          As if on cue, there was a faint, nervous knock on the door. God bless Brody.

“Be right there!” Violet shouted, quickly throwing her work messily into her backpack. She grabbed a couple dollars off the kitchen table for lunch, threw on her boots, and booked it towards the door.

     "Hey,“ Brody grinned at the shaggy-haired, droopy-eyed messy Violet in front of her. "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”

Violet grimaced, mumbling to herself as she ducked into the passenger seat of Brody’s truck. She caught a glimpse of herself in the rearview mirror, and pulled up the hoodie of her jacket to cover her shame.

         The drive felt like forever, with Brody’s insufferable choice of music. Who still listens to Coldplay? In 2019? Violet was too grateful to complain, and clenched her jaw to hold her tongue.

Brody tried to hold a conversation, but Violet was too out of it to contribute anything other than nods and the occasional “mhm.”

      “Then Marlon was mad at me! I can’t believe that guy. I swear, if he wasn’t my best friend I’d…” Brody’s voice petered out as she pulled into the school parking lot, backing into her spot next to Louis’ car.

Violet immediately jumped out, gave a quick “thankyousomuchioweyouone,” and booked it towards the front doors of the school. The front desk ladies were distracted, so Violet was able to sneak past them and make her way down to the math wing.

            106… 108… 110!

Relieved, Violet peeked through the window, seeing Marlon’s pathetic excuse for a haircut as confirmation that she was at the right place.

     She tried her best to quietly open the door as to not interrupt the class and draw attention to herself, but wasn’t surprised when the door noisily creaked open, everyone’s heads turning towards her.

Really, Ericson? Ever heard of WD 40?

Violet shyly ducked her head, placing herself between Louis and Aasim. Before she could say anything, Louis placed her coffee and bagel on her desk, a patient smile on his face.

         Violet was able to manage a “thank you” while she was scarfing down the bagel. Cheeks full and a dab of cream cheese hanging on her top lip, it’s safe to say that she did not expect Clem to approach her desk at that moment with the worksheet she’d missed.

“Hey, Vi,” Violet’s head jerked up, meeting eyes with Clementine. Embarrassed, she took a tissue and wiped her face, swallowing before she took the worksheet from Clem’s hands. “Grabbed this for you.”

        “Thanks,” Violet managed to stammer, giving a sheepish smile while pulling her pencil case out of her pocket. Clementine hadn’t moved.

Violet tensed up, waiting for Clem to make a comment on her appearance or tease her. Instead, she placed an envelope on top of the worksheet, uncertainty embedded in her actions.

         "Uh, that’s for you. I’m having a birthday party tomorrow night at my house.“ Clem pushed the envelope towards her with emphasis, and cleared her throat nervously. "You don’t have to come if you don’t want. It’s on a Friday night and I know you probably have pla-”

“No,” Violet interrupted her, her voice louder than she anticipated. She received an exhausted look from Mr. Everett. “I’ll totally be there.”

      Clementine immediately perked up, a dorky smile on her face. “Awesome. Oh, and it’s gonna be a sleepover. You don’t have to stay for that.”

Violet frowned, cocking her head and looking at Clem under a suspicious lens. “You don’t have to invite me, y'know.” She sighed, placing the envelope back into Clementine’s hands. “I get it.”

        Clem froze up, visibly upset. “No, fuck. I really want you to come. I just didn’t know if that was your kind of thing.”

Violet, unconvinced, lowered her eyes and took a sip of her coffee. Cold. The heat of Clem’s hand covering her own was a nice contrast to that.

            Wait.

“I want you there,” Clementine insisted, squeezing her hand between her own. The heat from the touch quickly flushed to Violet’s face, her pale skin unable to mask the blush that covered it. “Please come.”

     Louis and Aasim exchanged an annoyed glance at the useless sapphics. Mr. Everett had stood up and taken an interest to their conversation at this point.

“Clem, go back to your seat please,” Mr. Everett cleared his throat, to which Clem recoiled, dropping Violet’s hand. “Violet is more than capable and doesn’t need hands-on help.”

       Clem, face red and flustered, ducked her head and moved back to her seat in the front of the classroom. “Sorry, da- I mean Mr. Everett.” She squeaked, glancing over her shoulder one more time at Violet, uncertainty and sadness on her face.

Mr. Everett continued the lecture, but Violet was too busy staring out the window. She was completely zoned out. She figured she’d just get the notes from Aasim later. She saw Louis give her the occasional worried glance out of the corner of her eye, and kept her focus on the kids playing in the courtyard.

      The class couldn’t have gone any slower, but eventually the bell rang, and all the tension that had built up in Violet’s muscles was relieved.

She didn’t know why this class stressed her out so much. She was pretty good at math, only the second highest grade in the class behind Aasim. Mr. Everett made her feel uneasy.

     He wasn’t a bad guy. Quite the opposite, really. He was a fun teacher who had gone to great lengths to help Violet out with her work. A little by-the-book, but a big sweetheart.

   Plus, he picked on Louis a lot. So he was pretty likeable in her eyes.

Clementine had gone up to Mr. Everett and they were now talking, Clem dropping the classroom decorum to tug on his arm and take a $5 dollar bill out of his wallet for lunch.

        Violet didn’t realize she was staring until both of their gazes landed on her. Startled, she pulled her hoodie back over her head and started gathering her books as quick as she could. She could hear distant murmuring, but couldn’t make anything out.

Her panic was interrupted by Louis swinging an arm around Violet’s shoulders, holding an almost identical envelope up in front of her face, but it was green.

     "If it’s about transportation, I can pick you up. C'mon, the Vi I know and love would never miss out on a chance to get her ass handed to her in Super Smash Bros.“ Louis teased, earning a playful punch on the shoulder from Violet.

"Yeah, right,” Violet rolled her eyes, looking over at Aasim to see he also had one, but orange. “You going?”

       "Nah, my moms are taking me camping this weekend.“ Aasim chirped, a glint of mischievousness in his voice. Noticing the curious glances from his two friends, he cracked an evil grin and spoke one word. "Campfire.”

“Smokey the Bear, Aasim,” Violet giggled, shaggy hair falling in front of her eyes. “What can you do to prevent forest fires?”

       Louis laughed while Aasim rolled his eyes, picking up his backpack and swinging it over his shoulder. “I’ll see you guys at lunch.”

Aasim was gone for what seemed like half a second when Clementine appeared at her desk again, followed by Mr. Everett. Violet froze, her grip on her books tight.

      “My dad wants to introduce himself. Not as Mr. Everett, but as ‘Cool Dad Lee.’” Clem raised her hands to make air quotes, while Le- Mr. Everett held out his hand to shake Violets’.

        Bewildered, she shook his hand.

“Hello, Violet,” Mr. Everett looked happy, glancing between Clem and she. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

      That line earned an elbow in the stomach from Clementine. Violet, still frozen, gave a robotic laugh.

“Oh, I wanted to tell you to ignore that part of the envelope where it says 'presents mandatory.’ My mom is a bit of a smart-ass.” Clem snorted, before cocking an eyebrow over at Louis. “Not you though, rich boy.”

       Louis gave her some finger guns, a big, goofy smile on his face. “Respect for that.”

The second bell rang, interrupting the conversation. Violet threw her backpack over her shoulder, and shot a glance towards Louis. “Fuck, Ms. Martin is gonna be so pissed.”

       "I’ll write you a pass. Don’t worry about it.“ Mr. Everett pulled a notepad out of his pocket and took the pen that was perched on Clementine’s ear. "Just.. try to make sure he actually gets there.” Mr. Everett gestured to Louis, who gave a mock gasp at the implication.

“Will do,” Violet promised, grabbing Louis by the neck of his coat. “I’ll uh.. see you two tomorrow night.”

      “You’re coming?” Clem squealed, her eyes giving away how happy she was. Violet nodded sheepishly, looking back at Mr. Everett before dragging Louis out of the classroom.

“I like that girl,” Lee stated, capitalizing on the blush that had taken over Clem’s cheeks. “Reminds me of someone.”

     Clementine rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, tapping her foot impatiently as he made up a pass for her. “That’s good…”

Lee tore off the front page of the notepad, and held it high before giving it to Clem. “You have my blessing.”

Clementine’s flustered state turned into a fit of anger, as she jumped up to try and grab the pass out of his hand. “Shut. Up.” Clem grabbed onto the slip, wrenching it out of his arm. “I introduce you as my Cool Dad and this is how you repay me?”

      Lee chuckled, putting the pen back behind her ear. “If you think I’m bad, just wait ‘til Carley sees her.. Oh, boy.. Her cheeks are gonna be red from all that pinching.”

Clementine huffed and stomped out of the classroom, putting all of her weight onto her prosthetic foot, so it noisily clattered. She kept up the noise until she knew she was out of ear shot, and smiled to herself, bunching the bottom of her sweatshirt up in her hands.

          Her seventeenth birthday was going to be perfect.

[ghost-writers-world]

Hold Me Closer

Pairing- Natasha Romanoff x Fem!Reader

Summary- This was a request sent in by @theocmaker "Could you do a Natasha Romanoff x reader where the reader has a troubled past and has supernatural powers similar to The Flash's? The reader is also a new member of the Avengers."

Warnings- fluff, angst, mentions of blood and torture

Cold sweats, and a dark room. You did your best to catch your breath as you woke up, clawing at you chest with your hand. You looked at the clock by your bed, it was 4 am, and you could see the sun peaking over the horizon, you decided going back to sleep would be pointless, and got up, getting in your gym gear and making your way to the training room. This was usaully the case, nightmare kept you from sleeping too long so you would train to take your mind off it. It was hard, being a new Avenger, you weren't sure whether to tell them everything about your past, they knew somethings, peices they were able to put together when they rescued you from the HYDRA facility, and they knew your powers. The ability to run at incredible speeds was a point if interest for them, so they took you in.

An hour later, sweat was dripping down your brow as you continued your attack on the punching bag, the ache in your knuckles not deterring you. You were only stopped by the sound of a door closing behind you. You stopped mid punch, turning around to see Natasha, her red hair tied up in a ponytail. You didn't say anything, trying to get breath back into your lungs and you unwrapped your hands, which despite the protection, were now bruised and bloody; you winced as the bandages caught in a fresh wound, and you almost forgot that Nat was there, only looking up as she appeared in front of you. You took your hands, inspecting the injuries, then met your gaze.

"Come on," she almost whispered, "Lets get you cleaned up, okay?" You nodded, not wanting to betray yourself with your own voice. You walked out with her, keeping a reasonable distance from her. Natasha was the first to find you, taking you under her wing, which you appreciated a lot. She soon became your friend, though you didn't talk all that much. It didnt take long for you to catch feelings for her, the small amount if kindness was not something you were used to, and you fell pretty hard.

You entered Nats room, and she told you to take a seat on her bed while she grabbed her First Aid kit, you did as you were told, looking back at your knuckles, which were now turning a deep shade if purple. Nat came back in, pulling up a chair and sitting in front of you, cleaning your wounds and bandaging your hands. Despite the state they were in, you could feel how soft her hands were, which suprised you seeing the work she did. She finished up, walking to the bathroom to wash her hands, as you sat inspecting her work.

"Hey Y/N," Natasha called from the bathroom, "Since everyones out on missions, I was wondering if you wanted to watch a movie tonight?" The question hung in the air for a while as you pondered the thought, she walked back in, leaning against the door frame waiting for your answer.

"Um, yeah, I'd love to thank you." She gave you a smile, giving you a time, and with that you left.

You went back to your room, shedding your clothes and having a shower, was the morning off you. The day went on as normal, but as the evening drew near, you git increasingly nervous about seeing Nat. It was ridiculous really, you were friends, you worked together, but god being alone with her? That was different. Natasha called you, and you ran to the living room, stopping in front of her and seeing the wind blow her hair as you stopped. You both settled down on the sofa and started the film, and some time, around half way through, you eyes drifted shut.

---

You felt like you were drowning. Maybe you were. You could felt the icy water entering your lungs, the hands of doctors holding you down. Your eyes shot open and you sat up. You were back on the compound, in the living room, and you could feeling Natashas hands on your face, you could tell she was talking to you, but the ringing in your ears blocked all noise. You managed to catch your breath, pushing a number of apologys out.

"Hey, hey its okay, don't apologise," Natashas voice was soft as she pulled you close and rubbing circles on your back, "Tell me what's going on," she whispered in your ears, "I know your early morning training sessions aren't to make you stronger." You broke from the hug, knowing you had to tell her everything. You let out a sigh, leaning back on the sofa.

"Well, when you found me at the HYDRA facility, i had already been there for 5 years," you started, Natasha nodded, knowing that much, "And i wasn't there willingly. See, when my parents found out i had powers, they shunned me, threatened to have the government take me away if i didn't leave, so i did. HYDRA caught me as i was on the run, hearing stories about someone who ran at great speeds stealing food. They took me, and at first it seemed like they were gonna help me, but soon they started pumping me full of chemicals and drowning me just to see if it would enhance my abilities. It didnt. You guys found just before they were able to kill me." You looked at Natasha, she had been listening intently to your story, taking your hand.

"Nothings ever going to happen to you Y/N," Her voice was soft again, "I promise, you have me, always." She smiled at you again, and you couldn't help but move your eyes to her lips, they way they pulled into a smile, before looking back at her and nodding. Her eyes darted to your mouth, before meeting your gaze. You hoped she was thinking the same as you, but you wanted to be sure.

"Natasha-" Your question was interrupted but her lips meeting yours, soft a slow. Her hands moved to your cheek and waist as she pulled you closer. You ran your hands up into her hair bringing her just a little closer. You broke apart, a small laugh escaped your lips and you held eachother close. Maybe you'd sleep through the night for once.

[cptnsantiago]

take me home

5/?

~ new years

read on ao3

“What the fuck is Jake Peralta doing in our house?”

Amy had dragged her two oldest brothers into the kitchen, her thoughts moving a million miles a second. Whichever of her brothers invited her ex-boyfriend to their family New Year party was going to pay. She reminded her brothers that her new boyfriend was coming, to warn them not to embarrass her - they somehow exceeded that far beyond her expectations. 

“He was telling me on the phone that his mom was going on a cruise and he was going to be all alone, Amy.” Her oldest brother Luis breaks free from her grasp, leaning on the bench behind him. “Come on, you see Jake at work every day you can’t be that mad at me.”

"I am mad!" Amy hisses, being at work and being at their parents’ house was different. "My ex boyfriend AND my current boyfriend are in that room with OUR parents!"

"Okay, but how we hang out with him and you focus on Teddy!" Tony offers, "I promise this will be the best New Years of your life! There's no need to start braiding your hair!" 

"This better not bite me in the ass." Amy growls again, shooing them out of the kitchen to give herself a moment to breathe.

"Better not bite me in the ass title of your sex tape..." Amy lets out a breathy laugh at her ex-boyfriends joke. "I'm sorry if them inviting me upset you.”

Jake walks closer to her, and she thinks this might be the closest they’ve been since they broke up almost a year ago. “No it’s fine, you don’t want to be alone on New Years - it sucks.”

Amy remembers infinite other New Years she spent alone; with her family but then leaving soon after midnight and going to bed alone. The memory of the previous countdown to midnight struggles to stay in the back of her mind. Jake laughing and joking with her brothers, making a good impression with her parents and most importantly he spent the night showering Amy with love. They left early that night, but Amy wasn’t alone. 

“I was told that you approved of me coming.” Jake shifts awkwardly on his feet, “I honestly wouldn’t have come if i knew Tod wasn’t coming or if you didn’t want me here or whatever.”

“It’s Teddy…” Amy corrects softly. 

“Maybe I shouldn’t be here.” Jake looks like the embodiment of discomfort, so much that he struggles to maintain eye contact. “I’m sorry, Amy.”

He begins to turn away from her, but a moment later her brain clicks into gear and she’s holding him by the wrist. “Stay. I don’t want you to be alone.”

Jake stares down at her hand, the energy in the room changing rapidly to an intensity she remembers from what feels like a millenia ago. His jaw begins to clench when he finally looks up at her, and her chest only tightens. 

“Hey Amyyyy!” Her obviously drunk younger brother is yelling from the other room, “Can you bring me the mayonnaise? I need change Teddy’s universe!”

Amy drops her hand from his wrist, rushing to the cupboard to get what her brother needed. “You can leave if you want, but I would like it a lot more if you stayed.”

~

Jake does stay. He stays out of Amy and Teddy’s way, that’s what he does. Luis and Tony, his favourite of Amy’s brothers, feed him beer after beer. Even though they’d both told Jake repeatedly that he should be with Amy, they do their best to distract him from how happy she looks with Teddy. 

He remembers to clearly, no matter how drunk he is, when Amy first told him about Teddy. Kylie had introduced them at trivia night and they apparently hit it off. One date turned into four, then they updated their dumb Facebook status and they were together. Jake tried to hide his bitterness, but when he was alone and he wouldn’t be able to sleep for the third consecutive hour, he couldn’t help but scroll to months earlier when they had posted about their relationship. 

Charles Boyle: IT FINALLY HAPPENED!!!!!! I TOLD YOU DIDNT I?????

Terry Jeffords: Happy for you both!

Gina Linetti: Yay no more nerd tension just cutesy nerd crap. Also Rosa says dope. 

Karen Peralta: I always thought you liked her! I’m very happy to see you two together x

Where it all went wrong is something Jake struggles to define. Maybe it was his inability to have an emotional conversation without saying noice or smort. Jake couldn’t blame her; he was a mess and she was Amy.

The alcohol in his system made it easier to bear when the clock strikes midnight and everyone is cheering HAPPY NEW YEAR, especially when he sees Teddy kiss Amy. They decided together that it was a good idea to break up, he can’t be upset that she moved on. Jake doesn’t expect what comes next; Teddy gathering her entire family around him and Amy, before slowly sinking to one knee. 

Jake feels light headed watching it unfold, and the jealousy goes from a light simmer to boiling violently inside of him. He was not at his ex-girlfriends parents’ house watching her new boyfriend propose to him as in the first minutes of the New Year. 

“Amy, I love you so much.” Teddy pulls out the ring from his pocket, taking a deep breath before he continues. “I know we’ve only been together for seven months but I’ve never been happier than I am when I’m with you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and I know we haven’t talked about this but I was wondering… Will you marry me?”

Amy is frozen in place; the moment Teddy had pulled out the ring he had been watching her and the shock plastered on her face was solid. His heart shatters into a million pieces once she finally lifts her head to meet his gaze. Now he can see the tears swimming in her eyes, the light of the campfire making it all the more obvious. 

What was she thinking?

“No.” Amy breathes out, ripping her gaze from Jake and looking at Teddy’s falling face. “I- Teddy, I’m sorry… I-I can’t.”

~

“Do you want to get married one day?” Amy’s question is sudden, and certainly not what Jake expects when they’re hanging out on the couch eating Chinese. 

“Ames, are you proposing?” Jake does his usual deflecting, trying to rid himself of emotional talk with humour. “Usually a girl would get down on one knee to do this.”

“No, dumbass.” Amy rolls her eyes, hiding a smile. “I’m not trying to pressure you or anything. I was just wondering if you’ve ever thought of it.”

“Uh, yeah, I guess.” Jake shrugs, his heart beating out of his chest as he looks directly at her, “I want to get married one day.”

~

Amy sprints back into the house as soon as she gets the words out. What the hell was Teddy thinking?

Proposing to her. In front of her whole family. On New Years. After seven months of dating. The worst part was her ex-boyfriend standing behind her brothers, looking devastated like nothing else could go right in the world. 

She manages to get into her bedroom without fainting from the lack of air in her lungs. What a start to the year. Her head buried in her pillow, she can’t get Jake’s face out of her head. Why did they break up? The feelings she had for him had remained buried since she met Teddy and her relationship with Teddy was fine. 

Amy knew Jake’s feelings were just as strong, hence his unabashed heartbreak and she’s never been more confused about anything. Did they make a mistake? Wasting the last eight months being just colleagues? 

She expects that maybe her dad, or one of her older brothers, would come to talk her out of her spiral. Teddy was even possible. But when Jake walks through the door, she couldn’t be more relieved. Despite their entire relationship and fall out of said relationship; they were still partners, still each others confidants. 

“Hi.” Amy wipes her nose with the back of her hand, her eyes wandering around the room before landing on him again.

“Do you wanna talk about it or do you need some classic Jake Peralta defecting humour?” Jake sits next to her laid out form, watching as she giggles weakly and sits up.

Amy struggles to find the words to explain her precise feelings on the matter, but with another deep breath and a groan, she rests her head on Jake’s shoulder. “What the fuck is 2020 so far?”

“Welcome to the 20’s, darlin’.” Jake imitates, and it makes Amy genuinely cackle. “A new decade, huh?”

“I don’t think I love Teddy.” Amy blurts out, “Not as much-”

She shakes her head, and Jake seems even more attentive. “Ames…”

“What are we doing?” Amy huffs, “What were we thinking when we broke up? I loved you and I know you maybe loved me but we just fucked up. Tonight is making it more clear, ugh, you know this is the first time we’ve been together without the squad being there to buffer?”

“I know…” Jake is looking at his hands now, “I did love you. I’m sorry I could never share my emotions good.”

“I’m sorry too.”

“What are you gonna say to Teddy?” Jake asks gently.

“I can’t marry him - can’t be with him - not when…” Amy slides her hand over his twisted hands, “Not when I still love you.”

“We’re dumb.” Jake snorts, “We really- I love you too.”

Amy moves her hand to his jaw, turning his face so she can kiss him for the first time in eight months. They were in a decade but if felt like the past months hadn’t happened and they never broke up. Teddy wasn’t downstairs waiting for her to come down with her reasoning for rejecting him - for which she had a large list she had begun writing a few days earlier, starting with his uninteresting personality. 

Jake’s fingers were tangled in her hair as he tried to deepen the kiss, but Amy turns her head so that he’s kissing her jaw. “Say it again.”

His smile grows as he leans back enough that their foreheads touch, “I love you.”

“Wanna hear my 2020 resolution?” Jake nods, and her heart explodes with warmth at the look he had been holding back since they broke up. “It’s to not fuck this up again.”

“Oh my god, samesies.” Jake replies dramatically, and Amy can’t hold back the barking laughter.

“Okay, and 2020 is also the time to get rid of the word samesies.”

[artemisnightingale216]

Love and What We Do in its Name: Ch 6- The Belly of the Beast

Authors Note: This chapter gets a little violent. You have been warned.

Prologue

Chapter 1- Unemployed

Chapter 2- A New Beginning

Chapter 3- Hopeful

Ch 4- Predator

Ch 5- Come Out and Play

Alastor was quiet as he stepped into the only occupied room on the fifth floor. The door didn’t even creak as he softly closed it behind him and his footfalls couldn’t be heard as he walked across the carpeted floor. His shadow fell over the sleeping form of the blue skinned demoness as he came to the bedside, her body nearly completely buried under the covers as it lay turned on its side in a slight fetal position, only from her shoulders up visible to him. Her expression was soft, not at all like the gloomy, black one she usually wore. She was muttering something in her sleep, but it was only incoherent babbling, even to his highly tuned ears.

He cocked his head as he watched her. It baffled him how something so small and insignificant could rile him up so much. She was a puzzle, one he was keen on solving before he brought her to her end. He found it somewhat of a pity. She was rather entertaining and worth a good laugh, but she knew too much. If she decided to call his bluff and tell Charlie or Vaggie about his goings on at the hotel, it would ruin everything he’d set out to achieve.

Even Vaggie herself was becoming a hindrance. She was always questioning his actions and whispering things to Charlie when she thought he couldn’t hear, but there wasn’t much going on at the hotel he didn’t know about. Perhaps he would dispose of her as well. Ottilie would be easy with all the previous maids having ‘disappeared’ before, but Vaggie would be a tricky one. He’d have to be careful with her or the others would start asking too many questions. Things might not end so well for him if he didn’t plan everything down to the last detail.

He stopped right beside Ottilie, towering over her sleeping form in a domineering way. He raised a hand and reached out towards her head, but paused when she moaned and adjusted herself so her face was buried further into the pillow. He continued, but changed course at the last second so his claws were beside her horns. Bringing his middle finger and thumb together, he snapped them once a bit loudly. When she didn’t stir, he knew she wouldn’t wake while he was in there.

His smile broadened. It would be oh so easy to attack her as she was now. She wouldn’t even see it coming. He had no doubt she would try to scream, but he’d have removed her vocal cords before she could even try; he imagined her screams would be quite lovely, but he couldn’t risk anyone hearing. He’d have to settle with slowly watching the light leave her eyes as he devoured her piece by piece, her eyes never leaving his the entire time. Her fear would be delicious, like a spice that only served to add more flavor to her already delectable flesh.

Her scent alone was driving him mad. Against his better judgement, he leaned over and breathed in deeply through his nose, something he couldn’t do when she was awake and they were in such close proximity. He could feel his mouth watering as he took in that aroma again. He was so tempted to have a taste of her that he found himself leaning down further, his lips peeled back to reveal his razor sharp teeth. He stopped himself, however, his jaw snapping shut as he regained control of himself. If he wasn’t careful, this girl would no doubt be his undoing.

He leaned back and stood up straight, distancing himself from her before he did anything too drastic. He would have her, but not yet. He wasn’t done playing. Despite having always been told not to play with his food, he simply couldn’t resist. It was entirely too much fun.

Now he simply had to figure out what to do first. There were so many ways to mess with her head that it was leaving him giddy with excitement. He considered leaving a snake or spider somewhere for her to find, which usually got the women riled up, but she didn't seem like the type to be affected by such things; he highly doubted she'd be immune to the sight of a genuine skull or two, though. Perhaps he'd hide a few sharp objects and see how long it took her to stick herself with them and how hard; he wondered how much she'd bleed, especially after having watched one of the other maids nearly slice her hand clean off when he stuck a blade to a doorknob. He could also cut a hole in the cord of her vacuum and one way or another she'd eventually get a bit of an electric shock. So much to do, so little time.

Perhaps it was because he hadn't messed with anyone on such a personal level in a good while, not since the last maid had been in service, but he was definitely looking forward to this hunt. He'd never encountered a woman so emotionless before. It would be such a thrill to be the one to make her squirm like a worm on a hook.

He stepped away from the bed and began to walk around the room, his mind working like a well oiled machine as he pieced everything together in his head.

*****

Ottilie had been grateful for her restful nights of sleep the last few days. She so rarely slept for more than six hours, if she even made it that long, so getting up to eight felt like a godsend. Somehow, she'd managed to sleep for nearly nine hours straight.

It was for that specific reason that she nearly throttled Angel when he woke her up. It had been dreamless and restful, which might have been because she'd worked so hard the day before; she hated to admit it, but the shoes had been so comfortable that she couldn't seem to stop working. Vaggie and Charlie had to physically stop her and it was only then that she realized how tired she was. Even so, Angel snuck into her room, tiptoeing across the floor as she lay sound asleep.

“Pst, hey, toots,” Angel whispered in a hushed tone when he reached the bed. She didn't even stir, still laying on her side as she had been hours before, buried beneath the covers like they were a cocoon. “Hey, toots! Wake up!” He spoke a little louder and tried poking her face for good measure, but she only grumbled under her breath and burrowed further into the comforter, her cheeks now covered, too. He growled now, done trying to wake her up gently. “Wake up, you sleeping hoe!”

That appeared to have done the trick as she jumped quicker than he'd ever seen her move, making him jump as well, her eyes wide as they darted around frantically. Blinking a few times to clear her mind, she realized what had happened. Looking around again but seeing no one, she called, “Angel Dust?”

“Up here,” Angel called back.

She looked toward the sound of his voice only to see him stuck to the ceiling, his hands and the balls of his feet pressed up against it. She'd seen him do things like this before, but never quite so high. “What on earth are you doing up there?”

“What the Hell are you doin’ snappin’ up like that? Nearly gave me a heart attack!” he retorted as he flipped around so he was facing her. “I almost died! Again!”

“What are you even doing in here?” she asked as she rubbed the sleep from her visible eye and looked at the clock. “I still have a few more hours before I have to get ready for work.”

“Really?” he smiled before detaching himself from the ceiling, landing on the floor with a rather loud ‘thud’. He rushed over to where she sat on the bed, making her flinch, and clasped his hands beneath his chin. “Then will you give me a bath?”

She blinked once in confusion. “You woke me up this early to give you a bath?” Her face was just as blank as it always was, but he could tell she wasn't happy at all.

“Uh huh,” he nodded. She just continued to stare at him. “Com'on, please? Oh, please? Oh, please? Oh, please?” Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Pwease~?”

A long sigh escaped her, her shoulders sagging with the action. “Go to the bathroom.”

“Yay!” he practically squealed in delight as he jumped up from his kneeling position and bounced his way toward the bathroom, acting like a child on Christmas morning.

Knowing he would get antsy if she took too long, she climbed out of bed and placed her slippers on her feet before shrugging on her robe. As she was tying the sash around her waist and made to follow after him, she happened to glance over at her sitting area and frowned. Something was definitely wrong.

Her furniture had been switched around. Where it had once sat previously, it was now on the opposite side of the room. Not just in her sitting area, but everything that wasn't stationary had been as well. She thought she was just imagining it at first, but she knew for a fact that everything had been just the opposite when she went to bed the night before. She wondered if Angel had done it just to mess with her, but moving around heavy furniture would be too much work for him. Neither Vaggie nor Charlie seemed like the types to play childish pranks and Husk definitely wouldn’t be behind this. From what Angel had told her, it very well could have been Alastor, but she very much doubted he’d come into her room just to move things around; she’d probably in a world of pain if he had in fact come into her room at all. That just left her with the rest of the inhabitants, all of whom she’d yet to meet, meaning it could have been any of them.

“Hey, toots! Get the lead out of your feet!” Angel called impatiently, his tone both mocking and serious at the same time.

Realizing she’d been thinking on this for too long as she stared at her misplaced furniture, she turned toward the bathroom again and called, “Coming!” as she walked as quickly as she could to the door. Hesitating a moment, she buried her hands deep into the pockets of her robe to make sure all of the skin of her arms was covered and stepped inside. Angel had already stripped out of his clothes and was sitting on the sink countertop, his body shamelessly on full display; he’d already set the water running as well, knowing that the way they liked their temperatures was vastly different. “Do you want me to add the bubbles?”

“You should already know the answer to that one, baby,” he replied, his legs kicking back and forth slightly as he waited for the tub to fill.

“You know the drill,” she said as she gestured to his hands with a nod of her head, to which he complied by using them to cover his eyes. Once his vision was impaired and she was sure he wasn’t peaking, she pulled her hands out and crouched down to look in the cabinet underneath the sink. Easily finding a bottle of bath soap stowed away in the back, she pulled it out and took it over to the tub, applying a generous amount to the already half filled water.

The scent mixed with the steam and Angel sniffed the air curiously. “Vanilla? Why did you use the vanilla one?”

“I thought you liked it?” she pondered as she placed the cap back on the bottle and put it back under the sink.

“I do, but you usually use the grape scented one,” he recalled with a slight pout, like the slight break in the routine had left him sullen.

“The grape one is back in your dressing room, so I can’t use that one, but trust me,” she smirked ever so slightly even though he couldn’t see. “You’ll like this one better.”

“Well, if you say so,” he shrugged.

Once the claw footed tub was two-thirds of the way full and the bubbles had sufficiently covered the surface of the water, she shut off the faucet and placed her hands back inside her pockets. “Alright, you can get in now.”

He smiled happily as he uncovered his eyes and stood up, even more excited now than he had been. After stepping into the lukewarm water, he placed his hands on either side of the shining white porcelain and lowered himself into it. A deep sigh escaped him as he leaned back and let his feet dangle out of the water, his legs a bit too long to fit all the way inside as the angle he was at. “You know, this is one of the things I missed about us working together. No one gives baths like you do.”

“Surely the new girl gives you baths,” she commented as she rolled up her sleeves out of his line of sight and pulled a stool up behind his head.

“Yeah, right. Like I’d ever let that good-for-nothing, talent-less hack anywhere near me like this. She’d probably bleach my hair white and then call it art,” he scoffed as she took a seat behind him. He dipped his head back into the water just enough so that his hair was wet but his face was still above the surface and sat back up again.

“The studio must like her if they’ve kept her on this long, though.” She picked up a bottle of shampoo and squeezed some out into the palm of her hand before putting it back down. The floral aroma surrounded them both as she started scrubbing it into his light pink hair, her fingers massaging his scalp at the same time.

“Of course the studio likes her! She’s given handouts to the producers!” he said in exasperation as his hands went flying up, sending water and bubbles all about. He put his hands back down and started playing with the bubbles, making odd shapes and towers out of them.

“Need I remind you that you do that sometimes, too,” she chuckled lightly, messing around with his hair a bit in the same matter he was the bubbles.

“Yeah, but at least I don’t use it as way to further my career! She’s just doin’ it cause she knows she can’t do nothin’ right!” he said accusingly. “I’m tellin’ ya, that’s the only reason they let you go. Why, I have half a mind to-.”

“Careful now. That’s reaching a bit too far, don’t you think?” she laughed.

“You little shit!” he half heartedly growled at her as he scooped up a handful of bubbles and shoved them in her face, making her cry out in laughter.

A sense of nostalgia overcame them as they continued to laugh and talk. It had been commonplace for her to give him a bath every now and again when they were working together. She wouldn’t do it every day, but that was mostly because he would usually have a date or two for after the shooting and he didn’t want to have to reapply his makeup or hair. Doing this once again made them feel as if they hadn’t been separated at all. While it was true that being apart had made them both miss each other terribly, being together again only served to remind them how strong of a bond they really had. He never seemed to mind how cold her touch was, either, despite the fact that she was touching him without so much as a glove between them. Instead of recoiling like most others did, he welcomed her touch and even seemed to find some comfort in it, looking more relaxed than she’d ever seen him whenever she bathed him.

Once he was clean and satisfied, she stood behind him and helped him out of the tub, his head facing the ceiling so he couldn’t see her hands. After he wrapped a towel around himself, he informed her he’d meet her down at breakfast and left the room with the pajamas he’d been wearing. Anyone else might have questioned the fact he was running around the hotel practically naked, but she knew better; he’d never been afraid to show off what he had.

Once she was alone again and the bathroom had been straightened up, she only had about an hour before she had to get to work, so she began to get ready for the day. She hadn’t had any time to make herself a new work dress yet, so she was still wearing a pair of the work pants and smock Charlie had given her, glad now that she’d insisted she take a few extra pairs. She also slipped on her work boots, which she still wasn’t quite used to wearing.

The previous day had left her somewhat angry, having returned to her room for her other pair of shoes only to find that they were gone as well, leaving her with only the ones she had in hand. She’d searched high and low for her other shoes, wondering if she’d somehow misplaced them or if they’d simply been hidden, but they were nowhere to be found. The new shoes were certainly easier to work in and for that she was grateful, but at the same time she was angry that the choice had been taken away from her about whether or not to wear them added to the fact that both pairs of her shoes were now gone, seemingly for good. Who did this person think they were to force her to wear them, she thought angrily. Without knowing who’d given them to her, however, she had no one to direct that anger towards, so she simply couldn’t hold on to it. It disappeared, just as her other shoes had.

After tying her hair back so it hung loosely down her back in a low ponytail, she left her room and headed towards the dining room, assuming that if she didn’t head that way that Charlie would come looking for her. She’d been able to talk her way out of eating dinner with them, but Charlie had practically demanded she join them for breakfast, especially after having also refused it the day before. She didn’t eat very often, not feeling the need or want to, but today she was feeling somewhat hungry. Perhaps all of the moving around was starting to give her a bit of an appetite.

Finally getting used to the layout of the hotel after a few days, she found the dining room easily and found that she was one of the first people there aside from two others. The first was the small one eyed demoness who looked like a child and the other was a woman of ample size who was dressed like she’d just stepped out of a casino. The two turned to look at her as she stepped in, one regarding her with cheerful delight and the other in indifference. “Um… hello.”

“Hi, there!” the smaller one said cheerfully as she jumped out of her chair, her poodle her red and yellow polka dotted skirt swaying as she rushed over to see her up close. “You must be the new maid! Gee! You're kind of tall! Then again, a lot of people are tall to me! I'm just so short, aren't I?” She took a quick pause to giggle, not giving Ottilie any time to respond as she prattled on. “You're really pretty, too! I bet you get a lot of attention from men! All the men most flock to you like a rooster to a chicken! My mom used to be the same way! Pretty and good with the men! You must adore all that attention, don't you? Gosh, I wish I were as pretty as you!”

Ottilie blinked down at her, unsure if she was finished or not. After a few seconds, it appeared she was done for now. “Um… thank you, but you're much prettier than I am.” She truly believed that the shorter girl was better looking than she was, though that was the case with most people she met.

“Wow! That's so sweet of you! You're really nice! I bet you've got lots of friends! Mimzy over there is my bestest friend!” she turned and pointed towards the other woman sitting at the table, who gave an unenthusiastic wave, her fingers wiggling slightly. “Oh! And I'm Nifty, by the way! What's your name? I bet you've got a name just as pretty as you are! I hope you do! It would stink if someone so pretty had an ugly name! Oh, please, won't you tell me? I've just got to know! What's your name?”

“Will you just tell her? She won't stop until you do,” Mimzy sighed.

“Ottilie,” she replied after another few seconds.

“Oh, wow! I love that name so much! It’s so unique and wonderful! It fits you so well!” Nifty gushed before bounding over to Mimzy. “Didn’t I say that her name would be pretty? And I was so right! Have you ever heard of a name like that? And her voice! I bet you she came from England! People from England were all the rage when I was alive! So formal and polite and-!” She was cut off when Mimzy picked up a napkin and shoved it in her mouth, silencing her for the moment.

“You know the rules, sweetcheeks. Don’t talk to me until I’ve had my coffee,” Mimzy reminded her as she leaned into her hand and continued to not-so-patiently wait for breakfast.

Nifty and Mimzy certainly wasn’t what Ottilie had been expecting at all. From the way people talked about them, they were as inseparable as the moon and stars, but from where she stood, they couldn’t be any more different than night and day. The way they talked, acted, and even the way they dressed were nothing alike each other.

Mimzy, who appeared to be from the time Ottilie recalled being called the Roaring Twenties, was a rather stout and stocky woman not much taller than Nifty was. She had platinum blonde hair styled in a side part with the ends twirling around in a single curl, thin lips painted the same color of red as her irises and cheeks, dark red lashes that contrasted with her entirely black scleras, a small nose that was just a little too pointy, and ashen white skin that stood out against the dark hues of her attire. She wore a dark purple strapless flapper dress that left little to the imagination and put the tops plus the sides of her ample bosom on display for the world to see; there were small strips of white around her hips, almost making it look like she was wearing a belt or a top and skirt, and the tassels at the bottom were colored white with streaks of the same dark purple. Around the top of her head and over her hair was a was a dark purple headband with a matching feather and faux gemstone that matched the color of her eyes. A beaded necklace with the same type of stone hung around her neck and her hands were covered by dark purple gloves that reached past her elbows. Her feet, which were, like her hands, very small compared to the rest of her body and protected by tiny heeled shoes that went with the rest of her clothing.

Nifty, on the other hand, was as skinny as a twig, the only curves on her being her rather tiny breasts. The skin of her head and neck was a milky white and a stark contrast to the bright colors of her clothing while her needle like arms and legs were a deep purple, her cheeks were dotted by small points of fuschia, the frizzy hair atop her head was cut short above her shoulders and colored the same shade as her cheeks with a large streak of light orange beneath her bangs, and the single eye in the middle of her head was a match to her hair with a ring of orange around her fuschia scleras. Aside from her polka dotted poodle skirt, she wore a short sleeved white blouse spotted with fuschia that had poofy sleeves and a fuschia and orange colored scarf tied loosely around her neck. If the small woman was wearing shoes, it was hard to tell. The wide smile that seemed to be constantly spread across her face sported two rows of razor sharp teeth, something that most demons in Hell seemed to have, which seemed a little odd given the fact she didn’t seem to have a malicious nature, but looks could be deceiving.

Aside from their physical differences, Mimzy also seemed to lack Nifty’s bubbly personality and talkative nature. Though not reserved, she didn’t seem to want to talk unless something caught her interest or it benefited her in some way. Ottilie couldn’t help but wonder why the two were even friends to begin with, being so different, but she supposed she didn’t have much room to talk; she and Angel were completely different as well, but they were practically inseparable, too. Perhaps their relationship was strange to her because she was finally seeing it from the other side and not just her own perspective.

After Nifty managed to get the napkin dislodged from her mouth, she bounced back over to Ottilie. “So are you going to join us for breakfast today? You’ve missed the last couple of meals! You really should join us more often! We have so much fun! We laugh, we talk, we eat!” She giggled a bit at herself. “Listen to me! Of course we eat! What else would you do during a meal!” She giggled again. “But really, though, I think you would enjoy it! Most everyone does!”

“Well, I, um-,” Ottilie started before Nifty reached up and took her hand, her small limbs high above her head to reach it.

“You can sit right next to me, then! The cleaning lady who worked here before used to sit there, but she doesn’t come around anymore! Alastor said she simply had to go!” Nifty said as she tugged Ottilie over to the side of the table where her chair sat waiting.

“Alastor? Why would Alastor say that?” Ottilie pressed, feeling a bit nervous on the subject, but feeling like there was something more to that statement.

Niftys eye widened and her smile turned strained as her tiny grip on Ottilies hand turned into a rather tight squeeze, almost cutting off what little blood flow the taller woman had. Ottilie glanced over at Mimzy only to find her looking at Nifty like she’d just blown the cover on a top secret operation. Of course Ottilie already knew what had happened to the maids who had come before her, but the two of them clearly didn’t know that. However much Alastor appeared to have told them about the situation, he apparently hadn’t felt the need to inform them of her knowledge on it; quite franckly, she was surprised they’d been told at all, Niftys ramblings making it clear that it was probably something they shouldn’t have been.

Mimzy suddenly burst out laughing, the sound obviously forced, but to her credit she was doing her best. “Nifty, you silly girl! I told you that, not Alastor! Remember? I said it was because she couldn’t make the beds right!” She turned her gaze to Ottilie, but the smile she offered was just as forced as her laugh had been. “Don’t mind her. She gets details wrong all the time. I keep telling her that slip ups like that will get her into trouble… don’t I, Nifty?”

Nifty looked down at the floor, the expression almost looking shameful if not for the fact that she was shaking slightly, the vibrations traveling up into Ottilies arm. “Yeah…” she was quiet for a moment before she returned to her bubbly self and her head shot up to look at Ottilie as she continued to lead her towards the chair. “Gee, your hand sure is cold! Were you holding something before you came in here? I can feel it even through your glove! Whatever you had must have been mighty cold!”

“No… this is just my normal body temperature,” Ottilie said somewhat bashfully, letting the subject of Alastor drop, if not for their sake but her own.

“Wow! That’s so neat! I’ll bet you stay really cool in all this heat! I wish I could be that cold, then I wouldn’t have to worry! It must be so nice! Do you have-?” Nifty continued on, talking as if nothing had happened barely even two minutes ago. Ottilie let her go on, however, as she was practically pushed into a chair and listened to the girl prattle on for a good ten minutes or so, actually somewhat glad that she didn’t have to participate much in the conversation. It wasn’t until Mimzy complained that the food was taking too long that she jumped up from the table again and hopped onto the floor. “I’ll go check on it!” She turned to looked up at Ottilie again. “Don’t go anywhere! I’ll be right back!” She scampered off, disappearing faster than rain down a storm drain.

It was silent for a moment, reminding Ottilie of just how talkative Nifty could be, before she glanced over at Mimzy again only to find her watching her from the corner of her eye. Her gaze was set into a slight glare, as if she were both sizing her up and giving her a warning. Ottilie had only just met Mimzy, but she somehow got the feeling that the other woman wasn’t much of a threat. Something about her simply screamed ‘all bark and no bite’. If Mimzy had something to do with Alastor, however, perhaps she was someone to at least watch out for.

Averting her gaze, Ottilie looked down at the table, trying so hard not to look the other womans way that she didn’t even notice when other people started to pile in one by one. The seats at the table were all so nearly full that by the time Angel Dust sat down in the seat across from her and had to nudge her with his foot to get her attention when she wouldn’t reply to him she was shocked when she looked up. Only the seats on either side of her, the one next to Angel Dust, and two others were empty at that point and some mild chatter had begun to take place. Another quick glance at Mimzy showed that she’d lost interest for the time being and Ottilie could relax a bit.

Ottilie and Angel talked about this and that while they all waited. She did her best to not let on how nervous she was around so many people, but it was evident in the way she fidgeted that she was uncomfortable. Angel tried to take her mind off of the fact that she was around strangers, though it only helped a little. Even so, no one else paid her any mind; in their eyes, she was just another maid who would likely up and quit, just like the others had. After a few minutes, though, she seemed a bit more at ease when she focused more on the conversation and less on the people around her; it pleased Angel to see her finally coming out of her shell, if only just a little. That was, at least, until three figures walked into the room.

One could almost feel sorry for Husk, who looked like he’d barely gotten any sleep if any at all, but he also had Nifty dangling off of one arm, her feet barely touching the floor as she held onto his forearm like he was a jungle gym, while Alastor had his arms wrapped around his shoulders, his feet dragging slightly and slowing the shorter man down. “Will you get off of me?” he asked in an annoyed tone, probably not the first time he’d said it.

“Not until you do it,” Alastor smirked, leaning his head on Husks shoulder and putting more of his body weight down. Husk grumbled something in reply, but the words were inaudible.

“You know we can’t let go until you do it!” Nifty laughed as she climbed further up his arm, wrapping around it like a snake on a branch.

“You’re hurting me,” Husk staggered slightly, the added weight of two bodies nearly throwing him off balance.

“You’re only hurting yourself!” Alastor remarked, his smile widening slightly. “Come now. It’ll make your day brighter!” Husk turned his head slightly and glared at him. “Well, it can’t hurt you any more than this does!”

Husk let out a long sigh, his shoulders sagging with the action. He looked around the room, finding most of the eyes on him, and rolled his own. With a great bit of reluctance, he flashed a very small and quick smile, the frown he always wore returning to his face just as quickly.

“Yay! He did it!” Nifty cheered as she let herself drop to the floor and raced over to her seat, looking happily up at Ottilie before striking up a conversation with Mimzy.

“See now, was that so hard?” Alastor playfully chided as he released Husks shoulders and stood up straight, pinching the cat demons cheek just a little too hard and shaking it as he passed. Husks face contorted in anger at the action, but he said nothing to him as he took the open seat next to Angel, knowing he would have a fit if he didn’t.

Husk sat there a moment, looking a bit perturbed, when his nose started to twitch slightly. His head rose up from the hand that had been propping it up as he sniffed the air a little harder, turning his nose this way and that. He leaned a little closer to Angel gave him a few good sniffs before squinting his eyes at him. Angel looked at him in confusion before Husk said, “You smell nice.”

Angel was caught off guard for a moment before a wide smile spread across his face. No one had ever seen him look so elated before. He turned to look at Ottilie, knowing it was thanks to her that he’d received the compliment, but her attention was elsewhere.

Ottilie had gotten noticeably tense when the three of them walked in; Angel had seen this and what about to ask what was wrong, but that small compliment had him too distracted and the small detail for the moment as he became a little too touchy for Husks liking. She went practically rigid, however, when she noticed Alastor coming to her side of the table, his eyes on her and a smirk on his face as they both realized the seat next to her was empty. She was about to get up and excuse herself, but he beat her to it with the strides his long legs provided as he placed his hand on the back of her chair and pushed it back in, the action just subtle enough that it looked like he was using it for support as he lowered himself into his seat. She nearly jumped when his claws intentionally brushed against her back, but refrained from doing so in favor of not causing a scene.

Ottilie had a feeling this was going to be a long breakfast.

***

Vaggie and Charlie had come in with the food and beverages not long after everyone was seated. Breakfast consisted of biscuits and gravy, eggs, bacon, and an assortment of all sorts of other foods while there was also orange juice, milk, and hot tea to drink. Everyone dug in at their own pace, enjoying the meal like most of them did every morning. Mimzy couldn’t seem to handle herself and ate like a man starved for days as she tried just about everything there was to eat, Angels plate was full of sausage links and eggs, Husk was just having sausage and a bowl of milk, Vaggie had mixed the eggs, sausage, and bacon together to make a breakfast bowl of sorts, Charlie partook upon the fruit, Nifty was making a bit of a mess with her toast and jam, and the others Ottilie had yet to formally meet ate their own mix of food while she had simply chosen for herself a biscuit with a light layer of butter and a small plate of fruit. Alastor, however, did not eat a single bite; much like the day before, he had a simple cup of tea and that was all. No one else seemed to find it strange except for Ottilie, so she kept to herself about it.

Ottilie had tried to distract herself by focussing on her food or listening as Nifty continued on about this and that, but it was hard when she could feel Alastors eyes on her when she wasn’t looking. His gaze seemed to sear into her like fire, almost hot enough to burn even her, but whenever she would look out of the corner of her eye he would either have his eyes closed like he was enjoying his time there or his eyes would be somewhere else entirely, but he never turned his head towards or away from her. She had also tried more than once to excuse herself again, but he always seemed to know when she was going to and found some way to stop her. He would turn to Nifty and ask her to pass him something and, seeing how she was between them, would have to hand it to him; it was always simple things like cream or sugar for his tea that he could easily reach himself, but it was bad manners to reach across someone at the table and they both knew this, so he used it to his advantage. Even Nifty and Mimzy seemed to somehow be in on it, asking him to pass things along back and forth, somehow successfully trapping her between the lot of them. It was infuriating, to say the least, but still she said nothing.

It wasn’t until Mimzy and Nifty along with everyone else were distracted by Angel trying to impress Husk by placing the thicker sausages in his mouth and swallowing them whole that she was able to slip away. Only Alastor seemed to have noticed, unamused by the display, at least until Angel started to choke as he tried to swallow five at once and got a bit of glee out of it as Charlie jumped up to help him. Having seen Angel get out of worse situations, she knew he would be fine and went about her business, glad to be out of the deer demons presence, at least for the time being.

Once again distracted by the comfort of work, she delved right into it and started with her normal routine. First, she would go and collect all of the sheets, something that was much easier now with the new pair of boots she begrudgingly wore, no longer worried about walking up and down the long flights of stairs. Next, she would run them through the washer and fetch new sets to put on the beds, having already found a sack she could use to carry them so she wouldn’t have to climb up and down each floor again and again. After the beds were remade, she would then set about cleaning the rooms. It was at this point that she began to notice cleaning supplies were missing; in their places were photos of the missing items and another photo beneath of where they had been moved to, but every time she went there she would find another photo leading to another location until she eventually found what she was looking for. It slowed her down considerably and she was none too happy about it, especially when it continued on for days after. The first time it had been all of the vacuum cleaners, the second the brooms, the third the cleaning sprays, and so on until everything all of the supply closets had been hidden at some point.

When that was finally over, then came the strange happenings that would go on while she was cleaning. Things would randomly fall over when no one was anywhere near them, sometimes breaking in the process, and she was forced to go and tell Charlie or Vaggie what happened; she was beginning to suspect that Vaggie was believing her less and less that it wasn’t her fault each time it happened, no doubt thinking she was clumsy and didn’t want to admit it. Electronic devices would switch on as well, many a times on full volume and nearly making her jump out of her own skin. She would hear laughter behind her or voices she didn’t recognize whispering things to her, but each time she would turn there would be no one there. Phones would ring in rooms when she was nearby and she would rush to answer them in case it was something important, but they would always stop before she could reach them. More than once she had found signs taped to her back that said, ‘I’m hungry and underpaid’, or something of that nature; Vaggie had seen it once and asked if she was trying to get more money out of them while Charlie saw it as a cry for help.

All of this only added to the fact that Alastor was still trapping her beside him each morning at breakfast. She would always find a way to avoid dinner, feeling grateful that everyone was left to their own devices for lunch, but Charlie always managed to talk her into breakfast. No matter where she sat or who was beside her, he always found a way to take their spot and make her exceedingly uncomfortable. Most of the time it was simply staring when she wasn’t looking, but other times he would resort to more drastic measures when she tried to make it clear she was ignoring him. Sometimes he would switch out her cup with another, watching as she went to take a drink and stopping herself before she could taste whatever it was after noticing it wasn’t hers; more often than not it would be bleach or some other type of cleaner, but once it had been a cup full of blood. Other times, he would try to rile her up by poking her in the side or nudging her with his foot when she wasn’t paying attention, making her jump in surprise and get a few looks from around the table; fingers would be one thing, but the tips of his claws were rather sharp and she was worried he might actually cut into her one day.

The thing that really took the cake, however, was the day she, Charlie, and Vaggie finally got around to cleaning out the laundry chute. She’d been there for nearly a month now and they still couldn’t figure out exactly what had gotten stuck in there. Still, though, she was happy they were attempting to unclog it because that meant she’d be able to use them instead of walking up and down the stairs.

“So what do you think is up there?” Charlie asked as Vaggie turned on a flashlight and stuck her head into the opening in the basement.

“I’m still pretty sure it’s a wad of sheets,” Vaggie explained, squinting her eyes a bit up into the darkness and letting out a groan of annoyance. “It’s too high up. I can’t see what it is.”

“What does it look like?” Charlie questioned, standing just behind her and trying to see in as well, but the opening was only big enough for one person.

Vaggie looked harder for a moment. “Like a wad of sheets.” She climbed out of the opening and handed the flashlight to Charlie. “I’ll go up and see if I can dislodge it.” Looking over at Ottilie, she asked, “You have Angel Dust up there, right?”

“Yes. I sent him up to the sixth floor since it seems to be between there and five in the other chute,” Ottilie confirmed.

As if on cue, Angels voice came blaring from the walkie-talkie sitting on the table. “These chutes stink like ass! What did them bitches do? Send ‘em down wet?”

“Yeah, same with this one,” Vaggie nodded to Ottilie, ignoring Angels comment as she grabbed two broomsticks and headed for the door. “I’ll go up and we’ll see about getting those sheets out. You two stay down here and wait to see what comes out.”

“Can do!” Charlie playfully saluted while Ottilie just nodded in agreement. Once they were alone, she turned back to Ottilie and smiled. “I’ll bet you’ll be happy once this is done. It’ll make your job so much easier.”

“Yes, it will,” Ottilie concurred. “Not that I find it hard to do to begin with, but it has been much easier since I got these new shoes.” She was doing her best to make the conversation seem casual, but in reality she was trying to see if she could get Charlie to admit the shoes had been from her. She’d had her suspicions since she’d left them in Charlies office only to have them returned to her, but at least if she confirmed it she might be able to get the other woman to tell her where her other shoes were and return her current pair again, still not wanting to accept such an extravagant gift.

Charlie glanced down at Ottilies feet then back up again. “Oh yeah! I noticed you got new shoes a while back! They’re really cute! Where did you get them?”

Not ready to give up just yet, Ottilie pushed a little further. “They were a gift. I tried to return them but… they were given back.”

“I see. Well, maybe it’s a good thing they did, if they make working easier,” Charlie pointed out. “Who gave them to you?”

Ottilie, not sure what else to say, went with, “I thought you did.”

Charlie looked taken back. “Me? Well, I’m flattered you would think I did something so nice, but I can’t take the credit for it. I wasn’t even aware you needed new shoes. I do hope you figure out who gave them to you, though. Whoever did deserves a big thank you!”

Having confirmed her original suspicion that Charlie wouldn’t have hidden the fact that they were from her, Ottilie was back to square one with them. Perhaps it was for the best she didn’t know, however. Going back to her original pairs would mean having her feet hurt all day and it was improper for her to be running around in only socks. She would simply have to make due with what she’d been given and leave it at that.

“Geez, it really stinks in here! And this thing is lodged in there good! Them girls should have been prostitutes, cause they sure know how to fill a hole!” Angels voice came over the walkie again, sounding a bit ticked off at having to waste his time on such a thing.

“Just get over it and get it out of there! It stinks over here too and I don’t want it getting into the rest of the hotel!” Vaggies voice followed, clearly not too happy about it, either.

“It’s really squishy, too! It feels like it’s falling apart whenever I poke it!” Angel went on. Charlie and Ottilie heard banging from the chute the latter of the two was standing in front of, like he was beating at whatever was in there.

Ottilie walked over to the table and picked up the walkie, confused on how to use it until Charlie told her to press the button on the side. “What do you mean it’s squishy? Sheets shouldn’t be squishy.”

“Hold on, I think I almost got it!” Angel stated, his voice sounding strained as he hit at the thing with more force.

“Me too,” Vaggies voice crackled from the walkie. Bangs followed from Charlies chute now as they waited below.

Almost simultaneously, they heard the sound of something sliding against the metal of the chutes, a few pieces of cloth falling from above in Charlies chute. She looked at them in confusion, having expected entire sheets to fall instead of just pieces. She also noticed the material was black rather than white and a bit too thick to be a bedsheet. Stepping closer, she picked it up and felt a dry, crusty material on it that left red flakes on her fingers. “Is this blood?”

Charlie and Ottilie had to scramble back from the openings as something large and heavy began to fall down them at high speed, crashing against the metal in an almost deafening sound. Something came falling out of Charlies chute and tumbled to the floor in front of her while Ottilies came just seconds later, but neither of them were bundles of tangled up sheets.

It was the smell of the bodies that hit them first. Ottilie had always heard that decaying flesh smelled awful, but she never knew it could be this bad. She and Charlie had to plug their noses against the stench as their faces wrinkled in disgust and it took them a few seconds to realize what they were looking at. Once it dawned on them, however, Ottilie could only stare in shock while Charlie was in hysterics.

“Persila, Annabelle, no!” Charlie cried out, sinking to the floor as her fingers tangled into her hair.

Ottilie was confused has to how Charlie knew who they were. Though clearly female, neither body had a head with which to identify them from. She then noticed, however, the black and red colored uniformed dress they were both wearing and the nametags pinned to them, one reading ‘Annabelle’ and the other ‘Persila’. She’d always wondered what exactly had happened to the maids that came before her, but had thought it better not to ask Alastor such a question if she wanted to keep both her sanity and her head on its shoulders. Annabelle and Persila seemed not to have faired so lucky.

Ottilie was pulled from her thoughts as Charlie began to dry heave, the sound mixing with her cries. She brought the walkie back up and spoke into it. “Vaggie? Where are you?”

“Headed downstairs to meet back up with you guys. Why?” Vaggie replied.

“I think you might want to hurry,” Ottilie commented, unsure what to do for Charlie.

“Why?” Vaggie asked again. “And what was in the chutes?”

“Is one of you two crying? Sounds like someone died in there,” Angel cut in jokingly, letting out a noise of surprise when the wails only got louder. “Geez, what did I say?”

“We’re on our way!” Vaggie said worriedly.

***

Needless to say, Vaggie was none too pleased when she came into the laundry room to find a sobbing Charlie and two dead headless bodies that belonged to two former employees. After getting Charlie away from the bodies and up to the penthouse, she went through the entire hotel and sent everyone to their rooms until she said otherwise or they got everything straightened out, whichever came first. She knew it couldn’t have been Ottilie who finished them off, but Ottilie had decided it would be best to head back there to escape the chaos. No one bothered to ask how the two had died; headlessness aside, there was only one true way to kill a demon.

Ottilie was in no real hurry to go back to her room, however. For once, the halls were quiet and she could think to herself for a bit. Aside from that, there wasn’t much for her to do in her room. She contemplated reading or sewing to pass the time, but she knew she was much too distracted for that.

Her thoughts kept going to Annabelle and Persila. She’d never met the two, but she did feel bad for them. She needn’t bother wondering who killed them, having already known the answer for a long time, but could only hope they didn’t suffer too much. It was hard to tell just from the bodies whether they had or not. There were many deep gashes and claw marks, but the deepest of them had been in their hearts, and that had likely been the blow that killed them, meaning their heads were likely cut off after they were completely dead. It was possible they had been cut off before the stab to the heart seeing how the heads would just grow back given enough time, but she hoped that wasn’t the case because she’d heard regrowing limbs was quite painful.

She fought with herself to keep them from her mind. It wouldn’t do her any good to dwell on them now and the bodies would be gone by tomorrow, Vaggie having already said she would have them taken to the disposal sight that was specifically for circumstances such as these, but she doubted she would be able to use the chutes now without thinking about those two women stuffed inside like discarded waste. She briefly wondered why Alastor had put them there in the first place rather than dispose of them himself or hide them somewhere better and even tried to figure out what he must have done with the heads, but thought it better not to find out.

A headache began to throb beneath her skull and she rubbed at her temples as she closed her eyes, able to navigate the halls now even without looking. She was typically a calm person, but even she could get stressed out. All of the goings on had really begun to affect her. Between Alastors antics and the strange goings on, it was starting to get to her. She wasn’t going to give up, however, and was more than willing to stick it out. Alastor and everything else aside, she enjoyed the work and most of the people there were nice to her. There was no way she was going to give it up.

As she was rubbing at her temple, she could swear she heard a light crackling noise. Assuming it was a side effect of her headache, she ignored it and kept walking. The noise persited, however, and was only getting louder. The crackling was followed by the sound of constant static and that made her stop dead in her tracks as a sense of deja vu washed over her. She’d heard both sounds accompanying her before and knew she’d never forget where it came from. Ever so slowly, she turned and looked down the hallway.

All the color drained from her face and her eyes went wide as she saw the thing standing in the middle of the hallway.

It was at least nine to ten feet tall and the tips of its ears brushed against the ceiling, the long antlers that sprouted from its head branching out like the limbs on a tree. Its claws were longer and much sharper, no doubt able to rip apart anything they came into contact with, and the skin at the corners of its smiling mouth were frayed and torn apart to reveal a mouthful of teeth just as deadly as its claws, the jaw open slightly with a tongue slightering about like a serpent between it. The face was just an empty black hole with stark white eye sockets and that mutilated mouth, its gaze boring into her and body bent forward like a deranged animal ready to strike. Tendrils of dark power manifested around its body, infesting the floor and walls around them as they sought to snuff out the light, the shear force of it causing the frayed tail of its suit jacket to whip about. The thing wore the same clothes as Alastor, but it was clear that, though they both shared the same body, they were not of the same mind.

Her blood felt like it had completely turned to ice while she and the creature stared at each other. The sound of static and crackling continued to assault her ears, turning almost deafening now and nearly throwing her off balance, but her stance held fast and she remained still, not wanted to make any sudden movements. Over the sound of the static she could hear its ragged breathing and the occasional low growl, like it wanted her to move but getting angry when she didn’t budge. Her expression was finally showing fear, but it wanted more than that. It wanted to hunt.

Ever so slowly, it cocked its head at her and its jaw extended, unmoving as it began to speak. “Ottilie.” A shiver ran down her spine and she thought she was about to piss herself as the voice of monster spoke her name. It held its long arms out to the side, like it was welcoming her in an embrace, and there was almost a sing-song quality to the way it called out to her. “Won’t you come here? I just want to talk.” She slowly shook her head, still afraid to move too quickly. It moved so it was standing on all fours and straightened out its spine, its tongue slithering faster now. “That hurts my feelings, Ottilie. You never want to talk to me. You just scurry away and leave me all alone. Don’t you like me?” It started to take slow, deliberate steps towards her, each one matched by her taking one away from it. “I like you, you know. I like it when you’re near... I like the way you smell… and I think I’ll especially like the way you taste!”

She barely had any time to react when the thing lunged at her, using all for limbs to propel it across the space between them. She turned and ran just as it landed in the spot she’d been standing in, narrowly missing the claws that swiped at her, the air that whooshed past her causing her to stagger a bit as she thought they were going to hit her. Her heart pounded in her chest, beating painfully against her rib cage as she sprinted faster than she ever had in her life. Adrenaline pushed her forward as the thing followed after her, easily keeping pace behind her but not ready to catch her just yet; the beast was finally getting what it wanted and it wanted to chase.

She had no idea where she was going. There was no where she could go that would keep her safe from this thing. It seemed hopeless, but even so she kept running. Something inside of her simply wouldn’t let this thing have the satisfaction of taking her down. Until she was completely drained of energy and couldn’t run another step, she would survive.

It wasn’t until she saw the door to the stairwell that she had an idea. Her chance was slim, but it was something to go with. Sucking in a large breath, which was a bit difficult as her lungs burned, she used it to give herself a burst of momentum and shot towards the door. It didn’t think twice about speeding up as well and she could hear its heavy steps behind her, but she had been counting on that as it didn’t have time to stop. She burst through the door and onto the landing of the stairway while it crashed into the door frame, its shoulders just slightly too wide to fit through.

It was unharmed but nonetheless roared in anger, the sound echoing through the stairway. It reached an arm through the doorway, trying to grab her as it clawed in her direction. She scrambled back until she hit the railing, her spine hurting as she pressed into it. Its claws were just centimeters from reaching her, but those centimeters were enough to keep her out of its grasp. It tried to force its way through the doorway, but its anger was causing it to thrash about too wildly to squeeze through properly.

It stopped thrashing as it stared her down, its large hand slamming down on the floor in front of her, the tendrils returning now to slink their way slowly around the stairwell; now closer to them, she could swear she heard screams and cries of anguish emanating from their inky black depths. Its ears twitched as it cocked its head again, regarding her with interest. “Such a smart girl you are. I’ll tell you what. I’ll make you a deal since you were able to outsmart me like that. Come out of there now and I promise to make it quick. You’ll won’t even feel a thing.”

Not believing him for a second, she shook her head. “No.” Her voice was shaky as she tried to catch her breath, using that moment to steady herself for when she would have to run again.

“Come now. Think rationally, dear. Do you really think you can get away?” It asked, its head tilting further to the side.

“Maybe not,” she replied. “But I’m certainly not going to make it easy on you.”

It chuckled a dark and sinister laugh, the sound making her knees quake. “Easy? Darling, you’re only making this fun for me. I simply wanted to give you an easy out… I’ll even give you one more, since I’m such a good sport. Come here and I’ll be gentle with you.” It lifted its hand and turned its palm toward her, like it expected her to take it.

“Do you really expect me to believe you? People like you never keep your word,” she retorted, unsure where it had come from feeling like it was true nonetheless.

It let out a long sigh, like it really had wished she would take the bargain. “Have it your way.” It pulled the hand back and it disappeared from sight as it let the door close between them.

She didn’t hesitate to run down the stairs as soon as she heard the click of it closing. She didn’t care where she was going or how long she had to run, she just knew that she had to get as far away from the hotel as possible. She doubted anyone there would be able to help her. None of them could stand up to the might of the Radio Demon and she didn’t want to put them in harms way for her sake. It broke her heart, but she’d have to leave Angel and the friends she’d made there behind or risk seeing them hurt so Alastor could get to her nor did she want to test how far he was willing to go.

As she was descending the stairs, she saw a blur of red leap down from over the railing above her head. She turned to run back up, but this proved to be a mistake as the blur landed right in front of her. A gasp escaped her lips just before a hand grabbed her shoulder and pushed her back, sending her falling backwards. Pain shot through her as her multiple times as her spine hit the corners of the stairs and her head bashed against one as well, leaving a few trickles of blood behind as she tumbled down. Only when she slammed against the wall of the next landing did she stop, groaning as she lay face down.

She was given no time to recover as hands harshly grabbed hold of her and flipped her over so she was lying on her back. She tried to fight them off, but her assailant sat on top of her so he was straddling her and pinned her hands above her head, easily keeping her in place.

She needn’t guess that it was Alastor, but this time he was back to his regular form, smiling down at her in all of his wicked glory. His expression showed remorse, but it was only in mockery; he felt no sympathy as he stared down at her. “Poor little thing. I really wish you had taken my deal when I gave all those chances. You know, that’s more than I’ve ever given anyone else. It just goes to show how much I really did like you, but that’s all over now. I’m afraid I can’t make it quick for you in this form. The one you just saw, well… I have a bit of trouble controlling it, so you really wouldn’t have felt anything. This one, however, you’ll feel every… little… thing.”

She was shaking now, unable to stop her limbs from trembling like they did. “Why are you doing this?”

He chuckled again. “You know, I get that question a lot. I got it when I was alive and I even get it here in Hell. The blunt of it that I simply can’t let you run about freely anymore, knowing what you know. I simply can’t having you tell any of the others. Of course I have most of them under my thumb, but I’ve put too much effort into my plans to have you ruin them if word gets out I was the one who killed the other maids.”

“Mimzy and Nifty know. Are you going to kill them, too?”

“Mimzy does whatever I ask and Nifty does as she’s told. I don’t have to worry about them. You, on the other hand,” he grabbed both her wrists in one hand, still easily able to pin them down even though she pulled with all of her might, and used the now free one to run his claw down the length of her face, grabbing it roughly so she was still looking at him when she tried to turn away, “have been a thorn in my side ever since you came here. You’ll simply have to go.” The hand slipped down so it was around her throat and wasted no time as it began to squeeze tightly. “Don’t worry, though. You and I will have oodles of fun together. And as a reward, I’ll tell Angel Dust you said goodbye.”

Her vision was already starting to blur as she struggled for air, the hand around her throat not letting even the tiniest bit through. Her legs kicked back and forth, trying to land a blow, but it was all in vain as he only laughed at her meager attempts to harm him. His smile was cruel and sadistic, just as she imagined it would be if he ever got his hands on her.

As her vision began to blur and black spots dancing in front of her eye, the form looming over began to shift and change. Confusion washed over her as she was no longer staring at Alastor, but a man she did not know yet seemed all too familiar. His hand was still around her throat and he was smiling at her like he was enjoying the action all too much. His voice spoke to her, sending hate coursing through her veins as he said, ‘My lovely little doll.’

All at once, she went completely numb. The hand around her throat no longer mattered and whoever was above her was inconsequential. Her body went slack, no longer straining against him nor desperate for air. Her face, now blank of emotion, stared up with a glassy expression, like no one had ever inhabited the body in the first place.

***

Alastors brows furrowed and his eyes narrowed. The all consuming, delicious scent of her fear was now completely gone and he was left with nothing but the shell of a prey. This wasn’t what he wanted at all. He couldn’t possibly taste her as she was now. She would be too bland. He leaned down closer to her as he pulled her face toward him, his hand still around her throat. “If you think pulling that little stunt is going to help you live, you’ve got another thing coming.” There was no response. “You’re going to die. You know that, right?” She didn’t even bat an eye. “I won’t even tell Angel Dust you said goodbye! He’ll think you left without giving him a second thought! He’ll hate you by the time I’m through with him!” It was like talking to a brick wall.

Anger bubbled and festered inside of him, threatening to make him act irrationally, but he had to stay in control. She was his to control and he simply had to remind her of that, but something stirred deep down inside of him as he stared into those lifeless eyes and pushed its way to the surface, escaping him in the form of an ear piercing screech, the sound odd when coupled with his smile. Even then, there was nothing from her. He could see her consciousness slipping away as her eyes began to droop, but he felt no satisfaction in it. He lost satisfaction in everything about this.

***

All at once, Ottilie could breathe again as the weight was lifted off of her and the hand around her throat was gone, Alastor nowhere to be seen. She was no longer numb as she took a deep gasp of air, filling her lungs until they couldn’t hold any more, her chest arching toward the ceiling all the while. She coughed and sputtered as spit coated her chin, everything beginning to ache with pain once again. Turning on her side, her fingers clawed at the ground as she desperately tried to regain control of her breathing. Her entire body trembled, shaking violently and painfully as she curled into herself.

She wasn’t sure how long she stayed like that, but eventually she picked herself up from the floor and made her way to her room, her body protesting the entire way there. She fought back tears all the while, not wanting to cry over this but the urge so overwhelming that it was a wonder how she didn’t. Once in the safety of her bedroom, she shut the door and locked it behind her; she knew such a simple thing wouldn’t keep Alastor out if he came for her again, but it was a small comfort to know it was at least locked. She sank to the floor again, her back against the door as she wrapped her arms around herself, feeling so cold and wishing she could get warm as she rubbed her hands along her arms, but she was never warm. She had only ever known the cold.

As she sniffled and rubbed against her eye, still fighting tears, she heard a gust of wind before she felt the breeze that came with it. Confused, she looked up to see that her balcony door was wide open, the curtains on either side billowing in the open air. She knew she’d left it closed when she left, having never actually gone out on the balcony. Fear gripped at her once again as she thought Alastor had indeed come back to finish her off, but the more rational part of her brain told her that he wouldn’t have bothered coming through the balcony. He could tear the door off its hinges like it was made of paper while barely lifting a finger, so she was simply left confused again.

Standing up on shaky limbs, she slowly and carefully made her way to the door, unaware that she would come to wish it had been Alastor waiting out there for her.

[enixamyram]

Valentine’s Present

Summary: Alice and Robin share a romantic Valentine moment in bed when Robin gives her present.

  Valentine’s Day was never done better anywhere else in all the realms, than how it was done in the no-longer-quite-so-quaint area of Storybrooke. The most romantic place a normal person could think of wouldn’t match up with how the ex-residence of the Enchanted Forest spent their holiday.

  On the famous Troll Bridge, Snow White and David Nolan were clicking together a pair of matching thin glasses full of an expensive white wine. They had dressed in their old royal clothing from back in the days before the curse was cast, and had spent the evening strolling around town, reliving old memories before ending up in their favourite spot for a homemade picnic dinner. They would need to head back soon and relieve Doc of his babysitting duties, but they didn’t mind their dinner date not going deep into the night like it used to. Nowadays they much more enjoyed family time with their son anyway (and occasionally their daughter and grandchildren when they could make it).

  Not far from the Troll Bridge in town, Ella and Henry were settling down at Granny’s on a double date with Naveen and Tiana, courtesy of Lucy who insisted the four of them deserved a romantic night out better than anyone. It was the old fashioned kind, with romantic music playing in the background and candle light between them with rose petals scattered on the window frames. They had spent the whole evening laughing and sharing in fond memories with one another, until they were the last people left in the diner and Granny was giving them amused looks as she cleaned after everyone else. She couldn’t begrudge them for staying as late as possible. Her own granddaughter, Red, was out with Dorothy tonight and she doubt she’d see her before tomorrow.

  At the top of the clock tower, Zelena was pointing out her world to Chad. She had taken him up early and was telling him stories about every corner of the town that they could see from such a high point. Down bellow, Zelena caught sight of Ashley and Sean as they made their way back home from their own romantic evening. They had spent the evening, with a lot of the other town residence, watching the local fireworks display. Zelena hadn’t bothered to go, but she had still ended up seeing most of them anyway as they reached up high past the other buildings. They had a perfect view from where she and Chad had settled themselves. The sun had long since set and the stars were coming out brighter than ever before. That, along with a clear sky on a warm day, gave them the most perfect romantic setting they could have hoped for. After a moment, Chad wrapped his arms around her from behind and they fell silent, staring up at the beauty of the town they now called home.

  Out on the ocean, Emma and Killian had taken the Jolly Rogers out as far as they could go while still keeping shore within eyesight of the ship. It was a speck in the distance, but a comfortable speck that Emma insisted on having none the less. But her concern for leaving her daughter home alone for the first evening since she was born still didn’t stop her from enjoying the dinner Killian prepared, even if it was a little burnt, as well as the glasses of rum they shared between them. A couple glasses down and it certainly made the whole thing very enjoyable. Meanwhile, just below them, swimming freely in the water, Ariel was guiding Eric along and showing him a world he never would of had the chance to see if not for a little magical help.

  Even those who had lost their loves had found ways to still celebrate the day. Regina, looking after Lucy for the evening, had taken her granddaughter to visit the grave of Robin Hood, her deceased love. They had sat on the grass and Regina had told stories for the whole evening about him, before she took Lucy home to make some treats and stay up late watching corny films (Lucy was allowed to pick and she had chosen Robin Hood in Tights, in Robin’s honor). They had laughed their way into the night before falling asleep together in the middle of the living room, smiles on both their faces.

  All in all, everyone was spending their perfect Valentine’s Day with the person they loved most in a personal and meaningful way. Whether it be going out to celebrate in public in amongst all their friends (like Aurora and Philip or Hansel and Violet) or spending it somewhere private and more intimate (like Aladdin and Jasmine or Mulan and Rapunzel). And even those who had lost their loved one had still found someone to spend it with so they weren’t completely alone (like Rumple did by taking his Valentine’s Day as a chance to finally meet Gideon’s boyfriend). On this day, no one was allowed to be alone in Storybrooke.

  And not being alone was the greatest gift Alice Jones could have asked for.

  Robin’s tongue, however, was definitely a close and pleasant second.

  Alice bit the side of her bottom lip and struggled to resist the urge to moan as Robin pressed against her. She rubbed her body in a purposely slow rhythm that Alice was close to telling her off, the friction sending sparks along Alice’s skin and she gasped when Robin moved from licking her neck, to licking down her collar bone and along her breast. Alice was already breathless and hot, sweat coating both their bodies and yet they still weren’t yet done and she wasn’t sure how much longer she was going to be able to last.

  It felt like they had been at it for hours and maybe they had. Time had passed by in such a blur since they had stumbled into the room and fallen down onto the bed. They had spent the whole day outside, just running around Storybrooke, climbing to the highest points and swimming out to the furthest islands. They had only meant to walk around for a bit and return home for a nice dinner, only every place they went one or both of them had a tale they were eager to share and their little exploration turned into a daylong adventure of trying to outdo one another. It ended when the fireworks began and Robin had innocently kissed Alice under the flashing lights and that innocent kiss had turned into something not so innocent. Somehow they had managed to make it home and up into the bedroom where the lay now.

  “AH-!” Alice shouted when she felt Robin tease her nipple. Her voice was quickly cut off again, however, when Robin suddenly moved up and kissed her, thrusting her tongue into her mouth and kissing deeply as Alice finally met her release. They rode off their climax together, with Alice swinging her legs around to grip Robin’s waist to keep her from escaping and dragging her nails along her back and shoulders, leaving red marks in their wake.

  Robin had an arm so tightly around Alice’s torso, it felt like she was going to crush her ribs, while the other hand gripped onto the sheets by her love’s head and twisted them in her grip. She had managed to keep mostly quiet, right up until she felt Alice’s moan vibrating against her lips. After which she was pushed over the edge and let out a cry, even as her tongue continued to work its way around Alice’s.

  When they felt the last of the rush leaving them, Robin rolled off of Alice and collapsed onto the bed beside her, panting even as she pulled Alice against her. They were both hot and sweaty but neither hesitated to twist around and entwine their limbs around each other, Alice nuzzling her face into the side of Robin’s neck and humming softly. She was so exhausted now, and her limbs felt like they had finally lost all of her strength like there was no muscle or even bone left in them, but in a pleasantly lazy way. She shuffled into a comfortable position, still with her body tangled with Robin’s and shut her eyes, ready to just drop straight off now she was satisfied.

  “Sleepy head…” Robin mumbled sliding down until her nose was touching Alice’s and they were eyelevel, leaving both their heads off the pillows. “You want your Valentine’s present before you drop off?”

  “Hmm?” Alice forced her eyes open and grinned at her. “What? This wasn’t it?”

  “No, this was for me as much as you.” Robin giggled. “I have another present that’s all yours.”

  “Well, I’m not letting go of you, you know.” Alice noted, raising an eyebrow. “So I hope you have it within arm’s reach of the bed.”

  “You’re in luck.” Robin grinned, rolling onto her back. She kept an arm around Alice and pulled her on top of her while one arm reached into in the bag she had dropped beside the bed just before she had jumped on Alice. It took her a few minutes of clumsy fumbling, jogging so much that she and Alice began laughing at the awkwardness of it. Their laughter grew as the struggle stretched, growing worse the longer it took Robin to search blindly through her bag.

  “Want me to get it for you?” Alice grinned.

  “No, just, one second.” Robin finally released Alice and rolled over onto her side, leaving Alice to cuddle up to her back instead. With both arms free, Robin finally found the present after just a few seconds, turning back to hand Alice a palm sized gift wrapped tightly in silver and gold wrapping.

  “What is it?” Alice blinked.

  “Well you have to open it if you want to find out.” Robin laughed.

  Grinning at her, Alice sat up in bed. They were both still hot enough that neither cared when the covers dropped down off their torso’s, and even welcomed the chilly feeling of the slight breeze against their skin. But even with that, Robin immediately moved closer to Alice, sharing their body heat in a more innocent way by wrapping her arms around her in a soft hug, resting her chin on top of Alice’s shoulder, ignoring the way her blonde hair tickled her cheek as she did.

  With Robin holding onto her, Alice unwrapped the present and lift the lid off of the small cardboard box hidden beneath. At first, all she could see was the bright white padding that had been carefully placed to protect the object within from accidental damage. But after a moment, her eyes focused and she realized what it was Robin was giving to her. And it left her absolutely breathless! Even more than the previous activities had.

Being as careful with it as she would a living creature, Alice took hold of a free side of her present and lifted it out of the box, holding it up in front of her between two fingers. While Alice examined the present closely, Robin unconsciously began holding her breath, waiting for her reaction. Every other year during Birthdays, Anniversaries and all other holidays (including Valentine’s), Robin had gone out of her way to buy Alice something expensive and shiny, like the things she never had a chance to be given before back in the Enchanted Forest. She was constantly trying to outdo herself and bring out that same glittering in Alice’s eye that she loved to get whenever she impressed her with the extravagant things she was able to afford. But this year, she had decided to do something a little closer to home, choosing to go along the lines of the first gift she gave her – aka, like that of the bracelet she had made (the one Alice still wore to this day). She just hoped Alice wasn’t disappointed by it.

  “Is this…” Alice looked at her, smiling softly. “A bracelet? Made of feathers?”

  “Yeah.” Robin nodded. “I got the idea from my dad and aunt Regina. He gave her one of his feathers in this big romantic gesture and she still has it in a case on the fireplace. I heard she even shrinks it down to fit in her pocket so she can take it everywhere she goes. But I’m also trying to be my own person – you know, my own version of Robin Hood – so I figured I’d combine my dad’s idea with one of my own.

  “So I took one of my arrows, it was one of my first ones and was kind of falling apart anyway, and I took all the feathers off the end and… Well… Made that.” Robin shrugged, pointing at the bracelet being cradled carefully in between Alice’s palms.

  “Oh, Robin…” Alice whispered. “It’s perfect.”

  “You really like it?”

  “I love it!” Alice beamed, then hesitated as her face fell. “But it makes my gift look like rubbish. All I got you was some flowers.”

  “Alice, when you use your magic to create a whole new plant specie, it is never going to be just ‘some flowers’.” Robin laughed.

  “It wasn’t anything like this though.” Alice mumbled, carefully stroking the feather of the bracelet. “Like, this must have taken you ages to put together.”

  “Just because you finished yours faster than mine, doesn’t mean it means any less.” Robin pecked her softly on the cheek. “It just means you’re wicked talented with magic. And I’m so proud of you for it.”

  Alice blushed, smiling before she twisted around and held the bracelet up. “Help me put it on?”

  Pecking her on the lips, Robin took the bracelet and carefully fastened it around Alice’s wrist, just above where her other bracelet still sat. She hadn’t taken it off since getting it back during the curse and Robin had a feeling the feather bracelet would be copying the same fate. It made Robin proud whenever she caught a glimpse of it, and she was thrilled that Alice liked it so much.

  “You’re going to have to teach me how to make these, one day.” Alice noted.

  “It’s a date.” Robin grinned.

  Alice reached over and wrapped her arms around Robin’s shoulders, leaning towards her and placing a soft kiss on her lips. A soft kiss which quickly turned into something much more just like their previous kisses had. Soon they were right back to how they had started, with their limbs wrapped around each other, hand tangled in each other’s hair, tongues battling for dominance. Only this time, it ended with Alice on top, straddling Robin and taking control for this round.

  Truly, it was a perfect Valentine’s.

[camillemontespan]

the epiphany [AU. drake walker x MC]

Set on the evening of the 'The Awakening'. I wrote that Drake and Camille had had a fight before he went to her apartment to fix things, so here is what happened :) p.s I realised halfway through that in the other parts of the fic, Camille had never been to Drake’s before. I forgot that she had (bad planning on my part, sorry!) So let’s just ignore it, act like she had been to his apartment briefly. Cool.

The sleek black town car pulled up in front of Camille's brownstone, right on schedule. 7pm. Camille checked her reflection in the mirror. Her dark hair was tousled and her eye makeup smokey. She reapplied her nude lipstick before grabbing her silver clutch and left the apartment.

Liam was waiting for her in the town car. He was dressed up, wearing a black suit. 'You look fancy,' she said, slipping into the car beside him. 'You look gorgeous,' he replied, kissing her cheek before signalling to his driver to head to the restaurant. It was a new restaurant on the Upper East Side and Liam had been keen to take her so they could try something new. 

He had been taking her on dates for the past month and they had been lovely dates, she wouldn’t dispute that, but she felt something was off. As in, with her. But she wasn’t sure what. 

The car pulled up outside the restaurant and Liam helped her out. ‘I got us the best table in the house,’ he told her, smiling. The restaurant was decked out in green marble, dark wood tables and downlights. The waiter led them out on the terrace where a single table was stood, overlooking the view of the city skyline. ‘Wow...’ Camille breathed. Liam smiled and drew out her chair. They settled down and Liam ordered a bottle of Dom Perignon. Camille tried her best to hide her wince; she hated it when he flashed the cash, but that was how he was. The son of a technology mogul who had counted Steve Jobs as a close friend and a  mother who was an ex-Victoria’s Secret model, Liam had been used to a lavish lifestyle all of his life. He had gone to Princeton, graduated first in his class and had went on to work on Wall Street.  Whenever he took Camille out, it was bottles of champagne and caviar all night. At first, she had insisted they split the bill but when she saw the amount, she had awkwardly admitted that her half of the bill was her rent. Liam had happily paid and he had continued to pay every time they had a date. She wished he would just take her to a normal place or even just a bar where they could shoot pool but they never did. 

They sat and talked about work, new gallery exhibitions in the city and food. It was nice conversation but that was all it was. Nice. As he talked about his boss, Camille’s thoughts wandered away from the conversation and she found herself  thinking about Drake. 

Liam’s best friend. The guy she hadn’t exactly gotten along with at first but they suddenly started to talk more, before they began hanging out together alone. Drake was so different from Liam. He was friendly, of course, but he had these walls up which made it hard to get past the rough edges of him. But Camille had persevered and she found that he was a softie under the tough exterior. He had admitted one night when they were a little drunk that he had a crush on her and he often called her by her last name, Montespan, to stop her from getting close. It was when they were strolling through Central Park a few weeks ago that their hands brushed and they were suddenly holding hands. Drake had let out a breath, as if he had been holding it in, and Camille realised that he had wanted to hold her hand the whole time. She felt weirdly happy about that.

She wondered what Drake would think of this restaurant. No, she knew. Beautiful view but pretentious food and ridiculously expensive. Plus he hated marble. He felt it was too cold. He preferred dive bars and small restaurants with hearty dishes. She didn’t even know if he knew how to pronounce Dom Perignon. 

She wished he was there with her right now.

Camille blinked at the realisation and dropped her fork.  ‘Camille? You okay?’ She nodded mutely. ‘Yeah. Yeah. Um, Liam... I have to go, I’m sorry. I’ve got to be in early to work tomorrow, I’m sorry, I just remembered my boss wants me to sort out his meetings for the rest of the year...’  She gathered up her coat and bag. Liam sighed. ‘No worries, Camille,’ he said gently. She couldn’t tell if he believed her or not. 

She managed to blag her way out of getting back into his car, as he was insisting on dropping her home, and when he was gone, she hailed a cab. She had been to Drake’s once before, very briefly, but she remembered his address. 

Drake had been planning to drink whiskey until he was black out drunk. He had had one glass so far, not feeling the effects but hey, the night was still young. He knew that Liam was taking Camille out tonight. Liam had been telling him about this new restaurant in the Upper East Side which to Drake, sounded expensive and pretentious. He had a feeling Camille would think the same. She wasn’t like the girls Liam dated - she actually enjoyed crappy dive bars. Drake had been drinking to get drunk because it would help take his mind off her. At least for a night. Then he would wake up tomorrow, hungover and still in love with her. But he couldn’t have her. 

His apartment buzzed and he frowned. He wasn’t expecting visitors. He pressed the speaker. ‘Hello?’ ‘Drake, it’s me, Camille.’ He froze. What was she doing here? How did she remember where he lived? ‘Um... come up?’ He buzzed her in and opened the door, watching the elevator flash as she got inside and it made its way up to his apartment. The doors opened and there she was. She was crying.  ‘Camille?’  She sniffed and rubbed her eyes, smearing her eyeliner. ‘Drake, I can’t keep dating him. It’s too hard.’ Drake beckoned her inside the apartment and gave her a hug. ‘Camille, it’s okay.’ She shook her head. ‘It’s not. It was so obvious tonight - I zoned out and started thinking about you and how I wished you were there instead and oh God, I made this ridiculous excuse about working early tomorrow. I feel so bad, but he bought the champagne and he got a table with the view, but it’s just not me! I’m not that kind of girl, I hate being wined and dined! I wanted to be with you.’ She choked and her eyes filled with fresh tears and Drake’s heart ached for her. He pulled her in close, holding her gently. He didn’t know what to do. 

‘Do you want some water? Or tea?’ he asked. He had heard that tea apparently solved everything. She looked up at him. ‘Do you have anything stronger?’ He pointed at the bottle of whiskey on the coffee table. ‘Be my guest.’

She poured a glass and leaned against the sideboard. ‘I’m sorry to burst in here. You were having a quiet night.’ ‘Don’t worry, Montespan,’ he said. ‘Are you alright?’ She was studying the floor, frowning. She looked up suddenly. ‘Drake, do you love me?’ His eyes widened. ‘Oh. Um. Well-’ ‘Because I love you.’ Drake stepped back, catching himself on the wall. He was not expecting that. At all. ‘Camille, are you drunk?’ She stared at him. ‘Are you fucking kidding me?’ He held up his hands. ‘Sorry, sorry! It’s just... that was unexpected.’ ‘So you don’t love me,’ she said quietly. Drake moved to her. ‘Camille, god, I’m going to regret saying this. I do. I love you.’ She looked up at him, her eyes full of hope. ‘You do?’ He nodded. His heart was breaking right now. ‘I love you. But I can’t be with you.’

Her breath caught and she looked at him, her chest rising and falling quickly. ‘Why?’ ‘Because you should be with Liam. He is the one for you. He can look after you. He can make you happy-’ ‘But you make me happy!’ ‘I meant long-term. He is worthy of you. I’m not. I won’t bring you down Camille, I refuse to. He won’t do that. You should be with him.’ He couldn’t believe he was trying to convince her not to be with him. After the months of sleepless nights, those private moments with her when he wanted to just kiss her, hold her, tell her he cared for her, he was telling her to be with his best friend instead. After all of that heartache. Drake felt like his heart was splitting.

‘How dare you, Drake?’ she started, her eyes wide. ‘How fucking DARE you? You have no right to tell me who to be with or how I can be happy. Do you realise you make me happy? You, Drake Walker? I thought that maybe we could start something, be together, see how it went, but you won’t even consider it!’

‘I can’t betray Liam,’ Drake explained. ‘he really likes you.’ ‘Liam will get over it,’ Camille spat. ‘He’s nice, attractive, rich. Girls will fall over themselves to be with him.’ ‘Camille, think. You don’t want to be with me. Trust me, I’m not boyfriend material.’ ‘Why are you trying so hard to convince me? Would you rather I hated you?’ ‘No, but please, try and understand-’ ‘I can’t understand. I don’t want to be with Liam. I want to be with you,’ she said, stepping closer, getting close to his face. Her eyes were filled with anger. ‘I love you. But you keep throwing it back in my face.’ ‘Camille-’ He reached out to pull her into him but she shoved him away, hard.  Tears were running down her face. ‘Stop it, Drake! You feel something for me but you keep trying to push me away, I hate how you always try to push me away!’ Drake reached out to hold her, pleading with her to listen. ‘Please, Camille, I’m sorry-’ ‘If you don’t feel the same, then you don’t get to touch me ever again,’ she said, her voice filled with venom. She slammed her whiskey glass on the sideboard. ‘Bye, Walker.’ She stormed out of the apartment, slamming the front door shut behind her. 

Drake stumbled back onto the sofa, his head in his hands. He willed the hot tears that were forming behind his eyes to dissolve but they didn’t - they fell down his cheeks. He felt hollow. What had he done? Why had he thrown away the best thing that ever happened to him? 

He drank some more but her face wouldn’t fade. He didn’t even fell drunk. He just felt sad. He looked at the clock. 10.30pm. He couldn’t face the rest of the night with them not speaking. He couldn’t lose her. He couldn’t. He loved her. With new resolve, he grabbed his keys and left the apartment, not caring that it was pouring rain outside. He was going to fix this.

[artificialqueens]

you know everything i know (crameron) - chapter 1 - akita

AN: this is just a sweet multichapter crameron lesbian au reunion fic! thank you to elsaara for helping me with the idea. cracker is a primary school teacher, kameron’s a fitness instructor, they know each other from when they were kids. 

When Kameron comes to pick up her niece, she’s surprised to see Brianna’s her teacher.

“Okay everybody! It’s tidy up time!”

The joyful yell of her class made her laugh a little, and as they started putting their things away, she shut down the computer. Each end of day was as exciting as usual for the kids, if not a little more, as it was coming up for the summer holidays. For Brianna, on the other hand, it was somewhat bittersweet - her class would be moving up to year 2, where she wouldn’t be teaching them anymore. Instead, she’d have a new set of 5 year olds to start teaching the basics to, and hopefully, they’d be as sweet as this class. Having worked here for a few years, she was used to seeing the kids come and go, and it hurt a little less now when she had to say goodbye.

Just as everyone was finishing up, and the clock was reaching 3.10, a very panicked little girl ran up to Brianna with a note in her hand. “Miss Cracker! I forgot I gotta give you this!” “That’s okay,” Taking the note, she opened it to read, “Oh, your auntie’s coming to pick you up? That’ll be exciting!” “Yeah!! We’re gonna go feed the duckies while mummy’s working late!” “Oh wow! What’s your auntie’s name?” “Kameron!”

When everyone was tidied up and ready to leave, Brianna lead her class into the playground, where she met up with a couple of teaching assistants who were helping manage the crowd as parents and guardians picked up their kids. They had to come up and sign out as having picked up their children, as a safekeeping measure, and had to come directly to the teachers to do it. It was good for stopping kids being taken by the wrong people, but it took up a fair bit of time, and some of the parents could be a little rude, especially if they were in a rush. If a child was being picked up by someone else, their legal guardian had to either phone up and inform the school, or have their child hand in a signed note, which is what little Suzie did.

Only a couple of kids were left in the playground, waiting on parents who were either talking with teachers, or with each other. That was when, finally, Kameron more or less jogged up, evidently flustered about being late. Suzie cried out excitedly, running up to her auntie to get picked up and kissed on the head. After the demand of a piggy back, she was put down on the floor, so she could clamber up onto her back, and when she was settled, the redhead walked over to check her niece out. That was when she recognised just who the teacher was, and her eyes lit up bright. The mirrored response was immediate, and had she not got a child on her back, she would have went in for a proper hug. “Brianna!” Kameron beamed, supporting Suzie with one arm and quickly signing her out on the sheet, before giving Brianna a half hug. It was awkwardly returned with a laugh. “God, Kam, I’ve not seen you in years! You’re looking…” She stepped back, glancing her up and down, “Good’s an understatement. You’re ripped!” “I’m a personal trainer now, I kind of have to be in good shape.” “Can you even feel her on your back?” “Yeah, but that’s because she’s pulling my hair - could you please stop that? I’ll put you down if you’re not careful.” With a huffy noise, the child settled, holding on sensibly.

The pair of them knew each other from when they were just the child’s age, and went to the same primary and secondary schools. They’d actually been close, but when Brianna went to university, they started to drift apart. On the rare occasion, they’d had a coffee, or facetimed each other, but in the last two years, they’d had no contact at all. Needless to say, this was an exciting encounter, and Kameron could barely wipe the grin from her face. A chat would be nice, but with a wriggly child on her back, she knew well that there wasn’t a chance of that happening.

“Right, I better head off, but,” Supporting Suzie in one arm again, she reached for her wallet, awkwardly fumbling with it one handed to get a business card, handing it over to the laughing teacher, “My number’s on that, if you ever want meet up? Plus, if you take that to my gym, you get £5 off a session.” “I’ll call you, but I’m not coming to a class, ever.” Giving a quick goodbye hug, then waving to the little girl, she saw her off, “See you later, hope you have fun with the ducks!” “We will!”

Brianna was caught in a bit of a daze as she watched Kameron leave, laughing a little when she had stop to put the kid down, holding her hand and walking her off in the direction of the boating lake. Turning her attention down to the business card, she smiled a little, trying not to laugh at the concept of actually going to a fitness class. The number there was tempting her, and as she considered the call, she was snapped out of her daze by a teaching assistant, coming to collect the registers. She gave her typical goodbyes, before nipping back into the building for a quick meeting, picking up her things on the way out.

Even though talking came naturally in the brief time they were face to face, when Brianna got home, she almost couldn’t bring herself to make the call. She thumbed over the number on the card a couple of times, having already saved it into her phone, thinking of what she would even say. It was a mobile number - if she couldn’t talk, she could text. She still didn’t seem able to convince herself to do it, and put it off under the guise of having to make dinner, then having to clean, then having to get ready for bed. Like a coward, she mocked to herself, she finally sent a text when it was coming up for 10pm, when she was sat in her bed and could feign sleep if for some reason, something went wrong.

B: hey, its bri, sorry i didnt text til now, hope you had fun with the ducks x A reply came through quite quickly. K: hi, yeah we did, you know your her fave teacher? anyway, i need to be up early, ttyl, night x B: goodnight x

Now she was regretting leaving messaging for so long. It would have been nice to talk to Kameron for a bit, but her nerves got the better of her, and she ended up only getting the one message. Kameron had answered fast, and she wondered if she’d been waiting on her. If she was, that would have been sweet, but it didn’t seem likely. Setting her phone down on the bedside table, she heaved a sigh, snuggling up under her covers and pulling a pillow close to her chest. The hard part was out of the way, and she could just worry about talking in the morning. She’d already considered that she had the excuse of teaching her class as why she took a while to answer, but scolded herself for trying to think of excuses before anything bad had even happened. It would do her no favours to freak out preemptively.

When Brianna eventually fell asleep, it was like her brain just shut down to stop her overthinking, and when she stirred in the morning to the sound of her alarm, she didn’t feel like she’d slept at all. Besides, she had to get up at 6am, and that was exhausting enough. Shutting off her alarm, she went about what she normally did on a school morning - shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, then leave in a hurry. She had to get there early enough to set everything up, and that usually meant being there an hour before her class would arrive. It was even worse if there was a morning meeting. Just as she was setting out the door, at around about 7am, her phone went off.

K: morning sunshine! hope you have a good day teaching your class, wondered if you want to get a coffee when youre finished? x B: thanks, of course! have fun exercising if thats possible…… x K: it is!! you might like it if you try it x B: i’d rather teach music for a full day, anyway i have to go or i’ll be late, talk later x Her heart was racing as she set her phone into her pocket. There was now something to look forward, and she could only hope teaching wouldn’t drag all day.

[nonaandthemosquito]

02-05-2021

I am writing this in my notes app, sitting in the train. I deleted a shoppinglist for groceries that aren’t on offer anymore as today is sunday, and I didn’t manage to get them during this week.

Most of these words I wrote a while ago as I walked from my dear friend’s house to the train station. I will probably forget a few things but here goes;

Today was a blessing. I woke up early and enjoyed my morning walk. I showered. I read a book. I actually finished that book. Around 11 ‘o clock my friend called me to ask if I could come over earlier than 1 o’ clock which we originally planned, as she was awake anyways.

I arrived in Rotterdam (by train, I don’t have a car or a driver’s license) and made my way over to her house. Our other friend was also going to meet up with us today.

I could tell you everything that took place today, but I’m not going to. Sometime that day I found myself sitting in a park with two of my closest friends sharing our stories. We talked about growth, but also about past struggles, which tend to stain the present day. They said I changed a lot. I agreed.

I felt so much happiness, being able to bond and be vulnerable and complain and support and empathize and agree and disagree.

Later one of our friends left to go have dinner with family. My other friend and I kept talking. To one of her comments I mentioned how that reminded me of something I read earlier today. I told her we should go to a bookstore, so I could gift her that book.

We purchased multiple books, went back to her home where dinner was already served for us. After enjoying the tagliatelle we climbed to stairs to her bedroom.

We observed the books we had purchased just an hour ago as they lay carefully displayed in front of us. What followed was an hour of sitting on the floor next to one another, reading.

About an hour past and I thoroughly enjoyed reading my book. A couple of youtube videos later it was time to go home. She told me to text het once I get home, as she always does.

It was already dark outside. As I hurried to the train station I imagined my boyfriend getting agitated at me for being out this late. Instead of feeling defensive, I felt his caring nature even though he is probably asleep as that thought crosses my mind. I am filled with gratitude.

As I walk on the yellow wooden bridge I look to my left. The fountain in the middle of the roundabout is lit up in green. The tall buildings seem to reflect each others light. I am happy and I feel privileged. Somewhere in this world there is a person who would love to live my life, and I’d like to invite them to experience this with me.

I feel the way I felt being

sorry my train arrived as I was writing that

Allow me to continue

I remembered the way I felt, fourteen years old first going to “the big city” by myself. That’s how I felt in that moment. Impressed and a bit grown up.

The train arrived just as I stepped onto the platform. I wrote the whole ride home. At the station I enviously looked at a couple. The guy waited for his girlfriend to arrive and they greeted each other with a hug and a kiss. How lucky.

My friend called me to check if I got home safely. I did. I’m quite tired after this long and eventful day so it is time for me to go to sleep. I’m looking forward to tomorrow. 

Isn’t this all going to well? Am I doing well too soon? The mosquito bothered me a bit today but I shooed him away. I’m going to embrace my progress. One great day doesn’t change my personality, but I can’t help but to feel like I’m happy? I’m struggling to find the right words as I feel rather sleepy. 

I AM GONNA SLEEP I DIDNT END IT WELL BUT ILL TALK TO YOU TOMORROW 

I FEEL GRATEFUL AND HUMBLE