#like two seconds from crying in a supply closet or having a full panic attack

[peachdues]

I 🙃 am having 🙃 the worst 🙃 day 🙃🙃🙃

[kpop---scenarios]

Life After Death

Pairing: Kyungsoo x Reader

Genre: Zombie! Au, Enemies to Lovers

Warning: Death, Blood, Smut, Swearing

Word Count: 9k

Summary: The morning you woke up, everything seemed normal, until it wasn't. The world is turned upside down the government and the World Health Organization have shut down, zombies around every corner and only the strong survive. You meet a few friends along the way, and lose even more as you continue to fight for your life. You never thought you'd meet someone under these circumstances but here you were, happy while surviving life after death. Though you should have known, there's never a happy ending in an apocalypse.

A/N: This is part of the collab started by @biaswreckingfics! Go to her page to see the other stories written by terrific creators!

"I'll see you later." You whisper to your sleeping boyfriend before you place a light kiss on his cheek. You open the front door to your apartment, looking back and around at everything, making sure you weren't forgetting anything before you left. As you close the door, you realize you forgot to turn off the radio when you hear one of your favorite songs playing. With a sigh, you glance at your watch and you see you're going to be late, so you leave it, just missing the important message that interrupted everything.

"Breaking News: The World Health Organization has announced extremely serious side effects from the recent vaccinations of batch number 0506361. If the numbers 0506361 are on your vaccination cards please report to your nearest hospital to seek medical treatment."

You don't notice anything different or weird as you walk down the pathway from your apartment building to your parked car. The sun is shining, the air smells crisp, today was going to be a good day, you could feel it. You slide into the driver's seat of your car, turning it on and immediately syncing your phone to play your favorite playlist to amp you up for the day of work you had ahead of you. As you continue to drive to work you notice the streets seem a lot busier than they usually were, especially for 7:45am, some people in their suits running down the sidewalk screaming. Your stomach twisted as you continued down the street, your eyebrows furrowing as you tried to watch the people and the road, slowing your speed. You look out your window and see a man laying on the ground, with another man on top of him. You rolled down your window to yell at them, but when the man turned to look at you, panic ensued. His eyes were white, his face was covered in blood, veins pulsating in his face. Nothing about him seemed human. He looked directly at you, and stood up. Your hands shook as you rolled up your window as fast as it would go. The man suddenly now bolted towards you, snarling. With your window up and both hands now on the steering wheel, you try to breathe through the lump that had appeared in your throat. As you keep driving, you see more and more of people being attacked, tackled and ripped into, people running away crying and screaming, vehicles crashing, buildings and cars up in flames. You could hear the blood curdling screams from inside your car. With shaky hands you switch the station of your radio to see if anyone was reporting on what the fuck was happening.

"..If the numbers 0506361 are on your vaccination cards please report to your nearest hospital to seek medical treatment.. there's a virus.. It's zombies. Zombies are attacking the city.. everyone seek shelter.. oh god.. please no."

You quickly turn your car around, speeding back to your apartment as you try to swerve off the undead as you rush back to your boyfriend. You may not know much, but you've seen enough zombie movies to know that you need to get supplies. You drive your car up and over the curb, parking directly on the lawn in front of your building and run inside. You were lucky you lived right on the ground floor of one of the first apartments in. You struggle to slide your key into the lock, the cries of residents pleading filling the hallway. Your key finally slides into the lock, quickly you turn it and shove your door open before slamming it behind you.

"Jaebum?" You whisper as you scrounge through the front closet looking for the duffle bag that you knew was in there. "Jaebum." You hiss again, running to the kitchen. You pack all the perishable food items and then begin filling up every jug you could find that had a lid with water. You tore through your junk drawer grabbing the flashlights and batteries, and any candles you could find as well as your butcher block.

"I'm serious, Jaebum. You need to answer me now." You hiss, bringing the bag into the living room. You guys needed to leave quickly, which meant you needed to pack even quicker. It wasn't like him not to answer you, it made you worry. You glance to the front door and his shoes were still exactly where he had left them the night before. You crept up to your closed bedroom door, with your hand hovering over the door knob. Your heart felt like it was beating out of your chest as you grabbed the knob, slowly turning it. You push the door open, expecting to see him, but he wasn't there. You quickly changed out of your work clothes, and grabbed everything from all of your drawers and shoved it into the bag. It wasn't until you had finished grabbing what you needed and you had a second to listen that you heard the shower running from down the hall, but for whatever reason, something didn't feel right. You tiptoed quietly down the hallway, standing in front of the door, you pressed your ear against it but heard nothing other than the sound of the shower running.

"Jaebum?" You whispered, gently knocking on the door, but there was no answer. You turned the knob, and opened the door. You saw your boyfriend standing there with his back turned to you. "Oh my god, Jae, we have to go! There are fucking zombies outside!" You gasp, still having a hard time believing those words that were coming from your mouth. In a split second he turned around, his face was beginning to contort, one eye was pure white.

"Y/N.. somethings wrong." He chokes out, spitting out blood before he falls to the ground, his body spasming while he froths at the mouth.

You let out a loud scream as you slam the door shut, running down the hallway to grab the duffle bag before heading out. You swing your door open to run out and crash into a man who falls into another group. You turn to apologize but already there were zombies staggering down the hallway at a quick pace. You whisper an apology before you run out the front door, his cries and pleas for help making your heart sink. You release a big breath seeing your car is still there. You climb in your front seat, closing the door as fast as you can and locking all the doors before turning your car on. Just before you were able to put your car in reverse and speed away, a man began banging on your window.

"Please miss, please open your door." He asks. You look at his face, he's sweating, blood splattered all over his face. His fists and arms remain pressed against your window, smearing blood across it. Your eyes drift down and you see a fresh wound - a bite mark and a chunk taken from his arm.

"You were bitten.." You say to him through the window.

"I'm fine. It's fine.. it's not a bite.. please." He begs. He turns to look behind him and looks back at you, panic written all over his face.

"Please miss, they're coming.. please." He cries.

"I can't." You yell, turning your head away from them. You put the car in reverse, stepping on the gas you pull away from him, knocking him to the ground. As your car stops so you can switch it into drive, you watch as the man gets mauled by a herd of the undead. You felt bad, but you couldn't have helped him, even if you wanted to.

You drove towards the freeway, thinking your best bet is to get out of the city. Your eyes were glued to the road and watching the mirrors, you watched as people panicked while driving, crashing into other cars trying to merge first, crashing into medians, and going in all directions. You could feel a panic attack coming along as you finally realized you were all alone. You had no one to talk to, no one to help you and that was terrifying. You glance down at your gas gage, seeing you had almost a full tank, you knew you would be able to make it to the one place that was probably the safest, your cousin Ray's.

You're stuck in traffic with your doors locked as you see a few people running to cars, trying to get in. There's a man, crying and panicking. No one would let him in, a herd of zombies following behind him. You needed to make a quick decision, so you rolled down your window motioning them over to you. "Here, get in." You yell, unlocking your doors. A man climbs into the backseat of your car, and you quickly lock the doors as soon as the door closes.

"Thank you." The man cries

"Have you been bitten?" You ask, turning to look him over.

"No.. no I haven't. Some men.. they pulled me out of my car, and took off, leaving me out there to die." The man explains. "You're the first person who offered me any help."

"I'm glad I could help." You smile through your rear view. "My cousin has a farm just an hour or so up from here. My family is heading there now. He's been preparing for an apocalypse for a long time. We should be safe there." You explain.

Earlier you had gotten a frantic call from your mother, her asking if you had seen what was going on. You couldn't understand why she thought you lived under a rock and didn't know anything. You did leave your house and listen to the news, contrary to popular belief.

"Thank you, thank you." He cries. You just smile as you continue to drive to Ray's farm.

**

An hour later you take a left turn, driving down the gravel road that leads you to the farm house. You drive slowly, seeing your mom's car, your aunt's car and a few other relatives. You sighed a sigh of relief, knowing that your family was safe. The two of you get out of the car and quietly make your way to the door. You softly knock but there's no answer. You turn the door knob, pushing the door open and it's empty. You walk down the small hallway and hear nothing. Your mom isn't talking, Ray wasn't yelling, no one was making a sound and that was very unusual for your family.

"Hello?" You call out.

You hear footsteps coming from down the hall as the two of you stand around the kitchen. "Hurry up." You laugh and cry.

As the footsteps got closer, you could hear snarling. Your laughter stopped as your cousin Ray came out of the back room. "Zombies." You whisper, backing away.

Not far behind him was your mom, dad, and aunt all coming out, rushing towards you all. "Run!" You scream, heading towards the door. You pull it open, the man behind you trying to get out the door, but he falls, crying as the undead come closer. He's doing his best to fight the zombies off but more stagger out from the back room, there are too many for him. "Run! Save yourself! If you meet my wife, her name is H/N, tell her I love her and our daughter." He yells. "I was trying to get home to them." He yells.

He's trying so hard to fight them, but he's bitten, he screams in agony as he's being ripped to shreds, his body being mauled by the undead.

His screams are now silent, the only sound filling the room is the sound of flesh being torn through.

You close the door, running back to your car. You see a gas can on the side of the house. You rummage through your car, knowing that you have a lighter somewhere in there. You remembered the argument you and Jaebum had gotten into about smoking and he tossed his lighter in your car.

Found it, under the passenger seat. As you went to get out of the car, you noticed something in the backseat.

A wallet.

You grabbed it, opening it up to see the license. It was the man's.

"Kim Jongdae." You whisper. You felt sorry for him, but you couldn't take long to mourn. You needed to be alert and get back on the road. You take your lighter and run to the gasoline. You pour it all over the front of the house, seeing your undead family banging against your windows broke your heart but you needed to do this. You flick the lighter, igniting the flame and throw it onto the ground. The house lights up, the flames quickly engulfing the house. You walk back to your car, slide into the driver's seat and sit there, tears pouring down your cheeks. You have no family, no friends, you have no one.

No one is coming to save you. You watch as your family and the house burn to the ground, exploding in the process.

That made you laugh a little bit, thinking of all the illegal shit your cousin Ray had in his basement.

A while later you get yourself together and drive over to the barn. If you knew anything about your cousin, it is that he always stored something in his barn, besides his pride and joy of a car, his old bronco, Monty. You pull the doors open, and take the tarp off the car, revealing its shine. Just as you remembered it. You peaked in the driver's side and sure enough, the keys were dangling from the ignition.

You began walking slowly to the back of the barn, opening another door, and here you found the jackpot.

Guns.

From a machine gun, to a pistol, to a shotgun. You gathered them all, putting the guns and the ammo in the backseat of Monty. You grab your bags from your car, tossing them in as well before looking around to see if there was anything else you could take. You notice a radio, but don't think much of it at the moment.

You climb into the driver's seat, and pull out of the barn, feeling safer than you have all day. You keep driving down the deserted highway. Abandoned cars everywhere, a few bodies laying around but most of all, no zombies but also no humans either. You're barely paying attention to the road, when you hit something, causing you to swerve, and the car to make a funny noise. You get out to check and see your front tire, flat as fuck.

You didn't have a spare. It was getting dark and you were exhausted. You moved most of the guns to the floor of the back seat, grabbing a blanket and some food and water. You change your clothes, wiping yourself down before having a snack. Laying down in the backseat you try to plan out your next move, but your eyelids get too heavy, and you can't fight it anymore. You doze off completely, and for a little while, forget about the disaster you're in.

You stayed in your car for weeks, never coming across anyone human. You missed talking to someone, talking to yourself wasn't the same. At times you almost forgot what your own voice sounded like. When it was safe, you'd get out of the car and wander around the forest, collecting sticks and branches to make fires with, so you could heat up some of your food. You have some, but you were starting to run low and you didn't know what you were going to do when it ran out. You were limiting yourself to one meal a day but even that didn't seem to help.

You learned when zombies came near the car, in a few or a herd, you needed to hide yourself very well. No moving, light breathing and packed under a lot of things. You were sure if they couldn't see you then they would continue on their way and leave. It almost always worked.

Life in the apocalypse was lonely and exhausting. That night you went to sleep, hoping for a miracle.

You're woken up later, by a frantic tapping on your window. Your eyes adjust to the sun as you look directly out your back window. A group of men stand there, all looking terrified as one of them taps on your window harder. You crawl up to the front driver's seat. You know you can't go anywhere, not with your busted tire. You turn the car on, rolling down your window just a crack.

"What?" You ask, side eyeing all of them.

"Please, we won't hurt you.. we just need a ride. There.. there's a military base a few miles up, but we just can't walk anymore. We haven't come across anyone, human in a while." He stutters.

"My tire is flat." You explain. "I don't have a spare."

"I can change it for you, just gotta take one off another car." A man pipes up.

You didn't feel uneasy from these guys and you were one to always trust your instincts.

"You change the tire, I'll give you a ride." You say. A military base? Maybe it would finally be somewhere safe for you to be.

The man nods and gets to work. By the time he's done the sun is beginning to set, and then you're on your journey to hopefully find somewhere safe.

You're driving down the highway, doing your best to follow the men's map that has every military base mapped out in the 100 miles surrounding the area. "What are your names?" You ask.

"I'm Changbin." The one in the front seat answers. "I'm Chan, and this is Felix." One in the back answers.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Y/N." You say with a smile. As you continue to drive, it quickly becomes night time, everything is black, except for the dim lights coming from your headlights. The two men in the back continue to loudly talk and argue over something, making it hard for you to concentrate. You hated driving at night, especially near wooded areas, you never knew what was out there.

"Can you guys stop?" You ask, glancing to the back.

They continued and got louder. Changbin was asleep in the front seat as they continued their bickering, making you get even more flustered. You turn your head to look back at them, telling them again to stop. They look at each other as you look back at the road and see something standing there. You get startled, yanking the wheel to try and avoid it, heading directly into the woods. The car heads straight on towards a tree and crashes. You hit your head hard on the steering wheel, knocking you out.

What feels like hours, but only seconds later you gain consciousness, just in time to hear Changbin and Chan crying. "She killed him." Changbin cried. "I'm gonna kill her." He yells.

You're struggling to open your eyes, your head is pounding.

You can hear some rustling between the two. "Don't." Chan says. "Leave her. She's in no condition to go anywhere. The undead will get her. She'll get her suffering, ``he says. "Let's take what we can and leave."

"No." You whisper. "Don't."

They can't hear you.

You can hear them rummaging through your car, collecting your guns, your food, your water, everything you had.

"Let's go." Changbin says, they both take off, leaving you there to die as you lose consciousness once again.

**

You're startled awake, surrounded by darkness. You unbuckle your seatbelt, getting out of the car with your head pounding. Your headlights are still on, and you see Felix's body laying on the ground. He had flown through the windshield from the impact of the crash. He wasn't wearing a seatbelt. You begin to cry, this was too much for you.

And then you remember. You look up and see a herd of zombies staggering towards you. They were quicker than you thought. You turned towards the road, running as fast as you could, your leg was throbbing. You run across the road to the other side of the woods. You can hear the snarling behind you as you do your best to navigate through the trees, branches breaking beneath your feet.

You stop, hiding behind a tree, trying to control your breathing. You listen, you can hear the sounds of them walking through the forest, searching for you. You take a second before you take off again, trying to zigzag through the woods in your best attempt to lose them.

You look up, seeing a fire. You run towards it, the flames becoming closer, you can hear the sound of faint words.

Then everything goes quiet. Suddenly the fire is put out and you can hear the sounds of guns clicking.

"Don't shoot." You yell out. "Please."

"What do you want?" A woman yells back.

"I'm.. there's a herd following me. I need help. I was in an accident, I was robbed. I haven't been bitten." You stutter.

"We don't need anyone else." A man yells. "Keep moving."

"Please.. I just need some help. I'm all alone." You cry.

"Move along, before I put a bullet in your head." He yells.

You let out a sob as you turn, beginning to run a different way. You hope you can find a safe place and a group of people but for tonight, you just hope you can survive the night.

**

It had been months.

Months since the outbreak, months of being on your own, months of fighting, scavenging, and hiding. You had come across a few groups, but they wanted nothing more than to take what you had and leave you defenseless. You had learned to hide from most people, giving yourself the advantage of a surprise attack. Most of the time you were successful and they just took off but sometimes they also fought back.

A week ago you had come across a small town, and had found some food and water and a place to stay, but you knew better than to stay in one place for too long. You quickly packed up your belongings into your backpack and grabbed your large spear. You learned awfully quick how to take down a zombie with it, finding it to be much more efficient than a gun, especially with having spears on both sides.

As you walk through the forest, your eyes and ears are open, listening for any signs of the undead. You stop in your tracks, hearing the sound of grunting and yelling, sounding close to you. You walk towards the sound, and come into view of four men trying to fight off a herd. They looked to be struggling, and although you don't usually like to insert yourself into others' fights, you felt like being nice and lending a hand. You run towards them, spearing a few in the head on your way.

You quickly join the fight, taking down a few zombies, as they get a little distracted, seeing another person helping.

"Focus." A man yells, bringing them out of the confusion.

A few minutes later, the last one is stabbed in the head, his decaying body dropping to the ground. The four men turn to look at you, two of them with a smile on their faces, one looking a little confused and the other one looking right angry.

"Hi." One with brown hair and a large smile says.

"Thank you." The blonde one grins.

"No problem." You laugh.

"I'm Baekhyun, this is Chanyeol." He introduces. "And that's Suho." He says, pointing to the confused one. "And that's Kyungsoo." He finishes, pointing to the angry one.

"Nice to meet you all." You say. "I'm Y/N."

"Are you all alone?" Chanyeol asks.

You nod your head.

"What's your story, Y/N?" Suho asks.

You smile awkwardly as you look at the four men who surround you. "My boyfriend turned into one of them when this whole thing started, so I was on my own from the beginning, in a sense. I met a man on my way to my cousin's farm, where my family was gathering, and when we got there they all had already turned. He..he tripped and he fell while trying to escape and he was bitten." You shudder. "I gathered supplies and I took off, and ended up with a flat tire a few hours away. I stayed in my car for weeks, managing pretty well on my own. I met three guys who offered to change my tire for a ride to a military base but when we finally got going.. it was dark and they were arguing in the back." You explain. "I turned around to tell them to stop, but they wouldn't listen and when I looked back at the road, there was something there and I swerved." You sigh. "We hit a tree, and one of them flew through the window. The other two robbed me of everything I had and I've been alone ever since."

"Well not anymore you're not." Baekhyun smiles. "You can join our group."

"Yeah!" Chanyeol exclaims.

"No." Kyungsoo grunts, walking past you, glaring at you. "We didn't need your help. And you're not joining us." He spits. "You're not going to let her join, right?" He asks Suho.

"I don't know." Suho sighs.

"Suho, everyone around her dies. She's bad fucking luck and if you bring her with us, we're all as good as dead." He spits.

"Meeting." Suho announces.

The four men huddle around, whispering to each other. You can make out Baekhyun and Chanyeol saying yes, and Kyungsoo saying no.

Seconds later they all stand up, Kyungsoo looking pissed with the other two looking happier than a pig in shit.

"If you would like to, we would like to invite you to join us. We know it's tough out here, and I can't imagine what it's been like to be alone." Suho says.

You look between all the men, even if one hated you for no reason, you were tired of being alone, and being scared alone.

"Yes." You announce. "Thank you."

"Come on, our camp is this way." Chanyeol smiles, waving you along. Three men begin walking away, but Kyungsoo walks towards you.

"I don't trust you." He murmurs, moving in close. "If anyone from this group so much as gets a splinter, I'm coming for you." He growls into your ear, his tone is low and very threatening. Goosebumps cover your skin as you feel his hot breath on your ear.

You nod your head.

He turns away from you, running towards the rest of his group.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea?

**

You felt like your legs were going to collapse as you continued to walk behind the group. Baekhyun turns around, smiling as he announces you have arrived. You look around and see a bunch of trees, but no camp, except for the small campfire pit that sat on the ground.

"It's.. nice." You smile.

Chanyeol, Suho and Baekhyun start laughing.

"Look up." Chanyeol says.

You tilt your head to the sky, and see a decent sized tree house sitting between a few trees. Your jaw drops, this was one thing you had never expected to see. "Come, we'll give you a tour." Baekhyun says, beginning to climb up the swinging ladder. You follow behind Baekhyun, the rest coming up behind you. When you get inside, you're honestly still amazed. It wasn't much but it was safe and it was out of the way and off the ground.

"We pull up the ladder when we're here, and when we all leave we just hide it." Suho explains. "We have food, water and sleeping bags. The most important things. We all pitch in around here, whether or not it's repairs, runs, or fights, everyone helps." He says, looking at you.

"Of course. Whatever I can do to help, I will." You assure them.

"Or don't, I'm not ready to die." Kyungsoo mutters, setting his stuff down.

Your eyes darted over to Kyungsoo, giving him an offended look. He looks back at you, not caring if he's hurt your feelings. You can sort of understand why he's weary of you, but it's not like you killed these people for the hell of it. You were determined to prove that it wasn't you, that you weren't bad luck. How you were going to do that, you had no idea.

**

That night you sat around a campfire, your belly fuller than it's been in a while, while you listened to stories Baekhyun and Chanyeol shared about their friend group. As it turned out, there were a total of twelve of them when this first started. Some of them were unfortunate to be ones who had gotten the batch of vaccines, a few they had lost while traveling, some died in fights, or took off to find their loved ones.

"Have you come across any of them?" You ask.

"We've looked, but no luck so far. There are two we're still looking for. Oh Sehun and Kim Jongdae." Suho says.

Your heart stops. Your head darts up, looking at him with wide eyes.

"What?" Chanyeol asks.

"What was that last name?" You whisper.

"Kim Jongdae? He was one of our best friends." Suho tells you.

You gulp, there's a ball forming in your throat. "What?" Kyungsoo yells. "What do you know?"

"I.. He said he was trying to get back to his wife and kid.. h-he told me to run and save myself. I wanted to help him b-but I didn't know how." You choke out.

"The man that was bitten at your farm. That was Jongdae?" Kyungsoo asks.

"I saw his license in his wallet.. he had dropped it in my car when we got out. I'm so sorry." You cry.

Kyungsoo rushes towards you, tackling you to the ground, straddling you.

"You fucking bitch, I knew you shouldn't have joined us. It should have fucking been you. You should have died, not him." He screams in your face, spit flying from his mouth as he hands pin your shoulders to the ground.

You're bawling as Suho and Chanyeol pull Kyungsoo off of you, he's still crying and yelling. "It should have been you!" He yells.

Baekhyun helps you off the ground, guiding you to go up into the tree house. He sets out a sleeping bag for you, tucking you in as you cry into the built in pillow. 'I'm so sorry." You whimper.

"I know. And we know it's not your fault. Jongdae was a clumsy motherfucker so I'm not surprised he tripped. Don't take what Kyungsoo says to heart. He's been through alot and he's not warm to new people. Just give him a bit." Baekhyun tells you. He gives you a half smile before climbing down the ladder and sitting back around the fire, helping to calm things down. That night you fell asleep with tears staining your face.

**

Days bled into weeks, and then into months, until this new life and these men were all that were at the top of your mind. Chanyeol had finally been able to make contact with the ham radio that had been found on one of many expeditions. There seemingly were whole groups of people like yourselves out there, sticking together and trying to survive. You reflected on the wonder of it all as you cleaned the rabbit you had caught, the best you could.

Kyungsoo had become different with you, he didnt give off a hatred towards you anymore. His words didn't cut quite as deep. Slowly you were becoming closer, and you enjoyed it.

Suddenly, you feel a presence behind you, waves of hot breath covering the nape of your neck, sending chills down your spine. He didn't even need to speak, you already knew who it was. "You're doing it wrong." Kyungsoo breathed, his body close to yours.

"I'm not." You retort, continuing to skin the dead animal. You tried to ignore his presence, and that fact that he made you feel so many mixed emotions whenever he was around.

You both hear a crunch of leaves behind you, making Kyungsoo step away from you and turn around.

"What are you guys doing?" Baekhyun asks, raising his eyebrow.

"She's skinning the rabbit wrong. She's going to take off all the meat with the fur." Kyungsoo announces.

"I am not.. shit." You spit, looking on the ground, seeing hunks of meat still attached to the fur.

"Told you." He mumbles, walking away and into the forest to try and find more food.

You stick up your middle finger at the man who drove you crazy day in and day out.

"Y/N." Suho calls out to you, a few hours later. "If you want to take a bath, go to the stream now. It's going to be dark soon."

You nod your head, climbing up the ladder to grab your things. You slide back down, just in time for Kyungsoo to be protesting something.

"We've all got other things to do, you're the only one free." Suho tells him. "Y/N, Kyungsoo will be keeping watch for you."

"I really don't ne.." you start.

"Yes you do." He says, looking at you. "And you will go. That's it."

With an aggravated groan, Kyungsoo stomps off towards the stream, with your speed walking to keep up with him.

As you finish up your wash, you dry yourself off with your towel, pulling your jeans on over your damp legs. You bend down to grab your shirt, when you hear a rustling from behind you. You stand up straight, your heart pounding in your chest.

You hear it again, the sound now closer to you. "Fuck." You scream, running towards Kyungsoo. Your body collides with his, your breasts pressing against his hard chest. "There's something out there." You whisper.

You both hear the sound, Kyungsoo holding onto you as his eyes dart around, taking in the surroundings. Seconds later a deer walks out of the bushes, grazing and you can feel your heart slow down.

"It's a deer." He announces, looking at you. You look back at him, your eyes trailing to his heart shaped lips. Your own set of lips parting slightly as you look back at him, his eyes haven't moved from your face. Without thinking you inch yourself forward, which causes Kyungsoo to inch back. Your stomach sinks. You cannot believe you just did that. Why did you think that he would return a kiss?

"We should head back." He says, avoiding eye contact and clearing his throat.

You feel so embarrassed. You quickly whisper an apology before grabbing your things and taking off, hearing a faint "wait." From behind you. You're running through the words, desperately trying not to cry as you can hear Kyungsoo running behind you.

You finally slow down, trying to catch your breath as your lips quiver. You hear a stick break behind you. You turn around with a sigh, and come face to face with a zombie, snarling as he reaches out for you. You scream loudly as you try to fight it off, tripping in the process. You fall back with him on top of you as he tries to go in for a bite. Black bile is seeping from his mouth, his breath is rancid.

"Help!" You scream out, one hand trying to reach for something, anything that would help you take him out.

Suddenly his body goes limp and you hear the sound of a sword coming out of his head. You roll the body off of you, and see Chanyeol smiling above you.

"Thank you." You sigh in relief. Chanyeol puts out his hand to help you up, when he's attacked. Another zombie staggers up to him, latching his teeth to Chanyeol's neck. He screams out in agony as the monster devours him before your eyes.

"No!" You cry. You take Chanyeol's sword, putting the blade right through the zombie's skull. Chanyeol sinks to the ground, sobbing while he holds his neck. "I'm sorry." You cry. "I'm so so sorry."

"It's.. not.. your...fault." He breathes. "Tell them.. I love them.." he stutters.

Kyungsoo, Baekhyun and Suho rush to Chanyeol's side. Baekhyun is sobbing while Kyungsoo and Suho hold back their tears.

"I didn't.. I didn't know there was a second one." You sob.

Kyungsoo walks over to you, his face stone cold. He wraps one arm around you, pulling you in close to him. "It's not your fault." He murmurs. The two of you stand there, watching the life drain from Chanyeol's eyes.

Baekhyun announces he will be the one to put Chanyeol down, but would like to do it in private. Three of you walk away from the sobbing man, your heart full of guilt.

**

The next day, the camp is quiet. You were busy making wood spears, like Chanyeol had taught you a few weeks ago. You couldn't even look at Baekhyun. You knew the two of them were best friends and your heart hurt so badly that Chanyeol died while trying to save you.

Had you not been so stupid and tried to kiss Kyungsoo, then this would never have happened. You knew this was your fault and there was nothing you could do to make it better. You can't bring Chanyeol back and you really wish you could.

"Careful." You hear from behind you. You turn your head and see Kyungsoo leaning against a tree. "If you keep sharpening it like that you're going to end up slicing your finger off." He tells you.

"This is how.. Chanyeol showed me how to do it." You say. You could barely speak his name.

Kyungsoo chuckles. "Yeah, he wasn't the best at doing it either." He crouches behind you, wrapping his arms around you to show you the proper way of doing it. Your heart still flutters as he touches you.

"Thank you." You whisper.

"Anytime." He says, standing up and walking away from you.

Fuck. You were so fucked.

**

That night you couldn't sleep. You stared at the empty spot beside you, where Chanyeol used to sleep. You could hear the small whimpers coming from Baekhyun and you just couldn't take it. You slowly slid out of your sleeping bag, slid on some shoes and climbed down the ladder. As you stand in the forest, you take a deep breath of fresh air. You need to gather your thoughts and heal yourself. You begin walking through the woods. It's quiet, and you didn't plan on going very far. As you're walking, you stop to listen. You hear a noise coming from in front of you but you didn't know what it was. You tried your best to hide behind the tree, limiting your breathing as you continue to listen. You can heat twigs breaking and leaves crunching. Your heart begins to race in your chest, you squeeze your eyes shut.This was a bad idea, you should not have left the tree house.

"What are you doing?" You hear from in front of you. You open your eyes and see Kyungsoo standing in front of you.

"I thought.. oh my god." You sigh. "I thought I was going to die."

Before he can say anything you both hear groans and snarls but you're not sure where from. You unintentionally let out a squeak. Kyungsoo covers your mouth with his hand, pushing you up against the tree. His body presses hard against yours, you can feel his hot breath against your neck.

The two of you stay like this for what feels like hours. When the sound is finally gone he pulls away from you.

"What are you doing out here?" He growls.

"I needed some air, and to think." You explain.

"You could die out here. This has to be your stupidest decision." Kyungsoo scoffs.

"No." You begin. Before your brain can tell you not to say anything, your mouth begins to move. "My stupidest decision was trying to kiss you." You say, turning away from him to walk away.

"I was surprised." He announces. "I didn't think you'd try and kiss me. I didn't think you'd even like me. I treated you terribly." He tells you.

"That's probably why I like you unfortunately." You sigh, making him laugh.

As the two of you are walking back towards the house, you hear whispers coming towards you. You both stop, hearing the sound of a gun loading, making you stop in your tracks. Kyungsoo pulls you behind him, moving both of you towards a bigger tree to hide behind.

"Show yourself walker." A man screams. "I know you're out there."

Neither of you say anything. Kyungsoo is against pressed up against your body, shielding you from any danger.

A while later you see a light flashing. It flashes towards your tree, making Kyungsoo push into you more, trying to keep the two of you hidden. The light passes the tree you're behind and continues to walk away. Neither of you move until the light is completely gone and out if sight. Both of you let out a sigh of relief but Kyungsoo doesn't move away from you. His face hovers close to yours, you can feel his breath on your face.

You wait. You wait for what you hope will happen but you don't think that it will come.

Until it does. Kyungsoo presses his lips to yours. You're shocked at first, until he begins moving his lips against yours and you get into it. You wrap your arms around his neck as he slips his tongue into your mouth. You moan into the kiss, making him groan.

"I want to fuck you." He says, his lips still just barely touching yours.

"I want you to fuck me." You breathe.

Kyungsoo turns you around, pushing you up against the tree. He kneels down, pulling down your sweat pants and underwear.

"Spread your legs." He demands.

You spread them as far as you can. You can hear the sound of his belt unbuckling behind you. Your pussy throbs in anticipation. You don't know how big or small he is, but you hope he destroys you. You couldn't even remember the last time you had been fucked at all.

Kyungsoo steps up behind you, taking two fingers and searching between your lips for your hole. He chuckles when he finds it, he can feel your juices dripping from inside of you. "So fucking wet." He groans, slowly pushing his two fingers inside you. Immediately you clench around them, it feels so good. "I needed to make sure you were wet enough, and fuck are you ever." He whispers in your ear.

He pulls his fingers out of you, and lines his cock up with your hold. You're bracing yourself on the tree as he pushes himself inside you. Your eyes practically roll back into your head as he stretches you out.

"Oh god." You cry, your fingernails digging into the tree bark.

"Shit." He cries, slowly pulling out of you before snapping his hips and harshly pushing his cock back inside. "It's gonna be quick." He groans.

That was fine with you, you knew you could rub your clit twice and cum, it had been too long.

Kyungsoo has his hands holding onto your hips as he snaps his, grunting and groaning from behind you. You reach between your legs, touching your clit. You begin to slowly rub it and you can already feel your intense orgasm already building up. You feel like you're going to cum already. His cock feels so nice sliding in and out of your pussy, the sound of his grunts and moans, with the feeling of his hot breath covering you and giving you shivers.

"Cum." He grunts. Your tighten your pussy around him as you orgasm washes over you, leaving your body feeling weak.

Kyungsoo moans loudly as he pulls out of you, jerking his cock to cum all over your ass. He lets out a string of swear words as he releases his load, breathing heavily as he works through it.

You both pull up your pants, and get situated. "We better get back." He says, walking back towarsa camp. You follow closely behind him, confused about your feelings for him, but more so his feelings for you, if there were any.

**

The next day you wake up with the thoughts of what happened last night over flowing through your head. You didn't know how to process this, or what was going to happen now. You decided to see how the day was going to play out and just go about your normal routine.

When you got downstairs you said hi to Suho, Baekhyun and Kyungsoo. Two of them said goodmorning back to you, and one did not. You tried to stop thinking about it but it was hard and you knew he wasn't the type of man to tell you his feelings.

However, all day he ignored you. Anytime you tried to say anything to him, he walked away, he refused to answer you and honestly you felt extremely disrespected. Your eyes burn as you fight off the tears, watching him talk and laugh with Baekhyun while you just get ignored.

Suho on the other hand most definitely noticed something was going on because a little while later you see Suho quietly yelling at Kyungsoo.

"I don't care what you did." Suho spits. "Fix it. I refuse to have a hole in our team because one of us is being a dick. Fucking fix it." He murmurs again before walking away.

**

That night you laid in your sleeping bag, wondering if this is what it was going to be like. You having feelings for Kyungsoo, and him taking advantage of it. Fucking you when it's convenient for him and ignoring you the rest of the time. Even after death, life was still so fucked.

You feel something pressing against you from behind. You slowly roll over and see Kyungsoo laying beside you in his sleeping bag.

"Can we talk?" He asks.

You nod your head.

"I." He begins. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for the way I treated you, I'm sorry for the things I said and for the way I acted when I found out about Jongdae. Its been hard to lose people, and it's even harder to accept new people into the group. You're doing a great job here and we're lucky to have you." He whispers.

"Thank you." You smile. But you really want to know why he ignored you all day. "What was going on today?" You ask.

"I enjoyed last night. I, um, had a girlfriend when this whole thing started. We got out together, we met up with Suho and Baekhyun and Chanyeol and she really helped build alot of this. I lost her a while ago, and it's been hard. I didn't think I would meet anyone, or fall for anyone else and then you came along. I feel guilty for liking you so much, like I'm cheating." He explains. "I was convincing myself it wasn't cheating."

"I get that. I was in a relationship when this thing started. Unfortunately for me, he ended up being one of the ones who received that does of vaccine. I had to leave him in our apartment and take off." You whisper. "You'll always have her memory with you and it's something you'll treasure. I didn't know her, but I'm sure she wouldn't want you to be sad and mourning her."

"You're right." He sighs. "It's hard to let go, but I do like you, Y/N. I want you to know that."

"I like you too." You smile.

The two of you lay there, whispering to eachother, laughing and enjoying the night. You couldn't have asked for anything better.

**

Over the next few weeks, the others had changed. With Chanyeol being gone, it took a toll on Baekhyun. He often sobbed at night, crawling next to you so you could rub his head while he cried. Your heart went out to him.

This life wasn't easy.

Suho had become much more grimmer and sullen. He barks orders at people, never engaging in coversations anymore. He's tired, everyone is tired with very little of hope for the future. Fighting for your lives everyday, scrounging for food and water is a struggle, however none of this stopped you and Kyungsoo from sneaking off when you could to be together.

Neither of you really talked when you weren't fucking and that was okay with you, you knew he still had feelings for you. It was the little things he did for you when no one was looking that reassured you. You both knew that announcing your relationship to Suho and Baekhyun would not end well, so keeping it between the two of you would be the best.

You announced to Baekhyun and Suho that you were going to the river, they both just nodded while Kyungsoo offered to be your watch.

It didn't take long for him to be pulling off your shirt and for you to slide off your pants and panties. Both of you walked into the cool water, soaking yourselves before Kyungsoo pulled you towards him. He lifts you up, letting you put your legs around him as he leans in for a kiss. You can feel his cock sliding against your pussy, waiting to be pushed in. He breaks the kiss, leaning down to pepper kisses along your neck as he thrusts, pushing himself inside of you.

You throw your head back as he holds you, fucking you harshly. There was never time to fuck slow, you always needed to be quick and get it done, just in case.

He pumps himself into you, his hand reaching between you and him, touching your sensitive bud and rubbing while he pounds his cock into you.

"Fuck baby." He groans. "You feel so fucking good."

You hold him close as your orgasm builds, biting your bottom lip and your hands gripping his hair. "Just like that." You breathe. "Don't stop." You grind yourself on him as you begin to cum, intensifying your orgasm. "Oh god yes." You moan, breathing heavily.

"I'm gunna cum." He moans, thrusting harder. Seconds later he releases himself, shooting his cum inside of you, his head resting on you as he catches his own breath.

"Fuck." He breathes pulling out of you. "I love you." He whispers.

You stare at him with wide eyes. This wasn't something you had been expecting at all, considering you did your best to hide the relationship at all costs. "I know it might be too soon, but I do and I need you to know that."

"I love you too." You smile.

You're brought out of your sweet moment when you hear screaming from Baekhyun and Suho. You both rush out of the water and get dressed as quick as you can before running back to camp.

"What?" You breathe. "What happened?"

Baekhyun and Suho grin as they stare at the radio. "Listen!" Baekhyun yells.

“Our dear citizens, to those who have survived. The WHO has created what promises to be a vaccine. We are asking all our citizens to make their way to the nearest hospital facility. Troops are being deployed along with helicopters and planes to transport as needed. Today … we have hope in the world again”

You all burst into tears. You did it, you survived and met some wonderful people. You have a love you had never thought you'd get again.

Kyungsoo embraces you tightly, crying into your shoulder as you do his. Quickly Suho and Baekhyun join your hug, all of you feeling such relief and happiness, for the first time in a long time.

As quick as you all can, you gather what you need to make the trek to find a hospital. You say a quick goodbye to your site that has kept you safe for so long, before taking off, hand in hand with Kyungsoo, and Baekhyun and Suho on either side of you.

It wasn't long into your journey, when you hear the familiar sounds of zombies wandering through the forest. The four of you prepare yourselves for a fight but as they come out, you realize there are more than you all had anticipated. You try to fight your way through the crowd, but somehow you're separated from the group, trying to take on more than you can. The others are distracted, they aren't paying attention to your calls for help. A zombie lunges at you, knocking you back. You're crying loudly but no one is coming to help. The other zombies kneel beside you as you keep trying to fight them off, but one takes a chunk out of your shoulder. You scream in agony as you lose your strength to fight. They're devouring you as you're fading into the darkness. You can hear Kyungsoo yell no and all the pain stops. You see him standing over you as you spit up blood. He's crying over your body, asking you to stay with him but you can't. You're tired of fighting, you want to let go now.

So you do.

You open your eyes and see a film over everything. Your body is sore, the scent of meat makes your mouth water and your stomach cramp. Everything feels stiff but something smells so good. Your hearing is better than ever, picking up the sound of a rapid beating heart and the sound of crying. Wait…Where’s my heart beat? You look with horror at the meat...

“I’m sorry,” he whispers, “I love you.” You reach out to stop the knife but your body is stiff and I responsive as you watch the knife plunging towards you. It’s me you scream in your head as it all goes dark

There is no happiness in life after death.

[snoopdoodle]

Could o requests some tony stark and male reader where the reader was a top worker at SI but then peter came around and now he isnt seen/recognized as much, and tony just walks in on male!reader crying? Hope You can do it, love your writing so far :p

SOBS I LOVE THIS- also I think I tried really hard on this, so :] i hope it was up to your standards, and please tell me if you enjoy !! this was my first Tony request, so I tried really hard :} also I went really angsty for this so-

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Tell Him Later

SECOND PART - Part 2

platonic!Tony Stark x male!reader

pronouns: he/him

summary: life had been hard for you, but your escape is Stark Industries. What happens when your escape turned against you too?

WARNINGS: divorce, blood, panic attacks, scratching at skin

 “No!” You yelled as your project flew off to the other. Tony was cackling while holding his stomach. “O-Oh my go-o-o-od…” He dragged out between laughter. His hand slapped the table and there were tears in his eyes. He was breathing heavily, trying to catch his breath again and you looked over at him. “Tony! It isn’t funny! It’s gonna break!” You yelled back at him, although this was the wrong choice as he doubled over in laughter. The table was a mess and you were near tears of laughter from the situation and anger for your project not working. “O-Ok.. come on kid l.. Hehe… let’s get back to working on this… what is this?” He spoke, looking at the mangled robot. He thought it would make you laugh, but it sadly did the opposite. You frowned, your face leaning into your hands as you sighed. 

“Tony…” you spoke. You felt tired and upset. Lately things haven’t been going well at home, so the Industry was your only escape. You mother had been yelling at your dad more, for stupid things that he didn’t even do most of the time! The sun beamed down in the lab, signaling that your escape-hours were ending. “Sorry, Tony. I gotta go, Mom’s been wanting me home earlier.” You spoke, lying through your teeth. There was a hint of dread in your already tired sounding voice. ‘Why do things never go as planned for me..?’ You asked yourself in your head. You frowned as your nose felt warm. That was a signal that you would start crying soon. It always happened, and you didn’t know why. Maybe it was genetic.

Tony looked at you, his eyes softening. “Hey, kid… you know, you can talk to me whenever you want.” He spoke, patting your shoulder. You stifled a cry and nodded, your voice was weak with the feeling of tears welling up in your eyes. Tony pat your shoulder again. That was your que. You sped out of the lab room, backpack on your back and your headphones plugged into your phone. You turned on your Spotify playlist as you listened to the opening. Your tears fell at the song. Freaks by Surf Course. You smiled as the song played and as the tears fell down your face. ‘Maybe tomorrow,’ you thought to yourself, ‘maybe tomorrow I’ll tell Tony what’s been happening.. Maybe he can help me.’

It didn’t happen tomorrow. Or the Next day. Or the Next. Tony was gone. ‘Probably fighting... he’s an Avenger, after all. Just hope he stays safe.’ You would tell yourself. Tony came back, although it was after 2 weeks. He brought this kid with him. You thought nothing of it, probably a newbie, maybe he’s showing him around? ‘Weird, how’d he get accepted at this time?’ That question popped in your head so many times, it was almost like the plague. It was strange… eh, whatever. You’d tell Tony what was happening during your lab time today.

‘He didn’t show up…. He didn’t show up! What was happening? Maybe that new kid was asking him a bunch of questions. He'll be back tomorrow.’ 

.

.

.

Why do you get your hopes up?

.

.

.

.

2 weeks. It had been 2 weeks since he had turned up to your daily lab time. Your parents had gotten the divorce they needed, but you were still in shambles. The divorce was ugly too. Screaming from both sides, including some yelling from you. However, you were still turning up to work everyday as this would go down at home. Somehow you had remained at the top of the leaderboards in Stark Industries. The first place rank thing, that was the only keeping you motivated to work. You wanted to be like how Tony had described you, “the son he never had.”  But there was this one kid, Peter Parker. He had passed your name and made it to first place.

You cried when that happened. It wasn’t even something to cry over, you just bursted out in tears. At other times, this would motivate you, but without Tony’s words of encouragement and with what was happening in your life, it brought you down into a new low. You were full on sobbing, your head ached from the tears, your hands were numb from working. Your eyes hurt and you were  sure the whole building could hear your cries. “Why won’t you stop crying, Y/N?! You’re such a baby, mom was right!” you yelled at yourself, crying even more at the thought. Your hands tore at your hair and your breathing got heavier. It was to the point where your chest had hurt and your ears were ringing, but you continued to spew hateful words at yourself. You could barely hear Tony yelling for you.

Tony had been walking down the halls of Stark Industries. He saw that Peter had beat you, and was shocked and proud of him. He wanted to see how you were doing, because he knew that you could bounce back to be even better… or so he thought. When he heard crying, he thought you had hurt yourself, so he turned to the supply closet near the room that he had passed. He waltzed over to there speedily, hoping the injury wasn’t too bad. But when he heard “Why won’t you stop crying, Y/N?! You’re such a baby, mom was right!” come out of your mouth, he clutched onto the med kit and ran to your lab room. When he got there, he was shocked, frozen in place.

Your desk was a wreck and you were full on sobbing. You were tearing at your hair and you had blood coating your hands. ‘That’s… from his scalp..’ Tony realized, his eyes growing wider at the thought. He jogged over to you, noticing your breathing was getting heavier by the second. “JARVIS, What’s wrong with him?!” Tony demanded as he called out to you. “K-kid… hey, can you hear me?!” You looked up with a dead look in your eyes. He was scared for your health, your head was bleeding at an alarming rate from the way you had scratched at it. “It appears he’s suffering through a panic-attack right now, sir. From what is happening, it looks like he will need medical assessment for his scalp.” JARVIS spoke, informing that man who was trying to get your attention.

Tony looked at you, and then around. “W-well how do I help him?!” Tony stuttered back. He couldn’t handle his own anxiety attacks, how was he supposed to help someone through a panic attack?! “Try to get his breathing levels at a normal rate, sir. It could help tremendously.” JARVIS informed. ‘O-Ok..’ Tony tried, you were still scratching at your scalp, the blood was dripping from your hands onto the ground. Your breathing was still heavy. He grabbed your shoulders, and in the calmest voice he could, he started speaking. “Hey, kiddo, look at me. Look, follow my breathing.” You sort of followed, your breathing wasn’t steady in the slightest, and you could barely hear him, but you were trying.

He smiled at the attempt, but still made you follow it. 4 in, 6 hold, 5 out. It probably wasn’t the right breathing method, but it was working. It took 13 minutes for you to get your breathing steady. Tears were still flowing from your eyes, and blood had stained your hair. Tony held your shoulder and you started to feel the pain in your scalp increasing. “I-I’m sorry, Tony…” You spoke, hiccupping during your words. Tony turned over to you, shocked at what you had said. “What do you mean you’re sorry, Kid?” He asked, the worry in his eyes showing. “I was acting like a child, I should’ve been better…” At this point you were spewing all the nonsense out of your mouth that your brain could come up with. Tony was confused at your words and patted your shoulder, stopping your rant. 

“Kid, you don’t have to apologize for a panic-attack. You were, and probably are still hurting. Mentally and physically, which by the way, we should get you checked up.” He cut himself off, which made you laugh. “JARVIS-” He spoke, but the AI cut him off before he could speak. “I’ve already gotten medical help, sir. The wait will be 2-3 minutes.” Tony smiled, as you yawned. “Kid, don’t you dare fall asleep, cause I don’t want you dying on me.” Tony spoke, seriousness in his voice as he was keen on keeping you awake and alive. You lulled your head over, sleepily, but your head was hurting. “I want to rest…” You spoke, tired. “Nope, MEDIC!” He yelled as he plucked you from your spot in the ground, alerting the medic of where you two were.

 Yeah, you’d tell him later.

[nonbinarycryptic]

Run By My Side (Deciding X Reader)

My eyes snap open, my chest heaving from how hard I was breathing. I'm recognizing I'm having a panic attack, which only gets worse when I realize I can't remember anything. Slamming my eyes shut I try to even out my breathing. I focus on the holed floor beneath and how my fingers can curl through it. I focus on the whirring sound as whatever contraption I'm in rises. I focus on the smell of the wooden crates and the ropes that surround me. Reopening my eyes I have them adjust the passing lights as I continue to go up. And finally, I focus on the bitter taste in my mouth from dehydration. My breathing slows down and I take a moment to think, straining to try and find answers from the depths of my mind. Finding nothing I let out a frustrated groan.

"Help!" My scream is hoarse, sounding more like a deflating balloon instead of a cry for people. Standing up, I hold onto the sides of the supposed elevator to keep my balance. I bang on the top of the cage hoping that someone would hear me. When nothing happens I grow more frustrated with the predicament I'm currently in.  I kick the side of the cage in my anger. The sidekick felt natural for some reason, maybe I was a professional fighter in my regular life.  It's the closet lead I have to whoever I was. I plop back down on to the floor, leaning my back against the wall of the elevator looking upwards as I slowly get closer to my destination. After what feels like forever the metal box jerks to a stop harshly causing me to get thrown up in the air slightly. My chin drops towards my chest as I groan and the concrete trapdoor opens allowing sunlight to flow harshly into the space. Indistinct chatter sounds above me but I ignore it, hoping they'll leave me alone. One of them jumps down into the box creating a loud clang that resonates in my eardrums. My hands shoot up to cover my ears as I look up at the man.

"You bastard!" They look a bit surprised by my outburst. "What is wrong with you? If I had a concussion do you know what kind of damage that could cause?" The dark-skinned male just stares at me in response. My eyes narrow into a harsh glare at him before another boy drops down next to him. Blondie rests his hand on the first boy's shoulders, leaning in to speak in his ear making sure no one else can hear him. The first boy stays tense but his eyes seem to soften only slightly. If it were anyone else they probably wouldn't have noticed but I did. The blond boy steps forward, holding a hand out towards me. Cautiously I take it and stand to my full height. I stand a couple of inches below him but I don't feel intimidated.

"It's nice to meet you, love. My name is Newt, I'm second in command here in the glade. The man from earlier is Alby, he runs the place. Do you remember your name?" I shake no causing him to smile at me.

"Don't worry that will come to you soon." He turns around and grabs the hand of two other boys who pull him out. I walk closer to the edge and grasp the boys' still outstretched hands, they hoist me up onto the ground beside. They drop into the box next however to start grabbing the supply crates that were sent up to me. I walk away from the box, my eyes never leaving the large concrete walls that surround us. I turn to Newt and Alby who both watch me with guarded eyes.

"What the hell is this place?" My voice is hostile with fear, Newt's eyes soften sympathetically. Newt walks forwards to me and places a gentle hand on my shoulder, leading me away as he begins explaining.

"Let me show you, this is the glade. We eat here and we sleep here. All the food we grow ourselves, we build all the shelters. That thing you were sent up in we call the box. It gives us whatever we need, sent up by the creators. Everything else is our responsibility. Once a month the box comes up with fresh supplies and a new Greenie. This month you get the title of Greenie, congrats." My eyes furrow in even more confusion at everything he just told me.

"I've got questions." An amused smile graces his lips at my words. By now we are crossing in front of some woods.

"Fire away."

"Who are the creators? What are those damn concrete walls? Am I the only girl here? Why is Alby so damn grumpy?" The last question causes Newt to throw his head back in laughter. It took him a few moments to calm down and answer my questions.

"We don't know who the creators are, all we know is they sent us with no memory except with our names. Those concrete walls I'll tell you about later, during the bonfire. Yes, you are the only girl here but judging by the glare you gave Alby earlier I'm sure you'll be fine but if you feel unsafe you can speak to Me, Alby, or Minho, our third command. And for your last question, Alby has been here the longest out of any of us, about two years. Makes a person a bit closed off don't you think." My eyes widen a bit in acknowledgment at his words and I let a hum. Newt starts talking again, still walking before he notices I haven't moved.

"Love?" He waves a hand in front of my eyes but I don't even notice it. A slight ringing in my ears grows louder the longer I stand there. Before long the noise becomes unbearable, I drop to my knees holding my head and clenching my eyes shut. By now more people have noticed something was wrong and have rushed over. Newt stops them from getting to close to me as I dig my nails into my scalp. Fully collapsing Newt rushes over to catch me before I hit the ground. Finally, the pain subsides and I slowly let go of my head. He holds me up by my shoulders, trying to look me in the eyes.

"Love?" The concern in his eyes doesn't leave especially at my panting.

"Amelia" The boys who gathered around me exchange glances with one another, confused.

"Pardon?"

"My name," I finally make eye contact with the British boy in front of me. "Amelia. That's my name." He smiles at me, the concern in his eyes leaving once he realizes I'm alright. The other boys around me chuckle and cheer now that I finally know my name.

"It's lovely to meet you, Amelia"

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My first Tumblr writing WOOHOO if anyone of you can figure out the oc was named after please reblog with your answer

@bearopp15 @lowkey-logan @milk-n-cheese @totallyinlovewithvanyahargreeves @spidey-skye @i-probably-ship-it-tbh @fbfh @that-bitch-klaus-hargreeves

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[fanficsandfluff]

Emotions Get the Better (5)

This installment has a brief instance of the “you” character possibly getting assaulted. Don’t worry, nothing actually happens, but it’s attempted and it gets physical. If this triggers some people, please be wary of reading. I really didn’t make it graphic or anything. Other than that, I hope you all enjoy this newest installment.

TW: blood, violence, attempted assault (all brief)

~~~~

You paid your fare and got onto the platform, letting out a sigh of relief that the rain was no longer soaking you through. When you looked around at your surroundings, you could see there was really no one except you and two guys down at the farther end of the platform. 

You tried not to stare at them too long, but if living in Gotham this long had taught you anything, you knew to grip your purse tighter to yourself. You dug a hand inside and found your keys, finagling them between your fingers in case those men posed any danger to you. And with no sign of a train coming, the lights of the platform flickering in and out, and only the drips of the rain falling through the cracks in the ceiling, you saw how both men were starting to approach you. 

Fuck, you thought. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe they wanted a different view of the track. 

They got even closer, so now you could start making out facial features if you wanted to. 

“You cold, sweetheart?”

Your stomach dropped and you forced yourself to look at the older, clearly drunken man inching closer to you. The other one wasn’t far behind. 

“I’m fine, thank you.”

This wasn’t like the teens bothering Arthur on the train. You could use a stern voice with them and maybe you’d remind them of their moms so they’d listen. But this wasn’t like that at all. Be rude and he’ll punch you and rape you. 

“You sure? You look like you’re shivering,” he was close enough that you could smell his breath, and his hand reached out and cupped your cheek. You tore it away from him and took a few steps back. That’s when the other man ran around to the other side of you. He was on the side where you’d need to run to get to the exit. The panic was setting in worse.

“P-Please leave me alone. I can give you money. My wallet, please.”

“That’s awfully nice of you,” the other man was chuckling now, “But we can just take that from you afterwards.”

Afterwards. You felt like you would hyperventilate. The older man came closer to you with his arm outstretched but you pulled out your key and pointed it at him, “Stay the fuck away!” you sounded scared, you knew you did.

The older man looked surprised and he chortled, “G’head, doll,” he egged you on. You suddenly felt a hard shove from behind you and it sent you tumbling forward into the older man’s arms. He grabbed your wrist and flung your keys out of that hand. Then he threw you to the ground. 

“No! No no no!” your loud voice was echoing around the train platform.

“You know,” the other man was now whispering in your ear, “The rain makes it so that your screams are drowned out.” He ran his fingers through your wet hair and tugged. You started to cry.

“HELP!” you wailed with all your remaining voice and kept screaming and making those noises.

“You fucking bitch,” the older man spat and you see him raise his fist, feel immense pain, and everything goes black. 

You were dizzy and cold and your head was throbbing. You were being shaken by someone, and you just wanted this nightmare to end. You don’t know how long you were unconscious for, and you didn’t even want to think about what those men might have done to you while you were out.

“Nnno,” you whimpered, afraid to fully open your eyes and see the perpetrators. 

“Y/N!”

Your eyes shot open when you heard your name being called and there was Arthur, above you, nose badly bloodied and face bruised. What the actual fuck.

“Thank god,” you heard him say and you felt him trying to get you to stand. 

“A-Arthur.”

“Easy,” you heard his gentle voice by your ear as he escorted you down the slippery stairs leading out of the train station. He held you tight and firm, even if you slipped once or twice. The rain was still going, unrelenting. You were so discombobulated and in pain you didn’t even question where he was taking you, you just willed yourself to keep going. When you reached the haunting behemoth of a staircase, you knew where you were going. It was like Arthur was lifting you up the stairs, you felt like your feet were gliding over the steps. 

Suddenly, it was dry, there was lightbulbs giving off their yellow hue. A creaky elevator. You were leaned against Arthur in the elevator, you could pick up on his scent from your face being so close to his chest, and you were shivering. 

You were helped down a hallway and you knew you were entering his home. He was so quiet as he helped you through the dark room, and you were laid onto a couch. 

How could he explain himself? How could he say he helped save her life, but only because he was following her and watching her make it to the subway. Her screams. He didn’t know where he grew sudden balls and sudden strength, but he kicked the fatter one into the subway tracks, the older crony having to help him out of them. This was only, of course, after they both beat Arthur to a pulp practically. 

He flitted about his apartment, shutting the door to his mother’s room carefully after he knew she was asleep already. He turned on a lamp by Y/N’s head. Then he went to get some supplies. 

“Y/N,” Arthur was near you again, “I need you to take off your coat. It’ll just keep you cold and wet.”

You didn’t know what force made you obey, because you were sure your body had stopped working. The jacket was off and then there was a blanket draped around your shoulders. It smelled of moth balls. You pried your eyes open and finally chose to keep them open, trying to stay conscious. 

“Oh, Arthur,” you reached up a hand and touched his cheek. His face looked worse than after his attack from those teens.

The sudden touch to his cheek made him recoil, but only for a split second before he leaned back into it. This kind of physical affection was something he sorely lacked. 

“I’m fine,” he raised a cloth up and touched it to your temple. Now it was your turn to recoil.

“Ah!” your hand went to your head at the same time Arthur’s hand went to cover your mouth. You stared up at him. Somehow you put it together he didn’t want to wake his mother up.

Arthur nodded and he removed his hand from your mouth and continued administering the warm cloth to what was sure to be a gash on your temple. You wouldn’t take your eyes off him as he treated your wounds. 

You started to cry again. But it wasn’t loud and full of sobs. You took in a breath, and the tears started to fall. You could feel the warm streaks slip down your cheeks. You kept taking deep breaths. 

“D-Did they...”

“No,” Arthur answered, “You weren’t...” he didn’t know how to say she wasn’t raped. That word, that thought, of her lying there on the disgusting platform floor. He paused because of a slight choking sound that made its way to his throat. Oh no. 

You reached for the free hand he had leaned on the couch and held it in your own, squeezing it tight, “Thank you.”

Arthur removed the hand with the cloth in it and he handed you an ice cube wrapped in tissue paper instead, “Ho-Hold this on your cheek. It’ll swell lehehess.”

Arthur quickly drew his hand away from your grip and went down a hall, pressing both of his hands to his mouth. You sat up straighter, holding the cold compress on your cheek, and you watched him duck out of sight. You could’ve sworn you heard him laughing. Maybe that was just your delirium. You wrapped the blanket tighter around yourself and laid back down. 

Arthur returned to the living room two minutes later. He saw the ice cube pouch lying by the side of her head, her eyes shut, her breathing even. He watched her asleep like that for probably longer than what would be considered normal. He searched through his closets and didn’t find another blanket, but a bathroom towel instead. He laid it on top of her and took it upon himself to remove her shoes and lay them next to the couch. Arthur would’ve given her his own clothes so she’d stay dry. But asking her to change.... he didn’t think that was right. 

Arthur sat on the armchair usually taken up by his mother and relaxed in it. He wasn’t going to sleep in the same bed as his mother. Not tonight. Not if Y/N needed something. And he fell asleep in that chair. 

Time passed, and the late night rain turned into early morning pitter patter on the windowsill of Arthur’s apartment. The light blocked by grey after-rain clouds started to filter into the apartment, warming the two wet, beaten bodies in the room. 

[drakewalkerfantasy]

Flames of yesterday: Chapter 9

Summary: 5 years ago they made a mistake. They were two broken men drinking away their love life issues, and one girl trying to help a friend. What the night leaves them with are two broken hearts and one nearly broken friendship. 5 years later, two are still broken and another one fixed. But what happens when they all meet again? Will it open old wounds and bring all the their insecurities rushing back?  Or will it mend the two hearts still looking for warmth, unable to find it after their parting?

Words: 3353

Authors notes: A crossover of Open Heart and the Elementalists, a collaboration series by @drakewalkerfantasy and @fluffy-marshmallow-heart

Ethan x OH MC (Diana)

Beckett x TE MC (Oriana)

**Warnings: no warnings needed**

Leaving the hospital Diana mindlessly walked along the streets trying to clear her head, not caring where she’s going. Ethan’s harsh words still thunder in her head, followed by his gentle ones, drowning out all other thoughts. In a worthless attempt she tried to forget all of it, tried to forget the hope she felt, and the warmth of his hands holding hers. Her hands still feeling the memory of their fingers brushing, sending a current of electricity through her body.

For a moment she thought that this was a dream, simply wishful thinking to distract her from the memories of the past. The protection mechanism her brain used to make the pain go away, but the bandage was the distant reminder that this time it was real… he was real. Distantly she remembered how close he was, how his eyes got stormy just for a second and it seemed that it took everything in him not to snap, kissing her senselessly in this supply closet. She sighed heavily, leaning on the handrail of a wooden bridge. Even not realising it, she came to her favourite place. The place her mother usually took her to when she was a child, when she wasn’t so terribly sick. To the place where she and Beckett came every year from the day her mother died to throw flowers in the river. Even five years ago when they fell apart, he still came standing by her side, not speaking, but quietly throwing soft flowers into the water.

She raised her face, letting the warm wind wash over her, standing there for a moment longer before finally heading home. When she got home it was already late and she slowly went through the darkness, enjoying the quietness and loneliness of the place. Her minds still heavy with a myriad of thought, but the pain became fainter as an echo of memory that will always be with her. Sitting on the bed she reached for her mobile for the first time since leaving the hospital hours ago. Her heart fluttering in anticipation and hope when she sees three missed phone calls and two new voicemails but falls a bit a second later seeing familiar numbers. She hesitated for a moment, her finger freezing for a second above Beckett’s number, then Oriana’s, debating if she could call them so late in the evening…

This is probably too late. She thought looking at the clock, watching them pass past ten o’clock. Ori is probably already asleep with how exhausting pregnancy is. And Beckett will kill me if I would wake her up. With a smile Diana removed her finger moving to her voicemail box. Her heart squeezing in hope to hear Ethan’s voice, her fingers trembling a little. She heard a familiar cheerful voice on the other end, a small smile reaching her lips as if a small part of the happiness of the caller reached her, making her heart lighter.

“Diiii, It’s Ori. Listen, Beckett told me what happened at the café, and then said you ran off towards the end of your shift. I know both of you have the day off tomorrow, so I’m really really hoping you’ll come over and help with our nursery? Beckett is insisting that I don’t do any painting, even though it’s totally fine, but you know him, such a worry-wort.”

The ring of her laughter made a full smile spread on Diana’s face. “So anyways, think about it, cuz he’s driving me nuts. Talk later!

Diana shook her head, still smiling, knowing full well how Oriana and Beckett’s conversation about her painting in a small room would have gone. She can practically picture how much eye-rolling Oriana did until she finally gave up, called Beckett impossible and how she was going to call Diana so she could agree with her. A chuckle escaped Diana’s lips, the thought of Beckett and Oriana always made her happy. The two of them just clicked and she was a bit envious of that. That’s what she wants, she wants a relationship like theirs.

Her smile faltered with the next thought coursing through her. Ethan Ramsey.

Why so brazenly ask for my number if he still doesn’t plan to call me? She thought to herself. Subconsciously still hoping to hear his voice, unsure if she should or shouldn’t. Her fingers trembled before moving to the next message, Beckett’s warning from the other day thundering in her head. But everything died the moment she heard the second voicemail, the one she hoped to receive. Her heart fluttered when the message began.

“Dr. Haynes? I mean, Diana… This is Dr. Ramsey… Ethan Ramsey…”

She heard him clearing his throat as though nervous and he cursed quietly under his breath, making Diana giggle softly.

“Tommy’s blood test results are ready; I was hoping to share them with you…there was nothing conclusive, so I wanted to get your thoughts…” He trailed off again, and Diana sighed, realizing he only wanted to talk business. Until he spoke again, his words rushing out.

“And also to make sure you’re okay. I’ll call tomorrow, it’s getting late. I shouldn’t have called so late, I apologize.”

There was a click and the automated voice sounded in her ear next, asking if she wanted to keep the message or delete it. Of course she’s keeping it. Despite telling herself not to, she listened to the message several times that night, butterflies erupting in her stomach every time she heard the last few rushed sentences. She noticed he didn’t leave his number, but she fell asleep with a smile on her face for the first time in ages, knowing that meant it was guaranteed he would call her again.

The following morning, Diana head over to Beckett and Oriana’s house, armed with coffee for him and tea for her. She rang the doorbell and a minute later, a disheveled and paint covered Beckett opened the door.

Diana raised her eyebrows. “You do know you’re supposed to paint the walls…right?”

He narrowed his eyes. “Oriana thought it would be funny to fling paint at me. She’s still mad about not helping. It made her laugh, so I guess I shouldn’t complain but…” He gestured to his now ruined clothing.

Diana stifled a laugh as she brushed past him and into their house. Oriana burst into the foyer. “Oh thank god you’re here! Beck doesn’t know how to paint. I mean, look at him.”

Diana looked between Oriana’s smirking face and Beckett’s glowering one. A slow smile spreading on her face as she spoke to Beckett. “Wow. That’s some painting you’re doing. Good thing you called in an expert before you completely confused yourself with the wall. I mean honestly, who does that?”

Beckett’s mouth fell open as Diana handed Oriana her freshly brewed tea. “And also, you’re supposed to wear old clothing that you don’t care if you get paint on. That’s basically painting 101.”

“You two are impossible.” He grumbled under his breath, grabbing his coffee. “I’ll be upstairs. Painting. The walls.” Throwing one last glare at the girls, he disappeared up the stairs, the sound of music floating down.

Oriana and Diana burst out laughing.

“He just makes it so easy!” Oriana gloated as their laughter died down.

“He really does.” Diana agreed, still chuckling. “My goodness, you had a lot of fun doing that, didn’t you?”

“I did.” Oriana grinned. “He had it coming. Honestly, he wouldn’t even let me into the room! I had to be quick about it!”

“I believe it. I’m impressed, actually. Now, how areyou feeling? You’re not lightheaded or anything?”

Oriana groaned. “Not you too.”

“Just worried about my bestie.” Diana slung her arm around Oriana’s shoulder as they went into the kitchen and sat on the stools at the island.

Oriana sighed. “Honestly? I’m always nauseous, this heartburn is killing me, I’m getting slower and bigger by the day, my feet are swelling…girl, pregnancy is hard. And all I want to do is put the nursery together, but he won’t let me paint, or put furniture together, or lift anything…he’s driving me nuts! I’m pregnant, not helpless.”

“He just cares.” Diana sympathized. “You know you and this baby are his world, and he worries so much about you. You should hear him every day, talking about how he can’t wait for his break so he can call you and make sure you’re not dead.”

“He does not say that!” Oriana gasped.

“Well, no, not those exact words. I’m just filling in the blanks. Besides, at least you have someone to fret over you. That’s more than some of us…” Diana trailed off, looking at her friend guiltily. “Oh god, I’m sorry, that came out wrong.”

“How are things going with Ethan?” Oriana asked blatantly.

Diana’s eyebrows shot up. One thing about Oriana, she never beat around the bush. “Ummm. Well…it’s complicated. I guess. I don’t know, really.” But at the mention of Ethan’s name, Diana found herself smiling again.

“Okay, well. Spill. What happened yesterday?”

Diana grimaced. “First, he completely berated me. I was humiliated. It was a hard case, and it just reminded me of my mom, so I wasn’t focused, and he noticed and ugh, he was such a dick.”

“But you just smiled.” Oriana pointed out.

Diana shrugged. “Well…I ran off and ran into the first dark room I could find. A supply closet, naturally. You’d be surprised how many there are in that place, it’s crazy. And I was crying and went into a panic attack and I didn’t notice when someone came in, but I figured it was Beckett.”

Oriana stiffened a bit at the mention of it but quickly regained her composure as Diana continued.

“It turned out to be Ethan that followed me in there. He calmed me down, and I swear, Ori, I thought he might kiss me. He didn’t but, god I wish he had. I really like him. I try to deny it, but I just can’t. The attraction is so hard to ignore. I don’t know what to do, really.”

“Ahem.” Beckett appeared in the doorway. “Weren’t you going to help me paint?”

Diana rolled her eyes. “Fine, fine, interrupt our girl talk.”

Beckett’s cheeks flushed. “I just…wanted to get this done so I can build the crib.”

Diana laughed. “Well when you put it that way…” She hopped off the bar stool and, throwing a wink at Oriana, disappeared upstairs. When she walked into the room that would become their child’s, Diana felt a surge of pride. Her two best friends were bringing life into the world, a product of their love for each other. Diana was thrilled for them and couldn’t wait to become an Auntie.

They’d picked out a beautiful shade of sea foam green for the bottom half of the walls, and a light blue for the top half. Diana planned on making a few small white clouds as well. They’d chosen not to find out if it’s a boy or girl, which drove Diana nuts but it’s what they wanted. When deciding what to do for the nursery, Beckett had read that exposure to the color green may increase reading ability, and Oriana liked the blue for the calming aspect, so this is what they decided in the end.

“So? I’m at your disposal, where do you want me to start?” chimed Diana reaching for a paintbrush, but before she could take it, Beckett also bent down to dip his own brush into the paint, instead painting Diana’s jeans making her jump up with squeal. “Hey!!!”

“Sorry I…” started Beckett, trying to suppress his laugh from the pay back, even if it wasn’t done intentionally. But one look at Diana’s smirking face was enough for him to frown uncomprehendingly. “Why are you not mad?”

“Beckett, as I said, you don’t wear your good clothes to paint,” she laughed, watching his frowning expression while bursting in a fit of laughter. “You should see yourself right now.” She giggled, dipping her brush into blue paint making another line on her jeans next to Beckett’s.

“What are you doing? You are ruining them…”

“Old clothes… remember?” Diana laughed, painting the tip of Beckett’s nose blue before quickly stepping aside, further from him. “And this is how it’s done.”

“Oh, you are so going down for that,” he growled, almost tripping over the paint can.

“You wouldn’t dare,” Diana gasped, her eyes widening. “You know that you may accidentally spill the paint and Ori never forgive us if we stain the carpet.”

“Shit…” cursed Beckett throwing daggers at Diana with his eyes before hearing Oriana’s footsteps on the stair. “Peace,” they quickly agreed as he darted to the door.

“Guys, is everything is okay in here?” Oriana asked, being stopped by Beckett before she could enter the nursery, his hands on her shoulders and backing her away from entrance.

“Everything is fine, why wouldn’t it be? Also, I thought we agreed that you wouldn’t come near the nursery until the room is painted and thoroughly dried. How many times do I need to repeat that paint fumes can be unhealthy for you and the baby.” Beckett scolded, watching Oriana roll her eyes, but obediently stepping back.

“No… It was you who agreed I will not get anywhere near our baby’s room while you’re painting. But there was nothing said about checking on you two…” Oriana trailed off, finally registering the paint on Beckett’s nose. She rose an eyebrow at him.

“She started it.” Beckett frowned defensively.

“Play nice.” Oriana murmured, kissing him on the cheek softly. “Also, do either of you want anything? I planned on ordering some food.”

“Anything you want.” He responded immediately.

“I will never say no to food.” Diana chimed in, peeking out of the room.

Oriana stared at her blue painted jeans. Diana just shrugged. “He started it.”

“You two are the kids I never needed. Behave or both of you will be kicked out and I’ll do everything myself.” Oriana retorted, shaking her head.

Beckett’s ears were turning red. “Sorry, love. Just painting, got it. You can count on us. We’ll be finished in no time.” Beckett lightly kissed Oriana’s forehead, gently brushing her bump with his hand before letting her go.

After Oriana left downstairs, Beckett and Diana set to work both starting on opposite walls. When Diana was occupied with drawing the contours for a small cloud on the wall, she heard her phone vibrating in her back pocket. She could feel how her heart made a flip and butterflies erupted in her stomach. She glanced at Beckett who was still busy painting his wall in firm concentration. After a moment she finally answered her phone, her heart fluttering and she could feel the heat rising in her cheeks.

“Dr. Ramsey?” she murmured quietly, when a familiar voice sounded through the speaker. She knew it was him, even though she didn’t know the number.

“Diana…” Ethan spoke, his voice rambling low. “I thought we agreed that you will call me Ethan.”

“Yes of course. I remember agreeing to this,” spoke Diana biting her lower lip trying to hide the smile from Beckett, who was wholeheartedly absorbed in the painting and didn’t seem to notice anything around him. “Also sorry for not returning your call yesterday. It was quite late when I listened to your voicemail. Also, you didn’t leave your number so…” her voice trailed off and she fell silent, her heart thundering loudly.

“You shouldn’t apologize, I really shouldn’t call you so late…,” Ethan sighed, thinking of all the things he shouldn’t be doing or shouldn’t be dreaming of doing with this incredible girl. Diana smiled, hearing how his voice trembled slightly, imagining him raking his hand through his hair nervously before speaking again. “I just felt like I should check on you and make sure you are okay.”

“I’m feeling much better. Thanks to you. I’m very sorry you saw me like that.”

“I’m really glad that you’re feeling better. I was….” His voice dropped an octave lower and the next words made her eyes widen from the confession. “I was worried about you.”

“Why?” She whispered hoarsely, her throat dried out.

“Because I…” Diana could hear how Ethan took a deep breath, feeling how her heart fluttered in anticipation, waiting for what he would say.

“Di, if you finished with your side of the wall. Can you draw clouds on this part and… do you think it’d be okay to also draw Staff of Asclepius where the baby’s crib will be?”

Ethan literally stopped breathing when he heard Beckett’s voice through the speaker. She’s pregnant???

“Ethan?” Diana called, breaking through his thoughts. She could see Beckett watching her, raising his eyebrow questioningly. The uncomfortable silence from the phone was practically deafening to Diana.

Finally, Ethan cleared his throat and his voice flowed through the speaker again. “I was simply worried because I’m your attendee and you are my intern. You need to be at the top of your game, always.”

Ethan was kicking himself for lying, but what else could he do? He shut his eyes briefly, hoping that she won’t hear the truth in his voice. His heart dropped to the pit of his stomach as he continued. “So, as I said yesterday, Tommy’s blood test results are ready. If you have time to go through them with me?” asked Ethan in a professional voice, absolutely no emotion evident in his tone.

“Okay.” Diana acknowledged.

“There was nothing conclusive. Everything that we tested him for came back as negative. He didn’t ingest anything, touch anything or contract a parasite… Nothing.” Ethan told her.

Diana thought a moment. “Hmmm… can it be that Tommy isn’t sick because of an external cause, but rather an internal one? Something that isn’t new, but perhaps he’s been carrying all along?”

Ethan furrowed his eyebrows. “What do you mean, a genetic thing? We tested several…”

“No, nothing like this. Remember Tommy’s mother said that two weeks ago he was hospitalized with bacterial pneumonia? And prescribed azithromycin? What if…”

Diana stopped, chewing on her lower lip thoughtfully before continuing. “What if the antibiotic did its job a little too well and attacked the good bacteria along the bad one?”

“And this is why he is so sick…Good bacteria started producing toxins as a defense, and that’s what poisoning Tommy.”

“So, once we kill the strain that started attacking him, his digestion will be fine again.” Diana finished.

“This is brilliant. You are brilliant…” Ethan exclaimed before he was able to stop himself. He inhaled sharply before speaking again. “Thank you, Dr. Haynes. I hope you will find your day enjoyable and I’ll see you tomorrow.” Not waiting for her to say anything, he ended the call.

Ethan sat back in his chair in his office, rubbing the back of his neck. She’s pregnant…how did I not know this? Why has she never said anything? She must not be far along if she’s drinking so much coffee on a daily basis. I’ll need to watch her caffeine intake…wait, no, that’s Beckett’s job…right?

Ethan couldn’t shake the thought that he was missing something. It didn’t make sense that she’d be expecting a child with Beckett, yet flirt with him, touch him every chance she got, look at him with such intensity as though begging him to kiss her.

I’ve got to be missing something…but what?

Back at Beckett and Oriana’s house, Diana frowned at her now dark phone.

“Was that Dr. Ramsey?” Beckett asked hesitantly.

“Yes.”

“I couldn’t help but notice you didn’t say goodbye? But congratulations on solving your case.”

Diana shrugged, trying to hide the hurt she was feeling as she placed her phone back in her pocket. “I guess that’s all he needed. And no. Do not paint any medical signs in here, your kid doesn’t need that yet. Or possibly ever.”

She turned her attention back to her fluffy white cloud, signalling she didn’t want to talk about it any further. Ethan Ramsey is nothing if not confusing.

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[cheetahleopard]

fake dating is my weakness tbh so can i ask for that for matsuhana? or 'we don't know each other but we cosplayed as a popular ship on comic con au'? for kuroken? if you don't like either it's ok, i would read anything from you tbh

Awww thank you you’re so sweet! AO3 or @thewritersquad

 Irihata had worked them nearly to death that day.

Well, not literally, but it sure as hell felt like it.

After practice, instead of forcing the others to endure a longer walk home, the third years all stopped at the nearest set of houses, which ended up being Hajime and Tooru’s adjacent homes.

Hajime and Issei ducked into Hajime’s house to use the showers there and Toou and Takahiro opted to use Tooru’s showers, and wait for the others there with ice cream.

As soon as the creak of the front door signified Hajime and Issei’s return, Tooru flops into his boyfriend’s arms, “Hajime I’m worn outtt.” he whines, even though he’s easily the most fit of them all and has probably had the easiest time.

“Hajime, huh?” Issei raises one colossal eyebrow as he maneuvers around the couple, moving to drape himself on the couch, head in Takahiros lap.

“Don’t hog the couch!” Tooru admonishes, shaking a finger at them from where he’d settled himself across Hajime’s shoulders, ignoring the statement.

“If you don’t like it you’re welcome to sit on me. But I’m not moving.” Issei closes his eyes and that would be the end of that, if this weren’t Tooru they were dealing with, who gasps,

“You come into my house. No, I graciously welcome you into my house! Steal my couch! Refuse my rules! Act like I would sit on you-”

“Excuuuse you, I’d sit on Issei every day!” Takahiro interjects, mock-offence bleeding into his tone.

Hajime laughs, “Calm down, you’re both pretty.”

Issei’s eyes snap open and he and Takahiro exchange a shocked glance.

“Did Iwaizumi-”

“Our precious dense bara non-memer-”

“Just sass us?”

“Noooo.” they finish together, identically gasping the word.

With a shake of his head, Hajime walks to the armchair, displacing Tooru as he sits down before Tooru once again settles on his lap.

They sit for a while, just messing around in conversation. Takahiros hands, at some point, had begun threading through Issei’s hair absentmindedly, and he can feel his eyes growing heavier, and Iessei quickly succumbs to the temptations of sleep.

“Hey Makki?” Tooru asks, caching the fond look Takahiro gains staring down at Issei’s sleeping face, “Are you two dating?”

“Not yet.” Is Takahiros response.

And they mull on that until it’s time for Takahiro and Issei to head home.

---

  Walking home is something Takahiro had done many times over (obviously, a voice sounding suspiciously like Issei’s drawls in his mind). And today he was going to test his expertise by looking everywhere but the road the entire way home (except, of course, when crossing the street.) Issei was beside him, making sure he didn’t run into anyone shorter than them everyone and that they actually went the right way home, even as Takahiro walks slightly hunched over, a habit picked up to accommodate for his mother, who just is unwilling to strain her neck looking up at him in all his 6’ 0.7” glory.

Of course, not looking at the road meant that when they passed through the one strip mall as a shortcut, Takahiro was easily distracted by the signs in all of the windows, particularly his favorite bakery.

Which at the moment, apparently, had a couples deal where couples get a free box of their choice of pastry if the took a couples survey.

Takahiro, driven completely by his limitless love for creampuffs, switches to his other most common posture, back straight with his hands stuffed in his pockets, and nudges his 6’ 2” companion. “Yo, Mattsun,” he begins, a cheerful glint in his eye.

Issei stops beside him, mirroring his scheming tone, “Yeah, ‘Hiro?”

“What do you say we take advantage of that deal and get a free box of creampuffs?” Takahiro loops his arm through Isseis, pointing out the sign.

“Why not?” Issei shrugged, turning towards the shop, challenge forgotten.

As soon as they walked through the door, they’re greeted by the light smell of something baking in an oven and a cheerful atmosphere that fit the little cafe/bakery. The nice lady behind the counter recognised them and took one look at their linked arms, “I’ll get going of those creampuffs, then. You can pick up the survey after your friends take it.”

“Thanks Mai-san!” Takahiro chirped, turning to where she indicated.

And then the blood drained from both of their faces.

“Mattsun! Makki! I take it you finally got your act together!” Tooru waves from where he’s hanging off Hajimes arm.

“Yeah.” Issei gulps.

“Totally.” Takahiro agrees, deciding the creampuffs are worth the reminder of his crush being unrequited.

This way, at least, has a payout that involves him eating his feelings, which he is totally down for.

---

Takahiro wakes up the next day feeling full and satisfied with himself. He still has half the box hidden away where his sister will never find it, he got an A on his essay, and the sun is shining.

This of course, all comes crashing down when he meets up with the others to walk to school and is greeted by Issei stooping down to peck him on the cheek, “Mornin’.”

Of course, now they had to act coupley in front of the other third years.

The second years are too gossipy, even, surprisingly, Kentarou, so they could excuse hiding a relationship from them.

And the first years- well, Yuutarou would probably have a heart attack.

The team already has to deal with enough PDA from Tooru draping himself over Hajime all the time, they didn’t need Takahiro and Issei to rub a fake relationship in their faces as well.

But just around the third years? They have to act the part, or risk.. Well, nothing much, but certainly Takahiro needs the excuse to reach forward and tangle Issei’s fingers with his own, responding with a smirk and, “Eyebrows.”

“Cold ‘Hiro, you wish your eyebrow game were so strong.”

“Too true.”

Issei’s hand tightens around Takahiros, and he thinks he can roll with this.

---

They keep it up for three days before everything comes crashing down.

It’s been three days and Takahiro is tired.

Tired of chaste cheek kisses making him wish Issei would mean them.

Tired of well wishes that are platonic even though they don’t seem it.

Tired of being roped into the idea that it’s all real, that Issei loves him back.

Because love is what this has become. So deep and utterly unchangeable that it’ll probably never leave.

But if it doesn’t leave Takahiro is trapped. Trapped longing after someone who won’t ever long for him back.

And he’s tired of the ache in his heart whenever he has to remind himself it isn’t real.

“Issei I think we should stop this.”

The words come out when they’re walking home, after they pass the others houses.

“Careful there ‘Hiro, it almost sounds like you’re breaking up with me.” Issei’s tone is lighthearted, but there’s something else there that Takahiro could almost label as panic.

“How can I break up with you when we were never really dating in the first place?” Takahiro asks, some of his helplessness bleeding into his voice.

“‘Hiro, why would we stop?”

“Why wouldn’t we?” Takahiro snaps. Issei tightens his grip on Takahiros hand, as though ‘Hiro has the heart to pull away.

“Because I’m tired,” Takahiro continues, “Because it hurts to keep pretending to be with someone who doesn’t love you back!”

“Back?” Issei sounds hurt, and Takahiro finally pulls his hand away.

“Leave me alone for a while.” Takahiro forces out, turning onto his own street.

“‘Hiro wait!” But Takahiro rushes into his house, not seeing Issei stare at his hand, the warmth of Takahiro’s hand fading along with Issei’s whisper of, “I love you too.”

---

Takahiro is avoiding him. Issei can tell.

During practice he worked with Shinji, and Issei worked to keep the peace between Shigeru and Kentarou so they wouldn’t start angrily making out again, they traumatized Yuutarou the first time.

During lunch, Takahiro wasn’t at their normal spot on the roof and when asked, Tooru said that he’d hung back to talk with a teacher.

Afternoon practice went much the same, and Hajime and Tooru exchanged more than a few knowing glances, but Issei couldn’t find it in himself to care.

Which he should’ve.

---

Takahiro shouldn’t’ve trusted Hajime when he told him to go stack the mats in the supply closet. As soon as he’s in, Issei is pushed in behind him and the door is locked shut.

“Um hi.” Issei says weakly, “guess you’re stuck with me.”

Takahiro says nothing and waits for his eyes to adjust to the lack of light, blinking when he finds Issei much closer than he thought he’d be.

“I know you don’t want to talk with me right now,” Issei begins, gently grabbing Takahiro’s hands in his own, “But I just want you to know that I love you too. More than you love creampuffs, probably. I love the way you joke with me and I love the way you let me be myself and I love how you smile at your own jokes and I lo-”

Takahiro presses forward and presses his lips to Isseis, not letting him finish or he’s afraid he’ll start crying.

“I love you too, doofus.”

[creativitytoexplore]

[RF] It Came from Above https://ift.tt/2SZC19e

As I looked into the empty onyx eyes of the beast, I saw the deepest abyss harken back to me. Through the sparse rays of moonlight, I could tell that its hairs were erect. It was fully aware that I was there to kill it or it would kill me by the end of this night. I had no intention of leaving this forest without a souvenir of my venture. My muscles tensed as I lowered myself into a more defensive position. The veins in my arms bore from my skin as I gripped the blade in my hand tighter. The beast mirrored my form. Legs holding firm to the ground, body arched forward with arms protecting one of the most vital treasures in its body, the heart. We stood there. We watched each other’s movements, ready to strike at the sign of an attack. We were both playing the offensive, but that wasn’t going to work in either of our favor.

The sharp crack of a twig drew my attention from my enemy for a mere fraction of a millisecond, but it was enough time for the beast to move. I could no longer see it but I could hear hurried claws make its way around me. I did a full turn just in time to have the beast claw at my arms and legs. I did my best to slash in its direction but the blade could only slice through the air. The smell of iron from my lost blood mixed in with the piney, earthy scent of the forest. I fell back in exhaustion but the creature was not tired. Defeat would no longer be an option if it persisted with such ferocity. With the last few ounces of adrenaline coursing through my system, I drove the blade into the gaping maw of the monster until I could go no further. It wrung its hands, bled onto my body, and fought against my shaking arms. But then it went quiet. Its breathing slowed to desperate pants then stopped altogether. Its heavy body slumped over mine. And that's when I heard the most terrifying sound unknown to the common man.

“ANNIKA WATKINS! I do recall asking that these stories were to be about what you did this summer; not some fantastical exaggerations from the mind of a fantastical dreamer.”

“But this did happen Mrs. Crowley.” Annika lifted one of the sleeves of her sweater. She revealed large ghastly, healing gashes along the length of her forearm where her skin had been ripped open some time ago. “See, I have the scars to prove it.” The class gasped in the fascination of the validity of her story but her teacher was not impressed.

“I doubt those were made by some monster.”

Annika didn’t want to risk being held back at school any longer. She decided to just take her seat rather than face detention for “talking back” again. While the next student drudged on about their lame summer skipping rocks or fishing, Annika looked at her wounds again. She remembered the dark woods. She remembered going on a short hike with one of her brothers. She only walked away from him for a second. She just wanted to get a good look at the stream full of small minnows and frogs. Before she knew it, she was attacked by a young wolf. Must have been its first hunt because she wasn’t hurt immediately. She tried screaming for help but the wolf deafened her cries with its howl. Remembering the pocket knife she took off from her brother’s belt, she was aware that she couldn’t run. She had to stay there and fight it. After driving the knife into the young wolf, Annika heard the sound of a dense pack of wolves howling back towards the slain child. Her brother found her quickly, threw her over his shoulder, and left the woods. The scars were a reminder for her to always keep her guard up.

Mrs. Crowley was a homely woman known for her affinity for cats but disdain for rowdy children. She had only become a teacher because her success with the other sex was about as realistic as the beast from Annika’s story. She loathed Annika and her stories. As well-spoken as the ten-year-old was, she had an unquenchable desire to write macabre fictional stories. They were never set in reality, much like the girl herself. Annika was a daydreamer. If she wasn’t writing, her mind would take her through the window, outside of the classroom, away from the school to a darkened world of blood, sinew, and viscera. Her dark worlds were not completely hopeless, there was always the inclusion of a young heroine or hero that slew savage monsters, therefore cleansing the world from the horror.

Who could blame such a young girl for a mind like that?

The Watkins were free thinkers. Liberals that allowed such a young, impressionable mind to watch horror movies until the wax of candles burned out. Her only friends were her even more rowdy older siblings who would rough house with her when the chance arose. For the most part, Annika would find herself alone. She would play along the forest line, where the acres of her family’s land greeted the black isolating coniferous trees. In her dominant hand she held a makeshift dagger made from cardboard, paint, and other decorative craft supplies as she fought against the unseen enemy. Of course, she would have to write this victorious tale of violence when given the next opportunity in class.

It was a long way from the bus stop to the Watkins Residence. Annika trekked through woods and a dirt runway for a half-mile until her house stood right in front of her. It was a large two-story Victorian home at the head of their five-acre property. Swirling clouds overhead, made the house darker than it usually appeared. A storm was coming. All Annika wanted now was to get some rest along with a rousing fighting match against one of her brothers.

Annika entered the doorway of her home, dragging her feet along the worn wooden flooring. Once her body had made its way completely inside, she crashed to the floor in defeat. She groaned loud enough with the hopes that any of the other Watkins would hear her cry. But the house remained quiet, still. She groaned again, louder this time, in case no one could hear her throughout the long halls. She sighed, accepting the reality that they must have been out hunting again. Without her. Again. She brought herself up from the frigid wood and began her ascension up to her room. She passed by the kitchen to her left. Empty. The living room, a little further up: empty. To her right were the hundred-year-old stairs with twelve grand steps that creaked and moaned as she continued to drag herself upward. By now she had recognized the individual despaired voices of the different steps along the staircase. She knew which voice represented which level and could tell how long she had until her parents would make it to the top floor before she had to pretend she was asleep every night.

At last, she was at the top, tired from her day at school, she knew someone would wake her up in time for dinner. If they all weren’t camping out again that is. Her mom may have left a note but she was too distracted by her slump to care. She continued down the long hallway till she reached her bedroom door at the furthest end. Above she could see the entrance to the old attic before entering inside. A large bed made of solid redwood trees pushed along the right-most wall invited her in for a cozy slumber. She slung her backpack and jacket into her closet that faced the bed. It promptly landed on some clothes that she was meant to fold ages ago. Annika crashed her full body onto the bed. In the same fashion as she had done on the floor below. Without any more time to think, the young girl fell into a deep slumber.

The dangerous cracking of lightning jolted the youngest family member out of her peaceful rest. Annika had a feeling that someone was home, hopefully with a delicious dinner prepared for her. She rose from her bed, happily making her way out of her room.

She didn’t get far.

She halted in her tracks, frozen in anxious curiosity. The attic door that was in front of her room was propped open. The assisted ladder was out, barely touching the wood below. The light in the attic was not on. Could one of her family members be up there looking around? She was always cautioned that it was too dangerous for her to even consider going up there. This did not stop her. She took a hold of the rungs, making sure to quietly climb upward. The attic would have been pitch black had it not been for a few light sources crudely placed around the area; a small window allowing for the occasional bright flash of lightning, a small oil lantern in a corner slowly dimming away, and small light coming from her bedroom leaking in from the attic’s entrance. Next to the lantern, she could see something familiar; one of her dad’s old sleeping bags, littered with holes and a nonfunctioning zipper. Next to it were a few open cans of old food, fit with flies, filth, and fully rusted around the visible edges. That’s when the stench hit her. It was foul, rotten. An unearthly stench emanating from a coffee tin next to the bed. The smell of urine, ammonia, and death. Her head felt dizzy from the wafts of whatever was in the tin, her stomach swirled and ached as her brain urged her to leave the room. The stench caused her eyes to tear up, her nostrils burned; she stifled a few quiet coughs.

Before Annika could make it back down the ladder, she heard footsteps approach. They weren’t as heavy as her dad’s or brothers’ work boots, but they weren’t lighter than her mom’s house shoes either. They were different, hushed, calculated steps that seemed to be headed right towards her. In a panic, Annika made her way fully into the attic. She found an old chest fit with shards of broken glass from old picture frames, cobwebs, and a cloud of dense dust particles swirling around her irritated sinuses. Annika was short on better choices for hiding. She climbed into the chest, using a hole on the inside to peek through. She could still catch the smell of the musk and grime of the other person who brought himself into the attic behind her. She watched as he grabbed something from under the sleeping bag then sat against the wall with the object in his hands. It caught some of the light from outside. The object looked metallic, one edge straight, while the other edge curved against the strange man’s finger. She recalled her mom telling her the story of squatters. Disturbed people who lived in old homes with a lot of space. They would steal food and sometimes hurt the homeowners if they ever found out.

Annika’s heart rapidly pumped as adrenaline coursed through her body. A burst of wind blew open the small window, providing enough distraction for Annika to jump out. Annika’s arms dripped with fresh blood from the broken shard in her forearm. One of her older scars had reopened. Without letting her injuries distract her, she made her way out of there and down the ladder. She could hear shuffling, some aggressive grunts, a few curses behind her. “Get back here!” She hurriedly leaped off of the ladder and slammed it upwards to the attic to buy her some time.

The young girl flew down the stairs, desperately searching around the whole bottom floor for anyone who could help, but the house stayed silent as a dormouse. She ran into the kitchen to find the house phone, as she picked it up to her ears she heard the dial tone, a voice on the other end saying something about a “disconnected service”. That’s when she saw it, a note on the fridge that either would damn her or help her in the end.

Went deer hunting by the mountains. We set our alarms to 10 p.m. so we will be back by 11. Promise.

Love,

Mom Dad Jason and Todd

Annika looked up at the clock on the wall: 10:35. She may have not been good at math, but she knew that if she could survive for long enough, someone would be there to help her in the end. While she began thinking of a plan, she heard the haunting moans of the wailing staircase.

Step 10. Thunder. Step 6. Thunder. Step 4. Silence…

Annika froze in a desperate hope to hear more but she was met with just the raging storm outside. With quick wit, she grabbed one of her dad’s hunting knives from the counter. She took advantage of her small frame by quietly slipping into one of the cabinets above the sink. She knew that most creatures in the wild search low areas first. Now all she could do was wait.

Finally, she could hear the footsteps again. The same, quiet footsteps as before. They made their way towards the kitchen first. As she predicted, the squatter searched the lower cabinets. His musty odor was more prominent than before as he got closer to the sink. She waited patiently. Her breath was steady. Any noise could mark trouble for her. When she heard the older body make its way through the kitchen into the dining room, she tried opening the door to the cabinet. In astute betrayal, the cabinet squeaked above the rolling thunder and she quickly jumped from the cabinet to the counter to the floor. Her small feet carried her back towards the staircase, up the cacophonous stairs. She reached her bedroom, desperately closing the door shut. Hurriedly, she hid in her closet under a pile of unfolded laundry.

She was protected but cornered. She knew better than to jump out the window. A broken bone would not be to her advantage. All of the furniture in her room was too heavy for her to move by herself.

The thunder outside did not cease. It boomed, shaking the entire house with it. She could hear the squatter’s every move.

Step 1. Thunder. Step 3 Thunder. Step 5. Silence…

He wasn't moving as quickly as before. She couldn’t hear his footfalls along the staircase anymore. Just the quiet of the house. Did he stop? Was he still coming up? Where was he now?

The thunder got louder. Annika lost her hearing for a moment. She couldn’t hear her breath or her own heart.

Thunder. Step 12.

He was at the top of the stairs, heading straight down the hall. She held the knife close to her chest. Daddy, please come home. Her bedroom door swung open. In less than a second, the closet door to where she was hiding was open too. She screamed.

“I got you”. He didn’t move further though. The glint of the blade in her hands caught his attention. She froze too, ceasing her shrieks to notice he also had his guard up. Another boom of thunder distracted them both. He quickly lunged at her but she was swift and small. She slipped past him, but he grabbed her leg. Pulling all of her weight to the floor. The air in her lungs had fully expelled. She turned onto her back. He lunged again. Annika drove the hunting knife forward. It went straight through his mouth, to the back of his throat. He thrashed, clawing at her and the knife. While he was down, Annika made her way out of the room and down the stairs again. She took the chance to run out the front door when she was blocked on her way out. It was soft, rain-soaked fabric that smelled of the surrounding forest, of fresh deer. She looked up to see her father before her. She held him close and cried. When the tears stopped, she explained everything to him.

Annika’s mom took her daughter into her arms, letting her know how proud she was. The three men carefully went to her bedroom equipped with their rifles. Unlike Annika’s usual fibs, they could already tell that her story of triumph was true. In a large puddle of viscous red was the man that Annika had described, a familiar hunting knife lodged in the center of his throat. Without words, the family made a silent vow that the youngest was never to be left out of sight. Two close encounters with death were more than enough for a young girl.

submitted by /u/SpookyBootato [link] [comments]